Prince of Gluttony: Born from Betrayal

Cain's pulse thundered in his ears. He felt heat crawl up the back of his neck as if every word she had spoken had been a spotlight cutting straight through him. Gaius was silent now, though his presence pulsed at the edge of Cain's mind like a held breath.

The Librarian studied him for a long moment. Her gaze was sharp enough to make him feel as though she were turning over the layers of his thoughts one by one. Then she exhaled softly and set the last of the books on the table beside her.

"I have no interest in exposing you," she said at last. "If I wanted to, I could have already done so. But you should understand something. Secrets inside one's mind are like locked rooms in a burning house. They may survive the fire for a while, but eventually, the heat finds them."

Cain swallowed, his fingers flexing against the grimoire's cover. "So, you are just going to… let this go?"

"I am going to watch," she corrected, her voice quiet but edged with certainty. "And if this presence of yours becomes a danger to this place, I will act. Until then, your business is your own."

Gaius' voice returned, calm but measured. She means every word. Be wary, Cain. She is not your enemy, but she is no friend either.

Cain fought the urge to glance away from her eyes. "You make it sound like you are expecting trouble."

"I live in a library filled with the knowledge of a hundred generations," she replied. "Trouble is not an expectation. It is a certainty."

She reached for one of the books, tucking it under her arm again. "Now, either read quietly or leave. I have work to do, and your restless energy is distracting."

Cain tapped his fingers against the table, thoughts racing. Gaius was silent again, leaving him alone with the weight of the Librarian's icy gaze.

An idea formed in his mind. It was reckless, borderline ridiculous, but he felt the itch to try it anyway.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, leaning slightly forward.

"You just did," she replied without looking up from the book she was opening.

"That's why I said Four things." Cain clarified. "Three questions. Answer them honestly, and I will leave you to your work."

That made her pause. She glanced at him, her expression betraying the faintest trace of perplexity. Curiosity flickered behind her ice blue eyes, and after a long heartbeat, she closed her book.

"Three questions," she repeated. "Very well. Ask."

Cain hesitated for only a moment. "What do you think of the Immortal Betrayer?"

The Librarian's eyes narrowed slightly, but she showed no surprise at the name. "I think the history written by the victor is not always the truth," she said evenly.

Cain's brows rose. That was not the answer he had expected.

She went on before he could speak. "As a librarian, I should not hold bias. Knowledge is a tool, and tools are meant to be preserved, not shaped to fit one's beliefs."

Cain considered that, then nodded slowly. "Alright… second question. What do you know about the skill Gluttony?"

She leaned back slightly, her gaze sharpening. "Not much. All I know is that it is one of the Sin Series of skills. Pride, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, and Wrath."

This was something that Cain didn't know and based on the feelings transmitted from Gaius, he didn't know that either.

The Librarian's eyes did not waver from his. "Each of those skills," she continued slowly, "can only have a single wielder at a time. There is never more than one. That is the nature of their power."

Cain's pulse quickened. "Wait… if only one person can have each of them, how could anyone know about them? Wasn't the last one was born hundreds of years ago."

She set the books on the table with deliberate care, leaning slightly against it. "The wielders of the Sin Skills are blessed with unnaturally long lifespans. Unless they are slain, they will live forever. Their presence endures across centuries. That is why their existence is known and why knowledge of them persists through records, whispers, and encounters with those who have crossed their path."

Cain ran a hand through his hair, his mind racing. "So… the current wielder of the other Sins could still be alive today?"

Her gaze remained calm, unflinching. "If they survived, yes. That is the nature of these gifts. They endure, as does the danger they carry."

He blinked, trying to process the weight of her words. The world suddenly felt smaller, more dangerous. Gaius remained silent in his mind, but Cain could sense the tension, the warning that her presence brought. Careful, Cain. She sees more than you realize.

Cain leaned back in his chair, the grimoire heavy in his lap. He had expected a simple answer, a factual description, but the Librarian had shifted the ground beneath him. Knowledge of the Sin Series was more than academic. It was a burden, a threat, and a test all at once.

The Librarian straightened, smoothing her robes. "You have your answers. I suggest you consider them carefully. Some knowledge is not simply read. It is understood, and understanding it may demand more than skill alone. Survival may require caution."

Cain swallowed, the ice blue of her eyes lingering in his vision. The air around her felt charged with both authority and power, and he realized in that moment that she could undo him in ways he had not imagined.

For a long moment, he remained silent, letting the weight of her words settle. Then he finally spoke, his voice low. "Alright… last question."

The Librarian arched a brow, her curiosity evident despite her calm exterior. "Ask," she said.

Cain hesitated briefly before leaning in.

"What is your Sin Skill?"

The Librarian's lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile. Her ice blue eyes softened, a flicker of surprise and something like quiet approval shining through. Cain felt the weight of her gaze shift, no longer just piercing but almost warm in its recognition.

"You have a keen mind, for a fool." she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "It is rare for such a question to be asked. Rarer still for someone to make the connection."

Cain felt a faint heat rise in his cheeks, caught off guard by the small acknowledgment.

She straightened slightly, the smile lingering as she folded her hands lightly over the books on the table. "My Sin is..." An eerie silence began to fill the room as she said one final word.

"Greed."