Destiny Unbonded

Chapter 17

Humanity would be lost without the Gods' guidance.

- The Canon

[Ophelia]

Cyril kneeled beside his mother, rolling her onto her back, caressing a cheek. I held my breath as he turned his eyes back to me, a slow shake of his head and a single rolling tear confirmed my fear. Tiny dark strands rose from her stilled body, swirling slowly as if in mournful procession. Her body dissolved into a black mist, the essence of Nyx's Chaos. Lifting high above us, it dispersed into the air, disappearing like steam from a quenched fire. She was gone.

Losing Nyx pierced my heart. But it must be much so worse for Cyril. He remained on his knees, trembling, with head bowed. I kneeled at his side and wrapped my arm around him to offer what little condolence I could.

Cyril jumped up, throwing off my arm. He drew out his obsidian knife, the one given to him by his mother, gripping it with white knuckles. Seething, he yelled at the God, "You monster! That was my mother!"

Ares raised a crystalline eyebrow while lowering his long sword. "So, that is why the Chaos lives within you. Disgusting that Nyx would mate with such filthy creatures." Cyril held his knife out, pointing it at the God, to which Ares chuckled. "Do you think you have a chance? Your mother fell to me, and that shall be your destiny as well."

Cyril spit his reply. "I have killed one Goddess, perhaps another, and I will kill you. That is destiny!" He stepped forward, the knife shifting in his hand, then turned his head to me and whispered, "Stay behind me."

"No," I replied, stepping beside him and pulling forth my crystal knife. I would not let him sacrifice himself to protect me. "We do this together, like we did with Nemesis. That is our only chance." After a moment, he nodded, accepting the truth of it.

"And is this the treasonous Moirai?" Ares pointed his sword at me, grinning. "I shall make your death particularly painful."

"The rule of Gods is over, Ares," I shouted. "The loom was destroyed. This fight is meaningless."

"It has meaning to me, Moirai!" Ares replied. "Coming here was a bold move, but did you not realize that when the loom powers the Gateway? And now you are trapped like animals in a cage waiting for slaughter. Once free of the Chaos, we will eventually rebuild, and the humans will feel our wrath."

With a nod, I converted to Moirai form and moved to the left, drifting and circling around the God. A swirling dark cloud, turbulent with rage, enveloped Cyril as he changed to Chaos form. He moved to the right. Lifting his sword, Ares glanced to Cyril, and then to me.

When Ares' eyes came to me, I charged, leading with my glass knife. Blue-white bolts burst from his blade, streaking my way. I dodged one, then another, but the third struck me in the chest. The pain shot through me like a flash fire, a burning agony that blinded me from all other sensations or thought. Falling. Then a thud that ripped away my breath. As my wits returned, I found myself lying on the floor, my cheek against the coolness of the flat stones.

Cyril launched talons of black Chaos, raking across Ares' crystal body. Jumping back closer to me, the God yelled out an angry cry. Slashing with a glowing sword, Ares sliced through the talons, shattering them into harmless wisps.

Drifting in his Chaos form, Cyril drove tight spirals of darkness at the God, punching forward. Ares blocked with his sword, deflecting away the attack. Laughing, Ares fired bright bolts from his sword. The same that sent me to the floor. Again and again, they hit Cyril, bursting and wrenching the Chaos from him. His pain-filled cries stabbed at my heart. He collapsed to the floor in human form, shuddering.