Interlude 1: Wolf Pack Island


Xeros walked through the dense forests that grew on Wolf Pack Island. He was restless. He knew something was going to happen very shortly, and was itching to be part of the action. He didn't know why his mother and Master had kept him on her Island for this long. It had been several centuries since she had kept him here longer than a day. While he pondered the strange quirks of his Lord, a smaller demon appeared before him.

"The Beast Master wishes to see you," the whisp of fog with cat like eyes reported, before dissolving.

Not wasting time, Xeros quickly transported himself directly into the Beast Master's meeting room. Once inside, he knelt down on one knee, placing his staff on the floor. A tinkling laugh caused him to smile slightly.

"Xeros dear, no need to be so submissive," a voice that sounded like a pack of howling wolves said.

Xeros stood, and said, "Of course not, but it reaffirms my loyalty to you."

"Of that I have no doubt," Zellas remarked.

The Beast Master was a stunning creature. She had long, slightly curly hair that was a shade of purple that was just slightly darker than Xeros'. Her ocean blue eyes twinkled with amusment, but there was also a vast store of wisdom there, as well. Her body was finely honed, like that of a major athlete, and it was encased in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt that was both casual and stylish at the same time. Xeros figured that his mother would make even a burlap sack look stylish.

"It's so kind of you to think so, dear," Zellas replied, reminding Xeros that she could hear his thoughts as well as if he broadcasted them, but only on rare occasions did she do so without invitation. The fact that she just had alerted Xeros to the fact that something serious was on his mother's mind.

"What can I do for you, My Lady?" he asked.

Zellas sobered instantly. "You know that Lina and her crew are on the move again. That's why you've been so restless these last few days. My sources have alerted me to the fact that the Golden Dragon's have made contact with them, and that something major is about to happen that could alter our state of existance. I'm not talking about destroying the world the way that we want to, by reducing it once again into a state of chaos, but by destroying the world, and possibly even the universe, completely. Though the other Demon Lords refuse to see this, the entire Demon Race would be wiped out as well."

"Very unhealthy," Xeros quipped. Zellas gave a fleeting grin, before continuing.

"Not only that, but there was a tremendous flux of Power several days ago. Though we can't pinpoint exactly where it happened, we do know what caused it. Observe," she said, and raised her hands. An oval shaped mirror emerged from the floor as if the floor were not there. In it, Xeros could see the image of Lina and company who were laughing at something a strange girl had said. Xeros leaned forward to get a better look. The young woman had long, straight, light blue hair. Which was all he could tell at the moment because her back was turned. The she turned around to say something to the princess, and Xeros got a look at her eyes. They were golden, but slit like a demon's, yet they reflected light. After a moment, the image vanished.

"Who is she, and is she a full demon?" Xeros asked his superior.

"Sources say that she is an Other Worlder, yet she gives off vestiges of this world's Powers. Not only that, but a biological scan shows that she is a fourth demon, a fourth human, and a fourth golden dragon. The other fourth of her chemistry is yet unknown. However, she is extremely powerful, being composed of all the power that those three known beings have. Yet, this Power is tightly contained, as if she's afraid of it or unknowing of its existence. As you could see, she's joined up with Lina Inverse, for what purpose, we have yet to discover. This is where you come in. I want you to make contact with Lina and her friends and study this young woman as covertly as you can. We need more information on her, especially since she's more powerful than even Lina knows."

"By which, I take it, you mean that Lina has studied her as well?" Xeros asked.

"Exactly. From what we've seen, Lina is aware that she harbors great Power, but she doesn't realize its true extent."

"Just how Powerful are we talking?" Xeros wondered.

"She could cast the Giga Slave with more skill and more, excuse the terms, punch' than what Lina used to defeat our Lord Shabranigdo, and that's only a tip of the iceberg," Zellas explained.

Xeros couldn't help but be impressed. He wondered what the appearance of this woman meant.

"That is what we're hoping you will find out," Zellas replied, answering this unspoken question.

"As you will it, My Lady," Xeros said with an ironic bow and a grin.

"You always were an impertinent bastard, son," Zellas replied, but with a grin. "Now get out of here before you twitch yourself into a frenzy."

Xeros gave his mother a wink, before vanishing. Zellas eyed the spot where he had been, then got up and walked over to one of the windows that overlooked her Island. She had sensed a faint stirring inside

Xeros' soul when he had met the eyes of the newcomer, but it had been so faint that he wasn't even aware of it. The only way she was aware of it was because her double bonds of Mother and Master bound her to him in such a way that there was a strong tie running from her to him. That was how she was able to sense his thoughts and feelings in many ways. Once again she found herself wondering what the stranger was, and what tie she had to her son. Zellas sighed. After Xeros had established contact and had been in her company for a while, she intended to bring him back in order to get a report, and to search that stirring she had felt more throughly. She gazed at the full moon.

"I hope that we're able to stop the extinction of our existence," she muttered, before heading off towards the front doors, intent on taking a midnight run to clear her head and senses.


Part 3   |   Fanfiction