Hailie never liked being in the center of attention. In her circle of friends, she liked taking place as that quiet one, who weren't too confident without her girly besties, who were always there to make a dumb, but funny decisions. It was Amy who always adored being in a spotlight. She was seeking it all the time. Even though she had a boyfriend, she absolutely loved being adored by other boys, as well as by the girls. Hailie was always standing aside, in the shadow, while all the eyes were set on Amy. Maybe that's why Amy was so jealous of her and Jayson? He seemed to never notice his so-called friend, being interested only in Hailie.

Being the main topic of conversations never seemed like a good thing for Hailie. Neither when she was friends with Amy and the gang, nor when she moved to the Bloody Mansion. She thought that after being widely gossiped among people from the town, she partly got used to being talked about. That couldn't be further from the truth and she understood it in the moment she and Lust walked into the Casino Hell.

For her it was like a movie scene. Here comes the most charming and handsome man in a company of a girl which everybody thought about as an ordinary teenager, while the true beauty was hidden inside her. In the dress that she was wearing, she truly felt sexy and beautiful. But it wasn't the dress or her look that made everybody so moved.

It was both horrifying and amusing to watch. They walked in and all the creatures and demons had frozen. They've stopped doing whatever they were doing, and their eyes set on Lust and Hailie. Just as if they were doing a wave of time stopping, first the entities in front of them. Half-naked male demons and shining brightly and darkly at the same time female demons, they stopped talking and gambling. They sensed them right away, or rather, they sensed her. And after the ones in the front, all others followed. She noticed such various creatures, from ones with their skin made of thorns, through entities with red as a blood skin and black eyes, to those who seemed as if they were taken out from the worst nightmares.

Everything went dead quiet. The silence was unbearable and dreadful, because Hailie knew that everybody thought about them. And then it started. Whispers and voices full of bewilderment and disbelief.

"Is that a human?"

"A living one!"

"He's fraternizing with them once again."

"What a nerve to bring her here!"

"Maybe he wants to get her killed as well."

"First child, now a girl."

"How he dares showing up in Hell at all?!"

"We'll make it a night to remember."

"Tasty."

Hailie was too confused and paralyzed to catch up the words spoken, but Lust heard it all. He knew exactly what everybody was saying, but he decided not to care. Nobody could stand up to him, unless someone had a death wish. He believed in his strength and that's why everything about him screamed 'confidence'. Hailie couldn't understand how Lust could stay so chill and careless in a situation so stressful and dangerous.

He didn't care at all. Without letting her hand, he confidently walked right into the Lion's Den. He didn't talk to nobody, neither did he look, ignoring them all like they were just insects on his road. And yet, Hailie couldn't relax, feeling all the eyes on her skin and face. She wasn't as brave as Lust, so she kept staring at the floor made from a plain royal red and gold material with coins on the edges. In this casino money didn't matter. From what Lust said, everybody was playing for souls, important belongings or freedom.

"Coming here with a human by your side, that's offensive, even for you, Lust." Something stepped in their way. Hailie thought that it was a male demon, because he had a low, rough voice, but she couldn't be sure. It had a lizard's face with patches of green scales that looked as if they were about to fall off. His eyes were yellow with oblong pupils and a tail was sticking out from the back of his body. "No humans are allowed here, unless you want to put her on a stake." It was clear from the tone of his voice that he doubted it. Surely, Lust already had an opinion about his connections with humans. Somehow everybody doubted that he came here with a human for fun and gambling.

"I must correct you, because I haven't seen any sign at the door, saying that humans cannot walk into the Casino," Lust replied without a trace of nervousness that filled Hailie's body.

She wasn't sure if she was allowed to look at the demon's face, which was both frightening and interesting, as she hasn't seen anything like that in her whole life.

"That's how you want to play it off?" Lust shrugged as an answer, pretending he doesn't know what the demon is talking about. "Nobody wants you here, Lust. This isn't Hell anymore. It's In Between. You have no power here, so show yourself out, before-"

"Before what?" Lust let go of Hailie's hand and stepped forward. He narrowed his eyes, making the demon shiver for a second. "You desire to be seen as powerful among others. What a pitiful, ordinary desire you have. I suppose it tells a lot about you, anyway. Like how insignificant and little you feel down inside."

"You're alone here," said the demon, but the previous courage he had seemed to flow away.

"And yet it is me who cannot be killed, as one of the original sins, not you."

Another demon stepped forward, watching for his damaged, straw-like hair, which reached the floor. "But she can be killed."

"Lust is not alone." Pride emerged from the crowd of creatures, who were watching them. Wrath and Sloth followed her. "And unless you want a repetition of what happened in Hell, I suggest you all back off." She took a place beside Lust, while Sloth covered Hailie from the other side.

"Enough!" A strong woman's voice filled the whole Casino. Hailie, just as the others, looked at the stairs, where a tall and beautiful lady was standing. She was something that humans would call the most beautiful, even though the longer Hailie was staring, the clearer it became that she was no human, neither a demon probably. She wore a red, floor-length dress that looked somewhat like a bathrobe covering her sensual underwear. "In my Casino all creatures from all words are welcomed. Diversity is what we seek here, on this neutral ground. And so, no harm will come to the human." She gave a warning look to the demons, who were so eager to fight against Lust. "Neither I want a riot." She now looked at seven deadly sins demons. "And everybody who will not obey, might leave now."

Nobody dared to make a move, just as if they took the lady's words way too seriously. Lust doubted that anybody felt offended enough to leave the Casino. Besides, outside everything was possible. That wasn't a neutral ground anymore and being killed outside those walls was more than frequent.

After a short while all the creatures came back to gambling and playing games of survival, just as if nothing happened. Demons were still chattering between themselves, giving Hailie curious gazes, but neither of them dared to came closer. She was glad that they weren't surrounded anymore. For a moment she was frightened that Lust and others will seriously have to fight with all those entities.

The lady came downstairs gracefully, making her every move in a sensual and careful way. Wherever she was going, all eyes followed her, leaving Hailie alone for a moment. Then, the lady walked up to them.

"Welcome, original demons. I don't think that any of you has ever visited my Casino, except for Sloth," she said as if she was trying to show that nothing was happening here without her knowledge. "This is a nice surprise. Tell me, please, are you here for some fun, maybe?" She came closer to Lust, putting her hand on his torso. Her nails were red and probably long enough to cut through skin.

"Lady Nightingale, what a pleasure to meet." Lust took her hand and kissed it with the most charming look on his face.

"Pleasure is something you can find upstairs. Perhaps with me?" She smiled, showing her teeth that were sharp as blades.

"You flatter me, my lady, but I'm afraid I won't find time for those kinds of pleasures." Lust's voice was so flirtatious and his gaze so intense that Hailie started feeling uneasy. She had no idea where that jealousy towards the Casino's owner came from, especially that she wasn't into Lust. And yet, it was hard to watch them getting closer and closer to each other.

"Are you sure?" she asked, leaning to him as if they were about to kiss in a moment.

"We're looking for someone," Hailie said, making everybody stare at her. "That's why we came here," she added, moving closer to Lust. She had no idea why she had done it, but it made her feel better, because the lady stepped back.

Hailie didn't look at Lust, who was smiling with amusement. That was the one thing he didn't expect to happen. Now, he was definitely pleased.

"Yes, Death already expects you. Along with your friend, Greed. They're upstairs."

"The only upstairs that Lust will visit," said Pride, ready to go to the room, where the meeting was about to start. "Why have you brought Hailie here?" she asked with her voice lower, so nobody else would hear them.

"That's a longer story and not my fault."

Lady Nightingale led them to the black and white door at the first floor, which were completely different from other doors on the corridor. Hailie suddenly felt a cold shiver running down her spine, which made her still. She was about to meat Death, one of the most powerful entities in the universe. With a single thought it could probably take somebody's life, as well as extend it.

Pride took Hailie by the hand, making her feel better. She sent her a warm smile, encouraging to enter inside the room, which had a weird aura. Everything here was black or white and Hailie's eyes got tired from looking at only those two colors. She thought that if she was about to stay here longer, she would go mad.

"Took you long enough," Greed said, sitting on the chair with her legs on the desk. She looked more than comfortable, while Death was looking at a black screen with no images on it. "Forgive me, honestly, I didn't know I'll be here as well. I wasn't sure if I could manage to do everything I planned," Greed added. 

"She has an unusual way of negotiating," Death said with his voice so cold that it could change others into icy statues, even though there were no traces that it was unhappy with the result of negotiations with Greed.

"What do you mean?" Sloth stepped forward, wanting to know what kind of deal Greed made with Death.

They've spent some time discussing important matters. Luckily for them, Death wanted to keep the blades safe as much as they wanted. Greed found a way to make sure that nobody, who's not supposed to, will get in touch with Twin Blades. She gave the Boundary Breaker to Leah, but she needed Death to make sure it would stay with her. Leah was an old woman, having around twenty years of life ahead. That was way too short for Greed. Demons lived their lives differently. The time was floating for them unlike for others. So, she made a deal with Death.

"You were right. We do have both the Spell Breaker and the Boundary Breaker. But those blades are too dangerous to be kept together, to be united once again. And for the times that are about to come, they shouldn't be in our possession. We're about to become the targets, not only because of what we have done, but because of what we're about to do. I found a suitable keeper for the Boundary Breaker, but I'd like to ask you for not taking its soul too fast on the other side."

Death narrowed his dark as midnight eyes. "You're asking me to extend this person's life?" It was within his control. It might not come for this person's soul, leaving it living the life that wouldn't end for many upcoming years. It wouldn't be the first time it has done such a thing.

"Only because that's the only way to keep the blades safe. I trust only you and that person." Death was the keeper of the Spell Breaker for the centuries, making sure nobody would find out about it, nor take it. It didn't use it itself as well. Because Death didn't seek power. It was keeping the balance of worlds in order. "Her name is Leah."

"I agree, not only on extending her life, but also on returning her youth. I trust you've made a good choice, because giving such a powerful tool to a human is risky."

"I've made a good choice."

But that wasn't the only deal that Greed has made with Death. She stopped leaning in the chair and decided to stand, because Sloth was not about to be happy with her second decision.

"I've given back the Spell Breaker to Death."

"What?" Sloth and Wrath both asked with irritation and incredulity.

Hailie started changing her weight from one foot to another. She had no idea what was going on, but the air in the room was freezing.

"It is not my property," Death said, taking its time to look closer at every demon in the room. It wasn't common for them to have so many emotions within. "It belongs to you, but I've became its keeper once again."

Sloth wanted to say something back, but Greed gave him a warning look. They stared into each other's eyes for a longer moment, as if they were having inner battle. Finally, it was Sloth, who had backed out. After what happened in the house, maybe it truly was the best possible option.

"We've came here with a different matter to discuss," reminded Wrath, who tried to look at least a bit concerned about the mortal's death. He was concerned with the result, but not with the murder itself.

"And I cannot help you," replied Death, who set its eyes on Hailie. She immediately felt even more cold than earlier. Why hasn't anybody else trembled and shivered? The Death was looking terrifying, with black holes as eyes, with a voice that was so calm that it made her uneasy, with a silhouette that was emaciated and pale. "Not because I do not want to"-even though it wasn't his problem to solve-"but because the soul you seek belongs to one of the demons."

Hailie suddenly felt weak on her knees. She lost her balance and would have fallen if not for Pride, who quickly caught her. She sat Hailie on the couch, trying to think of a way to comfort her.

"Who's in the possession of Shane's soul?" Lust asked categorically. He was not going to give up just yet.

"Asmodeus."

The room plunged in the silence, that sank deep into demons, who took a minute, before saying anything. The situation changed from bad to even worse. Out of all demons, Asmodeus was one of most hateful towards seven deadly sins demons, especially towards Lust. They've had a long history of war between them, war that Lust always thought he was winning. And because of that Asmodeus hated him even more, always looking for a way to hurt him the most.

"Who-Who's that?" Hailie managed to say, even though fear creeped into her heart.

"Asmodeus is one of the princes of Hell," explained Pride.

"And one of demons representing lust," added Wrath, giving this way the partly explanation of his conflict with Lust. Asmodeus couldn't stand that it's Lust, who's the original demon, the king of the Lust realm, the one of the seven deadly sins.

"And he happens to be in the Casino Hell at the moment," said Greed, making all of them instantly gaze at her.

"What will we do now?" asked Hailie, looking at the floor with tears in her eyes. "How we're supposed to get Shane's soul back, if it's in possession of one of the princes of Hell?"

"It's easy." Lust was burning with anger and hatred towards one of his oldest enemies. "We'll just get it back," he stated and left the room with his fist clenched. 

***

Curious about Death? He appears more in my other story - "The Death's Game", check it out if you're curious ;)

With Love, Caroline ❤️

Ig: Caroline_Korlins