1 PROLOGUE

"What atrocity is this?" He summoned every bone of patience and tolerance in his body as he watched the debacle happening downstairs. The horror of it branding itself in his angered eyes.

It was the Civil War of the Country of Lena after the Great Goddess of Wealth, Lena herself, women dressed in their tight breeches and shirts and heavy armor has joined the ranks their resources and manpower used by the desperate King of Lena, Henry Williamson against the brutal assault from the army of Darkness lead by the King of Madness, the Lion they call him, his name lost through the years.

But now they lay away from the battlefield hidden among the grassy lands next to the bloody battlefield their clothes in disarray, hair unbound, shoes missing and eyes misted in a haze as fellow soldier men indulged in their flesh hands roaming down the curvy bodies, their eyes too lost in a hazy spell. Slowly losing their essence of life as they gave everything in them into the act lost in the clutches of lust.

While the soldiers entangled in debauchery and behavior out of a nightmare the Kings already on their respective tents went through the strategies unaware of the state of the battle minds lost in thoughts of outwitting each other, the wits they were yet to use in reality already playing in their minds as they stood proud inside the tents already celebrating the victory of a war gone astray. True madness taking route in their minds as overwhelming pride entrapped their consciousness.

While some indulged in their carnal desires enemies forgotten, commands forgotten most of the soldiers simply laid silent on the once bloody ground staring at the gloomy sky, weapons thrown to the side due to being too heavy. As time passed their skin became increasingly pale as even the blood pumping through their veins slowed, the beats of the heart lessening slowly, lethargically the fallen bodies branding the definition of sloth.

Children who were supposed to sleep in their beds and listen to the caretakers till their parents came from the war have all flocked into the houses' kitchens as hunger stroked them. No milk or dinner satiating. Their shorthands and legs ran about trying to find anything eatable stuffing them down swallowing fast unable to wait till they ate the next thing. The caretakers trying their best in taming the children who have suddenly woken from the morning bed as beasts of Gluttony.

With the Kings out of the castles the ministers who held duty on upholding the country have cast their morals aside as they banded together in greed ready to empty the treasury of its treasures. The guards guarding them already fallen asleep the same as what happened to the soldiers on the battlefield affecting them. Greedy eyes took in the treasury seeing all the gold their hands indulged in the stealing but soon disputes ensued as envy struck the lower cast maids and man-manservants in the castle.

Their inferiority was forgotten for a moment, ministers and the help erupting in a chaotic brawl. Hands clawing at the wealth greedily while someone else stomped on them wanting the items to themselves.

The battlefield a land of debauchery and slowness, the country facing an unnatural mess. The present situation had managed to already ruin the lives of thousands yet as time passed it only seemed to worsen.

The proud kings' dreams led them into believing they've already won making them finally walk out of the enclosed tent expecting victorious cries only to stop short at the sight of their soldier's embarrassing debacles. Even in the cloudy haze of pride, they could feel the despair clawing at them.

But Kings did not succumb to despair and just like that, something else took advantage creeping in empowering the already pride induced madness.

Soldiers lost in Lust and Sloth regained their senses as if waking up from a nightmare, but the damage had been already done, they were still affected and it was only the rage simmering underneath, the self loath they held towards them as they realized what they've done held them up.

But the human minds could not bear it reducing them into vulnerable beings losing themselves in tears. Seeing this the Henry Williamson and the Lion were driven into a frenzy enraged shouts escaping them as they unsheathed their swords killing the first soldier came upon their sight.

'How dare they ruin everything. I am supposed to win, the Country of Lena's true Ruler.' Their demented minds whispered only driving their actions as they realized that the dreams were forever burned to ashes never to blossom.

So the slaughter ensued, two Kings once intent on concurring a Kingdom, sworn to protect their people reigned terror on their own soldiers. The men laying still as the blades flashed expecting the death, sweet relief from their own conscience.

While the battlefield turned into a turf of manslaughter the citizens inside the city were no better.

The children have gone crazy, the hunger multiplying each second and the anger at their inability to find anything to eat have driven them into throwing tantrums the caretakers were unable to control ending with their lives in a forfeit.

The once innocent, gullible, sweet children started feeding on their caretakers, when stopped either a knife would be lodged in the man or woman's throat, heart or face, or would be pushed down heavy objects thrown towards them in their fits of anger.

But not all children survived, their bodies far weaker than any adults' did not survive under the assault of the not so much kind caretakers. The children who survived turning into frenzied murderers started snacking on the dead humans, desire for food, and anger taking over.

Sweet, innocent children turned to cannibals unable to satiate their hunger.

While chaos spread within the households, the castle was no better. The earlier golden library has been tainted with red, coins, walls, and treasures colored in the blood of the greedy, jealous humans who now laid dead mutilated beyond recognition.

And the now woken guards just watched the gore in terror their bodies frozen in place as they started shutting down dying in agony and terror.

The Great War which was supposed to bring the Glory of Lena now has destroyed it to its core. Only the building standing still, as the lives within it cried in sorrow and utter despair.

Miles away from the chaos atop a mountain seven figures stood watching their sight superior enough to take in every detail. They did not look beyond eighteen, beautiful teenagers if met in another circumstance. But the manic and the glee filled eyes of theirs proved otherwise.

"Great Goddess of Light, the country she loved so gone. Just like that." One of the five boys smirked pleasure and satisfaction coursing through him as he heard the cries of the humans begging for their goddess for help.

"Pathetic fools." Another scoffed his green eyes shifting in disdain.

The girls rolled their eyes before one of them yawned. "If you have finished relishing in pleasure can we make a move? It's time for my sleep." She murmured her eyes already about to close.

This time it was the others who were rolling their eyes but they complied, turning around the seven walked away from the scene never giving a second look just their black and golden robes waving in the wind.

For them, it was just another day.

'Demons do not care, happiness, love, care, pain, sorrow, despair held no meaning. It is a fact everyone knew.'

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An enraged yell escaped him as he saw them walk away after reigning pain to more than tens of thousands of humans not an ounce of remorse in their cold hearts.

"Are you still hoping they would change?" He snapped at the calm man sitting next to him. If he had been affected by what happened there was no indication.

"Yes." Came the calm reply not a crack in his handsome features.

Sighing Emidio leaned back on his throne knowing he would not win the argument.

"She is going to be mad." He sighed looking at the Great God next to him, Zohar the ruler of Life looked back at him unperturbed.

"Lena suffered the consequences of her petty actions. The seven maybe still children, but she is no match for them."

The Seven were the balance created for the good in the world. The darkness that tainted the light. The sins against the virtues.

And if not for the days of the damnation, the children would have grown different.

He did not know if it was out of guilt, or out of love, but Zohar waited for the day they would find their redemption.

He could not give up, not yet.

'Every demon is not a monster, and every monster was not pure darkness. The areas of grey are plenty.'