The Monster I've Created

"Sebastiaaaaan!"

Ciel's voice reverberated throughout the lavish 3-story townhome located within the wealthiest subdivision of London, and by the time he'd finished calling his butler's name it was a high-pitched screech, only worsening the demon's already existing headache, his teeth grinding in an effort to contain his exasperation. Reluctantly, he set down the silverware he'd been polishing and made his way towards the parlor to attend to the contemptuous child...

Sebastian's young master wasn't always such an insufferable brat; in fact, he once was quite sensible, had impeccable manners, and a rather emotionless disposition. Indeed, it had all gone downhill on that fateful day (a few weeks ago) when Ciel had gone snooping about in the servant's quarters. How could Sebastian have been so careless? What a nuisance he'd created... He stood by the staircase, warily gazing toward the direction of Ciel's voice.

"Yes, my Lord?"

A door busted open explosively, followed by aggressive footsteps against the wooden floor, and lo and behold, the young Earl halted to an angry stop at the base of the stairs, glaring down at Sebastian with crossed arms and pits of fire in his eyes.

"It's MY TURN TO USE THE XBOX!"

Ciel Phantomhive was bored.

He'd already completed his obligatory duties for the day; catching up on his company's latest data reports, his homeschool lessons and violin practice, eaten lunch and sipped tea, fiddled with his latest board game. Nothing in particular intrigued him. He longed for some grand adventure, something thrilling and new to put an end to the monotony of his daily routine... his mind wandered to Sebastian.

Sebastian had been alive for how long? Centuries? Since the conception of the universe? Surely he got bored sometimes. What the hell does a demon do, anyway, to keep themselves entertained for the duration of eternity? When they aren't reveling in the suffering of humanity, that is... Ciel twisted a piece from his board game between his fingers, examining it thoughtfully. In fact... right about now, Sebastian should be in the servant's quarters, taking a short "rest" before he oversees the preparation of dinner. What does he really do in his alone time?

That's it...! Ciel rose from his seat, overtaken with a sudden burst of energy. The solution to his boredom had been hidden in plain sight all along: Sebastian! He would devise a plan to infiltrate the manor staff's living quarters, undetected by the others, and observe Sebastian's secret fun, in complete secrecy. Secretly. A few minutes later Ciel was quietly poking around the hallways of his extravagant home, seeking out Mey-Rin, Baldroy and Finnian; at last, he found them huddled together in the kitchen, engaged in lighthearted conversation and snacking on pastries.

As Ciel's shoes clicked against the spotless tile floor, announcing his arrival, the three servants whipped their heads frantically towards him, Mey-Rin immediately stammering, "Y-Young master! We were just taking a tiny break before—"

"Silence!" Ciel interrupted the maid, her face flushing red sheepishly. "Ahem. I'm not here to scold you. I require your assistance in an urgent matter, and we shall proceed without Sebastian's involvement."

Finnian pumped his fist into the air, optimistic as ever; "Yay! The young master can count on us!" Baldroy stuck his thumb up in agreement. "Yeah! We got your back!"

Ciel smirked. He rested his cane upon the marble countertop and seated himself among the others. "Oh? I haven't even told you what your assignment is yet."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense!" Baldroy exlclaimed, Finny nodding in agreement. "What's the deal?"

The young Earl got straight to the point: "You see... there's a letter that I wrote for Lady Elizabeth, in which I express certain feelings towards her." Ciel lowered his gaze, covering his mouth with his hand. "This letter... is very personal. It is for Elizabeth, and Elizabeth only to read." Mey-Rin's eyes widened in disbelief, and she couldn't help but bite her lip at the scandalous possibilities; even Finny and Baldroy seemed a bit taken aback.

"So imagine my mortification..." Ciel continued, "to find that this letter has somehow disappeared from my coat pocket."

The servants all shared a look of exaggerated horror. The boy draped an arm over his eyes sorrowfully, his voice cracking as if holding back tears. "My reputation would be in shambles were this letter to fall into the wrong hands... and under no circumstance whatsoever can Sebastian know of its existence. It must have fallen out of my pocket somewhere within the manor, or perhaps outside in the courtyard. I trust you shall handle this inconspicuously?"

Mey-Rin gave a dutiful salute, and Baldroy and Finny followed suit. "Young master!" she cried. "Leave it to us, yes! We'll find that letter!"

As if the stress had magically vanished from his body, Ciel sat up straight and nodded at the trio solemnly. "I believe in you." In a split second, the devoted servants leaped out of their seats and barreled towards the door, whispering amongst each other excitedly.

Finally.

With those three out of the way, Ciel knew that Sebastian would be in his room, vulnerable to secret observation, and most importantly, taken off guard...

He began his walk towards the servant's quarters, his strides quick and purposeful. Internally, his mind was reeling. He had no idea what to expect: what kind of hobbies could Sebastian have? Stamp collecting? Writing poetry? Knitting? It would certainly fit his "butler aesthetic"... but why keep up an aesthetic that is for show, in the privacy of his own room? Perhaps... he created inappropriate artwork? He's a demon, after all, surely he'd appreciate the vulgarity...

A sound coming from the hall which lead to Sebastian's room abruptly snapped Ciel out of his thoughts, a sound that was unmistakable: a cat meowing. He clenched his fists, feeling his blood spike with rage. Sebastian knew he was allergic to cats! How many times did he tell him to never bring a cat inside the manor? That dim-witted, disobedient demon... He wanted to march right up to that imbecile's door and burst inside, catching him red-handed in his shameful misconduct, but Ciel knew if he wasn't quiet it would give the butler ample time to hide the evidence—and that wouldn't do—so with much restraint, he tip-toed ever so carefully towards the end of the hall, the meowing becoming more distinct as he grew closer, and Sebastian was even giggling.

Closer... and finally he faced the dark wood door, he could identify at least 2 or 3 different meows, Sebastian laughed like a little girl, and his fury was a screaming kettle boiling over with hot water as his hand grasped the doorknob and swung it open.

"A-ha!" Ciel shrieked. Sebastian was crouched on the floor, his back hunched over as if concentrated on something beneath him. "I knew you were hiding cats here, you preposterous fool! What have you got to say for yourself?!"

The demon turned around slowly towards his master. His expression seemed genuinely dazed, like he'd been snapped out of a trance. There were no cats yet to be revealed, but Ciel was certain they must be hidden behind his butler; in his determination to confirm his suspicions, the boy dropped to his knees beside Sebastian and crawled around him in a full circle, only to discover in his gloved hand... a white glow? Did Ciel's eyes deceive him? Sebastian seemed to be holding a contraption of some sort which emitted a white glow, and a picture of orange kittens scampering around their mama, only this picture was moving, and Ciel could clearly watch these cats in real-time, as if looking into a portal of another dimension...

The boy was flabbergasted. "W-What is this sorcery?!" Without responding, Sebastian tapped his index finger against the strange mechanism, then suddenly the silence is broken by mewling kittens—the same meowing Ciel had heard in the hallway—and he placed the thing into the palm of Ciel's hand, making him flinch.

"That, young master," Sebastian explained, "is an iPhone. Admittedly, I tend to get a bit carried away with the cat reels...my sincerest apologies."

Ciel held up the so-called iPhone to his face, his eyes squinting in deep analysis. It appeared to be... some sort of portable alternative reality visual and auditory spectating tool. Was this an invention from Hell? "iPhone? Cat reels? Speak English, demon." Ciel was losing his patience; he hated feeling ignorant.

"This iPhone you hold is a commonplace device used in the future, about 145 years ahead to be exact. I encountered them during a brief visit to the year 2025 AD, and it was too interesting of a gadget to not bring back home with me."

"The future...? Are you implying you have the ability to travel forwards or backwards in time?"

"Yes, young master."

"And it didn't occur to divulge this essential detail to me because...?"

"These 'visits' to different time periods are quite few and far in between, young master—"

Filled with a sense of urgency, Ciel placed his hands upon Sebastian's shoulders, his lone blue eye staring deeply into the demon's adjacent eye. His grip on Sebastian was tight, his expression frenzied; so many fantastic ideas were already blooming in his imagination. This was it, the grand adventure he'd been longing so desperately for. The cure to his boredom. Before he even began to speak, Sebastian already knew what he was about to say.

"Sebastian, this is an order... take me to the year 2025!"

"...Yes, my Lord."

Sebastian was hopeful that if he brought his master to a congested, unsightly area of the city, the boy would become disenchanted with the whole "future" idea, and ask to return home at once.

That was not the case.

Cars, bicycles, public transport and people walking on foot bustled about around them, standing side-by-side in the heart of downtown London, dressed in plain, dark clothes so as not to bring unnecessary attention to themselves, Ciel was completely awestruck. He took in the sheer amount of people, the buildings which towered so high above them as if an elevator to the heavens; this was the future? The colorful billboard advertisements caught his attention and he squinted, reading aloud:

"Burger King? Victoria's Secret? Xbox One? TikTok?"

And thus, a monster was born.

Author's Note: Salutations! I haven't posted on here since *checks notes* 2013. I'm an adult now, but that doesn't mean I've grown up; so here I am, writing a Kuroshitsuji crackfic. More chapters to come, and it's just gonna get stupider. Stay tuned.