“Sin?” asked Old Louie as he sipped his ale, “Sin is everything, in Hell.”

“Can you elaborate?” Jonas looked defeated from all the secrecy.

“I mean everything,” said Old Louie, “Me, you, this ale, the walls, the air we breathe, even the sun in the sky,” he slowly finished with, “It’s all made of Sin.”

“You mean to say,” began Jonas, “That all matter in Hell is made from a substance called Sin?”

“Not a substance,” said Old Louie, “Force. Everything in Hell is made from a force called Sin,” and this caused Jonas to go quiet for a moment as he contemplated.

“Then, what is a Sinner?”

“It’s a person who can wield Sin and use it as a source of power,” said Old Louie, and he sighed deeply as if he was letting go of a heavy burden. Although it could have been a trick of the light, Jonas thought Old Louie might have aged a few years.

A force that made up everything in Hell, a source of power. It seemed to Jonas that his original assumptions about Sin were not far from the truth.

“What kind of power?” Jonas licked his dry lips, and he noticed his heart began to beat much faster than it had been. Never before had he felt such temptation in his life.

“Tremendous power,” the old man said, “The power to destroy, the power to create, the power to conquer,” he added, “The most powerful Sinner in all of Hell would be capable of achieving nearly anything they desired, and that’s what it means to be a Sinner, it’s to master the force of desire, and willpower.”

“So if a Sinner was like a wizard, then Sin would be like their magic power?”

“Not far off,” nodded Old Louie, “Just without the funny robes, and with much more psychotic behavior.”

“What can you do with Sin?” asked Jonas, “And how do you become a Sinner?”

“You can do anything with Sin as long as you have enough talent, experience, and a strong mind,” said Old Louie, “You could make your punches have the force of a tank missile, or surround your enemies in burning flames, or even create food from thin air.”

“Or use it to heal people?” asked Jonas, Old Louie nodded his head.

“Exactly.”

“You still haven’t explained how one goes about becoming a Sinner,” said Jonas, “That’s kind of the most important information.”

“It’s not easy,” Old Louie said slowly, “You have to pass a test first.”

“The Hell Challenge?”

“Not exactly,” said Old Louie, “You have to be a Sinner to take the Hell Challenge, but to become a Sinner you need to do one certain thing.”

“What do I need to do?” Jonas was nearly on the edge of his seat.

“You need to sin!” and Old Louie laughed as he saw an unimpressed expression grow on Jonas’ face.

“Be serious.”

“I am,” said Old Louie, “Though technically that isn’t the full story.”

“Then what is?”

“To become a Sinner you need to embrace your Cardinal Sin, and after training it up a bit, you should be able to see your Sin Scars. After the scars appear, you simply take the Sin Assessment and if you pass, you’ll become a full-fledged Sinner,” he added, “And once you’re a certified Sinner, you can take the Hell Challenge.”

“I didn’t understand a word you just said,” Jonas looked stupidly at him, trying to figure out what any of it meant.

“Stupid!” said Old Louie, “Cardinal Sin, like the seven deadly sins; Lust, Greed, Sloth, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, and Pride?”

“Okay,” said Jonas, “Go on.”

“Every person has a Cardinal Sin that they resonate with more than others,” said Old Louie, “Just like a wizard has a magic wand, a Sinner has their Cardinal Sin. This Cardinal Sin becomes both a source and channel for their powers. Look at that fat ass Phillip Glatorius, care to guess what Cardinal Sin he resonates with?”

“Gluttony,” said Jonas who was starting to see the bigger picture.

“Exactly,” and Old Louie added, “How about his wife?”

“Lust,” Jonas thought that there could be no other sin used to describe her.

“Wrong!” Old Louie looked mockingly at Jonas, “Don’t equate Gluttony with food, nor Lust with sex. Although they do have some relations, that information is completely misinformed.”

“Then?”

“Both of them resonate with Gluttony, the sin of indulgence and addiction,” Old Louie added, “And how about that asshole Rick who nearly killed you?” this question caused Jonas to pause.

“Perhaps, Wrath?”

“Let me define the sins for you, and perhaps you’ll change your opinion,” Old Louie dampened his throat before he started to explain, “Gluttony is the sin of indulgence and addiction. Sloth is the sin of laziness, neutrality, and indecisiveness. Greed is the sin of hoarding, valuation, theft, and capitalism-”

“Hang on,” Jonas interrupted, “What’s the difference between Greed, and Gluttony?”

“Don’t interrupt me, you twat!” Old Louie spat fire, “Greed is about hoarding the object of your desire because you overvalue it. It’s also about taking what you’ve hoarded and capitalizing on it, turning ingredients into meals, turning knowledge into power. Gluttony is about indulging in your addictions, regardless of value or feelings. In other words,” Old Louie explained, “Greed is about acquiring what you like, while Gluttony is about indulging in it.”

“Okay,” said Jonas who felt satisfied with the explanation, “Gluttony, Greed, and Sloth,” he added, “I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“Whatever,” Old Louie rolled his eyes and continued, “Next is Lust, which is the sin of longingness, sexual desire, and romantic adventure. Then you have Envy, which is the sin of jealousy, insecurity, anxiety, and inferiority. Then there is Wrath, which is the sin of hate, anger, rage, and emotional turmoil, and finally, Pride which is the sin of narcissism, foolhardiness, selfishness, and overconfidence.”

“That’s a lot to take in,” said Jonas as he tried to understand each Cardinal Sin. “Perhaps Rick belongs to the sin of Envy?” he wasn’t exactly sure, but his instincts told him that Envy was the correct answer.

“Good guess,” said Old Louie, “Behind every bully is the sin of Envy. You see, bullies lack both self-esteem and confidence in themselves, so they are constantly needing to dominate others physically, emotionally, and socially to feel like their self-worth is validated.”

“That makes sense,” said Jonas.

“Think about your encounter with Rick. Did anything happen that might trigger a sense of jealousy?” and this made Jonas smile wryly. Thinking back, he felt like their entire encounter had been based on himself trying to show off.

“Rick was ugly,” said Jonas, “And I also may have whipped out my dick, and pissed in front of him,” his expression became rather gooey.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Old Louie looked extremely bewildered, “The best way to piss off a bully is to show off how great you are in front of him, especially when he knows he can kick your ass.”

“Wait,” said Jonas, “That doesn’t mean Rick was a Sinner, does it?”

“Of course not, although he is infinitely closer to becoming one than you, that’s mostly because he’s a serious offender, and because he’s a Hellite.”

“Enough about little dick Rick for a moment,” Jonas didn’t enjoy recalling that bleak moment of weakness, “So every person has a Cardinal Sin that they resonate with, which is also one of the seven deadly sins, correct?”

“That’s what I said dumdum,” Old Louie shot a toothy grin and chuckled, “The Cardinal Sin is the most important aspect because embracing it is the first step into becoming a Sinner. Like I said, your magic wand.”

“How do you find out what your Cardinal Sin is?”

“Usually, you look at the personality,” said Old Louie, “Take me for example, I’m a Monk,” and this caused Jonas to burst into laughter.

“A what?” He couldn’t believe his ears, for someone as disgusting as Old Louie to call himself a monk, Jonas thought it was an insult to actual monks.

“Screw you!” Old Louie looked indignant, “I’m a Monk, it’s a title given to those Sinners who resonate with the sin of Sloth.”

“I think someone needs to rethink this system,” said Jonas sarcastically, but instead of getting angry, Old Louie sighed.

“Ah, to be young and naïve, listen, you twerp,” he pointed a nasty finger, “Monks suffer from the sin of Sloth, and these Monks usually have one thing in common, a lack of confidence in their own decision making, which causes anxiety, which leads to laziness, which leads to constant indecision, and finally it either culminates into running away, making a decision or simply not caring anymore. I’m the type who hates making big decisions, and I’ll always run from responsibility,” Old Louie wore a shameless grin as he said that.

“You decided to drink all this booze,” Jonas pointed out, “You decided to help me,”

“Yep,” said Old Louie, “That’s to distract me from all my failures.”

“What do you mean?”

“None of your beeswax!” shouted Old Louie, “Do you want to know about my personal history, or do you want to learn how to become a Sinner?”

“I want to understand everything.”

“Then shut up and listen!” Old Louie spoke rather aggressively, “First you need to discover your Cardinal Sin, then you need to train it.”

“Can you determine my Sin for me?” asked Jonas.

“Mhm, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now,” said Old Louie, “I’ve ruled out four of them just from our short time together.”

“Which ones?”

“Not Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, or Envy.”

“How do you figure?” Jonas thought it strange to eliminate over half the sins from just simple conversation.

“Well, you told me yourself,” said Old Louie, “You left a lifestyle of over-indulgence already when you consider how much you were offered at the Glatorius Household. All the food, booze, and sex you could want, and yet you ran away like it was a bad thing. Your Sin is not Gluttony, or their given title, Noble.”

“Wait,” said Jonas, “So Monk is the title for someone whose sin is Sloth, and Noble is the title for someone whose sin is Gluttony?”

“That’s how it goes,” said Old Louie, “Now, as I was saying, your Sin isn’t Greed, considering you barely have any possessions and you're very generous when it comes to buying drinks for an old man,” and this caused Jonas to roll his eyes.

“How about Sloth, or Envy?”

“Definitely not Sloth. You reek of confidence, and I can tell you’re the kind of person who is almost too impulsive in their decision-making. As for Envy, I don’t think you ever felt such a strong desire for someone else’s possessions or accomplishments, to the point where you wished ill upon them.”

It felt like Old Louie was reading him like a book. Even growing up without parents, Jonas had never really felt envious of other children, considering he had such a great big brother looking out for him. He had always felt like he was luckier than most, even when they had bounced around in the foster care system and even though they had lived in poverty most of their lives.

“What are the titles for Envy and Greed?” Jonas asked.

“Oh, forgot to mention those,” said Old Louie, “Someone whose sin is Greed has the title Thief, and people with the sin of Envy are called Rogues.”

“Rogue, Thief, Monk, and Noble,” Jonas repeated.

“Exactly,” said Old Louie as he stared curiously at the young man, “That only leaves Lust, Wrath, and Pride.”

“I don’t see it being Wrath though,” said Jonas, “You said that the sin of Wrath is all about hate and violence, but I don’t think I’m like that at all.”

“In other words, a huge pussy?” taunted Old Louie, “You’re probably right though, the sin of Wrath is the most terrifying of them all, especially when it comes to raw power. No matter which floor of Hell you’re on, half of the strongest Sinners will probably be Berserkers, those who resonate with the sin of Wrath. They are fueled by nothing but pure violence, and when they get into a rage, nothing can scare, or stop them,” he added, “Well, nothing but a nice clean knockout punch.”

“Definitely not me,” said Jonas.

“I didn’t think so either,” said Old Louie, “That just leaves Pride and Lust.”

“Are they similar enough for it to be a hard decision?”

“Yes, actually,” said Old Louie, “Although they appear very similar, the difference between a Hunter, and a Crusader is very specific.”

“Which one’s which?”

“Someone with the sin of Lust is called a Hunter, and these people care more about the hunt itself, rather than the prize at the end of their journey, while someone with the sin of Pride has the title of Crusader and they care more about the mission and less about what they had to do to get there. It’s just a difference of priorities.”

“You also said that they were similar?” Jonas scrunched his eyebrows in thought.

“Both can be very charming, provocative, and stand out in a crowd. They’re the type of people you’ll find in Sin City, the celebrities, the movie stars, the musicians. They love a challenge, they love attention, and they love flirting with trouble.”

“Sin City,” Jonas mumbled, “What’s it like?” and Old Louie chuckled as he gave Jonas a once-over.

“Compared to here?” he said, “It’s like comparing Las Vegas to a small African village. Well, Las Vegas if it was on steroids and full of superpowered sadists.”

“You’ve been?” Jonas looked surprised, “Is there a lot of Sinners there?”

“Yes I have, and you’ll pretty much only find Sinners there. Sinners and idiots. Hell, even your local grandma can crush the windpipe of punks like you.”

“Intense,” Jonas chuckled, “Tell me more, please. About Crusaders and Hunters. Which one am I?”