The Scholar Of The First Sin Novels & Stories

I felt sorry for her in a way that surprised me. “El-Cana..” I whispered to myself, snapping out of my emotions. I remembered who I was. I am the man at the head of this table. I am the one they answer to. I am the one who carries the past like a stone in my pocket. My mercy is a luxury I cannot afford. My duty is not to feel. The rules keep the world in balance. Blood for blood. Debt paid in full, no matter the time, hour, or year.

I'd gone to his study to surprise him, only to find him bent over the design schematics for our rings. The original "Amor Aeternus" was crossed out. Replaced by that new line of Latin: Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. My sin, my greatest sin. Five years. The guilt had never left him. Her shadow still loomed over everything between us. "Isabella?" the priest prompted gently. I lifted my head and looked out at the crowd. My father, Don Rossi, his eyes filled with expectation. The Moretti council, sitting ramrod straight, waiting for the answer that would end a decades-long war between our two families.

I'll care for them as if they were my own pups…" she sobbed. Mae thought she could cry her way out again, that he would soften like before. Little did she know that her tears only made him sick. "They're my pups, and you'll never have the chance to look after them again!" he said coldly, looking at Mae as if he were looking at a corpse. "I must have been blind to fall for someone as vicious as you! I'll bring Soleil back. As for you… You'll atone for your sins!"

At Darius’s attempt to appear supportive despite the dread I could feel through our bond. “Three sins,” I said. “Your three greatest,” the Broker specified. “The truths you most desperately hide.” My mind raced. What were my greatest sins? The lies I’d told? The people I’d hurt? There were so many choices, so many dark corners of my soul I’d never wanted examined. But I knew where to start. “My first sin,” I said, my voice carrying across the room, “is that I enjoyed killing Lucien.” Murmurs rippled through the audience.

I knew for a fact that none of those prayers would reach heaven. Then the service started. Father John began slowly, his voice deep, infuriating, and commanding, filling every ear and heart. At first, I believed I could survive it. Maybe if I didn’t listen, maybe if I did not look at him, maybe if I zoned out, I would be fine. Maybe I could actually endure. And then he began. “Sin.” I gulped. “Begins as a small seed, unseen, almost harmless. But if you ignore it? It would destroy your soul.

I needed the comfort, and it managed to calm down my erratic heartbeat. "I know." Damian nodded at one of the security guards- who didn't bother looking at me. What was the deal with that? Once we arrived at the front doors, it was already opening and a man greeted us. He had a friendly smile as he gave Damian a handshake and I recognised him as Santino. "Boss, thank you for coming. I didn't think you were going to make it," he said, a grin on his face that matched Damian’s . "Of course, but I'm not staying long. Nova, this is Santino, my cousin. Santino, this is Nova," he paused for a moment. "My date."

The silence returned, deeper than before. And I let it sit. Heavy and unkind. The way truth always is at first. None of them spoke for a long while. And I let the silence sit, heavy and unkind, the way truth always is at first. Then I said the part that turned their grief into horror. "Nyelith’s sin wasn’t the binding. It wasn’t stopping you. Her sin was believing she had the right to rewrite the laws of nature." Four sets of eyes locked on me.

— I’ll let you live, Volkov, — Caelith says — if you tell me how you found out she’s an umbra. Volkov lifts his chin, defiant. — You think you’re the only one who buys secrets from the enemy, Caelith? — All this time I kept wondering why you called her a ‘greater sin’… — he brushes his jaw with his thumb. — What could be more sinful than a Nephilim? Volkov pales beside me. The younger one falters, loosening his grip just enough for me to drag in a ragged breath. — The greater sin, — Caelith goes on, voice rising, — would be a double one, wouldn’t it? The child born of a woman who sold her blood and her body, and a man who vowed his life to God!

Like she was choosing her words carefully. "The Shadow…" she began slowly, "wasn't just a Forsaken." I frowned. "What do you mean?" She looked at me then – really looked. "He was the first." The words didn't make sense at first. "The first… what?" "The first to reject the Goddess's gift." Her voice dropped. "The first to try to take it instead." A chill slid down my spine. "How do you know that?" "The book." She hesitated. "There was more in it than I showed you."

Now on to a little history; the moment the first god was killed. It was one of the most important moments in the annals of the history books. For it was this event that caused the gods to grow weary of Scholars and made mortals aware that the gods weren’t invincible creatures after all. Not only did it greatly inform every race of the vulnerability of the gods, it also limited the actions of the gods somewhat. For their formerly brazen actions were replaced by some hint of caution and regard. And for a time, the activity of the gods were reduced somewhat. However, when the news of what it took to become a Scholar reached the ears of the gods after they had done extensive investigations, they