Inori's eyes widened. Horror clamped her scream behind both hands pressed tight over her mouth.
'Th… that is a Sinner…! They're real… They are real?!'
The thought looped inside her head, an odd mix of fascination, surprise, and raw terror. She did not dare let her reaction slip into the air. The last thing she needed was that thing turning its gaze upon her.
She had never seen one in real life, but any child her age was required to study such monstrosities during lectures. If you were going to survive in such a cursed world, recognizing these "Sinners" was absolutely necessary.
This time it was no textbook picture. This time, it crouched there, fifteen feet of glistening red lazily feeding on what remained of an innocent woman. Blood soaked the once-white sheets and pillows. The strong scent of blood invaded her nostrils the moment she realized the creature was truly feeding on flesh. The protruding odour of leaking intestines made her stumble. Her nose felt strangely more sensitive than usual.
Inori took one careful step backward. Then another. Her bare feet made almost no sound on the damp stone in the alley. Luckily for her, the poor light prevented a vivid view, so she did not see the actual mutilated corpse.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Her body moved with a sluggish, dreamlike motion.
'C-calm down… Just stay calm…'
Her mind finally began to function again after freezing. She slowly backed away from the household, tip-toeing with painstaking care until she bumped into the building behind her.
Sinners were humans who had crossed a dark threshold, letting their ill acts consume them. The Curse twisted them into abominations physical echoes of their darkest deeds. Inori's eyes had just witnessed one: a monster forged from unrelenting wrongdoings, a gruesome reflection of the sins that had devoured its humanity.
'Don't panic. You'll make noise.' She surprisingly managed to calm herself a little, still slowly leaving the alley with as little sound as possible.
'I know what that thing is, and from its shell, it's definitely a Sinner of Sloth… They have poor eyesight, but are very sensitive to vibrations.' That explained her gentle movements.
On the spot, fragments of old lessons about Sinners surfaced in her mind, facts meant to help survive an encounter with any of their kinds.
Cold sweat traced down her spine beneath the tight white bands of cloth. Her shoulders trembled. 'I-I don't want to die… I can't die…! I'm still so young.'
Inori kept silently retreating, step by silent step, until enough distance stretched between her and the house. The black road now divided their positions. Her plan was simple: keep walking in the opposite direction until she could do what she had set out for.
'Find a telephone. Call Father. Find a telephone. Call Father.' She replayed the simple instructions over and over like a fragile mantra.
Finally, Inori had put significant distance between them, about one whole block away. 'There's no way it could sense me now. I'm sure of it!' She breathed a little easier.
The empty road ahead offered the illusion of safety. Yet her heart could not help but pound, ready to run. She drew in a shaky breath. Her right leg stepped forward with noticeable force, enough to begin sprinting.
Just then.
The vibration traveled through the asphalt floor, all the way to the walls of the houses beside it. A negligible tremor to humans — but not to "It."
The human snail jerked. Its bald head lifted like a slow, gruesome antenna. It had felt her.
Inori, oblivious she was spotted.
Bolted quickly. Her legs flailed awkwardly; she had never truly sprinted before, but panic fueled every stumbling stride. 'Go! Go! Go!' she urged herself, not daring a backward glance.
A voice, low and halting, drifted from the shadows behind her. Seven words, dragged out as though each one cost the speaker great effort.
"For the… wages… of sin… is… death."
The verse from Romans 6:23 slid across her skin like cold oil. Inori automatically increased her speed, trying desperately not to scream.
The Sinner of Sloth lurched into view, shredding the paper door in front of the house with a wet rip. It dragged its bulk onto the road. Human-like hands propelled it forward on thick slime as it glided after her with relentless, patient hunger.
She could no longer hold it in. "S-somebody help!! Please!"
Her cry echoed down the silent street. No lights came on. No doors opened.
'No… this can't be happening! How did it hear me…?!' Her thoughts shattered as a jagged stone sliced deep into her bare foot. Pain seared through her, buckling her legs immediately. She collapsed onto the cold ground, mere feet in front of the lumbering Sinner of Sloth. Inori whimpered, "M-my leg… it hurts!" She winced, curling on the floor.
It unfolded like a nightmare scene drawn out in agonizing slow motion: an injured girl crawling desperately across the damp ground while the monstrous form slithered closer, unhurried yet inevitable. The air grew thicker with the scent of rot and blood. Every second stretched.
"Someone please! Call a Priest! Can you not hear me?!" She yelled in growing annoyance and fear. The time was already 6:25 AM. Yet all the households in the neighborhood remained like graves — absolute, deliberate silence.
"For… the…. wages…." At last it arrived. Close enough that she could smell the copper and rot on its breath.
The creature leaned closer, its jaw parting slowly, warm and foul breath washing over her face. She could see the dark hollow of its mouth, the slow pulse of something inside.
"N-no! No, no, no, no… am I going to die…?"
The thought burned behind her eyes. Annoyance — sharp, childish, and helpless — flickered beneath the terror. She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms.
The Sinner's head lowered another inch. Its breath grew hotter, heavier.
"Please, Father…!" Her eyes closed automatically. She nearly passed out inches away from death.
But Inori did not die.
A wet pop echoed through the stillness. A roar rattled the air — deep, sluggish, and filled with genuine pain. The Sinner recoiled violently to the side, human-like hands clawing at its ruined eye socket. Thick fluid leaked between its fingers.
"Huh?"
Inori shuffled back on her elbows, chest heaving, legs clenched against the pain.
A blur of blue and red had wedged an arm into the creature's wide eye. The figure landed with sparks kicking up from his boots. His red leather mask gleamed in the fading light.
"Whatchaaa!! You won't claim another victim!" he declared, striking a dramatic pose — arms wide, legs squatting low. The man stood only 4.5 feet tall in total. Extremely short for an adult male.
Inori, still teary-eyed, lifted her gaze to his back. His costume was a vibrant, clashing blend of red and blue briefs. Cartoonishly large gloves covered his arms, as if he were cosplaying or showcasing some brand. The rest of his skin was bare, slightly muscular and clearly trained.
He turned to her and crouched. "Are you okay, miss?!" Inori slowly nodded with a tired, bewildered smile, still processing what was happening. The man wore a frightening luchador-inspired frowning mask that startled her a bit.
'A wrestler?' That was the first thought that crossed her mind. The throbbing pain in her foot persisted, making her tremble. Behind the mask, the man's expression seemed to soften.
"A-are you injured?" he asked worriedly.
Inori muttered a quiet "A little," pointing at the rock embedded in her foot. The man looked relieved it wasn't anything more serious, like a lost limb. Sinners of Sloth were known to leave meals unfinished.
He returned his attention to the creature.
Inori gasped as she spotted the golden cross hanging below his neck when he turned. "Y-you're a Priest?!" she pointed out.
"That's right, miss!" He flashed a proud thumbs-up, the gesture oddly cheerful in the grim road.
She was immediately relieved, her cry for help was answered.
"Look out!" Inori yelled.
Behind the mysterious man, the Sinner of Sloth had already unhinged its jaw, preparing to take a deeeeep bite from his shoulder.
With a fluid motion, the short Priest dodged at the last second and delivered a powerful smack with one enormous glove. Seven teeth flew from the monster's mouth. The weight behind those gloves must have been immense.
The man glanced at Inori, who was still terrified. The creature kept getting back up, even with a shattered mouth. The dread of something so persistent in killing her made her nauseous. He returned a glare to the Sinner.
'It's really muscular for a Sinner of Sloth. Their kind are literally lazy, It should have given up and fled by now…! Does the girl have something it wants?' He studied her for a moment. Her clothes were odd, white bandages like an Egyptian mummy, but mostly just cosplay… right?
"W-wait, today isn't Halloween, is it?" he cracked awkwardly, trying to lighten the heavy air and calm her down.
"Please, just… just kill it already!" Inori yelled back, her voice cracking with exhaustion and fear. Why was he stalling so much?
The short man cleared his throat and grew more serious. "Osu!" he yelled before launching into an unnecessary backflip. He landed on a wooden fence. To Inori's wide eyes, the wood seemed to bend and stretch back like a spring before catapulting him forward at the Sinner.
A single punch to its stomach, this time enveloped in a golden glow, commanded a burst of blood and dark organs. Luckily her mouth was closed, so she didn't taste it. Only a deafening boom echoed through due to the force behind the attack.
His speed halted after he passed through the creature.
"Ta-daaa~~~" He landed with a flourish, arms raised in triumph as a shower of blood rained down like grotesque confetti celebrating his dramatic finish.
Inori flinched, raising her hands instinctively. She hoped it was all over.
What remained of the Sinner began to burn.
Rapid, unnatural flames consumed flesh and shell alike. The pieces decayed into ash and sank into the ground as though the earth itself were dragging them down to some deeper, hotter place. Within seconds, nothing was left. Not even a stain.
The street fell silent once more.
"…It's… gone?"
Relief flickered across her face, fragile and uncertain. She wiped at the blood on her skin with disgust. Then her legs gave way again because of the rock still lodged in her foot.
"Ouch, it hurts…!" She looked at the man with wide, puppy-dog eyes, scared of what to do next.
"Be right there." He hopped over to her position and squatted down. The man carefully lifted her foot and quickly removed the rock with blinding speed.
Before Inori could even fully register the fresh wave of pain, he covered her leg with soothing, beautiful golden light. It was a form of energy she herself couldn't perceive.
To her, it simply felt like a satisfying, deep massage that dulled the worst of the pain — though it didn't truly heal the wound. A wave of satisfaction washed over her face despite everything.
He let out a groan as he stood, stretching his back with some soft cracks. "Ahhh, I'm getting too old for this," he joked, launching into a few dynamic stretches.
The light moment was soon interrupted by low sobs from Inori. She was crying.
"W-why are you crying?! Does your leg still hurt?!" He panicked, seeing the tears roll down her cheeks.
Inori's lips quivered as she answered. "It… it doesn't hurt as much. I-I-I'm just grateful, is all… Th-thank you for saving me, sir." She couldn't help but bow, her small frame trembling with genuine appreciation.