Y/n has always been a different person. She often finds herself wandering around town with music blasting in her headphones. She takes in the sights and the peace in being isolated in her own mind a little too much. Her mother worries about her wandering and possibly getting hurt, but the "scary dog" energy she gives off is overwhelming for most. Normally, a band t-shirt, baggy jeans, several rings, necklaces, earrings, and a beanie alter her appearance enough for most people to just stare then continue on. She never minds the staring though. It makes her feel powerful, attractive, and confident.

Today was a day like any other, but curiosity finally got the best of the cat. Y/n's house and town was adjacent to a giant forest, untouched by man for centuries. Her mother and father both warn about going in there, but as a child she couldn't resist. She remembers a big, black church standing in the middle of the woods, but that's it. She doesn't know if it was a dream, a lie, or even just a scene in a movie she watched a lot. Now more than ever, the image painted her eyelids every blink and a determination to discover the tree's secrets consumed her being.

She takes a breath looking into her mirror. Smoothing out the front of her uniform, she grabs her keys, phone, and wallet, "Make money, get bitches, and look hot doing it." She tells herself through the reflection. She laughs at her silly little antics, and leaves her house, "MA I'M GOING TO WORK!" She yells, about to step out of the house, "OKAY SWEETIE, REMEMBER YOUR FATHER AND I ARE GOING ON THAT TRIP TONIGHT SO YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN FOR DINNER!" Y/n doesn't respond, and locks the door behind her. Her parents worked for a large corporation and every year they do this month-long couples retreat. For some people, having no parents in the house at the age of eighteen may be bliss, but it only makes y/n feel scared. She always gets this feeling that she's being watched when her parents are gone. She turns the key in the ignition and syncs her phone to the radio. I Was Made for Lovin' You by KISS starts blasting through the speakers. She starts singing and dancing like an idiot as she drives to the record store.

"Morning Tobias!" She says entering the old shop, the small bell announcing her entrance, "Hello Y/n! Ready for another awesome day!" He says with fake enthusiasm. Tobias owns the record store, but they grew a unique bond over the years. They grew a sibling bond, Tobias giving sometimes unsolicited advice, and Y/n annoying him to be less grumpy everyday, "You know it! Anything new?" Y/n responds by hanging her jacket on the coat rack behind the counter and leaning on the glass case, "Yes actually," Tobias says in his normal tone, "We got these from a place called..." He asks his readers, "The Church of Emeritus?" You shrug, "I've never heard of it." He shrugs back, tossing the vinyl back on top of the large box pile, "Me neither, but apparently they're going to be Grammy nominated." He wiggles his eyebrows like it's a secret to success, "WOAH!" She says waving her hands in the air, "A band no one's heard of winning a grammy! I'll never live to see the day." Tobias laughs at her mockery, "You'd be surprised, I've already listened to their one album Opus Eponymous and dare I say" He leans on the counter, both of you at eye level, "It's actually really good." You roll your eyes and start looking through the boxes.

Their albums seem to contain a lot of Satanic imagery, which Y/n was already quite a fan of, "So what is their style? Heavy Metal? Death Metal? Don't tell me it's hip hop." Tobias laughs, "Nope, it's your style." She looks over her shoulder and gives a 'really' look, "I swear!" Tobias says dramatically, holding his hand over his heart. She rolls her eyes, "Yeah okay so you're telling me that a modern band uses gimmicks like KISS in a pop-rock type style like Journey, all while keeping a heavier sound on most of their tracks?" Tobias doesn't respond, instead he leans against the counter, crosses his arms, and smirks, "You're fucking joking." Y/n says smiling slightly. Finally, a band that was from her generation that produced good music. She didn't hate Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Harry Styles, or other modern artists, but their music was just not to her tastes. Plus, everyone she listens to is basically old, dying, and or dead, "Give me the one with the blue castle on it, we'll put it on." Tobias says, taking off the record sitting on the player. Y/n quickly sorts through the boxes to find the vinyl. She glides her hand over the raised pattern, already entranced by the art, "Well, you could stare at it..." Tobias impatiently starts tapping the glass, "Or we could actually listen to it." She glares at him, but hands him the record. He quickly starts the record.

"This is called Deus Culpa. It's an instrumental, but still good." You nod, trying to focus on the lyrics. The orchestrations were entrancing. Almost like a spell with a bit of deja vu. Y/n brows knit together, trying to figure out where she had heard this before. Tobias smiles watching Y/n, knowing that she is the one, "Like it?" He asks, breaking her trance, "Yeah, it's just my style, I'm gonna start organizing the vinyls, you need to do the taxes." Tobias sighs, but pulls out the receipts as you turn to the newly delivered records and start sorting through them alphabetically.

The next song starts. The bass line comes in immediately, sending another wave of deja vu over Y/n. She pauses her movements, Tobias looks up from the checkbook, smirking at the old one's prediction being correct, "Tobias? Have you played this here before?" She asks, her voice wavering slightly, "Never." He responds coldly, not wanting to give away his secret yet. Y/n starts mumbling the chorus under her breath, like a familiar hymn. She knows the words, their meanings, their origins, but just not how she knows them. Con Clavi Con Dio. She shakes her head, again trying to get out of the trance-like state. Y/n weaves her way in between the shelves and boxes to relocate the newly delivered music. As she gets farther away from the record player and Tobias, she feels more normal. However, every time she went back to the front of the store and closer to the sound, that old familiar feeling reemerges.

The next song starts, she immediately pauses. A scene of a dark church, men with skull makeup, people wearing masks, and her on an altar flashes across her eyes. Ritual. She drops to her knees. Tobias quickly moves from behind the counter and kneels beside her, "Oh my Sa-, are you okay?" He asks quickly, lifting her to a sitting position, "Yeah, yeah, I don't know what just happened. I just had these weird visions." Tobias helps her stand, she fixes her uniform and shutters, "I didn't eat this morning so, maybe that's the issue?" Tobias crossed his arms and gave her a look, "You didn't eat?" She turned back to the records trying to avoid the question, "Y/n. You need to eat." Tobias scolds, walking back behind the counter, "Here, eat this." He holds out a Toblerone candy bar. She sighs, it is one of her favorite candies. She reluctantly opens the wrapper and eats, "See, it's not that hard." Tobias jokes, she can only giggle at his overprotectiveness. She was so distracted it wasn't until half way through the next song she listened to it.

Elizabeth. The voice sings the name Elizabeth, she freezes and turns to the record player, "Elizabeth?" She mumbles under her breath, her eyes now glossing over with a red hue. Tobias smiles, now certain of who she is, "Y/n. What is your mother's name?" She jumps, startled by his question, "Um, Elizabeth, but it's pronounced ElizAbeth, like the a is an ah sound." He looks up from the bills he's filling out, "And your father's name?" She looks over to him, "What are you getting at with all of these questions?" She leans one hand on the counter, the other on her hip, staring into his eyes. He scoffs, "Only trying to make conversation." There is a silence for a while, both staring at each other, trying to get the other to break, "What is your father's name?" Tobias's voice comes out more demanding. Y/n didn't know if it was the dominance in his voice, the confusion, or her adrenaline but she answered, "Patrick." Tobias's face drops, he looks back down at his task, "But my mother calls him Primo, which is weird because she dated a guy apparently named Primo a long time ago, I think she never got over him."

Stand By Him starts. Tobias snaps his head back up. He stands, still looking into her eyes, "The music sounds familiar doesn't it?" She furrowed her brow, now getting slightly nervous. How the hell does he know that? She thinks. He smirks, "I know more than that Y/n." She gasps and steps away, her movements being stopped by the large wooden shelf hitting her back, No way, no fucking way he just read my thoughts She starts to breath quicker, Tobias leans on the counter, a mischievous smile forming, "I did just read your thoughts, I've been doing it for a while now." He slowly walks out from behind the counter, Y/n holds a hand out, trying to keep him away, "Listen, Tobias I don't know what is happening, but you are scaring me." She admits, anxiety filling her voice. He pauses. He doesn't want to scare her away, but he can come off as menacing, "Sorry, just look." 

He turns off the music, "I have a lot to explain, but if you were comfortable with going into the woods with me just for an explanation and clarification, would you go?" She looks at him more confused, "Look, ask my parents, I'm going home." She turns to leave, and he quickly stands in front of the door, "Okay, okay fine, I'll tell you." He pauses, sucking in a breath. She motions for him to continue, "There is a Church called the Church of Emeritus in the woods." Your jaw drops, "Your mother dated the guy singing on that record. She left him for your dad. Listen, Primo is, well was, a Pope of the church for a while," "Wait," She interrupts, "So it's a satanic church?" He nodded, "Yes, yes but we don't do any of that sacrificing stuff, we just believe in having fun, living life, and that other religions are harmful." "WE?" She practically screams, "Tobias. You are a part of this satanic cult which somehow my mother was a part of, but how? You're twenty years younger than her?" He laughs, "Actually, I'm immortal." She laughs, "No way." He looks at her seriously, "No fucking way." She whispers in disbelief,

"Look, if you come with me to the church they'll be able to explain it better, but you have to trust me." Y/n's face has shock, confusion, horror, and yet curiosity painted across it. She has an urge to go with Tobias, to finally go into the woods, but yet a fear, "Okay. Okay let's go." He fist pumps, "If you kill me though, I will haunt your ass." She glares, pointing a finger at him. He laughs, "I will do no such thing, grab your coat." She obliges. Tobias turns off the lights, locks the door, and off they go.