Morgan Keller

Morgan had quite enough of the other generals' conflict. Sure she honestly didn't care what they did most of the time, but when they started showing off and playing mind games, Morgan became annoyed. It was a bit of a sore spot for her still to see people manipulating others. She had seen it in the business world and when she was in school. So, standing up straight, Sloth walked over to the three and for the first time in awhile, spoke up.

"That's quite enough. I don't think the Prince of Darkness would be to happy with you using your powers on each other and possibly ruining each other's abilities to do your duty. Might I suggest that you stop this fighting and focus on something more important. If not, all of you can keep on playing these stupid mind games for all I care, but don't say I didn't tell you so." she said before going back to her orginal place and seeing if any of them listened.

She was prepared for any of them to start complaining to her and was prepared to tune them out if need be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loreen Degas

Loreen was prepared to follow Charles' plan, but Julius spoke up and disagreed. What he said upseted the virtue of Charity too. In fact, she felt a bit hurt. Did he think her weak? Sure she wasn't the strongest, but she wasn't helpless. Thinking about it more made her a bit angry too and she looked at Julius with an angry look.

"Julius, I am no fragile doll that needs to put in a safe or anything. I like to think I can hold my own and I wasn't raised to be a weakling. And we just can't stand around and do nothing. We have to face Hell's generals sooner or later? Do you have any other ideas than on what to do? If you have so little faith in me, than I guess I should just get strong so you won't think me weak." she said before turning around and storming off.

She hadn't realised she had started crying until she felt a tear fall off her chin. Lori wiped the tears away, not wanting to show any weakness. She didn't ask to be a part of this war. Since she was though, Charity wanted to try and help. Looks like one of her commerades didn't think she could do much and that really hurt.

Feeling the burning sensation inside of him Nogond began to panic. He had pretty much failed in his plan, but he still had one last card up his sleeve. He said in an almost pleading voice, "Lord Wrath. I can fix Greed if you want me too, but I will need something in return. I beg of you to remove this flame from me and in return you will have her in her old self again. Otherwise.... Well we will have to see what is going to happen her. Are you willing to take that gamble Wrath?" Nogond knew this was his final chance to remove this "bomb" from him. If not then he would be a slave to Wrath for all eternity and that was not something Nogond was very keen on being.
If Wrath took the gamble he would need to step things up a bit with his plans. He would have to travel to the forces of Heaven himself and deliver his "alliance" to them. But first he would need Wrath to release his hold of him.

At Charles’ words, Julius stood to protest, yet Temperance had vanished into the one of the gateways that connected Heaven to the battlefield that was now Earth. Courage was just as desperate to rescue Sináed from the darkness and Sin of Hell as Charles was to save his own brother, but Julius couldn’t stand for a plan that might wind up getting anyone harmed, for his. Julius wanted to save her, he wanted to save those lost to their Sins in this war, but he couldn’t stand seeing anyone else, anyone of his comrades harmed. . . .

Julius uttered a foul word under his breath, he knew the good Lord wouldn’t appreciate one of his Virtues cursing or tainting their tongue with such language, but he just couldn’t think of anything else to say now. He stood there, looking down at the ground under his feet while clenching his fists tightly angered by his own idiocy. Charles could get hurt, he was alone down there right now, and he could get hurt all because of his words!

With a groan, Julius smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. Why was he so bad at this?!

Why did God choose him of all the humans in the world to be Courage?! He wasn’t exactly ‘Mr. Religious’ in life, he hadn’t be pious, he hardly ever attended church, never prayed and barely gave God and all that acknowledgement, Julius was probably Agnostic in life in all truth. . . . Yet, he had been chosen to become a Virtue, and why? Because he did some dim-witted stuff that got him killed, and why he was even saving those people’s lives, he was doing it for selfish reasons, to pacify his sister in death, not to save them for the sake of it, to be a good person, no he was doing what he had been out of selfishness.

Charles and Loreen had all of this groundless faith in him, they were certain of his place among the Virtues and that he was where he was suppose to be. Well, what if they were wrong? Julius didn’t feel like he was valiant, he felt like he was little more than a thoughtless sixteen year-old in life who was getting by on adrenalin and other male teenage hormones when he had been saving people. . . . He really did appreciate their good trust in him, but he just didn’t feel like he even slightly deserved it. . . .

"Julius,” he heard Loreen start, and he turned to face the Virtue of Charity, “I am no fragile doll that needs to put in a safe or anything. I like to think I can hold my own and I wasn't raised to be a weakling. And we just can't stand around and do nothing.” Clearly, his thoughtless words had also gone and upset her as well. . . . “We have to face Hell's generals sooner or later? Do you have any other ideas than on what to do? If you have so little faith in me, than I guess I should just get strong so you won't think me weak."

“Loreen!” Julius tried to start explaining himself to her, however, she trudged off before he had the chance to even completely saying her name, much less a full-blown rationalization. Again, the Virtue let out a groan, Why can’t I do anything right?! I’m screwing everything up and I’ve upset the only people left in this world who actually want to help me here!

“Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, I’m so STUPID!” he shouted, smacking himself in the forehead every time he said a word. “I damned my own sister into Hell with my obliviousness, and egocentricity, and now I’ve offended Loreen. . . .” Julius sighed. Loreen believed that he saw her as weak; that was wrong. He didn’t see anyone as weak, it was just that he cared too much to see her get hurt on his behalf, he had hurt so many people in life and in death, he just didn’t want to see anyone else get hurt, that was all. She was strong, far stronger than him, and so sure of herself.

Candidly, he admired her, he truly held her in high regards. Julius turned, and went after Loreen. When he found her, she was crying, and with that Julius felt a pang of guilt and pain in his chest. He’d made her cry; he’d done the same to Hazel when he broke up with her in life, and he’d made his own sister die. Seems like he hurt many girls didn’t it. . . ?

Courage froze where he was, opened his mouth to speak, but closed it in embarrassment at his own idiocy. I’m such an idiot; I can’t think before I speak and it causes disasters! He covered his face with his hands and groaned. Swallowing back his inner doubts, he went up to Loreen, curtly bowed with a red face and proceeded to apologize to her. “Loreen I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you think that I saw you as weak, because I don’t, not at all! If anything, you’re stronger than I could ever hope to be, I just didn’t want to see you hurt on my behalf. I-I’m tired of seeing people getting injured, and you’re too important to me to wind up that way, I don’t think I could forgive myself if you were harmed. . . .”



She was little more than a doll now, trapped within that world inside her head. . . . The world where she was certain that her Lord hated her and that Julius wanted her dead since birth. Sináed couldn’t have known what was going on in the world outside of her mind, her eyes were dull and her face blank and utterly devoid of any emotion or expression; there was no trace of the girl that once inhabited that flesh. Lust had cast her into the depths of her own personal Hell, the Sin of Greed, she seemed to be no more. Lust claimed he could free her from the curse he had placed upon her; but could he really?

The hex cast upon Sináed was not truly one of his own doings; it was an enchantment, induced not by his power alone, but by Greed’s own. He’d taken over her mind via her powers over illusion, her powers. Only she could free herself from this anguish, no matter what Lust promised Wrath, he couldn’t completely free Greed from this.

Inside of her own mind she was all alone, all alone but those illusionary people who reaffirmed her inner most doubts, and told her everything she didn’t want to hear. It felt like there were nothing but hands grabbing onto her body, just grabbing and grabbing at her, dragging her deeper into this world, locking her heart away as she was unable to loosen the hold these horrors had on her. Her family expressed their disappointment in having a daughter with a weak heart, her brother and her Lord confirmed their hatred of her, and deeper in, she appeared. The one who had sparked her death in human life, when she was mortal. . . .

Hazel Rothschild.

On the outside of this world; Sináed’s face wrinkled up a bit and she quietly uttered one word, “Hazel. . . .”

On the inside, Sináed felt nothing but rage ignite deep within and around her. Sináed snarled, growling like a maddened dog, and hissing like a rabid cat. The hands which bound her, she fought against this, desperately jerking around, yanking her arms and legs every which way, screaming and shrieking out in anger. Her, it was that woman! HER! What was she doing here?! Wasn’t she suppose to be dead?!

“WHY AREN’T YOU DEAD?!” Sináed screamed out, craning her head to look at the catalyst, who in turn merely offered a smile. The hands clung onto her arms and legs tighter and tighter as she struggled in opposition to them, again little Greed screamed out, her whole body tensed up, on the inside and the out. That’s right . . . she, she wasn’t just Sináed anymore. Hazel wasn’t just a simple thorn in her side, she was just a weak, pathetic little human now. . . .

Sináed was something more than her, something greater than she could EVER be! She was Greed incarnate while Hazel was just a dismal human!

Hazel laughed, and giggled as little Greed continued to struggle against that which bound her, and kept her from doing what it was she wanted so dreadfully to. Sináed howled at this, ”Don’t you dare laugh at me you swine!!!” She was the reason that Greed had died, why her brother had abandoned her; how DARE she even think of laughing at her! Insolence, such insolence! Sináed hated insolent souls more than anything else in the world.

In the real world, Sináed’s body was moving ever so slightly, a look of discomfort, of the slightest annoyance happened upon the doll-like face. . . . She continued to struggle and struggle in her head, and slowly it was affecting her on the outside. She uttered a whimper, as she could not speak anymore.

James held Sinaed tightly his anger still growing. He stayed there in his full power form crying and full of rage. He whisperd in her ear "I'm in love with you Sinaed." He placed he on the ground and gave a yell that shook the earth and turned the sky blood red but no flames appeared of his body like normal. "Undo what you did." he motioned one hand towards Lust and removed the flame from within. "But know if you hurt her again I will unleash all of my fury and might against you." Some of the feathers in his black wings had become white as snow and his horns had become shorter but still the ground shook.

Charles was out side the city as the ground shook and the sky changed colors "What the James you are truly in rage now aren't you. I don't have all of the facts about this."

Something snarled and bellowed out, a demon with flesh the color of violet. It snorted before charging its target; a young woman in a . . . school uniform? Strange sight to see, even in a world that had been nearly torn asunder by the on-going struggles between Heaven and Hell, huh? Well, okay so it might not be as weird as you think. Still though, seeing a redheaded girl taking on a demon by herself certainly was a sight to behold. This girl though, she was something far more than human. Obviously she wasn’t in league with Hell, or else that violet-demon wouldn’t be attempting to kill her, right? Sooo, my method of deduction you have to guess that she’s someone who is in line with Heaven.

Yep, she’s one of the Seven Virtues, one of the generals chosen by God to defend Earth against the forces of Hell. The demon snarled and roared against as it neared the virtue, and in response, she only grinned and readied herself. Several knives appeared in her right hand, “Come’on and get whatcha got comin’, ya big’ol beastie!!” she shouted, getting down on one knee, and springing up as the monster passed right by where she had been standing.

She flipped in mid-air and came back down on the demon’s backside, and she shoved her knives right into its body, getting at its heart. The demon howled out in pain, struggling and struggling as the knives remained where they were, and eventually the demon’s cries died down, as the beast finally succumbed to death. As the corpse collapsed, the virtue jumped off of it and looked back upon that which she had just slain. Once, this . . . thing had itself been human; yet it had been cast into Hell due to sin and because of that sin, it had mutated into this. At its core, it had been human. Quietly, she shut her crimsons eyes and said a prayer for the soul that had been driven into utter madness.

“Amen. . . .” she finished it. So, yeah, what was she going to do now? The virtue of Hope stood there quietly, rolling her jaw around a bit, thinking over that matter herself; really, what was she going to do now? She had come down here to scout things out, and maybe try and rescue some humans that might still be alive from the clutches of Hell’s forces; from Wrath and all them, but things seemed to have quieted down in a strange sort of way. Hmm, Somethin’ just ain’t right, it’s all, quiet and weirdo for this place. Ceridwen looked around, just looking at everything and doing her best to take it all in; these last three weeks were such . . . a blur. Really now, had she actually died? Was she really dead, or was she sleeping and all of this crap just some crazy dream induced by greasy cafeteria school food?

“That’ll always be possible. No one can’t say otherwise, yep, yep.” Ceridwen crossed her arms and blew air up from her mouth, getting her bangs up out of her eyes for a moment as she went ahead and cleared up her brain. Maybe a moment of clarity could give her an idea of what to do now.

. . . .yeah, no that didn’t do anything for her.

Ceridwen let out a very loud sigh and pouted, man this was pathetic of her! She was someone important now, so, shouldn’t she be able to think of what she should be doing now? Seemed not. “Me thinks that I mighta been away too long. . . .” she went quiet for a moment more, “Yah, too long.” Groaning, she brought her hands up above her head, her fingers clasped together, and she stretched. She’d left heaven DAYS ago, and there was no telling what the other Virtues were up to. Julius was Mr. Broody, the angsty sort who would have legions of fangirls if he were still in high school and not a dead boy leading the armies of Heaven. . . .

Loreen was nice, but she was the girl who was kind of overly emotional, though Ceridwen knew that was all thanks to her ‘powers’ of empathy, it meant she cried more than Ceridwen could handle seeing, but still, she was nice.

Then there was Charles, he was more or less their unofficial leader, he was good man, patient and even-tempered, and focused on saving his brother from the clutches of Sin and Hell. Eh, he came off as a little bit stale to Ceridwen, but that was her, and in times of War like this, such things really didn’t matter and she knew that. It may’ve been that she had died so suddenly that her high school mindset had unfortunately never quite worn off.

And, well, there was also Lelouch . . . geez, he was an odd one in her book, he seemed unusually weird to her, like something was just way off there. . . . He wasn’t around the rest of the Virtues very much, she couldn’t help but notice that too.

Ceridwen brought her hands up behind her head, and went ahead on walking ahead, she didn’t really know what she was going to do now, she only knew she had to go back to heaven soon to report in, so they knew that she wasn’t dead. Honestly, she was hopeful that she didn’t run into much trouble along the way back, specifically she was eager to avoid any of Hell’s generals, she was kind of strong, but depending on who found her there, she could easily die, again.

Her eyes were cast to the cloudy sky, not too long ago it had been raining, and now it was just murky looking up there. Gloom and doom like nearly everything else on the planet really, but what could be expected after all of this? “Ho hum, everything’s glum. . . .” Sighing, Ceridwen looked on ahead, and spotted a figure in the distance that seemed out of place, and oddly familiar on the bounds of this ruined old city. She stopped in place, and squinted to make sure it wasn’t her head playing tricks on her; nope it definitely seemed like Ceridwen was seeing things right.

Huh, who would have expected this to occur. . . ? “Charles! That you?” she called out, heading over to him. Getting closer, she could see that it obviously was the Virtue of Temperance. She stopped right near him and smiled, “Well, whatcha doin’ down here Charles?”

Suddenly, the earth began to quake underneath Hope’s feet, knocking her balance and onto her rump. “Waah!! What in the name of shoes is goin’ on?!”

Obviously no one was going to listen to her. And Greed's condition was not a good thing. Morgan felt a small spark of pity and concerned for her, and that one moment of feeling caused her to step forward again and approach Wrath, who was showing some gentleness, at least towards Greed. It was very uncharacteristic of him, at least in Morgan's oppinion. The sin of Sloth honestly didn't know what she could do in this situation. If there was a way she could go inside of Sinead's mind or Lust's than she would. So for now she just stood there, waiting to see for any opportunity to do something productive.

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Loreen was trying to dry her tears when she heard footsteps approaching. She turned around to see Julius approach her. He appeared to be really upset. Had she overstepped her bounds? After all, Charity rarely got mad. She was about to say something when he started talking. What he said made her feel awful. How could she be so blind? Lori should have realized he was only concerned for her safety. It was touching that he thought her important. Hating to see him hurting, Lori gave him another hug.

"I am the one who should be sorry. I think we all have pros and cons so why don't we both try our best to help each other. You and the other virtues are important to me too and I never want to hurt anyone." she said before pulling back.

Julius’ face went red when Loreen hugged him again; she forgave him, and for that he was very glad. He hated the fact he had upset her so, even if she had accepted his apology. Moreover, she was right, the lot of them all had their individual strengths and weaknesses; what his own were though, that wasn’t something Julius was entirely sure of. He was courage incarnate, but what did that give him, what powers? What strengths did he bring to the bunch? That was something he still wasn’t sure of, but one thing Julius was certain of was the fact that he needed to find some way to save Sináed from the Sins, and from herself.

All souls were capable of salvation, even if they had been drug down into Hell. Sináed was no different in that regard, even if she had become Greed itself, she could still be saved, just like Charles’ brother.

Speaking of which . . . he needed assistance, the Virtue of Temperance had left on his own to try and carry out his plan. Yeah, that was not a good thing. With the other Sins wandering around down below, he was in danger being on his own.

Ceridwen had been missing in action for a few days now; she had left to scout out for more survivors on Earth, but she had been gone too long. . . .



Hazel’s laugh pierced her very flesh, and became engrained in her mind as it went on and on. . . . It just wouldn’t cease, no matter what Sináed did, she just couldn’t break free of those hands! She couldn’t even conjure up her flower petals! Nothing! The Sin couldn’t do anything against that which she so despised. Little Greed couldn’t remember anything but that hatred of hers now, everything had been wiped from her. “I . . . I will, destroy. . . .” she muttered, pulling her arm weakly against those hands.

Lust had accomplished what he had set out to do, he had completely destroyed Sináed. Even with what he had promised Wrath, that he could return her to normal, he was wrong, so wrong. . . . He’d relinquished his powers over her but she remained as she was, trapped in her own head without mercy. She hadn’t even come out of that hex by a little. Sináed remained a doll in reality, limp and lifeless.

What would happen to her now, if she would ever wake up, that was left to be seen.

In her mind though, Sináed was completely losing it, the hands were pulling her under. She couldn’t retain her awareness, her consciousness was escaping from her, and she felt as if she were suffocating! Hazel’s laughter distorted and continued, but began to fade out of her hearing; the Sin didn’t understand what was going on, she didn’t understand. . . .

It felt like she was being pulled underwater; as if her breath was being stolen from her completely . . . was she dying a second time? It felt like it, it very much felt like it. She felt like she were drowning, those hands seemed to vanish as the feeling of being submerged overtook her as nothingness completely overcame her mind. Sináed was lost now in both the real world, and the world in her head.

TIme passed as it does and this moment became strung in the river of time. Lust had full filled his end of the deal and undid what he did to Greed. Wrath's anger calmed and left with Greed in his arms to another part of the war torn planet.

Temperance retreated back to heaven to gather more information and locked himself with in the archives of heaven. Weeks went by and Hell pushed the virtues back into heaven leaving the humans to fight their own battle. The sins had main control of the planet leaving small areas to the humans. Wrath had turned a large ruined city into his domain keeping Greed close at hand never repeating what he had said about his feelings for her though he did show her a form of kindness that no one else had seen and now unable to activate his full power form for an unknown reason. But now something unforseen has happened as messenger demons and angels head to the sins and virtues.


"Lord Hate ...I bring terrible news Envy has fallen." a small demon called as he entered what you could call a palace.

Wrath dropped an apple not believing his ears. "How did which virtue took her out out." he stood not knowing how to act. "What happened?"

"No sire ... the Humans killed her and destroyed most of her army as well. I have never seen anything like it they have never shown these type of force before." the small demon coward in fear. "They had also attacked one of the Virtues in the area making claims they do not need heavens protection anylonger.

"BE GONE!!!" his flames flared as he walked "Greed ...Greed what do we do."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Temperance finally looked up from the pile of books and scrolls on the desk before him. "It can't be .... it's all for nothing .... the war has be done before several times ....over and over again like a loop. Whats the point of it all."

It’d taken a bit of time after Lust had truly relinquished his hex over Sináed for her to awaken from the world of nightmares she had been cast into. It had taken her a week to come around, and a day after that for her to regain her self-awareness and to remember her place, and who everyone around her was. Since her reawakening the desires to corrupt her brother, to take Julius down into Hell with her had seemed to . . . well, they seemed to have ceased all together. They were gone, and the powers ‘Greed’ possessed seemed to have gone completely dormant. Sináed had begun to question herself, to wonder whether or not she really was still the physical incarnation of Greed.

It felt like she was not, she felt . . . almost mortal, almost like she were human again. She could feel her heart beating strongly in her chest, every breath she took felt as if it filled her very soul, and her sense of morality felt like it was beginning to creep upon her again. Sináed felt herself second-guessing her Lord Wrath’s decisions, worrying about the people dying; people getting hurt.

Everything in Sináed seemed to have completely changed, and it seemed like the only thing in her that had not returned to being as it was before she had died was her heart, it was still strong. Though things within her body seemed to be shifting, she spoke not of these changes to anyone, not to her Lord, and not to any of the Sins. She feared what might be done to her if it were discovered that she were nearly powerless now, because of this, she had been sticking unusually close to her Lord as of late.

Sináed was skimming through a book she had found in the rubble of the place Wrath now occupied, you could almost call it a castle it was so large, but much of the area was charred and uninhabitable. When she heard the news carried by a small demon, that Envy had fallen to the forces of humanity, she looked up from the pages, sapphire eyes wide.
Humans had also attacked one of the Virtues, so it wasn’t just Hell they were going up against. . . . Humanity was gathering itself, readying to sever its ties with both sides it seemed.

Though the news of hearing that one of the Virtues had been harmed struck something in Sináed, a pang of concern for her brother. Had Julius been the one who had suffered this attack? To think, only weeks ago Sináed was human herself, and shorter ago she wouldn’t have cared to hear this news. Her brother’s fate mattered little to her. . . . Yet now, she cared again? Everything that had happened with him and Hazel, and the words she’d uttered upon her dying breath, Sináed seemed to have become apathetic to them.

Honestly, part of her was not surprised at Humanity’s sudden show of force. Sináed noted that the apple Wrath had been eating was rolling away from him now as he shouted at the messenger demon to leave. Her eyes followed the half-eaten fruit until it bumped against a rock and stopped there. Sináed stood to her feet when Wrath himself got up and began to walk, she hurried to his side, clutching onto the book she had been reading, and followed after him.

She heard him ask what they should do, using her Sin name, Greed. A title she very well may no longer deserve, or be fitting of. Letting out a breath, Sináed looked to her Lord, and back to the floor as she continued along, honestly, she hadn’t a clue what should be done now.

“M’Lord, I apologize, but I haven’t any idea what we should do now.” A rather blank look remained on her face, “I regret to say that part of me is not completely surprised about the fact that humanity is rising up against both Heaven and Hell.”

And . . . I’m beginning to wonder about myself. Where is it that I now fall in this War? I hold concern once more for Julius, yet I swore my undying, eternal loyalty to Lord Wrath. And I am not one to break my word. she thought. I don’t even seem to possess my powers anymore, they seemed to have gone utterly dormant! Like this, I am useless to my Lord.

---------------

One of the Virtues indeed had been attacked by humanity. Moreover, that virtue in question was on her way back to Heaven now, poorly nursing her wounds. Ceridwen Nox had been the one attacked, she’d been en route to confronting one of the Sins herself, Envy, when she’d been struck by a stray bullet. It had gotten her in the leg, and she had fallen, and before she knew it they were on her like monsters.

Kicking, throwing stones, hitting her with anything hard they could, Ceridwen had gotten it pretty bad. Poor woman had only managed to escape with her life by feigning death, she had stopped moving and held her breath. The people attack her declared they no longer wanted help from Heaven, they were through with divine intervention.

Ceridwen was only managing her way back to Heaven by dragging herself to the portal that would lead to home. She couldn’t walk, the bullet that she had taken to the leg had gone through her bone, she just knew it, and to top it off, she was certain she was baring a few broken ribs in there somewhere. . . . Groaning and panting, she somehow made it back.

As soon as she found her within the safer confines of Heaven, she coughed and cried out, “Someone, can ya please help me? I-I’m not doin’ so hot over here. . . .” Pain just radiated from every part of her, so much so she wasn’t even sure what was hurt and what wasn’t anymore.

The only injury Ceridwen was certain of was that gunshot she’d taken to her leg. The Virtue of Hope had blood seeping from her arms, trailing down her fingers and onto the ground below her, just how badly had she been beaten. . . ? Well, only medical attention could tell. Huffing, Ceridwen just couldn’t keep herself awake any longer, it was just too much to take. So finally, the redhead collapsed where she lay, unconscious as she bled there.

Luckily, another of the Virtues had heard Ceridwen’s request for aid, and came running for her. Julius stop where he was when he set eyes upon his fellow Virtue, utterly shocked by what had occurred to her. “Oh my . . . CERIDWEN!” he called out, rushing to her, sliding down onto his knees to get a better look at the poor woman.

“Shoot, she’s been beat up pretty bad. . . .” he muttered, scanning the areas of her body he could currently see; she really needed help. “Charles! Loreen! Get out here now! Ceridwen’s been hurt, bad!”

Wrath looked at Sinaed and knew something was bothering her. "Sinaed something troubles you....please tell me I'll help in anyway." he placed a hand on her cheek then to her shoulder. "You know you can trust me." his hand gave off a gentle warmth. "If I've done something to upset you I want to fix it." he removed his hand and turned to a few of the demons in the area. "Put everyone on alert no one get in or out without my order." several demons ran off in different direction setting the city on alert. He quickly turned to Sinaed. "If your worried about your brother .... I can send a messenger to heaven to check.Or I'll go personaly if that would work... " James hands were shaking as if he were cold. His kindness was taking him destorying the anger with in him which was why he could no longer activate full power form.


Charles busted out of the archives and ran to his fellow virtues. "Ceridwen ...what happened." he pulled a vile from his belt and poured the contents into her mouth causing some of the wounds to heal to heal with a burning pain. "Jeez what happened.." he slowly place his hands on her ribs counting the broken ribs. "Humans did this unbelievable." he lift each of her arms to see the damage. "Julius run into my study and grab the brown leather bag from the table there should be something in it to help her." he placed one hand on her check she was colder then she should be and flushed looking. "Hang on Ceridwen I'm to stubborn to let a friend go."

It had been weeks since Charles had gone down to Earth to try and carry out his plan, Julius had intending on going after him too keep him from getting hurt. Yet, that had proven to not be necessary. He had returned himself; something strange had been occurring on Earth, Wrath’s anger erupted, and ceased that day, the cause had something to do with his sister; with Sináed, it seemed. Julius knew not what had happened; he had not been watching the situation, as he had been sorting things out with Loreen.

In the last weeks, the tides of battle had shifted greatly; things seemed to be turning for the worst. Hell’s forces were currently winning it seemed; it seemed Heaven was losing the battle. Julius himself had not fought a battle to date since his first encounter with Sináed all those weeks ago, yet he had been watching the events on Earth unfolding like a hawk, trying to figure out what could be done to end all of that madness. . . .

The Virtue of Courage still very much questioned his place in Heaven, but he intended on trying to help end all of this. And now, finding Ceridwen in such a state; he was utterly flabbergasted by it. Charles came out, and poured some liquid into Hope’s mouth, some of her surface wounds healed over, but there was still much damage done to her.

Who had done this to her?! The wounds didn’t seem to be of Hell’s doing, no . . . they looked like they were inflicted by, humans? Why would humanity strike out against a Virtue? Ceridwen, unless you knew any better, she looked like a perfectly normal girl. . . . She was two years his elder physically, yet she looked like she could have been younger than Julius.

Charles told Julius to get something from his study; a bag, something in it would help her? Julius nodded without hesitation and sprinted in there, grabbing hold of the bag, he couldn’t believe this. . . . He just couldn’t! Ceridwen was one of the kindest people you could have ever met, ever. She had so much good faith in humanity, even in those who had been transformed into demons. . . . And this happens to her. It wasn’t right at all, the girl just didn’t deserve to have had this happen to her.

Even having been human himself so short a time ago, Julius couldn’t understand why humanity would strike out against her like this. Why fight back against Heaven. . . ? They were trying to help. If Ceridwen hadn’t of done something to get away from them, Julius was certain of this, if she hadn’t of done something, she would have been killed by the people who attacked her.

He couldn’t be idle any longer; no matter how Sináed felt about him anymore, no matter if she were Greed incarnate, Julius had to take a stand in this War; even if it meant going against her.

Ceridwen herself, her breathing had gotten ragged and harsh. Even unconscious, the wounds inflicted upon her were terrible indeed, bad enough to cause her to show the pain in her state. She’d gone cold, her cheeks flushed and she was perspiring a bit. When Charles had checked her ribs, she coughed, and a trickle of blood happened to trail down her chin from the corner of her mouth.

There were definitely internal injuries there. . . . Julius made it back out to Charles with the bag, slid to a stop and stooped down to his knees next to his fellow Virtue, “Here you are Charles,” he said, handing him the bag.

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It hurt him to show kindness, Sináed knew that. She was thankful to be able to see that side of her Lord, but she wished he would not strain himself or act in any manner that may cause him discomfort. He was offering to go to Heaven himself to check and see if her brother were the one who had been attacked; no, she would never ask that of him. Demons scurried on by, carrying out Wrath’s orders to put the city on alert, to avoid any more attacks or strikes against Hell’s forces.

Wrath’s hands were shaking, and Sináed clearly perceived the discomfort that her Lord was in due to the fact he was being nice to her. How she hated it when her actions did this to him, it was her fault he was now like this. Sináed knew it, if she didn’t show her weakness, her own doubts then he wouldn’t have to be like this.

I cannot keep acting like this, even if my powers have left me, she thought, quiet, M’Lord has enough to be concerned about, far more important matters than myself. No matter what happened, Sináed couldn’t show weakness. It was, it was very good to know that her Lord still considered matters such as trust to be a valid concept, despite being a Sin. And Sináed knew she could trust him, but she didn’t want to be a burden.
No, she didn’t want that.

Sináed looked to Wrath and offered up a smile to him. “Thank you M’Lord. But, such actions are not necessary.” Even if she did indeed hold concern for her brother, she couldn’t let Wrath fall to weakness. “Julius, he . . . he can handle himself. I’m sure he is faring well enough.”

“Furthermore, Lord Wrath, you do not seem well at the moment.” Sináed said quietly, to avoid anyone from overhearing her words, “I do not wish to insult you, I am concerned for your wellbeing,” She looked at him, showing the unease on her face. Cautiously, Sináed set a hand on his arm, “Perhaps you should rest for a short time?”

Charles opened the bag with haste and pulled out a two viles one glowing blue the other green. He opened one and poured it down both arms. The other need to be injested to affect any internal wounds. "I mean you know disrespect in what I must do please for give me dear Ceridwen." he storked her hair and placed the contents of the green vile in his mouth and placing his lips to her pushing the liquid into her mouth and making sure she didn't cough it up.


James was aware he was shaking and moved to a chair in the room. He held his head as his mind began to ache. "Yes you're right rest would be good I haven't rested in so very long." he looked at his hand and for a moment he saw it covered in blood then quickly it was clean. "Death his a heavy thing on a soul..." he said quietly while closing his eyes but even then flashes of every person he killed flashed in his mind. "Sinaed ...thank you for not hating me for what I am.." his voice trailed off as sleep finally gripped him for the first time since the day lust had attacked. He felt his blacken heart changing slowly but it was changing and he knew. He was afraid of loosing Sinaed the only person to seem to really care about him.

Sináed remained quiet as Wrath drifted off to sleep, there was much conflict occurring in his heart, she could clearly tell. She had not heard his words, about her; she had been too far away from him. Powerless or not at the moment, Sináed put herself on guard, there was no telling what might be happening now. Everything was progressing now at such a rapid pace, things were changing left and right, she didn’t know what to expect next, and, frankly, given the fact that her human senses had begun to return to her, Sináed was surprised now that she herself had not fallen into the pits of lunacy.

Something had occurred deep inside of her heart and mind when Lust had cast his hex upon her those weeks ago, something very big. However, Sináed, for the life of her, could not remember anything that had transpired in that illusion, if it could even be called that anymore. What had happened to her was so far from her own powers, and from Lust’s that she could only imagine that, somehow, she had an experience that have been driven deep in her soul that had altered everything that she had been beforehand. When she had still been Greed incarnate.

The Devil’s workings on her, the powers that he had given to her upon joining the ranks of his army, they were gone. The actions she had performed under the name of Greed, as Greed itself, they felt as if they had been washed away from her completely. Nothing of Hell’s power remained in her, Sináed didn’t understand what had changed, her human mind could no longer comprehend that which was demonic or divine, at all, she understood only what she understood.

It would seem as if I have become, in a word, human again. she thought. She remembered her deeds under the name of Greed, the fact she swore her loyalty to Wrath in that time, and the fact she had sworn to drag Julius into Hell with her if she died. All she had wanted was to corrupt him and utterly destroy him, and make him think of nothing but her as Greed, that had been what had took her into Hell in the first place. Her own Greed. . . .

What had changed? What had loosened her anger, her hatred of Julius? What had shed her of her desires in such a hasty manner?

With a slight exhale, Sináed looked to her side, and out a window to the world around her. All of this was just becoming too much; she no longer felt the gripping of darkness upon her soul, and she was still caught up in the war of Heaven and Hell. Sináed seemed to have become another ordinary human; yet she held far more connections to this conflict than most. Her allegiance to Wrath, commander of Hell’s forces, and her blood-brother, Julius who himself was a general of Heaven.

Even if she had given her word to Wrath, she had done so as Greed. . . . Yet, the sense to remain loyal to him remained within Sináed’s heart, even after she had regained herself. She could no longer understand the divine, or the demonic, but part of her could understand Wrath, and still care about him despite her now mortal-shell. As far as she could tell, Sináed assumed that the fact she had these feeling inside of her must mean that something with Wrath himself was mortal still. Something in him was human; or at least human enough to count for something beyond his Sin title.
Events were about to transpire that were beyond her imaginings, this Sináed was sure of, between Heaven and Hell, between Wrath and her brother; Sináed was caught.

She did indeed worry for her brother’s safety, he knew not of the change within his sister’s heart, and with the remnants of humanity lashing out against both Heaven and Hell, no one was safe. Wrath, herself and Julius, all of them were in danger, they may have been beyond the conventional means of mortality, but they could still be slain. As shown by the fact that Envy had fallen to the hands of man so soon ago.

Looking out to the world, thinking over her own powerlessness, Sináed decided that no matter what she had done under the title of Greed, and no matter what it was that she may have said, she would remain loyal to Wrath because there was something in him that she could understand.

As Sináed stood where she was, mulling over her own thoughts and her future, she was roughly snapped out it, and jettisoned right back into reality. An explosion of sorts rocked the area, debris splayed all around her as she let out a cry, falling to the ground. Demons scattered around as another explosion went off nearby. The book Sináed had been holding onto slid away from her; it mattered not of course.

They were under attack, despite Wrath’s orders to secure the bounds of the city to prevent an attack, it was happening! But whom was responsible? Humanity or Heaven?

As if it mattered at the moment; as soon as the shaking stopped, Sináed rose up to her feet, “M’Lord!” she shouted, “We are being assaulted!” Quickly, she turned around and grabbed onto the shoulder of one of the demons that was scurrying about like a loon. “You, tell me what is happening!”

The demon stared at her with wide eyes, panicked, “Mistress Greed, it was humans! Humans!” it insisted; hissing every time it had to pronounce the letter ‘S.’ Sináed let go of the demon’s shoulder; allowing it to wander off to hide, undoubtedly.

Humans are attacking; it would figure. she thought.

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Ceridwen choked and sputtered a bit as the liquid was forced into her mouth by Charles, thankfully though it went down with little problem. The wounds on her arms had begun to heal, the blood seeping from said wounds was ceasing, and the wound in her leg had closed up, but remained. Even with the medicines of Heaven to assist her in healing, the more serious of Ceridwen’s wounds would still require time to fully heal.

The Virtue of Hope would live to see another day, luckily. Despite her wounds beginning to heal, Ceridwen herself remained unconscious.

When Charles had forced the elixir, so to speak, into Ceridwen’s mouth, Julius looked away. He knew the action was not one of intimacy, but one of necessity, but it still embarrassed him to an extent. He felt relief though, knowing that Ceridwen would be okay, he was sure of it. Courage relinquished a sigh of relief, but still, to think this had happened. . . .

Humanity had attacked a force of Heaven; it seemed, well, implausible. Julius himself would not have believed this possible if he had not witnessed Ceridwen’s condition with his own two eyes. . . . What were they suppose to do now? That which they were suppose to be protecting had gone against them. . . .

Wrath awoke a tear he didn't notice feel from his eye. "Of all the time the attack." he looked sympathtic towards the humans. "Why ... why does this have to happen. I wanted to save the world as a human but they killed me now I'm forced to destroy them and they fight back." He stood as white flames rolled off his body. "They come again to take away the things I care for once again but they are justified in doing so. But I can not sit by and watch as the take from me again." his hands gave off a white light an almost heavenly light. James was changing slowly changing from sin to virtue his love for Sinaed was the sorce of the change and he knew it. "I walk from the flames with open arms. My mind is calm in fury. " His full powered form activated but it was different his normal solid black wings were now solid white and his horns had become a halo of light. "What happened what is this power?"

Charles got up from the the virtue. "Julius take her to her room and let rest." his eyes widen as he felt an odd powered being drawn heaven. "B-brother ...have you saved your own soul."