You Can't Hide Forever

His Butler, Offering (part 2)

~~Claire's POV~~

I followed Ciel, Sebastian, and Grell to the abbey, where it sounded like the singing was coming from. The rows of pews were filled with people. As the worshipers had their heads bowed and their hands folded, the four of us sat in a back pew. Grell was cuddled to Sebastian while he had no reaction and Ciel held my hand in comfort as two candles flickered on the altar at the front.

A man in a white robe instead of a dark one approached the altar as the singing continued.

"Here, tonight, the sinful unclean shall be made pure", he announced as his voice bounced off the walls. A girl and a boy, late teens to early twenties I guessed, were disrobed in front of everyone. The boy had the symbol of the cult Ciel had been taken by on his back while the girl had the symbol of the cult I had been held by on her back, the girl's hair moved out of the way to display it. Both of them kept their heads low. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ciel glare.

The two sat on their knees without a scrap of clothing on their skin while a robed person handed the man in white, most likely the leader, two books.

"Are those Cinematic Records?", Sebastian asked. Grell gripped his arm tighter and placed his head on Sebastian's shoulder.

"Too far away to tell", he replied. The leader opened one book while holding the other.

"I shall read the Doomsday Books of these impure, lost children", he declared. "Jill Peasant. The second daughter of a farmer, she conceived a child at fifteen." Jill trembled while she wept as the leader opened the second book. "Thomas Atkins. No especially evil deeds, but he has spent his life meaninglessly." Thomas also began to tremble and cry as Jill was. "That is a grave sin."

Suddenly, the two had a black fog like aura about them as they sat straight and let out a small cry or two of pain.

"I say!", Ciel exclaimed as the window above the altar began to shine brightly. The window was stain glass and had a picture of an angel on it. Sebastian was unfazed as the light grew brighter, but he did not look happy. The window then revealed the image of Jill as she was pregnant, smiling happily as she poured water into a cup. The image then changed to display Thomas as he also smiled happily while sitting in the grass. Ciel's eyes widened, as did mine.

"This is...", he began.

"Snuff out the unworthy. Snuff out the unnecessary", the leader said. The phrases sent shivers down my spine at having heard them so many times in unpleasant situations. "Snuff out the unfruitful. Snuff out the unclean!" Ciel seemed to realize this as well, since he stiffened and gasped a little.

The image then showed Jill smiling down at her baby as she held him or her. Then, the window's image shattered. The two collapsed to the ground and screamed out in pain. Then, the light faded.

"Now nothing unclean exists on this dais", the leader said. "They are our brother and sister, made pure as snow!" He gestured to the two as the crowd began to cheer.

"Leader! Leader!"

"What a blessing!"

Jill and Thomas were sitting up again and were having robed put on them. As one of the two robing them looked back, I saw a glint in their eye. Sebastian seemed to notice as well before looking down at Ciel and I. Jill and Thomas then walked away with the two.

<Time Skip>

"Something's off", Grell said after all the worshipers had left. "Those books weren't Cinematic Records."

"Then he doesn't have the power to see the past?", Ciel asked. Sebastian had a hand on his chin in thought when we heard another voice.

"Ah, you're still here!", it said. We all turned around and saw three women. "The heavens have smiled upon you!"