I was pondering...pondering my dreams. Anticipating the future..."Lina-sama!"
I blinked, and snapped out of my reverie. I smile, again, remembering the events of the previous day. I turned to face the source of the call. It is a lesser Mazoku. Hmm...perhaps I should kill it. "What do want, that can't wait?" I asked.
It bowed, and groveled on the ground. "I beg your forgiveness, Lina-sama, but, well, you wanted to know when your tower was nearly done, and - "
I wave a hand, cutting it off. "I did, I did. Now, go. Get out of my sight before I decide to kill you anyway." The creature ran off, as fast as it could. I got up off the throne-like chair in my pavillion, and slowly walked across the blasted crater that had been Sairaag. I laugh, again, at the irony of it. I came to the tower, and, indeed, it was almost completed. I walked around it, tracing my hand along the glass. I came full circle around the tower, and saw, sitting on the rise of the crater, two forms. I smiled, as I realised they're Xelloss,and Zelgadis. I was pleased, that Zelgadis no longer had any qualms about my war. My smile, became a grin, and I watched them for a moment, as Amelia popped up behind them, and they began to fight. After a while, I started to walk over to them, to stop them. Not that I minded the fighting, as long as they did it away from the tower. I didn't want my workers disturbed. But, before I could get more than half-way across the space between us, I felt somthing. No, make that someone. And there, standing between myself, and my friends, was my sister. Luna Inverse, the Knight of Cephied.
My friends saw her a moment after I did, and the Mazoku working on my tower, a moment after that. I felt my Generals, and friends, gather behind me. I motioned them to stay back. I felt their assent, they understood. This was personal. "Luna," I said.
"Lina," she said.
"What do you want, Cephied's Knight?" I asked.
"You must cease this - " she waved her hand, encompassing all that I had done " - immeditately, or I shall be forced to take action. Your coup of Sailoon can be forgiven, barely, for it was nearly bloodless. But this, the complete annihiliation of Sairaag, is unacceptable. Stop now, and maybe we won't have to destroy all of you. Continue, and we will have no other choice."
Throughout her monolouge, I just stood there, tapping my foot impatiently. "Mm-hmm. Whatever Luna. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not scared of you anymore." I closed my eyes, and when I opened them again, they were pupiless, whiteless, just pure ruby-red. Luna gasped, and took a step back. "If we were to battle now, Luna, I would be the one to emerge victorious," I said.
"Oh? Really?" she replied. "Let's see about that then." She closed her eyes, and, when they were re-opened, they were like mine, only sapphire-blue, instead of ruby-red. "I didn't want it to come to this, Lina, but it seems you give me no other choice." She drew herself up, and I grinned in anticipation of what was to come. "Shabranigdo's Knight, I Luna, Knight of Cephied, challenge you! We battle until one of us emerges victorius, or until we reach a standstill. Do agree?"
I drew myself up, grinning all the time. "I, Lina, Knight of Shabranigdo, do accept your challenge, and agree to the conditions of battle, Cephied's Knight." With my words, the dome shaped barrier that had begun to form above us, solidified, in a swirling mass of red and blue energy. The barrier would remain in place, until the conditions of battle had been met. I waited, as challenger, she got to attack first. A few moments later, she did.
"Spirit fire, silver light, come to my hand."
I raised an eyebrow, as white light gathered in her hand. I'd never seen this spell before. It was probably an original.
"LIGHT ARROW!!"
I side-stepped the attack easily. I smirked, at the shocked look on her face. The spell had moved so fast, that, had it been cast at me before I had learned the truth about myself, I would not have been able to dodge it. "Hehehe. You've underestimated me, dear sister." I lowered my eyelids. "My turn," I whispered.
"Source of all power,
Blood fire burning,
Gather the Darkness in my hands."
Streams of blood-red fire swirled into my hands, as I raised them above my head.
"RENEG FAAV!!"
I brought my hands down, and threw the spell at Luna, snakes of blood fire swirling, and dancing around each other. Luna tried to dodge, but some of the streams hit her anyway, knocking her back, into the barrier, and drawing blood. I threw more offensive spells at her, not giving her a chance to recover. But, somehow, after the first few attacks, she managed to get a shield around herself.
"Very good, Lina," she said, smiling grimly. Then, her face fell into an iron mask of seriousness. "I will not underestimate you again." She then proceeded to throw spell, after spell at me, not stopping, not letting up. I barely had time to erect my own shield. I smirk, and allow just a fraction more of my power seep through. I wasn't going full-out, but then neither was she.
"AERO BLADE!!" I flung the spell at her, tearing her shields apart. I love original spells. The blades tore through her shields, and began slicing her flesh, before she managed to dispell them. Then began a rapid exchange of offensive spells, neither one of us gaining the upper hand, neither one truly penetrating the others defenses. Then, suddenly, the barrier vanished. Stand-still. It had to be.
"Well, it appears we have a stand-still," she said a moment later.
"Yes, for now," I said. "Prepare for round two!"
She shook her head. "Not now," she said. "I forfeit this round. Cephied is calling me. You win, for now." Then, she turned, and vanished. For a moment, there was silence. Then -
"Lina?" said Zel.
I turned to face him. "Yeah, Zel? What is it?"
"You didn't use your full power. Why'd you let her get away, when you could've annihiliated her?"
"Because," I said, looking off into the sky. "She wasn't using her full power either." I gave all those who were standing there a serious look. "That was just a practice round. Next time, it's for real." I flung my cape behind me, and, as I marched off back to our camp, a monsterous storm began forming above the nearly completed tower. Lightning split the sky, and thunder shook the earth, but it was merely a pale fore-echoing of the storm that was brewing. My storm. My war. Now, it had truly begun.