Demon of England

by GradGirl2010

After five years of sorrow, Alliahnna finally has Ciel back in her life. Unfortunately The House of Trancy wishes to take him away again. Her love with Sebastian weakening. The bond Ciel and Alliahnna had dissipating Now as a demon will Alliahnna be able to save her family? Or will she be forever alone once more?

44. Foolish to Believe a Demon

Foolish to Believe a Demon

Moving on.

xxx

"SEBASTIAN WHAT?!" Ciel's scream was a shrill echo, causing Alois intense pain on the outside. He felt like his skull was about to split open. Ciel paid him no heed as he frothed at the mouth at what he just discovered. "Sebastian…" He crushed his fingers into a tight fist. His teeth bit into his lip, drawing a thin line of blood, "You...and Alliahnna...are having a child?! And you never told me?!" He swung a fist. He didn't expect it to, but a wall met his fist. Ciel was seething through gritted teeth. His rage was pouring from his narrowed, wide eyes like hot tea from a pot.

Sebastian Michaelis and Alliahnna Phantomhive, in a heated moment of passion they had not expected to bear fruit, became blessed - cursed in his eyes - with a child. A demon spawn. A parasite Alliahnna will HAVE to host in her body until it decides to emerge. An abortion would be a horrid black mark on The Phantomhive name. Not that an Noble Woman making love with a servant and demon was any cleaner.

This insult to The Phantomhive pride was too much to bear. First those men who spirited him away and defile him. Now a demon has laid claim to his sister. And she allowed it! She consummated her love with him, accepted his child within her, and hid it from him! Why? Why would she do that? Why would THEY do that? Did they think he would shun them? Precisely what I am doing now. He would have learned to...I mean...He would TRY to learn to love the nieces of nephews he would be blessed with. Even if they are demons of the Underworld.

"Demons…" The only company Ciel can keep, or stand to be around. Sebastian, Claude, Alliahnna, The Reapers - everyone Ciel has come to associate with and rely on are from the bottomless pits of Hell. His own sister is a permanent resident. And nothing he does now will ever be able to save her. Not that ever needed to be saved. Or wanted to be.

"You're no longer a saint...are you Alliahnna?" Ciel moaned, wrapping his arms around himself. "You've truly become The Demon of Phantomhive."

xxx

The bile covered spider wiggling to free itself from the sticky stomach content was crushed under Sebastian's foot. The legs spasmed to the sides. An agonized squeal was squeezed out of it. He twisted the ball of his foot, taking a silent pleasure in thinking it was Claude under his foot. The entertainment was short lived by the petrified shudders coming from Alliahnna. She's yet to find the strength to rise to her feet. The tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, her body shaking like a leaf in the wind, the whimpers escaping her throat gave her the appearance of a child in pure terror. He should not be surprised. The spider broke free from within her, swallowed something it took from her stomach. How it ended up there, he is terrified to fathom. What it devour terrified him even more.

"Alliahnna…" He approached her slowly, reaching his hands for the stupefied girl. "Alliahnna!" For the first time in a long while she finally blinked, bringing herself back to reality. When her eyes met his, he saw his reflection in her frightened irises. She was slowly coming back to her senses, but she was out of her mind with fear. "Alliahnna? Are you alright? Why was that spider…" He trailed off, too disgusted to finish. Alliahnna knew perfectly what he was referring to.

"C-Claude…" She stammered at the mercy of her shaking, "He...trapped me in the basement…" She placed a hand to her chest where her wound was practically erased. But the trauma still tore at her. "His spiders...were ALL over me...inside me…I thought I got them all...but..." She choked back her revulsion. Sebastian went agape, staring daggers at the squashed spider that was living inside of her. "Was that...did that spider just...did Claude…?" She hugged her hands to her stomach.

"Easy...breathe…" Sebastian wrapped his arms around her, helping her to her feet.

Alliahnna clawed at his coat, burying her face into his chest. "Sebastian! Did Claude's spider just eat my baby?" She sobbed. "Did I just lose my baby?! OUR baby?"

"Alliahnna…" He sighed. He doesn't know how to answer her. Truthfully, he doesn't want to know himself. If that spider did just kill his child, he might not be able to withstand the grief. He may very well unleash his fury like he did on the island and… "I…" He closed his hands to her shoulders, holding her snuggly to her chest, "Please do not think ill of me. But the time is not now to be pondering this." He edged her back, cupping her flushed cheeks. Her eyes were puffy and red from crying so much. "Claude still has a lead on us. And if he makes it to your brother…" He lifted her hand, "Then this will all truly have been for nothing."

The reality of the situation is difficult to accept. But Sebastian spoke true. If she assumes what that spider took in her child, then she will crumble and be worthless to both Ciel and Sebastian. And she refuses to give laude the satisfaction of her defeat. She won't let him win so easily. He's violated her, manipulated her, abducted her - he will not defeat her. Not like this, and not in this life.

"You're right! You're absolutely right!" She clapped her cheeks, waking up that fire in her. She fixed herself up, stamping to shake off the numbing. She locked her eyes to Sebastian, inadvertently arousing him with her returning resolve. "We have to hurry! Ciel is waiting for us! And we have to teach Claude not to touch what is his."

"Precisely what I was thinking." Sebastian commended her. He tilted his head with an adoring smile, "That's My Young Lady."

Alliahnna was beyond happy to hear him say that again. "Let's go!" The two broke into a run. Even though they found a new resolve to fight, both were simultaneously worrying about what the spider ate. Both prayed...it wasn't the child.

xxx

"HOW DARE YOU INTERFERE, BRAT?!" Alois balled his fists. Ciel was pitching a fit somewhere in that damn body of his. He'll put an end to that. He punched at his face. His ring tore a gash in his cheek. He fought viciously with the boy he cannot touch. But he managed a silent victory as he hurt himself. "I'LL KILL YOU!" He got on his knees, smashing his face to the ground.

"PLEASE TOP THIS!" Hannah implored, lifting the boy from his self-destruction. "You'll hurt yourself as well! Please be careful!"

"IT'S MY GAME!" Alois ignored Hannah's plights, holding his sore head. "There are things I want to ask Claude too, ya know?!"

Hannah turned to check on Claude's progress. Only he can end Alois's tantrum. She spotted him at the base of the tower. "Master! Look there! It's Claude!" Alois's turmoil halted. He learned over the edge, marveling at his favored butler below. "He's nearing the end! He's reached the final question station!"

"Finally! At last I can ask!" Alois was overcome by a sorrow, and a misconstrued excitement. He will have the answers he wants. Why Claude killed him. "Tell me! Why did you do it Claude?"

xxx

After a tumultuous journey, Claude reached the end of Alois's insane game. All of those questions and commands he was subjected to, and mortified by. This last question will bring his humiliation to an end, and grant him the prize he so rightfully deserves. Ciel Phantomhive's delicious soul.

The final answer station was a grand area compared the country gardens he's been lead to like he was on a leash. Massive ornate doors surrounded by pillars and arches against the towering garden. A table donned by a white cloth sat in the middle of a checker tiled floor. A box with his final question was inside. Time to end this silly game once and for all.

"Answer this," Claude read aloud in his usual dull tone, "Why did Claude Faustus KILL Alois Trancy? Alright." He should have known this is what Alois was leading up to. That final, desperate moment of a boy bleeding to death in the forest. Almost killed by a wolf drawn in by the smell of his rich, if not tainted, blood. He confessed feelings of love for his butler. Similar to Alliahnna confessing to Sebastian. The difference being, Claude felt no love for the boy. He was nothing but a meal for him in the end.

Naturally, Alois will not accept that response. The maze is built to only accept the lies Alois form into truths. In his eyes...Claude loved him, in spite of killing him. Claude swallowed his pride and said, "I murdered him out of passion. I killed him for love." He was no better than a machine reading script. Alois seemed taken by his response. The game was his. "It was the only way that I could...no."

No. He will not say it. Regardless of the outcome, Claude Faustus will not subjugate himself to the whims of Alois Trancy any further. His eyes flared in their demonic crimson, serving to fortify himself. "I needed you as a tool to obtain Ciel Phantomhive's soul. That's the reason why I murdered you." He said it unwaveringly and without remorse, plunging the knife further into Alois's widening wound.

BUZZ-BUZZ! Claude answered incorrectly. The tile he stood on opened under him. He plummeted into a tunnel.

xxx

"There is something I have been wondering." Alliahnna broke the suffocating silence she and Sebastian inadvertently sauntered through the maze in.

Since breaking back into their race, Sebastian and Alliahnna hadn't really spoken much. Too focused on regaining lost ground and catching up to Claude. In that silence, Alliahnna was pondering something she heard Claude mention while he was hypnotizing her. About Sebastian being there before the bridge incident. Just...watching. After breaking free of his control, all of these questions and events came flooding to her mind. She was having a difficult time discerning truth from lies herself. She felt like Alois.

"Were you really there the whole time?"

"When?" Sebastian tilted his head.

"You know when." She accused. She moved in front of him, stopping him with hands at his stomach. She furrowed her brow. Sebastian grunted under his breath, unnerved by how serious she looked. She was in no mood for games. "When Ciel returned home. After he was taken from me...and brought back like a broken doll!" Her voice cracked. She recused herself everyday for not being able to save him. "Were-you-there?" She jabbed a finger on each word.

Sebastian clasped her hands, preventing her from damaging him with her harsh prodding. "Did Claude tell you this?" He sighed resignedly.

"That…" She regretted to admit. "And I remember feeling as if...I don't know…" It felt like a thousand years ago. When she and Ciel were children. Playing games, tricking strangers, being the best of friends, being...normal. Then age ten rolls around...and everything falls to Hell. Coming to learn Sebastian was there...it made odd sense. "How do I put this? There was always a shadow behind Ciel, that wasn't his own, and it was watching him. Us." Sebastian's long locks masked the shame glossing to her eyes. "Were you that shadow?"

"I was." He admitted contritely. Alliahnna went rigid, clenching her fists. She knew better than to be shocked that he was withholding information. Still, it hurts from time to time. Sebastian folded his arms, fortifying himself for what may come. "I watched you try your absolute hardest to entertain The Young Master. Be by his side to brighten his day, be a mother to him in place of the one you lost." Some mother she turned out to be. She left because she couldn't take it. "You never let on how disheartened you were by his passive aggressive responses. Or how exhausted you had become picking up the slack that was setting in through the Funtom Company." To this day he is still winded by her devotion to him. "I admit I berated your human sentimentality, and your impulsive nature to coddle The Young Master. While, at the same time, I was moved."

"You were?" She was startled by this.

Sebastian cupped a hand to her cheek, caressing the soft skin. "That is why, at the bridge, your bravery and foolishness in attacking Ash Landers made me fall head over heels for you." He touched his forehead to hers. The warmth of her flesh melted the ice always encased to his. He inhaled her scent, tracing his hands to her cheek and hair. "Only while being your servant did I come to truly love you. Which is why…" He started to stoop low, "I am brave enough," He was on one knee, "To take the next step."

"The next step?" Her heart was racing. Is he...

Sebastian held her hands, staring deeply into her sapphire pools. "I care not if the child in you is lost. That is a punishment for both you and I being so foolish. I want to make a new child. Start a family with you." Alliahnna lost track on the number of times she was being driven to tears. This time, she might actually break down. Her head was spinning, her heart racing, her body aching but coated in a warm glaze. "Alliahnna Marie Phantomhive...will you do me the absolute honor, grant me the ultimate privilege, and marry me?"

xxx

Back on the tower, wrapped in the coils of despair, Alois was trembling at the answer Claude gave. He's been playing the game well the whole time. Answering the questions in full, reciting them as if he had written them down on cards and studying them. He understood how the game was played and he used the rules to gain the ultimate advantage. And still...he cocked up at the end. All for the sake of pride.

"Why, Claude? You could have just lied!" Alois's voice shook as he tried to remain in control. Control was not an option for him anymore. "YOU MUST HAVE FIGURED OUT HOW THE QUESTIONS WERE CREATED! But you still..." He can hardly believe his ears. He wished it was a trick. "You still gave that answer."

Why? Would he give that answer? Why won't he just say what Alois wants to hear? WHY WON'T HE BE HIS BUTLER? Why can't he have what...Ciel and Alliahnna have with Sebastian?

xxx

Alliahnna stifled her out cries with a hand. She was still trapped in a state of shock. Sebastian was on his knee. He held her hand in his. He was waiting ever so patiently for a response. This instance was frozen in time. Her ears constantly replayed Sebastian's words over and over again, leading up to the question that was racking her brain and stomach worse than carnival rides. She loved that feeling. The overwhelming plethora of emotions exploding out of her. Even though her face wasn't showing it.

"Alliahnna…" Sebastian mustered his voice again. Alliahnna released a held breath, lowering her head. Sebastian leaned in, squeezing her hand. "Will you-?"

"Yes…"

"What?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes I will!" She bounced up and down, flying into a fit of glee. She threw herself into Sebastian's arms, flutter kicking her feet as she giggled uncontrollably. Sebastian was engrossed in a stupor. "I will, Sebastian! I will!"

"You will! Thank you!" He hugged her tightly, taken over by the joy she's given him with her answer. To think it took him years to so much as admit that he loved her. A year later...he's asked to be with the woman he loves for the rest of their eternity.

Sebastian rifled in his pocket, taking out his pocket watch. He doesn't have a ring, so he will have to make due. He detached the chain. Obscuring it in his palms he fiddled and toyed with it. Alliahnna rubbernecked to see what he was doing. By the time Sebastian was done, Alliahnna was twinkling in awe of the silver ring he made. "There. Now it is official." He slipped it onto her ring finger. He rose to his feet. The pair admired the ring on her pale finger. "Alliahnna Michaelis. It does have a nice ring. A lovely ring." They lost track as to the number, but Alliahnna and Sebastian shared another kiss.

Yes. Much better. Much better than...Phantomhive.

xxx

Ciel was continuing to toil inside the abyss of his own mind. He was reeling at the news of Alliahnna being pregnant. But that was a moot point at the moment. Right now he must focus on the facts. Fact number one: Ciel and Alliahnna, through extreme and exigent circumstances, completed their contracts with Sebastian. Their ties to him were severed.

"Sebastian...that's right." Ciel's mind was laying the pieces out again. "Sebastian saw to it that Alliahnna and I got our revenge!" Which would mean that his or her soul should have been devoured. Alliahnna chose to be a demon forever. She gave up ever growing old as a human. "In the end, when offered to end her sorrow, Alliahnna chose to give up her humanity! Why?!" Ciel clawed at his skull. He doesn't understand." Why did you truly give it up? TELL ME!" He screamed. He screamed so loud his voice should have echoed for miles.

xxx

Sebastian and Alliahnna arrived at the next question. Their game was almost over. "Why did Alliahnna Phantomhive truly give up her humanity?" Sebastian read aloud.

Alliahnna was in the spotlight again. She released a held breath. There's no right or wrong answer. Just an honest one. "I wanted to give up my soul just so the pain would stop. So that I wouldn't be alone anymore." That loneliness almost killed her. It was unbearable. It still is. Regardless of having Sebastian...it's not the same as having the family she grew up with. "Sebastian told me, should my humanity be sacrificed, you would reawaken and your soul taken in my place. I thought...it would be the last chance I had to tell you...to apologize for not being able to save you." She choked. Her eyes rippled, glossing in sorrow. "For one more miniscule second...I wanted to hear your voice one last time. To tell you that I, every single day, regretted leaving you. Abandoning you when you needed me most."

The truth wounded Sebastian because he's known he true reasons behind her choice. He regrets everyday turning her. It may have been her choice, but it doesn't alleviate his burden.

xxx

"You truly expect me to believe that?!" Ciel barked venomously. He was quivering in his rage. "That...for my sake...you gave up being human?" That becoming a demon was a horrible experience? The power, the strength, the raw, unbridled power - she honestly expects him to believe she wasn't seduced by it. She's always wanted power, since society doesn't give women any real power. But, what the Hell, why not accept her response. "Alright! I'll play your game! By your next question, I'll decide if I believe you."

xxx

"WHY, CLAUDE?! GAH!" Alois's head was splitting in white hot pain. He threw himself to the ground, rolling around like dog writhing in agony. Claude...he told the truth. He told the truth and...and gave up Alois! He gave him up...for Ciel! ALWAYS FOR CIEL! IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT PRETENTIOUS BRAT!

"YOUNG MASTER!" Hannah cried.

"WHY?! Why are you fighting me, Ciel?! How greedy must you be?!" After a long time of holding it in, Alois's eyes were flooded by tears. He sat on his knees and hands, sobbing heavily with his head hung. "Don't you have enough?" Sebastian, Alliahnna, and now Claude. Three demons fighting over him, and not a single one was fighting for him. Hannah was dismayed by the crying boy. "Of all people, Claude is dashing to and fro to save YOU! Now isn't that rich?" Ciel has all of this. Everything he has was handed to him on a silver platter. Alois had to lose everything that was precious to him to get what he wants. And never was he able to hold on to it. "Can't you even enjoy that, what more do you need?"

Hannah brought the sobbing boy to her bosom, wrapping her arms to him in a tender embrace. "Hush! Don't cry!" She begged him. She moved her lips to his ear, whispering gently, "There's not need to cry. You'll always be the best there is big brother!" Alois stopped his crying, caught off guard by being called big brother. Something he hasn't been called in years.

xxx

A winged soldier statue slid to the side, revealing an underground tunnel. Claude poked his head out like a gopher coming out for food. He recognized the arch and statues. They are the markers at the entrance where this whole farce began.

"Back to the beginning, then."

Guess he shouldn't be surprised. He DID answer incorrectly. At least according to Alois. He does not regret his decision. To placate that boy for another second would not abide by him. He's endured that boy's tantrums, adhered to his random whims, suffered under that blasted contract to follow his orders to the letter. Well not anymore. No matter how many times it takes, Claude will not bend to the whims of the broken Alois Trancy. His in ensnared in that boy's web no more. Servant to him no longer. Claude's only desire now is the soul of Ciel Phantomhive, and the utter humiliation to Sebastian Michaelis. He should get moving. He's lost his major league.

xxx

Alliahnna was next to read the question. "True or false: Alliahnna Phantomhive regrets becoming a demon?"

"This is an odd one." Sebastian arched a brow. He studied it closely. A sense of mistrust was in the words. He cannot make heads or tails of what Ciel was trying to accomplish by asking her such a silly question. Nevertheless, he stepped aside so Alliahnna could answer.

"Yes. Yes I do." She answered sternly. Sebastian was taken aback by her confession. "I left you behind once across vast miles of ocean." She laughed incredulously, spreading her arms and displaying herself for Ciel to see, "Now I am doomed to abandon you across the ages." Sebastian felt that noose tying to his neck. He started to step back. Alliahnna grabbed his hand, stopping him from retreating. "I do not, however, ever regret becoming a demon by your hand. It's because it was you that I can be so accepting."

Sebastian was moved by her. And he thought he had a way with words. The moment was spoiled by, BUZZ-BUZZ! Sebastian and Alliahnna gaped in disbelief. Vines shot from the garden, coiling tightly to Alliahnna, and they dragged her into the hedges, consuming her whole.

"WHAT?!" Sebastian barked.

xxx

A hole opened in the hedges at the entrance. The garden spat Alliahnna out like a rotted piece of meat. She gaped at the closing hole, running up to it to stop it. It shut her out, leaving her at the entrance. Ciel...rejected her. He expelled her. He...thought she was lying.

"You didn't believe me?" Her voice quivered. She gripped a handful of leaves. "Why? WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?!" She ripped the leaves off, tossing them around. The garden quickly healed itself. Alliahnna backed away from the wall, locking infuriated daggers to the boy atop the far away tower. "I do! I regret everyday that I chose to be a demon! I can never grow old! I can never die unless a reaper or demonic weapon kills me! I can outlive you and all my friends a thousand times over!" She stomped her feet, sundering the ground with webbed cracks. Her demonic aura was pouring out of her. Her eyes flared bright pink. "WHY WOULD YOU THINK I'D LIE ABOUT THAT?"

xxx

Ciel heard her uproar as if she was screaming in his ear right beside him. He closed his eyes resignedly. "I am not so foolish, Alliahnna." He grudgingly rumbled. He balled his slender fingers into fists. She cannot believe the words from his sister's mouth. Not anymore. "You and Sebastian have lied to me in the past." About his revenge, about who killed his parents - about everything. From the mouth of his own flesh and blood - if he can even call her that anymore - he was deceived. Turned into a puppet and used by everyone. "I won't be fooled twice."

xxx

Claude wasted no time in maneuvering the labyrinth. The locations of the question station hadn't changed. The distance of them, however, did. The recent shift in the maze caused Claude to take alternate routes. More to add to his headaches.

"First question," He uttered tediously, "Why did Luka sign a contract with Sebastian Michaelis?" He released an ill-tempered breath. "How should I answer this when the question itself is inherently incorrect?" A trick question for a tricky maze. "The underlying assumption here is quite wrong." Claude pondered the situation, and reminded himself that Hannah was standing beside the boy. Therefore, the result of this question's outline is due to her meddling.

"The contract with Luka was not signed with Sebastian." He methodically corrected the garden. "The correct answer is Hannah Annafellows - The Sheath that Holds a Demon Sword."

xxx

Alois glanced to Hannah, seeking truth in Claude's bland response. That his younger brother signed a contract to a demon without him ever knowing it. Her tender smile glistened like the stars. There were no falsehoods contained on her placid expression.

"Hannah...what is he saying?" Alois can hardly bring himself to believe it. Demons can play tricks that are ambiguous to their masters. Lying, on the other hand, is forbidden. Therefore, if they are lying, there will be serious consequences. "Luka signed a contract...with you?"

"Yes, Master. My soul desire is to grant your wishes. I delight in doing so." She confessed from the bottom of her heart. Alois was astounded. "In part because that is what Luka, who sleeps within me, wishes to do as well." Alois's eyes widened. His little brother sleeps within Hannah. He has been there...all this time?

Demons. They are beings with too much time. Hannah is one such who had more than what she knew what to do with. Along with the triplets, who were slain by Grell, she lived her stagnant life in a tedious, bland, yet ominous style. Nothing in the human realm fascinated her. Humans souls were merely food to her. To her they were dull. Nothing more than sustenance. But then that changed.

There was a young boy with vibrant, lively eyes. His naively, plump face beaming with a flamboyant smile on his face. His tuft of red hair shimmering in the moonlight. In his little heart was a dark desire that drew Hannah to him. He was overjoyed to see her. Practically jumping off the walls in glee. Normally, humans are terrified out of their skin by the sight of demons. Though they hold human appearances, humans possess a sense to discern the illusion to the reality. The most terrifying of all is the inevitability of death. That is the outcome when a demon is summoned. There are no happy endings like their fairy stories depict. Luka, the boy who summoned Hannah, was no different. The result of his wish will be the same. He knew Hannah was not what she appeared. He knew what was in store for him. Still he was happy. Because what he had planned would make his brother happy.

Hannah will never forget how caught off guard she was by his selflessness. She was wrong to assume he was like other humans. This boy was different. Nothing at all like the souls she's eaten before. She was moved by him. Wholly devoted to his brother, determined to make Alois's day the best that they can be. She was surprised. In that surprise, she started to feel something she never had before. Luka became...precious. She cherished him. SHe loved him. Unfortunately, she was a demon. In the end there was only one thing she could do for him. Grant his wish as the contract stipulated. And grant it she did. Even if it meant devouring his soul. That precious soul.

The village Luka and Alois grew up in was devoured by flames. Every living person, save for one woman, was left dead. Rotting in the soil, returning to the forces that bred them. Luka lied amongst them off on a path somewhere. Hannah found him lying there in wait, accepting his fate as if he had done so before. Death was looming at his neck. In a matter of second Hannah was about to eat him. And still...he never showed fear. Instead...he thanked Hannah...for making his wish come true. And so he perished with that tender smile on his face. The light leaving those precious eyes for the last time. Nothing like that had EVER happened before. She was overcome with so much grief and adoration that they showed in tears. She wished, oh how she wished, that boy had never summoned her. He would have been one to influence the world. Change the pitiful word of man. She wishes every day that she didn't have to take him.

The price of being a demon is a hefty one to pay. The world will continue to move, and the humans will continue to breed and die like the wind will flow. Demons shall forever remain idle. Never aging, never changing. The sole change in their lives will be the human who summons them for their own selfish gains.

xxx

Alliahnna had stampeded in a fury through the maze. She sprinted at amazing speeds. The wind gusting around her plucked leaves and roses from their stems, leaving them as a mess in her wake. Venom was dripping from her fangs. Fire burned in her eyes. How dare Ciel do this? She growled in her mind. How dare he accuse me of lying! How dare he expel me! She has never been so furious with him in all her life. Never felt this desire to...strangle him and savor his pain. What possessed you to even think I wasn't being truthful? She planned to tear these answers from him. One way or another, she will learn why Ciel thinks she lied.

She didn't have to wait for long.

Another one of those damned boxes greeted her around the corner. She'd tear that box apart if it wasn't crucial to her proceeding. Yet she did almost break the box opening it. The card's question almost drove her insane with rage. "Did Alliahnna 'intentionally' lie to Ciel Phantomhive?"

Lie? LIE! She'd ask what he thought she was lying about. Then she recalled the past few months. Ciel's previous questions spoke volumes of his returning memory. He's putting the pieces together. Sooner or later he was going to realize what was real and what wasn't.

"So you think I'm a liar now? How utterly disgusting!" She spat hatefully. She shot daggers to the boy in Hannah's arms. "Fine! Yes, I lied to you! I lied to you from the moment you woke up! Why?" She challenged him, taking a step closer. "Because I thought, if this would fix you - if even for a moment you were resorted to your original self - I would have lied to you for the rest of your life!"

The answer was accepted. Trumpets resounded and she was allowed to pass through. Alliahnna lowered her head, reluctantly passing into the tunnel. "All I've ever done is look out for you!" She frothed to herself. "Sheltered you! Protected you! Now here I am fighting for you...and it isn't enough!"

To Hell with the labyrinth. To Hell with Ciel. Alliahnna is finding Sebastian, helping him end this mess, and then she is moving on. The second the contract is over, Ciel Phantomhive will vanish from the world!

xxx

"Question," Claude uttered with a note of entertainment, "Was Claude Faustus aware that Hannah Annafellows had made a contract with Luka?"

"The answer is yes." That sure takes him back.

It was right around when Claude first entered his contract with Jim Macken - newly named Alois. Hannah, accompanied by the triplets Timber, Canterbury, and Thompson, sought out the renamed Alois and came to Claude to beseech employing themselves in Alois's service. Hannah was very forthcoming with information pertaining to Alois. Information she possessed because of Luka's soul.

In a very dismissive way, Claude acknowledged that Alois received the pet name Your Highness from his younger brother Luka. He admitted it was fascinating, but in a dull fashion in regards to humans using titles to establish themselves in life. But still, the fierce obsession Hannah had for Alois Trancy's younger brother aroused Claude's interest. A rather queer way of thinking for a demon. Nonetheless he accepted their aide. Claude taking the lead as Head Butler.

xxx

"Is it true…?" Alois trembled, stuck gaping in abject disbelief at what he's learned.

Hannah cupped his cheek. "Master, I can still see Luka within you." She declared. One of the many reasons she loved him. "No matter how much you despised me, just being near you was enough. That closeness was almost enough for me." Alois was mesmerized by her. This whole time while he was treating her like a tart she was loving him with all her heart. "I love him. Luka. Just as I love my Master, Jim Macken." The sound of his real name overwhelmed Alois with such elation. He was left speechless in her presence. "Now, brother, sign a new contract with me. And then you both can be reunited inside me. It' what myself and Luka desire most."

Alois was still at a loss for words. How was he supposed to answer when he's still processing everything he's learned?

xxx

No real surprise. In an exemplary feat, Claude reached the end of the maze. The same question awaited him. Why did he kill Alois Trancy? Alois should have chosen a different question, because Claude's answer was not going to change. Alois can send him back to the start as many times as he wished. He will not bend.

"I will say it again!" Claude shouted so all of England would hear him. "I killed you to gain Ciel Phantomhive!"

The buzzer sounded. Claude was too fast for the trap door. It won't catch him the second time around. He launched into the air. He was quite proud of his dodge. The garden retaliated and sent vines after him. Claude gracefully flipped clear out of their clutches, landing like a swan to the table. As he was landing a pillar toppled over. Claude' foot touched the table for a second and he dodged to the side. The table and pillar were shattered. Another pillar fell and Claude dodged it as well. He stood close to the door where he was able to marvel at the destruction. The boy's inability to handle the truth was quite exhausting. But nothing he couldn't handle.

"I won't fall for the same trick." Or a gaggle of primitive ones following. Claude wasn't as clairvoyant as he thought since he was dropped by a second trap door. He managed to grab hold of the ledge. He started to pull himself back up before something else happened. That something was a foot to his hand. Sebastian had caught up to him.

"Good evening, Claude. So nice to see you." He purred scathingly. Claude knit his brow.

"That's a matter of perspective!" Alliahnna stormed in from around a corner. She was fuming.

"I see you've found your way." Sebastian congratulated her.

"Sorry it took me so long. Ciel wasn't making my life easy." She dusted off her run.

"Has he ever?"

"No. And it's starting to lose it's charm." She arched brow at the spider trapped in the tunnel. A smug grin stretched to her lips. "Ah, good. You aren't busy. Now we have a chance to talk." She dropped to one knee, hoisting Claude by his necktie to within an inch of her crimson eyes. "One of you damn spiders was still inside of me! It was in my stomach! It ate something from there!" A twinkle of knowledge showed in his eyes. He knew precisely what she was talking about. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, CLAUDE?!"

That menacing phantom smile of Claude's curdled her stomach. "Ahh. So what was whispered to me on my webs was true. And here I was worried." He chortled. Sebastian and Alliahnna kept themselves composed on the outside. But on the inside, they wanted to tear his head from his shoulders.

"Claude…" Sebastian growled contemptuously. The demon was in no mood for games.

"So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Sebastian." Claude fought hard to not burst into laughter. "The Young Lady was not ready to become a mother. Nor you a father." He licked his lips hungrily. "So I spared you both the burden. I tore your fetus right out of you. So sorry."

A powerful pulse jolted her body. Sebastian acknowledged the ruptured ground around them in a mild manner. He had no plans to stop her if she chose to reduce this place to nothingness. That small feat of destruction - and taking the Trancy manor with the maze - would not come close to compensating for what he has taken. The ragged markings tore to her skin. Narrow points erected to her ears. Her teeth sharpened into fangs. Claws unsheathed from her fingers. She clamped her hand to the whole of Claude's face, wrenching him out of the hole and slamming him to his back. Protruding rubble stuck him in the back, robbing the air from his lungs. Madness reflected her blazing pink eyes. Claude edged to retaliate. Sebastian stomped on his arm, holding him in place as Alliahnna lined her hand with his chest.

"I'LL TEAR YOUR HEART CLEAN FROM YOUR CHEST!"

xxx

Meanwhile, on top of the tower, Alois rediscovered his voice. A dream he has long had was about to come true.

"Luka - Hannah - I can be one with you? The people who truly love me?" His voice trembled. He can hardly believe what she told him. It's all he's ever wanted. To be loved by those around him. The chance to be with Luka again...he cannot pass it up. "The people I should love more than anyone. I-" Alois went to touch her face. Indescribable pain clamped his head in a vice. In his right eye his own seal with Claude and Ciel's seal with Sebastian for for control, tearing Alois apart from the inside out. "IT'S CIEL!"

"SEBA...SEBASTIAN! ALLI-GAH!" Ciel willed his body toward the ledge. He was pushing Alois's intrusive soul to the side. He'll be damned if that boy keeps his body for another second.

"CIEL, STOP IT!" Alois wasn't going to give up. He forced the boy to stop. He clawed at his skull, imposing his will on top of Ciel. The damn brat wasn't ceasing with his obstinance. "MAKE HIM STOP! DO IT NOW!" Alois ordered Hannah. She came up behind him, trying to hold him close. "AAAAHHH…" Ciel - Alois - screamed at the top of their lungs. The strain too much to contain. After a long, drawn out scream, the boys fell silent. When the eyes opened, Ciel Phantomhive was back in control. His seal in his right eye.

"Let go!" He commanded sternly. Hannah realized Alois was no longer in control and removed her hands. Ciel gazed down to the spectacle, spying the three demons in one space.

xxx

Alliahnna drew her hand back, fined the fingers like a dagger. Claude will now know the humiliation of lying helpless beneath someone. To know the utter revulsion of having his body toyed with. To be defiled by someone who used a plaything for his own devices. Sebastian reveled in the spiders wriggling. To watch him squirm under someone was quite enjoyable. To see Alliahnna tear him apart will be a night cape for his long day. A twisted grin split her face. The hand jerked down.

"ALLIAHNNA! SEBASTIAN!" Sebastian went rigid with shock. Alliahnna gasped, her hand stopping a centimeter from digging into Claude's carcass. The voice touching their ears. It couldn't be.

"Ciel?" Alliahnna's shook. She and Sebastian looked up. There, staring at them with one blue eye and one marked eye was none other than Ciel.

"So you fought your way back at last, Master." Sebastian remarked. Alliahnna wasn't sure if she should cheer or scream.

"He saw~ you! He saw~ you!" Claude mocked in a singsong voice. Sebastian cursed himself. With all the excitement he completely forgot. Alliahnna felt the same dread wash over her. Claude took advantage of their distraction and flipped free of their grasp. "YOU let him see you! You let him see!" Claude continued to teased with his fingers shaped like a mask to his smug face. Sebastian and Alliahnna were in dismay of their grievous slip. "I would congratulate you on the Young Master's return. But he never rescinded the order for you to stay out of his sight, did he?" He purred. "And regardless of circumstances, you are near his precious sister. Disobeying two orders in one night." Sebastian and Alliahnna grit their teeth at him. Sebastian was trapped. "You can't do anything! Not where he can see you, anyway. Enjoy a little rest. It's a lovely garden." He turned on his heels for the door, "I must be going."

Sebastian growled at his slip. More so because Claude was waiting for this to happen. Alliahnna stared fearful to her demon, unable to find words to console him. What becomes of a demon that betrays his master's orders, she feared.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE!" Ciel bellowed. "YOU DID YOUR PART! YOU HELPED ALLIAHNNA AND I ACHIEVE OUR REVENGE!" Sebastian and Alliahnna blinked bewildered. "You took her humanity as compensation! Now you must eat my soul! THAT IS AN ORDER!" The pair were taken aback by the bite in his words. "Until the final moment when you devour every last drop of my soul, you remain my butler! And once you've done so…" He trailed off, casting his gaze to Alliahnna, "You are free to wed Alliahnna as you wished." She was ambushed by unadulterated bliss. He was giving his blessing for their union. He heard it! "Do you understand me, Sebastian?!"

Sebastian smiled triumphantly. Claude was aghast and revolted to have lost. Sebastian knelt to one knee, crossing a hand over his chest, and he said, "Forever yes, My Young Lord."

"Oh...Ciel…" Alliahnna approached with her arms spread to the sides, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't ever apologize!" Ciel hollered. "Just do your duty!"

"Of course!" She nodded firmly. Claude sneered hatefully at the pair. His prize is going to them, while he is left with nothing.

Alois's cackle ruined the moment. The boy replaced Ciel once more. "You want Ciel?! Do you Claude?" Tears were flowing profusely from his eyes. "And you as well, Sebastian? Alliahnna? WELL THAT'S TOO BAD!" He spat salt in the reopening wounds. "I'll get rid of everyone who doesn't love me! YES! THAT'S RIGHT! ALL OF YOU!"

"THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL CAST THE ENTIRE WORLD INTO THE VOID, ALOIS!" Alliahnna howled back at the irritating boy. Killing everyone who doesn't love him? How pitiful can this boy become in such a short amount of time. "NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS WOULD EVER LOVE YOU! NOT CLAUDE, NOT SEBASTIAN, NOT ANYONE!"

"WELL I DON'T NEED YOU! ANY OF YOU!" Alois howled back.

"Master…" Hannah beckoned him.

"I've found actual people who love me! Luka...and Hannah!" The only two who have ever loved him. Alois joined Hannah and walked toward the clocktower. A panel moved back and then edged to the side, creating a doorway.

"What?" Alliahnna gasped, watching them vanish inside. "What is this? What does Alois intend to do?!"

"It appears Alois intends to sign a contract with Hannah." Claude announced. Alliahnna's eyes widened with horror. Hannah was going to take Ciel...again!

"When that happens," Sebastian stepped forward, struck by abject horror, "The Young Master may never again live! Hannah may very well destroy his soul in order for Alois to stay alive."

"Then our course is set!" Alliahnna hissed. Claude and Sebastian glanced at her. She eyed them both like a rabid animal. "We despise each other, we can agree to that! But the three of us have the same goal!"

"Yes, you are correct!" Claude begrudgingly agreed. "We must focus our energy on the proper target."

"We have no other choice for the moment." Sebastian conceded.

"Then let's get up there!" Alliahnna snarled.

With mighty roars, Sebastian and Claude broke into a run, ramming their shoulders and busting the large doors open. The vines holding them shut broke apart. Alliahnna brought up the rear. Another set of doors lied up ahead. The direct route for the clock tower's belfry. There was no time for stairs. Claude, Alliahnna, and Sebastian leapt past those doors, using the massive vines wrapped to the tower as the stairs to reach their goal. To reach Ciel before Hannah steals him away. Sebastian and Claude were stunned by Alliahnna outrunning them. Like the wind she raced, her eyes only on the door standing between her...and her brother.

CIEL...I'M COMING!

Come Hell or High water, this will end TONIGHT!

To be continued.

Next chapter is the final chapter. Are you guys ready?