The Price of Power

5

----------------------------------------

“Someone you cherished surrendered their precious soul to bring us forth, didn't they? A soul powerful enough to birth another me.”

----------------------------------------

Eydis’s lips twitched, almost forming a smile. Almost. Cherished. The word rattled through her mind, jarring and misplaced. She could almost hear her mother’s laugh.

If the former Queen of Shadows were still alive.

While her father had obsessed over preserving the kingdom, her mother had pursued a far darker calling. She wielded the Eyes of Pride—ever-watchful, ever-resentful—to root out weakness before it could fester. And how many bearers had surrendered their soul willingly?

Far too many.

Enough that Eydis hadn’t been surprised by her mother’s absence, just as she hadn’t been surprised by the endless scratching of her quill. Chronicling humanity’s flaws had been her mother’s life’s work.

“Humans,” her mother would say, “would hurl their souls into the abyss for the faintest glimmer of their desires. For power. For hope. And for that most insidious, selfish flaw of all. For—”

Love. The word scraped against her thoughts. The flaw her mother despised most. The one that had come close to unravelling their sanctuary.

Mythshollow was a kingdom hidden in shadow, forsaken by the light. Outsiders called them reapers, witches, soul traders—any name that fit their fear. But they were more than the shadows they carried. They were a community, bound by oaths and shared understandings.

But oaths, like people, break.

As a child, she hadn’t believed that. She’d stolen her handmaidens’ books, burying herself in tales of love—of knights and princes. Much like Damien.

Perhaps that’s why she had disliked him.

Back then, she had lived to defy her mother. To prove that love wasn’t weakness, that it could be strength. That perhaps the Queen of Shadows was wrong.

But Gidion had proven her right.

In his pursuit of something more, Gidion had done the unthinkable. He had duplicated one of the strongest Sins to ever exist: Greed.

A bearer surrendering their soul was nothing new. But an Archmage? One chosen by Pride’s Eyes? Betraying them all—and himself?

That was tragedy.

Eydis growled, shaking loose the unwelcoming memories. They had no right to return now, not when the past should have stayed buried.

Balanced on Envy’s coiled body, she twisted sharply, guiding the serpent into yet another evasion. Its overlapping scales shimmered as it slipped effortlessly past Greed’s feral strike.

“Is running all you’re good for now?” Greed roared, their wings cutting through the air as they unleashed another attack.

‘Your Majesty,’ Envy’s voice slithered into her mind. ‘He does have a point. Are we executing a strategy, or is this just another one of St. Kevin’s PE session?’

‘Careful, Envy,’ Eydis shot back, maneuvering them cleanly out of range, ‘or I might think you’re enjoying this.’

‘Enjoying this?’ Envy’s hiss vibrated in her thoughts as its body twisted violently, barely dodging the next strike. The force of Greed’s blow sent the serpent into a chaotic spiral, its shimmering form flickering as it fought to reassemble, movements slowing.

‘I am the one enduring these near-death experiences while you’re taking a scenic route! I have feelings too, you know!’ Envy’s voice cracked. ‘Ouch!’

Eydis felt the draining pull of her mana, the familiar burn of exhaustion. ‘Feelings?’ She arched an eyebrow. ‘Pain receptors don’t count, especially for a creature whose greatest accomplishment is turning self-pity into performance art.’

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

‘Even your insults are as depleted as your mana, Y—’ the serpent’s voice cut off as Greed’s next strike hit home. The blow ripped through Envy’s form, shattering its body into a burst of violet mist.

The ground rushed to meet Eydis. She hit hard, bracing herself at the last moment. Pain lanced through her body as her connection to Envy sputtered and went dark.

Above her, Greed descended gracefully, their polished shoes pressing into the charred earth. “Out of mana already?” they cooed, each step closer a deliberate threat. “So weak. So pitiful. It’s almost a shame to end this game so soon.” They cocked their head. “We were almost enjoying the banter.”

Their talons extended, brushing her abdomen with an almost tender gesture before pressing against her wound. The pain was immediate, but Eydis refused to flinch.

“I live to amuse,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Indeed,” Greed purred, talons digging deeper to draw a sharp gasp from her. “And you’ll amuse me further… right up until you shatter entirely.”

“The game’s barely started,” she said. “Raven.”

“Fascinating,” Greed replied. “Are those the words of someone holding an ace, or just the last desperate quips of a cornered rodent?”

Eydis clenched her teeth harder, her breath hitching as fresh agony ripped through her. Greed’s talons plunged deeper, cutting clean through her abdomen. She could feel her mana flickering.

Still, her voice came. “Ace? I suppose you’ve taken to card games now. Almost as… fascinating as Gluttony’s ice theatrics and your… plumbing fixation. Adaptive… like parasites.”

“Gluttony is here too?” Greed asked, their breath reeking of decay as they leaned in closer. “That bloated fool was barely a Sin. An afterthought. And you? Even less. Especially when your threats are as laughable as… well, you.”

Eydis’s smile didn’t wavered. "Ah, illusions… of grandeur. An intoxicating… drug… even for you. Perhaps you have more in common… with your puppets than you care to admit.”

Greed’s grin faltered, but arrogance kept them blind to the shimmer of violet light pooling from Eydis’s hand. Pressed against her open wound, the glow worked its way through torn flesh, knitting it back together with agonising slowness.

Before they could respond, she struck again. “When you’re so busy pulling the strings… it’s easy to miss the ones tightening around your neck.”

Her other arm shot up, a ripple of arcane energy summoning Envy from the void. Its lethal fangs burst forth, sinking deep into Greed’s face. Flesh peeled away beneath its strike, exposing ivory bone as Greed’s scream ripped through the air,

They staggered, massive wings thrashing in a frenzy, black feathers raining down. But their recovery was terrifyingly fast. With a single, ruthless blow, Greed’s talons struck Envy, obliterating its form into ash.

“Impressive… while it lasted,” they mocked, ichor dripping from their face. Already, their flesh was mending, stitching itself back together. Sweeping their arms wide, they summoned a wave of acidic water, crashing toward Eydis.

Eydis twisted out of the wave’s path. Her hand slammed into the earth, and a burst of energy exploded upwards, accompanied by a metallic sound like gears grinding together.

For the third time.

“Another one?” Greed muttered as they rose into the sky, their eyes scanning the glowing markings. A sigil. Drawn by…their own attacks. Realistion sank in, and their face darkened. “So this was your plan all along, wasn’t it?”

Slowly, Eydis rose to her feet. One hand clutched her abdomen, a subtle aura still pulsing as it sluggishly mended her wound.

“How does it feel, Raven?” she asked, her voice almost light as she regained her strength, “To carve your own cage? You’re certainly the first of your kind to achieve such… artistry.”

Greed fell silent for a long while, their gaze lingering on Eydis, as though weighing their next move. Then, they broke into laughter. “An elegant effort, truly. How… creative of you,” they said. “But surely you must see, as clever as you are, how pointless this all is.”

“And here I thought you’d keep up your… little act a bit longer,” she said. “All that goading about binding you, while plotting to consume everything once the seal was complete.”

Greed’s wings flexed as they descended slowly, circling closer. “Ahh,” they chuckled darkly, “you figured us out. Is that why you tethered us to this mortal’s pitiful body instead? To test your little theory?”

“Theory?” she repeated, her hand tracing the arcane flow of the sigil she had manipulated Greed into completing. Chains of light erupted from the ground, their sharp edges ringing as they clamped around Greed’s wings and limbs.

“In true scavenger fashion,” Eydis murmured, “you always wanted everything. Both of you. One cage isn’t enough. This isn't about testing theories, Raven."

Greed thrashed against the bindings. “Arrogant fool! Do you think this will save you, little queen? Or are you so broken that you’re courting death at last?”

Eydis let silence answer first, watching as Greed's smile stretched, their gaze raking over her bloodied, trembling form. “Upon reflection,” they drawled, “you’d make a splendid vessel—frail, yes, but with so much potential to bend… and break.”

“At the height of my power," she whispered, “containing you wouldn’t even be a challenge.”

“Are you suggesting that you were once less pathetic than this frail shadow of a queen?” Greed crooned in amusement. “And tell me, little wretch—how do you plan to bind me now?”

“Plan?” Eydis tilted her chin. “Let’s call it a hypothesis this time. Shall we test it?”

For the briefest moment, something glinted in her eyes—reckless, and terrible. It was enough to still Greed’s wings mid-beat.

“How dare you—“

“Let me speak your language, Raven,” Eydis cut in, “you hoard power like a gambler collects cards, convinced that quantity equals control. But there’s a truth you’re ignoring—”

“You presume to lecture me on a game I've mastered?" Greed scoffed.

“No, I’m just reminding you of a rule. See, Raven,” she said, her eyes gleaming as the chains tightened, glowing brighter. “The house always wins in the end. And in this game?”

The sigil beneath them flared. The chains constricted further, draining Greed’s strength with every pulse of power.

Her smile widened, “I am the house.”