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I know of the 1st secret of Gro-goroth:
If I see, hanging from a tree a dead mans corpse, I wish upon his soul and bind it back to their umbilical cord. And then that corpse will walk and speak again with me.
You could feel Sabo growing more self aware by the minute. Which is weird. He's supposed to be merely a puppet corpse with little control over his actions.
He shouldn't be able to develope, grow into something more.
Yeah, someone who is dead remains dead.
something like this is unheard of.
A necromancy ritual that turns the flesh into a sentient being again is out of the question, so what's happening here?
First understanding your sentences in detail, then copying you, now properly talking!
Unbelievable!
A ghoul could never take the shape of a proper, competent human-
"Master?"
"Mh?" You snap out of your thoughts when said ghoul calls out for you.
"I've read through one of your books,"
Since when did he learn to read?
How unsettling.
"-about a magical spell I've never heard before...a spell that ties two souls togheter for eternity."
"You're talking about the Skin Bible of Sylvian."
He nods.
"Master...what's a marriage?"
"Sylvian is the godess of love. Her second secret grands us the ability to be bound togheter with a willing partecipant for eternity. A parthner, a soulmate, a loved one.
Sylvian grands the wish of people to be reborn as one."
'I know of the 2nd secret of Sylvian: I no longer have to fear for separation from my loved ones for we can forever join in a marriage of flesh. An act of love that creates a beautiful unison for two souls.'
You quickly glance at Sabo, obidiently following behind you as you ramble, he is fidgeting with his fingers and gulps before talking again.
"Master..! in my life there is nobody as precious as you are...w-would you ever do a marriage with me?"
Sabo rushes quickly, fasteining his steps to walk beside you.
You dismiss his question, he doesn't know anything of the occult. You're sure Sabo doesn't understand the weight of his words.
"Sylvian doesn't see love the same way we do. As we may see a common, religious marriage as the ultimate act of love, Sylvian views a marriage as the ultimate act of desperation. The dungeons drains you of your strenght and sanity, people driven by fear come to pray on a ritual circle to be bound togheter in a marrige of flesh, where they are reborn as an abomination, a mixture of both bodies and mind. Something that is no longer you. Something that is no longer human."
Sabo's expression changes to a curious, embarassed one, to one of understandment, disappointment.
"Oh...i see..." Sabo replies defeated, looking down.
"How...do people perform the spell?" He continues.
"You have intercourse on Sylvian's ritual circle."
Sabo chokes on his own spit and jumps at the boldness of your words, he then messily tries to compose himself.
"Wh-where are we going again?" He asks, changing the subject, embarassed to have unknowingly asked you to perform such an act.
"You'll see."
In one way or another, through the corridors of the first level of the Dungeon, you manage to break down a door that leads you to a hidden, open garden inside the walls.
A bunny mask ritual seems to take place in the meadow.
Various people, 50? more? are bent and contorted on the grass, performing filthy ways to pray to their godess to one another, consuming their love out in the open, only wearing bunny masks.
"W-what's this?!" Sabo shouts, shielding his eyes with an arm.
"A bunny mask ritual. Fanatics of Sylvian, the godess of love, lust and creation, pray to her by consuming acts of intercourse togheter, while wearing bunny masks. They do what rabbitd to best."
'For a brief moment in ancient history, mankind fell into a craze of fleshly delights. As a synchronized mass, sea of naked people in a middle of coitus would pulsate and waste their days. There are still cults dedicated to Sylvian to this day, but many believe she left mankind behind long time ago.'
Sabo swallows, looking down at the scenary that deeply contrasted the cellars and caves in the dungeon you've just walked trough.
It was truly a beautiful, calming garden.
He cringed, hearing the shameful sounds that came from the partecipants.
"Well, introduce yourself." You suggest, opening your Bible.
"Huh?! i-i don't wanna go!" He turns to look at you, one hand on his heart, body bent slightly forward to look better at you.
"Well, we need more affinity with the Gods, and I'm not risking any diseases."
"I don't wanna perform such an act with someone I don't love." Sabo's voice turns steadier.
You roll your eyes.
Why was he acting like his feellings mattered?
It's not like he was human.
Not even his body was his in the first place. He something that reborned, no longer what he was, not naturally thinking.
You revived him to use as a meat shield or to use him as a blood sacrifice for Gogoroth. Why did you have to use necromancy on such a chatty ghoul?
"What if you find the love of your life inside the circle?"
You try to persue him.
Sabo grits his teeth, expression hurt and he shouts back with red cheeks.
"The most important person in my life is you, Master! you're the one i love! I just told you!"
Awkward silence extends upon you.
Not counting the wet moans if the followers of Sylvian ahead of you.
"C-can't we do the ritual instead? I don't wanna bed a stranger."
"i'm being nice just being near you. I am not fucking a corpse. Plus, there's other valid reasons why I would never and cannot be with you."
You say dismissevely and keep walking while searching trough your books for a pyromantic trick you could learn on the spot.
You could maybe sacrifice these people to the god of war, since this wasn't working.
Increasing your affinity with Grogoroth would be helpful anyway.
"W-why"
Sabo replied hurt, his voice weak.
You roll your eyes for the 100th time and turn around.
"You're at the first phase of decomposition, full of germs and bacteria I'd rather not get. To add to that, you were reborn around...a couple of hours ago? Even if your mind is quickly developing and you have some form of mental maturity, you have no memories of your past. You're still new to the world, like a child. To that, i add that our power dynamics are way too off balanced, I'm your creator. there's an asymmetry in power in our relationship that makes it impossible for it to be any form of romantic love.
I, as your creator, phylosofically, I am your caretaker. Someone that's teaching you everything and guiding you in this world."
"Shouldn't you see me as your mother?" You ask again.
"You're my creator." Sabo replies immediatly, not listening.
"You're not following me." you groan.
"I see you more as an luxury to being around, an object to use, a slave. But in a way, I could maybe call you my son."
You grab a hold of Sabo's cheeks with a hand, harshly gripping them so his lips push forward and pucker. You tilt his head to the side, analizing his looks.
He has a nasty, old scar on the side of his face, one eye ruined, possibly blined, his skin is pale and has lost all its color, he has ashy blond, dirty hair that falls down his face.
"My...horrendous....disgusting excuse of a son."
You let go of his cheeks.
"Make yourself useful and fuck a partecipant."
"I can't!"
Sabo shouts, you were gonna scold him but he cuts you off before you can let a word out.
"I don't want anyone else! you're the most important person in my life! i'm indebted to you! i love you more than anyone! i don't think i could breathe without you," his eyes are fixated, blown wide, his face filled with anxious intent, "i would never want to be with a ritualist bitch," he spits with hatred, which he never did, and it maked your eyes widen. Where did he learn to speak like that? " i'm yours and yours only, you can do of me as you want...if you really need me to, i'll do it, but know that it doesnt mean anything to me and it's only to please you...at the end of the day i'll always come back to you. you and you only are the one pestering my thoughst and heart."
You pause.
Eyeing him carefully you feel cold sweat run down your nape.
He shouldn't be capable to feel such emotions.
In any other case this would be a matter of study, you'd bring him to a dark priest or occultist to research on the topic and run experiments.
But you're in the most notorious dungeon in the city of Rondon.
You have no time for this. His development has been extremely unpredictable, unnatural.
And it took him only a few hours.
Who knows how he'll turn out by tonight...
"What a shame." you murmur.
"What?" Sabo asked, back to his composed self.
You're gonna have to kill him before he gets out of your control.
"How curious. You're growing up so fast, still, you seem to have picked out a few of my traits."
You reply, turining around to exit the meadow, Sabo following you like a devoted dog.
"S-such as?" Sabo asked, excited to have something in common with you.
"Borderline personality disorder."