I don't own Black Butler. The only person in this story is Marianne and all those related to her.

This type of text is normal.

This is thoughts and cinematic records.

This is demonic speech.

This is thoughts and demonic speech.

[This is functions for the start and end of cinematic records.]

I apologise for this, but I felt it necessary to explain changes in text style.

Introduction

Undertaker stood in his funeral parlour, surrounded by many faces, both living and dead, as the breathing members of the small congregation that had entered his shop that day were mixed with the many lost souls he was tending to before they made their final journey into the ground. In his hands were three books, gifted to him by an old friend so that they may be shown that day. Each had a name on the cover, in swirling gold calligraphy. He set them aside for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a single page. Reaching for his Death Scythe, he struck the point down onto the page, bringing it to life and unleashing the record it held.

Before the patrons' eyes, they found themselves in awe at the recording before them.

A young woman, with pale skin and long, brown hair, sat in a chair set up in the funeral parlour. She was dressed in a fine dress, black with silver embroidery and trimmed with white lace, and on her feet were a pair of black buttoned boots. Her hair was pinned back slightly, half loose around her shoulders, and half held back with a black rose that looked almost dark blue. A ruby brooch was set at her throat, paired with matching earrings dangling from her lobes like shooting stars. Slender white fingers, tipped with long black nails too matte to be natural, brushed away a loose curl that had slipped out from behind her ear. On her finger glittered a ring that's stone glowed blood red, and entrapped in a nest of black metal. With a small smile painted on cherry red lips, her dark blue eyes sparkled as she spoke in a soft, melodious voice.

"I know many of you will be wondering why I've decided to start this tale with what seems to be a passage written from a journal. And in a sense, it is, because I spoke with an old friend and allowed him to put this as part of what you will be seeing today. I just thought it right to inform you of what you are letting yourself in for, because once you start reading of the events that occur, you will find there were many things hidden in these lives in which you will bear witness."

Her eyes drooped and a sad smile spread across her lips.

"I'm sure you all will have questions about what happened in that time, some of you may even be heartbroken by the choices made here, but please save your questions and tears until you have seen everything. And I mean everything."

"Now, what you are about to see can be a story, because a life is a story, and the choices we make create the plot that drives it forward, and the characters we meet make up ourselves with the traits that we find admirable, or distasteful."

"This is the story of the supernatural. Angels and Demons exist walk in the human world, along with Reapers who collect the souls of those who have died, so their records are untouched by those who mean to harm them. I will admit that demons are amongst them when they eat human souls."

"But you will learn here that not everything is as it seems… At least not from my eyes, because I have seen that angels can be cruel, and demons can love…"

"This is a story of the strange, the dark and the dangerous. A struggle between blinding faith to a faceless god, and the black temptation of a demon's caress…"

The expression on her face showed that her mind had drifted to more pleasant things, her lips curled as though she was supressing a lustful moan. She shook her head, focused once more, and continued.

"This is the story of determines three things."

"Fate, what a human must accept."

"Chance, what cannot be predicted."

"And Love, what cannot be chosen, cannot be defined, and cannot be destroyed."

"In some cases, love is fated, the idea of soulmates has been a concept for hundreds of years. Demons take this into account very seriously. Satan, or Lucifer, had found himself blessed when he took Lilith as his wife and mate; so he permitted that all demons should be allowed to have one of their own, a mate they could surrender themselves to, damned soul and all. Although it is unheard of when a demon chooses to fall in love with a human, that a human is their destined mate, like Satan did his beloved Lilith, and even rarer when the human is willing to give up their humanity to be the mate of a demon. Humans are taught to fear Hell after all…"

The woman shook her head, realising she was going off topic.

"But we seem to be getting ahead of ourselves. We should be focusing on the true stars of this story."

"Fate. Chance. Love."

"This is how Fate has determined it fit for the submission of will, how the powers that be deem it fair that innocents must die for their Grand Design, their Greater Good for the betterment of the world."

"This is how Chance can lead to another path, another Fate that rivals its power, and offers more opportunities and choices that change the people around them, and themselves."

"This is how Love will open up the chance of freedom and retribution in the face of Fate and its manipulative hands, how it can create a family from the ashes, and be reborn from the shadows of death."

"This is the story of a human, and how she fell in love and became the bride of a demon."

[End of inserted record. Received from Marianne Blackmore.]

Undertaker smirked. Stroked a hand down the length of his scythe's handle. He moved his black nailed finger in a 'tut-tut' gesture.

"Naughty, naughty, Little Lady. Shouldn't say that, or I'll expose you more than you want!" he laughed. "These are definitely some of the more interesting records, and very few ever get to see these when you're not dying. Anyway, on with the show!"

He swung his scythe, causing three books to rise into the air and flip open. The records spilled out in three flowing streams and converged together.

[Joining of Cinematic Records.]

Undertaker's smile was surrounded by the shadow of his silver hair.

"Easier to focus on one thing, don't you find?"

[Start of Cinematic Records of Ciel Phantomhive, Sebastian Michaelis, and Marianne Blackmore.]

"Now, let's get to where this all began."

The Lady had left very specific instructions after all in her letter. He did wonder how she managed to get the Earl and the Butler to agree to this. Undertaker fast-forwarded the record to the right point before setting it to play.

[Start. January 1887.]

When the prologue is posted next week, I will have Marianne's character details posted up on my profile. I hope this intro has intrigued you to read more.

Please read and review!