She fell.
The blood that stained her armor fell along with her, trickling down her neck and face. Her purplish-silver hair, tousled by the recent battle, swirled around her.
"NOOOOOOO!!!" an anguished cry from the shoreline caused her to open her blood-encrusted eyes. She saw her lover on the land, watching in horror as she plummeted. His tears dropped on the sand.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way," she whispered, her own tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Z-"
Miza woke up. She was covered in sweat; her breath came in ragged gasps. She had been having that dream again. The one where she was forced to battle an evil enemy to save the ones she loved, to save "him," to save her entire world from destruction and degeneracy... Miza shook it off. She could use a nice long bath and maybe a snack.
Tossing her soiled bedclothes in the laundry basket, she headed in the direction of the bathroom, where she drew a steamy bath. Stripping off her pajamas, Miza slid under the warm water with a sigh of pleasure. The scented liquid soothed her nerves. She dipped her head under the water and ran her slender hands through her hair, wincing as her fingers touched the purple strands. It had been that color from the day of her birth. Every dye she had tried slid off the slippery mane, it grew so fast that keeping it short was out of the question, and it tended to cling to everything. Miza sighed, her breath blowing little bubbles in the steaming water. She had learned to wear her hair in a bun, where it was less noticeable. She remembered the day she had run home crying on her first day of school, because the kids in the class were making fun of her for her hair's unusual color. Eventually it had been long enough to tie up in a bun, but those first few months had been hard...
Noticing that she had been in the tub long enough for her skin to shrivel, Miza shook herself out of her reverie and hauled herself out of the bath. As she toweled off, her thoughts once again turned to her dream. In her room, Miza draped her towel over the back of a chair and slipped into a comfy T-shirt and shorts.
She sat cross-legged on her bed and slowed her breathing.
Concentrate, she told herself. Focus your inner mind...
He stared, numb, as she fell from the sky, droplets of blood flying here and there as the great beast delivered the finishing blow.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he cried in an anguished sob, tears welling up in his eyes. He cursed his body, cursed the beast who had paralyzed him, forcing him to watch as his love was torn to shreds, cursed the world for causing him such agony. He dropped to his knees on the sand as his lover's slender body crashed into the crystal lake.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Zelgadis woke up.
He was breathing heavily, as though he had been running, and his face was wet with sweat... or was it tears? Concentrating, he could remember wisps of the dream he'd been having. It had been the same vivid dream he'd had every night, where he'd been forced to endure the agony of having someone he loved dearly taken away from him. Zelgadis rubbed the back of his neck, massaging tense muscles sheathed in smooth stone skin. He sighed, the feel of his skin reminding him of the day Rezo had twisted and perverted his body, adding demon and golem to human. How the Red Priest had taken advantage of Zelgadis' lust for power...
"Damn you, Rezo," Zelgadis cursed quietly, not for the first time. He sighed again, and got up to take a bath and clean the sweat out of his skin. As he headed in the direction of the nearby stream, Zelgadis remembered something from the dream about the woman he'd seen. He had a flash of deja vu when he thought of her, as if he had known her before... Zelgadis shrugged it off, and kneeling by the water, cast a spell to warm it up.
Miza yawned and stretched, looking around her room for inspiration. The brilliant white walls, neatly made bed, dresser, and bookshelves crammed full of books gave her a sense of satisfaction for their cleanliness but provided no relief from her quest for an Idea. Miza sighed in exasperation. She had a deadline to meet, and she couldn't meet it with such a nasty case of writer's block!
Glancing around the room, her gaze fell to the window where a cheerful sun shone out of a brilliant azure sky over a sparsely populated Central Park. The sight almost caused Miza to weep. She had to be out there, she HAD to!
Never had she seen a sky so blue, nor a sun so bright! The trees seemed to beckon to her, enticing her to leave her work for a little while, just a little while, to forget her duties and come enjoy the weather. Guiltily Miza looked at her computer, where the fifteenth chapter of her third novel remained unfinished. She glanced back and forth from her window to the computer screen, weighing her desire to be outside against the need to work, to write.
Smiling, Miza made her decision, and clicked "save." Then she grabbed a notebook, a pencil, and an apple. Then she headed out the door, winding her hair up in a bun and securing it with long, wooden sticks on her way out.
Thrust. Parry. Slash. Thrust. Parry. Slash.
Zelgadis practiced with his gilded sword, thrusting, parrying, slashing, fencing with an invisible enemy and strengthening his fighting skills. Finally, exhausted, he sat on the grassy slope. As he lay there, resting, his thoughts once again returned to the dream he'd had and the woman in it. Concentrating, he visualized her appearance. She'd been wearing a dress with a slit down the front, and a piece of purplish armor around her middle. She was also wearing a cape which was secured to her shoulders by the traditional armor of a mercenary. Purple-hued gloves and boots completed her outfit. Her hair had been purple as well, and her eyes were blue. She was slender, tall, and very beautiful.
The perfect woman, he thought wryly as he lay on the grass. He didn't remember ever meeting her before, he would have remembered someone that beautiful. So why did he persistently get the feeling he knew the woman? It was so confusing. He sighed...
Opening his eyes, Zelgadis noticed that the sun was setting. He must have drifted off while reminiscing. Shaking his head at his carelessness, he set off quickly for his camp. There, he started his fire with a small fireball and began to cook his supper.
Miza trailed her hand in the fountain in the center of Central Park, her fingers making ripples along the smooth, calm surface. Being outside had had a calming effect on her agitated nerves. In fact, she felt totally at peace with the world, and even thinking about the book she should be writing didn't depress her. A gentle breeze whispered past her ear, and made ripples in the water of the fountain.
Gazing into it, she was startled to see in the reflection a young man-where had she seen his face before?-standing behind her and looking over her shoulder at the water. Miza whirled, quite surprised, but saw no one.
Turning to gaze-somewhat fearfully-into the now violently rippling water, she saw that the man's face had been replaced by that of an extremely beautiful woman wearing a golden crown. Mesmerized, she reached out and touched the surface which was swirling in a random, chaotic pattern.
Instantly the water turned gold and began glowing with a supernatural light. Miza was sucked under by a force too great to resist, and once under she was surprised to find not a fountain but a bright, yellow light which seemed to envelop her. Then she blacked out.
Zelgadis opened his eyes slowly, completely, as though awakening from a very long and deep sleep. His breathing was slow and even, and he felt very calm. Staring up into the velvet sky covered with stars, he noted that it was still night. He hadn't been asleep for long, Zelgadis reasoned; Luna was only halfway across the sky. Still, he felt completely rested.
Glancing around his camp, he wondered what had awakened him, for he distinctly remembered hearing his name called from deep within his slumber. He could still hear it, summoning him from far away. As if in a trance, Zelgadis got up and started walking in the direction of the "voice." He did not feel his legs moving, nor his feet on the ground. He felt as if he was walking in a dream, or perhaps an illusion, but his mind was in a vegetative state; he could do nothing to alter his course.
He continued following the voice, ever westward, over streams, valleys, rocks, gorges, fields, and cliffs, until he felt he must be at the edge of the world. Finally at the edge of a meadow that featured a perfectly circular pool in the center, he was overcome with a great fatigue, and dropped where he was.
Miza opened her eyes. Slowly. The last thing she remembered was being sucked under the water of the fountain in Central Park, and being exposed to a bright light that seemed to envelop her. Now she was...where was she? Looking around, Miza's first perception was floating in a sea of gold liquid that swirled and rippled randomly ; a sea of chaos. It also pulsed in a haphazard pattern in and out her orifices, through her veins, in her stomach, her womb, undulating ceaselessly.
"What is going on here?!" Miza asked, or tried to ask, and realized that no sound issued from her lips; her lungs were filled with the fluid.
Frightened, she curled into a tighter ball, pulling her knees closer to her chest, her hands tucked under them. Who had put her in this place? Where was she anyway? How would she get back? Miza's mind ran in circles. She thought she would go mad if something didn't happen soon. Then she noticed the pulsing had quickened, as if excited, and a warm yellow light appeared directly in front of her. It glowed brighter and brighter, and the pulsing of the golden liquid quickened as the glow strengthened. At last, the pulsing and glowing subsided, and in place of the light there floated a woman.
She was clad all in white, wearing a beautiful long dress decked with clear gems that seemed to sparkle in a light of their own. Her face was wise and proud, with high cheekbones and large, almond-shaped eyes that shone with a gold as brilliant as the liquid in which both floated. They seemed to penetrate Miza's thoughts when they looked upon her. A golden tiara studded with gems graced her forehead above her eyebrows. Her hair was blonde, a pure blonde, and fell in waves over her shoulders and trailed down her back. Her arms were long and muscular, and her hands were strong and gentle, the fingers long, the fingernails perfectly shaped. Her figure was tall and slender, without a hint of malnutrition or obesity. The low neck of her gown hinted at firm, generous breasts under the prominent collarbone. Even with the distortion of the softly pulsing liquid, she was beautiful to behold, and Miza sought to lower her eyes, feeling she was not worthy to gaze upon such a woman.
She was startled into raising them again when she felt a firm hand grasp her chin and raise it up to meet the steady blue eyes. The woman turned Miza's chin this way and that, studying her features.
"Are you the mortal known as Miza?" The words were not spoken aloud, for the woman's full, red, lips had not moved, but seemed to swim into Miza's mind.
"What... who are you?" Miza asked in her mind, forming the words and directing them at the woman, who lowered the hand that had held Miza's face.
"Are you Miza?" The question was repeated again, this time in a slightly irritated tone.
"Y...yes I am," Miza answered meekly, feeling that she had committed a criminal offence by earning the woman's disapproval.
"I am the one the mortals of my world call the Lord of Nightmares, or L-Sama."
"Y-you're a god?" Miza asked again, startled, forgetting her shame.
"I created the world that I am about to send you to. This is the definition of a god, is it not?" L-Sama asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"I... I was always taught to believe that the only God was Yahweh," Miza faltered, unsure.
"I have beseeched your god, who is far more powerful than I," she replied gracefully. "My need is urgent, and he has granted me your presence. Now, I will explain why you must help me.
"One thousand years ago, I created a world to soothe my loneliness, much as your god did. I, however, created it using energy taken from the vast plane on which I dwell. I created human forms on my world, and gave them means to survive. I also created many other creatures for my people to have rule over. Once it was well established, many other lesser lords were attracted to its energy, and I permitted them to rule the world, with me presiding. They have their minions, and squabble and bicker from time to time, but it is for the most part peaceful, and my rule has seldom been threatened by the other dark lords.
"It is much like your world, but for a small difference: I have given my world the power to use Magic. There is black Magic, which uses powerful attack spells and calls upon the lesser dark lords as well as myself, and white Magic, used for healing and defense. In addition to these two, there is Shamanist Magic, which calls power from the Spirit plane.
"Now for the reason I have called you here. I never interfere with the plans and worlds of the other Gods, but not all of the others hold the same morals as I do. Another Lord, who is called Nemesis, has stolen parts of your world and mine, and combined them to create his own." L-Sama sounded offended and disgusted at this prospect.
"I cannot allow this to happen, but I can survive in neither his world nor his realm. Therefore I must strike him when he comes to mine, which he has targeted next. Only by a union of the two worlds can he be defeated." The Lord of Nightmares fell silent, looking at Miza. Her presence was so powerful, so imposing, that Miza struggled to return the Dark Lord's gaze.
"Are you asking me to come to your world?" Miza asked. L-Sama inclined her head. Miza squared her shoulders. "Then I accept." The deity lifted her hand to touch Miza's forehead.
"I admire your courage to accept this difficult task, mortal, so before you go, I will give you a safeguard. If any seek to interfere with your cause, recite the prayer I am about to give you. You must never speak it aloud, but say it only in your mind." At the Lord of Nightmares' words, Miza felt a twinge in her mind, and words sprang up in her head. She carefully filed them away, making sure to remember them.
"Now," L-Sama said in a commanding voice, "Now I will send you to my world." A brilliant yellow light issued from the main gem of her tiara, and enveloped Miza as before. Miza felt herself being transferred, molecule by molecule, to a distant place.
"Zelgadis."
Go away... busy...
"ZELGADIS!" The thunderous voice was enough to wake the chimera up and have him on his feet, ready to fight. The sight that met his eyes was not what he'd been expecting. An ethereal, ghost-like being stood before him, wearing a long dress decked in diamonds and a golden crown. Her full lips were turned down slightly in a frown of disapproval, probably because she had had to yell. Her long hair was blonde, and it tumbled over her shoulder and cascaded down her back, stopping just above the ground. She had long arms and fingers, and the fingernails were perfectly shaped. She stood about six feet, which was tall for a woman, but her height wasn't obvious, as her aura was so overwhelming that Zelgadis was left speechless in its splendor. He realized that he was in the prescence of his god, the Lord of Nightmares.
Still, even as he fell on one knee, he kept his ears attuned to her movements, keeping his muscles coiled and ready. Even if she was a god, she was part Mazoku as well.
"Zelgadis Greywords, are you aware of the threat to this world?" The Lord of Nightmares asked in a condescending tone, as if she doubted his ability to access such a situation. He raised his eyes to the penetrating golden ones, only to look away in the face of such brilliance.
"My Lady," he murmured. "I have felt disturbances during my meditation, but those were only..."
"A dark lord by the name of Nemesis is attempting to steal parts of my world for his," L-Sama cut him off. "I am sending a mortal from another world to aid you in defending my world. Zelgadis, it is your responsibility to teach this woman magic that she will use. I am counting on you Zelgadis Greywords. Do not fail me!" With that, the Lord of Nightmares departed.
Zelgadis rose and looked at the space where she had stood. A ring of golden rose buds filled the area where her gown had touched the ground, as if her very presence had been enough to cause the flowers to spring forth. Zelgadis shook his head in wonder. His mind was filled with questions. Who would the human be? Why had L-Sama chosen him in particular to preform the task of training the human? Would he be able to meet the god's standards? Suddenly Zelgadis felt too tired to think. Recalling the aches and pains sleeping on the bare ground had given him, Zelgadis took the time to make a small mattress of grass before he dropped into a deep sleep.
Miza opened her eyes and was surprised to find herself still underwater. This time, however, the liquid was clear, like regular water, and like regular water it did not replace the oxygen Miza's lungs burned for.
Frantically she kicked her bare legs and swam in the direction she hoped was up. Darkness had begun to obscure her vision when her right foot touched something. She scrambled in that direction and her head broke the surface of the water. She dragged herself out and lay on the beach, gasping. Then she began to vomit up the crystal clear water until her stomach muscles cried out in protest. Finally, exhausted, she lay on her back, letting the sun dry her bare skin.
It was then that she noticed that she was still naked. What was this? Miza wondered. She had been expecting to be at least back in her clothes, and perhaps on dry land. Was this some sort of joke on L-Sama's part? Even if it was, she had better find something to wear before the locals showed up!
Miza quickly looked around for something to wear. There was nothing but tall grass and a perfectly circular crystal clear lake in the center. At the edge of the meadow was dense forest.
Well, Miza thought, if grass was all she had, then grass she would use. So she set about picking the long stalks and weaving them into some sort of covering.
Zelgadis opened his eyes. He was lying on his side on a little mattress of grass. But he was not in his camp. Startled, he sat up. Looking around, he saw a meadow of tall stalks of grass surrounding a circular crystal clear lake. Suddenly feeling a raging thirst, Zelgadis got up and started toward it, where he bent down and bent to quench his thirst. As he rose, he heard the rustle of grass behind him, and whirling, saw a woman standing in the grass, clad in stalks of grass, woven together to form a crude shift. It wasn't the fact that most of her long, slender legs were exposed that made Zelgadis gape, but the fact that she closely resembled the woman from his dream. Her face structure, hair color, and height all matched perfectly. This must be the mortal that L-Sama said she would send him, Zelgadis realized.
"Uh, hello, my name is-" She was cut off by a very large explosion behind her that knocked her off her feet. Strong hands caught her before she could hit the ground. The young man who had caught her set her down and rose to face the beast that had caused the explosion. His hood had fallen back, exposing his glinting purplish-silver hair.
Mesmerized, Miza watched him as he raised his arms as if shooting a bow and arrow and began to chant. "Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright, let thy power gather in my hands. Flare arrow!"
At these last words, a golden bow and arrow appeared in the man's hands. Three golden arrows shot towards the beast, which resembled a huge serpent. They punctured its eyes and forehead. The beast screamed as they burst into flames. It extended leathery black wings and took off, shrieking. He then turned to face her. She was about to thank him when a wave of fatigue swept over her, and she collapsed.