Diligence Reformed

It'd been a month since the Extinction of Jenzaya and things have only descended. The once heroic reputation of the Seven Virtues was now frowned upon the entire population. They were blamed for the thousands of deaths to the 'earthquake' that occured in Jenzaya District that one unfortunate day.

A news broadcast played a compilation of words citizens had to say.

"We were told they'd protect us… So why did my cousin die in that earthquake?! Why were all those other innocent lives taken when we were told we'd be safe?! It's absolutely outrageous!"

"It's as if the government just stood by and watched as they all suffered. The Virtues didn't even take a single step forward… Disgusting…"

"You can't trust what the higher powers say! We can't trust them! Don't trust the Cardinal Nexus and their faulty proposals! If the Seven Virtues couldn't even protect those thousands from the disaster in Jenzaya, how do we know if they'll protect us against the larger threat—the Seven Sins? They won't! We need to stand up for ourselves instead! If we don't, and instead reside in the lies of our government's 'protection', we'll all end up dead-meat!"

It was this specific outrage of a citizen that brought forth revolution to the nation.

{ DISMANTLE THE NEXUS }

Banners and signs everywhere said this slogan. It's what people chanted during riots, parades, and demonstrations to display their opposition towards the government. Structures sponsored by the Cardinal Nexus were burned to ashes, and monuments were taken down. Streets were littered, and areas were vandalized; walls being spray-painted with the repetitive slogan—"DISMANTLE THE NEXUS."

All while the nation fell to its knees, the Virtues were still held back at HQ, unable to do anything.

"Don't listen to what the public are saying. You only listen to me," Minister Harrison told them. It'd been three weeks since his last communication with the team. Although instructed, the Virtues grew too curious, and therefore tuned into broadcasts to see what was happening outside.

"Fuck…" Suto grumbled under his breath.

Jarrett frowned. "It's horrible out there… What the hell happened…?"

"That goddamned earthquake… Why are we being blamed for something like that? How are we to blame?"

"Because we didn't protect them…"

The room fell quiet. All the Virtues sat around the room awkwardly, except for two.

"Suto."

"Yeah?"

"How's Wardell?"

Suto sighed. "He's still unconscious. He's three weeks overdue now…"

The room of individuals stared into the floor.

"He's as good as dead."

"Axel!" Suto stood up. "No matter the scenario, that's too harsh to say!"

He scoffed back. "Tsk! You think I care? He fell into the same chasm my brother did. Why did he live but my brother didn't? If my brother died there, he should have too!"

"Hey!" He yelled back. "Too far! Way too far!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP SUTO!" Axel shouted. He exhaled, "It's not fair that Wardell was given the chance to live over my brother… Especially when he's using his chance just to stay bed-ridden! Give me a goddamn break!"

Axel was about to storm out of the room. But it was until he ran into Hugo, who was on his way in, that he stopped. "Sit down," he told Axel. "I need all of you to sit down and listen."

Surprised, Axel's wave of emotion was quickly taken over. He went back and sat down with the rest of the team.

"For a month since the Extinction of Jenzaya, we and the rest of the public have been informed over and over that what occurred that day was a high magnitude earthquake. But I've also done a lot of research in this past month that we've been left alone, and..." Hugo took in a big heap of breath, "I'm here to inform everyone that what occurred that day was NOT an earthquake."

"Then what was it?"

"It was a Sin. It was the Sin of Wrath."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"The Sin of… Wrath…?"

"Yes. Don't even get me started on how unlikely an earthquake is to occur in Jenzaya District's region in the first place. The geographic location of the district is found absolutely nowhere near any of the country's seismic belts. Earthquakes are practically impossible where Jenzaya District is located!"

"What…? So what the hell happened that day that caused all those tremors, rumblings, and destruction…?"

"I'm telling you it was the Sin of Wrath! I secretly got hold of an investigation team out of Minister Harrison's view, and I sent them to investigate the sites of destruction in Jenzaya. They found numerous trails of gradual size-increasing cracks in the cement to all be leading to one location in the district; one tiny house in a suburb near the Heart of Jenzaya. And inside the house…" Hugo flipped on the room's screen and displayed a photo he'd been provided. It showed a deep crevice formed in the ground, surrounded by a uniform display of cracked floors.

"What is that…?"

"The origin of destruction. This is where the perpetrator stood, where the devastating tremors were created, and sent out to the rest of the district through some sort of energetic event. My investigators were able to trace ripples that resonated within the material leading out from this spot of origin. What other individual could be capable of something as disastrous as this?"

"Something like this wasn't stated for Wrath in the Forbidden Document though… Something like this wasn't stated anywhere..."

"I know right? You'd think they'd especially mention this. Something district-destroying…"

As the news unfolded before him, Axel could feel his face heat up. All this time he had no one to blame but Mother Nature for her relentless timing with his brother. But now knowing there was a real figure behind the scene, truly someone he could blame, Axel felt his heart hunger.

"So you say the ones we've been after this entire time are the ones behind my brother's death…?"

"Yes, Axel. It is truly the Sins to blame for those thousands of deaths that day. I can conclude that the Sin of Wrath and his indefinite ability are behind the destruction of Jenzaya, but I can't say what other Sins may have been involved…"

Suddenly, Axel rose from his seat. With him, so did the gazes of everyone else in the room. An aura of intimidating determination could be felt from his presence.

"I'm going to kill the Sin of Wrath with my own two hands."

The diligence felt sinister.