Grell and Ronald were trying with all their might to land an attack on Undertaker, but their efforts always seemed to be in vain. He dodged effortlessly, as if he was merely playing a game of tag with them. Even when they were able to "hit" him, they only hit one of his many sotobas, but more often than not, they would slice through them like a normal human weapon. This confused them greatly since Grell wasn't able to slice through one earlier when he tried to kill Viscount Druitt, who somehow managed to slip out of the room while everyone was distracted.
At one point, Undertaker managed to get the upper hand as he swiftly pulled Ronald's spectacles off of his face with his sotoba. In Ronald's confusion and desperation to retrieve them, Undertaker kicked him down to the floor with a might that knocked out any wind in his lungs. "Reapers are all terribly nearsighted."
"Which should put you at a disadvantage," Katia said from up above him as she tried to strike him, but he managed to block her with a breakable sotoba. Her confusion was enough for him to do the same speactle-pulling trick on her. Just like Roanld, she was surprised by the sudden loss of vision, but she kept her cool as she tried aiming for the blurred figure in front of her.
Though, noticing her lack in accuracy, he chuckled. "If you're still relying on your Reaper eyes, you have a long way to go. Though, I'm surprised you were never given demonic vision with those red eyes. Perhaps you weren't as friendly with your demon as I thought." With those words, her eyes turned red and her vision improved, but not completely. When she got closer to hitting her target, he smiled. "I stand corrected."
"Perhaps you would like some assistance," Eris said as she snuck in between the two fighters and blocked the still-sloppy attacks. "You wasted such a gift by not utilizing it. You had to hide your true eyesight and by doing so, you let it weaken."
"I never want to rely on such a cursed gift," she said as Grell tried assisting her by striking the demon. "These eyes are a reminder of the greatest mistake of my career."
"And she doesn't have to rely on them when she has friends like us, Bassy," Grell said, mistakenly thinking he was fighting his beloved, but was swiftly kicked in the back of his head, sending him flying to the other side of the room.
"Perhaps you need to get your eyes checked," Sebastian said as he tried resetting his sights on Undertaker, who was ready for his relentless attack.
"How much damage do you intend to inflict with those tiny utensils," Undertaker quipped as he used sotobas to block the forks and knives that were heading in his direction.
"What our silver may lack in size, it makes up for in sharpness," Sebastian said as he grabbed onto a sotoba and sliced it with little resistance.
"So I see," Undertaker said, impressed by his confidence more than the weapon itself. It was something he admired about his fighting style. Though, all this fighting was starting to bore him and he felt the need to voice it. "A rather pitiful showing, everyone. All these dogs and nobody managed to catch the fox. And here I thought someone was going to bag me."
"I find him exceptionally irritating," Ronald said as he finally found his spectacles and put them on.
"Let's get on with this. The ship is tilting like mad," Grell said with seriousness as the two Reapers lifted their Death Scythes to strike him. "We don't need to make it pretty."
"Right! No more games! Time to bag us a fox," Ronald exclaimed. Despite landing their strike, they were blocked by a sotoba that refused to slice. Sparks once again surrounded them.
"Again?! Impossible! Death Scythes are the sharpest blades in the world! There's nothing they can't cut, so how do you keep blocking us?!"
"They say a Death Scythe is sharp enough to cut anything. However, we Reapers know that statement isn't entirely accurate. There is one thing that they can't cut through," Undertaker said before a bright green light emitted from the sotoba, causing temporary blindness to everyone around them. Once the light dimmed, they were all shocked to see that his weapon had changed to something completely different: a scythe with an elaborate skeletal design on the hilt. It was massive, as if he was swinging around a whole skeleton. The base of the scythe was pointed, making it an exceptionally deadly weapon.
Amongst their confusion, Undertaker sliced the Reapers at close range, forcing them to collapse onto the ground.
"Grell! Ronald!" Katia yelled as she tried to get close, but was pulled back. Though, to her surprise, she was wrapped in protective arms that pulled her away from her fallen comrades.
"I wouldn't get close to him if I were you," Eris's soft voice whispered in her ear. The shock of her voice made her lose her rage and her eyes reverted back to green.
"Annabeth?" Katia asked.
"I told you to call me Eris," she said as she gave Katia back her spectacles. "That is a very powerful Death Scythe and I would hate to see you get hurt by it."
"I thought a Reaper's Scythe was confiscated upon retirement," she said, wiggling free from Eris's grip. Upon looking at her, Eris didn't have her usual playful smile, but rather one of concern, making Katia worried.
"We've been together for so long that I couldn't bear to part with it. Though, I admit, smuggling it out wasn't easy," Undertaker said as he slid his finger over the length of the blade. Soon, he brought his attention to the Reapers that were slowly trying to get back on their feet, though any injury inflicted by a Death Scythe would not heal as quickly as others. "Well now, it appears that the tables have turned. The hunters have become the hunted. Are you ready, little foxes?" he threatened as he lifted his massive Death Scythe above his head, ready to strike. Though he was some distance away, a green flame emanated from the Death Scythe and he quickly dashed toward Grell and Ronald, who were only seconds away from imminent death. When the blade touched the ground, a powerful explosion forced them off their footing as it found its way to the other side of the room, right where Lilliana was recovering from her wounds.
"Lilliana!" Sebastian yelled as he swiftly jumped to the upper floor to check on her. Ronald and Grell could only watch in shock, but Katia held a hand over her mouth, overwhelmed by feelings of horror and guilt. He looked all over the carnage, seeing the debris from completely destroyed tables, chairs, and railing, but there was no sign of the recovering Reaper.
"You could have really hurt me, old man," a slurred voice said from behind Undertaker. Everyone turned around and found Lilliana with flushed cheeks leaning against the railway of the staircase, but it was clear that she would have fallen over without the support.
"How is she moving?" Katia exclaimed. "She should be recovering. Even with Reaper blood, she can't move around that quickly."
"She is a fighter in her nature," Sebastian said as he regrouped with the Reapers. "She won't let herself rest until the mission is over."
"But with that high dosage of Reaper blood, she is heavily intoxicated. Any inhibitors she has are completely shut down, meaning she won't listen to her body if she gets harmed even more severely."
"Like it matters to you guys," Lilliana said as she slowly walked down the stairs, making sure to keep a firm grip on the railing as she did. Though, after struggling for a bit, she took off her heels. "I'm sure the Association would not care in the slightest if I managed to get myself killed. In fact, I believe that they would find it a blessing to no longer deal with a problematic Reaper like me."
"And undo all the work we've put into you?" Undertaker said with a genuinely sad tone.
"I'm sure they'll regret it if they knew this is where we ended up," she said as she finally reached the bottom, though swayed as she walked away from the railing.
"Probably," he said with a knowing chuckle. "But even if I failed, you proved their prejudice wrong."
"Not exactly," she said before they noticed Ronald trying to land a sneak aerial attack while they were conversing. However, what shocked them both was Lilliana blocking the attack with her Death Scythe with ease.
"What the—?" he exclaimed as he tried pushing through her block, but she actually managed to push him back. "You shouldn't be this coordinated while intoxicated!"
"You know it's rude to interrupt a conversation," she said as she dashed toward him and tried to strike him. A second too late in his dodge and he might have been hit. "I'm not sure if any of you were aware that I was taught by demons how to fight despite any obstacle, including being intoxicated by Reaper blood," she said as she used her Death Scythe as a cane.
"In other words . . . ," Grell interjected, " . . . she's an even deadlier opponent."
"But whose side is she on?" Katia asked.
"That's the fun part of the game," Eris said as she tried to walk up to Undertaker, but Lilliana instantly went after her with murder in her eyes. Eris chuckled. "I'm glad we get to have a little fun."
"Toying with people's emotions isn't exactly what I call fun," she said in between strikes, but even with trained intoxicated fighting, her aim was still off.
"Then explain to me what you are doing with our dear demon huntress?"
"Shut up!" she yelled as she let her demonic strength kick in and she managed to land a strike on Eris's arm, forcing her to retreat.
"Touchy, aren't we?" she said with a chuckle as she watched the blood trickle down her arm. "But if I were you, I'd make sure that none of your supposed friends hurt each other."
Lilliana turned and noticed that Sebastian was throwing tables at Undertaker, who was slicing them with ease with his Death Scythe, though Sebastian kept using that method as a distraction to get behind him. However, before he could land a strong blow against him, Undertaker would dodge, impressed by his strategy, even if it failed. Once in a while, the Reapers would join in the fight, but only Katia had the strength to keep swinging consecutively. As much as they wanted to, Grell and Ronald needed more time to recover and they couldn't afford using Reaper blood to try to heal them quickly.
"This is getting ridiculous. How can one old Reaper be able to fight off four Reapers and a demon?!" Grell exclaimed in frustration.
"Because he has help," Ronald said before he used his Death Scythe to block Eris's attack.
"Oh, don't underestimate your elders, garçon," she said as she kept striking him multiple times, forcing him back with every strike.
"A little help here, guys!"
"It's hard for me to help you when you're fighting our boss," Grell said with a pouty face.
"William isn't here, so that means it's her," Katia said as she aimed for a strike to Eris's side, but she pulled back, using Ronald's momentum against him as he was slowly in her path. However, he felt a hand pull at his collar and pull him back before she could strike him.
"Three Reapers can't handle a single demon, including a demon huntress," Lilliana said as she unintentionally threw Ronald to the ground with a lot of force, causing a lot of impact onto his back.
"We're trying our best," Katia tried to explain, but a Death Scythe was pointed at her.
"I know you had your reasoning for keeping this a secret, but that doesn't mean you have to treat your demonic gift as a curse," she said, though she started to sound more coherent than she did before. Thoug she may sound like she was sobering up, it was clear her inhibitors were still affected. "As a demon huntress, having the ability to fight with the same strength and powers as a demon should be the greatest thing to ever happen to you, but instead, you are ashamed of it? That is an insult to the demon that bestowed those gifts to you."
"What would you know of shame?" Katia exclaimed. "You get to live the life you want with little regard to the Reaper Law. You get to be around a demon for the majority of your time, form attachments to humans, and even lust for people that should be untouchable to you and succeed in conquests. Who are you to tell me that living like a demon isn't shameful when any other person who tried to attempt to live the way you do would be rehabilitated if not terminated."
"Um, maybe this isn't the best time to be arguing about this," Ronald said timidly, but was quickly silenced as two pairs of red eyes stared at him.
"Stay out of this!" they both yelled.
"Let me help with that," Eris said as she tried to slice Grell with her dagger, but he jumped out of the way in time. "It's rare for Reapers to air out their grievances with each other, so let them talk."
"When did you become their therapist?!" Grell said as he revved his chainsaw to strike her, but hesitated when she saw her as William. That hesitation cost him as she managed to dig her dagger into his shoulder.
"I'm just a curious creature," she said as she pulled back her blade and licked his blood off of it. The wound on her arm slowly started to heal.
"Do you think I asked for these powers, Lilliana?! I was manipulated into having them. A demon used me for her own gain when she gave me this katana, saying I would grow stronger with every demon I killed. Instead, she used that power for herself and nearly destroyed New York in the process. Many Reapers lost their lives defeating her and it was all my fault. I have regretted agreeing to her deal every day and that's why I refuse to use her so-called 'gifts'. Not all of us have the freedom to use our demonic powers with no consequence."
"No consequence? You know damn fucking well that I live everyday with consequence. I followed every Reaper Law just to make sure that my brother and I would stay alive since I knew what would happen if I faltered even slightly. However, now knowing the real reason why you're here makes me believe that all my sacrifices would be in vain. I only get to do the job I do because I am supposed to collect Ciel's soul before Sebastian can devour it."
"And are you planning to keep to that mission or are you going to 'fail' that mission?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I think you have grown too attached to your mission by involving yourself with that demon and those humans. I just don't want to be tasked with disposing of you for fraternizing with a demon and letting him devour a soul."
"You . . . You would kill me . . . if ordered? Do you even have it in you to go through with that?"
"If ordered by the Reaper Association, I won't hesitate fulfilling an order," Katia said as she brandished her katana to Lilliana, who did the same with her Death Scythe. "Unlike you, I won't let emotion get in the way of my judgment."
"Good thinking, dear Reaper," Undertaker said as he jumped from his spot to the top of the staircase, where Ciel was watching from a distance. "If there is one thing that will motivate you, it's this boy," he said as he grabbed the boy's collar and guarded him with his Death Scythe. This alerted Sebastian and Lilliana, who were scared of Undertaker's next move. At this point, he was unpredictable and while Lilliana had a feeling she knew her friend well, she could never be sure what was going on in his head. "Now, I've dreamt of fitting you for one of my coffins for so very long, my lord."
His threat was enough for Sebastian to use all his demonic speed and strength to rescue his young master and while Lilliana would have followed, Katia was in her way. "Maybe if he were to die, maybe you would come to your senses," she said matter-of-factly.
"So you are willing to let a human die before his time?!"
"He is already scheduled to die by a demon. With this many Reapers in the room, we are guaranteed to recover the soul before it can be devoured," Katia said with a slight cockiness in her tone. Lilliana wasn't sure anymore what Katia's motives were for this, but no matter the reason, Lilliana knew she had to protect a human soul before a premature death.
However, she noticed that right before Sebastian could get his hands on Ciel, Undertaker showed his true intention; he never meant to harm the young lord, but rather, he wanted to lure the demon to him. When Sebastian got close enough, he threw Ciel away from him, forcing Sebastian to turn around to try to catch him. However, he felt a sharp blade pierce his torso and large amounts of demonic blood gush out of him. The shock from the pain froze him in place for a moment, but that was all Undertaker needed. "Human lives may be fragile things, but dragging one along with you is a lot of work, isn't it butler?"
He watched as Ciel fell to the ground below, but before he could feel impact, Lilliana was able to catch him. However, in doing so, it seemed to cause her great pain as she thoughtlessly lost her grip and he fell onto the floor. She fell onto her knees and was gasping, as if any air that was in her lungs was inexplicably forced out of her. She held onto her torso tightly, but the pain was too much for her as she slipped out of consciousness for a moment.
"Lilliana?! What's wrong?!" Katia asked with worry, breaking her cold nature for a moment as she rushed to her side, but Eris beat her to it.
"You should be more careful, mon amie," Eris said to Undertaker as she tried to give a helping hand to Lilliana, who was in and out of consciousness. Though, when Lilliana managed to look up, she saw William's face on hers and tried to weakly punch her. "You know those two are . . . connected," she alluded, trying to keep her Mark of Lust secret to the Reapers around her.
"Connected?" Katia said, trying to piece things together, though it did not take long for things to click. "She's marked," she thought she said quietly, but not quiet enough.
"Marked with wha–," Grell tried to ask, but Eris cut him off with her dagger and proceeded to continuously attack him. It seemed sudden, but Katia knew why she did it; she was protecting Lilliana's secret from the other Reapers. A demon huntress would know the effects of demon marks, like the Mark of Lust, but the others didn't and Eris did not know if they were the kind to expose her secret to the Head Reapers. Any marks on her would be signs of fraternization with a demon and she was at high risk for immediate termination. She looked at Undertaker, who did seem a bit regretful for taking such a drastic action.
"My apologies, but there was a reason for this," he said as he pulled his blade out of Sebastian's falling body. "I've always been curious about you. Why would a demon such as yourself wish to don a uniform and play a servant? Not only that, but manage to persuade a Grim Reaper to play along? Perhaps watching your Record will give me the answer." At those words, Sebastian's Cinematic Record started to pour out of him, though only those that were in close vicinity to Undertaker were able to see what contents were on them. They also noticed that slivers of Lilliana's Record mixed into the slithering mess and were able to see certain scenes from her perspective. A byproduct of her mark, Undertaker reasoned.
Demons are attracted to strong emotions emanating sorrow, anger, despair, and terror. The most delectable souls aren't those that offer their souls willingly, but rather those that are fighting for the smallest chance of survival. Those are the souls that are full of desperation and that is exactly the spice needed to make a soul delectable. That was exactly what Ciel Phantomhive possessed on that fateful day. The hatred in his heart for all the wrongs done to him and the blood-filled determination to watch those perpetrators pay for their sins beckoned a demon to his call. This young child watched as the demon he summoned tore every person in the room limb from limb with cold eyes that showed no mercy for his trespassers. To him, this was justice and this demon would be the key to his revenge. All it cost him was his soul and that was a price he was willing to pay with no hesitation.
Though, the work was not over; not everyone involved in his family's downfall was there that night, which meant they must form a partnership to exact his revenge. Even though this demon could easily hunt them down and be done with all this, Ciel advised against it, saying that he wanted his enemies to be able to feel the torment, fear, and pain he once suffered, which meant sowing fear into them. He knew that they would come after him to finish off the Phantomhive family, so he had to reclaim the Earl title and return to the life he was ripped from, minus his parents, of course. That day, Ciel named his demon Sebastian, after a dog he once had, a fact that Sebastian hated to be reminded of.
His first orders were the creed that Sebastian would live by as long as their contract was in effect: protect him and never betray him, follow his orders with absolute obedience, and be honest with him at all times. The persona of a butler would be the best way to achieve his goals, though Ciel advised doing anything superhuman around people to avoid suspicion, which Sebastian found wearisome. This meant he had to learn how to do simple things like cooking and cleaning like a human would, a tedious thing for him, who could conjure a restored manor or a feast in the blink of an eye. In exchange, Sebastian gave him a "Spartan" education on how to become a proper earl, not giving any leeway for his age. After all, it was Ciel's wish to gain the title as quickly as possible. It was a grueling period for them to learn the proper tasks and mannerisms to perfect the facade of an Earl and his butler, but it finally paid off when they were summoned by Queen Victoria to officially obtain the title. This was only the first step to achieve revenge, but with every encounter they faced, their pact grew stronger.
Eventually, they started to hire other servants to ease the workload around the manor. Tanaka was already a Phantomhive servant and was simply happy to serve the Earl Phantomhive once again. An assassin that tried to kill Ciel soon became the maid. An American soldier that was the only survivor of his troop soon became the cook. An escaped victim of human experimentation soon became the gardener. Although each of them had a learning curve, and arguably still do, they all became valued members of the Phantomhive household. And they were about to hire another.
On a seemingly normal autumn day, Finnian was tasked with gathering the fallen leaves and disposing of them. However, he was tempted by the urge to do half of those tasks; he collected the leaves into a pile and kept jumping into them, laughing wildly as he did so. He was a child, after all, and he wouldn't let an opportunity to have the fun he was once deprived of escape his grasp. However, after a while, he was starting to get careless about where he piled the leaves and how much force he exerted by jumping into those piles. One of those piles was a little too close to a tree and he jumped into the pile with a lot of force, enough for him to knock over the tree.
However, he did not expect to hear a feminine shriek accompanying the tree and even more surprising was seeing a woman jump from the falling tree right before it hit the ground. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Finnian exclaimed, more concerned that she was hurt than the fact a random woman was in the tree to start with. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"N-No, I'm fine," she said, though was trying her best to cut the conversation short so she could run away, but the young gardener was making that difficult.
"If you got hurt, Mr. Sebastian would punish me for sure," he said as he approached her and though she tried to escape, he managed to grab onto her arm and keep her in place. His strength shocked her since she was pretty strong herself. How could this young boy be so strong? It was almost as if he was keeping her in place on purpose.
"I told you that I'm fine. Please let me go," she said with a bit of a frantic tone as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp with no luck.
"Finny! Are you okay?!" Mey-Rin yelled from behind them. They saw her and Baldroy rush toward them, though it was clear that she was hiding something behind her back while he kept a frying pan visible in his hand. "We heard a loud crash, yes we did."
"Damn, Finny. What did the poor tree do to you?" Baldroy joked, though their attention was drawn to the mystery woman and their tone shifted. "And who is your friend?"
"She fell from the tree when I knocked it over," Finnian said innocently.
"Is that so?" Mey-Rin said with a lowered pitch as the subtle click of a gun perked the woman's ears.
"Can we at least get your name, miss?" Baldroy said as he lit his cigarette. To any other girl, he would have sounded flirtatious, but to her, he was trying to interrogate her.
She was silent at first, but knew she had to cooperate. "My name is Lilliana."
"What is all the commotion out here?" Sebastian demanded as he rushed outside, though froze as he looked at the type of person in Finnian's custody.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Sebastian!" Finnian nearly cried as he finally let her go, but she knew she couldn't escape now that the butler was around. "I-I-I know I should have been gathering the leaves, but jumping into leaf piles is so much fun!"
"This happened . . . ," he said as he pointed at the fallen tree, " . . . because you were jumping into leaf piles?"
"Please don't be mad!" he pleaded.
"It's hard to remember sometimes that you are a child," Sebastian said with a sigh. "However, that does not explain our unexpected guest."
"Finny says she fell from that tree," Baldroy said. "Didn't realize we planted trees that produced women."
"We didn't," he said curtly. He then turned his attention to Lilliana and said, with a deceptively innocent smile. "Tell me, why would you be hiding yourself in a tree?"
She had to think of something on the spot. The truth would not bode well with this lot. "I-I have something important I need to the Earl Phantomhive, though I had to keep myself hidden."
"For what reason?"
"I-I would get in a lot of trouble with my employers for disclosing this kind of information to him. It could mean life and death."
Sebastian's eyebrow lifted at her statement. He could pick up the subtleties in her lies, but played along. "Very well. I will escort you to the young lord and you can relay your message," he said before turning his attention to the trio. "As for you three, I expect you to clean up this mess and finish the disposal of these leaves."
"B-But supper is in an hour," Baldroy tried to protest, but that unnerving innocent smile reemerged.
"That won't be an issue. I can handle tonight's preparations. I expect this to be done before then. With the three of you working together, it should be done fast, correct?"
"Y-Yes, Mr. Sebastian," they answered in unison and they quickly got to work with Finnian picking up the tree, Mey-Rin hurriedly raking the leaves into piles and making sure he didn't jump into them, and Baldroy using a flamethrower to burn the leaves and quickly putting out the fires.
Sebastian used a firm hand to guide Lilliana into the manor. Now that they were finally away from humans, he could pry the truth out of this stranger. "Now I expect a genuine answer out of you: why are you here?"
"Unfortunately, I cannot discuss my reasoning with you. It would be against the rules," she said with a slight coyness in her voice.
Her tone did not sit well with him. "If you have no business here, then I suggest that you leave. The longer you stay here, the more I will see you as a threat."
"I would have if your gardener didn't keep me in place. Though, a demon protectful of a certain area only means one thing: you're contracted to a soul, aren't you?"
At those words, his demonic eyes glowed and his tone changed drastically. "I will ask you one more time to leave this place if you wish to leave with your life."
"But that won't stop me from coming back, will it? As long as that boy has assassins after him, there will always be a Reaper to watch over him."
Almost on cue, they could hear gunshots from outside the manor coming from the area they left the servant. A sense of concern rushed over his body, but it wasn't out of fear of protecting his young lord. He was confident in his abilities, but it was the other humans he had to worry about. After all, this was the first time they would have to demonstrate their ability to protect the manor. "How many souls are you tasked with collecting?" he asked.
"A good amount, though I'm not sure if my count will be accurate with you around. It makes me wonder how many lost souls are around here, unless you already feasted on them," she said as she finally brandished her Death Scythe. He didn't respond to her statement as he rushed outside and she followed, though kept herself out of sight as much as possible. He got his silverware ready for a quick attack, but stopped himself as he watched the scene in front of him.
Despite this being their first defense mission, they were already well-prepared instinctively for the attack. Mey-Rin removed her spectacles so she could shoot the intruders with precision and did not miss a single target despite moving around a lot. Finnian, while apologizing profusely, was swinging around the fallen tree and hitting unsuspecting victims that could not believe what they were seeing, but by the time they could process it, they would already be dead. Baldroy was using his specialty-made frying pan to block a couple of bullets that were heading his way, but he had to be careful to not rely on it since, despite the heavier material, it still wasn't bulletproof. When they were reloading their guns, he used that moment to burn them alive with his flamethrower. Sebastian had to say that he was proud of his servants' efficiency with their mission, given that they can't do their regular jobs well.
Though, he noticed Cinematic Records flying around and slithering past him, as if being drawn to a certain spot. No one else could see them, but he followed the trail and found Lilliana sitting on a branch of a high tree, looking through the Records as they flowed into her Death Scythe. She had a rather bored expression on her face, as if all the action around her was mundane. However, he was shocked to see the color of her eyes: they were red, not the green he was familiar with until this point.
He walked up to her to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but when she noticed him, her eyes immediately changed back to green. "You don't have to keep an eye on me. I'm staying away from your meal," she said with some irritation in her tone as she continued to collect souls.
"You wouldn't by chance go by the name 'Lily', would you?" Sebastian asked, getting her attention back.
When she processed his question, she put a hand over her eye and cursed under her breath. "You saw them."
"I wasn't aware you were trying to hide them," he said as he jumped up to her branch. "I'm surprised they let the Demonic Reaper roam freely."
"They didn't for a while," she said as she went back to collecting, but her focus wasn't on scanning the Records. "But being short-staffed and my good behavior helped me earn my privacy. Though, being near you right now would ruin my chances."
"Then don't get caught," he said as he jumped back down to the ground and walked toward the bloodbath that the servants left behind. They managed to detain a couple of deflectors that tried to flee the scene in fear of their lives. No one else was left alive. They were pleading for their lives as two handguns were pointed at the back of their heads and though Mey-Rin was eager to take the shot, she had to wait for the cue. "I do apologize for our rough handling of you and your associates, but you did not give us enough time to prepare for your visit," he said in a sweet tone that sent shivers down their spines.
"Let us go! We'll tell our boss to never mess with Earl Phantomhive again. We promise," one of the assassins pleaded.
"But what has my master done to warrant such an abrupt visit?"
"H-He disrupted our boss' opium trade deal. Those Chinese spies were working for him and got him arrested. He ordered everyone to get revenge and kill all those involved in his downfall," the other assassin said, though it was clear the first one disapproved of the amount of information he was confessing.
"Should we warn Mr. Lau and Ms. Ran-Mao about this?" Baldroy asked.
"That won't be necessary," Ciel said, seemingly out of nowhere. Everyone turned to the small boy, who casually walked up to the crying assassins. "They are more than capable of protecting themselves. Consider yourselves lucky since those two don't believe in showing mercy."
"Then you are merciful, Earl Phantomhive?" they asked with hopeful smiles on their faces.
However, Ciel didn't answer their question and turned toward Finnian. "There are leaves on the other side of the manor. Take care of them, will you?"
"Yes, my lord," he said with a salute before rushing to the other side. Once he was out of sight, Ciel nodded toward Mey-Rin, who pulled the triggers, splattering blood, brain, and bone away from them.
"What kind of message would I be sending if I let them go? They'll just come back with more thought-out schemes," Ciel said coldly as turned around and started heading toward the manor, but Sebastian stopped him.
"Pardon me, my lord, but there is something else that I need to address," he said as he walked toward a tree and struck the trunk. In seconds, Lilliana fell from the branch and into his arms. "We had another unexpected guest, but she came here to warn us of the attack."
"Well, she could have said something when we were talking with her," Baldroy said as he let out a smoke-filled sigh. "Could have prepared a little more."
"I spoke to her for only a brief time, but by the time she told me her reasoning, you three were already in the middle of protecting the manor. Her boss would have killed her if she were seen by her colleagues, so she needed to be kept out of sight," Sebastian lied as much as his creed would allow. She was impressed with his skill to come up with something on the spot. That was something she needed to improve. "Isn't that right, Ms. Kilia?"
"It's Ms. Kiliamo," she corrected as he finally set her on the ground. "And he's right. I'm sorry for not coming clean sooner, but I couldn't be seen talking with any of you. Though, my inability to come up with a cover story sooner almost cost you your lives and I deeply apologize."
"Well, since no one was harmed, I guess all is well," Ciel said, though his suspicion did not diminish. In fact, it only grew.
"May I suggest a proper punishment for her?" Sebastian suggested.
"Wait, punishment?! For what?!" Lilliana exclaimed in shock.
"As you said: your hesitation could have cost one, if not all, of our servants their lives. Since these people mean a great deal to you, it seems fitting that you should be the one to take care of their bodies," he said. She was about to say something, but closed her mouth before uttering a refuting word. This may work out to her benefit.
"Um, Mr. Sebastian, don't you think you're asking a lot of her? There are a lot of bodies out there," Mey-Rin argued.
"It will be fine. I have a feeling she has a strong respect for the dead and will work efficiently," he answered before turning back to her. "Dispose of them however you like, but I expect them to be gone by the time we finish eating our supper."
"I'll do my best," she said with a defeated sigh. "Though you're expecting super-human speed from me."
"Perhaps you would like some assistance from my butler to help lighten the load," Ciel suggested, hoping he would take the hint, but Sebastian shook his head.
"If I were to assist, supper would be delayed and at this rate . . . ," he said as he looked at his pocket watch, " . . . we only have a slim margin of being on time."
Ciel scoffed, but assumed he had his reasoning and didn't force an order. Besides, he was famished and his patience grew thinner the longer he had to wait to eat. "Very well. Oh, and make sure to get Finny before heading in. He deserves rest as much as the rest of you."
"You're too kind, yes you are, my lord," Mey-Rin said, almost in tears.
The servants walked gleefully toward the manor, though Sebastian kept toward the rear as he looked back at Lilliana. "Our conversation is not over, but I will let you get to your work."
"How generous of you," she said mockingly as she walked up to the assassin's bodies and started dragging them away from everyone's vision. When she knew she wouldn't be seen, she pulled out her Death Scythe and collected the souls. "Two down . . . a lot more to go."
It took some time, but she managed to collect the souls of the failed assassins and dispose of their bodies in a massive pyre somewhere secluded in the forest to avoid detection from the Phantomhive household. She even collected the souls of those that were never collected in the past since they were killed by a demon and were never included on a To-Die list. It surprised her just how many souls were in the area, not because of the sheer volume of them, but because there were so many that were not devoured. What kind of demon was Sebastian that he could control himself around all these souls and not devour a single one? Clearly he was not a demon of gluttony.
Speaking of the devil, she heard footsteps approach her and she immediately brandished her Death Scythe for a fight. "Even after everything, you still don't trust me?" Sebastian said with a feigned offended reaction.
"I got rid of those bodies as you asked and the next rainfall will wash any remaining evidence into the earth. I already told you that I will not go after your soul as long as it remains alive. So what reason would you have to check on me?"
"I'm afraid the young lord ordered me to," he said before showing off his knives and forks.
She chuckled. "He's ordered you to kill me, hasn't he?"
"His exact words were to make sure that you wouldn't become a problem. The easiest way would be to kill you," he said before throwing a set toward her, but she blocked it with the blade.
"If you can," she taunted before going on the offensive and trying to dash toward him with her Death Scythe ready for an attack, but he dodged with ease. She tried a few more time, but he seemed to avoid her strikes as if he could read her mind.
"If the rumors are true, you and your brother learned how to fight from Lucifer himself. That must be quite the education . . . ," he said before he seemed to disappear before her eyes, but in that same instant, he was behind her. " . . . But were you ever able to defeat him?" With those words, he managed to pin an arm to her back and tighten it so she couldn't move. He managed to wiggle her weapon out of her hand, placed a knife to her neck, and made sure the blade was close enough to cut if she moved suddenly.
"I can handle myself without a Death Scythe," she said, trying to find a way out of this.
"Oh really? If this pitiful show tells me anything, it is that you are not as skilled of a fighter as you think."
"I'm still getting used to fighting with a weapon," she argued. "My speciality is hand-to-hand combat, but when a Death Scythe is part of the uniform, you have to adapt. Besides, I don't get many opportunities to fight with this."
"All I hear is excuses. A Reaper who can't fight with her toy isn't worth her salt," he said as he made a shallow cut on her neck toward her shoulder, letting a small bead of blood escape before the wound closed up immediately. "However, disposing of a prize such as yourself would be a waste," he said with seduction in his voice. He traced his finger over the trail of blood to coat it before placing it on his tongue. At that moment, she had an idea, but she knew it was going to be a risk. While he was distracted, she managed to jerk her head toward his face, hard enough to release his grip. Though, the cost would have been great if she were human: in that motion, she managed to slice her neck right at the jugular, sending waves of blood to escape her. She gasped for air for a second and put her hand over her wound to try to limit the amount of blood spilling out of her. "Bold strategy. This could have easily killed you if this were a demonic weapon."
"Wound . . . closed," she choked out, but soon, her blood started to stop spilling as the wound was finally closing. "I noticed how quickly the wound closed when you cut it and knew I would be all right."
"I admire your bravery, but I still have an order to execute," he said as he threw the bloody knife toward her, managing a hit in her shoulder. However, instead of grunting in pain, she actually laughed.
"Now that I know what you're fighting with . . . ," she said before her eyes turned red, " . . . I don't need to hold back." He tried to pierce her skin with more silverware, but she dodged with ease. It appeared that she was a completely different fighter as she tried to land punches and strikes to his face and body, only for him to barely dodge.
"I stand corrected," he said with a surprising smile. It has been a while since he was able to fight someone as an equal in this world. He was going to enjoy this. They continued this dance for a while and even though neither one of them managed to land a significant hit on the other, they were enjoying themselves, as if two rivals acting out a final battle. Though, after a while, Sebastian finally realized how much time had passed and took out his pocket watch. "It appear I must cut our fun short, unfortunately. If I am late with serving my young lord his evening tea and sweets, he will be angry with me," he said as he backed away from her so she could listen to him.
"And anger your master by not eliminating me?" she asked curiously, not wanting this brief liberating feeling to end.
"I told you that he only asked that I ensure that you do not become a problem."
"But as long as you have humans killing humans, I am going to be a problem," she said, finally calming down from her bloodlust and her eyes turning green. "Or at least, one of my less-than-understanding colleagues will be."
"Then I guess we have a problem on our hands."
She pouted. If they knew she was fighting a demon, there was no way her superiors would let her come back here, fearing she could be influenced. After all, she was already running late with her report and that would arise suspicion. However, fighting with him was the closest she ever felt to having fun since being forced into the Association and she did not plan on letting this moment slip by.
"What if . . . ," she started saying, though needed to find the right words. "What if I managed to join the Phantomhive household? I would no longer be a problem for your master and I would make sure the Association doesn't interfere with your contract."
His eyes widened at her suggestion. "A Grim Reaper working with a demon? You are aware of what you are insinuating, correct?"
"Based on the souls I collected, I'm guessing that you are making sure you are starved so that the soul will be much more satisfying. How tragic would it be for you to have the soul you slaved over stolen by a Reaper who has little regard for you?"
"And you are no different? You could easily be trying to trick me into letting my guard down."
"Why would I even consider this if I didn't care? I may not know the need the feed off of souls, but I know what it's like to be ripped away from something I cared for deeply by the Association," she said as she picked up her Death Scythe. "Give me time to plan something out. If I return, I expect to be hired on the spot."
He smiled. "If you are successful, you will have earned your place."
Lilliana returned to headquarters, not bothering to change out of her bloody clothes. She wanted to make a statement. Surprisingly, despite it being an hour into the night shift, there weren't a lot of people to notice her walk in, but despite that, the few that did were shocked by her appearance. Paying no mind to the stares and whispers, she sat at her desk and filled out a quick report, but she sighed, knowing there was going to be a lot more paperwork that she would need to complete with the extra souls she collected.
As she filled out the necessary paperwork for the assigned souls, she took a deep breath and started walking to William's office. She knocked on the door and he gave permission for her to enter. "You are late. You should have returned an hour . . . ," he said, but his words trailed off when he saw the large puddle of dried blood on her blouse and vest. "What happened to you?" he asked with genuine concern as he got up from his desk to get a closer look. It's not everyday that a Reaper comes in injured, much less so to his office covered in blood.
"The To-Die list failed to report that there was a demon in the area, one that was protecting a contracted soul," she said as she put the file on his desk with small traces of dried blood stuck to it. "He didn't like that a Reaper was in his territory."
"How are you so calm about this? We need to take you to the hospital immediately," he said as he tried to drag her out of his office, but she stood her ground.
"Relax; he didn't use a demonic weapon on me, surprisingly. You think I'd let him injure me like this if he had one," she said as she took off her bloody vest, trying to limit the amount of visible blood on her, even if the desired effect was minimal. "Though, he did threaten that if another Reaper were to trespass, he wouldn't make that mistake again."
"Then we should report this incident to the Head Reapers. We may need to get a demon hunter involved if this threat is to be taken seriously," he said, but she shook her head.
"That wouldn't be a good idea. He is not the type of demon that will cause us trouble as long as we don't cause him any. Provoke him and there will be dire consequences."
"And why would you say that?" he said with a slanted brow, anticipating her response.
"Because he has killed humans that try to harm his prey and yet not one soul was devoured. I managed to collect all those souls and if records are accurate, there shouldn't even be one missing. Speaking of which, I may need a day off of collection to go through the Library's missing soul catalogue and note the ones I gathered."
He was surprised by her report. "A beast like him not wanting to devour a soul? That sounds impossible."
"He is a demon with a strong sense of self-control and will remain that way until his contract has ended."
"But we cannot let a demon wander free, especially for the sake of the contracted soul," William argued.
"I know, but I have an idea," she said before sitting on his desk. "He is aware of who I am, even calling me by my demon name. He even asked me to join him so that he doesn't have to deal with Reapers."
"And you better have said no," he said with a disciplinary tone, but disappointment showed when Lilliana playfully shrugged. "You did not . . . ,"
"I only said 'maybe'," she lied. "Obviously, I would have turned him down, but I didn't want to put anyone in harm if they didn't have to be," she said, gesturing to the blood on her blouse.
"What were you thinking?! If anyone were to find out about this, they would send you straight back to the rehabilitation center."
"I'm aware," she said with a subdued angry tone. "But I figured this would be an opportunity we would never be able to obtain ever again. If I were to join him as the Demonic Reaper, his guard would be down since he believes that I would be on his side. After all, I grew up with demons and it is logical that I would sympathize with his cause, or so he thinks. When the soul is ripe for harvesting, I will swoop in and collect it from him and he would never suspect a thing."
Will took a moment to process what he heard. "You know what you are suggesting would be a big risk for the Reaper Assocaition. If you were to falter from your plan, it wouldn't just be your job on the line."
Of course he was more worried about his reputation than possibly saving a soul from being devoured. "But this is our best chance of saving a soul without risking the lives of the few demon hunters we have. Didn't we lose a good number of them in America some years ago?"
"But it is only one demon. Surely they can manage."
"Didn't the American sect think the same thing?"
He exhaled at her point; he couldn't really argue that. "And what makes you the best option for this mission?"
"I already told you: I'm the legendary Demonic Reaper to demons, not just the Rogue Reaper here. There is no one else that can fit the role, but me," she reasoned. "As far as he knows, I am considering his offer because I want to break from the Reaper Association. Besides, an extra benefit from this would be collecting any souls that are killed by the demon that would otherwise be devoured by other demons."
He pushed his glasses up as he considered her proposal. "This is not going to be an easy pitch to present to the Head Reapers."
"But do you think they are even willing to consider?" she said with a hopeful tone.
"We are short on demon hunters," he said, not answering her question directly, but she still smiled in satisfaction.
"I promise you won't regret it," she said as she excitedly leaped from his desk.
"Be warned: if they do decide to go through with your plan, this will be a test of loyalty for you. Fail in any way and they will find any excuse to put you back in rehabilitation or even terminate you."
"I understand the risk and I'm still willing to do this," she said as she left his office with glee on her face. It did take some time, but they did manage to get approval for her scheme, even suggesting that if this works, they may train her to become a demon huntress, citing that her knowledge of demon behavior would be highly beneficial.
The day she heard the news, William went over the changes in her schedule, noting that she will be working all night to make up for the lost time in reaching her quota. She secretly hoped she could get out of soul collection, but she couldn't argue against the amount of people dying everyday, especially if they were killed by a certain demon. Once he dismissed her, she headed straight to the Phantomhive manor, where Sebastian welcomed her, as promised. It took some convincing of his own to convince Ciel to accept her employment, but she demonstrated her ability to clean more efficiently than any of the other servants. Ciel believed it would be a nice change to have a competent servant other than Sebastian working under him. That day, she was hired as the head maid of the Phantomhive manor, a title that peeved Mey-Rin in the beginning, but she soon learned that it was for the best since Lilliana managed to perform the role better than she probably ever could. For once, Lilliana felt free, but knew this would only be temporary. Once the contract was complete, she had to make a choice.
Once the show ended, everyone witnessed Sebastian's body land with a big thud and he laid limp for a moment, a moment too long for Ciel and Lilliana, who rushed to his side to make sure he was all right. Lilliana was still recovering from the pain, but her concern outweighed the pain.
"Oi, Sebastian!" Ciel yelled as he grabbed his limp butler and shook him violently. He noticed the amount of blood that had poured out of him, but more concerning was the amount that was still coming out. Shouldn't his wounds be healing? "Wake up this instant."
With a cough, Sebastian said in a raspy voice, "There's no need to shout. I can hear you just fine."
"Oh thank Lucifer," Lilliana said, but quickly turned back to Undertaker, who was heading in their direction. Her eyes were red, but it was unclear if it was anger or blood that triggered them.
"Your Records were every bit as entertaining as I imagined they would be," he said with his Death Scythe's blade over his shoulder and Sebastian's blood dripping from it. "However, it has become clear that you bring the young earl nothing but misfortune. So I believe I shall have to remove you." He positioned himself for another strike that could have killed Sebastian, but as he swung, they heard a clang of metal clashing. To Undertaker's surprise, Lilliana had blocked the attack with her own Death Scythe that seemed puny by comparison.
"Over my dead body," she said as she used her demonic strength to push him back.
He chuckled. "I understand the many reasons why you want to keep him around, but even without me, you know there is nothing you can do to prevent the inevitable."
However, their conversation was cut short as the ship started tilting more sharply. Sebastian, despite his injuries, managed to pull Ciel close to him as he tried to keep them from falling to the backside of the room.
"The ship!" Ronald yelled as he noticed all the debris racing toward them.
"What, already?" Grell answered back. Outside, they could hear screaming from unfortunate passengers who could not get into lifeboats initially and also the splashes of those who fell overboard.
One of those souls was Ryan Stoker, who was in shock by all he witnessed that he never bothered to leave the room, even as the fighting ensued. When he noticed his balance was fleeting, he tried holding onto the railing of the staircase. However, as the ship angled more and more vertically, he had to use all his upper strength to hang on. However, it was all too much for him and his fingers slipped, forcing his body to fall to the other side of the room, which was far more than the two stories the room was originally. He slammed into the wall with a mighty thud.
"Ryan Stoker, born on the 24th of August in the year 1854 and died on the 12th of April, 1889," Katia recited almost cryptically as she descended onto the wall where Ryan's body lay with blood escaping his head. She held out her katana and his Cinematic Record slithered into it. "Death caused by injuries sustained in a fall. No notes of interest other than a demon posing as his dead wife."
"Ah, pauvre docteur," Eris said with a sad pout as she used her knife as a placeholder on the floor and held on. "He may not have been the best lover, but at least he was consistent."
"Well, playtime is well and truly over," Grell said as he descended to the platform Sebastian was using to hold him and Ciel on. Lilliana was hanging as well, but made sure that she was close enough in case Sebastian lost his strength. "I really must be taking him now."
"And who gave you permission to do so?" Sebastian said coyly as he got into his face, much to Grell's shock. However, with a blink, he saw William staring back at him instead.
"Oh, you're not tricking me this time, demon," he said as he revved his chainsaw and tried to strike her without falling to the ground below.
"I guess I'll leave the Rouge Reaper to you, Katia," Ronald said, but immediately regretted his words. "Wait, I didn't mean to say it like that."
"Don't worry, I understand," she said as she descended.
"And in the meantime . . . ," he said before facing the trio. "I'm sorry, Lilliana, but I have to dispose of that demon while he is still weak."
"I can't have you so grossly underestimating my butler. You think he can be weakened that easily? You're sorely mistaken," Ciel said in his cocky tone, even as Sebastian coughed up some blood. "Am I right, Sebastian?"
He expressed a gentle smile and responded, "Yes, indeed you are, my lord."
Ronald groaned. "Honestly, I'm wondering if I should feel bad for preying on an injured animal." However, a swift punch to the face shut him right up and to his surprise, it was Sebastian's gloved hand that delivered that blow. He even shot him across the room, or at least, what would have been across the room if the angle wasn't so distorted.
"You may need to reconsider your definition of 'weak','' Sebastian said with confidence as he managed to fight Ronald as if he wasn't injured. Ronald might have been better prepared if he wasn't so certain that he would easily defeat him.
"Lilliana, capture the Undertaker," Ciel ordered from his perch on a beam that Sebastian placed him before he attacked.
"On it," she said curtly as she descended to the fight between Katia and Undertaker. Despite his clearly superior fighting skills, she still managed to hold her own, though she was breathing heavily.
"Your time is almost up, right?" he taunted as she blocked another strike with her katana. "Shouldn't you three be running along?"
"Not when a dangerous Rogue Reaper lurks around," she said before noticing the shadow forming above them and immediately moved out of the way.
"Speaking of which," Undertaker said with a giggle.
"Let me handle this," Lilliana said to Katia.
"No way. He is too powerful for you. None of us have been able to capture him, even when we do work together."
"It's not like he doesn't have help," she said as she looked up. Katia followed her eyes and noticed the two demons throwing her Reaper colleagues around like rag dolls, completely battered by their attacks.
"Are you suggesting your demon companion is helping him?" Katia said with anger in her voice.
"Well he isn't helping them. Please, just let me do this." Katia was reluctant, but listened and jumped to help the others. "Now it's just you and me, old man."
"As much as I would like to have a little chat with you, I'm afraid we are running on limited time." Almost like clockwork, they could hear the ship creaking loudly and one of the light fixtures above them started to crack. Eventually, it burst and a flood of water poured into the room in seconds. Sebastian was quick to secure Ciel and keep him away from the majority of the water, but Undertaker jumped toward the middle of the room, where Eris was waiting for him. "Alas, the time has come for us to part. I've enjoyed myself immensely."
"Oh no you don't," Katia said before trying to land one more strike on him. Although he dodged in time, she did manage to slice the mourning jewelry on his robe. Eris managed to push Katia away from them, but even she was too late in grabbing it before it was out of their reach. However, it wasn't lost to the sea as Ciel managed to grab it, giving some relief to the old Reaper.
"Well, I guess I'll let you hold onto that for a while. Take good care of it for me, won't you? You have no idea what a treasure it is to me. No doubt we will meet again," Undertaker said before grabbing Eris by the waist and swinging his Death Scythe single-handedly, emitting another green light that split the room cleanly in half. Within seconds, the room started to slide as the upper part of the ship descended with haste to the sea below, killing any unfortunate souls in its path.
Everyone scurried out of the room to find safety, though Katia had to work harder than the rest since her friends were weak from their fights and barely had any energy to move. However, as the severed piece of the ship started to angle dramatically, they all fell to the sea below. Sebastian ran with Ciel in his arms with Lilliana following behind them, but as they reached the top, they needed to form a plan to keep their young lord away from the freezing waters below. Though, they had to compromise as he found a lifebuoy and quickly put it on the young lord. "Take a deep breath."
"Wait, what?!" he yelled in protest, or at least, in wanting an explanation.
"Forgive me, but our options are rather limited," he said before using his demonic strength to throw him far away from the wreckage. "You should follow him," he said as he watched the water quickly reach their feet.
"I . . . I can't," she said as she looked back at the other piece of the ship. "I have to know why."
He was about to protest, but she immediately ran back to the ship. He would have followed her, but his duties to his young master were a higher priority. He just hoped that Lilliana was able to get the answers she needed.
What kind of answers would Lilliana be looking for? Will Undertaker and Eris get away? is this the end of the nightmare on the seas? Reviews are appreciated!