To Sin Is Divine

They stood on the cliff edge, cloaked in fog and silence, staring down at the city that was never supposed to fall.

Velharem.

Once the capital of virtue—now the jewel of sin.

It stretched like a spiderweb across the valley below, glowing with firelight and ambition. Its towers were carved in the shape of the seven sins: Pride rising highest, Lust coiling around the pleasure quarters, Greed gilded in pure gold. Statues of former saints had been defaced and rededicated to the "Divine Doctrine of Sin."

Zayne's throat tightened. "I was born there. It… it wasn't like this before."

Kael didn't look away. "That was before the Church made sin sacred."

Inside the City

They entered through the western trade gate. No guards stopped them. No one cared.

Here, power spoke louder than law.

Slaves walked with collars bearing sin-seals. Street performers reenacted public executions as comedy. Churches now bore the mark of Deified Sin Inquisitors, where crowds left offerings not for gods… but for those who had "sinned most successfully."

A child ran up to Ren and tried to pick his pocket.

He let him.

The boy ran off.

Zayne looked horrified. "He couldn't have been older than seven."

Ren muttered, "In Velharem, the younger you start stealing, the longer you live."

Kael stopped in the center square.

A massive screen of illusion-magic flickered overhead, showing live footage of Church trials—public broadcasts of "virtue offenders" being sentenced.

"The crime: Restraint. The verdict: Death."

"The sinless threaten stability."

Kael clenched his fists.

[System Alert: High-Level Sin Domain Detected]

"Hostile Territory: Velharem."

"Inquisitor-Class Presence: Multiple."

Serah turned to Kael. "What's the plan?"

Kael's eyes scanned the skyline.

"We find the one they fear most."

The Underground Resistance

It took hours of shadow-walking, code phrases, and trusted informants before they found it: an old water canal, sealed off by enchantments and guarded by former clerics turned rebels.

A woman met them at the gates. Mid-forties. One eye. Burned robes. Her name was Mira.

"You're Kael," she said. "The Last Heretic. Word travels. Especially when you torch a Pride-class Inquisitor."

Kael gave a nod. "We're here to start something bigger."

Mira led them deeper underground.

They passed civilians training with wooden weapons, old priests translating forgotten scriptures, even children learning the names of the Forbidden Virtues.

"This is the last haven," Mira said. "But it's not enough. We're losing."

Ren leaned against a wall. "Then let's give you something that tips the scale."

Mira looked skeptical. "Like what?"

Kael stepped forward.

"We don't want to just resist. We want to reclaim. We've united six Virtues."

Mira stared. "Six?"

Kael nodded. "We need the seventh. Humility."

Mira went pale.

"I know where to find him."

The Man Who Refused to Lead

They traveled to the outer ruins of Velharem—once a monastery, now abandoned. The Church had condemned it as "the last cradle of cowardice."

But the man inside was no coward.

He sat cross-legged on a cracked stone floor, head shaved, robes simple, eyes clear. No blade. No weapon. No crown.

He didn't even look up when Kael approached.

"You seek me," he said quietly. "Why?"

Kael stepped forward. "Because you are the last Virtue."

The man opened his eyes.

They glowed not with power.

But with peace.

[Virtue Detected: Humility]

"Host Status: Passive. Power dormant by choice."

"My name was once Elyan," he said. "I was to be High Priest. But I stepped down when they crowned Sin."

Serah asked, "Why didn't you fight?"

Elyan looked at her.

"Because pride would've made me believe I could win alone."

Kael knelt.

"We don't want a king. We want a brother."

Elyan's eyes glistened.

Then he stood.

[Virtue Confirmed: Elyan – Bearer of Humility]

[System Update: All Seven Virtues Acquired]

"System Ascension Path Unlocked."

Above the City: Sin Throne

Somewhere, in a tower of obsidian and glass, a figure watched the Virtues reunite.

Lucien.

Still flawless. Still untouchable.

A Sin-Blessed of Pride.

He sipped wine as the window behind him showed Kael and his team gathered like stars on a chessboard.

"So it begins," he murmured. "The heretic makes his play."

He raised his hand.

And seven seals glowed behind him.

"Let the War of Doctrine begin."