After the strange encounter involving a truly insidious corruption, Ciel made certain to not allow his curiosity to spark such recklessness again. Before being discovered, each aberration would undoubtedly develop a victim count. One made up of fools who were simply unable to resist its influence or those unfortunate enough to cross its path. 

Without fault of their own, they would become its prey. He could not let himself turn into such a case, and as such he made it a point to ignore whatever he found strange. 

Following such a principle, he continued to wander, only reaching his destination after three more hours of further searching.  

He knew he was approaching the end when more and more embers of light began piercing through the chaotic maze which he traversed. 

The structures themselves had gradually become less tangled and the pathways ahead grew not just longer but far more focused than before, no longer possessing as many dead ends or sudden twists. That pattern continued until finally he reached it. 

The end of the slums. 

Situated on a path which was dimly illuminated by a pantheon of neon lights, each merging and twisting with one another in their contest to consume the pathway with their glow, Ciel at last caught a glimpse of the greater world beyond.   

Walking to its edge, or rather its beginning, the dirt path slowly gave way to asphalt until finally the wider outskirts modeled itself in its full glory. 

In front of Ciel now was a long horizontal street. He was situated on its western side while across stood what appeared like the rest of society. If not, then most certainly its borders. 

Proper buildings stood tall and firm, each diverse in height, ranging between two to ten stories tall. They were structures of steel and stone, ones with more integrity than anything the slums could ever hope to match. 

The buildings were hosts which were adorned by countless colorful neons. All sourced from signs which declared proudly their occupation. 

‘Bar time! Anytime!’ 

‘Chunky’s’

‘Rider Central!’

‘Hazard Hotel’ 

Just upon that single block, three clubs stood, light music escaping with every opening of their iron doors and holographic videos of half naked women hovered just above their roofs, serving as bait for the many intoxicated men which littered the road. 

Some others were simple bars, honing in on a more serene environment. Others were run down artificial food restaurants, and occasionally a small hotel dared to carve a place for itself upon the colorful street. 

Challenging the disorderly arrangement of colors were the tall light poles which emitted a soft yellow glow upon the street. That calm light fell upon the many crowds which made their way past. 

Men and women were in no shortage either. Some walked around dressed exotically and flashy, standing out like a flare. Most however merely wore worn down suits, seemingly just escaping the powerful clutches of their work.  

Regardless of what state they were in, less than a handful did not possess some kind of substance in their hands. Beers, energy boosters, and high inducing whites, were consumed and discarded at terrible speeds.

Many lingered around for that reason whilst only a few escaped the street’s many pulls and successfully arrived at the following road, surely more traps awaited them there as well… 

For a long, long time, Ciel just stood there. Unwilling to move, unwilling to stare away either. Blurry lights of civilian vehicles flashed into view as they raced past, driving away, or taking a sudden turn to a diverging road. 

Then when he had finally had enough, he sighed. 

It really did work huh…

He knew that already of course, however seeing the edges of society, churning like it always had, made him truly understand the incredible feat which he had accomplished. 

Sure, the outskirts were still far from the most ideal side of society, yet it was undeniable that it stood before him now. It stood in valiant resistance to the forces which wished for its destruction, along with the rest of humanity.

It was an ugly sight to be sure, however after two years of its absence, for a moment longer Ciel remained motionless. 

Soon, that moment passed. 

I can not fail… 

Thinking such, Ciel spared the distant skyscrapers, along with the Central Elevator which shone with white brilliance, a glance. He then turned, making his way back into the slum’s embrace.

Before I can proceed further, I need sleep. 

Now at its edge, leaving the slums was a simple matter. For that reason he could shift towards obtaining needed rest. It would do him no good to leave with a body so fatigued. 

Luckily, Ciel was far from picky. So long as it was wide enough for his lean body to enter, then even a hole on the ground would be acceptable. After all, the goal was rest not comfort. 

Retreating from the path he took, Ciel calmly inspected each diverging pathway in search for a suitable dead end. This crusade lasted only ninety seconds before he found a narrow path which met his low criteria. 

Unlike many of what could be considered ‘proper’ paths, the one he settled upon resembled a tall squared tunnel which was situated between two merging buildings. The structures were both two stories tall and made of blended materials. 

One of the buildings had connected with its neighbor, however it did so only halfway through its first level, leaving behind a narrow tunnel which was barely a few centimeters taller than Ciel himself.  

This will do just fine.

Taking a step inside, the withered walls of the buildings immediately suffered the shame of exposure from the orange glow emitted by his lamp. 

With a few unhurried steps, he entered deeper and soon reached its end. Once there however, he made an unexpected discovery. It appeared that Ciel had not been the only one to consider such a tunnel a suitable stable.   

Nestled deep inside, with their right shoulder leaning upon the wall, and their legs wrapped firmly by their arms, a figure laid. 

Ciel froze. 

The figure was frail, but not sickly, their delicate stature stemming from the natural physique of a woman’s body. 

Furthermore, that body was as black as the shadows around them, however it was not so as a result of it being her natural state. It simply couldn’t be. That certainty came from the simple fact that her skin resembled ash more than it did flesh. 

Before him was a woman of ash. 

She wore no cover, leaving her hideous skin free for the world to witness in its entirety. Furthermore, her curled state made her appear like a doll which had failed to be set ablaze. It was a truly grotesque scene, and yet simultaneously incomprehensibly alluring.   

Ciel’s eyes examined the ashen woman, their green glimmer devoid of interest. Still, while he felt no lust, he could not pull his sight away, falling prey to the strange allure which she wielded. 

Then, as if sensing his heavy gaze, her charred eyelids twitched. Slowly, one opened, revealing a breathtaking red iris stranded in the white sea of her sclera. For a second it remained unfocused until suddenly shifting to meet Ciel’s stare head on. 

Then, like a dazzling scarlet gem, her eye began to shine, somehow growing many times more profound and carrying with it a dreadful authority.

In the next second her scorched lips parted and a weak, yet simultaneously domineering, voice echoed. 

“Leave.” 

Just like that, with a single word, Ciel felt his mind become assaulted by a foreign force once again. This one perhaps, far more insidious than the last.