The Twenty Virtues Book 1- The Twenty Generals

3- The Deceived Ones

Everything became bound to the void; the only beings that remained were human beings, plagued by every disease, so old their bodies threatened to break, yet denied the dignity of dying — and of living.

There were no more plants, animals, sky, planets, or a universe. Only humans existed, in an infinite state of sickly coma. They floated through the air, with no ground to rest upon.

Although, there was a vast platform floating in the nothingness. Made of stone, stretching for kilometers. On this platform were several humans. Eight of them had been saved from this entire disaster thanks to a book granted by an entity. The others... well... they caused the disaster. But don’t judge them, after all... they are the deceived ones.

It’s confusing, I know. So, before I explain what happened, I must show you who caused it. Let us go back a bit in time, a few minutes before the entire universe collapsed.

In a cave hidden deep beneath the Earth, there were twenty tables, each with a single chair; each table held a sphere floating above it. At the center stood a girl, between 7 and 9 years old, with long, straight black hair. She wore a pure white dress, almost like a nightgown, and walked barefoot. But the most intriguing feature was her eyes: she had heterochromia — her right eye was white, and the left black.

The young child wore a serious, sorrowful expression. Walking slowly, she sat at one of the tables — the one with a sphere of white light.

— I came here for you. — the girl whispered to herself, for the one she spoke of could no longer hear her. Alone, only her and the void of the cave.

You're wondering about this girl's story? Well, you’ll find out eventually, but not now. The answer for now is who, not why.

The child then waited; it was all she could do. The cave was nearly silent, except for a dripping sound. Probably for a very long time, given the puddle formed beneath it.

She would never look at it; she couldn't bear to see her own reflection.

Reflections reminded her of memories, memories brought sadness, sadness made her feel alone, and loneliness brought longing... and longing only strengthened her hope.

The child remained lost in thoughts of her past days, despite trying to avoid remembering as much as possible, waiting for those who would soon come to be with her. At last, a strong light filled the cave, transforming the entire area into nothing less than a blinding glow. When the light dissipated, more people were present.

Counting the child, there were now nineteen people seated, each at a table with a different sphere. Some were silent, while others:

— Woohooo! Finally, I’m back! — shouted a girl with long hair tied in a ponytail that reached the floor. Her eyes were psychotic, but somehow still innocent. In response to her yell, another voice protested:

— Quiet down, V’huluver doesn’t appreciate all this ruckus. — grumbled a black man in a trench coat, probably in his fifties or sixties. His scowling face had more bulging veins than one would expect on any normal person.

In response, a nun in a yellow habit placed her hands in prayer and said with a mocking smile:

— Oh Lord, forgive this man’s functional illiteracy. His advanced age already bears signs of Alzheimer’s, ready to burden his poor children. Such a pity.

The man stood up silently and walked toward the nun, who kept her sarcastic smile. Before the woman could react, her face was slapped — a blow so strong she lost feeling in her cheek, and her smile disappeared immediately.

— V’huluver does not tolerate insolence. — The nun kept her head down, hiding her face from the others.

The trench-coated man was about to speak when yet another person interrupted: