Deep below the surface, beneath the Holy Capital's polished marble streets, the earth groaned with forgotten secrets.
Yuu stood in the ruins of an old crypt, the air thick with dust and silence. Moss clung to ancient walls, and the stone floor beneath him was cracked with time. This place wasn't marked on any map. Not even the system acknowledged its existence.
Which made it perfect.
He had been searching. Not for power—but for memory.
Long before the temples rose, before the prophecies began, this underground chamber had served a different purpose. Its markings predated the System. And on its walls were carvings: depictions of seven cloaked figures, each holding a sigil.
Wrath, Envy, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Sloth and Pride.
The Seven Sins.
And above them all—a blank stone throne.
Yuu reached out and placed his hand on the carving of Gluttony.
> Beelzebub recognizes its mirror.
Echo Fragment Recovered: 3%
System warning: Legacy Skill - Archival Sin: Gluttonous Memory is incomplete.
"Then I'll complete it," Yuu said softly.
He felt it—a faint pulse deep in the stone, like the heartbeat of a secret long buried.
Somewhere out there, the other sins still slept.
And the people destined to carry them... would need to awaken soon.
Back in Elaria, Rael stood in front of the Council once again. His armor bore no scratches, but his expression was worn.
"You went off path," one of the elders said, frowning. "You ignored the directive."
"There was no directive for what I found," Rael replied firmly. "Something is wrong with the System."
Gasps echoed through the chamber. One of the younger priests dropped his staff.
"You dare question the divine?"
Rael's jaw tightened. "I don't question it. I'm telling you what I saw."
But even as he spoke, part of him wondered—would they ever listen?
After the hearing, Alina approached him.
"You've changed, Rael," she said, softer than before. "Are you sure this is still your path?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "But it's the truth."
And somewhere below the capital, Yuu looked up from the crypt and whispered,
"Good."
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