An act that truly defines the nature of a human being.
It is said that God is all-knowing. Yet even He was baffled by the decisions of His own creations.
So He created the Seven Heavenly Virtues, and willed them upon humanity.
He who lived by these seven virtues would be deemed worthy to enter His holy tabernacle—and there, they would never know death.
The virtues themselves were simple.
God asked for no sacrifice.
No impossible feat.
No offering of blood.
All He asked for was purity.
Yet even something so simple proved beyond humanity's grasp.
Again and again, they failed.
Again and again, they chose the path they knew to be wrong.
And Lucifer, eager to prove a point, looked upon God's creations and declared that even when humanity understood the difference between right and wrong...
They would choose wrong every time.
And so, the Seven Deadly Sins came to be.
Through them, humanity's true nature was revealed.
What remained was not pride in God's creation, but disappointment.
For mankind had been given the choice to be righteous...
And willingly chose sin.
Oh...
How I, the author, have fallen into despair with my own kind.
Humanity.
What a disappointing creation.
And yet...
There still lives hope.
A tiny glimmer of light within the cold heart of it all.
A final remnant of what humanity was meant to be.
It shines through one forgotten ideal.
One virtue that refuses to die.
Chivalry.
DEAR GOD.
Are you there?
If you are... I hope you're listening to me.
This will be the first time I've ever come to you with a request.
I don't wish for riches.
I don't wish to be loved.
I only ask one thing.
Please...
Take it easy on me.
We all go through trials, but mine...
...
Yeah.
That's all I ask for.
Amen.
I refuse.
The years passed by like a blink of an eye.
Nine years.
All the children had grown.
Only one year remained before they would become adults and officially enter society.
Yes.
Well...
All but one.
I assume he doesn't need to be introduced.
The hall was filled with soon-to-be adults, all talking about their dreams and plans for the future.
Some wanted to become soldiers.
Some wanted ordinary jobs.
Some wanted to travel.
Others wanted to remain within the Church and continue the path of a believer.
Everyone had a dream.
Everyone had a plan.
Everyone...
Except Touka.
Touka walked alone through the hall, listening to the words of others.
Their dreams.
Their plans.
Their hopes for the future.
All so futile to him.
He didn't dream.
He didn't plan.
A bright future was something that had always been out of reach for him.
He already knew that.
"Touka?"
Touka stopped.
"Oh.
Mother Celestine."
He turned toward her.
"How do you do today?"
"Oh, my dear Touka. I'm doing really good."
She smiled.
"But Touka... come a little closer. There's something important I must tell you."
Touka slowly walked closer.
And then...
He heard something.
A faint sound.
Something like a little engine.
Brrrrrrr...
Touka froze.
"Uhm... Mother Celestine?"
He looked around.
"Do you hear that?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say that sounds like a clipper."
Mother Celestine smiled.
Touka looked back at her.
And immediately realized his mistake.
She lunged forward.
A clipper in hand.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Touka screamed.
He immediately turned around and ran.
"WAIT!"
Mother Celestine chased after him.
She looked like a mad woman.
"MO-MOTHER CELESTINE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
No reply.
She only kept running.
"COME BACK HERE!"
"NO!"
Touka kept running until he spotted a ledge ahead.
Perfect.
He jumped as high as he could and grabbed onto it.
"I got—"
Mother Celestine was already there.
"...Oh."
She lunged.
She grabbed Touka midair.
"FUCK!"
For a woman her age...
She could really move.
Wait.
How old is Mother Celestine?
The two hit the ground.
Mother Celestine landed on top of Touka, clipper still in hand.
Her eyes...
They were the eyes of a mad woman.
Touka grabbed both of her hands as she tried to cut his hair.
"Mother Celestine, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Come back to your senses!"
"NO!"
"Your hair must go!"
"But WHY?!"
Touka struggled to hold her back.
"She's really strong!"
Mother Celestine continued fighting.
"Everyone..."
Touka looked confused.
"Even those backstabbing sisters are already falling for you."
"...Eh?"
"They are calling it condemned love."
Her expression darkened.
"Do those bitches want to steal you from me?!"
"Mother Celestine... language."
"FUCK LANGUAGE!"
She raised the clipper.
"THE HAIR MUST GO!"
"What?!"
"I'm not going to watch as someone steals my love again!"
"Shit... shit..."
Touka tried reasoning with her.
"Mother Celestine, can't we talk about this?"
"No!"
Touka finally used all his strength and slapped the clipper out of her hand.
CLANG!
The clipper flew across the floor.
It broke.
Mother Celestine stared at it.
Silence.
Then...
She started crying.
"Ahhh! Touka!"
She grabbed him.
"They're going to steal you from me!"
"Those backstabbing bitches!"
"Urg... Mother Celestine."
Touka sighed.
"No one is going to steal me from you, okay?"
"Liar!"
"Oh my God."
"Look, Mother Celestine. I promise you, alright?"
She sniffed.
"Hmm... fine."
She smiled.
"At least come and give me a hug."
Touka sighed again.
"Fine."
They hugged.
"There, there..."
Mother Celestine slowly calmed down.
Touka closed his eyes.
For a moment...
Everything felt peaceful.
Then—
Click.
Touka's eyes opened.
He slowly looked down.
Another clipper.
He immediately slapped it out of her hand.
"No."
Another clipper appeared.
"No."
SLAP.
Another.
"No."
SLAP.
Touka stared at her.
"How many of these things do you have?"
Mother Celestine smiled innocently.
Touka sighed while they continued hugging.
"You know..."
He looked around the hall.
"I might just be happy here."
"Hey, look! I got a job downtown!"
"Hey, me too!"
"I'm thinking of joining THE SEAL."
And hunt some Unholy monsters
"What? That's dangerous."
"Yeah, it is."
"But the payout is really good."
The voices continued.
Dreams.
Plans.
Futures.
Everyone was preparing to leave.
Everyone was preparing to become something.
Touka listened.
Then quietly thought to himself
Who am I kidding?
All I'm doing is lying to myself.
Another year passed.
All the once-little children had grown up.
They were finally adults.
Finally accepted by society.
Most stayed behind to follow the path of a believer.
The rest left to become what they had dreamed of becoming.
But they all had something in common.
They had finally found their place in society.
But not all were born to truly be accepted.
Depth.
Oh...
Bottomless depth.
How much can one consume before they are truly filled?
How much must one lose before there is nothing left to take?
A Dreamer is someone who still has a path to walk.
Yet something stands before them.
Blocking the way.
You have taken their life.
Their happiness.
Their love.
Piece by piece...
You stripped away everything that once gave them meaning.
And now...
All they have left...
Is a dream.
Their final hope.
Their final reason to keep moving.
So they beg.
They kneel.
They plead for even the smallest chance to reach it.
Please...
But be careful.
Do not turn their last hope into a double-edged sword.
For a dream can save a man.
But it can also become his greatest curse.
Do not make him wait.
Do not make him wander through eternity, reaching for a mere wish that will never come.
For what is more cruel than death?
To live forever...
With nothing left...
But a dream.
18 years of age.
Already an outcast by one.
Touka walked through the empty hall, mindless and trapped inside his own thoughts.
"Sorry."
He stopped.
He had bumped into someone.
Touka looked up.
The man was tall.
He carried a hot...
Almost divine aura.
His orange hair stood out the most against his all-black attire.
"Excuse you."
The man looked down at him.
"Do you know where I can find Mother Celestine?"
"Erm..."
"No need."
A voice came from behind them.
"I am right here."
Touka turned.
"Oh."
Mother Celestine.
Her expression immediately changed when she saw the man.
"Touka."
Her voice became colder.
"Leave. This does not concern you."
"Yes."
Touka walked away.
But not too far.
He stopped around the corner and listened.
"It really has been a while, Mother Celestine."
The man smiled.
"It seems you've been doing really well."
He looked toward the direction Touka had gone.
"And busy too."
"That boy..."
His smile widened.
"What did you call him?"
"..."
"Touka, right?"
He chuckled.
"He's really intriguing."
"I've never seen hair that black before."
"Where did you find him?"
Celestine's expression hardened.
"Well, that does not concern you."
"Oh?"
"But it has come to my interest that you've forgotten basic etiquette."
She gave him a murderous glare.
"It seems becoming an Apostle has wiped your memory."
The man smiled.
"Oh, do excuse me, Mother Celestine."
"How immature of me."
He slowly got down on one knee.
"I offer my greetings to the Holy Mother."
Celestine didn't smile.
"Now speak."
"Why are you here?"
"Well..."
He lowered his head.
"I only came to give thanks to my savior and benefactor."
"You didn't show during my official introduction as the Apostle to this country."
"So I decided to come myself."
Celestine stared at him.
"Well, you've accomplished what you came for."
"Now leave."
"That's harsh, Mother Celestine."
He smiled.
"After I came all the way over here?"
"Don't chase your child away now."
"I do not have a child."
Her eyes became colder.
"And soon, this country will be without an Apostle yet again if you do not leave."
The man's smile widened.
"Heeey..."
He tilted his head.
"Now, is that the witch talking?"
Celestine's eyes narrowed.
"Leave."
"Ahhh... yes."
The man stood.
"Out of anyone I could face..."
He smiled.
"I wouldn't want to face your wrath."
He walked away.
As he passed Touka's hiding place...
Their eyes met.
For a moment...
Neither moved.
Then the man continued walking.
He passed him.
And quietly said—
"I'll be seeing you soon, Touka."
---
"I thought I told you to leave the room, Touka."
Touka stepped out.
"Well, I apologize, Mother Celestine."
He scratched his head.
"But I must ask."
"Really..."
"Who was that?"
Celestine sighed.
"Elias Vortigern."
"The first and only son of the Vortigern family."
"He recently became an Apostle."
"...Apostle?"
"Oh."
Celestine looked at Touka.
"That's right."
"I haven't educated you on this world yet."
"Listen well, Touka."
"The Apostles are the highest-ranking authority of the Church within their respective countries."
"There are seven branches of the Church in every country."
"Only one of those seven branches will be chosen to produce an Apostle."
"Those who aren't chosen will be given the title of Holy Father or Holy Mother of their own region."
Touka listened carefully.
"A country that has an Apostle is known as a super-powered country."
"And they are granted special privileges above the others."
"There can only be seven Apostles."
"Each coming from a different country."
Touka thought for a moment.
"But how is one chosen to become an Apostle?"
Celestine's expression became slightly serious.
"Well..."
"That, I do not know, Touka."
"But what I do know is this."
"The Apostle possesses the supreme authority of their country."
"Higher than even the president."
"We, the Holy Fathers and Mothers, come second."
Touka's eyes widened.
"So what you're saying is..."
He looked at her.
"Right now, Mother Celestine..."
"You have less authority than Elias?"
Celestine nodded.
"Correct."
Touka went silent.
The boy who had just walked past him...
Wasn't merely powerful.
He was an Apostle.
One of only seven people in the world who stood above the Holy Fathers and Mothers.
And for some reason...
He had looked directly at Touka.
As if...
He already knew him.