The contract between Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis is explained

Key foods

• A Faustian contract binds the main characters of Black Butler in an unbreakable pact with certain conditions.
• Summoning a demon requires despair and disbelief in God, resulting in a painful sealing.
• Ciel and Sebastian's unique contract forces Sebastian to remain loyal to Ciel's revenge, which is linked to the seal on Ciel's eye.

With an urban gothic theme and running evil creatures, Black Butler The narrative is quite compelling and complex. At the core of this complex premise is Faustin Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis' contract, a contract that binds the human-demon duo in an unbreakable pact that can only be undone when the initial conditions are met.

This contract is not as simple as any other agreement, as this binding agreement has several complex rules that dictate its principles. However, Ciel and Sebastian's contract is even more unique, mainly due to the special conditions that Ciel set when the pact was made. This unique profile has led to a complex bond between the two characters, making them almost inseparable.

What is the Faustian contract?

deal with the devil

The Faustian contract is its basis Black Butler story, because this deal with Satan is a binding contract that cannot be broken until the terms of the contract are fulfilled. The first step to form such a contract is summoning a demon, which is arguably the most difficult step in the process. While one might look for a specific demon if one is aware of their existence, this is usually not necessary. Oftentimes, the devil is summoned as a result of one's desperation.

However, this despair must be accompanied by a lack of belief in God, which opens up the opportunity to summon a demon. When the demon is summoned, the human still has time to back out of the contract. However, if a human issues an order to a demon, the two must make a pact. Before making a deal, the man and the devil must work out the details, including how the devil will serve his new master.

The details of the contract must be clear, as vague and subjective terms can be abused by both parties. Once the details are finalized, the final part of the contract involves putting the seal of the contract on the person. The process can be fairly painful for humans, although this depends on where the seal is placed. Ciel's seal was placed over his eye, a rather vulnerable body part that resulted in excruciating pain for the boy.

What makes Seal and Sebastian's deal unique?

This contract binds Sebastian to Ciel

There have been many cases of human-devil contracts within black bartender world, however Ciel and Sebastian's contract stands out for its novelty. Firstly, it is very rare for someone this young to make a pact with a demon. However, the intensity of Ciel's desperation to exact revenge on those who killed his parents led to Sebastian's accidental summoning.

Second, Ciel's condition was designed to force Sebastian to stay with him for a longer period of time. Asking to gain the power of revenge instead of ordering Sebastian to kill his parents' killers meant that Sebastian would have to stay with the flood until he could finally get his revenge. In addition, Ciel set several conditions that bind Sebastian permanently to his side.

• Sebastian must obey Ciel's orders unconditionally, regardless of the severity of his orders.
• Sebastian should never lie to Ciel.
• Sebastian must protect Ciel until he gets his revenge.

These three terms and conditions were set to force Sebastian to be loyal to Ciel. The final clause in the contract ensured that Sebastian would stay with Ciel, as there was no other way to protect him. However, Ciel has forfeited his soul rights by agreeing to these terms. Once Ciel gets his revenge, his soul will be for Sebastian's consumption, making a pact between humans and demons.

I want… the power… the power to take revenge on those who did this to us!!

The importance of placing the Ciel seal

Ciel's seal is placed over his right eye

Sealing the contract may seem like an unimportant aspect, but it determines the strength of the contract. The strength of the bond is determined by how visible the seal is, meaning the location of the seal is critical. As for Ciel, he asked Sebastian to place the seal over his right eye.

Despite being a somewhat painful process, the placement on Ciel's eye is fairly impressive. Eyes are the most visible part of the human body, which means that their bond strength is at its highest. Whenever Ciel commands Sebastian, the demon has no choice but to obey his master's orders, mainly due to the intensity of their bond. While Ciel usually keeps this eye covered with an eyepatch, he removes it as he instructs Sebastian, meaning to place the seal.

black bartender Available to stream on Crunchyroll.