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No one could quite believe the sight of the little Quint that landed on the altar. They were summoning a Quintessence Ghoul… right? Quints were usually big and bulky, a reflection of their cosmic-fuelled powers. Omega and Aether were your typical, stocky Quints, Delta and Swiss being Quint-aligned had some of the typical presentation as well.
So why was this one so tiny?
It clocked for everyone instantly what they were, and the Clergy’s eyes all turned to Copia, who was flushed in embarrassment at the attention. The man had an incredible connection to the unholy divine and had summoned six Ghouls by himself before this, his other three inherited from his brother. His stellar record had only led to a great amount of respect, but clearly that luck had just ran out because Copia had just summoned a runt.
No one instantly went to the shocked and shivering Ghoul on the altar. They were so curled in on themself, they looked even smaller. The little clothing the Ghoul had on - as was typical down in the pits - revealed their twiggy frame, joints and bones sticking out under their patchy scarred skin.
Usually, Copia helped the Ghoul off the altar and threw a blanket over them, and get their permission to bind their souls to him and this Ministry. Then the pack would embrace them and the lot of them would spend a confinement period in the den, just them, no humans and no one would leave unless it was essential so the new summon could start to acclimate to life on the surface, and start to form a bond with the pack.
But everyone was stood gawping at the runt in the summoning circle.
Runts weren’t exactly uncommon but Quintessence runts were a particular rarity. Quints were so strong that the idea of a pure Quint being a runt was damn near unthinkable. And Copia had just managed to pull one - who looked days away from the Beyond - from the depths of the pits.
No one quite knew how long it had been since this Quint had crossed over and the portal shut. But still, no one had even so much as hissed in a breath. That was until Dew snapped into gear,
“Fuck this shit.”
He defied protocol as he took off his uniform’s cape and jacket, walking up to the altar to drape them over the Ghoul, who’s fangs where clacking together with their shivers. Well, no, actually. It was just the one fang, Dew noticed as he got closer. The other three had fallen, or probably rather were ripped out. Dew couldn’t spend too much time thinking about it though because their whole body was wracked with shivers, obviously in shock and suffering from the temperature change between the pits and Earth.
“What’s your name?” Dew asked softly in Infernal.
“Ph- Pha-“ They rasped before choking on air, probably not having had water anytime recently if the way their skin hung on their bones was anything to go by.
Dew left the altar to grab one of the water bottles from the floor alongside some food, snatched the blanket Copia still had draped over his arm and gave it all to the Ghoul. They wolfed down the fruit, guarding it close to them as they did so, and cocked their head slightly at the bottle.
“Drink from this,” Dew said as he cracked it open, “it’s like a waterskin.”
They carefully alternated between giving it cursory sniffs and small tastes. Dew’s heart ached because a Ghoul usually only did that when they’d purposefully been given tainted water before.
His soul twisted even more when he caught sight of the brand on their chest. It was the Infernal rune to mark a runt, roughly translating to “the ultimate, worthless shame bringer”. Dew had prayed that clans would stop using the scarification but clearly his prayers hadn’t been heard, and not for the first time.
Dew soon grew a small smile as they eagerly gulped down the water. They were sat up now, but their knees were hugged tight to their chest. The cape, jacket and blanket around them made them look impossibly small, despite glassy eyes, wide with dozens of emotions.
“So, what’s your name, little Bug?” Dew asked again.
“Phantom.” They said quietly.
“Hi, Phantom. I’m Dewdrop, but most people just call me Dew. Do you know any English?” Some Ghouls already knew a lot of the human language, practically being trained for life on the surface.
They shook their head.
“That’s okay. I didn’t know any when I was summoned.” Dew assured. His friendly demeanour for Phantom hardened as he turned to face Copia, still gawping, and switched to English, “Their name is Phantom, they don’t know any English so I will translate for them.”
That seemed to snap Copia from his daze, “Sì, sì. Grazie, Dewdrop.” He muttered, reaching for his rosary.
“Phantom?” Dew turned back to the new Quint, “This is Copia. He runs everything around here, and he’s going to offer if you want to stay here, and be bonded to him as his servant.”
The last word made Phantom stiffen, and their eyes went even wider with pure fear. Dew remembers feeling like that too.
“It’s just a word. It won’t mean the same thing here as it does down there. You’re safe now, I promise.” Dew said firmly.
“S- safe?” Phantom said, almost kit-like wonder in their big, round eyes, “They said I’d never know ‘safe’.”
Dew swallowed a growl, and managed to smile instead in a manner he hoped was friendly.
“Well, they were wrong. I swear, you’ll be safe here.” Dew said.
Phantom nodded and Dew turned back to Copia.
The Papa walked up to Phantom and removed one of his gloves, rolling up his sleeve.
“Phantom. I, Papa Emeritus the fourth, do hereby pledge to keep you safe and provide for you, in exchange for your work and servitude to spread His most unholy word. Do you accept?”
Dew translated and Phantom nodded their agreement to Copia.
“Hold your hand out like he has, then he’ll hold onto your forearm, you do the same. That rosary, that he’s holding, will wrap around where you’re holding on, and it might feel a bit weird but that’s just the magic, okay?” Dew informed and Phantom reached out a shaky hand.
Dew saw how multiple of Phantom’s digits had been declawed on both hands, the others were blunt and uneven. Dew sported a sad smile at Phantom being such a fighter, the many battles and loses spelled out over their body for all to see.
The magic washed over the room, and this was usually the point where the others would lave them with love and company before guiding them back. But none of them still seemed to want to move.
“Come on.” Dew said to Phantom, “I’ll show you where you’ll be living now.”
They hopped down and Dew wrapped an arm around them, the other reaching over to hold their hand that they took in a vice grip. As they walked out, Dew bared his fangs in a snarl to the rest of his pack for their horrific failure.
Dew took Phantom through side corridors and hidden passages, knowing how much the Siblings love the new summons and the gossip that comes from them. Dew thinks Phantom may collapse if faced with that, so took them through the route away from all eyes but the rats that ran free in the passage ways.
They got to the den, and Dew showed Phantom to an empty room.
“This is where you’ll sleep now. The beds can be turned into nests quite easily, and we have running water here, hot or cold, which is nice.” Dew explained, walking them in and sitting them down on the edge of the mattress, “The door and windows can be locked so no one can get in either.” He said, demonstrating both.
“‘s big.” Phantom muttered.
Dew nodded, “Doesn’t stop feeling like that.”
“Why’d you help me? ‘m a runt. No one ever helps me.” They questioned.
Dew let out a heavy breath and reached for his vest, cravat, and blouse, undoing them to reveal the old brand on his own sternum, “Because I know how it feels.”
Dew will never forget the day of his accidental summoning. How he was simply trying to get some water from a lake and he just-so-happened to be next to the Ghoul later known as Delta as they got summoned and his weak little soul managed to slip through. No one came to help him, Terzo had to bond him without his understanding because no one stepped up to translate for Dew. He pulled himself off the altar, and stalked after the group of Ghouls as they showed Delta back to the den and started their acclimation. Dew didn’t join them in the big nest in the common room they all slept in for those weeks. He didn’t form proper pack bonds with them and isolated himself until Omega, their leader, came into his room to apologise for the pack’s behaviour. The damage had been done though, and Dew never formed full bonds with them. He didn’t have a complete bond until Aether, Mountain, Zephyr and Ifrit came along.
From all that Dew promised himself that if another runt was ever summoned, he would never let them suffer a fraction of what he did.
“If you stay in here,” Dew said, fixing his shirt closed again, “I’ll get some stuff to make a nest, and I’ll get you some clothes, okay?”
Phantom just nodded again, pulling the blanket and Dew’s pieces of uniform tighter over them.
Dew left the room and went to his own. He quickly changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, grabbing some for Phantom too. He stacked his arms with pillows and blankets from his own nest to add to what little to Ministry provided.
He went back in to see Phantom hadn’t moved a single muscle. The pale patches of scarred skin probably meant that they had seen some severe punishment for disobedience, and Dew had to hold back tears. Runts were often used as slaves, for a bit of fun, treated as nothing more than a shit smear because that’s all they were worth. A Quintessence runt especially would be of particular interest.
“Do you want to get changed? I can leave while you do, if you want.” Dew said. Bodies and nakedness were never usually a problem for the open airs of the pits, but what it was likely Phantom had been through, he thought it best to offer.
But Phantom just got up and started changing. Dew turned his back to give them some privacy, and snuck a tiny glance a couple minutes later to make sure they were done. He turned back to their nest and set up the pillows and blankets into something basic that Phantom could fine-tune to exactly how they wanted. Dew finished laying the last blanket down and Phantom stared at it.
“You okay, Bug?” Dew said.
“Never had a nest.” Phantom muttered.
“I hadn’t either before coming here, but unholy fuck, they are a game changer. Especially as you get closer to other people, because sometimes we all swap blankets and pillows and plushies so our nests smell of each other.” Dew smiled.
Phantom leant over and sniffed the nest, “Smells like you.”
“It’s stuff from my room.” Dew said, “Come on.”
He climbed in and tucked himself under one blanket, lifting a different one for Phantom to duck under. They did so hesitantly, but Dew could see the relief from the cosiness coming over their face and body as they sunk more and more into it.
“Comfy?” Dew asked with a smile as they burrowed down.
Phantom just nodded again.
“You’re a quiet one, aren’t you?” Dew remarked.
“Was always told I shouldn’t speak ‘cause anything I said was as worthless as me.” They murmured, eyes far off while a claw lightly petted over one of the bats printed onto the fleece blanket.
“I promise it’s different here. You’ll be listened to, and you’ll be respected.” Dew assured, “The others, they’ve never seen someone like us be summoned before, they didn’t know what to do. They’ll come around and apologise if you let them though. Then maybe we can all set up a big nest together in the common room?”
They nodded again, curled up into a ball on their side, their tail coiled around their abdomen with their arms in a self-soothing attempt that must be instinct at this point for them.
“Do you want me to hold you?” Dew asked, knowing how much he craved it when he was summoned, “It won’t be like the others. I won’t even directly touch your skin, if you don’t want.”
Phantom still didn’t meet Dew’s eyes as they thought about it. Dew wriggled down in the nest so he could actually see them.
“Look at me.” He said softly, and for the first time, they did. Dew’s breath was nearly taken straight from his lungs at the gorgeous violet of their irises, so incredibly bright despite all the darkness they’d seen and been through, “I won’t hurt you. I’m not whoever’s hurt you so much in the past. They’re gone. They’re all gone. And they can’t get you here.”
Phantom’s gaze softened and they nodded.
“Okay.” Dew smiled, “How do you want me?”
Phantom thought about it for a moment, probably never having a choice laid in their hands before.
“Um, by there.” They pointed to the headboard.
Dew propped a pillow against the wood to save his back, then sat up against it, “Like this?”
Phantom nodded.
Dew pulled his own blanket back around him, and opened his arms so Phantom could position themself however they wanted. And slowly, they crawled over and lay on their side, their head against Dew’s chest and listening to his heartbeat. Their hand rested next to their face and traced the scars of Dew’s brand through his t-shirt. Usually Dew hated anyone touching there, not even Aether or Mountain who’d he’d known longest were allowed to, but something about Phantom made Dew want to protect them with everything his shitty little body could give.
Dew reached for the bat blanket they had adopted and draped it over them, when he rested his hands down over Phantom, he made sure that they didn’t go beneath the blanket and stayed far away from anywhere that might trigger some unpleasant memories.
“‘s quiet here.” Phantom whispered after a while.
“Yeah, the walls are quite thick so you have your own little safe space in here. You can decorate it however you want as well. It’s yours and no one call tell you ‘no’ in here.” Dew said.
They stayed in silence for a little while longer, and Dew eventually starting whispering and babbling reassurances as they snuggled together for the next few hours.
“You are safe here, I promise, Phantom. No one’s going to hurt you anymore.” Dew said.
They took a deep breath and, in English, said a single word,
“Safe.”