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Disclaimer: I don't own KUROSHITSUJI or SLEEPY HOLLOW
For those readers unfamiliar with KUROSHITSUJI (BLACK BUTLER) you should know that it is an anime & manga about a boy named Ciel that sold his soul to a demon, Sebastian, in exchange for revenge. (SPOILER ALERT!!!!!) Ciel became a demon on Aug. 26, 1889 at age 13.
I like Ciel as a demon so I'm following what happened in the anime.
For those of you who haven't seen the 2013 TV series SLEEP HOLLOW you should know that a man named Ichabod (a former British teacher, soldier, and later American revolutionary) died in the 1700s after successfully completing his mission to kill a dangerous soldier in the employ of the British. What he did not know was that the horseman he beheaded was the demonic embodiment of DEATH, one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Because the Horseman managed to fatally stab Ichabod before he was beheaded, they both fell together and their blood mingled.
For that reason, when the Horseman was resurrected in modern times Ichabod rose with him. It is all tied in to the prophesied End-of-the-World that is mentioned in the "Book Of Revelations."
Abbie & Ichabod are cast, according to the prophecy, in the role of the "two witnesses" who are supposed to see the truth about what's going on and try to prevent the Apocalypse from happening.
Hope that helps to explain things.
Oh yeah, I think I should mention that I'm a bit fuzzy on the names of most of the SLEEPY HOLLOW characters (I'm more familiar with KUROSHITSUJI after all) so If I get something wrong, don't scream about it to me. Take the Police Captain for example, I have no clue what his first name is and only just found out it starts with "F," so even when it's wrong to do it I'm going to keep on calling him by "Irving," his last name.
P.S:
I'd love to get some reviews. It might inspire me later to add on to this past the point I originally intend. And like I said, there will probably be lots of OCness in the characters, but try not to let that bother you.
P.P.S:
I apologize in advance for all the talking. There's a lot of material to cover and I wanted to take care of it here, all at once. The beauty of this is that if I choose to continue this story for many chapters, you will all know where to go to get a reminder of why everyone is doing what they are doing. Its always best to avoid confusion, right? And this way I don't have to go over things more than once in any detail.
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CHAPTER 2
ENDLESS EXPLANATIONS AND ANSWERS
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30 Minutes Later:
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Ichabod Crane and Abigail Mills were seated in Captain Frank Irving's office. He had just finished telling them about the phone call he'd received. Since Crane still hadn't gotten completely acclimated to this century yet, this meant that they had to explain about what the CIA was. However, this lead to a brief overview of some of the other government agencies, the result being that that it took quite a while before they could get back to the reason for this meeting.
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"What do you think this Phantomhive is really up to?" asked Abbie, looking over to Ichabod. "Have you ever heard that name before? Maybe there's some connection between him and someone you used to know?"
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Ichabod thought about it for a moment.
"I am unfamiliar with that name in connection with the war. Back when I was still an English citizen attending Oxford, it was during my final year as a student before graduating, there was a new underclassman, a first year student named Richard Phantomhive. He was a noble, the son of an Earl. I never spoke nor associated with him, but there were rumors…"
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"What sort of rumors?" asked Irving.
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Ichabod hesitated, "They were just rumors. I'm sure they were nothing more than empty whispers in the dark."
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"Then why are you so reluctant to talk about them?" asked Abbie. "You've talked about more personal and sensitive things before, so why hesitate sharing old gossip about someone you never knew?"
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"Your right, of course, Miss Mills. I suppose it is a habit. One doesn't speak ill of the family Phantomhive, it was simply one of those things which was never done and I paid no attention to the rumors in any case as they had no connection to myself. Richard Phantomhive was young and charismatic, he drew quite a following. His good looks combined with his family's title, wealth, and prestige assured his popularity. In all things he appeared to be the perfect son of a noble family."
Ichabod glanced around at his two listeners.
"This is what made the rumors so hard to believe. In light of the Phantomhive's many accomplishments and the high regard that the Crown had for them, it was easy to believe that the gossip was the product of nothing more than envy. However, it was true that people that made themselves an enemy of Richard or any other Phantomhive, always met with some terrible misfortune.
"Their company going under and the family finding themselves destitute, being set upon and robbed by thugs five times in the same week, embarrassing documents coming to light, things of that nature. Though there was never any proof connecting these event to the Phantomhive's, rumor had it that aside from their regular business interest they also did the Crowns dirty work in secret and had dealings with societies more criminal elements. Rumor also had it that it was because of their supposed dark dealings that the Earls of Phantomhive were called 'The Evil Noblemen' and 'The Royal Watch Dog.'"
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It was at this moment that the office door opened
"My, this is unexpected. I was not aware that you were so familiar with the significance of the Phantomehive name, Mr. Crane."
Two people dressed in black strolled in, a boy with odd, dark bluish-gray hair wearing an eye-patch and a tall man with silky black hair, both with skin as fair as marble. The man closed and locked the door behind them while the boy continued speaking.
"Though by the time I was born the Phantomhive Earl exclusively took his orders from Her Majesty and was called The Queen's Watch Dog. There has been a falling out since then over irreconcilable differences. Lines were crossed that, by rights, should never have existed. Now I am simply the Watch Dog; and never again will the house of Phantomhive be collared nor leashed."
This last line was said with such venomous hatred that his listeners almost expected the boy to start spiting acid.
"We have since made new arrangements with the monarchy and government. They were resistant at first, but in time they understood that the best decision they could make was to meekly wear my collar and sit obediently at the end of my leash."
The boy's malevolent smile was echoed by the cruel smirk that graced the man lips and it sent chills racing up and down the mortals spines.
The two strangers bowed.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the boy said. "I am Ciel Phantomhive, Earl of Phantomhive."
He gestured toward the man at his side.
"This is my butler and personal assistant Sebastian Michaelis."
xXx
Irving, Ichabod, and Abigail studied the highly suspicious newcomers.
They were both dressed in elegant suites that would not have been out of place at a board-meeting, funeral, or other such socially stiff formal gathering. They were also both extremely elegant. The boy was a darkly beautiful child and the man darkly handsome, like two cursed princes.
The boy's one visible eye was a large azure blue. It was so beautiful and bright that it was impossible not to feel your attention drawn in by it. His silky bluish hair was just a bit too long in the front nearly obscuring both eye and eye-patch.
Despite the air of maturity that surrounded the boy (he could not have been more than 12 or 13) he seemed child-like and vulnerable, if somewhat spoiled and arrogant.
The man that the supposed Ciel Phantomhive (it really was difficult to imagine that the man that terrorized England's law-enforcement agencies and stumped the CIA's information network was actually this child) had introduced to them as Sebastian Michaelis was surprisingly young, his white face smooth and free of either wrinkles or blemishes.
His eyes were the red like old blood and his lips thin. His hair style was cut short at the back of his neck, but tapered nearly to his chin at the front where the smooth locks were parted to perfectly frame his flawless face.
The boy seated himself in another chair and watched quietly as his butler prowled around the room.
The man finally turned around and shook his head. Ciel quirked an eye-brow, his expression showing slight surprise. The man smirked and moved to stand behind his employer's chair.
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xXx
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Abbie finished giving the pair the once over before saying, "Aren't you a little young to be terrorizing England?"
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Ciel smirked, "In my experience, you are never too young to terrorize anyone. Besides, haven't you been through enough by now to realize that appearances can be deceiving?"
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"So you know about all the…" Irving gestured helplessly with one hand. He was still uncomfortable with the knowledge that demons and other supernatural occult things were real and wrecking havoc in his precinct.
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"If you mean the crimes that have resulted from the demon general, Moloch's, endeavors to bring about the end of the world, then yes, I am well informed about that. There are still a number of details I have yet to learn about and I am sure that you three will be able to fill in those gaps."
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"The question, sir," said Ichabod, "is for what reason would we do that. You are both unknown to us and in this secret war we have no assurances that you number among those we can, in safety, trust. I have yet to hear an explanation for your sudden arrival and a reason for your involvement in this matter."
He pinned the child-Earl with his most direct and piercing look.
"It is as you said after all, 'appearances can be deceiving' and I do not wish to be deceived. With all due bluntness I must enquire: Who are you really and why are you here?"
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Ciel was not phased in the slightest.
"An understandable attitude. You would need to be a fool to trust me when you know nothing about me and I am certain, having heard your remarks about the Phantomhive name, that you do not care for my family's reputation."
He glanced over at Sebastian and the man reached inside his suite, pulling out a large manila envelope.
"I come bearing gifts, Mr. Crane." said Ciel.
The envelope was handed over to Ichabod.
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"And what is this?"asked Ichabod.
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"This is you, Mr. Crane. As far as the world is concerned this is who you are."
Ciel smirked.
"I highly recommend you look over those documents and do your best to memorize them. In this day and age a man requires any number of papers to prove who he is and where he comes from. Without having verifiable proof as to your identity, even a minor difficulty can become a major problem. I understand that you were very nearly committed in an asylum for saying you were a resurrected revolutionary in service to General Washington."
The little Earl couldn't resist a few mocking chuckles.
"You must have been mad to tell such a story and to keep insisting upon it. I do hope that you have learned how and when to lie since then."
The boy gestured to the folder.
"Those documents say who your family was, you were orphaned young by the way, and are a widower who lost his wife and son in a car accident. You were born in England, but grew up abroad. You later returned to attend Oxford University and did well enough there to earn a teaching position. Your area of expertise is the American Revolutionary War and you are extremely fond of participating in reenactments. At the moment you are on lone here as a consultant to the police to assist on a highly classified matter."
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Ichabod was stunned.
"But none of that is true. How can these documents prove a falsehood? Surely it would be a simple matter for anyone to check and learn the truth should they seek to verify my identity."
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"You should be properly grateful to me, Mr. Crane. In point of fact, it is my understanding that inquiries have already been made. Fortunately the people I placed in Oxford handled them and if any choose to dig deeper the duplicates of those papers have been properly filed in all the right places, their information entered in the correct data bases. You need not fear your cover being blown Mr. Crane."
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"You've gone to a lot of trouble on Ichabod's behalf," said Abbie, "but you still haven't answered any questions. I want to know why you did all this. What's your angle?"
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"If one wishes to prevent the end of humanity, one cannot do things by half measures and," the boy continued, "considering how the dice have been loaded against you, I am not confident that you can win this game on your own."
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Irving said: "I'd like you to answer those earlier questions, I also want to know how you found out about all this."
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"Ahh…" replied Ciel, "standard protocol for situations like this dictate that I say something mysterious, cryptic, portentous, and or prophetic before suddenly leaving only to pop up later, leaving you in the meanwhile to try to puzzle me out."
He actually laughed at that, noting their sour expressions at his words.
"I am neither old enough nor bored enough to resort to such tactics. By now I'd be willing to bet good money that you've already had some experience at such annoying behavior."
Grinning, Ciel said, "You don't need to worry about me doing that yet, so don't concern yourself about it. Any explanation I could give would be time consuming and I don't like repeating myself. This will also go faster without any interruptions; so I'll talk, you 3 listen, and we'll save any questions or remarks until the end."
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QqqqqAaaaCcccPpppPcccCaaaAqqqQ
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(Ciel Talking:)
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The year everything ended and began for me was Dec. 14, 1875 on the evening of my 10th birthday. On that night people who considered the Phantomhive Earldom to be an unneeded hindrance came and attacked my home.
There were only two survivors.
One was the old head butler Tanaka. He lived because they no doubt thought that an old man with a knife in his back would never escape the fire.
The second was myself. I had been looking for my parents and so I was witness to the unnatural manner of their deaths. What I saw was so terrible that my mind blotted out the memory of that moment until three years later when I was forced to re-live it.
In any case, I was found and captured. The kindest thing they could have done then was kill me, but instead I was sold to human traffickers who in turn sold me to a debauched cult of demon worshipers.
They abused and tortured me for a month before deciding to eliminate me, along with all the other children, in one of their rituals.
There were some true believers among them, but the majority of the members were nothing more than wealthy drunkards and perverts who had joined the cult in order to indulge in their taboo pleasures.
Thus when they performed their rituals, nothing happened. They wanted to summon a demon to grant their wishes, yet most of them didn't believe in or care about that. They just wanted to laugh and enjoy the spectacle of watching as over a dozen children got slaughtered until I was the only one left.
The thing was though, that they'd gotten the symbols wrong when they set up for the ritual, thus they were unable to summon their intended demon. Instead the ritual ended up being aimed at a completely different demon.
A demon of particular tastes and a completely different set of requirements.
This demon was not interested in the sacrifices of others, only in a sacrifice of oneself. Additionally, the summoner had to willingly abandon God and dedicate their entire being to hatred and revenge. But this would only be enough to get the demons attention. In order for him to decide you were worth the trouble of appearing to, the summoner had to have a truly remarkable and strong soul.
Inability to meet any of these requirements would result in immediate failure and death.
Out of everyone in that room I was the only one that fulfilled all those requirements; thus, by pure chance, the moment they stabbed me was the moment they sealed their own fate.
I made a deal with that demon. If he helped me get my revenge on everyone that wronged me and tried to destroy my family, he could eat my soul once my wish was attained. Until that time came, he would protect me and never betray me until I got my revenge, he would obey my orders unconditionally, and he would never lie.
I named that demon Sebastian and made him my butler.
I returned and took back all that was rightfully mine.
It took me 3 years, but eventually I learned the truth.
The one who personally killed, no, desecrated my parents was an angel. The creature was too holy to Fall and too insane to return to Heaven. An Angel Of Massacre is what it was. And even though the thing was one of Heaven's own, neither God nor any other of His angels did a thing about it. Never even tried to stop it.
At least among humans, when one of their number goes rogue, be he a common citizen, a policeman, or a solder, other humans take responsibility for their fellows actions. They hunt down the culprit and stop him, maybe even try to make some sort of reparations to those who survived and suffered.
But that's not how Heaven does things. They may talk big about goodness and compassion, preach of caring and supporting those in need; but in the end they're all just pretty hypocrites that sit around mouthing pretty platitudes and doing nothing while the world burns and people scream to be saved.
That angel was so crazy it couldn't even decide on its own name and gender. And even worse was that it got to the Queen. It infected her with its madness, altered her soul, made her a traitor to her own country, desecrated her flesh by combining it with that of her deceased husbands, and utterly warped her mind to the point that she was grateful for all that it had done.
It was the Queen that ordered the death of my family. She who betrayed her loyal Watch Dog and she did it because the angel told her it was a necessary sacrifice for purifying the world, starting with her own country.
The thing was though, that this angel was obsessed with "purity" and at the same time had learned to draw power from "filthiness." And no human is ever truly pure.
It wanted to make the world clean and pure, and in order to accomplish that goal it planned to wipe out humanity and start over. It also wanted to make humans suffer as much as it could, both as a means to raise its power and as a punishment for being "unclean" and "unnecessary."
Its plan was basically very simple. Initiate a war through the drug trade between England and France, use a system of alliances with various rival nations to draw in other countries to ensure as much involvement as possible, and then make sure that the humans destroyed themselves. It would be an easy thing for an angel to accomplish, especially if no one opposed it, all potential hindrances were to be eliminated.
And all the while it could draw strength to increase its power from the corruption and suffering of the humans.
It had even created and sponsored a cult to make sure of it.
Don't you think it's an interesting fact that the mark of the cult I was sold to was identical to the emblem that belonged to that angel? Funny how fate works out sometimes.
In any case, its plan would have worked to, except that I survived and I wanted revenge; and with a powerful demon on my side I would get it.
And I did.
Saving the world may not have been my true intention, but it was the result of my actions. Why, just imagine what might have occurred had the first World War taken place 100 years sooner and never been allowed to end.
The world was saved, I got my revenge, the demon should have gotten my soul, and that should have been the end of it. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
There was some unexpected 3rd party interference, which lead to a string of complicated events. The end result of this was that my soul was out of anyone's reach and Sebastian became my eternal butler.
For only he can kill me and he is now eternally unable to do so.
Like yourself, Mr. Crane, all appearances aside, I am a man who should have died long ago. But unlike you, I have not been idly sleeping away the centuries in my grave.
Since I am destined to live forever, I decided to put my time to good use doing what I was trained to do. I run Funtom, my families company, and I continue to do my work as The Watch Dog, ruling England's underground society and keeping its activities separate from regular society. I eliminate those who break the rules and spill trouble into the lives of normal citizens. I also keep a close watch on what occurs in other nations.
Additionally, I also like to stay informed as to the activities of various organizations, cults, secret societies, and such like. You can be certain that, by now, I have a very long reach.
I have done this because I do not want history to repeat itself.
And that is why I am here.
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To say that his listeners were stunned would be an understatement.
Ciel's story was tragic and as much as they wanted to deny that such a living nightmare could be true, they could not. For those who have had their eyes opened to the real truths of the world could never fail to recognize truth when directly confronted by it.
Another thing which worried them was that if the "boy's" story was true, that would mean that the man standing behind him was a demon. A demon powerful enough to kill an angel.
This realization did nothing to reassure the 3 humans. They had less reason to trust anyone that associated with demons than they did some mysterious criminal mastermind; which, come to think of it, this Ciel Phantomhive (by his own admittance) also happened to be.
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Abbie Mills was the first to recover.
"Let's say we believe you." She said looking tense, her eyes flicking back and forth between the Earl and his servant.
She stood up.
"Wouldn't that mean that the demon in your story is the same 'Sebastian' that's standing next to you?"
The other two men in the room tensed and jumped to their feet, backing away to put more distance between themselves and the demonic butler.
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"Indeed," said Ciel, "This is that self-same demon. But you don't need to worry about him. He will not move to harm you unless ordered to do so by me or in the event you make a threatening gesture in my direction."
Ciel grinned, his blue eye looking deeply into each of theirs.
"I'm sure that such an intention is the farthest thing from your minds, yes?"
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Abbie swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling too dry, but she stood her ground and kept her eyes locked on the frightening boy smiling up at her from his chair. Somehow, despite their positions, she felt as if he was the one towering over her.
"That still doesn't explain why you look like a teenager. Immortal or not, shouldn't you be a wrinkly old man by now?"
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"Ahhh…, well spotted Lt. Mills."
Ciel smirked, looking forward to seeing their reaction to the next bombshell bit of news he was about to drop.
"That would be because I was turned into a demon. I shall never physically age so much as a single day from the moment that I awoke, reborn."
The looks on the three humans' faces were priceless.
He swiftly glanced over to his butler and nodded.
Faster than a blink, the butler wiped out a mini camera and took a picture.
"I doubt it will be a comfort, but it might interest you to know that despite my looks and youth I am extremely powerful. The powers, abilities, and strengths of the two high level demons sacrificed to transform me into a demon became mine the moment the last one of them perished and I awakened."
Sebastian took another picture.
"In other words, I am one very scary, powerful, well connected, demonic little boy and not someone you would ever want to mess with."
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"Why are you telling us this?" asked Ichabod. "Surely it would have been preferable for you to keep this information a guarded secret."
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"And why is your…" Irving started to ask, but hesitated uncomfortably, "man –er- demon … ahh, a – assistant taking pictures of us?"
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"Sebastian was taking your pictures because the looks on your faces just then were priceless. You'd be surprised at what a good laugh can buy from the right sort of madman and your expressions just then have to be worth more than a few chuckles."
Ignoring the weird look Captain Irving gave him in response to his answer, Ciel addressed Ichabod's question.
"In regard to your own inquiry, Mr. Crane, You are very much correct. I do prefer secrecy. After this meeting is over I doubt I shall be this forth coming again. However, since I have decided that we will be working together in this game, I thought you would appreciate some candor on my part. Also, Sebastian looked through this room and found no recording or listening devices present."
He snorted disdainfully.
"Either Moloch is a bigger fool than I had expected or he has morons working for him. Honestly, what kind of opponent doesn't even try to spy on his enemy?"
His voice dripped with contempt.
"For that matter, I don't even understand why a sniper hasn't yet been sent to take you out. It would be a simple solution to the problem you represent for him. No doubt he'll get around to it eventually."
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"You have information on Moloch and are willing to share it?" said Ichabod, his voice leaden with doubt. "All supposed candor aside I find it hard to believe that, as a demon, you would oppose the will of Hell, the place where your true allegiance must surly lay, even if it should conflict with your own personal preferences."
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The smile Ciel directed at Ichabod then could only be described as truly devilish. The effect was only enhanced as his blue eye briefly glowed a bloody red.
"You are a clever man and you are indeed right. My alignment is, and forever will be, with Hell. Mine is a Damned soul after all and I was turned into a demon. Add in my rejection of God and that conclusion is obvious."
He leaned a little forward and folded his hands together on his knees.
"But the thing you must understand is that the same rules do not necessarily apply to me as they do to others. Demons are very much of Hell, while my origins are more Earthly. My power and ability should place me in the upper ranks of Hell's demons, but the remnants of my humanity illicit only contempt, thus I am regarded as an outcast. I will never sit as a prince upon a throne, nor be accepted among demon kind. For obvious reasons Heaven is out of the question. Earth is the only place where I can make a home for myself. I cannot allow it, or the humans, to be destroyed."
His lips twisted with contempt.
"I also cannot permit that trash to win himself an honorary throne in Hell. It is what his sponsors among the Princes have promised should he succeed in bringing about The End Of Days."
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A look of realization spread across Ichabod's face.
"You're jealous."
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Ciel growled.
"I may be younger than Moloch, but I am more powerful and more capable than he will ever be."
He stood up, glaring, and spread out his arms.
"Look at me!"
His arms dropped, but his glare sharpened with resentment.
"I look like a child! By any demons standards I am a child and I will be as I am now forever."
He sat back down, and his voice became chill.
"If you know that Moloch is the Demon General charged with full filling the Apocalypse Prophecy mentioned in "The Book Of Revelations," then you have researched him. You know that he likes his followers, both human and otherwise, to worship him like a god and sacrifice children to him. I'm also certain that he was the demon that that angel sponsored cult, you recall I mentioned this previously, was intending to summon. Once Armageddon is no longer occupying him, he will turn his attention toward me. He's the sort that likes to go out of his way to make trouble. I wouldn't be able to avoid him, and with the title, rank, and authority of Honorary Prince, he will be in a position to make a great deal of trouble for me indeed."
Ciel looked at Ichabod and the other humans levelly.
"I'm powerful. God rules in Heaven, Lucifer rules in Hell, and behind the scenes, keeping the peace, I rule on Earth. I may not have their level of power, but in this world what I have is enough. I'm not going to stand by idly by and lose it all. You may not like or approve of me and what I do, but you don't have to. You need me and I need this world not to end. That is something that we can all agree on."
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"Now hold on a second," said Abbie, "You like to talk and you're good at it. You even make a lot of sense. I'll agree with you about saving the world, but I don't want to work with you and I don't see why I'd need to. We've managed to get this far on our own. I'm sure we'll manage to keep on doing it somehow."
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For the first time the tall, black clad demon spoke.
"Lt. Mills."
His smooth voice was like soft velvet. It caressed her name like a lover, tempting, seductive.
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For a brief second she wished he wasn't a demon. Then she mentally cursed herself (and her hormones) for what she'd almost started thinking. Giving herself a mental shake, she paid attention to what the older demon was saying.
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"If your objective is truly the prevention of this worlds end, then you cannot afford to reject what my Master has to offer. Practicality dictates that you accept his support."
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"And how do you figure that?" asked Abbie.
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The handsome demon smirked.
"Isn't there and old saying that goes: The enemy of my enemy is my friend?"
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"Don't take this the wrong way, Michaelis, but somehow I get the feeling you're not the 'friend' type."
Then she mentally choked at how her own words had sounded and blessed her black skin for hiding the embarrassed blush that heated her cheeks as the demons smile turned seductive.
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"Oh, am I to take your words as meaning that you'd be interested in something other than friendship?" Sebastian flirted.
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"Make your point, demon." She said, irritated
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He smirked, but continued.
"Then if friendship is not a possibility you should consider us as being useful allies who's information and resources would be invaluable to you in this conflict. Or do you know of someone else you can go to for information on demons and magic?"
His smirk grew.
"Perhaps there is a demonologist you can trust sitting around nearby who can tell you all the old dusty rumors he's found in ancient books? Though if that information is more than a few centuries out of date I wonder how useful or relevant it will prove to be?"
Sebastian tilted his head to the side (rather cutely Abbie privately thought) and gently rested one gloved figure against his chin.
"Would it not make greater sense that we, as demons, would know more about our own kind than any human you could find? Is it not more logical to suppose that if we might have connections in Hell that can be used to learn what is being planned? From a practical standpoint, would it not be easier to come to us for help?"
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"We won't even demand your souls as payment for our services," added Ciel. "Where can you possibly hope to get a better deal than that?"
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"If you're so powerful," said Irving, "then why come here? Why come to us? Why not stop Moloch on your own?"
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"Because I like a sure thing, Captain," said Ciel. "With the world at stake, I see no valid reason to take unneeded chances. Since these two," he indicated Ichabod and Abigail, "are Gods chosen pawns for this game, He will at least have to pretend to be on the side of humanity. He will be forced to give signs and drop useful hints. I would like to be close enough to make swift use of whatever information can be gleaned from them."
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"You've mentioned several times that God's not on our side." said Abbie. "You've made it sound like He wants this Apocalypse to happen and you've said that it's all a 'game' a couple of times now. What do you mean by that?"
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Surprisingly, it was the smirking Sebastian who answered, though the question had been directed at his little master.
"My Lord regards any challenge as a game, and with the world as the grand prize, he certainly intends to win it. He always wins his games. Though in this case, I believe he has other reasons to treat it as such."
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"Indeed I do," said Ciel. "Or have you three humans been so busy running around from one problem to the next that you have not noticed how the cards in this deck, so to speak, seem to have been stacked against you?"
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"Would you mind being clearer on that?" asked Irving.
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"Certainly," said Ciel. "I think you will better understand if I use an example. I take it you all know of a popular role playing game called 'Dungeons & Dragons?'"
The two police officers nodded while Ichabod shook his head.
"Well, one of you can tell Mr. Crane about it later."
Ciel continued.
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QqqqqAaaaCcccPpppPcccCaaaAqqqQ
(Only Ciel Talking Again)
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What matters is that this Apocalypse has been setup and arranged in a similar way, the only real difference being that there are two opposing Game Masters representing their side's interests.
An important fact to keep in mind is that, like me, though a "character" may be on the same side, it does not mean that they have the same goals or motives.
If you have ever seen a series of movies called "THE PROPHACY" you would have a basic idea the sort of factionalism that is going on, Hollywood got that much right.
Unfortunately for you, it's highly doubtful that you will meet any angels or demons (aside from us) that will help you who have not been pre-selected as pieces in this game. The only advantage in this is that it holds true to those who would oppose you as well. This rule does not apply to humans though, so you can expect them to have some be sent in to support or hinder, depending to whom they have given their allegiance.
I believe you have met some of them. The Hessians who worship Moloch and the Masons who oppose them.
Do you notice that the Hessians have the backing of their own personal demon but the Masons have no angelic backer? Doesn't seem like a very fair or balanced way to begin, does it?
Well, I'll get back to that.
This land, this entire area, has been designated as the chosen "game-board" or battlefield for this conflict and there are rules about what sort of things can happen here, when they happen and how the various pieces are permitted to interact with each other.
For any number of reasons that there is simply no point in my going into, these rules don't apply to either humans or Sebastian and I. They do, however affect anyone who is not a neutral power, though.
To put it in a way you'd understand, Moloch can attack any human he owns but not one over whom he has no hold. If he did, it would open the way for an angel or some other heavenly power to directly intercede.
This rule does not apply to the Headless Horseman that's been causing you all such trouble because he is a former human that also sold himself to a demon to become a demon; more specifically, the demonic embodiment of Death.
He is not the true Death. That is a different and more impartial being.
This demonic Death, who is one of the 4 Horsemen, is the personification of all the negative aspects associated with death.
The fear and pain of the dying, the grief of those left behind, the pleasure of a murder slaughtering.
These things are what made and empower the Horseman of Death. He had no physical form until a suitable human agreed to offer himself up at the proper time to become the vessel for this power. Whatever goodness may have lingered within him has long since been twisted and devoured by the darkness that posses him.
As an embodiment of death, he is free to kill anyone he wants without consequences. He does not have great power but he is free of the usual constraints.
Technically, this means that he can do pretty much whatever he wants.
I don't know why he listens to Moloch and follows his orders, but this of course means that if there is a human that Moloch wants to kill and he doesn't want to use his Hessians for the task, the Horseman will do his dirty work for him.
In terms of this game, I'm not sure if that makes the Horseman a "knight" or a "queen," but he is a powerful and useful piece.
I'm fairly sure that any magic practitioners or spirits can be likened to the role of "bishop" while normal humans fall into the role of "pawn."
You two, Mr. Crane and Miss Mills, are cast in the role of "pawns" as well, but you're special. You're "pawns" that have the potential to become "queens." It is the special attribute "witness" that your GM/God designated you with.
Though moving a away from Chess and back to D&D terms, the designation of "pawn" is roughly equal to "foot soldier" or "cannon fodder."
You are on a major quest to save the world, and to do that you have to overcome a number of other lesser quests.
Your enemy vastly out numbers you and has a big head start, plus the advantage of having more information about what has been going on.
Is it believable that you have a chance to win against these odds? It's patently obvious that you are not playing on a fair or balanced game-board. It does not look as if God negotiated very good terms for you when this game was being devised. Yet another reason to think He would prefer you to lose and only send the bare minimum of support that His role in this requires.
Your free to think that my opinion on this is biased, but that does not necessarily make me wrong.
I can tell that you have started to form a "party" of trusted companions or hero's to help you with your quests. Irving has a support role, Lt. Mills and Ichabod Crane are warriors, my research on Jenny Mills makes me want to say she fills out the position of thief. The slots for scholar, assassin, mage, and cleric have yet to be filled.
I actually find it interesting that those last four roles have not yet been filled. If God really was on your side, you'd think He would have arranged for a Saint, prophet, or healer to be nearby to fill in the post of cleric.
Yet another reason you need my help is because Sebastian and I can fill the remaining three roles. I actually doubt you'll find anyone better than us, but feel free to try.
Let us move on to your instruction manual for this game, "The Book Of Revelations."
Have you, by any chance noticed how unhelpful it is?
Well, there's nothing strange about prophecies being cryptic, but depending on one isn't always wise. They are so easy to misinterpret and often self-fulfilling. You should also take into account the Bible that Revelations comes from is an old book that's been around a long time. It has had many translators and editors. A word wrong here, a passage added or even removed there, alterations made due to politics and opinions.
My understanding, given these circumstances, is that this prophecy that you depend on as your only divine guide on what to do in order to save the world, is that it is not very reliable. Not to mention that there is nothing in it that your opponents do not already know.
Compared to the rest of the bible, I don't think it has suffered as many changes, but that doesn't change the fact that they are there. You would be wiser not to depend on its words and instead take their truths with a grain of salt.
Trust more in your own resources. It is the only certainty upon with you can depend.
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You all probably noticed by now that I put a lot of thought into this. I even possibly over thought this.
Oh well, can't be helped. Necessary information and all that.
Please Review.
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5:02 PM, January 4th, 2014
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*{POST SCRIPT: ~ I want to thank missykim for being my first reviewer for this story and leaving a review for my 3rd chapter. I also want to thank missykim for telling me that Irving's first name is "Frank." I'll be editing that in a little later, but mostly I'll keep on with calling him "Irving" since I didn't know his full name when I was writing this and that was what I used for him. 1/5/2014}*
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