A Dollar for Your Insight, a Fortune for Your Disaster pt.1

- 5.55 P.M. -

Lust was panting heavily as he took cover underneath a fruit tree for shelter from the sun. Streams of sweat trickled down his temples and showered his body with the nasty fluid. His shirt was drenched and his hair limp; soaked with his perspiration. He had spent the last few hours planning his attacks away from the lake as his attempts within had failed miserably. He heaved and panted as the sun streamed its blazing heat relentlessly.

It felt as if barely any time had passed judging by the brightness of the sky. The silky cottons of clouds were apparent and proud. Lust took in one last breath as he was running out of time.

"C'mon, you got this," he slapped his knees and sprang into action.

He took off his soggy shirt and walked towards the pile of pebbles he had collected. He loaded them on a makeshift catapult he built out of dried tree barks and vines. Hesitation almost got the best of him. Lust had his fingers crossed as he released the trajectory and launched hundreds of pointy ammunition-like stones at his mentor's direction.

Just as he had predicted, the figures behind Wrath struck to prevent her from getting hit. He had guessed that they were still controlled by her somehow. Therefore, she must had been able to see her surroundings. He had previously attempted to attack her from every different angle possible, but it was to no avail. So, he came to the conclusion that her visual span wasn't limited by the direction of her eyes.

Another important feature that he had noticed was that the hands had a restricted amount of force it could shield. This gave him an idea; he had never tried to pursue her from two different opposing direction at once before. And at this point, he was willing to try anything to outwit his junior. He mustered every bit of energy left in him and propelled a secret boomerang he had carved along with the pebbles.

Unlike the irregular-shaped stones, the boomerang flew ahead of the pack and curved around the lake; away from Wrath. As soon as the hands had caught and deflected Lust's rock pellets, the sneaky wooden weapon curved and darted back. It blasted through the wall of protective water and passed by Wrath's ear by a hair. Her eyes shot open as her lightning reflex caught the boomerang mid-air.

It actually worked! Lust couldn't believe that it took him that long to figure it out and devised the perfect plan. It had always been Pride's expertise to brainstorm tactics and ploys for the group. He finally felt a sense of accomplishment after spending his whole life being validated solely by his good looks. Outsmarting the system boosted his confidence.

"Yes!" Lust thrusted his fist up to the air.

Suddenly the sky was swept by a hurtling gust of wind. The color of the lake and the horizon simultaneously stirred into a shade of violet. The two opposing structures mirrored each other; the lake bore resemblance of the clouds and the sky rippled into waves. Lust took a closer look at Wrath. The lack of response signified a false sense of hope.

"No…it can't be," he examined her reflection.

"You lose," the imposter spoke in a distorted voice.

Upon closer inspection, it became apparent to the student that he was the one who had been outwitted. Wrath's inverted reflection was in fact facing the wrong way. The figure holding the boomerang and the wall of hands melted back into the body of water. Lust's smile morphed into a mortified look.

"Pretty neat trick, huh?" Wrath rose from the water.

"B-but… when did you do that?" he stammered.

"I told you to keep a sharp eye out, didn't I? I wouldn't divert my eyes away for even a second if I were you," she winked.

Soon after the revelation, Lust collapsed to the ground out of exhaustion. He had over-exerted himself on the task. Hours upon hours under the smoldering heat, running around, and overworking his brain. The cheeky witch smiled to herself before walking across the lake to retrieve her friend. She formed water tentacles to carry him to a shadier corner of the field.

"You really pushed yourself for me," she combed a fringe off his forehead.

He responded with a single soft grunt before rolling over and falling into a deep slumber. She couldn't help but smile and shook her head at the ridiculous exchange. Wrath sighed and peered into the amethyst-tinted cloud. The atmosphere had cohesively bled its color to form a lilac shadow on everything. The witch's hair drifted with the icy evening breeze. A glint of the full moon timidly spied on the land below.

**********

She let go of her ponytail to allow her hair to slither through the wind. Her eyes closed as she faced the moon to absorb its virtue. The glowing structure shone its charming and captivating light to emphasis her beauty and youthful spirit.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" the brash voice echoed beside Wrath.

"What took you so long?" Wrath turned to her childhood friend.

"Something's not right. I can just feel i– "

"Eros," she held his hand calmly. "I know. We still have time."

The disorderly spirit was astounded, "Wrath…"

"Remember when you gave me that paper octopus?" she gazed up to the moon again.

"Are you even listening?" he became impatient.

"I held on to it 'til it was all torn up," she went on.

Eros picked up her hint and gave up on the initial subject, "Yes, I do remember that."

"You used to be so sweet and worried about me a lot," she gave a light chuckle.

"And you used to cry over everything," he turned the conversation around.

"Hahaha…I guess that's why I have no tears left to cry now," she looked down at her hands.

"Now you're just a cold-hearted witch," he tousled her hair.

Wrath landed a soft punch on his upper arm, "I'm not that cold!"

"Oof…you're right," he pretended to be hurt. "You're scary too."

The two old friends stood by the edge of the lake and reminisced the past they both intimately yearned for. Neither of them spoke another word for a solid moment, though they shared the same thought. An ominous prophecy was on its way to be fulfilled and there was nothing either of them could do to stop it. Their last hope depended on Wrath. The pilgrimage was a mere front; a smokescreen.

The mysterious land veiled by the waterfall was a designated combat and practice spot for the young prodigy. She had always taken a liking for its mystic and ambiguous existence. The river outside extended inwards to form a sapphire colored lake. From the top, the lake might form a perfect square with sharp edges, but its base was concentrated at one point. It was in fact the shape of an inverted pyramid.

The tip of the pyramid or the base of the lake had the most water pressure and it had been Wrath's goal to challenge herself to reach it. But she had never mastered nor achieved the power of water manipulation until recently. She was physically ecstatic at the thought of another attempt. After all those years of practice and mischief, she had wondered if she was finally worthy of the power.

Wrath envisioned her goal and gathered herself for another step of her training. Unlike her usual stone-faced exterior, her concern was showing through her eyebrows. Her hands were trembling, it was as if she was reliving her awful past all over again. A warm ashy hand reached for her shoulder.

"I made a promise to you long ago. I'm not planning on breaking it anytime soon."

The reassurance lit a light behind the girl's eyes. She nodded and put on her signature austere and emotionless face. Wrath plunged into the lake and descended to the ostensibly bottomless lake.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Eros murmured before leaving Lust alone under an evergreen tree.