The old man took off his glasses, cleaned them thoroughly, and looked again. It was still there: an odd light shining off of the mountain. The cragged slope and sharply pointed peaks were silhouetted in a white light; a phenomenon that would have not seemed amazing, had it not been the night of a new moon. Nor were there any cities nearby; even in sunlight, from the top of the behemoth mountain, no human habitation could be seen except for the old man and his small house. Yet, despite the mounds of scientific reasoning against it, the light still existed, shining alluringly and ominously. Chills shook the man; he'd seen many things in his lifetime, and yet this was something completely new and foreign to him. Quietly he returned to the dark safety of his house, fear and arthritis teaming up to make him appear like a malfunctioning robot trying to walk.
In a small-mouthed but cavernous cave hidden in the mountain was the source of the light. Within the cavern was a gruesome yet beautiful creature: an ethereal body, from which seven heads sprouted. From deep within the creature, a voice that was as clear as a bell yet as penetrating as a sword through a wall of air seemed to emanate, as though it did not need to use any of the seven heads to capacitate speaking.
"I am the Seven," the creature called, proceeding to name itself. "Faith, Hope, Charity, Forittude, Justice, Temeprance, and Prudence." As each name was called, the respective head was reflexively bobbed.
Whatever response the seven-headed creature had apparently expected did not come; the voice issued forth again, asking a commanding question.
"Where are the White of the Damned?"
As it said the last four words, the creature's body glowed brightly, a beacon that rent the cool night. The question was repeated again, this time receiving an answer.
Three white-clad figures entered the cave, basking for a moment in the creature's glow. The first was a tall, young woman, wearing a long-sleeved turtleneck blouse and a knee-length skirt. Paired off with her pale blonde hair and leaf-green eyes, she possessed a quality that seemed nearly angelic. Behind her, a red-haired, clean-shaven blue-eyed man, dressed in white clothes that bordered on ragged, quietly walked in, seeming to give superiority and reverence to everything, including the rocks on the ground. Trotting in after him was an albino girl that, although she seemed to be in her teens, also seemed to have never eaten a bite of food her entire life; her small halter dress seemed as baggy as a deflated hot air balloon over her bony frame.
"Thank you for coming early, Chastity, Humility, Abstinence," the seven-headed creature, addressing them in the order of their arrival, said, glancing with one head to the cave's entrance. "Will the others come?"
"Yes, Holy One," the three murmured in unison.
The moon moved, a slight twinge imperceptible to most, but which was made apparent through a dramatic flooding of light in the cavern. Midnight, the hour bound to frightening superstitions and eerie darkness; a notorious hour, and the very one that the Holy One had chosen as the allotted time for a meeting in its cave.
With the hour of midnight being reached, a figure promptly appeared at the entrance. Her hair, a soft mix of a mousy brown and the silvering gray of age, was tied back in a bun. A long, modest, practical white dress covered her stern frame, complimented by a pair of slim-framed horn-rimmed glasses, through which stone gray eyes peered.
"Diligence, on time, as always," the Holy One greeted her.
"I do my best to keep my appointments," Diligence replied.
Not soon after Diligence's amazingly prompt arrival, a tall, lean woman wearing a white, businesslike jacket, knee-length skirt, and high-heeled shoes. Her jet black hair was cut chin-length, framing her pale face and granny smith apple green eyes.
"Liberality, I am sure your tardiness is due to some sort of charitable event again?" the Holy One asked rhetorically; it seemed as though it already knew the answer.
There were now five white-clad figures standing before the Holy One, as they had referred to this creature as. Chastity snorted. "I see that two of us are lazy, forgetful, or otherwise. Though we should have patience, as Patience herself is coming, of course…" her voice trailed off as the time to mention the other one came.
"I'm sorry I'm late," a voice called from the cave's mouth.
"Patience, late is better than never, come in," Humility invited.
Patience was a girl, maybe about ten years old, who wore white capris, tank top, and sandals. Her brown hair was tied into two pigtails with white ribbons. "I see ihe/i still isn't here? I'd almost be glad for that."
"Now, now, Patience, don't be rude," Chastity chided the girl.
"Yes, although I must admit, you are right," Liberality added.
"But it's not right that he's one of us! He's just like his opposite, just like his black twin!" Patience said, being impatient for one of the few times in her life.
"It's not nice to say things like that, no matter how you feel about it, it can be hurtful to others," Humility said modestly.
"Stop arguing!" the seven-headed Holy One commanded, silencing the discussion at once. "It seems high time for this meeting to start, so as late as the last of us is, we must begin. I'll start by removing this hideous disguise." The seven-headed Holy One started to disintegrate, fading away into nothingness. In its place was a woman, who was tall, with long, blonde hair, and soft brown eyes. She was wearing a blue cotton dress with matching high heels, and, though she seemed young, carried herself as an old and wise woman should. "All right, I've heard of the Philosopher's Stone incidents starting to happen again. No doubt it has to do with the Black Homunculi and itheir/i master. Now, will you let them be human, while you stay behind as the only ones labeled as 'damned'?"
"No!" the six standing before the woman chorused.
"All right then! As the White Homunculi, I bid you to stop the 'Black Homunculi' from achieving their goal, and to get the Philosopher's Stone for ourselves instead! Do you understand?"
"Yes!" the six chorused.
The woman seemed about ready to conclude her strange meeting, but it was interrupted by a voice shouting "Wait!"
Tension seemed to skyrocket to insane levels as the newcomer announced themselves. At the mouth of the cave, a shadow that resembled a palm tree spread itself grandly. Those who knew of the Seven Deadly Sins homunculi would have been filled with a large amount of dread, being that this was no other than the most vicious of them all, Envy. However, this was more of the White Envy, the White Homunculus opposite of him.
"Ah, Kindness, how…kind of you to join us," the woman said, masking all sarcasm, impatience, and bitterness perfectly.
"Sorry, sorry!" Kindness replied, doing what seemed to be some kind of dance as he spoke, "I was trying to find my formal white outfit," he said, gesturing to what was an even more outrageous, white version of Envy's ensemble: a white tube top, pleated miniskirt, furry white boots, and lace gloves, and, to keep his hair back, a white headband.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Patience exploded; the one thing she did not have patience with was Kindness. She ignored her fellow homunculi's trying to stop her, and went on. "You're his twin, with the same ability and everything; that excuse can't work with you!"
Kindness stared at her, looking surprised. "Ah, yes, of course, you're right," he said, controlling the anger welling up inside of him.
"Kindness," the woman said shortly.
"Yeah, what?" Kindness returned.
"You missed the mission. You're to go against the Black Homunculi. Feel free to deal with Envy however you like."
Contrary to a virtue's noble nature, Kindness's slightly agape mouth turned into a wide, malicious grin. "You can count on that!" he said, a new, ominous note in his voice.
"Good. Virtues, you are dismissed."
Seven white flashes were all that told of the Seven Contrary Virtues, opposites to the Seven Deadly Sins, off on their mission.
"Dante, I will see you soon enough," the woman said, a hateful smile on her lips.