[Welcome, the seven deadly sins await you]
Arlo watched it, slightly confused but also intrigued.
[Do you accept?]
"What happens if I say no?" He thought to himself. "Does the game shut down?"
He had no answers but since he was curious as to where this was leading, he chose yes.
The screen blinked off again before flashing.
[Quest accepted]
Immediately, Arlo felt like he was drowning in a sea of darkness.
His eyelids grew heavy and his heart began to race violently.
He could feel his head throbbing painfully and his whole body seemed hot.
"What is going?" Arlo thought as the pain overwhelmed him, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.
"Am I dying?" He asked.
He never got an answer however as his eyes fluttered close and his body gave way to the darkness.
****
When Arlo's eyes slowly opened, he looked around groggily
Thunder roared, and lightning flashed outside the window as a heavy storm raged.
Was he dreaming? Arlo tried to remember where he had been previously, but all he got was a migraine.
Where was he, and how did he get there?
"Ughh, you're finally awake," a female voice said in bored voice to his right.
Startled, Arlo jumped.
To his right stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Her blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her blue eyes shone even in the dark room.
Her melons weren't massive, but they were an impressive swell that made Arlo want to reach out and touch it so badly.
"I was thinking you'd never wake up," she continued as she walked closer to him, her scowl deepening as she looked at him.
Arlo wondered if he had done something to offend her.
The closer she got, the more disgusted she seemed.
Arlo could imagine why—she was looking at a skinny, ugly kid shivering on the bed.
He must have been a pathetic sight. He sniffed.
"Let's go. We're late," she said and turned to leave.
But Arlo was still confused. He was cold, scared, and didn't know where he was.
There was no way he was following a stranger, no matter how beautiful she was. He didn't move.
The woman reached the door and glanced back, her face flashing with anger when she saw him still on the bed.
"I said come," she snapped.
Arlo mustered enough courage to speak. "U-uhm, sorry, but I don't know you."
She looked at him angrily and flicked her arm toward him.
Suddenly, Arlo found himself floating in the air as an unseen force yanked him from the bed.
"Woah!" he exclaimed as the force flung him through the air toward her.
He landed hard on his knees and hands, pain shooting through his bruised body.
Why was she being so mean? Arlo wondered.
He hadn't been disrespectful or rude, and he couldn't remember ever meeting her.
Why was she treating him like he was an inconvenience?
The woman glanced at him on the ground, then stepped out the door.
Arlo hurriedly scrambled to his feet and followed, afraid of being flung again.
They stepped into a larger room with bigger windows.
This time, Arlo could see outside more clearly, the storm raging fiercely.
The otherwise dark room was occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning.
As he walked, his memories began to return, first in drops, then in torrents.
His name was Arlo. He was a boy who attended high school and read comics in his spare time.
Their footsteps echoed as they walked through the larger room into a long, narrow hallway.
They soon stopped in front of a massive door, larger than any Arlo had ever seen before.
It was completely wooden except for the handle, which shone in the way only metal can.
The woman pushed it open, and the giant door groaned as it swung.
She stopped and looked back at him. "Get in," she ordered.
Arlo hesitated, but he knew she would force him in if he resisted, so he began walking unsteadily toward the room.
"Why are you so slow?" she snapped, shoving him inside.
Arlo crashed to the floor, tears welling in his eyes. He heard her step in and shut the door behind her.
"Now, do you really have to be rough with the boy?" a deep voice echoed through the room.
The sound pierced Arlo's entire body, and he hastily looked up to find the source.
He gasped.
In front of him stood a large platform, made entirely of wood.
It must have been almost six feet long and towered over him.
But it wasn't the platform that made Arlo gasp—it was the seven beings seated on it.
They had no form, no face, no tangible bodies. Instead, it seemed like they were made up purely of energy or spirit.
They didn't have eyes, ears, mouths, or noses, but instead, bright glowing holes where those features should be.
The being seated in the center was colored red with black outlines. It was the one who had spoken, and it stared at Arlo with its glowing eyes.
"He's pathetic," the woman—Azelia—replied angrily.
"Now, now, Azelia, that's no way to address our guest and very important friend," another being said.
This one was colored green with yellow outlines. It looked at Arlo curiously before glancing back at Azelia.
"He doesn't seem to match the description you gave us," it said.
"That's because this is a different person," Azelia replied, her head bowed.
The room glowed for a moment as the seven beings burned brightly.
"He is not?" the red one said.
Azelia bowed her head again. "I tried exactly as I should. I followed all the instructions, but it brought him instead."
The seven beings considered this for a moment, then sighed collectively.
"I suppose he will do," the red one said.
"I will do for what?" Arlo asked shakily, finally finding his voice.
The beings exchanged glances before the red one sighed again and looked down at him.
"We've been robbed," it said, its voice grave.