The sickly green light, tinged with black, struck the figure behind him with unerring precision.
The body collapsed soundlessly.
Kai Adler, still shaking with fury, suddenly froze.
What had he done?
He slowly turned back toward the man who had abducted Hermione, still convulsing on the ground under the weight of the Cruciatus Curse. There was no trace of pity in Kai's gaze.
That man deserved worse. He'd dared touch Hermione.
But…
He had just cast the Killing Curse on someone who might have been innocent.
The Avada Kedavra—instant, irreversible. A curse that no true wizard ever used lightly. His fingers tightened around the wand, and a surge of nausea twisted in his gut. Bile rose in his throat, and he doubled over, trembling as dry heaves wracked his small frame.
"Your first time killing someone?"
The voice was young, masculine, and coolly observant.
Kai wiped his mouth and turned to look. A boy about his age stood not far behind—elegant and composed, with pale blue hair and a neatly tailored Prussian-blue formal coat. A black eyepatch covered his right eye, but his visible eye held a keen, calculating gleam.
At the boy's feet lay a still figure.
Kai didn't respond. He doubled over again, gagging.
The blue-haired boy tilted his head. "Guilt? From thinking you killed an innocent?"
Kai stiffened.
The boy seemed to enjoy the effect. "Oh, Sebastian, you can stop playing dead now. I think your morbid sense of humor has done enough."
"Understood, my lord."
The voice from the ground was calm, melodic—even amused.
Kai jerked upright in shock as the man who had been struck by Avada Kedavra stood up with impeccable posture. He wore a black butler's coat with tails, his long black hair framing an aristocratic face. But what caught Kai's attention were his glowing red eyes, gleaming like blood beneath the moonlight.
The butler bowed with unsettling grace.
"I apologize for the fright, young master. I assure you, no harm was done."
Kai noticed the faintly glowing hexagram on the butler's gloved left hand. It pulsed with demonic energy.
"…You're not human."
Even with the Elder Wand and a spell charged by sheer rage, Kai had expected that curse to kill.
The young master leaned on his silver-handled cane, the head shaped like a skull. "A pleasure. I am Ciel Phantomhive. This is my butler, Sebastian Michaelis."
Sebastian gave a genteel smile and a theatrical bow.
Kai glanced at Sebastian again, now deeply wary. "That man's not an ordinary butler."
A wave of nausea returned as he spoke.
Ciel smirked. "Still nauseated by your first murder?"
Kai spat into a handkerchief. "Not exactly. When I killed those bastards, something… tasted wrong. Like… skin tissue got stuck in my mouth. It was disgusting."
Ciel blinked. Then frowned. Then pressed a hand to his temple.
"I assumed you were suffering guilt. But clearly, I overestimated your emotional depth."
"Guilt?" Kai scoffed, straightening. "Maybe a little. But your butler appeared behind me without warning. If he'd actually died, it'd be his own fault."
He spun his wand once, then aimed it squarely at Ciel.
"So. Let's drop the pleasantries. What do you two want? Him?" He gestured with his chin to the still-twitching kidnapper.
Ciel stepped forward, unperturbed. "Indeed. I came for him. I represent the Crown in a discreet investigation into child trafficking."
"Trafficking?" Kai's voice dropped an octave.
"We believe this man is a low-ranking operative. Girls between the ages of ten and fourteen have gone missing all over London. We suspect a larger network—though, sadly, your enthusiastic intervention has likely rendered this one… useless."
Kai glanced at the broken corpses nearby, then at the dazed survivor still moaning in the dirt.
"I could get the same info from his head."
"Perhaps," Ciel admitted. "But this one likely knows little. The organization uses one-way communication methods. Even torture and Legilimency would reveal only fragments."
"And you know more?"
Sebastian moved like a shadow, stepping between Kai and his master, fingers splayed—three polished silver knives gleamed between them. His red eyes burned with primal malice, and the air around him seemed to grow thick and still.
Kai felt the darkness roll off him—wrong and suffocating. His Obscurus, normally calm within him, shuddered in fear. Even it wanted to flee.
Ciel raised a hand, stepping out from behind his butler. "Let's not escalate, wizard. I merely want to talk."
Kai hesitated, then lowered his wand slightly. He turned and carefully lifted Hermione into his arms. Her breathing was even. Her cheeks were flushed. No sign of trauma.
"She's unharmed," Ciel said calmly. "Those traffickers avoid damaging their merchandise. The sedatives are from plant extracts. Temporary and harmless."
Kai frowned. He laid Hermione gently on a conjured cushion, casting layered protections over her sleeping form.
He turned back, voice colder. "You called her merchandise. Care to elaborate?"
"My family," Ciel began, "has served the royal family for generations. This investigation is under royal order. Girls—witch and Muggleborn alike—are being targeted. Disappearances span both magical and non-magical communities."
Kai's eyes narrowed.
"Of course," Ciel continued, "we cannot act within the magical world. Our reach ends where yours begins."
Kai's gaze shifted to Sebastian. "And what about him?"
"I am bound," Sebastian said smoothly, "by an ancient contract with my master. I cannot interfere in wizarding affairs."
Ancient…?
Kai studied Sebastian again. He looked maybe twenty. But that aura—he was old. Older than any vampire or werewolf he'd encountered in books.
"You want me," Kai said slowly, "to investigate the wizarding side."
Ciel gave a small nod. "Can I count on your cooperation?"
Kai shook his head. "Sorry. I've done what I came for. Hermione's safe. I'm not interested in cleaning up your mess."
"But the organization is still active. The mastermind is out there."
"Then let them come," Kai said, lifting Hermione into his arms again. "I'll be waiting."
And with a crack, they vanished from the road.
The moon hung cold and silent over the empty road. Only Ciel and Sebastian remained.
Ciel stared into the night. "Do you think he'll help us in the end?"
Sebastian's smile didn't fade. "Who can say what the future holds, my lord? I, for one, look forward to watching it unfold by your side."
Ciel scoffed. "Hmph. Arrogant brat."
He turned and walked toward the dazed man, still twitching on the grass. "Take him. Let's go."
Sebastian lifted Ciel onto his back. With a gust of wind and a shadowy shimmer, the Phantomhive heir and his demon butler vanished without a trace.