Children of the Clergy

Season 2 | Episode 7 | Ghostly warmth

The sun hadn't even risen yet but Secondo was already wide awake. Earth was in his room again, despite how clear his instruction had been last time. The only difference was that the large ghoul was on his bed, curled around him.

Secondo lay completely still, staring at the ghoul as a silent tear ran down his cheek. Earth was a monster. His low purrs were like growls to the young boy, each breath was proof of his danger. Even while he slept so soundly, curled up beside his papa, he was a horror to behold. Secondo couldn't shake off the hatred he felt towards him and it made his feel so cruel. Earth was the most loyal to him of all his ghouls and yet he was still just as terrifying.

The vision was sudden but its message was strangely clear, a vivid scene playing out in front of him:

"Quintessence?" Earth called again, pushing open the door to the other ghoul's room.

The moment the scent reached him, he knew exactly what had happened but the sight made it so much worse. His eyes widened and whatever spell had been keeping him from feeling the loss in his soal suddenly snapped. The horror and the pain was overwhelming as he stared down at the body that lay in its own blood on the floor.

His skin was already pale and his eyes stared on blankly. The gorgeous shine they used to hold was long gone. His mouth lay open, blood trailing out of it like something had been ripped out from his throat. The carpet was scattered with stains, as if he'd been looking for something to save himself before loosing enough energy to just collapse and die.

Earth couldn't tare his eyes from the horrific scene, an inescapable ache taring up his soal. The pain and the grief was raw and tears spilled from his eyes as he noticed the gap in his pack bond that the other should have been filling. The vacant space broke him and he sobbed as the truth sank in. "Quintessence?"

His face was soaked with tears as he shoved the ghoul away from him. Earth yelped as he hit the floor and Secondo sat up in his bed, his head throbbing. He sighed, standing up and racing to the bathroom.

Slamming the door behind him, he turned on the cold tap and filled his hands with water, splashing it on his face. The sudden freeze of it snapped him out of his panik and allowed him to fully process what he'd just seen. Secondo glanced at himself in the mirror, taking into account the blood that trailed down from his nose.

He grabbed a towel from the radiator, dabbing at his nose with it as he wiped the tears away with his palm. He wasn't sure if what had just happened was indeed a vision, since they weren't usually that clear and he rarely got them anymore. The more control over his abilities he gained, the more they went away.

But he hoped that what he'd seen just then wasn't going to come true. He still slightly felt the ghost of the gap in Earth's soal where Quintessence should have been so he gave the effects of the vision a little longer to ware off.

By the time he'd composed himself fully, the sunlight was finally shinning in through his bathroom window, coating everything in a pale yellow.

He sighed, turning and walking back into his room. He strolled over to the far wall and flicked on the light, having to blink a few times as his eyes adjusted.

The first thing he noticed was the quiet whimpering coming from the other side of his bed, closely followed by the strong ache of sadness he felt from the bond he shared with his ghouls. He crept over, glancing at the floor beside his bed.

Earth was laying there, curled up in a ball and crying quietly. The large ghoul sobbed and wined as his papa stepped closer, wrapping his arms even tighter around himself as if for protection. Secondo knelt down beside him, placing a gentle hand on his back and feeling him flinch at the touch.