Sigil | Ghost The Band

Athenaeum

It was still as quiet as the day before when Cal headed towards the mortuary. Her office had been completely ransacked and her computer was missing. In fact, all the computers were missing. The mortician's office was the most barren of all, all his equipment gone.

What the hell happened here?

Cal had to find Imperator, Terzo, or anyone else who could tell her what was going on. Her mission wasn't nearly as successful as she would've hoped. The church was desolate. She sloped down onto the frontmost pew in the chapel and stared at the ceiling.

Usually, Calliope would appreciate the time off, but now that she was forced to do nothing... she realised how meaningless her life here was. What was she supposed to do now? Obviously, she couldn't leave. God knows why Sister Imperator insists on keeping her here. God knows why she insisted on keeping her here for the past couple of years.

Someone sat down next to her. She didn't even notice their approach nor would she have known they were there if their thigh wasn't pressed against hers.

She recognized him, despite his mask.

"You look like a sinner coming to repent," Omega remarked dryly, staring past the cross at the blasphemous stained glass.

"That's not the case, trust me."

"I know. Who in their right mind would repent for something that is only natural."

She chuckled at his witty statement. "You're quite the philosopher, aren't you?"

"Like sinning is yours, philosophy is my nature." He replied and she could hear the smile in his voice.

The statement triggered something within her, a thought she had repressed for so long. A part of her always felt guilty for her 'sins'. It was an instinct that was bred and beaten into her. But she refused to feel guilty for something that was, as Omega had put it, in her nature.

"It's a good thing," she assured him, not that he needed the assurance. "Every time you say something like that, it makes me think. And believe me, I don't usually think a lot."

He chuckled dryly, leaning back into the gentle curve of the pew. "You are blunt."

"I try to be."

"I enjoy it, as much as I appreciate deep discussions and deeper meanings, it's refreshing when someone tells you exactly what they're thinking."

"I'm flattered." And it was the truth. She was. It's been ages since someone told her they enjoyed her company.

He hummed a sound of acknowledgement, continuing his assessment of the windows.

"So, what do you normally do? I haven't seen you at any of the sermons, or the rituals. I'm assuming that your duties are not clergy-related."

"Not exactly, no. I work in the mortuary, or I used to. I don't know what's happening over there at the moment."

"From what I've heard - via the grapevine and such - it's closing. Someone found a hidden link in the website, and things only spread from there."

"Jes- Fuck, really?"

Omega shrugged. "It's a good thing, I suppose. We don't have to hide who we are anymore."

"That's true but... the mortuary was a decent source of income."

"Not exactly. We have other forms of revenue, the mortuary was merely a front put up by Imperator."

"What other forms of revenue?"

Omega's eyes creased as he smiled secretively. "You'll find out eventually, it's not of importance right now."

Everyone and their goddamn secrets. "Alright... what do you do around here, then? Or does it have something to do with this 'unimportant' topic?"

"Yes and no, I assist the Papas with their practices, hexes and such. Call me an Alchemist of sorts, if you will."

A couple of days ago, Calliope would've laughed at the absurdity of the idea. But the man before her has a tail , for God's sake.

"That's actually quite fascinating. What do you do, like, Alchemy-wise?"

"Gather ingredients, teach the Papas of the old ways. Lecture them about rituals so sacredly archaic, your mind would implode if you knew the slightest details of it."

"Woah..." She was absolutely fascinated by this. And her mind was racing with imagery of magic, spells and potions she'd seen in the media. All the fantasy books she'd read seemed bland in comparison to this because there was the slightest chance that this was real . "That's... insane to think about."

"Indeed," Omega laughed, standing. "Do you have matters to attend to?"

"No," It was embarrassing how quick the word escaped her mouth. "No, I don't."

"Well, would you mind assisting me in the library?"

"Not at all," She stood to follow him. "Also, we have a library?"

Omega nodded, and lead her up the stairs, all the way to the fourth floor. She didn't come here often, as it was always dark, even during the day. Omega unlocked a set of huge french doors, swinging them open and motioning for her to walk in first.

Her jaw was on the floor as she took in the rows upon rows of tall bookcases that seemed to disappear into the heavens. There were hundreds of books piled on the floor, and a spiral staircase that lead to even more bookcases.

"Fuck me, how many books are in this place."

"Thousands, I believe. Maybe somewhere up to a million, if you include the books and scrolls in the archives."

"Holy shit, I could live a hundred lifetimes and still not read all of this."

Omega chuckled deeply behind her, shaking his head. "That is precisely what I said the first time I saw this place."

"Rightfully so because- I can't even process all of this."

"Your expression tells me as much." He walked over to a desk, bending down to write something on a piece of parchment. "Now, we have to scour these two sections here. See if you can find any books with this symbol."

Calliope nodded, determined as she took it from him. She memorized the symbol as much as she could as the two of them set out on their mission to find the mystery book.