The man swept through the streets of what remained of Larneth. The once prosperous city was now a refuge for the peasants, the handicapped, the poor… In other words - filth. Even so, this filth saw him as a hero, and so he had to play the part appropriately.

Their pleas and screams boiled his blood. When they groped his scarlet cloak, his hair stood on end and he had to stop himself from recoiling in disgust. He didn't know whether his self-control could channel the volumes of fury and repulsion he felt towards these animals into his plastic mask of smiles and empathy.

They made him remember a boy he wanted to forget, one that he hated being reminded of. He remembered a boy who was seen as the one amongst these oppressed people who would strike back. If he were still here, the flames of justice would fuel him to make sure these people did not stay like this. He would comfort the crying children, help the men and women get on their own feet. Against all odds, he would restore places like Larneth to their former glory, and unseat the corrupt leaders of this broken world.

The boy who made everyone smile. The boy who made his parents proud. They said he would go far. They said he would come back.

They were wrong

That boy did not make his parents proud.

That boy did not go far.

That boy did not come back.

That boy was killed by Amadeus Dabaso.

An eternity of torture passed, and he was wrenched back to the present. He had reached his destination. A dilapidated building was cowering in front of him, looking as though if he were too loud it would crumble into dust. Gliding forward to the entrance, with his cloak billowing behind him like fire, he spoke a few words.

The illusion broke.

A stone castle stood proudly in front of him. Thousands of windows glared down at him, like thousands of individual eyes looking into his very soul. A moat surrounded the castle, with a stone bridge leading into the castle.

"Well, Amadeus! You took your time," said a cheerful voice from behind him

Amadeus took off his hood, revealing the young face of someone in their 20s, with cold,scornful brown eyes and dark hair.

"Good evening, Greed," he said, without turning around.

"Ah, you're so uptight about the rules! Well so be it, Wrath." Greed smirked, as if at an inside joke. Greed was a man at his prime, with clothes that represented that of some kind of royalty, clothes that were lined in gold, with a yellow cloak draped over his shoulder.

"We'd best not be late; Father wouldn't be very pleased." Greed muttered, his eyes drifting to the large castle.

Amadeus said quietly. "Let's go."

He swept towards the castle, but Greed stayed behind.

"Wrath, one of the Seven Deadly Sins known to man, born of a corrupted desire to take revenge on or to serve justice upon those who have wronged you." Greed's tone had morphed into a forced friendly tone, as if he was trying to praise Wrath.

Wrath stopped in his tracks.

"Never once have I ever seen you show any wrathful, vengeful side. Hell, I've never seen you get angry even once! You must be suppressing them, right? You've got nothing to worry about! We all savour our own sins as much as we can. It's the sign of our rebellion against Virai herself!"

"So why does Father favour you so much when you show the least rebellion against Virai and don't have any connection to your name whatsoever! I don't want to start doubting Father but when everything seems as weird as this…"

There was a deafening silence.

Wrath broke the silence with a whisper.

"I have a connection to my name. Just because it is invisible to the likes of you does not mean it is not there. Perhaps I'm not favoured more than everyone else. Maybe it's just that you are favoured less. After all, it is the nature of the greedy to rebel against their masters and seek their own personal gain."

Amadeus began to walk off. "Although, quite frankly, I think the ugly nature of the envious suits you more."

Amadeus disappeared into the castle, while Greed stayed for a moment, a sour expression on his handsome face. But it didn't take long for his face to twist into a malicious grin, and for him to follow Amadeus into the castle.

The moment Amadeus entered the castle; he had known something was not right. The castle had somehow managed to get his heart beat at an unnaturally fast rate. There was nothing wrong about anything. It was a typical castle. Torches blazed on the walls. Paintings of kings and queens swayed gently from left to right. And yet, getting to get to the end of the corridor was a trial that he could barely accept.

The silence closed in all around him, threatening to swallow him whole.

Shadows jumped across the wall.

He turned around sharply, eyes darting frantically.

Nothing.

Then why was he so...unnerved?

What made his legs threaten to collapse?

What made his heart scream at him to turn away?

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Despite the incessant protests of his body, he forced himself forwards.

The only sound in the labyrinth of silence.

Five hooded figures sat around a grand table, adorned with jewels and gemstones. The rest of the room was as grand as the table, with paintings of ancient battles, forgotten even as legends. A single spear stood proudly on display, studded with amethysts to give it a purple gleam. Most predominantly, a single throne sat at the head of the room, draped in a black robe. An uninterested man sat there, examining a glass of wine. His black eyes were motionless, fixed upon the glass. Everything about his appearance was off somehow. His eyes were too still, his face had perfect proportions. He was completely symmetrical, from the creases of his clothes to the hairs on his head. One might even say that he looked perfect.

His slit of a mouth opened. "Where are Amadeus and Greed? Its understandable that Amadeus would be late - he is not accustomed to the castle after all. But Greed should be here by now…"

The woman in the purple hood spoke. "It seems that Greed is toying with the boy, taking advantage of his vulnerability in the castle. You know how much he infuriates Greed. Anyway, they're here now"

As if the words had sparked it, the grand doors slammed open. Greed walked with a gleeful face in front of Amadeus. Amadeus' hands were shaking and his face was disfigured by hatred; Greed's taunts and gibes were still fresh in his ears.

"I've brought Amadeus!" Greed declared, in a singsong voice.

Although everyone's faces were covered, Amadeus could feel the excitement rippling through the room.

The man at the throne twisted his mouth upwards. "Welcome, Amadeus. I trust you were able to find your way around the castle?"

Laughter echoed around the room, with all of the hooded figures gazing at Amadeus with delighted eyes. They had never been this excited to see him before. The feeling of danger that the castle had sparked grew into bright flames.

Amadeus gave an empty smile. "Greed was…accompanying me. It wasn't hard to navigate the castle with him leading me."

The woman in the purple cloak mocked him "You didn't get too scared, did you? Maybe Greed should've held your hand as well!"

The rest of the figures guffawed, relishing his humiliation. His clenched fists shook in increasing intensity. His shallow breaths gave testimony to the assault on his self-control.

He turned to the man with a forcibly steady voice " I don't mean to be impudent, but I've noticed that you are referring to me with my original name. Is something wrong?"

Father's smile widened across his entire face, a smile which normal people couldn't be able to achieve. "No Amadeus, nothing is wrong." His gaze pierced Amadeus, as if he was looking through him.

He got up.

"You know, Amadeus, I've never appreciated how beautiful your brown eyes are." He said

He threw the glass of wine on the floor. The glass, which should have shattered on impact, hit the floor with a thud. The wine remained still, as if it was stuck to the glass while the glass rolled around.

As if on cue, all the cloaked figures, the Seven Deadly Sins, stood up. Goblets and plates were tossed away, props for a play that had ended.

"It really is a shame that soon they won't be yours for much longer.."

He should have trusted his instincts. He had walked into a deathtrap.

Memories flashed through his mind.

A small boy wandered across the streets. His haunted eyes and dirty face never stop moving as he surveys his surroundings. But all his eyes can find are mountains of rubbish and abandoned piles of debris. No food. No water. Not a single living soul for miles around. He had walked into a death trap…

Even if it was a death trap, he wasn't about to kneel down and die. Lightning cracked across the room as Amadeus flashed towards the open window. Impossibly, The man in the light blue cloak was already there. His hood flapped open, revealing the face of Sloth, his light blue eyes complimenting the indifference of his gaze.

"Do you honestly think you're fast enough to escape all of us?"

His fist connected with his stomach before he had any time to react, as if he had jumped through time itself.

Amadeus was slammed into the wall, which showed no sign of any damage.

He crumpled, the wind knocked out of him. He didn't stand a chance. But his only two choices were to fight or to die. He had no way of knowing what they were going to do to him, but he didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

"I don't remember saying you could get back up." Pride's purple eyes shone in delight as Amadeus stumbled to his feet.

He spat blood out of his mouth. "I don't remember saying I cared!"

A bolt of electricity shot towards Pride, who didn't even bother moving. The attack hit her on the face, but dispersed across it like a gentle breeze. He couldn't believe his eyes. What the hell were these people?

"Just get him already, Greed. I wanna see Wrath again as soon as possible. We've kept him waiting long enough," The woman shook the orange hood off of her head. Her orange eyes bore into Amadeus' own brown eyes, an unmistakable craving evident in them.

She wanted to see Wrath?

"What does she mean by that? Is there another Wrath? What do you need me for?"

His magic swelled in him, looking for a release. The hate he had from the years of torture from these people finally had a chance to bring out it's rage. But his magic did nothing to them anyway. How was he meant to get out? He couldn't take a single one of them out in combat, let alone all seven of them. It was impossible to get out. So maybe he should just stay…

"Too many questions, boy." Greed's golden eyes sparkled with glee. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. The stone of the floor twisted into restraints, which pinned Amadeus to the wall. He stayed limp, his eyes downcast.

"Lost all hope, human? I suppose there is less pain for you that way." Envy's face was cast in shadow. His gleaming emerald eyes forcibly reminded Amadeus of a snake lying in wait for its prey.

Amadeus closed his eyes. "Do what you will. I am ready."

Lust stepped in front of Amadeus. His seductive pink eyes scrutinized Amadeus' bowed figure. Amadeus Dabaso accepting death this quickly? It was surprising for him to be defeated like this. He would have to keep an eye out. Without a doubt, Amadeus had something up his sleeve.

"Why should we wait if the vessel has already accepted?"

Something in Amadeus' brain clicked. He was nothing more than a vessel. But for what?

Understanding dawned on his face. He slowly opened his eyes. The Deadly Sins stood in front of him. Before his eyes, it formed on every cloak, right above their hearts. A pentagram encircled by a snake eating its own tail: The Sigil of Satan.

They began chanting in unison, causing a dark magical presence to gather in the room. His body was paralyzed, his mind racing, thinking of all the possible endings and solutions.

Right now, the only choice he had was to take whatever was coming his way and resist it.

Whatever was coming his way?

Why was he trying to hide the truth from himself?

The chanting grew more vigorous. The ritual was working. The colours drained out of the room. A dark cloud formed in the centre of the room, facing Amadeus.

A sinking feeling grew in his gut. The people he'd been with for years. He had thought they were humans impersonating the Seven Deadly Sins. He had made a grave mistake.

These things were the Princes of Hell themselves. Spirits known in legends as demons whose magical power rivaled those of the Goddess Virai's.

They tempted humans in the forms of Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Greed, Pride and Wrath.

But they had never been known to take physical forms. It was something that they were stripped of when they were thrown from heaven.

So that means they would have to take temporary bodies from mortals…

And kill the mortal soul inside the body.

The dark cloud had matured into a humanoid figure with closed eyes. The chanting grew in intensity once again. Magic streamed from their fingers, flowing through the air like a gas, giving energy to the ominous figure.

They had been raising him like a lamb for the slaughter.

He felt a jolt inside of him, as if his heart was trying to break out of his chest and fuse with the dark cloud.

But he had to live! There was no other choice. He needed revenge on this broken world. They had to pay for their crimes!

The figure opened its crimson eyes.

"Now go Wrath, and take the body that is rightfully yours!"

Spirit and vessel screaming as one, Wrath flew into Amadeus and the vessel stayed limp in place.

The stone restrains retracted, and the body fell onto the floor with a thud. The room was charged with anticipation.

Seconds passed. Not a single person spoke.

He stirred with a cough.

"Wrath!" Gluttony ran over and helped him up to his feet. His legs didn't seem to be able to support him yet, and his face was scrunched up tightly, his eyes closed as if he was stuck in a nightmare.

"Wrath?" she prodded gently

Abruptly, his eyes flickered open. Unfocused crimson eyes stared down onto the cold stone floor in a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Its fine. You're out now. It's over" She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.

His eyes focused. His fists tightened.

He let out an exhausted sign, patting her head.

"You people sure took your time. 50 years ought to have been longer than enough."

The other sins looked at him with empathy, and a regret that they couldn't be faster. They all knew what it was like to not have a body, and to live in that nightmare as a wandering spirit.

But the atmosphere was saturated with a vindictive joy.

The Sin of Hate had returned from his slumber.

The Day of Reckoning was near.