Sin of the Saint

CHAPTER FIVE: A NEW SET OF PROBLEMS

So...Ms. Satoko Chiaki. She's a character. Cryptic, yet almost all-knowing. She's critical of Charity's decision that led me here and subsequently led her to her own grave, yet still expects a perfect performance out of me. Sarcastic in humor but all at once very serious...I just can't figure her out.

Not that that matters nearly as much as stopping the apocalypse...and while still grieving the loss of my friend. Chiaki said my mental condition would make it that much harder to win against Cupid, but also that I didn't have a choice in the matter. I have to win, or else we'll all suffer.

She told me to do this—write down everything I can remember in a private journal that I can hide or lock away while this information is still fresh in my mind.

So, here goes:

The Saints have traditionally been responsible for fighting for the good of mankind. Meaning we fight so that the influence of good will guide humanity. We battle in "bouts" against the Sins, who manifest as a result of an unbalanced amount of human selfishness across the globe. Ultimately, this unbalanced human behavior will cause the apocalypse, so we the Saints, must defeat the Sins in battle in order to restore that balance and maintain world order. But only a certain Saint can fight a certain Sin, as balance can only be achieved that way...so...

Kindness will fight Envy.

Patience will fight Wrath.

Diligence will fight Sloth.

Humility will fight Pride.

Chastity will fight Lust.

Temperance will fight Gluttony.

And me...Charity...the Charitable Saint Caritas...will fight Cupid, the Sin of Greed...and will therefore influence (BUT NOT DETERMINE) the outcomes of the other six battles. He and I, unlike the others, will fight multiple times...as Greed, according to Ms. Chiaki, is the most common of the sins, because the rest of the sins all stem out of his element of self-interest. He is a great source of their power, so the only way for us to succeed...is if I finally, and once and for all, defeat him.

We may all seem equally important Saints and Sins...but Cupid and I in particular are the scale-tippers.

But historically, Caritas has almost always lost to Cupid—a detail Chiaki didn't mention until the end of our conversation.

And the Saints can only afford three more losses from the other six battles.

So, all I can do is try to defeat Cupid each time we fight...and pray that the other Saints will be strong enough to defeat the other Sins whether I win or lose to him.

Yikes. Big yikes.

Another thing that Chiaki told me...is that no other Sin or Saint should know about my wings, or where on my body they are located. Because like fallen angels, the Sins want them to restore their glory in the eyes of the human race. If a Sin knows where they are, they can destroy my resolve simply by touching them during a bout—it's something eerily called a "Penitence." And Chiaki warned me that if I ever reveal my wings, it could spell our doom.

So...I gotta watch out for that and cover them up at all times. Kind of scary.

And what's even worse...she knows the identities of the six other teammates I have, but for my own safety and theirs, she cannot tell me who they are. But...all I want to do is talk to them...ask them how they cope with this massive pressure. She said that as they get closer and closer to the day of their bout, it will become clear to me who they are. Whatever that means.