With a body engulfed by a strange illusory aura, a ghastly aura which spiked in intensity only to dwindle again, Ciel retreated. Of course this was a result of the talisman placed upon his body, the power which it wielded was potent enough to single handedly dispel over 100 simmering phantoms.
Even now Ciel was entering and exiting stages in which unfamiliar memories rushed forth, like raging tides. It was hindering his movements so he made the choice to find a dark alley and collapse upon it. His body twitched, and another phantom shrieked before dissipating into gas.
This process continued for almost an hour before Ciel felt the last foreign presence exit his body. He took in a horse breath, finally able to command his senses properly once more. That did not prove itself such a great blessing because his entire mind was suddenly spiked by the intense pain of his jaw and many parts of his body.
The decay…
He assessed. That 'lord' is a god of death more than likely, born from the stench of death which the outskirts and slums possessed. In his previous life, he had encountered creatures of that nature before, but this one was far more vast.
Its bloody glare across from who knows what distance was enough to affirm that within his mind. Along with the potency of its rotting touch. He almost died if not for the sudden arrival of the NSRA inspectors. Their entry was unexpected to be sure, but welcomed.
By now they will have dealt with that monster, bringing its existence to the attention of the NSRA.
He thought simply, examining his jaw as he did. It was strange, he could touch his bones, yet no blood poured out, only pain accompanied the grievous wound. It was as though the rotten parts had forgotten that he was not dead, but alive and kicking.
That is good at least.
Regardless of the lack of blood, the agony was not miniscule. He was certain Rin would be able to solve this issue for him though, so he did not waste any more time. Not only was his body in dire need of healing but he could not be certain that the NSRA inspectors were not about to sweep through this entire area.
Given the oddly high amount of personnel they had placed upon the outskirts, he was certain they could mobilize a large enough force within an hour or two. Back then, Ciel had escaped through the usage of his 'Fool' card ability, its reversal application.
This ability made one's clear mind become compromised, allowing for reckless action and poor judgment upon critical junctures. It always shone brightly when in situations where Ciel desired a reckless attack be sent his way or when he needed someone's decision to be flawed.
By attacking the female inspector, not only did he buy himself a moment to make distance but when her partner turned to them he used the reversal application upon him to make it so that the esper would not take the most optimal course of action.
That being the dismissal of his partner's well being on account of the fact that espers have incredible healing abilities, and quickly immobilizing Ciel with his superior speed before returning their united focus on the eerie, however slow and sluggish, monster.
Instead what occurred was a reckless course of action taken by the tall inspector.
Had Ciel not been in a shattered state, he would have taken a moment to chuckle at the sheer amount of mind attacks going around within the last two days. Even he was entering the fray now. Of course, the current him had the ability to pinpoint this detail but found no amusement from it.
Having stood up once more, he was currently staring upon the severed arm which he snatched during his escape. Perhaps no one would notice it if he ran all the way back, but considering the fact that he would have to hide away his face with his shirt, it would without a doubt call forth the attention of any police or inspectors nearby.
He had just begun pondering this issue when he felt the pain on his mutilated jaw suddenly spike. He reached out instinctively with his hand, only for it to be drenched in crimson. It appeared that his flesh remembered that he was not a corpse…
*****
Within The Hazard Hotel's room twelve, Rin watched motionlessly upon the holographic monitor. Suddenly though, she heard the unlocking of the door before it was flung open. Rin could not help but turn her neck to inspect the need for such urgency only for her dazzling scarlet eyes to widen.
"W-What…"
She tried to inquire, but Ciel was already on the verge of collapsing, blood pouring out of his skinless jaw like a waterfall. He took a few steps then fell a meter away from her.
"Do… Something…"
He said, his voice fainter than a whisper.
Rin did not hesitate. She moved forth her left arm and raised it to her mouth. Her body protested with an infernal spike but she ignored the searing agony and bit deep into her charred flesh. Red, lava-like, blood spilled forth and she moved her hand so that the stream of simmering blood poured atop Ciel's head.
For a moment Ciel felt terrible heat assault him, like he was being showered with molten lava, however no matter how hot and painful it may have been, there was also a soothing touch to it, like a hot bath after a long winter's day. Slowly, the pain of his rotting flesh began to subside.
His skin regained its luster, and parts of his black hair which had fallen off also reappeared. Most noticeably, his jaw too had once more obtained flesh to cover itself up.
In just seconds, he was completely healed.
As expected…
He thought, then rose from his sprawled state. His gaze turned to the charred figure, a clear question written in her eyes.
"Turns out the threat is far beyond what I am capable of handling in my current state."
He said matter-of-factly.
"I-I see. P-Perhaps that is to be expected…"
Rin answered, clear disappointment within her weak voice. Ciel removed his shirt which he had covered his face with the entire sprint here. He then loosened his pants and revealed a slender, rotten, severed hand.
In the end, that was how he had decided to transport the appendage within the urgent moment.
"I failed to retrieve the main source of the corruption for you, however I did manage to grab this. It might be mild but it should still help in improving your state, yes?"
Rin was very interested in the encounter with the creature bearing such heavy corruption, yet she placed her curiosity to the side and seriously examined the severed corpse appendage before her.
"M-Mild indeed… I-It shall make due for now."
She said simply. Ciel nodded then threw the appendage to her feet.
"One more thing…"
Ciel made his way to the kitchen, picked out a clean white cloth, then walked back to Rin's side. He handed her the cloth.
"Poor your blood on this and do so with explicit consent."
Rin raised a brow, but did as he asked. She once again bit into her charred flesh and molten blood poured on top of the white cloth. The cloth soon turned a deep crimson color before being ignited by the intense heat of Rin's blood.
"I-I hereby give you my blood."
After a few seconds, only ash remained on the floor. Ciel lowered himself, carefully moved the ash to his palm, then made his way to the room's door. He proceeded to carefully mark a line of ash a meter before the door while chanting.
"I, the blessed, hereby claim this territory for the being of ash and flesh, for a king of aberrations, for Rin. May no storm disturb her rest, may no eyes pry into her home. That is her will, and so it shall be."
Ciel repeated that chant seven times, adding some of his own spirituality upon the falling ash as he did. When he was done, he turned to face the somewhat confused Rin.
"I am borrowing the weight of your royal existence to perform some anti-divination."
Rin made a doubtful expression.
"H-Hmm. M-My existence is rather w-weak at the moment, a-are you certain such a thing shall work?"
Ciel shrugged.
"Perhaps not entirely, however, weak or not, an aberration king is still a king. Additionally, I added some of my own spirituality to strengthen the effect. The combined influence of that should be enough so long as no Senior Paladins or Saint Disciples act personally."
While Ciel may currently be within a shattered state, he still had some advantages which remained even now. The major one was his Concept Accommodation. It may have been damaged along with his soul, however just the 'Fool' connection alone would help greatly.
After all, it dealt in the symbols of deceptions.
When added with Rin's blood and the weight of her existence, then he was certain it would make a mighty repellent. From the four primal laws of the supernatural, none were more terrifying than The Law of Connections…
Rin nodded stiffly in understanding. Ciel then turned his focus on examining his body. His body felt tired beyond measure, suffering under lingering pain. Furthermore, Ciel had yet to eat and his body's demand for the quenching of its carnal desire was worsening by the hour.
Rest first, then get food first thing in the morning.
He thought, then began heading towards the bedroom before stopping abruptly. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a black paper.
"I also retrieved this talisman, it has the lingering effects of a divine prayer. Will this work as well?"
He asked. Rin turned to stare at his direction, doing so stiffly. Her scarlet eyes paused the moment they locked upon the black talisman. Suddenly her calm stare turned sharp. Her body began to tremble slightly, causing a thin steam to simmer from the surface of her skin.
"G-Get it away from me! I-I shall not…"
Her voice trembled along with her body, the infernal blood beneath her ashen flesh viciously boiled. So intense was her reaction that her eyes shimmered with scarlet radiance as if she was about to unleash her powers upon him.
"T-T-This instant! R-Remove it!"
She demanded, her weak voice the most intense Ciel had heard. He nodded.
"Very well, but calm yourself."
Before Rin had even realized, she had been clenching her fists tightly. She was also in the midst of terrible agony brought about by her curse, however none of that mattered, only the distancing with that talisman did. She only calmed herself after Ciel had burned it to ashes.
"Satisfied?"
He asked.
Does the blessing of Luminous frighten her so heavily? Does his power dwarf even that of a vampire so drastically?
Ciel pondered as he watched Rin slowly settle down. When she had, she at last reached for the severed arm and bit into it. The arm immediately dissolved, as if it was a jello forged of pure, dark, ugly, and eerie energy. Her two sharp canines then seemed to pull that energy in, like sipping a smoothie.
When the process was done, dark radiance engulfed her for a moment before it subsided.
"Well?"
Ciel asked expectantly.
Rin did not immediately answer, only doing so after a dozen seconds.
"It appears my speech has returned to normal."
She said satisfied, the weakness which lingered in her tone before completely gone. Her voice now sounded pleasant, like the chirping of a sparrow but infinitely sweeter.
That is it huh.
Ciel found that the results were less than optimal, however he had failed in his task so he could not expect more.
"At your estimate, what amount do you need to regain your basic mobility?"
Rin pondered.
"One reasonably powerful aberration should do just fine, two for my combat capability to return to an acceptable level… If not, then five to seven smaller ones, such as fragments or echoes of powerful monsters."
"Understood."
Ciel said simply. He could no longer hold back the protesting of his body. He quickly entered the bedroom, locked the door behind him, and prepared to sleep.
Will my body grow a few more years this time?
He pondered silently, then laid upon the soft embrace of the bed.
Left behind in the adjacent room Rin could no longer remain still. The program she had been watching prior had lost all its allure. Her scarlet eyes instead narrowed towards a small garbage bag, where the ashes of the black talisman laid.
Her body shook once more, its fear beyond what she could control. Her teeth gritted against each other while her expression distorted. Before long, crimson molten blood emerged from her eyes, boiling upon their surface before trickling down as a pair of simmering streams.
Within this night, a vampire cried tears of blood. Ones born of deep fear, and profound sorrow.