December
A dusty room was the first thing that greeted you once you had opened your eyes. Slowly picking yourself up from the ground and wincing at the moment, you focused your blurry eyesight on where you were. It was a basement that you stood in, a familiar basement at that and without having to fully examine the room, you knew that you stood in the basement of your parents house. Who knows how much time had passed since you had been here, but it had sure enough been a lengthy amount with the cobwebs and dust that coated the room.
Taking a step forward, you stumbled and you grabbed onto the side of a table to prevent you from tumbling to the ground. Although your body was aching, it wasn't as painful as you would have expected it to be. The sleep that you had gotten earlier must have done some good, but it didn't stop the throbbing headache nor the blood the trickled its way from your nose.
Wiping away the blood, you straightened up and slowly glanced around the basement. Everything about it was familiar. From the large dusty bookshelves that were stacked with books to the large table that was placed directly in the middle of the room. There was nothing much to the room itself and seeing this, you walked over to the stairs, heading your way up them.
Your hands curled at your sides as you walked, a cold feeling blooming from within the closer you reached the top of the staircase. You were back once again. Back to where your parents had first died and when you had decided to leave this world for another.
At the top of the staircase you froze, hands pressed onto the trapdoor above. You knew you had to head through in order to find Malcom, but deep down you didn't want to go. Not after everything that had happened in this house.
But with a heavy heart, you gathered your resolve and pushed the trapdoor open, climbing out from the basement and into the main section of the house.
Familiar, yet foreign. That was how you would describe it. The house haunted you with memories of the past, happy yet melancholic memories along with those that you wished never to remember. It didn't help that once hidden secrets plagued those memories, making them seem all the more unpleasant.
Everything was where it once stood when you had left... Or that was what you would have said. Furniture was strewn across the rooms, each broken and bruised that you knew was a result of the AMA when they had broken in those years prior. A carpet of dust had also settled over all of the rooms, the air thick with dust particles and in the corners of the walls were large cobwebs.
The floorboards creaked underneath your feet as you walked further into the house, taking the time to refamiliarize yourself with all that was there. There was a bittersweet feeling at being here once again and slowly you trailed around the rooms before finding yourself in the kitchen.
It amazed you to think about how much time had passed since you had been at the house. Back then you had been nothing but a child. Throughout your time living at the Phantomhive Manor you had matured, not only in your magic, but you as a person.
Something caught your gaze from the corner of your eyes and you diverted your attention over to a paper that was directly in the middle of the dining table. With the lack of marks on the paper, it was clear that it had been recently placed and you knew without having to look that it had been left by Malcom.
Slowly you approached the table and reached down to pick up the paper, bringing it closer so that you could read it.
If you wish to uncover the remaining secrets,
Be sure to revisit the past in order to heal your lingering grievances.
"Great, more fucking riddles," you mumbled underneath your breath, dropping the paper and letting it sink to the floor.
There was nothing left in the house, even you could see this and knowing that Malcom was laying in wait somewhere else, you headed to the door that would lead you back to the outside world. Your footsteps were loud as you exited the kitchen, stepping into the main hall that led to the front door.
Cracking was soon heard and you paused, glancing down to notice shards of glass beneath your feet, that and a empty picture frame. A dust covered photo laid directly next to it and ever so slowly, you bent down, picking up the photo and you wiped away the dust.
Three familiar faces stared back at you, one of that being your own while the other two were the faces of your parents. You took the time to refamiliarize yourself with their facial features as it had been ages since you had last seen them.
'I'll make sure to fix things to how they're supposed to be.'
That was your silent vow to them and with this, you tucked the photo into your pocket before walking to the door and opening it. Pausing for a moment, you took one last look around the house, an underlying feeling that this would be the last time you would ever see it, and with that you stepped out, closing the door behind you.
Desolate. That was the only word that you could use to describe the neighborhood itself. The entire area was devoid of any life; no people, no animals, nothing. There was an eeriness to the stand still quietness and as you stepped out from the porch, you couldn't help but wonder where everyone was.
All of the houses that lined the street seemed rather vacant and it seemed like they had been this way for a good amount of time. The paint on the walls of each houses, even your own, had faded and chipped with time, large spider web of cracks slinking their way along the exterior. Trash littered the road and the yards, some being carried off by the thin wind that had blown in from the north.
"What happened here?" You whispered to yourself as you stepped onto the street, glancing up and down the road in hopes of finding someone who could explain to you what was happening. But as you expected, you came up short. A single newspaper blew to a stop at your feet and you reached down to grab it, turning it over so that you could read what was written on it.
August 16, 2020
The large letters read at the top. So four years had passed by in this world while only two had gone by in the Black Butler dimension. But what had happened in that time? Skimming through the rest of the articles, you felt a cold dread as you read what was written.
The uprising has begun. Magic-users have united under a single organization and have begun to attack innocents. Violence can be seen from the streets and although offers were made, the magic-users never ceased in their attacks. Investigations have been made and it was recently discovered that their leader went by the name of Malcom.
You paused in reading, eyes flickering over that name once again. Malcom was the reason for all of this? Truthfully you weren't all that surprised. He had wanted to bring change to the way magic-users were treated through uncivil methods. But to think that he had been the one leading. So what had happened that had led to the place looking like this.
However, it seemed that their leader, Malcom wanted more than just equal rights, if not total authorization over everyone, including magic-users. Reports have detailed that the said individual killed many officials, innocent civilians, and magic-users who opposed his rulings.
Gasping, you couldn't believe what you were reading. Malcom had also killed magic-users along with civilians? You could understand that he hated those that weren't magic-users, but to go as far as kill them? And you couldn't turn a blind eye to the fact that he also killed magic-users. He had sworn to be on the side of magic-users yet he had gone out of his way in killing them just for power.
"That power hungry bastard." The newspaper crumbled in your hand. Rage coursed through you just thinking about Malcom. He had to get what was coming to him. You had to end this for good.
The newspaper floated its way down to the ground as you trudged down the street, the pain long forgotten as the only motive on your mind was finding Malcom. Soon enough you found yourself in the main section of the town which was just as eerily quiet as the neighborhood you had just came from.
"Where is he?" You muttered underneath your breath.
Everything was barren. The entire place reminded you of those ghost towns that were commonly used in horror movies. As you walked down the street, your eyes flickered between the shops and buildings that lined the main road noticing how like the houses from before, each of them were empty and clearly hadn't been used in a while.
Many of the shops had been raided, the windows cracked or destroyed and merchandise had been skewed outside of the shops entrances. The town remained quiet as you walked down the street and you peered around trying to find anyone who could help.
"Did Malcom really run everyone off?"
"Who knows perhaps I did."
Immediately you jumped, swiveling around as trepidation coursed through you at the familiar deep tone of the voice. The moment you had turned, your eyes fell onto a familiar tall figure that stood before you, that amused smirk irritating you all the more.
"Malcom."
The smirk on his face grew at the sound of his name and he stepped closer from where he stood in the middle of the street, his movement making you tense nervously.
"I see you followed my advice and came here my dear apprentice. For once you actually did something right in your life."
"Don't call me that," you shouted.
"What? My apprentice?"
"I'm not your apprentice Malcom," you declared, not failing to notice the small chuckle that left the older man.
"But you were my apprentice once. Before you gave up and left," the older man stated, his piercing blue eyes watching you from where you stood.
"I left for good reason! You were abusive Malcom. I had to get away." Thankfully you noticed that he remained where he stood, the older magic-user simply watching you in a cold twisted manner, his hands nestled in his pockets and throwing back the long black overcoat he was wearing. "What did you do Malcom?" You exclaimed, sharply gesturing to the deserted town. "Why did you kill all those innocent people?"
"It was necessary in order to bring change to this rotten world." A depraved callous tone had taken over Malcom's voice, his eyes darkening as he glanced around the town with a sour expression. "Everyone was foolish. They could not see that I would bring change, that I would correct what was wrong with this world. And because of that they had to be eradicated."
A cold chill flowed across your skin upon hearing his menacing words, the hairs on your arms standing up as you stared at the maniacal man.
"You sound like Ash."
"Do not compare me to that low life of an angel!" His following shout was furious, the wrinkles in his face had set heavy into it as the smirk that was once present deepened into an indignant scowl. "What I have done was necessary. The only thing that foolish angel was useful for was simply as a tool. He got what he deserved."
"You were nothing but power hungry! And that doesn't fucking explain anything! Why did you kill everyone? Why did you kill my parents?" You vehemently shouted as you took a step forward, your hands curling up into fists at your side.
Malcom seemed to compose himself as he leaned back in where he stood, a small grin replacing the frown that had once been on his face. "I did say that I would tell you the reason if you were to come here." Malcom began to walk in a semicircle across the street and closely, you watched each of his movements to make sure he wouldn't do anything impulsive.
"Fine then." He came to a stop, this time appearing closer to where you stood and you shifted a step back upon noticing this. "I shall tell you."
Intently, you could only stare at the older magic-user, an uneasy feeling lingering inside your chest as you waited for his answer. Finally, after all these years, you could finally know the main reason behind your parents death.
"Unbeknownst to you, your parents had discovered my true intentions for the protests regarding the social injustice that we magic-users received. They had planned to report me to the high council! I trusted them and yet they turned their backs on me when I wanted nothing but equality for us all!"
Malcom began to shout his words, genuine rage written across his face yet you you found his words to be hypocritical. His intentions back then could only be the same as they were now. Your parents had done what was best in making sure that their once trusted friend didn't harm society.
"So I alerted the AMA about who they actually were and infiltrated the group to make sure that they actually got the deed done," he concluded.
Your spine stiffened upon hearing this. The memories of your mother from the cinematic record flooded your thoughts and you remembered the dark shadowed man that had killed her. There was no telling that it had been Malcom especially with the words she had uttered to the man just before her death.
"How could you do something like that?! They were just innocent people that wanted a better chance at life! How could you kill them and then go and take me in? Train me even!"
"Innocent! How can you call them innocent?" Malcom shouted, rage heavy in his voice. "They were going to turn me over! Regardless of the fact that we were acquaintances! And you. You were simply a pitiful thing, always whining about your parents. I thought that you'd be useful for my plans, but instead you were just a brat that was too weak for my training."
"Shut it!" You yelled, anger consuming you upon listening to his words. With a wave of your hand and a quick chant, you sent daggers flying at him yet he brushed them aside with a heavy gust of wind. A coughing fit erupted from you the moment you had done this. Your lungs felt as though they were collapsing and you clutched at your chest, trying to ignore the blood that had splattered onto the road.
"The same trick won't work on me," Malcom bemusedly said, a smirk appearing on his face once again. This time he began to step closer, making you back up at the close proximity of the man. "But if you're really looking for a fight. Then I'll be sure to give you one."
"Fine," you declared, shifting so that your full attention was on the man and ignoring the pain that shot up from within.
"Hmm, but first."
From where you stood, you noticed that his lips had begun to move, chanting some unknown spell that you couldn't hear with how far you stood from the man. Suddenly, the pain that had once flooded your body disappeared and perplexingly you glanced around before looking at Malcom.
"Don't tell me..."
"Now, the fight wouldn't really be fair if you were injured now would it," Malcom hummed, watching as you straightened fully now that the pain was gone.
What was he playing at? That was the question that lingered in your mind as you turned to warily regard the magic-user who simply stood there as if he was waiting for you to make the first move.
But before you could think through on what you were planning on doing, knives came flying at you and quickly, you managed to dodge them before they could hit you.
"You can't be daydreaming in the midst of a fight," Malcom warned, stepping closer and you knew that the daggers had come from him. "Though with it being you that's not a surprise. Just give up (Y/N). We all know who's going to win this fight."
"Funny, I heard that acting cocky in a fight will only cause you to lose in the end," you countered. "Conjure up the weapon I see in mind and send it to the enemies side."
Once again daggers darted their way over to Malcom who simply gave an exasperated shake of his head and with a flick of his wrist, they were scattered to the side easily. "What did I say about using that attack? Did you really think-" He was cut off. A flash of surprise flickered across his face as he glanced behind his shoulder and without a word he reached back to grasp at an object that was wedge into his shoulder. He pulled it out of his shoulder, revealing it to be a dagger that was coated with blood.
You had used the first set to distract him from noticing the dagger that you had sent from behind him. "You were saying," you bemusedly said.
But you didn't have any time to flaunt having landed the attack as Malcom darted forward, his quick actions making you step back startled and the moment that you registered where he was, he was already in front of you, the tip of his sword stabbing into your shoulder. The moment you felt this, you quickly muttered "Teleport me."
In the next moment, you stood just mere meters away from where Malcom stood, his sword still drawn from where it had struck you. An infuriated look was etched on Malcom's face as he turned around to face you. You reached up to touch your shoulder, finding the area to be warm and wet and you pulled your hand away to look at it, finding it to be coated in a thin coat of blood.
"It's seems you know how to shorten spells now," Malcom quipped, but there was no amusement in his voice as he said these words.
"I haven't been idling around when I was in England," you proclaimed watching as he lowered the sword, the very same sword that he had used to cut Ash down with. Seeing this and knowing that you needed something to defend yourself with you chanted. "Green land and the white sky, the blue sea and the red inferno. Hear my voice, here's my command, appear the Shingi no Kiri by my side, in battle, in training, in any events possible."
The long sword materialized at your side and you held it up towards Malcom who simply watched, gauging for any change in your stance.
"So it seems that you've learn something while you were living in that dreadful place," Malcom commented as he took a step nearer, the action making you draw the sword in front in preparation.
"I thought it'd be helpful to know how to do so if I was ever in a fight," you briskly replied, uneasily watching as Malcom straightened up in a seemingly relaxed stance. You wondered what he was planning on doing as he begun to pace on the other side of the street, nonchalantly swinging the sword around, but you could sense the dark irritation the prickled inside of him.
"To think that you of all people was able to excel at something such as that. Perhaps I thought to low of you in the first place," Malcom stated coming to a stop as he turned to place his full attention on where you stood and seeing this you tensed even more and your eyes focused onto the sharp weapon that hung at his side. "But there is no need to reflect upon what could have been. Instead, I'll simply send you to join your preposterous parents."
Your eyes widened upon realizing what he meant behind the statement, but you didn't have time to react upon seeing that he was casting another spell.
"I call upon nature to listen to my vows, break the bones and expunge the grounds."
Immediately the ground began to shake and you jumped back upon realizing the spell that he had done. The street beneath your feet rocked and groaned, sounding as if the entire ground was in pain and anxiously, you watched as large cracks began to zigzag their way through it. The cracks began to diverge, splintering the ground and separating it into large sections that continued to drift apart from each other. Holes and ravines began to form from where the street had broken away, some edges of the ground tumbling into the dark abyss below.
The section that you stood on continued to shake throwing you off balance and the moment you glanced down, Malcom had quickly moved from where he was standing. He darted over to where you stood, jumping over each broken segments of the street in order to reach you.
As he jumped over the last remaining segments, you quickly raised your sword blocking him from striking you. A high pitched clang rang throughout the area, the sound so shrill your ears felt as if they would bleed. From here the grimace on Malcom's face was easy to see. The magic-user's eyes were narrowed, each filled with seething hate all of which was directed towards you.
"Just give up!" He hissed.
"Never!"
The swords continued to push against each other as Malcom and you fought to throw each other off. Fearfully, you began to be pushed back. Your feet slid against the remains of the street, stopping at the edge of the section. Debris crumbled from beneath your feet, falling into the void that was below. Panicked you looked back, only to focus once more on Malcom.
His scowl was directly in your face, but cold amusement danced in his eyes upon seeing the nervousness that was in your eyes.
"This will be the end for you."
You remained quiet, focusing on pushing back the sharp end of Malcom's sword. You pushed it to the left with your sword and slid to the right, Malcom stumbling forward at the sudden action. As you skidded to the side, you quickly touched his back mumbling, "With the strike of my hands, course lightning through his blood."
Bolts of lightning crackled across his figure and an audible grunt came from the older man as you passed.
A loud shriek left you as blinding pain erupted across your back. The area throbbed and pulsed as if it had been set aflame. Crying out, you jumped away, sliding to the opposite edge of the street platform and quickly, you reached back to touch your back.
The shirt had been torn. Blinding pain sliced from your right shoulder to your lower left waist. The pain was agonizing. Each motion you did sent splintering pain shoot upwards. Your entire back was slick wet and without having to look you knew of it to be blood.
"You bastard."
The callous pain filled hiss was thrown at Malcom. The magic-user turned around, his sword hanging at his side. It was coated with blood, your blood, and the scarlet red liquid dripped to the ground in splotches.
"This is what happens when you don't listen."
You gritted your teeth, mind consumed with blinding rage and pain. The ground beneath you became spotted with droplets of blood, having dripped down from the long gash. "With the image I see in my mind, up from the utter depths of hell, come forth my lovely iron chains, to subdue my enemy be-forth me!" You shouted.
Chains darted up from the depths of the ravines winding their way to Malcom. The ends struck the ground before his feet, some attempting to wrap themselves around him yet he managed to jump away from each chain that appeared. Several darted at him at once, aiming to strike him where he stood. Malcom quickly raised his hand, his mouth muttering in a quick chant. Rock erupted from the ground to create a thick wall around him and the chains ricocheted off of them before falling motionless to the ground.
Discouraged you watched as the walls came crashing to the ground, Malcom stepping out from around them seemingly unscathed. Dust was thrown up as the walls crashed down, but through the haze you could still see the cold grin that was on his face.
"Is this really all that you had? I had thought that this fight would be more difficult with it having been years. But it seems that you're still the same weak runt as you've always have been," Malcom humored as he stepped out from the smog.
Smog hung heavy in the ruined street, so thick that the shops that stood on the side were barely visible. Malcom moved his hand at his side, blowing away some of the smog as he approached.
Tense the only thing that you could do was watch him, but as he approached your thoughts trailed to a spell that you had seen in the spell book. You gritted your teeth upon remembering it. The spell itself was high level and there was no telling what it would do to your body once you used it.
"What do you plan to do now?" Malcom asked, continuing to step closer and you watched, eyes following the sword that hung at his side.
"Just wait and see."
Malcom scowled before running towards you with the tip of the sword pointed directly at you. The moment that he approached, you countered the swing with the blade of your own sword. Loud clangs echoed throughout the street as the two of you fought against each other on that street segment.
Malcom's sword never let you get close enough to the magic-user to let you touch him and irritated, all you could do was continue to swing the sword. The swords clanked against each other again, Malcom pushing his full weight down on it to throw you off balance.
"It's exactly as I said. You're just like your parents. Weak and pathetic, never knowing your place and always giving up easily," he hissed, hate smoldering in his eyes. "You should have died on the same day that they did."
Rage blinded you. You gripped the handle of the sword tighter, but subconsciously focused on the smog that was there. "Bring the ruin and the decay, send the smog and cast away."
The smog condensed and the dust flooded in towards Malcom, converging in on him and making the man swear. His grip loosened as he backed away, rubbing at his eyes and he violently sneezed and seeing that he was distracted, you raced forward, grabbing onto his wrist regardless of the startled nature of the other.
"Break the bonds that tie this man, to the magic that supplies his lifespan..."
"What are you doing? How do you know that spell?" Malcom shouted; the older magic-user's eyes was bloodshot red and glassy. He reached to grab you, but you avoided his grasp and tightened your grip.
You ignored his protest and focused on the spell, ignoring the flash of pain that came from the wound. "Hear my cry to the Mother Nature above, strip this man of his power thereof."
An angry shout left Malcom and enraged he shot forward, his hand wrapping around your throat and squeezing tightly. You choked in response, air having been stopped from entering your lungs and feverishly, you clawed at his hand, digging your nails into his skin so hard that you knew you had broken skin.
However, you remained gripping onto his wrist, desperate to never let go regardless of him clutching your neck.
You couldn't breath. Your lungs felts as if they were moments away from exploding. An aching sensation blossomed in your chest and all you could do was wheeze. No plead for the spell to work. For Malcom to allow you to breath once again.
The edges of your sight began to dim. You could feel your consciousness begin to fade and your feeble attempt at making him release you. But the hold that had once tightened around your neck released and instantly, you took in a large breath of air. An immediate sense of relief was felt at this as you finally could breath.
You were able to focus on Malcom, the magic-user faltering and his hand slip from its excruciating grip from around your neck. A look of shock had flickered its way across his face and you pulled back from him, watching as he distressingly sunk down to stare at his hands.
The agonizing fire that had once waged inside of your body faded, however, a throbbing ache had taken over and exhaustion once again flooded throughout it. Stinging pain still flickered across your back and drops of blood dripped onto the ground in large splotches.
"What did you do to me?! Why can't I use any of my magic?!" Malcom hysterically demanded, staring at his hands before shooting a look at you. "You bitch! How dare you do this to me! After all that I did for you!"
"You've done shit Malcom! All you've done was exert your power over everyone who you could control! And if they didn't followed you, you would just kill them! You left me with nightmares and killed my parents! Blame yourself for having given me the book that contained that spell."
His sword clattered to the ground, your blood still coating it and you staggered near to stand nearer to him. Rage was written on his face as he stared up from where he kneeled. He lurched up to grab you yet you kicked him down.
"This is for my parents." You stabbed your sword into his foot earning a sharp holler from the man.
He lurched forward once again yet you kicked him in the face earning another enraged shout from Malcom. He gripped his face; blood trickled from his nose and his bottom lip had split. "And this is for myself."
"You can't do this to me!"
Malcom climbed to his feet, staggering in place, but he managed to reclaim his balance.
"It had been foolish to give me my energy back," you said to the enraged form of Malcom.
"Don't think this is over!" Malcom reached down to grab his sword, angling it at you like he had done just moments before. A look of unhinged fury was on his face as he stepped forward, his blue eyes wide as he approached. "I won't let you ruin what I have built." He charged once again, but he seemed weaker this time.
The moment that he was in front, you ducked underneath the swing of his sword, the blade slicing above your head and although blood gushed out from wound and immense pain throbbed from it, you still reached out to touch his side.
"Throughout this form, paralyze and perform."
A loud clatter sounded. Malcom's sword had dropped to the ground, the magic-user having lost his grip on it. His body and limbs seemingly froze, though the muscles beneath them twitched as if he was trying to move. Despite his grunts of protest, his body collapsed down to the ground and he laid there on his side.
He watched as you approached, icy blue eyes following as you crotched just mere inches away from him. "This is what has become of your grand plan; defeated by nothing more than your previous apprentice. I expected more from you Malcom. You let your arrogance get in the way of this fight."
With those words you stood, turning around to walk away from him only to stop upon hearing his enraged cry.
"Stop right there! I order you to stop! Listen to me (Y/N)! I know what's best for you! I know you better than you know yourself!"
"You have never known what was best for me!" You proclaimed furious. You took a breath and coldly stared down at Malcom who heatedly stared up. "That was what faulted you the most. You always thought that you knew everything. Have fun rotting Malcom. It's what you deserve."
With that you turned, ignoring the yells that came from your former mentor. What would become of him you didn't know, but you didn't care; he was none of your worries anymore.
Your body wanted to call it quits, exhaustion and pain making it want to collapse on itself, but you shoved away the feeling, focusing on doing one last thing.
"Say, day to night I send myself with flight back to the place I wish to be."
The moment that the spell was finished, a cold sensation washed its way over your body and you relievedly welcomed it. A pained but happy smile slowly grew onto your face as you knew that you were going back. Back to where the others were.
Back to the place that was home.
Hey everyone, the first thing I want to do is thank each and every one of you for sticking with me as I write this book; I really appreciate the support that I got from you guys. Next thing is to say that this chapter will be one of the last for this story as in a couple days I plan on releasing the endings for each of the love interests. Once again thank you.