The Seven Artifacts

There are artifacts around the world that hold the power of demons and angels.

The first of these is the ring of Wrath. There are ways that you can use this power, for murder. And it has to be murder, too. You either have to be furious when killing someone, or you have to enjoy it. You have to have certain characteristics in order to be a part of the faction that benefits from this power. What people fail to realize is that this power, it corrupts. No matter how sick you are, you are not already corrupted. You are not already as vain as you could be. And sometimes, when you kill someone, it’s because you were provoked. It’s because they were asking for it. It’s because they were playing with fire. People make mistakes, and sometimes they have to pay the price. The ring of Wrath enables you to beat someone until they die, mercilessly. But it demands a heavy price. Your thoughts can no longer turn from violence, and you think of death, murder, and war constantly. You can no longer strike the second blow in an attack: You can sense the aggression in any person. You are now and forevermore the instigator of all the fights you shall take part of. It takes a hold of your soul, and drives you as mercilessly as you shall beat your enemies. It is a great power. A power that it will make sure you use. Apart from the gift of Wrath, the ring becomes a part of you. It does not have a mind, and is simply a tool. A link for some other demonic force. The ring will modify the frequency of a wave, in order to be more precise in selecting the demon for you. You will get along with this demon. You will love him, as he loves you. A link will, of course, will be established. And strengthened. You are demonkin, as well as human. And you can do terribly powerful things. Terribly awful things. You can initiate wars. And there are those who do not understand why such terrible acts are committed. They are merely human, for human and angelkin are the same. Angels are demons, simply those who use their tremendous power. They are those who use the gifts of free will to tamper with things, to mess and play. And that’s mostly the purpose of life, you see. To make a mess out of what is beautiful, and in so doing truly experience what it is to live. To live is to suffer, and to suffer begrudgingly is to live a bad life. To suffer willingly and comply with whatever horrors you must experience is to truly enjoy the life that you live. Torture is only as bad as you make it, for you see that torture is only a way of making you stronger in spirit and in body. To fortify yourself against the overwhelming sensations of the life that we live.

The next artifact is the coat, a heavy dark brown trench coat that weighs as much as its’ wearer. It is imbued with the power of Sloth. For wearing this coat will enable a person to heal faster, to develop muscles incredibly rapidly, and to excel in all subjects. Its’ price? Your motivations, your drives, your directives. For once you have the charm, the wit, the muscle, the ability and the means, you will no longer have the want to accomplish anything at all. Your days will be spent lying down, lazing about, staring at a wall most likely. And you won’t want to take the coat off. The power will weigh you down, keep you adhered to the world of mortals, the world of demons. As a great bird whose wings are clipped, so will you be, with all the power in the world, choosing willingly not to use it.

It is truly a terrible artifact.

The third object is a golden watch; This watch is imbued with the power of Pride. A truly remarkable object this is, for it tells you the future, projecting your destiny upon your mind, through the watches’ crystal surface. With this watch you cannot be surprised, as your destiny is written before you. But, beware: all who have ever possessed this object end up killing themselves, to escape the inevitable. To escape the pressing presence of a train, coming down the tracks, heading for you. It will forecast your death, and forecast all that you will try to do to stop it. It is indeed a terrible thing to have your control drained away.

The fourth object is perhaps the faintest of the seven: the shirt of Gluttony. An ugly shirt that repels all who see it; but as long as you wear this shirt, you shall never starve nor meet your end, no matter what you do. Invincible to all but yourself. The trick is keeping it on, for the shirt becomes increasingly uncomfortable the longer you wear it. But after wearing the shirt for long enough, taking it off becomes certain death.

The fifth object is the book of lust: A book that, once you read, will make you irresistible to the opposite sex. But be forewarned: Once you read the book, you shall be completely sterile, and carry with you an immunity for you and your partner of any sexual disease or anything that could get in the way of the pleasant experience. Be also forewarned that this book will turn you into a virtual succubus. Going too long without sex will cause you excruciating pain, so much so that you will not be able to stand, nor move from your location at any length. This book has been sought by many a-man, but can only be found by those who seek it out of curiosity, instead of want.

The sixth object is the wallet of Greed. This object is said to hold immense power, in the amount of influence you can accumulate. But only the strongest in will can use this object. For, the wallet influences you to hold onto every penny, every dime, every quarter and nickel and dollar you come into contact with. It will become so bad that you shall give up your home, your possessions, you will sell it all to increase your wealth. You will take to stealing food in order to not have to pay for it, and living on the street. You will eventually die from thirst, or hunger, or persecution, or fighting to protect your wealth, and demand in your will to be buried with your money. You will die a rich, rich man; but your wealth will die with you.

The seventh, and final object is the camera of envy. This camera captures the essence of anything it takes, and makes perfect copies with the film. You can now have anything you want, from a distance. But, the thing about this camera is that once you retrieve the item from the film, the original will go missing. All who have ever used this camera have been accused, and proven guilty of stealing. In the case of kidnapping, as can be performed with this camera, the guilty party has been put to death, and the camera is usually thrown out and found by another unlucky, envious individual.

How do I know this? I imbued these items, long ago, when civilization was created. And so powerful were these items that the behaviors and powers of these items were imprinted on the very genome of those who survived them, and passed down their family tree as naturally occurring abilities. Now the artifacts seek the untainted, the incorruptible, the saints. They seek to make all the world experience them.

They seek absolution.

And they will find it eventually.