The seven sins rose slowly, their bodies reforming beneath the rain of black matter.One by one, the twisted shapes of bone and ash reshaped themselves into flesh — and soon, the sea of the Damned was empty again.
Empty, except for seven skulls, now resting at Lucifer's feet.Their hollow sockets watched him the way abandoned children watch the father they resented but still longed for.
Lucifer smiled gently.
"I missed you. And since none but us remain… drop the formalities."
He glanced sideways at me and winked.
The seven skulls trembled—then lunged.
In an instant they were embracing him, clinging with a chaotic mixture of affection, grief, and longing.The sight hit me harder than expected.
A memory sparked me, as a child, running into my mother's arms whenever she came home.
I pressed a hand over my face, pretending to shield my eyes from the blood-red light, but the truth was simpler:
My body had begun to burn.
The black matter that touched my skin earlier was crawling beneath it.Heat surged through me violently, crippling, overwhelming.I felt my bones twist.I felt something sharp pushing through the skin of my skull.
Horns.
My vision blurred into a mix of red and black.My eyes were no longer human.
By the time I lifted my head, all eight of them — Lucifer and the Seven — were staring at me.
Their expressions varied:
curiosity
disgust
pity
interest
recognition
But mine was the worst of all.
I wasn't disgusted by them.
I was disgusted by myself.
A deep masculine voice cut through the silence.
"Is that the disrespectful wretch who refused to kneel?"
The speaker stepped forward — tall, golden-haired, skin bronzed and scarred, a burn mark glowing under his right cheek. He looked like royalty carved from arrogance.
Lucifer laughed softly.
"Yes. That one. Everyone, meet Sammael — the last Fallen Human… and the son of Lilith."
The world froze.
Even the air seemed to stop moving.
What the hell is a Fallen Human?Why do they all know my mother?And why does Lucifer keep calling me her son like it's some ancient title?
I opened my mouth but words barely came.
Lucifer continued the introductions casually, as though we weren't standing at the heart of damnation.
Pride— the tall blond man with the noble beard and the burn mark beneath his shining eye.
Envy— beautiful beyond reason, purple hair cascading around a face too perfect to belong to either gender. A burn under the left eye glowed faintly.
Wrath— black-haired, green-eyed, fists trembling with rage even at rest. His burn mark sat on his forehead like a curse.
Sloth— slouched, half-asleep, hair messy and dull, burn scar hidden somewhere on his back. He looked like the world exhausted him.
Greed— tall and thin, blood-red eyes and raven-black hair. His stare reminded me of the Jester—hungry, endless, wanting more.
Gluttony— short, wide, powerful, chewing something even though no food existed in this place. His burn stretched from his stomach upward.
Lust— the most dangerous.A woman whose beauty felt like a weapon. Black hair, ocean-blue eyes, torn clothing barely clinging to her form.She watched me with an expression I didn't understand… and didn't like.
And then there was me—
A thin boy dripping in blood and black matter, dirty blond hair matted to my skull, eyes swallowed in darkness.Sitting in the dirt while Lucifer introduced me like a broken artifact.
"Corruption."That was the word he used for me.
Silence lingered until Pride finally spoke.
"Is he truly Lilith's son? And how can he be Fallen? Only we had our grace stripped."
The heat in my skull pulsed again.My voice cracked but I forced it out:
"And how the fuck do all of you know my mother?"
They all stared at me…with the same expression I always hated:
pity.
Before anyone could answer, Lucifer snapped:
"Enough. All of you will know what you must know. Until then, silence."
Instantly, my tongue froze.
Not metaphorically — literally.
I couldn't speak.
Neither could the Sins.
Lucifer clapped his hands once.
"Jester. Show yourself."
The Jester appeared behind me with a gentle clap and a cheerful grin.
The world collapsed.
The sea vanished.The cracked moon dimmed.The blood-soaked underworld dissolved like smoke.
Suddenly we sat in a wooden room — nine chairs arranged in a circle, Lucifer at the head, the Seven Sins to his sides, and me beside the Jester.
The Jester cleared his throat dramatically.
"Gentlemen… and dear Lust… let's begin."
He placed a hand on my shoulder, winking.
"Today we discuss Lilith, her disappearance, and how her son became one of you — a Fallen Human."
Wrath immediately exploded.
He kicked his chair aside, flames leaking from his eyes.
"Why are we here, Lucifer? And why is he here?"He jabbed a finger at the Jester."He abandoned us! He left the Nine! He has no place in this council!"
My blood boiled instantly.
I wanted to rip Wrath apart.
But Lucifer spoke first — voice cold enough to freeze hell.
"Wrath."His eyes glowed"Know. Your. Place."
The room trembled.The other Sins stiffened.The Jester remained smiling, but his fingers twitched nervously.
Wrath sat down, drenched in sweat.
Lucifer relaxed again.
"Continue, Jester."
The Jester bowed his head politely before speaking again.
"To clarify… I am the one who discovered Sammael's existence. I am the one who watched him. And I am the one who knew what he could become."
He spun his cane lightly.
"Most of you remember: we were nine.Not seven."
Silence fell over the room.
"My resignation," he continued, "you know about. But Lilith…"
His smile faded.
"Lilith, the embodiment of Corruption, betrayed us in our hour of need. She fled. We chased her—too slow. She reached the Forsaken Temple before any of us."
He inhaled deeply.
"And there… during an eclipse like today… she killed herself."
My heart stopped.
The Sins didn't move.
The Jester's voice lowered, almost fragile:
"By our laws and Lucifer's contract, none of us can die.Yet she did.She broke her bond.And before her last breath…"
He looked directly at me.
"…she transferred everything she was — her sin, her power, her fate — into her first born son."
The room went silent.
"Sammael," the Jester whispered,"you are the new embodiment of Corruption.The last Fallen Human."