Chapter 107: The Seven Virtues
It was the morning following the rumble in Pactolus. Jasper had just woken up to the mid-toned beep, signifying the 9:00 am waking time for all Dexus in the country. Everyone else on Squad Zero would be up now too, with Axel being given an exception to wake up during Dexus hours rather than his usual Nexi hours.
Jasper changed into some comfortable clothing, brushed his teeth, and was about to make his way downstairs when suddenly he'd received a phone call. He answered the line, "Hello?"
"Hey, Jasper?"
"Yeah, good morning."
"Good morning to you too. It's Chief Marcus of the authorities, and this is just concerning the three interesting individuals you'd brought me."
"Ah, did the Cardinal Nexus already patch them up?"
"Yes, they're alive and well. Other than their… missing limbs. They were brought to my department last night, and we've run an interrogation on each of them already. Played both the 'good cop' and 'bad cop' thing on them; nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Absolutely nothing. Not one single thing came out of any of their mouths. No reactions, no emotions, no words, no nothing. It's like they were deaf, or even mute. They just sat there, staring into the light, lifeless. And could you explain to me why they all looked the same?"
That again. "Looked the same?"
"Yes." Marcus continued to clarify. "Skin whiter than white. Their eyes were blacked—looked as if they'd been possessed by the devil. And they all had the same weird characteristics. My men said that each interrogation felt like they'd interrogated the same person every time."
Jasper clutched his head. He thought to himself, "What is this undying feeling of uncertainty I harbor?"
"We were thinking of using torture methods to get them to speak—"
"No need."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yeah, it's alright."
"But there's still a lot of unanswered questions, aren't there? Like where they came from, why they attacked, and why they all look like this? Come on Jasper…"
Jasper was brought to think of Wardell and the possibility of his request being rejected after hearing about something like this. He was brought to a mental dilemma, "Too many unanswerable questions will cause uncertainty, uncertainty will cause fear, and fear will cause another public uproar on par with the Seven Sins."
"Right, the Seven Sins. These fellas aren't them, huh?"
"No. It's better that we keep their mysteries out of the way so that the public doesn't have to bear any more fears of something unknowing. Keep them detained. We'll resume their investigation when me and my team are done with the Sins."
"But what if they are in correlation with the Seven Sins?"
"I—" He didn't know what to say. He just wanted to ensure no extra problems got in the way; not in the way of his desired wish to come true. "Just hold off on them for now, please."
Marcus sighed. "Alright, alright. It's your call, I'll do it."
Beep! Jasper hung up the line.
Exiting his room a few minutes later than usual, he was greeted by the rest of his team on the middle-floor.
"Jasper!" It was Axel, excitedly bringing him a piece of bread. "Eat this, and come to the lounge area immediately! There's something you gotta see."
Jasper followed from behind, heading to the lounge area. There, the rest of his team sat in couches that faced the room's TV. A live public broadcast was currently taking place.
{ Squad Zero Defends Pactolus District from Dangerous Threats / Public Responses }
Clips taken from afar of Squad Zero fighting the white-bodies began to show. It was a compilation. Suddenly, it cut to a Dexus being interviewed.
"The first sign of hope was when Suto Meeres from Squad Zero showed up. Everyone was panicked, lost, and scared. But once he showed up and guided the way, people were at ease. He saved a lot of our lives from danger."
It then cut to another Dexus; a female. "Suto is such a pure-heart. He kept us motivated with lighthearted words along the way to the evacuation sight. I'm honestly his biggest fan."
Axel nudged Suto. "I see you." The two chuckled.
It switched to another Dexus being interviewed. "I witnessed the entire thing. I was too scared to go out in the open and evacuate, even when Suto got here. So I stayed in my shop, hidden. But because of that, I got to witness the entire battle between some of Squad Zero and those 'white-bodies'! Jasper, Axel, and Wardell were all amazing! They fought their hearts out, and even though sustaining minor injuries, were able to finish off the threats completely! Don't even get me started about the Zika girl too. If any of you in Pactolus heard a loud bang, it was Zika's rifle, which she fired to save their lives during the fight!" It cut to a clip that the Dexus had taken of the white-body being shot by Zika's Eye of Minerva. The dust screen flying everywhere, the blood spraying upwards, and the final moments of the battle. "These guys are more than just a team meant to take down the Sins. They're our heroes. Heroes that will absolutely counter the threat of those Seven Sins. Heck, I'd even call them the Seven Virtues!" He laughed.
It then finally cut to the news anchor, re-summarizing the statements made. "I like that name; Seven Virtues. Who's with me to start a poll in changing their names from Squad Zero to Seven Virtues?" Word was going around, and fans were piling in. People looked up to the group more than ever, as they'd been brought hope.
Just months ago, the country was in turmoil, assigning sins to individuals out of fear and recognition. The recognition this time was different; it was out of ambition and trust. People were now assigning virtues to individuals, and soon, Squad Zero came to be known as the Seven Virtues.
Over the next two weeks, the members of the Seven Virtues would eventually come to self-entitle themselves to the virtues chosen. This entitlement would then spread to the rest of the country, and banners, websites, and videos went up. All of them were about the great Seven Virtues and their duties. Due to the extremely high rate of fans, the media department of the Cardinal Nexus even felt compelled to make an official website for the Seven Virtues. It was here that all seven members and their virtues were listed.
The Virtue of Chastity; Suto Meeres.
The Virtue of Humility; Zika Tress.
The Virtue of Kindness; Hugo Hethens.
The Virtue of Charity; Jarrett Smith.
The Virtue of Diligence; Axel Garrison.
The Virtue of Temperance; Wardell August.
The Virtue of Forgiveness; Jasper Garrison.
These were the country's seven heroes.
"Virtue of Temperance?" Axel scoffed. "That's ironic. If anything, you probably have the least self-restraint out of any of us, Wardell."
"Tsk!" Wardell suddenly fumed. "I do have self-restraint!"
"To what then?"
"Hmph." Wardell crossed his arms. "I restrain myself from sitting back and doing nothing, which is why I'll always be the first one to make a move!"
The rest of the team laughed at this. "What an unorthodox way of looking at it."
"Shut up Hugo!"
"It's supposed to be the other way around," Suto laughed.
"I'll literally punch you."
Axel called him out. "That's not temperance!"
"I told you, my temperament is the other way around! It's to restrain myself from NOT doing anything!"
The others laughed even more at this.
"What a great time…"
All around, things were getting better. The country had been lifted off its knees, now with a weapon in hand to counter its tormenter; the Seven Sins. The Seven Virtues themselves had been training nonstop, continuing to build off the momentum after the Rumble in Pactolus. Their capabilities, as well as their confidence, all continued to skyrocket as they approached the end of their first month since their official debut as Squad Zero.
"Started as Squad Zero, finished as the Seven Virtues. What a development I must say." It was Minister Harrison, who'd called Jasper into his office out of his own intent.
"It's been quite a ride since the start, sir. But we've only been going up."
"I know. That's why I've called you into my office today."
Jasper suddenly felt his stomach implode with butterflies.
Was his awaited moment finally here?
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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