The morning light spilled through the cracked window, casting long shadows across the cluttered living room. Kei sat cross-legged on the floor, the ancient book now resting on the table, surrounded by scattered notes he had hastily jotted down. His mind raced with questions, but the weight of the knowledge was sinking in.
The others lingered nearby, their usual sharp edges softened by the quiet gravity of the moment.
Kei rubbed the back of his neck, glancing up at Aris. "If those names are connected to you all… then how did you end up like this? Not human, but not quite demons?"
Aris straightened her back, her tone calm but tinged with an old sadness. "We were once like you, Kei. Mortal, vulnerable… but powerful in ways we barely understood."
Vel paced a few steps, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Power corrupted us. Or maybe it revealed what was always inside."
Mavira folded her arms, a bitter smile curling her lips. "The greed, the envy, the wrath—they weren't just sins. They were parts of our true selves, exaggerated until they consumed us."
Rika's eyes flickered with that faint fiery glow beneath her lids. "It wasn't easy to lose everything you thought you were."
Kei leaned forward, fascinated despite himself. "But how did you survive for centuries? Why haven't you… faded away?"
Nebu yawned, slowly stretching before she answered, her voice slow and deliberate. "Because the curse tied us to this world—and to each other. Our existence is intertwined. If one of us disappears, it might unravel everything."
Aera, her heterochromatic eyes flashing, looked directly at Kei. "And you're the thread holding us together. We couldn't have lasted this long without you."
Kei's breath caught. "Me? Why?"
Aris's gaze was piercing. "You carry something inside you, Kei. Something that can either save us or doom us."
"Wait," Kei interrupted, "I'm just… me. I don't have powers or anything."
Vel smirked. "Yet."
The tension broke as Tobi appeared with a tray of steaming cups and snacks, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Well, doom or salvation, I say we eat first."
Kei couldn't help but smile. The absurdity of it all—living with seven immortal embodiments of sin, eating snacks while discussing ancient curses—was almost surreal.
But beneath the lightness, a knot of determination tightened in his chest.
That night, Kei sat by the window, staring up at the stars. The city below was quiet, unaware of the strange household filled with demons and secrets.
He pulled the ancient book closer, flipping back to a passage he'd barely understood before.
"Bound by pride, cursed by wrath, yet saved by love — only through understanding can the cycle be broken."
Kei whispered the words to himself, the weight of their meaning sinking in.
He was no longer just a passive observer in this strange life.
He was the key.
And if the sins wanted to be free, he would have to face whatever darkness lay ahead — no matter the cost.
Kei closed the ancient book with a soft thud, the smell of old parchment lingering in the air. His fingers traced the worn edges, and his mind buzzed with the implications. This wasn't just some dusty relic—it was a key to everything he'd been living with, and more importantly, a path forward.
"Nebu," he said, breaking the silence, "how did you all meet? Before the curse, I mean."
Nebu blinked slowly, her sleepy eyes now alert. "It wasn't a meeting like you'd expect. We were scattered across time and place, living our own lives—far longer than five centuries, yes—but our paths were bound by fate and... tragedy."
Rika's red ponytail flicked as she leaned forward, crossing her arms. "We were all marked, in one way or another. Each carrying a burden, a sin that clung to us like a shadow."
"Burden or blessing?" Kei mused. "How do you see it?"
Vel's eyes glittered, and she smirked. "Depends on the day."
Aris adjusted her collar, looking regal as ever. "The curse wasn't a punishment as much as a consequence. It gave us immortality, yes, but it stripped away much of our humanity."
Mavira snorted, "Immortality and loneliness. The perfect combination to fuel any sin."
Kei swallowed hard, the weight of loneliness suddenly palpable. "So, you've been trapped like this… forever?"
Aera's voice was softer, more vulnerable. "Forever might be an exaggeration. But long enough to forget what it meant to be truly alive."
Tobi, munching on a cookie, shrugged. "And now you've got Kei. Maybe it's time for a change."
Kei looked around at the women—his roommates, his demons, his reluctant family. Each was a puzzle piece, fractured but slowly coming together.
"I don't know if I can fix this," he admitted. "I'm just a guy who's barely holding it together."
Aris's voice was firm, almost commanding. "You don't have to do it alone, Kei. We're bound to you, just as you are to us. Together, maybe we can break this cycle."
The room fell quiet again, save for the distant hum of the city.
Kei's gaze returned to the book. There was a faint glow coming from a symbol etched into the cover—a symbol that matched a pendant Aris always wore around her neck.
His pulse quickened. "That symbol… it's on your necklace, Aris."
She lifted the pendant into the light. "It's our bond. Our legacy. And maybe, just maybe… our salvation."
Vel leaned over to peek at the pendant, then grinned. "So, what now? We start digging up more secrets? Bust out the ancient demon lore?"
Kei nodded slowly. "Yeah. We start by learning everything about the past. About you all. About this curse."
Nebu stretched and yawned again. "And maybe, just maybe, we find a way back to who we were."
Rika cracked her knuckles, eyes fierce. "And when we do, no more hiding. No more running."
Mavira smirked. "I'm ready to take back what's mine."
Aera's gaze was steady. "Me too."
Tobi laughed softly. "Guess that means this house just got a whole lot more interesting."
Kei stood, feeling something inside him shift. It wasn't courage. Not yet. But it was something—a flicker of hope.
He looked at the seven women, each embodying a sin, each carrying a story older than time.
"Let's figure this out," he said firmly. "Together."
The sins exchanged glances, then smiled. It was the first time in centuries they'd felt anything close to unity.
And as the dawn light bathed the room, Kei realized that maybe—just maybe—this strange, twisted family could be the key to saving them all.