Another man, Chairman Creekmore, steps forward, holding a pair of steaming and terrifyingly bright red iron tongs. Clutched between them is the Eulogia coin. The skull-and-bones insignia glowing molten in the firelight. It hums with heat, a pulsing ember of tradition, power, and pain.
The first brand is placed, and you can instantly smell the harsh burn of flesh surrounding the damp room.
A sharp sizzle pierces the silence as the coin is pressed to Archibald’s chest. He tenses, his muscles locked in place, his face unreadable. The smell of burning flesh cuts through the air.
Hudson is next.
Followed by Dexter.
Then Fordham.
Then me.
The iron tongs hover over my chest for only a second before the coin is pressed into my flesh.
Pain explodes through me in a searing, merciless, and absolute way. A firebrand sinking into my skin, carving itself into me, owning me. My vision darkens at the edges, and my teeth clench so hard my jaw aches, but I do not move.
I do not flinch.
I accept it.
Not just the pain, but everything it represents. The power. The purpose. The expectation that I’ll be called upon to prove my worth again and again, that I will be tested in ways that will demand not just my skill, but my willingness to go further than others will. I know there will be as many legendary tasks as unthinkable, and I welcome them.
Because I am meant for this.
The coin lifts, and the insignia remains a raw, blistered, permanent bubble of melted skin. A living wound, a reminder that I belong to something greater now.
I barely register the velvet box placed into my hand, but when I open it, the weight of what’s inside settles over me like a shroud. A silver signet ring, polished and gleaming in the low light, the same insignia carved into its surface. A mirror of the mark now burned into my chest.
Whitmore steps closer. His voice is quieter now, but no less commanding.
“This ring is a promise. To your brothers. To the Society. To those who came before you, and those who will come after. You are untouchable now. Bound to each other, bound to the unseen hand that moves the world. Wear it, and know that you will never want, never fall, never be alone.”
I slide the ring onto my finger, the cool metal a stark contrast to the heat still radiating from my chest. The pain is real, but so is something else. A sense of finality. Of belonging. Of power.
Brotherhood means little to me. I am not here for camaraderie, for some sense of familial loyalty. I am here because excellence demands commitment.
Whitmore's voice cuts through the silence again, this time with instruction. “You will receive calls. Orders. Meetings that are not optional. You will obey without question, without hesitation. The preservation of power depends on it.”
The weight of those words lingers. There is no doubt that our loyalty will be tested, perhaps in ways we cannot yet imagine.
“You will also attend the Initiation Celebration Gala this evening,” he continues, his tone leaving no room for argument. “There, you will accept your Chosen. If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, a Chosen is a relationship you will enter not by desire, but by design. It is a strategic match, selected for you by the Society. Participation is not optional. I can guarantee nearly all of you are mothered by a Chosen.”
A ripple of unspoken understanding moves through the room. The daughters of members, he means, are hand-selected, groomed for this world as much as we are. Some we will date, some we will protect, and some we will be expected to carry out instructions for. Most of them will get fucked beyond belief, but they are more than just holes for cocks. They are extensions of the Order’s will. Tools for Legacy. Instruments of control.
My pulse remains steady. None of this surprises me.
Hands clasp my shoulders, my head, my back in silent acknowledgment. Silent acceptance.
I rise.
Archibald, Hudson, Dexter, and Fordham rise next to me in nearly perfect formation. No longer heirs. No longer boys.
We are Bonesmen now.
And the world is ours.
Within the hour, we had left the mausoleum and were walking into the gala together.
