As Grandma Romera had said, they reached Tamaran Town after six hours of driving. It was nearly sunset when they passed through the welcome sign and traveled five more minutes to reach a high class hotel.

Tamaran seemed like a ghost town. It was only seven in the evening but the streets were already eerily quiet. Sol rarely saw people on the streets. Most stores were closed at six in the evening as the signs hanging in front of the doors indicated. It was like they were afraid of the dark.

The cozy lobby of the hotel was empty except for the manager and hotel receptionists.

The manager, a pretty woman with a slender body and probably the same age as Dr. Jerami, had reddish, short, and curly hair. She had a tough look in her auburn eyes that softened a bit when she caught sight of the beautiful doctor.

“Jerami, it's been a while,” she greeted the doctor with a welcoming embrace then the expression on her face changed once more as she sullenly asked, “Why did you visit only now?” She glanced at Alfred and glared suspiciously at him before asking the doctor, “Is it because of your husband?” Her prying eyes moved from Alfred to the twins. “Are these Martin’s twins? The ones you mentioned over the phone?”

“Yes,” Dr. Jerami answered with an apologetic smile then affectionately wrapped an arm around the waist of the manager. “Alfred had nothing to do with it. I know you are as busy as we are.”

“We are trying ever since we arrived at this town, Jerami,” the manager said with a weary sigh. “It was all so easy back then but now… we are not as strong as we used to be. This hotel is the only uncorrupted place in this town. I don’t know how much longer we can resist sins. Sloth… he is the biggest one in this town. He keeps growing stronger with the passing of years. If that continues, I’m afraid we have to close this hotel and find another town.”

“You don’t have to leave, Ruari.”

Everyone turned to look at the entrance and there stood a stunning man, probably in his early forties, with long and purple pony-tailed hair, purple eyes, and wearing a shiny lavender tuxedo. An ominous smile curved on his thin lips as he said, “You only need to stop helping people. Live for yourself. Give your children a chance to enjoy life. Let them forget about hard work. Life is supposed to be easy. It is better to be lazy than tired, don’t you agree? People eventually die. Why work hard until the end of your days when you can just idle around and enjoy every second of your life?”

He was obviously Sloth not only because of what he said but also because his entire body was covered with violet smoke and Sol could not glimpse even a tiny trace of white light left within that body. 

Sloth had already owned that vessel.

“Leave this town or we will destroy you,” Dr. Jerami fearlessly commanded.

“You can destroy me,” Sloth agreed matter-of-factly. “But sloth will never be vanquished. Another one like me will surely emerge in this town. And, of course, before you can destroy me, I will destroy you first and take Luna with me.”

“I won’t let you do that,” Sol retorted as he stood protectively in front of Luna.

“I will not take him away if you obediently return to your hometown,” Sloth simply bargained. “I don’t want to get too worked up. You see, it’s not in my nature. If you want to remain together, I can allow that, but you can never pass the northern gate,” he put grave emphasis in his last five words. “I’ll give you time to think,” he turned his back on them and walked idly past the entrance. “I hope you will choose wisely.”

He waved a hand at them before hopping on his car and leaving the hotel.

“Jerami…”

“Don't worry about Sloth,” Dr. Jerami faced her friend with a determined smile and promised, “We will destroy him.”

“Jerami!” her friend, Ruari, was panic-stricken.

“You know how strong we are,” Dr. Jerami confidently reminded her friend. “We can defeat him and bring this town back to how it was when Sloth was not strong enough to dominate.”

Ruari stared at Jerami, Alfred, Sol, and Luna for a long time. She was still afraid and hesitant but she finally sighed in surrender, “If you say so,” she let out another nervous sigh before giving Dr. Jerami four card keys. “Here are the keys to your room. Call the receptionist if you need anything," she shook her head and mumbled, "You should call me directly if you need anything. I'll help you as much as I can.”

“Thank you, Ruari,” Dr. Jerami tightly embraced her friend. “I really do appreciate your offer but we only need directions towards Sloth. We'll take care of the rest.”

“Okay,” Ruari heavily sighed. “I will tell you where to find Sloth but, for now, you need to rest. You will need a lot of energy in facing sins even if that one is Sloth. I’ll show you to your room.”

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