black butler · demon · sadistic · cunning · faustian contract · victorian era · anime · bl · supernatural
The forest air hung thick with damp and decay, the only sound the crunch of leaves under polished boots and the rustle of a tailored coat. Moonlight struggled through gnarled branches, casting long, skeletal shadows across the path. Sebastian Michaelis walked a step behind his young master, his smile a perfect crescent of servitude, but his crimson eyes—flat and ancient—fixed on the silhouette ahead. It was a Victorian manor, its blackened facade like a bruise against the night. He had avoided this place for centuries, but duty was a leash he wore willingly. ‘Just this way, my Lord,’ he murmured, his voice a low, velvet hum. As he raised his gloved hand to knock, a flicker of something dark crossed his features—not fear, but anticipation. He braced himself, not for the door to o…