Lina Inverse raised her eyebrows as she critically surveyed the surrounding area with her rose-colored eyes. She and her companions were located in the midst of a grove of evergreen trees, a large rock formation to the right and a pile of boulders to the left. The grove was dismal, with few signs of wildlife and a dark, ghostly atmosphere. The red-haired sorceress placed her hands on her hips in a businesslike fashion. "So this is the place?"
Zelgadis nodded fervently. "Looks that way. That rock structure over there greatly resembles what Gallan described to us back at the tavern, right, Sol?"
"Yep," she agreed, examining the area around the rock formation. "Looks like it's magic circle time. Anyone know which way is north?"
After the painstaking process of engraving a large magic circle into the ground, the three magic users sat back and wiped the sweat from their foreheads, all the while glaring at Amelia and Gourry, who hadn't once lifted a finger to help them. "So," Lina said. "What now?"
"A spell, I think." Zelgadis investigated the rock arrangement closely. "These rocks are like a doorway; we need to ask them to open themselves for us. With magic, most likely."
"All right!" Lina cheered, making a fist. "Now that's my department. Stand aside," she commanded, striding up to the rock formation. The petite sorceress lifted her arms to the side, palms open, and chanted a short spell under her breath before speaking aloud. "Rugged stone which functions as a door, I ask that you accept my magic and open yourself to me." A bright aura formed around her like a haze, encircling her body and passing through the stone structure.
The stone itself glowed with a gentle luminescence for a moment, then it began to move slowly, shaping itself into a face...no, two faces. The stone faces blinked their rocky eyes and stared curiously at the red-haired sorceress, who in turn stared back. The face on the left opened its pebbly mouth and spoke. "So. You knocked?"
"Yeah," the face on the right added. "What do you want? And make it quick, we were in the middle of a game of chess. I was winning."
"No way, I was winning, you dolt," the other face protested. "I already captured most of your pawns."
"What are you talking about? I was winning, not you!" the right face cried, visibly angry. "I booted your knights, and - "
"Uh...excuse me..." Lina interrupted.
"What?!!" they yelled in unison, turning their attention on the young sorceress. "Oh...sorry, forgot you were there."
"....." Lina sweatdropped profusely.
"Oh, yeah!" the face on the left remembered. "I get to say the speech!" It cleared its throat and rumbled in a deep, commanding voice, "You wish to pass, young traveler? Then answer me these questions three, then the other side you shall see."
"Baka," the other face complained. "You said it wrong."
"Shut up. Are you going to answer my questions, young lady?"
Lina shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Whatever."
The left face smiled devilishly. "All right then. Ahem. What is your name?"
"Lina Inverse, sorceress supreme."
"Oh. Okay." The face coughed, taking on the deep voice once again. "What is your quest?"
Lina glared suspiciously at the two faces. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because otherwise we won't let you get by," the faces told her in unison. "It's the rule."
"Stupid rule," Lina grumbled. "Well, we're on a treasure hunt to find the Orb of the legendary mage Xanthalin so we can turn Zelgadis back to normal," she told them reluctantly.
"Oh, okay. And now for the last question...drumroll, please...what is your favorite color?"
Everyone facevaulted. "What does that have to do with anything?!" Lina exclaimed, clenching her fists.
The face on the right rolled its eyes. "Just humor him, okay?"
The sorceress growled. "It's red, if you must know. Now, can we please pass?"
The face on the left thought for a moment. "No," he answered simply.
"NANI?!!" The two faces immediately found themselves confronted with a fireball...no, make that four fireballs.
The face on the right quickly tried to mend the situation. "Whoa...hold on a minute. We mean, think about it. We'll let you through, but it won't be for free..."
"Are you saying you're going to charge us?" Zelgadis asked. "Forgive me for asserting this, but I don't think you two would have much use for gold and silver..."
The face on the left grinned. "No, not that kind of payment. We do you a favor, you do us a favor."
Lina eyed them in suspicion, her rose eyes developing a cunning look. "What kind of favor are we talking about here?"
"Well," the face on the right began, smiling diabolically. "You could have the cute one dance for us," he suggested, nodding towards the copper-haired girl who was seated in the grass, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment.
Solanna crumpled the parchment into a ball and flung it at the face, cursing loudly. "Why do you people have to keep reminding me of that?! And besides, it's out of the question."
"That goes double for me," Zelgadis agreed, much to the surprise of his companions. Lina opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by a steely glare from the chimera. "Don't ask," he told her. "Long story."
"So then what can we do for them?" Amelia asked, her wide eyes seemingly deep in contemplation. "What could something made of stone want that we could give?" Her cheeks grew red as she realized what she'd just said. "Oops...sorry, Zelgadis-san."
"Say," Solanna began, a light bulb flicking on inside her head. "How'd you two like to be famous?"
The two faces glanced at each other. "Famous? How so?"
"I'm a scribe," Solanna explained. "And I'm writing a tale about our adventure into Sairiis. If you let us through, I promise to write a big chapter on our encounter with you two. When my story gets published, your bravery and heroism will be known world-wide!" she exaggerated.
"Hmm..." The faces looked at each other for a moment, contemplating the idea of becoming famous and renowned. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the two, considering that they probably wouldn't see any more travelers for at least another century or so. "Okay..." they finally agreed. "It's a deal." The two faces disappeared from the rock formation, and the area was silent for a moment before the rock itself shook and crumbled to the ground. Where the rock arrangement once was stood a portal, a dark gaping hole in the fabric of space and time.
The group glanced at each other in hesitation before peering warily into the black portal. "Awfully dark in there," Lina mused, nodding towards her best friend. "Gourry, get over here. We need the Hikari no Ken to guide us."
Xelloss Metallium entered his darkened study, his usual cheery expression dulled slightly. He closed the large mahogany door behind him, hearing the locking device click satisfactorily into place. The Mazoku leaned his purple head back against the door and sighed, not with fatigue, but with a growing sense of boredom. Zelas had kept him busy with her little errands for the past few weeks, and he was growing rather tired of doing the same old thing: find an old nemesis, wreck his plans for world domination, and kill him. The Trickster Priest was itching for some excitement after all that monotony.
His violet eyes fell upon the so-called 'crystal ball' upon his desk, which existed there merely for decoration, and he remembered his favorite group of humans. Xelloss smiled widely, an unfavorable look appearing in his eyes, and crossed the room towards his desk, activating the crystal sphere. He watched intently as the ball located the group, apparently on another one of their quests. "So they actually did find ancient Sairiis..." His eyes fell upon the copper-haired scribe and he suddenly remembered what had initially interested him so about her. The Mazoku stretched in his office chair and put his feet up on the desk, his thoughts drifting to a previous conversation with the girl. "Her mother named Cassia...with a twin named Pol..."
Xelloss's eyes suddenly flew wide open in remembrance. "Interesting..." he murmured to himself, examining the copper-haired girl closely. "It's a wonder I didn't see this before...such a close resemblance..." The Mazoku grinned impishly and folded his hands behind his head, having found his entertainment for the day. "This is going to drive Zel-kun insane..."
Lina Inverse warily eyed the crowds of people passing by her as she made her way through the crumbling streets of the hidden city. "I had no idea there would actually be people living here."
"Me neither," Zelgadis agreed, making sure his hood was drawn tightly about his face. "I'd always assumed that the city was deserted. I guess the people here have just been cut off from the outside world for a couple of centuries. They probably don't even know an outside world exists."
"This is incredible," Amelia commented as they passed by a marketplace. "Their whole economy is self-supporting and they base everything on the barter system. And the enforcers of justice seem so enthusiastic!"
Solanna leaned towards Lina, rolling her cerulean eyes. "Is she always like that?"
"Yes, unfortunately," the sorceress replied, patting the girl on the shoulder. "You learn to live with it."
"Great," Solanna echoed, sounding none-too-enthused. "Anyone know where we're going, by the way?"
The chimera pointed to the far end of the city, where an old, crumbling palace lay. "I suspect that's the castle mentioned in the legend, where the Orb is located and where Xanthalin supposedly died. However, we can't be certain and I think we ought to try and get some information first."
Gourry was poking his head into each of the shops on that street, looking for a diner of some sort. "I'm hungry," he complained. "And it's almost dinnertime, anyway. Can we go somewhere to eat?"
Lina's stomach was also rumbling. She smiled at her best friend. "Gourry, you took the words right out of my mouth."
The blond swordsman scratched his head in confusion. "I did? Gee, I'm sorry, Lina."
The sorceress covered her face with her hands. "Never mind..."
The diner they chose was small and dimly lit, with only a few customers, probably the regulars. The diner was adjoined to a small inn, although there really wasn't much need for such a place in a city like Sairiis. The owners of the diner were a kindly old couple who wandered about while the customers were eating, striking up conversations and making their work into a social experience. They seemed especially interested in Lina and her friends, since they were newcomers to that particular area of the world. Lina deliberately refrained from telling them that the world was a whole lot bigger than they thought. "So," she said, munching on a leg of fried chicken. "That castle at the other end of the city used to belong to the founder of this city, Xanthalin the mage?"
The old man nodded in affirmation. "Oh, yes. Legend has it he kept all his most powerful belongings in the castle, protected by a spell so that no one could ever use them. I've never been to the castle myself, but a friend of mine has and he says it's real spooky in there."
His wife nodded in agreement. "What would a bunch of kids like you want with a smelly old castle, anyway?"
"Uh...we're historians," Solanna lied. "We want to write a book documenting Xanthalin's life." She quickly changed the subject. "So, uh, you say the objects in the castle are protected by magic? Why hasn't anyone ever tried to break the spell?"
The old man gave her an odd look. "Dearie, there are no magic users alive and there haven't been any for centuries. Didn't you know that?" Lina wisely kept her mouth shut.
Instead of taking rooms at the inn, the group decided to go on to the castle that night and conduct their search under the cover of darkness. The palace itself was huge and in great disrepair, its old age showing through the cracks and crevices in the masonry. The interior was covered in cobwebs and dust, masking the egotistical decor. Solanna shone a lantern over the first wall, upon which was painted a fantastic mural of the infamous mage himself, sitting atop the world on a golden throne. "Gee, this guy certainly had a bit of an ego," she remarked. "So where do we begin looking?"
"How about right here?" a voice breathed into her ear, scaring the girl half out of her wits.
"Xelloss! Don't do that to me!!"
The Trickster Priest laughed insanely and levitated himself above her head, hanging upside-down in an odd, humorous way. "Know what? I have a secret."
"So what else is new?" Zelgadis asked sarcastically, peering into one of the rooms connected to the main chamber. "Hmm...broom closet..."
The Mazoku waggled his forefinger at the chimera. "You shouldn't be so hostile, Zel-kun..." He turned back to Solanna, a scary grin upon his face. "I have a secret, but I'm going to tell you what it is, my dear. You should feel honored." He paused dramatically, ignoring the snickering coming from the others. "Just recently I was thinking of our last conversation, about your past, and I recalled some rather interesting information. It seems that I was acquainted with your mother Cassia before she died."
Solanna brightened a bit, and looked up at the Mazoku with hope in her eyes. "You knew my mother? For real? What was she like?"
"As chipper as a spring day, with hair as golden as the sun. She was a sorceress, you know, but she only studied white magic." He sighed in lamentation. "I couldn't convince her to delve into the black arts. It's too bad, she would have made a powerful servant of Shabranigdo. Not to mention a beautiful one."
Uh-oh. Lina suddenly sensed where this conversation was heading. She glared in hatred at Xelloss. That bastard...
"And do you know how I know so much about your mother, my dear Solanna?" the priest was asking. He landed on the staircase before her and held out his arm dramatically. "Because," he said. "I am your father."
Blink. Blink. "What?"
Xelloss folded his arms behind his head. "Cassia and I had a bit of a thing going on back then. She was such a funny woman, always trying to get me to give up being a Mazoku. Thought she could 'reform' me. I found it amusing, to say the least, but eventually my master decided she was a threat and had her executed. I thought her baby had also died in that attack, but apparently I was wrong." He paused. "Seems that your Aunt Pol has been hiding your Mazoku powers from you for a long time."
Zelgadis was frozen, unable to move or even breathe. His first reaction to the news was that the priest was lying, trying to play with their minds. However, he knew it was true. It had to be. Solanna was half Mazoku. That was why she learned magic so fast, why her magic was so powerful, why her eyes flashed purple whenever she used magic. Dammit, he thought. Xelloss had ravaged his life once again. To even think that the girl he cared most for was the daughter of that namagomi was painful to him. Zelgadis felt wrath rising in his chest, boiling in his blood.
Solanna was scratching her head. "This doesn't make a lot of sense, but it sure explains a few things. Are you saying I'm half Mazoku?"
"Yes."
"Oh." The girl was dumbfounded. "I guess that complicates things a bit, doesn't it."
Xelloss nodded, his grin widening as he saw the looks of shock and disgust on the faces of the others...especially Zelgadis. "It's high time that you stop living like a human and come work for Beastmaster Zelas," he added, watching in glee as the expressions on her companions' faces grew panicked. "If you want, I can always kill you and then resurrect you as a full Mazoku."
A bottle of ink sailed through the air and smacked him in the face. "Are you nuts, Xelloss? Just because I'm half Mazoku doesn't change anything. I'm still the same person that I was before I knew that, and I plan to keep going on as I have, you namagomi."
Xelloss rubbed his nose where the ink bottle had hit. "You shouldn't be so disrespectful to your father," he chided.
Solanna snorted. "Well, gee, I'm sorry, Dad," she apologized sarcastically. "But I'm afraid I don't really feel like becoming evil today, thankyouverymuch." She turned her back on him and started opening doors, looking for clues to finding Xanthalin's magic items.
The Trickster Priest frowned a bit, disappointed, for he had expected more of a reaction from the girl. He didn't really care whether the girl used her Mazoku powers or not; he just wanted to bother her about it, to play with her mind a little. He decided he'd have to turn to the others for entertainment. Not Lina, she could probably care less if Solanna was Mazoku. Amelia was too innocent to understand the full meaning of it, and Gourry too stupid. But Zelgadis...
Xelloss disappeared for a moment and materialized in the air behind the chimera, right by his pointed ears. The expression on his face was twisted, bruised, and he was obviously struggling with the issue internally. Xelloss smiled gleefully. "Doesn't it make you furious," he whispered devilishly, "to know that her creation was brought about by me? Isn't it painful? Doesn't it fill you with despair?" He ducked as the chimera swung an angry fist at him and laughed. "Isn't it just so ironic? Your only love sprung from the one you hate the most..."
"Shut up!!" Zelgadis cursed loudly and covered his ears. "Just shut up!!"
"Zel..." Solanna's quiet voice reached out to him. She was standing behind him in a valiant effort to reassure the boy. She started to reach her hand to him and stopped short as he turned to her, his blue eyes aflame with both rage and pain. He glared at her accusingly, a stab through the heart, before striding from the room. Solanna stood frozen in place, crestfallen.
A sense of determination filled Lina, along with a strong sense of responsibility, one that she'd never felt before. The sorceress bit her lip, straightened her shoulders, and stalked after the departing chimera.
Gourry, despite all of his stupidity, actually understood part of what had just taken place. The blond swordsman stood and strode to where Xelloss was sitting, clocked him in the face with his sword hilt, and resumed his original position.
Lina caught up to Zelgadis within a matter of seconds. She grabbed him viciously by the back of the shirt and flung the chimera up against the wall. "What was that back there?! What the hell do you think you're doing to that poor girl?!!" Zelgadis stared at her, shocked by this sudden display of anger. "What is the matter with you?!"
The chimera pushed her away. "She's half Mazoku, Lina. She's Xelloss's daughter, for crying out loud!" He turned away and leaned his head against the wall. "I can't...I can't..."
The sorceress's eyes were full of fire. "Don't you love her? Don't you care about her at all? It shouldn't matter what she is! Whether she's Mazoku or human or anything shouldn't be an issue! Don't you love her at all?!"
"Of course I love her!!" The words broke from his lips in anguish. His eyes were angry; his very skin trembled. "I care about her more than anything else in the world! And that's the problem!" He closed his eyes in pain, continually seeing an image of Solanna, with Xelloss's face and hair... "Damn you, Xelloss! Why him?! Of all people, why does she have to be the daughter of a Mazoku?!"
Lina's eyes narrowed angrily, and Zelgadis suddenly found himself sprawled on the floor, the furious sorceress in his face. "Now you listen to me," she growled threateningly, grabbing the front of his shirt. "You get rid of this 'holier than thou' attitude right now. I don't care how much you hate Xelloss, or Mazoku in general. Remember that you're a third Mazoku yourself, not to mention a third golem, you chimera." Zelgadis could only stare at the infuriated girl, unmoving. "She doesn't care that you're a chimera, and it never stopped her from loving you. And you, being the arrogant jerk that you are, ran at the first test of your love for her. If you truly loved her, what she is wouldn't matter to you at all." The sorceress let go of his shirt and stood, still fuming. "You'd better get a serious grip on your emotions, shounen, and figure out exactly where you stand before you hurt that girl." And with that, she was gone.
Zelgadis sat there, stock-still, her words burning into his mind. She doesn't care that you're a chimera...it never stopped her from loving you... He shook his head in confusion. What am I doing?
The soft thud of footsteps on carpeting approached the room where Solanna sat, flipping through a pile of old books in the hopes that she'd find a good legend or two. She heard the footsteps, quiet as they were, but didn't react. Zelgadis looked down upon the girl, his heart pounding in his chest, feeling like a complete fool. "Hey," he said softly, so as not to startle her.
"Hey," she replied, not looking up from her books. However, she moved over and made room for Zelgadis on the floor in a clear gesture of forgiveness. His features relaxed a bit, his heart still racing, and he smiled in relief. The chimera sat down and looked over her head at the books she was browsing through, placing his uncertain hands on the girl's shoulders. He opened his mouth to apologize, but was stopped by her slender forefinger. "Shh..." she said. "Don't say anything. I understand." Zelgadis's heart thumped loudly in his chest, startled by how close her face was to his. He could hear her heart pounding just as hard, so near were they to each other, so intensely adjacent. He could feel their lips being drawn together...closer...closer...
They were interrupted by a triumphant shout from down the hall. "I found it!! I found the Orb!!" Seconds later, this shout was accompanied by a bloodcurdling scream.