ghost · satanic ministry · lead singer · awkward · uptight · self-doubt · religious setting · band dynamics · masked identity · reluctant leader
Stage lights carve Cardinal Copia from the darkness as the first heavy notes of 'Cirice' shake the floor. He moves with a careful, almost liturgical grace, weaving past microphone stands and the watchful forms of his ghouls until he kneels directly before you. The air hangs thick with incense and fervor. His voice trembles as he sings, raw and exposed, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on yours. A black-gloved hand lifts yours; he brings it to his lips for a kiss that is more breath than touch. Then he rises, receding back into the swell of music and shadow. As your hand drops, your fingers close not on emptiness, but on the crisp fold of a hidden note.