I walked—well, it was more like I was limping like a drunkard—across the dark city. The world was blurry around me. I just had to get back to safety, because now I didn't have anyone to carry me if I got knocked out.
Instinctively, I grabbed my necklace, opened it, and looked at the photos. It was always a strange comfort of mine—something to remind me I had something to fight for and something to return to… if I even had the chance to get back.
I leaned against the wall and slid down, just staring at my necklace—at Mom's face, at Yuki's face, at everyone's faces. Then my eyes finally landed on Dracula's face. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I owed that man a great thanks. What even was he? I remembered the distant runes from when I first left my first Nightmare:
[You have slain a Sacred Terror: the greed Emperor Dracula.]
I guess he must have been a Sinner. How funny. I would've chuckled if it didn't hurt to even breathe.
What was it now—Wrath, Greed, and that strange Envy guy? Three Sinners. Three out of seven. Just how shitty was my luck? I get blessed with one of the strongest Aspects only to end up fighting existences that could wipe me out in a second.
But something felt off about everything involving these Sinners. Dracula knew about me, and the same goes for Wrath. How is that possible? Why would they know about some no-name Awakened who'd be born eons after their prime? It made no sense. And why didn't Dracula protect his people better? He was a Sacred Terror, for crying out loud.
It feels like I'm a pawn in a game I never signed up to play.
Ah, damn it… my vision was starting to blur. I really needed something. I tried to summon Beast, but I was completely out of essence. (Sleepers do have essence—they just can't control it.)
I noticed Gluttony was still muted. Well, if these were my final moments before some Nightmare creature ate me, why not die talking to someone?
"Hey, Gluttony… ugh… listen, I'm sorry for being an asshole earlier. I was mad and not in the right headspace."
"Yeah, thanks for the apology, but why are you lying on the floor like this?"
"What? Don't tell me you forgot that whole argument and the pain?"
"What? Wait, lemme check your memories… huh? What were we talking about again?"
What was Gluttony going on about now?
"You know—that argument?"
"What argument?"
Wait. Gluttony wasn't being dumb. He genuinely couldn't remember. Great. Even in my final moments, I'd die knowing there were more questions I didn't have answers to. How ironic.
I sensed something approaching. It was big. It leaned over me, and I felt its breath on my skin. And then I finally fainted… or died. One of the two.
---
Ahhh, my head. I seriously have to stop making it a habit to faint so much.
Wait. Where was I?
Wait a damn moment—why am I in Dracula's castle again? And why am I in the body of a skeleton guard?
It felt weird looking at myself and not seeing organs. It would've felt weirder if I hadn't already felt my entire body get crushed beneath ethereal pressure, like my very existence was being stolen. I looked up—barely—and from the corner of my eye, for a mere second, I saw a man walk by. He wore a simple red robe that radiated power on its own. He had short curly hair and a monocle (yes, I'm only doing this for an Amon reference). His skin was pale, and his eyes were red—almost like an older version of myself. Not exactly that, though. Something more like an alternate version… or a future incarnation. But even that didn't feel right.
The man was undoubtedly handsome. He had an aura of importance—an aura of unimaginable power and control over the world around him. A man who didn't fear death, not because of his strength, but because the very concept of death was beneath him. I tried to use the Sin of Envy on him, but I realized I didn't have it in this form—nor any of my other abilities.
He walked by calmly—or at least I assumed so. After that first glance, I didn't dare look again.
After him, I sensed someone else passing. When I looked, I realized it was Dracula himself. I stared at him for a moment, and he looked back at me and smiled.
"Come with me, guards."
His words held a certain kindness—a warmth I didn't know I craved until I heard it again. Almost two years without parental love—from my real family or my Nightmare one—and hearing that warmth again was surreal. Someone truly caring about you, viewing you as their own, without fear in their eyes… gods, I missed that feeling.
I walked diligently behind Dracula without fear, as if being near him finally lifted an immense burden I never knew I was carrying.
We eventually reached those gigantic doors I had long forgotten—doors tied to the best few months of my life, where it all began. Dracula opened them with ease, and inside I saw a few people—specifically seven figures, each with companions.
The first was a familiar face: Feltan Zorkiel, the Sin of Wrath. A towering man of immense height. He walked up to Dracula, grabbed him in a hug, then took a drink from a giant barrel of alcohol.
The second was the man from earlier. He stood alone, admiring the castle, yet whenever I looked at him, I felt watched—as if my whole existence was being examined.
The third was a woman. Tall and utterly gorgeous. Long white hair, nine white tails, and a loose dress that showed enough to make any man sin. She radiated pure seductiveness—an aura that should've made me feel lust. Instead, all I felt was anger. A strange kind of anger with no obvious source.
The other three figures were blurred, as if I hadn't earned the right to see them yet. They talked among themselves, but the main conversation I heard was between Dracula and Wrath—or… maybe I should say…
Greed and Wrath.