The scent of blood, scattered bodies, and a vast emptiness were all that remained a hundred years ago.
Or at least, that is what should have been left. The last humans were on the verge of being decimated by the demi-humans; beings so swift that ordinary eyes could not follow them.
They were like lightning, tearing down one by one with their claws, until nothing remained of them."
But before they were completely wiped out.
The sky began to shine; there were seven lights with different colors, each one distinct.
The thirty-five humans left saw the lights and smiles already started to form on their faces, because they knew that maybe this wasn't the end for them.
And then, seven beings stood revealed.
"We are the 7 Capital Gods," they cried out.
And one of them, arms crossed and yawning, said:
"I'm Acedia. You guys did good surviving this long, so we've got two gifts for you. That… well, I'm sure they'll bail you out of extinction." He said, with another yawn.
One of the survivors, a man named Rick, stepped forward with a sword that made his trembling obvious.
"Gifts?" He questioned with a wry smile. "Impossible… You gods never give us a thing."
At that, the one on the left, looking irritated and full of disdain, couldn't bear to hear the human speak such rubbish and started laughing.
"I am Ira," he said. "And you're completely right, human. That is why we are going to make a deal… a convenient one for us, shall we say."
Before the demi-humans could attack again, the hands of the seven gods glowed with their own colors.
Along with the thirty-five people, who were also glowing with the same colors as the gods' flows, as if they had been sorted.
Avaritia, one of the gods, touching his glasses, said:
"Now you have CEF, but be careful, do not let your CEF reach 0 or…"
But before Avaritia could finish, the glare on his lenses hid his gaze.
He was attacked by a demi-human, whose flow exploded in blue upon touching him; in an instant, the demi-human was completely melted. Yet, without even shifting his stance, Avaritia continued.
"Or you might die."
Rick then began to see a translucent panel with a full bar and the number 1000.
And at that moment, the demis began to attack the humans, but the humans started to track every movement of the demis as if they were no big deal. Rick, who glowed with a white flow—the same flow as Acedia.
He was able to change the tide; with a snap of his fingers, the demis attacking him slowed down, and he drove his sword through them one by one, remembering his siblings and parents who were killed right in front of him.
But even so, they were struggling, for the demis were far too many.
As they fought, Luxuria realized things weren't looking good for the heroes and, with a seductive gaze, she said:
"My loves, time for the second gift, don't you think?" She spoke, clapping her hands twice.
Then, Invidia spoke up, pointing toward a forest nearby. "Alright, alright, Luxuria. Now get your pathetic humans to bait these monsters into that forest."
"Dammit, so we're just fleeing now?" Rick whispered, his eyes filled with disappointment.
But even so, he and the others began to run faster and faster, trying not to exhaust their limits, while the demis were right behind them, chasing them down like hunters.
Joe was following close behind Rick when, carelessly, he tripped and fell to his knees.
Rick, who was a little further ahead, used his power to put everything in slow motion and jumped toward the demi, stabbing his sword into it to save Joe.
"Thank you, brother," Joe said, running a hand through his dark hair, feeling a bit ashamed.
Joe's translucent panel flickered red, indicating it was under 100.
"I'm not losing the only family I have, especially not now," Rick responded with a smile.
"Ready?" Rick offered his hand to help Joe up.
Some of the others lagged behind, their CEF already near 0, so they decided to fight instead of wasting what little they had left. They stayed back to face the demis that weren't hunting the heroes.
But those who reached the forest and went inside saw a tide of monsters. There were so many—hundreds, maybe even thousands of demis.
Then, the gods began to speak in ancient tongues, and their bodies started to explode with light.
Making everyone tremble with fear.
Joe, his legs still trembling, looked up at the sky and commented.
"I wonder if, after giving us CEF, they're going to…" Before he could finish, a barrier emerged, covering the entire forest.
"Whoops, finally finished. Now I can eat in peace," the god Gula said, his hand on his belly. "You can leave now, idiots."
"What? You're going to leave us here to die?" Joe shouted, his face turning bright red.
"Didn't you hear him? Deaf!" Superbia countered, letting out a laugh while taking pride in what he had done.
"We built this ward; you ought to be more thankful. We're so clever that the barrier only cages the emotionless. Hurry up and leave, you deaf idiots. I only hope the walls don't keep you in, because you seem even more brainless than these creatures."