Chapter Text
The inside of your room felt suffocating. Sunlight shone through the gap in the curtains, falling right onto a pile of Latin coursebooks on your unmade bed. The air was filled with a distinct smell of your favourite perfume, and a record player sat on the floor right next to you, playing a soft tune of some unknown vinyl record you borrowed from the Ministry’s Library a few days prior. It was hot outside, scorching hot even. Despite your best efforts to cover the windows with your thick curtains, the heat still got inside and you could feel the sweat forming on the back of your neck. Sighting heavily, you rolled out of your bed and changed into your habit. I might as well get out of my room and take a short walk, you thought. Yes, that sounded way better than rotting in your bedroom all day and wasting the beautiful sunny afternoon.
You paused, looking at yourself in the foot-length mirror. You could still remember how hard it was to drag it inside your new quarters, alongside all your books and other belongings. Its frame was decorated with beautiful wooden ornaments, carved flowers and vines that wrapped themselves along its edges. It was a sight to behold, but a pain to carry around. With one last look, you smiled with satisfaction. Everything was in place, your grucifix sat neatly in the middle of your chest, its metal shining brightly when sunlight fell on it. You made sure your hands were covered with clad, leather gloves. After quickly making sure that you’ve turned off your record player, you were ready to head outside.
***
Much to your surprise, the halls of the Ministry were particularly empty that day. Places that were usually bustling with life and chatter, were now quiet and felt almost abandoned. The scorching sun lit up the corridors and passages, those that you knew and ones that you were yet to explore. You walked past the wide-open, oak doors that led inside the canteen and saw a group of Siblings of Sin sitting there. They were talking quietly amongst themselves, the echo of their shunned whispers could be heard as it bounced off the high ceiling, right into your ears. You stopped for a second to look at them but quickly averted your gaze once you realized that one of them, a bulky man with long, blonde hair, was looking at you.
Feeling embarrassed, you power walked your way towards the library, a safe place that you’ve spent long hours in. Or at least you thought you were headed there, with your eyes glued to the ground, you have mistakenly taken a wrong turn and now, you found yourself standing in a corridor that you’ve never seen before during your short stay in the Ministry. It looked like an exact copy of the one that would always lead you to the library, but it was different. The walls were decorated with extravagant paintings of demons, one that you knew very well. “Beelzebub, the Lord of Flies” read the caption underneath one of them, the other one depicted Asmodeus, The Patron of Lust. You took your time drinking in their details before you realized that you could hear something: the distant laughing and chatter, many voices talking at the same time. Curious about where the sound was coming from, you followed it and realised you’d made it to a staircase. You climbed it slowly, thinking it would lead you to a floor above and nearly gasped once you realized where you actually were.
Instead of another floor, you were on a bridge that connected two buildings; the building you were currently in, and the neighbouring one. With a stunning, gothic facade and overgrown with vines, it looked almost ethereal. You walked to the centre of it and quickly realized where all the noise was coming from. You were standing in front of The Ministry’s Garden, where almost all Siblings of Sin have gathered to enjoy the beautiful weather. You had the best view from above, of all the pathways and weeping willow trees. You heard about this place, that it was one of the most popular hang-out spots. The Sister of Sin that gave you a brief tour of the complex, when you first arrived, told you all about it, but you couldn’t recall any details at the moment. Only there was an impressive statue of Lucifer standing somewhere in it, one that was commissioned by Papa Emeritus III himself as a gift for Papa I. You heard there was an amusing story behind this purchase, one that went way back and had many twists and turns. You wondered briefly what the story might be, but didn’t dare to ask as the Sister seemed to be in a hurry to give you a tour and leave.
There were people running around, some of them laying in the shadows of the trees, hiding from the sun. Some of them were talking with their friends, and others ate their lunches. That’s why the halls are empty, you thought. Everyone was outside.
The refreshing smell of unidentified flowers filled your nostrils, It was sweet and unique, a fragrance you’ve never encountered before. You’ve heard stories of all the kinds of flowers and herbs that Papa Emeritus I had brought to the Ministry during his reign, and as you looked down at the stone pathways winding between colourful collections of living plants that you were unable to name, you’ve realized just how much work must’ve gone into maintaining them.
You had no idea how long you’d actually been standing there, leaning on the stone railing. In no time, the sun disappeared behind the white clouds and it provided some relief from the heat. Almost like magic, a pleasantly cold wind started blowing soon after. You felt rejuvenated and for once, you were glad you made the decision to leave your room. For a moment, you began to think about everything that had happened in the past two months, ever since you made a decision to move to The Ministry. Maybe it was the right thing to do after all, despite all the tribulations.
Lost in thoughts, you almost didn’t notice the footsteps approaching. By the time you snapped out of your trance, you could clearly hear a familiar voice speaking in a very firm and demanding tone, a quieter male voice responding to her as they got closer. There was no mistaking it - you could hear Sister Imperator herself, arguing with Papa III. You had the pleasure of attending a mass led by the current Papa already, and the sound of his voice was truly unmistakable. The way he preached during the masses was far from what you could hear now, his voice meek as he hesitantly answered whatever Sister had said. They were too far away from you to make out what exactly they were saying, and you didn’t want to find yourself in the middle of their argument. Knowing the Imperator’s reputation in the Clergy, you could feel your skin run cold from all the stories you’ve heard about her strictness and severe punishments for Siblings of Sin, who have upset her in one way or another.
Much to your horror, their voices kept getting louder and, for a few seconds, you could swear they were heading upstairs, to where you were right now, With adrenaline coursing through your veins, heart beating so loudly that you could hear it and feel the muscle hitting your ribs like a caged animal, you immediately turned on your heel and headed in the opposite direction. Hoping you would avoid the confrontation, you found yourself at the other end of the bridge where huge, black doors stood. Without thinking twice, you pushed them open (even though they looked heavy, you had no idea where all this strength came from) and stepped through them. Swiftly closing the doors behind you, you could hear the voices getting closer until they stopped somewhere midway through the bridge you’d just left.
Sounds from the outside were muffled by the doors, preventing you from eavesdropping. Not that you wanted to! You knew there would be terrible consequences to something like that, all you wanted to do was to check if they were coming closer. You could barely hear them, having to place your ear to the door to be able to make out anything, your face squished against it. Even when there were some footsteps, you couldn’t tell where they were going. Sister Imperator's voice was almost booming as she yelled something, making you flinch and back away from the door.
In a panicked frenzy, you turned around to check your surroundings. The sight before you almost stole your breath, your eyes blown wide with the realization of where you’ve found yourself.
The corridor was unlike anything you’d ever seen during your short stay in The Ministry. The high ceilings with stunning chandeliers hanging from above, the stained-glass windows to your right and a row of identical doors to your left made you realize that perhaps, you weren’t meant to be there. It definitely looked like it was for the higher members of the Clergy only. The walls were covered with decorative drapery that showed scenes and rituals from ancient satanic texts, all of them looking very expensive and handmade. Everything was so elegant and lush, even the tiled floors were decorated with a long, red carpet. It made your head spin. For a moment, the sun came out from behind the clouds and rays of sunshine came inside through the windows, a beautiful combination of colours illuminated the inside of the room and basked it in warmth. You didn’t get a chance to admire this breathtaking part of the Clergy for long though, as the footsteps grew louder and sent you back into panic mode in a matter of seconds. Without thinking twice, you hid behind the nearest drapery hanging on the wall and held your breath. Thankfully, it was long enough to cover your feet and, with your hand covering your mouth, you prayed to the Dark Lord himself that you won’t be found behind it.
Someone came in. You could hear the shuffling of their feet as a heavy sigh left their lips. Then, suddenly, you heard a click! that resonated throughout the otherwise quiet halls before the mysterious figure headed deeper inside the building, the decorative carpet muffling their footsteps. You let your hand fall from your face to your side, waiting patiently for a little while to make sure you were alone. After a few minutes of silence, which felt like hours, you creeped out from behind the drapes to see the corridor was completely empty. The sun was gone, leaving the whole place feeling lonely and a bit spooky.
Not thinking twice, you hurriedly walked towards the doors from which you came. You were ready to leave, almost like a tunnel vision, running from this place was the only thing you could think about. Your hand fell on the doorknob and pressed down, with all the strength you had, you pushed the doors. Your hands were shaking from nervousness as, with utter shock, you realized you couldn’t open them. You could feel your stomach sink down. Pressing down a few more times, you could almost feel the hot tears pooling up in your eyes, obstructing your vision. With a quick shake of your head, you took in a deep breath. Calm down, you told yourself, Panicking will only make it worse.
Despite your best efforts, you could feel your nerves taking over. The doors were closed. They closed them, leaving you with no way out. You pressed your hand against your forehead, feeling it damp with sweat. Silently cursing, you thought about your next move. You looked around. The windows, the doors, the carpet. The hall seemed almost endlessly long as you slowly made your way down it, hoping for the best. There was no point standing in front of the closed doors like a fool, but you reluctantly had to admit that you would've stayed there for the whole night if you didn't find it in yourself to move forward.
If there was a way in, there must've been another way out - you told yourself. You would simply find your way to the ground floor and exit the building as soon as possible. If someone was to find you, you'd just tell them that you got lost. Praying that you wouldn't run into Imperator or another cruel Cardinal, who would definitely give you an earful, you quietly stood at the entrance of another hall. It was just as empty as all the other ones that you passed by and for a second, you stopped to wonder. Why were they so empty? Were the higher members of the Clergy outside with Siblings of Sin, enjoying the weather? Was there some kind of meeting, a ceremony? The floorplan of the building you've found yourself in was confusing, to say the least. It was like a labyrinth, with never-ending halls that all looked almost identical and made any attempts of escape harder. You could only hope that you wouldn't wander around them forever.
After around 10 minutes of roaming the halls, you noticed there was some faint noise that you could just barely hear. Some sort of creaking, like two pieces of metal rubbing against each other. You immediately stopped in your tracks, hyper-aware of every sound around you. You listened as it got closer, getting progressively louder and suddenly, it got quiet. Almost as of it was moving around the halls, moving towards you before moving away. You stood there, completely frozen with your thoughts running a thousand miles per hour. What could it possibly be? You tried to think of an explanation, but your mind went completely blank when you tried to come up with something. You were positive you'd never heard anything like this before, and without the source of the sound in sight, it only made you more paranoid. Your imagination was running wild, all the possible dark scenarios came to your mind and tormented you like a curse you couldn't get rid of.
You stood by the wall, your back placed flat against it. You wished you could merge with the cold stone and disappear out of sight, but unfortunately, you couldn't. Once the sound of creaking had gone almost completely quiet, you peeked out to look at the neighbouring corridor and saw nothing. It looked identical to all the other rooms you'd passed, with a high ceiling and magnificent decorations. The only difference was, at the end of it, you could see a staircase.
Nearly letting out a gasp, you held yourself back from sprinting towards it. You had to remind yourself that the unidentified sound was still moving around and you had no idea what was causing it. What if it was Sister Imperator or Papa? Unlikely, but not impossible. If anything, you'd rather run into Papa than Sister. You've heard he was rather easygoing and would probably let you go with just a warning.
There were no windows in there, only the chandeliers dimly illuminating the room as you slowly made your way along the wall. You refused to let go of it, your hand touching the stone as you moved forward and before you knew it, you were almost by the stairs. There was only one obstacle left - a crossroad in the halls. There was another one intersecting with the one you were currently in, and you had to get through it in order to reach the staircase. As if fate wanted to play a cruel prank on you, the creaking sound suddenly got louder and, with some indescribable wave of newfound courage, you decided to make a run for it before it could reach you.
You were almost there. Only a few steps away from the stairs. However, before you could reach it, you came tumbling down to the ground, your head hitting the unforgiving, cold tiles as a loud crash echoed through the halls. You were barely aware of the thing that had hit you, still in shock. You couldn't hear anything, and it took a few long seconds before it all started registering in your brain.
You ran into someone, or maybe someone ran into you. You couldn't be sure. You looked to your left to see a mass of black, something laying on the ground right next to it. It took a few seconds before your vision came back to normal and you realized what was in front of you, or rather who.
It was a person in a black cassock, a shiny grucifix sitting on their chest. You could see their hands were covered with black, leather gloves similar to yours, as they placed them against their face, visibly in pain. A black biretta was laying on the ground, right by your feet. There was also something else, a bicycle maybe. You couldn't be sure. The person in front of you groaned in pain.
Momentarily, you got up and straightened your habit. You had no doubt that you had just trampled a Cardinal. You were still unfamiliar with all the Cardinals that lived in The Ministry, unaware of their names and hierarchy, but his cassock and biretta were a dead giveaway. You've never been so embarrassed, your whole body feeling unbearably hot as the pain of the fall started taking its toll on you. Seconds felt like hours as you tried to think of something to say.
"Cardinal! I'm so deeply sorry, I didn't mean to run into you, Dark Excellency! Please, forgive me!" you immediately tried to explain yourself, feeling your voice starting to quiver as the man in the black cassock looked up. He had mismatched eyes, one of them dark and another milk-white with a blown wide, black pupil in the middle. His face was covered in paint, with thick black circles around his eyes and a painted upper lip. He was as pale as a ghost and for a moment, you wondered if it was because of the shock or because of the make-up.
He opened up his mouth to say something, but no sound had left his lips. He looked dumbfounded and it took him a few long seconds to realize what was happening, that he was on the floor. Clearing his throat, Cardinal finally broke the eye contact and murmured something that you couldn't make out, before slowly trying to raise himself up to a standing position. Almost on instinct, you were by his side and helping him, but he dismissively waved his hand before you could touch him. You stepped back, almost like a beaten puppy.
"It's okay Sister, it was my fault. I'm sorry." He finally spoke up, his eyes darting around, almost as if he was afraid to meet yours again. You've noticed his face, which was now flushed pink, "Are you okay?".
You were taken aback by his question. After what you did, he was asking about you?
"Yes, Cardinal," you nodded your head, your voice so quiet you were surprised he could hear you.
"Good, good," he grabbed his bicycle. Or at least you assumed it was a bicycle. Upon a closer inspection, you realized it was, in fact, a tricycle. How bizarre, you realized.
"Is your… tricycle okay?" You wanted to slap yourself across the face so badly. The question sounded stupid, you should've asked if he needed help getting to the hospital wing instead, or literally anything else. Cardinal looked at you, frozen for a moment before looking down at his tricycle and inspecting it. You noticed his face got even redder than it was before, even his neck and ears flushed with colour.
"Yes, I hope it is. I mean, I'm sure it's fine Sister. See, I have to go now." He said, getting ready to sit back down on his tricycle and drive away, still refusing to look at you.
You were bewildered. After what just happened, he was going to leave so quickly? Almost as if he was embarrassed and trying to run from you, even though the accident was all your fault and you should be the one running away from him. If you had run into Cardinal Giovanna, the man you’ve already pissed off once, you surely would've suffered severe punishment. Suddenly, the absurdity of the whole situation hit you like a ton of bricks. Why was a Cardinal, of all people, driving around the Ministry on a tricycle? Why wasn't he reprimanding you, yelling at you, demanding an explanation as to why you were wandering the halls you were obviously not allowed into? If you weren't so shocked, the whole thing would probably make you burst out laughing with how hysterical it was.
"Wait, Cardinal! Are you okay? You don't need help?" You asked, but he only shook his head.
"No, I'm fine Sister. Please, go back to your dorm. You're not supposed to be here you see… But I won't tell anybody. This is going to stay between us, Si?" He gestured between the two of you.
You nodded quickly, looking at the ground where you noticed his biretta, still laying on the tiles. You bent over to pick it up and handed it to him, Cardinal took it from you and placed it on his head without thinking. You immediately noticed that it was crooked, but you were too scared to reach out and straighten it. You also noticed that his hands were shaking as he took it from you, making you wonder if he really was okay and if his strange behaviour wasn't caused by a traumatic brain injury of some sort.
You opened up your mouth to say something but decided to stay quiet. You watched him as he drove off, his tricycle still making that obnoxious creaking noise. Except now it sounded a thousand times worse and, as he turned to you briefly and gave you a tiny smile, you nearly grimaced at how loud it was. He quickly disappeared into the nearest corridor and you immediately made your way down the stairs, the strange even replaying itself in your brain. Caught up in the strangeness of it all, you failed to realize that you didn’t even get his name.