Ethel treaded the trail behind Fallon. He kept his promise leaving the town. Dawn was upon them. The dead leaves crunched beneath her feet. Watchful eyes followed her in the dark. Now they were far away from the settlement. She could just stab him and escaped. Yet, she quickly diminished the thought, as Fallon could just return to the town and fulfilled what he promised. She wouldn’t want to be a coward against the deal they have made.
Fallon stopped. He remained quiet and made no move. Ears alerted at the swishing sound of bushes as something crawled around her. Smaller creatures fended off the shadows from their homes. Small, fragile hearts echoed. Being in a presence of three sinners, the fear might as well just take them away immediately. Soon the forest in front of her engulf in the abyss. A spider lurked out. It had only one merlot red eye in the middle. She knew right away it was an abyssal spider belonged to Aranea. The smallest one among of her spiders.
“You couldn’t be more shameless than you were last time.” The voice came from the spider. “A shadow protecting the light. It sounds too pathetic. Have you thrown away your pride as a sinner?”
“Have you forgotten the one who holds the tittle of pride is Mael?” She flashed a smirk at the creature, knowing well Aranea was watching everything.
“Wrath!”
“Are we back to calling each other by our roles, Envy?” Ethel stopped her teasing. Aranea was never the type to take her playful joke in a good light.
“Three of you join Mael. Fallon was never on my list. He never like being pushed around. What changed his mind? I wasn’t sure about you, but I have my suspicion you would be on his side. You never like me, and wherever Fallon goes, you always stick close to him. Then, there’s Roze. She always held Mael in highest regard. I’m more surprised she helped me kill him last time.”
“After what you made us do five hundred years ago, we can no longer put our fate to your judgment.” The grudge held in Aranea’s words placed a heavy weight on Ethel. It was right of her to bear such rage towards Ethel after she forced them to kill their fellow sinner, giving none of them to voice out their opinion. In a world where everything and everyone hated them, they had only each other. The strife from five hundred years ago made their bond beyond mending.
“That leaves Greed and Gluttony now.”
Dying as the last one standing didn’t scare her than living alone. She fought Mael the Pride to keep the war from dragging the innocents. She never once wanted to kill him. The sinners were her only salvation in Erdalia.
“Have you ever asked yourselves why save the Erdalia and its people when they hated you? Do you think saving them will grant you a forgiveness or a place to stand in the Heaven?“
“Even if I answer that, you’ll never accept it.“ Ethel let a dry chuckle.
The wind whistled out an eerie lullaby. Trees swayed by the gust. Branches of skeletons danced along with the guide of the breeze.
“Where’s the Luna’s Blood?” Aranea broke the silence.
“I don’t have it, nor will I tell you where is it.”
“Don’t test me!”
“I can try,” Ethel taunted. If she had to choose who to be the sinner of wrath, Aranea was the right one. “Once Pride returns, I’ll have him dead first for the second time.”
“You can’t possibly win against us.”
“We’ve been together for such a long time. You and I know well who will die first and who goes last.”
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“WRATH!”
“Aranea, I might just find where you’re hiding now if you show your rage against me.”
The spider returned to the shadow. Ethel watched Fallon entered the shadow, leaving without a word. She held her own words. There were no words for exchange now they were enemies. The abyss slithered away once they were gone.
Ethel released a long sigh and retreated to a nearby tree. She looked at her hands. Mirage evoked from her past sins. Covered in a blood of those she killed. Shadows of the dead flickered among the trees. Branches pointed at her as the world called out for judgment. Life after life, she killed, burned, and destroyed.
Why save the Erdalia and its people when they hated you? Do you think saving them will grant you a forgiveness or a place to stand in the Heaven?
Aranea’s question came haunting her again. She tasted their bloods once. It never quenched her thirst. She watched the flame burned their homes. The act gave no satisfaction for someone who never belonged to this land. Any sins she committed never gave a sense of accomplishment. It left a disgusting taste to her mouth.
“Who am I trying to be? A protector? I’m nothing more but a sin.” Third and fourth abyssal scarlet butterflies rested on her hands and shoulders. Fragments of her past trying to comfort her when none came to theirs. The Silk butterfly once sought comfort but had hers stolen instead. Fiery flame butterfly wished to protect but only knew to destroy. This sight was nothing different from looking through the mirror and comforting herself. A madness she fell into.
“The luminary is safe,” the Silk butterfly reported.
“And the town.”
“Untouched.”
“Good.” Ethel dropped her head to her knees. “Let me rest now. Keep it quiet.”
# # #
A pair of shadowy arms braided her silky moonlight white hair. When it was done, the arms gestured at its finishing touch. It was a little loose and messy, but it was better than letting the hair slapping her face. Ethel pulled the braided hair over her shoulder. Her moonlight hair was the only thing she could be proud of. White was the color of pure and innocence. It reflected the moon that shone the brightest in the night. However, the luminary thought it was a trick to gain mortal’s trust.
“How long has it been?” She reminisced about her first awakening without a memory in an open field surrounded by the golden valley. Clueless of what the world thought of her. Ethel walked along the golden field until she reached a nearby village. It didn’t take her long to learn the mortal’s hatred once they threw rocks at her and hurled curses at her.
“What will you do now?“ A scarlet butterfly of four-winged flew around her. Two voices resonated. Ethel preferred calling them the Twin.
“Remember about the stupid plan.” Ethel poked the Fiery Flame butterfly. “You naively thought about a peaceful talk with the mortals and sent a letter tied with a red ribbon. Everyone thought you lost your mind but Pride…” Ethel paused. Her throat burned to finish the words. “He was once on your side. Following along with the plan so we can finally be free to walk among them. To be forgiven for our first sin.”
“Mortal talked about the First Sin all the time, but neither of us remember what is the First Sin was ?“ The Twin separated itself into two. One wing turned its wing into a red glass. It set its sight to a squirrel hiding inside the tree. Then, its pair — a misty, shapeless wing took the form of the squirrel with an exception of its eyes remained red.
“Find the Luna’s Blood,” The Silk Butterfly suggested.
“And then what? The Luna’s blood is indestructible. I could only hide it before dying in a battle against Pride.“ A small red orb barely the size of her palm. Ethel hid it away from Pride before dying in case he resurrected first and claimed the Luna’s Blood.
She turned her gaze in the direction where the luminary was. “I can’t fight this battle alone, nor do I have the will to fight it. Aranea is right. I can’t win this. Why fight it when I can just stop now and go back to my sleep? The luminary surely can end the war better than me.” She smiled up at the sky.
Yeah, why am I even trying? This world, Erdalia, the people, the sinners, they don’t need me here.
“You can’t die unless it is the luminary killed you,“ The Twin returned to as one. “You can’t possibly plan to—“
“It’s the quickest way.“ Ethel dropped her gaze to the butterflies. They held many memories of the past. They were her. She was them. Each had their beauties, but the scars reminded her more of the painful memories than the good ones. “I wonder what butterfly will I?“
