New name

Ciel watched the pitiful scene before him with a distant expression. The cycle of being burnt only to be healed, then to be burnt once more was quite the cruel one. The more the scorched vampire moved as a result of the torment, the more it would continue. In the end, it would only stop when she managed to remain entirely unreactive to its infernal fury. 

Ciel judged it would take her a few dozen seconds for her to do just that so he did not spend that time idly, using it to adjust his actions moving forward. 

Her charm is powerful but at her current state it would fail to impact a stage 1 esper in any significant way. I can not rely on her for a fight either, she can not even defend herself against me, a 15 year old… Actually scratch that, I might not be too normal myself so perhaps that is not a fair assessment. 

Ciel's state was that of a young teen, however, his mind was far more advanced. Not only was he proficient in battles, but often in ones which had unpredictable elements constantly being thrown his way. Furthermore, he was no stranger in facing stronger opponents which held significant advantages over him. For those reasons, he could not be made the standard in which to judge her. 

Hmm. Well whatever, time will reveal everything to me. For now, her charm is enough of a boon. 

Having decided such, Ciel approached the now stagnant vampire, who had finally managed to escape her torturous cycle, and spoke. 

"First things first, we need to establish a few things about this deal of ours… Rule number one; no questions about me. Do not ask why I am here, why I do what I do and when, nor why I know what I know. Just follow my orders, and in return I will do my part to help grasp at opportunities for your recovery. Understood?"

The charred woman appeared motionless, like a statue, but undoubtedly she was attentive to his words. Her eyes were no longer bathed under a stream of smoke, seemingly fully recovered and hidden behind the thin layer of her scorched eyelids. 

She nodded stiffly. 

Ciel nodded in return also. 

"Good, then as for rule number two; I am in charge here. Even if an opportunity arises which could regain some of your strength, but I deem it too dangerous, then we will look past it and you will not protest that choice. Your goal should be survival, not recovery. Understood?" 

This time the scorched vampire did not just nod, instead she curled her lips slightly and her sweet voice followed shortly after.

"My, my, if I did not know any better, I-I would think you secretly wish to be the dominator of a monster. T-Tell me, do all humans share in such a fetish?" 

She chuckled weakly with a bit of pain serving as a topping for its melody. She then continued. 

"I-I jest… I understand… F-Furthermore, you seem well informed, I-It appears I shall not need to reveal how an immortal recovers their strength once cursed…" 

Ciel's eyes narrowed slightly. 

"So it is a curse then. That tracks." 

Ciel knew a few things about killing immortal creatures. They were tricky beasts to be sure, however often the method of slaying them was rather simple. Attack them with a power so great that they are unable to heal before being annihilated. 

Oftentimes, raw power was the correct answer… 

Many monsters had incredible healing capabilities, but that alone did not qualify them as an immortal. To qualify a monster would need to not age whilst also have the ability to survive half or more of their body being completely eradicated. Only then could they join such a rank.

For that reason, if entrapment was not possible, then a powerful esper would merely have to incinerate them to the limits of their body's healing capacity. This method was tried and true, however the more powerful the immortality was, the less potent such a method became. 

Ciel was unsure of how a vampire's immortality functioned in comparison to other beasts, however he doubted that raw power alone was enough to eradicate them entirely. No. For a royal creature one needed an attack which brought with it the touch of death, whatever shape that may take.

Such an attack not only targets the body but the status of the creature as an immortal being. In many ways, it weakens their very standing inside the world. 

Finishing his pondering, Ciel confirmed one final thing. 

"You need to absorb, or if not then 'take' away the authority of other aberrations or monsters, correct? By strengthening your existence through the acquiring of these anchors, your immortality will naturally grow stronger than the remnant effects of the attack which lingers inside you. That lingering effect being what you refer to as a curse. Is that so, or did I miss something?"

The searing vampire's stiff smile grew wider. 

"Y-Yes, it is so… Heh. Heh. I-It seems you are no ordinary human after all. P-Perhaps you shall actually be worthy of being called m-my master, even if just temporarily so." 

Ciel scoffed, then answered mockingly.

"Worthy or not, an injured dog has no choice in who it must lick up to in order to continue its pitiful life." 

Once more a pained chuckle reverberated. 

"Y-You are correct, yet I find myself feeling quite favored by luck nonetheless…" 

Ciel shrugged. 

"So you say. Anyways, for now that is all the rules I will impose. If the need arises then I will add more, consider that as the third rule if you would like. Now…" 

Ciel froze, belatedly realizing that he was unsure of how to address the fiend before him. 

Should I just use fiend perhaps? Hmm. No, if recovery is the goal, then by calling her by her actual name it will help solidify her existence as an aberration. Though the effect will be miniscule. 

After his short pause, he continued. 

"Actually fiend, what name should I call you by?" 

Hearing his words abruptly shift into a question, the ashen woman seemed to immediately turn apprehensive. 

"M-My name…" 

Weakly, far more than even before, she repeated those words through her charred lips. Ciel only barely managed to hear her, along with the pain her voice carried. It was a pain unrelated to the constant simmering of her infernal blood. 

Then after a long pause, she answered. 

"I-I have none… Not anymore. I-It was stripped from me." 

Nameless huh.

For an aberration to claim such meant that it had been done so literally. To them, symbols and names held great authority, tied firmly with their mighty existences. Still, while he understood that her words were not metaphorical, Ciel still found himself intrigued. 

I have never seen a monster be stripped of their name before. What kind of thing or being even has the ability to do that? Or maybe it is something to do with the nature of vampires specifically?

Just through the encounter with this vampiric figure today, Ciel had come to realize that there were yet a great many things which he was unknowledgeable about. An obvious conclusion, however one he had chosen to play ignorant to until now. 

The more he discovered about this ashen creature, the more Ciel was rattled by one unanswerable question after another. Ironically, after having set a rule which forbade her from questioning him, he felt compelled to do just that to her. 

Is knowing the answers worth having… Hmm… How had she put it? 'Have death itself descend upon me'?

Sparing the question some solicitous thought, Ciel quickly reached an answer. 

Of course not…

Shrugging with an indifferent demeanor, he spoke. 

"If that is the case, give yourself a new name. By associating yourself under said new name then it will have the same effect as your old one." 

The ashen vampire did not answer his words immediately. Ciel could not tell, since she lacked a speck of hair anywhere in her head, however he was fairly certain she was frowning. It appeared that his newly acquired tool was far too hesitant to take up his offer. 

"M-My name… I-It held great value. To abandon it now… I-Is to abandon even more of myself, and beyond that… I-It is to abandon half of my power." 

The scorched lips of the ashen vampire quaked slightly as she spoke, betraying her attempts to mask her grief. 

Ciel sighed. 

"If it was taken like you said then simply take it back once you regain your strength. What is wrong with you? Is a monster not meant to be more decisive about matters of life and death? What has made you into such a timid beast?" 

Ciel spoke simply, his voice tinged with both coldness and ridicule. 

The charred creature's silence continued for a few more seconds, then at last she merely nodded stiffly. 

"Y-Yes… Y-You are correct. So then, my master, why not bless me with a new name? C-Consider it the solidification of this deal of our making." 

Me huh… 

Ciel did not feel bothered or inconvenienced by such a request, however he did find his mind reaching a deadend. 

What would be fitting? 

He knew nothing of her, nor could he discern her true appearance. For that reason he did not name her by using a characteristic as an inspiration. Thinking back on his old life, a few names shuffled within his brain until finally he decided to name her based on a particular clothing brand which his old self often wore. 

"Very well. From today onwards, your name will be: Rin."