"I still really don't think we should go that way," Charity said, frowning. "I have a bad feeling."

"Nonsense, my device says that path is the correct one," Greed deadpanned.

Charity looked at the path Greed had pointed to weirdly. "Okay, I'll trust you."

They both trudged towards the drier and tidier path. It had been about two hours since they first started their trek through the wilderness. Greed had been leading the way and Charity completely trusted her (and her device).

Only now did Charity doubted Greed. He knew she wouldn't betray him or anything, but something felt... off.

They walked in utter silence. Greed was focusing on her locating device, and Charity felt more and more wrong. Something was weird about this path. Thre were no fallen leaves, nothing that indicates that the path was a natural one.

"Hey, Greed," Charity said a few minutes (hours? seconds? who knows) walking. "Don't you feel this place is weird? I mean, look at the path. There's hardly any dried leaves, and we're in a forest-"

"Jesus Christ, Charity, stop worrying so much! Besides, it's not like fake Pride will just pop up in front of us right now," Greed snapped.

A soft laugh came from behind them. "Ah, no, my dear father is way too important for mere senior sins the likes of you."

Greed and Charity turned on their heels at the same time to face Demonism and... someone that looks like a person who does voodoo for a living.

"Who are you people?" Charity asked.

Greed looked like she was done with the world. "Demonism and Voodoo Aunt, I presume," she said.

Demonism laughed like, well, a demon when Black Magic's pretty face contorted in anger.

"Voodoo Aunt?!" she spluttered out indignantly. "I'm Black Magic, not Voodoo Aunt!"

Charity glanced at Greed. "Right route, my ass," he muttered. "I told you we should've gone left."

"This is not the time for this," Greed hissed back.

They both focused on the opponents in front of them. "I'm assuming you are here to kidnap us?" asked Charity.

Demonism cackled. "Oh, no, you're to be Voodoo Aunt's dolls and I'm here to help her."

Black Magic glared at Demonism, a glare that said I'll make you pay for that, and shifted her glare to Charity and Greed.

"Well... If it comes down to this..." Greed muttered, "Let's do it like Egypt."

She struck down on the ground, her Midas Touch skill activated and improved by Charity's Bequeath. It managed to freeze Black Magic up to her waist which just annoyed her and left her stuck, and left Demonism unscathed.

"Seems like we actually have to fight," Charity said as Demonism rolled her eyes.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Greed muttered.

Demonism crossed her arms, unimpressed. "You're supposed to be the senior sins," she said. "How could you be this pathetic? I just lost all my will to fight you."

"What the hell?" Black Magic cursed, looking down at her lower torso. She couldn't move her legs, but she could use her arms just fine. "Oh, splendid. You just turned my feet into gold. Such an useless skill."

"...Are you not going to attack us?" Charity asked.

Demonism yawned, stretching. "Mmm," she hummed. "You're boring. Not worth my time."

Black Magic was busy examining her gold lower body.

Greed was, of course, pissed. Who wouldn't be when your actual, literal opponent just straight up declared you're boring and not worth fighting?

"Try your coins," she hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm not used to hands-on fighting like this."

"I don't think it will make much of a difference," Charity said. "But I can try."

Red and gold coins started raining down around them. It did injure their opponents, but not by much. It just annoyed them instead. And Black Magic's gold feet was starting to turn back to normal.

Greed glanced around. "We're doomed."

"You know, you're really not fit to fight." Black Magic said. She lifted her hands and nails appeared, floating around her hand. "You're both behind-the-scene attackers, with no defense skills. I think you'll make very fine dolls, especially you, Greed. So say goodbye to free will, starting from you!"

Before Greed even had a chance to react, Charity had thrown himself in front of her.

The nails, intended for Greed, took Charity's hair back to Black Magic instead.

"Oh?" Demonism said, slightly interested. "Such a self-destructive thing. Aren't you two rivals?"

Greed wasn't listening.

All that she could think of is God damn it, Charity, why did you sacrifice yourself for me?

She looked down at Charity's body. She couldn't fight off those two witches alone. Voodoo Aunt was right. She was a behind-the-scene fighter, better off controlling things in screens. Greed wasn't a hands-on-fighter.

"Giving up already?" Demonism taunted. "Pity. All we had to do was injure your boyfriend and you lost all hope."

Black Magic was calmly twisting Charity's hair around one of her nails. She was going to stab the nail to her doll when she reached out and lifted Greed's face by her chin.

"I want you to look at the moment when I take full control of Charity."

Silently, Greed took out a remote control. She had hidden it in the layers of clothing she wore as a last-resort. Always carefully planning.

"I never lose hope," she said quietly, looking at Demonism right in the eye.

"What are you doing-"

Greed pushed the button. Blue energy encased Charity's body and hers-Quantum Matrix, and soon after the cannon, Orbital Cannon, followed.

Fire was everywhere. Exactly like what happened in Egypt.

Except this time, Charity wasn't telling her off for killing, Charity was unconcious.

And it was her fault.

Greed took out her device.

"Pick me up at the coordinate I'll mention."

A few minutes later, a helicopter Greed had became so familiar with was visible at the sky. It managed to land at the small clearing the explotion had caused.

The Elives has seen weird, weird things (including Greed's human form for the first time), so they knew not to comment when their boss dragged her unconcious rival up to the helicopter.

"Don't ask what happened," she said quietly even when the Elives knew to shut up.

The ride back to Greed's base was silent with a few choked sobs from Greed at the back.

She didn't even bother to change back into her mini form, proof that she was shaken up badly. Her spirit gauge was low enough as is, and Greed didn't even preserve it.

The way back to her nearest base was thirty minutes long, and Greed was worried that Charity might not hold up. Even with her tech sustaining Charity, he still needs magical help.

She pulled out her device and scrolled to Gluttony's contact, then halted. Wait... Charity is a virtue, therefore a virtue should heal him, she thought.

Slowly, she found Kindness' contact.

Finger hovering above the dial button, Greed was considering her options. She could call Gluttony, a sin, who would keep her secret, or Kindness, a virtue who can heal Charity more effectively.

She dialed Kindness.

"Hi," Greed said weakly when she saw Kindness' face on the screen.

Kindness was watching something in her mini form. She jumped when she saw Greed's face on the screen. "Who are you? Are you alright? Your eyes are bloodshot."

"This is... Greed, I'm in my human form... Can you help me? Charity's badly injured and I don't know who else can heal him."

Kindness, being Kindness, immediately turned into her human form. "Of course! Should I walk, or-"

"You'll get picked up," Greed said. "...Thank you."

The virtue smiled. "No problem!" she responded cheerily.

Greed cut off the connection and started tracking Kindness' location. She called another team to go and pick up Kindness.

"Go to this coordinate," she told the other Elives she'd called wearily when she found it. They complied, taking off immediately, and Greed focused back on her injured rival.

She hadn't took out the nails, so she did so now carefully, all while cursing at Voodoo Aunt. Tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes, but that means her vision is blurry, and blurry vision means she can't work properly and that's not the most ideal outcome.

Greed blinked forcefully, wiped her eyes with the back of her gloved hand, and started working on Charity's wounds. She had to take it off halfway because they were soaked with blood, but she just replaced them with surgery latex ones and tried to do the best she can.

Charity's spirit gauge wasn't so low that he's in his mini form, luckily, because Greed doesn't know how to work with animals, but it's low enough to worry her.

Thankfully, soon after she managed to clean up Charity's wounds, Greed arrived at her base with Kindness waiting at the front, her scarf waving around in the wind.

And the second the helicopter touched land, Greed jumped out and ran towards Kindness.

"He's in there. Do you want to heal him inside?" she asked.

Kindness wrapped her scarf around her neck again. "I'd prefer to do it inside, but it's up to y-"

Greed was already telling the Elives to bring Charity out on a stretcher before Kindness even finished her sentence.

"Wow, he really is badly injured," Kindness said, hurrying beside Charity's unconcious body. "What happened?"

There was silence for a few seconds, only the sound of heavy breathing and running before Greed answered. "Demonism and Black Magic attacked us."

Charity's body was slowly placed onto a surgery table as Kindness works her magic.

"Sanitatem Trabem," she chanted, encasing Charity with a soft blue glow. "That should help," Kindness said, wiping her brow. "Just let him rest for a few hours."

"Thank you, Kindness," Greed said wearily. "I honestly have no idea what I would do without your help."

Kindness smiled. "No problem," she said.

"If you want to go back, I'll tell the Elives to give you a ride home," Greed told her.

"Yeah, I really should go back, Envy was worried out of his mind."

Greed managed to smile a bit at that. Truth be told, she was waiting to be able to cry as much as possible. Her nerves were frayed, and... she's really really worried about Charity.

"That sounds like Envy." she said. Greed pulled out her device and a few taps later, Kindness was able to go back home.

"If he gets worse, don't hesitate to call me," Kindness said.

Greed nodded and assured Kindness she would inform her.

After the helicopter vanished out of her eyesight, Greed turned on her heels and walked back to the room that had Charity in it. She was tired, her spirit gauge was low, she was covered in blood, and she wanted to scream, cry, and swear. Maybe those three at the same time.

She kept her composure and walked into the room, expecting to find a still unconcious Charity.

Instead she found a Charity who's awake. Injured, yes, in pain, yes, but awake. He lived.

"Hi," Charity weakly said.

Greed ran up to him, hugged him, and started to cry.

But her tears weren't water, they were pure gold.

Freyja's Tears passive skill activated.

"I hate you! Why did you jump in front of me? I should be the one injured, not you! I hate you and your reckless behavior! Don't sacrifice yourself!" she bawled, hitting her fists to Charity's back. Gold in the shape of teardrops soon flooded the bed.

"Did I really worry you that much?" Charity asked.

"I had to call Kindness to heal you! I don't want you to fade! I hate you, you self-destructive asshole!"

Charity gingerly hugged her back.

"Yeah, I love you too."

the end