The landscape shifted in front of him at a breakneck pace. It was outdoing everything the little guide had ever done. The world shifted and above him was a large gray eye that stared at him. “I’m waiting for you at the stronghold just like pathetic little Lust said.” The eye disappeared and the pathway opened up to the large stone building.

Screams of agony were all around. Simones whipping and torturing images of the past, but his path was clear. The room where he found Wrath lounging on her own little throne waiting staring at him. The guide was chained up to the wall.

“This little bitch has caused so many problems,” Wrath threw a dagger and just barely missed the guide who was whimpering in pain. “Why couldn’t she have just stayed gone and why the fuck are you here?” She screamed and fire burst up from the empty torches as she stood up.

“Why do you even care? Kill her, sell her, butcher her. Get your sick shit done already because you are the same as them. In the end, it is self-satisfaction that you are looking for as you end her life. That makes you no better than them.” She stood up, “Still fair is fair. You brought your ugly disgusting ass all the way through this hell hole to see me I guess I should be honored.” She was spitting venom.

“I’ll kill the guide in five minutes.” She summoned another Simone who came in with a sharpened stick. “Painfully at that. Five minutes is all you have.”

Wrath’s power was something far more than anything Lewis was expecting. It was only after the very world itself started to reshape that he realized his mistake. He had assumed that the Sins each had their own domain and that they never crossed into each other. The reality was much different.

Wrath’s domain was the entire world. Simone’s anger had consumed her, and for that, Wrath had become the ruler of the entire mental landscape. It was that anger that protected the real Simone. Lewis was beginning to understand that, even though he had already beaten six of the sins, that he may not come out of here alive.

The journey to Wrath’s keep took little time; the Sin had set up a direct path, and was waiting. The moment that Lewis stepped into her realm, Wrath went on a tirade of venom and malice, practically ready to end it all. Her threat to the guide was sold.

“Five minutes,” Lewis repeated as the copy Simone stood in front of him. No time. Ignore her. Go for the head of the snake. His eyes darted to Wrath. As if knowing his intention, the copy Simone struck out with a volley of swift, efficient blows. The first blow struck Lewis across the face. His shock wore off quickly though as he avoided the next set of strikes.

Blood welled up on the cut across his cheek. The pain was a wake up call. This Simone was nothing like the guide. This complicated matters.

The dagger puts me at a massive disadvantage. She has range on me, but I don’t have time. Lewis was once more caught of guard as the warrior Simone lunged in, stabbing at him from a distance as if expertly wielding a spear. The thrusts were far too difficult to dodge consecutively. The last blow struck his shoulder.

How long? He scrambled up, ignoring the fact that his left arm was now virtually useless. He could feel the blood pouring from the wound. Lewis could hear the guide calling out his name, ignoring her own pain. But her voice was so far away, and his visionw as swaying.

How much…longer… There was something tugging at his heart. Was this fear again? Fear of loss? Fear of death? No…this is something more. This was a brand new feeling. He took a step forward.

“Fuck you…” he spat out. Determination. He couldn’t see the guide anymore, but he could feel her. Her voice of concern was calling for him, echoing in his mind. His hazel eyes flickered an azure blue, if for a moment, and he felt a wave of emotions. Fear. Concern. Hate. Sorrow. Anger. Lust. Pain.

This is…the guide? He looked down at the dagger, which was now shimmering with a blue haze, the blood from his arm having splattered across it. But there was more than this. More emotions flooded in from the guide, overwhelming Lewis. But that was all he needed. He stabbed the dagger into his shoulder, feeling a piercing cold envelop his arm.

Just enough to stop the bleeding. His eyes focused on the shocked look of both the warrior Simone and Wrath. Move fast. He dashed forward at a surprising speed, swiftly dodging the warrior’s stabs, and slit her throat. Without skipping a beat, he threw the dagger, aimed straight for Wrath’s head, the blade leaving a blue streak through the air as it flew to its target.

Wrath was the fighting spirit that Simone had. It was what kept her alive but also what was damning her as well. “If you think this will stop me YOU HAVEN’T LEARNED A FUCKING THING,” Wrath roared even with the dagger in her. Even with her neck slit. She was still trying to come forward. This was Simone and she was a survivor.

It was the Guide this time who managed to get enough strength to free herself. Now that Lewis was near her she could focus and use her strength that she had kept hidden. She managed to take out the Simone with the spear and take it. There was panic as she ran at Wrath. “Stay away from him!” The guide shrieked.

“YOU JUST DON’T LEARN,” Wrath screamed as she tried to attack the guide but the guide was smart as she dodged and shoved the spear through Wrath’s heart. She took the dagger and pulled it out.

“No, I learn unlike you,” the guide cut off Wrath’s head, and only then did things seem to stop turning. The landscape disappeared and before them was a strange tile with engraved lines. It looked to have a keyhole near the center.

The guide dropped the dagger and ran over to Lewis, “Are you alright? I’m so sorry I didn’t realize she was behind me until it was too late.”

It was over. Lewis fell down, exhausted. The pain was catching up to him now. He wasn’t sure he would even stay conscious of much longer, but he ignored it as the guide came to him, panicked but safe. Lewis tried to sit up, but the pain caused him to fall back, and he gasped in agony.

“It’s a good…good thing none of this is real, right?” Lewis said with a sarcastic smile. What the hell am I doing? He winced as the guide placed her hands on his now defrosting shoulder.

“This is a lot of damage, but I can-”

“Don’t bother,” he replied, forcing himself to sit up. “We’re so close now…” With the guide’s help, they made their way over to the new structure that had appeared on the ground. All around them, the keep had dissolved, leaving them in the calm, open forest. It took Lewis a moment to realize, but this had been where they first met.

“It’s changed…” he said, a little surprised. The sun was beginning to set, but the breeze on the horizon was warm. He looked back to the keyhole. “So…this is…”

The guide helped Lewis over to it. They stared in silence for a moment before she let Lewis go, making sure he could stand on his own.

“Yes,” she said finally. “This is…this is where we part ways.” Simone’s breath caught for a moment. “Oh. The dagger!” She went and grabbed it from where it was dropped, and returned, standing above the platform. “It’s simple really,” she said. “All it needs is…for me to die.”

Lewis stared at her for a moment, processing. “I see.” There was nothing but ice in his voice. It was to be expected. But this still felt…awkward for some reason.

The guide smiled. “I…I’m glad we met, really. I’ve been-” She paused. “We’ve been waiting for so long.” Her smile trembled. “We’ve wanted this for so long.” She held the dagger against her heart, her hands trembling. “So…”

Lewis closed his eyes.

He could hear everything around them. The breeze whistling by, the sounds of insects chirping on this distance, and even Simone’s trembling breaths. She was scared.

“Lewis, I can’-” she said, dropping the dagger. Tears streamed down her face. “I don’t want to…I can’t bring myself to leave. I…” Her voice broke.

The assassin hobbled over to her, leaning down to pick up the dagger. “Here…”

“But it has to be me,” she replied. Lewis hugged her from behind, taking her hands in his, forcing her to hold the dagger, guiding it to her heart. “Lewis…what are you-”

“Shh. Just listen,” he said, his eyes closed. “You’ve done well. I’m so proud of you…” There was a warmth to his voice. His voice was soft and caring. It was then, that the guide realized where it was coming from. She could feel his heartbeat resonating with hers. They were as one, if only for a moment.

“It’s time, though, for you to rest.”

The dagger plunged into her heart, and she felt her breath hitch. It was…painless. “Lewis…thank you.” Tears streamed down her face. Her body began to fade into a mist, which sunk into the keyhole. There was a resonating sound that shook the world…the sound of Simone’s heart unlocking.

Lewis stepped back, a single tear streaking down his face. That emotion that she shared with me… It had been the most confusing thing about all of it. It was the most intense thing he had ever felt in his entire life, and he held no idea of what it could mean.

Was it…love?

Everything opened up in a matter of moments after the guide was killed. The world flooded out in a crash of warmth. Summer unlike the winter that the younger Simone had been stuck in. Fields of wildflowers and vibrant life. There was laughter, the sound of children playing. The vague visage of Simone walking behind the dark-haired girl. “Cecilia, don’t run off too far alright?”

“Alright, Momma! BUT I’M NOT SCARED!” The little girl looked just like Simone. “I’m strong like you,” the little girl laughed as she continued to run in the field. Their images disappeared but it was a good memory unlike the rest of this place.

A tree appeared and a small boy was playing on a swing, “Look how high I can go Ma!” Simone was reading a book and she looked up at him and smiled.

“If you go any higher you’ll touch the sky! I’ll never be able to see you again if you touch the sky!” Simone chuckled a bit and shook her head. “Please be careful my heart.” The boy just grinned and he kept trying to go higher.

“I’m not scared!” He called out to her and again the memory faded.

The castle in the distance looked like the one on fire but in pristine condition. Lewis ventured towards it as the birds sang in the sky. The soft sound of flowing water could be heard from the river in the meadow.

A hill appeared and Simone was helping an old man up it. “This was a lot easier when I was younger,” the man sighed a bit.

“I can’t recall,” Simone batted her eyes at him.

“No, you still look at as young as the day I pulled you from that dungeon,” He kissed her forehead. “Just a little farther now but I don’t think I’m going to make it back down the hill.” He teased her.

“I’ll carry you,” Simone took his hand and he shook his head.

“You are young enough to be my great-granddaughter now. It’s a bit weird isn’t it?”

“Technically, according to you I’m older than you anyway,” she teased, “You’ll make it back down the hill because you have to take care of me.”

“Until the day I die, I’ll protect you.”

The memory faded once more and Lewis found himself inside the castle. This time it was a small Simone who was running around the castle. No older than six.

“Princess Simone! Please! You’ll trip, fall, and hurt yourself!” The maid was chasing after her but Simone’s laughter was filling the castle. Simone tripped over herself and landed on her face. A nobleman came out of the room and scooped her up.

“You were told not to run… Simone, why do you have to be so stubborn huh?”

“I don’t know Daddy,” Simone batted her eyelashes up at him as he kissed her forehead. “Why are you so stubborn?” She puffed her face up at him.

“Because I have the world’s most hard-headed daughter,” he laughed and tickled her. It was the final memory before Simone stood in front of Lewis. She smiled at him though it was sad but it had a happy rhythm to it.

“You made it. You survived. I knew you could do it. The guide was the good piece of me and I gave her to you because I trusted and believed in you. Her goal was to reunite all of me together in her so I could get all of them back. This is my final journey and I need to be able to be free without my dark side being able to interfere. Lust understood what this was and learned sometime after your first encounter with her. While I may be angry, I still have everything else too. This is me, Lewis. This is who I actually am. Cold as I maybe it’s because of the world that shaped me and I had to become cold to survive.”

She approached and kissed his forehead. “Keep the dagger, you might find that it brings some use to you.” Her presence was warm, inviting, and she could feel everything the guide felt. Her heart had to steel itself so she could do what she had to though.

“The keyword is merveille. I can’t thank you enough for ending this hell for me,” she kissed him and pushed him back through a door. Lewis found himself waking up in a bed with Simone entangled around him now.

Her soft breathing was an indicator of her slumber, “Lewis…” She said sleepily as she wrapped herself around him more letting her head nuzzle softly against his neck.

“Welcome back to the world of the living,” Angela spoke as she was mixing a potion. “I moved you to a room because you’ll need to recover from your trip into her head. You and her both actually. I didn’t think separating you two was a good idea since you were inside of her mind. Now that you are awake I can rest a bit more easily now.”

Lewis found himself in a strange state when he woke up. Lady Angela was speaking, and only about half of the words were getting through to him as his tried to fight against the grogginess. He was exhausted in a way he had never felt before, as if he had been drained of every ounce of energy.

“Mervielle,” Lewis muttered, hoping the Goddess would hear him as he drifted back into sleep.

Even while asleep, he could feel the warmth that Simone gave off. It was…different. He had slept with others next to him on a frequent basis; growing up an orphan on the streets had that effect, but it was never so loving and tender as what he felt. Simone’s presence was almost calming. When he woke up, he didn’t startle awake like he would normally do in a strange place. Instead, he lay there, listening to Simone’s breathing. He was hyper aware of it and of her entire being.

He yawned, and felt the girl next to him stir. Lewis sat up, and looked at the sleepy Simone that lay next to him. She seemed happy and content, but made a little whine when Lewis moved away. The assassin smiled for a moment, caressing her hair.

Why? He frowned. Why was he smiling? His hand was still stroking her hair. Am I…happy? He looked down to her. I’m happy because she’s here with me. Because she’s mine… He paused. That was a strange sensation to feel. This…desire to keep her as his, the desire to contain her, to have all of her to himself.

He leaned down and kissed her. “Mine…” he whispered, as if saying the word would actualize it. “All…mine.”

“Oh for Voice’s sake,” Angela groaned a bit after she watched everything. She had the key phrase. “I’ll be back. You’ll need it.” Angela left them be and warded the room completely.

Raine was nearby and she was tilting her head, “But why?”

“Because, I have a feeling that those two are going to be needing space for a bit,” the Goddess patted Raine on the head. “Don’t worry about it. Think of it… like necking with Maliik,” Angela smirked.

Raine got all bright red and started to rub at her neck. “We… don’t… do that.” It wasn’t even sex but Raine was adorable to Angela as the goddess got her phoenix to leave.

“Sure, sure. We need to prepare a meal for them.”

Simone, on the other hand, had managed to get close to him. Her eyes were wide at him and she took him in stride. “All yours and all mine too,” Simone spoke gently as she kissed him back. Her touches were a lot less fierce than the guide had been. She was calm and there was no sense of urgency like there had been before.

She could feel the pull of all of her emotions wrapping her around Lewis. The good, the bad, and everything that was in between. She didn’t understand what was going on but her hands were shaking as she took his face and caressed his cheeks with her thumbs. “Mine…” She pulled herself up to him and kissed him again.

The words were mirrored back at Lewis. On a logical level, he had no understanding of them, but for some reason they resonated with his heart. They belonged to each other, at least in this moment. The desire to keep one another, to be each other’s pure and only desire. He let her kiss him, and savored the taste of her kiss.

Apples… His hand found hers, and their fingers intertwined. Lewis pulled her into a comforting embrace, her head resting next to his chest. If she listened carefully, she could hear his calm, collected heartbeat as he simply held her. This was all he wanted. His desire was her, and nothing but her.

“Mine,” he repeated, though he barely understood it. Her presence was his world. Eventually, he pulled her down so that she could lay on him, his free hand gently stroking her dark hair.

Is this…happiness? Time seemed to crawl, which was fine. This was something he was okay with, and secretly hoped that this strange calm would never end.

There was a calm that she hadn’t felt since this entire situation started. The person who started it all was now the person who was becoming the calm. It was odd for her as she followed his motions. She couldn’t nor did she want to fight it. It seemed right and her mind was screaming at her just to let it all happen.

She snuggled into him and pressed her lips to his chest. Everything she could feel, everything she could want – It all began and ended with Lewis. It was something clear unlike the fog she had been stuck in. She let her eyes close as he stroked her hair, it was so nice. It was pleasant and she felt a burst of happiness.

Simone’s skin was rippled with goosebumps from the gentle motion he had. When was the last time her body had felt a gentle touch? Her eyes opened a bit and she felt sadness if only for a second. Why was that a question on her mind? What did it mean?

“Lewis?” Simone picked her head up a bit and she held that somber look. “Don’t leave me okay? Everyone always leaves.” What did that mean? “I want you forever.” She snuggled herself to him and kissed his neck. She was happy and she felt like it was a trap but also she couldn't deny it. She loved it so very much. Her gripped her hand in his and brought it to her lips kissing his fingers gently.

There was fear in her voice, something that Lewis was now familiar with. She was scared that he would leave her. But why would he leave her? That was an odd question. He would never leave her. Not now, and not ever. That was what his heart was telling him. At least, that’s what he thought it was. But this was all so much. The intensity of these feelings felt so different…

It was then he realized, as she was kissing his fingers, that he was trembling. These sensations were something that went against his very being. This…vulnerability was something new, something fierce. And he was terrified of it. Still, he felt himself drawing close to kiss her. This was okay. There was nothing to be scared of.

“Simone,” he whispered as his lips pressed against hers, the gentleness surprising even Lewis. He was suddenly aware that he wanted to feel more of her. His hands gently caressed her face and down her neck. Light and delicate touches, all the way down to her collarbone.

Lewis pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the side. He didn’t know why he did it, only that it felt right. There was more than just wanting her now, something deeper. There was a bond, a connection of sorts that he felt needed to be completed. Something that he had felt with the guide, and now wanted to feel with the true Simone.