La Dolce Vita

By Seniya

I is for Illusion

Part Three

"A poor man with nothing in his belly needs hope, illusion, more than bread."

Georges Bernanos

Cornelia was having a panic attack. She'd never had one before, of course. Cornelia the control freak would never allow herself to display such an unsophisticated emotion as panic – but in this case, the temporary shift in face was warranted.

She was standing in the dressing room of Martindale's, a fancy upscale boutique she'd had visited in the summer in California, that was decorated with tasteful furniture, rose white walls, fluffy beige carpet and tiny, overpriced clothing.

"Why won't it fit?" thin, shallow breaths grazed her chapped lips even as lines of sweat ran along her clammy face onto her neck. Thick fingers tugged at the back of a fantastic sequined dress (she recognised it as the one she intended to buy for the Homecoming Dance next month) but with no results. The beautiful, shiny Zac Posen was a stubborn bitch, and wouldn't yield even the slightest inch.

Suddenly, the tasteful, colourless dressing area became as suffocating as a hangman's noose. "Why won't it fit?" Wide blue eyes, for the first time glanced upwards to one of the many gilded mirrors (all hung in a vaguely feng shui style) across from her – and the panic attack worsened.

She was fat, as in massively obese, two cheeseburgers away from death, fat. Her usual, strawberries and crème complexion was marred by hideous pink bumps all over her face and neck, and her long, satiny blonde hair hung limply around her now chubby face and – Jesus Christ – were those stretch marks on her arms?

The first blood curdling scream that left her lips was the mere tip of the iceberg of desperation she felt, but still that was enough to rattle the mirrors and send any remaining calm scampering into the wilderness. She waddled uncomfortably into the waiting room (with her dress still stuck around her thighs) and to her surprise, Elyon was seated comfortably on one of the chaise lounges, with her legs curled under her – Indian style.

"Elyon!" Cornelia gasped, "You're ok?"

Temporarily, the sight of her massive frame faded into one of the back carriages of her train of thought. The sense of relief she felt seeing her best friend, safe and sound was like a rush of icy cold satisfaction– at least until Elyon looked at her. The small blonde's eyes were both swollen shut and discoloured terribly, all black, purples and blues. Her tiny nose looked as though it had been smashed and her lips were split and gushing blood.

"Elyon!" Cornelia started to move forward, but Elyon's hiss stilled her in her tracks –"This is your fault! Your fault you bitch!"

Seeing her friend like this hurt her more than she could explain, her heart broke, sending shards of the tender organ spiralling along through ice cold veins. "E-Elyon … I didn't! I tried to go looking for you … I really did. I had no idea he wanted you …"

"You knew all this time! You knew he was coming after me!" The small girl rose to shaky, battered legs and faced Cornelia with unmistakeable ire. "You just didn't care! You don't care about anything but yourself!" Elyon lunged towards her, her small fists clenched like weapons of the mildest variety – it mattered not how weak the blows felt against her own skin, having her best friend railing against her was the most potent blow of all.

Cornelia staggered backwards, her forearms raised to protect herself against the ceaseless assault, but she tripped a short time afterwards over the too tight dress, which was still dangling from her legs.

Elyon seem poised to strike, her dull blue eyes seemed to shine with malice and Cornelia closed her eyes - then heard the door of the boutique open and close. There was the certain thud of hurried footfalls and then, nothing.

Cornelia opened her eyes to see Irma (not obese) crouching by her side. Elyon had disappeared. "Irma," she gasped stupidly, "how'd you get here? Do you know where we are?"

Irma opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came forth. However, undaunted, she began an obviously animated tale, filled with sudden movements of her eyebrows and rapid gestations.

"Wait, you can't speak?"

Irma heaved a silent sigh but shook her head to indicate that she was, indeed, mute. Cornelia grinned, her horrors temporarily forgotten, "Thank God."

To this, Irma grabbed a large portion of Cornelia's stomach fat and pulled, she then burst out into soundless guffaws that weren't any less cruel because you couldn't hear them.

"Look, shut up. We've got to find the others."

Irma nodded and helped Cornelia to stand (rather, she rolled her upright) and the two started towards the door. Cornelia paused to peel her tattered Zac Pose from her legs, "do you know where we are Irma?"

Irma too stilled, looked thoughtful and then clasped her hands together at her shoulder and rested her head on top of them. "You think we're asleep?"

The brunette nodded.

"So this is like a dream?" But looking at her discarded dress, her extra 300 pounds of body fat and remembering the attack from Elyon, she whispered, "more like a nightmare."

Hay Lin and Taranee, who had just finished scaling the roof of City Hall (the tallest building they could find), couldn't have agreed more. They'd spent the last half an hour (or so they imagined, since time didn't make sense here) running from a Yan Lin that spewed arachnids like a gyser. What they had thought was Heatherfield, was clearly not. It was simply a place that resembled their hometown but everything was off kilter. The Bakery, which had always been next to the shoe store, had somehow ended up next to the Elementary School.

The Baptist Church had miraculously moved to sit right in the middle of Hale Pond and the streets were endless and circular, going everywhere and no where all at the same time.

"I-I can't run anymore." Taranee gasped, she was bent over, hands on her knees, exhausted. "Seriously can't. I need to wake up right now."

Hay Lin, who was equally tired, edged towards the end of the roof and peered over, "Nana's coming," she announced, her sweaty and pale face filled with terror. "What do you think she'll do when she catches us?"

"That's not your grandmother!" Taranee snapped, "It is just an illusion. This is a dream. The only thing we need to figure out is how to wake up!"

Hay Lin fell silent, biting her lip, and still staring at the space over the roof's edge. "We could jump." She said suddenly, and Taranee stopped struggling for breath long enough to ask, "What?"

"It's like Inception right?"

Taranee rolled her eyes but didn't contradict the idea.

"A dream within a dream within something. If we jump, we'll wake up. Like a kick."

Taranee was desperate enough to try. That, combined with the echoing wails of a grandmother who was pretty obviously scaling the brick walls in hot pursuit was enough to push her to the breaking point. "All right let's try it."

She walked over to the periphery, shaking inwardly despite her outward nonchalance. Taranee was also afraid of heights.

Hay Lin followed in silence, she was the Guardian of Air and doubtlessly, she was less terrified. "On three?" She suggested and Taranee nodded stiffly, secretly overjoyed when Hay Lin pushed her fingers within her palm.

"One, two, three!" There was the rush of air, the clear power of gravity, a dash of vertigo as they dropped three stories, and then – nothing.

"What the hell do you mean that thing is you?" Will snapped. The image in the mirror had long since vanished but the redhead was certain it would be ingrained in her thoughts forever.

Caleb, after his initial startled revelation had clammed up, and was now annoyed that Will was being like all other women and prying into his personal affairs. "It is none of your concern."

"The hell it isn't!" He turned away from her, moving with rapid, certain steps towards the other side of the crystalline room. "Caleb! Are you a werewolf or something?"

A few months ago, the question would have seemed ridiculous. However, given all she'd seen today (not to mention since August) Will wasn't designed to be a sceptic. "I said," He turned on her suddenly, using his height and bulk to intimidate her, "it is none of your concern. No harm will come to you or your friends. That is all you need to know."

"I'm tired of you being like this! You're always keeping secrets from me. You didn't tell me about Phobos or Elyon or anything! What else are you hiding, huh?" Will stopped, dead in her tracks as her eyes glimpsed a dark figure in the glass before her. She recognised the dark hair, olive skin and the cold, dead eyes. Of course, this image, standing where her reflection ought to be was considerably younger than the woman she knew, but it was still clearly her.

"Nerissa," Will whispered, while her mid whispered over and over again, I'm not her, I'm not her.

Now, it was Caleb's turn to look confused, "Your words have again ceased making sense."

There was a resounding crack that echoed downwards from the ceiling and then, twin screams echoing into the vast space. Will tore her eyes away from the image of her predecessor long enough to see Taranee and Hay Lin hurtling towards the ground.

They landed with a sickening thud, and forgetting Caleb's dog like secret as well as her own dark haired curse, Will ran as fast as she could on the smooth glass floor towards her team mates.

They were both all right, Hay Li even jumped to her feet before Will got to her side. The Asian touched the side of her face tenderly before she saw the two figures pelting towards her. "Will! Caleb!" She beamed, "Oh my gosh! I'm so glad to see you guys. We had the weirdest day."

Taranee was a lot slower to stand, although she refused Caleb's help when he offered it. She really had no time for the trivialities that Hay Lin was sure to burst forth with at any second. "This is a dream. Obviously the spell to summon Morpheus went terribly wrong."

Hay Lin nodded, "it was probably the chicken feet. That was their third go in a spell. I knew they were a little bit off."

Taranee grumbled something incoherent and finally stood. When she spoke she looked directly at Will. "We have to wake up."

"I've been doing everything I can think of. My powers aren't working – the sword is completely dead and I … we keep shifting around."

"Really?" Brown eyes brimming with excitement, Hay Lin asked, "What kinds of stuff did you see?"

Will made certain to answer before Caleb could, "Nothing special, just some stuff from when I was a kid."

"Regardless, this is a distraction. I believe it may not have been the spell we used, Taranee." Caleb explained, "Cedric is not known for his magic but he is known for his tricks. He could have planned this with Morpheus, knowing that we would try to contact him – "

"Bravo." There was now a fifth voice, startling in its masculinity, terrifying in its sweetness. The glass panels around them had started to melt, pooling on the deep, colourless floor like puddles of molten diamonds. The scattered applause Will had heard from the first second she arrived in this place intensified until it rose into an undeniable roar.

Beside her, Hay Lin plugged her fingers into her ears, "what's that?"

The answer arrived shortly after in the form of a lanky young man. He was seated in a throne made of flowers – poppies – Will noticed, and the smell coming from them was all consuming. On his shoulder was perched an owl, a dark evil looking thing which did not move, even when its master did.

"Are you Morpheus?" Taranee, feeling bold, asked. His deep purple eyes scanned her face and then a slow smile caressed his boyish features. "That is my name."

"You have no right to keep us here! You also have no right to have interfered in the human world! Why are those people asleep?"

"Calm down Fire," he was still smiling, "it was all just a little fun."

"There is no fun here!" Hay Lin and Will exchanged a look, why did Taranee know so much? "The Oracle would have your head if he –"

"There's no need to run and tell Daddy Oracle about me, Fire." He snapped his fingers and Cornelia and Irma appeared at his side. "Look, here's a peace offering." Cornelia had shed the extra weight and Irma could now speak. They were (as much as they could be) normal.

"I can talk!" The brunette squealed, practically skipping as Cornelia ran her hands all over her face ad body, ensuring that she was still a size 2.

"That is not enough. You know the rules! Whatever deal you have made with Cedric –"

"Cedric?" Morpheus' face fell, "you do me an injustice Fire. I do not work with such vermin. I saw an opportunity and it took it."

"But you can't!"

"But I did!" He grinned even wider and for the first time, the bird on his shoulder shook. "I grow tired of this talk. I want to play some more. And so does my pet." He curled a finger beneath the creature's beak, and to Will's horror it smiled, revealing razor sharp teeth.

"Go, Hepatica, play." On that order, the bird spread its wings, soared into the pitch black around them and swooped down on the powerless guardians. Somehow, in the ten metres separating the group from the God of Dreams, the bird had multiplied in size to a creature roughly with the wingspan of a small jet.

It looked at the group with its dark, soulless eyes and swooped low, readying its beak for the taste of its prey.

"Will!" Cornelia shrieked, "Use the sword! Transform us!"

But she couldn't. The sword was as useless as a rock in her shaking arms.

The bird was circling them, binding his time as though he knew he had plenty of it. The powerful gusts of wind that rushed down to the floor from his flapping wings easily forced them all to their knees. Even as the last bit of hope faded from her heart, Will pleaded with the Blade to listen to her, to come to life with blinding white energy and save them.

She almost thought it had worked when there was an answering flash of light at the end of her final prayer. However, it had not come from the sword, but from a woman – with long blonde hair and clothed in blindly white robes.

"Halior!" Taranee yelled, but the blonde woman urged her to be quiet. It took a few moments for Will to realise it, but the bird was gone – rather, it had returned to its normal size and lay unflinching in a corner of the dark room.

"Morpheus." She spoke in a voice that reminded Will of ice. Cold, hard and precise. "You have some explaining to do."

And before Will could think about what had just happened, they were back in the basement of the Silver Dragon, with Toad eagerly weaving through their legs and Yan Lin staring disapprovingly at them.

"Nana! You're back!" Hay Lin cooed before she literally bounced over to her matriarch and wrapped her arms about her waist. "I was so worried."

"Who told you it was all right to summon Gods?" The old woman hissed. The nap had done nothing to improve her mood.

Hay Lin's face fell, "Sorry Nana, but everyone was asleep – we didn't know what to do."

She obviously didn't either, so she just made a grouchy sound deep in her throat and folded her arms across her chest. "The spell wore off a little while ago. I realised what you imbeciles had done so I had to do something I didn't want to do."

"Smile?" whispered Irma, but Yan Lin didn't hear.

"I had to ask the Oracle for help." She deadpanned, making it seem as though she'd gone through four root canals and a triple bypass.

"Taranee isn't here." Will said, and it was true. "Did she get left down –"

"No." Mrs. Lin said, "She is with her teacher, probably getting a lesson on how to intimidate a God."

"Wait, wait, am I the only one out of the loop here?" Irma moved onto a stool, "who was that woman just now? Was she the Oracle?"

"No, she works for the Oracle. Kinda," Yan Lin obviously didn't want to talk about this; she'd turned her back on them and was re-arranging ingredients in her cupboards. "Her name is Halinor. She was once the Guardian of Fire."

"And she teaches Taranee?" Cornelia pried, looking ruffled, confused and terrifyingly vulnerable.

"I … I am not entirely sure what the Oracle has planed for the Guardian of Fire, but I was told that she could not be a part of our team. I assume they're training her themselves."

"Why?" Caleb, who liked to omit himself from guardian business, felt obliged to ask. "The Guardians are stronger as a team."

Yan Lin finally snapped, "What is this? The Chinese inquisition? I was kicked out of Kandrakar remember? If you want answers you can't get them from me!"

"Wait – hold up. Does this mean that Elyon is back? Did Phobos really take her?" A flicker of hope crossed Cornelia's face and despite how much Will tended to dislike the blonde, she hoped, for her sake, that her friend was okay.

"Who's Elyon?" Yan Lin asked, but Cornelia had already bounded upstairs for her cellular phone. Her calls would be futile however, because her best friend was nowhere near that side of the veil.

The initial sensation of marvel and disbelief had still not faded from Elyon's mind even after the first few hours of wandering around the massive castle. Her brother, yes brother, the Prince Phobos, was terribly patient with her, answering all of her questions and handing her explanations about a life she had never even dreamed of.

"Earth, is a terrible place." They were in a stately old room, filled with books and paintings and artefacts. Phobos had just showed her their mother (her real mother, so different from the brutal drunk she'd known), the Queen Aphrodite – the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. "Humans are a horrible, war-like people who would jump at the chance to control Metamoor. The veil was created for our own safety, although sometimes, people find ways to travel between sides."

"I-I'm n-not human?"

"Of course not!" Phobos snorted, and the sound of his disgust was clear. "Humans are vile, weak manipulative things. They are the worst creates in this universe."

She thought about that for a moment, and then asked, "A-And they took me?"

He nodded solemnly, his blue-grey eyes, so similar to hers, were suddenly cloudy. "Our mother fought to keep you, I remember it. But they wanted to leave our land without a proper ruler so that we would die off."

He'd stopped and rested his thin, white hands on her shoulders, "you see, I am unwell, Princess and my time here is very short."

Although she'd just known this man for less than a moment, she felt unashamedly connected to him. A brother, a real brother. Her heart ached for him. She could see the signs of sickness under his eyes and in the tight, drawn lines of strain across his body. "W-What is t-the m-matter with you?"

"All men in our family die young," and the glint of – something—was back in his eyes as he continued, "it is the women who are strong."

"I-I'm … s-sorry." And she was.

"Worry not child. It is more important that we prepare you to take my place." He pressed his hand against the small of her back, urging her deeper into the room. "I-I … d-don't k-know if I can." Elyon muttered, this was all so much, so fast – she didn't have the courage or the confidence to rule an entire world.

"Do not fear, my child. This is your destiny."

Deep in the bowels of the castle, Cedric slithered along with haste, his mind focused on the single task that his master had commanded of him this night. Phobos had been pleased that he now had his sister – and perhaps if Cedric could feel anything, he'd be satisfied that he'd done a good job.

But all he knew was what the master commanded and right now, his being strummed with the urgency to get to the castle's catacombs, and to deal with one particular prisoner.

Kya had once been the Prince's nurse. Apparently, she'd also somehow stolen the Princess and as a result, his master hated her. It did not matter anyway. He could scarcely fathom anything under this fog of bloodlust.

There was sobbing coming from her cell. It annoyed him slightly. He did not like the sound. In fact, if he really tried to think of it, he was already annoyed because the castle floor was cold and damp against his belly. And he was tired, yes, tired – and still upset that he'd been forced to be a human for so long.

"Have you come to kill me?" Her voice was weak ad pathetic, just as all voices are moments before they are extinguished. He had no reason to present a falsehood to her, "yes, I am."

The sobbing worsened, and then, she shoved her hands through the rusty metal bars. "I have something … very valuable." Indeed, there was … something, wrapped carefully in a dirty cloth ad held carefully in her fingers.

"What isss it?" Cedric asked.

Sensing an audience, Kya hurried on with an explanation. "The Star of Threbe. Just as you know it from the legend. It can take you anywhere you need to go."

"Clearly, it is useless-s-s" Cedric hissed, "or else why wouldn't you have us-s-ed it to take it yourself away from here?"

"It does not work for me – " Kya explained, her voice now with a desperate, pleading quality that Cedric hated. "But it has worked before. It belonged to the Prince Phobos and to his father. I have seen it work as well. It took me to Earth."

"Let me s-see it." Cedric snapped, and grabbed the ornate star from the woman's hands. It was cold in his claws, and he could see his reflection against its polished surface.

"I have kept it all these years. And it will be yours – as well as the secrets on its use, if you only let me go."

Cedric stayed silent for a moment, but really, it wasn't as though he had a choice. "I cannot disobey my master."

She screamed then as he unhinged the cell door and slithered inside the filthy room. Before she could mutter another plea, he swallowed her whole.

When he returned to the corridor, he heard another voice, this one from the cell across the hall. "Silly woman. You cannot bargain with an item someone cannot use."

He recognised the purr as the voice of the black witch Phobos had him capture months before. "What do you want, woman?"

"I think the question is, Cedric, what do you want?"

Author: Wow. This is the end result of a marathon two day writing spree. Ok, so, the Phobos saga ends at M, so the next few chapters may feel a bit rushed, but actually there isn't that much to cover. Epic final battle etc. and some clarification about what Phobos, Nerissa, the Gods and the underworld all have in common. All right thanks for the constant support my dears! Reviews are always appreciated. Next is J is for Jealousy.