I was awakened in a white marbled world. Everything was white but something caught my attention: a familiar face of someone I knew...

...Lida.

— "Let's see here... Lust for power. Your entire life is defined by these three words, Mark."

— "After so long, I finally reached you again, Lida. You don't know how much research I did on you since the day you appeared right in front of me on that fateful day. Now give me what I deserve, Lida."

Lida was sitting on a chair

— "Hold your horses, Mark. I will give you the power you sought after for years but could you stay in here for a little while longer?"

— "Fine. I will entertain you."

I'm starting to get impatient. After years of revering her as my goddess, she is still as uncaring as ever.

She chuckled and in a blink of an eye, we were then placed in a flat plain of grass under the gazebo. She remained there sitting.

— "It has been a while, hasn't it? Your younger brother turned nineteen this year, you know?"

— "This isn't about him, Lida. I want what I rightfully deserve. I didn't spend years on end in countless large libraries for you to tell me how my brother is doing. I have revered you since the day you came down to my level, Lida."

— "*Chuckle* Oh how loyal of you, Mark. But like you said, you'd entertain me so I'm talking to you. Don't you want to talk to the woman that stole your lips?"

She asked whilst keeping her dark eyes on mine. My heart started to flutter when she reminded me of that day. I have laid with many women in my rise to power and never once did my heart flutter. Now I'm interested in talking.

I decided to take a seat adjacent to hers in the small round table...

...And she then snapped her finger and in the blink of an eye, a glass tube-like container appeared in front of me. And what's inside seems to be a pink string.

— "What is this?"

I asked curiously whilst closely inspecting it without having to touch it. I'm mildly cautious about it.

— "To desire is to live, as the wise mortals say. This is the soul of lust. Not just any lust, no. It's a lust for everything—power, money, and so on and so forth. Lust controls the heart and mind, after all *Chuckle*. "

— "Is this... What I have been striving for, Lida?"

I was taken aback. This... This was the thing I was looking for. The drive for power. Power goes to the hands of the strong and the people that want it.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

— "It is. What? Are you not satisfied you're getting another gift from me? Oh how ungrateful of you."

She quipped sarcastically before laughing softly.

— "Why so tense?"

— "Nothing..."

— "Now let us move on to another focus."

She then snapped her finger and an image appeared, it showed my younger brother Owens sleeping comfortably...

...But on his hand is a green string. Why does he have that? How did he get it? What is it? My mind was racing with thoughts. What's in his hand that's making me worry?!

— "Explain this now, Lida! What is in his hands?! It looks similar to that string! What did you give him?!"

— "Calm down, my dearest. I just gave him a parting gift."

— "You didn't answer my question! Answer me, Lida!"

— "It's the soul of greed. After all, greed is just one letter away from green."

— "Just explain to me!"

I'm getting impatient with Lida. All I get from revering her as my god is this? Not even an ounce of respect for me.

— "The materialization of the great deadly sins is foreign to them and only exists in this realm so the reality of the lower realm tries to make up the information gap by gathering the collective thoughts of the mortals down under to the mortal realm and then replace the physical appearance of what once was the soul of the great deadly sin greed which in its form in this world is a string, to a blindfold that holds power."

— "And now you're telling me that out of the blue?"

— "It gets boring if I just continue on playing with your emotions, Mark."

A short uncomfortable pause was between us as we let our words marinade in the air for a while longer.

— "I have one last question."

This is the final question I'm going to ask her before getting out of here. I don't want to entertain her abstract idea of entertainment.

— "What is it?"

— "Did Owens ever come here?"

— "And who told you I should answer that? No one. Now's our goodbye for now, Mark."

— "What?–"

— "Maybe we'll meet again after five years. Who really knows? Oh, I know the answer to that question: It's me. I do. I know everything."

My lips sealed shut by an unknown force. She then grabs the tube-like container and positions it in my arm. I can't control my own body. I'm paralyzed...

...And before I knew it, I woke up on my bed. The light to my room is still dark with the only thing illuminating was a thing in my arm... A pulsating heart with pink veins pumping unknown liquids. The tube itself was filled with some sort of liquid itself..

So this is what the mortal realm thinks of the soul of Lust?

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Creak...*

The door opened, revealing my assistant, Maine.

— "My lord, what is that in your arm?"

— "I got it from Lida. It's the soul of the great sin Lust."

— "What? How is that even possible?"

Even she was visibly confused.

— "I don't know but something is telling me that I need it. I want it to replace my own heart."

— "My lord, that seemed dangerous!–"

— "I don't care! Bring me to the operating room!"

— "But... You were just out of there after the incident with Owens! I can't l;et you–"

— "Power waits for no one, Maine! I have to do this! For the sake of my promise to the people!"

She then snapped to her submissive behavior and bowed down to revere me and the ideology that we believe in.

— "Yes, Lord Mark."

I then stood up and made my way to the operating room of our base where the sorcerors are. They are trained medically and magically so this should be no problem to them.

They were quiet, not a single word muttered from them, just signs and directions.

They understood my intentions as soon as they saw the pulsating heart in the tube-like container in my arms and directed me to lay down on the operating table.

I was put to sleep and during that, I had a dream, a dream of a young boy looking up at me with sad and teary eyes... But that doesn't matter. Once I wake up, I will wake up anew. I will become the bearer of the great sin Lust–No! I will become lust itself! I will do anything in my pursuit of power!