FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 108: Bellerophon

12:35am, The Athenian Skyline

Over the tall towers and labyrinthine streets, an angel decked in gold armor and an ivory mask, boasting wings made of platinum knives, careened southbound in a blur of blue and white; his flight resembling the turbulent jostling of a plane in a storm. The ocean of his mind was tormented by images of burning crows, black stars, silent death, and a head separated from its torso, and he was struggling to not be distracted by the hordes of undead that skittered about like ants on the streets below.

He dropped about ten feet before regaining his composure and returning the wind to his sails. He was almost there, almost at safety. Then and only then could he afford to fall apart. Yes, ahead of him was the hotel where Heping had made her home, as well as the place where the war's only remaining survivors could be found. It was spotted easily. The suggestion spell that imposed a curfew on those who knew nothing of magic remained strong in the city, and so, in the hotel rising fifteen stories high, only one window betrayed any light from within.

He couldn't slow down. Feeling he could collapse at any moment, his flight turned into a careening glide, and, flapping once to correct his trajectory, he curled into a ball, allowing his wings to fold around him and form a silver sphere bleeding blue-white light. Its density brought it down and further down until it crashed through the balcony doors with the tearing of metal and shattering of glass. The wings unfolded outward, revealing the huddled shapes of Chrysaor and Athena, he holding her tightly, shielding her with his body. She let out a grumble, nearly dead to the world, but Saber was up and alert, pushing off the carpet, glass shards falling off his jacket, to investigate the torrent of sounds that now surrounded him.

Towards the hallway, he saw Monika, his Master's older sister, facing the door and, beyond her, pushing through the threshold, was a walking corpse, his bottom jaw nowhere to be found, his right eye falling limp from its socket, and his rotten hand reaching for the young mage. Indigo light, a globe that sparkled as if filled with stars, burst from her hand, exploding against the desiccated face of the zombie and sending him stumbling back into the hall.

She turned to face the scene behind her, "Athena!"

The zombie in the hall disappeared into a roaring burst of red flame that sent Monika's ponytail flying over her shoulder. When the fire made its course, the walls and carpet reduced to charcoal with a skeleton lying in the ash, Pigsy flipped onto the scene, turning his head inside.

He snorted, "It's about damn time! -oink- Let's blow this bun stand!"

"Right!"

Monika reached into the purse on her hip and removed a small pouch. She pinched it by the bottom and made a wide fling, filling the air with a cloud of smelling salt. She waved her hands and the crystals halted their descent, remaining in the air with the faint glow of stardust. These miniature comets flew throughout the room, coating the walls and floors, and Monika brought her elbows together, pointing up with one hand and down with the other.

"As planets orbit stars and stars orbit galaxies, we move as ships in a sea of dust. A celestial sphere, its bodies move in and out of alignment. As planets clash and stars converge, I alone shall set my course. I will separate the seas from the seas. I will separate the dust from the dust. There is no gravity but my own. We move as islands in a sea of nothingness, and none observe our passing."

Mana surged in the room, sending chills down the spines of Saber and Athena, who was roused by the sudden change in the air. Monika broke her own focus, and the rising tide abated for but a moment.

"Pigsy! Get in here!"

He sent another plume of flame from the spinning tip of his rake down the hall, where mindless screams and gargles echoed back in anguish, and hopped through the doorway into the hotel room.