Chapter Text
A new ghoul summoning was a special occasion.
Aether shared a glance with Mountain as they waited outside the ritual room for Copia to arrive. It was late. Two, maybe three in the morning. Sister Imperator and the clergy might have been excited, but he could only feel dread hanging heavy on his shoulders. The one thing he remembered from his own summoning was the agonizing white-hot pain, like he was being torn apart at the joints and stitched back together a thousand times over. He wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
He and Mountain were present for all the ghoul summonings now. The physically strongest of Copia’s favoured ghouls, the two of them were required to be there to assist with the unpredictabilities. Sometimes things went fine, and they were just there to reassure and hold whatever poor soul came through the ritual circle from down below.
On the other hand, sometimes things didn’t go so well. Aether remembered a ghoul summoned for the kitchen that had attacked Terzo in their agony and needed to be restrained. And another occasion where a ghoulette had, through no fault of their own, started a fire tornado as their power couldn’t yet be contained in the new form. Aether distinctly remembered Mountain having to pull Sister Imperator out of the way hard enough to leave bruises on her arm. Why the woman insisted on being present for these things when it was so dangerous, he would never know.
Copia had come to see them in the den yesterday, to tell them about the ritual. Someone to help with the tech stuff, he had said. Sister Imperator’s idea, brought on by the increase in technology being used in the abbey and in the spreading of the Ghost Project these days. Aether didn’t really understand it all, but the siblings were allowed their own phones now and many of the clergy members had laptops, so he supposed it was necessary.
Mountain’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “I hope this goes well.”
Aether sighed. “Me too. I hate these.”
“Must be an important one if all four of the Papas are here for it.”
Aether hummed his agreement. It was rare for them all to come for a ghoul summoning. Normally that kind of power was only needed for a ghoul intended for the Ghost Project, or maybe some of the stronger sentry ghouls that protected members of the church when they left the abbey.
They both looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Copia turning the corner in his papal robes (minus gloves, since he always complained about them making it tricky to turn pages), a thick book under his arm. He smiled when he saw them.
“Hello, my ghouls. You are ready for the summoning, yes?”
They both nodded but there must have been some hesitation in one of them because Copia suddenly looked worried. “What’s wrong?”
The ghouls glanced at each other before Mountain spoke in his low voice. “Nothing’s wrong, Papa. We were just wondering why there are so many of you for this summoning. It’s rare.”
Copia smiled in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring but looked more like a grimace. “Well, we’ve never summoned a ghoul with this particular magic before. So it’s best to have more power just in case.”
“What kind of magic?” Aether spoke, and clearly sounded worried because Copia laid a hand on his arm.
“Electricity. The books are a little funny about it, not many clear instructions. But not to worry! Everyone else is already here, yes?”
The ghouls nodded and followed Copia inside the large black door, but not before sharing another concerned glance. The room was surprisingly well-lit for a black magic ritual – yes there were candles dotting the perimeter of a circle in the middle of the room but the overhead lights were on too, although the window was always covered. Aether suspected, but would never suggest, that this was more to do with the declining eyesight of the older Papas than anything else. The smell of incense was so strong Aether could feel it burning the inside of his throat and wrinkled his nose in disgust, suddenly glad he was wearing his mask.
As Copia completed the circle of Papas, Aether and Mountain made their way to the corner where they normally stood, next to a waiting Sister Imperator. She gave them a kind smile and they both inclined their heads in response. Primo broke the silence. “Are we ready to begin?”
There were nods of assent and a soft murmur through the room, and the ritual began.
The beginning was always the most difficult. The ghouls would wait with bated breath to see if the words would take hold, if the air would shift in that strange way it always did when a creature from Hell was being summoned to the surface.
Aether stared into the ring of candles until he saw it – the black abyss. The floor seemed to melt away and was replaced by a bubbling black mass in a vague shape on the floor. He always had to look away then; it seemed too personal, too private. The chanting continued as he watched Copia and the others, feeling a sense of comfort in Mountain’s arm pressing against his.
The chanting stopped, and there was silence. Aether immediately snapped his head back to the circle. Normally there was screaming. Why was there no screaming?
The ghoulette that had appeared on the floor looked normal enough, although she was curled on the floor facing away from him. The same grey skin they all had, the black t-shirt and shorts that for some reason appeared on all newly-summoned ghouls. Silver hair to her shoulders.
Everyone in the room was staring at her. Something was wrong.
Terzo broke the silence. “She’s not breathing.”
A chorus of fuck went around the room and the ghouls stepped forward slightly to get a closer look. Aether saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see Copia stepping forward into the circle towards her and gently putting out a hand, worry furrowing his brow.
“Papa, don’t, it’s dange-“.
Too late.
There was a loud crack and a spark of electricity suddenly arced from the ghoulette’s bare arm to Copia’s ungloved hand. The power of it lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the wall behind him, leaving him almost suspended in the air for a second before slumping to the ground, unconscious.
“Shit!” Mountain swore, pushing Sister Imperator back with one hand and making a grab for Secondo’s arm with the other. Aether stared in horror, starting to move towards Copia. He had barely taken two steps when the ghoulette on the floor suddenly seemed to come to life. She tried to push herself up with one arm but then cried out and collapsed to the floor again, starting the agonised cries of pain that Aether was so used to hearing from summoned ghouls. He wasn’t used to seeing the newly summoned ghouls literally sparking. Arcs of electricity shot off her, one nearly hitting Primo who only just skirted out of the way. Aether reached Copia and pulled him up, cradling him against his chest and moving back into the corner as far as he could go.
A spark suddenly shot up and hit one of the lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, and it made a horrible cracking noise before all the lights suddenly went out, leaving the room in darkness except for the candles and the sparking ghoulette on the floor. She was still screaming, choking out cries with her hands curled over her head and tears streaming down her face. Aether suddenly wished ghouls didn’t have the ability to see in the dark; this scene was like something out of one of those horror movies Swiss liked so much.
He was glad then, when Mountain moved forward from where he had pulled Sister Imperator and Secondo back into a corner and stepped into the circle. One of the sparks hit him but did nothing except make Mountain flinch slightly, and Aether suddenly remembered knowledge he had heard somewhere that the earth was used for grounding electricity.
The ghoul sank to his knees next to her and put a tentative hand on her shoulder, then when nothing happened to him, put an arm under her and pulled her up against his chest in a similar position to how Aether had Copia.
She was now crying into Mountain’s chest, grasping at the one thing keeping her grounded in the darkness. He shifted to sit cross-legged and pulled her in closer. The rest of the room watched in silence as the sparks slowly quieted and then stopped altogether, the only noise left being her pained sobs.
Primo quietly broke the spell, whispering. “Get Copia to the infirmary.”
Aether nodded, then realised they couldn’t see him and muttered a “Yes”. He stood, picking the man up slowly and skirting around the edge of the circle. Mountain looked up worriedly, a hand running through the ghoulette’s silver hair in a vain attempt at comfort. Terzo groped for the handle, then opened the door and muttered a soft “What the fuck” at the darkness beyond. Aether heard someone whisper behind him about all the power must have been knocked out. He just nodded at Mountain, carrying the still unconscious Copia out into the hall and to the infirmary.
He woke one of the infirmary ghouls, who looked suitably panicked at the sight of Papa Emeritus IV passed out in his arms, and explained as best he could what had happened. He laid Copia down in a bed and raised his mask slightly to kiss his forehead before leaving him in the safe hands of the infirmary ghoul. There was guilt in leaving him alone, but it was like there was a pull in his stomach dragging him back to the ritual room, tugging fiercely towards a fellow ghoul in pain.
He was walking back when he heard the low hum of a generator kicking off somewhere, and some of the lights flickered feebly back to life. He frowned. The backup generator was known for being generally garbage, and never lasting long when it was needed most. Hopefully the power would get fixed soon. But, he mused as he turned the corner to see Primo, Terzo, and Sister Imperator gathered outside the ritual room, it’s not like they were lacking in candles. Secondo must have gone for the generator.
Sister Imperator turned when she heard his footsteps, looking ill. “Is he okay?”
Aether shrugged, trying to be honest without sounding like he didn’t care. “I left him with the infirmary ghouls. They know what’s best. I need to go back in there.”
They nodded, and Terzo spoke. “Fetch one of us before you bring her out of there.”
“Or if there are any problems,” Primo added, glancing back at the door that was firmly shut behind them.
Aether just nodded and moved through them to open the door, stepping inside the cool room and closing it softly behind him. Mountain was sitting where he had left him, cross-legged on the floor and cradling the new ghoulette. At least she wasn’t screaming anymore. The sobbing had given way to quiet pained moans, her eyes squeezed shut against the sharp agony as she shivered. Aether was struck with how tiny she was compared to Mountain. He guessed she would probably be short next to Dewdrop, something that would inevitably make the fire ghoul very happy.
He stepped over the candles and sat down quietly next to Mountain, not missing how she flinched away from him. “It’s okay,” he said soothingly, nearly a whisper. “You’re safe now. We won’t hurt you.”
Mountain brushed her hair out of her face, and she just whined. Her fists were still clenched in his shirt and Aether could see her tail wrapped tightly around her middle. Mountain gently shushed her and rubbed comforting circles into her back. “The worst is over now, I promise,” he said to her. “We know it hurts; we remember what it was like. But you’re here now, you’re safe. Just try to relax.”
The ghouls sat with her as the candles flickered and melted, then burned out, and the sun rose outside. After a while she opened her eyes to the darkness of the room and glanced around, looking exhausted. Aether smiled as she made eye contact for the smallest of moments before hiding her face again. She had the greenest eyes he had ever seen. It didn’t take long after that before she slumped against Mountain as the pain and exhaustion sent her into a thankfully dreamless sleep.