text: **Broken World** The man swept through the streets of what remained of Larneth. The once prosperous city was now a refuge for the peasants the handicapped, the poor... In other words - filth. Even so, this filth saw him as a hero, and so he had to play the part appropriately. Their pleas and screams boiled his blood. When they groped his scarlet cloak, his hair stood on end and he had to stop himself from recoiling in disgust. He didn’t know whether his self-control could channel the barrage of fury and repulsion he felt towards these animals into his plastic mask of smiles and empathy. They made him remember a boy he wanted to forget, one that he hated being reminded of. He remembered a boy who was seen as the one amongst these oppressed people who would strike back. If he was still here, the flames of justice would fuel him to make sure these people did not stay like this. He would comfort the crying children, help the men and women get on their own feet. Against all odds, he would restore places like Larneth to their former glory, and unseat the corrupt leaders of this broken world. The boy who made everyone smile. The boy who made his parents proud. They said he would go far. They said he would come back. They were wrong That boy did not make his parents proud. That boy did not go far. That boy did not come back. That boy was killed by the matured Amadeus Dabaso. An eternity of torture passed, and he returned to the present. He had reached his destination. A dilapidated building was cowering in front of him, looking as though if he was too loud it would crumble into dust. Gliding forward to the entrance, with his cloak billowing behind him like fire, he spoke. The illusion broke. A modern building which resembled a castle stood in front of him, glaring down at him with a triumphant leer. “Well, Amadeus! You took your time,” said a cheerful voice from behind him. Amadeus took off his hood, revealing the face of a young man in his 20s.“Good evening, *Greed*,” he said, without turning around. “Ah, you’re so uptight about the rules! Well so be it, *Wrath*.” Greed replied with a smile. Greed was a man at his prime, with clothes that represented that of some kind of royalty, clothes that were lined in gold. In contrast, Wrath was wearing a red cloak over plain clothes. “We’d best not be late; Father wouldn’t be very pleased.” Greed muttered, his eyes drifting to the large castle. “Pride has outdone himself this time. Who would have expected a castle, eh?” Wrath said quietly. “Let’s go. We’ll be late.” Wrath swept towards the castle, but Greed stayed behind. “Wrath, one of the Seven Great Transgressions known to man, born of a desire to avenge or to serve justice upon those who have wronged you.” Greed’s tone had morphed into a forced friendly tone, as if he was trying to praise Wrath. Wrath stopped in his tracks. “Never once have I ever seen you show any wrathful, vengeful side. Hell, I’ve never seen you get angry even once! You must be suppressing them, right? You’ve got nothing to worry about! We all savour our own Great Transgressions as much as we can. It’s the sign of our rebellion against God himself!” “So why does Father favour you so much when you show the least rebellion against God and don’t have any connection to your name whatsoever! I don’t want to start doubting Father but when everything seems as weird as this...” There was a deafening silence. Wrath broke the silence with a whisper. “I have a connection to my name. Just because it is invisible to the likes of you does not mean it is not there. Perhaps I’m not favoured more than everyone else. Maybe it’s just that you are favoured less. After all, it is the nature of the greedy to rebel against their masters and seek their own personal gain.” Wrath began to walk off. “Although, quite frankly, I think the ugly nature of the envious suits you more.” Wrath disappeared into the castle, while Greed stayed, motionless, rooted to the spot, with a look of fury etched into his face. The moment he had entered the castle, he had known something was not right. The castle had somehow managed to get his heart to an unnatural pace. The silence closed in all around him, threatening to swallow him whole. Shadows jumped across the wall. He turned around sharply, eyes darting frantically. Nothing. Then why was he so...unnerved? What made his legs threaten to collapse? What made his heart scream at him to turn away? He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Despite the incessant protests of his body, he forced himself forwards. The only sound in the labyrinth of silence. Five hooded figures sat around a grand table, adorned with jewels and gemstones. The rest of the room was as grand as the table, with paintings of ancient battles, forgotten even as legends. Spears and lances stood on display, studded with amethysts to give them a purple gleam. Most predominantly, a single throne sat at the head of the room, draped in a purple cloth. An uninterested man sat there, examining a glass of wine. His appearance gave no hint to what age he could have been; he looked anywhere from 20 to 60. His slit of a mouth opened. “Where is Amadeus and Greed? Its understandable that Amadeus would be late-he is not accustomed to the castle after all. But I expected more of Greed...” The woman in the purple hood spoke. ”It seems that Greed is toying with the boy, taking advantage of his vulnerability in the castle. You know how much he infuriates Greed, Father. Anyway, they’re here now”As if the words had sparked it, the grand doors slammed open. Greed walked with a gleeful face in front of Amadeus. Amadeus’ hands were shaking and his face was disfigured by hatred; Greed’s taunts and gibes were still fresh in his ears. “I’ve brought Amadeus!” Greed declared, in a singsong voice. Although everyone’s faces were covered, Amadeus could feel the excitement rippling through the room. The man known as Father twisted his mouth upwards. “Welcome, Amadeus. I trust you were able to find your way around the castle?” Laughter echoed around the room, with all of the hooded figures gazing at Amadeus with delighted eyes. They had never been this excited to see him before. The feeling of danger that the castle had sparked turned into bright flames. Amadeus gave an empty smile. “Greed was...accompanying me. It wasn’t hard to navigate the castle with him leading me.” The woman in the purple cloak mocked him “You didn’t get too scared, did you? Maybe Greed should have held your hand as well!” The rest of the figures guffawed, relishing his humiliation. His clenched fists shook in increasing intensity. His shallow breaths gave testimony to the assault on his self-control. He turned to Father with a quaking voice “ I don’t mean to be impudent but I’ve noticed that you are referring to me with my original name. Is something wrong?” Father’s smile widened across his entire face, a smile which normal people couldn’t be able to achieve. “No, Amadeus, nothing is wrong. In fact..” He got up, throwing the glass of wine on the floor. The glass, which should have shattered on impact with the floor, hit the floor with a thud. The wine remained still, as if it was stuck to the glass while the glass rolled around.“Everything is going according to plan.” He should have trusted his instincts. He had walked into a deathtrap. The small boy appeared in his mind again, wandering across the streets. His haunted eyes and dirty face never stop moving as he surveys his surroundings. But all his eyes can find are mountains of rubbish and abandoned piles of debris. No food. No water. Not a single living soul for miles around. He had walked into a death trap... But that boy still managed to survive. So why couldn't he? Even if it was a death trap, he wasn’t about to kneel down and die. Lightning cracked across the room as Amadeus flashed towards the open window. Impossibly, The man in the light blue cloak was already there. His hood flapped open, revealing a face riddled with happiness.