Along the quiet and near ghost-like streets of Bournington, a tapping of feet clapped across the stone paths, relentlessly pushing to a glowing warmth of green in the distance. Frederick had been running with great haste, towards his sanctum of safety for protection, or something else? Through the thin lines between the narrow treeline, an electric burn sizzled silently as Frederick arrived at his once luscious green gardens, now a plain of blackened plants. Burnt to a crisp.

"Ah, Fred! Move back a little!" Cackled the depleted voice of Thomas Titanius Junior.

Surrounded in a circle of fiery hounds, he was dead centre to their burning bodies, all of them hungry for a taste of his rebellious flesh. Thomas had managed to narrow them into one spot, and in doing this he powerfully clapped his hands together, producing an uproar of thunder to come bellowing down upon them - bursting the corpses to nothing but a set of bones. This blast was strong enough to rid the evil, but the fires already feasting on the forest were still burning slowly and Thomas could do little to fend this off.

"Grr, Fred, I'm sorry. These hellish hounds are gone, but our home, it's gone." He said as he turned to look at a breathless Frederick.

"Thomas...forget it...we need you..." Frederick coughed up.

"Fred, Fred! Breathe! What is wrong? The forest? I'm sorry about it. I wonder who would be so cowardly to set it on fire." Said Thomas.

"Forget the forest, come with me." Frederick urged quickly.

"What is wrong?" Asked Thomas.

"I believe something very dangerous is unfolding at the contest." Said Frederick.

"Well, there are already so many knights there, why would you need me?" Asked Thomas.

"Thomas, I ask you, because your father once described what I'm beginning to see." Said Frederick gravely.

"My father? What did he describe that scares you so much now?" Warily asked Thomas.

"The Sin of Envy." Said Frederick.

"That is a very bold claim to make." Said Thomas.

"He is waking. If we can stop him from fully waking, we can prevent a future of terrible events." Said Frederick.

"Okay...okay...yes. There's no harm in doing so. I need to rest for a few minutes, I killed those hounds thinking I'd have peace the rest of the day." Thomas said, his skin glowing with a charge of lightning channelling across the lining of his figure.

As his skin cackled with lightning, so did the skyline at the contest, as a villainous aroma rose from the ashes of a shockwave that blew the crowds quiet. Beneath the dust, Axel had caved himself in a pod of protection, and he subtly sought out whoever he could find, bringing them with him. Supplementing the room with a beacon of light, Axel had brought upon his friends a small spirit that was in Annette's locket. The light grew red and hearty with a plentiful aroma, as it provided a surplus of Annette's healing factor, and this proved beneficial to Axel's guests - Alsop, Isaac, Alister and Magnolia. As their hearts rejuvenated in the warmth, their minds grew cold on the stale subject that laid beyond the burrow Axel had formed.

"Is this everyone?" Asked Axel.

"Yes, everyone nearby, but it seems your healing won't even wake Magnolia." Said Alsop with scorn.

"Enough, we have to settle our differences for now. Caspian Cull...my poor Caspian is no longer Caspian Cull." Alister said with an observation to the outside of the hideout.

"His face! What has happened to him? What do you mean Alister?" Isaac called out, as their eyes all fell in awe.

Ahead of them in the air, floating like a devilish god, Caspian had a cascading face. A plethora of layers tore his face into a wicked magician’s mess. The skin became tarnished, the eyes grew green, the mouth more crooked, and the wrinkles wrapping the skin into tight folds. Above all, Caspian's frail face was morphing rapidly, rushing from one to another furiously. It appeared almost as if a fight for power was being fought upon his face.

"At last, I have returned. Caspian, is it? Vanish, will you?" Effortlessly said the voice of a force which fell out of Caspian's mangled mouth.

"Argh! I can't let you - you are something wicked!" Cried the childish voice of Caspian faintly.

"I am not wicked by any means, I am the Sin of Envy. Congratulations to you, for providing me with such a unique vessel. You carry an ability to carry spirits, and so many you do. Goodbye Caspian Cull." Called out the force with a deep breath of air.

The revolt at the atrocity the crowd had been witnessing finally came, and with this Maxwell burst up from his seat in a front of fear. His mind only clawed onto one thought at the time, Envy, the villainous thief ahead of him. A thief, because of his cruel desire to rule Caspian's body being fulfilled. Maxwell was certain of what he wanted to do, to punish Envy with peril, but his bolstering flight towards Envy had crashed him into the physical barrier of magic.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"King Hammerhead! Remove this shield now!" Maxwell's demanded at the sight.

"Impossible. The magic is set to last for a certain time. Besides, why should I open it and put the crowds at risk?" The King provided no help.

"Damn him!" Maxwell frustratedly thought as he walked away angrily.

"Hey, hey! Max, what are you going to do?" Annette asked as she grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm going to get through. Alsop, Axel, they don't stand a chance against Envy." Said Maxwell.

This was vastly opposed within the dome though, as the four still standing had begun scheming a method that would at least, in some way stabilise their situation.

"Any suggestions then? It seems Magnolia will not wake, so it is just us." Said Axel.

"Well, if my memory serves correct, Envy can eat your soul if he makes contact with you. His victims are lost within others memories, and so they are forgotten by others." Said Alister.

"If that's true, how do we even strike him!?" Alsop cried out.

"We don't. Thus, I believe there is only one option we have." Alister said, his hands dredging into his pockets to reveal a set of bullets that differed from his usual ones. "These bullets here will confuse him. If I land one at his face, you three may be able to hurt him head-on." He said.

"Perhaps we could use magic to draw damage upon him though?" Suggested Axel.

"No, Caspian was a Spirit Knight. He was a great child in formidable friendship with many spirits. They would fight back to magic likely." Said Alister.

"Haha! Haha! He's practically invincible then!" Isaac wildly laughed in a shock of fear.

"Calm down, general. I trust you to provide us with the final orders now." Alister steadied Isaac's nerves, pressing his shoulder firmly.

"Right. Well, you go ahead and do your plan, captain. You will need a diversion, no? Alsop, come with me and we will distract him. Axel, you must stay. Stay with your spirit and Magnolia, covering our steps with changes to the landscape, okay?" Isaac rose to speak, with a feel for his confidence.

"No complaints from me, but if you need me, you call me." Axel said, his hand finding Alsop's shoulder and his eyes searching deep within Envy.

A pillar in the sky, the lack of movement from him had created murmurs of disparity in the crowd, but this was due to Envy forcing out a much-needed release of speech in him, as he reinstated himself within the world he had awoken to.

"...hmm I wonder if anyone's still around...Thomas maybe. Grove and Lux perhaps, Indominus Rose...ah yes...he died." He muttered manically.

"Envy, I take it then. What do you seem to be doing?" Isaac shouted out to him.

"Hah! Who are you? Leave me be." Envy coldly ignored him and continued with his mindless mumbling.

"I am Isaac, Isaac Rose. The general of all the knights in Bournington. You are in Bournington now, and you are a threat to us." Isaac boldly said.

"Rose? Ah yes, you were in Caspian's thoughts. Your father was Indominus?" Asked Envy.

"Yes, he was. You know about him?" Questioned Isaac.

"Yes, I remember his death well. It was well deserved. You. You, who are you?" Envy said, his eyes darted to Alsop, stood beside Isaac.

"I am Alsop Dusseldorf, I suppose you know my father too then?" Enquired Alsop.

"I know no Dusseldorf." Said Envy bluntly.

"Lux Buchanan, he is my father." Said Alsop.

"Incredible. I had no idea it would be this easy." Envy chuckled out in self-satisfaction.

"He knows our fathers, that may prove useful later." Isaac quietly commented.

"I need one of you. Alsop, I shall take." Said Envy, licking his lips expectedly.

"You need me?" Alsop shivered at the thought.

"You will lead me to your father, who I would like to cause a scale of pain, which truly matches mine." Replied Envy, his voice vicious.

"What?!" Alsop exclaimed.

"I'm afraid it won't be easy to do that since we are here." Isaac triumphantly laughed as he drew his sword, with Alsop hesitantly joining him.

"General, remember not to touch him for too long, okay?" Alsop reminded his adversary.

"Yes, I know." Said Isaac, his stance ready for battle.

"Heheh. What is this? Are you challenging me? The two of you, and that friend behind you?" Asked Envy, a fearless laugh overcoming him.

"My vice general. He will help us take you down." Said Isaac.

"Well, you must know, I don't need to fight you, nor do I want to." Said Envy, his feet gently landing on the ground. "All I ask is you help me fulfil my plan. I'm not like the other sins, I'm not evil at heart." He smiled.

"Why should we take your word, when we haven't even fought another sin before?" Cautiously asked Isaac.

"You haven't met any of the others? Well, you see. We all have a gift. Would you like to see mine? I can see it in your eyes, both of you want power, no?" Envy gracefully suggested, his distance thinning between them.

"Power?" Isaac froze in thought.

"No. We aren't stupid." Alsop interjected, as his sword leapt before his words and darted for Envy.

Isaac rose his eyebrows at the situation, as the tension finely faded into nothingness with Alsop piercing through it in an instant. Strangely, Isaac's heart felt bitter regret that he had never felt before. His hands enflamed without a second of thought, and soon they lit a tall layer of grass around them, circling the three with a pure ring of fire. This had rifled fumes of smoke to encapsulate the air, and soon this blackened vision helped Alsop swing a few hits towards Envy. To poise their damage to heightened lengths, Isaac drew his flames of fire magic from the grass, and towards Envy as much as possible. Alsop and Isaac had combined in strength, to overcome what seemingly felt like an easy enemy, but their eyes distilled in fear, once the smoke around them settled.

"I take it you're some of the strongest they have to offer?" Laughed Envy, as his body remained mostly pristine, a spirit shielding his aura.

"This is not our strongest. Alsop, step back." Said Isaac boldly. "I will bring out the Crimson Eagle." He added.

With a magma set of eyes, a fiery wave of red and orange travelled through his veins as Isaac prepared his divine power, the Crimson Eagle. Towering above him like a mystic shadow, a fiery beast fluttered out from his body, a burst of fire scorching into the air. Entirely consisting of fire, the beast carried intertwining strings of divine magic to keep such a magnified monster alive and moving. With so much intense power being reflected into the fiery image, the mana that clung to Isaac began to drain from him, until finally, he dropped to the ground.

"He's asleep! Asleep!" Alsop called out in annoyed horror.

"Alsop! You don't understand how much it takes to fully use a divine power. This is truly wonderful!" Axel shouted as all he could do was look on.