001 sat at the head of the table before them, his form too shrouded to make out his appearance or actions. He sat motionlessly like a doll, and you would think he wasn't human until he moved.
He placed his two hands on the table, and spoke in a stern, yet tranquil voice.
"We've got a situation." He said. The young man with curly hair, who chose to ignore his gaze glanced over at him, doubting what he heard.
He sounded young. Just like him.
Most of the other people present looked from side to side, throwing questioning remarks at each other. They all had their individual causes of concern but one thing was sure. To them, this was abnormal.
After all, he never once spoke. 'She' always did the talking.
A lady in glittering red apparel sat closest to 001, probably close enough to see his true appearance. She had buns which were held together by golden hair pins and she appeared to also be in her twenties. It was evident in her alluring jade skin, her youthful figure, and her enthralling voice. She looked beautiful even with the mask on, yet elegant in a way that drew respect towards her.
She was not the only female in the room—but she was the only female that everyone had their eyes on. On her dress was a golden batch with a number. It read 002.
She did not speak, but her face had a captivating smile.
"This 'situation'.." 001 continued. "..is in fact related to 056."
The already silent room seemed to become quieter. It was such still that made you think you could hear your heartbeat.
No one said a word, the gravity of the situation weighing down on them. 056 was the absentee, and from the abnormality that transpired, everyone was quick to be pessimistic.
"Betrayal?" Someone asked, his voice ringing amidst the silent gathering.
However, 001 said nothing in response. Instead, he rested his chin on his palm and pointed out his finger.
When he did so, the light shone on his fingertips, revealing them to be actually made of flesh. After all, some had myths that he was a demon, while some thought he was a god.
But no one was looking at his finger. Collectively, all eyes fell on the paranormal event that unfolded before their very eyes.
It was mana. Dark coloured mana seemed to rip itself off the space around them, like a bedsheet pulled from a mattress. It warped in strange patterns around his fingertips, before swirling in the atmosphere above.
Then, they began to take odd forms. At first they started out as scribblings that made no sense, till they became sharper, clearer shapes. A projection—a manifestation appeared before them.
There were 9 tall stony structures, each of different shapes and sizes. Each one had distinct engravings on them, and they glowed in strange lights. They were altars—tall and domineering. The sight made one feel as if he or she would be forced to serve.
Each altar had a symbol inscribed into its center. One had interlocking chains that formed a crown, another had a silver mask with a forked tongue. Another a rose, a serpent coiled around a gear, an eclipse, a book with no title, a chalice overflowing with blood, a tree …. and an eye.
It was an eye within a clock face that seemed to peer right at the people that observed. However, it had a long gash that stretched right in the middle of its irises up to the entirety of the sclera.
That was odd.
It did not take long for the observers to notice. Out of the 80 people present, 8 were more agitated than others.
One stood up and shouted. "Is this real? Our god is injured?!"
There were 9 apostles for each 9 gods, and Gregory was one out of the nine that contracted Watcher of Ages. Everyone else was an apostle that bonded to the other 8.
For an apostle, hearing that their god was injured was terrible news. It implied that the said god might fail to follow the 'contract', and for them—owners of large firms and organisations, it was a direct arrow to the chest.
It was due to the contract that their individual businesses were able to flourish. And each of those businesses formed a network that ruled the urban world, either openly, or from the shadows.
Therefore, a god MUST always be there to actively sustain their authorities, which would in turn uphold their companies.
But the Watcher of Ages had a dent on its altar, meaning he was harmed. And he would probably be unreachable for a while.
The man that spoke wore a black suit that fitted perfectly on his frame. He had a slender, well built frame which looked impressive considering the wrinkles on his neck that suggested old age. The seven people that sat close to him also had perturbed demeanors, looking like they would snag at any opportunity to speak.
It was the opposite for 001.
"Answer me!" The man shouted, seeing that 001 had completely ignored him.
However, the man at the end of the table said not a word and simply watched him. It felt like he was simply observing a mad man act crazy, which would be completely normal since he's mad.
Veins bulged on 070's forehead. He was infuriated. He opened his mouth, intending to scream even louder. But before he could, he was silenced.
"Sit." 001 commanded, not moving an inch.
However, 070 only got even angrier. The remaining seven were also on the verge of standing up to speak their minds.
"And why should I?" He yelled, glaring at 001 with bloodshot eyes. To him, he was not realising the gravity of the situation. Or just not taking it as seriously as he should.
Suddenly, a light laughter sounded in the room. Everyone turned to look, and it was her—the lady in red. 002 had the expression of a muffled laughter on the lower half of her face, while the upper half remained shrouded by her mask.
She bit her bright red lips whilst chuckling to herself. And everyone watched, stupefied for various reasons.
070 was beyond dumbfounded. He didn't even know what to say.
The lady seemed to struggle with keeping her laughter in, as she would snicker from time to time in a way that captivated the several people that watched. Even the young narcissist was momentarily kept in a daze.
070 felt extremely embarrassed. He clenched his fists tightly, perhaps to manage the annoyance that bubbled inside him, threatening to spill. He was a man of status just like everyone else—and never in his life had he been this humiliated.
The woman finalised on going quiet, digesting the giggle that tried escaping her lips. Then, her eyes—peering through the mask, suddenly turned cold.
Her voice which they all remembered as playful and soothing, now sounded cold and authoritative.
"You will."
The temperature in the dark room seemed to drop several degrees. Her azure eyes held a sharpness that dug into his very soul, and her voice compelled the instinct of obedience in the hearts of the listener.
070 tried retorting, desperately clinging to the remnants of his fading dignity. His image was not about to be dragged in the mud.
It was.
He couldn't utter a word more when a strange force pressed on his head, shoving him to his seat. His buttocks slammed against the chair, sending pain signals that he gave his all to withstand.
"What just happened to me?" he wondered.
Just like that, the rising tension in the room dissipated like it never existed. The seven that were so fixated on giving their opinions went silent, not daring to say a word more. Like the cowards that they were, they stared into space or at the candelabra, suddenly finding the candlesticks interesting.
The manifestations vanished into a thick black fog that dissolved back into the atmosphere, making most people wonder if they were breathing in poison all this time.
Right at the front, 001 remained perfectly still, seemingly reading everyone through his stagnant gaze. The darkness around him had intensified, and he was even harder to see.
The fear in the room had nearly become tangible. 001 and 002. They were people that were not to be messed with.
Perhaps sensing it, the lady softened her gaze, allowing the unfortunate people to actually breathe some air. Then relaxing her posture, she spoke. "Your god is injured, yes."
The young man with the curly raised his hand—the only formal thing he had done since the start of the meeting. "And do we know how that happened?" he asked.
His guess was that the Watcher of Ages stumbled upon a greater god and after a wide scale clash, got injured. That was the only logical explanation that he and nearly everyone else could come up with.
002 rolled her eyes and settled her gaze on 001. Then after an exchange of gestures that seemed like she was gaining approval, she continued.
"He was wounded." She answered. Then staring right at the young man, she added. "Not by another god. But by man."
"....."
The sound of muffled breathing became audible as every mouth closed up at once. All the apostles stared at her, with visible conflict etched on their faces.
A man?
It simply didn't make sense. It had to not make sense!
For people who saw gods as untouchable entities that could easily make the world crumble, the idea that one man…a human, survived against a god was absurd. Talk less of damaging one.
A man….scarring a god? It was unthinkable. What sort of monster in human flesh could do that?
In the widespread silence, panic sprouted.
"Bullsh*t!" The bald guy exclaimed, his voice booming loudly in everyone's ears. Most were finding it hard to believe, while others didn't believe it at all. Rather, they chose not to believe it. For sanity sake.
He smashed his fist on the table and stood up. Then pointing right at 001, he began to freely lay down his opinion, as if unbothered by the fact that a certain someone got humbled for the exact same thing.
"What is it that the both of you are hiding?" he asked, throwing accusing glances as he swayed his outstretched arm from left to right.
"Come on people! I know we have the same questions!" He said, gesturing at everyone with both arms. "First of all, something sketchy seems to be going on here."
The lady simply smiled and asked. "What's your point?"
The bald man sighed with a satisfied smile, as if he was waiting for her to say that. Then he looked carefully at everyone that watched before resuming his speech.
"We have 056, which is an active apostle suddenly nowhere to be found. And coincidentally, the god he serves is scarred."
The woman sighed, tilting her head to the side. "Mister, You've only said things that everyone is at least thinking about."
She wasn't wrong. These were elites that ran blossoming industries. Of course they were smart enough to put 1+1 together. After all, 001 did say that 056 was involved.
The young man's eyes widened. "Don't tell me it's the…"
He seemed to have only realised. 002 said nothing but simply smiled at him.
"But that's not my point!" The bald man roared, staring intently at 001 as if attempting to see through his guise. "It all feels like a lie."
"The sudden decision of 001 to actually contribute to the conversation. The manifestations, and the disappearance of 056. I refuse to believe that the old monkey defeated a god. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"
A few people nodded in agreement, finding reason in his words. He had done more than speak their minds, he was a mouthpiece that told more than they knew.
Everything did seem sketchy. There were too many abnormalities in one day. And with the way he led his speech, fingers started to point at the two.
Everyone was now keenly watching 001 and 002. They had to do a whole lot of explaining to get themselves out of this one.
001 decided to speak.
"056 is in fact, the culprit."
"...."
While everyone else fell silent, the bald man bursted into a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah sure. That makes a lot of sense."
002 looked closely at him. "What do you think we're hiding?"
The bald man fell silent for a few seconds, pondering on something. Then as swiftly as he could, he responded. "A betrayal."
Another person reinforced his response. "That's the only logical conclusion." she said. Agreeing with her, the bald man continued.
"I don't know what goes on in that sh*t head of his, but he has either betrayed us, or exposed us."
Then staring back at 002, he added. "But the situation is so grave so you hide it from us."
…
The woman said nothing for a while, then chuckled to herself.
"Don't worry." She remarked. "Betrayal is quite impossible for him."
The young man raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her words. "And why is that?"
002 rested her face on her palm. And with a bright smile that did not correlate with her words, she answered.
"Because I would kill him first."