Sins of the heart

Chapter four: sin of sloth Lena

Riku had been through a lot over the past few weeks. Surviving Wrath's rage and Greed's temptations had left him physically and mentally exhausted. So, when the time came for his next "date," he was almost relieved to hear he'd be spending the week with Sloth.

"How bad could it be?" he muttered as he walked toward the realm of Sloth. "Just sitting around doing nothing? I can handle that."

He soon realized how wrong he was.

---

The realm of Sloth wasn't what he had expected. Instead of a dark, dreary wasteland or an opulent palace, it was more like a sprawling, dream-like landscape. Lush meadows stretched out as far as the eye could see, the sky overhead painted with soft hues of pink and blue. The air was warm and carried the scent of flowers, making everything feel strangely peaceful.

In the center of the meadow sat a massive tree with wide, drooping branches that almost touched the ground. Beneath the tree, in a hammock strung between two low-hanging branches, lay a figure. Riku squinted, trying to get a better look.

"That must be her," he mumbled, cautiously approaching the tree.

As he got closer, he could see that the figure in the hammock was indeed a woman. She had long, silvery hair that flowed down her back, blending in with the soft green grass beneath her. Her eyes were half-closed, as if she were on the verge of falling asleep, and she wore a loose, flowing robe that seemed to blend with the lazy atmosphere of the place.

"Hey," Riku called out hesitantly. "Are you... Sloth?"

The woman barely stirred. She gave a soft sigh, her voice low and dreamy as she responded. "Call me Lena. And keep it down... you're disturbing the peace."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Right... sorry."

Lena lazily opened one eye, glancing at him before closing it again. "You must be Riku. The one stuck with us Sins."

"Yeah, that's me," Riku said, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "So, uh... what do we do now?"

"Do?" Lena's voice sounded genuinely confused. "We don't do anything."

Riku blinked. "Wait, nothing at all?"

Lena stretched out in the hammock, yawning. "Exactly. Just relax. Enjoy the quiet. You've been through a lot, haven't you? This is the part where you let go of all that stress."

At first, Riku wasn't sure what to think. A whole week of doing nothing? Sure, it sounded great—*in theory*. But after everything he had been through, sitting around for days without any action seemed... strange.

Still, he figured there was no harm in giving it a shot. So, Riku found a spot under the tree and sat down. He leaned back against the trunk and closed his eyes, letting the soft breeze wash over him.

It was... nice. Peaceful, even.

---

The first day passed without incident. Lena hardly moved from her hammock, only speaking in short, drowsy sentences when necessary. Riku spent most of his time napping or daydreaming, feeling like he was finally getting a break from the chaos of the previous weeks.

But by the second day, something began to feel off.

Riku woke up, blinking groggily. He didn't remember falling asleep. His body felt heavy, almost like he was stuck in quicksand. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt sluggish, as if the air around him had turned to molasses.

"What the...?"

"Relax," Lena's voice drifted over to him from her hammock. "Don't fight it."

"I'm not fighting," Riku said, frowning. "But I can't move."

Lena chuckled softly, her eyes still half-closed. "That's the point, Riku. The more you resist, the harder it gets. You're in the realm of Sloth now. Everything here slows down—your thoughts, your actions, your will to do anything."

Riku's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean I'm going to be stuck like this?"

"For a little while," Lena said, yawning. "Just until you get used to it."

Riku's mind raced, but even his thoughts seemed to move at a snail's pace. His usual anxiety about the situation was dampened, replaced by a strange sense of calm. It was like his body and mind were sinking into the earth, becoming one with the laziness that filled the air.

---

By the third day, Riku had given up trying to fight the effects of Sloth's realm. He spent his days in a strange haze, drifting in and out of sleep. Time seemed to lose all meaning. Hours felt like minutes, and minutes stretched into eternity.

Lena, meanwhile, remained as serene as ever. She barely spoke, content to lounge in her hammock and watch the clouds roll by. Occasionally, she would glance at Riku, as if checking to see if he was still conscious.

"How do you do this?" Riku finally asked, his voice sluggish.

Lena opened one eye, regarding him lazily. "Do what?"

"Live like this," Riku said, struggling to form the words. "Just... doing nothing. Doesn't it drive you crazy?"

Lena smiled faintly. "No. It's peaceful. People waste so much energy chasing after things they don't need. Power, wealth, love... it's all pointless in the end. Why bother when you can just... exist?"

Riku frowned, trying to wrap his head around her logic. "But don't you ever want more? To, I don't know... make something of yourself?"

Lena shrugged. "What's the point? In the end, it all fades away. So why not enjoy the stillness while you can?"

Riku was silent for a long time, trying to process her words. He had always been the type to go with the flow, to avoid conflict and keep things simple. But even he had dreams, ambitions—small as they were. Could he really just give all that up?

---

By the end of the week, Riku had begun to understand the true danger of Sloth.

It wasn't just about being lazy. It was about losing the will to *do* anything. The longer he stayed in Lena's realm, the more tempting it became to simply let go—to stop caring, to stop wanting, to stop *trying*. The peace and stillness of the place wrapped around him like a blanket, lulling him into a state of complacency.

But somewhere deep inside, a small part of him resisted.

On the last day, as he lay under the tree, Riku forced himself to sit up. His limbs felt heavy, his mind foggy, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through it. He had to remind himself that this wasn't who he was. He wasn't just some guy who gave up when things got tough. He had survived Wrath's fury and Greed's temptations—he wasn't going to let Sloth take him down.

With great effort, he stood up, his legs wobbling beneath him. Lena watched him from her hammock, her expression unreadable.

"You're leaving?" she asked softly.

Riku nodded, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah. I can't stay here."

Lena sighed, closing her eyes again. "I figured. You're stronger than you look, Riku. Most people don't make it this far."

Riku chuckled weakly. "I guess I just have a hard time giving up."

Lena's lips curved into a small smile. "Good. Don't lose that. The others won't go easy on you."

Riku nodded, feeling a renewed sense of determination. He wasn't sure what the next sin would throw at him, but he knew one thing for certain: he wasn't going to let any of them break him.

As he walked away from the peaceful, dream-like realm of Sloth, he felt lighter—like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had faced the temptation of doing nothing, of letting go of his ambitions and desires, and he had come out the other side.

And for the first time in a long while, Riku felt proud of himself.

After almost falling for sloth Riku learned that it's better to do something in life than not doing anything.