[5] The End and the Beginning (5)

Chapter 5: The End and the Beginning (5)

"Ciel! Hurry up and come out!"

"Mira, there's no need to rush—I'll be coming. This time of day, they're selling freshly baked bread."

It was early morning, with Elfman and Lisanna still asleep.

Mira and I were getting dressed, preparing to head out. I planned to buy bread and ingredients for breakfast and dinner, while Mira was in a rush to fulfill a demon-hunting request from the church later that day.

"I may have hunted monsters before, but a demon… it's a bit nerve-wracking."

"Mira, please don't push yourself too hard. Even with Mukuro and Chrome, the danger doesn't change. I'd rather go with you, but since you're so firmly against it… at least promise me you'll run at full speed if things get dangerous."

A few days ago, some villagers came to our home, begging us to get rid of a demon that had appeared at the church. At first, we refused, but their desperate pleas ultimately led Mira to accept the request.

Even though she had experience hunting monsters, facing a demon was a different challenge. I wanted to accompany her to the church and help with the exorcism, but Mira flatly refused to let me come along.

"Really… you're so stubborn. Mira, are you absolutely certain you don't need me? I might not be fully recovered, but I can still fight."

"No, I'll be fine with just me and my familiars. Ciel, you're still injured. If something happens and you get hurt again, it'll be much worse."

"...Alright. Just follow what I said earlier. If it feels dangerous, run."

"Got it! See you later at home, Ciel~!"

Mira waved at me before dashing off toward the village entrance.

But something felt off—an uneasy sensation kept nagging at me. My instincts told me I had to break my promise and follow her.

I quickly stopped by the market to pick up the supplies I needed and rented a room at a nearby inn.

"It's been a while since I've used an illusion spell."

He slowly unwound the bandages and exposed his left eye.

Though not fully awakened, the power in his eye was gradually returning.

The once-faded crimson hue of his eye was becoming more vivid, and the black pattern at its center grew sharper.

The character for "sky" (天) formed around his crimson iris, becoming increasingly distinct.

"By now, Mira must be battling the demon at the church. Mukuro, I'll need to borrow your body."

With that, he leaned back into a rocking chair in the inn, closing his left eye to recall the sensation of using it.

He focused on the six realms.

Remembering the cycles of reincarnation, he began to recall countless versions of himself that existed within them.

He then visualized the form of his familiar, far away, and imagined himself flying toward it.

...

In the chapel on the western edge of the village:

"Graaaaaaah…!"

"Ugh…"

Mira had let her guard down.

She assumed that, just as she had vanquished monsters before, she could easily deal with a demon.

But that was arrogance.

From the moment the demon entered the church, it struck at Ciel's familiars, catching them off guard.

The familiars, gravely injured and tossed to the ground, trembled but could no longer fight.

Mira's combat style, which relied on the support of the two familiars, became useless.

Still, she kept fighting the demon.

Ciel had warned her to flee if things became dangerous.

But she couldn't run now.

She had made a promise to Ciel, yet once she accepted the request, retreat was not an option.

Besides, Ciel, despite his injured state, had entrusted his two familiars to her.

Her familiars were on the brink of death.

In such a dire situation, abandoning them and running away alone wasn't an option.

She had to fight.

"Grr…"

Just as Mira was trying to think of a plan, the demon charged at her without hesitation, slashing her shoulder with its razor-sharp claws.

Though she'd reinforced her body with magic as usual, her magic-infused arms weren't strong enough to block the demon's claws.

The blow tore through her arm, and the sheer force hurled her back into the chapel's statue of the Virgin Mary.

With a dull thud, pain radiated through her entire back.

Unable to hold it in, Mira let out a scream and collapsed.

"This can't be… I can't win…"

"Grr…"

The demon loomed over her, closing the distance.

Though she hadn't lost consciousness, she couldn't stand up. She groaned and tried to move, but her body refused to respond. The damage from hitting the statue had left her without strength.

The demon, unfazed by her condition, readied its long, wicked claws and lunged at her.

"Graaaah!!"

"Aaaaah!"

Raising its claws high, the demon swung down at her.

Believing it was all over, Mira shut her eyes tightly and screamed.

Then—

"Kuhuhuhuhu"

An all-too-familiar laugh echoed through the air.

Mira's eyes flew open, and what she saw left her in utter disbelief.

"Mukuro...? Mukuro just spoke...?"

It was Mukuro, Ciel's white owl familiar, who had been sprawled on the ground with a torn wing.

Now, Mukuro, who hadn't been able to fly, was hovering in front of her.

A transparent barrier surrounded Mukuro, deflecting the demon's claws. But what stunned Mira most was the familiar voice coming from Mukuro's body.

It was undeniably Ciel's voice—Ciel, who wasn't supposed to be there.

"Mira, you really are a troublemaker. I warned you to run if you thought it was dangerous."

As those words echoed, a faint purple mist began to rise from Mukuro's form. The mist encircled the owl, shaping itself gradually.

The shape shifted into that of a human, becoming more defined until it fully materialized.

It was a man with dark, blue-black hair tied back into a ponytail that gleamed faintly when hit by the light. He wore a long black coat over black pants, a pristine white T-shirt underneath, and a loosely knotted black tie more suited for a dress shirt.

Dumbfounded, Mira called out the man's name.

"Ciel…?! This can't be…! Is it really you?"

"You've taken quite a beating if you can't recognize me."

"No, that's not it! How…?! Just now, Mukuro turned into Ciel... an owl became a person! That's impossible! And your right arm—there's no injury at all!"

The Ciel standing before her showed no signs of being injured.

With his previously wounded right arm, he easily deflected the demon's claws with a spear he held.

There were no bandages covering his eye, nor was there any sign of the scar that had once been there.

In fact, it seemed as if there had never been an injury to begin with. It was only natural for Mira to question the situation.

But Ciel didn't bother answering. Instead, he landed a kick on the demon, sending it flying toward the church's entrance with a smirk.

"Mira, didn't I tell you? My magic is a bit peculiar."

As he said that, Ciel took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air.

And then:

"[Roar Of The Phantom Dragon ]"

From his mouth came a swirling storm of purple mist, the same mist that had enveloped Mukuro earlier, rushing toward the demon.

But something about it was strange.

The storm was fierce, yet nothing inside the church was disturbed by the gusts. Everything in its path was left untouched.

Even the demon was no exception.

The demon, seeing the unfamiliar attack, raised its arms to shield itself. When it realized no harm was coming to it, it lowered its arms and tilted its head, puzzled.

The purple mist storm from Ciel's mouth silently passed through the door and dissipated into nothing.

"Ciel, are you joking around? That kind of magic isn't going to take down this demon!"

"Ku…hu…hu…hu…"

"Gra…graaaaaaaaah!!"

"Ciel! Watch out! Get away now!"

Determining it wasn't in danger, the demon charged at Ciel.

But he merely smiled at the demon, calm and unhurried.

Mira shouted, unable to comprehend what was happening, but Ciel did nothing—just continued to smile.

And then, just as the demon's claws rose into the air—

"…"

"The attack… stopped?"

The demon froze, mid-swing.

It stood there as if turned to stone, its movement completely halted.

Ciel paid the immobilized demon no mind, kneeling down and turning to Mira.

"Well, that's that. Those are some deep wounds. Let's get you treated at Dr. Rand's clinic."

"Ciel… it really is you, right?"

"Yes, it's me. Are you finally curious about my true nature?"

"No, Ciel is Ciel… What happened in the past doesn't matter. I have no intention of dwelling on it. But still…"

Mira looked at Ciel, who smiled gently at her. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who, just moments ago, had exuded an aura and laughter more demonic than the demon itself.

The fear and chills she felt watching him smile in the face of the charging demon had been overwhelming. Even though it sparked questions about Ciel's true nature, to Mira, he was a precious family member.

No matter if he was a villain or a monster, it didn't matter.

But more than anything, she wanted to know why the demon before her had stopped moving.

The demon stood there, frozen completely, without a single twitch. Its eyes had lost all light.

"Is that demon… dead?"

"It's alive, but it's no different from being dead. Its mind itself has been destroyed. It's nothing more than a lifeless doll now."

"Its mind…?"

"This is my magic. I interfere with my opponent's mind, shattering every nerve within their body. It's a rather… eccentric spell."

"...I'm sorry. I wanted to show you that I could take down a demon on my own… Mukuro and Chrome…"

"I've already seen how brave you are."

With a snap of his fingers, a mist similar to Mukuro's began to rise from Chrome's limp body. The shredded wings regenerated entirely, and Chrome flew back to Ciel's shoulder.

"Mukuro and Chrome are familiars that operate on my magic. No matter what injury they sustain—unless it's a curse—they can recover fully, making them near-immortal beings."

"I see… That's a relief… I thought… I thought I lost them both…"

"You always turn into a crybaby in front of me."

"Still… it was so scary… I really thought something terrible was going to happen…"

"If you keep crying like that, your face will puff up and look ridiculous."

"Idiot…!"

Mira burst into tears as the tension that had gripped her finally released.

Ciel gently wiped away her tears and tried to comfort her. It was in that moment, however, that something unusual occurred.

"What… what is this?! My… my arm?!"

"It's… what is this—?!"

From Mira's injured arm, a strange light began to shimmer. The demon they had just defeated disintegrated, and its essence seemed to be absorbed into her arm.

Before long, the light vanished, leaving Mira's arm completely transformed. It now looked identical to the arm of the demon they had just felled.

"What… what's going on…?"

"Calm down. First, let's get you to Dr. Rand's clinic," Ciel said as he picked her up in his arms.

Mira, startled by the sudden gesture, was visibly flustered. Her earlier questions about what had just happened gave way to embarrassment.

In that moment, she felt less like a seasoned demon hunter and more like a little sister being doted on by her overprotective older brother.

"W-wait! I can walk! I can walk just fine!"

"This is your punishment. Feel as embarrassed as you can," Ciel replied nonchalantly.

"Gah… this is so embarrassing…!"

But what neither of them knew at that time was that this incident marked the end of their peaceful days and the beginning of a new chapter.

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