The building looked just as something that for humans would be a normal casino situated in Las Vegas. Maybe not quite normal, one of these exclusive ones, where people go with big dreams about winning a fortune and walking away with nothing left in their pocket or in the bank account. But that was just the first impression, because the more one was looking at the building, the more details there was to notice. It all was starting with the fountain. It was the most beautiful, tremendous fountain to see. It seemed as if the water was illuminating in red and poured endlessly, creating a waterfall that matched the color of the building. But truthfully, it was no water, just blood, which was infinite around here. The building was gorgeous too, surrounded by neon lights to highlight the name and its lovely shape. But it was completely covered with sharp thorns and blades protruding from the walls. Surely, it was better not to lean on those walls, although sometimes it was hard not to walk right on them, considering the dark fog. It squirmed along the ground like a snake, then climbed the walls, making the building  show itself like a mystery, a dangerous one, yet to unfold. The building and its surroundings had everything that was attracting demons. The perfect combination of luxury and darkness.

No wonder it was the most favorite and well-known place In Between. Even if demons weren't so eager to visit In Between, because of its many dangers, they were making an exception just for that one place. And not only demons, but horrible monsters and other entities could be met here as well.

What was that famous proverb that everyone around here has known?

It wasn't hard to remember.

"All the roads lead to the"-Sloth took a deep breath-"Casino Hell."

And even if it was more or less neutral territory – no one has died here, except for those, who experienced the fury of the ones, who caught them cheating – Sloth hated the idea of walking in. There was no other way to get what he wanted, so he gathered his strength and put the mask on. He wasn't considered the most dangerous of the seven deadly sins and honestly, he preferred for it to stay that way. The least suspected were sometimes the most threatening ones.

It was better to stay unnoticed. In that outfit he even had a chance at not being recognized as one of the seven sins demons. That might've been the first time in history, when he was wearing a fitted, black suit, making himself look elegant and clean. He put his dark shades on and walked inside, watching out for the thorns around the door. The handle was covered in black blood, but he wasn't stupid enough to touch it. It took only a small move of his hand and the door swung open for him.

The moment he walked in, he understood that his plan to fade in might not work. Apparently, he spent too much time in the human world. An idea to wear an outfit, which was considered elegant among humans, wasn't a good fit for demons. Except for maybe three more guys, nobody was wearing a suit. In fashion were now royal robes, black leather or shirts revealing the muscular torso. It was quite a mix of different looks, considering that the female demons were in long gowns, and the other ones in short, sexy dresses.

He wasn't in the mood for gambling, even though he had souls he could give at stake. He had a lot of them, but they weren't worth losing in some stupid games. He couldn't win with Missy in cards, definitely it wasn't a good idea to play against demons, who were coming here for years. While others were fighting over tormenting wretches, he passed them all. Sloth came here only for one, particular being.

The one whom some considered more powerful than the Devil.

And he wanted from him something much more important than a bunch of souls.

"Want to join in, sweetie?" A demonic slayer came up to him with a shot of blood in her hands. She barely had clothes on herself. Sloth wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him to go upstairs and join an orgy or sit at the table to gamble.

"Maybe next time." Sloth barely looked at her, because he already set his eyes on somebody else.

He was sitting at the exclusive table, where only the bravest dared to come. He was the master of every game he played. The one that could not be tricked or fouled. The one that nobody dared to cheat on. And without cheating, they might have counted only on luck. Nevertheless, it was always tempting to stand against an opponent that challenging.

It was fascinating just to talk with him and Sloth indeed had luck today, because he wasn't a frequent guest of Casino Hell. And today he was here, as he supposed to be. It meant that Sloth had a chance.

It was blunt of him, but he strengthened and came to the table, sitting in front of a powerful entity that looked a bit like what humans have been calling a man. He looked up from the cards in his hand spread like a fan, with his eyes entirely black. Void, as some would describe. They not only seemed to be endless but were able to look deep into someone's soul. He was wearing a long, black gown with a hood that was casting a shadow over his face, which was thin, even emaciated, with a pale shade. His cheeks were sunken and when he opened his mouth, it looked as if darkness was pouring out of them.

"So, you think you can beat Death?" he asked, with his voice calm and stable, but somehow terrifying at the same time.

That was the thing about Death. It didn't look as dreadful as other entities and yet everybody felt threatened in its company. Probably because with a single thought he could make someone cease into existence.

"I cannot. Nobody can." Sloth's comment made Death smile. "I've come here for something much more important than fun." He reached to his pocket for a page folded in half. He put it on the table and slid over into Death's hands.

He looked at the words written on a paper and without a single glitch of emotion on his face, he just stood up. His robe shifted on the ground as he took a few steps forward. Only then he gazed once again at Sloth and asked, "Are you coming or not?"

Sloth instantly stood up and caught up with Death, who was leading him to a more private area. It wasn't smart to talk about the things of such matter by the common table, even if they were the only ones sitting there. With a shadow that hovered above the floor behind Death's robe, they walked into a small room with walls black as midnight and furniture white as a dove.

"Cozy," commented Sloth, already setting his eyes on a couch. Would it be rude to sit before Death chose its place? He surely didn't look like sitting at all, standing next to a cabinet with smoke balls.

"How you accessed the knowledge of me having what you're looking for?" Death asked, because for centuries there was not a single entity being able to link this object back to him. No one knew. Not even the Devil. And here he had one of seven deadly sins demons, looking for an object he possessed.

"I've been looking for a missing half of The Twin Blade for a long time. At first, I believed it's In Between, because in other parts of Hell it would be too easy to find. In Between was much more complicated and dangerous. I almost gave up, getting used to the thought that I won't be able to get hold of the missing part. I couldn't find it, and I've looked a lot. What the places I've been to. Worse than Hell." And it was hard to find anything worse than Hell. "But then was this thought that occurred to me." For a story like that he was not able to stand. He walked to that white couch and took a place on it. "Maybe it was never In Between nor in Hell. It couldn't be in Heaven as well, so-"

"Earth." Death understood where Sloth was going with his little story of finding the missing half of the Twin Blade. There was no need for further explanation.

All demons believed that the missing half was somewhere in Hell. None have thought about Earth. That was the beauty of hiding it. Choosing a place nobody would look in.

"But humans are everywhere. They take everything, believing it's theirs to take. Nothing stays hidden for too long. And the blade, it has a murderous aura, just like other cursed objects. It can lead a demon to its undoing, so surely whoever got the missing blade, must've sooner or later meet with Death. I couldn't be sure, but I understood that what I've been looking for was not an object, but a soul." Sloth wasn't completely sure of it at first, but he hadn't another explanation. Maybe he wanted to believe it, because he wasn't able to leave the house and wander Earth, looking for an ancient object. Instead, he looked in Hell and In Between for a soul that died because of the blade. And he finally found it. And it led him back to Death.

"It was centuries ago," admitted Death, while shadows were floating around him. "Only a fool wouldn't recognize the missing blade. I've been its keeper since then. Never used it." He had no need. He was the most powerful of them all. But keeping the blade in its hands, that was safer than leaving it in the human's realm. "Knowing what you know, why did you come to me?"

Sloth stood up and walked to Death, who was way taller than he. After all, he found the blade In Between, only that it wasn't missing anymore.

"I've come to make a deal."

It made Death amused, but his face stayed emotionless. He wasn't in Casino Hell for a long time and when he came here, that happened. A demon, who wanted to make a deal. In his existence, full of deciding over a life or death, it was nice to have some fun.

He could spare someone's life or not. They were begging just for a little more time, but at the end all souls belonged to him. He was giving mercy to some of them, but in the end, they were meeting again. He had all the time in the world to collect them. Both God and Devil might've been called the most powerful, but it was him to decide whether to open the door to Heaven or Hell.

"What can you offer me?" he asked, thinking that he already had it all.

Sloth smiled, ready for being asked of that.

"It's not about what I can offer you," he smoothly said, "but what you want."

Death slowly nodded, thinking carefully about Sloth's offer.

"There's no second-guessing what you want." Oh, how many souls he already took to Hell from the house that was called by humans as the Bloody Manor.

"We're trapped there," admitted Sloth. "If the missing blade is The Spell Breaker, we could break the spell created by Devil and finally be free. And if it's the Boundary Breaker, well, I'm sure we can work something out too."

Death knew what the missing part was, but why would he give it up so easily?

He was the owner of The Spell Breaker for centuries now, but maybe it was time for a little change? It meant nothing to him. He had no need or business in using it. An object created for entities who seek power. He didn't seek it. Not because he had it, but because power was nothingness. Sooner or later, it was passing away, just like everything else.

The seven deadly sins demons were much more dangerous than others have thought. Keeping them trapped in the house, not able to wander the mortal's realm, it made them look weak, when all along they had an untapped potential. It was waiting to be released, which actually would be handy. He was Death and they were the sowers of the death.

And sometimes, from what he has heard, they could bring some good too.

The demons that decided to be not entirely bad. That begun to have emotions.

"I can make a deal, but everything comes with a cost. Sometimes higher than it's worth. The question is, are you ready to pay it?"

"I wouldn't come to you otherwise," Sloth said with his eyes just as dark as Death's. He needed that blade. All seven of them did. They deserved to be free at last.

Death came to the white desk and sat on it. He reached under his black robe and pulled out the object, which Sloth was looking for. Honestly, he was a bit disappointed, seeing that the blade didn't seem as special as he thought.

"I'll give it to you, but you're going to owe me a favor."

"That's all?"

Death tilted his head and replied, "I need nothing from you, but one day I just might. A simple favor. It might not consider only you, but your fellow demons as well. One day I'll call upon you, and you're going to do as I ask you." It might've sounded insignificantly, but that was the biggest trick. For there was no fear in things that could be named. The worst were those who were yet to be named. "Do we have a deal?"

Sloth knew how dangerous it was to make a deal with Death, especially the one that wasn't specified. But he spent too much time looking for that blade. Without it they could be trapped in the house for another hundreds of years, or worse, forced to go back to Hell. It was time to unleash the seven deadly sins demons. It was time for them to be free. Devil won't be the one to set out the conditions any longer.

Death held out his hand, which was ice cold and bony. Sloth grabbed it and slightly shook.

"We have a deal." 

***

Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long, lately I feel like life has been crazy with all the things I have to do. 

Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and that all of you are safe and sound ❤️❤️❤️

Btw, if you are curious about the new character in the book - Death - check out my other story, "The Death's Game" to find out even more ;)

Kisses, Caroline ❤️

Ig: Caroline_Korlins