THE SEVEN

pt.4

Xena and Gabrielle stood looking at the being who just revealed himself as a demon named Envy.

XENA
So your names Envy. As in the emotion?

Envy gave a cocky smirk.

ENVY
That's right. I'm the physical embodiment of all things envious and everything that goes with it.

XENA
So you're the one who's been causing trouble.

ENVY
Well I can't take all the credit.

XENA
Right you mentioned "your associats". So just who were you talking about?

ENVY
You're aware that there are demons. And a vast number of us too. As with humans, we demons can very greatly from one another. From powers, to status, to roles. Each of us has our own unique place in the demon realm.

XENA
Get to the point.

ENVY 
I'm sure you've heard of what's known as the seven deadly sins?

GABRIELLE
We have.

ENVY
Well you see I am part of a group of highly elite and powerful demons known in the demon world as The Seven. Or as we were known to humans, Sin Demons. Anyway as the name The Seven suggests, there are seven of us. Each representing the embodiment for one of the seven deadly sins. Lust, pride, sloth, greed, gluttony, wrath and yours truly envy.

XENA
What are you doing here?

ENVY
Well after centuries of imprisonment we finally found a way to free ourselves and return to the human realm to at long last begin our rightful rule over you pathetic humans. As we should have been able to do so long ago.

GABRIELLE
So that's it. You want to rule over humanity. As if we'd just let to a bunch of demons take control over our lives like that.

ENVY
Let us. Ha! As if you humans could do anything to stop it.

GABRIELLE
Just watch.

Gabrielle glared angerly at the demon. Though Xena caught something that Envy had said.

XENA
I couldn't help but notice that you mentioned breaking free from your imprisonment.

Envy sighed a little.

ENVY
Oh yeah, that. Not that it matters now, but long ago as we were just about to begin our rule. We were taken by surprise when some human with extraordinary power. He managed to seal us away within the demon realm. That's where we've spent all these centuries, trapped. That is until recently.

GABRIELLE
How did you even escape?

ENVY
None of us are exactly sure about what happened. But for some reason the barrier keeping us trapped is gone. Thanks to that, we're now free to roam this realm and do as we please once again.

XENA
Not if I stop you.

Xena quickly grabbed her chakrum and threw it at Envy. The demon just stood there as the projectile came flying at him. He moved his head slightly as the weapon flew past him. Though his arrogance was short lived when he realized that Xena's chakrum had managed to just barely graze his cheek, leaving a small cut. Envy put his hand up to his face, feeling the wound and seeing that Xena's attack had drawn blood as Xena's chakrum returned to her. The demon was clearly shocked by the fact that Xena was able to do anything against him.

XENA
(Condescending tone) What's wrong, did a "pathetic human" just manage to do something to one of the "all powerful sin demons"?

Envy glared at Xena.

ENVY
I don't know who you think you are human. But I'll be sure to make you regret that.

The demon Envy began walking towards Xena and Gabrielle. As he did, both of them could feel raw emotion radiating from the demon. As he got closer Xena began to feel an extreme feeling of envy building within her. This was clearly the effects of the demons power. It began to become increasingly intense. So much so it felt as though she was about to be consumed by it. All Xena could think about was random thoughts of things that made her envious. Her mind flashed back to her dark days. She remembered how strong this feeling was back then. As this was going on, Gabrielle saw that Xena appeared to be in some sort of trance. She tried to get her to snap out of it.

GABRIELLE
Xena. Xena!

But Xena didn't respond. Gabrielle quickly drew her sais as she turned towards Envy.

GABRIELLE
I don't know what you're doing to her, but it stops now.

Gabrielle charged at Envy. But as she got closer she was forced to stop., as she too began to feel the effects of the demons power. She quickly backed off to avoid falling under his spell.

GABRIELLE
(Thinking  to herself) I can't get near him.

She ran over to Xena and tried to break her from Envy's control. But as she did, Xena turned and looked at her with an almost vacant expression on her face. Gabrielle could see Xena's eyes beginning to turn a bright green.

GABRIELLE
What do I do? Xena wake up. Whatever he's doing to you, you have to fight it. Xena!

But Xena didn't respond.

ENVY
Your wasting your time. Once I have a hold of someone like this, there's no stopping it. In a few moments she will be completely overtaken by my influence. I'll make it so that her very existence will revolve around nothing but an inescapable feeling of envy. It will become so unbearable she will do literally anything to make it stop. And I do mean anything.

Those ominous words gave Gabrielle a horrible pit in her stomach.

GABRIELLE
No, Xena.

She continued to try and awakened Xena from her trance, refusing to give up. The demon just laughed at Gabrielle's relentless, but clearly pointless attempts to snap Xena out of his spell. Just as all hope seemed lost, Gabrielle heard an unfamiliar voice.

?
Envy. There you are.

Gabrielle looked to see that another being had suddenly appeared. Based on the fact that they seemed to know Envy, she quickly came to the conclusion that it must be one of the other sin demons.

ENVY
Greed, what are you doing here?

GREED
We've been waiting on you. Stop messing around with these humans and come on. We have more important things to do.

ENVY
But she...

GREED
I normally don't care if you go off and do your own thing, but did you forget that you know who does not like to be kept waiting. You know how she gets when things don't go just like she wants.

Envy gave an annoyed sigh.

ENVY
(Irritated tone) Fine.

Envy released his hold over Xena. As soon as he did, Xena dropped to her hands and knees. The intense feeling of envy and all the memories from her past involving it began to quickly fade from the forefront of Xena's mind. Gabrielle saw Xena's eyes return to normal. She briefly looked over towards Envy and Greed just in time to see them fade from sight, then they were gone. Gabrielle turned her attention back on Xena.

GABRIELLE
You okay?

XENA
I think so.

GABRIELLE
What exactly did he do to you?

Xena explained what she experienced while under the effects of Envy's power.

XENA
I'm lucky he stopped when he did. I don't know how much longer I could've endured that and come back from it. These demons are extremely dangerous and need to be stopped.

GABRIELLE
How? That was only one of them and we couldn't do anything against him. What are we supposed to do against seven of these demons?

XENA
I don't know yet. But we have to do something to send them back to where they came from. We don't have a choice. All of humanity depends on it.

TO BE CONTINUED...