Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The demon lifted his head up and sighed with delight, relishing the fruits of his labour. And when he peered back down again at the corpse below him, he felt a strong sense of unease.

Demons didn't grieve in the way that humans did. That was just the way it was. But oddly, instead of feeling sated and full, Sebastian felt sick to his stomach after taking the life of a child. He'd been looking forward to this wonderful meal for so long, and while it had been delicious, something within him felt off.

He knelt down and scooped up the boy's limp body. He was far lighter than before, the weight of his life force gone from his flesh, leaving him an empty shell, a motionless corpse. Sebastian held him how he always did, tight and secure against his chest, the way he always did after his master had endured another horrific nightmare. Except this time there was no response, no sigh of relief from the boy, no sweet smile elicited from the comforting hold.

Instead there was just the expressionless face of a lifeless body. Sebastian ran his long fingers through the boy's soft hair, his skin still quite warm to the touch, inhaling the same sweet youthful scent that he always had. He stroked his thumbs over his porcelain cheeks and gently lifted his eyelids, revealing two deep blue jewels for eyes buried in his skull. They appeared dull and faded, lacking the bright shine they used to display when they were powered by his young soul.

"My young master, taken before his time," Sebastian muttered, gazing at the innocent face that had become so familiar to him over the past four years. The demon had lived through countless eras and yet these past four years had seemingly passed so slowly. He had grown close to this small human, learned to accept his oddly mature nature and seen to his every need, eager to please the young lord whose short life had been vanquished so tragically.

The small casket was a gleaming ivory white, with intricate black details on each vertical side. The display was decorated beautifully with the young master's favourite white roses, trimmed perfectly with not a single dying petal to be seen.

Despite being the closest figure in the boy's life, Sebastian couldn't bring himself to show anything but a stoic expression. He peered at Ciel's pretty face one last time, his perfect, pallid skin holding an empty expression. His face was almost as white as the roses around him, youthful and pure like fresh snow.

Sebastian wasn't sad. Just empty in spite of the delicacy he'd savoured, and ashamed of the fact that the soul now inside him once belonged to a child, a life that had barely even begun. He hadn't been like the others - this child was special, worth his weight in gold - and Sebastian had erased every last drop of his life force, snuffed out his future just like that.

Everyone else was a mess. The four servants were engaged in some kind of loose group-hug, all of them sobbing violently, even Bardroy and Tanaka. The demon glanced towards them along with the others that had gathered to say their final goodbyes to the little boy who had lost his life too soon.

Nobody would hear his voice ever again, nor see that youthful gleam in his eyes, nor set a hand upon his soft skin. Sebastian and the others would never again have the pleasure of serving the little lord, of dedicating their lives to his comfort. The queen herself remained silent on the matter, being as the causes of his death remained a mystery to everyone except the demon who had stayed by his side for four blissful years.

The headstone was a very light grey, intricately decorated just like the beautiful casket that held the body of an equally beautiful boy. On it were engraved a few solemn words, in a thin, fancy font.

Indeed, a tasty soul. One that Sebastian Michaelis had been longing to devour for a significant while. When memories of his time with his master came flooding back, he began to wonder if he regretted ending it all.

This was the end of an era.