The Tainted Moon 3 - (Bloodlight: Refrain, OC!MC)

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Warning! As Mentioned, this chapter contains a Trigger Warning: You are now warned of mentions of grooming, dub-con sex leaning on rape, and similar situations.

France, 1018.

Tomorrow I will have to leave the convent. It's been years since I last wondered of leaving home, and I was feeling particularly tense of leaving just now.

It wasn't even like there was something that truly forced me to linger out of duty, especially since things were fine... or appeared to be.

I could tell that the passing of Sister Tonia had severely changed the status quo, with that motherly figure now gone and, due to this, her role as the holder of Sangue Vile (Vile Blood) has been passed on to Almonde.

Was she happy about this? As a memento of Tonia's, everyone was elated for this inheritance, but it was the troubles that came with that very turn of events that put a lot of stress on the order.

Father Claudius was truly out of his depth for a while. He was caught crying a few times the first few weeks after Tonia's death, and he had been completely unable to attend to most of his duties. Which is where Cole, Stratham, Mikhail, Almonde and I stepped in to try and soothe the burden.

We all increased our burdens as we saw someone akin to a father needing that familial support that we always offered and that we had to then give to him.

I remember the times I had to personally aid him in keeping tracks of the accounts, of the few times he spoke to me, fondly remembering of Sister Tonia. It was known to us orphans that these two held a tight bond together - lovers. It was something Mikhail told me aspired to feel with Almonde, but the girl was always so lost in her thoughts, so fleeting and so wonderful...

She was also keen to spend an awful amount of time with Father Claudius. I hardly gave it much thought until she brought up training... and I found it very suspicious. Training? For Sangue Vile?

If there was something I was quick to notice, just like anyone else in the order, was that Almonde did not need training. She was an outright prodigy with it. So... why? What kind of training could they be talking about?

I ultimately found it frustrating how both deflected the topic, and I just ruled it out that it was something Almonde was embarrassed about... like housechores, or even nunly duties as she was quite clumsy over either. She had the determination to make up for it, but she always strived for perfection.

A year ago, I was approached by Father Claudius with a request.

"I wish to send you to Roma. They seek one of our members to act as a leading figure for the upcoming crusade."

I was surprised by this notion. Me? In a crusade? I couldn't myself faring well in it.

I wasn't a good fighter like Mikhail or Stratham- hell, even Cole would have been a better warrior than me in his good days of sobriety.

"Is this truly... right? Me? Father, I am-"

"A good man with a good head on your shoulder. Which is why you need to go. The world needs more of people like you than this place. We will be fine."

He had been sounding so happy until this very conversation. I couldn't rule why, but it felt like he was holding back onto something his mind wished to depart to me. Something that was important and yet heavy to stomach.

I didn't press onto it, only accepting that this was now a new duty that I had to take accountability for. Five years, that's what we were fully told during dinnertime. Everyone was shocked by the news, and while most were confused by this turn of events, I was surprised when Almonde appeared actually happy for me.

"Isn't this what you wanted, Perci? A way to see the world?"

There was something in that mirth that felt forced. Even more due to the fake smile Father Claudius as he relayed the news to the rest of the 'family'.

So, for a full year, I had to prepare and get ready for the departure. Mikhail pushed me to refine my way with the sword, Cole wanted me to know how to speak with women and how to go around without being noticed, and Stratham wanted me to keep all important holy books around as to not forget who the Lord was and His Teachings.

Father Claudius told me of a few troubles that may be frequent with the demons of the Holy Lands, mentioning that those were less 'disguised' and more in the open. And far stronger than those in France.

Out of everyone giving me the means to train me, Almonde was the one that did nothing to add to my knowledge. All she did was... spend time with me. A lot more than in previous years. In fact, Mikhail once appeared quite jealous of this situation, but Almonde was keen to repeat she was doing this so I wouldn't forget of her.

I knew there was more to it, but it wasn't romance or lust driving her to cling onto me so much. In fact, those few times she stuck to me where around the same hours she would have spent training with Father Claudius. And the man took notice of that and asked about it.

"Oh, I am just giving Perci some company. So he remembers of us as he is out to fight in the Crusades."

There was something more to it. Those glances shared between the two always troubling my mind and yet none came of it.

That was... until the the last day in the Convent. I had packed all my things in the morning, and I had done a few hours around Almonde. Then... the library. My holy place, my safety corner, my... my shelter as I felt like something here could be of help to prevent any mistakes on my part.

I had drawn myself through the dusty halls of that library for hours up until the night settled in. I was tired, and I knew the next day was going to be a nightmare to endure with a tired mind but... I still held up for as long as possible. I wished for the night to be eternal, for it to never end as my childish own desires craved to have a reason to stop and remain.

I just knew I had to go, that it was no longer up to me as selfishness wouldn't do.

I stood up from my chair, strolled out of the library and then made my way to my room. I wasn't surprised I took a different path than usual, lenghtening the walk as to fondly take in the familiar places all over the convent. And then... I paused I saw someone moving in a shifting manner, wearing a nun-like hat and I frowned as I remembered no one doing that. Not even Almonde wore anything that traditional but... I was up for a surprise.

"A-Almonde?"

The young woman paused, then she turned as her wide red eyes shifted to me. She looked... shifty. Suspicious. And the large black coat she wore over her frame was not proper if she was wearing a nun outfit - it was Summer after all, and the night was fairly hot at this point of the year.

"P-Perci? What- What are you doing here?"

"I was returning from the library. I can ask you the same... where were you going?"

She inhaled, then offered a forced smile. "F-Father Claudius asked me to retrieve some items for him. Nothing too important."

"Are you sure? It's quite late- I didn't even know Father Claudius could be awake at this hour. Are you... is everything alright?"

Almonde looked so tense, her pointy ears twitching as I said that.

"I'm fine. I- I should be the one asking. How are you? Tomorrow, big day."

A crappy deflection but I offered a nod. "I am fine. I mean, I am still shaken that I have to leave- I will miss you all."

I saw her frown at this, her posture softening as she heard me speak like that and, quite naturally, she stepped closer to give me a hug.

"You will be fine," Almonde muttered, standing on her tips to rest her head on my shoulder. "We will be waiting for you and then we will harass you to know how are the Holy Lands."

I smirked at that and I heard her sigh pleasantly. But... something about the hug didn't feel right. It was too tame, too less 'touchy'. Usually Almonde would put her full weight in those. But she wasn't doing it now.

One could say that she was just giving me a muted hug but- but this didn't feel like Almonde at all.

And I felt this was that one step too much to ignore.

"Are you sure everything is fine, Al?" I asked softly, and I felt her tense up. "If there's something important you wish to tell me, if you think that something's fishy... I will stay and help you."

"D-Don't," The girl muttered, voice wavering between confidence and unease. "I am fine, we are all fine."

Too forced. I felt like she was now lying to me.

"Al, I mean it," I said as I pulled back, offering a concerned look that grew more intense as I saw her bearing tears. "If something is not well, I want to know. I want to help. I want to give you my hand."

She looked away, as if ashamed of something as tears kept on flocking out of her eyes.

"I am fine, you idiot. I am just- just emotional, that's all. Big Perci is now leaving home, I will miss you. A lot."

Almonde bowed her head, allowing me to embrace her as I tried to do the same as she would. Tight and homely, a proper sibling hug. And I felt her react mechanically to this, sobbing against my chest as I ruffled her hair and pressed my lips against her forehead.

"I will miss you all too, Al."

She slipped away shortly after, reminding me of her quick task with Father Claudius. I had forgotten about it, but at that point I had grown too tired to look more into it. I just retreated to bed and then 'waited' (as I couldn't sleep) for the next day.

Everyone was there to say goodbye. All but Almonde.

"She was tired yesterday. She had many emotions to deal with and she is still asleep."

I thought it was related to our talk yesterday, and I left saddened I couldn't see her truly one last time.

I was unaware that the very man I called father was far from what he appeared to be. Both for the decision he took from me, and the happiness he stole from Almonde.

Italia, 1358

I found the truth about her sorrow.

That gnawing feeling I had ignored for so long now bore a reason. And it was one that sickened me to the core.

The worst part was that I couldn't contest the validity behind what I learned because it was penned by Father Claudius.

His diary, it was a mess. I can accept the pages up to Tonia's death, they were all in close relation to what I knew of the man. A smart man, a flawed man, a loving man, a doting father.

He was all of that up until Tonia died. Then, there was darkness.

Depression and thoughts about employing dark arts to resurrect her. Everything pressing him towards demonology... and yet he was 'saved'. Almonde. He saw her as that loving daughter that couldn't be faulted. She was flawless, beautiful and... a flower.

A flower he saw fit to claim out of fear of losing once more.

With the pressure elevated by the inspectors from the Vatican in 'claiming Almonde as a prodigy', Claudius had felt pressed on the matter.

He didn't want Almonde to leave us- to leave him. He had thus used time to work her into being obedient. First with a massage, then with groping, kissing 'for training' for Mikhail, and then outright depravity. He had told her many lies, undressed her both physically and mentally.

He had abused of her trust, of the way we all looked up to him - all for his selfish needs, defiling her and- and then there was the matter of that very day I left. He kept a special page for it, detailing how he had been furious for Almonde's turning up late.

The reason the girl had been wearing that nunly headdress was not for 'the cold', it was... that was Sister Tonia's headdress. And under it was the lingerie the woman used to wear when she would make love with Claudius.

He even admitted to having called Almonde that, and to have slapped her when she said she didn't feel to go that far.

He had forced her into this, and I knew she could have pushed him away. But she didn't- she was afraid of losing him too. He had abused her- no our trust.

The more I read, the more I felt my former life dissected and shattered under the jaded eyes I had now. The truth was horrible- and it wasn't even the full one. It wasn't one that told me what happened to Almonde, only telling me about how the Order came to an end.

It was Claudius' fault. Cole had started to lose control of his ability, with the Demon that he constantly battled ultimately winning. Same for Stratham. And then, Claudius' sinful mind led him to pursue demonology to keep Almonde as his only treasure.

The reading then moved to what reports the Church kept on the matter.

By the time Mikhail had stopped him, the damage had been done - Almonde had been forced to undertake a further 'demonification'.

Mikhail had been targeted too since he, a rogue Sword Saint, had defied the Church and decided to keep Almonde away from them.

The notes of the Master Exorcists of the time shedded further light on why the Church became so aggressive on the case and it opened up some information I was absolutely unaware about Demons themselves. What happens when a Demon is forced through a 'Demonification Spell'?

No one knows since only church-members of high ranking know of this spell and no one would foolishly do that.

But as it became clear to the agents dispatched to constantly harass the two survivors... the spell was damaging Almonde's humanity.

Her hair was now growing whiter and whiter, her eyes were now sporting black sclera. Her healing ability had outright vanished, and all that was left was Tonia's Sangue Vile.

By the time Mikhail was finally slain, the transformation was over. And the Church refrained from trying their hand in targeting her once more when Mikhail's successor, 'Twilight Lance' Mariah was easily slaughtered and turned into a demon too.

As I left the chambers containing the forbidden knowledge, I marched up to the pope for a request that I knew he would accept.

"Your Holiness, I wish to be put in charge of a new expedition to investigate the Scourge of the Vatican," I asked before the Pope and the Cardinals, stirring surprise among the council. "I wish to see if the one known as the Headmother of the Wintervale Convent for Lost Children is truly what some Exorcists suspect to be: Elder Demon Baphomet, also known previously as Sister Almonde Jagger."

This time, I will not make any mistakes and I will fix things. Even if it meant killing us both in the process.

AN

Pope: How about we make you Bishop?

Also, it was unpleasant to read the two pages and the ensuing lore implying the end of the order. Claudius lost Tonia, the stress taking a toll together with the Church putting their noses into the situation and making him want Almonde to be only his. And Almonde could only go along with this - for her father's sake.

And in a single moment, what appeared to be a bittersweet goodbye between her and Percival turned into something far more saddening and deadly.