Smoke billowed from the opening of Mt. Suivusev, a sign that the ancient volcano was still very much alive. Zelgadis merely watched it send its warning signals to the town below, desperately trying to alert them before it was too late.
"Fools," he snorted, pulling his hood farther up. "To live in a place where their destruction lies imminent..."
A sharp pain at his collar bone diverted his attention to the new clasp on his cloak. Sidag Gray Wars' clasp had been left to him because of their common power...
"What the...?" Zelgadis scowled. The symbol of Uruz glowed golden against the crimson gem, fairly pulsing with energy. His confusion only turned to frustration as an all too familiar voice called out:
"Hey! Zel!"
He groaned inwardly as Lina ran up to him, then leaned on his shoulder while trying to catch her breath.
"What are you doing here?" he asked quietly, glaring at Xellos. "And why in the world did you bring that?"
"Awww, Zel-kun, I'm hurt..." Xellos mock-pouted, drawing more ire to the surface of the Shaman's attitude.
"Not yet, you're not..." The chimera growled and reached for his sword, but Lina gave him a Look.
"Zel..." She decided that currently, the best idea was to change the subject. "Why the hell are you at Suivusev, anyway?"
"I felt like it." He shrugged. "As I said before, I don't have to explain myself to you."
Lina fixed him with another Look, but this one was ignored. He was already walking into town, and , with a frustrated groan, Lina followed.
"Ne, Zel-kun, that was a bit cold, don't you think?" Xellos teleported next to Zelgadis, hovering just a tiny bit out of arms length. "I mean, what if you died in your sleep tonight, and never even got a chance to say goodbye?" Your last words to Lina-chan would be in anger!"
"Is that a threat?" The blue-eyed Shaman recognized the dual meaning in Xellos' phrasing.
"Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, Runecaster," the Trickster hissed, then reappeared by Lina.
"That's a threat." He glared back for a moment, then snorted.
That thought hung over Zelgadis' head for the rest of the day, leaving him in a worse mood than before. He pondered about it at the pub while Lina went shopping, mulled over it in the baths, and was still picking at it when dinner arrived. Lina had just about enough of his 'moping', especially when he began to drum his fingers on the table.
"For L-sama's sake, Zel, can't you lighten up a bit?!" She slammed her ale mug on the table, almost breaking the table in the process.
Zelgadis looked up, quite startled at her outburst. His gemstone eyes glittered, and then he slumped in exhaustion.
"I'm sorry, Lina, but I've got a little too much on my mind to 'lighten up'." He jerked back up as Lina emptied the remains of her cider on his head. "LINA!!!"
Behind him, Xellos snickered. Zelgadis elbowed him sharply, inflicting quite a good deal of damage, since he was seated and the Trickster was standing. The Mazoku crumpled to the ground with a high-pitched squeak. Most of the other men in the tavern winced in sympathy-pain until he leapt back up and asked 'for another'.
The Shaman fell out of his chair in shock. One could almost see the steam coming out of his ears. With patience stretched to the very limit, he climbed to his feet, muttered good-night, and swore under his breath constantly as he mounted the stairs.
"Zel..." Lina watched him go with concern and irritation, then Fireball-ed Xellos. "Damn you, why do you always have to get in the way when I think I'm getting through to him?!"
Sore wa himitsu desu," the priest chortled, then disappeared again.
"Ooooo!" She fumed, then stormed outside to find some more bandits to fry.
In the corner of the pub, a dark-haired woman stood and followed her out. The blue-caped man with her smirked and left the payment on the table before vanishing as well.
What the hell is wrong with you?! Zelgadis thought furiously at his pendant, which had once again began to cause pain in his chest. Sidag Gray Wars, wherever you are in your next life, I hope someone kicks your ass for creating this damn thing! He flung it across the room in his wrath, and was more than a little surprised when it landed neatly on the lock of the book. The latch glowed brightly for a moment, and the tome burst open with golden light streaming from its pages.
"What the hell?" He shielded his eyes from the intense light, slowly drawing closer to it. The light faded off when he was halfway to his target. He tentatively stretched one hand out to the book, half afraid it would leap up and latch onto his hand with tiny but strong fangs. A few pages flipped, their edges glittering like gold. When a blank page came up, the motion stopped, and writing began to appear in a blood-red ink.
Suivusev, its secret will hold
Till mountain fire tastes blood of gold
What human would be, enter the flame
What goes in is never the same
Zelgadis read the words silently, his sapphire gaze carefully absorbing the text's meaning. Experience had taught him caution that bordered on paranoia, but still, it deserved further investigation...