The silence in the garden was heavier than the iron of the prisoner carriage. Sora,
Sparta, and Ryuki stood frozen, their hands still outstretched toward the fainted,
skeletal form of Jee-shahn. Above them, the third-floor balcony had become a throne
of judgment.Ten women stood in a line. The air around them didn't just vibrate; it felt like it was
being crushed by a collective, divine pressure. The "noise" of their silent fury was
louder than a battlefield.
Suddenly, the pressure shifted. Lupa descended from the balcony with the speed of a
hunting wolf. She didn't ofer a gentle touch or a healing spell. Instead, she reached
down and gripped the heavy, cold-iron chains that still wrapped around Jee-shahn's
shriveled frame.
Without a word, Lupa turned and began to walk toward the palace, dragging
Jee-shahn behind her like a sack of discarded bones. Scrape... scrape... scrape... The
sound of the Master's back rubbing against the gravel garden path was the only thing
that could be heard. Atop his chest, the Azure Lizard remained belly-up and fainted,
its tiny tail bouncing with every bump in the road.
After dragging him for a distance, Lupa came to a halt. The other nine wives—Emiko,
Yui, Faeloria, Rin, Jasmine, Mina, Liana, Yuna, Kaori, and Tara—descended like
beautiful, vengeful goddesses to stand in a circle around the "corpse."
Sora, Sparta, and Ryuki could only watch from the distance, their bodies trembling so
hard their armor rattled. They wanted to help, but the combined aura of ten wives was
a wall of absolute "No."
The wives turned their heads in perfect, terrifying synchronization toward the three
students. Their smiles were bright, elegant, and filled with a hidden darkness that
promised a slow end to anyone who stayed.
"Don't worry, boys," they said in a chilling, melodic harmony. "He's in good hands
now. He'll be... just fine. You may leave."
Sora, Sparta, and Ryuki didn't need to be told twice. They nodded so fast their necks
nearly snapped and rushed out of the garden as if the Seven Sins themselves were
chasing them.
Left alone with their "Beloved," the ten wives shared a look of grim satisfaction. Lupa
tightened her grip on the chains and continued the trek. The last thing seen of the
7-foot Monster was his skeletal heels disappearing through the palace doors, still
being dragged across the floor as the wives followed him in, their smiles widening for
the private "reunion" ahead.