A/N: I'm not sure if I like this chapter, but tell me what you think
Disclaimer: I dont own
Warning: A creepy story that I created from a messed up imagination.
Chapter 7: Darkened Timber
"Kurt, you should sleep, I'll stay awake."Felix approached the boy who had been sitting on the window sill for about an hour or so. He chuckled at the sight.
The child's eyes were shut tight and his nose was twitching from a dream Felix couldn't depict. With a sigh, he gently put Kurt's arms around his neck and picked the boy up. His head drooped off to the right and rested against Felix's shoulder. The elder could hear his steady breathing; it was comforting in the silence of the manor.
"You're still such a child, should I tell you stories as you sleep?"Felix mused to himself. Kurt shifted slightly but made no move to awaken.
"Okay, I will then."
Felix set Kurt down into the soft sheets gently and crawled in along side him.
"Let's see, what should I tell you..."The red head pondered as Kurt slept at ease,"...hmm..."
Felix's eyes drifted over to the moon and landed onto the forest below. He heard a slight crackle and his attention immediately darted across the room to the fireplace. It's timber was darkened by past flames scorching its bark. Felix could relate.
"Let me tell you the story of Darkened Timbers."Felix looked back out the window,"It's been a while since I told that one."
"One thing you can count on with trees, is their ability to keep growing. It is a slow, but constant growth, that doesn't change.
Then there is man, who grows as well, but changes often. His fears, his family, his feelings, nothing about man is constant, even in death his body decays over time until it becomes one with the earth.
Once upon a time, man came across a large forest. He looked at the forest and asked it.
"Gentle trees that sway by breeze, won't you please come with me?"
The trees shook as the cold wind passed through them, but didn't respond. They never would respond. They were constant.
Man grew angry as he repeated to ask. He began to ask the trees separately, searching for an answer to why they would not reply.
Night soon fell and man became wary of the forest. It's many leaves and branches scattered frightening shadows upon the ground that seemed to move. This caused man to become angrier then ever.
"You shall move with the moon, but not with me?"
All the trees did was shake in the slight breeze from the sea beyond and their shadows moved as the moonlight scattered across them.
In a fit of anger, man left the forest.
He returned the next morning with an axe made of fire and stone. It frightened the forest, who had always remained constant. And leaves began to fall.
Man laughed in sick glee. He had gotten the desired reaction it seemed. Now the forest understood. That man was a devil, who gained power from others fear.
Their tendrils scattered about the ground, shaking the soil, for the trees had always been firmly rooted. Man cowered away from the vines, fearing the wrath of the forest.
"Leave me alone!"Man had yelled.
But man had forgotten how constant trees could be. Their fear had created movement, and now the movement wouldn't suffice. They continued to surround man.
Man wept in terror and prayed. Man couldn't do anything except beg for forgiveness and hope that death would spare him.
From the heavens came an angel cloaked in black. Her wings obsidian and her eyes a red that man had only seen in blood. Her hair was white, like the winter snow that trees feared so much.
Man begged her to assist him, to save him. The angel stepped forward and looked deep into the man's eyes.
"You shall be saved, but it comes with a price."
Her voice was like lemons. Bittersweet.
Man was selfish, and the angel's warning meant nothing to him. He would lie to the angel.
"Save me, please guardian angel!"he cried,"I shall give you anything!"
Man's words rang true and the angel simply smiled. She flew up above the trees who were still desperately trying to remain constant.
"Children of the earth, I must apologize for you having awoken after all this time."
'We were never meant to do this! We wanted to sway with the moon and the wind. Constantly, forever!'the forest cried.
The angel hovered lower and bowed her head.
"I shall release you of man's curse, and punish man greatly."
Man laughed aloud as the forest was set to flames. It's bark and branches leading smoke to the heavens. Soon the entire forest was in crimson flames. The heat licked man's feet and the crackling fire was a mantra to man's success.
The angel flew back below and her feet touched the burning timber. It's darkness and the forest's cries of pain awoke something within the angel.
"Do not worry, my dear children of earth."the angel sighed,"His judgment is about to be received."
The angel approached man and shivered in disgust at his gleeful laugh. Man was sickening. Unclean, and unwanted.
The angel smiled and kneeled before man, who stopped laughing and widened his eyes in fear at the angel's transformed appearance.
Her eyes were as obsidian as the darkened timber and in her hands was a book of truths. She sneered at man who began to sob.
"It is time to pay the price."she said to man.
Man fell to his knees and once again begged for forgiveness. The angel laughed dangerously and opened the book.
"Let this monstrosity be recorded. Let his punishment be known."The angel hissed.
The angel stood before man and cited heavenly words. Man screamed as burning pain seeped through his flesh.
"Now, you shall change as the trees had changed. You will forever be constant and your soul shall burn in hell fire for eternity."the angel stated,"In order to continue life, you must steal life from others again and again until you are satisfied. Your children, and your children's children will be cursed just as you have been."
Man wept and his tears fell onto the darkened timber. His throat aching and an emptiness within his chest as his soul burnt like the forest.
The angel kneeled beside man once more and slit his throat. Man cried even harder as he wished for death but death never came.
"Oh angel of darkness, what be thy name?"man cried out in pain.
"I am Lucifer. And you are now my eternal servant. A demon. A devil. You must do as I command. I who has fallen from heaven commands you who has fallen from humanity."the angel stated.
And the demon bowed before smiling in realization. That he had not lied after all."
Felix sighed as he'd run out of breath, and took a quick glance at the clock. It had taken him ten minutes to tell the story and he had gotten slightly tired. Felix guessed that the lacing had been a sleeping draft to make him pass out, but he would fight the tiredness.
"I haven't heard that tale since my childhood. Where on earth did you hear it?"A sultry voice mused from the doorway.
Felix bolted into a sitting position and snapped his gaze to Sebastian. The publisher hissed.
"Is that any of your concern?"
"I suppose not. But in concern for you I should warn you that telling such stories can bring unwanted attention to you."
"I am fully aware."Felix laced his words with an almost threatening tone.
"I'm guessing that tale was told by your father wasn't it?"Sebastian's crimson eyes glinted with underlying danger. His smirk grew as Felix paled slightly. He'd hit a nerve.
"How do you know that?"Felix hissed at the demon.
Sebastian bowed politely. His lean form cast an eerie shadow about the room. The unchanging shadow of Ciel Phantomhive...
"It was simply a guess Mr. Nhell, nothing more."
"So you say. I'm surprised you can be so polite despite your tedious questions Mr. Michaelis."Felix retorted.
"My questions are only as tedious as your interesting answers."Sebastian countered.
"My answers aren't interesting."Felix hissed.
"Then my questions aren't tedious."Sebastian mused.
Felix didnt respond and instead turned his gaze onto the tapestry that plagued the room.
"That tapestry was your doing wasn't it?"Felix asked.
Sebastian chuckled,"Now who's asking the tedious questions?"
"Sebastian, enough."a cold voice ordered. The demon bowed to the blue haired boy who stood in the doorway proudly, unaffected by the embarrassment of wearing only a night shirt.
"Yes my lord."
Ciel's steps were somewhat heavy and the moon light glistened against his messed up hair. It looked like cold silver and he stepped forward. His contracted eye covered by the locks.
"Felix Nhell. I have a proposition for you."