"Let go of me! I said let me fucking go!" Lilliana's screams could be heard down the hall, but no one would be able to help her. In fact, anyone who heard her viewed her as another crazy patient that believed she was a God of Death. They confiscated her Death Scythe and wrapped her in a straight jacket, but she soon ripped through it and tried to escape. They had no choice, but to sedate her, but they gave her a dosage that could have killed a human. Still, by her doctor's orders, they had to use a new experimental medication that had not been tested on any other patient. They weren't even sure what it did just yet, but they were hoping it cured her delusions. Despite her immense strength, the nurses managed to strap her into a chair and then submerged her into a tank of the strange green liquid. As they turned the wheel, the chair rose up, allowing her a moment to breathe, or really cough the medicine out of her non-functioning lungs. Grim Reapers didn't really need to breathe like humans did, but before they gave her a chance to finish, they submerged her back into the liquid. This form of torture was all too familiar to her; being strapped down and submerged into a strange liquid subconsciously reminded her of the same cruel punishments she endured when she was rehabilitated.
They repeated this process many times until she eventually calmed down and was no longer fighting the treatment. Fearing she might have drowned, they finally took her out of the chair and carried her into a room, alone with her doctor. However, the doctor wasn't a normal doctor. With enough money, the Earl Trancy convinced them that this special doctor was the only doctor allowed to work with her. However, it was all a lie. There was no doctor; just a demon butler. He made sure to lock the door once he entered and saw Lilliana barely waking up. If he didn't know about her medication, he would have assumed she was dead due to the stillness of her body. She did not move a muscle, not even breathe or blink; all she did was stare at the ceiling.
"So it did work. That's good to know when the young master arrives," Claude said as he walked toward her bed with a devilish smirk. "Even on a Grim Reaper, it has a strong effect. Ms. Kiliamo, are you awake?" No reply. Not even an acknowledgement of his presence. "Hm, I think it worked a little too well. I'll keep a note of that in the future. For now . . . ," he said as he got in bed with her and climbed on top of her. He expected a reaction from her, but she didn't seem to even notice him so close to her. "I should make sure to keep track of you." Still lifeless, he kissed her lips and even added tongue, but when he noticed her green eyes didn't turn red with either lust or anger, he knew it wasn't enough. He then kissed down her jawline to her neck, even biting it to let some blood drip down her neck. This time, he heard her mumble something, but her eyes still didn't turn red, even with the scent of blood filling the air. He was getting impatient, but he had to put the Mark of Lust on her in order for her to truly be his to control. He ripped her soaking wet shirt so that the buttons would fly away from them, revealing the red corset she would only wear for that other demonic butler. His demon eyes flashed with anger as he was reminded this, but he had to admit that she would have been a beautiful sight in other circumstances.
He was about to touch her, but out of nowhere, she seemed to regain all of her strength and pushed him off of her. He was startled by the sudden action, but also noticed the terrified expression on her face as she tried to cover herself. "Don't touch me! I'm not what that priest says I am!" she yelled.
"Ms. Kiliamo? What is the meaning of this?" Claude asked in utter confusion.
"I said stay away! Help me! Please!" she kept yelling, but he covered her mouth and pushed her back on the bed. She tried to push him off of her again, but this time, he was there to stay. He saw as tears filled her eyes and quickly ran down her cheeks. She was absolutely terrified and he knew it. Yes, the medication fucked with her memories, but he didn't realize that it affected all of her memories. Clearly, she had been in this situation before and was as helpless then as she was now.
He sighed as he said, "I cannot mark you against your will or else it won't work. It must be consensual and if you're going to act like this, then there's no point." He soon got off of her, pulled his glove off with his teeth, and said as the mark glowed, "By the power of Lucifer and his many followers, I order that this woman before me to be placed under my watchful gaze from now until eternity!" Soon, she started to scream in agony as she felt a stabbing sensation throughout her chest and soon, blood stained her shirt and the corset. Eventually, she passed out from the pain and he could see the Branding Mark he placed on her chest. "I wanted to mark you in a way that wouldn't make you resent me, but either way, I had no choice."
After some time, she awoke with more energy than she had before. She looked around the room with a clueless expression. She had no memory of where she was or even who she was. All she could remember was an immense pain in her chest. As she looked around, she noticed a strange man holding a change of clothes. "Hello, Miss," he said as he handed them to her. "I've prepared some fresh clothes and I suggest you change into them. The longer you stay in those clothes, the more likely you'll catch a cold."
"Wh-Who are you?" she asked nervously.
"Do you not know who I am?" he asked. She shook her head. "You should. My name is Claude Faustus, butler to the Earl Trancy."
"Butler to the Earl Trancy? . . . That sounds familiar," she said to herself.
"And . . . you are a maid to the Earl," he lied. He found this amnesia to be an opportunity for him.
"M-Me? No, you must be mistaken."
"Indeed it is true, Ms. Lily Bastida." He hoped that she wouldn't correct him. If she did, that would mean she would have some of her memories and this would have been all for nothing.
"W-Well, I guess you wouldn't be lying about that," she said, making him feel relieved. However, she seemed to notice a certain object in the room leaning against the farthest wall. He looked in the same direction and noticed that the idiot nurses must have set her Death Scythe there. "G-Grim Reaper," she said under her breath. "O-Or demon?"
"Don't let your memories fail you. Deep down, you are a demon. You know it to be true," he said, playing along. He hoped to shape her memories and only let her remember the memories he wanted her to remember.
"B-But, I remember . . . souls. Reapers would look down on me."
"Because you were not one of them and they couldn't accept that."
She looked at him and then back to her Death Scythe. Soon, her eyes turned red with rage as she said, "Now I remember. Those bastards tortured me to be just like them! Those fiends, calling us demons noxious beasts! They're the ones who kidnapped a demon to be one of them! Took me away from my . . . ." She could feel tears filling her eyes, but she fought them back as she continued, "My brother . . . An angel took him away from me."
"That's what he wants you to think," Claude said with a smirk. This was working better than he expected.
"He?" she asked, fury still burning in her eyes.
"That angel was only a pawn in that demon's game. He even used your emotions to hide his evil intentions from you. Ms. Bastida, the true murderer of your brother was Sebastian Michaelis."
Claude entered Ciel's new room to wake his young mater as Lilliana rolled in a cart with tea to serve to him. She was clearly not happy to be serving the brat, but she had no choice. In all honesty, she did not want to be here at all and would rather go out to kill Sebastian, but she was bound by the Branding Mark to stay in his presence. Even worse: she had to act as a maid to a brat she didn't really care for. Well, maybe that was being harsh. She did have a little soft spot for him, just like Alois, but she simultaneously despised him for his cruelty to her in the past. "Young master, good morning," Claude said as he pulled back the curtains to let sunlight into the room.
Ciel slowly opened his eyes and noticed a familiar scent in the air. "I know that smell. It's Earl Grey, isn't it?"
"Indeed. My compliments to your excellent nose, young master,"Claude said as he began served him a cup for him to drink. "This morning we have an Earl Grey Impérial. It's most excellent, made from the finest leaves available. A true masterpiece." Once Ciel was done drinking, he handed the cup back to Claude and he set it on the cart. He then helped him out of bed as he continued, "I believe it will be perfect for you."
"Kiss-ass," Lilliana commented under her breath.
"Ms. Bastida, I would highly advise you to refrain from using that kind of language around the young lord," Claude said as he began to delicately undress Ciel.
"Oh, I'm sorry my language offended him," she said sarcastically.
He sighed before continuing, "Your schedule this afternoon is like a fresh field of virgin snow, blank as an unlined page. Today, everything shall be as you wish it." He instructed Lilliana to help dress their young master, despite her clear reluctance, but he knew he had to be careful around her. If she were a regular Grim Reaper, he wouldn't be as careful since she wouldn't want to steal Ciel's soul, but she was far from ordinary. In her past, she and her brother devoured countless souls and now that she believes she is a demon, she might fight back all those years of self-control and take the soul for herself. Of course, he wouldn't let that happen, but even he had to hold back a lot so he could season the soul just right.
"What of Alois? Where is he?" Ciel asked.
"Whatever do you mean? It was your noble sword that struck the blow that felled Alois Trancy," Claude said in an over-the-top gesture that made her shake her head.
"Is that so?"
"Does thinking on it pain you, master?"
"He died because he was weak, simple as that," Ciel said in his usual heartless tone, which made Lilliana smile, but excited Claude.
"Oh, such unwavering confidence," he said under his breath, inaudible for Ciel, but Lilliana heard clearly and it made her shudder in disgust. When she finished dressing him except for his feet, Claude kneeled before his master and gestured Ciel to sit on the bed as he reached for his shoes and socks. Soon, he began to dress him, but kept his sickening grin that sent a shiver of disgust down her spine. Something about a grown man looking at a child with predatory eyes seemed all too familiar to her and she hated it.
However, they heard a large crashing noise outside and it startled Ciel. "What was that?"
"That? Probably just a cat," Claude said to calm his master.
"A cat? Are you serious?" Lilliana asked in an annoyed tone. "Even an idiot would know that the crash would be too loud for a cat to make."
"Strengthen the manor's defenses," Ciel ordered, fearing Sebastian was still around, waiting for the perfect opportunity to steal his soul.
"Indeed, my young lord," Claude said before he kissed Ciel's foot, causing him to kick him in the face in disgust.
"What a revolting display!" He looked at Lilliana and saw even she was getting her demon sword ready to strike him, but she calmed down and put it away. As Claude climbed up from the ground, he still kept that wicked smile that disturbed both of them. However, they kept hearing more and more crashes outside, making Ciel even more suspicious of what was going on outside. "Honestly!"
"Lilliana and I will investigate it, but first, Hannah," Claude said as he clapped for her.
Soon enough, Hannah walked into the room and answered, "Yes?"
"Guard our lord while we investigate our little problem outside," he said as he and Lilliana left their side. Before leaving, however, Hannah made eye contact with Lilliana and for her, it seemed like Hannah knew every single thing about her: the pain, the hatred, the regret. Hannah only looked away before the two were out of her sight.
"Sebastian, have you gone mad? If you make this much ruckus, you know they'll hear you!" Katia said as she watched Sebastian break a tree in half with only his hand.
"Consider it an invitation for battle," he said as he finished and waited for a certain someone to investigate.
"They are easier ways of doing that than this! Who knows what kind of attention, you'll attract." However, right as she said that, Sebastian saw a demon sword falling from the sky, aimed right for her. Without warning, he quickly pulled her out of the way, but not gently, so it caused her some pain for her.
"My apologies, Ms. Vendoa," he said as they both watched the demon sword land exactly where she was standing.
"Oh dear, it seems my aim is still a bit off," Lilliana said with her Death Scythe in hand before pulling the demon sword from the ground. "I'll have to work on that."
"Lilliana, you need to snap out of this. Whatever they told you, it's not true," Katia said as she leaned against a tree for support. Luckily for her, her wound didn't reopen, but it was still a rough movement for her body to handle at this time.
"I believe it was you two who have been lying to me all this time," she said as she extended the demon sword towards them. "But don't worry, I'll make sure to pay you back for everything."
However, Claude placed an arm on hers and lowered it. "There is no need for this, Ms. Bastida. Our young master ordered him to stay out of his sight, so he must obey. There is nothing he can do now. Only when he acts of his own free will, then you are more than welcomed to kill him." She smiled at the thought before putting the demon sword away. "Now, we should get back to my young master before he misses his breakfast," Claude said as he guided her back to the manor. The sight made them both angry, but Sebastian's shadow started to grow more and more, frightening Katia whenever she saw it.
In the distance, Katia could have sworn she heard the sound of a camera click. Then she heard it again. And again. She looked at Sebastian, who was probably too angry to notice a soft sound, and then looked around to see where it was coming. Sure enough, she saw a familiar red figure not-so-subtly taking picture of them from behind. Or really, he was taking pictures of his dear Bassy and Katia got in the way of it. Even when the two made eye-contact, he gestured her to move out of the way and she did, but that caught Sebastian's attention.
After a bit of time, Grell's camera made a noise that signaled it could be jammed and he started to freak out. "What? No! Not now," he said as he frantically tried to fix the camera. "Don't break on me." However, he noticed the shadow of the statue he was hiding behind rise and he turned around to see what happened. Sure enough, he saw Sebastian holding the statue above his head effortlessly, making Grell's heart race for countless reasons. "M-M-M-My! When did you get here?"
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same," Sebastian said, clearly not in the mood for this redheaded nuisance.
Grell gulped as he said, "Well, perhaps just one more." However, before he could take the photo, Sebastian laid the statue right on Grell, making him yell in pain as he begged Katia for help. She would have ran to him immediately, but Sebastian stopped her.
"Don't forget, you are still recovering from your injuries. Any strenuous activity could be very harmful to your health," he said, but it was clear he had other reasons.
"I can't let her be crushed to death!" Katia said as she pushed herself away from him and went to help Grell. However, Sebastian was bewildered by one thing: did she just address that cretin as she?
With all her remaining strength, she managed to push the statue off of him, freeing him. "Thank you, Katia," Grell said in a raspy voice as he recovered his breath.
"He wouldn't have died regardless if you helped or not. In fact, he could have pushed it off himself if he actually tried," Sebastian said with a penetrating glare.
"I'll have you know that I'm a lady! And I hoped that my black knight would save the damsel, not try to kill her!" Sebastian only scoffed before noticing that Katia's clothes were slowly turning red. Even Grell noticed this and Katia began to lose the balance in her legs. Luckily, Grell was there to support her, but he kept his distance so his clothes wouldn't get stained.
"I warned you about this," Sebastian said in an annoyed tone. "We have to restitch the wound before it gets worse."
"It's just a small cut. I'll be fine," Katia said as she tried to push herself off of Grell, but she didn't have the strength to do so.
"I highly doubt that. You're lucky that Lilliana didn't kill you."
"Wait, Lilliana did this?! That good for nothing demon-wannabe! How dare she hurt a dear friend of mine!" Grell said angrily. "When I find her, I'm going to-," he said, but Katia soon fainted in his arms, causing him to worry even more.
"Like I said, we need to restitch her wound before it gets worse.
Some miles away from the manor, Sebastian had prepared some tea for Grell, Katia, and himself to refresh and gather intel before they proceeded with their next move. Katia had been sleeping on a blanket nearby while Sebastian stitched the wound. Of course, that meant he had to get close and personal with Katia's skin, even if it was her back, and Grell became jealous very quickly, but he didn't react as flamboyantly as he usually did since he was still recovering as well and didn't want another statue on his "fragile"body. Still, despite Katia being a Reaper, a demon hunter, no less, he still couldn't just let her die. Though, the main reason he wanted to keep her alive was that she was a very skilled fighter who can help him get Lilliana and Ciel back from someone who is equally matched as Sebastian. Still, he found her love for Lilliana to be useful only for this mission. Although he felt he had no competition with her since Lilliana told him explicitly that their relationship was nothing more than flirting, he still had to be careful, knowing her background. If she really wanted to, she could try to kill him and claim Lilliana as hers. That passion is the only thing driving her compliance with him.
"Bassy, I must admit that it is rather odd seeing you prepare tea just for me . . . I'm mean, I'm happy of course, but well, I um-," Grell said in a flustered voice, but stopped when Sebastian handed him a cup of tea.
Sebastian smiled as he said, "A cup of Suutei Tsai, a Mongolian milk tea flavored with rock salt."
"R-Rock salt?!" Grell exclaimed.
"I've no doubt it will be wonderfully stimulating to feel the salt in your wounds. Just for you, I've doubled the amount it calls for, then doubled it again, and thought why not double it yet again."
"On second thought, I . . . ," Grell tried to say, but was met with Sebastian's unnerving smile that both warmed his heart and sent shivers down his spine.
"Drink up," he said calmly.
Grell was very reluctant, but he took the cup from him and took a sip. As the drink touched his lips, he felt an excruciating amount of pain and let out a shriek before falling backwards in his chair. "The sharp pain of love! I can't stand it!"
"Could you two keep it down?" Katia said as she got up from her slumber and rubbed her eyes.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you, Ms. Vendoa. Would you like some tea?" Sebastian asked with his smile finally vanishing.
"Don't do it, Katia, it's a trap," Grell said from the floor with pain in his voice.
"I assure you that I will make another blend for her so her injuries can recover," he said as he poured a different tea in a cup, without adding rock salt. "I'm sure you will find it to your liking."
"Thanks," she said with a suspicious undertone as she accepted the cup and sipped from it, but to her surprise, the tea was actually quite delicious.
"Now, we all have some business discuss, don't we?" Sebastian said as he set in his seat, making sure to keep some distance from Grell, but he scoot his chair toward him anyway. Katia slowly got up and sat in the only available chair. She quietly sipped her tea, hoping she did not have to be involved in this conversation. "First, would you be kind enough to explain why you are here, Grell?"
"Oh, well, Will put me on an assignment to collect the soul of Jim Macken, but as we all know, there is a complication in his soul in the form of a demon," he explained before sipping his tea, bearing the immense pain.
"And why would Reapers be interested in damned souls?" Sebastian asked.
"Well, we Reapers believe that every soul can be saved from a contract, so when the time comes, we'll send out a Reaper to try and fight the demon. It is rarely successful, but we do it anyway."
"That's odd. I've never encountered a Reaper like that before and I've made contracts with many humans."
"Well, some sects are more hopeful than others. Some just don't even try to stop demons like you," Grell said before sipping the tea again and tried to stifle a groan of pain. Katia rolled her eyes as she sipped her harmless tea. "The London sect is one of the few that sends Reapers to every case, including yours~"
"I have yet to meet such a Reaper-,"
"Oh yes you have~" Grell said with a smirk.
Sebastian was confused, but looked at Katia, who was looking away and sipping her tea. "What does he mean?"
Katia sighed before saying, "Why do you think that they would allow her near you constantly?"
"Her? . . . You mean Lilliana?" Sebastian asked.
Katia nodded. "If they didn't believe she was trying to save the brat's soul, she would have been rehabilitated again. She is using her demon upbringing to her advantage for once."
Sebastian chuckled as he said, "They may have conditioned her to plot like that in the beginning, but she is now one of us and wouldn't even consider stealing the soul I have cultivated. This setback is proof enough of that."
"How do you know she's not acting?" Katia asked with a smirk, making Sebastian angry. She continued, "Just because she is resisting to collect the soul now doesn't mean anything. Yes, his soul is constantly wavering right now, but she isn't exactly acting on her own."
"So is that why she was acting strangely earlier?" Grell asked. "She may be a heartless bitch at times, but I never thought she would try to kill the few friends she has."
Katia looked down at her tea. "They did something to her to make her think she's a demon and that Sebastian killed Bastille. Though, she doesn't seem to be a loyal servant to Claude since he's the one holding her back from killing Sebastian and I."
"Oh, did they use some memory-altering medicine?" Grell asked. The two of them were surprised by his cleverness, but they nodded. "I hate to admit it, but Lilliana has been through that before." Both of them looked shocked, especially Katia.
"That's horrible. Why would they do such a thing?" she asked.
"Well, how else would you control a feral Reaper? They didn't try altering her memories, but they did try to change her impression of those memories. However, the effects of the medicine wore off when she was exposed to a stimulus that reminded her of the past. Will and I experienced this first-hand when she was exposed to blood."
"But she's been around blood and she's still in his control."
"Unless there was a certain mark keeping her from experiencing such a stimulus," Sebastian said as he removed his glove with his teeth to show the Mark of the Covenant. "It is highly unlikely she would make a deal with Claude or consent to him in any way, so he must have used a Branding Incantation to keep her controlled. If she deviated from the path or was in danger of returning to her old self, all he would need to do is active it and she would be incapacitated."
"But why would you go through all this just for a little boy's soul? It just seems like too much trouble." Katia said, finally finishing her tea.
"Well, demons are known to be greedy when it comes to souls. We spend as much time allotted to us to cultivate our souls to perfection, but if we taste one much tastier than the soul contracted to us, hunger can take over."
"But he mustn't have devoured the soul he cultivated if he's still hungry for Ciel's."
"Well, I'm surprised since he did kill his own brat," Grell explained.
Sebastian looked at him in shock, but put the pieces together. "I see. So he stole the soul of his young master prematurely only to fuse the two souls together. Two separate souls can never be completely fused, but pesky memories can be overwritten, meaning that Alois Trancy is the same as my young master."
"I say I can't understand. Why bother fixating on some little brat's soul? You would make a far simpler, quicker meal, Bassy," Grell said, finally finishing his tea and just barely getting used to the pain.
"You sound like someone else I know. Just look at his face; the slack, factious features Claude wears perpetually. There lies your answer," Sebastian said in an angry tone as a dark mist began to appear yet again, scaring the Reapers.
"B-B-Bassy-," Grell said out of fear, but couldn't let the words escape his frightened throat.
"Come, Grell, Katia. Let's go."
"Oh, um, t-terribly sorry, but I have an appointment with my hairdresser-," Grell said as he tried to wiggle his way out of this, but the Sebastian leaped into the air that would have been a perfect pose for a picture. "How lovely! Oh, come here, camera." He tried to snap a quick snapshot before he landed, but he was too late, much to his dismay.
"So you know, I plan to strike approximately eight additional attractive poses today."
"Oh, I can't pass this up! Eight more lovely poses! Wait for me!" Grell said as he quickly ran toward his love, making sure to keep his camera ready at hand for the next opportunity. Katia sighed, both disappointed and amused at how easily he could be coerced into working with them, but she was also glad they had another fighter to help them out. Maybe that's why Sebastian sucked up his pride to have him join the group.
Soon, the arrived to the abandoned village that was once a thriving little town that sheltered a young Jim Macken. Despite all the years that past, the signs on a devastating fire that destroyed the town were quite clear with destroyed buildings and singed possessions of the dead. Life had escaped this place the moment Alois left it. "Here we are," Sebastian said as he stopped to let the Reapers catch up.
Soon, Grell rushed to his side, hoping he would capture a picture before they proceeded with their plan. "Oh my, what is this horrible place? Oh, but this could work. Imagine dear Bassy nude amid the rubble. Oh my!" he said with lust in his voice. After a while Katia joined them, who was sure to not run with all her might so her wounds could properly heal. As much as she hated it, she did have to take it easy if she wanted to fight off Lilliana and Claude in the future.
"Oi, care for a taste?" a strange woman with a cockney accent said while sitting on the porch of a destroyed building. She wore the clothing of a prostitute, but her appearance was far from ideal, with the dirt and wrinkles on he face and lack of makeup. She posed in an enticing way, but she soon laughed. "Ha, what a joke. I could never manage it. It's been far too long. Got cobwebs down there, I do." She soon got up and approached the group. "Welcome, sirs and lady, to the cursed village of Arachnophile."
"I thought the place had been burned completely away. How is it that you're still here?" Sebastian asked in his usual gentlemanly manner.
"Ah, I'm the only one who was saved from the fire. Saved by a demon," she said, not really giving any thought that these strangers might think she was crazy for saying such a thing. "There was this little boy with auburn hair . . . he was poor, but he was a tough one. He said he made a contract with a demon to make sure his beloved brother's wish came true. Of course, we all know the price of such a contract: his own young soul. At first, I thought it was nothing more than some dark fairy story, but then . . . the fire came. Everything the big had said was true. I was the only one who survived that day. I've managed on my own somehow, but I guess that's all over now. Nice meeting yo-," she tried to say, but before she could say anymore, a bullet had shot her straight in the head and she fell to the floor, dead.
The deities looked in shock, but as they searched for the source of the bullet, they found the triplets nearby, all of them holding rifles at hand. "The game is afoot," Sebastian said as he immediately ran to the triplets, ready to fight them, if not kill them.
"Oh no, I've let the second pose go to waste. Clumsy me! I swear I won't miss the next one, though," Grell said as he was about to hurriedly run to his darling, but when he saw Katia following him, he stopped. "M-Maybe you should stay back and collect the old broad's soul. You know how Will gets when we abandon souls killed by demons."
"Please tell me that this is not because you don't want me to ruin your chances of catching a picture with that beast," she said with annoyance in her eyes.
"Not at all! You're still recovering and we know that once you get into a fight, you're going to reopen those wounds again. Better to be safe than sorry."
She sighed as she said, "Fine." As she ran back to the woman to claim her soul, Grell then ran at top speed to catch up with Sebastian. Under her breath, she said, "I can still fucking fight, assholes."
It didn't take long for her to collect the soul and catch up with him though, but she thought to keep her distance so she wouldn't get lectured about putting herself in danger and to actually eat the wounds heal. It shouldn't take long for her to get back to a safe state to fight, but if she kept reopening the wounds, it would take much longer for her to heal. She couldn't die from something as simple as this, but she had to obtain as much strength as possible to free Lilliana. Soon, both Reapers caught up to Sebastian, who was in the middle of fighting the triplets by himself. She looked at Grell, who she thought was going to help with the fight, but he just took pictures of Sebastian instead. "Things are heating up quite nicely. Such long, graceful limbs. Oh, do look out, darling!" he kept saying to both himself and Sebastian. Katia only rolled her eyes as she could only watch from the distance. However, Sebastian soon finished the fight by tying the triplets with thick thread, a lesson he learned from Claude, and hung them upside down from a tree.
"Your Death Scythe. Now, Grell," Sebastian ordered as he looked at the Reapers.
"What? Certainly you can finish them off more quickly by yourself," he said in confusion.
"Please just do it. I would ask Ms. Vendoa, but I believe I have made my point quite clear on her fighting."
"Hm, you're incorrigible, Bassy. Why are you always doing this to me?" he said as he looked away coyly.
Sebastian sighed before using the tactic he knew would always worked with perverted creatures. "My, what a warm evening," he said as he played with his hair, moaning a bit before looking seductively toward the Reapers, but mostly to the one it was "meant for". Grell couldn't control his excitement as his nose bled and he revved his chainsaw. Soon, he sliced through the triplets, causing their Cinematic Record to be released from them for the trio to see.
The three looked closely and noticed the memories laid hidden in lies. First, the fire, which was claimed to have been started by Sebastian, was actually started by the poor submissive maid, Hannah, or at least, that is the part she plays now, with the help of the triplets. "Oh, well, well, so that's what happens. There's just no accounting for demons," Grell said as he placed his hands behind his head in a comfortable pose.
"More or less what I thought," Sebastian said as he kept observing the Record. The only parts Katia cared about was how Lilliana was doing, but they were not involved in the process of her memory alteration nor much after that. It's almost as if they never really saw her. "However . . . ," As he looked longer and longer, he noticed just how close Hannah was to Ciel, obviously since she was the maid of the house, but there seemed to be a calculating mind behind that tragic look on her face. As if this was all part of her plan that was yet to be executed. Not only that, but apparently they noticed Hannah talking to a certain someone in blue late one night. He couldn't quite make out what they were saying, which made sense since the triplets didn't listen very closely to make it part of the Record, but Sebastian's blood boiled at the sight of the blue demoness that haunted his kind.
"U-Um, Sebastian," Katia said as he noticed his shadow growing even more than it did before. "You're demoning again."
"I've seen enough of this," Sebastian said with subtle anger in his tone. "I have a pressing appointment with a spider." Soon, he released the triplets from their bondage, but not before pulling tightly first, cutting their bodies into pieces and falling to the ground in a pile. Grell and Katia looked a bit disgusted by the sight, but stepped around it to catch up with Sebastian.
"Wait, Bassy, come back. I still have at least two more photographs to take." However, Sebastian ran at top speed to the Trancy Manor, leaving the two of them behind. "He's quick, isn't he?"
"We don't much time to waste. C'mon," Katia said as she ran as fast as her body could take with him following right behind her. "His main focus is on that brat, but I'll make sure we get Lilliana back to the way she was. Make no mistake of that."
Sebastian managed to make it to the manor, but obviously keeping some distance since he didn't want to be spotted by any of the demons and especially Lilliana. He ad to find a way to bring her back without compromising his meal, but this would be very difficult when both of them were not on his side. He thought about what the two Reapers said about the memory altering medication Claude used on them: the effects of the medicine wore off when she was exposed to a stimulus that reminded her of the past. Now, there was no way he could get close to her to remind her of her past without her trying to kill him over false memories. Even the sight and smell of blood wasn't enough for her since she is running on repressed demonic instincts which triggered her before.
However, he thought of one thing: the Mark of Lust he placed on her the first time they had sex. He was certain that the Mark could not disappear, even if she was marked by another demon. In fact, this wouldn't be the first time. Luckily for him, he could activate it from a distance, but he wouldn't be able to tell if it worked or not unless he saw her. Still, he had no choice, but to try and since he was waiting for the other Reapers, now seemed to be the best time. He sat by a tree and took a deep breath and closed his eyes before the Mark on his hand glowed.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar dark void. He looked around, but all he could see was darkness, a sight only soothing for demons like him. However, he heard a soft voice saying, "You're playing a dangerous game, Sebastian."
The voice was familiar to him, but the tone seemed to be more innocent compared to what he was used to. "Lilliana, where are you? I'm here to save you. Together, we can help the young lord return to his senses," he yelled at the nothing.
"Ha! You really think that brat belongs in your custody? He's probably much safer in Claude's care than he would with you," the same voice said, but in a more angry tone. It was as if he was talking to two different people.
"Lilliana, you know this isn't the real you. Your memories have been changed to fit their plan, don't you understand that?"
"And somehow that is no different than what I'm used to. It's funny how easily memories can be changed to fit our needs. I would know since Reapers have no memories of when we were human, so losing our attachment to humanity would make our jobs easier," the soft voice returned.
"But I don't want to alter your memories. I am only showing you the truth."
"That's what they all say," the angry voice exclaimed. "But it's never true to the point that all I believe are lies. I don't want to help the man who marked me, but it's the only way I get to kill you." Soon, a small bit of light shown down at Sebastian and soon, three figures appeared in front of him. One of them was blonde with blue eyes, the other two had dark hair, but one had red eyes and the other had green. All of them were versions of Lilliana: human, demon, and Reaper. He tried to run to the one with green eyes, but the red-eyed one stopped him with a demon sword. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, demon."
"I'm sorry," he said as he took the sword from her and thrusted it into her body. She backed away from him and started coughing blood, but soon, her body seemed to disintegrate and seemed to be blown away by wind. The blonde girl looked terrified at what she witnessed, but he noticed the blood spreading on her chest, as if she were stabbed in the same area as the red-eyed Lilliana and disintegrated as well. He was worried as he looked at the real one, but was relieved to see that she was fine. "You know I had to."
"You couldn't have done any damage anyway. They don't exist," she said as she walked up to him. "But there is no point in helping me. You need to save the young master. I can't do anything or else I'll be punished," she said, showing him the Branding Mark on her chest.
"I'll find a way. All I need is to remind you of the past," he said before he pulled her close to him. "And frankly, this is the only way of doing it." He soon kissed her and she embraced him tightly. It had been a while since they had done this. Soon, they found their hands gliding all over each other's bodies until his were cupping her buttocks and she found her were teasing his manhood through his pants. He felt himself breathing a bit harder as he became hard at the touch and she soon started to rub against his bulge. Without hesitation, he cupped her breasts and squeezed them, making her moan slightly. He soon kisses down her jawline and then her neck, where he tickled her most sensitive spots and getting some delicious sounds out of her. "You missed this feeling, didn't you? Oh, it's been a long time since I was able to touch you like this. I just wish it was during better circumstances."
"Don't kill the mood," she moaned out. He chuckled before he bit into her neck, letting blood trickle down. However, as he pulled back to look at her, her eyes were still that normal green color and not red with lust, but knowing how the red-eyed counterpart reacted when she saw him, he didn't mind it for now.
However, without warning, she started screaming in agony and soon, he saw the Mark on her chest glow and blood started staining her clothes. He tried to help her, but before he could, he noticed the light fade around them. He tried to hold onto Lilliana, but the darkness consumed them both.
Soon, Sebastian opened his eyes again and noticed that he was back in front of the Trancy Manor. He tried getting up, but he could feel both the pain in his chest, as if he was hurt by the Mark on Lilliana's chest, and the ache in between his legs. However, before he could regain his composure, the two demons finally managed to find him. "You had us running for a long time, you know. Now all I'm all gross and sweaty," Grell said as he caught his breath.
However, Katia noticed something off about Sebastian, but while Grell was still catching his breath, she walked up to Sebastian and whispered in his ear. "Um, you might want to fix that before Grell sees. You know how she'll react if she saw that." However, at the mere thought of Grell looking at him with a debauched grin and wanting sexual desires fulfilled, he soon became flaccid. Katia sighed as she said, "I'm not going to ask what happened, but I'm gonna assume it was for Lily?"
He nodded. "However, as I said, that bastard has a Mark on her to prevent her from breaking free. It will be very difficult for us to break her out of the trance. She has to find a way herself."
Is there another way to snap Lilliana out of this false reality? Can Grell and Katia help? How will this final confrontation play out? Reviews are appreciated.