The Blade in the Stars (Swiss x Female OC)

1: Cataclysm

    "Ghoul, I have something to tell you." Sister Imperator's ominous tone rung out. Her hands were intertwined on her desk, stacks of paper surrounding her. The room was dull, the only light being that of a few candles.

    I held my cold expression, staring ahead at the woman. Nothing she had to say could ever calm the nerves that were going through me right now. As of this morning, Secondo was dead. The only man who I had ever served was dead, and I'm still here. I didn't care for what my superior had to say, my mind still whirling. "Why am I still here?" My voice came out as intended - emotionless.

    "I wish I could tell you." She sighed deeply, leaning back against her chair. Once a ghoul's summoner has passed on, they were meant to go back to hell. It wasn't a choice, it just happened. All of Secondo's other ghouls were gone, so why was I still here? I clutched desperately at the chair's arms, my knuckles going white.

    "Send me back. Let it happen like it's supposed to."

    "I don't know how, Fenris." Sister Imperator's tone held a slight annoyance. "I can't help it that your still here. Only Secondo could've sent you back, for he was the one who summoned you. You know this." My neck twitched slightly, my grip on the chair loosening.

    "I also know that I should be there right now." I broke my poker face, my eyes burning into the Sister. Nothing was making sense. My mask felt tight around me, the plastic rubbing uncomfortably against my skin.

    "Calm yourself, ghoul." She hissed, tugging at her shirt's collar. "I prefer my office to be the proper temperature." I slowly tilted my head, narrowing your eyes onto the Sister. She stared at me, unfazed. "Now, may I continue?" She did a half-smile, going back to her original thoughts. I inhaled deeply, twisting my head around till I was looking directly at her.

    "Go on." I murmured, my voice still low. Sister Imperator dipped her head gratefully. She sat up in her desk chair, straightening herself as well as the papers that lay in front of her.

    An unnecessary annoyance echoed through me as the papers fluttered around. She brought them into a neat stack, hitting the bottom against the desk before setting it aside. My jaw clenched as I watched her resume her previous position. "You know Cardinal Copia, yes?"

    I wanted to reply with some snarky comment, but I held my tongue. Of course, I knew who Copia was. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew who he was. Disregarding Sister Imperator, the Cardinal had the most employee of the month rewards. I nodded slowly in response, gazing at the Sister with curiosity.

    "Well, he has taken it upon himself to summon a new set of ghouls." I furrowed my brow, my eyes dropping to the floor. What would he be doing with new ghouls? "I-"

    "Why?" I abruptly cut in, glancing back up.

    Sister Imperator paused, taking a second to scan the ghoul before her. "Well, seeing as Terzo has been taken away from us.." she hesitated, taking a moment to choose her words, "someone has to continue the rituals."

    I felt my entire body go numb, my face paling. They were going to make him the new face of Ghost. I shook my head towards the ground, Sister Imperator watching me carefully. I could only imagine what Secondo would say about this:

    "Oh, Sister, this is a terrible idea! Surely someone else would work in order to replace my brother. But him? I won't allow it."

    Only he wasn't here to say anything. He wouldn't say something ever again. Never. He wouldn't be there to scold his ghouls when something went wrong. He wouldn't be there when a glass was broken, or when dust started to gather. There wouldn't be any more of his ridiculous parties. I wouldn't wake up in his home and take orders from him the entire day. It was all over.

    Tears pricked my vision for only a moment before vanishing once more. I prayed to Satan that Sister Imperator didn't see. I assumed she didn't, for her talking continued, "It's already been done. Paperwork has been signed; the 6 ghouls have been assigned to their instruments."

    "Six?" I echoed. "That can't be enough, can it?" Concern washed over me like a giant wave. Despite my protests, I knew to accept the fact that there would be new ghouls. A new Papa. But I also knew that 6 ghouls would never suffice for the rituals.

    "You're correct." Sister Imperator hummed, "That's when the other news comes in. Two of Terzo's ghouls are still here as well." My eyes widened in shock. Not only had I stayed, which was a surprise in itself, two others also remained. "Sodo and Aether."

    I could only slightly recall seeing the two when they were practicing for the band. Other than that, I never had any real conversation with them. However, often times I would hear some rumor that Sodo was involved in.

    My gaze fell to the desk as Sister Imperator slipped over a piece of paper. I studied it carefully, reading off the information in my head.

The new lineup:
Sodo - Fire - Lead Guitarist
Aether - Quintessence - Rhythm Guitarist
Rain - Water - Bassist
Mountain - Earth - Drummer
Swiss - N/A - Multi-Purposed
Cumulus - Air - Multi-Purposed
Cirrus - Air - Multi-Purposed (keytar)
Sunshine - Air/Stratus - Multi-Purposed
Fenris - Fire - Multi-Purposed

    Upon reading the last line, my blood ran cold. I closed my eyes, attempting to contain myself as I set the paper down. "I didn't agree to this." I stated calmly, raising my chin.

    Sister Imperator's lips drew into a fine line. "You must serve some sort of purpose while you're here. So, I have taken the liberty of making you one of Copia's ghouls."

    "I won't." I said simply, shifting positions in the chair. Sister Imperator sighed, running her hand over her face roughly.

    "You don't have a choice." She raised her voice into a tone of commandment. I scanned the contents of her desk, landing upon an unlit candle. Out of habit, I only slightly moved my finger, a reliable flame being placed in the candle. The light hit Imperator perfectly, her weathered features outlined in the warm light. The sign of age reflecting off of Sister made it difficult to take her seriously.

    The prospect of participating in rituals again was exhausting. All the hours put in when I was first summoned were excruciating. "Why don't you go meet them?" Imperator urged, "They're in the common room making their introductions, go join them."

    "Is that an order?" A blank expression emerged on my face once more.

    "Yes." She did one of her innocent smiles. I hated when she did that. At her response, I nodded slowly, raising out of my chair. I hadn't realized that I had resumed my grip on the chair. My nails had peeled at the wood, tiny shards scattered on the armrest. I paused, glaring down at the woman on the other side of the desk. She held her smile, her even gaze meeting my eyes. Without another word I turned, the door slamming shut as I made my leave.

    I didn't go to see the other ghouls.

    Instead, I went to my room, standing there as the door shut behind me. It didn't feel the same. The room felt dark and cold, an overwhelming silence filling the empty space. I whipped off my mask, letting it hit the wall and fall to the ground. It rolled only a few feet before it stopped.

    Everything decided to throw itself onto me, an inescapable wave of emotions washing over me. I screamed as loud as I could. I couldn't stand anymore, collapsing onto my knees harshly. All I could do was climb into bed, still fully dressed in my ghoul uniform. Even I began to feel hot, the room reflecting my strong feelings.

    I couldn't cry. No matter how hard I tried, tears would just not flow freely. My chest heaved with effort as I stared up at the ceiling. The bed felt like a bundle of clouds, my body sinking into the mattress.

    He's gone.

    They're all fucking gone.

    And they're already moving on.