Ethel treaded the trail behind Fallon. The withered 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 escape. 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. The swishing sound of the bushes alerted her. Something was crawling in the dark. Tiny creatures fended off the shadows from their homes. Small, fragile hearts echoed. Being in the presence of the sinners, the fear might as well just take them away.
The abyss engulfed the forest. A one-eyed merlot red spider lurked out. An abyssal spider belonged to Aranea. The Night Watcher. 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?"
"You got the wrong sinner. I'm not the Sinner of Pride. And yes, I have long lost every pride." 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?"
Aranea was never the type to take her playful jokes well. Any attempt at striking a conversation with envy always ended up in arguments. Ethel never could reach out to the sinner.
"Three of you join Mael. Fallon was never on my list. He never enjoyed 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 liked me, and wherever Fallon goes, you always stick close to him. Then, there's Roze. She always held Mael in the highest regard." Ethel glanced at both of the sinners. Fallon has been standing quietly beside the Night Watcher. He could easily be mistaken for a statue. It was unlike of Fallon. By this time he would have fallen asleep on the ground.
"After what you have done to us five hundred years ago, you expect us to trust you again!" 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. Ethel gave no chance for anyone to voice out their opinion. In a world where everything and everyone hated them, they had only each other. The strife of 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. It was going back to living alone. She fought Mael the Pride to keep the war from dragging in the innocents. She never once wanted to kill him. The sinners were her only salvation in Erdalia. Still, someone has to do it.
"Do you think saving them will grant you forgiveness or a place to stand in Heaven? Why help the mortals? Why fight against Mael? We're sinners—aren't we supposed to fight the mortal, not the other way around?"
"Why are you putting the blame on me? Mael started this. I only tried to stop," Ethel emphasized. "You think I wanted this to happen?!"
The wind whistled out an eerie lullaby. Trees swayed in the gust. Branches of skeletons danced along with the guide of the breeze.
"Where's the Moon's Blood?" Aranea broke the silence.
Ethel snorted. Her head was shaking at the sudden demand. "I don't have it, nor will I tell you where."
"Don't test me!"
"I can try," Ethel taunted. If she can switch roles as 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."
"WRATH!"
"Aranea, I might just find where you're hiding if you keep throwing tantrums." Ethel scanned the area. Aranea must be chewing her fingernails in frustration. Dying to strangle her from afar.
"Laugh while you can. Once Mael returns, you will watch Erdalia bathed in blood as you can do nothing to save them." The spider returned to the shadows.
"I thought you're here for my head."
"Roze thought killing you now would be a waste. You'll see your effort in protecting Erdalia futile. It's time you accepted your role as the sinner."
Fallon stepped into the shadow, leaving without a word. The abyss slithered away once they were gone.
She released a long sigh and retreated to a nearby tree. She looked at her hands. Mirage evoked from her past sins. Covered in the 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 forgiveness or a place to stand in Heaven?
Aranea's question came haunting her again. She tasted their bloods once. It never quenched her thirst. She watched the flames burn their homes. The act gave no satisfaction. Any sins she committed never gave a sense of accomplishment. It left a disgusting taste.
"Who am I trying to be? A protector? I'm nothing more but a sin." The Fiery Flame and Silk Butterflies emerged from her shadow. Fragments of her past tried comforting her when none came from theirs. The Silk butterfly once sought comfort but had hers stolen instead. Fiery Flame butterfly wished to protect but only knew to destroy. The shadow and the living comforting through the mirror. 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."