◆ Fluttering Dark Feathers
MEPHISTO’S perfectly beautiful face twisted with rage as he outstretched his arms. Void blades flew out from his palms, shredding the Venus flytraps that tried to restrain him. With a single flap of his wings, he appeared right before my eyes.
“Shall we end our games here?” he said, grabbing my arm. He squeezed tight, causing me to furrow my brows in pain. His arm, which had been transformed into an ominous, sharp blade, appeared in front of my eyes. “I’ve never been so mocked before,” he muttered. “I didn’t think pests could do that to me.”
“Are you angry?” I asked. “I’m much angrier at you; I’ll have you know! Because of you, Aliza, my father, and countless other people lost their lives! I’ll never forgive you.”
His nails dug into my arm and specks of blood dripped from the wound. It hurts, but I know that everyone was in far greater pain than I am. His blade was aimed at my throat, but I wasn’t scared.
“So?” Mephisto inquired. “Celestia’s child, who doesn’t know how to wield her power, is nothing more than a winged ant. A mere insect to be squashed. I’ll rip you into shreds before Julius returns. He won’t even recognize you anymore. You’ll turn into chunks of flesh, Chloe.”
I saw his pupils contract with rage as an unnatural smile was plastered on his face. I glared at Mephisto as I floated in the air, my arm still in his grasp. I couldn’t move my body, but I felt like my piercing gaze was better than nothing.
“Cry with despair,” Mephisto demanded. “Beg for your life. Your pitiful form will delight me.”
“I absolutely refuse!” I shouted back.
“I see. Very well. I’ve grown tired of playing with you. Die a miserable death.”
Just then, I heard the sound of something cutting through the air and wrapping around Mephisto’s blade.
“How dare you do this to Lady Eliza?!” a young boy shouted hoarsely.
An invisible thread had bound Mephisto’s arms and wings, making him completely immobile. The demon shot a troublesome glare at the young boy, who was now on his feet, grabbing an invisible string. Just moments before, he’d been unconscious beside Ms. Eliza and Mr. Coldman.
He looked to be the same age as Jahala, his body wrapped in dark garb that was tight to his frame. He was petite and around my height. He had dark hair, and his amethyst eyes gave a dull glow. His skin was very pale, and he had a dreary atmosphere to him as he tugged on the string in his hands with all his might.
Mephisto’s body leaned toward the boy, dragged by the thread. The demon resembled a captured bird as he was drawn away from me. He grabbed the thread in annoyance. Finally freed from Mephisto’s grasp, I fell to the ground.
My knees buckled as I collapsed, my trembling legs unable to support me. I sank into the fine sands.
“Good work, boy,” Ms. Natalia said. She glided through the air on her broom and hovered in front of me as though to offer her protection. “Leave the rest to me.”
“Hands off,” the boy replied. “This demon tricked Lady Eliza and treated her so cruelly. I’ll be the one to kill him.”
“I’d gone through the trouble of fusing your mind and soul with your beloved Eliza,” Mephisto trilled. “I would’ve liked for you to appreciate me more.”
“Like hell!” the boy roared, using his other hand to throw another invisible thread toward Mephisto.
It wrapped around the demon’s body and squeezed him tightly. I guessed that the thread was about as sharp and tough as a blade but made so thin that it was practically invisible to the naked eye. It must be a tool for assassination.
Every so often, a mercenary who visited my store would have these tools for their trade. Any normal person’s skin would’ve been shredded by simply touching this thread, but there wasn’t a scratch on Mephisto, who simply furrowed his brows in annoyance at the string tightly wound around him.
“Now isn’t the time for you to be so self-assertive, boy,” Ms. Natalia said. “Keep that human-faced bird restrained.”
My master grabbed at the air, and a star-shaped lamp appeared in her hand, a flame flickering within. Mephisto paid her no heed and gave a strong tug on the string, causing the boy’s body to fly in the air.
“Eliza took a liking to you,” Mephisto said. “It’s the only reason I kept you alive, but it’s truly a pity.”
Purple flames started engulfing the invisible wire; the fire greedily swallowed the thread as though it was a rope soaked in oil, traveling up and enveloping the boy’s arms in a purple blaze. Yet, the boy didn’t release the thread from his grip. He was raised in the air and slammed into the sand, but he’d only let out a muffled grunt as he continued to grip his weapon.
“Come forth from the astral realm, children of the stars!” Ms. Natalia chanted, raising her large, star-shaped lamp in the air.
The lamp floated, the flame flickering within. From between the gaps of the spiderweb and Venus flytraps, I saw the blue skies had turned into a starry night. I felt like I was floating in a sea of stars, and I gulped, mesmerized by their beauty. In the next moment, the countless glittering stars rained upon Mephisto.
Massive meteors and fireballs filled my vision, kicking up clouds of sand and dust. Before my vision was completely obscured by the dust, I saw Mephisto, unable to escape, place both hands in front of his body to defend himself.
Ms. Natalia swiftly glided away and collected the young boy with burnt arms using the tip of her broom before returning to my side.
“What do you think, Chloe?” Ms. Natalia asked proudly. “Your master’s alchemy is really something, don’t you agree?”
The same dark spiderweb that covered the sky surrounded Ms. Eliza and Mr. Coldman, protecting them from the impact of the meteors.
“It really is,” I agreed in awe. “I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“But of course,” she replied. “If you could surpass me in just three years, I’m not worthy of being your master, now, am I?”
I looked up at her with deep respect, but she was glaring at the sky, and I followed her gaze.
“I’ve bought more than enough time,” she muttered. “They should be here soon. I’d be troubled if they weren’t.”
The night sky started to crack. Like a hatching egg, bright light peeked from the cracks before it crumbled away, revealing the brilliant blue sky. In the center was a familiar dark figure.
“Helios! Mr. Julius!” I gasped.
Lambda had stated that dragons were the messengers of God. Indeed, as Helios soared through the sky, leisurely flapping his black wings, he emitted an aura of divinity. Mr. Julius was riding on top, using one arm to hold Samael, who had his wings pathetically stripped from him, like he was some sort of luggage.