Darkness
Only darkness was to be seen anywhere you look, magnus who was floating or standing? It couldn't be stated out, there was just pitch-black every where in that mysterious *place*.
"...I didn't think I would die again so soon.". Magnus started to get annoyed which was unexpected of a human to do something like that while in the face of such powerlessness and panic.
"Will I go to heaven? I don't remember helping anyone but I don't do bad things either" Magnus was thinking to himself as going to the promised places.
[No. You are not.]
Magnus again heard the voice ring in his head or not? The voice was coming from somewhere but *where?*.
This voice wasn't the same, the voice was unbelievable high pitched but deep, as if the speaker was both a woman and a man, as if the speaker was both young and old.
He didn't feel the voice. He *heard" it.
"Who are you, now?" Magnus asked with a little hint of confusion drawn upon his face, he was still trying to look around to find the speaker.
[Some speak of me as the king, others state me as the power bestower. What would you like to call me?]
"Power bestower. So I guess you are the guy who gives power to the demon kings, right?" Magnus asked once again, with a smile on his face, as he closed his eyes. He gave up looking for someone he can't even see.
Magnus stood — or floated — in the endless darkness, arms crossed, eyes closed. The voice had stopped speaking, but the cold and weightless feeling remained. It wasn't uncomfortable, exactly. Just… weird.
"So, Power Bestower," Magnus started, his voice calm despite the eerie atmosphere. "You gonna keep the creepy silence going, or are we getting to the part where I get cool powers?"
The voice chuckled. Or maybe it shivered — Magnus couldn't tell the difference.
[You're surprisingly composed.]
"Eh, I've been through worse." Magnus shrugged. "Also, if I freak out every time something weird happens, I'd probably die of stress before anything else gets me."
[Interesting.] The voice shifted, suddenly closer, like it was whispering right into his ear. [But tell me, Magnus Caffeine… do you understand what it means to become a Demon King?]
"Not really."
[Of course not.] The voice sighed, as if exhausted. [You are the first of your kind, after all.]
Magnus's eyes snapped open. "First?"
[Sloth. The Seventh Sin. There has never been a Demon King of Sloth before you. And frankly… I am shocked you were chosen.]
Magnus frowned. "Why?"
[Because Sloth… is different.]
The air shifted. The darkness around Magnus began to ripple, as if disturbed by some invisible current. The weightless sensation grew heavier.
[The other Demon Kings — Pride, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, Wrath — they are ruled by their sins. Their minds and hearts are bound to those desires. Their ambitions, their rage, their cravings — those forces shape them.]
Images flashed before Magnus's eyes — distorted, shadowy figures. A regal form on a golden throne, head held high with unmistakable arrogance. A smirking figure surrounded by admirers, eyes gleaming with lustful delight. A beastly silhouette consuming everything in sight. Six shapes, six auras of overwhelming power and madness.
[But Sloth… Sloth is different. It does not control the heart or mind.]
The images vanished. The weight around Magnus grew heavier — but not on his spirit. On his body. His limbs felt sluggish. His breath slowed. Even his heartbeat seemed to drag, each thud echoing like a distant drum.
[Sloth controls the body. Stillness. Lethargy. And the strength of absolute calm.]
Magnus's fingers twitched. Moving even that much felt like pushing through tar. "This… is the power I'm getting?" he asked, his words slow and drawn out.
[This is only the beginning.]
The weight lifted. Magnus gasped, his body snapping back to normal — though his arms still tingled with the memory of the heaviness.
[The power of Sloth is not simply laziness, Magnus Caffeine. It is the power of stillness. Of patience. Of waiting until the perfect moment to strike — and doing so with devastating force.]
The voice grew quieter, almost contemplative.
[But even so… I wonder why you were chosen. Your soul does not seem… fitting.]
Magnus grinned. "Maybe I'm just special."
[Or maybe you are a mistake.]
The words hung in the air. But before Magnus could reply, the darkness began to shift again. This time, it spiraled — and in the center of that spiral, a light appeared. It wasn't warm or comforting — it was cold, distant, and electric.
[Come, Magnus Caffeine. Take your power. And prove whether you are worthy of it.]
The light shot toward him. Magnus didn't move. He didn't flinch. He just stood there, arms still crossed. The light hit him — and his world exploded.
For a second, there was nothing but silence. Then the voice spoke one last time.
[Welcome, Demon King of Sloth.]