Author's Note: Greetings. It's been an awfully long time. I did retire from the Evillious Fandom but after taking one glance at the Evillious Chronicles once again, specifically Seven Crimes and Punishments, I have decided to let my imagination run wild once more. Enjoy! -Animak3000

I fell. I fell through an endless void. It seems...everything is finally put into place. Have...Have I finally completed my mission?

"...H...Hh..."

...I hear a voice. I hear...crying.

"I...I..."

I recognize that voice. Wh...Who are you? Why are you crying?

"...I d...I don't..."

You don't...?

"I don't want...to leave..."

Leave? Leave what?

"I don't want to leave just yet..."

Yet?

"There's just...so much that...I want to do...before I leave..."

So much you want to do? Like what?

"I want to...play with him."

...Eh...?

"I want to walk alongside with him on the beach again... I want to share a birthday party with him... I just...want to be the perfect sister for him..."

...What are you talking about? I...

"I'm just...afraid that...I won't be able to do those things...once I leave...for the Heavenly Yard..."

You don't know that. Everything will be wonderful in the Heavenly Yard.

"I just...have so many regrets... I can't simply let go of them... I'm...stuck. I'm stuck in the past... I'm...trapped here...forever... I can't ascend yet... I can't leave yet... I want to make up for everything that was lost...before I leave it all behind..."

...

I can't ascend yet. I have to be with her, the most precious person in the world. Please...God... Let me stay with her...If I have to, I will give up my place in the Heavenly Yard just to be with her all the way, to guide her on this long path to solace so that when the time comes we can pass on...side-by-side.

She woke up on a beach. As she slowly got up, she can see an orange-colored sky as the sun descended into the Hawk Sea, out of sight. She was here, that all-familiar beach where she used to play with...him. She was alone now...just like the setting sun, the red globe in the sky that will never be touched by anyone. She looked down at herself and saw that she was dressed in her royal bright yellow and white gown decorated in with orange lacing, her hair tied into a bun with black hairpins. She was just like herself back then...before he died. She then buried her face into her knees. Is this her punishment, to be alone on this red beach? She thought she had paid her penance...but perhaps it wasn't enough. She was the Sinner of Pride, she was so absorbed in her own status and accomplishments...but now, she had nothing to be proud of. She had eliminated many during her short reign. Perhaps being alone was the ultimate punishment for her, alone where no one can praise her...or hold and comfort her...for she was the worst. What can she do now...but cry?

"Riliane!"

Her body straightened up immediately. She knew that voice, a voice that she had not heard in a long time. It was the voice of someone she loved, the only light in her life that brought her from the darkness. She turned her head towards where the voice was coming from. There, standing at the other side of the beach...was a boy. The boy looked...identical to her, with blonde hair and blue eyes but he was dressed in a yellow servant's clothing.

"...Al...len...? Is...Is that...you?" The girl named Riliane rubbed her eyes to see if she was dreaming. The boy did not disappear from her sight. Having an epiphany, she scrambled to her feet and started running towards the boy. "A, ALLEN!" She called out, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Yes! It's me! Riliane!" Allen began running towards her too, with open arms. Riliane wasted no time diving into Allen's waiting embrace.

"Allen! Oh Allen! I, I thought I...I thought I was alone!" Riliane sobbed, clinging to Allen and never letting go. He was here. He was truly here with her. Allen, her long-lost brother who was taken away from her, never given the chance to start over again as siblings.

"Riliane, don't be ridiculous. I can never leave you alone." Allen petted his beloved sister on the head. "You...are the most precious person in the whole world to me."

"Allen...!" Riliane hugged Allen even tighter, deeply moved by his words. She continued to cry for a while, wondering if this was just a cruel dream or illusion. She wanted this to be real. "Allen... Where...Where are we...? Are we...back...?"

"Well...not exactly..." Allen managed to separate himself from Riliane but he kept close to her for reassurance. "This is Lucifenia but...not really Lucifenia."

"...Huh?" Riliane looked confused. "What do you...mean?"

"We have all passed on, Riliane. We are no longer alive." Allen said plainly. "This is the beginning of a new Period and everyone's soul is supposed to ascend to the Heavenly Yard. Sickle told me that it is a paradise for those who no longer have any regrets. One by one, everyone managed to let go of their past...save for one." He then pointed at Riliane. "...That's you."

"M, Me...?" Riliane looked perplexed.

"Yes I'm afraid..." Allen nodded his head. "You are the Sinner of Pride. As the old saying goes, 'Pride comes before the downfall'...and your downfall had cost you a lot. You are filled with regret, guilt... You simply couldn't let go. I'm not sure exactly...but maybe it's because you're too prideful. That's why you're-"

"I'm stuck." Riliane finished Allen's sentence. "I can't let go at all... I can't ascend because of this... Everyone has let go of their past and ascend to the Heavenly Yard...but I couldn't let go..." She then faced Allen with a sad expression. "I missed it all, Allen. I missed everything we could've done together...as siblings! And not just you Allen! Everyone else too! Leonhart, Chartette, Ney, Mariam, Germaine, Kyle, even Michaela and Clarith! I could've had fun with everyone! I feel that...I won't have the chance to do any of that again! Not even in the Heavenly Yard!"

"R, Riliane!" Allen looked exasperated. "How can you even say that without knowing what the Heavenly Yard is like?!"

"Well excuse me for being so selfish!" Riliane cried. "You're right! I don't know! That's why... I want to make up for everything that has been lost before I let go! That's why I'm...stuck! I know this all sounds stupid but..." She was at a loss for words.

Allen stared at Riliane for a while. He then shook his head. "...It's not stupid at all. Hell, even I'm not sure what the Heavenly Yard is like either."

"Really?" Riliane looked up. "Allen...why are you here? I thought you were in the Heavenly Yard!"

Allen smiled. "Actually I'm one of the many souls waiting in line to enter the place. However, I just couldn't imagine being in the Heavenly Yard...without you."

"Allen..." Riliane's eyes went wide. "You...threw away your place in the afterlife...just to be with me...?"

"That was my first thought but Sickle intervened. You see, the two of us have come to an agreement about your future: I will help you let go of all your regrets you accumulated on Evillious, even if it takes a very long time like millennia, and you and I can ascend to the Heavenly Yard together, first class seating I might add."

"T, Truly?" Riliane looked surprised.

"Mhm~." Allen nodded, and then gestured all around. "This place you're in... This is a replica of Lucifenia you remember so fondly. You might as well call this Purgatory."

"Purgatory...?"

"Yes, your personal Purgatory. It is here you will alleviate your last remaining regrets, where we can do whatever you wanted to do with me before we got separated. We can...make up for what we had lost."

"Allen..." Riliane looked touched. "...I thought the gods never interfered with lowly human affairs... Why is this...'Sickle' doing this just for me...?"

"Sickle and I have a long history...and people can surprise." Allen shrugged. He then extended a hand towards his sister. "Well, my princess? Do you accept this final journey with me?"

Riliane stared at Allen's hand for a moment. Then with the happiest smile she could muster, she took his hand and said, "...Yes. Please...take good care of me."

Allen smiled back and he led Riliane hand-in-hand out of the beach, just as the sun had finally set. The two of them journeyed towards Lucifenian, the capital of Lucifenia. It was just as they had always pictured it...but where there should be people bustling about, there was nobody in sight.

"Riliane, it is getting late. Let's get back to the castle." Allen suggested.

"Y, Yeah. Let's..." Riliane yawned. She didn't think souls could get tired but she figured that it might be just a human habit. Opening the front door to the Royal Palace and walking through the empty darkened hallways, Allen escorted Riliane to her room.

"Here we are." Allen announced.

"I know where my room is, Allen. You don't need to say that." Riliane rolled her eyes.

"O, Of course. What was I thinking..." Allen muttered.

"...Pfft~." Riliane then entered her room. "Um, Allen, can you please wait outside for a moment? I need to change."

"C, Can you handle by yourself?" Allen asked. "I mean, there is nobody else here in this world except the two of us..."

"I can manage, thank you very much! No peeking!" Riliane then slammed the door.

"R, Right...!" Allen stood outside, thanking Sickle internally that he didn't have to face the prospect of undressing his sister alone.

"Umm...Allen...?" A nervous voice came from behind Riliane's door.

"Y, Yes Riliane...?" Allen called back nervously. Oh don't tell me she needs help. He thought to himself.

"There really is nobody else in this world, is there...?"

Allen looked towards the door, feeling a bit puzzled. "Y, Yes. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that...I don't want to sound too selfish but..." Riliane's voice sounded hesitant. "...I wish that everyone else I hold dear...were here. It...It feels...really lonely...with just the two of us..."

"..." Allen didn't say anything. Riliane is right. This Purgatory would feel much more at home...if everyone were here to help them, to make them not feel so lonesome.

"Allen...I'm afraid..." Riliane's voice started to crack.

"Riliane, it's okay. I'm here." Allen replied back in a comforting voice. "I'll always be here for you. I will never leave your side."

"Thank you..." The door then opened. There, standing at the doorway, was Riliane dressed in a nightgown. It seemed that she had trouble putting it on by herself as she looked disheveled. "Allen...will you...please tuck me in?"

"Of course." Allen nodded. He had to admit seeing his sister so afraid was a bit of a guilty pleasure for him. It was comforting for him to know that he was needed. Allen tucked Riliane into the bed.

"...Will you stay with me...?" Riliane asked shrilly.

"Always." Allen then gave her a goodnight kiss on the forehead. Feeling at peace that her brother is there by her side, she drifted off to sleep. Allen sighed in relief as he watched the starry sky outside the window. What will tomorrow bring? He wasn't sure himself but one thing is for sure that tomorrow and the days after that will not be filled with sorrow but joy.