Overwhelming strengths of three beings shook the bridge. Half of the structure collapsed into the bottom of the river. The luminary was toe-to-toe against Fallon by himself, while Ethel kept a distance and gave her support. She could have run off while the mortal kept Fallon busy, but it would be a cowardly move. Although it was the mortal choice to drag himself into this fight, the battle started with her first. He only came in a nick of time before her head rolled over.

This isn’t good. Ethel noticed the shaky hands of the luminary. His chest was heaving. His breathing turned heavier as fatigue took a toll on him. Meanwhile, Fallon showed no sign of slowing down. His strikes grew fiercer and harder, pushing the mortal around.

Fallon, this is unlike you.

Sinner of Sloth was never passionate about doing things on his own. In fact, Fallon become weaker the more he exerted himself to do the labor. While he sleep in his hiding and feast on the languor, the weaker sinners slogged themselves under his command.

As the bridge tumbled down, both of them jumped out. Fallon watched them disappeared within the clouds of dust. Rubbles crashed down to the bottom. Huge splashed of its impact echoed the ravine.

Just when the silence stretched over them, the wreckages of the ruined bridge flew in their direction. It came pounding them like rains. Arms materialized from her shadow, shattering the rubbles from crushing them. Between the coming rubbles on her way, she spotted a figure hiding behind one of them. Ethel leaped somewhere far as it crashed down in front of her. Fallon waved the surrounding clouds with a swing of his sword.

The materialized shadow arms changed their target to Fallon. Once she had his shadow in her grip, she set him ablaze with crimson flames. Fallon shrieked, prying his black armor open. Blood trickled down from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. The heat devoured her flesh, roasting her from inside. The fifth scarlet butterfly rested on her shoulder. Its wing burned a darker shade of red flame.

“Easy with the fire. You’ll burn me. Not a good impression of a wrath if I let my fire defeat me.”

The fifth butterfly fluttered its wings in response.

Scorch of Shadow was the name of its abyssal ability. Quite an ironic for the sinner of wrath to burn by her own flame. Though it won’t kill her, it was still an embarrassing sight to show. No flame can burn her and there was nothing she can’t burn.
The luminary grabbed her arm. When he touched her bare skin, he immediately yanked his hand away. It left a red print over his palm.

“Stay back or I’ll burn you.”

Ethel kept the crimson flames engulfed on Fallon. His scream tugged her heart into hesitation.

Forgive me, brother. Ethel wanted to say instead she coughed out blood.

Fallon plunged his fifth sword to the ground. Their bodies slammed flat face to the ground. The pressure of a giant mountain crushed their whole bodies, rendering them from lifting even a finger.

The arms of her shadow disappeared, wiping out the crimson flames on Fallon. He strode his way towards her. The sword dragged over the ground as it left a red streak of its traces. It was her loss. She should have cut off his head when she had the chance.

Your fire grew weak. You can never save us or yourselves. Pride’s whispered at the back of her mind.

Just when she thought it was her loss. The grunt on her side caught her attention. It was the luminary, raising on his feet against the enormous burden over his back. He blocked Fallon’s path from approaching her.

How can he move?

It couldn’t be some luck. A tug on the corner of her lip lifted. He was a luminary. A mortal who can create a miracle against the odds. Which reminded her, the young man hadn’t got to use his miracle once throughout the entire battle. Similar to how the sinner has their own abyssal shadow, the luminary has their miracle prayer.

The luminary swayed on his feet. He could barely keep himself still. His face painted in his own blood. The heavy strike must have caused a concussion. Fallon grabbed the mortal by the collar, guiding him to the edge of the cliff. “Stop, don’t kill him!” Ethel shouted.

No, if that mortal dies, it would mean a declaration of war.

Touching one of the pillar of hope will set everything to lose. She has seen the flood of blood washed the land. To stop one, she will have to sacrifice countless life with her own hands.

Fallon raised his sword up for a deathly blow. The sixth scarlet butterfly glided its way to him. Its small, fragile form shifted into Ethel’s vessel, enveloped in crimson flames. It wrapped her arms around Fallon’s neck. Ethel spotted a small, red candlelight shrouded by the abyss inside him. It was her first time using the sixth butterfly. She had her doubt it won’t work on one of the seven sinners. Despite being a demon from the abyss claimed by the mortals, she never thought the sinners too had their own candlelight inside their hollow beings. Does that mean she too has a candlelight?

Ethel blew out the feeble candlelight dwell within him. Fallon stopped his sword. Temporarily released the mortal man from his grasp. The pressure on top of her body dissipated. She could finally move.

The luminary stumbled to the edge. The light of his heaven’s blue eyes shut closed. Ethel pushed her feet to lunged forward. Her hand reached out to the light. A tainted hand undeserving to touch the pure light. Ethel caught the luminary’s hand while the other hand held on the edge. She frantically looked from the mortal and above her.

“Wake up!” She called out to the unconscious so-called knight.

Heavy footsteps shook the ground. The stones near the edge fell down into the ravine.

Impossible!

She sought her sixth butterfly — nothing. Fallon must have destroyed it while she was panicking about the luminary.

Ethel glared down at the mortal. “I’m dropping you. I really am.”

He gave no response.

“Where’s your miracle when you need one?”

Fallon halted a few inches away from her grip. He gazed down at her with his garnet eyes beyond. She held the edge as she gripped on the last thread of her life.

“Wrath, where’s the authority of sinner?” he asked.

“Now you’re talking normally,” she snorted, “so you were looking for that.”

“Where is it?”

“I don’t have it with me anymore.”

The sword raised above her head.

“Now I’m useless. You’ll kill me. I can’t believe you’re the same lazy bum I know.” Ethel loosened her hold on the luminary. I’m sorry.

Fallon plunged his blade down. Ethel released her grip on the edge. Both of them descended to the bottom. She pulled the luminary into her embrace. Her shadow wrapped their bodies in a cocoon. A huge splashed echoed when they reached the bottom. The rushing wave of the river guided them away.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Ethel emerged from the river, coughing out the water. She pulled the unconscious man close as she swam them through the treacherous icy river. Once they reached the land, she collapsed with her energy drained. Ethel turned to the young man beside her. He surely gave her more trouble than Fallon did.

She raised on her feet, leaving him soaked by the river. But a few steps away made her stopped and turned around again.

“No, I saved him. None of us owe anything to each other.” Ethel took three steps and paused again. She let out a frustrated sigh and ruffled her wet, silky, white hair. The scarlet butterflies fluttered around the unconscious man. Embers of their wings brought back some color to his pale skin. Her shadow created gentle waves to move him. While moving him, a small chime of a silver bell caught her attention. It dropped out of his pocket. Crimson eyes burned at the sight of the red ribbon latched on the silver bell.

Ethel held it close. Red was the color of the sin. A taboo for the mortal to possess. Yet, here it was, the luminary possessing one.

“Why are you carrying a sin?”

Author's Note

Shadow of Sinner is a fun project for me to share. It’s not perfect but I’m happy to share it. I posted the story a long time ago but didn’t like how it goes. So I scraped the outline and rewrite it. The story started out as an inspiration from one of my favorite horror game, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly. I love the symbolism behind the butterfly and decided to add some twist to my own.

I will be posting 3 chapters every week. Nothing more or less than that or it will mess up my schedule. Hope you enjoy it!