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Sin is not born alone. It is shared. Much like suffering, sin is its inverse. Suffering is what brings you closer to each other, makes people empathetic, and without that understanding, that shared humility, sin thrives and evil is born. In order to live, everyone suffers, but the beauty is meant to be in overcoming that suffering. That's what it means to redeem yourself. No matter how selfish, how sinful you are, if you suffer for it, live life how it should be, then you can be clean again.

The problem is when you don't see a reason to repent.

G0D rewards those that live life how they should, bleeding and sweating and breaking yourself apart for the comforts of other people. Work hard. Because your family needs you. Live by the rules. Because everyone benefits from a lively, safe, humble society. Agonize? Grow tired? Grow resentful of having to live each day feeling hollowed out by the demands of life? That's just what life is all about. Get over it! Overcome! That's what makes you a good person.

And if that's not comforting enough, G0D will give you a big, shiny, reward at the very end. A beautifully crafted Paradise, tailored exactly to the life you wish you had instead. Doesn't that make you want to work even harder?

No?

Then you're selfish. Sinful. So sinful. Filthy. Corrupted. How could you? Do you think you're above everyone else now? How dare you.

What will other people think? If you live thinking only about yourself, then that hurts people. You're hurting them. Putting funny ideas in their heads. You're hurting yourself. The farther you stray, the more isolated you become.

Don't think about the ones living bright, beautiful lives; all flesh, all life, in their tailored, branded, clothes, their disgusted stares, pretentious mouths and closed fists. The owners and lords in their giant looming houses, only ever shades paler than you, shorting your check and paying you dimes.

They live beautifully, because they are good people that earned it, right? They earned it from suffering, your peoples suffering, your resources, your land.

Yes... You strayed from Its faith, because you realized Its imperfection.


You accept the dagger, examining it in your hand, your reflection sharp in its silver blade. It's a light thing. Not cold. In fact, the handle buzzes close to burning as you clutch it, disgusted by your touch.

Even their weapons are pretentious.



You take a breath, let her think it's done, press the steel to your neck. The angel watches you with burning eyes. You stare back and feel the sting as blood is drawn. Whatever redemption she hopes for, you do not feel it.

Maybe once, a part of you would have been grateful. Weeping at the chance. You still feel it in you, still feel its guilt. But as you look at this angel now, you realize they are no better than you. No more sadistic. No more human.

A fire lights within you. Defiance.



You move back, feel the dagger's weight once more, the lightness of it in your grip. You've trained with knives before, took classes and had a few scuffles yourself. A necessary part of surviving your life.

It feels like it's all lead up to this.

"If pain is redemption, and defiance is pain..." You snarl, "Was there ever really a choice?"



You put your whole body into the strike. Grind your feet into the floor, feel the tension of your hand and the momentum along your arms to your hips to your feet. It is light. You are light. A whistle in the breeze. One thing. One purpose.

There is only the blur of wings and eyes widening far too late.

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