Sigil | Ghost The Band

Adnectimus

Calliope wasn't really sure what to do with herself now. Terzo had disappeared to tend to his duties, namely organising things for the tour. Imperator was nowhere to be found. And Calliope has finally decided to stop disappearing into the books. They were useless to her now.

They probably keep the ones I needed in the archives, but I doubt Omega would even have let me near those.

Her options were finally narrowed down to two things; the greenhouse or the library.

The greenhouse was hot and humid, and she was already sick to her stomach. That simply wouldn't be practical.

Sodo's unbothered presence might even be helpful; a distraction. If he's even there.

She didn't know when the voice in her head - obviously her own - had become so outspoken, but she really wished it would just shut the fuck up.

Calliope navigated the now-familiar hallways with relative ease, ignoring every sound she heard from the darkness of the mausoleum. It had to be her own imagination, which would make sense because apparently, her sanity was quite fragile.

She tried the handle of the room, finding it to be locked. No surprise there.

Something in the hall hissed, and she turned around confused. It took her a moment to spot the masked face poking out of a door... the same one as last time.

Rolling her eyes, she hurried over. "Did you find something else?"

Sodo ignored her, continuing to speak.

"I was snooping, as per, and I found something that might interest you."

I'm fucking confused. Isn't this the exact same conversation we had last time? She glanced around the room, it seemed the same as last time. Sodo just stared at her, from what she could tell. The lighting had obscured his eyes, creating an endless void behind his mask.

"What's going on?"

"Belongings of Clergy Members, past and present. Sister Imperator insists they throw away their past lives, but some things aren't worth destroying," He shrugged, the action unsettling her as he remained still.

"Sodo, this isn't funny, what the fuck is going on?" She emphasized, taking a step toward the door.

"I think I found something that might belong to you," He told her, a wicked tint of humour seeping into his tone. That's... not the same as last time.

"What?"

He grabbed her arm, dragging her through the winding rows of useless clutter. She observed as they stepped into a dark clearing of sorts amongst the towers of possessions. Her head turned towards him, but he was facing forward.

Following his line of sight, she was met with something unexpected. Two sarcophagi stood slightly upright, illuminated by a lit sconce above.

"I don't understand-"

"Look," He commanded, nudging her forward. She scowled at him but neared them nonetheless, reading the bronze plaques on the white marble lids.

Calliope Marianne Alarie.

She squinted at it, finding it to be a cruel joke. The dates of her birth, and upcoming death, were scratched away like they were feverishly clawed at.

"That's not fucking funny," She bit back fiercely, stepping away from the omen as though it had burnt her.

Sodo kept silent, jerking his head toward the coffin next to it. She didn't want to look, she refused to, but in the end, her curiosity begged to know the punchline to this cruel attempt at a joke.

The name she read sent a feverish chill down her spine so savagely that it made her head spin and her stomach churn.

"Calliope!" Someone called from behind, echoing off the cathedral ceilings. She turned to face whoever it was, too shocked to reply.

"What are you doing in here?" Imperator demanded, storming forward.

"What the fuck is this?" Calliope demanded in turn, her voice strained with angry tears in her eyes as she gestured behind her. Imperator halted in her tracks, frowning at her like she'd lost her mind.

Calliope spun to face what she'd just seen, wondering what could possibly be so mind-boggling to Imperator, only to realise... There was nothing there. In fact, she didn't even recognise the room she was in.

Room was an understatement... this was a hall, identical to the chapel upstairs but more... decrepit. Statues of Papas littered the room, decorating every cove and crevice.

The dark cove she was standing in held nothing, it was desolate. No statues, no adornments... and no sarcophagi.

"What is this place?" She gritted out quietly, barely above a whisper, wiping her eyes as she tried to gather her bearings and formulate her thoughts into coherent sentences.

"The tombs. It's sacred ground. You're not permitted to be here," Imperator scolded, albeit half-heartedly as she still eyed her with confusion and... sympathy.

Calliope nodded, throat still constricted from what she just saw. She followed Imperator out of the room, silently watching as the woman locked the large, ornate doors behind them.

"How did you get inside?"

Calliope kept quiet. She didn't know. She didn't know how, what or why. But what she did know, was that that wasn't Sodo. It was something else.

"Did you figure something out with Secondo?" Cal mumbled, sitting down on a stone bench outside the chapel.

"Yes. He's ready to help us make the deal as soon as... you're ready, I suppose."

Calliope nodded numbly, believing now, more than ever, that she had to go through with it.