Back to Zero

Elsewhere, on a floor high up near Ellipses Point, four failing individuals sat around a television in their living room. They watched as the broadcast of the up-and-coming Metatron Tournament played live.

"There's no way that the Cardinal Nexus permitted this…"

"The Cardinal Nexus isn't permitting ANYTHING that's going on right now, but is that going to stop all the civilians from revolting? No. The law and its restrictions have been overrun for some time now… The broadcast system was probably easily breached, isn't that obvious, Suto?"

"I know Jarrett, I know… It just terrifies me to think of what people have become up to this point. The horrific thought that something being advertised to kill other people for power will probably be considered, and that people will probably participate..."

"People will undoubtedly participate. We live as enemies of a power-hungry society now, and that's probably never going to change. Is this how the Seven Sins felt…?"

The room fell silent for a moment, but Hugo then jumped into the conversation. "The people have always been power-hungry. The only difference between now and then is that the law used to restrict them. Now that our government has been overrun, their true colors have unraveled. Blood will be shed no matter what."

"And we can't do anything about it?!" Suto stood up angrily.

"We haven't been doing anything for the past half-year! We can't do anything!"

"But tell me, Jarrett… How are you just going to sit around, knowing people around the country are dying due to their recklessness, without wanting to get up and do something about it?!"

"I never said I didn't want to do something! But with how things have changed, the people have no use for us anymore… Minister Harrison's probably right; we'd be killed on sight if we were to ever show ourselves out there anymore! People don't want our help!"

"You don't know that for sure!"

"I know for sure," Hugo stood up. "I commend you for your heroic mindset, but wake up to the reality of things, Suto. Do you see what's going on in each district? People aren't dying to something we should be protecting them against... People are dying to themselves! And where did all this recklessness you speak of originate? From their hate and resentment towards us and the Cardinal Nexus… Even if we went out there to sacrifice ourselves and bring peace to their rage, nothing would change. The standard of a regular civilian has descended into complete madness. There is NOTHING we can do. Especially not when we're one of the primary sources to blame for their change."

To this, Suto couldn't come up with a reply. He wanted to retort, but emotion took over instead. His hope to seek for kindness in a crowd of murderers fell flat, and this realization broke him emotionally. He cried.

"I just want things to go back to normal! Remember when we stopped the Rumble in Pactolus? Remember how our names were cheered and celebrated? Remember when we were still looked up to? Remember when we still had seven members?!!!"

Suto continued to sob at the thoughts he spoke. The tragedy that fell on their shoulders was heavy, and Suto couldn't help but crack under its pressure. He needed support, and the biggest form of support for the team was now gone.

"I miss Jasper…"

Jarrett, Hugo, and Zika all looked at him with sorrow.

"Don't we all?" Jarrett remarked. The other two nodded in agreement.

"Our team has dwindled down to just the four of us at this point." Suto pointed it out. "Half a year has passed and Wardell's still in his coma…"

"That gives me no closure. Sucks man…" Jarrett frowned. "And Axel…?"

"What about him…?"

"Any sign of him yet?"

"I wouldn't know… I find it irresponsible he'd just leave so abruptly like that…"

It'd been nearly a month since Axel disappeared from Cardinal Nexus HQ. One day he was transpiring revenge against the Sin of Wrath, the next he was gone without a trace.

"Like how could he just leave us like that? We're supposed to be a team… together! You don't just—"

"Suto," Hugo interrupted. "Just ignore his actions, he's gone now."

"I know… Makes no sense to me though… We had no leads to begin with, so how's he going to find the Sin of Wrath on his own?"

"I don't know, it's not much of our business than it is his. Consider that he's still in the stages of anger and denial. He won't be able to accept his brother's death until he brings his own justice."

"What a formal way of saying he's going to take a bloody revenge…"

"Whatever." Hugo sighed. "He's changed ever since Jasper's death. To him, we probably don't even matter. Leave him to his senses."

"I hope he comes back though," Jarrett spoke up. "Even if he's changed, he's still a good kid at heart. I don't blame him for acting the way he is, I mean… His brother died for god's sake! Wouldn't we all act the same?"

They all looked at him, realizing their assumptions.

"Like you said, Hugo, we should leave him alone. Even if we had relations with his brother, Jasper's death was all the more personal to him than to us. I just hope more than anything that he comes back alive... If Wrath really did do that to Jenzaya District, I don't want to imagine what the Sin could do to a single human alone. Axel better return in one piece…"

"He will," Suto said. He came to the understanding that he was being inconsiderate. "Axel will enact his revenge, I believe in it…"

"Help…?" Zika spoke silently. Everyone immediately turned their attention to her, as she barely ever spoke. Because of this, it meant that everytime she did speak, something important was being said.

"What do you mean 'help,' Zika?"

She had a serious look on her face, but there was some concern mixed in.

"I think she means she wants to help Axel," Suto said.

"How do you know?"

"I've spoken to her the most out of any of you. Sometimes I get what she's trying to convey. What I think she's saying is that Axel might need help if he's going to be up against the Sin of Wrath."

Zika nodded to this.

"Us…? Help Axel…?" Jarrett felt uncertain. "How though?"

"I don't know," Suto sighed. "We don't even know where he is right now…"

Hugo decided to conclude the matter. "Then that's where we should start. Let's go find Axel."

The tension near Ellipses Point had suddenly risen.