“But I saw their bodies moving! Their hearts were still beating.” Draven argued.

Draven felt a chill as Balthazar locked onto him, eyeing him with interest.

“Interesting. Tell me exactly what you saw.” Balthazar commanded.

Draven gulped, an invisible pressure weighing down on him as he tried to recount everything he saw. How people were strung up on the monster’s body, drained of their very being as they stretched out in pain. How he watched the monster drain the souls from dozens of people all at once, like a starved beast.

Mist flowed out uncontrollably, Balthazar’s intrigue building with every detail Draven recounted. “Fascinating. It’s certainly possible for the body to keep moving after the soul is gone. I need to study this before I can give you confirmation. Take me there.” At this point, Balthazar had already leapt from his chair and strode to Draven.

Draven looked nervously between Balthazar and Princess Elaine, not wanting to go back there so soon after just barely escaping with his life.

“I’m intrigued as well. Wilfred, send a request to Lady Invidia for an official visit to Envy.” Elaine said to Wilfred, who had just returned to the room.

“Of course, your Majesty.” Wilfred bowed as he once again left the room

“Please be patient Sir Balthazar, if we want to visit, we have to go through official means. Sit down and enjoy some tea.”

Annoyed, but knowing that Invidia would sense his intrusion, he decided to sit back down and wait.

The pressure eased as Draven sunk further into the chair.

“Your Majesty, I would like to make a request.” Ulric bowed.

Princess Elaine raised an eyebrow. “Proceed.”

“Draven needs some rest. I think it is best to leave him behind.” Ulric said.

“I think it is acceptable, but you will still have to join us. I want at least one witness to join us.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. I assure you that I will answer any questions you have.” Ulric bowed before leaving, carrying the tired Draven back to his sleeping quarters.

Ulric returned silently to the room, taking his place against the wall as the others enjoyed some tea. They all waited patiently for the messenger’s return, confirming that Invidia would let them through.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After waiting for half an hour, they made their way deeper into the palace. Passing through a long passage, they entered the main palace on the estate. Passing through countless corridors attesting to the achievements of the seven deadly sins. Some showed Superbia triumphing over the other Sins in battle, Others showed the group celebrating as they built their cities.

The construction of Ira’s arena. The opening night of Luxuria’s club. All of these moments were immortalised in the artworks hung up in the halls. The halls felt endless, but there was never a bare space on the walls, for an eternity of memories existed to decorate them.

Heading deeper into the palace, they reached a corridor of private teleportation hubs. Ones that was far smaller than those used by the public, designed for easy access between the Sins’ palaces.

One of the doors lit up, allowing the group to step inside. After making sure that all five of them were inside, they closed the door behind them, completing the array. The room filled with a bright blue light, quickly transporting the group across space to their destination.

~

You can do this. You’ve got this. Just play it smart and you can see Ed. Her wings fluttered behind her as she stepped through the door into the office. You will see him today. Having chatted with Kieran over the phone, she knew that Ed was alive and well, but that didn’t stop her from worrying about him.

Name: Mathew Hale

Age: 36

Occupation: Gas station attendant

Biography: Born to parents Tucker and Judy Hale, Mathew was the youngest of three children. They all lived in a small, two-bedroom house, with the three children sharing a room up until the oldest left for college... Dropping out of high school at sixteen, he found a job as a gas station attendant and has been working there ever since... He spent most of his free time at the firing range with a few of his close friends... Last night, while at work, someone came in trying to rob the place. Instead of following company protocol, Mathew pulled out his hidden firearm and shot at the man several times. Killing not only him, but an old lady behind him too...

-End of document-

This will be easy; you just have to let this guy redeem himself... hmm, now what should I do? Thinking for a while, she quickly filled out the parts that were easy; creating the gas station and adding in the people. Remember what Ed has taught you. Find a way to give this guy a chance.

“Buddie, how many times did he fire his gun?” She asked.

“He shot four bullets. Three hit his target, and the final one hit the old lady in the stomach.” Buddie answered.

“Okay, I think I’ve got an idea.” She said. “Have him go through the entire situation again, but for each bullet he fires, he takes the damage instead. He redeems himself if he takes all four shots before the robber escapes. Don’t alter his emotions at all, I want him to stay how he is now after he already committed the crime. I don’t want any external influences on his mind.”

She continued to flesh out the idea in her mind before telling Buddie. “Make sure he knows what he has to do to survive. Keep him alive throughout all of it, then heal him up after he redeems himself. But make sure he feels all of the pain from it. He will die if he doesn’t fire all four shots, or if the robber escapes before he can fire all of them.”

That should be everything. I hope he survives.

“That’s suitable, thank you for submitting your plan. I will let you know when it’s ready.” Buddie said, as the screen cleared.