#Eheh I'm so gonna put this on ao3 as well

[aroninshonour]

Just thought of a scene for Amnesia!Jay and I'm so gonna plug it in right here :)

(Think of this as a scene for a random ah fanfic or as a minific or something)

His computer screen glows brightly in the dimly lit office. A man sat slouched, his face resting on his hand as he scrolled through the Ninjago News of the past. He has no clue how long or how far down he's gotten. Just that he knew he was searching for something.

Who was he? Before....all this?

He scrolled, looking like he hadn't been looking for anything at all. He'd been used to doing that by now, knowing the trouble he'd get in if he ever got caught searching for things outside the administration's approval.

His finger stopped scrolling.

Thats him. He sat up a bit, staring intensely at the screen infront of him.

He studied the picture he was looking at.

Him. Wearing what looked like a party hat. It had blue and orange stripes on it. There was another blue and orange striped hat, this one however, sat atop a metal...no, titanium...person? Robot? Droid? Their outfit was white and gray.

Then there was another hat type, this one green with red dots around it. Someone with brown, spiked hair and a red outfit wore it. So did another person with black, long-ish hair and a black and orange outfit. And another...a woman. Her black hair tied up in a pony tail, her outfit gray with bits of blue.

She smiled at him.

Jay stared at her picture, her smile, she was so...perfect.

But...who, are these people? Who was the little toddler who danced infront of them as they sung into a microphone?

He read the caption. The Ninja having saved ninjago once again, dance and sing to their victory!

Ninja...

The word rung in his head. Was that who he was? Who he used to be?

The word sounded so familiar. The picture replayed in his mind. The scene felt so familiar in on it's own. She felt so damn familiar, they felt so familiar but who are they?!

Why were they so close yet so far? Why couldn't he just remember? They felt so familiar yet so strange to him.

He scrolled a touch farther down the article. There was a video. Reluctantly, he clicked it.

He stared at it as it played, sounds of singing and toddler babbling played, music in the background.

Then it stopped, it was over. Jay sat in silence for a moment.

His face scrunched up, his eyes seeming to gloss over as he clicked it again, and again, and again.

He was so frustrated! Why couldn't he remember?! Why was his mind so...so, insistent on forgetting?!

He wanted so badly to remember who he was, Where he came from, who his friends and family were.

But....

He couldn't. He couldn't remember.

As his frustration lingered, his gut churned, he lay his head in his arms on the desk and cried. Quietly, but he cried. He was so tired. Exhausted. He just wanted to know who he was...who he used to be.

.......

Calm once again he sat back up and studied the faces in the picture intently. He knew them at one point, and now he was going to find them.

The administration isn't going to stop him anymore. Not if he makes it out at least. If he knew these people, maybe they're important. Maybe they know his family, maybe they were his friends. Maybe the toddler in the picture is grown up a bit now. It couldn't have been that long right? He still looked almost exactly the same as he did in the picture.

He packed up a few things in a small backpack, food, water, money that he got from the administration. (Hopefully it worked outside the administration...)

He left. Didn't even turn back. Snuck through the doors and left.

He was going to find these people. Or at least...he hoped too. If they weren't gone or too far lost.

He shook his head at the thought. No time for that he thought as he ran as far as he could from the place he'd lived for...well, as long as he could remember.

......

He made it (Undetected, as far as he was aware) to a place people called 'The Cross Roads'. Maybe he'd find them here.

He took a look around, unsure where to go. (He did think he seemed a bit out of place though...still wearing his formal attire) His look of confusion shifted a bit to suspicion as he noticed a boy pointing at him as he talked to the girl next to him. The boy wore an orange hoodie with blue jeans. The hoodie had a dragon imprinted on it. His hair was black and curly. The girl wore her hair in a ponytail, it was pink with cat-ear headphones on her head. Her left arm looked to be prosthetic. Her white outfit held pink and golds and dark blues. A cat key-chain as well.

It reminded him of the white gi he saw on the titanium droid in the picture. The two stared at him a bit wide eyed. It...kinda freaked him out a bit.

The boy began to run towards him. He froze unsure what to do.

"HEY!" The boy shouted as he ran up. Jay smiled awkwardly, as he stood perfectly still, as if it'd make him invisible.

As the boy made his way up, he slowed to a stop and bent over to catch his breath a bit. The girl now appeared behind the other.

"Uhm...Hi?..." Jay paused for a moment. "Do I...know, you?" He awkwardly smiled again.

The curly haired guy stood up again, (He was a lot taller than Jay expected) his hands curled into fists infront of his chest. His eyes seemed to *literally* shine like stars as he smiled breathlessly.

"Are you Jay Walker?!"

[seventh-district]

wow!!! nothing better than watching your AO3 subscribers stat go down every time you post a new chapter of your current fic!!!

[i-fondued]

Ghost | Sinners in Secret | Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen - The Confessional Ritual Incident Pairing: Cardinal Copia x Reader/Sister of Sin x Papa “Terzo” Emeritus III Rating: Explicit Warnings: Plot, smut, etc. See AO3 for full list of tags! A/N: I'm just gonna hide from y'all when you get to the end ehehe >D

As always, this chapter is has been reviewed by my beta, @lurancyvenom whom I love!

Full Chapter List - HERE AO3 Link - HERE

“Amore, you must eat something.”

“I’m fine, Copia.”

“Il Cardinale is right, Tesoro,” Terzo signed, sitting down next to me and leaning back in his chair to try and crack his back. “You have not eaten anything yet tonight, and you have a long night ahead of you, si?”

“I know, I know. I will, I swear.” I yawned before blushing at the soft look on both men’s faces. “Sorry…I’m just tired. It's been a long few days.”

Copia knelt down next to me again, putting his hand on my thigh on top of my skirts with a gentle smile. I placed mine on top of his while Terzo placed his on top of both of ours. 

“Not long now, Amore,” Copia teased. 

Sister Imperator came to our table, clearing her through with a tense smile.

“Ah, Sister. I was just looking for you,” she said cheerily, the look on her face instantly setting me on edge. “You’ve forgotten a member of the clergy to dance with…”

“I don’t think I did…” I paused, thinking back over the last several hours. 

After my dance with Primo, I danced with Papa Nihil which was more like me supporting him, as good natured as he was. Then I danced with Saltarian, a few other Cardinals, and finally I’d been able to sit down now.

“You missed me, Sorella.” 

I looked to the source of the voice and my eyes narrowed. Cardinal Veritas was dressed in the same red formal suit that he had worn the last formal event, form fitting and well tailored to his narrow but long frame. His hair was pulled back and away from his face into a black ribbon, the long silvery blond locks curling around and over his shoulder. 

“I don’t believe I owe you a dance, Cardinal.” I couldn’t help but sneer at him, Imperator looking slightly taken aback by my change in attitude suddenly. 

“Sister!” Imperator hissed at me, her eyes hard. “You will do as is your duty, and dance with Cardinal Veritas.”

“But Sister…” I started to come up with any and all excuses, but her hand held up and I knew better than to argue with her. 

I glared daggers at the smug look on his face as he took my begrudgingly outstretched arm to escort me to the dance floor. My skirts swished against my legs as we walked, a slow but slightly sultry song striking up as he twirled me away from him before pulling me back in. 

“How have you been, Sister?” Veritas’ voice was clipped but there was a look behind his eyes that made my heart pound and my spine tingle. “Enjoying your last few days before you ascend?”

“What are you playing at Veritas?” I hissed, glaring at him as he stepped closer in our embrace. I could see Copia and Terzo to the side of us, both staring so sharply at Veritas I was surprised he didn’t catch fire. “You haven’t said a thing to me in weeks, suddenly we are buddy buddy and you want to dance?”

“Can a man not pay his respects to the woman who will be at the highest level of our organization without motive?”

“Not considering you tried to kiss said woman the last time we were this close.”

“Ah, for that I apologize. Too much wine that night.” He smiled, a slithering and predatory kind, and I fought to keep my face neutral. “Though can you blame a man for trying?”

“Yes. Yes I can; I’m not interested Veritas, I think I’ve made myself clear enough.”

“Someone as enchanting as yourself should not have to stoop so low to end up with a mousy Cardinal and a Papa who sees himself above the Dark One himself,” Veritas chided, his eyes slightly hooded as he looked down at me. I shuddered, rage blossoming in my chest as he spoke.

I couldn’t help myself as I stepped closer to him, even he looked slightly taken aback at our bodies almost pressed against each other. Each breath caused my breasts to ghost against his chest and he looked smug before I spoke. 

“Those two men over there are some of the kindest, most genuine, earnest souls I’ve ever met. If there is anything I’ve learned about you, Veritas; it is that you are neither kind, genuine, or earnest,” I purred, my voice ghosting over his ear causing the man to shiver. “I would rather throw myself from the highest tower than forsake my vows and leave either of them for anyone even remotely like you.”

“That could be arranged, Sister,” he chuckled after taking a moment to recover. “I’m sure my sister, Caterina, would appreciate the chance to rekindle her romance with Terzo after all these years…”

“How dare you…” I hissed, rage filling my chest again as I fought the urge to slap him.

“Ah, how does the saying go? All is fair in love and war?” he purred, dipping me into a low bow as the song started to come to a close. “Well, Sister. I’d say this counts as love and war, no?”

Before I could even formulate a response, the song came to a close. He bowed to me and kissed my knuckles before winking at me and sauntering away, leaving me gaping like a fish out of water on the dance floor. 

…

“Incredible isn’t it?” 

I turned to look to my left and saw Saltarian had come to stand next to me as I took in the massive tapestry on the back wall, the party behind me in full swing. I’d come over to the tapestry to see my own name embroidered in, my fingers brushing against the gold thread. 

“It is very impressive,” I said softly, somewhat emotional thinking about the generations of women before me going through exactly what I was. “I can’t believe that it’s been kept up to date…”

“Painstakingly, and repaired over the years too, when we needed to make way for new bloodlines and off-shoots,” Saltarian chuckled, pointing to where my name had been added next to Terzo’s and another little line had been added for Copia to join us as well. They’d already added a little path for any children we had, and I blushed knowing they had prepared that ahead of my Prime Mover ceremony. “Several centuries of families are on here.”

My fingertips skimmed the line backwards, following from where my name was, passing over where Secondo and his empty slot for his Prime Mover sat, and stopped momentarily on the spot where Primo and his Prime Mover’s name had been stitched in years before me:

Prime Mover Francesca Emeritus Born 1945 - Died 1973

Beside her name was another small line, and stitched in a thin gold thread was another heartbreaking image:

Heir Emeritus {Baby Girl} Born 1973 - Died 1973

A single branch of a family was cut out too soon, my heart clenched even reading it. Their baby had passed before they had even gotten to name her. I had to move on before the tears that welled in my eyes for Primo’s lost love and child fell; my fingers passed over Papa Nihil who, despite having three sons, did not have a Prime Mover. Further and further back I went, until I found the last Prime Mover to take two lovers, the one responsible for the birth of the Emeritus line. I smiled faintly, feeling a kinship with a woman who lived and died centuries before I was even born. 

I followed the clergy line, like I had all those weeks ago at my council meeting, watching the family grow and grow. Last names changed as I went on and I closed in on the more recent names. That was when I saw two names and my gasp caught the attention of Saltarian. 

Cardinal Maximilliano Veritas Born 1972 -  ~*~ Sister Caterina Veritas Born 1973 - 

“Is something wrong, Sister?” Saltarian asked, and I shook my head, fearful my voice wouldn’t come out. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Y-Yes Sir,” I stammered, thinking back to the last conversation I’d had with Veritas prior to the one tonight. “If you don’t mind me asking, Sir. What is the rite of inheritance?”

“Where did you ever learn about that, Sister?” he laughed, but apparently something in my face made it clear I wasn’t joking. “Well it's a very, very old tradition. It involves calling into question the line of succession, or in some cases the line of inheritance when there is a place, thing, or even sometimes a bride. Calling for a rite of inheritance was all the rage after the middle ages since so many had died in the various church familial lines, nobody could make heads or tales of what belonged to whom after whole branches of families were wiped out.”

I’d stopped listening to him as he chatted about Medieval history, mentally wrapped up in the last few weeks and what Vertas had said. My heart was pounding in my chest as panic bloomed. 

“P-Please excuse me, Saltarian. I need to speak with Papa,” I blurted, bowing my head in apology before starting back to my own table. 

Swiss caught my arm before I could get more than a foot closer, tugging me to the side and stepped close to speak with me, his eyes filled with concern behind the silver of his mask.

“Hey Sunshine, what's going on? I felt you panic from the other side of the room.” Swiss kept his voice low as he looked around, as if someone was going to pop out and steal me away. 

“It’s Veritas,” I blurted, my eyes darting around to see if I could see him in the room still. I couldn’t find him, and if anything it heightened my anxiety. “I…I don’t know how to explain it but I know that he’s up to something Swiss.”

The clock in the room chimed several times, it was 3 in the morning. Sister Imperator came over with a soft but sleepy smile, hand resting on my shoulder before she spoke. 

“Come, Sister. We need to get you ready for your ritual, Secondo already left and you were supposed to be there for 3am.” Imperator turned to Swiss with a cocked eyebrow. “Will you please escort Sister to the chapel, Swiss ghoul?”

“Yes, Imperator Ma’am.” He bowed before taking my arm gently and leading us away. “You should have told her you know.”

“I know, I know. You know it's not exactly like she gave me much of a chance to speak,” I sighed as we walked down the long halls and headed in the direction of the chapel. “Let’s just get this over with....”

When we got to the chapel I smiled when I noticed the ghouls had already started setting up decorations and ceremony elements. There was a slight haze in the air of the room from the heavily fragrant incense they were burning, smoke swirling around in the super low light of the few candles that had been left lit.

I went off into a side suite where there was a simple set of junior sibling robes waiting for me. I wore a white linen dress that had a stiff high collar with long form fitting sleeves; over that I wore a black pinafore dress made in a heavy muslin. I exchanged my formal heels for black leather flats and black thigh high knit stockings, and quickly worked to pull my hair back into a braid before coming out of the suite. Swiss was still waiting for me, and he shook his head wryly and pointed at the ornately carved confessional booth behind him. 

“Secondo is already in there, I heard him murmuring a little when you were getting dressed. You go, I’ll stand guard.”

“Thank you, Swiss. You’ve been my rock this whole week,” I smiled, reaching to squeeze his shoulder gently. He looked sheepish as he took my hand and gave it a gentle press of his lips to my knuckle. 

“Anything for you, Master,” he teased before scampering away from me, I scoffed, but smiled as I slipped into the empty side of the booth. 

“Good Evening, Papa,” I started as I knelt on the floor of the confessional. “It has been…well it's been several weeks since my last confession.”

I hear him make some sort of snort, my cheeks flushing as I remembered who my last confession was with and the conversation with Primo earlier that night.

“I have come before you to share my sins, to feel the sweet release of absolving myself of the contradictory notion of sin. As everything we do is because of the gift of free will from the ancient one.” I spoke clearly, trying to follow exactly what Secondo and I had gone over the last few weeks. “T-There is something weighing on me very heavily that I would like to discuss first.”

“Oh?” His voice was thick and pitched low, but I remembered how much wine he’d drunk earlier tonight, and I had a feeling he’d drank too much.

“I…I am concerned about Cardinal Veritas, Papa,” I blurted, feeling my heart racing as I settled back on my calves. The hazy smoke from the chapel swirling around in the booth, the thick cloying scent making me almost want to gag. I felt it settle deep in my lungs and it made me light headed, swaying slightly on my knees. “H-H-He mentioned the rite of inheritance in passing before. I’m worried he's going to try and hurt Terzo or Copia…or even me.”

I felt like I’d been slurring my words a little, taking a minute to mentally tally the drinks I’d had at dinner. My vision was going a little spotty as I tried to focus and look through the partition between Papa and I; eyes not quite strong enough to zero in on the vague shape of a man on the other side. 

“Se-Secondo?” I stuttered as he stood on the other side coming closer to the grate, a sickening feeling deep in my gut as the shape on the other side became more defined and the colors they were wearing even more obvious.

“Unfortunately for you, Little Bird, I am not the Emeritus brother,” the man teased, coming to step out of his side and snatching my wrist to drag me to my feet. 

“Le-let me go, Veritas!” I slurred, stumbling on my feet as I tried to get away. My panic thrummed through my veins as I gripped the edge of the wood to try and prevent him from pulling me anywhere. “P-Please let me go!”

“Ah, Sister. It’s too late to beg unfortunately. Things are in motion, you see,” he chuckled darkly, his light eyes flashing dangerously. 

He pulled me up roughly, my arm socket aching sharply, and I cried out. Veritas’ grip loosened as I wobbled again, vision swirling as I looked around for someone, anyone, to come help. I managed to get my wrist out of his hands and yanked away from him, but I felt like I was moving through mud, legs growing weaker as I stumbled away. I tripped over my own feet and fell hard to my hands and knees, gasping for clean air but finding more of the cloying scent of the incense. 

“S-Sunshine?” Swiss called out as I finally locked eyes with him. I reached out towards him, our fingertips brushing as he rushed forward to me but as quickly as he came to me he begun to fall down to the floor with me. 

“Swiss..?” I mumbled, my vision fading fast. I looked behind him and watched Caterina as she walked towards us, a syringe in her hands and a vicious look on her face. 

It was the last thing I saw before I too slipped under the effects of the sickly scent of the incense. 

…

Tucked deep in the sleepy New England forest, hours away from any real city, was the massive and sprawling grounds of the home of the Satanic Church known as The Clergy. I’d been taken aback at the structure, a massive gothic church down a long sprawling road. I couldn’t see over the fairly high, slightly crumbling stone walls, but I could see there were several roofs of other buildings including a large Victorian style glass greenhouse. When I pulled up in my car, the gates had been left open and I felt the caress of something deep inside me. Calling me, coaxing me from my car to the front steps and I couldn’t stop myself from hesitantly tugging on the doorbell. 

I heard the gong of the bells going off on the other side of the door and my heart had felt like it was going to explode as I waited for someone to answer. The door opened, and an older woman stepped out slightly, a closed look on her face. 

“Yes? How can we help you?” Her voice was clipped, face leaving no room for any curiosity as I tried and failed to peek around her to see inside to see what had been calling out for me. 

“I-I’m sorry to bother you, I…I just was passing by,” I stuttered, cheeks flushing as I spoke. “I was so impressed with the building all the way out here, I just…well I was curious to know what it was.”

That was probably the lamest excuse I could have come up with, and if the woman’s face was anything to go off of, she didn’t believe a word of it. She and I both knew there was no passing by, considering the Abbey was twenty minutes off the main road and down a long and winding unmarked road.

“We are a…religious organization,” she said stiffly. My eyes drifted to her collar where a rosary was draped around her neck. However instead of a crucifix, it was an upside down cross with a G in the middle, at least that's what I thought it looked like. 

“Oh, is it…Catholic?” I asked, slightly confused at her hesitancy.

“We are assuredly not Catholic,” she chuckled, stepping back slightly and gesturing for me to come inside. “Would you like a tour?” 

“Y-Yes! I’d love that, thank you so much!” I smiled brightly, stepping into the entryway and following her into the hall.

The foyer of the Abbey was made entirely of a light cream colored stone with a massive fireplace to the side; above which was an enormous painting of a strange looking man and I paused, eyes locked on the painting. 

The man was dressed in robes similar to the priest I would see at the church I grew up attending, but they were all black, with green accents. Down the center, on top of a strip of what looked like lace, was a row of the upside down crosses from the woman’s rosary embroidered. He wore a miter on his head, again adorned with the upside down crosses, but his face perplexed me the most. It was painted to look like a skull, complete with what looked like teeth over his lips. What caught my eye was his mismatched gaze that seemed to be able to pierce right through me, a small shiver running down my spine.

Under this enormous painting was a plaque, I leaned closer to read what it said. 

Papa Emeritus the Second Long May he Shepherd the Flock

“Miss, are you coming?” 

The woman’s voice made me jump and I turned to her with a small guilty smile. “Ah, the painting caught your eye?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ve never seen anything quite like this…well at least not for a religion.” I took a few steps towards her before she gestured up at the painting. 

“That is Papa Emeritus the Second, though most of us here call him Secondo.” She laughed before continuing. “He’s the leader of the Church, somewhat like the Pope is for Catholics if you will. I'd like to introduce you, but unfortunately he’s not here right now, he's touring with the Ghost Project.”

“Ghost Project?” I paused, eyebrow knitting together. I’d heard that before, where had I heard that before? “Isn’t that a band?”

“Yes, it is. Have you heard of them before?”

“Ah, no not really. I’d just seen something in the news, I think?” I couldn’t place where I’d heard about them before but I didn’t let myself get caught up in it and neither did the woman, who nodded sagely as she started to give me a real tour. 

Sister Imperator, as she had introduced herself, was nothing but a wonderful tour guide as we wandered the halls of the Abbey. It was quiet today as the night before had been a Black Mass night, and many were still sleeping in since there was no class today. We passed many works of art and tapestries on the wall, all having a similar motif of the fall of Lucifer and the serpent tempting Eve with the apple. It didn’t dawn on me to ask a question about what exact religion they were until we entered the chapel and I saw the statue of Baphomet in the rectory. 

“Uh…Sister?” I started awkwardly, a blush on my cheeks before she turned to see what I was looking at. “W-What religion did you say you were again...?”

“Ah, I think I may have glossed over that part, Dear,” she chuckled before her fingers curled around her rosary. “We're part of the Satanic Church.”

“Oh.”

“I hope you aren’t worried we are going to sacrifice you or kill a baby to steal your soul.” She crossed her arms and seemed to be evaluating me as I squirmed. 

“N-No! I wouldn’t think that at all,” I blurted, turning back to the statue and looking at it again. “You’ve been nothing but lovely.”

Suddenly that pull, the insistent tugging behind my sternum was back and I felt my fingertips twitch. I gasped under my breath, eyes defocusing for a second as I let my vision drift slightly. 

“Ah, Archbishop, what a nice surprise! I thought you’d be locked away in your rooms today.” Imperator seemed cheery to see the Archbishop. I turned to look at the newcomer, trying to not look like I was currently having heart palpitations. “This lovely lady here was just passing by, I thought I’d offer her a tour.”

The man was standing behind us looking just as shocked at seeing me as I was seeing him. He wore a black cassock with purplish pink buttons and matching piping around the edge of the cape, button placard, and cuffs. He also wore a matching colored skull cap on his head and a belt with tassels. On his hands he had leather gloves with rings, a metal cross on the backs of his hands. The Archbishop wore face paint, his top lip painted black and racoon-like black around his eyes. His hair was dark and pushed back from his face with matching sideburns. He also had a pencil mustache, making him look distinguished. His posture however made me think more of a rat than a man, slightly shy and hunched over. His eyes, like mine, seemed wild and didn’t quite want to focus on me. The Archbishop in fact seemed to refuse to look at my face, a small barely visible blush on his cheeks. 

“Welcome, cara mia, to the Abbey.” He bowed his head in my direction and fidgeted with his hands. “I am Archbishop Copia.”

My heart felt like it was attempting to rip its way out of my chest as I introduced myself to him. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Archbishop,” I said with a small, shy smile. 

“If you will excuse me ladies, I am needed to help Cardinal Emeritus with his sermons.” He gestured to the doors behind us that must lead to the chapel.

“Actually, I was just looking for him as well. I wanted to introduce him to our visitor as well.” Imperator smiled like a cat who’d just caught a mouse, and I watched the Archbishop swallow deeply. 

He nodded and gestured for us to lead the way, and I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine as I passed him. My eyes lingered on him and I managed to catch his eye, his mismatched gaze filled with swirling emotion that took my breath away. Our eyes locked and I felt the whole room evaporate for a moment. I went to speak to him, to break the tension between us, and instead nothing came out. A voice floated around my skull as I tried to speak.

Wake Up, Little Lamb…

…

I jumped slightly, eyes flying open and gasping for breath, and struggled against something holding my hands above my head. While I tried to shake off the fog, focusing on my surroundings I noticed the ropes binding my wrists above my head and my feet down on the stone altar under my body. I felt the panic bubbling up in my chest, a fluttering through my veins, as I looked around with wild, bleary eyes trying to focus. The room was too dark to see much of anything beyond where I was, however I gasped when I noticed a prone form strapped to a wooden X to my left. 

“S-Swiss?!” I croaked, voice crackling as my throat was painfully dry. He didn’t move and my heart was thrumming wildly in my chest. “Swiss? Ca-Can you hear me?”

As my eyes got more used to the lack of light, I saw he was cuffed to the wood with metal cuffs around his wrists and one around his neck. I struggled against the rope around my wrists, the fibers cutting into my sink and leaving marks. 

“I wouldn’t struggle too much, Sorella. I prefer my property to be unmarked.”

My head whipped to look down at my feet, eyes locking with Cardinal Veritas as he stepped from the shadows. My heartbeat was pounding in my temples as I fruitlessly struggled against my binds again, the blond man rolling his eyes with a dark chuckle. Twirling between his gloved fingertips was a knife, I let out a little gasp of fear and his face twinkled with a foreboding look. He came up to me, one hand letting go of the knife and dragging a fingertip against my side as he tsked under his breath. 

“Such a shame,” He sighed, face full of mock regret. “I’m sure you would have looked radiant in your ritual. Alas I have bigger plans for you, Sister.” 

“You don’t think they’ll notice I’m gone, Veritas?” I snapped, flinching away from his touch. “You don’t think everyone in the Monastery will be looking for me, hell for Swiss and I, when they realize we aren’t in the confessional or even in our room?”

“By the time they even put together you two are missing, I’ll be long gone from here.” 

“And what? You think that Terzo and Copia will just let you leave after you do whatever it is you plan to do to me?” I laughed, a crazed sort of chuckle. “Whatever they would do to you would be a vacation in comparison to what Swiss will do when he wakes up.”

“What gave you the impression you’d still be around to see it my dear?” He purred, the tip of his knife grazing against my collarbones. “I’d rather not have to waste such a supple form but alas… if you won’t cooperate.”

“What do you want with me, Veritas?” My voice was strong even with the panic bubbling up in my throat. “What is all this about?”

“Come, Sister, you cannot be so naive surely?” He laughed, a pitying look on his face. “This is about revenge, this is about taking what is supposed to be mine by birth. This is about taking the one thing that they care about away from them.”

“But why? Why does it matter to you even now?”

“BECAUSE YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE.” Veritas roared, fist slamming on the altar below me and making me jump. “The visions I had as an archbishop, I was to wed the prime mover. I was the one to ascend, I was to be Papa.”

“B-but you aren’t an Emerit-” I started before he cut me off, eyes blazing in fury as he came close to my face. 

“You go far enough back in any of the clerical families and we all can trace back to the Emeritus family.” Veritas sneered, catching my jaws and forcing me to look in his eyes. “Some of us more directly than others.”

“What the hell does that have to do with me?” 

“Because, dear Sister, you’re the first woman that has been able to enchant dear Alessandro for more than a month. He’s been a skirt chaser since I’ve met him and even my own sister couldn’t bring him to heel. I’d had hoped they would have been bound and she could have brought his downfall. Instead it was an upstart outsider who managed to cuff him.”

He sighed, straightening his cassock and walking towards Swiss. I struggled against the ropes again as he used the knife to slice at Swiss’ shirt buttons and opened the fabric to expose his smooth skin. 

“You ask what this has to do with you, I fear you haven’t been paying enough attention my dear. This is entirely about you.” He chuckled as Swiss began to stir slightly. “You were meant to be mine, you were meant to rebind the houses of Veritas and Emeritus together again. All they talk about is how you were sent by Lucifer himself, to bring a new age of the Satanic Church, to bring together the Papal and Clergy seats and make them stronger. What they all seem to forget is dear Papa played favorites, he promoted that fucking rat bastard. He is the usurper, not I. No it should have been me, little bird, that you’d be bound too. Not Copia.” 

My eyes were wide with fear as he ranted, waving the knife around before he turned back to Swiss. 

“Veritas p-please! Leave him alone.” I begged, tears welling in my eyes as I panicked. 

“Oh how lovely Sister, unfortunately for him I’m not willing to mar that beautiful skin of yours…” He cooed, eyes flashing dangerously as he adjusted his grip on the knife. “However after a little research on the bindings between ghouls and their masters I found a very interesting piece of knowledge. Not only are good feelings like pleasure and joy shared, but also anguish and pain…”

His smile took on a wild, feral sort of quality as he slowly dragged the knife from Swiss’ chest outwards towards his ribs. Swiss growling and groaning as he began to wake as the pain seeped into his subconscious. 

“What are you ta-?” I started before crying out and arching off the altar. 

I could feel every inch of the blade as he sliced a small cut into my ghoul’s flesh. I gasped, tears flowing freely now, and dug my nails into the palms of my hands to distract myself. 

“Remarkable…” he muttered, coming over and cutting away at my habit dress as I tried to squirm away from him. He only stopped when he was able to see I was unmarked. “Your punishment, Little Bird, is your penance for all the trouble you have caused me since arriving.”

“Pl-please Veritas, just let me go.” I begged, wet eyes locking with his unfeeling ones. 

“It's too late to beg your way out of this one, darling.” He laughed darkly, walking back over to Swiss who was actively trying to lash out at Veritas. 

“I’m going to fucking rip you to shreds you bastard, absolutely fucking eviscerate you.” Swiss roared, hissing and flinching against the cuffs around his limbs and neck. 

“Unfortunately for you, mongrel, those are made of iron and I doubt a ghoul as young as you has the strength to shatter them.” Veritas waved him off, looking back at me again with a wild look in his eye. “Come, Sister, show me how you’d scream for me, hm?”

Before I could even formulate a retort, a scream ripped past my lips as I felt like my ribs were on fire. I watched as he dipped the tip of the knife slightly deeper between each of Swiss’ ribs. I thrashed against the ropes, pleading with him to stop and let us go; but all my begging and pleading fell on deaf ears.