Fate's Mistake

Chapter 4 - The Balanced

Another empty pint glass clinked against the marble top of the table. Ignoring the judging side glance from the angels, Gybara lined up the glass with the rest of them in the center. Of course, not all of them belonged to him, but very few had been finished by the four angels sitting opposite to the three demons at the table.

One week after the emergency meeting had been held, the Court and Council were finally set to hold their own private meeting. They gathered inside the only known neutral location for both species to coexist.

The Balanced held a reputation of serving the finest of foods and alcohol while allowing patrons of any species to be on the premises with the promise of safety. On the bar's side of the establishment, the tinted windows allowed for a laid back and calming atmosphere. The dimly lit ambiance accompanied the minimalist aesthetic. The walls were painted a deep royal blue to match the marble tabletops and bar. Aside from the bar's name stenciled in an elegant cursive font on the wall directly behind the table housing the Court and Council, no other decoration dressed up the interior.

"So, what's the plan then?" The impatient angel to the far left of the table finally spoke up to break the silence.

"Well, Gabriel," Gybara immediately jumped in to answer, "we need to consider how to contain The Sins first."

"Finding and catching them should be the priority, though. What good is talking about how to contain them if we can't catch them?"

"True. Fair point. However, if we just go out and try to find them without a way of containing them, the whole operation will be pointless."

The seven individuals sat still for another moment, contemplating on what should be the first step to take.

"Considering what Gybara said," the angel to the immediate right of Reizo piped up with a firm tone, "the last prisons made for The Sins came from Heaven. I know I'm not old enough to remember how and when they were made, but I know it came specifically from my class of angels," she mentioned with a hint of pride.

"That's true, Kaira!" Reizo beamed as he clinked another empty glass on the tabletop, placing it right up against Gybara's. "Seeing as how they all escaped, though, perhaps we need something a little stronger than what we were able to come up with back in the day."

"Are you doubting our magic, sir?" Kaira inquired with a smirk curling across her magenta painted lips. "You know we've come a long way since then."

"Actually, I'd like to bounce something off that thought," a quiet voice from the demon's side of the table finally spoke up. The youngest of the group, a demon with cloudy eyes and a missing arm, remained leaned back in his seat but managed to give off a determined aura. "You know not of my family's capabilities if you truly believe angel's magic is stronger than demon's."

"Not to be offensive," Gybara reached over to set a hand on the fellow demon's shoulder, "but my grandson here has a point. Satoshi is a prime example. He didn't become Hell's youngest God just by his charming looks!"

"Yeah, your family has a terrible history of trying to end the worlds with that so called 'better than angel' type of magic," Gabriel rolled his eyes at the reminder of the Yamiku family's wrongdoings.

"We're getting off track, reel it back in," Reizo immediately snapped them back to the topic at hand. "No magic is bad. The intentions behind the user is what is to be used in good vs. evil. I'm open to the idea of using powerful magic, regardless of the source. We need to get this situation under control."

"Speaking of the Yamiku family line, though," the only other angel that hadn't spoken yet finally decided to inquire about the subject at hand, "it was one of you that managed to harness the immortals' powers for that short time there."

Again, the table went silent. Those were dark times the angel had referred to. It wasn't until the bartender came around with their next round of drinks that one of them took up the courage to address what was said.

"I'm not part of that family," Krizia, a demon from the coldest depths of Hell, steam rolling off of her ice covered skin, prefaced her thought with the obvious before continuing, "but even I know that the asshole who did that wouldn't cooperate with us."

"That's absolutely true," Gybara added on, "I know my ancestors would rather see these worlds collapse before they work with the lot of us."

"Not to mention the dangers behind what was done before. It took years for power to be restored and your ancestor to fall," Krizia mentioned.

"Yes, but, to be fair," Gabriel piped in again, "it was a way to harness the immortals. And if we can harness their power, we could potentially hold onto them long enough to imprison The Sins again."

"I'm telling you there's no way Jorkat will help us. He's too stubborn. There's no way he'll give us the answers to how he did it before."

"Well, unless any of you have a better suggestion," Gabriel trailed off as he lifted the glass he had been sipping on to his lips, "finding out how Jorkat made that staff to control the immortals is most likely our best option for now."

The group looked to each other for confirmation, nodding in a silent agreement.

"I'll get back to you all with that as soon as I confront him then," Gybara confirmed.

"Excellent!" Reizo exclaimed as he clapped his hands together. "Let's move onto the next topic then. We'll need to find The Sins next. And as hard as that's going to be, I believe the best way to keep track of them will be through a system of teams placed throughout the worlds. Everyone stays in contact with everyone. We need full open communication. Anyone should be able to make a report of a sighting."

"That's going to be much easier for you all in Heaven and Earth," Krizia's cold words rolled off her tongue. "We couldn't even get the full Court here today. If anyone from Gybara's crew steps foot on Sitri's territory, and vice versa, they throw an absolute tantrum about it!"

A frown immediately crossed Gybara's features. He lifted a hand up to rub at the base of the curled black horn at his right temple. She wasn't wrong and he hated that fact. "I am willing to put aside our petty differences and disagreements for the sake of this mission. And if he won't be willing to compromise as well," he trailed off momentarily, "it's not like I haven't infiltrated his District before. I'll do it again if it's what needs to be done."

The angels at the table listened eagerly, not always having the luxury of being present for Hell's drama. Not letting the atmosphere linger on it for too long, Reizo jumped right back in to keep their meeting moving along. "I'm sorry so much is being put on you like this, Gybara, but just let me know what you can get together in Hell."

"Yes, don't worry, I'll figure it all out," Gybara let out a quick sigh before tipping his glass back to finish off his drink again. "I do agree with you, though. We need eyes in every corner. Especially if The Sins are going to blend in without us knowing."

"Well, this has been an intriguing get-together," Kaira suddenly spoke up before pushing her chair back to stand up, "but I think it's about time we split ways. There's a lot of work to be done. I've got to consult my connections and find out exactly what was holding The Sins before and why it failed."

"Fair enough! I think we all have enough on our plates now. Let's adjourn this meeting," Reizo also stood up as he spoke, reaching a hand across the table to the head demon. "I expect to hear from you soon. Take care and make haste."

"Indeed," Gybara took the angel's hand, shaking it as firmly as always. "You know where and how to reach me if anything rises."

Without wasting another minute, the group paid their individual tabs and thanked the owner of The Balanced for hosting their meeting. It wasn't held under the best pretenses, but they feared if no planning and actions were made, they wouldn't be able to ever hold meetings again.