X X V I I I - [ D A E M O N ]

This shouldn't be an odd thing in Hell, though, since, after all, it is heaven that's got all the light, but the blackness of this level really renders me oblivious to the things around me, that is assuming that there is anything here at all.

So this is what it's like to be blind.

Just then, an intense amount of light hits my eyes, making me instinctively look away as I squeeze my eyes shut.

When I see through my eyelids that the place has gotten dimmer, I slowly open my eyes and blink away the black spots that appear in my vision.

Seven luminescent orbs appear before me in a single line, looking mystic and bright as ever.

". ?" A collection of voices say, not a single emotion detected.

I bring my hand down and clear my throat. "Let's see..." I place both hands on my hips and look down. "Judging from what you all call me and the number of orbs present in front of me, you must be the Seven Deadly Sins" I look up at the orbs to see if there are any reactions— "Correct?"

"" They answer. "."

"Right. Why don't you all just call me by my first name?" I ask, raising both eyebrows in hopes that they will agree. "I'm not exactly used to being called that and quite frankly, I'm becoming pretty uncomfortable with it."

"."

I sigh. "Alright, fine. So what am I supposed to do here exactly?"

"." They say, as if they've forgotten the purpose of me being here. "?" I nod. "."

"Okay." Puffing out a breath, I walk towards the first one. Though it's a bit too bright, I stare at it as hard as I can, and soon enough, I feel the sensation of getting sucked in.

"Angel," Someone says, and I know immediately just who it is. "I ate your casserole earlier today, kay? I use my powers and all, but I was kinda in a rush."

"Okay?" I say, more of a question rather than statement. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion as I watch Bub getting all giddy for 'stealing my casserole'. Thankfully enough, however, I'm able to catch on pretty quickly.

"Oh I see what's going on here." I say to no one in particular. "This is my Greed, isn't it? Is this level all about letting go of my emotions and whatnot?"

"?" The voices respond, sounding slightly amused somehow. "?"

"I'm a full demon already." I remind them, cocking an eyebrow. "Of course I can let go, I already have."

The voices don't speak for a minute or so, considering my answer. I don't exactly see why they even do it, though, since I am, after all, the ruler of Hell himself.

In the end, their final reply is a simple "we'll see" and I find myself back in the dark room, everything just like how it was before.

"."

I clasp my hands together, a smirk on my lips. "This'll be easy."

five Deadly Sins were easily a breeze.

Well, not to sound cocky and all, but they were much easier to let go than expected. Yes, some of my emotions and feelings were tempted to surface, but as a demon, I've been trained not to feel for a long time now.

"," The voices say, impressed. "."

I do, and once more I feel the sensation of getting sucked in; but it's not like I'm already used to it anyway.

Opening my eyes, I see Rimmon standing in front of me, a petrified look on his face. Next to him is Azazel, who also seems rather scared but not to the point of pissing his pants like Rimmon.

"Lord Daemon, Sir," Azazel starts, trying his best to look me straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Sir. But we've made a terrible slip."

I cock an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"T-the lost s-souls have been released sir." Rimmon stutters, obviously intimidated.

"WHAT!" I shout, unable to control my voice—or anger for that matter. So much for having to let go of my Wrath.

"I-it was a mistake, Sir—"

"WELL , IT WAS A , I pinch my nose bridge, attempting to calm myself down. "And , , how'd you let happen?"

Azazel stays quiet, his eyes glued to the floor.

"?" I say, crossing my arms. "ANSWER ME!"

"I-I wasn't paying attention, Sir."

"YOU—"

"." The Seven Deadly Sins speak up, making me stop mid-sentence. "You are here to let go of this emotion. This isn't as easy as you thought it would be, now is it?"

I grumble in response, not wanting to admit anything.

, I urge myself. .

"." The voices mock, making me want to simply reach out and strangle them. But I can't, because otherwise I'd fail and I won't be able to go to the last circle. "?"

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. When I am finally calm, I open them and say, "Yes."

The Seven Deadly Sins are quiet, as if silently considering whether or not they should let me proceed. Thankfully, though, they eventually give in.

."

The illusions before me fade away and I let out a breath in relief—it's about time I move on.

As I turn to leave, I notice the silhouette of a girl eyeing the intricate designs on the gates. Her back is facing me, but I swear that she looks so much like Feia.

I blink hard, having a hard time telling whether or not this is real or just another one of the illusions created by the Seven Deadly Sins.

Walking slowly towards the girl, I study her features as much as I can, making sure that she is real before I try to call out for her.

When I've decided that I might as well just go up to her before she leaves, I quicken my pace a little and stop when we are about two feet away from each other.

"Feia?"

The girl visibly tenses, and I know at once that this isn't an illusion—Feia is standing right in front of me, and she is very much alive and well—or at least that's how it seems.

Feia turns around a bit hesitantly, as if she herself doesn't know whether I'm an illusion or not—can't blame her, really; if it fooled me then it could've fooled a (part) demon like her.

"Daemon?" She asks, still not quite believing that I'm actually here. Before I can even respond to her in any way, she turns back around to collect herself. When she's done, she walks towards me ever so casually and asks, "What are you doing here?"

As I stare her straight in the eyes, I notice a glint in her eyes that was never there—perhaps finding the truth about things made her realize who she is.

"I, ah..."

"Wait, did you me here?" She narrows her eyes at me and in that moment I know that I might as well tell her the truth.

"Yes..." I mumble reluctantly, trying to muster up as much confidence as I can—but truth be told, she kind of makes my knees weak at times.

"And why exactly would you do that?"

"I—" I start, and stop myself to clear my throat. "I figured I'd have to come here sooner or later, so I might as well pay a little visit right now."

Feia raises an eyebrow, obviously not as oblivious as I hoped she would be. "Okay?" She says, her head tilting. "Fine, then. Let's get this whole thing over with."

The two of us walk silently in the gate that had appeared not too long ago. Feia, as usual, shows confidence in her every stride—something I've admired since the first time I saw her.

Once inside the final circle, we stand there, confused. Feia looks around, then at me, asking, "So what are we supposed to do here, exactly?"

"I... I don't know." I admit, being clueless myself. Much like the last level, there isn't much to see. Everything is dark, and though I can see better here than in the previous circle, I still can't exactly tell if there's anything here at all. I look around, hoping to find something——that can tell us what we're here for.

"Maybe it's like the third circle, somehow." I say, scratching my head puzzledly. "Or maybe there will be more of Hell's creatures here? Oh, perhaps—"

And that's when I hear her scream.