In a dusty old dive bar, located deep within the smelly sewers of Sun City, Jonas and Old Louie sat over drinks. The more knowledge the old man shared, the more Jonas felt like a sponge trying to soak it all up. Janka had lost interest in the conversation about Sinners, while the only other person who had been at the bar had since bayed her farewells as she made her way back into the spirals of Little Wrath City.

There was something familiar about OId Louie. It hadn’t been obvious at first, but after chatting so intimately with him, Jonas had finally concluded that there was something about the homeless-looking old man that strangely brought feelings of peace to Jonas’ mind. For just a few fleeting moments, Jonas almost forgot he was drinking ale in one of Hell’s sewers. He felt a strange bond with the old quack, like one that would be shared between a crazy uncle and his nephew.

“Lust, as I defined before,” said Old Louie, “Is the sin of longingness, sexual desire, and romantic adventure. We call them Hunters because they are constantly hunting to achieve their goals. However, Hunters often don’t want to accomplish the goal for the prize itself, but instead, they just like to hunt. Do you understand what I mean by that?

“You mean they just like the fun, adventure, and the thrill of the hunt.”

“Exactly,” said Old Louie, “From what I understand of your journey and personality so far, this seems a lot like you, someone who is in it for the adventure and experience, and not necessarily for a prize,” and Jonas went silent as he considered the old man’s words.

“But my goal is to save my brother, and this is more important to me than the actual mission itself.”

“Yes, but saving your brother isn’t the end of everything is it?” Old Louie argued, “Once you save him what does your goal become then. If I had to guess, you’ll simply go from one desire to the next, living for the experience as you’ve always done,” and once again Jonas felt like Old Louie was reading him like a book.

“Are you sure you haven’t met me before I came to Hell?”

“Monks are observant,” said Old Louie, “Once you know someone’s Sin type it's quite easy to reverse engineer their personality and understand what drives them, and what makes them tick.”

“So my Sin is Lust then?”

“No, not exactly. I also think you fit the criteria of a Crusader, which is the rarest and most interesting Sinner.”

“Is that a good thing?” Jonas asked hopefully.

“Depends who you ask,” said Old Louie, “Some of the greatest heroes, leaders, and villains suffered from the sin of excessive narcissism and selfishness. They believed their way to be the best way, their mission to be the most important, and their belief system to be the correct one. Julius Cesar, Joan D’Arc, Cao Cao, there have been hundreds of Crusaders throughout history, and each Crusader had their crusade; the mission that they needed to accomplish,” Old Louie paused to gulp down the rest of his booze, “You might not be as narcissistic as most assholes, but you have a mission that you’re willing to sacrifice almost anything to accomplish, even your own life, or perhaps the lives of others, don’t you?”

“I...” Jonas wasn’t sure what to say.

“You don’t know, and that’s okay,” said Old Louie who patted Jonas gingerly on the shoulder, “You can see why it’s so hard to decide which Sin resonates with you the most. If I had to guess though, I would say that you were probably a Crusader.”

“Why not a Hunter?” Jonas asked.

“Just my instincts,” Old Louie replied, “You’ve got that look about you.”

“What look?”

“Like a weirdo!” Old Louie said loudly, and Jonas felt that insult was quite grand coming from a guy who looked like he went dumpster diving in his spare time.

“I’m going to assume you have a much deeper reasoning than just that.”

“I mean it, literally,” Old Louie scoffed, “You’ve got that weird proud aura that some people have, the kind that makes them stand out, like a lion. All Crusaders have it, trust me, once you meet another one for the first time, you’ll know almost instantly.”

“Is there any way to know for sure?” asked Jonas, “If I’m a Hunter or a Crusader?”

“Well, the longer you’ve been in Hell, and the more you’ve sinned will eventually cause your Sin Scars to appear,” said Old Louie, “Let me see your hands,” and he gently clasped both of Jonas' hands into his own. He stared heavily at the back of them, putting them so close it looked like he was about to kiss them, “Hm,” he mumbled curiously, “I think I see scars, but I can’t be sure if they represent Lust or Pride,” and Jonas pulled his hands back and tried to see what the old fool had seen, but alas all he could see was his soft tan skin.

“What does a Sin Scar look like?”

“Sort of like a glowing red tattoo, you won’t be able to see them though cause you suck,” Old Louie cackled.

“Where are yours?” asked Jonas, he hadn’t noticed any before but was curious what they looked like.

“I keep 'em hidden,” said Old Louie and he showed Jonas the back of his old wrinkly hands. At first, there was nothing but decaying skin and swollen veins, but suddenly Jonas watched as red ink appeared beneath the skin, it moved like tiny worms until a glowing image was formed on the back of both hands.

“Is that,” began Jonas who was still waiting for the Sin Scars to clear up. “Is that a cloud?”

“It is,” said Old Louie, “A cloud is the Sin Scar that represents a Monk.”

“How do you hide them?

“With Sin,” and the markings were gone as quickly as they had come, and his old hands became fixated on an alcoholic beverage.

“What image will I be looking for once my scars start coming in?” This question caused Old Louie to nearly fall off his chair.

“You must be pretty freaking confident in your abilities as a Sinner to already be worried about your scars showing,” he grumbled something about millennials under his breath, “The scar that represents a Hunter is a bullseye, while the scar that represents a Crusader is a cross.”

“What about the other Sin Scars?” asked Jonas, which caused Old Louie to nearly spit in protest.

“Why would you need to know all of the other scars, like what good would it do for you?”

“It would help me recognize which Cardinal Sin someone belonged to before they beat the shit out of me.”

“Very true,” said Old Louie, “Okay I’ll say ’em quickly and I won’t repeat myself. Lust is a bullseye, Greed is a diamond, Gluttony is a heart, Sloth is a cloud, Envy is an eyeball, Wrath is a flame, and Pride is a cross.”

“Got it,” said Jonas, as he tried his hardest to memorize them.

“You only need to worry about the cross though.”

“Or a bullseye,” Jonas added.

“Nah,” Old Louie scoffed, “I’m feeling pretty sure of it, now that I reflect over our conversations, you’re a Crusader.”

“If you say so,” Jonas changed the subject, “So I need to Sin to become a Sinner, but the Sins I commit must be related to my Cardinal Sin, correct?”

“Yes, and no,” said Old Louie, “Imagine there was a Thief who could improve his scars by stealing from rich people, but later he finds that he gets the best results when he steals from rich assholes instead.”

“So even though he’s committing a sin that resonates with his Cardinal Sin, it won’t improve his markings much because it goes against his code of ethics.”

“Exactly,” said Old Louie, “When it comes to Sin; personality, code of ethics, desire, goals, and willpower are the things that matter most of all, even above talent. You won’t be able to summon any power, let alone train yourself if you try going against your conscience.”

“Interesting, the power of Sin takes ethics into question?”

“Most Sinners are evil,” Old Louie conceded, “However, I don’t think Sin is an inherently evil power. It’s inherently selfish though. It’s based on your willpower and manifesting your desires to the rest of the world.”

“Even if I’m a fully trained Sinner,” Jonas asked, “Do I still need to follow my code of ethics or whatever?”

“Let me give you an example,” said Old Louie, “Let’s say your Cardinal Sin is Pride, and you can improve your scars by completing your objective. Now, let’s say for the sake of argument that two people stand in front of you accomplishing your goals. One of them is someone you hate, while the other is someone you love. Although killing both would be the same sin, and killing either of them in the scenario would lead to you accomplishing your goals, which scenario would better suit your personality?”

“Obviously,” said Jonas, “Killing the person I hate,”

“Exactly,” said Old Louie, “What if you’re a person who doesn’t agree with killing. You won’t be able to summon the power to kill that person you hate, and instead it will probably end with you being killed.”

“Beat them unconscious?” Jonas asked, “Try negotiating?”

“Fair enough,” Old Louie smiled, “You don’t always have to kill, even if you get used to it. That’s how Sin works though, it’s not always fair, but it is quite consistent. If killing is against your code, you’ll be much weaker against an opponent than if you were just fighting to incapacitate them. The same goes in reverse. If killing is what you prefer, fighting them without the intent to kill is a sure way to lose the battle.”

“So in short,” said Jonas, “You need to stay true to yourself.”

“Exactly,” said Old Louie, “Now, what about if a person you love stands in front of you trying to accomplish your mission?”

“Same thing. I’d reason with them, and If I couldn’t,” Jonas contemplated for a moment, “Then I’d probably knock them out and apologize after,” this caused Old Louie to smile gently. He sighed in his heart because of those naïve words that were spoken, and they made him suddenly feel old and useless.

“Treat your enemies as good as your friends and you won’t last long in Hell,” Old Louie sighed as his expression became melancholic.

“How about you?” asked Jonas.

“Eh?”

“What would you do if someone you loved stood in the way of accomplishing your mission?” the old hermit looked quite serious as he stared aimlessly into his mug.

“I wouldn’t make a decision,” he said quietly, “I’m a Monk, and we tend to run away from our problems, especially when things get complicated.”

“That’s not the answer I was looking for,” said Jonas, who felt like Old Louie wasn’t taking him seriously.

“I mean it,” Old Louie replied, “Monks prefer things to be simple, we don’t like multiple choice questions, and when things get tough we often give up and shirk our responsibilities. Monks have no confidence in their decision making.”

“I still think that’s a bit of bullshit,” said Jonas who wasn’t convinced. The old man looked curiously into Jonas’ blue eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve only really known you for a few hours, but I feel like I know exactly what you’d do when someone you loved got in the way of completing your mission,” Old Louie was slightly numb to the topic, but he asked none-the-less.

“What would I do?”

“You’d give up your mission for the one you loved, although you would probably just call it running away and blame yourself,” and for a moment, Old Louie simply stared at Jonas. Was it possible that the young man could read minds or was it simply that his instincts were that good?

“Little brat,” spat Old Louie, and the shameless demeanor that he usually swaggered around with had finally come back, which made him seem a bit more youthful, “You talk a big game, but you're still wet behind the ears.”

“So then teach me,” said Jonas.

“Teach you?”

“Teach me to become a Sinner, and if you do, I’ll help you with any one thing,” but this nearly made Old Louie die of exasperation.

“What the hell are you going to help me with?” he looked at Jonas like he was staring at a dumb slug, “Weren’t you just a slave like five minutes ago, and now you’re over here telling me that you’ll help me?” he shook his head disapprovingly, “Must be nice to be that naïve.”

“Is that a no?”

“Boy, I like your attitude, I do, but I don’t think I’ll be a good teacher for you.”

“You’re stalling,” said Jonas, “You don’t want to decide now, cause you're worried you’ll put me on the wrong path.”

“Fuck!” yelled Old Louie, “Are you a fucking psychic, do you want to cold read me while you’re at it?”

“You’re still avoiding the decision,” Jonas completely ignored what he had said, “Stop being a pussy,” he added slyly.

“You mother fucker!” Old Louie jumped off his stool and pointed a crusty fingernail in Jonas’ face, “Take that back!”

“Either agree to teach me to be a Sinner or decline. I won’t take it back until you’ve made a decision,” and this time, Old Louie was cursing in his heart that he ever interacted with that boy who was wearing a shit-eating grin.

“I don’t have to agree to anything!” he spat, “I’m starting to think your Cardinal Sin might just be Gluttony because you sure do like indulging in being an asshole!”

“I might be an asshole,” said Jonas, “But at least I’m not a coward.”

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Old Louie was seething, mostly because there was something about that smug look on Jonas’ face that set him off, it reminded him of someone.

“No you won’t,” said Jonas, “That would require you to make an actual decision, something you are incapable of making,” and for a moment, Jonas thought he might have gone too far, as it appeared Old Louie’s poor head might explode from anger. However, instead of going off like a bomb, Old Louie sighed and sat back down on his stool, his face was completely defeated.

“I could never win an argument with her either,” he mumbled to no one in particular.

“Who is she?” Jonas asked curiously.

“I’ll be your teacher,” he said.