Sloth

Swarms of vultures circled above a barren mountain void of anything green. The harsh sun beamed down on the scene of a one-sided tragedy where a giant ogre demolished a small group of traveling nomads in search of a new home.

"Ugggh!!!!!"

A man let out a pained scream as a large wooden club slammed him against the side of a horse-drawn carriage. Before the horse neighed in fear, the ogre swung its club, smashing its head into smithereens. The man's impact shattered the wooden wheel, causing it to impale his ribs. Coughing up blood, the man stared at his attacker. The man looked at the ogre with a distant look as his vision blurred. While the fight was one-sided, saying that the humans did nothing to injure the ogre would only be a lie. Despite the wounds the humans inflicted on the creature, none were fatal. As the creature gave a victory roar, the man gave the surrounding area one last look. Hundreds of human corpses were littered everywhere, many with their bodies horribly mutilated. Blood trailed out of the man's mouth.

"A fitting end of us, huh?" The creature turned towards the man speaking.

"Still alive? How annoying." The creature roared at the man with an unintelligent manner of speech.

Ignoring the ogre, the man continued. "To think our plans would be ruined so easily, much less by a brain-dead creature such as yourself." The man turned his head toward the corpse of a woman with silver hair. "I should never have trusted your foolish plan to defy God." The ogre ran up to the man with its club over its head. The man closed his eyes, accepting his fate. "But if I could, I would go back in time to fix the flaws." As the man said those words, time froze.

"Do you seek power?" A familiar set of words filled the man's mind. Startled, the man opened his eyes. Before him was the ogre's club, mere inches from slamming down onto his face. A few moments have passed without the man saying a word. "I will ask you again, do you seek power?" He heard a female's voice in his mind. The man nodded. "The power I shall bestow upon you will bring nothing but pain and suffering. Through those means, should you fully master the power that I will give you. Knowing this, are you still willing to accept?" The man nodded once more. "You may lose the ability to love, care, or even cherish another's life. Is that what you wish for?"

"We humans have nothing left. God has destroyed everything and forced us into hiding." Feed up with the voice's questioning, the man spoke with certainty. "Sacrificing a few of my desires will be a fine price to pay as long as we can see the future we dreamt of."

"I see, a selfless conviction. You are the type to neglect your own will to help others. I have heard your words. I, in the name of God himself, bestow you the title of Apostle of Sloth."

"Wait!" the man shouted. "In the name of GOD!? To hell with that. I would much rather die than gain power from him." The man tried to bite his tongue. However, a mysterious force held his jaw open.

"It is too late, human. The pact has been signed. Your soul is that of a sinner. After all, you sat on the sidelines during the entire battle, watching the others fall victim to that ogre. Just like before." A hint of devious laughter came from the voice.

The man said nothing in return, as what she said was true. He stood in the back line, watching the others die. Once they were all killed, they tried to leave. However, the ogre stopped him in his tracks.

"A selfless man who only acts once he knows that the cause would be beneficial for the better meant of the whole. Is that why you let your kingdom fall?" The man looked towards the silver-haired girl and sighed. "Good. Now that you know the reason for your sin, may you take this warning to heart. There is no guide to how your newly found power works as it came from a wish deep within your heart." The man looked up at the sky in bewilderment. "Look around you. See how time is at a still? That is your wish. You said, 'But if I could, I would go back in time to fix the flaws.'" The disembodied voice mimic used his own voice. "Your slothfulness only now allowed you to see how her plan would lead you to a new ending that everyone had given up on chasing. But that is all the time I have to spend with you. The next time you hear my voice will hopefully be in the ultimate battle where you prevail with the hopes of your fellow men backing you. The sinner's power is home to an endless possibility of uses. How you cultivate it is up to you."

As the voice said that, several streams of an aqua-colored mist flew out of the corpses. An aqua glow appeared on the back of his right hand. An image of an angel holding a gigantic sword in front of an exploding Earth was branded into his skin. The mist then gathered into one enormous cloud and swarmed its way into the man's mouth. Only lasting a few seconds, the man blacked out.

"The angel's weapon that carries the weight of all sins. Those who are not strong enough to carry this weight may never act. And shall watch as those around them perish in vain."