verly wasn’t feeling this dark and empty void.

Nope. Not at all.

It just wasn’t her jam.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?” she called out, although she knew no one would answer her.

She had no idea where she was or and couldn't even guess at the time. One moment she’d been having a celebration with her dear friends, boasting of the glory to come, and the next she was here. In this empty, boring little slice of endless nowhere.

Yeah, this really sucked.

“SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!” she yelled as loudly as she could.

Surely that would work, right? Someone would have to come help her.

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She was the freakin’ Empress! Crap like this wasn’t supposed to happen to her! She spread misfortune; she wasn’t supposed to suffer it.

No one answered her.

This left Everly with only one dire option she could resort to. An almost unthinkably evil maneuver that in the best of all possible worlds would never see the light of day.

But Everly was the Empress. There was no power so dreadful that she would refuse to wield it. Such was her grim resolve.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Everly closed her eyes. Then, as loudly as she could, she shouted:

“EXCUSE ME! I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THE MANAGER!”

From the darkness, a shape began to manifest itself before her. Soon, an attractive, pale figure with two black wings stood before her. She instantly recognized his beautiful features and was surprised, but not displeased to see him so soon after she’d killed him.

Jeez, had that really been three years ago?

Time really did fly by if you let it.

“Sup?” Everly said to her captor. “You’re not looking half bad.”

“Sup,” replied Acedia, also known as Sloth of the Seven Kings. “You’re not looking half bad yourself.”

Everly beamed at the compliment.

"I know, right?" she said.