Archive of Our Own

At the foot of the hill there was a small cemetery.

It was tucked away behind the large trees that surrounded Saint Sebastian's Mortuary and the small abbey. It was separate from the mausoleum and main graveyard, only reserved for special people. No one besides the people inside of the Abbey knew of it since it was tucked away out of sight, so it was almost always quiet.

The only time you heard a peep was when the grave keepers and two smaller children visited, as the family only visited on rare occasions. Today was one of the days where the two children would visit.

Sitting on top of his grandfather's thick gravestone was the third Emeritus child. He was only eight and his black hair was cut in a bowl style. He was watching the other child, a young Copia who was about the same age, fidget in his place.

"You look like you're going to see a ghost." The third Emeritus child frowned at his friend.

"You shouldn't be on the headstone, Terzo." Copia gripped his hands as he held them to his chest.

The third Emeritus child was nicknamed Terzo by the abbey, since he was the third in line and no one dared to whisper the children's names. Terzo didn't seem to care as much, unlike his second eldest brother.

"Primo does it all the time." Terzo sighed at his friend. "You're going to tell me that Primo is wrong?"

Primo was the eldest Emeritus child. He was 18, while the younger two were both eight. He was the one who took care of the younger two when Sister Imperator and the Ghouls did not want to tend to them. Their father, Papa Nihil, would tend to them. He was ever too busy running their business and church front.

The Emeritus family were the top of a Satanic church. They directly served Satan, who in return gave them something in return. The goal of the family was to slowly take over the government and spread His Glory's message. For generations the Papas had kept growing their numbers and keeping their word alive. All while keeping a front during the day of tending to their front of a funeral home and church. All in the name of cover.

"No, but you know Sister doesn't like it." It was Copia's turn to frown at his friend.

"I know. She thinks we'll stir up the souls of our damned family." Terzo rolled his eyes and slid off of the headstone, making sure to not step on the grave itself.

The graveyard held all of the members of the Emeritus family. At least all of the ones who died while tending to this Abbey. Then it held the Imperator family and the Sultarian's family. It felt almost taboo to the young Copia to be in there, but Terzo liked it.

"Isn't there some dumb ghost story she tells the other kids to keep them from here?" Terzo asked as he wiped his black slacks off. He was wearing a simple white button up and black slacks just like Copia.

"The story is that the youngest Emeritus watches over the graveyard. Their souls trapped watching over the rest. He only allows family visits and cleanings." Copia recited the tale, not verbatim but close. "It's to keep everything safe and clean."

Copia watched as Terzo lightly brushed against his late mother's grave. The woman had died giving birth to Terzo, who was seemingly a gift from Satan himself. Terzo was miraculously born three months after Secondo, which should have been impossible if it wasn't for His Greatness.

"I guess that means they consider you family." Terzo gave Copia a small smile before taking his hand and leading him towards the small path into the woods.

Copia couldn't help but feel happy at his friend's words. He was the child of Sister Imperator, the matriarch of the abbey. To the others, he was an adopted child. One that Sister had found while on a trip to another abbey. But the truth was that she had left the abbey when she had finally started to show she was pregnant. She stayed with a distant family friend and gave birth to Copia.

No one seemed to know the truth, or cared enough about Copia to genuinely look hard at the timing of it. The abbey took in abandoned children all the time. People were just glad the Sister could raise a child after leaving Papa Nihil.

Copia looked through the trees as Terzo led him away from the graveyard. He idly wondered how long it would take for someone to notice they were missing. Terzo was a well behaved child, but the abbey liked to keep the children on short leashes. They feared what would happen if the children went missing.

The two came to a small creek that never seemed to dry up. They took off their dress shoes and socks quietly before putting them aside. Copia dragged a log to the creek and proceeded to sit down on it, sticking his feet into the water. Terzo followed suit and the two stared into the trees.

"Do you think ghosts are real?" Terzo asked quietly. Copia didn't look at him.

"Yes. If what the church preaches truly is real, then they exist." Copia knew Sister would slap him on the wrist if she heard him questioning their work, but she wasn't there to scold him. "The Ghouls aren't human, so what says that ghosts aren't?"

Terzo hummed and moved his feet in the water.

"Do you think Papa will let me be Papa one day?" Terzo asked another question. Copia finally looked at his friend.

Terzo looked lost.

Copia didn't understand why Terzo was questioning this. He was only eight and his older brother should be the only one worrying, as he was the one training in the family business and church. But Copia does understand that having eyes on you whenever you enter the room could suck.

"Maybe." Copia said truthfully. "Your brothers are kinda shitty at times. Do you really think Secondo will really do it? And they're talking about bringing the weird band idea back."

Everyone knew about the Ghost Project. They tried it before, but Papa Nihil had messed it up. So they put the idea on hold until the children were born. They were all like their father, musically inclined. It looks promising now.

"That would be interesting." Terzo nodded.

Behind them, there was rustling and footsteps. Terzo sighed as the two looked behind them. Coming from the trees was a single figure. They were cloaked in all black with a mask over their face.

A Ghoul.

The Ghoul stopped at the tree line and held out a hand.

"Papa is requesting you to come back." The Ghoul informed them.

Terzo huffed and grumbled something about how his father could eat a dick. The Ghoul seemed unimpressed as he dropped his hand. The Ghoul then looked to Copia and tilted his head.

"I'm guessing Sister wants me?" Copia asked him as he and Terzo collected their shoes.

"Yes." The Ghoul didn't say anything else. Just watched as the two collected themselves.

The walk back was quiet and strained. Copia felt nervous around the Ghouls. He knew that they were weird and he didn't understand the appeal of them. They never wanted to say more than a few sentences to the children; especially Copia. It's almost as if they knew.

Upon reaching the abbey, Papa Nihil and Sister Imperator stepped out. Papa Nihil called out to his son and took him in his arms. He had glanced at Copia before turning him and his son away.

Copia knew that Papa Nihil was more than likely his father. Sister Imperator loved him, even if the two hadn't been together in almost a decade. She also had no one else to be with, so it was almost impossible unless His Darkness blessed her.

"Copia." Sister brought his attention to her. She was smiling as she kneeled down to his level. She brushed his hair out of his face gently. "I told you to not let him go that far into the woods."

"I can't stop him." Copia didn't normally try. Not after the other complained loudly the first few times.

"I know." Sister leaned and kissed his forehead. "Let's go get ready for dinner."

Sister stood up as Copia nodded. She took his hand and led him in the opposite that the Emeritus' went.

–

Copia didn't want to come out of his room.

Outside he could hear the Ghoul's quietly talking amongst themselves. Every few minutes one would jiggle the doorknob or call out to him. Each time Copia would cover his ears and ignore them.

Days had passed since Copia and Terzo were in the graveyard. He hadn't seen Terzo since that day and it had made him upset. Sister was also busier than usual; something having to do with a freak accident in their small town and having too many bodies in the coolers.

Copia could hear a Ghoul outside of his door growl and speak in the demonic tongue. Copia pressed his eyes shut and clung to his knees. He didn't want them inside and he didn't want to go to service. He knew he was required to and that's why the Ghouls were there.

"Is he still holed up?" Sister's voice asked the Ghouls.

Copia looked up towards the door, wondering if they had copied her voice or if she was actually there. It wouldn't be the first time a Ghoul mimicked someone's voice to trick him.

"C?" Sister called from the other side. "Can I come in?"

"Is it actually you?" Copia frowned as he responded. There was a slight pause.

"Why wouldn't it be? Have the Ghouls been mean again?" Copia could hear the edge in her words at the end and automatically knew it was her.

Copia got up and slowly opened the door to reveal Sister Imperator standing next to three irritated Ghouls. She was side eyeing the Ghouls before she looked down at Copia.

"Oh, C. You're not dressed." Sister frowned at Copia as she put a hand on his head. "Why aren't you ready?"

"I don't want to go." Copia sniffled and didn't look her in the eye. He found it was difficult to look the adults in the eyes in moments like these.

"Why is that?" Sister slowly kneeled to be level with Copia. "What happened?"

"Sometimes when you and Terzo are gone for too long I hate it." Copia felt like he was going to be laughed at, if not by Sister then by the Ghouls. But none of them laughed.

"Does it make you sad?" Sister took Copia's hands and rested her elbows on her knees. "You're allowed to be upset, Copia."

Copia managed to make eye contact with Sister. She was smiling and he couldn't focus directly on her eyes. His vision split slightly as he nervously shifted on his feet.

"Service also can get really loud." Copia looked away again. "I don't like it when it's like that."

Sister hummed and nodded. She looked up to the Ghouls and they nodded. Sister nodded back and the Ghouls turned to leave.

Copia watched as the Ghouls disappeared down the hallway, leaving the two alone. Sister stood up and Copia frowned at her.

"Do I have to go?" Copia asked as Sister ushered him into his room again.

Sister slid her shoes off and sat them neatly next to the door. She walked over to the bed and sat down. Copia slowly followed, confused by what his mother was doing.

"No. Papa will be okay if we're both missing today." Sister gave him a smile. It was one of the smiles that reminded Copia of when one of the other kids was going to do something that got them in trouble. She held her arms out to Copia and it clicked.

"Oh." Copia smiled and ran over to jump into his mother's arms.

Sister picked him up and she sat them against the wall. She swaddled them in the wool blanket that Copia loved. She settled them so she was holding him like she used to when the storms got bad. Copia felt safe and happy to be able to spend time with Sister.

"How about I tell you of an old tale my mother used to tell me." Sister spoke gently.

–

Copia held the white rat in his hands gently as he sat in the cold chair.

Copia sat in the embalming room, not bothered by the smell of chemicals as Terzo was performing an autopsy. Copia watched as Terzo was arms deep inside of a chest cavity, trying to get his work done.

The two were now 17 and fully invested in their family business. Terzo was finally doing sermons and embalmings by himself; doing the literal dirty work behind the scenes with the bodies. He preferred doing autopsies and embalmings over the funerals and sermons.

Copia was doing Clergy work and helping Primo with service now. He was also tending to the Ghouls, who were now a different bunch. These Ghouls were slightly more social compared to Papa Nihil's Ghouls. They were genuinely more pleasant to be around and didn't treat him like a nuisance.

Copia pressed a small kiss into the rat's head as Terzo slowly removed his disgustingly covered arms from the woman's chest. The rat squeaked and Terzo glanced at them.

"Did you have to bring your rat?" Terzo asked as he moved to clean himself off.

"Yes. She likes to be out of her cage." Copia rolled his eyes. "She's also well behaved. So stop complaining."

Terzo rolled his eyes at Copia as he got himself more decent. The two of them fell into a silence and Copia watched.

Terzo had become a more social teenager, but he genuinely preferred to be away from the mass. Not that Terzo didn't enjoy the mass, don't get him wrong. Copia had listened to him talk about how much he loved their flock. The people were wonderful to them. But Terzo was just always so tired afterwards. Copia always called him an introverted virgin who needed to tell his dad he preferred the morgue over the church.

Copia lifted his rat above his head as Terzo walked over. He smiled up at his little pet as Terzo sat next to him to do paperwork.

"So what's up with this lady?" Copia looked to Terzo, who was writing his findings down.

"Blunt force trauma. Angle and injuries suggest she fell, like the original suspicion was. Just a simple accident." Terzo shrugged. "How's Clergy work?"

Copia lowered his baby and sat her on top of the table. She simply sniffed Terzo's hand and seemed disinterested in him. She then decided to curl up next to Copia's hand.

"It's fun. I just do a ton of background work like Sister does. Nothing big." Copia shrugged. "I got employee of the month."

"I saw that." Terzo nodded and smiled. "Papa even made a comment."

Copia straightened up slightly.

"Papa said something?" Copia asked.

"Mmhm. He said it was nice having a younger member be employee of the month. He was almost proud." Terzo glanced up at Copia with a small smile.

Copia smiled back. He wanted Papa Nihil to be proud of him, even if the man didn't need to be. The man didn't owe Copia anything and he knew that.

"Sister said that the Ghost Project was changing again soon. That means Secondo will be leading and you can stay with your bodies." Copia informed Terzo.

Terzo nodded and moved to grab another paper.

"Good. I'm not ready. I heard they're prepping Secondo for music and I hope they stay the fuck away from me." Terzo flipped the page over twice before deciding what side to use. "I just want to tend to the funeral home and they can do their work for the Great One."

"You have to do it eventually." Copia pointed out. Terzo gave him a side eye.

"If you want to do it instead, I can arrange that. Papa Nihil would shit kittens but I would bet Sister would love for her little unholy ray of light to be more than Clergy." Copia knew the comment came from frustration at the situation. He didn't take it personally. It was a sore spot.

"You'll have to die for me to take that place." Copia cracked a small smile. "Do you really think Papa would let me there? He thinks I'm an odd duck."

"You are an odd duck." Terzo signed the page he was writing on and stood up. "Now get your damn vermin out of my embalming room."

–

Copia and Terzo stood with a sister. He didn't know her name, as she was new. But she was really nice and Copia appreciated her respect.

Secondo and Primo were across the room, talking to Sister Imperator. Copia watched them out of the corner of his eyes. He could see Sister's pursed lips as she listened to the two brothers. Copia knew she had her reservations against the three Emeritus sons. They weren't her children, but she was forced to raise the children of the man she loved. She didn't hate the boys, but she obviously held a grudge.

Copia couldn't help but feel a deep sadness towards the whole situation. Copia couldn't claim to be their brothers to get close, maybe help Sister like them. She loved Terzo for the fact that he treated Copia like a brother without knowing. But the other two seemed to not like Copia.

The two brothers seemed to finish their conversation before walking over to Copia and Terzo. The sister seemed to notice and quickly said her goodbye.

Of course.

Copia sighed as the two brothers stopped in front of them.

"I see you two are welcoming the new sister." Primo squinted at Terzo and Copia.

Everyone knew the two would get into trouble at times. They had their own fun while Secondo and Primo kept their demons hidden. It seemed like the older two didn't trust the younger two.

"She just wanted to say hello." Terzo looked towards the crowd of sisters and brothers.

"Not trying to get laid?" Secondo cracked a small smile but stopped when Primo nudged him.

"No." Terzo looked back at them with a frown. "I actually want them to like me and not blindly follow me like a literal sheep."

The silence between the four felt heavy. Primo and Terzo locked eyes and Copia fidgeted. Secondo seemed to notice Copia feeling uncomfortable and cleared his throat. The Brothers turned to Secondo, who shrugged.

"He's got a point. We have to lead them. Might as well make it better in the end." Secondo pointed out. One of the only wise things the party animal has said in a while.

"Whatever." Primo looked back to Terzo. "Be good. Both of you."

"Got it." Copia nodded and turned away, not wanting to deal with the old geezer of a man.

–

Copia would have never guessed that the Ghost Project would take off.

Primo gained popularity easily and had gotten the band where he needed it. Albeit it wasn't where the Clergy didn't want it, but it was something.

Copia had risen to Cardinal by the time Secondo took over. Him and Terzo celebrated with drinks with one or two of the Ghouls. By now they were in their 20's, almost 30's. They were finally in their prime and enjoying it.

Copia would bring Terzo out to the bar, much to Terzo's complaints. They would occasionally hook up with whoever and wake up in the morning regretting it.

It was mainly Copia regretting it. He loved the bar but hated the interactions that came with it.

Copia stifled a sigh as he listened to Papa Nihil ramble on about… something. He wasn't sure what the old man was going on about. It started with him talking about legacies and music, but then it twisted into him rambling. Copia genuinely didn't want to listen to him and wished Sister would just take over.

Terzo, who was next to Copia, looked just as bored. He was tapping his nails on the table in an odd rhythm. Copia watched Terzo's hand as he tapped so he didn't have to look at Papa Nihil.

Terzo had slightly longer nails that he always kept painted black or chrome. It was almost impressive how Tero kept up with them, especially with work.

"And now that we've decided that my second eldest should take over, we can enter a new era." This caught Copia's attention.

He looked up to see Papa Nihil motioning to Secondo, who looked almost pleased. Secondo has a freshly shaved head and sunglasses on. For some reason he had decided that he was going to redo his whole persona and it must have been for this

The Clergy all seemingly agreed and Copia threw in a thumbs up to make it seem like he was actually paying attention. He didn't want Papa Nihil to think he was slacking. It would cause problems for him in the long run.

As everyone got up, Copia and Terzo lingered to talk to Secondo. The two waited to the side for a minute as others congratulated him. Secondo had a tight lipped smile as he shook a few people's hands. He looked strained and Copia couldn't help but feel bad.

Once Secondo was free, Terzo and Copia approached him. Secondo relaxed slightly as the two stopped in front of him.

"This is really happening." Secondo's smile turned genuine as he looked at his younger counterparts.

"It is." Terzo smiled at Secondo. "You'll finally be able to have the attention you've always wanted."

Copia snorted, knowing that Secondo just wanted to have a reason to party and have fun. Secondo was always into the performance part of being Papa. He always talked about it when they were kids. It always pissed off Primo, since Primo didn't expect for Secondo to ever get the position.

"I'll be able to spread our glory in the best way I can." Secondo stretched his arm as he looked around the room. "A new era is what we need."

Terzo nodded. Copia knew that Terzo always preferred Secondo to Primo. It could be because of their age, but Copia knew it was because Secondo acted like a human being instead of a grouchy old robot.

"I can drink to that." Copia responded and Secondo looked towards Copia. Copia felt worried that he messed up, as he wasn't close to Secondo, but Secondo just grinned and nodded.

"Yes. Let's go out later once Papa retires." Secondo offered.

Terzo nodded along with Copia.

It felt nice to be included now.

-

Copia was going to have a headache.

Scratch that, he already had a headache.

It was years into Secondo being Papa and the Clergy already regretted their decision to have the son be in charge.

Copia spent endless nights in the Clergy offices working on paperwork and damage control. The amount of money that Secondo was spending and the amount of people he had slept with was way too much. It was actually hindering the Abbey.

"There you are "

Copia looked up to see Secondo walking into the Clergy's office, a bottle in his hand. He was still painted, but in slacks and a button up. It was odd seeing the Papas in normal clothing and paint at the same time.

Secondo had changed over the years. He had become more and more bitter to others; everyone besides his family and Copia. He seemed to absolutely hate Sister and the Clergy. But Copia knew it was from years of his mistreatment and heavy expectations. Copia didn't blame Secondo for putting up a bitter front. It protected him.

"Papa." Copia gave a small smile. "How can I help you?"

"Don't give me that Papa shit." Secondo rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair next to Copia. "We need to talk."

Copia frowned as he heard this. He didn't know what Secondo was up to, but it couldn't be good.

"How can I help?" Copia sat up straight as Secondo unscrewed his bottle. Copia could see it was just sparkling water.

"You know how I don't have much time left, yes?" Secondo asked before taking a sip of his water.

"You make it sound like you're going to die." Copia hated it when they made death jokes.

"I meant as Papa." Secondo gave him a deadpan look.

"Oh… then yes." Copia nodded and pursed his lips.

Secondo smiled and sat his bottle down.

"Well, I've had a wonderful run as Papa. Not the most stellar, but a wonderful run. I wouldn't want to leave my brother with something great." Secondo explained and waved a hand as he spoke. "Primo picked out the Ghouls outfits and he handpicked my Ghouls. I was thinking about letting Terzo pick his Ghouls himself. Give him some choice and freedom. So I need to figure out something to get him."

Copia had to stifle a sigh of relief. He thought Secondo was going to say anything besides that.

"So you just need help with what to get Terzo?" Copia raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Exactly." Secondo nodded.

"Get him good robes. Some outfits. I doubt he'd want to always perform in the same outfit." Copia looked back to his paperwork. "He isn't the type to want to only wear one thing."

"That's a good idea." Secondo stood up and patted Copia's shoulder. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah." Copia waved off Secondo and went back to his work.

On the inside he was glad he could help. Secondo was soft but helpless when it came to actually showing his affection to his brothers.

-

"I hate this so much." Terzo grumbled as he messed with his outfit.

It was months after Terzo took over being Papa and Copia couldn't tell if Terzo was cut out for the job.

Terzo was a wonderful performer. He put his everything into rituals and the people loved him. The band was doing the best it possibly could. There were rumors that Terzo's album could possibly get awards, which made the Clergy happy.

Even the Ghouls were great. This bunch had so much energy and personality. They fit Terzo perfectly. His stage presence matched with the Ghoul's being entertaining had genuinely made their ratings better.

They even had drawn in more people to the Abbey. It was great. They were doing great.

"You're fine." Copia rolled his eyes as he helped Terzo fix his suit. "Stop fussing."

Terzo scoffed and smacked away Copia's hands. It was a light smack and Copia smiled at it. He was proud of his brother. He wanted to see him succeed, even if Terzo never wanted to get here. He knew Terzo was made and cut out for this role. It was the whole point of their childhood.

"Easy for you to say." Terzo looked towards the stage, which had the band they were headlining with. Copia didn't know who it was. He never came to rituals, but this one was close enough for him to come. "You don't have to perform."

"You're right." Copia shrugged. "But you're great on stage."

Copia looked Terzo in the eyes and smiled. The other struggled with eye contact, but smiled back.

"I guess you're right." Terzo rolled his shoulders. "I love connecting with them. I care more about them than I do myself out there."

"You're just like your brothers." Copia meant it as a compliment. Terzo's eyes flicked to Copia quickly. "You may not realize it, but they're proud of you. Your mother would be proud."

"She would be." Terzo muttered it as he looked back towards the stage.

Copia watched Terzo for a few more seconds before turning away. Terzo watched Copia again, more in confusion. He watched as Copia picked up a box that he had nestled in the cases that were scattered around the back. Copia turned back to Terzo and held it out.

"What is this?" Terzo took it and looked at it.

It was a simple black jewelry box.

"Sister gave it to me after I asked her for it." Copia shrugged and motioned for Terzo to open it.

Terzo gave another look of confusion before opening the box. Inside was a silver necklace. It held a dark blue stone on the chain. It looked to be a small sapphire.

"What…?" Terzo took it out of the box.

"It was your mother's." Copia explained. "I asked Sister if she could retrieve it. Your father gave it to your mother as a courting gift. I thought you'd want a piece of your mother with you."

"Holy shit." Terzo carefully took it out of the box. He inspected it before putting it on and tucking it underneath his shirt. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I thought you'd need a good luck gift." Copia hoped that it would ease his brother's nerves.

Copia watched Terzo again as a Ghoul, the Aether Ghoul, walked up to tell him something. The Ghoul nodded at Copia before starting his conversation with Terzo. The two talked quietly and Terzo nodded along to whatever the Ghoul was saying.

Copia did feel proud. He genuinely did.

Copia never felt actually envious of Terzo. Sometimes he wished that Nihil knew about their connection and gave him the light of day, but Copia never held that against his brothers. He loved all three of them, even if Primo was a hard ass and Secondo was a bit rude at times.

Terzo patted the Ghoul on the shoulder before the Ghoul left. Copia couldn't help but smile at them.

He was proud.

-

A Grammy.

Copia sat next to Secondo and Primo as they watched the TV. They watched with bated breath; staring at the TV as they showed the nominees.

"Do you think he'll actually win?" Primo's voice rumbled from next to them.

Copia glanced at the eldest and saw he was leaning back, his chin resting on his hand. Copia could tell he was watching with anticipation but it was masked well.

"I don't doubt it. Don't jinx it." Secondo sneered from where he sat, not looking at Primo.

"Watch your tongue, brat." Primo grumbled as he frowned.

Copia looked back to the TV as they started the announcement.

"And the winner is… Ghost!" The woman announced.

Copia let out a cheer and shook his hands in the air. He couldn't believe it. Terzo had done it.

"The bastard did it." Secondo let out a small snort.

Copia turned to Secondo and smiled at him.

"He actually did it." Copia nodded and Secondo gave him a small smile back. "Papa and Sister will be so happy."

"I doubt Sister will be. She will be proud, of course." Primo waved his hand as he sat up straight. "But happy? For Terzo?"

Secondo frowned and turned to Primo as Copia's smile dropped.

"Brother, you're being a dick." Secondo scowled.

"I'm being honest. Papa will be proud and excited. But Sister hates our guts." Primo rolled his eyes.

"She may hold a disdain for you three, but it isn't your fault. She sees you as close as she can to her own." Copia felt the need to defend his mother, even if the man was right.

"You cannot speak. She just wishes you were in his place and for us to drop dead. Woe is the bastard child." Primo's words came out with a heat. They both caused Copia and Secondo to stop.

"Brother…" Secondo looked shocked.

Copia just stood up and walked towards the door. Secondo reached a hand up but didn't try to actually stop Copia. The two just watched as Copia reached the door. He didn't hesitate to open the door.

Copia left the room and went straight for his room. He sat there for hours, staring at the wall. His mind was blank, not allowing himself to think about the words. It wasn't until a knock at the door made him move again.

Copia opened the door to see Terzo grinning, holding his Grammy.

"Look at it." Terzo held it out and Copia took it. It was slightly heavier than he expected.

"I'm proud of you." Copia smiled and hugged Terzo.

The two hugged for a minute before Terzo broke from the hug. He took his award back to look at it.

"I can't believe it." Terzo shook his head. "Who would have thought that I'd get here. I always thought I'd be running the funeral home at this point."

"You can thank your brother for being the worst at money." Copia let out a small laugh. "And also thank him for telling you to act like you're fucking a mic. And slapping your Ghouls on the ass."

Terzo laughed and looked up at Copia. He shook the Grammy next to his head for a second.

"To His Darkness." Terzo grinned.

"To His Darkness." Copia echoed.

-

The day felt too quiet.

It was days since Terzo was taken off stage and told he was put on probation.

Something about Papa Nihil wanting a "dark times", whatever that means.

Copia peddled his tricycle around the Abbey, looking for anyone. He kept going through the different hallways and kept coming up with nothing. Not even the common rooms had people in it. It almost felt like everyone was hiding and Copia didn't get the memo.

Copia finally saw a group of three Ghouls walking down the hallway and he stopped.

They looked wrong.

Copia was good at telling the Ghouls apart. He spent a lot of time with them because of Terzo so he could tell them apart by their bodies and accessories. These Ghouls matched none. They all were wearing the Ghoul's current uniforms and masks, but their outfits were bare of special items. They were also taller than any of the others.

The Ghouls must have sensed Copia and stopped. They turned and Copia frowned. They were definitely not Terzo's.

The three Ghouls had a stare off with Copia and then it hit him. They were Papa Nihil's Ghouls. He could see the telltale signs from their hands being speckled with black on their grey skin instead of dipped. He remembered Papa Nihil's Ghouls having that specific pattern on their hands.

Copia felt fear bubble up in his chest. Why were they here?

"Hello, Cardinal." The front one spoke. It sounded straight from Copia's childhood. "Long time, no see."

"Hello… what are you all doing here?" Copia asked, hoping they couldn't sense his fear.

"Papa asked us to stop by. He needed us to do some work." The same Ghoul shrugged. "Spring cleaning."

Copia glanced to the hallway they came from and took a deep breath. The parsonages were connected to that hallway.

"Ah… I hope it went well." Copia slowly stood up from his tricycle and the Ghouls watched him with a close eye.

Then Copia heard it.

A piercing scream.

He abandoned his tricycle to run past the Ghouls. They watched him and turned away once he was in the hallway.

Copia broke into a sprint as he entered the hallway. He could see the current Ghouls crowding in front of a door, pulling a sister away from the room. One of the Ghoulettes was holding onto the poor sister and trying to calm her down.

"What happened?" Copia asked as he stopped next to the group of Ghouls.

"The Papas…" The Fire Ghoul whispered it and the others cleared a path for Copia.

Copia walked through and froze in the doorway.

Sitting around their small game table were the three Emeritus brothers. There were Uno cards scattered on the table and the ground, one or two still in their hands. The Brothers themselves were slumped.

Copia rushed towards Secondo, who was closest. He pressed his fingers to the man's throat to find his pulse.

Nothing.

He then moved to the other two and found the same result.

Copia stood next to Terzo, his hands hovering over his brother's face. His hands were shaking and his mind started to run a million miles per hour. His vision blurred slightly as he started to breathe heavily.

The Ghouls had killed them. Nihil's Ghouls. He had them killed.

Copia couldn't see straight and he realized he was panicking. Hands softly landed onto his shoulders and he looked up to see the Aether Ghoul. Copia could see his mouth move but Copia couldn't hear. His blood was rushing through his ears.

The Aether Ghoul seemed to realize this and made breathing motions with one hand.

Right. Breathing.

Copia took stuttering breaths and his vision and hearing slowly returned to normal. He blinked a few times before the Aether Ghoul tried again.

"Cardinal, we have to find Sister Imperator." The Aether Ghoul tilted his head. "Have you seen anyone?"

"Papa's Ghouls…" Copia pressed a shaking hand to his chest. "They said they were called in for spring cleaning…"

The Aether Ghoul turned to look at the Multi Ghoul. The other nodded and turned to leave. The Earth Ghoul followed behind him. The Ghoulettes were still calming down the sister and the other two Ghouls were checking out the Papas.

Copia closed his eyes and lifted his hands to rub his eyes.

"I need to comfort the sister." Copia told the Aether Ghoul.

"Cardinal, the Ghoulettes will handle her." The Ghoul frowned.

"But… I have to." Copia tried again and opened his eyes, dropping his hands down.

"I'm sorry, but you're shaken up also." The Ghoul refused.

Copia sighed and watched as the Ghoulettes ushered the sister away. He felt useless in the moment. He felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. He just lost his brothers and his father had them murdered.

"Oh…" Sister Imperator's voice came softly from the doorway and Copia looked at her.

She looked shocked, but something told Copia she already knew.

"My poor boys…" Sister walked in and pressed a hand into Primo's cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Copia watched as Sister checked every Papa. She was gentle and had an odd somber feeling to her. She looked like she was regretting something.

"Sister… did you know?" Copia asked.

The Ghouls all straightened and looked between the two. Sister looked up and frowned.

"I had mentioned something to Papa… but I never thought it would happen." Sister spoke softly.

Copia didn't know how to feel. He knew his mother knew already. Nihil wouldn't have had his prized boys killed out of nowhere.

"We need to tell the siblings." Copia looked down. He wanted to ask her why.

"Yes… my boy could you handle that?" Sister asked.

Copia nodded and brushed past the Aether Ghoul, who looked like he wanted to say something. Copia left the room and didn't look back.

-

Meeting with Sister and Nihil was painful.

He had to act like nothing was wrong. Air headed. He knew that Sister would chastise him if he acted out.

Papa didn't want Copia to take Terzo's position; he wasn't part of the bloodline. Copia knew he was and couldn't believe Sister didn't correct him.

But Copia agreed. He did the funerals as Cardinal and accepted the spot with what pride he could. It made him feel pain, but he just masked it with enthusiasm. He had to be grateful he was able to honor them.

Copia was thrown into all of the practices he was never trained for. Running the church and mortuary; the Rituals and band. He thankfully grew up witnessing everything so he only had slight trouble.

Copia struggled emotionally for the first few Rituals. He didn't know how to act or perform, so he winged it. He had to pretend and put up with Nihil being a dick.

Copia loved the Ghouls. He loved their flock. He loved the Rituals. He loved the siblings of sin.

But he missed his brothers.

-

At the foot of the hill, the cemetery was quiet.

Copia walked through the falling leaves quietly. They crunched under his feet as he approached the iron gates. He stopped in front of the gates and looked up at them.

They were iron so the Ghouls and other creatures couldn't get inside.

Copia idly wondered if he was such a creature.

Pushing the gate open, he could see the leaves stir in the wind. They passed through the graves as he shut the gate behind him. Copia's back was to the graves, his hands gripping the iron bars.

He hadn't been back in months. He felt guilty for it. He promised he would visit.

There was a soft crunching behind Copia and he slowly turned, opening his eyes. He looked to the graves to see Terzo standing next to his mother's grave.

Terzo had an odd translucent look to him. He looked almost blue as he started at Copia. There was an odd look on Terzo's face.

"Why didn't you tell me?" That was the first thing Terzo said.

"I miss you." Copia didn't respond to the question. He looked away from Terzo and walked to the newest graves.

Copia brushed the leaves off of his brother's graves as Terzo watched. He could feel the temperature of the graveyard drop. The others must be watching. He knew they could but they couldn't form like Terzo could. The curse of being the youngest.

"You knew and didn't tell me." This time, Terzo didn't phrase it as a question.

"Primo knew." Copia felt like shit. "I didn't know for sure, but Sister told me Primo knew after you three died."

"He told me." Terzo walked closer to Copia and Copia flinched. Terzo stopped in his tracks. "I can tell you're family. It's the curse."

"I never knew for sure. I always assumed and me being allowed in here supported it." Copia sighed. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"It wasn't your fault." Terzo didn't sound too upset now.

"I know. If I knew they were going to do that, I would have stopped them." Copia looked up finally. "All three of you. I never wanted you dead."

"You never had a reason to. You wanted to play the role you had." Terzo's face had lost the strained look. "I'm glad you took my place."

"Thank you." Copia nodded. "I do miss you. All three of you."

Terzo smiled and Copia couldn't help but tear up. He wanted to hug his brother. They were on the same level now for the first time in their lives. No secrets. No stupid requirements. Not that it stopped them before.

"We miss you too." Terzo walked to crouch in front of Copia. "We'll always be here, Copia."

Copia let the tears fall from his eyes as he let out a small laugh. He thought this was all stupid and upsetting.

"I'll come to visit more." Copia sniffled and smiled. "I'll bring the Ghouls also. They've been itching to see you."

"Tell them to be good and I'll let them in. They were always rowdy." Terzo seemed happy he was smiling.

Copia then spent the rest of the night sitting next to Terzo's grave.