chapter 5 – pride's last stand
the world shifted again — not with the whispering shadows or haunted memories, but with the harsh roar of thunder and swirling storm clouds above a barren cliff. the wind howled, tearing at his clothes, biting cold against his skin. below him, a jagged abyss stretched endlessly, swallowing everything.
around him stood the seven sins — predators circling their prey with cruel eyes and hungry smiles. lust's gaze was sharp and mocking. "pride," she said, voice like silk soaked in poison, "you parade your strength, but all i see is fragile desperation wrapped in arrogance."
he looked at her — steady, unwavering — his eyes burning like molten steel. "desperation is the fuel of will. and i have more will than any of you."
wrath stepped forward, his presence a storm of fury. "you're nothing but a child playing with fire. you don't understand the power you pretend to wield."
"then let me burn," the mc spat, teeth clenched tight. "i don't care what you think. i'm here to prove i'm better than all of you."
envy laughed cold and bitter. "better? you don't even understand who you are."
"i know enough," he said, his voice hard, raw with pride. "i am pride. the first sin. the one who stands tall while others fall. and i won't let any of you make me look weak."
gluttony stepped forward, heavy and slow like a beast rising from slumber. "arrogance blinds you. pride makes you fragile."
"fragile or not," he said, moving closer to the circle of sins, "i'd rather break on my own terms than kneel to your cruelty."
sloth yawned, voice dragging like chains. "you waste your strength fighting shadows. pride is useless if it refuses to adapt."
"then i'll break your rules," he snapped. "i don't need to adapt. i need to conquer."
the sins closed in, voices weaving together in a cruel chorus that echoed around him.
"you will break."
"you will fall."
"you will learn."
but he stood firm, the storm raging around him matching the storm inside. a voice whispered — calm, soft, yet powerful.
"pride is a shield," it said, "but a shield can become a cage."
he clenched his jaw, swallowing the doubt. "not yet. not now."
lust's voice cut through the wind, "soon you will see — true strength is not standing alone, but knowing when to change."
he did not answer. his pride would not allow it.
but as the sins pressed closer, the storm louder, something trembled inside him — a crack in his carefully forged armor.
---
he thought back to the rooftop where he was alone, staring at unreachable stars. the memory brought a bitter ache — the pain of being forgotten, invisible.
"you think pride hides pain," lust whispered. "but it cannot hide the loneliness."
"i'm not lonely," he said, voice shaking. "i'm proud."
envy's laugh was cold, "pride born from pain is dangerous — but also fragile."
"fragile," wrath said, stepping close, "and easily shattered."
the mc's chest tightened. "maybe. but better to fall proud than live in fear."
"you're stubborn," gluttony said with a slow smile. "but pride without wisdom will destroy you."
he raised his head higher, "then let it destroy the weak parts — so the rest can rise."
the sins circled again, whispering words like blades. the madness inside roared louder, hungry for chaos.
he could feel it clawing, pulling at the edges of his mind — the temptation to give in, to lose control.
"embrace the madness," it hissed. "only through chaos will you be strong."
he clenched his fists, blood pumping fast. "madness isn't strength," he said quietly, "but maybe it's a tool."
lust stepped forward, eyes glinting like daggers. "you will fall, pride. but from your fall, something new will rise."
"not if i stand first," he said, voice fierce.
wrath snarled. "your pride blinds you. the test is not over."
the ground cracked, splitting the world beneath his feet. he looked down — a chasm opening into endless darkness.
"choose," sloth said, voice heavy, "fall into madness and gain power, or remain proud and be consumed."
the mc's heart thundered.
his pride screamed to resist — to never bow.
but a tiny voice inside whispered the truth he couldn't deny —
sometimes, to be proud, you must first be broken