"Look at you. Cracked, crawling… like some broken little mutt, pawing at the gates of divinity. Tell me, Vice of Desire—what is it you hope to find here?"
Emerging from the shadows—the only light in reach—a woman stepped into view.
Draped in a long, flowing black dress, her form carried both elegance and weight. Her hair, jet black with strands of silver, trailed behind her like smoke, smooth yet frayed at the edges. It fell past her waist, straight and void-dark—almost beautiful, if not for the overwhelming presence that bled from her being.
The midnight gown clung to her loosely, thin and delicate, as if sunlight could have revealed the faint silhouette beneath. Not too tight. Not too loose. Just enough to hint without showing.
With each step, her dress and hair moved in perfect harmony—soft yet heavy. And though the sound of her bare feet against the floor was barely audible, in the stillness of this place, the subtle thuds echoed like thunder in my chest.
She stopped a short distance from me.
I don't know when I dropped—hands on the ground, knees digging into the floor. My body won't move. It's like the air around her is crushing me.
To her, I must look pathetic.
But her eyes didn't pity me.
They pierced through me.
Emerald. Radiant. Blinding. Like they were never meant to be looked at directly… and I couldn't look away.
"Did you come here to amuse me? Find answers? Or are you just a stupid Vice who got lost in the labyrinth…?" She lets out a soft giggle at my pitiful state. Her voice is gentle—almost mocking. "Oh well… I guess you didn't take the wrong way after all."
"Maybe you didn't even know about this trial?" she says, continuing on without caring for an answer. "Well, I try my best not to leak out too much information. I don't like people craving me… or the knowledge I keep to myself."
She doesn't even let me speak.
My mouth won't move—feels like it's been sealed shut. I try, but the words don't come. Speech is just… out of the question.
"I don't really show myself to just anyone," she goes on. "If they're not interesting, why should I bother, right? But Vices… you lot always catch my attention."
She smiles faintly. "So please. Let's talk a little. Your trial can wait."
And then she sits—lowering herself onto what, at first, seems like nothing. But as she rests, a sleek, throne-like seat forms beneath her as if conjured from the air itself. She makes herself comfortable, crossing one leg over the other, calm and unbothered—as if she's done this a thousand times before.
"Please, take a seat."
Huh? Seat?! Where…?
I turn, and there's a chair behind me—like it's been there the whole time, but I only just noticed.
"I can move now, huh…" I mutter quietly, more to myself than anything, but loud enough for the woman in front of me to catch.
"Yes, you can. Not used to it?" she replies, dripping with sarcasm.
I will not answer that…
"Why not?" she asks, then slowly raises a hand to her mouth, smiling. "Oh, whoops… Guess I can hear your thoughts." She giggles, and it's clear it's no coincidence she can hear what I'm thinking.
Read my thoughts… huh… Who the hell is this woman? Or where even am I… Where are the others… Are they okay? Are they also in a similar situation?
"You're asking a lot of questions at once… Why not take it one at a time? I did mention I can read your thoughts, didn't I? You know—asking a hundred things without waiting for an answer is kinda rude…" She sighs, resting her cheek against her hand, eyes narrowing slightly with a lazy, amused glare.
"Oh yeah… my bad…"
Wait—why the hell am I apologizing to her in the first place? Me questioning this situation should be perfectly normal!
"...Don't worry." She waves it off with a lazy breath, like the whole thing bored her more than anything.
"Anyhow… I'm Lunithia, goddess of desire. You've wandered into my trial room. If you want to get deeper into the labyrinth, well… you'll have to prove yourself."
She leans back slightly, her tone casual—almost amused.
"Not that I expect you to make it. You're cursed, after all. But… watching you try? That part's entertaining."
She tilts her head, as if remembering something at the last second.
"Oh, and your friends are fine. They've got their own trials to deal with—different from yours."
I see… A goddess, huh?
At this point, I'm not even that stunned.
The past month has just been one weird thing after another.
"Well… my friends are safe. That's a relief."
"You've been through a lot, huh?" she says, almost sounding genuinely interested.
"I'd love to hear about it. I mean, in a place this empty, it's not often I get to talk to anyone.
Sure, I can chat with the other six gods from time to time… but they're honestly not that fun."
She giggles, her voice soft and playful—almost silly in how casually it spills out.
That overwhelming presence she had earlier… it's not really there anymore.
Despite the dark colors wrapping around her, she almost feels like a light in this abyss—a strange, warm contrast in a place that shouldn't have any warmth at all.
But even so...
There's no way I can trust her.
"Well… you don't have to trust me," she says, smirking like she read my thoughts again.
"By the way, tell me about your problems with the curse… You're new to it, right? I bet the craving only grows stronger the longer you live with it. Craving—I despise it. Desire and greed? I just can't handle that mess. But the more you have, the more you've got to tell me, don't you?" She smirks, like she's teasing herself a little too.
Though… isn't that basically her own craving?
"Nah, I'm not really here to hear your story. I'm just lonely, alright? I like to chat sometimes—that's all." She shrugs calmly. "Actually, I'd rather give than take. I don't think chasing after things out of your reach is a good thing. But giving to those who can't reach it? Now that's something I believe in."
Without even pausing for me to say anything, she keeps going. "So, what is it you want? See your future? Get the life you desire?" She smiles like this whole thing is a game to her. "Well… sadly, I can't show you that. I can't predict the future, and granting you a perfect life? Way too much work. But maybe other information could be useful?"
"You don't even give me a chance to speak... Have you been alone so long you forgot how to hold a proper conversation?"
Can't say I don't relate…
She fell quiet… finally ready to listen.
"If you truly aren't greedy—if you meant every last word about hating desire, about despising the craving for things out of reach… then how do you keep on living?"
"Craving is the first step to having a goal. Maybe it's just an illusion we hide behind, but it's not wrong."
"Do I sin for wanting back what I lost? For wishing for more than I deserve? Maybe it isn't noble… but it's not the worst thing someone can do."
"What you're doing is worse."
"Is that so…?" she muttered, her voice low, lips curling into a faint smirk.
"I've never had a human speak down to my ideals before. Not like this. A speech at that level… I didn't see it coming."
She leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing—not angry, but deeply amused. Irritated, but hiding it behind a calm veneer.
"Amusing… really."
She let the silence settle like dust before speaking again, slower this time—her tone sharpened, more deliberate.
"So tell me, do you still believe that you deserved that mansion? That second chance?"
Her eyes pinned me in place. "That life where you didn't have to worry about anything?"
She tilted her head slightly, mock curiosity in her voice.
"Do you really believe you were worthy of that?"
A pause. Her smile slowly vanished.
"Do you even think you deserve the life you have now?"
She took a step closer, voice soft but cold.
"You want so much. You want a perfect life… even though you already live one you never earned."
Another step. Her gaze never left mine.
"That's greed."
She circled me slowly, barefoot steps making no sound. I stayed still.
"So no," she whispered as she came to a stop just behind me, voice a hair's breadth from my ear,
"I don't want to hear from you what greed is."
"Let's have a better talk some other time. I'm done for now..." Lunithia says as she looks down at me, still seated in the chair. Her expression is unreadable—calm, yet almost… entertained.
"Good luck."
She turns, beginning to walk away.
"Your trial starts now."