So you are telling me there are four more of you?" Ryan asked, the weight of the task settling on him.
Sloth, who seemed to be fading into a translucent form within Ryan's mind, gave a slow nod. "Yes. Four remain."
"Then tell me how to break them," Ryan demanded.
Sloth looked at him, his gray eyes utterly devoid of motivation. "I don't know ."
Ryan's face flushed with anger. "Then what use are you? And where is this tower?"
"Ryan," Sloth sighed, as if explaining was a Herculean effort. "It is inside the jungle , the place where I stay. I can't help you much. But... you can use my wind power. You are smart; you learn soul-using very fast. For most, it takes years." He paused, gathering the energy for one last piece of advice. "The next person you may fight... is Envy."
Ryan leaned in, listening carefully. "Envy? His power will be different from yours. What is it?"
"I don't know," Sloth replied, his voice growing distant. "He talks too much. Disturbs my sleep. So I stay out of the tower. Also, bye-bye." His form dissolved completely. A final, fading thought reached Ryan: To use my power, you need to focus. Be calm. Be... still.
Ryan's eyes snapped open in the physical world, a fresh wave of pain and frustration washing over him. "I hate these feelings!" he growled to the empty jungle. "Envy is next, but where is this tower?"
He looked around. The area was an endless sea of trees, with no tower in sight. "Should I climb a tree?
"Of course! The wind! But how do I control it?"
He stood up, thrust his hands skyward, and commanded, "Fly! Fly!" Nothing happened. He scowled. "Just say 'Fly' or 'I will fly'?"
He took a deep breath, forcing the anger and impatience out of his mind. He remembered Sloth's languid energy, his utter calm. He didn't force the wind; he allowed it.
A gentle breeze stirred around his feet, then grew stronger, swirling around him in a tranquil vortex. Ryan felt it lift him.
It works! he thought, a surge of excitement rushing through him—and immediately, the wind sputtered, and he dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
"Oh, my back!" he groaned, the lesson becoming painfully clear. "So when I get excited, I lose control? I have to be... completely calm? Just how much like Sloth do I need to be?"
"Let's do it again."
He centered himself, emptying his mind of all urgency and emotion. The wind answered, obedient and smooth, lifting him high into the sky. He soared above the canopy, and the sight took his breath away. The "Jungle of Souls" was a breathtaking tapestry of gold, green, and red, a world of stunning beauty.
And there, in the distance, he saw it. A colossal, obsidian tower piercing the heavens.
"So that's it! Let's go!"
The moment the triumphant thought formed, his concentration broke. The wind vanished, and he plummeted.
"I will surely die! Control! Control yourself!" he screamed at his own mind.
He found that still, quiet place just in time. The wind caught him again, and he flew, heart hammering, toward the great tower. It guided him down, setting him gently on the grass before the immense structure.
"Ryan, that was... fun," he panted, a strange exhilaration mixing with his fear. He looked up at the towering spire. "It's magnificent. Who could have made this?"
He approached the base, searching for an entrance, but the smooth, dark stone was seamless. There was no door.
Shrugging, he willed himself forward—and his body passed through the wall as if it were mist.
Inside, the tower was cavernous and illuminated by a sourceless, oppressive white light.
A voice, shrill and full of venom, echoed from the shadows: "I hate this light! I hate this place! I hate you! I hate myself!"
Ryan froze. "Whose voice is that? Envy? Is that you?"
A figure detached itself from the darkness, shrouded in ragged black clothes. Only its eyes were visible—twin pools of burning, green resentment, fixed directly on Ryan.
"I... you are so handsome!" the figure hissed, its voice a mixture of longing and pure spite. "I want to be in your body!"Your eyes are green like emeralds! Your skin is white as milk! Your body is toned—it makes you even more attractive! You're so good in a fight, you broke three of the Deadly Sins already! Shut up! I'm not here to listen to this shit! I am here to defeat all of you!"
Envy shrieked back, "Who are you to speak? You are more attractive than you even know! I will kill you, Ryan, and your body will be mine!"
"You talk too much," Ryan growled.
Crimson light flared around his hands as his iron claws materialized. His legs sheathed in red soul energy, he launched himself forward in a blinding charge.
He was fast, a streak of red fury. Envy didn't move, didn't even seem to breathe. Ryan's claws aimed straight for the shadowy figure's heart.
The blades sank in—and kept going.
Ryan stumbled forward, off-balance. He had passed through Envy as if the figure were made of smoke. A searing pain exploded across his back. He cried out, falling to his knees.
He looked over his shoulder. Envy was now standing behind him, cloaked in a dark, black aura. In its hands were perfect copies of Ryan's own iron claws, dripping with Ryan's blood.
"So this is Envy's ability," Ryan gasped, understanding dawning with the pain. "He can copy my attacks."
A hollow, mocking laugh echoed from the shadows. "No, Ryan. I can copy everything you can Ryan spun, slashing with his claws, but Envy flowed backward like smoke, effortlessly avoiding the strike.
"Ryan... Ryan, I hate this!" Envy's voice was a whining shriek. "That I can only copy your attacks! Lust and the other Sins are better than me! They can use more attacks than I ever could! I WANTED to be Lust! To become everything I desire! Envy... you are a pain in ass! I am going to get rid of you!"
Ryan powered his legs with red soul energy again, feinting another direct charge. But at the last second, he veered away, beginning to circle Envy at a blinding speed, creating a confusing crimson blur.
"Ryan, you are so smart!" Envy wailed, its head whipping around to try and track him. "Why am I not as smart as you are?!"
Seeing an opening in the creature's distracted frustration, Ryan lunged from the side, claws aimed for a killing blow.
But Envy was already there. With matching speed, it intercepted Ryan's wrists, stopping the blades just inches from its own shadowy form.
"Ryan," Envy hissed, its grip like ice. "I don't think you understand. I can copy everything you can."