Into The Inferno [Xander]

[phillip thomas levens]

“

A party was just the thing Phillip needed, after everything that had happened in the last few weeks and months. Hopefully some music, some drinks, and a night out with his friends and allies would distract him from the fact that he wasn't talking to his sister, that he was more hopelessly in love with a woman that would never feel the same way than ever, and that he was now unemployed. The last thing had happened only a few days prior, the resignation letter impulsively dropped at his boss' desk. The head of the accounting office would probably not be back in the office until after the new year to read it, but it was done. Phillip was done with the accounting office, done with the Ministry, done with all of it. 

And, if the glittering invitation was any indication, Ivan Alucard's 600th birthday party was sure to be exactly the thing to get Phillip's mind off of his troubles.

Phillip didn't know the vampire personally, so he'd been surprised when an invitation was extended to him, but it seemed that all of the Order and the Children of the Moon had been invited, so Phillip didn't ask too many questions. It would be a fun night, and he was looking forward to it. 

The manor was lavishly decorated when Phillip arrived with Xander, and for the most part the night started perfectly normal. There were lots of people Phillip didn't recognize, but he supposed that was just because of the masks. Even without the masks, it was expected for someone as old as Ivan to have made lots of non-Order and non-Children friends. 

Phillip picked up a glass of punch and sipped it, parting ways with Xander for the time being and socializing with the other partygoers. It was a nice night, lots of good conversation and good drinks.

Then it all came crashing down.

The party was a trap, and they were all going to die. Not a few seconds after Ivan's revelation, Death itself arrived, ordering their deaths and that London be burned to the ground. Phillip was blown back by Death's arrival and the explosion of the windows' glass, hitting the ground hard. He saw stars for a moment, but as the Kindred and Followers that lurked among the crowd started their attack, Phillip forced himself back up.

Out, out, they needed to get out. There was no way they would be allowed to disapparate, but Phillip tried it nonetheless. No luck. He would have to fight his way out, or die trying.

Phillip's eyes searched the chaos as it continued to increase, tenfold, twentyfold, thirtyfold. Death and blood was everywhere already. He wasn't even sure who he was looking for—Trinity? Xander? Someone else? 

"Xander!" Phillip called out, spotting his friend at last. They could get out together. Phillip was sure of that. He started fighting his way across the ballroom, firing jinxes and spells at any vampires or Kindred that came his way. For the most part, a stunning jinx or a binding curse was enough to keep them at bay long enough for Phillip to get by. By then, they seemed to be content with any of the other dozens of victims nearby. 

xander yale zabini ● december 24, 2022 ● 540 words ● n/a

Phillip Thomas
Levens★

dandy ♫

[xander yale zabini]

●●●

xander zabini

Persuading Xander to join the Order had been an arduous task for those involved, he’d been content to keep out of things for the most part- but his initiation had ultimately been his own decision. The seed had been planted the day Hogsmeade burned, when so many had died, children, even. It had been cultivated by his parents’ bigotry toward Ava, his being disowned, and his fate was sealed when Philip finally gave him the talking to he needed. What sort of world would Xander be leaving for Ava? For his son? He’d needed to pull his head out of his arse and start fighting for what he believed in.

Only now, Xander was beginning to fret that he should have left his head there.

The evening had had promise, a party being hosted by one of the big names in the Children. It would be a refreshing change of pace, attending a party full of halfbreeds rather than the purebloods who hated them. Xander had been looking forward to letting loose for a bit, get his mind off things. It seemed he’d joined the Order at precisely the wrong time, they were continually several steps behind the enemy, scrambling to catch up, for quite some time. Not even Xander and his firebending, potioneering, and general spell tinkering could help with that. But tonight turned out to be just another way they were behind. They’d been led to a trap. And now they were going to lose the war.

The carnage had been swift, fires blocked the exit and when Death arrived with a slew of its minions there hadn’t been anywhere to go. Xander had had no choice but to join the fray, slinging spells as quickly as he could think of them. Finally breaking free from an opponent, he’d joined the efforts to try and open up an exit. He could control flames, something which Ivan hadn’t been banking on, but the will to budge the enchanted fires at the exits was draining. His breaths were slow, labored, between coughs trying to clear his constricting throat. Sweat beaded his brow, it was beginning to feel like he was trying to move underwater, had he been hit by something?

Or several somethings?

The world was beginning to get a bit fuzzy at the edges, but Xander kept trying to tackle the fire, peel it back like a curtain made of lead…

“Xander!”

He squinted, he couldn’t tell who it was from afar on account of his poor vision, it wasn’t until the gap was closed- and it was arguably too late to determine if it was a friend or a foe- that he recognized Phillip. “Phil, thank- fuck- man-” Xander panted, trying not to let the pain show on his face, what had happened to him? “Cover me. I- think I can- move this.” He held slightly trembling hands before him, willing the fire to bend to his will. The concentration required to harness it was beyond anything he’d needed before, but he was slowly able to weave his magic into it, beginning to get it to respond to him.

phillip thomas levens ● 521 ● no notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[phillip thomas levens]

“

Phillip ducked as a curse came flying at his head, knee hitting the ground hard and sending shockwaves up through him, but it didn't keep him down. He was back on his feet in a split second, fighting his way through the room until he'd drawn close to Xander.

It was only then that he could make sense of what his friend was doing, using his elemental abilities to try and combat the flames. 

“Phil, thank- fuck- man- Cover me. I- think I can- move this.”

"I've got you." Danger faced them from every side, but Phillip and Xander side-by-side had been an unstoppable force from the moment they'd first connected. They would get out of this. Phillip had to believe that, or he was afraid to think about what would happen in the next ten minutes. 

Xander's efforts to combat the flames and clear a path towards escape was quick to draw the attention of more than a few mask-clad Kindred. Soon enough curses were being thrown at the pair en masse, green and red flashes of light flying through the air. Phillip had just enough time to throw up a hastily-constructed shield before the first curse connected with it. He knew that sinister green from anywhere; the Kindred were not pulling punches, and if they wanted to have any chance of escape, they might have to return in kind. 

"Alright, Xan, how're we doing with that escape route?" Phillip asked, not daring to take his eyes off the approaching enemy. The shield he'd constructed was already starting to crack—he'd never been good at them, and his concentration was not exactly at its peak. They had minutes, maybe, before they would be at the mercy of the Kindred. 

xander yale zabini ● december 24, 2022 ● 289 words ● n/a

Phillip Thomas
Levens★

dandy ♫

[xander yale zabini]

●●●

xander zabini

“I’ve got you,”

Xander nodded once, having no choice but to put his complete faith in Phillip to keep him protected. The enchanted fire was stubborn, coaxing it into the control of his own magic was easier said than done. Xander was sweating from the effort, his breaths ragged as he coughed and sputtered, trying to take in air. What was happening to him? A wrenching pain in his gut brought him down to one knee, a flurry of black dots overtaking his already limited vision obscured by smoke. He gasped, hacked, still using his magic to pull at the flames, painstakingly peeling them away from the door.

But not quickly enough.

Xander didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know they were being targeted for trying to clear a path. He could hear the cracks beginning to form in Phillip’s shield.

"Alright, Xan, how're we doing with that escape route?"

At first he could only cough, bringing with it a trickle of blood which traced a line of startling scarlet down his chin. “Almost… There…” Xander responded, and with an almighty wrench of his arm he directed the wall of flames back. The effort of holding it was immense, his arms trembled as he tried to direct it towards the approaching Kindred. The fire fought him at every push, whomever had cast it had done so as if they knew a firebender would be there, it was taking everything he had to keep it contained. “I… I can’t hold it long,” Xander choked, his breaths coming in wheezes.

phillip thomas levens ● 260 ● no notes

MADE BY VEL OF GS