Chapter XXVIII

"Is it wrong to sin, Big Sis?" a girl asks as they walk on a bridge. "Why are we banished?" The girl weeps silently as she intakes more pain. Her older sister shields her from the constant stream of whiplash from the soldiers. With tears in her eyes, she comforts her little sister, trying to shield her from the pain of the state of Heaven.

"Welcome to the exile's curse; you have sins that cannot be forgiven by the Most High," a voice echoes in the background. "Fear, dread, and terror flow through your veins as you seek out the answer to the mystery of your cursed existence." The two young women walk toward the bridge, the wounds they have been given stinging more and more. As they cross the bridge, a thought comes to mind: a plea for forgiveness. Even though I didn't want this to happen, I can't stop these traditionalists from enforcing these weird traditions. I'm their only hope; these children don't deserve this hell. I'll help them through this mess; I'll make sure of it.

The atmosphere chokes out the meek and fragile women, the only surviving grace they have is through their own determination and faith. For the ones who said they committed the unforgivable sins, their faith in me is quite weak compared to Michael. They worship him like he's the god, I'm right here y'know? Anyways, back to the story at hand.

Woman: "Big Sis... how much longer?"

Sister: "A bit more Aria, just a bit more. Your smile keeps my hopes up, I'm glad that you are still here with me."

Aria: "Without you, I wouldn't be able to continue smiling. Ever since Mom told on us, I only had doubts."

Sister: "I know, but we couldn't do much about this corruption. It sticks out like some sort of venom."

Aria: "We have to survive, just one more day, one more week."

As Aria held her sister close, the envy within her grew. Green essence starts to circulate through her bloodstream as her eyes start to change color. She can feel the green energy coursing through her veins, giving her strength beyond what she had ever felt before. The things that Heaven made them go through make her envious of the one who did this to them, which riles her up further. She had an urge to fight, an urge to use her newfound powers for something more than just getting away from the monsters. Her sister tries to comfort her, but her envy is growing more and more out of control. She wants to find the person responsible and make them feel the same pain and fear that they inflicted on her and her sister; her envy isn't just envy anymore. It has transformed into wrath. She starts to lose consciousness as surrounding guards them takes shots at the duo.

Panic rose up in her as she heard the shots, and though she tried to run away with her sister, the fear of being hit overcame her, and she soon felt herself slipping away into darkness. Ringing drowns out her sister's plea for her to wake up. As she slips in and out of consciousness, she sees a protective shield summoned by her sister. The shield was a manifestation of her sister's determination to protect her, and her sister's words were a source of strength. She gets up with rage and determination in her eyes. A green volley is summoned from her immense supply of magical essence. As her sister tries to get her to stop, the volley starts massacring the battlefield. The volley was a manifestation of her own rage and determination to protect her sister.

"Reina, it's my turn to protect you now," Aria says, gasping for breath. "This is our only chance to escape." Reina couldn't control the tears that were flowing down her face as her essence spread into a protective circle. Aria stepped forward and raised her hands towards the sky, releasing a volley of energy that shimmered across the air, supplying her sister with the essence needed to keep the circle up. As Aria worked her magic, Reina felt a burst of energy swell up inside her, like a virus spreading quicker and quicker throughout her body. She was filled with an intense feeling of hope that surged through her veins like lightning and put a confidence in her soul she had not felt before. After a thirty minute war, the two sisters come out victorious at the cost of their emotional integrity.

Aria: "Why do we have to fight, Reina? Do they hate us that much?"

Reina: "It seems so, you can't be one hundred percent safe in this place."

Aria: "We should get out of this realm. There are other realms, right?"

Reina: "The only way we can get out of this realm is to sneak into the Twilight Interface; if we can get there, we can be saved off this realm."

Aria: "Isn't the Twilight Interface right in front of us?"

As Aria and Reina look in front of them, a gateway reveals itself. Apparently the survivors of the Exile's Curse get banished from the realm. In the sisters' case, it's that or death by firing line. They quickly run through all the security and jump through a random portal. Their vision awakens to see a red palace, descending quicker and quicker as seconds go by. Aria looks down, she sees a cityscape. Souls that live freely, not under an injective mindwave. Aria sees happiness in this world, while Reina sees peace as they land on the floor.

Aria: "This place.... we should stay here."

Reina: "Welcome to the place I should've stayed in from the get go. Welcome to Purgatory, my dear little sister."

Aria flows tears of happiness as she realizes that she is out of Heaven. As a green wing manifests from her back, she looks to Reina.

Aria: "Are we officially Fallen Angels?"

Reina: "I may be one, but you are more than that now. You are officially … the Sin of Envy."

Aria: "The Sin of Envy? Who gave me that title?"

I float down to their location as I sense Aria's envious aura surrounding the forest. This, this is interesting now looking back at it. She didn't need to be a Fallen Angel to become the Sin of Envy, her own unstable emotions led to it. I should research more into Netami now, she will be a valuable ally for Arino and the crew. I just hope that she won't get two sins at once, that would be a sight to see if she did.