Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/9087688.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      Ghost_(Swedish_Band)
  Relationship:
      Papa_Emeritus_III/Original_Female_Character, Air_Ghoul/Earth_Ghoul
  Character:
      Original_Female_Character(s), Papa_Emeritus_III, Air_Ghoul, Alpha_Ghoul,
      Earth_Ghoul, Mist_Ghuleh, Omega_Ghoul_(mentioned), Water_Ghoul, Original
      Male_Character(s)
  Additional Tags:
      Magic, Blood_Drinking, temporary_insanity, Dreams/Nightmares, Ghoul
      powers, Summoning_Circles, Familiars, Sigils, potion_making, Sparring,
      Summoning_weapons, Hallucinations, Frottage, Piercings, Menstruation
      Kink, Blood, Song_Lyrics
  Series:
      Part 2 of Crescendo
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-12-28 Completed: 2017-03-19 Chapters: 11/11 Words: 31638
****** Chosen, Taken, Claimed ******
by SpiritSoul
Summary
     She had a choice: join him and the clergy, or keep living her old,
     ordinary life with her sister. She chose him.
     But it’s clear that the dark pope is hiding something from her.
Notes
     I deeply apologize if this first chapter seems rushed. I promise that
     it will get better after this one.
***** Tonight's the Night *****
“But I never get any mail!”
Esther sighed upon hearing her sister's reply and held up the black envelope.
“It's clearly addressed to you, Mary,” she said, walking over to the table
where Mary was seated at. “So it can't be a mistake.” She placed the letter
down in front of her and went over to the cupboard, grabbing a mug. “But don't
get your hopes up. It's probably just another reminder that our rent payment is
due soon.”
Mary picked up the small envelope, looking it over. “...But if it is about the
rent, shouldn't it be addressed to both of us?” she asked, brushing the bangs
of her already neatly-combed hair out of her eyes.
Esther didn't respond, and only proceeded to pour herself a cup of coffee.
“Just hurry up and open it,” she said after taking a sip. “We need to head to
the store tonight, and you're still in your pajamas.”
Mary sighed and turned over the envelope. She slowly proceeded to open it, when
something on the envelope caught her eye: a small grucifix symbol. Her eyes
widened. “...Papa?” she whispered. Excited, she eagerly opened the envelope and
unfolded the neatly folded letter. It had been a little more than a week since
she had last talked to him, so the fact that she was hearing from him again so
soon was certainly compelling. After smoothing out the piece of paper, she
silently read the letter to herself.
It read:
“Tonight's the night, Ghuleh. I do hope that you're ready.
The instant you see Annali, stop whatever you are doing (no matter what it may
be!) and follow her. She will lead you to us. Should you ever change your mind,
I will give you another chance to accept or decline once you meet up with me
and the Ghouls. Just know that once you get into the car, you won't be able to
back down anymore.
I look forward to seeing you.
- P.E.”
Mary beamed with joy as she practically shot up from her chair and raced
towards her bedroom. After shutting the door, she put down the letter and
opened one of her drawers, beginning to pull out various articles of clothing,
trying to find something that wasn't so casual. She didn't own a lot of formal
attire, so picking out decent clothes was a bit of a challenge. After a while,
she settled on a white and turquoise blouse, and a nice pair of long, black
pants with a grey belt. After putting them on, she kicked off her socks and
slipper and glanced at her other pairs of shoes: black sneakers with pink
laces, brown knee-high boots, and black platform heels.
She wore the sneakers nearly every day, so those were out. The boots
desperately needed cleaning, so they were out of the question as well. That
left just the black platformers.
Mary picked up the heeled shoes and hesitated for a moment before slipping them
on with a sigh. As much as she absolutely despised wearing them, these were the
nicest shoes that she owned, and she wanted to look as presentable as possible
for Papa and the Ghouls.
After putting the shoes on, Mary took a few steps to practice getting used to
walking in the heels before making her way over to the mirror. She checked her
reflection, ensuring that her hair and face looked nice as well. After brushing
a few strands of hair out of her face, she nodded in approval and exited her
room.
Upon seeing her, Esther stopped putting on her coat and stared at Mary, clearly
perplexed as to why her sister wasn’t wearing her usual casual outfit.
“Why are you-” Esther then stopped herself from speaking further with a sigh,
finished putting on her coat, and grabbed her purse. “Nevermind. Let's just
go.”
***
Mary followed Esther as she pushed the cart through the aisles of the grocery
store. She was supposed to be helping her sister look for the items that they
needed, but as the two of them wove in and out of the aisles, Mary’s mind began
to wander.
After a while, she found herself thinking back to when she had her first time
with Emeritus. Even though she had been forced to keep her eyes closed the
entire time, it had still been an incredible experience. And now, she suddenly
couldn’t get her mind off of it; how his diligent hands had roamed over her
body, how his hot breath had felt against her skin, how he had teased her flesh
with his fingers and warm, wet mouth, and how it felt to have his cock inside
her, filling her to the brim with his seed…
“Mary!”
Esther’s voice abruptly brought Mary back to reality.
“Seriously, watch where you're going! For Emeritus’ sake, this is the third
time that you’ve bumped into me since we entered the store!”
Mary blushed, embarrassed by her sister's yelling and the stares she was
getting from other nearby customers. “S-sorry…” she mumbled as Esther put a bag
of tomatoes into the cart and checked the item off the list in her hand. She
nibbled her lower lip as she stared at the food that was in the cart, and her
stomach growled. All she had for breakfast was a bagel, so she was still pretty
hungry.
Noticing that Esther was continuing on down the aisle without her, Mary hurried
off after her sister.
The two of them continued going through the store, picking up everything that
they needed. As they walked, Mary occasionally glanced at her surroundings to
see if she could spot Annali anywhere. Unfortunately, every time she checked,
she only saw other customers or an empty aisle filled with shelves of food.
Even when they had finally arrived at the checkout counter, there had still
been zero signs of her.
Mary sighed as she began to slowly unload the items from the cart, handing them
to the man at the register. She had hoped that Annali would’ve appeared before
she had to go to work, but at this rate, it seemed that it wouldn’t be
happening until towards the end of the night. She quickened her slow pace as
Esther glared at her rather impatiently, not even bothering to provide any
assistance despite the large number of groceries that were in the cart.
Eventually, all of the food items had been placed on the counter, and the two
sisters were left waiting for the slow, tired cashier to finish loading the
groceries into the bags.
While Esther tapped her foot impatiently, Mary focused her attention on what
she could see outside through the automatic sliding doors. She could see
countless citizens of Meliora hurrying by, clearly having somewhere to be at
the moment. The occasional car passed by on the road, stopping only to let
people walk across the street.
Her eyes continued to wander aimlessly until she suddenly spotted something
outside that seemed out of place - a cat.
And not just any cat. A siamese cat with a black collar, staring back at her
with its mismatched green and blue eyes.
Mary gasped. “Annali!” she cried. She rushed toward the doors, leaving Esther
behind. By the time Ether realized that her younger sister had run off, Mary
was already outside and running after the cat.
Mary wove her way through the crowds of people as she ran after Annali, doing
her best not to stumble and fall because of her shoes. She ran past various
stores, including the music store she and Esther owned, a couple fancier
hotels, and finally rounded a corner…
...before she suddenly tripped and fell flat onto the sidewalk.
Stunned, Mary remained motionless for a moment before she attempted to pick
herself back up. “Dammit. Stupid shoes…” she groaned, wincing at the pain that
began springing up on her hands and knees.
She heard footsteps coming towards her, and as Mary opened her eyes, she saw a
pair of neat, black and white shoes.
“Are you alright, miss?” the person in front of her asked, helping her up. Mary
could tell that it was clearly a man’s voice.
Mary gave a breathy laugh as she dusted herself off. “Yeah, I… I think so,” she
replied. She glanced at her arms and applied pressure to them as she slowly
rotated her wrist. Nothing seemed to be hurting with excruciating pain, so, as
far as she knew, at least nothing had been broken in her fall.
“Forgive me if I’m being rude,” said the man. “but don’t you know that it’s a
bad idea to be running in heels?”
“Yeah, I know,” Mary sighed, lifting her head to look up at him. “I
just…wasn’t...” Her voice suddenly trailed off and her eyes widened as she saw
what the man looked like. He wore a tailored suit that was all black with
small, white, triangular symbols embroidered on one side, a silver grucifix
pendant, and on his face was a silver horned mask. He was slightly muscular and
incredibly tall, practically towering over Mary as he looked down at her.
It took Mary a moment to make words come out of her mouth. “Y-you’re… one of
Papa’s Ghouls…” she said, clearly in awe.
“Indeed, I am,” he replied, taking his hands off of Mary. The Ghoul then took a
step back before placing a hand on his chest and giving a bow to her. “I am the
one who is called ‘Air’.” He then raised himself slightly, and was about to
continue speaking when he abruptly stopped himself, suddenly staring at Mary
with amazement. “Your eyes…” he murmured. "They're lavender." Air then
straightened himself and clasped his hands behind his back as he met Mary’s
eyes. “Are you Mary Cantwell?” he asked.
Mary smiled and nodded her head in reply. The Ghoul grinned underneath his
mask.
“The Papa wishes to speak with you,” he said. The Ghoul then gestured to his
left with one hand, and Mary saw an elegant black car with a silver and purple
inverted cross painted onto the hood parked next to them. In the window near
the last row, she could see the silhouette of a man sitting in the passenger’s
seat.
“It would be a good idea to not keep him waiting.”
***** Leaving the Old Life Behind *****
Chapter Notes
     See, this is what happens when I have an entire day to myself with
     absolutely nothing to do. :)
     Enjoy!
This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for.
Suddenly overcome with an overwhelming sense of excitement and nervousness,
Mary lowered her head and shuffled forward towards the car. When she got to the
passenger door, she hesitated before raising one hand and tapped a finger
against the window.
“P...Papa?” she uttered timidly.
The silhouette of Emeritus didn’t turn to look at her. He merely kept his head
forward, and when he suddenly began to lower the window a couple inches, Mary
backed a couple small steps away. For a while, there was nothing but silence as
she waited for Papa to speak.
Then, finally, the man broke the silence.
“Hello, Ghuleh,” Papa said, speaking with a solemn voice. He tugged at the
cuffs of his sleeves, then turned his head to look at Mary through the tinted
black glass which hid his face from her. “I see you got my letter.”
“That I did,” Mary replied, flashing him an awkward smile as she averted her
eyes, unsure if what she had said was the correct reply.
Another moment of silence fell between them before Papa spoke up again. “Are
you alright?” he asked. “That looked to be a pretty bad fall.”
“Yeah, but I’m fine now.” Mary dusted herself off again. “Thanks for asking.”
Emeritus nodded his head, then crossed his legs as he adjusted himself in his
seat and sighed. “I assume that you already know what I’m about to ask you,” he
declared.
Upon hearing the seriousness in Papa’s tone return, Mary suddenly straightened
herself, at attention.
“Regardless, I want to hear your answer just one last time.” Papa made eye
contact with her, and Mary thought she could see the glinting of a white eye
through the glass.
“Mary,” Emeritus said. “do you still wish to help us, despite not knowing just
what you are getting yourself into?”
Mary closed her eyes and slowly took a breath to compose herself, opening them
again after she had exhaled. “I-”
“There you are!”
Startled, Mary turned to find Esther storming over towards her, irritation
clearly present on her face.
“First you continuously bump the cart into me in the store, and now you just
run off without telling me?!” Her older sister grabbed her wrist and held it
tightly. “Enough is enough, Mary! I haven’t been able to take you anywhere for
the past week without you causing me trouble.” She then began to drag Mary away
from the car. “You’re going home and staying there until I decide that you can
leave!”
“Miss.”
Air’s voice caused Esther to stop, and she shot a glare at the Ghoul. “What do
you-” Her eyes widened when she saw his grucifix symbol and the black car next
to him. The girl cleared her throat and released her grasp on Mary as she
turned to face him. “Yes?” she asked, attempting to hide her disdain.
“This young lady here was in the middle of talking with the Papa.”
Esther turned her head and glowered at Mary. “Seriously?!” she hissed,
narrowing her eyes.
Mary didn’t respond, and a sheepish look appeared on her face as she averted
her eyes. Esther then turned her head back towards Air, a fake smile
reappearing on her face.
“Oh! Was she?” Esther exclaimed. She gently placed a hand on Mary’s shoulder
and looked at the Ghoul apologetically. “I’m incredibly sorry that she was
wasting his time. You see, she has his strange fascination with him, and-”
“She wasn’t wasting his time,” Air stated, interrupting Esther. “Not at all. He
actually requested that she meet him here tonight.”
Esther only gave another laugh. “Well, I’m afraid that she’s going to have to
hold off on that request until later,” she said, once more attempting to drag
Mary away. “You see, the two of us are pretty busy, and we have to head off to
work right about…”
Her voice trailed off when Air suddenly walked over to her. Her eyes widened
and she gasped when he reached out and grabbed her chin, his eyes boring deep
into hers.
Mary’s eyes widened as well, and she turned her head to look at Papa. “Wh-what
is he-”
Papa waved his hand, silencing Mary immediately. “Don’t worry, Ghuleh. Air
won’t harm her,” he said. “He has been ordered not to do so unless I tell him.”
The Ghoul continued to stare at Esther in complete silence for what felt like
an eternity before finally letting go of her and drawing back.
“This… reluctance of yours to let your sister comply with Papa’s demands…” Air
said. “It isn’t really about work or schedules, is it Esther?”
Esther’s eyes widened. “H-how do you know my name?!” she demanded, anger
beginning to fill her voice once more. When Air didn’t immediately respond, she
became even more visibly frustrated. “Hey! I asked you a question!” she yelled,
balling her hands up into fists.
“It’s because you don’t want Mary, your little sister, to have all of this
attention from us,” Air continued. “You know how special we consider her, so
you refuse to accept that you’re not viewed by the clergy as the superior
sibling. You’re afraid of inferiority.”
Esther’s hands clenched tighter, and she gritted her teeth as she listened to
Air. “Y-...You-... How...” She tried to talk further, but she couldn’t make
more words come out of her mouth.
“But there’s more,” Air said, still not finished lecturing to Esther. He took a
step forward, and his eyes narrowed as he loomed over her. “You’re also afraid
of us.”
“N-no I’m not!” Esther argued, immediately lashing out at the Ghoul. “That’s a
ridiculous idea!”
Air sighed and shook his head. “See? You’re denying it, even now.” The Ghoul
clasped his hands behind his back. “You wanted to make us the targets of your
anger, but you were worried about what punishment you might face if you lash
out at us. Therefore, you chose to demonstrate your frustration through an
alternative method - attempting to keep your sister away from us. You tried to
convince her that we weren’t to be trusted; that we were to be feared and never
meant to be approached.” Air glanced at Mary momentarily before refocusing his
attention on Esther. “How unfortunate that she never listened to you.”
Esther inhaled sharply and backed away from Air. She shot a glare at Mary, who
could clearly see the hatred burning in her eyes.
“And she will regret it,” the girl declared before turning around and storming
off back the way she came.
Air silently watched as Esther disappeared before giving a loud sigh and
turning toward the car.
“I apologize for that, Papa,” the Ghoul said, giving a bow to the man in the
backseat.
“No need,” Emeritus replied, waving his hand.
But even with Papa’s response, Air still appeared to feel guilty. “It’s just
that… she interrupted us, and I had suddenly felt that it was necessary to use
my powers…”
“You did what you had to do, Air,” Papa said. “You may have scarred her
mentally, but the important thing is that you did not physically harm her.” He
then turned his head to look back at Mary. “Now, Ghuleh, just how long exactly
do you plan on making me wait for your answer?”
Mary jumped slightly, startled when Papa addressed her. “I…” She then took a
breath to calm down, and stared directly at the dark silhouette in the window.
“Yes, I still wish to provide my assistance,” she declared. The girl then gave
a small bow. “Please, Papa, let me help you, the Ghouls, and the rest of the
clergy to the best of my ability.”
Emeritus nodded, then motioned for Air to move with his hand. Immediately, the
Ghoul walked over to the car and opened one of the doors in the second row -
the one in front of the row Papa was seated in.
Mary smiled. “...Thank you, Papa,” she said, glancing once more at the
silhouette. “It’s an honor for someone so lowly as me to be selected by the
clergy.”
“Lowly?” Papa asked, chuckling. “I dare to say otherwise.” The man then leaned
back in his seat and smiled. “Besides, with how your sister has been treating
you lately, I have a feeling that you’re going to enjoy this job a lot more
than your previous one.”
Mary nodded her head and got into the car, fighting the urge to look at the row
behind her as she sat down with Air shutting the door behind her. After making
herself comfortable and buckling herself in, she suddenly noticed that there
was another Ghoul already in the car next to her. He looked exactly the same as
Air, but not as tall.
“Alpha.”
Mary watched as the Ghoul turned to look at Papa after being addressed. She
heard Emeritus continue to talk. “Do you have the Consomnio?” he asked.
Mary’s smile faded as she watched the Ghoul nod his head in reply, nervousness
suddenly returning. What was Consomnio?
“Good,” Papa said. He then gestured towards Mary with one hand. “Go ahead.”
The Ghoul suddenly moved towards her, and Mary had no time to react before he
roughly grabbed her. She yelped in surprise and tried to make him let go, but
he kept a tight grip on her and firmly pressed a cloth against her nose and
mouth. Immediately, a strong, sickly-sweet smell flooded her nose, and the girl
could almost feel the scent traveling up to her brain. Her cries were muffled
by the cloth, and she continued to squirm in her seat, stopping only when she
suddenly heard Emeritus whisper to her.
“Shh. Relax, Ghuleh,” he said. “Just breathe. Everything will be alright.”
Mary felt her eyelids growing heavier as the moments passed by. She struggled
to keep them open, but to no avail.
The last thing she heard before her eyes completely closed was Papa saying to
her “You have to trust us, remember?”
***
It had only seemed like a few minutes before Mary suddenly became aware of
muffled voices around her. She felt strong arms pick her up and hold her like
she was a delicate object. She tried to move her body, but for some reason, she
couldn’t move a single muscle. Not only that, but she hurt all over.
She cracked her eyes open, immediately wincing from the agonizing, stinging
pain that she felt around them upon doing so. Her vision was extremely blurry,
but she could sort-of make out what appeared to be the remains of a demolished
building around her, and she thought she could smell smoke.
“Nonono, close your eyes,” whispered a voice.
Mary opened her mouth to speak, but realized that her throat was extremely dry,
making it difficult to make words come out of her mouth. “P....Pa...pa…?” she
croaked.
“I’m right here,” he whispered. “It’s alright. You’re safe from them now.”
She felt Emeritus carry her over somewhere and lay her down. It felt like
concrete. She tried to say something, but Papa spoke to her before she could
get the chance.
“You’ll be safe here,” Papa said. She felt him gently stroke her cheek with one
finger before he stood back up.
“I’ll come back for you, Kerstin,” he said. “I promise.”
Kerstin. That name again…
***** Crimson Drops *****
The burning incense sent the smell of evergreen throughout the dimly lit room.
Dressed in his flowing papal garments, Emeritus circled the altar once more,
staring down at the girl who had been laid across it. Mary was now fully
dressed in the costume he had requested for her - a black and crimson hooded
robe, a small, plain, black masquerade mask that stopped at the tip of her
nose, and, of course, the silver grucifix pendant.
The dark pope glanced momentarily at the foot of the stairs which led up to the
altar, where the five Ghouls were kneeling and keeping their heads down,
patiently awaiting his orders, with their familiars beside them. The only one
who was staring back at him was Annali, her eyes twinkling like stars in the
candlelight.
He reached out and moved a few strands of hair out of Mary’s face. The girl
didn’t even so much as flinch, and her eyes remained closed, giving the
impression that she was in a deep, peaceful sleep.
“I assume that you all know why we are here on this night,” Papa declared as he
turned to face the Ghouls. The masked beings merely nodded their heads in
reply, not one of them saying a word.
“We are here to welcome this girl as a new acolyte into our clergy,” he
continued. “for even the youngest and purest of people can become seduced by
sin.” Papa then raised an arm. “So now I ask of all of you: do you, my beloved
Ghouls, swear right here right now, before our Dark Lord himself, that you will
train her and teach her the ways of the dark arts? That you will shun her from
the light and all that is deemed righteous and good?”
The Ghouls continued to remain motionless, but the moment that Papa finished
speaking, they all suddenly began to speak in unison:
“I, a Nameless Ghoul, one who has sworn to disown my name and identity in
exchange for a mask to hide myself, swear to do all that our Dark Lord demands
of me, no matter how small the task at hand.”
Pleased, Papa turned back towards the altar and gently placed a gloved hand on
Mary’s face. “May she learn to embrace the dark and all of its gifts through
us.”
“Let it be done according to his will,” said the Ghouls, continuing to speak in
unison.
“May she grow strong through our teachings, turning to no one but us in her
times of need.”
“Let it be done according to his will,” the Ghouls repeated with the same,
monotone voices as before.
Emeritus moved his hand down to her heart. “May her faith never waver, her
devotion be ceaseless, her voice proclaim his word without shame.”
“Let it be done according to his will.”
After the Ghouls had spoken the phrase for the third time, Papa took his hand
off of Mary and turned back towards the masked beings, once more raising his
arm.
“Rise,” he commanded. The Ghouls all immediately obeyed and stood up.
“You have made your sacrifice to help her,” Papa said, lowering his arm. The
dark pope then walked behind the altar and grabbed a silver knife with a bright
red stone that was on a smaller nearby table next to six chalices that were
filled with wine. “Now I present the sacrifice that she is to provide in
return.”
Papa grabbed Mary’s left wrist with his other hand and positioned the knife at
her palm. He slowly slid the blade across the skin, cutting it so that drops of
blood began to drip out of the fresh wound. After placing the knife back where
he had found it, the dark pope grabbed three of the chalices and placed them on
the altar. Emeritus snatched Mary’s wrist once more and held it over one of the
cups so that her blood dripped into it and mixed with the wine. He then
proceeded to do the same with the other two chalices.
“Now, as some of you may already know, thanks to my predecessors…” Papa said,
putting Mary’s arm back down after he had finished. “...this girl’s blood will
have effects - some good, others a bit more undesirable - on whoever drinks it.
Even a few drops can be rather potent.” His eyes scanned over the five Ghouls
before him. “Therefore, I shall have the more experienced Ghouls come up
first.” He motioned towards the altar with one hand. “Alpha, Water, Air. Step
up to receive,” he commanded.
The three Ghouls that Papa had addressed made their way towards the altar with
their hands clasped behind their backs. As they stopped in front of the altar,
Papa glanced momentarily at the two Ghouls that he hadn’t called up. It was
clear to him that the two Ghouls were nervous, as this was, after all, to be
their first time experiencing the effects of the blood, and there would be no
telling just what exactly it would to to them. But the dark pope quickly
snapped his attention back to the three Ghouls in front of him, and handed each
of them a chalice.
“Her body is the vessel from which her lifeblood pours,” Papa declared after
giving the three Ghouls their cups of wine. “Drink so that you may feel the
power which flows through her veins.” Ever obedient, the three Ghouls tilted up
their masks and put the chalices to their lips, drinking the mixture of wine
and blood without any second thoughts.
Alpha was the first to finish, slamming his chalice down on the altar while
panting heavily with a triumphant grin on his face. Water followed soon after,
but groaned loudly and tightly gripped the edge of the altar with both hands
after putting down his cup.
“Are you alright, Water?” Papa asked, concern showing on his face.
“I-I'm okay,” the Ghoul answered, his body shaking as he leaned forward. “It's
just… stronger than I remembered…” After a moment, he finally stopped trembling
and sighed as he straightened himself again.
Emeritus smiled. “Good work, both of you,” he said nodding his head in
approval. The three of them then turned to focus to Air, who was still drinking
from his own chalice; taking long intervals in between small sips.
Impatient, Alpha folded his arms across his chest, tapped his foot against the
ground, and gave a sigh. Papa took notice of all of these actions and gave the
Ghoul a look of disapproval.
“Fire, show some respect for your brother,” the dark pope scolded. “If he so
chooses to take his time then let him take his time.”
Alpha gave another sigh and did as he was told, doing his best to hide his
frustration as he waited for Air to finish.
Eventually, Air did finish what was in his chalice, and he placed the cup down
on the altar with a quiet sigh and a content smile. Emeritus smiled and
applauded him, and the Ghoul smiled and gave a quick bow to show his thanks for
the praise he was receiving.
“Well done, all of you!” Papa exclaimed, making eye contact with each of the
three Ghouls. “I must say, that went much more smoothly than I had expected.
Splendid!” He then looked at the two Ghouls he still hadn’t called up yet as
Alpha, Air, and Water handed him back their chalices and returned to their
places at the foot of the stairs. They still appeared to be nervous, and as
Papa prepared the next two chalices for them, he began to feel worried, yet he
managed to keep his serious facade. If the blood had an effect on Water,
despite his experience, then there was no telling what it would do to the ones
who had never had a taste of it before. He hesitated momentarily before
motioning towards the altar once more.
“Earth, Mist. Step up to receive.”
The two Ghouls immediately stood at attention after being called, then
proceeded for the altar.
The only female Ghoul of the bunch, Mist made her way towards the altar with a
confident stride while Earth, the shortest of the male Ghouls, shuffled forward
timidly.
“Her body is the vessel from which her lifeblood pours,” Papa repeated, handing
the Ghouls their chalices. “Drink so that you may feel the power which flows
through her veins.”
The two Ghouls obediently tilted up their masks and drank from their cups. As
they guzzled down the mixture of blood and wine, Papa and the other Ghouls all
held their breath as they waited to see what would happen to Earth and Mist.
Suddenly, just as Earth was about to finish, he abruptly dropped his chalice,
sending the goblet clattering onto the ground as he crumpled to the floor,
groaning while clutching his stomach.
Air’s eyes widened with shock, and he started running towards Earth before Papa
suddenly held up his hand, stopping him in his tracks.
“Wait, Air,” the dark pope commanded. “Let us see if-” He was abruptly
interrupted when Mist suddenly cried out in pain and fell to the floor as well,
dropping her own chalice as well.
Papa’s eyes went wide as they darted back and forth between the two suffering
Ghouls. “Hang on, you two,” he whispered, doing his best to keep his serene
nature. “Everything will be alright. Just hold out a little longer.”
Eventually, both Earth and Mist ceased their cries and attempted to catch their
breath as they both tried to stand back up. Emeritus gave a sigh of relief, but
still remained cautious as he carefully watched the Ghouls. “Are you two
alright?” he asked.
Neither of them said a word in response, but after a moment of silence Earth
suddenly leaned forward and slammed both hands on the altar. This startled
Papa, but he made no attempt to move away or towards him. “...Earth?”
Earth attempted to speak, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to
form actual, logical words; producing guttural, throaty sounds as his body
tensed up and his eyes squeezed shut.
Then, without warning, both Earth and Mist lunged forward, almost snarling
while swiping at Papa with their hands. The dark pope instinctively took a step
back and held up both hands, holding the Ghouls in place. The look in their
eyes was almost animalistic as they thrashed against their invisible bonds,
growling and yelling. A moment passed before he suddenly realized that Earth
and Mist weren't actually aiming for him. They were trying to reach for Mary’s
left arm.
Papa’s hands shook as he desperately tried to keep the two Ghouls at bay, and
he looked at Alpha, Water, and Air. “Don't just stand there!” he yelled. “Do
something! You know I can’t use this power of mine on multiple persons at once
for very long!” With a grunt, he moved his arms forward in a shoving motion,
causing Earth and Mist to stumble backwards. Immediately, Air rushed over and
grabbed hold of Earth’s arms while Water and Alpha did the same to Mist.
Air held onto Earth as if for dear life as the small Ghoul flailed in his
grasp, gasping and whining.
“A-Air...please!” Earth begged, finally able to form words again. “L-let
go...I-!” He lunged forward again, but Air held on and dragged him back. “I
need it…!”
“No, you don't,” Air grunted as he struggled to keep Earth under control. “You
don't need any more of that blood. You can't-” He staggered when Earth abruptly
yanked an arm out of his grasp and freed himself by tugging Air’s other arm
away. Air gasped when the smaller Ghoul gripped the fabric of his suit and
lifted him off the floor with ease before slamming him into the ground; the
force of the impact causing the wind to get knocked out of him. The Ghoul
blinked rapidly as he attempted to recover, then reached out and grabbed
Earth’s ankle just as the smaller Ghoul began to run off towards the altar,
causing him to fall to the ground beside him. Air’s arms trembled as he
struggled to get back up off the floor, keeping his eyes locked on Earth.
At that same moment, Mist tore away from Water and Alpha, beat the two of them
down with her fists, and dashed towards the altar. Papa took notice of this and
waved his hands in her direction, stopping her in her tracks.
“Let go of me, Papa!” Mist yelled, her voice a mixture of desperation and anger
as she struggled to move her legs.
“I cannot, Mist,” Emeritus replied, shaking his head.
The female Ghoul snarled and moved her left arm so that her hand was out of the
light emitting from the candle. Immediately, the shadows rippled and collected
in Mist’s hand until they took the shape of a small, sharp object. Bringing her
arm back towards her, she revealed an elegant dagger with a dark purple and
black hilt. “I’ll gut you!” she threatened, pointing the blade at Emeritus. But
despite the threat, Papa refused to back down. Mist’s eyes narrowed, and she
hesitated momentarily before throwing the dagger in his direction.
Papa quickly avoided the knife, but his eyes widened when he heard the dull
“thud” as it hit something behind him. He quickly turned to look towards the
altar. The dagger was lodged in the table, and the blade had grazed Mary’s
cheek. Blood was beginning to dribble down the girl’s pale skin.
“Mist, you imbecile!” Papa yelled, rushing over towards Mary. He removed the
knife and dropped it onto the floor, where it turned into a cloud of purple
smoke and ultimately faded away. “You could’ve killed-!” The dark pope abruptly
stopped talking as the sickly sweet smell of Mary’s blood hit him, and he
staggered backwards, groaning as he covered his nose and mouth, nearly bumping
into the smaller table and spilling the last chalice as his back hit the wall.
Trembling, he fell to the floor, shutting his eyes tightly.
“You see, Papa, I figured that if Earth and I couldn’t handle the smell of the
blood,” Mist said, sneering as she drifted towards Emeritus. “then neither
would you. After all…” She stopped directly in front of the dark pope. “...this
is your first time having a taste of it as well.” The Ghoul raised her arms,
and the shadows above her began to move towards her hands. “You know, I’ve
never seen you this helpless before, Papa. I wonder-” But that was as far as
Mist got before she gasped and her entire body suddenly stiffened before she
collapsed onto the floor; the shadows immediately ceasing their movements.
Emeritus cautiously opened his eyes as he got back up, leaning against the wall
for support. Air carefully helped Earth off the floor, while Water and Alpha
got back up on their own, wincing from their aching injuries.
He walked over to Mist and bent down, helping her back up. As the Ghoul raised
her head to look at him, he could see that there was no longer a threatening,
murderous look in her eyes.
“F-forgive me, Papa!” she pleaded, gripping the dark pope’s chasuble with both
hands. “I-... I didn’t-”
“I know, Mist. I know,” Emeritus replied, patting her on the shoulder. “Don’t
fret. I know it wasn’t your fault. The blood made you do this, but it’s over
now.”
Mist nodded, released her grip on Papa’s garments, and proceeded to head back
down the stairs, but Emeritus swiftly reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping
the Ghoul in her tracks. “Did I give you permission to leave?” he asked,
raising an eyebrow.
Mist immediately got the hint and turned back towards Emeritus as he pulled
away from her and grabbed the final chalice from off the table. After allowing
some of Mary’s blood to drip into the cup, he picked up the cup and turned to
look at Mist, meeting her eyes. “Mist, as soon as I finish drinking this, I
will need you to use your powers on me.”
Mist blinked, her eyes showing a mixture of surprise and confusion. “B-but-”
She started to speak, but Papa held up a hand to silence her.
“After witnessing what the blood made you and Earth do to me and your brothers,
there's no telling what it will make me do. I will need you to ensure that I’m
kept under control while under it’s influence by any means necessary.” The dark
pope then turned to look at the other four Ghouls at the bottom of the stairs.
“That goes for all of you as well,” he declared.
The Ghouls all nodded their heads in acknowledgement, then held their breaths
as Papa proceeded to drink what was in his cup. At that same moment, Mist
raised her arms, and the shadows collected in her hands once more.
The instant the cool liquid hit his tongue, Emeritus could feel newfound
adrenaline begin to rush through his body. He savored the sweet taste, taking
his time to finish what was in his chalice. He could feel his mind growing
numb, but he didn't care. The only things he could think about as he put down
his cup were the sweetness of the wine and blood, and the power which he could
feel flowing through him.
A loud “thwack” suddenly echoed through the room, and Papa felt something wrap
and tighten around his right arm. He turned and saw that Mist was now holding a
whip and was using it to pull him away from the altar.
At that moment, it was as if a switch had flipped in Papa’s mind, and a wicked
grin spread across his face as he extended his left hand towards her. “Really,
Mist?” he asked. The dark pope waved his hand, and Mist was suddenly being
helplessly tossed around, stumbling in every direction he sent her. “Is that
the best you could do?!” The instant he annunciated the last syllable, he made
a sharp movement to the right with his hand, sending the Ghoul straight into
the wall. Upon impact, she dropped the whip, causing it to turn into a cloud of
purple smoke and disappear.
Out of the corner of his eye, Papa saw Alpha and Air run up the steps towards
him. He turned and waved his arms in their direction. Alpha cried out as he
immediately stumbled back down the steps, where Water caught him and fell down
as well, but Air had mysteriously disappeared in the blink of an eye. The
feeling of strong arms grabbing hold of his own told Papa where he had gone,
and he immediately tried to pull away from the Ghoul. But Air held on with all
his might.
Air turned his head back towards the stairs. “Earth! Help!” he yelled, grabbing
Papa’s left wrist before the dark pope could attempt to use his powers again.
The smaller Ghoul immediately nodded his head in acknowledgement and hurried up
the steps to join his brother just as Water and Alpha got back up and hurried
over to Mist. He ran until he was standing directly in front of Papa, then
knelt down and slammed both of his hands against the black tile on the floor.
Everyone momentarily lost their balance as the entire room seemed to shake
briefly before it abruptly ceased trembling as soon as it had started. Earth
then raised his hands, and Air released his hold on Papa as black vines
sprouted out of the ground and snatched the dark pope’s wrists.
Emeritus fought against his restraints as the vines pulled him down towards the
floor. With a yell, he sharply jerked his right arm, pulling Earth so that he
collided with the wall. The impact caused the vines to loosen their hold, and
Papa was able to free one arm only to have Air grab him again.
As Earth hit the wall, his arm accidentally knocked against a large
candleholder, causing the candle to fall towards Water and Mist. Alpha
immediately noticed this and hurried until he was standing in front of the two
Ghouls with his arms outstretched to protect them. But despite taking a direct
hit from the flame, the Ghoul, nor the suit which he was wearing, did not catch
fire. The candle clattered onto the floor and went out.
Alpha then lowered his arms and turned, shooting a glared at Water as Mist
rushed over to check on Earth. Air was still struggling to control Papa.
“Um, you’re welcome, brother!” he said, clearly irritated with Water. “And why
have you just been standing here doing nothing?! We kind of need your help!”
Water took a step back, frightened by Alpha’s piercing stare. “I-I want to,” he
stammered. “B-but I need my element to-”
“You don’t need your element right now!” Alpha declared, grabbing Water’s
shoulders and shaking him. “Just go grab something and help us!”
Water nodded his head and dashed off while Alpha ran towards Papa to help Air.
But before Alpha could get very far, Emeritus pounded his elbow into Air’s
stomach, knocking the Ghoul down and freeing himself. He tore away from the
other vine, then waved his arms, causing Alpha’s hand to reach out and grab the
silver ritual knife from off the altar.
Alpha’s eyes widened as Papa continued to manipulate the movements of his arm,
making him swing the knife at Mist and Earth. Mist covered Earth as she backed
away from Alpha, doing her best to protect her brother. At one point, she
turned her head and gave Emeritus a pleading stare.
“Papa, please!” she cried. “You have to stop! Snap out of it!”
But Papa only continued to control Alpha as he met Mist’s eyes. “But my dear,
you and Earth tried to harm me earlier,” he said, a grin spreading across his
face once more. “I do believe that’s against the rules, and disobedient Ghouls
must…” He made Alpha swing the knife, narrowly missing Mist’s arm as she
dodged. “...be…” Another swing, this time just inches from her stomach.
“...punished.” The blade almost cut her neck, but Mist fortunately dodged the
attack in time.
Emeritus made Alpha swing the blade at the two Ghouls before a dull “clunk” was
heard, and the dark pope suddenly ceased his movements and crumpled onto the
floor, letting Alpha finally have complete control over his arm and drop the
knife. The other Ghouls all turned to see Water breathing heavily and holding
the thurible that had been burning the incense earlier.
“About time, Water,” Alpha said, picking the knife up off the floor and putting
it back on the altar. “Couldn’t you have been a little quicker? I almost hacked
our sister into bits!”
“Leave him be, Alpha,” Air said, getting up off the floor. “The important thing
is that, despite his small contribution, he provided his assistance.”
The Ghouls’ attention snapped back to Emeritus when they noticed him beginning
to move again.
“G-...Ghouls…” he groaned.
The five masked beings all stepped back and held their breaths as Papa stood
back up, unsure if what Water had done had reverted their leader back to
normal.
Emeritus sighed and rubbed the back of his head. “...Remind me to take some
Remedium after this is all over because, unholy Lucifer, that…” He turned to
Water and laughed, smiling slightly. “...really fucking hurt.”
All of the Ghouls breathed sighs of relief, thankful that the effects of the
blood had finally worn off. Together, they led their leader back to the altar.
“Shall we commence the next part of the ritual, Papa?” Air asked, taking the
thurible away from Water.
Emeritus met the Ghoul’s eyes and smiled. “Yes, that sounds like a splendid
idea. Låt oss fortsätta.”
The dark pope grabbed the ritual knife and chalice and placed it back on the
small table behind him. But when he turned back towards the altar and looked
down at Mary, his smile disappeared and his eyes widened.
“A-Alpha, get the Consomnio!” he commanded. “Quickly! She still can’t be awake
yet!”
The Fire Ghoul obeyed with haste and quickly returned with the requested drug.
He pressed the cloth against Mary’s nose and mouth, and the girl’s eyes closed
just as they began to open.
***** Cadence *****
“Now then, stand around the altar in a circle.”
Water, Alpha, and Air immediately obeyed Emeritus’ next command, but Earth
hesitated, shooting a confused look towards Mist. The female Ghoul met his
eyes, then shrugged and followed the others. Earth watched her for a moment
before finally deciding to follow her. He made his way towards the altar,
taking his place between Air and Water.
After all five Ghouls had finally taken their places, Papa gestured towards
Mary with one hand. “She is surrounded by darkness, but is in need of a guide
to lead her through it,” he said. “Reach out your hand so that she knows that
you’re there for her.”
Earth watched as his brothers and sister all closed their eyes and extended an
arm towards Mary’s body, and his confusion grew.
Papa noticed that Earth hadn’t extended his arm and turned to face the small
Ghoul. “Is something wrong, Earth?” he asked, concern showing on his face.
Earth flinched, startled when Papa addressed him.
“W-well, no, it’s just that…” He glanced at Air and Water before meeting the
dark pope’s eyes again. “What… what exactly are we doing?”
Emeritus smiled and once more gestured towards Mary. “We’re waiting to see who
among you five Ms. Cantwell will choose to be her escort.”
Earth blinked. “Escort?” he repeated, still confused.
Papa looked back down at Mary and gently wiped away the drops of blood still
spilling down her cheek with his thumb. “A bodyguard of sorts. After all,
she’ll need someone to protect her and show her the ropes to prepare her for
the times ahead of us.”
The Ghoul fidgeted, worried that what he was going to say next would caused him
to get scolded. “...W-why can’t you do it?” he asked timidly, averting his
eyes. “You know her best, right? Surely she would find it easier to trust you
rather than one of us.”
Papa sighed and shook his head. “As much as I’d like to, my current number of
duties is already too great. Therefore I must give the task to one of you.” A
smile then appeared on his face. “Besides, Earth, I do believe that she’d find
it easy to trust you once she finds out who you-”
“Can we please move along?” Alpha groused, glancing at Papa with a look of
impatience. “She’s going to wake up if we don’t hurry.”
Papa shot a glare at Alpha. “I don’t like your tone, Fire,” he scolded, turning
to face him. “If you cannot learn to hold your tongue, then I will most
certainly have you punished. Do I make myself clear?”
The Fire Ghoul sighed and nodded his head in response before closing his eyes
once more.
Emeritus turned back to face Earth once more, and gestured towards the altar.
“Your brother is right though, Earth,” he declared. “We do need to hurry.
Please, join your brothers and sister.”
The dark pope watched as Earth closed his eyes and extended an arm out towards
Mary. Papa then knelt down, leaned forward, and whispered into the girl’s ear.
“Ghuleh…”
To Papa and the Ghouls, Mary remained motionless with her eyes completely
closed, but to Mary she was able to slowly opened her eyes, stand up, and look
around only to find herself surrounded by an inky blackness.
“Can you hear me, Ghuleh?”
Mary rubbed her eyes to dispel the drowsiness from them. “Y-yes, Papa!” she
called out. But to Emeritus, her response was quiet and barely above a whisper.
Papa smiled and reached out, gently grabbing hold of her hand. “Look around and
tell me: what do you see? Don’t leave out any details. Describe everything.”
Mary obeyed Papa’s command and looked around at her surroundings. “I… can’t
really see that much of anything… it’s pitch dark…”
“Look harder.”
Mary squinted in the darkness. “Still dark…” She remained silent as she
continued looking around, when something a short distance away caught her eye.
“Wait, I think I see a light…”
Papa nodded his head, pleased that Mary had finally spotted something. “Where’s
the light coming from?” he asked.
Mary’s eyes traveled upward. “It’s coming from the ceiling,” she answered.
“Almost like a spotlight.” Her eyes moved downward again as she looked to see
if the light was shining on anything. “I think I can see some objects being
illuminated by the light.”
“Good. Walk over there”
The girl immediately obeyed and strolled over towards the light, allowing her
eyes to adjust to the brightness after finally arriving.
“Are you there?” Papa asked.
“Yes.”
“Tell me, what are these “objects” that you saw earlier?”
Mary’s eyes scanned over the items that were now in front of her. “They’re…
pedestals,” she answered. “Stone ones.” She took a step closer, continuing to
observe the short pillars. “There’s a symbol on each one. All but one of the
symbols are triangular. I think the one in the middle looks like a “q” of
sorts…”
“Are there objects on top of these pedestals?” Emeritus asked.
Mary glanced at where Papa was referring to. “Yes, there’s one object per
pillar. Each one is different.”
Papa smiled. “Go ahead at take one,” he whispered in an encouraging voice.
“One?” Mary asked. “But which one?”
“That is for you to decide, Ghuleh, not me. Take whichever one your mind tells
you to.” The dark pope brushed the girl’s bangs out of her eyes. “As soon as
you’ve chosen one, take it and head out the red door to your left.”
Mary momentarily glanced to her left, and saw that there really was, in fact, a
bright red door with black door handles some distance away.
“Okay…” she murmured. She then turned back towards the five pillars, and her
eyes fell upon the second pedestal, which had a simple, upright triangle
engraved on it. Walking over towards it, she saw that there was a small, lit
candle that had been placed upon it. Immediately, she found herself entranced
by the tiny, glimmering flame, and she slowly reached out her hands to grab it.
After taking the candle off the pedestal, she slowly turned to avoid letting
the flame go out and proceeded to walk towards the door. But before she could
even take her first step, the flame of the candle abruptly grew in intensity
and size until it was practically inches from burning her face. This frightened
Mary, and as she yelped in surprise she dropped the candle, where it hit the
floor and went out, breaking into small chunks of wax.
After recovering from the shock of what had just happened, Mary turned back
towards the pillars and walked over towards the one in the middle. There, she
saw a perfect, beautiful snowflake that was as big as her palm. She picked up
the snowflake and held it in her left hand, smiling as she admired its shape
and the intricate patterns. But she wasn’t able to do this for long, as the
snowflake suddenly began to melt in her hand, and she was powerless to stop it
until it was nothing but a tiny puddle of water collecting in her palm.
Disappointed, she wiped her hand on her shirt and reached for the object on the
pedestal with the upside down triangle. It was a small, bright, glittering red
stone. As she held it, Mary felt a sense of safety and confidence, and she
closed her eyes momentarily to embrace this new feeling. After opening them
once more, she turned and headed towards the red door. But just as she was
reaching for the door handle, these feelings suddenly went away. She stopped
and turned back towards the other pedestals. Had that not been the right one?
Mary glanced back down towards her right hand, and her eyes widened when she
realized that she was no longer holding the stone. Had she dropped it without
realizing it? She looked down at her feet and the area near the pedestals, but
she couldn’t see it, almost as if the stone had been swallowed up by the
shadows around her.
With a sigh, Mary trudged back towards the remaining two pillars, and she
walked over to the rightmost one, which had an upright triangle with a
horizontal line going through it. She picked up the object that was laying on
top of it, and saw that it was a white feather that was speckled with grey
dots. It was large, pristine and perfect in every way.
Out of nowhere, a strong wind hit Mary, causing her to stumble backwards. She
lost her grip on the feather, and it flew out of her hand. “No no no!” she
yelled, beginning to chase after it. She ran as fast as she could, but quickly
came to a halt as she watched the feather become swallowed by the shadows
around her.
She stood there for a moment, staring into the pitch black void before slowly
turning back around towards the pedestals. There was still one object left.
Walking over towards the second to last pedestal, which had an upside down
triangle with a line going through it, she picked up the object that was on top
of it and observed it. It was a flower pot filled with soil.
There didn’t appear to be anything special about the flower pot. To Mary, it
looked rather ordinary; like every other flower pot that she had seen before.
She looked into the pot, but didn’t see any flower or plant growing out of the
soil. Confusion was now filling her mind. If this flower pot was so ordinary…
… Why did she feel like it was the right object to take?
Her train of thought was abruptly cut off when she suddenly felt the ground
under her feet begin to tremble. She clutched the flower pot and held it close
to prevent herself from dropping it, closing her eyes as the tremors continued.
She heard the pillars topple over like dominoes; the one with the upright
triangle breaking into pieces as it hit the floor.
Mary opened her eyes only after the ground finally stopped shaking. She looked
down at the flower pot in her hands, and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing
that it was still in her arms and had remained completely undamaged.
She slowly stood up and made her way over to the red door, which was still
standing. After placing her hand on the black door handle, she glanced once
more at the flower pot and saw that nothing had changed about it.
Her mind still telling her that this was the right object, Mary gripped the
door handle, opened the door, and stepped through, closing it behind her.
Looking around, she found herself surrounded by even more inky blackness. She
could see nothing different about this new room compared to the one she had
just been in.
Mary flinched, nearly dropping the flower pot, when she suddenly felt a hand on
her shoulder. She was about to scream, but a voice stopped her before she could
even open her mouth.
“It’s okay, it's okay,” it said, speaking in a quiet voice. “Don't be afraid.
I'm one of the Ghouls.”
Mary blinked a few times before turning around to face the Ghoul behind her.
When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she expected to see another masked
figure towering over her. However, this Ghoul was only just a few centimeters
taller than her. She tried to say something, but no sound came out of her
mouth.
“...I-It's a pleasure to finally get to meet you, Ms. Cantwell,” the Ghoul
said, stuttering momentarily. To Mary, he seemed slightly unsettled for some
reason. She watched as he placed a shaking hand on his chest. “I-I'm Earth.”
Mary stared at the Ghoul momentarily before finally attempting to speak.
“...Are you alright?” she asked. “You seem kinda scared.”
“Just nervousness. I-I'll be fine.” Earth chuckled, then glanced down at the
flower pot that Mary had her arm wrapped around before meeting her eyes again.
“My fire element brother, Alpha, often makes fun of my timidity,” he said,
waving one hand as he spoke. “but I don't let him bother me.” He lowered his
hand. “You nervous about what you're going to have to do for the Papa?” he
asked.
Mary thought for a moment in silence, then sighed. “I… guess I'm kind of
worried that I won't be useful enough. I mean… I'm just a seventeen year old
girl who's done nothing but help her older sister run a music store.” She
paused momentarily and averted her eyes. “I’m worried that I might mess up, and
that-”
“Don’t be.”
The reassurance in Earth’s voice surprised Mary, and she once more made eye
contact with the Ghoul. He reached a hand out towards her, and placed it on her
shoulder.
“You shouldn’t waste your time here worrying about whether or not you will be
able to accomplish something perfectly on your first try,” Earth said, speaking
in a calm, hushed tone. “This will most definitely be a difficult thing for
you, but if one small seed can grow into a flower, with the right conditions…”
He turned his head towards the flower pot Mary was holding.
The young girl followed his gaze, and when her eyes fell upon the pot she
gasped. There was now a beautiful bluish-purple carnation that had emerged from
the soil.
“...then you can most certainly be trained to become perfect at what you must
do.”
Earth turned to look back at her, smiling at Mary underneath his mask. He then
took his hand off of her shoulder and grabbed the girl’s free hand. “There’s
just one last thing we need to know, Ms. Cantwell,” he said, seriousness
suddenly returning to his voice.
“...Yes?” Mary asked.
“Are you willing to give up your name in exchange for another, just like us
Ghouls?”
***
“Y-...Yes…”
Emeritus smiled upon hearing Mary whisper her answer out loud, and he stood
back up just as Earth finally opened his eyes, lowered his arm, and stepped
away from the altar. The other Ghouls had already stepped away from the altar
and we're eagerly waiting for what was to happen next. Now that Mary had chosen
her escort, there was just one last step to take to complete the ritual.
“Well, Papa?” Earth asked, clasping his hands behind his back. “Only you can
give her her new name. What will it be?”
Papa glanced at Earth momentarily, then reached down and adjusted the grucifix
pendant Mary was wearing.
“The blessings of our Dark Lord are with her,” the dark pope declared. “He has
given her many gifts, but this one I give to her.” He glanced at her sleeping
face before raising his head to look at the Ghouls before him. He raised one
arm.
“Let us welcome our newest acolyte. She is to no longer be called ‘Mary’, but
rather ‘Cadence’.”
Earth repeated the name under his breath. Cadence. The small Ghoul smiled
underneath his mask.
Cadence.
He liked it.
***** Sigils and Familiars *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Cadence slowly opened her eyes as the Consomnio began to wear off. Her vision
was extremely blurry, and although she could hear voices, she couldn’t make out
what they were saying.
When her surroundings were no longer fuzzy, she glanced around, first noticing
the large grucifix hanging on the red wall to her right. Cadence turned her
head as she sat up, nearly falling off the altar after finally noticing the
Ghouls all staring back at her. She glanced at each of the five masked beings
and attempted to speak, but no sound left her mouth.
The girl then looked down at herself and noticed the black and red robe she was
now wearing. One hand reached up and felt the mask on her face while she turned
her left hand over and examined the bleeding cut.
“Wh...what…?” she asked out loud, finally able to form words. “H-how…?”
“Relax, Ghuleh. We’ll explain everything.”
Hearing Papa’s voice, Cadence’s head turned towards the sound, but she only saw
a dark silhouette hidden in the shadows next to the recently put-out candles.
The figure waved its hand, and Mary’s head was turned back to its original
position. “Did I give you permission?” the dark pope asked, a slight hint of
annoyance present in his voice.
Cadence hung her head in shame. “N-no, Papa,” she murmured.
Emeritus stared at her for a moment before shifting his attention to one of the
Ghouls. “Air, go help Cadence off of the altar,” he commanded.
Cadence lifted her head again and looked at Air as the Ghoul walked over
towards her. “...Cadence?” she asked, confusion showing on her face. “Who’s
Cadence?”
“You are,” Air replied, helping her to the floor.
Cadence blinked. “B-but I’m Mary!” she said after her feet touched the ground
and Air walked back to join the other Ghouls once more.
“Not anymore,” Papa declared, shaking his head. “Starting right here right now,
you are Cadence, our newest acolyte.”
Cadence’s eyes widened. “...Acolyte?” she repeated. “So… I’m a member of the
clergy?”
Alpha scoffed and rolled his eyes. “No, you’re on Meliora garbage du- Ow!” The
Fire Ghoul was abruptly cut off when Water elbowed his side. Papa shot an
annoyed glare in the Ghoul’s direction, and Alpha quickly regained his
composure.
Cadence stood in silence for a moment before she leaned against the altar and
held up a hand. “O-okay, just… just give me a minute to process all of this…”
she said.
“I’m afraid we can’t,” Emeritus stated, removing his mitre. He placed it on the
altar as he walked over towards her. The girl instinctively turned her head to
look away upon hearing the sound of his footsteps coming closer and closed her
eyes. “We have a lot to accomplish, and not much time left to do so.”
Papa stopped in front of Cadence and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, Ghuleh,”
he sighed, reaching out and gently gripping her chin. “I know you’re scared and
confused, and I know you want answers, but you’re going to have to wait for me
to give them to you.” He turned her head and tilted it upward so that it was
facing towards him.
The dark pope stared at Cadence in silence, allowing his eyes to roam as he
admired the girl’s masked face. He observed her pale skin, her petite nose, and
the parted lips he had passionately kissed nights ago, before stopping at her
closed eyes.
Earth and Air had both told him about how beautiful the purple shade of her
irises were, but their words alone were not enough for him. He longed to see
their vivid color for himself, without anything obscuring them from his sight.
Papa smiled. “...But I can give you something else right now,” he added.
“Something that you’ve wanted from me for a long time.”
Cadence gave a barely audible gasp. “You… you mean…” A smile was now beginning
to appear on her face. “Y-you’re giving me…”
Emeritus’ smile widened. “Yes, I am,” he answered. He let go of Cadence’s chin
and parted her bangs, lightly pressing his thumb against her exposed forehead.
He slowly traced the grucifix symbol on her skin as he spoke.
“You who have shut your eyes when graced by my presence, may they stay closed
no more. Look upon me now, your leader, your teacher...” He leaned forward,
placed a kiss on her lips, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “...your object
of desire.” The dark pope then took a step back and anxiously waited for
Cadence to obey his command.
The girl hesitated at first, wondering momentarily if she had really heard him
correctly. But after a moment, she slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at the
man in front of her. Upon seeing him, her eyes widened; not out of fear but of
awe. His entire face looked as if it was covered in some sort of paint or
makeup. The color white covered most of his face, with the color black present
around his eyes, cheeks, and the tip of his nose, giving him an almost
skeletal-like appearance. On his head was a mop of neatly combed and slicked
back black hair. But to Cadence, the most striking thing about Emeritus was his
eyes - one a deep green and the other a ghostly white.
“Well, Ghuleh?” Papa asked. “What do you think of me, now that you’ve seen me?”
Cadence opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, suddenly finding
herself at a loss for words.
“I-I…”
She tried to come up with something to say, but her mind only drew a blank.
Papa’s brow furrowed slightly. “...Are you frightened by my appearance?” he
asked, lowering his voice a tad.
Immediately, Cadence shook her head in reply. “N-no, Papa,” she said.
Papa’s smile returned, and he walked towards Cadence once more. “That’s all I
needed to hear,” he declared. The dark pope slowly wrapped one arm around her
and looked down at Cadence with a caring gaze. “Thank you.”
Cadence smiled back up at him, but her smile quickly disappeared when she
suddenly felt an intense burning sensation when Papa’s hand touched the back of
her neck. She cried out and shut her eyes as she fell to the floor, shivering
as the strange sensation quickly faded away.
Before Papa could react, Earth immediately hurried over to Cadence and helped
her back up.
“You okay?” the Ghoul asked, worry showing in his eyes.
“I… I don’t know…” Cadence replied, leaning onto Earth for support. “That’s
never happened before. I-”
The girl abruptly stopped talking when she suddenly heard what sounded like a
bell. She looked towards the source of the sound and saw a small, fluffy tabby
cat with a pyramid-shaped bell on its black collar coming towards them. The cat
sat down in front of Earth, looked at him with its big green eyes, and meowed
softly.
Earth chuckled and met the cat’s eyes. “Sorry, Dahlia. I don’t know if cuddles
from you would be of much help right now,” he said. “I'm sure she appreciates
your concern, though.”
Cadence’s eyes widened, and she quickly looked at Dahlia, then back at Earth.
Was he that same customer from a week ago? The one who had come looking for the
maple drumsticks?
The cat's ears drooped, but quickly perked back up again when Papa cleared his
throat.
“I will handle this, Earth,” he said. “Please go back to your spot.”
The Ghoul immediately obeyed with haste and gave a quick bow before returning
to his place between Air and Water. Dahlia watched him, but continued to remain
where she was currently seated.
“You too, Dahlia.”
The tiny cat turned to look at Emeritus. She tilted her head to one side and
stared at the dark pope for only a moment before she finally followed Earth and
sat down beside him.
Papa turned back towards Cadence. “Where did you feel it?” he asked.
“My neck.”
“Let me see.”
The girl immediately obeyed and turned so that her back was facing Emeritus.
The dark pope moved her hair out of the way so that he could look at the back
of her neck. Once he did, he saw a purplish-black, upside down triangular
symbol with one line going through the bottom and a smaller line located near
the top. He immediately recognized it as the alchemy symbol for blood.
“...I see,” Papa said, raising his eyebrows. “So this is where it ended up…” He
placed one finger on the mark and slowly ran the digit across it.
“W-where what ended up?” Cadence asked, wincing as she felt the odd burning
sensation again despite Papa’s light touch.
“Your sigil,” he replied, taking his hand off her. “We all have one.” He turned
Cadence around so that she was facing him again. “It allows us to sense where
our familiars are, and the same vice versa.”
Cadence blinked. “...But I don’t have a familiar of my own,” she said. She then
looked up at Emeritus and met his eyes. “Wait… do I?”
“Not yet,” Papa answered, shaking his head. He then reached out and removed
Cadence’s grucifix pendant from around her neck. “But you will soon.” The dark
pope grabbed hold of Cadence’s left hand, but quickly stopped when he noticed
the slowly still-bleeding cut on her palm. He pressed his lips together into a
thin line for a moment before glancing back at Cadence. “Have Earth get
something to heal that for you after this, alright?” he said, letting go of
Cadence’s left hand and grabbing hold of her right one. He placed the pendant
into her hand. “Hold this.”
Cadence looked down at the pendant in her hand as Papa walked away from her to
get something. The necklace was small, silver, and about the size of her whole
hand. But as she stared at the upside down cross, she noticed something in the
center of it - a tiny, glittering shard of a light purple stone had been put in
the metal. She looked at the Ghouls and saw that none of their pendants had a
piece of stone on them.
Papa returned with six small, red, unlit candles and placed them in a circle
before her. After putting down the sixth candle, he stood up and gestured
towards the ring with one hand. Alpha stepped forward, closed his eyes as he
raised his arms, and waved them towards the circle of candles. Immediately, the
tiny, flickering flames on the remaining lit candles throughout the room
floated over to the six candles on the floor and settled onto the wicks,
lighting them. Once this had been done, the Ghoul returned to his original
spot.
Cadence stared at the candles momentarily before glancing at Papa; the light
casting an eerie shadow on his painted face. “Okay… what am I supposed to do?”
she asked.
“You are to close your eyes, kneel down in front of the candles, hold the
pendant against your heart, and ask for your familiar to present itself to
you,” Emeritus answered.
“...Do I need to say a certain phrase?”
Papa smiled and shook his head. “Just say whatever comes into your mind. It
will show up regardless of what you say as long as you are asking for it to
come to you.”
Cadence nodded her head. “Okay…” She then turned to face the ring of candles
and knelt down, keeping her head lowered as she held the grucifix necklace
against her chest. It was dead silent in the room as she pondered what exactly
she was going to say. After a moment, she closed her eyes and mumbled under her
breath.
“I... I don’t care what you look like. Just show yourself to me and promise to
remain by my side.” She then opened her eyes and waited.
At first, nothing happened, and Cadence worried if she had said the right
thing. But then, one of the candles suddenly went out, sending a small wisp of
smoke into the air. Her eyes widened, and she started to say something, but
Papa’s voice cut her off.
“Relax, Cadence,” he said. “This is supposed to happen.”
Another candle went out. Then a third. The fourth and fifth followed soon
after, and when the sixth candle finally went out, the room became much darker,
but not pitch black. The smoke which rose from the burnt wicks suddenly
collected in the center of the circle. Everyone in the room watched as the
smoke swirled in the ring for a few seconds before it dispersed and faded away.
Emeritus was the first to head over to the circle. He peered down into it, and
after a moment his eyes widened slightly. But when he turned his head to look
at Cadence, a smile had appeared on his face.
“Come here, Ghuleh,” he said. “You’re going to like this little guy.”
Putting her grucifix pendant back on, the young acolyte obeyed, walked over
until she was standing right beside Papa, and looked into the circle with him.
Immediately, her eyes widened and a wide grin appeared on her face as she
gasped.
“It’s so cute!” she squealed.
Confusion showed on Alpha’s face underneath his mask. Cute? He watched as
Cadence bent down and picked up a tiny ball of white, brown, and black fur,
cradling it in her arms like a baby.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Alpha grumbled, speaking so that Papa wouldn’t
hear him.
Earth glanced at Alpha, overhearing him. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “It's just a
munchkin cat.”
“Exactly! The thing’s a freaking runt!”
Mist turned and raised her head to look at Alpha, folding her arms across her
chest as she glared at the Ghoul who practically towered over her.
“I prefer the term ‘funsized’,” she said, looking a little irritated with the
Fire Ghoul.
The calico kitten Cadence was holding slowly opened its eyes and groggily
lifted its head to look up at her. After a moment, it raised one tiny white paw
and placed it on her chin.
Cadence giggled. “Hi!” she whispered, petting the kitten's head with her thumb.
The tiny cat closed its big blue eyes and purred softly. After petting the
kitten a bit more she pulled her hand away and-
The kitten tapped her chin again with its tiny paw. “No! More head rubs!”
Cadence became startled when she suddenly heard a child-like voice in her head.
She looked down at the munchkin in her arms, eyes wide. “Was that… Was that
you?” she asked.
The kitten lowered its paw and nodded its head once.
Cadence looked over at Papa, amazed. The dark pope smiled back at her.
“You heard him talk?” he asked.
The young acolyte nodded her head in reply.
“Ask him his name.”
Cadence looked down at her familiar, who was staring at Emeritus. After a
moment, it turned its head to look back at her.
“Who’s the creepy guy over there?” it asked, tilting its head in Papa’s
direction.
Cadence giggled. “Papa? He’s not scary.”
“Looks pretty creepy to me.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.” Cadence rubbed the kitten’s head in small
circles for a moment. “Trust me. He’s actually really nice.” The tiny cat
stared at her in silence, possibly trying to believe her words. “So what’s your
name?” Cadence asked.
The kitten blinked and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“...Liam.”
“Liam.” Cadence repeated the name under her breath with a smile, then looked
over at Papa. “He said it’s ‘Liam’.”
Emeritus nodded its head, then met Cadence’s eyes. “He is the first of our
familiars that you will be able to communicate with,” he said. “Over time,
you’ll be able to communicate with all of them, but you’ll have the strongest
connection with Liam, since he is your own.” The dark pope then raised his arms
and clapped twice.
“This concludes the ritual. You may now all head back to your rooms.”
One by one, the Ghouls turned and headed for the double doors which led to the
main hallway, their familiars right by their side. Only Earth and Dahlia
remained where they were standing.
“Cadence, go with Earth. You are to stay with him.”
Emeritus watched as Cadence, still carrying Liam in her arms, immediately
obeyed his command and followed Earth and Dahlia as they hurried to catch up
with the others. When the doors finally closed behind them, Annali made her way
over to Papa.
“So it’s official now,” she said.
“Yes. I am proud of her.”
The siamese watched as Papa bent down and began to pick up the red candles from
off the floor. “You don’t think that kitten she’s summoned will be a burden, do
you?”
“Not at all,” Papa replied. “If rambunctious little Dahlia was able to become a
loyal familiar through her training, then I have no doubt that Liam could too.”
He stood up and carried the candles over to the altar.
“...Speaking of training,” Annali said. “When exactly does Cadence’s training
start?”
Papa put the candles down and looked into his familiar’s mismatched eyes.
“When?” He grabbed his mitre and placed it back onto his head. “Oh no. That
already started before we even brought her through those doors.”
Chapter End Notes
     Here's my tumblr account! Follow me if you want! https://
     spiritsoul698.tumblr.com/
***** Gone but Not Forgotten *****
The hallway was similar to the room in which the ritual had been held, just
with a lot more candles and a few overhead lights illuminating the area so that
it was easier to see. Except for the bell on Dahlia’s collar, it was completely
silent as Cadence followed the Ghouls, carrying Liam in her arms.
Before long, they all stopped at a door with a large, upside down, pale blue
triangle symbol painted onto it. Mist made her way over towards it, her
familiar following her, and opened the door. Before stepping inside, however,
she turned to look at Alpha.
“Hey, Alpha. Don’t forget we’re having that sparring match later,” she said,
smiling underneath her mask.
The Fire Ghoul smiled and gave Mist a thumbs up. “Right. Gotcha. I’ll be
there,” he said.
Mist nodded her head in acknowledgement, then turned to face Cadence as the
other Ghouls continued on without her.
“I’m glad that you decided to join us, Cadence,” the female Ghoul said. “It’s
nice to finally have another female acolyte inducted into the clergy.” She
paused for a moment and stared at her before turning to head into the room. “I
look forward to helping you with your training.”
Cadence watched as Mist closed the door before hurrying to catch up with the
others. After she returned to being at Earth’s side, Air turned to look at her.
“It would be best if you stayed close to us, sister,” he said. “You could get
lost fairly easily here if you don’t know the way.”
Cadence nodded. “O-okay,” she said.
Earth turned to look at Cadence as Air looked forward once more.
“He’s saying that because I got lost on my very first night here,” he said. He
looked down at Dahlia and smiled. “Because of this lil’ rascal.” The Ghoul then
stopped, bent down, and picked up the tiny tabby cat, petting her head as he
continued walking. “Nothing but a cute ball of mischief.” After a moment, he
stopped petting Dahlia, and the cat looked at Cadence and meowed.
Cadence glanced down at Dahlia before meeting Earth’s eyes again. “...What did
she say?” she asked.
Earth smiled at her. “She says it’s nice to see you again.”
Dahlia meowed again.
“And she thinks your eyes are pretty.”
The cat gave a third meow, this time looking up at Earth.
“...And she wants tuna.” Earth chuckled and rubbed Dahlia’s head again. “Don’t
worry, Dahlia. I’ll get you some later.”
“What about me?!”
Cadence looked down at Liam, who was looking at Earth. The calico kitten gave
another meow.
“I’m hungry too!”
Earth glanced at Liam for a moment. “What did he say?” he asked, looking back
at Cadence.
Cadence blinked. “...You can’t understand him, yet?”
Earth shook his head. “He’s still a new familiar. It’ll take a while for the
rest of us to be able to communicate with him, but not as long as it’ll take
you to communicate with all of ours, since we have a bit more experience.”
Cadence nodded, understanding what Earth was telling her. “He said he’s also
hungry,” she said.
“Then I’ll get him something as well once we get to my room.”
Cadence smiled, then looked down at Liam when he gave another meow. “He says
‘Thank you’,” she said, translating what her familiar had said for the Ghoul.
Earth nodded, and the two of them turned to face forward once again just as the
group arrived at another door. This one had a simple, upright, red-orange
triangle painted onto it. Cadence watched as Alpha talked to Water for a minute
then headed towards the door as the group continued on. But no sooner had they
all taken a couple steps, Cadence spoke up.
“...Hey, I have a question,” she said.
“Ask away,” Water said, smiling underneath his mask.
Cadence hesitated before asking her question. “So… if there’s an Alpha Ghoul…”
she said. “...is there also an Omega Ghoul?”
All of the Ghouls immediately stopped in their tracks and turned to look at
her. Startled by the look in their eyes, the young acolyte cautiously took a
step back.
Liam tilted his head and looked up at her. “I… don’t think you should’ve said
that,” he said, speaking quietly even though Cadence was the only one who could
understand him.
The Ghouls’ eyes lingered on Cadence for a moment longer before they all turned
to look at each other, uncertainty present on their faces. After a moment of
silence, Water turned to look back at her.
“W-well…” he said, speaking timidly. “...there used to…” He glanced over at Air
before meeting Cadence’s eyes again. “...but-”
“But we don’t mention him anymore!”
Everyone turned to see that Alpha was still standing in the hall with them, his
hand gripping the doorknob tightly even though he had already opened the door.
His eyes, which burned like embers, showed a complex mix of emotions as he
glared at Cadence.
“No one is to say a single word about him,” he declared, narrowing his eyes. He
then turned to face his room. “It’s just… it’s better that way.” The Fire Ghoul
hesitated for a moment before finally storming into his room, the bengal cat by
his side shooting a glare at Cadence before following him inside. As Cadence
watched them, she thought she saw a couple glowing embers blow past the doorway
into the hall.
Everyone cringed when Alpha slammed the door so hard that the entire hallway
seemed to shake for a moment from the loud noise. When the trembling finally
seemed to stop, Cadence looked over at the three remaining Ghouls. “What… what
was that about?” she asked.
Air closed his eyes and sighed as the group continued walking.
“Omega is… a bit of a sensitive topic around here,” he said, looking down at
Cadence. “He and Alpha were very close for the longest time. Then…” The Ghoul
paused and slowly took a breath. “...Then he started to distance himself from
everyone, until one night he just… disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” Cadence repeated.
“Well… not literally. He sort of just left without telling any of us where he
was going. He didn’t even tell Papa a single thing.” The Ghoul paused as Water
left the group and entered his room. After Water closed the door, Air pointed
at the mark on it, which was a dark blue ‘Q’-shaped symbol.
“That right there used to be Omega’s symbol. But when he left, Water was forced
to take his place, and then we brought Mist in to take Water’s place. We
thought it was just going to be a temporary change, but…” He sighed. “...it
wasn’t.”
The Ghoul turned and headed down the hall. Cadence glanced at Earth for a
moment before the two of them turned to follow him.
“...There was one time we overheard he had come back. He had been gone for
almost two months at that time. But when we all gathered in the sanctuary to
welcome him back, he wasn’t there. All we saw when we got there was Papa with
his back facing us. When we asked him what was going on, he turned around to
face us and…” Air abruptly stopped walking and his voice trailed off.
“...And?” Cadence asked, her voice now hushed.
Air remained silent and blinked rapidly a couple times before finishing his
sentence.
“His face...it… There was the most distraught look on his face I had ever seen
him make.”
Before long, the three of them arrived at a door with a gold, upside down
triangle symbol that had a horizontal line going through it.
Earth put Dahlia down onto the floor.
“This is my room, Cadence,” he said, his cheerfulness dampened slightly. He
walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing into the room. “C’mon. Let’s
just get inside.”
But Cadence didn’t listen to Earth. She kept her gaze focused on Air and
furrowed her brow. “What… happened?” she asked.
Air had his back facing her. “Papa didn’t say, but I do believe we all know
what happened to Omega on that night,” he said. The Ghoul glanced over his
shoulder to look Cadence in the eye.
“Papa banished him to another realm. For treason.”
Upon hearing Air’s answer, Cadence’s eyes widened slightly and, for some
reason, a part of her felt extremely saddened. She felt as if she had known
Omega, despite the fact that she could not recall any memory of actually
meeting him.
Air turned his head to look in front of him as he walked down the hall. “Just…
don’t mention him around Alpha or Papa, okay?” he sighed. “It’ll get them
upset, and none of us want that.”
Cadence watched as Air walked farther down the hall then disappeared around a
corner before she turned to face Earth. The two of them stared at each other,
neither of them knowing whether or not the be the first to speak. Even their
familiars were silent, staring up at them with worried and confused eyes.
“...I…” Cadence was the first to break the silence. “...I’m sorry I brought
that up, Earth.” She turned her head to look down the path they had gone. “I-
I didn’t mean to upset everyone… I just…”
Earth placed one hand on Cadence’s shoulder. “Don’t be,” he said. “It’s
alright. You didn’t know.”
Cadence turned to look back at Earth. “Were… were you and Omega close as well?”
she asked, taking care to keep her voice at a hushed tone.
The Ghoul sighed and tilted his head down, digging the heel of his shoe into
the carpeting on the floor. “Yeah,” he answered, nodding. “During the time
before he left us, we were just starting to become really good friends.” He
then lifted his head and gestured into the room again, attempting to smile
underneath his mask.
“...C’mon, let’s just try to forget about it.”
Cadence nodded and followed Earth into the room. Immediately upon entering, her
eyes widened, and after putting Liam down the young acolyte stared in awe as
she gaped at the sight before her. It was as if she had stepped into an
entirely different world. The entire “room” resembled a giant garden; trees,
bushes, flowering plants, and even a small, trickling stream underneath a vast,
star-filled sky (although, if Cadence looked hard enough, she could actually
make out the arches in the ceiling above her).
“...Did… did you do all of this?” she asked when she had finally found her
words again.
Earth beamed with pride underneath his mask, and after closing the door he made
his way over to Cadence and nodded his head in response. “...You like it?” he
asked.
“It’s… it’s beautiful! I’ve never seen anything like it before!”
Earth gave a small bow. “Thank you.” He watched as Dahlia began to scamper
around the large garden while Liam waddled over to the stream. “Each of our
rooms corresponds to element we represent. This was originally just one big
field of grass underneath a night sky, but once I got the hang of my powers I
managed to transform it into this garden.”
“Well, you certainly did an amazing job,” Cadence said, bending down to examine
some of the flowers. She reached out to gently caressed one of the petals with
her fingers, but stopped when she noticed the blood that was still running down
her hand.
Earth took notice of this as well and helped Cadence stand back up.
“Um… maybe we should take care of this wound before we do anything else,” he
said.
“O-okay.” Cadence nodded her head in response, and Earth led her over to the
stream, making her sit down on a large, flat rock.
“Wait here,” he said. “I’m going to get you some bandages. I won’t be long.”
Cadence watched Earth walk off, then turned to gaze at the many plants and the
flowing stream. However, the longer she continued to look around the room, the
more questions suddenly began to fill her mind. There were no beds. Where was
she going to sleep? There weren’t any other doors in the room that could
possibly lead to a bathroom. Where was she going to bathe? In the stream? She
hoped not. There didn’t seem to be any way to get some sort of privacy for
that, not to mention that the water looked really shallow.
Her thoughts were cut off when she suddenly noticed some things that appeared
to be man-made near the far end of the room. There was a large drum kit, a
music stand, and a black cabinet with multiple drawers. They looked rather out-
of-place amongst the flowers, trees, and bushes.
“Cadeeeeence!”
Cadence looked over towards Liam upon hearing her name being called.
“Every time I look into the water, there’s another cat staring right back at
me! I think he’s following me!” He peered into the water again. “See? Now he’s
here too!”
Cadence giggled. Clearly Liam didn’t know a thing about reflections, yet.
“Dahlia! Give those back!”
Cadence turned just in time to see Dahlia scamper past her with the roll of
bandages, Earth in pursuit with something tucked underneath one arm.
The tabby cat stopped near one of the rocks and began to paw at the bandages
after putting down the roll, playing with it as if it were a toy.
Earth laughed as he knelt down beside his familiar, placing the briefcase-like
object down next to him. “It’s not playtime right now!” he said, smiling as he
reached out and took the roll away from the kitten. “Seriously, Dahlia, I need
these.”
The tabby looked up at him, blinked, and gave a quiet meow. Earth gave another
quiet laugh and scratched Dahlia behind the ears for a moment before making his
way over to Cadence.
The Ghoul took his time carefully washing the wound with the water from the
stream, then slowly wrapped the bandages around her hand. After wrapping it a
couple times, he looked up at Cadence. “That’s not too tight?” he asked.
Cadence shook her head. “No, it’s fine,” she said.
Earth nodded his head in acknowledgment, then tore the roll away. He then put
the bandages down and made his way over to the large briefcase he had set down
earlier. Opening it, he took out a wooden board, a small bowl, and a couple
items that looked like they belonged in a kitchen for cooking.
“What’s all that?” Cadence asked, confused and intrigued at the same time.
Earth closed the briefcase and looked at her.
“I’m going to make you something that will help the wound heal faster,” he
answered.
Cadence blinked. “You’re making Remedium pills?” she asked.
“Well, kind of.” Earth stood up and made his way over to some of the flowering
plants. “It’s going to be like a liquid form of the drug, but with more natural
ingredients.” He then reached out and began to pluck some of the petals off of
one of the flowers.
“It will take some time, however,” he added.
“It’s fine.” Cadence laid down onto the flat rock, suddenly finding it
surprisingly comfortable. “I can wait.” She smiled as she listened to the
flowing of the stream, finding the quiet rather soothing. But after a moment,
she suddenly felt the urge to ask another question. “H-hey, Earth?”
“Yes?”
Cadence hesitated for a moment. “What… what about Aether?”
Earth stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. “...What do you
mean?” he asked.
“Is there still an Aether ghoul?”
Earth remained silent for a minute and looked down at the flower petals in his
hand. After a moment, he took a shaky breath.
“N-no,” he sighed. “Aether and Omega are the same ghoul.”
“Oh…” Cadence’s smile disappeared, and she gave a quiet sigh. “Okay then…”
Silence soon fell between the two of them, and even though the young acolyte
did not feel the least bit tired, she suddenly found her eyes closing, and
before long she was in a deep, peaceful sleep.
----------
The woman in front of Cadence was curled up into a ball, hugging her legs close
to her body with her back facing her. The young acolyte could hear quiet sobs
coming from her.
“...What’s wrong?” Cadence asked, timidly taking a step forward.
The woman turned her head and shot a glare at Cadence, tears streaming down her
face. The bangs of her black hair fell messily over her forehead, and did
little to obscure her lavender eyes.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?!” She yelled, standing up. “I loved him and now
he’s gone!”
Cadence blinked. “...W-who?” she asked, lowering her voice a tad.
The woman gave a frustrated sigh. “What are you, stupid?” she asked. “Aether!
Omega! I loved him, and he loved me back! He was my everything, and now I have
nothing!” Her hands balled up into fists as she continued to glare at Cadence.
“You’re me, therefore he was your everything too, right? So why aren’t you
crying when you should be?!”
The young acolyte tried to come up with a response, but she did not have an
answer.
***** Sanguineum *****
Papa had arrived with Annali not long after Earth finished making the potion.
After engaging in a bit of small talk with the two of them, he led them out of
the room and down the hall to a door which had a silver upright triangle symbol
with a horizontal line going through it. After arriving, the dark pope walked
towards the door, tugging at the cuffs of the sleeves on his black suit.
“Air is going to help you with the first part of your training, Cadence,” he
said, placing one hand on the doorknob. “He knows that we’re coming, so we can
just walk right in.”
Cadence nodded her head in acknowledgement, taking a moment to rub her left
palm, which had recently healed and no longer had a bandage on it, with her
right thumb. She glanced over at Earth momentarily, who was holding a small
glass bottle with a bright red liquid inside - the healing potion she had taken
earlier.
She turned to face forward once more when she heard Papa open the door to Air’s
room, and the three of them all stepped inside; their familiars staying close
beside them.
When Cadence stepped into the room, she was both awed and confused at the same
time. The interior of the room resembled a log cabin, complete with a bed, a
few chairs, a fireplace, and a small piano that was tucked away into a corner.
She glanced over at Earth again.
“I thought you said the rooms correspond to your elements,” she said.
“They do,” the Ghoul replied while dragging Dahlia away from a large bowl of
cat food that was near the fireplace. “But Air’s room is a bit different.
There's more to it than just this.”
Papa hummed as he looked around the room, finding no sign of Air. “...Perhaps
he is outside…” he mumbled. His eyes stopped roaming when he suddenly spotted
Air’s familiar, who was lying on top of the small bookcase, watching all of
them. It was a massive silver maine coon with bright green eyes.
Emeritus smiled. “Azrael, would you take us to Air, please?” he asked,
addressing the cat by its name.
The cat blinked slowly before getting off the bookcase and onto the floor. He
led them to a large, wide opening in the back wall, which gave the impression
that it was meant to be another doorway but was missing a door.
Everyone followed Azrael out of the room, and once Cadence stepped outside she
was once more filled with awe upon seeing the change in scenery. Now the room
gave the impression that they were outside, surrounded by a vast, flat, grassy
terrain. There were massive mountains in the distance with snowy peaks, as well
as a large, towering tree without any leaves on a single branch.
And a few yards away from this giant tree was Air, sitting on the ground with
his legs crossed and his back facing the group.
“Just where I thought he’d be,” Papa muttered after giving a quiet chuckle.
Azrael made his way over to Air and sat down beside him. He meowed once, and
the Ghoul turned his head to look at him. Air reached out and scratched the
cat’s chin for a moment before he stood up and turned to face the group.
“Hello Papa...Earth...Cadence.” Air gave a bow to each of the persons as he
addressed them, and they each bowed back to him in return. He met Cadence’s
eyes as she came up from her bow. “I assume Earth has been treating you well,
sister?” he asked.
Cadence nodded her head. “Yes, he has,” she answered. She glanced over at Earth
and smiled. “He's making me feel right at home.”
Earth smiled, averted his eyes and blushed slightly.
“That’s good,” Air said with a smile. He then glanced over at Papa, who met the
Ghoul’s eyes and gave him a nod of approval. After nodding his head in
acknowledgement, Air looked back at Cadence.
“Alright, so… first part of your training…” Air clasped his hands behind his
back and began to pace back and forth in front of Cadence.
“There will be many obstacles which you will have to face, Cadence,” he said,
not making eye contact with her. “Some, you will be able to avoid with ease.
Others, you may need our help to get past.”
The Ghoul then suddenly stopped walking, his back facing the giant tree. “But
what if you're suddenly faced with a dangerous obstacle that threatens to harm
you and you're on your own?”
Cadence’s smile disappeared when she heard Air’s rhetorical question. What
exactly did he mean by “dangerous obstacles”?
“If that's the case…” Air unclasped his hands and held them up in front of him
as if he were holding something. “...then you'll need a weapon.” He slowly
moved one arm so that it looked like he was pulling something back, then said
in a loud voice “Qui vocat vos!”
Immediately, an intricate silver and pale blue bow materialized in his hands
out of thin air, an arrow already drawn. The Ghoul then turned around to face
the tree and released the arrow in one swift motion, sending it flying until it
hit the direct center of a small target that had been hanging on one of the
branches.
Cadence stared at the arrow, her eyes wide with amazement at what she had just
witnessed. “Whoa…” she whispered.
“Again!” Liam meowed, excitement filling his voice. “Do it again!”
Cadence wasn’t sure if Air was able to understand Liam yet, but nevertheless
she watched as the Ghoul summoned another arrow and fired, hitting the bull's-
eye once again with deadly accuracy. He then summoned an arrow a third time,
which split the first arrow cleanly in two after he fired.
Everyone applauded Air after he finally lowered his bow. The Ghoul turned to
face the three of them and gave a bow to show his thanks for the praise he was
receiving. After coming back up from the bow, he turned to look at Cadence.
“And now, sister, we are going to help you summon yours.” Air held up one hand
and motioned for Cadence to come forward.
The young acolyte obeyed, and walked over to Air, making her way over until she
was standing beside him.
“Now, in order to do this correctly, you are going to need to hold something of
your element in your hand and speak the Latin phrase that I had said earlier.
You remember what I said?”
Cadence nodded her head. “I think so…” she said. She then paused and tried to
remember the phrase. “‘Qui vocat vos’, right?”
Air nodded his head in response.
“...What exactly does that mean?”
“When roughly translated into English, it means ‘I summon you’,” the Ghoul
answered. He looked down at the bow in his hand. “Our weapons have names as
well,” he added. “Mine is called ‘Ventus’.” Air then put his bow down onto the
ground and stood back up. “I can summon it no matter where I am, since there's
air everywhere.” His smile suddenly disappeared. “But in your case...” The
Ghoul paused and turned to look at her, glancing at her neck for a moment.
“...you need blood. And the summoning will only work with your blood.”
Cadence’s smile disappeared, worry showing in her eyes. “...Then… h-how will I
be able to summon my weapon?” she asked.
Air sighed and lowered his head, averting his eyes. “I’m sorry. You won’t want
to do this, but…” He glanced back at Cadence. “...you’re going to have to cut
your hand. With a knife.”
Cadence flinched upon hearing the word “knife”, and she furrowed her brow even
more. “And...there’s… no other way?” she asked, her voice hushed.
Air shook his head. “No. I'm sorry.”
Papa walked over to Cadence, reached into his suit jacket, and pulled out his
black dagger.
“Here, Ghuleh,” he said, placing the knife into Cadence’s right hand. “You can
borrow Requiem for this.”
Cadence stared at the dagger with nervous eyes. Her hands shook as she took the
knife from Papa and gripped it tightly. After taking a shaky breath, she bit
down on her lower lip and positioned the blade at her left palm. She winced
upon feeling how sharp and cold the blade was, and suddenly began to recall the
night she had killed Lizzie, Edgar, and Vlad on Opulence Street…
Papa’s smile disappeared, and his brow furrowed slightly with concern. “...Want
me to help you, Cadence?” he asked, reaching out towards Cadence’s right wrist.
“I could-”
“N-no! I’ll do it!”
Cadence surprised both herself and Emeritus with her outburst. Nevertheless,
she quickly calmed down and positioned Requiem as Papa stepped back. Closing
her eyes, she pressed the edge of the blade into her skin and slashed it in one
swift motion. She immediately winced from the stinging pain and dropped the
knife, her now-empty right hand clutching her left wrist as blood seeped out of
the fresh wound. She shut her eyes tightly and her body trembled as she tried
to control her breathing.
“Now, Cadence,” Air said. “Say it.”
Cadence winced again, but nodded her head in acknowledgement.
“Q-q-qui...vocat vos…” she stuttered.
For a moment, she felt nothing - just the stinging pain in her hand. But after
a while, she felt something metallic form in her hand, and she closed her
fingers around it. Cadence slowly opened her eyes, which widened upon seeing
that a sword had suddenly appeared in her hand.
Earth immediately hurried over to Cadence and handed her the potion bottle
before she got the chance to admire the sword for very long. She took a sip of
the red drink, allowing the fresh cut on her palm to quickly heal up. After
thanking the Ghoul and handing the bottle back to him, she took the time to
observe the weapon she was holding. The sword had a long, silver blade and a
black and maroon hilt with a bright red stone in the middle of the crossguard.
Air also took a moment to observe Cadence’s weapon before he turned to look at
Emeritus.
“...Papa?” he asked. “Isn’t that...Sanguineum?”
The pope glanced at the sword and hummed in thought for a brief moment.
“If the memories serve me correct…” Papa paused again, then nodded his head.
“Yes, Air. I do believe that is the same weapon.”
The Ghoul’s eyes now showed confusion.
“But… that shouldn’t be the case, right?” he asked. “Why does she have the
exact same weapon as Ker-”
Papa took a sharp intake of breath and abruptly held up his index finger,
silencing Air with the look in his glowering eyes before the Ghoul could finish
his sentence.
“Don’t. Say. Anything about that era. Let alone the one before,” he hissed,
staying quiet to ensure that Cadence wouldn’t overhear him. “Not yet. It isn’t
time for her to know.”
Cadence continued to observe the sword in her hands, turning it over and over
as she watched the dim light flicker off of the blade.
“Sanguineum…” She whispered the name of the weapon to herself with a smile on
her face.
However, after a moment, the girl’s smile disappeared, and she repeated the
name once more.
Sanguineum.
Strange...Why did that sound familiar to her?
The young acolyte did not have much time to ponder this before she suddenly
felt her head begin to pound. She gasped from the splitting headache and
dropped the sword, clutching herself as a wave of nausea suddenly spread
through her.
Papa gasped when he saw Cadence collapse onto the ground and rushed over to
her, Earth and Air following him close behind. He knelt down beside her.
“Cadence, are you alright?!” He reached out and grabbed her hand, gripping it
tightly as he tore the mask away from her face.
“I-I… don’t know…” she groaned. “This… hasn't…!” She suddenly stopped talking,
and her face contorted in pain as she struggled to breathe.
Emeritus placed a hand on Cadence’s forehead. It felt like she was burning. He
looked at the two Ghouls, panic clearly present in his mismatched eyes.
“Earth, get her some water,” he commanded. “Now. And hurry.”
The Ghoul nodded and hurried out of the room with Dahlia close behind him.
“Air, get something to cool her off. A fan, anything. It doesn’t matter.”
Papa watched as Air headed out of the room with Azrael, then turned to look
down at Liam, who was gazing back at him with large, worried eyes. The calico
kitten gave a quiet meow, and Emeritus reached out to gently pet him.
“She’s going to be alright, Liam,” he whispered. “Don’t worry. She’s going to
be alright. I’ll make sure of it.” He rubbed the kitten’s head for a moment
before he took his hand off of Liam and turned back towards Cadence.
“What are you going to do?”
Papa turned to look at Annali, who was at his left. He sighed and shook his
head. “The most I can do is wait and hope for the best. I don’t know what...”
His voice trailed off, and after a moment he turned Cadence’s head so that she
faced him. “Ghuleh, please...open your eyes if you can hear me...” he
whispered.
Cadence obeyed the command and opened her eyes. But when she did, she no longer
found herself in Air’s room with Emeritus in front of her.
She was now in a long corridor that was filled with smoke and flames. A male
angel with shaggy brown hair, a yellow and white outfit, and golden eyes was
looking down at her, a wicked grin on his face.
***** Burns *****
The angel gave a quiet laugh as he stared at her.
“Well, well, well…” he said. “It looks like Papa’s little Blood Warrior isn’t
all she’s cracked up to be.” A smirk appeared on his face as he pointed the
small green jewel of his staff at her. “Pity. I was expecting a lot more from
the former Countess.”
It was at that moment that Cadence suddenly felt hatred beginning to burn
inside her, the feeling almost matching the intensity of the heat of the flames
surrounding them. She gritted her teeth and grabbed Sanguineum from off the
floor, swinging the blade at the angel as she stood back up, wincing from
injuries on her body that had not been there before. The angel merely took a
step back, avoiding her attack.
Just then, a name suddenly came to mind, and Cadence opened her mouth to speak.
However, when she did, her voice did not sound like her own. It sounded like
that of a slightly older woman.
“You and your traitorous brothers will not get away with this, Raphael!” she
yelled. “Infestissumam may be crumbling, but it will not fall by your hands!”
“Maybe not.” Raphael pointed his staff at her once more; the jewel beginning to
shine brightly. “But you will.” He backed up a couple more steps, then swung
his staff horizontally, sending a green blast of magic towards her.
Cadence turned to avoid the blast of magic, then ran at the angel with her
sword raised. She swung the blade at him over and over, but he deflected every
single attack with his staff.
She became more and more visibly frustrated with every blow that failed to land
on Raphael, and after having yet another attack deflected, she lunged forward
with the blade pointed at him. Raphael turned his body to the side to dodge her
attack, then knocked her down with a hard kick to the chest as she turned to
strike him again.
Raphael sneered as he watched her get back up, enjoying the look of pure anger
in her eyes.
“That was practically identical to the way you tried to attack me earlier, and
now look - the exact same result occurred.” His golden eyes narrowed as his
grin widened. “Have the Ghouls taught you nothing, Kerstin?” he asked. The
angel then raised his staff again and prepared to fire another spell.
Gritting her teeth, Cadence placed the blade of her sword against an already-
bleeding cut on her left arm and sliced downward, further deepening the wound,
which in turn caused more blood to gush out.
“Come and find out for yourself,” she answered, narrowing her eyes.
The angel’s smile disappeared, and he raised an eyebrow. He stared at her for a
moment, possibly contemplating what she had just commanded of him. But before
long, his grip on his staff tightened and he swung it again, launching another
blast of magic at her.
As the green blast of magic came closer, Cadence held up the arm she had just
cut in order to defend herself, but the action was not done out of fear. The
blast hit her and surrounded Cadence with smoke for only a moment. When it
cleared, however, the young acolyte was still standing, but now with a small,
crimson shield attached to her arm where she had cut it.
Raphael continued to fire off more blasts of magic as Cadence strode over
towards him, but she only knocked them out of her way with the shield as she
came closer, a confident smile on her face.
Eventually, she felt brave, and ran in Raphael’s direction. The angel’s staff
glowed a red-orange color as he stuck the jewel into some nearby flames, then
swung in a wide, horizontal arc, creating a wave of fire that was sent in her
direction. But Cadence jumped up and over the fire and the angel, slashing a
painting of a woman in a garden that was still hanging on the wall; the
diagonal slash going right across the woman's body.
As Cadence landed back onto the ground, her back facing Raphael, she plunged
Sanguineum into the ground and closed her eyes. Immediately, the bright red
stone in the sword began to glow, and before long, blood gushed forth from the
slash she had made in the painting. The liquid landed on and around Raphael,
covering him and the floor underneath his feet in red. The angel barely had any
time to react before Cadence snapped her fingers, and bright red crystals
sprung up from the blood, trapping him in place so that he couldn't move his
legs or the arm which held the staff.
Cadence smirked as she stood up, pulling her sword out of the ground. “Still
think I haven't learned anything?”
she asked in a taunting voice, keeping her head forward. The shield on her arm
disappeared. “Try and get yourself out of that.”
At that moment, a plethora of thoughts entered the young acolyte’s mind:
Get out. Don't stay here. Find Emeritus. Find Aether. The Ghouls need you. Help
them fight.
Without turning to look back, Cadence sighed and began to walk forward, her
eyes focused on the large window in front of her at the end of the hallway.
“Watch me.”
Cadence abruptly stopped in her tracks upon hearing Raphael's menacing tone,
and turned just in time to see him shatter the blood crystals into hundreds of
pieces. She covered her eyes with her arm to protect them from the tiny, sharp
projectiles, lowering her arm only once she was sure it was safe to.
Her eyes widened when she saw Raphael holding the chains that had been wrapped
around his arms earlier. He flicked his wrists, and the chains grew in length
as the ends were sent flying towards her.
Panic suddenly flowed through her mind, and she gripped Sanguineum tightly in
both hands. She swung the blade at the chains, beating them back repeatedly as
she tried to fend them off. Her eyes were wide with fear.
“Not again,” her mind screamed. “No, not again… Don't let it happen again…!”
But she missed one of the chains, and the cold metal wrapped around her legs
and pulled her to the floor; the second chain quickly knocking Sanguineum out
of her hands and holding down her arms soon after.
As she hit the ground, Cadence noticed a cracked mirror beside her, and she
turned to glance at her reflection. Her face looked completely different- she
looked slightly older, about in her early to mid-twenties, with messy black
hair. The only thing that seemed unchanged were her eyes, which were still
their same bright purple color.
Raphael knelt down beside her and gripped her hair tightly, keeping her head
faced towards the mirror.
“Take a good long look at yourself, Kerstin,” he said, a wicked grin back on
his face. He once more stuck the jewel that was on his staff into the flames.
“Because it's the last thing you'll ever see.”
Cadence’s eyes widened as she watched what was happening in the mirror. Raphael
took the end of his staff out of the flames, and, without warning, pressed the
searing hot gem against her eyes. She screamed in complete agony as the flames
and heat scorched her skin and eyes similar to how metal is welded together.
Her body tensed up, and she tried to break the chains that were constricting
her, but they didn't let go until Raphael finally took the jewel off her.
She tried to open her eyes. She couldn't. They hurt too much. Her trembling
hands moved to her face as she attempted to catch her breath.
Raphael released his grip on her hair. “How does it feel, Kerstin?” he hissed.
“How does it feel to be vulnerable? To be completely and utterly helpless?”
Cadence gasped when Raphael sharply kicked her, the force of the blow rolling
her over. She fumbled for something in the darkness to grab hold of, but could
feel nothing except the floor.
“Listen to me, Ghuleh!”
Cadence immediately stopped as soon as she heard Papa’s voice pierce the sudden
silence that had fallen.
“Listen to me! Focus only on my voice. You're not there! You’re here, in
Meliora!”
“Meliora…” Cadence murmured, repeated what she had heard. Her voice sounded
like her own once more. “Meliora…”
Memories of the earlier training session with Air suddenly came flooding back
to her, and before long she no longer smelled the smoke nor felt the heat of
the flames. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and found herself back in Air’s
room.
Slowly, the young acolyte took in her surroundings. Papa was holding her, Air
was fanning her with a small paper fan, and Earth was holding a wet rag and
some water.
“...Are you alright, Cadence?” Papa asked.
Air stopped fanning Cadence when she bolted upright, gasping for a breath.
“Wh-...wha-... How?!” She still felt a bit dizzy, and was struggling to form
actual sentences.
Emeritus looked over at Earth. “Earth, give her the water.”
The Ghoul knelt down beside Cadence and handed her the cup of water he had been
holding. She took it in her hands and proceeded to drink it slowly, taking
small sips.
“Are you okay?” Earth asked. “Do you need the healing potion?”
Cadence put the cup down and shook her head. “N-no, I…” She suddenly stopped
herself, and she touched the area around her eyes with one hand. When Emeritus
placed his hand on top of hers, she stopped and turned to look at him.
“Your eyes are fine,” Papa said, taking her hand off her face. “None of what
you saw or felt was real. You were just hallucinating.”
Cadence stared at the dark pope for a minute longer before she finally nodded
her head. “O-...okay,” she said.
Papa helped Cadence stand up, and waited until she had finished the water
before speaking up again.
“Should I go tell Mist to postpone the next part of your training until later
tonight?” he asked.
Cadence shook her head. “N-no, I…” She walked over to where she had dropped
Sanguineum and picked it up. “...I'm sure I'll be fine.”
Emeritus nodded his head in acknowledgement, then watched as Cadence scooped
Liam up into her arms. She took a moment to thank Air for the training, then
followed him towards the door. But after a moment, he stopped and turned to
face Earth, who wasn't following them.
“Want to come and watch, Earth?” he asked.
Earth lowered his head. “If… if it's alright with you, Papa… I'd… like to talk
with Air for a bit…” the Ghoul said, his voice hushed.
Emeritus nodded. “Very well then. I'll see you both later.” He then turned and
led Cadence out of the room.
Air turned to face Earth after the door had finally closed. “What’s wrong,
brother?” he asked.
Earth sighed, keeping his head down. “I'm just… worried,” he answered.
***** Opposites Attract *****
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
Cadence gave a sigh and met Emeritus’ eyes. “For the eighth time, Papa: yes,
I’m fine,” she said. A smile appeared on her face. “Really, it was just one
hallucination. Don’t be so worried about me.” She held up Sanguineum. “I’ll be
able to do this.”
Papa gave a quiet sigh and nodded his head before he turned and continued down
the hall with her. He mumbled something, but Cadence didn’t hear what he said.
Before long, the two of them arrived at a pair of double doors. When Emeritus
opened them, they were faced with another long corridor, but, unlike all the
other halls she had been through so far, this one had a grey stone floor. It
also seemed to slant downward slightly.
Cadence followed Emeritus down this new path. Despite how dark it was, her eyes
quickly adjusted, and before long she could see rather well. However, there
wasn't really much to see, anyway- the stone walls were the exact same color as
the floor, with no decorations to be seen.
She returned to focusing on what was in front of her when she suddenly noticed
a dark silhouette coming towards her and Papa. She tensed up slightly and
stopped in her tracks, but quickly calmed down when she realized that it was
just one of the Ghouls.
The masked being stopped and turned to face Emeritus.
“Hello Papa,” he said, giving a bow.
Papa smiled back. “Hello Alpha.” The dark pope clasped his hands behind his
back. “I assume your sparring match with Mist went well?”
“Yep.” The Ghoul closed his eyes and stretched his arm for a moment, and
Cadence momentarily took the time to notice that he had an identical half of a
broken heart tattoo on each hand near the thumb. “I gotta say, she put up quite
the fight.”
Emeritus raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t hold back, did you?” he asked.
Alpha finished stretching and rolled his eyes after lowering his arm. “Pfft. No
way! I obviously gave it my all.”
A smile reappeared on Papa’s face. “That’s good. I expect nothing less from
you, Alpha,” he said.
“And I can assure you that you will get that,” the Ghoul replied, giving
another bow. When he returned to a fully upright position, Alpha finally
noticed Cadence and turned to look at her.
Cadence, surprised by the sudden silence that had fallen, averted her eyes for
a moment. “...H-hi Alpha,” she said, smiling with a sheepish look on her face.
The Fire Ghoul, however, no longer gave the same smile he had exchanged with
Papa. The look in his eyes was one of vexation as he looked down at her. He
stared at Cadence in silence for a moment before he turned and walked towards
the double doors. The bengal cat that had been following him stopped and turned
to glare at Cadence; its chartreuse eyes glowing in the darkness.
“C’mon, Espen,” Alpha grumbled. “She’s not worth our time.”
Papa watched as Espen followed Alpha out into the main hall, the large double
doors closing behind them with a dull “thud”. When all was quiet once more, he
turned to look at Cadence, who was no longer smiling and had her head lowered.
“...Ghuleh?” he said. “Might I ask what that was about?”
Cadence sighed and leaned against the wall. “...Nothing. He’s just ticked off
because I accidentally mentioned Ome-”
“‘He who shall not be mentioned in front of Alpha or Papa’!” Liam said, tapping
her leg with his tiny white paw. “Remember?”
Cadence’s eyes widened slightly, realizing the mistake she nearly made. She
turned to look at Papa. He looked a little confused, but thankfully he wasn’t
upset like she thought he’d be. Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, she walked
away from the wall. “Nevermind,” she said. “It’s nothing.”
Emeritus stared at her for a moment before nodding his head. “Alright then.” He
then turned and continued down the hall, Annali right by his side. Cadence and
Liam followed a few steps behind. They all continued down the long hallway
until they finally arrived at an opening which led into a much larger room.
Well, “large” was a bit of an understatement.
The room was gigantic. It seemed to resemble an arena of sorts, with a domed
ceiling and a vast stone floor. There were even some seats for an audience.
Cadence’s moment of awe was interrupted when she noticed a cat walking towards
her. It was a fluffy ragdoll cat, with pale blue eyes, and white fur covering
most of its body. Silvery grey fur covered its head from the tips of its ears
to its upper eyelids, making the cat look like it was wearing a mask.
“Is she here, Winter?”
The cat turned her head as Mist walked over towards her. The female Ghoul then
took notice of Papa and Cadence and gave a bow to each of them.
“Hello, Cadence,” she said after coming up from her bow. “Are you ready to
begin this next part of your training?”
Cadence gripped Sanguineum while nodding her head in reply, and for the first
time she took notice of the black and silver bracelets that Mist was wearing on
her arms.
****
“Here, Earth. Sit down.”
Earth walked over to the yoga mat Air had laid out for him. Closing his eyes,
he took a deep breath to calm himself as he sat down on it. Air walked over to
the smaller Ghoul and knelt down beside him. The room was currently quiet, as
Earth had requested that Dahlia return to his room and wait for him, and Azrael
never bothered to much of anything unless Air gave him a command, so the maine
coon wouldn’t be much of a bother.
“...You sure you want to go through with this?” Air asked. “You don’t want to
just tell me what’s wrong?”
Earth opened his eyes and shook his head. “No. My emotions will get the better
of me if I do, and…” He paused, then chuckled for a moment. “...you remember
what occurred the last time that happened?”
Air laughed with him. “Yeah, I don’t think Papa would really appreciate it if
you caused another minor earthquake again,” he said. The taller Ghoul then
stopped laughing, and concern returned to his voice. “You need anything else
before this starts?” he asked.
“No thanks. I’m good.”
Air nodded his head in acknowledgement, then gave a sigh. “Okay then.” He
slowly reached out towards Earth and placed his hands on the top and bottom of
Earth’s mask. “I...I’m going to take your mask off now, brother.”
Earth took another deep breath and kept his eyes locked on the taller Ghoul in
front of him. Air hesitated for a moment before he began to slowly pull the
silver mask off of him, gently placing it next to him onto the mat once the
task was complete.
Air stared at the smaller Ghoul’s face in silence. There were very few times
where they, as Ghouls, were able to take off their masks. It was strongly
advised against to do so in the presence of citizens, as well as other certain
members of the clergy like the nuns (more commonly referred to as “Sisters of
Sin”). It was especially discouraged to remove them when in the presence of
Adela, known to them and often addressed by the clergy members as “Sister
Imperator”, who saw each and every one of them as nobodies; beings that were
devoid of thought and whose only purpose was to help Emeritus spread the unholy
word.
But each one of them was someone. They all had identities, personalities, and
thoughts. Each and every one of them was unique, just like the element they
represented.
Slowly, Air reached out his hands towards Earth’s head.
“W-wait.”
The taller Ghoul abruptly stopped when Earth broke the silence and met his
eyes.
“I… I want to see your face too, brother,” Earth said.
Air nodded, then proceeded to take off his own mask, placing it right next to
Earth’s when he was done. Afterwards, he placed his hands on the sides of
Earth’s head.
“This will hurt.”
“I know.” Earth tried to sound confident, but the slight shakiness of his voice
hinted that he was actually a little scared. “Just… just do it, Air.”
“Alright.” Air gave a sigh and hesitated once again, but soon pressed a little
more firmly against the sides of Earth’s head with the tips of his fingers,
maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. He controlled his breathing
to a slow pace, and soon a plethora of thoughts entered his mind.
But they were not his own thoughts.
They were Earth’s thoughts.
Earth kept his eyes locked on Air’s as the taller Ghoul used his mind-reading
power on him. He tried to control his breathing and keep his voice down, but
the pain he could feel in his head was increasing with each passing moment,
making the task more difficult as time went on. His hands clenched into fists,
and he bit down on his lip as a small sound of pain left him. He wanted to shut
his eyes, but a voice in the back of his mind continued to remind him to keep
them open. If the connection between them was abruptly cut off, via blinking or
moving his head to break eye contact, it could end up hurting Air, and Earth
didn't want that to happen.
His eyes stung, and tears were beginning to form, but the Ghoul didn't dare to
blink until Air had finally taken his hands off of him and closed his eyes. He
blinked rapidly as he watched the taller Ghoul, waiting to hear what he had to
say.
“...I see,” Air said, breaking the silence. He opened his eyes and looked down
at Earth. “You're worried that you won’t be good enough to help Cadence.”
Earth lowered his head and nodded. “Yes,” he answered. “And although you told
her to not be worried about doing well at performing her duties as an
acolyte... you're finding it difficult to follow your own advice.” Air paused
again. “Is that correct?”
“Y-...yes.” Earth nodded his head again, a little quicker than he had intended.
“That’s…”
The Ghoul could feel a sudden wave of anxiety rush through him, and before he
could let Air notice his nervousness, he turned away from the taller Ghoul and
began to wave his hands to make a flower grow out of the ground. He didn’t care
what kind of flower he would make, all things of nature, whether it was a
flowing stream, a flowering tree, or a vast grassy field, seemed to calm him
and take his mind off of whatever was bothering him.
His eyes glanced downward when the plant broke through the soil and grew
upward. The bud at the end soon broke open, unfurling the tiny, pale blue
petals that had been trapped inside. The small Ghoul smiled and continued to
move his hands upwards as if to command the tiny flower (a forget-me-not, he
noticed) to grow so high it would touch the ceiling.
But just as the tiny flower continued its ascent, it stopped. The plant
trembled for a moment before it slowly bent downward and wilted, unable to go
on. Earth jerked his hands back and uttered a small cry of surprise as the
flower crumbled into a pile brown powder on the floor. His eyes went back and
forth between the palms of his hands and where the flower had been just moments
ago.
“Earth.”
Air placed a hand on Earth’s shoulder, and the smaller Ghoul turned his head to
look at him.
“It’s going to be alright, Earth,” he said. “It’s going to be alright.”
“...You sure?” Earth asked, his voice hushed.
Air smiled warmly and took Earth’s hand.
“Would I ever lie to you?” he asked.
Earth smiled at him, and a moment of silence passed between them before Air let
go of Earth’s hand and wrapped his arms around the smaller Ghoul, pulling him
in so that Earth was seated in his lap. He placed one hand on the back of
Earth’s head and closed his eyes as he slowly leaned forward.
Earth closed his eyes and leaned forward as well. He felt the scruffiness of
Air’s slight stubble on his chin as he kissed him. He loved that feeling.
Air lazily rubbed Earth’s back, deeply inhaling the smaller Ghoul’s scent
through his nose as the kiss deepened. He smelled of evergreen. There was the
faint taste of honey in his mouth, which was warm and inviting. He loved it. He
loved it all- everything about the small drummer Ghoul. Air loved his looks,
his scent, his bubbly cheerfulness when he played the drums, his shyness, and
all of his various other talents.
Yes, they were both males. Yes, they were elemental opposites, but none of that
mattered.
The kiss broke, and before another word was spoken between the two of them,
Earth tore at the buttons on his top, exposing his bare chest to Air. The
taller Ghoul helped him remove his shirt, then began planting kisses all over
his pale skin.
Earth whimpered when Air placed a kiss mere millimeters from the yellowish-
brown triangular mark that was just a little bit below his left nipple - his
sigil, which looked exactly the same as the symbol that was highlighted on his
suit.
Air stared at the mark for a moment, then lightly brushed his thumb against it.
He smiled when Earth whimpered again, a little louder this time, then began to
rub it in circles while swirling his tongue over the nipple above it.
The small Ghoul continued to make little sounds of pleasure as Air continued to
lick, suck, and sometimes even nip at his flesh with his teeth. He dug his
nails into Air’s back, and before long, the taller Ghoul had laid him down onto
the mat. The drummer arched his back and began to move his hips, rubbing
himself against Air’s lower body. He sucked in a breath upon feeling the
friction against his hardening cock.
“...Air, please,” he whispered, begging with his eyes.
Air knew exactly what Earth wanted. Smiling, he sat back up and undid the
smaller Ghoul’s trousers, pulling down his boxers along with them so that his
length was exposed. The taller Ghoul then moved his hands to his own pants,
where he undid the button and zipper before pulling them down to expose his own
cock.
Earth bit down on his lower lip when his eyes fell upon Air’s length. It was
big - both in terms of length and girth. But on top of that, there were silver
piercings decorating the shaft.
Air made eye contact with the smaller Ghoul as he reached out one hand and
wrapped his fingers around both their arousals. He slowly stroked them up and
down in his palm, not once breaking his gaze away from Earth’s half-lidded
eyes.
Earth bucked his hips and whimpered once again. “F-faster...please…”
Air nodded, and soon quickened the pace of his hand. An occasional grunt would
leave him as he watched Earth react to the stimulus.
“Brother...y-you’re always... s-so… good…!” Earth’s head fell back and his
moans increased in volume as he began to get lost in the pleasure; his hips
thrusting upward more frequently as time went on.
Suddenly, his blue-green eyes shot open, and he dug his nails into Air’s
shoulders through the fabric of his suit. “I-I'm gonna…!” He squeezed his eyes
shut, and a tiny, high-pitched sound of pleasure left him as the first few
strands of cum began to spurt from his cock, coating Air’s hand and the head of
his dick.
Air watched as Earth’s climax hit him, and before long he felt his own orgasm
rush through him. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as he came with a loud
grunt, the sticky white strands landing on Earth’s chest.
Panting heavily, the two Ghouls attempted to catch their breath as they came
down from their high. Air released his grasp on both their dicks and looked
down to meet Earth’s eyes, which were half-lidded and unfocused. He leaned
forward and placed a kiss on the drummer's lips.
“I love you, Earth,” he said, a smile present on his face.
Earth chuckled and wrapped his arms around Air’s neck.
“I love you too,” he whispered.
***** Sparring Match *****
Emeritus took his place at one of the stone seats located in the front row and
sat down. He watched as Cadence and Mist walked over to the center of the
circular room; Cadence holding Sanguineum in one hand while Mist’s hands were
still devoid of any sort of weapon.
While the dark pope watched them, he took notice of the lighting in the room.
Cadence’s half of the circle was well lit with many candles. Mist’s half, on
the other hand, only had five candles at most, covering most of the floor in
shadows.
A high-pitched meow by his feet caused him to look down. Liam was staring up at
him with his big blue eyes, his head tilted to the side. Emeritus smiled.
“You want to watch?” he asked.
Liam meowed again as if to respond, then reached up and placed his two front
paws on Papa’s leg. The dark pope chuckled, leaned forward, and scooped the
tiny kitten up into his arms. Afterwards, he looked back up to continue
watching Cadence and Mist, finally focusing on their conversation.
“...F-...fight?” Cadence asked, worry and confusion present in her voice. She
glanced down at the sword in her hands, then met Mist’s eyes again. The female
Ghoul nodded in response.
“Yes,” Mist answered. “It is essential for all of us to be able to engage in
combat effectively.” She suddenly held up one finger. “But this is just a
test.” The Ghoul lowered her hand and clasped her hands behind her back,
keeping her eyes locked on Cadence. “I’m going to analyze your fighting
abilities through this duel, and we’ll work from there to help you improve
later on. Make sense?”
Cadence nodded, but there was worry still present in her eyes. “What… what if I
get injured?” she asked.
“Well, hopefully that won't be the case, but Earth made you a healing potion,
correct?”
The young acolyte opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it upon
realizing that Mist’s question was rhetorical.
“If you do happen to get injured, I can send Winter to go find him so he can
give you it.” Mist unclasped her hands and took a small step back. “...Sound
good?”
Cadence glanced at Sanguineum once more, then nodded.
Mist smiled behind her mask. “Good.” She took another step backwards, allowing
more shadows to cover her. “Oh, and I'd like to give you a few tips before we
start. Is that alright?”
Despite her worry, a smile appeared on Cadence’s face as she once more nodded
her head in response.
“Okay then…” The female Ghoul placed one hand behind her back. “First, hold
your sword with two hands. You aren’t experienced enough yet to wield it with
just one. Keep your dominant hand on top, closer to the pommel.”
Cadence did as she was told, positioning her hands accordingly.
“Second, always keep your eyes locked onto your opponent,” Mist said. “Make
note of their every move.”
Cadence nodded, and kept her eyes focused on the female Ghoul, who for some
reason still hadn’t summoned a weapon yet. The young acolyte was a bit
confused. Why was that? She suddenly glanced downward towards the floor when
she thought she saw one of the shadows near Mist’s feet move slightly in a way
that resembled rippling water.
“Cadence.”
She quickly refocused her attention on Mist upon hearing the slight hint of
irritation in the Ghoul’s voice. “S-sorry!” she exclaimed. Cadence then hushed
her voice slightly, averting her eyes. “...I just… I got distracted for a
second, there.”
Mist gave a quiet sigh and shook her head. The smile underneath her mask had
disappeared. “That’s no good, sister. In a real duel, even the smallest
distraction could cause you to lose your life.” She stared at Cadence with
focused eyes; her tone now serious. “Keep your eyes on me,” she stated.
Cadence nodded. “I will.”
“Good.”
The shadows on the floor moved again, but this time, Cadence paid no attention
to them. She kept her eyes locked on Mist as she was told.
She took a few steps to the right, and Mist turned with her, keeping the object
that was behind her back hidden from her. Cadence took a couple more steps, a
little quicker this time, but Mist was able to keep up with her. The young
acolyte was becoming increasingly curious. What was Mist planning, and what was
she hiding behind her back?
“Oh, and I've got one final tip for you, Cadence,” Mist said, breaking the
silence.
Cadence lowered Sanguineum slightly. “Yeah?” she asked.
Without warning, Mist lunged towards Cadence. The hand which had been hidden
behind her back was raised, revealing that the female Ghoul was now holding a
black and purple sword with a silver blade.
Cadence gasped and shut her eyes tightly, holding up Sanguineum to protect
herself as Mist swung at her. The blades collided; the noise of the impact
echoing throughout the room. After a moment, Cadence shoved Mist back, then
attempted to strike her in the same manner. She swung her sword wildly,
desperate to land a hit, but Mist dodged every single attack. When Cadence
lunged forward with the blade pointed in Mist’s direction, the Ghoul leaned to
the right before she suddenly grabbed hold of Cadence’s wrist, dropped her
sword and knocked the young acolyte to the ground with her free arm all in one
swift motion.
“Never let your guard down.”
Cadence leaned on Sanguineum as she got back up, rubbing the side of her face.
“Yeah, got it,” she said, chuckling as a small smile appeared on her face.
“I’ll keep all that in mind.”
For some reason, all of those suggestions sounded rather familiar. Had someone
told her those same things before? She couldn’t seem to recall if it was true
or not. Maybe she had read it in a book?
Mist reached out a hand and helped Cadence back onto her feet. After standing
up, Cadence looked down at the floor, and was surprised to find that Mist’s
sword had mysteriously disappeared.
“It’ll come back,” Mist said, adjusting the bracelet on her right wrist. “Don’t
worry about it.” She finished adjusting both bracelets before speaking again.
“Now, about that first attempt…” She paused, then met Cadence’s eyes, and her
tone became serious.
“Well, for starters, I’m pleased that you didn’t try to run away when I went to
attack you. Fleeing from a battle won’t always be a possible option. However…”
The Ghoul folded her arms across her chest. “...you let your fear show.”
“And that’s… bad?” Cadence asked, glancing down at Sanguineum for a moment.
Mist nodded. “Very. If your opponent sees that you’re afraid, it’s a sign of
weakness.” She then paused and glanced downward towards a shadow that was by
her right. She extended an arm out towards it and moved her hand in a small
circular motion. The shadow swirled, but did not take the shape of anything
that was recognizable.
“You were also swinging your weapon around rather wildly,” she continued.
“That’ll quickly tire you out.” Mist then abruptly stopped moving her hand and
turned to look back at Cadence. “So when we do this next round, I want you to
aim for a specific area and focus on it when you go to attack. Strike only when
you think you have a clear opening. Got it?”
Cadence nodded and repositioned her herself. “I’m ready,” she said.
Mist nodded, then once more extended her hand out towards the shadows on the
floor. The jewel on her right bracelet shone, and before long the shadows began
to ripple and swirl. After a moment, the shadow actually rose off the floor and
collected in her open hand, morphing into a certain shape. Before long, the
inky blackness faded away, and Mist’s sword was back in her hand. The light
which was emitting from the jewel dimmed soon after.
Confusion was now showing on Cadence’s face. “Hey, wait. You didn’t say the
phrase just now.” She lowered Sanguineum. “How did you summon your weapon?”
“This?” Mist held up the sword, stared at it for a moment, then looked back at
Cadence and shook her head. “Oh no. This isn’t my weapon.”
Cadence narrowed her eyes. “But-”
Mist tapped her right bracelet with one finger. “These are my weapons.”
Cadence blinked. “But they’re bracelets,” she said, her confusion growing.
“Bracelets that create weapons of any kind from shadows.” The female Ghoul
turned and extended her other hand towards another long shadow that was on the
ground beside her. The jewel on the left bracelet shone, and the shadow swam
towards her open hand. The dark substance collected in her palm, and when the
blackness dispersed, it revealed a long spear.
Cadence watched as Mist dropped the spear, causing it to transform into a cloud
of purple smoke and disappear; the pieces of the shadow swimming along the
ground back to their original spot. Mist then proceeded to summon various other
weapons: an axe, a dagger, a mace, and even a shuriken. “Wow…” she whispered,
watching the shuriken disappear as Mist dropped it onto the floor. She then
looked back up at Mist. “...So do you use shadows to summon your bracelets
too?”
Mist stared at her left bracelet and gave a sigh as she shook her head. “No.
Nebula cannot be summoned with shadows. It requires a specific combination of
water and fire,” she said. The Ghoul then raised her head and met Cadence’s
eyes. “On the night I summoned my weapon for the first time, both Alpha and
Water had to use their powers to help me. Even now, with my training, I still
find it difficult to summon it.”
The Ghoul paused, then continued. “Fortunately, I don’t need to summon Nebula
very often. You, on the other hand, will need to constantly re-summon…
Sanguineum, right?”
Cadence nodded. “Yes, but why?”
“Small weapons, like daggers and shurikens, don’t need to be constantly
summoned because they require a small amount of the wielder’s element and
energy to appear. Larger weapons, like your sword, require a lot more energy
and element so, at most, they can only last for a couple hours before they
disappear.”
Cadence nodded her head. “Okay, that makes sense.” She paused, and after a
moment, a sudden wave of determination flooded through her, causing a smile to
reappear on her face. She adjusted her footing and raised Sanguineum once more.
Mist smiled and gave a laugh. “Someone’s suddenly very eager. Want to go
again?” she asked. Her grin widened when Cadence nodded in response, and she
gripped her sword with both hands. “Just for showing me that attitude, I won’t
go easy on you.”
Cadence grinned back.
“I don’t want you to.”
Without warning, Cadence ran forward, swinging her sword once she believed she
was close enough to land a hit. But Mist quickly backed up, away from the blade
and out of the light. As Cadence prepared to swing again, the jewels on Mist’s
bracelets began to shine, and before long the female Ghoul was completely
engulfed by the darkness and disappeared just as Cadence brought her blade
down.
Cadence gripped Sanguineum tightly as she glanced around, finding no sign of
Mist. Not one shadow moved. Not one flame on the surrounding candles went out.
The entire room was dead silent.
“Cadence, behind you!” Liam meowed.
The young acolyte turned just in time to see that Mist was currently in the air
with her sword raised. Her mind screamed for her to move, but she wasn’t quick
enough. Mist brought down her sword, and the sharp blade tore at Cadence’s top,
ripping the fabric.
Emeritus abruptly stood up from his seat, eyes wide. He watched in both shock
and horror as Cadence dropped Sanguineum and fell to the floor, clutching the
bleeding wound with both hands.
“Ghuleh!” The dark pope ran out of the aisle and hurried over towards her.
Mist was staring down at Cadence, her eyes wide with the same emotions as
Emeritus.
“C-Cadence, I-!” She tried to finish her sentence, but found that she couldn't.
“I'm so sorry! I didn't…!”
Cadence picked up Sanguineum and slammed the blade into the floor, slowly
getting back up.
“I-I'm fine…” she groaned. Slowly, she took her blood-stained hand away from
her chest and looked down at the wound. The large gash had somehow already
mostly healed, with just a small amount of blood still dripping out.
Emeritus stared at the wound for a moment, and before long, a smile appeared on
his face.
“Well! It appears that some of your new powers are already beginning to reveal
themselves,” he exclaimed. “Your body can heal quicker than any of ours!” He
crossed his arms. “You might not even need Earth’s healing potion at all!”
A small smile appeared on Cadence’s face as she glanced at Papa, then back at
Mist. “I… I think we can still continue, Mist,” she said. “Really, I’m fine.”
Mist thought in silence for a moment, then took a deep breath. She held up her
sword.
“Alright, but if any more blood is spilled, we stop immediately,” she declared.
Cadence smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. However, as Mist backed
away a few steps and Papa headed back in the direction of his seat, she
couldn’t help but stare at the blood on her hand.
She held her hand up to her nose and sniffed once. There was such a sweet smell
coming from it, and at that moment, something in the back of her mind told her
to consume it…
She brought her middle and index fingers to her mouth, closing her eyes as she
licked the blood off. It tasted as sweet as it smelled…
“Ready, Cadence?”
Cadence took her fingers out of her mouth and, after wiping her hand on her
clothes, repositioned herself when she heard Mist call her. At that moment, she
realized that she suddenly felt much more confident than before.
And powerful.
“Yeah, let's go,” she replied, smiling.
Her eyes were focused as she watched Mist run towards her, sword raised. When
the female Ghoul swung the blade at her, she quickly blocked the attack with a
surprising amount of ease, and soon retaliated in a similar manner, aiming for
Mist’s shoulders.
Mist quickly turned to avoid the attack, then swung her sword diagonally.
Cadence swiftly deflected the blade as she turned in Mist’s direction, and
before long she had Mist on the defensive side of the duel.
The female Ghoul smiled at how suddenly Cadence had improved. It was certainly
unexpected, but in a good way.
However, as the blades continued to clash over and over, Mist’s smile
disappeared. Something wasn’t right. Each strike from Cadence was harder than
the last one. Her smile resembled more of a smirk, and the look in her eyes was
threatening and wild.
Mist’s eyes widened. She had seen this look before.
She had seen it earlier when Papa drank Cadence’s blood during the ritual.
“C-Cadence, stop,” Mist commanded, the words rushing out of her mouth as she
watched the young acolyte raise her sword once again. “Now.”
But Cadene didn’t listen to her. Mist just barely had enough time to dodge as
the blade was brought down.
“...But why?” Cadence asked, her wicked smile widening as she gave a laugh.
“This is fun!” She swung at Mist again, and the Ghoul swiftly blocked her
attack with her own sword. “Besides, you’re much more of a challenge. That
makes it even better.”
“I’m serious!” Mist yelled, shielding herself with one arm as she sidestepped
out of the way to dodge yet another attempted strike. “You need to stop right-
!”
Cadence yelled and swung hard, catching Mist off guard; the force of the impact
knocking the sword out of her hands. She stumbled as she tried to avoid the
second strike, and ended up getting hit with the hilt, the force of the blow
knocking her to the ground. The Ghoul’s sword disappeared, and and she
attempted to get back up, Cadence pointed Sanguineum at Mist and raised it,
preparing to bring it down…
“No, Ghuleh!”
Papa ran towards Cadence and raised his arms, stopping when he was just a few
yards away from her. He held her in place with his magic, preventing her from
bringing her sword down. He watched as she struggled against the invisible
bonds, then glanced down at Mist, meeting her eyes. The Ghoul’s eyes were wide,
and she was breathing heavily. She was clearly afraid, an emotion which she
hardly ever showed.
“Papa! Let go of me!” Cadence yelled, gritting her teeth as she continued
trying to fight back.
But Emeritus paid no attention to her. He turned his head and looked back
towards where he had been seated earlier.
“Annali!” he called.
The siamese’s ears perked up, and soon it bounded over to him. Papa looked down
at her and started for a moment before he finally nodded his head.
In an instant, Annali ran towards Cadence, transforming into a cloud of black
smoke as she did so. Like a ghost slipping through a wall, she seemed to go
through Cadence’s body in the blink of an eye before transforming back into a
cat, putting herself in front of Mist.
Cadene gasped as she felt a sudden chill shoot up her spine. Her entire body
went stiff, and before long, she dropped Sanguineum and collapsed onto the
floor, slowly succumbing to the darkness.
***** Beautiful Maroon *****
It seemed as if only a few minutes had passed when Cadence reopened her eyes,
trying to blink the blurriness away. She groaned as she sat up, rubbing her
eyes. She was so confused. What had just happened?
The young acolyte glanced at her surroundings once her eyes finally refocused.
She was now in a room than was completely different from the one she had been
in before. It seemed to be a study. The first thing she noticed was that she
was on a large, red sofa of sorts. There was a large mahogany desk at the
opposite end of the room, with two tall bookshelves against the wall next to
it, along with a mic stand, a large speaker, and a music stand with sheet
music. The walls were maroon and decorated with a few elaborate paintings;
three of different moonlit landscapes, and one of a portrait of none other than
Papa Emeritus. Below this painting was a fireplace; the logs crackling as they
burned steadily. The flames scattered light onto the carpeting, which was a
complex pattern of black, gold, and burgundy.
And in front of the fireplace, a little to the left of the sofa Cadence was on,
was Emeritus, seated in a large chair with a book in his hands.
“P-...Papa?” Cadence rubbed the side of her head as she spoke.
Emeritus lowered his book, and smiled upon seeing her. “Oh, you’re up,” he
said. He closed the book and placed it on the small table next to him before
getting up and walking over to her. “How are you feeling?” he asked, sitting
down beside her.
“I’m... still a little dizzy,” Cadence answered. She then paused, and turned to
look at Papa. “And really confused. What happened earlier?”
Emeritus pressed his lips together, but did not turn his head to look at her.
“You got out of control and started attacking Mist,” he said. “I let Annali put
you to sleep with her powers.” He paused, staring at the flames in the
fireplace, then gave a quiet sigh, cutting Cadence off just as she started to
speak.
“It… it was your blood. I saw that you consumed some of it, and it caused you
to go mad.” He turned his head to look at her. “You’ve had that power even
before you became an acolyte. When you consume your blood, you grow stronger
and become a better fighter. But it also causes you to become insane. The same
will happen if anyone else drinks it. Only a person with a strong will can
combat those negative side effects and remain sane.”
Cadence remained silent, trying to process what Papa was telling her. After a
moment, she opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly took notice of her
outfit. Her mask was still on, and her black pants and shoes were still the
same, but her top was a mere sleeveless black garment without a hood.
“Mist provided that,” Papa said. “She offered to fix your costume. She's also
with Liam right now, in case you were wondering.”
The dark pope sighed and leaned back into the cushions, closing his eyes. “I’m
sorry, Cadence,” he said, his voice quiet like that of a child who had done
something wrong.
Cadence blinked, confused. “For what?” she asked.
Emeritus reopened his eyes, but they focused on nothing. “I… I planned all of
this. The meeting by the car, the ritual, your costume, the training and
summoning sessions, everything. I even told Alpha to drug you. Twice! And not
once did I stop to consider how you would feel during all of it.” He turned his
head and gazed at her. “You must be so overwhelmed. I…”
His voice trailed off when he saw Cadence inch closer towards him. She smiled
and cupped his cheek with one hand as she stared down at him.
“It was all for good intentions,” the young girl whispered. She gently placed
her other hand on the back of Papa’s head, closed her eyes, and slowly leaned
forward. Cadence kissed his painted lips softly, and she slowly began to pet
the back of his head when Papa started to kiss back.
Emeritus give a quiet sigh as the kiss broke, and Cadence smiled. But it
quickly faded as soon as it appeared. She opened her eyes and furrowed her brow
as she made eye contact with the dark pope.
“...Right?” she asked.
But Emeritus did not answer her. He stared at Cadence in silence for a minute
before a smile returned to his face. He caressed her cheek with his thumb for a
bit, then got off up off the sofa, stood up, and turned to face her.
Papa held out his hand towards Cadence, and she took it without a word. Their
eyes were locked onto each other as Emeritus closed his fingers around the
girl’s hand and led her off the couch. He gently pulled Cadence close, pressing
his body against hers. She stared up into his mismatched eyes, her lips
slightly parted, not a single sound leaving them.
“Oh, Ghuleh,” he whispered. One arm wrapped around her waist. “What would my
life be like without you? I don’t want to imagine that.”
“I don’t want to either.”
Emeritus took a small step forward. Cadence took a step back. It was at that
moment that she became aware of some classical music coming from… somewhere.
She turned with him, and before long, the two of them were moving to the tempo
of the song, neither of them missing a beat.
“...Do you know why I gave you the name ‘Cadence’, Ghuleh?” Papa asked,
breaking the silence.
Cadence thought for a moment, then shook head. “No, I don’t have a clue,” she
replied.
Papa smiled and stopped the dance, releasing his hold on Cadence and allowing
her to step back.
“It’s because you have such a lovely voice.”
Cadence blushed upon hearing Papa’s answer and averted her eyes, staring at the
patterns on the floor. “It’s not that great…”
“Nonsense! You sing really well.” Emeritus walked over to the microphone and
turned it on. “You should consider singing for others more often.” He tapped
the mic twice with two fingers, ensuring that it was working.
Cadence furrowed her brow. “I… I’m not sure if I’m up to it,” she said. “I’m
not much of a performer…” She watched as Papa reached out, grabbed a small,
white, rectangular object from off his desk, and tapped it a few times,
silencing the classical music that had been playing earlier.
“Well then, it’s a good thing that I’m going to be the one teaching you,”
Emeritus said. “After all…” He tapped the small white object once more, and
music began to play from it. It was the sound of a piano, followed soon by the
soft strumming of electric guitars and the beating of drums. “... I am quite
the showman.” A moment later, he closed his eyes and began to tap his foot to
the beat of the song before he brought his face to the mic and began to sing.
“We conquered a magic
We counted the stars.
Deciphered the clockwork
Enacted this farce…
“Devoured by shadows
We cling to the light.
Deluded by wisdom
The bringer of night…”
Cadence stared in awe as Papa sang the song, finding herself becoming entranced
by not only the music, but also the dark pope’s haunting yet beautiful voice
and the graceful, conductor-like gestures he did with his hands as he sang at
the mic.
“Time will soon be gone
Right will turn to wrong
Winds will come on strong
So help you God
Come unleashed
You’re set free…”
Cadence was finally brought back to reality when Papa suddenly stopped singing
and tapped the white object, causing the music to stop as well.
“Papa, th-...that was…” she tried to find the words to say, but none of the
ones she came up with seemed sufficient.
Emeritus smiled at her and gave a small bow. “There’s no need for words,
Ghuleh. The look on your face says it all.”
Cadence smiled back, but it soon disappeared when she glanced at the small
white object that was still on the music stand. “Say, what is that?” she asked,
pointing to it.
Papa picked up the small white object, which was almost as big as his hand.
“This?” he asked, holding it up. Cadence nodded her head in reply, and he soon
brought it over to show her, placing it in the girl’s hands. The small
rectangular object had a screen, and a list of songs was being displayed on it,
including the one Emeritus had been playing earlier.
“It’s called a ‘Testament’,” Papa said.
Cadence turned the Testament over in her hand, and noticed the black grucifix
symbol on the back of the white case surrounding the screen. “I’ve… never seen
one before,” she said, intrigued by the new piece of technology.
“They’re only meant for clergy members. Lower-class citizens cannot get their
hands on one, even if they tried,” Emeritus explained. “And for good reason.” A
frown suddenly appeared on his face. “If everyone had access to one, they’d
focus on nothing else but the devices.” His expression was now one of disgust.
“Their eyes would be glued to the screens like...like narcissists obsessing
over themselves in the mirror! Can you even imagine that?!”
Cadence shook her head in reply. “Sounds terrible,” she said. “How would they
ever get to enjoy the other things in life?” She then turned to look at Papa.
“...So why give one to me?”
“Well, the obvious reason is that you’re a member of the clergy now. Everyone
is required to have one in their possession.” Emeritus pressed a small black
button that was near the bottom, and the list of songs suddenly faded into
something different. “It helps us with our duties.” He then began to point to
various icons that were being displayed.
“Here you can call one of us, allowing you to talk across long distances. With
this one you can listen to music when you have free time. Here you adjust the
screen brightness…” The dark pope continued to point to the icons, explaining
each of their functions.
“But all of that will be for another night,” he said after finishing his
explanation of all the icons. He took the Testament out of Cadence’s hands and
tapped on one of the icons, displaying the list of songs on the screen once
more. “Right now, you sing.” He swiped his finger downward, scrolling up the
list until he found the one he was looking for.
Papa led Cadence over to the mic and adjusted it so she could reach it.
Afterwards, she turned to face him. “I… I really don’t know about this, Papa…”
she said.
“Try.” Emeritus placed the Testament on the music stand. “Just try, Ghuleh. For
me?”
Cadence stared at the dark pope for a moment and sighed. With the look he was
giving her now, and the tone in his voice, she couldn’t bring herself to say
“no”.
“...Alright,” she said, smiling once more. “I’ll do it.”
Emeritus smiled back, then turned and tapped the screen to select one of the
songs. Immediately, the sound of guitars and a piano began to fill the room.
Upon hearing the tune, Cadence’s eyes lit up.
“H-hey! I think I know this one!” she exclaimed, smiling. The young acolyte
brought her face to the microphone, took a breath to calm herself, and as she
closed her eyes began to sing the words:
“We're standing here by the abyss
And the world is in flames
Two star-crossed lovers reaching out
To the beast with many names…”
As Cadence continued to sing, her nervousness began to fade away. When the song
got to the refrain, she began to sing louder.
“He is
He’s the shining in the light, without whom I cannot see.
And he is
Insurrection, he is spite
He’s the force that made me be…”
Cadence had never felt such joy from singing before; such utter satisfaction.
She felt as if her entire being was one with the music - her mind, her body,
her voice, her soul. She felt like she had finally discovered her purpose, not
realizing that she had been searching for it all along.
She felt alive.
“He is
Nostro dis pater, nostr' alma mater
He is…”
When Cadence finally finished singing the refrain, Emeritus tapped the screen,
pausing the song. Smiling, she opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He
was beaming at her.
“Yes!” he exclaimed, applauding her performance. “Yes yes yes! I knew you had
it in you, Ghuleh! Well done!”
Cadence blushed from the excessive amount of praise she was receiving. “Th-
thanks, Papa…” she said, averting her eyes. She remained silent for only a
moment before she lifted her head to meet Emeritus’ eyes. “...Will we be doing
this more often? It’s...fun.”
Emeritus nodded in reply. “Yes,” he answered. “And I’m glad that you took a
liking to it after all.” He took the Testament off the music stand and placed
it back onto his desk. “But opportunities like this won’t always come your way,
Ghuleh. Sometimes you have to take a risk and find them for yourself.” The dark
pope clasped his hands behind his back as he stared down at her. “Does that
make sense?”
Cadence thought for a moment in silence, then nodded her head in response,
smiling. But as her eyes continued to linger on the dark pope’s face, she could
see a look in his mismatched eyes that hadn’t been there a moment ago.
“...Papa?” she asked. She brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes. “Is...is
there something on your mind?”
“Hm? Oh no, nothing much. I just…” Emeritus paused, then gave a sigh. “...I
just want to talk.”
Cadence blinked. “...About what?”
Her eyes widened when she felt Papa gently place his hands on her waist and
pull her closer to him. She lifted her head to look up at him; staring into the
twinkling green and white eyes that were before her. The young acolyte opened
her mouth to speak, but not a sound left past her lips. She held her breath as
Papa leaned forward so that his mouth was right by her ear.
“...You,” he whispered.
Cadence barely had any time to comprehend what she had just heard before
Emeritus placed his hands on the sides of her head and brought her in for a
kiss, slamming his lips into hers. Her eyes widened, but as his lips and tongue
moved against her own, she soon found them fluttering shut. She moaned into his
mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck, just like the first time they
had kissed. All other questions that had been lingering in her mind at that
moment faded away as she succumbed to her desire.
Papa tasted like wine. He still smelled faintly of the incense that had been
used during the ritual. His hair was soft to the touch. Cadence couldn’t get
enough of it all. The kiss was so intoxicating. She loved it.
A quiet sigh left her as the kiss slowly broke apart; a thin string of saliva
still connecting their mouths. Lightly panting for breath, Cadence raised her
eyes and gazed up at Emeritus. “Wh...What about me?” she asked, suddenly
remembering what she wanted to ask.
Papa didn’t respond to her question. Without saying a word, he picked Cadence
up; one arm hooked under her knees, the other near her hips. He silently
carried her over to the chair he had been sitting on earlier and sat down,
placing her in his lap with her face towards him. Smiling, he removed his
gloves, placing them on top of the book he had been reading, then began to
lightly trail his hands up her bare arms.
“...I want to know if you've been sinful lately.” His hands reached Cadence’s
mask, and he soon proceeded to untie it. When he was done, he dropped it onto
the small table, then leaned forward. “Well? Have you, Ghuleh?” He then tilted
her head upward and began to plant kisses on her neck.
Cadence sighed and closed her eyes, loving the feeling of having Papa’s mouth
on her neck. Even though it had really been only a little more than a week ago
since Papa last kissed her this way, to Cadence it felt like it had been years
ago. Her hands squeezed the pope's shoulders. She could feel a craving welling
up inside her. She wanted more, and all she had to do was say it. Bite me. Be
rough with me. Use me. I'm yours! But she couldn’t bring herself to say those
things. The words were caught in her throat.
“Answer me, Ghuleh.”
Cadence gasped when she felt Papa brush his thumb against her neck where her
sigil was. She smiled and lowered her head to make eye contact with him.
“Sinful...how?” she asked, playfully tilting her head to the side.
Papa chuckled. “You know what I mean,” he said.
“But I want to hear you say it, Papa.”
There was a twinkle in Emeritus’ green eye, and he placed one hand on the back
of Cadence’s head, bringing her closer to him.
“Have you been thinking… lustful thoughts, Ghuleh?” He exaggerated his
pronunciation of “lustful”.
Cadence smiled. “Yes, Papa. I have.” She shivered as memories of the last time
they had sex came back to her.
Papa brought his hands to her hips. “Have you been having these thoughts
often?”
“Very.”
“Good. Very good.” He trailed one finger over the waistline of her pants, and
his smile widened when he saw Cadence nibble her lower lip. “And I am right
when I say that you want what occurred last week to happen again, correct?”
Cadence watched as Papa ran his fingers over her clothes, refusing to remove a
single article of clothing. She held back a whine and nodded her head rather
quickly in response. “Yes, Papa. Yes I do,” she whispered, the words rushing
out of her mouth faster than she had intended them to.
Emeritus chuckled and placed two fingers under her chin, tilting her head up.
They stared at each other in a tense silence, the only sounds in the room being
the crackling of the fire and the ticking of the clock on the wall. Then, after
what felt to Cadence like an eternity, Emeritus grasped one of her hands and
squeezed it.
“...Then why don’t you go ahead and undress me?” he whispered.
Cadence gasped, and her eyes widened. She pulled back a bit and stared at the
dark pope in disbelief, her mouth hanging open.
“I'm serious, Cadence,” Papa said, petting the back of her head with his empty
hand.
Cadence continued to stare at him for only a bit longer. Suddenly, without
warning, the young acolyte reached out and began to tear at the buttons on
Papa's shirt. “Too long...Too damn long…” she muttered.
Emeritus chuckled. “H-hey now, slow down, Ghuleh.” He gently placed his hands
on hers, making her stop. “We both want to savor the moment, don't we?”
Cadence exhaled quietly and nodded, but her eyes still clearly reflected her
excitement and impatience. She waited until Papa took his hands off hers before
she continued to undo the buttons, slower this time. Little by little, pale
skin which had been hidden by articles of clothing for so long began to be
revealed to her, and before long she had finally fully removed Papa's shirt and
suit jacket.
The young acolyte remained in silence as she stared at the newly exposed skin.
It was flawless and just slightly tanned. “P-Papa, you're… you're beautiful…”
she said, finally finding the words to say. She placed her shaking hands on the
lower part of his torso and slowly slid them upwards toward his shoulders. He
felt soft under her touch.
Emeritus closed his eyes and sighed as he felt Cadence begin to massage and
plant light kisses on his neck, chest, and shoulders. Her touch was light, and
helped him to relax. “I'm all yours, Ghuleh,” he whispered, resting the back of
his head on the chair. He didn't usually give himself up so quickly in
situations like these, but this… this was different. He wanted Cadence to be
happy. He wanted to help her fulfill her wishes. And now, he was helping to
satisfy just one of her many desires.
She dragged her nails back down his chest, leaving small trails of fire along
the skin. He gritted his teeth and gripped the arms of the chair.
“Yes...yes, that's- o-OH!” Abruptly, the volume of his voice increased and his
body tensed up even more.
Cadence gasped and quickly took her hands off him. “I-I didn’t hurt you, did
I?” she asked, her worry clearly visible.
Papa calmed down after a moment and opened his eyes, smiling at her.
“No. No, you did nothing wrong,” he said, reassuring her. “You just…” His eyes
flicked downward towards the lower part of his chest, where a small, black
grucifix symbol was plastered onto his skin. “You just grazed my sigil, that's
all.”
Cadence followed his gaze and stared at the mark as well. “...This?” She
reached out one hand and began to lightly rub it with the tips of her middle
and index fingers in small circular motions. “...Is it sensitive right here?”
she asked.
Emeritus gripped the chair again. “Y-yes…!” he gasped. “Very!”
Cadence took her hand off the mark. “And it feels...good?”
A smile reappeared on Papa’s face after he steadied his breathing, and he
placed one hand on her back. He began to slowly trail upwards toward the back
of her neck. “Well...you tell me…” He lightly dragged his nails over the girl’s
triangular mark over and over. “Does this feel good to you?”
A noise that sounded like something between a gasp and a wail left Cadence’s
throat as she felt electric shocks shoot through her entire body. She shut her
eyes tightly, arched her back, and gripped the pope’s shoulders as the
sensation took hold of her, making her feel like she'd lost all power in an
instant.
“Mmn...Y-yes, Papa! Yes it does…!” She bit down on her lower lip, trying to
keep her voice contained, but small whimpers still left her. She was loving the
feeling, and was amazed that such a small action could make her feel like this…
...But just when Cadence was beginning to feel like she couldn’t get enough of
it, Papa took his hand off her. She leaned forward and rested her body against
his chest. She was still shaking slightly.
Emeritus smiled at her. “Are you spent already?” he asked.
Cadence sighed and sat up slightly, shaking her head in response. “N-no, that
was just… unexpected. That felt so good…” The young girl opened her eyes,
taking a glance at Papa's sigil again. “I didn't think that-…”
She suddenly stopped talking, and her smile faded. Her eyes glanced farther
downward and soon widened slightly. “P-Papa, you’re…” She swallowed thickly.
“...y-you’re hard…”
Papa’s grin widened. He placed one hand underneath Cadence’s chin and tilted
her head upward so he could meet her eyes. “It's because you please me so
well,” he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb as he gazed at her. He then
took one of her hands, placed it on the bulge in the front of his pants, and
began to rub it in small, circular motions.
Cadence felt her cheeks grow even hotter when she touched his arousal. She
watched as Papa moved her hand, and tried her best to keep her breathing
steady. After a bit of time passed, he released his hold on her, and Cadence
continued moving her hand in the same manner Papa had guided her. It was a
slow, gentle rub; one which dragged soft moans from past the dark pope's lips
and caused him to grind against her hand.
“Oh, Papa…” The young acolyte leaned forward and planted kisses up Emeritus’
chest as she continued to rub him through his pants. When she got to the lower
part of his neck, she tilted her head up to gaze into the pope’s mismatched
eyes. She took her free hand and cupped his cheek, then closed her eyes and
captured his mouth with her own. Feeling bold, she made sure to add her tongue
as well. Papa, in turn, moaned into her mouth and wrapped his arms around her
as his tongue met hers.
“...Can...can I take these off too?” she asked when the kiss broke, her hands
gripping the waistband of his pants.
“Of course,” Papa whispered, nodding his head in reply. He kicked his shoes off
his feet. “Go ahead, Ghuleh. Take them off.”
Cadence sighed and smiled upon hearing Papa say those words, and soon got off
him and onto the floor, kneeling between his legs. She undid the button and
zipper on his trousers, then slowly began pulling them down until they dropped
to the floor. She paused for a moment to run her hand along his calf, then eyed
his black boxers and removed them as well.
Her eyes widened upon seeing the pope’s erect, swollen cock, and as she stared
at it and held it in her hands she found herself at a loss for words.
“...Papa…” She started to speak, but soon stopped. The young acolyte closed her
eyes, leaned forward, and took the tip into her mouth as she began stroking up
and down with her hands. She reveled in the sounds which she drew from him as
she took her time taking him in; the gasps and moans sounding just as beautiful
as his singing had been earlier.
“Such a good girl…” Papa wove his fingers in the girl’s hair. “Such a good...Oh
f-fuck!” He gasped and began to utter profanities when she took him in deeper
into her mouth, then pulled him back out again and swirled her tongue around
the tip. She did this same pattern over and over again, until Papa’s grip on
her hair tightened and he pulled her off. She whimpered as his cock left her
mouth, and soon began panting for air.
“Did...Did I do good, Papa?” she asked after finally catching her breath.
“Oh, älskling…” Papa held into Cadence’s shoulders as got up off the chair and
got down in front of her. He removed her sleeveless top and tossed it onto the
floor. “You did so well.” His eyes roamed over her upper body, and he soon
unhooked her bra, exposing her breasts to the air. “But now it's about time I
returned the favor, don't you think?” He closed his eyes and began planting
kisses all over her body, massaging her breasts at the same time.
Cadence held onto Papa as he lavished her upper body with attention and made
her lay on the floor. The fire in between her legs was burning, and her panties
were getting extremely wet. She couldn't take it much longer. She needed him.
“P-Papa, please…” she moaned.
“Hm?” Emeritus ceased nibbling her neck and met her eyes. He slid one hand into
her pants, past her underwear, and began to stroke her between her legs.
“Please what, Ghuleh?” he asked, smiling.
“P-please…” Cadence begged him again.
“Cadence, I can't give you what you want unless you tell me.” He slipped one
finger between her folds. “Now please, tell Papa what it is you want.”
“I-I… want you-ah-!” Her nails dug into his back when she felt his finger arch
against her g-spot. She felt extremely sensitive all if a sudden.
“...Yes?”
Cadence cracked her eyes open a tad.“I-mmn! I-I want you… inside me…!” she
begged.
Emeritus stopped his movements and smiled. “Oh, Ghuleh…” he whispered, sliding
his fingers out as he leaned over her. His face was just inches from hers.
“...of course. Anything for you.” He closed his eyes and sighed as his lips met
hers, letting his hands explore her upper body once again as his tongue
entwined with hers.
Another sigh left him when the kiss broke, and he opened his eyes to gaze down
at her as he stroked her cheek with his hand. But no sooner had his fingers
trailed over the skin, he quickly stopped and looked at his hand. The popes
eyes widened - his index finger was covered in red. Looking down at the girl
underneath him, he saw that trails of red were smeared over her chest and her
cheek.
“A-...Are you…” He glanced down at where her crotch was, and soon reached out
and undid the button and zipper on her pants. Upon pulling down her pants, he
saw that her panties were stained with a small amount of red.
Blood.
“Oh…” he whispered, staring at the spot.
“Wh-what? What is it?” Cadence asked, lifting her head slightly.
Papa’s smile returned to his face. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply
through his nose.
“Ohhh my…” he moaned, shivering for a moment. He opened his eyes and looked
down at Cadence as he exhaled. “You are menstruating, Ghuleh.”
It took a moment for Papa’s words to register, but when they did Cadence’s eyes
widened with shock.
“O-OH MY GOSH!” she cried, attempting to sit up and get away from Papa. “I-I'm
so sorry, Papa! I-I'll-!”
“Hush.” Papa gently placed his hands on her and made her lay back down. “Hush
now. Don't fret, Ghuleh.” He placed a light kiss on her forehead. “Just lie
here and let Papa take care of you.”
He moved back down her body, and soon pulled the blood-soaked panties off her.
The pope inched his fingers up the insides of her thighs and soon leaned
forward, burying his face in her crotch. He licked her slowly; moaning as fresh
drops of blood landed on his tongue.
Cadence could do nothing to stop her voice as her extra-sensitive body was
pleasured by Papa's warm, wet tongue. Her moans were loud and honest as he
lapped up the blood that continued to spill out. She arched her back and nearly
screamed when he sucked her clit hard, losing herself in the pleasure.
This was so wrong, she thought to herself. But it felt. So. Good.
Then he stopped. Cadence furrowed her brow and whimpered at the loss of his
mouth. She was so close to release. She couldn’t take it much longer. The young
girl opened her eyes slightly and gazed up at Papa, silently begging with him.
“Are you prepared to receive me?” he asked.
“Yes...please,” Cadence whispered, nodding her head. “I’m ready for you, Papa.”
Not a word was spoken between them as Emeritus positioned himself and slid into
her. Only groans and cries pleasure were uttered from both of them as Papa
moved inside her, thrusting hard and fast, just how Cadence liked it. She came
after just a few hard thrusts, crying out in bliss as she held onto the dark
pope, her nails digging into his back. After thrusting a bit longer, Papa soon
came as well, holding the young acolyte close to him as he spilled himself into
her with a loud grunt, his entire body shaking.
“P-...Papa…” Cadence caressed the top of his head as she spoke between breaths.
With a sigh, she placed her forehead on his shoulder and closed her eyes. “...I
love you.”
Emeritus smiled and placed a kiss on her neck as he pulled out of her. “Oh,
Ghuleh…” he whispered. “I-...” But he quickly stopped in the middle of his
sentence and gazed down at her in silence.
Cadence opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“...Is something wrong, Papa?” she asked, furrowing her brow slightly.
Papa sighed and smiled, placing a hand on his chest. His body glistened with
sweat in the warm firelight. “I’m sorry, Ghuleh. I just realized that I never
gave you a proper welcome earlier.”
Cadence smiled sheepishly. “It...It’s really not necessary…”
“Well I insist.” He took one one of her hands in his and gazed at Cadence for a
moment before reaching out towards her with his empty hand. He slowly traced
the grucifix symbol on her forehead.
“From darkness you came, and now the darkness you serve. May the blessings of
our dark lord fall upon thee as you do all that he asks.” When he was finished
speaking, he took his hand off her forehead and placed it on her cheek.
Emeritus smiled at her.
“Welcome to the clergy, Cadence,” he said.
Cadence smiled back at him, gripping his hand a little tighter.
“Thank you,” she whispered. The young acolyte then wrapped her arms around him,
and the two shared a short embrace before Papa pulled away from her.
“Now then,” he said, breaking the silence. “Let’s go get you cleaned up.”
***
Papa had called down a Sister of Sin after he had cleaned Cadence up and they
had both gotten dressed. When she arrived at the office, she had introduced
herself to Cadence as “Cirice”. Afterwards, conversation was short, and
farewells were soon given.
Papa watched the door close behind Cadence before turning back towards his
desk. He picked up Cadence’s Testament and plugged the cord into it to connect
the device to the wall outlet. He wouldn’t let her keep the Testament until he
deemed she knew how to use it without his help.
The dark pope glanced at the clock on the wall again. There was still about
thirteen minutes left until his meeting started. Just enough time to finish the
chapter he had been reading earlier.
Emeritus walked back over to his chair, but stopped by the fireplace for a
moment, staring at the small shelf above it. On the shelf were various trophies
- awards he and the Ghouls had received for their musical achievements. He
smiled as he wiped a few specks of dust off of the small golden gramophone,
ensuring that it looked as pristine and perfect as the time he had first
received it months ago.
His attention was soon drawn away from the trophies to a small, locked, black
and silver box placed in the center. The pope’s smile slowly disappeared. He
eyed the bricks in the wall behind the gramophone trophy, and after a small
moment of hesitation reached out and removed one from the fireplace. There,
hidden in the gap, was a small, silver key. Picking the key up, he unlocked the
small box. Upon opening it, he was presented with a black and purple circlet.
Papa picked up the intricate headpiece and examined it in the light. The
circlet resembled black vines that were being woven together. Small purple
rhinestones dotted the accessory. However, there was an open gap in the center
that appeared to be meant for a larger stone that was apparently missing.
Emeritus gazed at the circlet in his hands in silence for a moment,
occasionally turning it in his hands slightly, before glancing at the door
Cadence had walked out of. He stared at the door for a bit, then sighed and
turned away.
“Not now,” he mumbled. He delicately placed the circlet back into the box and
closed it, making sure to relock it when he was done. “Just a little bit
longer.”
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!