Sigil | Ghost The Band

Malevolence

"Why is your eye bleeding?" She asked after a while, wiping under her eyes. His hand tensed so slightly

"Because I said 'god' in reference to the Catholic one."

"There's a lot of shit happening, shit that I don't understand... but that makes no sense to me."

Terzo chuckled dryly, slowly standing and holding a hand for her to take. "It's a form of punishment, it's been happening since I took my oath. When I speak of... that guy. Specifically him, that is, this happens."

"That's...fucked. Can't even commit blasphemy in peace."

Terzo laughed quietly, pulling her to her feet. "I need a few books, wait here."

"What for?"

"Research purposes, obviously."

Calliope observed him as he darted amongst the shelves, aptly picking out a few specific books. "I thought your brother was the book nerd between you."

"I'm educated enough. Ideally, Omega would help but..."

"But he is a back-stabbing bitch." She finished his sentence, leaning against the wall.

"Right on the money," Terzo grunted, picking up the small stack of books he'd procured. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

"My room. Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, coming."

She didn't know why she was following him blindly, but then again she had no idea why she did anything these days. Assuming she got a get-out-of-jail card for once, she grabbed her own stack of books, which she had set aside earlier, at which Terzo only raised a brow.

He shut the door behind them and walked ahead, leading her through the intricate twists and turns of the chapel. The hallway they now found themselves in was desolate, save for a singular set of doors. Calliope walked closer to the balcony, which looked over the entirety of the chapel.

Peering over further, she could see the door to her room, slightly obscured from view but visible nonetheless. Interesting...

"Cal." Terzo hissed behind her, motioning for her to step inside quickly. She sheepishly stepped into the room, whispering an apology even though the door was now closed and they were alone.

"Come. Sit."

Taking the room in for the first time, she was impressed. A small sitting area near a fireplace, lush velvet couches, the biggest bed she'd ever seen in her entire life... Jesus, this room was like the most expensive hotel suite money could buy.

"This is your room? How are you not a recluse? I'd never leave."

"All that glitters, tesoro." He sighed, leaving the expression hanging in the air, dropping his small collection of books on the coffee table with a thud.

"Right, right, yeah..." She nodded along, glancing across the room one last time before sitting down on the couch across from him. A couch is maybe too informal...

"So, what do you have in mind?"

Holding his chin in contemplation, he assessed the books he'd chosen. "I would suggest that we figure out what ritual was put in place first, then we can try to find a mean to put an end to it."

Calliope nodded slowly. "Does the uhm..." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Does the scar have anything we can use? Symbols, sigils and such?"

Terzo looked at her strangely, like she'd just told him the Earth was flat. "You haven't looked at it, have you?"

"No... is it bad?"

He rose, pulling her to an ensuite bathroom she hadn't noticed. Temporarily distracted by the dark marble walls and massive tub, she only noticed when they came to a stop in front of a mirror. It covered the majority of the wall.

"Calliope, focus."

"You're getting really comfortable using my name, aren't you?"

"Considering I've known you almost half a decade, I'd say it's overdue. Now, quit stalling."

Terzo spun her to face him, avoiding her eyes as the pulled her hair forward. He pointed to the mirror, telling her to look. She did. And she wished she hadn't. The sight made her blood run cold and she now understood why she avoided it.

"Why did they...How could they do this to someone?" She whispered, unable to look away or comprehend this... malevolence.

Terzo swallowed thickly, still refusing to look her in the eyes. Easing the small straps of the nightgown off her shoulders, he tugged the back of it down, his claw scraping her spine lightly as he did so. She realised why he did this.

The intricate scarring covered not only her upper back and shoulders but her entire spine and lower back. Finally, she could look away, covering her mouth in horror. She couldn't read his expression, nor did she try to.

"Do you know what any of them mean?" She distracted them both with the question, and he finally snapped out of it.

"Some of them," He breathed, brows tightly furrowed.

"We can list them, and maybe find a corresponding ritual that way?"

He nodded, pursing his lips in thought.

***

"There's a running theme of rebirth and immortality... I don't know why considering every fucker involved already accomplished that."

"They were going to- are going to sacrifice me for immortality," She repeated disbelievingly, scowling. "How original."

"I haven't the faintest idea why they didn't do it back then, but everything Imperator does is calculated. My guess is the curse required an incubation period."

"Ew. That just sounds terrible."

"Did my choice of words discomfort you? My sincerest apologies." Terzo deadpanned, staring at her blankly before paging through the book on his lap once more.

"No," she scoffed. "What I meant was; a curse that requires an 'incubation period' sounds terrible, as in, I'm about to suffer."

"That's just a fact," He shrugged. "None of the other rituals require the offering having to live for an extended time..."

"Maybe it's not deliberate, maybe they have yet to figure something else out," She offered, uncertain.

"Maybe."