The Seven Deadly Princes

“Time on earth you say?” For the first time since they existed, the seven greater demon brothers are given a gift. A chance to experience life outside of hell. It was unheard of. They were bound to watch over hell and their respective sin.  Greed smiled wickedly. “I like it.”  Sloth yawned only half listening. “What are we to do? I don’t want anything too strenuous.” Wrath glared at his brother. “Everything is strenuous to you.”  “How exactly are we bound to our human?” Lust asked with a wide grin.  Gluttony blanched in disgust. “Not in the way that you’re thinking.”  Envy wedged himself between the brothers excitedly. “Include me in the topic.”  Pride remained quiet with a blank expression on his face. He wasn’t going to join in on their banter.  “Think of it as a break.”  “How long does this break last?” Sloth asked finally looking interested.  There was a pause. “For as long as the human you’re bound to is alive.”  Envy seethed. “Watch me get a human in the brink of death.”  “I assure you, the human each of you will be linked to is of optimum health.”  Greed leaned on the wall with his mind abuzz. “Our life force is bound to this human? How did you choose the human?”  “Will we have our powers?” Wrath added.  “Each human was chosen carefully and you will have your powers. You’ll need it.”  Gluttony scrunched his nose up. “Why would we need it?”  A small smile. “To protect your human of course. Other demons would be after this rare opportunity. Leave your human unattended and they’ll be taken or killed ending your break.”  “Are you saying we’ll be serving these humans?” A blanket of quiet falls upon the room at Pride’s voice. It’s the first time he’s spoke since the gathering. “I refuse to serve anyone much more a weak human.”  “Aren’t you the one that said you deserve to see the world?”  A deep frown etched up on Pride’s face. He was in fact the one that brought it up. However, he would never admit to the real reason for it.  “It’s a small price to pay.” Gluttony said with a careless shrug.  All six brothers turned to Pride in anticipation. As the eldest demon, his word was the final call.  Centuries, they’ve been caged inside hell. It was their first chance to be free from it albeit for only a few human years.  “How exactly are we linked to the human?” Pride finally asked with a sigh. It was simple enough for all the brothers to understand. They would be transfigured to look like a human to blend into the world. The moment they step outside hell, their life force would be connected to the human.  The human chosen for each demon will be connected to their respective sin.They would be given a whole day to observe  and study their human from hell. The final gift would be given to the human which is quick understanding. To minimize any and all issues, each demon upon meeting their human will have tolerance for the circumstance.  Once connected with the human, you will be able to taste, feel and enjoy the pleasures of the world. Be warned, other demons will be drawn to your linked human. Leave them unprotected and your time on earth will be over.  “We’ll start with the youngest. Envy. Let’s see your human.”  The other brothers are ushered out leaving only Envy. The youngest of the demon brother peered into a mirror like wall. It’s all mist and fog at first until the mirror clears. A young female adult is shown. She’s sitting on a desk nose buried on her laptop.  Envy tilts his head to the side. The girl in front of him is dressed exquisitely with her hair in an immaculate bun. Prim, proper and beautiful, she carried herself well.  “She’s twenty four and has only begun her career.”  The girl suddenly looks up when a pair of her colleagues pass. She looks down at her clothes and glances back towards the pair. Envy could tell straight away what was on her mind. He often had that look on his face.  Kasey Peters.  The name of the human was whispered in his mind like an echo. “What will the others get?” Envy demanded. Lust came next.  The mirror showed him a fashionably dressed man possibly in his mid twenties sitting in a restaurant. He’s looking at himself through a reflection from his spoon.  The man is incredibly handsome and tall. Very manly and fit.  “A twenty six year old famous actor.” Caesar Hardly. Lust liked his human very much. They were going to have a lot of fun. Sloth peered into the mirror and a thin looking man appeared. He’s slouched into a comfortable looking seat in a bedroom. Dressed comfortably in silk pajamas, he had unkept hair that was all over the place. Sloth didn’t seem to mind his human’s appearance one bit. “A twenty three year old with a big trust fund. Unemployed." Daniel Carrow. Sloth pursed his lips and shrugged.  “As long as he doesn’t die in a few months.”  Wrath was the next to look upon the mirror. A man sitting outside a closed bar is shown. He’s dressed as if he just finished his shift and is smoking a cigarette while staring into nothing.  “A twenty five year old barista. He's a discharged soldier and a troubled child growing up.”  Wrath clicked his tongue in detest. He was about to protest but stopped when his human stood up and started walking home alone in the dark.  Clear as day Wrath could see the rage in his human’s eyes.  Ben Adams.  “He’ll do.”  Gluttony went in next.  He didn’t really care about the human he was getting. As long as he could taste every food possible with his human near.  What the mirror showed surprised him greatly. He was expecting an obese human but instead the human in the mirror is packed with muscle. Wearing tight workout clothes, the man was busy devouring a plate overflowing with spaghetti.  “He’s a professional body builder. Thirty eight and quite healthy.”  Tomas Wesley. Gluttony smiled looking beyond pleased. Greed was the next to come in.  He would never admit it to anyone but he was quite excited to see who he was paired with. His human had to be handsome, rich and famous. Nothing else would satisfy him except a human with everything. The mirror did not disappoint him. A tall man in an expensive suit was shown in a large extravagant office. Greed leaned in closer to inspect the last of his expectations and smiled triumphantly when the human before him was handsome enough for his standards.  “A rather young CEO. He’s only thirty two but already a famous billionaire.”  Viktor Richards. “Good enough.”  The last brother to come in and the eldest of them all, Pride. Pride didn’t know what to expect when he stared into the mirror. Perhaps a politician? Whatever it was, his human had to be of high standard to be named his.  He let out a loud choking sound when a young girl appeared in the mirror. Small, timid and nothing like how he expected. The girl before him is dressed in a plain university sweater and shorts. She’s sitting in class and is listening intently.  How could he the eldest and most powerful of the demon brothers get a small human girl? This is simply not possible! How could he link himself to her?  “A nineteen year old university student. The youngest of the humans.”  “The youngest? You mean the weakest? Why would I be linked to her?” Pride couldn’t help the sharpness in his voice.  A pause. “Youngest and possibly the longest to live.”  “Why did I get the weakest human of them all? She doesn’t even look like she has pride. How could she be assigned to me?” He continued to demand.  “Actually, it’s the other way around. You are assigned to her. All of you are under the humans care. There won’t be a gift without them.” Pride’s eyes went back to the mirror. “But why her?”   “In due time, Pride.”  Jessie Kingsley.