"…get up…"
My surroundings were filled with a paradise glow. There green of the trees and plants were the brightest and purest green. Various fruits and vegetables grew all around me. I felt like I had just woken up, but I wasn't hit with the tiredness that I usually had in the morning.
I felt…clean.
I noticed a girl laying right next to me, fast asleep. Her hair a beautiful blonde, skin that looked soft and perfect, and a faint smell of honey was drifting from her. Her back was bare. She had only a white, silky blanket covering her lower half.
I don't ever remember seeing this girl, and yet she looks so familiar…
"…get up…"
Who said that?
I looked behind me to see if anyone was there. No one. I turned back around…
She was gone.
She was gone.
She was gone…
Shewasgone…
Where…?
I don't understand…
Why did she leave?
Why can't I find her?
I'm all alone now…
What is this feeling?
I don't like it…
I feel empty inside…
What did I do to deserve this terrible feeling…?
"You didn't listen to me," said a voice that sounded grand, yet sinister. "Your curse will last for all eternity. As long as I'm alive…"
The paradise that I was shrouded in was suddenly turned into a bloody wasteland. It was as if the apocalypse had happened right in the middle of this place.
"…you will never escape this eternal suffering."
The voice echoed from both sides of my ears. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I covered my ears. I covered my body. I covered everything. Trying my best to get whoever this was away from me. I didn't want to hear this being anymore. I wanted him to go away.
"Please…go away…" I barely muttered. "I'm…scared…"
Please…
The red atmosphere grew stronger, making everything darker. The blood flowed up to me. I was covered in it. I shivered as the icy cold liquid covered me in splotches of red. I couldn't stand. It was too cold.
Cold. This was an unpleasant feeling. I felt this many times, yet it feels like that was an eternity ago. I don't know what's going on. Why does this all look familiar? Is this a dream? Reality? Some sort of message?
I don't know… I don't…
The cold blood made me feel weak. Everything grew more and more darker. I didn't have the strength to stand on my knees anymore, so I curled up into a ball and closed my eyes. I let myself let go, back into the cold world that I had grown familiar with for a long time…
"Get up."
A stern voice woke me up from…whatever I was in the middle of. It was Wrath.
"Come with me." He said, not easing his tone.
"Wha…?" I muttered.
I didn't want to go back to sleep, so I decided to just force myself up and walk with him.
He led me outside. The wind was strong as usual, but definitely eased up a lot compared to last night.
"I'll say this only once," Wrath started. "I apologize for calling you powerless when you're not. Not even close to it. However, in order to keep you from acting like an arrogant fool, I will train you. You have something that none of us Sins could ever grasp. Something ancient. Way back to when the creation of mankind had first started."
That's sounds awesome.
"What power is that?" I asked.
"You'll know in due time. Once we've reached the last gate, all your answers will come. But for now…"
A black flame suddenly shot from his hand. I jumped to my left, barely dodging a scorch that would've hurt like hell. Literally.
"…your training starts now."
~
I was on my knees. Streams of sweat ran down every part of body. I noticed red blotches all over my arms, so I assumed they were on my face as well. Ashes from the black flames cast surrounded me.
"Two hours have past, and yet here you stand. Completely unharmed," Wrath said, a small black flame flickering on his open hand. "Congratulations, you've survived the beginner's test."
…huh?
Dodging, flame after flame against a one of the Seven Deadly Sins from Hell without using anything but my reflexes…was the BEGINNER'S TEST?!?!
"I'm confused by the look on your face," Wrath said. "You don't really think that Sins fight like the way I just demonstrated right? We're not a bunch of amatures who just rely on only our powers instead of ourselves. We have brains you know."
"How many miles… below are humans… like me… in the spectrum?" I asked, completely out of breath.
"You humans aren't even on the spectrum."
That one hurt.
"However, you've found a way to be an exception. Well, I guess it was more like you were chosen to be unique. That part of you is what barely got you into the spectrum. You may be miles below everyone else when you're not wielding me, but that doesn't mean that you have no potential."
"What am I then," I asked. "I'm hearing all these people that I've never met once know who I am!"
"Who are those people?"
I felt like I needed to keep this to myself. I'm not sure how Wrath would react if I told him I saw a girl with half her face gone appearing in my dreams.
"I don't know who they are and I can't remember their faces, but that still creeps me out."
"In due time-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, I get it! Wait until we get to the ninth gate and meet the all mighty Devil."
Wrath sighed and rubbed his forehead a little. I sat down on the ground and watched the stars.
I completely forgot that the wind was even blowing.
"Everyone will be waking up soon, so we should get ready to travel again." Wrath said.
"Just give me a minute," I said without looking back. "I'm only a human after all."
"Make it brief."
I saw many people leaving the brothels. At least one from each of the buildings were flipping over the signs. Maybe the open/close signs.
I noticed a familiar succubus from one of the brothels walking to me. Red hair and black lingerie.
Aurora.
"I need you to come with me for a moment." She said.
"I can't really stay for very long," I said. "We're kind've on a schedule right now."
"That can wait. Come on Adam."
She grabbed my hand tightly and yanked me towards the direction she wanted me to go.
Wait…Adam?
"Um, that's not my name. It's-"
"We'll explain everything to you later," Aurora said without stopping. "Right now, we have to talk."