Chapter 32: The forbidden

The moment Lylia flipped to the next section, the entire book seemed to… shift.

The pages darkened, almost stained with age, and the ink looked like it had been scratched in by someone who didn’t know how to properly hold a pen. The handwriting leaned, shook, and stabbed at the page.

The first spell was simply titled Resurrection.

It worked exactly as the name implied. A sketch sat beside it with a magic circle that looked like something edgy middle-schoolers back on Earth would scribble in their notebooks thinking they had unlocked “real magic.” Well, that also implies to cults.

Though… it actually existed now, so Lylia guessed they weren’t entirely wrong.

To revive someone, you needed to sacrifice two lives of the same species inside the magic circle.

There was a warning below written in jagged, aggressively bold strokes,

DO NOT PLAY WITH LIFE AND DEATH YOU ARE NOT GOD.

YOU WILL BE JUDGE BY THE GOD HIMSELF.

Lylia felt a brief, sudden wave of goosebumps slide up her arms.

Then, just as quickly, it faded.

“Hm… fair price for a forbidden spell, I guess…” she murmured, half-awake, half-not. Compared to the intermediate spells earlier? Yeah. She’d rather stick to beginner magic forever.

She yawned loudly, eyes threatening to droop.

“Alright, alright… let’s just skim the rest…”

Then she kept turning the pages until she reached to the next header. It was something different. It was a page dedicated for a single paragraph.

It read, messily,

'There were once seven great nations. But as their rulers sank deeper into sin, the nations fell and were sealed away in Hell. There, each one became the embodiment of a deadly sin, and the trials faced by souls who descend into that realm. Those rare few who overcome these trials return to the living world changed… and are thereafter known as demons.'

Under it, faint and almost scratched out with pen, she squinted to read,

THE GOD JUST WANTED HIS OWN SEVEN DEADLY SINS.

Lylia nodded slowly.

“Hoh…” she said, flipping the page.

She still didn't seem to get it.

The next page, there was a drawing took up most of the page. A giant, purple humanoid figure standing straight while looking down. Behind its head was a simple ring of light, like a god’s halo drawn with uneven strokes. Beneath it, a tiny castle and a whole nation were sketched to show its size, so small they looked like toy blocks compared to the figure towering above them. Below it read, 

'Crest (Pride)

Bring him an angel’s wings, still warm with heaven’s betrayal.

Place his blade, Sovereign’s Arrogance, upon the altar of the five gods.

Kneel before no throne but his.

And let all divinity witness your devotion.

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues "Humility".'

Lylia blinked once.

“Pride… so it really is the seven deadly sins, huh. And there’s the counterpart too… Though, it seems I can summon this or something? Huh, okay...” She tilted her head. “Well…I kinda like the art style of his sketch, I guess?"

'From my understanding, though, its description seems... unreasonable. There is no way I can do that to the Gods.' She swore.

She turned the page. The next illustration was simple. It was single platinum coin. However, the engraving of a divine throne on its face had been smeared on purpose, almost violently. Someone had drawn a small smiley face over the ruined image using gold-colored ink. Even the letters on the coin were bent or warped, as if someone kept rewriting them.

Below seems to be its name and its description again.

'Maw (Greed)

Preliminary Engagement Contract

Initial Deposit:

Only a single platinum coin is required to initiate service. Payment must be placed directly upon Maw’s sigil, accompanied by a clear verbal invocation of its name. Failure to enunciate properly may void your request, or trigger unintended responses.

Deferred Balance:

Remaining payment will be collected at a later, undisclosed date. Maw reserves the right to determine the amount, nature, and form of this balance. Clients are advised that refusal or delay in payment is not recommended.

Scope of Services:

Maw provides a wide range of acquisition, removal, retrieval, and acquisition-adjacent solutions. Specific outcomes vary per request. Maw will decide the most “appropriate” method to fulfill your needs. Clients need not concern themselves with the details; Maw will manage them thoroughly.

Terms & Conditions:

-All transactions are permanent and binding.

-Any attempt to renegotiate, escape, or dispute terms will result in immediate intervention.

-Maw may collect additional fees without prior notice if the client’s behavior, possessions, soul, or circumstances are deemed “valuable.”

-Service may continue beyond the client’s lifetime if obligations remain unmet.

Liability Notice:

Maw assumes no responsibility for emotional, physical, metaphysical, financial, or existential damage incurred during or after service execution. By initiating contact, the client acknowledges full acceptance of all listed and unlisted consequences.

We appreciate your business.

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues "Charity".'

Lylia stared at the page for a long moment.

“…That was long,” she muttered. “And why did that read like a business contract? Is he... or she, a businessman or something?”

Still, she found herself leaning in, more awake now.

“This is… kinda entertaining actually.”

She flipped the page. 

This time, the sketch showed a normal-looking row of houses in a small neighborhood, but the walls, windows, and even the ground had eyes. Dozens of them. Some wide open, some half-lidded, all staring outward in different directions, as if watching everything at once.

'Shade (Envy)

Service Notice: Shade (Envy) — Temporary Unavailability

We regret to inform clients that Shade, designated Sin of Envy, is currently unavailable for summoning or consultation.

Shade is experiencing a period of heightened observational fixation and is presently occupied monitoring other entities, clients, and realities. During this interval, Shade is unable, or unwilling to respond to direct invocation.

Important Notes:

-Attempting to summon Shade while it is preoccupied may result in mirrored phenomena, emotional displacement, or the unintentional loss of self-identity.

-Deposits made during this time may be appropriated by Shade if it feels you “won’t miss them.”

-Summoning attempts may be redirected toward other entities who attract Shade’s attention more than you do.

-Availability will resume once Shade loses interest in its current target(s). Timeline: dependent on envy levels.

-We appreciate your understanding during this period of comparative dissatisfaction.

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues "Kindness".'

Lylia nodded softly.

“Uhuh… so I can’t summon this one. And what a detailed notice...”

Flip.

The next sketch here looked like someone drew a living flame shaped roughly like a person. Within the fire, two simple circles marked the eyes, and in its hands was a huge axe, almost cartoonishly large.

'Blaze (Wrath)

"RAAAAAAHHHHH OFFER ME A NATION AND I SHALL DESTROY MORE! HURRY UP AND DO IT! RIGHT NOW! I AM BORED!!!!"

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtue "Patience".'

Lylia winced.

“Aha… ha… wow.”

She does the next flipping, more carefully this time.

An illustration showing several people hanging limply from long chains, collars around their necks. The chains stretched upward into a single, huge hand above them, holding them all like dangling keys. Their bodies sagged with no strength, like they had already given up.

Loom (Sloth)

Service Notice: Loom (Sloth) — Temporary Unavailability

We regret to inform clients that Loom, designated sin of Sloth, is currently unavailable for summoning or service engagement.

At this time, Loom has elected to suspend all activity, including responses to invocation, contractual obligations, and existential presence. This state of inactivity is not considered unusual and may persist indefinitely.

Important Notes:

-Attempts to forcibly summon Sloth may result in null responses or unintended manifestations.

-Deposits made during this period will not be refunded; Loom does not acknowledge financial responsibility.

-Service will resume only when Loom chooses to do so. Estimated timeline: undetermined.

-Clients are advised not to wait. Loom certainly will not.

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues "Diligence".'

Lylia gave a small, sleepy smile.

“Another unavailable? Makes sense for a Sloth… And I think I like this art the best.”

Flip.

Another sketch. This time, a seemingly big, round, lumpy blob colored orange. No clear face, no limbs, just a shapeless mass with a few uneven lines suggesting folds or wobbling

'Gob (Gluttony)

Service Notice: Gob (Gluttony) — Temporary Unavailability

Please be advised that Gob, designated Sin of Gluttony, is currently unavailable for summoning or service execution.

At this time, Gob is undergoing mandatory digestion cycles. These cycles occur when prior service requests exceed recommended consumption limits and may involve extended periods of incapacitated fullness.

Important Notes:

Do not attempt to summon Gob during a digestion cycle. Any such effort may result in premature regurgitation of previous clients or collateral material.

Deposits, offerings, or sacrifices submitted at this time may be consumed without acknowledgment or contractual engagement.

Clients are strongly discouraged from approaching Gob’s containment area, as residual hunger spikes may occur without warning.

Gob will resume operations once capacity is available. Estimated timeline: after it becomes hungry again.

Thank you for respecting Gob’s current metabolic needs.

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by one of the Seven Heavenly Virtues "Temperance".'

Lylia snorted.

“Heh… okay.”

Flip. The next page has an image of a spiral. While The text beneath was… intense.

'Lure (Lust)

“Fuck me! Fuck women! Fuck the children! Fuck the elderly! Fuck the living, the dead, the damned, and every desperate soul that crawls toward desire!

Ruin them, ravish them, devour their longing! Leave no body untouched, no breath unmoaned, no craving unsatisfied!

Come dripping in your most shameless hunger

and scream your love for me as you drown in ecstasy!

Oh, and offer at least a hundred hearts torn from the innocent~”

Warning: Upon successful summoning, you will be chased by the heavenly virtue "Chastity".'

Lylia held the page with both hands… and laughed under her breath.

“Heheheh… now that is some description.”

She exhaled, leaning back in her chair.

Her eyes were tired, her mind slightly foggy, but she'd keep reading.

She still had more of the night ahead.

So she turned the page.