"You coming?" Catonin asked with a grin.
"Well, I can't even read anything here, so I may as well," Donny said, extending his hand.
Catonin handed him the soul-infused cutlass.
"I knew you'd say that," Catonin said. "So take this and in return, I want the other souls you've got."
Donny looked at the cutlass, weighing it in his hand, then shrugged.
"Deal. You can have them," he said, tossing over the leather pouch. "You gonna make another soul weapon?"
"No. I ran out of soulbinding runes," Catonin replied as he opened the pouch and pulled out one of the souls.
"Then what are you gonna do with them?" Donny asked, watching closely.
Catonin brought the soul to his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Donny stared, jaw slack. "You ate the soul? Why?"
Catonin licked his lips and smiled. "Because I'm a glutton."
"A glutton?" Donny echoed, completely lost.
Catonin turned and started walking toward a nearby room, motioning for Donny to follow.
"Yeah. When someone dies and their soul is soaked in one of the Seven Deadly Sins, they become a tenebris soul. You get punished according to the sin you committed. Mine was gluttony." He paused by a shelf, grabbing a worn leather bag and stuffing some items inside. "I can't eat food anymore. No matter what I try, nothing fills me. I'm cursed with a constant, gnawing hunger."
Donny followed in silence, watching him.
"But I found something that works," Catonin went on. "Souls. When I eat one, the hunger fades... just for a bit. And I get stronger with each one I consume." He gave Donny a glance over his shoulder. "So my punishment's more of a double-edged sword."
Donny stood there, lost in thought.
Catonin finished packing the bag, then glanced around the room one last time as he silently devoured the remaining souls from the pouch.
Outside, Donny was waiting near the castle's broken archway.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Yeah. Seventh Layer, here we come!" Catonin said with a flash of excitement.
Donny hesitated. "Hey, before we head down there… can we stop by the cave where the Grey Dusk Wolf was?"
Catonin raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to go back there?"
"Well, I didn't get to explore everything. There was a ruined underground settlement I spotted—looked like it could be worth checking out." Donny smirked. "And who knows, maybe there's some treasure lying around for me."
Catonin shrugged. "I guess we can swing by. Might be worth it."
After hours of trudging through the bleak, grey wasteland, they finally arrived at the cave's entrance. The stone maw loomed just as before.
Donny led the way, retracing the path through tight turns and echoing corridors. Eventually, he stopped at the patch where he'd first found the berry bushes. Sure enough, the bushes were still there, the red-and-purple berries ripe as ever.
"Hell yes!" Donny shouted, practically lunging forward. He started plucking berries by the handful, stuffing them into his mouth with greedy delight.
Catonin leaned against the stone wall, watching with a raised brow. "You sure you're not the glutton here?" he asked with a mocking grin.
"You're just saying that because you can't eat any," Donny said through a mouthful, grinning like a devil. "You poor bastard. These are sooo good. Too bad you'll never know the absolute divine flavor packed into every bite."
He let out an exaggerated moan of pleasure as he chewed, clearly laying it on thick.
Catonin's grin instantly vanished, replaced by a sharp scowl. "Shut your damn mouth."
Smirking, Donny popped another berry into his mouth.
Catonin walked over, grabbed the leather pouch from his belt, and started plucking berries into it. "You can eat later, let's keep moving."
Catonin tossed the leather pouch back into Donny's hands after packing the berries inside.
"Let's go," he said, already turning away.
Donny rose to his feet and resumed leading the way. Before long, they arrived at the large, coliseum-like chamber, the same place Donny had fought the Grey Dusk Wolf.
He glanced around.
It looks even more run-down than before, he thought.
They crossed the space and stopped in front of the three paths carved into the far wall, the ones Donny hadn't explored during his first visit.
"This is as far as I got," Donny said, eyes shifting between the doorways. "Which one do you want to try first?"
Catonin shrugged. "I don't know, man... middle one?"
They stepped into the central passage, the stone corridor quickly descending into shadow. At the end, they entered a broad chamber with white pillars and walls streaked with moss. A single stone chest sat in the center, already open and completely empty.
"That's weird," Donny muttered, disappointment creeping into his voice. "Guess someone already ransacked this place."
Without a word, Catonin turned and started heading back toward the entrance. "Hope this doesn't end up being a complete waste of time."
They moved on to the right passage. The corridor looked much the same, tight, dark, quiet, until Donny stepped on a stone that sank with a click.
Catonin reacted instantly, grabbing Donny by the collar and yanking him back. An arrow whistled past from the left wall, embedding into the stone on the right.
"Be more careful," Catonin said flatly, brushing dust from his sleeve before continuing forward.
At the end, another chamber waited same pillars, same moss, same damn empty chest.
Donny let out a long, frustrated sigh. "Jeez, is this place just empty? There's really nothing left? What a damn waste of time."
He glanced at Catonin, who stood in silence, his expression tight with annoyance.
They walked into the left passage, Donny already bracing for another empty chest.
As they moved deeper, they spotted a rotting corpse pinned to the wall by an old, rusted arrow.
"That's rough," Donny muttered.
They continued on in silence until the corridor opened into a larger chamber, this one empty except for a massive tomb resting at its center. They approached it cautiously, circling the stone sarcophagus.
"Should we open it?" Donny asked, unsure.
"May as well," Catonin replied with a shrug, his tone indifferent.
Together, they pushed the heavy lid aside, dust spilling out. Inside lay a hulking figure, gray-skinned, rippling with muscle, a single massive horn protruding from the left side of its skull.
"Well, that was a waste," Donny said, turning away.
A sudden crack echoed through the chamber. Catonin was launched across the room, smashing into the far wall and slumping to the ground.
It's gone. Donny turned back to find the tomb empty.
He unsheathed his blade in a panic, eyes scanning wildly, too late. A massive blur shot toward him. Before it could strike, Catonin surged forward, intercepting the blow with a punch to the creature's gut. It barely flinched.
What the hell is that thing?! Donny thought, tightening his grip.
It lunged, driving a fist into Catonin's stomach. Catonin doubled over, groaning. Donny dashed in, slashing wildly, but the demon weaved effortlessly and delivered a crushing kick, sending Donny sliding across the stone floor.
Catonin coughed up blood. "It's a demon, idiot! You can't beat it flailing like a lunatic!"
Gritting his teeth, Catonin rushed forward, punching the demon in the face. It staggered, then swiped at him, missing. Catonin capitalized and slammed a full-force kick into its ribs.
The demon snarled and lunged. Donny leapt in from above, slashing down and carving a shallow gash into its arm. It roared in fury. Catonin charged again, but the demon grabbed Donny mid-air and smashed him into Catonin, hurling them both into the wall with bone-rattling force.
Blood trickled from Catonin's brow as they slowly rose, both falling into ready stances. The demon grinned, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
They attacked together.
The demon batted Donny away and kicked Catonin aside. But they kept coming again and again, forcing it to burn energy with every swing, dodge, and block. Slowly, it began to falter.
Donny darted in, carving a deep slash across its chest. Catonin seized the moment, grabbing the demon's head and driving his knee into its face. It stumbled back, shaking off the daze, but the momentum had shifted.
Donny charged first, sword raised. The demon grabbed a rock and slammed it into Donny's head with a crack. Donny flew back, crashing hard, his sword skidding across the stone, blood spraying.
The demon roared and turned on Catonin, swinging the bloodied rock. Catonin ducked, snatched Donny's fallen blade, and lunged. As the rock came crashing down, he slipped to the side and drove the blade across the demon's throat in a clean arc.
Blood sprayed as the demon staggered, gurgling, clutching at its neck.
It collapsed.
Catonin stood over the demon's lifeless body, blood soaking the ground beneath it. His breathing slowed as he gazed at the corpse. Then, a twisted smile crept across his face, his eyes lit with something wild, his mouth beginning to salivate.
"What a battle... I nearly thought I was gonna die. What a rush! Hahahahaha, RIGHT, Donny?" he shouted over his shoulder.
But when he turned around, the grin vanished.
Donny lay sprawled across the stone floor, blood smeared across his face, a thick pool gathering beneath his head. He didn't move.
"...Right."
Catonin's voice dropped. The grin faded. He walked over slowly, kneeling beside Donny's body.
"Huh… Hmm." He leaned closer. "You're still breathing."
Donny's eye fluttered open. He tried to keep it there, but failed.
Donny's world faded as darkness swallowed him whole…
He stood alone in a pitch-black void, staring through a glowing window.
On the other side of the glass, he saw his younger self sitting across from an older man playing chess, their features blurry and dreamlike.
"You know, kiddo... your uncle here's not doing too hot. This is gonna be the last time I see you.""I'm leaving the store to your mom. Hopefully, you two can turn it around—make more money than I ever did."
"No!" the boy snapped. "I want the store. Why are you giving it to her? You know she'll never pass it to me when I'm old enough!"
The man laughed softly.
"Of course she will. Don't be silly."
"She won't..." the boy whispered, eyes growing dark, voice trailing as the thought bloomed in his head."Not unless she's on her deathbed…"
The older man reached over and ruffled his hair.
Donny's eyes snapped open.
He groaned, lifting his head off the cold stone. A sharp pain pulsed in his skull. Instinctively, he reached up his fingers found a bandage, damp with blood.
He sat up slowly, the room spinning slightly as he got his bearings.
Catonin was gone.
His bag sat nearby, and on top of it was a folded piece of paper. Donny reached for it with shaky hands and opened it.
The Letter:
Hey Donny,If you're reading this, I've already left for the 7th layer. I ate the demon's soul I'm much stronger now. And honestly? Traveling with you, as you are now, would only slow me down. You're a liability.
That said, I hope we meet again. Come find me, but don't come just to chase me. Find a reason to reach the 7th layer besides seeing my face. It's dangerous down there.
Have a goal. Let that goal be the reason you survive. Without conviction, you won't last long.
—Catonin
Donny stared at the letter for a long moment.
Then he slowly lowered it, the bandage pressing against his brow as he leaned forward.