Archive of Our Own

Everything had happened so fast once they came back from the tour. The funeral for Sister was held and Copia was quickly made "Frater Imperator". For the ghouls that had effectively accepted Copia as part of their pack, the reactions varied, but all thought that their Papa was being rushed into this. It didn’t matter that Sister had left the position to him in her will- it was too soon. They weren’t happy about it; they all felt Copia needed time.

The ghouls had been with him for the entire night following the last ritual at the Forum, cramming into a single hotel room because they were not going to leave Copia to suffer alone after he had just lost his mother. They all knew his relationship with her was complicated at best, even before he found out the truth of their relation. He needed the time and space to process and mourn. The only ones who hadn’t been at the ritual were Aether and Sunshine, but Dewdrop had gotten up sometime in the middle of the night to call them and let them know what happened. 

The ghouls had collectively been intent on having Copia rest upon return to the Ministry, but they only got a couple nights with him- not even a week- before he was whisked away to his new position. They’d known it was coming, Copia having told them ahead of time, but the ghouls were protective of their Papa. They tried to insist that this would not help him, and to just give him time, but it fell on deaf ears.

What was worse was that once Copia’s new role was official, his ghouls were discouraged- more like barred- from most contact with him by the higher clergy members he was now surrounded by. It came as a shock to all, since in their time with Copia, the singer had gone out of his way to try and make the pack feel comfortable and welcomed. With him they truly felt that, but now all of that was nullified.

There were a few exceptions, but it still seemed cruel to all somehow. The only ones that were actually allowed any extended time with Copia were Aether (which he had mixed feelings on because it took time away from his job in the infirmary) Mountain, or Swiss, but only for official Ministry business. The three collectively agreed that it was unfair to the rest of the pack because in their eyes (and hearts) they were all still Copia’s ghouls. There were also formal events and such where they may be in the same room, but they were only allowed to keep things strictly professional and minimal. Even Aether had to keep his relationship with Copia more private out of caution.

No one knew where to go from here or how to navigate this. 

Aether, Mountain, and Dewdrop (who had been livid about the change) had been put on edge by the news of these limitations, worried this was all a trap or part of some nefarious scheme, or that he'd be taken advantage of in his grieving state. After all, the three of them had been with Terzo, had been there when the third Emeritus was dragged off stage at his final ritual. His death had followed shortly after. They were quietly afraid about the same happening to Copia.

The ghoulettes- Sunshine, Cumulus, Cirrus, and Aurora- were agitated, Cirrus most notably. Having been the most vocal about their worry of how quickly Copia was pushed into taking up Sister’s position, they were concerned about how much stress this would put on him when he was likely still grieving. For the whole trip back to the Ministry, they were quietly plotting to treat Copia to one of their “spa nights” as a way to maybe help him take his mind off things or vent if he needed to. They never got the chance. 

For once, Rain got angry. Such instances were rare, but they did happen, and this was one of them. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Rain had been Copia’s first official summon after taking over the Ghost project. He’d taken a chance on Rain and took the time to know him, being patient with him all the while. The water ghoul's feelings for Copia ran deep as the hell waters he was plucked from. In any case, he did not take this well, although he was quickly startled into submission when someone made a comment that maybe he was secretly a fire ghoul if he had such a temper.

Swiss was equally pissed off, though kept it reigned in as much as he could for the sake of the pack. Especially with the implication that had been thrown at Rain- it was no secret that Dewdrop himself used to be a water ghoul and almost died after being remade into a fire ghoul. He couldn't let that happen to Rain, even if Copia had banned such rituals when he was still Papa. Not to mention his eventful summoning as the first Multi-ghoul in years (at the time) had put him on thin ice since day one. He needed to be here for his pack. So, he silently simmered.

And Phantom, the youngest hellborn ghoul of them all, in terms of summoning, was hit the hardest. Everyone knew that Phantom and Copia had a different sort of bond compared to others in the pack, their closeness like that of a father and child. It had been a bond established in Phantom’s first months topside, in the nights where they sought him out because either they had a nightmare or weren’t sleeping well, and Copia had never seemed to mind. On tour as well, it hadn’t been uncommon for the two to be crammed into one of the bunks on the tour bus or sharing a hotel room. For Phantom, there was a sense of solace in the bond they shared with him and had been able to adapt to life in this world with his help.

To not be allowed to even speak to their Papa now rendered them at a loss. 

They’d tried to go see him a few times when they were feeling particularly restless, but it never worked out. Someone would always shoo them away with one excuse or another. It hurt and they didn’t understand. They just wanted to see their Papa. What was so wrong about that?

Copia wasn’t gone, obviously, but with these restrictions put in place it felt like he was so far away.

A few months went by like this, and then the new guy showed up; the new Papa. He was known as Perpetua (or “V”), and he was the one who was to take over the Ghost project in Copia’s place. To top it off, Perpetua and Copia were twins; brothers who had been separated at a young age, so the rumor went. Phantom had met Perpetua a couple times after his arrival, but they didn’t know what to make of him. He would always look at Phantom with a curious expression, but it made them feel uneasy when did that.

Of course, Phantom and their pack had been required to attend the ceremony where this new guy would be officially instated as Papa Emeritus V (formally- he’d apparently been given the title before coming to the Ministry’s main branch), or as he insisted, "Papa V Perpetua".

The pack was subdued throughout the ceremony, having mixed feelings on it because there was going to be someone to be the next Papa eventually, but it felt like Copia was being replaced, though he was still very much alive and well. This was like a further degree of separation was being forced between the ghouls and Copia.

For Phantom’s part, they didn’t really feel anything. This new position was good for Perpetua, they supposed, but…

And then they spotted Copia. This wasn’t really unexpected; it made sense for him to be here. A ceremony like this he probably felt he had an obligation to attend, both because of his position and because of Perpetua being his twin brother, only recently brought back into contact with him. Though… Copia didn’t seem very happy. These days he had a distant look in his eyes, like right now. To the pack, at times it seemed that he hadn't fully processed his mother's passing, which is exactly what they had been concerned about.

They wondered if he was just as unhappy as they and their packmates were.

Following the ceremony, the two of them briefly ran into each other. Phantom hadn’t been watching where they were going, wanting to leave as fast as possible, and accidentally bumped into a group of people talking.

Which to their embarrassment had been Copia and a couple other clergy members.

‘Fuck.’ They silently thought, wanting to disappear right then and there.

“It’s fine, I’m sure they didn’t mean it.” They heard someone say. It had been Copia, and then he was looking right at them. “Are you alright, ghoul?”

“Er… Yes. I’m sorry, Frater.”

He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “No harm done. Go on now.”

Phantom nodded, retreating from the chamber as fast as they could. Upon returning to the den, they locked themself up in their room until Rain coaxed them out an hour later to have them join in a ghoul pile in the common area.

It was as he was cuddling with Rain, one of his hands running soothingly through their hair, did a text come through on their phone. Or maybe it had been there and they just didn’t notice.

Phantom’s eyes blurred with tears. They had to compose themself before attempting to respond. They may have been cut off from physical contact, but they somehow managed to keep this line of communication open, albeit with only brief texts back and forth as to keep things low-key as much as possible. 

They breathed out a shaky sigh and set their phone aside. Rain, who had gotten a glance at their phone, pulled Phantom to his chest and whispered soothing words to them.

As much as they missed Copia (as did the whole pack, really) and each day this separation went on wore at them, they wanted to believe. They wanted to believe in that “one day”. That it would be someday. 

If they believed in it, they could endure.

But unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough for certain people.

Phantom’s heart was hammering in their chest by the time they left the room. They felt sick, the words said to them still rattling around in their head. 

The meeting they’d been called in for had initially started off with Phantom getting the confirmation that they were still staying on with the band, as was everyone else. For now, replacing most, if not all, the current ghouls would be too sharp of a change and too soon (though Phantom knew that Dewdrop and Mountain might not stay on after this tour; they’d been with the band long enough). On the surface, that should have been a relief, because Phantom did genuinely like preforming and being part of the band. Then the topic turned and...

It had taken everything in them not to cry. Cut off ties with their Papa? They couldn’t! They had wanted to yell back that they wouldn’t do such a thing because Copia was their Papa. It didn’t matter that he was Frater now; it wouldn’t change what he was to Phantom.

But when they struggled to articulate a response, they were given something that just about shattered their heart.

If they refused…

The implication was not lost on Phantom. They’d been around long enough to know some history; to know what had happened to Terzo and his older brothers. They knew what exactly the clergy was capable of.

Damn their own safety and any threats to themself- They could not let the same happen to Copia. 

But what were they to do? They wanted to find Copia right now because they were on the verge of tears at this point and scared. They wanted him to tell them everything was going to be fine; that there was no reason to be worried because he was Frater now and no one would dare. Yet…

Not seeing any other way out of this, Phantom did only thing they could. 

Phantom started to put a distance between themself and Copia. They would barely glance his way when they saw him, they stopped acknowledging him, and they stopped responding to his texts all together. They didn’t want to do this, but at least this way the clergy would get what they wanted and they could keep their Papa safe, even if it hurt them every time.

(and it hurt even more when they noticed Copia had started to try to reach out to them, being as discreet as he could manage. Phantom just pretended not to notice, but they could still feel the confusion in his aura).

That “one day” was never going to happen, was it?

‘I’m so sorry, Papa.’ Phantom silently lamented, only allowing themself tears when they were completely alone.

In a lull with his work, Copia found himself once again looking through old tour photos that had been gathered and saved on his phone.

He had started a photobook when he took over the Ghost project as a way to try and bond with his ghouls and had gotten into the habit of collecting photos every time they had gone out on tour. He had a section of photos from the tour done for the Prequelle record, another for the first Impera tour, and then miscellaneous photos scattered throughout. He hadn’t gotten around to adding any photos from the second Impera tour, as it had gotten lost in the… changes that occurred after Sister passed. Photos did still remain on his phone however, collected from the months spent on the road and at rituals.

It wasn’t the first time he’d found himself sifting through these captured memories either. He’d gone back to them in times when he was in a mood of missing his ghouls- his pack, his family. 

Most of them he had known from the time he was the acting frontman for the band, but even the ones who had come later he had quickly grown to care for. It had taken some time to get used to working so closely with ghouls, but looking back, he was so grateful they were in his life. The connection he shared with them was like nothing he had experienced before. Their devotion, care, sense of family, love. He was better off with it- with them.

And they were his anchor, in a sense. There had been plenty of times- either individually or as a group- that they’d been such a grounding and comforting force that soothed him even in the worst of times. It was especially apparent that night at the Forum, at the end of the second Impera tour. All of the ghouls had stayed with him the entire night after that ritual, showing up one by one to his room. Aether and Sunshine had still been back at the abbey, but they had called him the next morning to check in on him.

Although he still really didn’t feel all there during the trip back to the Ministry, his ghouls didn’t stray far. It didn’t escape him that they wanted to take care of him. They just wanted to help. In a lot of ways, he still was not okay and he knew it, and the sudden arrival of his forgotten twin brother did not help matters, but he probably would have been much worse off if it wasn’t for them. 

He wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week after returning to the Ministry, preferably in the presence of the ghouls. But he’d known what was waiting for him. The letter Sister had left for him made it clear, though part of him had thought maybe it was some joke or a mistake, that she couldn’t have possibly meant it.

Once he had become Frater, he’d been discouraged from much of the friendliness and closeness once shared with the pack. He’d tried to question it a couple times- because he was Frater, dammit. They couldn’t do that to his ghouls!- but he’d been given excuses every time. The main one was because he was not “Papa” anymore and had no need to be concerned about ghouls. Copia hated it because it felt like his previous efforts to try and change things were a waste. But also because now he was, for the most part, separated from the pack. Aether, Swiss, and Mountain were sometimes permitted to see him, but it wasn’t the same.

Just like these pictures. Sacred moments, but not a full replacement for the real thing, no matter how fondly he looked back on the memories.

‘I should really get some of these printed for the photobook.’ Copia idly thought. The clergy may be stuck in their ways, but he could at least have this. 

As he continues to look through his pictures, he pauses on one of himself and Phantom. This one he thinks is from early on in that tour, Phantom’s first tour.

Phantom, his wonderful adoring pipistrello. His bambino. His child... 

The quintessence ghoul had been his last summon, brought into the fold to take Aether’s spot in the band, and though they were only a few years younger than most in the pack, and fully grown by ghoul standards, they were the youngest of them by far. Over the months spent getting them adjusted to life topside and getting them ready for the upcoming tour, the connection that formed between Copia and Phantom was different from the others. It had been one born out of the nights early on where Phantom would seek him out, if only to feel some measure of safety while they slept. He’d figured at first it was a ghoul thing- pack creatures and whatnot- but he never minded those nights, because he wanted Phantom to feel safe. It worked out for Copia too, since the nights they would spend cuddled together helped him when he having trouble sleeping for whatever reason. 

Since the restrictions had been put in place, there was a disruption to their peace. He’d ask after Phantom sometimes from those allowed to see him and they’d all but confirmed that Phantom was taking it about as well as expected. Which was to say, badly. He’d see it in Phantom too during rare moments they were in each other’s orbit, through how they would have to pretend.

It was agonizing, to put it plainly; to not be able to be there for them. 

Copia lingered on the photo, seeing the memory play out in his mind’s eye. The best he could do was hope that one day things would change for the better and he’d get to hold his pipistrello in his arms once more. Things always changed, right? This separation would not last forever. 

“One day.” He muttered aloud, his and Phantom’s closely kept mantra.

“What was that?”

Copia startled, almost dropping his phone. Looking up, he saw Perpetua standing in the doorway, Papal face paints applied and dressed in his purple and black cassock that had the spinal decals down the back. Of course, he was also wearing his silver skull mask that covered the upper half of his face. 

Fucking V…

“Nothing! Nothing at all! Why do you want to-” He stopped, quickly fixing himself into a more serious tone. “What is it you need, V?”

Perpetua didn’t respond at first, but offered up a tiny, meek smile as he stepped inside and approached the desk. “I will not take too much of your time. I just came to drop off the drafts of some of the lyrics I’ve been working on for songs for the rest of the album. They feel good to me, but I have to run them by you first. So I have been told.”

Did he now? First he’s hearing of it. 

Copia was aware a new record was in progress, not that he wanted to think about it; think about what this guy had that was once his. Four of the planned songs were already cleared and would be preformed during the upcoming tour; Peacefield, Lachryma, Satanized, and Umbra. They were already recorded, and of those four, two were slated to be released to the public early. Copia had been involved with some things here and there with tour, to his displeasure, but he doesn’t recall being asked to give input on songs.

“You didn’t need to do that for the other ones you’re using for tour.” Copia pointed out as Perpetua set some sheets of paper down in front of him. “What gives?”

“Well… I would like your opinion, if you could, um, let me know what you think of them.”

He doesn’t want to see any lyrics; to be reminded. He doesn’t get to write the songs anymore, doesn’t get to be out there singing them. But no, he’ll keep it professional; that much he can do. Nothing more.

“I’ll look them over when I get a chance.” He says to humor his twin, not meeting his eyes.

“Thank you, fratello. Oh, and while I am here, I just want to let you know the ghouls are doing wonderfully in rehearsal. They are talented, impressive in their work. I am glad you recommended them to me. I haven’t gotten to summon a ghoul of my own, not yet anyway.” 

And there’s more salt in the wound. He doesn’t get to be with his ghouls; his amazing, skilled, beloved ghouls. 

“Of course they are. They are good at what they do.”

“Yes, I can see that. It makes me feel a little better about this whole tour thing- it is all so new to me. In all my life, I never expected to be leading a band, much less one as esteemed as the Ghost project.”

‘There you go again.’ Copia thinks bitterly. ‘Guess who got the project to be where it is now in the first place?’

“You do know one of the Sweden rituals is here in Linkoping, right? I have the tour schedule.”

That gets him to raise a brow at Perpetua. He has seen the schedule as well but only vaguely knew for some reason there were two rituals scheduled in Sweden. He hadn’t looked at the exact locations. 

“…Si.” He eventually answers.

“Do you plan on going? It would mean a lot to me if you did… The ghouls too! They would be so happy.”

“I…”

His words fall short, unsure of what he should say. On one hand, why should he go? To see this guy try to be what Copia once was? Who was the reason he no longer had the band or the Papacy? That was his first reaction. But on the other hand, maybe it was a chance for him to be able to see his ghouls. The band will be so close, and with all the attention on the ritual, maybe he could finally get to his ghouls and see all of them again. He would get to see Phantom too! 

But…

Phantom had been acting odd lately. Copia wished he could just ask them what was wrong, that they would say something, but they just stayed silent and ignored him. All his texts had gone unanswered as well, though occasionally he would send one in the blind just to let them know he was there for them.

He hated it when one of his ghouls was suffering, wanting to take their pain away. It felt so much worse when it was Phantom. And because he was actively prevented from being with them, it meant he also could do very little to help them. It made him want to beat some sense into those who did not understand, to even grasp the relationship he had with Phantom or any of his ghouls, but at the same time he worried that if he did, then they would be at risk of being “disposed of”.

And the truth was he could simply not take losing anyone else. 

“Copia?”

He didn’t realize he had gotten lost in his head again, nor that Perpetua was watching him intently. Maybe worried too? The mask made it somewhat difficult to determine. In any case, his gaze was a bit intense; white unholy eye looking sharp in the shadow of the mask.

“What?” Copia tried in an attempt to get Perpetua to break eye contact. “What’s that look for?”

Perpetua continued to stare at him until eventually he took a seat in the empty chair. His mismatched eyes, a mirror to Copia’s own, never left him.

“We haven’t seen each other for much of our lives,” Perpetua’s voice was slow and careful, but there was a hint of something else. “and while it’s only now I have learned of you and being Frater must keep you busy, if there is anything you need, anything at all…”

“V…”

“You can talk to me. I mean, you are my brother, my twin. And it’s the least I can do. I know you probably haven’t had an easy time with things after you took-”

“Stop it!”

Anger burned through him when he snapped at Perpetua, but when Copia saw the wide-eyed look on his face, that feeling was snuffed out and quickly replaced with an exhausted resignation.

“Per…” He stops himself short of saying his name, keeping his eyes firmly focused on the desk. “It’s fine, V. You don’t need to be doing that. You have a band to run and a congregation to oversee.”

Silence lapses. Copia doesn’t move or look up.

Eventually, he catches movement in his peripheral as Perpetua stands from the chair.

“Okay.” His voice sounds subdued. “I will, uh, leave you to it then.”

Copia listens to him walk away, waits for the door to click shut before letting his shoulders slump and leaning forward onto the desk, head in his hands. He didn’t need to be reminded of everything that had changed or what he'd never have again. He didn’t need Perpetua pittying him. 

He needed his ghouls.

If only there could be someway he could get around all the prying eyes that insisted on him keeping his distance and trying to make him into something he wasn’t. Just once, that’s all he wanted. Enough time to reunite with his ghouls; with Phantom. Though between his work as Frater and dealing with Perpetua, it didn’t seem like that was happening any time soon.

…Until one day an opportunity presented itself.

After practicing some of the new songs Perpetua had put on the setlist for the upcoming tour, Phantom had returned to the ghoul den to take a break. The den was empty for the time being, just themself home for the moment. They sat down at the couch that faced the fireplace, going over the melodies for the new songs in their head. The tour was fast approaching, and they needed to have the new songs down before then. At least they had one tour already under their belt, and some of the older songs they already knew were staying, so it was the new material they were more concerned with.

This upcoming tour would be their second since being brought topside. It was supposed to be an exciting- if maybe nervous- time, especially with the new record due out just after the tour kicked off. They hadn’t been present for the debut of a new record- the Impera record was only entering its second tour when they were summoned. With this new record, it was the start of a new “album cycle”, as it was termed by those of the Ministry. 

Once the tour kicked off proper, Phantom would be back on the road with their pack once again doing what they did best and preforming for the masses. Rituals all across Europe, then a bunch in the States overseas, and ending with a three night ritual set in Mexico. There would possibly be more after that back in the States and Canada, but it was still being worked on.

…Well, actually there were some things that were different this time.

First off, the new uniforms that had been designed for the tour were a bit… different. Phantom wasn’t sure what to feel about a full-on body suit. They would at least have been somewhat happy if they had been able to get bat wings like the ghoulettes had.

There was also the fact that neither Cumulus or Swiss- to Phantom’s shock- would not be with them and instead there would be two new ghouls that Perpetua summoned himself. Cumulus had broken her leg in an accident and was unable to tour. Meanwhile, Swiss had been pulled from the project without much reason, but would remain as a security detail for Copia when needed. The two ghouls that Perpetua summoned in their place were Haze and Storm; a multi-ghoulette and an air ghoul. While Phantom liked them both, it was going to feel strange not having Cumulus or Swiss with them. They felt bad for Cirrus too, who had been with Cumulus since the time of their summoning. 

And to top it off, Copia wouldn’t be there either, no longer being able to be the frontman for the project. With Sister’s death, the ritual in LA had been his final one. Perpetua was brought into the Papacy and was leading the Ghost project now.

Absently, they wonder if this is how Dewdrop, Mountain, and Aether felt when Copia took over the project after the removal and untimely passing of the third Emeritus.

(maybe they should count themself lucky that they still had their pack and Copia was still alive)

It was a new era, and everything was different now...

They get so lost in thought that they didn’t hear the main door to the den open. They didn’t hear the footsteps that approached. They didn’t realize who else was in the room with them… 

Until suddenly they were being hugged and a familiar voice was whispering to them.

“I missed you, il mio pipistrello.” 

They turned, almost not believing their ears. But it was him. Mismatched eyes- Phantom knew those anywhere.

Papa. It was Papa!

...

….

….No.

They couldn’t.

“What do you think you’re doing here?”