Fate's Vinculum

Chapter 4.

Rosalyn, while she had never met him before, recognized him immediately. His white robes interwoven with golden thread were unmistakable, as was the long white beard that pooled around his long clothes.

"Damn," Sera said, and then took off running towards the old man.

The two followed. Seraphin got down on his knees, taking the frail man by his shoulders and gently lifting him up. Rosalyn stood above Sera, crowding the pair, while Fate slowed his run to a gait, and then lingered behind the group, wringing his hands.

Spittle and snot was entangled in the man's freakishly long beard and mustache while his old wrinkled face was red and splotchy. It was clear he had been sobbing for quite awhile.

"Old Man Time," Sera said gently. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

Old Man Time opened his eyes, revealing pools of blind whiteness. It seemed as though he could see, for his vacant eyes traced over Sera's face again and again, searching for some sort of answer. He tried to reply but it came out merely as a strangled sob. He tried again with the same result.

Bony hands kneaded Sera's shoulders and he tried to speak to the angel, but could only cry. Finally, Old Man Time pointed at one of the Time Frames. He then collapsed against Sera, crying hysterically. The three looked to where Old Man Time pointed. What should have logically been there-some sort of mundane scene from someone's life-was replaced by a horrific sight.

There was a city; Los Angeles. With a flash of blinding pink light the city was reduced to burning embers. Somehow the entire city had been engulfed in a single flash.

Numbly, Rosalyn and Sera looked down the line of Time Frames. The following Frame, and the next Frame, and the Frame after that, were all the same pictures of Los Angeles. Every Time Frame showed nothing but smoldering rubble. The pictures of destruction repeated for as long as the eye could see.

Sera got to his feet. As Old Man Time began to slip and fall Rosalyn rushed forward, cradling him. She watched as Sera walked down the aisle. His pace quickened until he was jogging, and then he broke into a run. Over and over the bleak image played before his eyes and he couldn't believe it.

There wasn't a single living soul in any Frame; everything was decimated.

Sera could not believe what was happening. There were so many stop safes, so many meticulous redundancies that had been put in place to ensure this type of situation could never arise. By all accounts and purposes, this should not be happening. It shouldn't have even been in the realm of possibility.

Screaming in rage, Sera abruptly stopped running down the aisle and slammed his fist into one of the Time Frames. To Rosalyn's shock, the Time Frame exploded in glittering glass fragments. She watched in horror as the glass floated to the ground, shimmering and reflecting off some unforeseen dim light.

When most of the shards had settled beneath the mist, the air where the Time Frame had been shifted and flickered black. Then, with a popping sound, the exact same Time Frame re-appeared. Sera knew this would happen, for Time is the only thing in the universe that cannot be destroyed.

Sera turned to face the group and Rosalyn cringed, bringing Old Man Time closer to her. She had never seen Sera so angry before. Of course she was well aware of his power as full-fledged Seraphim, but seeing that power begin to bubble over accidentally was frightening.

Sera pointed directly at Fate as he stalked forward, his rainbow-blue eyes glowing softly while tiny licks of white flame began to snap off his body every so often. When Sera reached Fate he grabbed the deity by the collar and lifted him off his feet.