He is flammable

Ted laid his foot on Ciel’s chest, ready to push him off the roof.

“Honestly, I thought you could finally end me.” As Ted raised his foot, he tried to act, but his leg didn’t listen. It was suspended.

“Magic?” Ted said, realizing he was under a spell. He turned his back to see the two new characters.

“Check on Ciel; I will keep him busy,” the white-haired boy said. He had silver eyes which were silently glowing.

“Sure.”

The girl moved towards Ciel even with Ted still standing close to him.

“Ignoring me?” Ted said, turning to Trixie who walked right past him; he was clearly furious. “Big mistake”

He rolled a fist ready for a punch, but the pain came first. Hubris had kicked his side, stopping his punch and making him bend down as he coughed in pain.

Hubris bent down to his level. “Looks like Ciel managed to do a number on you,” he said as he poked the area he had just kicked.

“Gah!!!” Ted shouted in pain before swinging his hand in a wide arc to ward off Hubris, who leaped back.

“Won’t you just let me kill your friend first? I promise I’ll be quick about it.” Ted asked, “I deserve that much at least.”

“Nope.” Hubris’s answer was quick.

Ted knew he had no chance of winning in a fight against the guy in front of him. He was badly injured, and he wasn’t sure he could even take him at full strength. No choice, I got to—

“Run away? You want to run, don’t you? It's all over your face.” Hubris cut into Ted’s thoughts. “Too bad though, I won’t let you.”

D-did he read my mind? Ted silently smiled.

He laboriously got up before saying, “You have no idea how many times I had to run away.” He raised his hand. “And this time’s no different.”

“That’s a bad idea,” Hubris said just before Ted used an explosion to create a smokescreen for his escape.

Trixie, with her spellbook open, launched an attack spell straight into the smoke, which cleared, showing Ted, who barely managed to stop Trixie’s attack from hitting his vitals as it eviscerated his arm.

Ted knelt down, gripping his shoulder from the pain.

“You're still conscious after that,” Hubris said, impressed by his persistence.

“Leave him for now; let Ciel decide what to do with him when he wakes up.” Trixie said, “I’m not skilled in healing magic, but I did what I could for Ciel.”

***

Ciel regained consciousness half an hour later to see both Hubris and Trixie standing over him. He was dazed, but he managed to get up.

"You are finally awake." Hubris said, "Maybe you should fight with a bit more caution next time. We had to do the dirty work for you. You are welcome, by the way."

My head hurts. "Don’t talk so loud," Ciel said, before remembering what's going on. "Where is the Nisekami?"

"He's over there," Trixie said.

Ted was slumped across a pillar; his body looked lifeless, and he was in the worst shape.

"We might have overdone it," Hubris said.

"No, it's fine, thanks. I’m sorry for going off on my own," Ciel said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hubris said. “So what should we do about him?”

Ciel walked up to the Nisekami and then squatted right in front of him with his hands on his knee, and the Nisekami looked up at him and smiled.

"This is perfect; you know I never did believe in faith until that day," he said, coughing up blood. "From the moment I first felt your bloodlust, I always knew my life would end by your hands."

“So you remember me.”

“I can never forget. I have never met a woman who didn’t scream and a child overflowing with bloodlust.”

"Why did you want my life?"

"I'm just your average everyday contractor, and you were on the wrong list," he said, coughing up even more blood.

Right now, I just want to kill him. Ciel thought to himself.

"Hope you burn in hell," Ciel said as he placed his palm on Ted's chest.

“There is no other place fitting for someone like me.”

From Ciel’s hand, Nisekami’s body caught flames, and as he burned

***

I always thought I was the strongest. I fought countless Nisekami and defeated them, which further made me believe what I now know to be a lie.

I met him. I was the type to charge headfirst into the fight, not even asking the opinion of my opponent, but this time was different. This man, clad head to toe in darkness, made me reject my very existence; when he turned to me, I knew by pure instinct that I had to either submit my very being or my life. I chose my being.

I killed many for him. I did many things that I didn’t want to. My last job was to burn down a home and a little boy who lived there.

The thought that I would meet my end by the boy’s hands enticed me. My mindset that day was that I would be forgiven by the world if I got killed by someone whose rage had the potential to make even someone like him shiver.

Yet another lie.

***

"In this godforsaken world you will find that people like you survive the longest," were Nisekami's last words before he died.

"Rest in peace, shithead," Ciel said, before standing up and turning his back to him. He walked towards Hubris and Trixie.

"Well now that that's done we should—" Ciel fell to the ground.

"Be careful; you are still recovering," Trixie said, kneeling down and casting a spell that made him glow green.

Hubris sat on the floor beside them. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

"From what he said, he isn't the only person involved in my mom's death. I want to find the others," Ciel said, still on the floor. "Besides, thanks to you guys, I should be able to make enemies now," right, Mom?. Ciel looked towards the sunset. Now that's beautiful.

Natoru watched the scene play out from above; he remembered Cecelia's words.

***

"Cecelia, what do you want to do when you grow up?" Natoru said to the nine-year-old Cecelia. Natoru looked the same as he does in the present and was wearing a different pair of headphones, but headphones nonetheless.

"I want to have a family and raise a child that I can be proud of." Cecelia replied.

“A family?” Natoru asked, clearly shocked, “But you got me, don’t you?”

“You are far too old.”

Natoru felt a stab in his heart.

***

"Sorry I didn't get there in time, but—" Natoru smiled. "I guess you are plenty proud right now, Cecelia."