The members of the cabal will pool their powers together to create and execute elaborate plans to trick Xanc.
It is something of a source of pride that so many gods are needed to thwart him, the grand god of Justice.
If he didn’t know better he would think that Sith, the Grand goddess of Crime, Murder, and Trickery, had feelings for him. But he knew better enough to realize that she simply derived a perverse joy in subverting justice. They were destined to be arch enemies and not lovers. She wasn’t his type anyway and he had eyes for someone else.
Even though he had his suspicions, he had to admit defeat because he could not bear the risk of being wrong.
“I concede.” He said before tapping the rune. He disappeared from his divine kingdom and appeared within a giant colosseum. Other gods had already arrived. The colosseum was being filled with giant figures of light, energy, and divine power. The authority in the air was palpable. They were all talking in hushed tones trying to figure out the reason for such a high-priority emergency meeting.
“Silence.” A powerful voice proclaimed.
All the gods kept quiet and focused on the only seat at the center of the colosseum. This seat belongs to the strongest god of the Virut Pantheon. The Celestial god of battle. The God King, Ode.
“Now who is responsible for this summons,” Ode asked.
Sito stood up. “I am.”
Ode sighed. With his experience, he realized something really bad was going to happen soon. No one likes to be around Sito, because no one likes to be around the bearer of bad news. Sito has been dubbed “The bringer of Omens.” It is something of a joke among the gods but it is not unfounded because it is part of her divine titles.
“What have you seen this time?” Ode asked.
“The convergence of destiny. The end of the era of the gods.”
Her announcement got the gods talking. They became rowdy again.
“Silence.” Shouted again. His voice shook the great colosseum. He continued when everyone had quieted down. “There’s no need for fear. Nothing is confirmed yet.”
Then he asked Sito. “How soon?”
“This origin cycle.”
“That soon?” Ode was aghast.
“Yes, our downfall will start today.”
Even Ode was aghast. He expected something bad to happen. He expected it to be soon. Soon could be in a century to a god. He didn’t expect it to be today. It was simply abrupt. How had they not sensed the racial council moving against them all this while? Even if the racial council made the decision today, it will take some time to prepare and gather troops. So how had things escalated to this point?
Fear began to spread among the gods. The suppression of religion in the entire plane had made them realize that the end of gods will come at one point in time or another. They didn’t think it will happen so abruptly.
“There is no need to panic. We all knew today was going to come eventually. We didn’t think it will come so soon and without time to adjust but we have been planning for it so we can face it with confidence. We don’t need the time. The racial council will call for a war summons and make a declaration but I move for us to take preemptive defensive measures. We can’t wait for things to happen, we must be active. Let us move our prepared troops to the border. We will not go down without a fight. Who’s with me?”
All the gods cheered and roared in agreement.
“Excuse me. I am not in agreement.” This voice of dissent froze the heated atmosphere.
Ode looked at Sito and muttered, “As expected.”
“Why not?” He asked with a smile. He wasn’t shocked that she will disagree. Her church is centered on the belief that fate must be fought against.
“The times change and with it the change of eras. Nothing lasts forever, only change is inevitable. It is time for our era to end. It is the wish of the people. We are no longer needed. I think we should give up while we have the chance.”
“I see.” Ode said. He had the highest say in decision-making, but the council of the gods is not ruled by dictatorship. He had to listen to the opinion of others and put it up for a vote. Even if he had supreme power, he would let Sito have her say and let her go peacefully. He didn’t want a mood dampener around in these trying times. She would break them from within and cause their downfall if she is left alone. He had to get rid of her.
“If you are in agreement with the goddess of fate you are free to leave. You just have to sign a binding contract that you will not oppose us in this war and will not do anything that will negatively impact our chances of winning. The Grand god of Justice will take care of the details of the contract.”
Xanc stood up immediately. “You can leave it to me.”
“Is that agreeable to you?” Ode asked Sito.
“Fine. But I must say that you’re all wasting your time.”
“Please leave.” Ode stopped her from spouting more of her doomsday speech. Sito disappeared with a flash of light. Ode noticed that some people disappeared with her too. “Good thing I got rid of her early or else she would have done more damage.”
“Since that has been taken care of. I proclaim war, war to the blasphemers.”
“War, war, war.” Echoed throughout the colosseum.
Ode roused himself from his seat. It had been a long time since he last fought. The last time was when he defeated the grand god of war and the grand god of weapons to become the celestial god of battle. This time, he will have to fight to maintain the power and the responsibility that comes with his position. Unlike other gods that still have a way out, there is no going back for him. The other gods can fall, a very painful process where they lose their powers and position. It can be done voluntarily or involuntarily. It may save them from death but it will leave them weakened and near death. They will lose their immortality and can only live as mortals. At least they will be able to avoid this war and live the rest of their lives in relative peace and freedom. He doesn’t have that option. He is a true God, and a true God can never fall. As a celestial god, he must go down with the divine plane.
Sito returned to Xanc’s divine kingdom and was soon joined by Xanc.
“Who would have thought that you weren’t joking earlier. Since you didn’t cheat we can continue the game. Can you give me a minute, I have some contracts to draft.”
“Are you not going to give up,” Sito asked.
Xanc shook his head. “Justice doesn’t give up.”
“What if the people don’t want justice anymore.”
“Then they don’t know what they want. Justice is unrelenting and uncompromising. I will not compromise even if the people I want to help refuse me.” Xanc answered with conviction.
“I shouldn’t have asked. Hurry up with my contract.”
Sito decided to give up. There was no use trying to convince Xanc. His unyielding attitude is why they are friends. Other people can’t bear putting up with her negativity. Only someone like Xanc that is naive and simple, someone with a stubborn and good outlook on life can be around her for long periods of time.
“Here you go.” Xanc handed her a parchment made from the workings of the laws of the world. This particular type of contract is different from the rest in that if she signs it, she will be bound to every single term on it. She wouldn’t be able to break it even regardless of her wishes. The other type of contract will only enforce the consequences of breaking the terms of the contract. This one will enforce the terms themselves and make it impossible to breach. She wouldn’t be able to breach it if she were tortured, drugged, hypnotized, or manipulated either in life or death.
She had to sign it or she would be deemed a traitor. Traitors are silenced. It is one thing to give up on resistance, it is another thing to sabotage the resistance.
She didn’t need to read it because she could see the changes in her fate as soon as she touched it, so she knows how it will affect her.
“Here I thought we were friends, you didn’t even put in a loophole for me.” Sito teased, but Xanc took her seriously.
“I can’t. I am bound by my power and oath to enforce rules and regulations.”
“Whatever,” Sito said and signed the contract. It disappeared in a flash of flames.
“What do you plan to do now?” Xanc asked in a rare show of concern.
“I plan to fall. Why don’t you come with me? Resistance against the tide of time is futile.”
Xanc shook his head.
“Too bad. I’ll miss you.” Sito disappeared, and this time Xanc knew she had left his divine kingdom to return to hers. He might also never see her again.