The ruins stretched in every direction, broken stone and toppled pillars everywhere I looked. The wind blew cold, carrying dust and the smell of old stone. I shivered, hugging myself, my stomach twisting from hunger. I had no home, no family, no magic, and no one to care if I lived or died. Every day I survived by begging, stealing, or hiding in the shadows.
I had tried magic before, long ago, just once, reaching for even a tiny spark. Nothing happened. The world seemed to laugh at me. You are nothing, it said. That was all I had ever known.
But tonight was different. I had heard rumors of strange things in these ruins, things that could give someone power. I didn't care if it was true. Anything was better than nothing. Anything was better than living like a shadow.
I stepped carefully over broken tiles and fallen pillars until I saw it: a small, glowing object, half-buried in the stone floor. Symbols were carved all over it, strange and unknown. My hand shook as I reached out.
The moment I touched it, the air changed. It became heavy, almost alive. My heart beat faster, and my stomach tightened. And then I felt them—seven presences, moving around me like shadows that could think.
Seven figures appeared, tall and perfect, each wearing a mask that hid their eyes. I could feel them looking at me, seeing everything. Pride. Greed. Wrath. Envy. Lust. Sloth. Gluttony. Their presence pressed against me, heavy and inescapable.
"You… want power," said Pride. His voice was calm, smooth, and dangerous.
I swallowed hard. "I… I do." My voice shook.
They smiled, slow and deliberate. It made my stomach twist. I had expected pain or fire, punishment for reaching for something I shouldn't have. But this… this was worse.
Lust stepped closer. His aura brushed against me like fire and ice. "Do you know the price?"
I shook my head. "I… I don't care. I need it. I've always needed something more." My voice was weak. I wanted power. I wanted to matter.
Then they pressed in closer. Shadows moved around me, curling and binding me. I tried to step back, but it was impossible. Their presence wrapped around me, pressing against my body, threading through my mind.
"You must pay," Greed said. "The price… is your body. Your very self."
I staggered. "My… my body?" Panic hit me. I didn't know what that meant. I wanted power, but I hadn't thought it would cost this. "No… I can't… this isn't what I wanted!"
They smiled. One by one, they moved closer, circling me. Sloth came first, slow and deliberate. His energy pressed against me, twisting through my body. I trembled, gasping, trying to resist, crying out, "Please… stop…"
But the others held me. They lifted me into the air, invisible forces holding me tightly. I flailed, trying to escape, but it was useless. I was surrounded, pressed, and bound.
Wrath came next, sharp and biting. I felt it thread through me, pushing me to the edge of my senses. Pride pressed down on my chest, heavy and unyielding. Envy, Lust, Gluttony—they moved around me, each pressing their energy into me in different ways. I couldn't tell where one ended and another began.
I cried, trembling. "I… I can't… it hurts…" My voice broke. My body shook. I felt completely exposed, completely powerless. Every nerve felt alive, burning with the force of their presence.
"You wanted power, didn't you?" Pride said directly into my mind. "And now… you feel it."
I tried to resist, tried to push back, but I couldn't. I could only gasp and cry as their power pressed into me. It wrapped around my chest, my arms, my legs. It filled my mind. I couldn't escape. I couldn't breathe normally. I was theirs.
Sloth's energy lingered longest, slow and pressing. It twisted through my nerves, threading into my thoughts, making me feel every weakness, every fear. I whimpered, trembling, feeling like my body was no longer my own.
Wrath's energy was sharp, slicing through my chest and spine. Pride's presence pressed heavy on my shoulders. Lust's aura curled around my heart and mind. Greed wrapped tightly around my back. Envy and Gluttony brushed against me, claiming me completely.
I cried out, sobbing, whispering broken words: "Stop… I… I can't… I can't take it…"
But I couldn't escape. I couldn't resist. I was lifted higher into the air, floating above the broken ruins. My body shook. My mind spun. Every pulse of energy, every brush of aura, pressed into me like fire threading through my veins.
Tears streamed down my face. My stomach churned. My chest ached. I couldn't move, couldn't resist, couldn't hide. I felt every inch of my body and mind being claimed by them.
And yet… even in my fear, I could feel power surging through me. It was intoxicating. I was trembling, crying, and terrified—but I could feel strength threading into my veins, threading into my very bones.
I sobbed, whispering to myself, "I… I didn't know… I didn't know it would be like this… I… I can't… I can't…"
Their presences pressed, bound, and filled me, each one in turn, testing me, claiming me, marking me as theirs. I was no longer just Renji, the weak boy from the streets. I was the vessel of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The ruins whispered around me, cold and empty, but I no longer belonged there. I belonged to the Seven.
And the world… the world would never see me the same way again.