“Some say an evil witch curse these lands long, long ago. The Witch, Camilla, and her Sins of evils destroyed the peace and harmony of this once plentiful, quiet land. They ravaged lands of the Five Great Nations, leaving only behind, famine, misery, and death. This caused the desolation of so many great nations and races. Camilla built her own religion and appointed her own church of apostles who could and would commit atrocity after atrocity. These apostles, or sins of evils, would spread terror across the nations doing the witches bidding. The names of these apostles are not to be forgotten, for their fear has been put into the hearts of our history and nation.
They were called, THE MALEVOLENT CARDINAL SINS OF THE CHURCH.
ENVY, who was ruthless and emotionless. Known to cut down even children in his path,
LUST, whose beauty captured that of all the world, but whose blood lust eclipsed it all.
WRATH, whose anger and malevolence knows no bounds, and if so, would slaughter all who is in their way.
SLOTH, whose life was taken along with his companions, but their atrocities caused great waste and financial ruin to those around.
GLUTTONY, whose hunger compares to women nor men, willing to destroy and eat anything and anybody in his way.
GREED, whose lust for battle and money cause great calamities.
PRIDE, the most cunning and ruthless of all the sins. His tactical brilliance eclipses all known entities. Nothing is known about him personally, as no one has survived to tell of him. Only what was left in his wake, tells his tale.
After such peril and long knowledgeable conference, The Five Great Nations each sent their finest to combat the witch and her band of seven great calamities.
The group of heroes assembled from the Great Nations would go on to pursue the witch and her sins, becoming legends in the process. Tales spread of their conquest, giving hope and faith to the once damaged moral of a nation destroyed by desolation.
After years of fighting and searching the heroes bravely sealed the witch and her sins away. Tales of their fierce battles spread like wildfire. They fought, overcoming great odds and losses, and after a valiant effort they were able to imprison these monstrosities into their very own tombs. One in each great nation and two in the mountains of Sakaur, where no one dare goes and is closed off for all eternity.
These five heroes are known as the greatest heroes to have existed. Their spirit lives along with the well being of the state of these great nations. Tales of Jean the great from Roma, Vascha the serene from Mithrew, Poe the brave from Kiva, Dominique the bold from Alexandria, and Peter the valiant from the empire of Valia, are told throughout history. Their names, forever sketched into history of those who are forever grateful. The atrocities of the sins are never to be forgotten, but the effort of the heroes mend these memories with tales of the valiant, brave, bold, serene, and great who fought to overcome great hardships and terror. They will live on in solace and take the annals of history with them. The great nations live life, knowing the greatest of evils are sealed, never to be seen again.
Although rumors say the witch’s howls and moans can be heard from the mountain’s deepest hollows. They say she was never sealed, and she waits patiently in those hollows for her sins to awaken and be free of their imprisonment, so they can once again rampage and seek vengeance on the great nations. It is said that Valia will be the first to taste her wrath and vengeance…”
Two children gasped, one stayed silent and the other yawned at the ominous narration.
“Peter, you must not tell such obvious lies. You obviously made that last part up.” Said the previously silent boy with golden brown hair cut short around his sharp face and peering eyes.
“I believe you Peter.” Said the girl sitting diligently across the young storyteller. Her long brown hair flowed down her back, and part of that seemed to be loosely tied in a sort of butterfly knot with small braids on the side of her porcelain face. Looking to her side at the smaller girl with a catholic school uniform on, and unruly hair branching out from her scalp. Her face was innocent and mischievous at the same time.
The unruly haired girl looked to the girl next to her and then back to peter, nodding in agreement.
The boy laying on the floor, who had been silently snacking, opened his mouth, then said nothing and went back to eating.
“Poe agrees with me,” said the sharply dissatisfied boy.
Poe said nothing as he silently ate his chips and smiled at the eerie ending the boy, peter, had told.
“Tch, fine, fine, they’ll come back and cause all great atrocities again” he said in a cold demeanor.
He rolled his eyes as he gave up on the argument and laid back, his hands behind his golden hair as he rested his eyes.
Peter smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.
“You could tell jean? Guess my story telling still needs work”
Jean just laid back and said nothing else.
The girl who had spoken up earlier, looked up at peter starry eyed and with a caring tone, said.
“I thought it was a magnificent story peter, one of your best, isn’t that right Dominique?”
The smaller girl looked to peter then back to the girl for confirmation. The ditzy look confirmed, Peters and the girl’s suspicions. Dominique was having fun, even if she didn’t fully understand the story.
Peter placed his idle hands down in his lap, and with a warm smile said.
“Thank you, Vascha, that means a lot. I loved how you helped Dominique with what she needed to know and understand throughout the story. You really are everyone’s big sister”
Vascha’s face stiffened, then blushed as she turned to face the moonlit widow, hoping to not let peter see the mess he caused.
The moon was shining down at the ground in between the storyteller and the four other children, idly sitting, laying, and enjoying the atmosphere.
Peter, who was scouring the scene as a proud father would, turned to Dominique whose eyes were dazzled and confused. She sat there with pure innocence in her eyes, and not a care in the world, just enjoyment from her surroundings.
“it’s OK, you don’t have to like my story telling.”
Peter said grinning halfheartedly while running his left hand through the back of his blonde messy hair.
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Dominique tilted her head to the side and tried to imitate peters face.
The boy, peter, laughed and let his face relax into a warm smile.
Relaxing his body and letting the tension he was feeling, go free; the boy sat straight and looked to the younger boy with straight black hair covering his round face.
“What about you Poe? I’m sure listening to that story really got your appetite going?”
The boy munching down on a small bag of chips was eating and nodding away at what peter was saying.
Jean just turned to the side, sulking to himself.
Dominique looked around and tried to speak.
“stor-sto-sttt, pett-ppp…“
Peter inched over to the girl and watched in amazement. She was trying to say something, but with all eyes on her now, she froze in place, shrinking back into her shell.
Peter smiled, as he started to rub Dominque’s back, but then felt her flinch, so he moved his hand to rub her head, telling her.
“you did great.”
The group whose eyes had been glued to the spectacle, even jean who turned to watch, went back to what they were doing. Poe eating and smiling, jean ignoring the scene and playing it cool, Vascha admiring peter from the small distance between them
Peter let the girl fall into his shoulder as he rubbed her head. He spoiled her with care and affection. She had been with the group for almost a week now and hadn’t spoken a single word. So, the children were quite interested in what Dominique was trying to sputter out. The children weren’t let down, because they knew Dominique was coming a long way from where she started, in those woods, wounded and abandoned. She had not a name or a belonging with her, so the children liked to spoil and teach her a lot, especially the boy, peter.
When it came to Dominique, no matter the ruckus or occasion, they had to be stealthy. No one besides this group could know she was up here with them and living here too. They wouldn’t know what to do if she was found out, or what could happen to her.
The opposite was happening, Peter was now on his feet dusting his sides off; meanwhile Vascha and Dominique were at both coming to his sides. They then grabbed onto one arm each vying for his attention.
Jean made a dissatisfied grunt and laid on his side still sulking.
Meanwhile Poe was checking his now empty bag for anything.
Peter was smiling through it all trying to calm the two girls down and address their needs and attention. He smiled awkwardly at both girls saying.
“Now girls what is it you both need?”
Vascha was the first to answer.
“Peter, oh peter will you continue telling stories, you do them the best, please tell one about kings and queen with their princesses and princes”
Dominique followed by pulling peter by the arm to get his attention, which cause Vascha to pull his arm her way.
Peter was now trapped in a game of tug of war. Dominique was making motions with her hands to write.
Peter warmly smiled towards Dominique’s side. Peter had been teaching her the alphabet and how to write on her own.
She wanted more lessons from him.
Vascha on the other hand wanted peter to monopolize his time for her and the others to read them more stories.
Peter just smiled and sighed, getting tugged back and forth.
Footsteps startled the girls tugging peter, causing him to fall backwards. This made a loud thudding noise.
The footsteps came to a complete stop and started to head back their way. All the kids looked to the attic door, which they assumed was close to being pulled down open. Jean jumped to his feet, while Vascha ran close to the door. Poe sat wondering where his chips went and peter who was now being clung to by Dominique panicked at the footsteps now coming this way. He tried calming the girl who clung to his side, meanwhile Jean was preparing something in the corner. Vascha stood near the exit to block view of what jean was doing.
Peter managed to get to his feet with the girl still attached at his hip. He didn’t want to force her off and possibly hurt her, but she wouldn’t let go. Jean urged peter on with a look of importance to bring the girl over to the back corner of the attic. It was covered off by an air duct and piping which below in the shadows held a small bed and multiple burnt-out candle holders. Along the side of those where stacks of papers with messy handwriting on them. Peter ushered the small girl into that corner trying to get her loose by talking and calming her down.
Jean rushed out to assess the situation with Poe and Vascha who seemed nervous.
The footsteps had stopped, and the ladder was pulled down. Loud stepping noises could be heard from the opening. Peter was still in the corner trying to get the girl to let go; jean was trying to cover for peter by blocking their view. Vascha was ready to take the full brunt of what was to happen and be the first one to get scolded. Poe was now on his feet heading towards Vascha, finally understanding what was happening.
A head popped through the opening declaring.
“Just what in heavens name is going on up here”
The head sister of the orphanage was now halfway through the opening.
“What are you kids doing up this late? Vascha, you know better than this and you Poe how did they drag a quiet boy like you with them. Where are they? I know they’re the ones up to this.” The sister said with distaste. She continued, saying aloud.
“Jean, Peter where are you?”
Jean was in panic mode now, peter still had not come from behind the half-made curtain behind the air duct, and now the head sister was singling them out.
Jean thought to buy them time.
“Peter? He’s not up here sister. It’s just us three, he is probably in bed”
The sister scoffed.
“As if I would believe my most troubled kids with the two exceptions would not have their makeshift leader.”
Jeans face grimaced in disgust.
“He’s not our leader” he retorted.
Vascha and Poe’s faces looked troubled.
“Fine, fine, I will just have to come up there to find that troublemaker.”
The kids’ faces turned pale.
“I give in, I give in” came a voice from behind the others. “Sorry Miss Stein, you were right, I their brutish leader called them up to see the moonlight outside.”
Peter fully appeared in front of the Head sister, blocking her view of the rest of the attic.
“The moonlight?” the sister said questioningly.
“Yes, yes, yes isn’t it so bright out tonight?” he said in a convincing manner.
The sister seemed to buy what peter was saying because her body language relaxed just a bit and she sighed.
“Fine, just come down and go to bed”
All the kids breathed in a sigh of relief, when what sounded like a rumbling sound came from the corner. This alerted everyone, but only the sister turned her eyes to see what it was. The others didn’t dare point their eyes to who they knew the culprit was. The attic was quiet, and the sister was making her way up to the top now. Peter was searching for any way out of this.
He then blurted out, sniffing the air.
“Poe really? What did you eat today?”
The others sniffed and held their noses following peters guise. The sister, hesitant started back down saying.
“Get to bed children, Vascha lead these troublemakers to bed, Poe honey please next time, do not eat before bed.” As her feet hit the ground below, in a harsher tone she spat out. Peter, Jean, you know what to do, the restrooms won’t clean themselves in the morning.”
Jean slacked his jaw.
“What did I do?”
Peter gave him a light nudge chuckling.
The sister added.
“Next time you’ll think before lying to me.”
Jean closed his mouth and brooded over the news.
As the sister made her way down the ladder, all of them looked back at the little girl who was now peeking out the corner. She waved at them goodbye, and they all started to head down back to bed.
First was Vascha, then Poe, followed by Jean in a disgruntled manner, made his way down. Peter stood at the top worried out of his mind. He always hated leaving her alone. She was scared, all alone, abandoned with nobody. He knew exactly what she was feeling. He started his way down the stairs and then when the sister wasn’t looking reached into his pocket to pull out half a cooked potato with some bread and left it at the top for Dominique.
As the door closed and the footsteps of the kids retreated, a girl sat alone in an empty attic with no lights but the moonlight. The food the boy left every morning and night was always cold, but it filled her stomach. She was profoundly grateful to that boy who saved her and didn’t treat her harshly. She took the shirt off her back to fold and neatly store away. She then put on a shirt the boy had made her specially out of his own clothing to sleep in. As she laid on her side trying to get rest as to make tomorrow come faster; the moon light hit the right moment and shone brightly through the curtain hiding her. This revealed a small but damaged jet-black wing protruding from the girls back, a Fallen Angels wing.