The Cursed

Chapter Thirty One

Lilura

The demons immediately step out of the circle and into a line, where they bow their heads to me.

"How may we be of service?" They ask in unison. It still sends shivers down my arms once again.

"Firstly, speak one at a time. Secondly, I need to see your abilities. I require aid in the murder of the Queen, and to do this, I need a plan in which we can inflict the most pain," I say, lacing in front of them. They watch me walk back and forth. The only sound in the room is my voice and the sliding of my dress on the ground. "I do not want a quick and painless death, I want her to suffer as I did." They nod once.

"We will of course show you, but-" says Lust, but they get cut off by Pride.

"We would not wish to harm your library."

"So perhaps," says Greed.

"We may go outside for a-" begins Sloth.

"Demonstration," finished Wrath with a sneer.

"Of course, follow me." I turn my back to them and begin to walk away towards the stairs. But, as I knew one of them would be, Envy steps forward. Their arm is extended, a knife pointed at me.

"I will not follow mortal scum. I am one of the seven most fearsome creatures to walk all the realms. We are not bound to you, and should never bow to a human," they spit, glaring at me.

"As you wish," I say, stepping forward. Alepou gets up from under the table and growls at Envy from across the room and behind the six demons, who stare at me. Lust, with their head cocked to the side, as if studying my reaction. I set the pad of my finger on the tip of the blade, drawing blood. Upon contact with the metal, my blood begins to bubble and simmer, growing into a small spider. The blood-red spider crawls up the knife and onto the hand of Envy.

All seven sins watch it with curiosity, but Envy's skin grows even pale. The spender continues its path up their arm and onto their face. It crawls until it reaches their eye. It crawls onto their white orb, and wiggles, before being absorbed into Envy, their eye turning red. The redness spreads to their other eye and over their face. Where the skin has turned, blisters begin to appear, bubbling and burning Envy away. After a few moments of the red spreading and Envy's skin being burned off, they collapse onto the floor, yelling in agony, tearing at their singed flesh.

"Please, I apologize. Forgive me!" They yell.

"You has your chance. Farewell," I say then blow over them. Where my breath meets their skin, they turn into shadow, slinking away into the darker parts of the library. "Any others?" I turn to the sins. They shake their heads once.

"We apologize for-" begins Wrath.

"Their behavior," finishes Pride.

"We will not repeat it," adds Lust.

"No, you won't. Next time I won't be so merciful." I turn once more and finish leading the way outside. The sins follow without complaint.

The final rays of sun dip below the horizon, and the stars begin to shine. I look up at them and remember dancing on Everette's ships without a care in the world. Unknowing of my pain. With the man who loved me, who I loved once, and a friend, Walter. I hummed to myself, and imagined a world where I was free from nightmares and visions. I never meant to end up like those. I never wanted to hurt anyone. That's why I wanted to learn magic, to help Everette. Not kill him, then avenge his death through his mother. I didn't want this.

"Leave me!" I yell.

"As you wish," chorus the sins. The disappear in a cloud of black smoke the same color as the smoke from where they were born.

Alone with my thoughts, I collapse to the ground. How could I have gotten here? I killed my love, and my mentor. Willa, who was only trying to protect herself from my potential to my cruel. But by doing so, sealed her death warrant.

They brought this upon themselves, an inner voice whispers.

I brought this on them, I say. I scream it to the heavens.

"I killed them all!" I scream to the forest. It echoes over the trees, and resonates over the land. My magic sends it to all the people of the Iris Kingdom. They will know I'm coming and maybe, some can get out, saving themselves and their families. But to those who stay, they have to burn on my path to the Queen.

She deserves no mercy from my hand. And she will burn with the name Lilura, a weak reminder of who I once was.