The Council Of Equipoise

Part 1

"She is a Pure Soul." A woman with long moonbeam hair, matching eyes and tawny, orange-brown skin sat at the head of a marble table. Seven members stared down at the image of a sleeping girl as she floated peacefully, unaware of the strangers watching her.

"She is a Tainted Soul." A man with shoulder-length black hair, blue eyes, dark skin and a sinful voice responded, pointing out what the council was already well aware of.

"There is still purity despite the darkness plaguing her heart and mind." A young woman quietly spoke as she analyzed the child before her.

The man sitting beside her nodded in agreement. His golden eyes and aqua hair matched hers. "She has accepted the Darkness. I'm surprised it hasn't taken over her completely," he said in a calm manner.

"Even the Darkness is having a hard time persuading her.. She has a strong mind." A woman with blood-red hair and piercing blue eyes said, obviously impressed.

"Pure Souls are hard to come by. We shouldn't just let this opportunity slip through our fingers." A dark voice spoke. The man casually rested his chin in his hand as he leaned against the arm of his chair, his crimson eyes resting on the woman at the head of the table.

"I must agree. I cannot keep the power I have over the Darkness for much longer, it's getting out of control." His green eyes held no emotion as he acknowledged the man who spoke before him. He ran his hand through his dark unruly hair before turning his gaze to the woman at the head of the table.

The silver-haired woman closed her eyes, contemplating the decision of whether or not the council should add a member.

"She is just human. She couldn't compare to us. We need a member of royal blood such as ourselves. Humans make foolish decisions!" The man with black shoulder-length hair exclaimed.

"You speak as if mistakes are made only by humans. You forget our brother, a man of royal blood, was condemned by us because of a foolish decision that he made. Mistakes are not just made by humans." The red-haired woman spoke fiercely and the twins nodded in agreement.

"Well," The man with crimson eyes breathed. "I think it'd be good to have a human on the council. Yes, it will be different and difficult since she was not brought up the way we were, but she is a Pure Soul. A Pure Soul with strong resistance to the Darkness. I believe the time we put into her will be well spent." He pushed his blonde hair out of his face, smirking as he examined his fingernails.

The council sat quietly, waiting for the silver-haired woman's eyes to open and make the final decision. The image of the floating girl still shown on the table, her long black hair swayed, brushing against her mid-thighs where it came to an end.

"It's decided. The girl will have two options when facing judgement; join the council and serve faithfully or face eternal damnation by the hand of the Underworld's Lord."

The Crimson-eyed man smirked.

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What day is it? Sunday? No. It's been longer than that. Or maybe it hasn't. Maybe it's only been a few hours, maybe just a day.

The girl breathed in and out shakily, taking in the musty air. Her legs were tucked against her chest as she laid on the floor in the same position she had been for hours. Water was dripping somewhere near her but no matter how hard or long she had searched, she could not find the source. Her whole body was sore, bruised, and she was dehydrated. She stared into darkness behind a curtain of matted black hair, wishing she could close her eyes and sleep but the fear of what would happen next kept her from doing so.

No, it's been more than just a few hours.. More than just a day.

She forced her arms to move under her and push herself up so that she was sitting and no longer laying on the cold, damp floor. If she wasn't so dehydrated, she'd be crying. What these people wanted with her was just as much of a mystery as how she got there. She had no idea where she was. The girl slowly stood up, forcing her legs to work then weakly walked over to the corner of the cage she was kept in.

Help. Please.. Someone help me.

She leaned her forehead against the icy metal bars and gripped them tightly. She had lost her voice from screaming and crying for help. All of which proved to be for nothing. She wasn't going to be saved. No one could hear her. For all she knew, she could be in the middle of nowhere. The girl sank to her knees and began sobbing. A loud clang echoed in the room and she fell silent as she heard the heavy door open. She backed up as far against the metal cage as she could and shielded her eyes as light poured into the room.

"Hello, pretty." The first man croaked as he fit himself through the door. He wore loose brown pants and a white tang-top that clung to his large, muscular torso.

"How is our little Tiger?" The man following said in a honeyed voice. He was much smaller and lanky and was wearing a suit. He was the one in charge, the one who had ordered his men to hurt her.

The girl hardened her expression, refusing to let them see how scared she was. She stood, forcing her legs to hold her upright without wobbling.

The thin man smirked at her weak display of defiance, "Well, it seems our little Tiger hasn't learned her lesson."

In that moment, the large man unlocked the door to the metal cage and entered it, towering over the small girl and leaving no way for her to escape. She cringed as he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. The girl struggled with his grip, twisting to break free but only succeeded in making her wrist ache.

"If you resist, the pain will only worsen. Give up your strong will, little Tiger, or we will have no choice but to break it once and for all." The well-dressed man said with amusement.

The beast of a man crushed her wrist in his large hand, nearly breaking it. She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered in pain.

"That's enough, Pyro. We can't sell damaged merchandise. That wouldn't please our buyers, would it?" The thin man pulled out a cigarette and lit it as Pyro dropped the damaged girl to the ground.

The boulder of a man stepped to the side, creating a clear path to the broken girl. She held her wrist to her chest, clenching her teeth as the man in the suit approached her. She stared at his shiny black dress shoes before he took her chin in his long fingers and forced her to look at him. He smirked as he sucked on his cigarette then blew the smoke in her face. He twisted her face to the left and then to the right, examining her.

"She isn't too bruised and battered. With a bit of makeup, she'll look good as new." He pulled his hand away from her face and tugged on her matted hair. "This will not do. She needs to be bathed. Bring her to Zosime." The man blew out the remainder of the smoke in his lungs, dusted off his hands in disgust and flicked the cigarette to the side as he exited the cage. "Oh! And Tiger," He stopped at the door before exiting, "don't put up another pitiful fight if you value your life."

The girl watched as the man left the room. She trembled as she thought about what they would do to her if she tried to run or fight again.

"You heard the boss, Pretty. You'd best do what he says. He doesn't look it, but he packs a mean punch." The large man named Pyro spoke and offered the weak girl his hand for support.

The girl ignored the man beside her and stood up, stumbling before finding enough balance to walk on her own. Pyro huffed and exited the cage, shutting the barred door after the petite girl walked out. She followed him to leave the musty room and watched as he pulled open the thick metal door using only two of his fingers. The girl covered her eyes, blinded by the sudden light and Pyro turned towards her, watching to make sure she didn't try to make a run for it. To his surprise, he found himself looking at a seemingly defeated girl. Her once silky, long black hair had now lost its shine and was matted to her head and face, her clothes were in tatters, the arm she still nursed from his threat was bruised just like the rest of her body, and her light brown eyes were clouded with sadness and realization of the fact that escape was never really an option.