Y/n's pov

The air around where I stood started to become harder to breath as a black fog began to form. The fog began concentrating on a single area until it started to take a form. A black beast with sharpened teeth and red eyes stared down at me, it had similar appearance to a wolf and a dragon. It stared down at me and opened it's mouth, attempting to vore me. However, before it could get close, a figure came falling down onto it, breaking the form and causing the fog to dissipate. I looked at the figure that destroyed the creature and saw Fitoria standing there. Fitoria turned towards me, frowning "why do you use the cursed powers." I stared at her silently for a bit and she asked again "Tell me, why do you use those cursed powers." I sighed and sat on the ground "I don't have much of a choice." "You aren't one of the heroes, so you don't need to fight and use those powers." "I may not be one of the cardinal heroes, but I was a hero before" Fitoria narrowed her eyes at me "Lying will get you nowhere." I looked at her "I'm not lying. I was a hero, just not one from this world" Fitoria didn't stop her suspicious gaze "If you are a hero of another world, then you are the enemy of this one" I chuckled "I would be if my previous world was still intact." Fitoria's gaze softened a bit, but she still stared intensely "Your previous world was destroyed?" I nodded "yeah, I had failed as the world's only hero. And I have first hand experience with what happens when heroes fail to protect the world from the calamity. I know how important it is for the heroes to be at their highest functionality." "You know my purpose of bringing you all here then?" I nodded "I understand more than anyone else that the heroes need to work together."

Fitoria stared at me silently for a bit before nodding "Then you would understand if I killed all the heroes in order for new ones to be summoned?" I looked around at the destroyed building around "yes. . . They might be heroes, but if they don't get their act together then more will be lost than their lives." Fitoria nods "good that at least a human can understand simple logic like that. But you are still foolish for using the curse powers" "I don't have a choice. because of what happened to me that sent me to this world, Curse powers are the only way I can keep fighting on a fraction of my previous power. And I'm working to get rid of the negative effects of the curses, I have 2 figured out already, but I have 5 more to go until I can fight without the downsides." Fitoria frowned "Even though you aren't this world's hero, it is still unacceptable to use such dark powers" I stared at her "What do you have against curse powers?" She sat there silently for a moment before answering "A hero shouldn't use evil powers, it is inappropriate and unbecoming of a hero" I stared at her still "Is that all?" Fitoria seemed to be in thought for a moment "I can't remember. but I've seen what those cursed powers do to a person that uses them."

I stared at her for another moment and sighed. "I'll be fine. I won't be easily defeated by my curses" Fitoria deadpanned at me "You almost were just now" I smiled at her "But you stopped it from happening. And since I cant feel the curse powers being activated at the moment, that means nothing will happen unless I use the powers related to the curses" "Then don't use those powers anymore. It's as simple as that" "there may be a time when I have to use those powers, If it means keeping this world alive then I will do it. thanks for worrying about me, but it's not like you can be around to stop me" I pat the top of her head a bit which caused her to have a strange facial reaction. Unlike her normal plain expression, she seemed to have a mix of pouty, annoyed, and happy on her face. I moved my hand away from her head and chuckled "sorry, habit I picked up when talking to people shorter than me." she huffed and grabbed my arm "If you won't stop your use of those powers, than I will have to follow you to stop you from using them." I stared at her for a moment "huh" She stared into my eyes with an intense gaze like she was trying to set me on fire with her eyes "I said I am going to follow you and keep you from using your curse powers. there is nothing you will be able to do to stop me." her grip on my arm tightened as she continued the intense stare, as if waiting for something to happen. Suddenly a notification appeared in front of me [Superior being, Filolial Queen: Fitoria would like to join your party. Will you accept? {yes} {yes}]

I stared at the Notification in shock, it wasn't giving the option of refusal. Fitoria's gaze sharpened threateningly as she waiting. I Sighed and accepted her into the party. Her eyes seemed to react to something and her gaze returned to normal. "It took you long enough. I will have to spend time teaching you how to be a proper hero then. starting with manners. Your first lesson will be on not keeping a lady waiting" I stared at her blankly before sighing "are you my mom now?" Fitoria pouted again, looking away "If that is what it takes to get you to listen then I suppose I will have to become like a parental figure to you. so feel free to call me Mommy" "That was a joke! I am not going to be calling you mommy any time soon!" She looked back at me "I was joking as well. I wouldn't want a stupid human calling me like they are my child" I grabbed onto her cheeks and stretched them apart "You little! I'll show you who's stupid" Fitoria struggled, swinging her arms around in an attempt to get me to let go "SHtawp ic thith inthtanth, you Menie." After a bit I let go of her cheeks. She rubbed her cheeks that had become slightly red from the pulling. She was pouting as she looked over at me "hmph you have no clue on how to treat a delicate lady" "I don't see any delicate ladies around here" Suddenly, i felt a force ram into my abdomen with the speed of a bullet, causing me to curl to the ground in pain for a moment. I looked up and saw Fitoria, moving a fist into crossing arms as she looked away with a "hmph"

After a few moments I began chuckling. Soon Fitoria had let out a small giggle as well as she turned to look at me, a small smile on her face. I stared at her a bit before speaking "woah, you can smile" She looked at me, tilting her head "huh?" I stood up slowly and pat her head "You were smiling. Well, this whole interaction is the only time I've seen you with any kind of emotion on your face" Fitoria stared at me for a moment before having a mini shock expression "you're right. . . I don't think I've felt anything like this for a while.... I'm not used to interacting with foolish creatures I suppose" "hmm, I'll have to force you to have more fun later, right now we need to get onto a more serious conversation" Fitoria nodded, her face returning to her normal blank expression "Tomorrow I am going to test the filolial queen candidate to see if she is ready to truly fight. If not, then I will proceed with the execution of the heroes. If she can show promise, then I will allow more time for the heroes to get along." I nodded "she probably won't fight unless she has reason to, what do you plan to do?" "I am going to use Mel-tan as a hostage for a bit" I frowned "I am suppose to protect Mel, so you will have to use me as a hostage as well. I will play along with it and it will be a more effective motivation" Fitoria nodded "Very well. For now, you should get some rest for tomorrow." I nodded and smiled at her "I look forward to our time together Fitoria." Fitoria nodded and left silently.

The next morning was going by plainly. Naofumi had cooked up food for everyone as well as the Filolial that were surrounding us. Everything seemed to be going normally until Fitoria had walked up to the table and stared at us for a moment. She pointed an arm towards me and Melty and spoke up "Liberation: Wind prison" Suddenly, a wind sphere appeared around me and Melty, knocking the others away a small distance. Filo spoke up quickly "Hey! what are you doing to Mel-chan and Y/n!" Rifana grabbed onto her blades and charged at the wind prison, attempting to break it, but the force knocked her far away and into a wall, causing her to drop her weapons. Raphtalia panicked and ran over to her "Rifana-chan!" Fitoria looked over at Melty. "Mel-tan. I need you to be my hostage." Fitoria transported both of us up onto a higher platform and looked down at the others. Noafumi frowned, staring up at us "Hostage?" Fitoria spoke in response "Shield Hero, Promise me. . . Promise me you'll make up with the other Heroes." Filo was clearly upset, yelling out "Let Mel-chan and Y/n go!" Naofumi stepped in front of her and spoke up "And if I dont, You're threatening to hurt Melty?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes at her "I thought I told you it wasn't happening!" Fitoria responded plainly "Even so, I must ask you to" Naofumi asked with a frown "Why are you so obsessed with the heroes working together?" Fitoria responded in a slightly agitated voice "Because I made a promise to the hero who raised me. and because the heroes must cooperate in order to save the world from the waves.. Please" Naofumi stared up at her "it doesn't matter how many time you ask. I have no intention of reconciling with those morons." Fitoria looked down, her hair shadowing her eyes "In that case, new heroes will have to be summoned. and to enable that I must kill all the current heroes"

Naofumi glared up at her "So that's what you meant last night?" Fitoria responded objectively "That will help the world in the long run.. please reconcile with the other heroes." Naofumi clenched his fist "Even then, I can't do it. You don't need to take Melty hostage. If you want to kill me, feel free. But..." Naofumi lifted his shield "Just know that I'm not going down without a fight" Fitoria seemed to be irritated at something as she used her power to prevent Naofumi from activating his rage shield. "I understand how you feel, Shield Hero. If that's how it is, prove to me that you and your party can fight the waves alone." Raphtalia looked up at her, holding up a injured Rifana "Prove to you?" Naofumi stared up, unbothered "How do we do that? by fighting you right here and now?" Fitoria stared at him "Shield hero, I more or less know how strong you are." She pointed her finger over at Filo "I want a one-on-one with Filo" Soon my mind began to lose interest since I already promised not to do anything. I stopped paying attention to the events going on outside the air prison and began getting comfortable. The moment I had relaxed, a message appeared in front of me { [Sin Series: Sloth is at full synchronization, drawback removed. Personality will begin permanent symbiosis] [Sin of Sloth] unlocked, [Sin of sloth] Automatically activated. [Spirit of sloth auto pilot] Activated }. My vision began fading out as I lost control of my body once more

Sloth's Pov

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was trapped inside of some air prison which gives me an excuse not to do anything. Ahead of me was a fight between 2 girls with really fluffy looking wings. If they weren't fighting I might have put in some effort to try to convince one of them to let me use their wings as a pillow. But alas I am too tired to care about breaking out of this perfect excuse to be lazy. I let out an yawn and stretched, my hand touched against the barrier and was torn up a bit before automatically returning to it's regular, non-damaged, state. This only made me more tired from the regeneration so I laid down carefully in the prison so the barrier wouldn't disturb me. This may be my once every thousand year opportunity to do something in a living body, but I just want to sit around, and take a real nap for once. there is always going to be another millennium where I can do something. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, the feeling of being in a real body really makes one tired, but on the bright side taking a real nap will make me feel way more energized much later. I can use that energy later if i get around to it.

I was woken up by something poking me. I opened my eyes and looked up to see the winged girl with white hair standing above me, poking me with a stick. I groaned and rolled over, uttering my catchphrase "5 more minutes" Once more the poking continued so I sighed and slowly stood up, looking down at the winged girl. Her pink eyes stare into mine causing me to think of someone that I knew from a previous curse user. I reached out and poked her wings, feeling the soft feathers, the feathers felt very familiar. The girl stared at me blankly let "I didn't give you permission to touch me." I moved my hands away slowly and spoke "Are you Fi-chan? Or i guess the full name was Fitoria." The girl's stare turned into a glare "Where did you learn that nickname" I chuckled and ruffled the top of her head "It is you. I guess not that much time has passed since the last cursed one then.." She continued to glare at me, slapping my hand away "You aren't Y/n then... Who are you" I sighed and shook my head "I'm sloth." Fitoria's glare faded as she stared at me "...sloth?" "yeah, we met when your hero was laying down on your back while you were heading to the capital. we interacted a few times after that, but never for long. I'm surprised to see you again. you seem much stronger than before..." Fitoria sat there silently, deep in thought about something. I started to feel my vision fading suddenly "it seems my time is up. I hope we can talk again some time" Fitoria looked at me "w-wait" I smiled at her before the rest of my vision faded, and I dissipated into the abyss once more.

Y/n's Pov

I opened my eyes slowly to see Fitoria staring at me with a saddened expression. "Huh? Are you okay Fitoria?" She quickly reformed her normal expression "I'm fine I suppose. You worried your friends you know?" I looked around, not seeing anyone else around "Speaking of them, where are they?" "I sent them off ahead. Shield Hero should be confronting another one of the heroes in order to reconcile. Since you wouldn't wake up I told them I would look after you and send you to join them when you woke." I nodded "Alright, so are you going to send me to them now?" She shook her head. "No, There is something we must discuss first." "alright, what is it?" "now that I am in your party, we are going to be traveling together for a while. So we need a clear plan of action." I nodded "I suppose. Then the first thing we should discuss is the waves. I'm aware that Melromarc has been hording the heroes to themselves. So the other countries of the world wouldn't have any heroes to help protect against the waves. I need to get registered at the other hourglasses so that I can help fight off the waves." Fitoria nodded "Indeed, we will also need to go places to get you stronger. You aren't at your full potential yet, and you haven't overcome all of your curse abilities" "I thought you were against me using those." Fitoria nodded "I am.. But I need to talk with the spirits of Sin. They might have answers for me..."

I nodded "I don't know what you expect from them but I will try to do it for you, so far I've gotten Pride, Wrath, and Sloth. So I only have 4 more to go." Fitoria looks down in thought "I believe Greed, Sloth, Envy, and gluttony are the only ones that will be able to answer the questions I have." "I don't know If I would be able to access the spirit of sloth anymore, but the other 3 are still able to be talked too." Fitoria nodded "okay.. is there anything else you would need to be doing other than the waves and getting over your sin debuffs?" I nodded "I am Mel's personal guard and companion, where I go we would have to take her. and still be able to take her home often." Fitoria sat down "That wont be a problem since we both have the ability to teleport places." "yeah, and then there might be an issue with your Filolial form." Fitoria tilted her head "What issue?" I stared blankly at her "you are way too large in Filolial form, it would attract unwanted attention" Fitoria sighed "I don't know if I can do anything about that" "you have the ability to transform into a different form, can't you just make yourself small"

Fitoria thinks for a moment before standing up and she is surrounded in a puff of smoke. When the smoke is gone, she is in a filolial form that is near the size of Filo's but is much more fluffy and soft looking. Fitoria looks over at me "Will this be alright" I stood up and quickly hugged onto her fluffy body, gently rubbing and petting the softness"this is perfect.... So floofy" Fitoria huffed "I didn't give you permission to touch me..." I pouted and backed off "sorry" Fitoria looked at me "I didn't tell you to stop." I chuckled and went back to petting her. "if you stay in this form or your human form while we travel, things should be fine. You should only use your large form when fighting bigger enemies, or during the waves." She nodded, moving a bit to get me to pet other spots "I suppose that would be alright with me, this form doesn't take up energy and I should be faster like this" I nodded "Speaking of fast, you should probably hurry and send me to the others of the group, We don't want to worry them anymore. I can leave an Item here for us to communicate once we are ready to head off" Fitoria nodded "alright, once you've put the item down I will teleport you near the Shield heroes party"

I nodded and took a communication orb out of my inventory, setting it down "there, that should let us keep in touch" Fitoria nodded and waved her hand, causing a mist to form around me. "I will see you soon Y/n. Good luck with the Heroes." I smiled at her and nodded as I was teleported away to a large green field. I looked around to see where Naofumi might be. Then I saw a large crater of scorched land, a large group of people on the other side of it with the Pope standing in the front. Down in the crater was Naoufmi's and Motoyasu's parties. They seemed to be generally unharmed, but they were on guard. I spoke out the only thought going on in my head "What the fuck"

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A/n: