deadly sins

Kiara's POV

The moment Lucius left, barely a few minutes passed before the maid who'd been tending to me this whole time arrived, arms laden with trays of food. She was the only one who knew about my presence in Athena's body, which told me just how much Lucius trusted her. She set the dishes down on the small table before me with care, smiling warmly, but I could only stare at the array of ancient-looking foods.

"What is this?" I muttered under my breath, my modern palate already sceptical.

Each one looked strange—alien even—like something crafted by someone who'd never tasted actual food before. "Well," I said to myself, picking up a piece of what looked like bread but felt more like stone, "only one way to find out."

As I tasted each dish, the reality became painfully clear. They were terrible. Beyond terrible. Every bite was worse than the last. The flavours were overwhelming in the worst possible way—sour where they shouldn't be, bitter where they didn't have to be. I spat out every sample with a grimace.

"Ew," I said, pushing the plates away. "Tastes like garbage. Like something they'd hand out to the homeless back in my day. No, scratch that—even homeless folks would turn this down."

The maid, who'd been watching me with growing concern, stepped forward hesitantly. "You don't want it?"

I waved at the plates dismissively. "No, not 'don't want.' Can't eat. I'm starving," I emphasized, correcting her as I rubbed my grumbling stomach.

She frowned, her brows knitting together in thought. "But you need to eat something," she said gently. "Let me bring you something else."

"Do you have fruits? Watermelon, maybe?" I asked, my eyes lighting up at the thought of my favourite fruit.

"Watermelon?" she echoed, a little surprised, but nodded. "I'll see what I can find."

She disappeared for a while and returned with a tray of fruits—watermelon, apples, and a few other ancient varieties I didn't recognise but was too hungry to question. This time, I didn't hesitate. I devoured everything in sight, savouring the refreshing sweetness that finally quelled my hunger.

"Now this is food," I declared, wiping my mouth.

The maid smiled as she began clearing the uneaten dishes I'd rejected earlier. I watched her work, still baffled. "How can anyone enjoy eating...that?" I asked, motioning to the offending plates. "Are you guys even human?"

She paused, looking at me with a mix of amusement and pride. "Yes, we are. But some of us have extraordinary powers."

I blinked, taken aback. "Extraordinary what?"

She chuckled softly, as though my surprise was endearing. "Don't worry. I'll explain everything to you when I'm back."

With that, she left to pack away the leftovers. When she returned, I was ready for answers. I leaned forward, my curiosity piqued.

"So," I started, "powers. Tell me about you guys' powers."

She nodded, her expression turning reverent. "It all started when this world was blessed by the first-ever goddess, Goddess Enhui.." her tone was reverent, as though recounting a sacred tale.

"She was the first person able to withdraw energy from Lake Gayank," she explained.

"Lake Gayank," I interrupted, the name striking a chord within me. My brow furrowed as I tried to piece together the vague familiarity. "That name... It sounds familiar like I've heard it a thousand times before."

The maid nodded knowingly. "Lake Gayank is no ordinary place. It's a lake imbued with the energy of the skies—pure, raw, and immensely powerful. Goddess Enhui was the first to absorb and wield this energy, bending it to her will. It was a feat no one thought possible, so the people began to call her a goddess. Her divine powers, coupled with the limitless energy within her, made her revered, even feared."

I leaned forward, my interest fully captured now. "So what did she do with this power?"

"She achieved the unthinkable," the maid said, her voice dropping to a hushed tone. "She used the energy to trap the seven deadly spirits—manifestations of the sins themselves. they're seven deadly sins : wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. But originally, they are more than mere concepts. They are entities, powerful and destructive. Trapping them required strength beyond comprehension."

My mouth went dry at the thought. "And she succeeded?"

"Yes," the maid confirmed, her eyes gleaming with admiration. "Using the energy of Lake Gayank, she imprisoned the spirits. But Goddess Enhui didn't stop there. She began teaching select humans—only men, at first—how to tap into Lake Gayank's energy to wield it for themselves. This was no easy task. Human bodies are not naturally equipped to handle such raw power. It would burn through them, destroying their very essence. But she found a way."

"How?" I asked, utterly enthralled.

"Through discipline and sacrifice. She taught them to channel the energy into objects, weapons, swords especially and even themselves, though the latter was incredibly dangerous. This art became known as sorcery. The one's who were able to store a little energy into their selves are prophet and prophetess .At first, it seemed like a gift—a means to protect themselves and grow stronger. But there was an unintended consequence."

The maid paused, letting the weight of her words settle over me.

"What consequence?" I prompted, my heart quickening.

"Each time sorcery was performed, it inadvertently strengthened the spirits of sin. For example, if someone casts a spell driven by jealousy, the spirit of envy would grow more powerful. Over time, as humans continued to rely on sorcery, the spirits began to regain their strength, inching closer to freedom."

I swallowed hard. "And what happened when they broke free?"

The maid's face darkened. "By the time the spirits were strong enough to escape their prison, Goddess Enhui was no longer alive to stop them. Humanity was plunged into chaos. But just when all hope seemed lost, another rose to take her place."

"Goddess Athena," the words slipped from my lips before I could stop them. That is the owner of the body I was in, no wonder everybody is so obsessed with her.