Kei sat at the edge of the old, creaking wooden table, staring down at the faded, brittle pages sprawled before him. The leather-bound book was ancient—its spine cracked, pages yellowed, and the scent of dust and forgotten memories filled the room.
The rest of the house was unusually quiet. Even Nebu, who usually floated around like a sleepy cloud, seemed to have slipped into a rare silence. The others were gathered in the living room, murmuring softly, their usual bickering hushed.
Kei's fingers trembled slightly as he turned another page, the fragile parchment threatening to tear.
"These… these writings," Kei began slowly, his voice echoing in the stillness, "they talk about… people. Not demons. People who… lived a long, long time ago. Hundreds, maybe thousands of years."
The words hung in the air like a fragile thread pulling the entire room's attention.
Aris, with her regal posture, stepped closer. "Let me see."
Kei passed the book to her. Her sharp eyes scanned the script, lips pursed. "These aren't just any people. These are individuals whose names echo through history. Some of these names… resemble us."
Vel folded her arms, eyes narrowing. "So we weren't always… like this?"
Mavira's quick fingers reached out to touch the page, tracing faded illustrations of people garbed in clothes from different centuries. "This could explain a lot about the way we hold ourselves. The way we know… things."
Rika cracked her knuckles, her brows furrowed in thought. "If we were once human, maybe our anger, pride, greed… it's all a curse we're trapped in."
Nebu, still swaddled in her blankets, finally spoke with sleepy clarity. "And maybe this curse… keeps us tied to Kei's world."
Aera's eyes flickered green as she glanced at Kei. "You're not just living with seven demons. You're living with… history."
Kei swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their words settle deep in his chest. "But why me? Why now?"
Tobi, lounging on the floor with a mischievous grin, added, "Maybe because you're the only one who can break the curse."
Silence fell again.
Aris's voice was barely above a whisper. "Or maybe the curse was never meant to be broken."
Kei closed the book slowly, meeting each of their eyes. "Then what are we supposed to do? Just live like this forever?"
Vel smiled slyly. "Maybe… it's about learning to live with what we are, not fighting it."
Kei felt a strange warmth as each of the sins slowly gathered around him, their presence a strange comfort rather than a threat.
"Whatever happens," he said firmly, "we face it together."
And for the first time in a long while, Kei felt hope stirring in his chest.