SEVEN: Cursed Souls

CHAPTER 50: WINE CELLAR

Minutes before Rychard and Meditrina's Death.

Ryder, Sophia, James, Logan, Lazaro, Rico, and Hope came into the lair of the Reaper, while other members poured gasoline into the two buildings. Only the members of Reaper are inside their lair as their members are already waiting at palace.

Ryder went in to Anonymous' room alone. Sophia, and Hope went inside the Puppeteer's room. Logan, Lazaro, and Rico into Assassin's maze. And James into Techno's room.

***

Inside Puppeteer's room, Sophia, Hope, and Puppeteer came face to face but what confused the three was that Puppeteer was sitting there like she was waiting for them. There were also traps made of interlaced ropes, one is in the right side and another is in the left of the room. One wrong move and they could be pushed and trapped in the webbed ropes.

"The deceiver!" said Sophia. "You were pretty good! How was it, huh?" she grinned, rolled her eyes, then added, "How was it being the sweet innocent girl who acted like a victim?"

"Pathetic!" said Puppeteer as she stood up. "How did it feel when you sent someone to drug me?"

"How did it feel when you hired the One-eyed to kill me?" Sophia asked back.

"Weren't those the people who you hired to kill me?!" Puppeteer clapped thrice.

Sophia was infuriated and yelled, "Olivia! Stop hiding under a mask and show me your face!"

The Puppeteer took her mask off, showing her face. She made a smirk. "Peaceful as olives, gracious as a dove—"

"More like 'deceitful as a raven'!" Sophia interrupted.

The Puppeteer gave a sharp gaze. "HAHAHA! Let me finish!" she flipped her hair to her sides, "Olivia is here! It's your ending, loser!" she took out a knife and rushed towards Sophia.

A body met the floor while Sophia's eyes grew wide. But it was not her who fell but Hope who now has a syringe at her back.

Sophia was quick to use the chains she was holding to catch Olivia's arm. She then used the remaining chains to tie both Olivia's arms.

"Ina, get her out! I can handle this!" Sophia instructed Meditrina as she pulled the chain to the right, also pulling Olivia with the chains. Meditrina quickly pulled Hope out of the room, leaving only the three, Sophia and Olivia, behind.

"You cannot underestimate a Phoenix, fake dove!" said Sophia when Olivia fell down to the floor. Sophia came closer but Olivia was quick to kick her. "You still want a fight?" thought Sophia.

Olivia quickly stood up when Sophia lost her grip at the chains.

"Olivia, I know that we are both just victims of circumstances. I actually came here to let you have a chance. Let's escape this place and live anew," Sophia said in hopes that Olivia's heart would soften even just a little.

Sophia instead received a harder kick then Olivia used her foot to pin Sophia at the floor. "Chance? I don't need your chance!"

Sophia then got a pepper spray from her pocket and sprayed Olivia's eyes. Olivia couldn't wipe her eyes because her hands are still chained, she yelled then greeted her teeth due to the pain. Sophia took the chance to roll to her sides, stood up and pushed Olivia hard. Olivia was caught by the rope trap at her room; she hanged a few inches above ground when Sophia pushed her more and lifted both of her feet up—ropes supporting her legs.

Sophia saw the bag where Hope kept her stakes, she then aligned the stakes below Olivia's foot, then saw glasses of red wine that was displayed at the Puppeteer's room which she broke  below Olivia.

Olivia has no escape, caught by her own trap. She'll fall once she moves and will get impaled by the stakes below her.

"I was trying to help you but you are such a bitch!" Sophia picked Olivia's mask from the floor then locked the door. When she got out, she opened the letter from Hunter, it was meant for Olivia whose sin was also Envy. She opened the letter and read through it, although most of it's contents are blank, she cried when she reached the end of the letter where a familiar remark was visible: Death be upon you.

Sophia wore Olivia's coat and the raven mask. She went into the other building and posed as Puppeteer. Members were all gathered in the halls, there was a higher platform for the Reaper while all the people are below. Sophia climbed up an upper stage of the deck then sat at Puppeteer's throne.

***

When Sophia and Hope was confronting Olivia, the others were already inside the remaining members of Reaper's rooms while Logan, Lazaro, and Rico has to go through the maze before they can reach Assassin.