Heaven and Hell

TWENTY-TWO

S E V E N  S I N S

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THREE DAYS AFTER the truth about Death was revealed, the brothers gathered again to form their plan. They worked in secret, hidden by shadows of the castle walls and in the silence of the night. When it was finally time to come together once more and plan major points that would help them win the future war, they had already seen important progress in their surroundings.

Gathered around a round table in the library of the north wing, Dimitri rolled out a piece of parchment he had been working on tirelessly for the last few days. Wilhelm lit a candle to help bring light in the room. The flame danced in their silence, swaying to the beat of their hearts as Dimitri sat back down, gesturing to the drawing.

"These are the people that passed on in the last three days alone. This list includes souls that are sent to Heaven to live a peaceful afterlife as well as the souls sent here to Hell to repent for their crimes."

Calvin sat up a little straighter so that he could take a better look at the drawing that Dimitri had provided. Around twenty individual souls were recorded down, each with a vague personality evaluation as well as what they had been up to when they were still alive.

"I worry about how you spend your days," Wilhelm idly commented, a single eyebrow raised. "It must've been—"

"Horrifying," Fabian cut in. "Imagine seeing nothing but faces of the dead for days on end. I would've gone mad."

"I doubt any of us are still sane." Dimitri sighed, leaning back as he shut his eyes. "This place is toying with the last strings of my sanity."

Calvin sighed. "Lucifer runs Hell with an iron fist. The effects of his rule bleeds into the castle walls along with the cries of his once-human victims. There is no possible way we can survive this place with our sanity intact. One might even say that we should abandon it if we hope to live on."

Leaning his elbows against the smooth table, Calvin picked up a random piece of parchment so as to examine the drawing closely. His eyes followed every trace of the graphite, silently impressed by his brother's knack for art. Even so, it was regrettable that so many had passed in so little time.

"Are there any developments with your abilities?" Placing the parchment back down, Calvin turned to eye Dimitri closely, watching his expression.

The latter shrugged, peeking through his long dark eyelashes before fluttering them close again. The fine strands of hair grazed the skin of his face for a second before he opened his eyes again.

"It is more like an itch that can't be scratched. Before someone dies, I feel the need to be at the scene. To ease the passing or cause more pain depending on the situation." He paused, frowning. "Actually, no. It's more like I want to be there to pass judgement."

"Have you gone, then?" Fabian inquired.

Dimitri snorted. "Obviously not. Lucifer would throw a fit if I left the confines of Hell."

At that, the corners of Wilhelm's lips quirked. Light danced in his irises as he stretched his arms high above his head, reaching for the ceiling. The muscles of his upper body ached in a manner that was nearly soothing and he let out a sigh. Slumping back down into his seat, Wilhelm wore an amused smirk on his lips.

"We should plan a small revolt. Just something to stir up trouble and test the waters before going out into a full war against Lucifer. It is wiser to see what we're up against, don't you think?"

The red-head's index finger tapped against his chin as he waited for his brothers' reply, all of which were deep in thought. After a long silence, Calvin was the first to speak. He nodded once, rising from his seat.