The Shield sea carrier was busy, with sailors and soldiers moving up and down, their officers barking out orders to them. Alyssa sat down with her legs crossed, her head resting on her left hand while her right scrolled through her phone. The squeal of a child's voice made her turn immediately. Edgar, Damien and Kaien had arrived.
"You're later than expected." Alyssa said.
"Oh I'm sorry," Edgar groaned, "Escaping a daemon dimension."
"Knowing you, it was more of an excursion than a threat." Alyssa said, standing up. She picked up Kaien and span him round.
"Someone tried to kill me." Edgar said. "This person knew that I was going to the daemon dimension and closed of the portal."
"Mine too" Alyssa said, "But they didn't close me in it."
"Well, another problem for another day. How's everyone else."
"Diego and Donna took down the daemon city thing. Or, in Diego's words, Martha Hill did."
Edgar smiled. "I guess its time to get her back onto the great families."
"Also Klaus..."
"I can speak for myself." Klaus said, appearing from behind.
"...did not kill the sin." Alyssa continued, sticking out her tongue at him. Klaus squinted his eyes at her but said nothing.
"That's new. The Blutiges Massaker let his prey go."
"Don't call me that Edgar." Klaus said, "And in my defense, we had it. It went back into its dimension."
Alyssa and Edgar stared at Klaus. "What?"
"I know." Klaus said, "Opened up a portal and jay walked right into it."
"Daemon have never gotten back into their own world." Alyssa said.
"New power for sins I guess." Klaus said. A man approached them all, with Kael right behind him. He had bandages covering his right arm and chest as well as parts of his face, his long hair blowing into the wind.
"Big brother!!" Kaien exclaimed, leaping off Alyssa's arms and into Kael's.
"Ah, there he is!" Kael exclaimed, "Seems like Edgar did a good job protecting you."
"It was really fun! I wanna go again!!"
"Who the hell are you?" Edgar asked the bandaged man.
"Its Oz." Alyssa and Klaus said. Edgar looked at them and back at the man.
"Oz?"
"Yes."
"What the hell happened to you?"
"Don't want to talk about it."
"He's thinking about the wrecking balls." Alyssa said.
"Dammit." Oz said under his breath.
"You were beating by a wrecking ball?" Edgar asked.
"No. I was beaten by a sin using two wrecking balls as weapons. There is a difference."
"Still a wrecking ball." Alyssa said.
"You're forgetting that it almost wiped out Tartarus branch members as well."
"Not everyday someone gets beaten with a wrecking ball." Alyssa emphasized.
"And lives." Kael said.
"And lives."
"Well, you killed it so that cancels the beatdown at least." Edgar said.
"Who said anything about killing it." Oz said, "Thing teleported away."
"Well that makes two sins." Klaus said.
"Teleport how?" Kael asked, "Daemons can only teleport here but they can't leave."
"Must be a new gimmick." Klaus said.
"But why use it now?" Edgar asked. The question was left hanging as a cloud of silence separated them from the noise all around.
"Well, everyday and its new challenges," Kael smiled. "I caught myself a new sample and it can probably discuss this new phenomenon with me, maybe even over a game of chess." Kael turned to leave, with his little brother blabbering about all the 'fun' he had.
"Oh wait, I forgot." Kael said, turning around. "Klaus Alderwolf."
Klaus looked at Kael, confused.
"What?"
"I saved your son from a sin. You now owe me." And with that, Kael walked away.
Klaus stood still, looking down on the floor, not knowing whether to be relieved or anxious. He sighed, closing his eyes and turning to go.
"I'm going back to Germany. Use my home line if you need anything."
"Can't we just use your personal number?" Edgar asked.
"No. I'm going to throw that away."
"I don't want to talk to your older brother, Klaus. I do not miss his long talks on pokmon."
"That's the point." Klaus said, hoping into a helicopter.
"Let me guess. Russia." Edgar asked Oz.
"Tartarus." Oz said
"Don't you ever catch a break?"
"No. Criminals do not become reformed in a day, Edgar. They must be shaped."
"That sounds a lot like the Oz I know from the first time we met."
"I never changed, Edgar. I merely broadened my horizon."
The shook each others hands.
"Also, about that sin."
"Yeah, wrecking ball."
"No." Oz said, his voice a little deeper. "This sin wasn't like any other sin. Its old. Older than the rest. The entire fight and it didn't need to fire a vestorer. Not to mention its speed and strength."
Edgar looked at Oz for a while before groaning. "Sloth." He said under his breath.
The sin of Sloth. The only sin they had not encountered. Not in the last daemon incident or even in the many special encounters with special daemons. To show up now after all this time. Then there was that thing with the Sin of Pride.
Oz walked away, towards a helicopter, leaving Alyssa, Edgar and Damien.
"Something on your mind?" Alyssa asked.
"Read my mind?" Edgar asked.
"I don't read your mind. You know that." Alyssa said, "Besides, its written all over your face."
Edgar sighed. "The sin I faced was a fake. A clown playing the role as pride."
"How could you tell?"
"Too weak."
"Huh. And I thought the sin I faced was weird as well. Took it down too easily."
"The daemons are playing with us." Edgar said, "First announcing a war, then sending fakes to us to fight and ensuring that the real ones make it back, something that's been never done before."
"I've seen the bodies of Tartarus branch. They never saw it coming. They have the power to wipe us out, so why aren't they."
Edgar sighed. "Its like what Jahn Vu said before he left. Never assume, never be complacent. Your enemy is strong."
"So what now?"