Sin of the Saint

CHAPTER ELEVEN: GAMES

Satoko Chiaki raised her eyes in surprise, and Liv considered the possibility that she hadn't thought of that as a cause for Charity's death, even though the woman could supposedly foresee many things.

"It is possible he knew where her wings were, touched them, and then took her through a Penitence. But one thing I know for certain, Olivia Yves, is that she gave up her life for you because of her faith in your abilities," Chiaki said. "I do not carry that same faith, that much is obvious, but that is why she died—she died for you."

She was right, Charity did say that. She willingly gave her life up for her.

"In order to pass her wings on to you, she still had to have them intact—so I doubt her Penitence was harsh enough to drive her to break them herself," Satoko said.

That slightly comforted Liv. Perhaps her friend hadn't suffered much at all before she died. Still, the idea of a Penitence frightened her. In the worst-case scenario—Cupid touching her wings—she doubted she would have the power to overcome that experience. She had plenty to feel guilty about.

"You mentioned that Sins have horns...are they the same as wings, but for Sins?" Liv asked.

Chiaki nodded.

Liv raised her eyebrows, "So...there's a possibility that I could carry Cupid through a Penitence if I were to discover his identity, where his are hidden, and then touch them?"

Chiaki nodded again, "Yes. Though it will hardly do anything to assist you."

"Why is that? How is that fair?" Liv asked, her hope dwindling.

Satoko chuckled, "Nothing about this is fair, Liv. You must accept that. As for the Sins' horns, they function the same as wings. But even if you were to discover Greed's identity and touch his horns, it wouldn't have an effect on him since the Sins themselves are hardly repentant."

Liv huffed. She just couldn't get an edge on Cupid. She trained with Coach Luther for two hours every single day and she barely learned how to properly hold her staff, how to spin it...she could land a few good hits with it, but still, Cupid could stab her. She was obtaining skills but not fast enough. The time was drawing near when she'd have to watch as the first pair of Sins and Saints face off...and she may possibly have to see Cupid again.

Was she ready for that?

"I guess I'll have to give it my best, then..." Liv said and stood up. "Thank you, Ms. Chiaki." Liv made her way to the door and opened it to leave, but Chiaki said something that stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You're doing better, you know."

Liv turned her head to face her, her eyebrows angled down, not sure what Ms. Chiaki meant by that.

"It may take years to finally be at peace with her death—that's just how it is. But I've noticed that you keep yourself distracted, lose yourself in your purpose, and stay busy...my fan shows you even smiling sometimes—even when you're training with Beau. I thought you should know that you are doing better with your grieving, and from what I can see, you will continue to do better. Good job."

Liv blinked—a compliment? From Ms. Chiaki?

She stood up taller at the comment and nodded before finally leaving.

Liv wasn't too into sports to begin with, so when Felicity practically coerced her into attending the Homecoming football game, she was less than thrilled. She enjoyed her Friday nights usually singing alone in her room or playing on her piano—like she and Charity used to do. But a therapist she had seen encouraged her to make peace with doing those activities alone or with another person. She hadn't found another person, nor did she want to—Charity was one of a kind, and Liv preferred to remember her that way.