Exhausted from the strenuous pace that Zelgadis Greywers kept, his fellow Slayers were practically overjoyed when he chose a place to make camp. A raging storm drove them into a cave for shelter, and they had to retreat far into the mountain's heart to stay dry.
"Finally!" Lina sighed in satisfaction as she snuggled into her bedroll by the fire. "I thought we'd never get out of that storm!"
"Yeah, it's really coming down out there." Ameria nodded, doing the same. "That tempest came up on us kind of quick, don't you think?"
"Too quickly..." Zelgadis sat with his back to the fire, facing the furious storm with equally dark eyes. His quiet, dramatic scene was accented by a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder.
Gourry's buzz-saw snore effectively ruined the moment.
"Let's get some sleep." Lina shook her head. "Zel's probably going to keep the same pace tomorrow, ne?"
"Hn." He snorted.
"Zelgadis-san..." Ameria whined.
"Go to sleep, Ameria." He growled.
"Shaddap!" Lina snapped.
They awoke to the sounds of late spring, with the rich perfume of a thousand flowers in the air. Lina blinked in the bright sunlight from the clear sky, then twitched as the soft grass tickled her bare arms and neck. She sat up suddenly as she realized they were no longer in the same place where they had fallen asleep.
"Ameria! Gourry! Zel!" She shouted, searching for the others.
"What - ?" Gourry moaned, a snot bubble confirming that he had slept through the entire thing.
"Uhn..." Zelgadis pushed his lean form off the ground. "I feel like I got hit by a Dragon Slave."
"Lina-san!" Ameria wailed. "Where are we?"
"You have entered the land of Idan." A tall man in white robes appeared before them, bowing low. "I am Sedal, your guide to the light without darkness."
"Light without - " Lina started.
" - darkness?" Zelgadis' slit pupil eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Yes, yes, light without darkness." Sedal nodded. "Idan is completely free of negative emotions. There is no need for them here. We as that if there is anything we can do to please you, allow us to accommodate you during your stay."
"Food!" Three of them scrambled to mob the guide. Naturally, Zelgadis hung back.
"Of course." Sedal bowed. "We have anticipated your arrival for quite some time, honorable Inverse-sama. The banquet hall awaits."
"You knew we were coming?" The chimera asked.
"The stars foretold that the famous and beautiful sorceress Lina Inverse would come to grace our land, and find peace with our people," he replied. "We of Idan rejoice at the chance to liberate the light of a person's soul by surrounding it in happiness."
"What a wonderful place!" Ameria clasped her hands together, eyes starry with admiration.
"Can we eat now?" Gourry pleaded. Sedal smiled warmly and lead them to a fairly large room filled with food. As always, Lina, Gourry, and Ameria attacked the feast with utter abandon. Zelgadis merely asked for a cup of hot water, cautious as ever and supplying his own tea leaves. He then proceeded to gaze, half in bemusement and half in astonishment, as men and women dressed similarly to Sedal brought dish after dish to the ravenous trio, all the while smiling radiantly.
They seem so happy to have us here... he thought. It's got to be some kind of trap, but for what?
"Greywers-sama?" A young lady with auburn hair and chestnut eyes leaned over to him, smiling as everyone else. "I am Elena, Sedal's daughter. Would you care for a massage, since you appear to have finished eating?"
Zelgadis' mind calculated how many ways he could be killed via massage, stopping at the double digits.
"No, thank you." He declined coldly, but politely.
"I assure you, we mean you no harm." She continued. "Please? It's very relaxing..."
"I'm fine." He answered. "It wouldn't help anyway."
"What would make you happy, Greywers-sama?" She held out her hand. "We can discuss it while you relax. Please?"
He hesitated.
"Please, Greywers-sama?"
"Very well." He sighed, standing and following her.
"Hey, Lina, where's Zel going?" Gourry asked around a mouthful of food.
"I dunno." Lina blinked twice, then continued to eat.