Above the long doors, a glow was hidden. It conveyed neither peace nor hatred, thus not being made of something divine or even dark, but rather from the hands that touch the ground, the air, the plants, and the waters of the ocean—the hands of humans taking everything for themselves.
When she touched it, it opened automatically, letting out a small humming sound first. After a few beeps, the sound stopped, and then it revealed what it held in a flash. Candela realized that the door was not made of rough clay or slimy elasticity; its origin was solely from metal.
Entering the sector was like walking through a metallic sea for Beatriz, with large, opaque, metallic waves that pulsed like a tidal wave. By controlling her own heat, the homunculus realized that the objects piled around her were somehow absorbing the energy from the outside—not something natural like outside Leviathan, but rather the creature's own energy coursing through her veins along with her blood.
Killbit, out of curiosity, touched everything he saw, and in response to his careless steps, he received small shocks from the objects. He soon realized that those scattered on the ground or piled up had some defect that their creator had neglected to address. Within his field of vision, he soon found himself captivated by large metallic structures, like large cylinders.
Candela stepped forward, and the homunculus shook his head. The sister positioned herself as a guide so that those around her wouldn't get hurt. She might have been lying to herself, hiding the fact that she was also filled with curiosity, so she did it. She touched the cylinder, running her hand over the cloudy glass, revealing what was inside.
With a calm expression, inside the large machines were sleeping men and women. At first glance, Candela thought they were experiments, but Beatriz immediately reacted by pointing to the inscriptions on the icy metal.
"Here we rest after completely mastering what humanity has tried to achieve for millennia. We want to rest, but we know our importance, so we dedicate ourselves to it." Candela turned to Beatriz. "Are you talking about that Homunculus of Sloth, Vasily?"
He looked at Faust, who vanished in the blink of an eye. "Yes. Unlike the other Homunculi, the one of sloth was created at a time when the scientists hadn't been completely overcome by their own sins." He sighed. "Why wasn't I created by something so noble? I sent Faust to find Vasily. I've never seen him, but he's the only humanoid in this sector besides us that walks."
"Don't talk about yourself like that, Beatriz. You are such a strong and terrifying being that you defeated the sun of the Coliseum. No matter what you say about August, he considers you a masterpiece, a daughter." Beatriz smiled at Killbit. "That's right."
He pointed the cleaver at Killbit. "If you talk too much nonsense, I'll put you to sleep again." "So did Vasily himself build all this with the knowledge given by the scientists? That's incredible. It makes sense he's in agreement with the rebellion, then."
"Don't be rude to your brother." Beatriz laughed, hiding her bared teeth. "If I am the perfect destruction machine, he is my antithesis, the builder of builders. Destroying is even more fun, I can't deny that."
Killbit looked at the two of them and focused. "Okay, I think we need to follow Faust; he must have found that Vasily guy. But I feel something strange here." His eyes shone intensely. "He lived for so many centuries alone? Isn't that sad? I think someone cared for him before; that's why he didn't throw away the defective things... Maybe the person next to him made them."
Candela was impressed with her little brother's analytical skills. He surprised her more and more each time. He grew with every step, with every difficulty he overcame, with every pain that penetrated him. She felt this was happening to herself, and in part to Beatriz and the rest of her consciousness.
The entrance could greatly resemble a large garbage dump, but with each step, the landscape became more pleasing to the eye. In the long room beyond the piles of rubble, there were scattered hand-carved wooden furniture, and on top of them were objects ranging from opaque metallics to the most translucent and colorful.
To Beatriz's eyes, who had discovered little about the personalities of those around her, she knew that Vasily was building more and more to fill the void in his chest. It seemed strange to her that someone would build to quell a bad feeling; for her, the only means of relief was the use of violence. Caring for things was exclusive to Vergil, the only one she loved, a kindred spirit, a part of herself she wanted to be with her.
In a few steps, they advanced further into the sector. Killbit noticed something that startled him: the Gluttony Sector had only one table in the center, but the space stretched to infinity, including where the banquets were being prepared. It demonstrated how the scientists' gluttony had no end. The walls of this place were narrow, making it easy to see how far they went. Killbit was anxious to meet Vasily; he felt he was a good person.
Everyone was startled by a long boom that spread from Candela's ears, who was well ahead of everyone, to Killbit's, who was much further away. Everyone ran as fast as they could, then came face to face with Faust in pieces and a young man in front of them.
He wore a vibrant black hat on his head. Beneath it, long hair ended in a grayish braid. He had a fine and beautiful face, skin as white as Candela's, but much more vivid, penetrating black eyes, and arched red lips. On his body, he wore an overcoat with gold details similar to flowers, ruffles on his wrists and neck, and on his feet, shiny black boots. He carried a silver pistol with gold details in his hand.
"This creation is weak and full of defects. But taking into account that they made it using unfamiliar materials, it's quite acceptable. At least the spells used for its creation are high-level, along with the energy source."
"You must be Vasily. That golem was a great help; I even considered him something more than a boulder. You have only a few seconds left until I plunge my sword into your body, toymaker."
"You must be the homunculus of wrath, Beatriz. I apologize, but I destroyed it for being an intruder in my residence. You may not have realized it, but he was transmitting information to someone through an inaudible frequency. Furthermore, it was a poorly made creation; that is not permitted on this sacred ground of artisans."
"So what I thought was correct, someone is watching us; they must already know very well about the rebellion. It would be wiser to stay here for a while before heading to where Bernard is."
"You seemed happy that Faust was destroyed, Candela. You're quite funny; how about I wipe the smile off your face? Now what happens? I'm without my sword; how will I fight?"
"Don't be afraid, relax. I have a way to get to Bernard without having to go back where you came from, but now I'm curious about something else... If you'll allow me, boy, I'll take out the thing that's inside you."
Vasily shot Killbit in a way that neither Candela nor Beatriz noticed. Even faster, he approached Killbit, placed his hand on his head, creating a magical seal on his forehead, calmly put away his gun, and plunged his other hand into Killbit's mouth.