7 Sins | Pride

I will fall into pride, but I envy no one. I love what I am, what I have and what I do. Alvaro Ancona.

— I am a god! I am all perfection! Worship me is what you must do! Let me go!

In the madhouse on Fifth Avenue, a character was introduced into a room. Madness was present in every one of his cells. The internists had to wear a straitjacket and put away any object that could attempt against someone's life or worse, against their own life.

— Nice to meet you, thank you very much.

Three short months were enough to create this situation. It was autumn, cold winds from the north froze the streets of the city, people walked warmly towards their particular destinations. In the small "Red's Spinel" café, people crowded in long lines to taste what was considered "the best coffee in the world" for those city dwellers. Veiron, however, watched the hot rate and made fun of all those who even with cell phones were waiting to have their picture taken with the barista at the bar.

— It's no big deal. I'd do better than that.

— Now, Veiron, if you're so good, why don't you start a business all at once?

— It's not my thing, Lian. I'm here to be spoiled, not to spoil others.

— Very funny!

Laughing, Veiron and Lian left the establishment on their way home. Since they were children they grew up together, they were orphans of an orphanage and had to learn to take care of each other, in so many years they had learned to cook, work, study and even sleep together.

— See... ah....

— Lian…

The sweat, the passion, the debauchery of two spirits so young that they synchronized in an environment of extreme balance.

— Is Rebecca coming today?

— I think so, I don't really care.

— Veiron... she's your girlfriend.

— And you, my lover, my brother and my friend, what's the problem? I can have them both at the same time.

— Sometimes I wish I could hit you for being so self-centered.

— Ha ha ha ha.

— I'm gonna go out and see you later.

— Okay. All right.

The door to the apartment closed with a soft slam. They saw him on his way to the window and took a brush, put it on the palette and retouched the painting that had been so hard for him for days.

— Something's missing.

He admired his work, which for several weeks was repeated in his dreams and now was materializing in a painting. He observed himself as a divine being, an almost angelic figure who observed the rest of humanity living on earth from on high. His wings spread in that painting, covering absolutely everything, human beings, earth, the sun, stars and stars, it was a work never seen before.

— Good afternoon!

— Hi, Rebecca.

— Still at it? It's getting brutal!

Veiron didn't even hear the knock on the door, he only felt the hug on Rebecca's back and her chocolatey scent of that scent she put in her hair after she got out of the shower.

— Why so dressed up today?

— Have you forgotten? You promised you'd go out with me to the poetry reading!

— I've been doing a lot of things, it's not my fault you didn't remind me.

— Goofy... come on, get your shit together and get started in an hour.

— Just give me a moment....

He admired his painting again and then put the brush aside just before going to the closet to put on a white shirt that was the only decent thing he had cleaned.

— How do I look?

— You could have had your hair done.

— You're kidding, right? I look great.

They laughed for a second and Rebecca pulled him to the door with a wink and a kiss on his mouth. The streets were almost empty, the clock was ticking almost nine o'clock and the few people on the streets were heading to meet their banalities in clubs and bars in the area.

— Welcome to the space where art and letters are echoed. Welcome to the world of the possible and imaginative. Today we will be presenting three poets from our city, they are Samael Taler, Cruz Velásquez and finally the surprise of the night Shaitan Ferciul!

The small auditorium was packed and the applause and ovations echoed with the echo of the place. They saw her, barely paying attention to what they said there, making an effort not to get up and leave, but Rebecca grabbed his arm and never got away from him.

— Samael and Cruz are great! Don't you think so?

— Yes, they have good jobs but there are words in their poetry that are redundant, they jump from theme to theme and finish the poem too abruptly for my taste, it could have been better.

— Veiron, don't be so demanding. Besides, what they're all waiting for is Shaitan, they say she's very good.

— We'll see about that.

The lights went out in the establishment and suddenly the whole ceiling was illuminated with an infinity of artificial stars that reflected a majestic sky.

— Without further delay we are pleased to welcome on our stage this evening the acclaimed poet Shaitan Ferciul!

The ovations and applause were heard all over the place, after which silence invaded the room and tension rose through Veiron's neck.

— Of life as we are of it.

A thick voice echoed through the establishment. It was gloomy, mysterious and dissonant. For some reason he had been able to get Veiron's attention.

"Who am I and where am I going?
Where do I come from and where am I?
I light the way like the stars,
I'm stumbling around in a myriad of them.
My memories, they go back to existence,
Observo…
I watch the passing of time from afar,
Without getting old....

I walk among mortal souls,
Laughing and crying about his existence,
Eh then save them?
Shall I then be the one to help them?

To be or to be, to be and to be.
I speak to you with the whisper of omnipotence,
I embrace their existence with my wings.
What else can I do to save this world?!

You mortals...
They're screaming for my help!
I listen to their cries in desperation and look down from above!
I return a smile of hope to their fragile hearts....

It's me, the alpha, the omega!
You must then come to me!
I am among men.
Seek me and they shall have eternal life."

At the end there was nothing but silence. The cheers and applause came a little after the audience came out of the trance. Shaitan bowed goodbye and before leaving Veiron noticed that I was staring at him. By the time his trance was over Veiron was still stunned and tears streamed down his face.

— Veiron? You liked it so much you're crying!

Rebecca hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, at which point the young man reacted to his trance and blinked for several seconds before looking at his girlfriend.

— Don't be silly, Rebecca. I'm not crying. We should go home now.

— It's early in the morning.

— Come on... please me.

Veiron was the one who winked his eye this time and Rebecca smiled mischievously before pulling his arm to get out.

— Rebeca…

— Yes... go... Veiron... Ah.

The night was darker than usual. Through the Veiron window he could see a storm coming. He stood up carefully and watched Rebecca's figure move through the sheets, walked out of the room and approached the room once more looking at the painting that for days had been tormenting him in his dreams and took the brush to detail the ochre colors of the background of the painting.

— Sorry about the time.

— Shhhhhh...!

The door opened making a noise and in the darkness Lian's figure entered the apartment.

— I'm sorry,

— I thought you weren't coming today.

— I got held up with the drinks.

— You should make one for me now.

— I don't think so, I'll go to sleep.

— Hey, Lian.

— Di…

Just before finishing the sentence Veiron's lips were already devouring Lian's. It was a long kiss, perhaps a minute or longer, but Lian found this kind of kiss strange coming from Veiron and awakened in him the feeling he had been hiding for so long.

— What's that about?

Lian asked confusedly and looked at Veiron with a smiling smile.

— Nothing, I just wanted a kiss, plus Rebecca's asleep and it's not exactly what I wanted right now.

— You're a moron, Veiron... I'll go to sleep.

— Come on, you little bitch.

Veiron was again alone in the dark. He approached the painting and looked at it. "I watch from afar the passing of time....it is I, the alpha the omega..." Those words bounced off his head over and over again, everything said by that poet was perfect. Suddenly a flash of lightning illuminated the cloudy sky and the large windows of the room were opened by the wind of that storm.

— Oh, damn it!

Between his efforts to close it the painting fell to the ground and the palette bounced like a ball from the counter staining the paint with a bright red color.

— Oh, shit, no!

Veiron closed the window completely and ran to the painting but just as he arrived he looked at it, absorbed in what his eyes saw.

— Hermoso…

The red paint had formed dashed lines that came down from the hand of the angelic figure to the head of the humans, almost like blood threads that dripped down to give life and help to those earthly beings. Veiron's head made a kind of short circuit and placed the paint on the easel to give shape to everything that was peeping out in front of him. The lightning was strong and the night continued its course until dawn.

— Mmm... good mo... Veiron?

Rebecca stretched out her arms to finish waking up and made sure her boyfriend was nowhere to be found. He took Veiron's white flannel and put it on, picked up his hair and slowly opened the door of the room, sticking his head out in the hallway.

— Veiron?

He went back to bed and got his things, put on his worn black jeans and walked down the hall to the living room.

— What are you doing? I've been calling you.

— I was busy.

— Didn't you get any sleep? It's ten o'clock.

— That fast? I didn't realize.

— You should get some rest.... Veiron!

Rebecca couldn't finish the sentence just before she looked at the artwork in front of her. The brushstrokes were perfect, the colors, the image of that divine being bathing his servants in the sacred nectar. For people involved in art, it could be compared to a painting by Michelangelo or a work by Da Vinci himself.

— It's gorgeous!

— Do you like it? I didn't sleep through it.

— You should show it, it's exceptional!

— You flatter me. The one in the painting is myself. You could consider me a god if you wanted to.

— Ha ha ha ha. Very funny, honey.

Rebecca kissed her boyfriend and looked at her watch, it was late and she had to go home.

— I've got to go. Remember what I said, show your art... my omnipotent one.

And he left. He left without understanding what had happened the night before, he left without even realizing that those words helped to raise an idea that had become more and more insane in Veiron's mind, he left without realizing that that day the heart of that man would change forever, becoming darker, more focused on himself than he already was and more frisky to teach a truth, his truth about all things.

— Hey, I'm going out.

— Ok…

The weeks passed and with them the focus of the world had changed in Veiron's head. His skin was paler and he lived locked up in his room reading ancient texts: metaphysics, angels, demons, the cabal, esotericism, dark arts, gods. Everything about the energetic world that he had to do with it was of the utmost importance to him now. A week before I had finished with Rebecca, however, sometimes they would see each other, share a bed and then say goodbye. Whoever was around him had become just entertainment to meet his needs, even Lian.

— Full moon, an altar, the body in the circle of salt and the warm blood bathed in the dagger....

Among the texts, Veiron read an article on the invocation of "Archangels" and the "Gateway to heaven". His smile was growing and he looked at the date, the full moon would be that same night. He ran to organize everything and left the room.

— Rebecca?

— Happy ears! How have you been?

— Excellent, I wanted to know, would you visit me today? Type... nine?

— So late?

— You can stay....

— Is everything all right?

— Yes…

— Well... I'll see you later.

Lian would be too late, and if she did, what did it matter? Veiron would soon accomplish his goal and become himself a superior entity. He took candles, incense sheets and ran to the living room to create an altar. He threw out everything on the table and fixed the space. It was done. He opened the closet and took out a silver dagger from the back, it was engraved with symbols of different cultures, put it under the table and went to prepare for the ritual.

— Good night!

Rebecca entered the apartment, and observed the stage in the living room, countless candles covered the place and all the curtains were closed. In the center the inn was covered by a white tablecloth. "Romantic... or so I think. "He thought as he walked slowly through the place.

— Veiron?

— Near the window, a figure with its back covered in a golden savannah breathed and moved its shoulders slowly.

— What are you doing, honey? You're scaring me.

— Relax, Rebecca... don't be afraid.

— Take that off. We're going out.

Rebecca turned her back and put her purse on the furniture. Just then, her movement was interrupted by hands holding her from behind and pulling her backwards.

— Let go of me! Veiron!

— It'll soon be over! Look at me like a god!

— Let me go!

— The young woman made efforts to get out but Veiron was strong. At this time he had not only sought spiritual perfection but had also trained his body to become a marble sculpture.

— We will begin this ceremony....

— Let me go! What kind of fantasy is this Veiron?!

— It's no fantasy, honey... you and the rest of the world are gonna have to love me after this.

The tension in the room grew greater and a gentle breeze that seeped through the slits in the door moved the fire from the candles. The shadows that came from there were reflected on the ceiling and walls of the dark house. Veiron spoke words in strange tongues and in his hands lifted an empty cup, placed it on the ground and then bathed Rebecca in salt. Then he lowered his body again and took the dagger that he had placed there hours ago.

— What are you doing Veiron! Let me go! Please! Let me go!

— Who am I and where do I go? where do I come from and where am I? i light the way like the stars, i go stumbling around in the infinity of them....

Veiron recited that poem written by Shaitan and raised the dagger as high as he could. His lost look, dilated pupils and sweat running down his body. His ultimate end was about to be fulfilled and he would soon become a god of the new world.

— Help! Somebody help me!

— It's me, the alpha, the omega! You must come to me then! I am among men. Seek me and they shall have eternal life.

Just then most of the candles went out and the silence turned to the grave. The blood ran from Rebecca's heart to you. And the cup overflowed, and it was positioned in the exact place within that place.

— Here comes Veiron!

The moment Lian entered the apartment his gaze was fixed on that stage.

— Welcome, human. Have you come to worship me?

Veiron was perched on the table, his body bent over and covered with symbols twisted and crushed with his feet the petrified figure of Rebecca. In his left hand he held a cup filled with a thick, red liquid while his mouth was covered with it. Lian soon understood such a grotesque scenario.

— Veiron…

Tears streamed down his face and he ran quickly to him.

— What have you done!

— That's human worship me, admire me, feel the body of your god!

Lian embraced Veiron's body and cried as he listened to the manic laughter of his best friend, lover and brother. From that moment only the memory of a gloomy scene of any fiction or horror story remained.

— I am a god! I am all perfection! Worship me is what you must do! Let me go!

In the madhouse on Fifth Avenue, a character was introduced into a room. Madness was present in every one of his cells. The internists had to wear a straitjacket and put away any object that could attempt against someone's life or worse, against their own life.