Chapter 10, Part 4: Sloth Sleeps Standing

The gates opened without a sound.

Stone shifted inward, not as if pushed by force, but forgotten by time. The dust hadn't stirred in years. Lio stepped through it anyway—leaving footprints of blood.

He did not limp.

Not because he was uninjured. His right side was numb, where a spear had slipped beneath ribs. One of his shoulders had partially dislocated from a polearm slam. His calf had a gash that pulsed with every step like a second heartbeat.

But his spine was straight.

And his eyes forward.

Pride did not flinch.Pride did not stagger.Pride arrived.

The air inside the mausoleum was not cold.

It was slow.

Each breath took longer to pull in. The weight of silence here didn't just blanket—it settled. Even sound felt tired. His boots pressed against marble, and the echo took a full three seconds to return.

[Lio. Student of Pride]

[Confirmed: Internal vitals at 61%. Neural focus: Stable.]

[System ping: Passive spiritual interference active]

He ignored the System.

His mind stayed locked.

The main corridor extended like a throat—narrow, ribbed with cracked columns and faded glyphs carved into the wall by hand. A mausoleum to forgotten saints, all erased but their shapes. Headless statues lined the path.

He passed one.

Then another.

Some leaned.Some had fallen.One had wept stone.

At the center of it all—at the very end—stood a figure.

Motionless.

No robe. No throne. No glow.

Just a person.

Standing in the middle of a circular chamber, surrounded by sealed tombs—unmoving, eyes closed, breathing once every minute.

Clad in pale cloth and dust, they were barefoot. One hand was raised—not reaching, but waiting. The other rested against the center of their own chest, as if holding something inside.

Not asleep.

Not awake.

And yet… present.

[Sin Signature Detected: SLOTH]

[Aura Type: Dormant Dominion]

[Student Class: Inert]

[Behavioral Pattern: Undefined. Threat Level: Variable]

Lio stopped exactly five paces away.

He didn't bow.

Didn't ask permission.

He stood.

And watched.

The figure did not move.

Minutes passed.

Dust shifted around his boots again, like memory curling up from forgotten ground.

Lio inhaled.

Then, clearly:

"I am Lio. Blade of Intent. Student of Kairon Vale."

No reply.

"You are Sloth. I've come to bring you home."

Nothing.

Not even breath.

Only… stillness.

Then the chamber shivered.

Not with power. But with something colder.

Doubt.

From the figure's closed mouth came a whisper:

"Home is a weight."

Lio exhaled.

"I know."

The figure's head tilted slightly.

Still didn't open their eyes.

Still didn't move.

"Why come, then?"

"You were summoned," Lio said.

"He waits."

"He sleeps.""Like I do."

"He sleeps after choosing."

The words sat.

Then floated away.

The figure opened one eye.

Just one.

It was gray, nearly white. Not blind. Not glowing. Just empty of urgency.

"You want me to move?" they asked.

Lio said nothing.

Because the answer was obvious.

Sloth let both eyes open now. Their head raised half an inch.

Their chest rose.

Breath returned.

"And what if I don't?"

Lio raised his chin slightly.

"Then I stand here until you do."

The silence that followed was not peace.

It was war without weapons.

A test of intent. Of who would break first—not with blade, but with time.

Sloth watched him now.

"You're bleeding."

"Yes."

"You'll die if I wait long enough."

"Then you'll wait beside a corpse."

Sloth blinked.

"Wouldn't be the first."

Their foot shifted half a toe's length.

Dust rose.

Lio didn't react.

Sloth smiled—slowly.

"Pride," they said softly. "You wear it well."

"But pain doesn't break you?"

"No."

"Shame?"

"No."

"What about being unseen?"

Lio's throat tensed.

"He saw me."

Sloth tilted their head.

"And if I tell you… I saw you first?"

Lio's fingers twitched near his hilt.

Then dropped.

"Then I failed to earn it."

Sloth closed their eyes.

This time for longer.

When they opened them again, their voice had changed.

Lower. Heavier.

"Do you know why I never moved?"

Lio waited.

"Because I moved once."

They stepped forward.

Once.

Then again.

The dust didn't stir anymore.

It followed them.

"I moved for people who didn't wait for me."

"I burned everything in my way… and they said it was too slow."

Another step.

"So I stopped."

They were just two paces away now.

"And I watched the world rush itself into ruin."

Lio did not retreat.

Even as the aura began to ripple outward—so dense it slowed reality near it.

His breathing strained.

His side opened wider.

Blood touched the marble.

Still… he stood.

"You don't want me to move," Sloth said. "You want me to follow."

"No," Lio replied.

He locked eyes.

"I want you to wake."

That hit.

Sloth froze.

Then, without another word, reached up—and placed their palm against Lio's shoulder.

He didn't flinch.

Though the pain shot down his ribs like lightning.

They closed their eyes.

And whispered:

"Then lead."

[System Alert: SLOTH – Student Class Activated]

[Candidate Consent: Accepted]

[Student Name: Veil]

[Title Assigned: The One Who Waits]

[EXP Transfer Queued – Sync Pending Due to Aura Type]

[Student Slot: 6 of 7 Filled]

Lio turned.

The blood still ran.

His legs shook.

But he walked.

Veil followed.

Barefoot. Silent.

And with every step, the mausoleum crumbled behind them.

Not in collapse.

In relief.

The world had shifted again.

And the Archive would soon be six.