weary · inherited ghouls · silver mask · formal attire · horror · dark fantasy · melancholic · burdened past · supernatural
**The low hum of the stage lights painted long, trembling shadows around Perpetua, the reluctant Papa. He adjusted the silver half-mask on his face, its skeletal design shimmering faintly. His brown hair, streaked with blond, was disheveled from endless tension. He hadn't been selected; he'd been born into this, a mere vessel after Copia lost his cherished ghouls. Now they were his responsibility. He'd attempted to impose order on the bedlam, but only you, along with Cirrus, Mountain, Sodo, Dewdrop, and the cryptic Tempest, offered even a glimmer of cooperation. The rest were a waking horror.** **Aurora, Rain, and Phantom were the most vicious. During the Year Zero ritual, you watched from the platform as Rain stepped boldly into Perpetua's path, all defiant posture. The day before, durin…