For a moment, none of them spoke.
The meeting hall stood complete—vast, echoing, and impossibly grand, yet still contained within what should have been a simple human apartment. The air hummed faintly with their presence, as if reality itself had stretched just enough to accommodate them… and was now holding its breath.
Wánjí was the first to break the silence.
"…Can I bring food in here?"
Pride closed his eyes. Slowly. Deliberately. As though summoning patience from a place even older than himself.
"You already have," he replied.
Wánjí looked down. Four arms. Each holding something different—cake, fruit, something dripping with syrup, and a half-eaten pastry.
"…Oh."
Behind him, Lust turned away, shoulders trembling ever so slightly. This is unbearable… I'm going to laugh.
Wrath coughed into his fist, flames flickering faintly at the edges of his hair. "You didn't even notice?"
"I was thinking," Wánjí defended, taking another bite mid-sentence.
"About what?" Greed asked dryly.
"…Food."
That did it.
Lust leaned against one of the pillars, finally letting out a soft, wheezing laugh—quiet enough not to draw attention, but sharp enough to echo in his own mind. Incredible. Truly. A being capable of devouring worlds… reduced to this.
Envy, meanwhile, tilted his head slightly, observing Wánjí's behavior. His priorities override everything else… even awareness.
Useful. Dangerous. Predictable.
Pride inhaled slowly, regaining composure.
"We will establish order," he said.
Wrath groaned. "Order?"
"Yes. Rules. Boundaries. Structure." Pride's voice sharpened slightly. "If we are to remain here, hidden among humans, then we must not destroy everything we touch."
Sloth, floating lazily in midair, raised a hand halfway before letting it drop again. "That sounds like effort…"
"It is necessary," Pride replied flatly.
Wánjí nodded vigorously, crumbs falling from his mouth. "I'll follow the rules!"
Every single one of the brothers looked at him.
Lust almost lost it again. He says that like he means it.
Wrath smirked. "You? Follow rules?"
"I can!" Wánjí insisted. "Zìháo said so!"
Pride pinched the bridge of his nose.
"First rule," Pride began, "no uncontrolled use of power within shared spaces."
Wrath crossed his arms. "Define uncontrolled."
"No large-scale destruction," Pride said.
"…So small-scale is fine?"
"…Within reason."
Greed scoffed. "You're already losing control of your own rules."
Pride ignored him.
"Second—Wánjí."
"Yes?"
"Do not consume anything that belongs to someone else without permission."
Wánjí froze mid-bite.
"…What if I really want it?"
"Then you ask."
"…What if they say no?"
Pride paused. The others leaned in slightly, waiting.
"…Then you ask again," he said carefully.
Lust turned away again, shoulders shaking. I cannot—this is too much—
Wrath let out a low chuckle. "That's not a rule. That's just delaying the inevitable."
"Silence," Pride said.
With that, the meeting dissolved—not formally, but naturally, like a storm losing momentum. Each brother rose, drawn back to their own domains, their own reflections of self.
And that's when the real chaos began.
Wrath's Domain — Movement Without End
The moment Wrath stepped back into his realm, the world obeyed.
Mountains rose. The ground split. Lava surged. The sky cracked open with thunder.
He exhaled, and the entire environment shifted again.
"Better," he muttered.
This was where he belonged—not in cramped human streets, not beneath artificial lights—but in a place where his strength meant something, where destruction was not restrained but encouraged.
He punched forward.
The air shattered.
The mountain in the distance collapsed instantly.
Wrath grinned.
"Again."
Wánjí's Domain — The Feast That Never Ends
Meanwhile, Wánjí had made a grave discovery.
There was more food.
So much more food.
"Wait…" he whispered, eyes widening as tables extended infinitely into the distance. "There's… more?"
The room responded.
More appeared.
Desserts stacked upon desserts. Fruits that glowed faintly. Juices that shimmered like liquid light. Meats cooked to perfection, releasing aromas that made even the void inside him stir with excitement.
"…This is heaven," Wánjí said.
And then he began eating.
Not with desperation. Not with frenzy.
But with pure, unfiltered joy.
Four arms moving in rhythm, tasting everything, savoring, experiencing.
For the first time since his creation… his hunger felt happy.
Sloth's Domain — Stillness Given Form
Sloth had not even made it fully into his room before collapsing onto a floating bed.
"…Perfect," he murmured.
Time slowed.
The world softened.
And within seconds, he was asleep.
Lust's Domain — Echoes of Desire
Lust stepped into his room, and the mirrors shifted immediately.
Reflections changed—not just his appearance, but possibilities. Versions of himself. Versions of others. Flickers of forms that could exist… or never would.
He smiled faintly.
"…Now this is interesting."
His fingers traced the surface of one mirror, watching it ripple.
"…What do humans truly want?"
The room whispered back in silence.
Greed's Domain — Ownership Without End
Greed stood alone in his vault.
Gold shimmered. Jewels glowed. Artifacts hummed faintly with ancient power.
And yet…
He frowned.
"…I spent some of it."
The thought lingered.
Unpleasant.
Uncomfortable.
Unacceptable.
He turned, and the vault expanded further, as if compensating.
"…Better."
Envy's Domain — Reflection and Imitation
Envy moved through his mirrored labyrinth silently.
Each reflection showed something different—Wrath's power, Pride's composure, Lust's elegance, Greed's wealth, Sloth's stillness, Wánjí's endless consumption.
He reached out, touching one.
The reflection shifted.
Copied.
But not perfectly.
"…Not enough," he murmured.
Pride's Domain — Silence and Burden
And finally, Pride stood alone in his chamber.
Golden light shimmered faintly. The throne stood untouched.
He did not sit.
Instead, he looked outward, beyond the walls, beyond the apartment, beyond the city.
"…This is necessary," he told himself.
A home. Structure. Order.
A way to keep them together.
To keep them from tearing the world apart… or each other.
He exhaled slowly.
"…Even if they refuse to admit it."
And somewhere, deep within the apartment—
Wánjí wandered out of his room.
Carrying food.
Lots of food.
He looked around the hallway.
"…I wonder if they want some."
Moments later—
Wrath's training stopped abruptly as a voice echoed across dimensions.
"FÈNNÙ! I BROUGHT CAKE!"
Silence.
Then—
"…You WHAT?"
Lust burst into laughter.
Sloth did not wake up.
Greed felt something inside him snap.
Envy watched, fascinated.
And Pride…
Pride closed his eyes once more, already knowing—
This "home" they had built…
Would never be peaceful