NOVPUBOpening my eyes forcefully, a mouthful of blood spills from my lips. Seeing its dark black color and bits of flesh in it, my body shudders in pain, fists clenched...
"Ugh..."
I could feel every bone in my body shattering into millions of pieces. The feeling of dying while still alive was complete shit. Cursing weakly, I felt a hand on my back. A peculiar warmth flooded my body. The horrible pain of my bones continuously tearing through my skin vanished completely. I sighed in relief. The blood I was about to vomit subsided, and the gentle warmth made my body tremble. Looking up, I saw the satisfied smile of Her Majesty Brynthia. Her eyes were gleaming like little emeralds, but a trail of blood ran down her lips...
"Are you alright?" she asked with a smile.
Letting out a groan: "More or less," I said as I sat on the cold marble. The blood around me had vanished. Lifting my gaze, in the center was the little trumpet. For some reason, it was wrapped in white ribbons, and around it, a blue flame flowed in circles like a ring.
"See? I told you it wouldn't hurt, right?" A playful voice came from my sword. Gritting my teeth, I was about to curse her...
Elizabeth was crying tears of blood. Her cherry-colored lips were stained with blood, and she was kneeling, her body trembling slightly. She looked to be in worse shape than I was, which confused me...
"What happened to you?" Wasn't I supposed to be the only one suffering? But even so, seeing Elizabeth's condition gave me a slight sense of satisfaction. At least I wasn't the only one. Brynthia also seemed to be suffering from internal injuries. As everything around us calmed down...
"Is it over?" I asked while standing up. Seeing that my clothes were completely dry, I raised an eyebrow: "Was it all just an illusion?" The seven angels that had surrounded the trumpet had disappeared. Everything seemed normal—except for the dragon. That one had truly vanished...
"Well, it all went well, more or less," Elizabeth also stood up, wiping the blood from her face. "Though I didn't expect that thing to attack like that." She frowned as she looked at the small trumpet. "We can say the three of us shared the same pain, just on different levels..." Elizabeth went silent for a few seconds. "But it all turned out fine." She pointed at the blue flames still circling the trumpet. "The seal was restored, and we successfully captured a small flame!"
With a satisfied smile, she extended her hand. The small trumpet appeared in it. Touching the blue flames, she condensed them into a bright blue orb. She looked at it for a moment before tossing it to Brynthia: "Think fast!" she shouted dramatically.
Her Majesty's eyes widened, and her body vanished: "You crazy bitch!" she exclaimed with a scowl. Shaking her head, she walked slowly toward a specific part of the hall. Placing her hands on the cold marble, a mana circle appeared, opening another door. "What are you waiting for? We have to go," she gestured for Elizabeth to follow her.
"Wait, and what about me?" I didn't really want to be left alone in this place. I just wanted to take a nap. Actually, let me sleep. I haven't rested at all since I got here. My head hurts, and I'm physically exhausted...
"Huh? You don't want to come with us?" Elizabeth smiled provocatively while licking her lips.
For some reason, my body shivered: "I'm not really in the mood." I wasn't curious about what they were going to do behind that door either.
"Hehehe, fine then..." Elizabeth looked at Brynthia, and she nodded. With a snap of her fingers, my body disappeared from the place.
*****
"Now that I think about it... I didn't see Professor Emilia," I murmured to myself while lying down in bed... I realized it too late...
Frowning: "What does it matter." I shrugged in the end. Right now, I was in a room completely alone. It was way too big for one person, but still cozy enough. All the plants and flowers decorating the space made it feel super natural, giving off a sense of peace and relaxation...
Closing my eyes: "What really happened back then?" Recalling that strange vision—or whatever it was—gave me chills all over, especially the moment I saw the trumpet fully awakened...
After thinking it over, the most likely thing is that it was a projection from the past, shown to me by the small trumpet... but how did it happen? I think it was at the moment the blue flame touched the trumpet. That was when the seven angels opened their eyes completely and looked at me all at once...
"A violent reaction? Or a defense mechanism?" Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what really happened...
Setting that aside... the actual descent of a Seraphim—it was something I saw firsthand. Everything about her was dazzling, like a tiny star of purity and holiness. And above all, the strange halo surrounding her, as if the very world rejected her existence. And on the other side... Cain, the first vampire progenitor—the first vampire to ever exist.
Why were they at war? Even now, I wonder what truly happened back then. But opening my eyes a little: "If the second Seraphim was in combat, who's to say the others weren't too? All seven Seraphim fully awakened and in the middle of a war... and if they were involved, then that means the Seven Sins were too?"
Ugh... 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
So many questions and no answers. The only thing I get from thinking about all this is a bigger headache... Sighing, I prepared my mind to rest...
*****
Tink!!
The chime made my eyes open again: "Now what the hell is going on?" Frowning, I sat up, my eyes locking onto a gold coin lying on the floor: "Huh?" Tilting my head—that wasn't there before...
Scratching my head, not thinking much of it...
"There you are." A peculiar voice came from the window...
Turning around, I saw a young man in a black suit. His hair was black, and his eyes were golden. On his right eye was a monocle. He looked at me with a smile... adjusted his monocle, and grinned.
The pressure coming from this young man was terrifying. My body trembled—and so did my soul. The sheer force made me want to collapse to the ground. Cold sweat ran down my back: "This sensation..." I gritted my teeth tightly.
He's a demon... only within the demon hierarchy can something like this happen. When your soul recognizes your own kind—and it turns out that this one is at the very top of the world, surpassing your understanding and power—your soul surrenders instantly...
The one standing in front of me was...
The Sin of Greed.
