When Liath said that, Ciel tried to keep his expression as serious as before but underneath the table, his unseen hand had twitched before he grasped it close. He looked intently at Liath, who did not say anything more. The quiet in the room made it very overwhelming and the clenched hand was starting to tremble. Ciel had no choice but to place his other hand on it, hoping to still it unseen.

“Are you sure?” He finally broke the silence.

“The world that he was sent to is a little special so I’ve been keeping an eye on it for a very long time.”

Hearing the man’s words, the taut shoulders, the straight back, all loosened and Ciel bent over, his forehead stopping just shy of touching the table as he exhaled audibly. He was alive… no, there was no doubt that you couldn’t kill that man. He was all right… no, there was no way of telling if he had not been injured. He had been found… no, they knew where he was but they hadn’t actually found him yet. As Ciel’s mind ran in ridiculous circles, one more important thing came to his mind.

“How did he end up there?” he looked up and asked, his already messy hair covering half his face.

“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Liath frowned when he looked at Ciel. “Sit up straight and fix your hair. Is this how you behave at the club?”

Reprimanded, Ciel hurriedly sat back up properly and redid his hair. It wasn’t as if he wanted to let his hair get this messy, but he did just chase someone down a twisting labyrinth before he had been knocked out and spent some time on the cold ground. To his knowledge, only his father could act as if he had been on a garden stroll after an adventure like his. He sighed but did not say anything. After tidying himself up, he looked at Liath again, who seemed satisfied.

“Right, there seems to be some sort of space that’s acting as a portal in your father’s side of the club. I think that’s how your man got into the world I’m talking about.”

“He’s not my man…” Ciel muttered pink faced. Liath stared at him, eyes narrowed but head tilted in confusion.

“Doesn’t he work for Sanctuary?”

So that’s what he meant… Ciel started to massage his forehead, hoping to hide his now red face. “Sorry, it’s been a long day. I must have misunderstood you…”

“If you say so…”

Ciel couldn’t be sure because of the beard. Please don’t let that twitch of the mouth be because of a smirk… putting that aside though, Ciel was concerned about the space that the old man was talking about. A space that was undetected but had the ability to act as a portal to other places… this was serious.

“I need to inform my father about this. Others might accidentally step into that space as well and who knows if they’ll be sent to the same place as George.”

“Then go see your father first. I’ll think of a way to get that man of yours from that world.”

“Does it have a name? You keep calling it that world only…”

“Sadly, abandoned worlds don’t have the right to keep their names…”

It seemed like it was true. Looking at all the books strewn about him, Ciel could not see any titles on them. With the sheer number of books, how did Liath differentiate them? But then again, how could he remember each and every one of them?

“No, it’s not that hard.” Ciel looked up to see Liath’s smile as he looked at him. Had he said his thoughts out loud?

“It’s not hard at all to remember these worlds. I was made for that purpose. And the books are here to help me remember. Just like those people outside. They come and help me remember their worlds, their homes. That’s why I’m here.”

Ciel couldn’t tell if that was a happy or sad reason to be. To spend all your time watching over dead worlds… it was not his place to say so he only nodded and stood up.

“Then I’ll go see father now. After that, we’ll find a way to go and get George back.”

“All right. I’ll send someone to guide you.”

“Thank you.”

He exited the room and found himself being stared at by a group of children who were loitering outside the door. He blinked, a little nonplussed but smiled at the children in the end. Embarrassed at being caught, the children ran for it, splitting up very efficiently. Ciel could still see one or two hiding around a corner though and couldn’t help laughing.

“What’s the matter?” Liath had followed Ciel out but had missed the group of curious kids. But he had an idea when he saw a peeping face in the direction Ciel had pointed in.

“They see strangers now and then but children will be children. Your parents were caught off guard the first time too. Now your mother brings cookies when she comes. I think they were waiting to see if there were any treats for them.”

Ciel quirked up the side of his lips. Now he knew. Scarlet would bake huge batches of cookies every now and then but Ciel never did see where they went, save the small plate she saved for the family. Well, she always had fun feeding people and had been disappointed that her children and husband were not big eaters, save Blanc. Even Ciel couldn’t compete.

“Tór, come here.” Liath called a teenage boy around sixteen or seventeen over. The thin boy with a curling mess of brown black hair approached when he was called. He looked at Ciel, unabashed curiosity in his gold-brown eyes.

­“Take this man to the edge of the barrier and then come back, do you understand?”

The boy nodded, not saying a word.

“I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for informing us about this, although I wish you didn’t have to knock me out.”

“I was unable to reach your father. It was a desperate move.”

“Goodbye Elder Liath. May we meet under better circumstances in the future.”

“I will see you next time, son of the Silver Lord. And bring your young man with you next time.”

“Why?” his ears were starting to go pink.

“I want to see the man who managed to survive in that space for so long before entering a world that has lost its key. He must be a very unique man.”

So he wasn’t implying that George was his… thankfully Ciel had not denied anything or it would have made him look more suspicious. He silently breathed a sigh of relief and willed his heart to stop beating so erratically.

“I will do so when we rescue him, elder. Until next time.” He followed the waiting boy and disappeared from sight.

“I also want to see the man your father is complaining will take you away one day…” Liath gave a small smile at nothing. After all these years, he was still a sucker for a good romance story. His shoulders drooped a little as he slowly turned back and entered his room. The door shut with a click and Liath went back to his long, undying task of watching abandoned, dying worlds.

*           *           *

Ciel was lost in thought as he followed the young boy back to the edge of Liath’s domain. At the very least they knew where George was. All they had to do was find that independent space that the watching Liath mentioned. This could have been how Iktomi had managed to stay in the club for so long without being detected. If they found the space, then perhaps his father could trace it back to who had made the space, and how. Every clue would lead them closer to George and how to get him back. He missed that man, with his helpless smile when the twins were being over the top. Or when he looked at him so intently that he felt like he was burning up… Ciel stopped and suddenly slapped the both sides of his cheeks, snapping himself out of his daze and shocking the guiding Tór. The man-child looked at him with a mixture of shock, fear and worry.

“I’m fine. Just daydreaming. So I had to wake myself up.” he gave the boy a slight smile. He finally looked up and noticed his surroundings. All passageways looked alike but the chambers where the passageways branched out were all a little different and Ciel was wondering if he had been in this one. The ceiling was arched but the ribs of this ceiling had been divided into five, making it look like a star when seen from below. He wasn’t paying attention earlier, doing his best not to lose sight of Liath, who had been like a silent silver grey ghost. Maybe he did. He hoped to get back to the top as soon as possible. Besides the news he had, he must have worried everyone, disappearing like that. And he wasn’t sure how long he had been gone either. He looked back at the wary teenager.

“Lead the way, then.”

The boy gave a slow nod and resumed walking, Ciel following behind. They went down a passageway and Ciel continued to try not to think about George, his footsteps keeping time with the one in front. They went in and out of corridors, turning and entering several chambers as well. Ciel was getting a little dizzy keeping up with the youth in front. He was definitely going to get lost if he attempted to return to Undertown alone. But… had his first time following Liath been this complicated?

They exited into another chamber and Ciel breathed a sigh of relief. On the wall were the frescoes he had seen earlier. They were close to where he had lost consciousness earlier. He chided himself for being suspicious of a person the watcher had chosen to be his guide. Although the Tór was silent, he was relatively weak and harmless. Even if he was armed, Ciel would be more of a match against him. They entered a passageway and Ciel’s movements were much faster than before, in anticipation of getting back to everyone. There was light up ahead and Ciel rushed ahead, eager to get home. He was greeted with the open expanse he had been expecting but he halted his footsteps, his eyes widening as he reached out his hands to hold the edges of the passageway and steady himself. There was no floor! All he could see below him was an endless, dark abyss. He turned to look at the boy, wondering if he had perhaps picked the wrong corridor by mistake. Before he could say anything, he felt two hands on his back and Ciel was pushed into the inky blackness below.