《Shadow of Sinner (REWRITE)》


 01 | Heaven鈥檚 Tears

    The sinner¡¯s fate reached her final verdict. Shallow breath came out trembling. Her arm ripped off like a straw doll. Dark inklings of blood pooled around her. She leaned her back against a charred tree. Red crimson eyes tiredly cast over the silence before her. Moths of flames danced around the burning field of a once emerald forest. The battle swept everything into a raging wave of crimson flames. Smokes rose and closed off the heaven with a thick, dark veil shrouded with the ominous death.


    The sinner held out her hand up. The same hand plunged right through the heart of her kin she once called as a friend. His proud ruby eyes gazed into her fury crimson eyes.


    ¡°Wrath, you can never change our fate.¡± Pride¡¯s last words repeated inside her head.


    Among the seven sinners, she was the last one standing to see the end of this cycle. Fated to see the end of this story again and again. Alone, against the last judgment.


    A chime of bells echoed, followed by a humming lullaby. The sinner perked her head up to see which soul would dare disturb the slumber of the dead. Yet, her vision blurred. She lost too much blood. She could only see a pure, white candlelight shone through the darkness. The chiming bells got closer to her and the lullaby stopped. Clothes shifted around as the stranger kneeled down. She flinched when a rough, calloused hand tucked away a curtain of her white hair away. It was an unfamiliar touch. Too gentle, in fact, as if the stranger holding her like a shattered glass. Strangely enough, she sought more of its comfort instead of pushing the hand away.


    Streaks of light pierced through the darkness and touched the land like hands of prayers. The heaven finally opened its gate. Thus, life finally returned. A place where the sinners can¡¯t reach beyond death. Instead, she belonged in the abyss. It beckoned her to return for a long slumber of loneliness. A suitable home for a sinful being.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She turned to the stranger who remained by her side. ¡°Would you pray for me?¡±


    The stranger responded with a silence.


    She chuckled, knowing well it was a stupid request from a sinner. ¡°Even if I tried, a sinner can never do the right thing. The sinner is what I am. A tainted mistake. A fate no one can alter.¡±


    A horn blew across the field. Knights of the Lumina drummed the ground, marching closer to where she was. She had expected them to come for her execution.


    ¡°What more can a sinner do than cause destruction?¡± She was losing her breath. Death counted her remaining time. ¡°So please. Will you pray for this sinner, dearest light?¡±


    An arrow swept through the burning field, passed the stranger¡¯s side, and struck right on her chest. Breath hitched and ears rang. Death wrapped over her. They sang out cheers and raised their flags. They chanted out, Judgment to the sinner!


    Then, a thunder crackled and boomed, making their chest pounded along. Everyone stopped. The celebration cut short. Joy turned to confusion. Dark, gray clouds gathered again, closing the heaven once more.


    A drop of tear from heaven kissed the cheek of a sinner. The heaven mourned as it rained down its sadness. It had never rained before. The heaven would never cry for a sinner. It should be cheering in a radiant light when the sinner finally received her judgment. A small smile lifted on her lips before she departed with one last breath. Oh, heaven, why weep for a sinner?

 02 | The Sin

    Five hundreds years later ¡­


    Cerulean blue gaze mourned the wasted sight of Havenbarrow. A town once bustled with its residents filling the streets from dawn to dusk. Now candles lit every corner of the ruined buildings. Yet darkness swallowed these hopeless lights. The deafening hollow silenced the joy. Dried petals of white lilies scattered on every doorstep. The abundant golden field lay wasted as every root and soil of the land succumb to the touch of abyss.


    The Lumina Order could barely supply the people across the land. More who were in far worse condition didn¡¯t get the help they needed. Nothing to feed their family. It was only a matter of time before even hope disappeared.


    Havenbarrow wasn¡¯t the last town buried in the darkest corner of Erdalia. As the abyss robbed pieces of their lands, the living soon lost their place.


    Luther watched the ruined bodies walked into the remnant wreckage of a sanctuary. Naked, deliberately humiliated, to the eyes of the devil. Roof ripped away. A twin-wooden door stood alone amongst the remnants of the holy building. The blood of the servants painted on the wall told him stories of their ultimate acts. Petals of white lilies scattered everywhere.


    Knights garbed in dark, blue cloak knocked on every door, guiding the remaining survivors of Havenbarrow from their home one by one. Clothes dangling on their dried and grimed flesh, barely protecting them. Heads bowed down on their chained hands in silver. They had nowhere to go. No hand to hold.


    Luther crumpled on the scroll in his hand. Orders from the Lumina demanded the heads of Havenbarrow for condemning their faith. He thought it was a cruel judgment. With no one to guide these people, darkness becomes their new companion. To protect the living, faithless must be executed.


    He shut his eyes for a moment. As the silence set into his soul, voices from the remnant of sanctuary whispered to him.


    They breached the bridge!


    We mustn¡¯t allow the sinners to take Havenbarrow!


    Shouts of their courage warmed his chest. Despite the overwhelming loss, his brethren never let their enemies shook their faiths. They fought to the very end well. It was their unwavering courage that kept this town away from the sinners¡¯ grip. Countless sacrifices for one insignificant victory.


    Soon, fear tested their faiths. Wailing cries replaced the shout of their unwavering bravery. They begged and prayed the heaven for salvation from the fear gripping their hearts. One by one. Their faith crumbled into fickle dust. They exchanged their faith for mercy as they desperately clung to their life. In the end, they damned their own faith to the abyss. A living without a shadow. It was only right to kill them before they lose their humanity completely and rampaged on innocent to offer more souls to the abyss. They kept the Havenbarrow safe, yet the enemies won the victory of their hearts. Shredded white-blue robes and cloaks hung into flagpoles. Their belief flaunted in such a humiliating state to the people. A message for Erdalians. Here lies your loyalty to the light ¡ª hopeless and futile.


    A hand tapped on his shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve gathered everyone here.¡±


    Luther nodded. The knights gathered the people inside the circle, forming a prison. He noticed the detest gazes in his knights. They avoided meeting the gaze of the people that once trusted their faith unto them. A shame to their oath for failing to stop their own people from falling into a faithless¡¯s path.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    His mouth wrapped in a white bandage. Luther signed to Vincent. Execute them.


    Vincent bowed his head, hiding his face. His voice came out shaking. ¡°As you command, captain.¡±


    The knights drew their swords out. Hands trembled and eyes shut, to the horror of their own duty. Meanwhile, the faithless remained calm. Their hands clasped in a prayer. Who were they praying?


    The heaven¡¯s gate was closed tonight. Soon the black curtains would reveal the accursed blood moon. One of the seven sinners returned to devour the light once more. An omen fated to repeat every five hundred years. A fate doomed to happen no matter what.


    Luther raised his hand, ready to give out his order at any moment. Until an elderly man raised in front of him. A chief of Havenbarrow. The first person who greeted Luther and his knights upon their arrival. His eyes soot dark after he renounced his faith and became a faithless. To pledge one¡¯s loyalty to the abyss, they lose the light in their eyes that once see colorful wonders of life.


    Vincent blocked the chief from getting closer. ¡°Please sit down. For your sake, we¡¯ll make it quick,¡± Vincent pleaded.


    The chief smiled, ¡°I only wished for the luminary of voice to listen to our last prayer before you thrust the Heaven¡¯s will upon us.¡±


    ¡°No¡ª¡±


    Luther held Vincent back. He stepped forward to the chief.


    ¡°We never abandon our faith in the Heaven¡¯s will. We don¡¯t regret our choice; it was Heaven¡¯s will.¡±


    ¡°Blasphemy! Why would the Heaven wish you to be a slave of abyss? The voice you heard is a devil.¡± One of the knight shouted.


    ¡°Yes, a weak mortal such as me would never hear the Heaven¡¯s will. Only you possess this gift. Luminary of Voice.¡±


    Bloody moonlight spilled onto the land. The smile on the chief widened. Black inky tears flooded his eyes. The people of Havenbarrow gasped in awed. They bowed to the moon with their hands clasped tighter. Luther wanted nothing but to cut down the accursed moon sitting on the throne of heaven. A mockery to stand among the Gods.


    ¡°You have the light, but I could only see a flickering ember,¡± the chief commented, pointing at Luther.


    ¡°You do not serve the Heaven¡¯s will. It¡¯s only a matter of time before that light faded.¡±


    ¡°Captain, please give us the order. We should not delay this anymore.¡±


    Luther drew his own blade out, placing it on the chief¡¯s neck. The chief held the blade. Black blood oozed out of his palm. Luther stared into the elderly¡¯s eyes. He wasn¡¯t looking at a mortal but at a demon themselves. Luther waved his hand down, signaling his order. Blades swooshed down from the Heaven. Blood spluttered everywhere and pooled into a puddle. The chief was the last one standing. Luther struck his sword down to the chest and watched the body fell to the back. The knights were heaving breaths and stumbling away from the corpses. Hands covered in the blood of their kin. Some stared blankly with soot, black, lifeless eyes.


    Suddenly, a pillar of crimson flame rose from the ground nearby. The ground shattered by the impact. Luther watched the pillar kept on raising until it touched the sky, parting the black clouds away. Everyone held onto one another before the wind swept their feet off from the ground. Skin dried out and cracked as fluid seeped out from their bodies. A bell chimed inside his head. The heaven delivered its will to him.


    A scarlet butterfly returns once more.


    A flap of its wing will sweep away the land into a wrathful flame.


    Hear and obey. Child of Light.


    Find the awakened scarlet butterfly.

 03 | The Moon Painted in Blood

    The abyss cradled Ethel in her slumber. In the sea of abyss, she called it her home. The only place she rests without disturbance. A haven where not even light can find her. She was safe here.


    Red streaks of light pierced through the cocoon. Her crimson eyes fluttered opened, meeting the gaze of the moon.


    Just let me stay here.


    Denying of her wish, the accursed moon shone brighter. Its bloody light reached out like hands to her lone figure. Red blazing flames wrapped around her body. Ethel drifted closer to the moon. Her cries came out quiet. The pain fueled her rage until it exploded. She saw only blood in her vision.


    Ethel gasped out. Eyes shot opened. Hand reached out to the accursed moon hovering in the sky. A scarlet butterfly rested on her outreached hand. Ethel laid at the bottom of a dried lake. Her return ignited a blazing flame, drying its water into smoke.


    ¡°I¡¯m back again, huh?¡± Ethel said melancholy. Even after returning from the abyss, she never once felt alive.


    Three scarlet butterflies fluttered around. A butterfly with the fiercest flame tickled her bare skin. Her long, moonlight hair was the only thing that covered her until a silk-winged red butterfly rested on her shoulder. It weaved its lustrous flame into a black rove to wrapped over her body. Another butterfly with two pairs of wings rested on her protruding black horn. Every butterfly had their own unique appearances.


    Ethel placed a hand on her chest. The remaining butterflies remained rested inside her, greeting her new arrival with a whisper.


    In the darkness, something glinted. As she focused her gaze on the target, light coated the mortal. A small smile set on her lips.


    ¡°A little too early for us to meet,¡± Ethel said, her eyes never leaving the light.


    The mortal emerged from the darkness. She frowned at the bandage wrapped in his mouth. Wisps of deep, cedar brown hair ruffled by the powerful gust of fiery wind. He was young. A young seedling that had only sprouted, now facing an ancient being. Too young, as they have always been. Still, the wonders of the miracle stood beside them through generations. Something she, as a sinner, had always lost against.


    One of her butterflies rested on her shoulder and whispered close to her ears. He¡¯s alone. Ethel raised an eyebrow. ¡°The light ought to know better not to delve into the darkness by himself, no matter how much fate favors your victory.¡±


    Crimson eyes glanced at the silver brooch of white lily adorning his chest. An insignia worn only by the seven luminaries. His sharp, cerulean blue eyes struck daggers.


    ¡°Quite an intense emotion you¡¯re showing. You have the heaven¡¯s gift so there¡¯s no doubt you¡¯re a luminary but an idiot who walked straight into the death alone.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The heaven¡¯s eyes were what they called them. A mortal with the eyes of the sky considered as a child of heaven. Meanwhile, she has the sinner¡¯s eye. She heard what rumors about her eyes spread among the mortals. They told tales she drank the blood of her enemies to attain the mortal image. The fear of the color of red made them banned anything associate with the color. Red roses burned from the garden. A drop of blood on a cloth cleaned with blessed water or burned to repel the devil. A ridiculous superstition.


    ¡°Even worst for a luminary, you are mute. I¡¯m relief though since I won¡¯t be listening to the luminary¡¯s speech about salvation to the mortals and judgment to the sinners. That noisy luminary of justice was always going off with the same speech.¡±


    They were annoying when they recited the whole paragraph of their ways of light. The souls changed, but the words remained the same despite thousands of years have passed. She remembered every word without even trying. The words just etched itself inside her memories.


    ¡°I never knew a mute can become a luminary. A luminary need a voice to perform their miracle prayer.¡±


    The luminary only stared at her, raising a sword. He struck the blade down. Ringing bells rippled the air, slicing a graze on her cheek. She touched the blood trickling down.


    I have only awakened from my slumber, and this is my first welcome. She gazed at the sword. Blade carved with depiction of a knight raising a bell to the Heaven. The bell shone bright against the darkness beneath the knight¡¯s feet. Ethel remembered never seeing that sword before.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the Valor or the Justice.¡± Her hand touched her neck.


    Another sword that cut me down.


    She gulped as the tightness around her neck throbbed. Sometimes it was a swift and painless one strike. Others butchered and hacked her flesh and bones. The memories tugged her muscle tighter. Only two blades can touch her. The sword before her was not one of them.


    ¡°He could be one of the seven luminary hidden at the cathedral,¡± the silk-winged butterfly said.


    Without giving her a moment, the luminary waved the sword over his head and struck it down to the ground. A pressure of a mountain swooped down on her body. Ethel dropped to her knees with her arms holding her up from falling flat. If she was a second later, she¡¯ll be kissing the earth. Bells chimed continuously as the luminary approached her. It was the second time. Yet, the blade hasn¡¯t touched her flesh.


    Ah, if you weren¡¯t a luminary, I would have you dead by now. Red warped her sight at the mortal. Ethel bit down her lips to stop the whispers of her devil from killing the young man. If she spilled his blood now, more blood would follow along, creating a never-ending scarlet river throughout the land.


    Ethel dug her fingers into the dirt. ¡°Be careful where you¡¯re walking into.¡±


    The mortal stopped. Crimson flames burst out from the ground. His path blocked. The pressure on her body lifted away. A spark of a shiver ran down the back of her neck. Footsteps shook the ground. The shadow within the forest lend their vision to her, alerting her the coming Luminary Order. The young man came with no reinforcement. It was unusual for them to come hunting a sinner alone. The mortal ought to know better that their blessing wasn¡¯t enough to quell a sinner like her.


    ¡°Heed my warning, luminary,¡± Ethel faced the barrier of flames blocking her from the mortal. Butterflies dropped into her shadow simultaneously. Thick, black mist grew and wrapped her body in a blanket. ¡°The prey you¡¯re hunting is not something you can do by yourselves. When hunting a sinner, you are hunting the shadow itself. Cherish your life as it is your last.¡± Her words echoed as her figure dispersed into hundreds of scarlet butterflies flew to the sky.

 04 | Finding Peace in Light

    Morning dawn raised from its sleep, greeting her for the first time after five hundred years. Ethel basked herself under its warmth. Although the light stung on her shadow, she was in peace. She winced as she tried to adjust her back to the tree. The fiery flame butterfly rested blotches of dark purple at the back of her neck.


    ¡°It¡¯s bruise.¡° It told her.


    Ethel only smiled. She underestimated the luminary and let her guard down.


    ¡°He¡¯s the third luminary who can touch me. I thought it was only the Luminary of Valor and Justice. What luminary is he?¡±


    ¡°Is that important now? You barely survive more than an hour.¡° Black misty flame wrapped over the bruise. The silk-winged butterfly emerged from her shoulder. It hovered on Ethel¡¯s nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to find a light that can touch a light. He even braved through the darkness without fear. I rather have someone look at me than cower away.¡°


    The silk-winged butterfly dissipated into black dust. It gave up trying to talk to the present version of herself. The fiery flame butterfly nudged its wing on her cheek as if asking a question what happened. Ethel shook her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the time to reach out the other sinners.¡° Ethel shut her eyes closed.


    She imagined a red thread tied on her wrist. The thread extended in front of her. Then, it spilt into seven threads, tied to four shadow figures. Their backs against her. Meanwhile, the remaining two threads tied only to the darkness as the owners have yet to return.


    Fallon, the Sinner of Sloth.


    Aranea, the Sinner of Envy.


    Taegon, the Sinner of Gluttony.


    Roze, the Sinner of Lust.


    ¡°All of you are here.¡± She sighed out. Pride has yet to return. It¡¯ll give her more time to put up a plan to ensure the past doesn¡¯t repeat itself. When she reached out to Fallon¡¯s red thread, her entire left hand sliced. Ethel looked down without so much of reactions at first. She touched Roze¡¯s thread. Thorns sprouted from the red thread and punctured into her skin.


    ¡°Again?¡± Crimson eyes trembled at the sight of her fellow sinners¡¯ backs. Similar event happened to when Pride first declared cutting his bond with them. His red thread crushed her body, demanding her to kneel.


    ¡°I''m being deny?¡± Bleeding hand trembled in hesitation to touch the remaining two sinners before withdrawing herself away.


    Ethel opened her eyes, grimacing at the splitting headache as a result of the after-effect of rejection. She raised her left hand. It was still intact.


    What should I do now?


    ¡°Hungry,¡± said the fiery flame butterfly


    ¡°Yes, I haven¡¯t eaten anything. Is there somewhere I can go?¡±


    Wrath, you can an never change our fate.


    A crackling voice whispered at her side. Pupils dilated as she recognized the voice.


    However, Ethel quickly shoved the noises away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not think about it now. I¡¯m hungry.¡°


    The butterfly went ahead, leading the way. Ethel pulled the shadowy mist from behind, creating a hood over her head. Quite a convenient ability for her to change her outwear. It doesn¡¯t require as much maintenance as washing or sewing. Though her imagination only goes as far as simple clothes, it is far more important for her not to walk around naked. She still has conscious of her own flesh to another¡¯s eyes.


    Once she stepped into the light, her horns retracted. Ethel rubbed her fingers on her head, feeling the tiny bumps of her protruding horns. Meanwhile, her crimson eyes remained the same. It was the only thing she couldn¡¯t hide or change. She gathered her abyssal energy into a calm state. She¡¯ll need to keep her presence as quiet as possible if she was going into the mortal¡¯s town.


    #   #   #


    It took her only half an hour to arrive in a small town. Dark clouds loomed over. The people walked in shells of their mortal vessel. Clothes were old and tattered. Bodies withered away, yet they kept on continuing their days full of hard labor. Ethel found the mortal¡¯s stubbornness to be odd and endearing. Their life was brief, but spend their mundane time with hopeless hardship. Sometimes she questioned what was the point of living such a cruel fate.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Ethel kept her eyes down from anyone noticing her as a sinner. In her favor, nobody paid any attention to her as they have enough troubles on their plates. A sinner waltzed into a mortal town was never a good idea. However, she needed to replenish the energy. Nothing served her a better breakfast than a corrupted mortal town, with its residents locking their deepest and darkest feeling behind their hearts.


    She slowed down her pace upon seeing a man in front of her. Just to be safe, she pulled the hood over her face. He was stumbling with a sack over his shoulder. Sweats dripped down from his cheek. He grasped to little air he could breathe in. Suddenly, he twisted his ankle and fell right to the mud on the side road, splashing its water on a nearby passerby. Not even a second before he could regain his composure, a hand flew across his cheek.


    ¡°Rat, you ruin my shoe!¡± A piglet finger pointed at his face.


    Ethel stopped and watched the scene unfold from a distance. The man¡¯s luck ran into a worst one. A nobleman in a blue robe with open sleeves barely fit his greedy stomach. Jewels screamed as it adorned his piglet fingers. His huge bald head shown no sign of intelligence. Flabby face scrunched in disgust. Cheeks reddened as anger boiled in him.


    The poor man hurried to his knees and hung his head low. ¡°F-Forgive me, my lord. I wasn¡¯t looking.¡±


    ¡°Should I just plucked that useless eye of yours?¡±


    The man shivered. Other people kept on walking away. Some had their fists clenched and eyes bored rage on the nobleman. Ethel took a deep breath of their rage into herself. The anger burned her numb tongue. A tasteless fire was what she could describe.


    For the mortal, living at the mercy of these awful so-called leaders was far better than living outside of town, where the darkness awaits them. She made it clear once thousands of years ago. They wished to live with the mortals in peace and end this meaningless bloodshed. Yet, their words fell on deaf ears. They thought her words were a deception to lure them into a trap. If the mortal made their choice to live in a cage as pigs, then she has no right to stop them. She grew weary of trying to think of a way to solve the strain between the sinner and the mortal.


    Ethel walked away from the scene. There was little to what a sinner like her can do except their fear and a sword on her neck.


    She reached to an old building isolated in the far corner of the town. A chapel left unattended. As if abandoned by its people despite it being near to them. She wondered if their God was seeing this pitiful sight of his throne. Mortal¡¯s faith was fragile than a glass. Once shattered, even the broken glasses can wound the heart of their God. Before she leave, the door of the chapel swung opened by an old man. White towel wrapped on his neck. He grabbed his tools and tend the overgrown grass on the front lawn.


    ¡°Dear heaven, please get inside. You¡¯re too weak to tend small matter right now. You¡¯ve been only just raised from your sick bed!¡± A young woman in a blue robe walked out with her hands on her hips.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting old for this, and so does the grass. I can¡¯t leave them like this if nobody isn¡¯t going to.¡±


    The young saint shook her head. It was the least corrupted area. Despite the darks clouds loomed above their roof, their smiles brightened up the coming dark days. But soon those smiles will turn cold and there¡¯s nothing she can stop that from happening. Ethel turned her sight away. Let these people have their time before the blood rained down from the sky.


    As soon as she reached the other end of the alley, she bumped into a passerby. She got herself distracted. She wasn¡¯t paying attention to where she was. Ethel kept her head down and apologize. ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Her eyes caught the familiar silver pendant. Ethel raised her eyes to meet the cerulean blue eyes of the luminary. Ethel clicked her tongue. ¡°Again?¡±


    She ran through the bodies of crowds. People shouted in confusion. Some thought she was a thief. Luck was on her side for once, as the luminary couldn¡¯t use his miracle prayer in public. Ethel used the people as her shield to dodge his reach. This made him gave up on the idea of using force and chased her instead. The luminary wouldn¡¯t want to create chaos among the people if a sinner was in the town. But she won¡¯t last long. The wrath she absorbed from the resident has yet to fill her. It was slower than usual.


    I need to leave quick! She glanced back at the luminary. She can¡¯t move away like she did yesterday. It wasn¡¯t dark enough.


    Frustrated by the chase, she turned around. She drew a line of crimson flame between them. The people screamed and scrambled away.


    ¡°A sinner!¡±


    Her shadow scattered and grabbed a few shadows of mortals nearby. Frozen in place. The hostages trembled in her palm. The luminary halted.


    ¡°Children, get away from here!¡± Ethel glanced at the female voice.


    Her little hands clutched on the saint¡¯s skirt. Wide hazel eyes glistened in tears, meeting her crimson eyes. The woman shielded the girl with her own body despite she herself was already powerless to protect her own.


    The luminary approach. She clutched the shadows of hostages enough to make them scream for mercy. Their cries pierced her. But she kept a serene face.


    ¡°Not another step or they¡¯ll die,¡± Ethel warned.


    He glanced between her and the hostages. His hand hovered on the hilt of his sword. He raised his hands. Cerulean blue eyes threw daggers in her direction. He can curse her all he wants, not that it matters to her. Ethel glanced at the bridge connecting the town. She¡¯ll need to destroy the bridge to buy more time once she crossed.


    Nobody made a move. Only the sound of the hostages¡¯ whimpers filled the silence. Cold sweats broke out on her forehead. The luminary¡¯s eyes remained on her the entire time. He could have given her trouble if he wasn¡¯t a mute. Perhaps an injury or a punishment? The Order of Lumina acted pure and kind to the people. Meanwhile, she saw some devil disguised themselves as saints.


    ¡°Please let us go,¡± the child begged.


    The little girl¡¯s sob stabbed like needles. What started as a sympathy now turned into annoyance. She was already in a tight situation and had to resort to a method she despised. The child¡¯s cries clawed the demon she tried to put at bay. She could turn the entire town into oblivion once her patience snapped. The throbbing headache returned. This time it felt like her head was splitting in half, as if someone hacked her head with an axe.


    Dark clouds shut away the Heaven¡¯s eyes. Darkness stretched out from its hiding. Ethel could feel the red thread tightened behind her and crossing over the bridge.


    ¡°No,¡± Ethel breathed out as she turned around. Thick black mist surrounded the town.


    A lone figure emerged from the looming shadow on the other side of the bridge. Metal scraped on the stone ground. Red sparks danced. Heavy footsteps vibrated the bridge. Clad in a black heavy armor. He wielded an enormous blade glowed in red. Black shadowy mist crept out from the gaps of its armor. A pair of red garnet eyes peered through the helmet.


    ¡°Fallon.¡±

 05 | A Friend鈥檚 Calling

    Ethel released the hostages, pushing them into the arms of their loved ones. The mortals scrambled away. The luminary drew his sword out. As much as she wanted to put her faith in the miracle, the young luminary might find his luck running out before her. Ethel can¡¯t leave him to Fallon and put the town in danger. She was the one who brought Fallon here, so she should deal with him instead.


    I should have never opened the connection.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Ethel said to the Silk Butterfly creeping on her shoulder. It melted into her skin. Crimson veins spread across her body. ¡°Luminary, he¡¯s here only for me. Prioritize the safety of your people first.¡± Ethel approached the enemy she once knew as her friend.


    Fallon swung the sword at his side. A heavy gust of wind swept the trees in its path. He howled a roar to assert his hostile presence, thrashing the colossal great sword. Brown tattered leather wrapped on its handle. The rune of its name inscribed on its fractured blade glowed red ¡ª Heartshatterer.


    Fallon lunged forward and appeared in front of her instantly. He swung the massive sword towards her neck. The moment the blade touched her skin, it melted. The heat continued to spread to the hilt, forcing Fallon to throw the sword away.


    The Silk Butterfly ¡ª Cloak of Wrath. From the strand of her hair to the tips of her fingers, everything melted that comes into contact. Protecting Ethel from any harm comes to her.


    As Ethel reached out to his helmet, Fallon shoved his hand to his shadow. Heartshatterer emerged to its former form. He kept swinging the Heartshatterer with confidence while Ethel melted the blade before it can touch her.


    Persistent!


    Ethel caught his hand. The black armor smoldered, melting to the flesh. Fallon screamed to her face. Her ears going numb. While her hands held him, Fallon swung the Heartshatterer. The blade barely sliced her neck. The wind rippled between them, throwing Ethel across. Fallon cut off his hand to stop the burning. With his own shadow, a new limb and armor replaced the old ones.


    She held the slight scratch that could have been fatal if she was one second later.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s desperate.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s peeling off the barrier layer after layer,¡± the Silk Butterfly said.


    ¡°So he wasn¡¯t just swinging the sword like a lunatic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the cloak. He¡¯s removing your will just so you would let your guard down. You need to be careful. Underestimate him and he¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°My will¡­¡± Hands trembled slightly, but she clenched it tight to stop it.


    The Heartshatterer lived up to its name. A former shadow of his second fate. Wandered the land alone, searching for an answer. Loneliness and confusion stripped his will. A shadow with no sight of the future. It shattered its enemy from inside and outside. A powerful foe like luminary and Ethel will have their wills peeled off piece by piece until they dropped to their knees. Then, accepting death just as he did in his second fate.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Abyssal shadow representing the sinners¡¯ memories and regrets. Manifested only after their deaths. Memories accumulated through times formed a new power for their next awakening. Ethel possessed her scarlet butterflies, while Fallon has his swords.


    ¡°Consider yourselves fortunate he can¡¯t use more than one abyssal sword in one day. Things could go from bad to a disaster if it¡¯s not for his nature as gluttony. What if it was the Nightreaver?¡± the butterfly warned.


    She released her hand from her neck. The graze faded into smokes. ¡°He is one of the seven Pride and I don¡¯t wish to go against each other. If it wasn¡¯t for his laziness.¡±


    The luminary guided his people, instructing them to leave everything. Strangers grabbed the children and elderly nearby as they hastened together far away from the area. The young man kept glancing back and forth at the intruders and his people. Ethel waved her hand in horizontal. Walls of crimson flame raised, cutting off the bridge and the town.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Ethel!¡±


    ¡°You want my head. You ought to work harder for it!¡±


    Two sinners charged out. Ethel¡¯s shadow twisted into stakes around Fallon, striking his limbs from moving. But Fallon swiftly broke free from his cage with just a slight motion of his body. No matter how many times she melted the blade of the Heartshatterer. Fallon kept calling it out from the abyss. He insisted on getting her head as a souvenir.


    The seventh butterfly glowed inside her abyss, urging her to use it.


    No, not yet. I can¡¯t risk revealing you.


    She fought side by side with the sinners. This was the first time they ever tried pointing their blades at each other throats. She wished to avoid showing Fallon her last card. If it comes to that point, then she¡¯ll reveal the seventh butterfly and Fallon must die.


    Every second she tried to hold her ground against him, the seventh sword left more scratches all over her body, ripping away the Cloak of Wrath. It kept getting closer and closer to her neck.


    The seventh butterfly burned the brightest as she poured in all of her rage. Fallon¡¯s seventh sword reached out to her. Both raced against time for the last strike, either her butterfly or his sword.


    Suddenly, Fallon let out a thundering roar, shaking the earth and heaven. Patterns of red streaks illuminated on his black armor. Shocked by the new appearance, Ethel gathered her shadow to block the coming blade instead.


    I won¡¯t make it!


    A blue cloak fluttered beside her. The sound of blades clashed rang in her ears. A thin sword blocked the Heartshatterer. The mortal held a bold gaze towards the garnet red eyes. Sandwiched by two sinners., his back proudly carried the cloak bearing the emblem of the lilies. The mortal wouldn¡¯t give up.


    He grunted as he kept his ground against the colossal blade. While the luminary kept Fallon busy, Ethel took the chance to pierce her stakes through his black armor. Fallon howled. The patterns on his armor faded.


    Both of them stepped away. Fallon shrugged the stakes away. Ethel shared a quick glance at the luminary. Gazes flickered from Fallon and each other. Without a word, they turned to Fallon. Hence, they¡¯ve made a temporary truce.


    Can he hold on without his miracle prayer? Despite the doubts, a smile crept up to her lips. It was called a miracle prayer for a reason. A lone star shone even in the darkest hour. Despite being born with a fragile vessel, they armed themselves and charged into the battle with death already walking beside them. Their stubbornness knew no bound.

 06 | The Night Howled

    Overwhelming strengths of three beings shook the bridge. Half of the structure collapsed. The luminary was toe-to-toe against Fallon by himself, while Ethel kept a distance and gave her support. She could have run off while the mortal kept Fallon busy, but it would be a cowardly move.


    This isn¡¯t good. Ethel noticed the shaky hands of the luminary. His chest was heaving heavier as fatigue took a toll on him. Meanwhile, Fallon showed no sign of slowing down. His strikes grew fiercer and harder, pushing the mortal around.


    Fallon, this is unlike you.


    Sinner of Sloth was never passionate about doing things on his own. Fallon become weaker the more he exerted himself to do the labor. While he sleep in his hiding and feast on the languor, his little puppets of faithless slogged themselves under his command.


    As the bridge tumbled down, both of them jumped out. Fallon watched them disappeared within the clouds of dust. Rubbles crashed down to the bottom. Huge splashed of its impact echoed.


    Just when the silence stretched over them, the wreckages of the ruined bridge flew in their direction. It came pounding them like rains. Arms materialized from her shadow, shattering the rubbles from crushing them. Between the coming rubbles on her way, she spotted a figure hiding behind one of them. Ethel leaped somewhere far as it crashed down in front of her. Fallon waved the surrounding clouds.


    The materialized shadow arms changed their target to Fallon. Once she had his shadow in her grip, she set him ablaze with crimson flames. Fallon screamed, prying his armor open as he helplessly tried to put the fire out.


    Fourth abyssal shadow ¡ª the Fiery Flame Butterfly, rested on her hand. Wings burned a darker shade of red flame. Flamescourge was one of its abilities. Burning the target from inside.


    Blood trickled down from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The heat devoured her flesh, roasting her from inside. The wrath she consumed from the mortals was barely enough to recover herself.


    ¡°Easy with the fire. You¡¯ll burn me. Not a good impression of a wrath if I let my own fire kill me.¡±


    Quite an ironic for the sinner of wrath to burn by her own flame. Though it won¡¯t kill her, it was still an embarrassing sight to show. No flame can burn her and there was nothing she can¡¯t burn.


    ¡°No, flamescourge is useless if you don¡¯t hate what you see.¡±


    Ethel snickered. ¡°What feeling do I have for someone who wished for my death? I feel nothing but hatred for those traitors who turned their backs against what we once vowed.¡±


    The Fiery Flame Butterfly was quiet for a moment. Fallon slammed Heartshatterer on the ground. He used the sword as a pillar for him raised himself.


    ¡°Just like how Sloth becomes weaker as he exerted himself more into labor. You, too, become weaker if you do not harbor the hate for your enemy.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I care for my enemy?¡±


    ¡°Ethel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare use that to explain everything! This is my warning before I locked you up in the abyss.¡±


    The Fiery Flame Butterfly dropped its wings down. It imprinted itself on her hand. ¡°You should know yourselves better than anyone.¡±


    The luminary grabbed her arm. When he touched her bare skin, he immediately yanked his hand away. It left a red print over his palm.


    ¡°Stay back.¡±


    Ethel kept the crimson flames engulfed on Fallon. His scream tugged her heart into hesitation. She coughed out blood.


    Fallon plunged the Heartshatterer deep into the ground. Their bodies slammed flat face. Pressure of a mountain crushed their whole bodies, rendering them from lifting even a finger. The arms of her shadow disappeared, wiping out the crimson flames on Fallon. She can¡¯t lift a finger. Vision of mortals filled her. A father working on a field under the scorching sun return to his home with little yields to provide his family. Knights patrolled through the streets without a rest and their master barraging them every day. It was all but a simple, mundane life. Time after time, their souls grew weak. Ethel tasted their rough labor with her own body, crushing her from inside. She shoved those memories away and burned them. Denying the mortals¡¯ struggles was the only way she could free herself. He dragged his sword over the ground as it left a red streak of its traces.


    Your fire grew weak. You can never save us or yourselves. Pride whispered at the back of her mind.


    Just when she thought it was her loss. The grunt on her side caught her attention. It was the luminary, raising on his feet against the enormous burden over his back. He blocked Fallon¡¯s path from approaching her.


    How can he move?


    It couldn¡¯t be some luck. He was a luminary. A mortal who can create a miracle against the odds. Which reminded her, the young man hadn¡¯t got to use his miracle once throughout the entire battle. Similar to how the sinner has their own abyssal shadow, the luminaries have their miracle prayer.


    The luminary swayed on his feet. He could barely keep himself still. His face painted in his own blood. The heavy strike must have caused a concussion. Fallon grabbed the mortal by the collar, guiding him to the edge of the cliff.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t kill him!¡± Ethel shouted.


    No, if that mortal dies, it would mean a declaration of war.


    Touching one of the pillar of hope will set everything to lose. Flood of blood will washed the land. To stop one, countless souls will be sacrificed.


    Fallon raised his sword up and stopped. He didn¡¯t move for a moment. Then, he threw the mortal to the back. He stood still, looking over to a distance at the hill. The pressure on top of her body dissipated. She could finally move.


    ¡°Go up there.¡± Fallon pointed out to the hill.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Or he dies. The town fall into ruin.¡±


    Ethel glanced at the unconscious mortal. ¡°Fine.¡±


    Fallon walked ahead first.


    ¡°Keep an eye on him before someone comes and helps him,¡± Ethel ordered the Silk Butterfly.


    ¡°But!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    The Silk Butterfly unlatched itself from her and flew to the luminary¡¯s side. Ethel cast the shadow on her back, snapping her spine back straight. The thick mist subsided from the town and followed them into the forest. The sinners disappeared into the darkness.

 07 | Alone

    Ethel treaded the trail behind Fallon. He kept his promise leaving the town. Dawn was upon them. The dead leaves crunched beneath her feet. Watchful eyes followed her in the dark. Now they were far away from the settlement. She could just stab him and escaped. Yet, she quickly diminished the thought, as Fallon could just return to the town and fulfilled what he promised. She wouldn¡¯t want to be a coward against the deal they have made.


    Fallon stopped. He remained quiet and made no move. Ears alerted at the swishing sound of bushes as something crawled around her. Smaller creatures fended off the shadows from their homes. Small, fragile hearts echoed. Being in a presence of three sinners, the fear might as well just take them away immediately. Soon the forest in front of her engulf in the abyss. A spider lurked out. It had only one merlot red eye in the middle. She knew right away it was an abyssal spider belonged to Aranea. The smallest one among of her spiders.


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t be more shameless than you were last time.¡± The voice came from the spider. ¡°A shadow protecting the light. It sounds too pathetic. Have you thrown away your pride as a sinner?¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten the one who holds the tittle of pride is Mael?¡± She flashed a smirk at the creature, knowing well Aranea was watching everything.


    ¡°Wrath!¡±


    ¡°Are we back to calling each other by our roles, Envy?¡± Ethel stopped her teasing. Aranea was never the type to take her playful joke in a good light.


    ¡°Three of you join Mael. Fallon was never on my list. He never like being pushed around. What changed his mind? I wasn¡¯t sure about you, but I have my suspicion you would be on his side. You never like me, and wherever Fallon goes, you always stick close to him. Then, there¡¯s Roze. She always held Mael in highest regard. I¡¯m more surprised she helped me kill him last time.¡±


    ¡°After what you made us do five hundred years ago, we can no longer put our fate to your judgment.¡± The grudge held in Aranea¡¯s words placed a heavy weight on Ethel. It was right of her to bear such rage towards Ethel after she forced them to kill their fellow sinner, giving none of them to voice out their opinion. In a world where everything and everyone hated them, they had only each other. The strife from five hundred years ago made their bond beyond mending.


    ¡°That leaves Greed and Gluttony now.¡±


    Dying as the last one standing didn¡¯t scare her than living alone. She fought Mael the Pride to keep the war from dragging the innocents. She never once wanted to kill him. The sinners were her only salvation in Erdalia.


    ¡°Have you ever asked yourselves why save the Erdalia and its people when they hated you? Do you think saving them will grant you a forgiveness or a place to stand in the Heaven?¡°


    ¡°Even if I answer that, you¡¯ll never accept it.¡° Ethel let a dry chuckle.


    The wind whistled out an eerie lullaby. Trees swayed by the gust. Branches of skeletons danced along with the guide of the breeze.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Luna¡¯s Blood?¡± Aranea broke the silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have it, nor will I tell you where is it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t test me!¡±


    ¡°I can try,¡± Ethel taunted. If she had to choose who to be the sinner of wrath, Aranea was the right one. ¡°Once Pride returns, I¡¯ll have him dead first for the second time.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly win against us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been together for such a long time. You and I know well who will die first and who goes last.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°WRATH!¡±


    ¡°Aranea, I might just find where you¡¯re hiding now if you show your rage against me.¡±


    The spider returned to the shadow. Ethel watched Fallon entered the shadow, leaving without a word. She held her own words. There were no words for exchange now they were enemies. The abyss slithered away once they were gone.


    Ethel released a long sigh and retreated to a nearby tree. She looked at her hands. Mirage evoked from her past sins. Covered in a blood of those she killed. Shadows of the dead flickered among the trees. Branches pointed at her as the world called out for judgment. Life after life, she killed, burned, and destroyed.


    Why save the Erdalia and its people when they hated you? Do you think saving them will grant you a forgiveness or a place to stand in the Heaven?


    Aranea¡¯s question came haunting her again. She tasted their bloods once. It never quenched her thirst. She watched the flame burned their homes. The act gave no satisfaction for someone who never belonged to this land. Any sins she committed never gave a sense of accomplishment. It left a disgusting taste to her mouth.


    ¡°Who am I trying to be? A protector? I¡¯m nothing more but a sin.¡± Third and fourth abyssal scarlet butterflies rested on her hands and shoulders. Fragments of her past trying to comfort her when none came to theirs. The Silk butterfly once sought comfort but had hers stolen instead. Fiery flame butterfly wished to protect but only knew to destroy. This sight was nothing different from looking through the mirror and comforting herself. A madness she fell into.


    ¡°The luminary is safe,¡± the Silk butterfly reported.


    ¡°And the town.¡±


    ¡°Untouched.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Ethel dropped her head to her knees. ¡°Let me rest now. Keep it quiet.¡±


    # # #


    A pair of shadowy arms braided her silky moonlight white hair. When it was done, the arms gestured at its finishing touch. It was a little loose and messy, but it was better than letting the hair slapping her face. Ethel pulled the braided hair over her shoulder. Her moonlight hair was the only thing she could be proud of. White was the color of pure and innocence. It reflected the moon that shone the brightest in the night. However, the luminary thought it was a trick to gain mortal¡¯s trust.


    ¡°How long has it been?¡± She reminisced about her first awakening without a memory in an open field surrounded by the golden valley. Clueless of what the world thought of her. Ethel walked along the golden field until she reached a nearby village. It didn¡¯t take her long to learn the mortal¡¯s hatred once they threw rocks at her and hurled curses at her.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡° A scarlet butterfly of four-winged flew around her. Two voices resonated. Ethel preferred calling them the Twin.


    ¡°Remember about the stupid plan.¡± Ethel poked the Fiery Flame butterfly. ¡°You naively thought about a peaceful talk with the mortals and sent a letter tied with a red ribbon. Everyone thought you lost your mind but Pride¡­¡± Ethel paused. Her throat burned to finish the words. ¡°He was once on your side. Following along with the plan so we can finally be free to walk among them. To be forgiven for our first sin.¡±


    ¡°Mortal talked about the First Sin all the time, but neither of us remember what is the First Sin was ?¡° The Twin separated itself into two. One wing turned its wing into a red glass. It set its sight to a squirrel hiding inside the tree. Then, its pair ¡ª a misty, shapeless wing took the form of the squirrel with an exception of its eyes remained red.


    ¡°Find the Luna¡¯s Blood,¡± The Silk Butterfly suggested.


    ¡°And then what? The Luna¡¯s blood is indestructible. I could only hide it before dying in a battle against Pride.¡° A small red orb barely the size of her palm. Ethel hid it away from Pride before dying in case he resurrected first and claimed the Luna¡¯s Blood.


    She turned her gaze in the direction where the luminary was. ¡°I can¡¯t fight this battle alone, nor do I have the will to fight it. Aranea is right. I can¡¯t win this. Why fight it when I can just stop now and go back to my sleep? The luminary surely can end the war better than me.¡± She smiled up at the sky.


    Yeah, why am I even trying? This world, Erdalia, the people, the sinners, they don¡¯t need me here.


    ¡°You can¡¯t die unless it is the luminary killed you,¡° The Twin returned to as one. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly plan to¡ª¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s the quickest way.¡° Ethel dropped her gaze to the butterflies. They held many memories of the past. They were her. She was them. Each had their beauties, but the scars reminded her more of the painful memories than the good ones. ¡°I wonder what butterfly will I?¡°