In Which Lina Gets Snubbed, Zelgadis Is Nearly Forced To Do Something Lina Would Make Him Regret, Certain Things Are Given Wholly Unsatisfactory Explanations, And Situations Really Start To Heat Up.
Brilliant blue eyes blinked at the group four or five times, then a hand came up in a lazy arc to rub at the eyes. Xellos coughed twice, yawned, then struggled into a sitting position.
He looked at Lina.
Lina looked at him.
He looked at Zel.
Zel glared at him.
He looked at Amelia.
Amelia made herself look at him.
He looked at Gourry.
Gourry looked blank.
"Ano..." said Gourry. "There's something different about him."
Zel smacked him solidly on the back of the head, saving Lina the bother. "Idiot," he growled. Lina considered hitting Gourry, then decided that it might be a good idea to let him recover from Zel's blow first. His eyes should uncross any minute now, she decided.
There was more silence.
Amelia shuffled her feet.
Lina scratched her cheek.
Gourry rubbed the knot that was rising on the back of his head.
Zelgadis stared impassively.
Xellos cleared his throat. "Well... Isn't anybody going to say any anything?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," said Lina. "What happened to you?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I was hoping you could tell me that."
Lina's eyes got big. "You don't know what happened to you?"
He shook his head. "It might be better to say that I don't remember."
"Hmph," said Zel. "As though we believe that, trickster priest. I think you know exactly what happened to you, and just aren't telling."
Lina put up a hand. "Okay, let's assume for about three seconds that he is telling the truth - And when I say three seconds, I mean three seconds. Look, something weird is up. Maybe he really doesn't know." Zelgadis sputtered, and Lina resumed, "Hey, hey, no way I said we have to believe every word that comes out of his mouth. This IS Xellos we're talking about here."
"Errr..." said Xellos. The others turned their attention back to him. (1) "I'm not going to touch that whole talking about me like I'm not here thing for now." Several sets of blue eyes and a set of red ones narrowed. He coughed discreetly. "In any case, I think you may have me confused with someone else."
"WHAAAAAAT?"
He drew back a little at the group's shriek. "I don't know who you think I am - but I've never heard of this... Xellos, did you say his name was?"
Mouths hung open for three tenths of a second. Then Lina was nearly on top of him, shaking him by the shoulders. "Stop being weird and stupid! I'm not in the mood for pranks!"she shouted.
He pushed Lina away, then jabbed a finger at them. "Look, damnit! Who's enough of an ass to prank the person who just saved their life?!"(2)
"You, Xellos," said Zelgadis. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."
"That's not my name."
Zelgadis's voice was taunting. "What, Xellos?"
Xellos's pleasant expression took on a decidedly darker cast. "What did I just say, freak?"
A low growl started deep in the back of the Chimera's throat as he started forward. Amelia and Gourry clung to his sides, trying to hold him back. "Mr. Zelgadis!" she shrieked. "You can't hurt a man who's just been pulled back from the brink of death!"
He gritted his teeth, but stopped walking. "Why not?"
"Because it's against the cause of justice! It's wrong! He wouldn't be able to fight you at full strength! You'd blow up the sick house!" Amelia's mind scrambled for a speech. "Even if he has insulted you for having-"
Gourry's self preservation instinct kicked in, and he said, loudly enough to drown out Amelia's speech, "Zelgadis, maybe you should just..."
He didn't get any further before Xellos interrupted. "Maybe he should be mature enough not to attempt to hurt someone because of an insult?"
"I'll show you hurt..."
"...for Justice does not...
"...uh..."
Lina stopped the others talking with a raised hand.
Okay, that's not precisely true. It was a raised hand with the beginnings of a really, really, really large fireball in it. But it had the effect of stopping the other's shouting in any case. "Can we please get back to the topic?" she said quietly.
For Lina, Quiet = Dangerous. Zel and the two adventurers clinging to his clothing realized this and backed down.
Amelia and Gourry released Zel somewhat sheepishly. Zel retreated to a corner, where he kept his sight firmly on Xellos. Xellos leaned back a little.
Lina let the fireball wink out of existence. "You." She pointed at Xellos. "I want an explanation. I want a really good explanation. I want it right now."
Xellos sighed. "You all keep talking like you know me, but of you, the only one I vaguely recognize is her." He pointed to Lina. "All the rest of you are complete strangers."
Lina, Gourry, and Amelia made little noises of shock, or perhaps they all simultaneously choked on air. "You don't... You don't remember us?" Amelia's voice was strangled. "But we traveled together! We went through danger together! You tormented us! How can you say that?!"
Zelgadis's voice overlapped with hers. "How can you not expect the filthy Mazoku to pull a stunt like this?"
Xellos frowned slightly. "There's no need to be insulting."
Gourry scratched his head. "Uh... You never seemed to be insulted by it before... Well, at least not very. Firia..."
Lina seemed to have recovered a little of her equilibrium, and spoke up, drowning out Gourry's confused mumblings. "Okay, then. Fine. If you're not Xellos, who the hell are you?"
He sighed. "Xemael." He looked up expectantly for a reaction. He obviously didn't get what he was looking for, and added, "Xemael Daheshayt?" Nothing. "Err... You haven't heard of me?" he asked incredulously.
"Nope," said Lina.
"Nuh-uh," said Gourry.
"No," said Amelia.
"You probably just made the name up, Mazoku," muttered Zel.
"Of all the names..." He shook his head. "Of all the names I could choose if I were trying to pull something on you people, that would probably be the last."
"Quite true."
Five heads swivelled toward the doorway. A tall, elegant woman was standing in the doorway. Her silver streaked black hair was held back by a pair of wooden clips, and her white dress reached her ankles. Lina had the sudden feeling that she could deliver blows with the fists planted firmly on her hips, but didn't.
"Curiosity aside as to how you got in here, I'd like to know how you healed him," she said icily.
Lina shrugged. "I'm Lina Inverse," she said, as though that explained everything.
The older woman looked down her sharp nose. "How lovely for you. Do go on."
Lina flushed. "Just who-?!"
Amelia interrupted, too proud of her work to let it go unrecognized for long. "I healed him!" she burst out. "I had to borrow some power from Lina, but I did all the work!"
The white-clad woman took Amelia's chin between her thumb and forefinger, and turned the young girl's head to the right and left. "White magician, practicing shamanism. Correct, child? Not pure, but then I don't suppose you've studied exclusively with a priesthood, have you?"
Amelia got her turn to get red in the face. "I'm Amelia wil Tessla Sailoon! I'm completely pure! Justice demands that -!"
The woman smiled soothingly. "Of course, dear. I didn't mean to imply that you weren't pure, just that you weren't practicing pure white magic."
Amelia wilted. "Oh."
"In any case, I suspect that's why you were able to heal that one over there." She raised an elegant finger in Xellos's direction. "A pure white magician is likely to be a disciple of one of Cepheed's orders. None of the healers at the Temple were able to help him." Her eyes flickered back to the subject of their conversation, who was beginning to look mildly agitated, as people are wont to when they're being talked about as though they aren't there. "I was not able to help him, which is shaming to me as High Priestess of the temple."
"So you're the Lady Dainala."
The priestess nodded in Lina's direction. "Yes."
"Okays" Lina started. "But, why couldn't you... ?"
Zelgadis interrupted her, speaking quietly enough that the others had to strain to hear him. "An imperative. That's why you couldn't do it, correct?"
The priestess looked startled. "That's what I think, yes." Curiosity crept into her voice. "Who taught you about those?" She pursed her lips disapprovingly. "You're not a white magician."
The Chimera shut his eyes slowly. "I do a lot of research."
"Commendable, commendable," said the Xellos-look-alike-who-claimed-a-different-name. "But there's a certain subject I'd like to get back to, namely me. And this time I'd like to be included in the discussion. Even if you haven't heard about it," he waved his hand at the assembled group of adventurers, "everyone else in the known world has, so I might as well tell you, too." He sounded as though her was forcing his voice to lightness. "I am prevented from receiving healing from Cepheed's priests."
The priestess tilted her head slightly. "The name you said... It was Xemael Daheshayt, wasn't it?"
He sighed. "I take it you, at least, have heard the name?"
The priestess nodded absently. "Once, during my training..."
His voice remained calm, but Lina noted the tightness around his eyes. "Training? This isn't even exactly old news, and no offense, but you're more than a few years older than I."
Dainala's eyes slowly narrowed. "Before you were hurt... No, even as you were hurt - what's the last thing you remember?"
He rolled his eyes. "That's easy. I was on my way to... No... that was before I... I was in... a town... No..." He suddenly sounded vague and far away. "I... I'm not sure... I know some things... And the rest... it's like trying to remember the last thing you thought before you went to sleep."
She nodded. "Xemael. What year is it?"
"Now that, I can answer." He smiled slightly. "It's 732, at least if you're using the Travian Calendar."
"WHAT?" squawked Lina and Amelia in unison.
Zelgadis gaped, then his features settled into anger. "Do you really expect us to believe that?"
Gourry narrowed his eyes. "I'd feel better about all of this," he said quietly, "If I knew what he was talking about."
"Augh!" Lina slapped him on the back of the head, and Gourry drew back, figuring that he'd gotten off easy with the knock to his already aching skull.
The Priestess simply nodded. "It would most likely be best if I told you all at once. The Traivian Calendar has fallen out of use, Xemael. You have been out of things for a very long time."
He looked at Dainala, as if trying to find some acceptable truth in her words. It struck Lina for the first time that he'd had his eyes opened throughout the entire conversation. "What... ? What do you mean, a long time?" He laughed weakly. "What, the entire world's changed in a few weeks? Maybe a few months?"
Dainala shook her head slowly. "Xemael, if I'm correct, it's been more than a thousand years." Gentleness touched her face for the first time since she'd entered. "I'm really very sorry to have to tell you this."
There was silence. Xellos - No, Xemael - Xemael stared, unblinkingly at Dainala. His gaze shot to Lina. "But, I..." Blue eyes plead with her. She didn't know what he wanted her to do or say, but she felt she should say something. Xemael found his voice again. "You seemed to know me, though. How could you, if it's been... No, I don't believe you, old woman." His voice grew strained and frantic. "How could I know any of you?" Then, accusingly, "You called me... You called me Xellos."
Lina broke his gaze. He looked at Amelia, who turned her head away as well. Zelgadis's narrowed eyes offered no sympathy. "A Mazoku. Xellos Metallium."
"...Metallium... ?" He shut his eyes, and Lina saw power begin to build around him. He shook his head. "I... No. ...You... You're lying to me!"
It took Lina the tiniest fraction of a second to access her own power, preparing to create a shield against whatever he was preparing. The others moved into defensive positions, Zelgadis and Amelia readying spells of their own.
They might as well have stayed where they were.
Dainala's hand rose slowly, and a single thread of cream colored light snaked from her palm, striking Xemael... Only, with anger twisting his features, he looked much more like Xellos, Lina thought suddenly. Xemael's muscles went slack, and he collapsed backwards onto the bed. The power building around him dissipated harmlessly.
"What... What'd you do to him?" asked Gourry.
The Priestess pursed her lips in distaste. "Merely Dicleary in reverse, used offensively."
Silence.
"Would anybody care to clue me in on what just happened?" asked Lina at last.
The Priestess touched Xemael's forehead. "He will sleep for some time."
Lina tapped her foot. "Ex. Plan. Ation. Please." She pronounced each syllable individually.
Lady Dainala nodded slowly. "I'm going to tell you a story," she said, settling into the chair by the bedside. "Over a thousand years ago, not so long before the Mazoku war, there was a famous priest by the name of Xemael Daheshayt. He was a member of one of Cepheed's most prominent priesthoods, and was regarded as something of a magical prodigy. Details are somewhat sketchy as to his area of expertise, or even many of his deeds. Many records were lost during the war, and little information about this man survived. (3) In any case, he was brilliant, and quite important to Cepheed's side. It was once said of him, that if any one man could have prevented the war, it was Daheshayt. Obviously, this didn't happen.
"The records are somewhat shaky on the next events. In any case, there was some kind of argument, or falling out between Daheshayt and the rest of the order that lead to his being dismissed from the order. He was branded a traitor, and an imperative was placed on him so that no priest of Cepheed could heal his wounds. He was doomed to wander the land for the rest of his days."
"That's all very interesting," Zelgadis interrupted. "But how... ?"
She leveled a cool gaze in his direction. "Listen, and then you'll understand. About a year before the Mazoku war started, Xemael disappeared. It may not seem strange, since he had been banished from all places of power, but it was unusual in this respect: The priests who sentenced him for his crime put a tracking spell on him."
Lina's eyebrows attempted to climb into her hairline. "But a high level tracking spell doesn't disappear or run out of power for years."
The priestess nodded. "And therein lies the reason for the Council of Priests' shock. It wasn't more than a month after Xemael's disappearance when a new, obscenely powerful Mazoku first appeared on the scene."
"Xellos," said Lina.
"Exactly. This Xellos bore a striking resemblance to Daheshayt, including the priests' legendary tendency toward trickery. The first thing he did was appear at the gates of the Council's keep, and demand an audience with the High Priests of the land. The meeting... Did not go well."
Amelia's voice quavered. "Didn't anyone make the connection between... ?"
Dainala nodded. "Yes. Our records are clear on that. The connection was made between Xellos and Xemael. Some believed that Daheshayt had been captured and used as a template for the Mazoku, or combined with the Beastmaster's own power, then killed. Others thought that Xemael might still be alive, but captured. There were theories that the Beastmaster had created this new Mazoku before Xemael's fall from grace to secretly replace the priest, and had been left with a powerful Mazoku, but no one to impersonate. Some believed that Xemael had been turned into a Mazoku so that he could conduct revenge, basically, selling his soul." She looked up. "So, if this man truly is who he claims to be..." Her shoulders moved in a small shrug. "The implications are amazing no matter what the truth."
Lina managed to find her voice. That it had left in the first place was an amazing event, but it went mostly unnoticed in the assault of unbelievable information that Dainala had thrown at them. "So... How do we know if he's telling the truth? Or even if he's really just Xellos playing a really bad trick on us?"
"Scanning him to see if he's human might be a good start," suggested the priestess dryly. "And casting a flow break to destroy any illusions would be a another good idea."
"Right, right," said Lina. "I'll..."
"Er..." said Amelia quietly. "If it's okay, I'd like to try... I'm recovered from earlier, and I'd really like to know..."
Lina searched the younger girl's face for a moment, then nodded. "Be my guest."
The young white magician stepped forward, a look of determination on her face. She'd been unusually quiet during the priestess's story, and Lina knew that the younger girl was trying to absorb all of the things the priestess had told them, and trying to figure out how it all applied to her concept of Justice, and view of The Way Things Are.
Amelia placed her hands over Xemael's chest, spreading them palms down, then slowly bringing her fingers together as she cleared her mind. It didn't seem to want to get clear, though.
But... thought Amelia. But, if Xellos (if this is Xellos) was turned Mazoku against his will, he could've been a really good person, except that the Order threw him out... But why would they do that if he was a good person? Or... If it IS Xellos, and he let himself be turned Mazoku, or asked for it, just for revenge, then he's even worse than I'd thought. People can't help what they're born to, but for a human to betray his race to the Mazoku... That's just obscene. Her jaw set. Whatever the truth, I'll help Lina-san uncover it.
She breathed in slowly, forcing all of that from her head. She had a job to do. She was going to do it. No. Matter. What.
Gourry was sort of expecting at least a small light show to accompany whatever it was that Amelia was doing. He wasn't too clear on what Amelia was doing, what was going on, or who that guy on the bed really was. But, he was pretty sure that there was supposed to be some sort of effect to go along with most magic. The others didn't seem alarmed, though, so maybe he shouldn't be either.
Amelia's fingers spread over Xemael's chest. Lina could suddenly hear both their heartbeats, separately at first, then together as they slowly aligned. Amelia's eyes went unfocused, and her mouth moved, but no sound came out. Then... And then...
Well, nothing.
Gourry expected flashes of lights, and didn't get them. You're not any luckier. There were no explosions, no hums of forbidden magic, no accidents, no nothing. What did happen was this:
Amelia suddenly jumped backward, landing with a crash. "Waugh!" She pointed a shaking finger at Xemael. "M... Miss Lina! Miss Lina, he's totally human! He's telling the truth!!! I can't even find anything that feels like Mazoku!"
Lina cracked her knuckles. "Oh, really? Well. Lemme try something. FLOW BREAK!"
"...Uhm, Lina? Nothing happened," Gourry observed. "Did you cast it right?"
Lina's eyebrow twitched. "Of course I cast it correctly!" Her voice became calmer. "There was just no illusion there to break. He really must be telling the truth. Er. Well..."
Zelgadis snorted. "The truth? Lina, you've got to be joking or deluded. I've said it before. This is Xellos we're talking about, here. He doesn't give away the truth. He's trying to deceive us, and it's working. I don't know how, but..."
Lina sighed. "Damnit, Zel, something's up, and I don't know what it is, but I'm determined to find out."
"He should be protected!" protested Amelia "What if whatever got him comes back!?"
Gourry cleared his throat. "Guys, I'm hungry."
Conversation halted. Four heads swivelled in the swordsman's direction.
Gourry blushed. "Uhm. I just thought I'd mention it."
"You just thought you'd mention it," Lina said dryly. Zelgadis grimaced as what he thought of as Lina's lecturing tone crept into her voice. She held a finger up in the air. "There's a time and a place for food, Gourry, and while I firmly believe that the time is 'almost always' right now we're in the middle of an 'almost.'" Her stomach rumbled, and she flushed red. "Well. We're nearly done with the almost, actually. Food sounds pretty good..."
"May I ask," said Dainala, "what you intend to do about all of this?"
Lina shrugged. "Well. I was thinking we'd take him with us when we went-"
Zelgadis groaned. "You must be joking-"
"So that we can keep an eye on him." Lina finished tersely. "Unless one of you would like to protest."
The chimera gritted his teeth. "Lina..."
Lina balled her fists. "You're not under some sort of obligation to come with us, Zelgadis. If you don't like it, you can just go on your merry way. Like always."
He flushed. "I'll go with you. But only because I think you'll need my help when whatever fruitcake plot he's in the middle of comes to a head."
"Good!" Lina said brightly. "Now, where to go..."
The others settled back slightly, sensing that the verbal ping-pong match over. Winner: Lina Inverse, due to dirty fighting.
"I have a suggestion," said Dainala.
Lina shrugged. "I'm all ears."
"Go to Sailoon." It sounded more like a command than a suggestion to Lina's way of thinking, but she remained silent for the rest of what the priestess had to say. "The wards should help against any sort of interference from the monster race, or any residual black magic. Aside from that, you could research Daheshayt further while there. Sailoon's libraries are extensive. And, if I remember correctly, this young lady is the princess of Sailoon. You could employ the help of a number of researchers, if that's what you'd like."
Lina looked from Gourry to Amelia to Zelgadis.
Gourry shrugged. "They've got good ice-cream in Sailoon."
Amelia brightened. "Sailoon is a center of love and justice! Nothing bad could happen to him there!"
Zelgadis nodded grudgingly. "If we're going to take him anywhere, Sailoon makes some sense."
"Okay," said Lina. "So, it's settled. We go to Sailoon first thing in the morning... .Well, first thing after one of us explains to our buddy Xemael what's going on." She clapped her hands. "Now, let's find somewhere to eat that doesn't have cat-sized roaches."
Gourry scrambled toward the door, but Lina beat him to it. "Food!"
Amelia darted after them. "Hey, don't leave me behind!"
The remaining occupants of the room looked at each other. The chimera shrugged. "They're pretty much always like that." He started for the door. "Are you coming?"
Dainala nodded. "Yes. You go ahead. I'll catch up in a moment. There are still some things I need to talk about with all of you."
Zelgadis nodded, and pulled the door shut behind him.
The Lady Dainala placed a cool hand on the sleeping man's forehead. He didn't stir, and she nodded slowly. The reversed Dicleary should keep him asleep until the next morning. He could most likely use the rest in any case. A healing so large was exhausting to the patient, even under the most expert hands. She's make sure one of the trainees at the Temple brought a tray of food for him. He was sure to be hungry when he awoke.
She rose silently from the bedside post that she had occupied through so many nights. Xemael would hold until morning. Satisfied that there was nothing else for her to do, Dainala extinguished the light spell, and left the room quietly.
The door clicked shut behind the priestess, shutting out even the moonlight.
And alone, in the darkness, Xemael slept and dreamed.
Well...
Almost alone.
1 - Well, the others apart from Zelgadis, who had already been keeping an eye on him, a previously noted.
2 - Prank is seldom used as a verb, and only then by a certain type of person. It's use here should indicate something.
3 - I wonder why.
Chapter 4 | Fanfiction