Zel was worried about Lina.
Not her safety, but her...
He shook his head angrily. The Mazoku had claimed her, marked her bright as day to anyone with half a mind.
That didn't include Gourry nor Amelia.
"How much longer do you think they'll take?" Amelia asked idly.
Zel sighed. Every ten seconds the princess had asked the same question. He'd stopped answering 5 minutes ago.
Back to Lina.
He didn't think Xelos would hurt Lina. Not really. But from what he'd heard from Amelia's near-drunken babble at the ball last night Xelos could take advantage of Lina's inexperience.
He was busily plotting revenge for Lina's sake if he found out about any indecent conduct from Xelos when the self-same devil reappeared, holding Lina.
Doubletake: Lina was being held because she was unconscious.
"What'd you do to her?" Zel hissed, as Amelia gave a cry.
Xelos didn't smile. "I gave her... access to a great deal of powers."
Zel stopped. "What?"
"I dunno. She looks asleep to me." Gourry pointed out brilliantly.
Xelos grimaced. "Here, Gourry, take her to her bed and make sure she's comfortable, okay? I've a something to clear a few things with Zel-buddy here." After Gourry left with Lina Xelos sank into a chair wearily.
Zel eyed him. "Power? Then why does she look peacefully dead?"
Xelos smiled. He wondered vaguely if Zel could tell that it was faked. Probably not. Xelos was very good at acting. "Accurate description. Well, she's eaten an Angel Egg, which results in a power overload. She'll need to sleep it off and let her body get used to the new magic."
"What kind of magic?" Amelia asked curiously.
"Powerful magic. Angel Magic. Similar to white magic but with black magic qualities. Add a dash of shamanism and you get Angel Magic. If you had black magic with white magic qualities and a dash of shamanism you'd get Devil Magic, but that's beside the point."
Zel nodded. That made sense.
Amelia clapped her hands. "So Lina's become even stronger! Great!"
Xelos kept his smile plastered in place. Mazoku don't cry. Mazoku don't cry.
Lina awoke a few hours later. What a nightmare...
Xelos was in the room as well.
She groaned. "Xelos, don't you ever quit?"
When no wisecrack response came Lina turned her head to look at him. "What?"
He hesitated. "How are you feeling?"
"Huh? Fine, except I had a horrid nightmare."
Xelos' face changed briefly, then slipped back into a smiling mask. "That's fairly usual. I'd suggest going out to walk."
Lina stared as he disappeared. "He's weirder than usual." she noticed. But his idea did sound good.
She walked out, finding an artificial but still very large river running through the gardens of the Sailoon Palace.
A river large enough to hide one of the Twelve.
Lina jumped as a head started rising out of the water. The head was attached to yet another androgynous figure...naked.
Lina kept her eyes on the figure's face. This one had long black hair and blue eyes, and a dark complexion.
"Lina Inverse?" it questioned.
"Yes." Lina answered, readying herself.
She found the river's water swirling out to envelop and drown her. Wherever she tried blasting a hole in it the hole sealed itself up.
Help! she tried to scream.
:You are the one who ingested the Angel Egg, correct?:
:Who?:
:I am in your mind and body. I am your Angel. I will protect you. Call my name and this spell I'll teach you and focus your powers.:
:Hgn...:
Lina opened her mouth and whispered the words.
"Chiming through time
Arcing through space
Dreamscape magic
Crysanth Wind Blades!"
The water cut away, falling in large splashes. Lina fell onto the bank of the river. She eyed her assassin. Raising her hands, she summoned the Dragu Slave. Focus, focus. I want this all to go onto her body. I want to only harm her. If I destroy part of the palace Amelia's not going to forgive me.
:Heart of mine, use my name. It will focus your power on this hated enemy of yours.:
"Crysanth...Dragu...SLAV!"
Her assassin... exploded.
Lina sank to her knees. Power...Unbelievable power...
"That was Dark Water, their second most powerful warrior." Xelos smiled with pride. "You destroyed it before it could do you any real damage with its heavier spells."
"You were there... and you didn't help me?!"
"Tsk. Lina-chan, how are you ever going to survive if you always rely on me?"
Lina sighed.
:Life of mine...:
Lina stiffened.
Xelos watched as various emotions played out over Lina's face as she had a mental discussion with her Angel. He could see the vague shape of a godlike woman hanging around Lina's head.
Amelia, Zel, and Gourry chose this moment to appear.
Zel looked at the water that was splattered everywhere. "What happened?"
"Another assassin. Lina destroyed it with the help of her Angel." Xelos replied.
Zel looked at him sharply. He'd finally picked up on the undercurrents of dread in the priest's voice.
"Really? Wow! She'll be an even greater warrior for love and justice!"
Xelos was too lost in his observation of Lina to snap a retort at Amelia. Lina's face but getting sadder and sadder.
Then her face got angry.
Rage.
Her eyes focused on him.
This doesn't look good. he noted bleakly.
Lina opened her mouth and started screaming like a harpy."You bastard! You gave me that thing when you knew full well the price! I can't believe I trusted you of all people!"
Zel stared at Lina-now-gone-nuts. "What's she talking about?"
Xelos ignored him. "Lina-chan, please calm down..."
"CALM DOWN? I'm not gonna exist in a couple of weeks if I'm lucky, and you want me to CALM DOWN?"
Oof a blast of energy hit Xelos and sent him reeling.
"How does that feel, mister badass? Huh? Nowhere near as bad as you're gonna feel when I'm through with you!"
"Ano, Lina, what's wrong?" Amelia watched Lina with scared eyes.
Lina stopped her tirade and glanced at the princess. "Never you mind."
Gourry rubbed the back of his head. "Did Lina destroy her assassin?"
The group stared at Gourry collectively.
Lina laughed, a sad, broken sound. "I envy you, Gourry." she murmured softly. "You're so lucky..." She smiled wearily at the group. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'll just go someplace now, where I'll never be able to hurt anyone again..." She raised a hand. "Raywing." she cast quietly.
Lina flew away, heading for parts only she knew about.
"Um... was it something I said?" Gourry asked Amelia.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
Zel grabbed Xelos and shook him hard. "You're telling us what's going on or else..." he hissed into the Mazoku's face.
Xelos held up pacifying hands. "Zel, calm down."
Zel started to retort, but instead he held on to the priest. "What the hell is going on, Mazoku? Tell me before I get really nasty." he said pleasantly.
Xelos, seeing no real alternative, told the group.
Zel dropped his hands, his mind reeling in shock. "WHAT?"
Amelia looked tearful. "Oh no!"
Gourry looked confused. "I don't get it."
Xelos straightened out his clothes. Zel took a swipe at him with his sword.
"You are dead, Mazoku." Zel's voice was cold.
Xelos flashed him a deadly look. "I'm going to find Lina, bring her back, and we'll continue this discussion later." He faded out, leaving behind a cursing Zel.
Xelos traced Lina's Demonblood amulets to a river deep in the woods around Sailoon. She was sitting on a rock in the middle of the river, her face dull. He decided that while sneaking up on her was not the best course, if he announced his presence she'd run away again. He popped into the air right behind her. "It isn't very nice to leave your friends dangling, Lina-chan."
Lina jumped, whirled her head around, then jumped off the rock and ran.
Xelos grabbed her by the waist before she got 3 feet.
"Lemme go!" she struggled in his arms, a note of desperation creeping into her voice.
"No. You're coming back with me." Xelos did his best to restrain her without causing any damage, but it was tasking his limits of patience.
"Why should I go back? I'm not gonna exist soon anyway. Why bother?" She stopped struggling and went slack.
Then Xelos noticed the fine tremors going through her body.
"Go away."
Then Xelos caught the shaky tone of voice she'd spoken in.
Drip. Drip. Little droplets hit the river surface.
His eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
He stopped restraining her and slipped his arms around her. "Ne, Lina-chan," he comforted softly, without his usual smirk. "Maybe we can help."
"Help? HELP?" She pushed away from him, stumbling in the water. She pointed a finger at him, her face red and wet with tears. "You're the one who caused all this!"
"No. This was stated in 'The Prophecy'. I was merely another pawn of Fate."
She stared at him, then laughed in a detached way. "I really hate prophecies you know. I hate being controlled..."
Xelos's mind was processing the situation very quickly. "Lina-chan..." he said softly. "Just come back. I promise you we'll find a way to-"
"To what? The Angel's bonded to my soul. She'll take over my body and mind in a matter of days, a couple weeks if my will's strong enough to fend her off for a while. There won't be any 'me' left except a small blurry memory in the back of her mind!"
Xelos was at a loss. His usual way of dealing with troubling things would not work. If he smiled, Lina would blast him away. On the other hand, if he tried to comfort her, he'd still get blasted away. "Ne, Lina-chan, there may be a way. One you haven't thought of because you don't know of it."
Lina's eyes looked at him hopefully, yet suspiciously.
He watched as he slowly destroyed what little hope she had for a recovery. "I can't do it now. You're not prepared for it, and you need Angel powers to defeat the Twelve."
Lina... collapsed. Not physically, but the light went out of her eyes. "Because I'm the only one that can?"
"Yes. And if you don't defeat the Twelve, well...everything will be destroyed." He added more details, "Dragons, Mazoku, and humans will be wiped out. One blow. No chance of hiding. If even one of the Twelve remain, they'll manage it. You've been very lucky so far."
Lina laughed, a sad, insane sound. "Lucky?"
Xelos approached her slowly, as if approaching a rabid tiger. "You know what I mean, Lina."
Lina stared at him, then closed her eyes. "So I'm a sacrifice?" She inhaled deeply. "A sacrifice so that everyone else will be saved?" She felt something warm envelop her and opened her eyes.
Xelos was hugging her.
Her mind went through several emotions, finally settling on quiet rage. "What are you doing?"
"I just thought that's what you needed." he explained from her shoulder. He paused."...I only want to give you what you need." He pulled back and looked at her. "Ne, Lina-chan. Let's go back, okay? Even if you do vanish inside that body...wouldn't it be better to spend your last days with your friends?"
"With Zel and Amelia and Gourry?" Lina said softly.
Xelos's eyes clouded over with wistfullness. "If you wish." They were both aware that she hadn't mentioned him.
Lina fell silent, her eyes watching the sunlight dance on the water.
"Are you Lina Inverse?"
Xelos turned quickly on his heel. Lina lifted her head slowly, a dull expression in her eyes.
Black. This new assassin was black. Hair, eyes, complexion, clothes. Androgynous.
Xelos's eyes narrowed. "Which of the Twelve are you?"
It laughed. "Me? Dark Shadow." It raised a hand. "Prepare to die, Lina Inverse."
Xelos threw up a shield around Lina and himself just in time to dissipate the black ball of molten skin that was flung at them.
But with the attack also went the shield.
Xelos's eyes widened as he realized the disadvantages of the fact.
"You see, I am a professional. Those two previous to me were amateurs. I think I shall fatally wound you first, then kill your girlfriend here before your very eyes." It laughed. "Yes, that shall be amusing."
Xelos found himself drawn into a battle that left Lina alone with her thoughts.
"Lina! Snap out of it!" he yelled as a streaking bolt of black tarlike substance hit and eroded the ground next to where she stood. "Lina!"
Lina was aware of someone calling her. But she was too busy talking to her Angel.
:I am sorry, Lina. I never wished to bring anyone the misfortune of knowing me.:
:...Not your fault.: Lina admitted grudgingly.
:And so it is the trickster priest's fault?:
:No...:
:Then why do you blame him?:
:Because...because...I need to blame someone for this tragedy that is my life!: Lina answered bitterly.
:But he is not to blame anymore than I am.: Crysanth sounded confused.
:...You're right...:
:Are you willing to spend your last days of existence alone?:
:No.: Lina's answer was very soft, very small.
:You wish to spend your last days with those whose names and deeds I see in your mind?:
:YES.:
Crysanth laughed lightly. :Then defend yourself and your friends! I'm giving you some added power, make use of it! All the memories in your mind show me that you can face this and worse if need be. You are Lina Inverse, are you not?:
:I am.: :Well, then! Deal with the situation like you should!:
Lina heard no more from her Angel, but it was enough.
I am Lina Inverse. People hear my name and feel dread. Dragons I slay, Mazoku I throttle...
Xelos lost all hope of ever getting Lina's sanity back. He was also losing the battle against Dark Shadow.
Damn! He's tough!
He was about to put the remainder of his energy into one last blow that would cost him his life when-
"Crysanth Wind Blades!"
Dark Shadow watched in disbelief as his limbs were chopped up into tiny pieces, then his body and head.
Xelos whipped his head around, disbelief also written on his face.
"Well, Xelos, looks like even you've got your limits!" Lina said cheerfully.
Xelos stared at her.
She grinned back. "Ne! Come on, Amelia and Zel must be going crazy trying to deal with Gourry alone! Raywing!"