Paper Ciel: The Thousand Year Door

Chapter 1: Vortex Into A New World

"Sebastian, I want all the reports on the murder from this past week. Give me witness accounts, testimonies, descriptions of the culprit, any evidence that you can find that pertains to this case. I want to finish this and move on with my life. I have many important items to attend to as far as the Funtom Company is concerned, and I cannot waste another minute on this bloody case as my associates relentlessly nag me about new toy ideas," Ciel Phantomhive commanded his butler.

"Of course, Young Master, but aren't you forgetting Lady Elizabeth's birthday? It is but a few short days away," Sebastian replied.

"We can discuss the details of that later; right now, your top priority is to get as much information about the case as you can. Don't skimp on information, because I want this case solved, and lack of information will only make closing the case a long ways away."

"Yes, my lord. It shall be done." Sebastian went out of the Earl's office and on his way to do as he was commanded.

Ciel sank down into the chair behind his desk. The boy yawned, exhausted from the stress involving the case. He took in a deep breath and sighed, saying, "Ah... Finally... A moment's peace..."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Tch. I'm busy!!" Ciel declared with an unamused tone.

"B-but it's-" Mei-Rin, Finny, and Bard stuttered from behind the door before getting yanked aside by someone with a squeaky, cheery, high-pitched voice.

"Oh no..." we're the words that entered Ciel's mind.

SLAM!!

The doors flew open and in came none other than Elizabeth Middleford, overly excited and charging up to Ciel. She charged up to the Earl, screaming, "CIEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!". She gave the Earl an aggressively tight hug.

"Ack! E-Elizabeth!!" Ciel exclaimed, but his words were barely audible since he had the wind knocked out of him with Elizabeth's tackle-hug.

"Ciel! I just found the greatest thing at the market today!" Elizabeth squealed as she dropped the pop-up book on Ciel's desk. As the book landed, the force of the landing sent the files that Ciel organized for his current case flying off the desk and onto the floor.

"Elizabeth," muttered Ciel irritably.

"The merchant told me that the book contained the Legend of The Thousand Year Door! Behind the Thousand Year Door is said to lie a magical treasure! But the only way to open the Thousand Year Door is that on the Thousandth Year, a person has to present seven magical Crystals Stars said to be hidden in different areas of the world!"

"Elizabeth, I have no time for games-"

"In order to look for the Crystal Stars that open the Thousandth Year Door, you have to use this Magical Map! But when I looked at the Magical Map, it had these strange places that I've never even seen or heard of, like 'Rogueport' or 'Petalburg'. They look like nice places, though! Oh! And the merchant said that the book was closely associated with the Magical Map, so maybe if we-"

"ELIZABETH!!! Enough of your rubbish and silly notions of this 'magical treasure' and this 'magical Door'!!" Ciel bellowed.

"B-b-but..." Elizabeth uttered meekly.

"There is no such thing as this 'Thousand Year Door', and there are certainly no such things as Crystal Stars! They're all just silly little fairy tales that some crazy old hag made up to make you buy that stupid book and map!"

"B-but she gave it t-t-to me..."

"I don't care! Right now I'm extremely busy with a case, and you're interfering with it!! Now, leave me be and go back home; I've got a case to finish," the boy shouted harshly. After saying this, he went to work, picking up the files and placing them back on the desk.

Elizabeth began tearing up. All I ever wanted was to spend time with Ciel... She was about to weep silently, when she let her anger take over.

"... Fine!!" Elizabeth yelled, tears falling down her face. "If you don't want to look for the treasure and spend some time with me, I guess I'll just have to do it myself!! Who needs a fiancée when all I need to amuse myself with is an adventure of my own?!" She grabbed the book from Ciel's desk and marched towards the doors out of the office. As she marched away, she tripped and fell on her face and dropped the pop- up book and Magical Map. The book fell open and began sucking Elizabeth in.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! CIEEEEEEL!!!" Elizabeth screamed as the book sucked her in. Ciel turned around; his eyes widened when he beheld the sight of Elizabeth's head and arms trying to keep from getting sucked into the dark vortex of the book.

"Elizabeth!!" Ciel ran towards her, but it was too late; she was sucked into the book, the vacuum of the vortex to powerful for her to climb out safely. Suddenly, the vortex began to suck in the Earl as well.

"Waaaaaaugh! Sebastian! Someone! Help me!!!" Ciel cried out, but no one came in time to help, and into the book Ciel went, sucked into the vortex in which no one seemed to return from. The Magical Map had been sucked inside the maw of the vortex as Ciel was sucked in.

Meanwhile, Paula, Elizabeth's governess, heard shouting as she searched for the little lady.

"Elizabeth? Where did she run off to?" she said as she went upstairs. She saw the Phantomhive servants knocked out on the ground outside of the Earl's office.

"Huh?" Paula uttered as she went into the office. Not a child was to be seen. The only thing that was worth anyone's interest was the open book on the ground, a swirling vortex right in the center of it.

"Oh dear, whatever could this mean?! It looks like it's... Sucking me in!!!" Paula exclaimed as she tried avoiding the vortex. It was too powerful, and Paula ended up getting sucked in as well, wailing for help.

"Mwee hee hee hee hee!" cackled the hooded merchant from the marketplace. "So this is where the book is. Now I just have to make sure the boy finds all Seven Crystal Stars. I'm sure his little fiancée will be motivation enough." She hopped into the book's vortex and closed it up. The book closed, as if on its own, sealing away all who have been sucked inside of it.