by Ryan Attard
Locklania seemed to be on the same wavelength as me. "This island has a way of bringing out our hidden talents."
Slowly she bent down and caressed a patch of grass with her hand. I heard her whisper something and felt a small surge of magic. Sure enough a flower bloomed into life from the spot she touched, it's petals a vibrant shade of pink.
"My powers have increased a thousand-fold since I arrived here," she said. "You are probably experiencing the same thing. The island has potent magic."
"And yet the Vensir cannot use any," I said.
Locklania huffed and waved her hand indignantly. "The Vensir," she said in an annoyed tone. "Serves them right for living right next to the obelisk. That abomination is responsible for our current predicament, and if I were powerful enough, I would destroy it where it stood." She let out a sigh. "But that is why you are here. To either save or destroy this island."
She gazed at the horizon, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Slowly exhaling, she opened her eyes again and smiled.
"Come, Erik. Time for you to do whatever it is you were sent here to do."
Her words were enigmatic enough, but that's not what bothered me. I've dealt with angels and those assholes are as enigmatic as they come. No, what really bothered me was the tone of her voice. The words said one thing, but the voice gave it a deeper meaning. It wasn't the tone of a guide doing her job.
This sounded very much like a fond farewell.
We walked in silence for half an hour, as we crossed through the dense forest. All around us nature was quiet.
And here's the thing about nature: the damn thing never shuts up. Nature is alive, vibrant and loud, and the fact that we were walking through a sonic dead zone unnerved me to no end.
Then finally, I heard the distinct sound of crashing waves.
We stopped on a rocky incline, about twenty feet from the shore. This wasn't like the sandy beaches occupied by the Sahuagin. Instead, sharp boulders and rocks peppered the ash-colored sand, as blue waves crashed and splashed around the rocks, endlessly coating them in a glittering sheen. The beach gave way to an inlet where rocks became a conjoined platform of sharp coral—a flatbed surrounded by rocks almost like an arena.
As we got closer I could tell that the flatbed was not a natural phenomenon. It looked as if the top section of a rock bed had been torn off, leaving behind a jagged and uneven platform. It looked too neat to be random, almost as if someone had done this on purpose.
"This is where they opened the portal," I realized. "Where it all started."
"Yes," Locklania replied in hushed tones.
There wasn't really any need for her to answer. Apart from the stark physical evidence, there was an unnatural stillness in the place, as if time stood still. Magic still lingered here. It felt like the tragedy that had occurred hundreds of years ago had created a scar within the universe itself.
Not good for said universe but quite helpful for the wizard.
I stepped in the middle of the flatbed. Locklania stood back, closer to the edge of the forest. I didn't blame her. Just being here must be awakening all sorts of PTSD in her. There was no telling what would happen once the big nasty Sin showed up.
Speaking of which…
“Um…”
That's never a good way to start an invocation.
I cleared my throat and concentrated. Immediately I felt the connection with the island, felt the silent presence lurking underneath it all, like the throbbing of a heart but on a cosmic level.
"Spirit of the island, I invoke you." I waited five seconds and tried again. This time I tried some of the old English. Who knows, maybe this demon was anal about language.
"Spirit of this plane, I invoke thee." But again, despite feeling the Sin lurking in the ether, nothing happened.
Time to try this Erik style.
I stomped on the ground, widening my stance and forced all of my magic through the earth and through that connection I felt. The invocations I had tried first were akin to knocking politely on the door.
And since that clearly didn't work, I decided to kick open that sucker.
"Yo, Island Spirit or whatever you're called," I yelled. "I can feel you down there. I know you can hear me. I know what you are. Sin of Envy, I invoke you!"
My voice resonated in the wind and I felt the slightest of tremors, before the spray from the waves hit my eye. Which did very little to improve my mood.
I pulled out Djinn and channeled magic to elongate the blade to the size of a broadsword.
"Okay," I said. I don't care if you're one of the Seven Deadly Sins, or an Alpha demon, or an Archangel or whatever. If I've come this far and you're fucking with me, I'm gonna be pissed off, big time.
"I've survived two weeks on this shithole you call a home," I roared. "I've tried everything to go back to my place, back to my family, and you won't let me! I went through all of that shit just to get here. So listen up."
I stabbed Djinn on the ground and channeled all of my magic. I didn't care where I poured my magic: I knew that the Sin would feel it. Better yet, instead of gently poking it, my intention was to sucker-punch it in the balls and make it pay attention.
"Sin of Envy, I invoke you. Get your ugly motherfucking ass up here, right, the fuck, now!"
Magic exploded all around me. From beneath the rock massive geysers of steam erupted, showering everything with water, ash and dust. The seas surged and a massive whirlpool formed. The water torrent spiraled upwards until it reached the sky. The heavens rumbled, as clouds darkened and spun into each other. Violent bolts of blue and purple lightning crackled in between them like cries of wrath from long-lost deities.
I felt my inner power burst forth, once again cladding me in tendrils of solid darkness, and fear—primal, savage, base fear—filled every corner and crevice of my mind.
And then, slowly, as if the very universe we stood on was giving birth to it, the Sin of Envy came into existence.
Chapter 31
The monster emerged from within the waves. Its body began taking on a more solid shape with every receding wave: a mixture between fish, reptile and crustacean that was just plain disturbing to look at.
This thing was huge. And I mean huge.
First to come out were dozens of tentacles that whipped around, each the size of a tree trunk. They exploded from the ocean and dug themselves into the land, piercing rock, sand and soil with no discrimination. The ocean seemed to part as this giant crab-shell-looking thing emerged. And I say emerged because I don't really know how to describe it.
It was like the seafloor came up to the surface. As if the sun itself descended and took shape. The sea and the sky became one, connected through this monstrosity that rose from the bottom of the abyss and kept growing until those tentacles reached beyond the swirling cumulonimbus grey clouds that sent thunderbolts in between them.
A pair of arms reached out from the darkness, from inside the giant shell, and slammed into the shore. Sand became mist and the sound was enough to silence everything around us. Each thick, fish-scaled arm glistened in a kaleidoscope of colors, from red to green to blue to purple and an inky black. From hand to elbow, a dark blue hue shone under the sunlight. The arms ended with a pair of hands with three fingers on each hand bearing webbing between them. They were tipped with claws so large they could have gored a Wurm from end to end.
The remainder of its torso remained submerged but I saw two tails that put the enormity of the monster in perspective. Rising above the surface, the creature's rear ended in a split tail, like a snake's forked tongue. Each tail had what I first thought to be offset scales, but saw that they were fish tails—like a thousand dolphin or whale tails, in place of where each scale would normally go. As it moved I saw hundreds of rows of fins on its side, each the size of a Volvo. The rest of its body—its legs I assumed—remained submerged beneath the water.
The tails slammed down against the azure ocean and the waves parted again. From the depth, a thick, long crocod
ile head snaked upwards towards the sky like a skyscraper, well beyond the length of Central. Along its Loch Ness Monster-like neck was a long fin, from translucent green to the color of seaweed. Its head was reptilian, like a crocodile's, but it was the size of an aircraft carrier. Instead of the wide, toothy grin, its mouth opened into an elliptical shape, revealing circles upon circles on dagger-like teeth. Its jaws closed by folding on top of each other, bending those teeth backwards, ripping and shredding whatever got caught in them. Two feelers dangled from its flat nose, waving to and fro with every shudder.
Nothing however was as disturbing as its eyes. Envy didn't have just your regular pair of eyes: it had over two dozen. They were stacked against each other at the sides of its snout. Giant green-and-yellow eyes with an undulating slit in the middle, almost cat-like, each about three times my height in diameter.
As water cascaded like rain from this giant, me and Locklania just stood there, rooted on the spot. Then the demon flared its nostrils, expelling a small tornado of air and sending those feelers flying about. It snapped its head to one side, aiming a dozen moon-sized eyes at us and then zeroing in on me specifically.
Envy did not lower its head to speak to me. It just stood there, shaking off ocean water and giving me the largest glare I had ever received.
"I have answered your call, Erik Ashendale." Its voice wasn't raspy or throaty. It came in clear bursts of sound, almost like a speaker turned up to its maximum power. The only difference was the scraping sound its teeth made as they ground against each other.
"Now tell me why I should not make you meet the same demise as your ancestors."
Erik, the big-ass fish lizard asked you a question. Best not piss it off by making it wait for an answer.
So I replied. Somehow I don't think Envy heard my squeak from that far away.
This time the monster lowered its head, just a fraction of an inch.
"SPEAK, WARLOCK!" The blast of sound was enough to send me falling on my ass. Locklania stepped in front of me and took a tentative step towards the monster.
"It is you," she whispered hoarsely. The demon let out a few throaty growls.
"It is you," she said louder. "I've been to the edge of insanity and back, looking for you—looking to meet you."
In the movies this is the part where the giant monster gobbles up the idiotic, clueless, yet incredibly hot, woman.
"Do you not fear me?" it growled.
There was no power or malice in that question, which I guess is what really took me by surprise. It was an honest question, plain and simple.
Locklania shook her head. "I have lived with your presence for over two hundred years. Any fear or anger I held in my heart for you is long gone."
"That is good," rumbled the demon. His eyes focused on me again. "But my question remains unanswered."
I finally mustered enough courage to face Envy. Sure, this guy was huge and very terrifying, but once you get over the initial shock, I guess he's just another demon.
That's it Erik. Hold on to that thought—just another demon.
"Hey, I didn't ask to be stuck here," I said. "But while we're on the subject of annihilation, care to tell me why your dimension is gate-crashing into mine? Or is it one of those demonic whacky things you guys are famous for?"
Envy roared and shook its giant crocodile head, while its tails slapped the water, sending entire waves raining over us.
"I do not concern myself with matters outside of my exile." He looked right at me, all the malice in the world aimed at me. "It is intruders such as yourself who force my hand. Now perish, insect."
"NO!" Locklania stepped protectively in front of me. "I will not let this happen again. Not like this."
Envy stopped his trashing.
"Why?" asked the Witch. "Why did you have to kill them? Why won't you let anyone leave?" She fell to her knees. "Why? Why? Why?" She kept repeating that word maniacally.
"It's what demons do," I replied. "Plain and simple. This guy is a killer and the only reason you were kept alive is for his sadistic pleasure." Shadows solidified around me. My little speech served its purpose, giving me the strength of will and conviction I needed to get in gear and start fighting.
Envy exhaled, calm and collected. "Do not presume to know me, Warlock. You should not allow your final words to be as foolish as the reason for your existence."
"How's this for final words then—go fuck yourself, fish face," I shot back.
"Enough!" Locklania crawled on her knees towards Envy's hand. She actually grabbed onto one of the scales on his fingers. "Tell me why. Why spare me? Why not just end me as well?"
"Because you are pure, and I could not see any reason to harm a creature such as yourself, Nature Witch."
Wait, what?
"Bullshit," I said. And yet, Envy's voice was kind and gentle. It reminded me of someone talking to their pet—a lovable, almost parental tone of voice, and a soft but stern attitude.
Envy shuddered, flaring his fins and spines, before receding his head just a little.
"This is the first time I have been summoned like a common animal, by something as young and small as yourself, Warlock," he said.
"What the hell are you?" I asked.
Envy roared, summoning all his power. "I am Leviathan, Swallower of Worlds, He who Roams in Between, Bane of Majesty," the demon replied. "I am God's Bane, the Abyss Dweller. And as of recently, I am the Sin of Envy."
The earth-shaking power receded to a more comfortable level once he was done with his speech.
"Many eons ago, long before the universes were numerous, I was a creature housed by what today are known as Angels," he said. "They set me upon the world of Man to teach them fear and humility. No matter what they built, no matter their power, I was bigger, stronger and omnipresent. I would devour the souls of the damned, before they could reach Hell and further populate it. The Arch-demons were few and far between, and without sustenance, they could never oppose Heaven. I was the key to that."
Envy's neck undulated a little, and covered the light of the sun. I realized that that he was doing a very human thing—the demon was shaking his head in annoyance.
"But as I assimilated those souls, I began to change. That is Man's greatest power—unlimited potential to change and grow. So I too changed. I grew independent and saw the universe for what it was. I was a tool for others and I refused to be so any longer. My exile was eternal and my universe sealed off by my own power, far away from anyone's prying eyes."
"But mankind's greatest power is also the source of their downfall. The Warlocks found my world and sought to claim my power. They were ignorant of my true nature, something which I mercilessly rectified. Never again would I allow anyone to use my power for any purpose, nor would I allow them to reveal my existence. So I ended them and their meddling ways once and for all."
Envy lowered his head to look Locklania in the eye and there was a tense second, where he did nothing but growl. I seriously thought he was going to eat her up.
And there was jack-shit I could do about it.
But, much to my surprise, this guy just kept on talking. "However I could not bring myself to destroy one of them; a Nature Witch, pure as the world I had created and just as right for it as the trees in the forests."
The Sin turned his head towards me. "I do not know how he came to know of my existence, but I am now the Sin of Envy." Envy's power spiked up again. "If I ever find him I will devour him whole," he roared.
"Who is he?" I asked, already suspecting the answer.
"The one who gave the Sins their hosts," replied Envy. "I do not know his nature, other than it is vastly more powerful than mine."
I had trouble picturing something 'vastly more powerful' than the guy in front of me right now. Guess I'll have to cross that bridge when I'll come to it.
"However I try, I cannot purge the Sin from myself," Envy continued. Then he looked at Locklania. "Not by myself at least."
"Huh?" I asked but he ignor
ed me.
"I have waited for decades until you grew strong enough to interact with me," he told the Witch. "With my help you can grow powerful enough to purge the darkness from me, and allow me to return to my former self."
"It ain't that easy, buddy," I shot back. "Let's assume you're not bullshitting us, for a second. The only way that Sin is getting out of you is with the power of a Virtue—and the current angel in question is trapped in chaos space between dimensions. He's long gone."
"That may be so," Leviathan replied, "but you know nothing of the nature of Sins. If you did you would understand why the woman, why my exile, is necessary."
And then it all fell into place.
I remembered how Lust, or Lilith, had said something similar. I kept calling them demons but it wasn't as simple as that. The Sins are just pure power, a manifestation of a particular aspect, and then this Master, whoever he was, finds a suitable host and merges the two.
"Of course," I said. "Envy. That's what you do. It's not you that's envious: it's everyone else. You make others envious, and then sustain yourself with that energy." I smiled, mentally patting myself on the back for putting it all together.
"This exile is so that you don't interact with other humans, right? But look at this place. You built all this after you got the Sin, right?" I didn't have to wait for the answer. "This place is a utopia. Everything runs smooth and clean. Even those insane Vensir whackos were good until the Warlocks showed up. And that's why your dimension showed up next to Earth. You are inspiring envy on a planetary scale, feeding your Sin without even knowing it."
Envy said nothing. Instead he just growled softly. I took that as a sign to keep going.
"But that ain't everything, right? You are jealous of us," I said. "Jealous of humans and their ability to build a society. That's why you kept Locklania. Sure, there's the whole power and purity thing, but the real reason is simple: you were lonely, but you didn't trust humans. Locklania is the perfect in-between. How am I doing so far?"