Narrator's POV

Edward Midford gasped as he woke up in a coffin half-submerged in a strange liquid, tubes of what seemed to be blood connected to his forearm while an oxygen mask covered his mouth.

He tried to call for help, but all that came out were grunts and whines.

So, the mute blond resorted to slamming his free hand against the lid and trying to use his legs to lift it up.

Undertaker walked into his lab and heard the noises the teen was making, so he opened the coffin lid.

Edward tried to speak yet again, but all that came out were whines and the occasional consonant.

"Do not tire your throat, Edward, your vocal cords have been cut." Undertaker softly said, "Mouth what you wish to say."

"What happened to me?" The blond mouthed, "I should be dead, but I am not."

"You indeed died," The reaper confirmed, "but it did not take you fully. Since your soul was not reaped I was able to revive you mostly."

"Mostly?" Edward exclaimed, or he would have if he could speak, "What do you mean mostly alive?"

"You are practically alive, you can move and think and speak -well you can mouth what you want to say- just as well as you could when you were living. No one would ever guess that you died unless they saw the stitches on your forehead or throat." Undertaker answered, "The twins have gone through this procedure themselves as well and you had no clue that they were ever deceased thanks to my -if I say so myself- stellar services. And as long as you receive routine blood transfusions you will never feel the grip of death again."

Edward's green eyes widened as he remembered the monsters he fought with his family on the Campania, how they were undead with stitches across their foreheads, "You turned me into a monster!"

"Ah, you recall the failures you saw in April. Every new discovery requires some trial and error and reviving the dead is not exempt from that. The failures were necessary in order to perfect the procedure so I could ensure the twins, you, and the rest of your family will never be taken by death permanently." The silver-haired man shrugged

"What are you going to do to me?" The heir asked

"Nothing but take care of you. I cannot bear to lose any more Phantomhives." Undertaker admitted

"Why?" Edward inquired

"The exact reason is very long and will bring me gloom to recall such memories, but in summary: I am your grandfather through your mother's side." The reaper answered, his long black nails stroking the morning locket around his waist labeled 'Claudia P.'

Undertaker then looked to the blood transfusion machine, "Rest for now, you have a while left to go before you can be active again. I will be around should you need me."

With that, he shut the lid to the coffin and walked away, leaving his eldest grandchild to sleep.

***

Blavat Sky hummed the melody for a song he was writing for the Starlight Four to perform, tapping his fingers against his robe.

Once a month, the lavender-haired man ventured from the music hall to check up on the other Star Lords Vega and Polaris at the sanatorium and Canopus at Heathfield Manor.

He was just about to the former, he would be arriving in the next few minutes.

Upon arriving at Athena Sanatorium for Former Servicemen, the fortune teller was immediately put through the sanitation process and redressed into the provided clothes, immediately going to the 'Miracle Healer's' Office.

Layla Stroker was sitting at her desk while Head Nurse Ada stood before her, giving a report.

"Hello, Blavat." Lady Vega greeted upon noticing the fortune teller

"Greetings Lady Vega, where is Lady Polaris?" The man asked

"Doll was in the garden last I saw, why?" The younger woman asked

"I see." Blavat said, turning to the nurse, "You, go get Lady Polaris."

Ada frowned but said nothing, leaving the office to presumably do that.

***

Head Nurse Ada both hated and loved Athena Sanatorium.

She loved it because it was how she could repay her failure during the Sudan Campaign from being the sole survivor, allowing her to save other soldiers where she could not save her battalion.

But, she did not like what was going on behind the scenes with management one bit.

The nurse hated the so called 'Miracle Healer' and her seemingly useless companion of a bodyguard, what could two teenage girls do for all the sick men that a team of nurses and doctors —even though most of them belonged to the wack-job group known as the Aurora Society— could not using actual medical practice?

But she could live with the figurehead healers, what she loathed was the Blue Star Institution funding them in exchange for blood from the soldiers in her care.

The Blue Star Institution was what she hated most of all, the entire group was a massive parasite on the sanatorium, stealing the blood of her healthy patients for whatever reason —especially those of Sirius and Canopus blood.

But there was nothing she could do to free the sanatorium of them, without their funding they would be forced to rely on the pitiful donations received —like other sanatoriums— and be forced to lessen their ability to care for their patients and that would result in a higher morality rate.

If this was to be her Hell, she would continue to make this her patient's Heaven...