Everyone gasped in shock. Even though Zelgadis was alive his memory was gone.
"Do you remember anything?" Lina asked with a worried frown. What are we going to do now?
Zelgadis looked around the room staring at the faces that were looking at him. He knew that he should feel something that these people standing around him were people that he should remember but he couldn't. "If you are asking if I can remember you all, then I have to say that I don't. The only thing that seems familiar is the name you called me, Zelgadis... I know that's my name, but other then that I remember nothing else." He went to walk a few steps only his legs didn't seem to be working like they should and he stumbled. He would have fallen to the ground if Lina hadn't steadied him. Why am I so tried and weak?
"Memory loss was something that we expected. But you're going to have to take it easy for a little while. You're body still needs time to adjust. We should probably get him to sit down and have something to eat." Mr. Hender suggested.
Moments later they had Zelgadis sitting at a table in Mr. Hender's kitchen. It had taken quite a bit of effort to get Zelgadis up the stairs. His whole body was like a rag doll and Zelgadis could barely move his legs or keep himself up.
It took most of Zelgadis' strength to keep himself sitting upwards in his chair. He felt tired and desperately wanted to sleep.
"I'm not hungry. I'm just feeling tired, you don't need to feed me." Zelgadis tried to keep his voice steady but instead it still sounded shaky.
"Nonsense! Just because you don't feel hungry doesn't mean that you aren't. You haven't had anything to eat in days. You're body is screaming at you to eat only the message isn't getting to your brain. You'll see once you start eating you'll realize how hungry you truly are. As for sleepiness, that's natural too but you need nourishment first." Mr. Hender said while he placed a bowl of thick soup in front of Zelgadis.
Zelgadis had to admit the soup looked tempting and the aroma was a delight to his senses, but he stared down at the spoon. He was barely able to keep his head up, how was he supposed to pick up his spoon and feed himself? A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that the others could help him eat. He mentally scowled at that thought. I wont let someone feed me like I'm a baby.
With whatever strength he could muster Zelgadis picked up the hateful spoon. Though the spoon was nothing more then a mere normal spoon it felt like it weighted a ton. But he persevered on and brought the spoon to the bowl. It was then that he noticed that everyone was watching him with interest. Ever since he got out of the machine everyone was staring at him. Mostly everyone stared at him with awe and curiosity like a lab experiment. Only Lina and Mr. Hender didn't look at him in that way. Both of them appeared to be having something on their minds and both looked at him with worried expressions. Nether or less Zelgadis didn't like being the center of attention and was feeling slightly embarrassed at everyone staring at him.
He returned his attentions to the soup and finally brought the steaming hot liquid to his mouth. Once swallowing the spoonful of soup Zelgadis suddenly felt very sharp pains in his stomach. Mr. Hender was right he was really hungry and the feeling of something going into his stomach after not having anything in it for so long was very painful.
"Owww..." Zelgadis groaned clutching his stomach.
"I'd hate to say this but, I told you so." Mr. Hender lightly smiled.
Zelgadis smiled too while rolling his eyes. Feeling how hungry he truly was Zelgadis suddenly had motivation to eat and he ate despite his tiredness.
After finishing two bowls of soup Zelgadis was taken to a bed in the guestroom. Upon contact with the pillow Zelgadis was asleep. Everyone let him be for a while and went to have a group discussion in another room.
"Mr. Hender is Mister Zelgadis going to get his memory back?" Amelia asked with teary eyes.
"Well Miss Amelia I don't know. It may return to him instantaneously or it might return to him in time. But then he might not ever have his memory back ever again. But we should be thankful that he's alive. He could have very well been dead when the machine was opened." Mr. Hender spoke sagely. They had to admit he was right. Though the situation wasn't exactly what they had hoped for they were going to have to make the best of it.
"You're right Mr. Hender! If we have justice and love in our hearts we can triumph over this evil and Mister Zelgadis can get his memory back!" Amelia struck one of her poses with flowers and stars floating around her.
Everyone facefaulted.
"Ahem yes Miss Amelia. For now I think we should all find ways that we can help Mister Zelgadis and make him comfortable."
At Mr. Hender's suggestion everyone except Lina and Mr. Hender left the room in search of tasks to do.
The two of them just stared at each other. Neither spoke because they knew what each other was thinking and neither wanted to voice their thoughts.
Finally after a few minutes Lina spoke. "Mr. Hender we have a problem..."
"Yes I'm aware of that. But we don't know if Mister Zelgadis would be able to help us anyway if he still had his memory. Though I guess it's foolish to think that he could have possibly came out of the machine with his memory intact. He was in just too damn long."
"I know. But what are we going to do about Zel's ex-demon part?"
"I don't know, I honestly don't know..."
Zelgadis' dreams were filled with many images that flashed by. Ones of people and places that went by too quick for Zelgadis to recognize. Some of the images invoked odd almost foreign emotions, while others did not. No matter what the images were, they were still giving him a big headache. There was just too many images for his eyes to focus on and all the confusion surrounding him was causing his head to feel like it was being split in two. What is all this? What's going on? Who am I? Who am I?!
"Who am I...?" Zelgadis opened his eyes. He was lying in the same bed that the others had placed him in. It wasn't a large room. It had a bed, desk and a small table with some chairs. The décor wasn't lavish, it was simple. Blue curtains on the windows, hardwood floors and white walls. But the room had no door, only a doorway. Zelgadis figured they put him this room so that they could easily hear him if there was something wrong.
He sat up and rubbed his temples. What was all that? Is anything ever going to make sense? The whole time since he'd been out of the machine Zelgadis had been confused. Confused about his surroundings, confused about the people he saw and confused about himself. He felt this awful feeling of uncertainty. The others talked to him as if they know him, but proof did Zelgadis have that he knew them, that they were really his friends? Not a single memory was evoked from being around them.
He sighed and got up and went to the window to his right. The sun was setting outside making the sky look a melody of shades of orange, red and purple. He had not known what time of day it was when he had went to sleep, so he didn't know how long he had been sleeping. But something felt odd. He did feel weak from the whole process his body had went through only he knew there was something wrong about him. Something that should be different then the way he was now.
Suddenly Zelgadis felt the feeling of being watched and when he turned his head he saw the one whom had introduced herself as Lina staring past him to the window.
"Pretty sunset huh?" Lina said stepping forward to stand next to Zelgadis.
"Yeah I guess. I don't have any other sunsets in my memory to compare it with though... So how long was I asleep?"
"Probably a good seven hours or so. I didn't keep track. Feeling any better?"
"Physical? Yes. Mentally or emotionally, no." Zelgadis spoke in one of his usual depressive stoic tones.
Lina almost chuckled. Even without a memory he still sounds like his normal self.
"What was I doing in that machine, and why can't I remember anything?" He turned his head to look her straight in the eye.
"Well it's a long story. It started off like this..."
Many moments later...
"...and when you came out of the machine you couldn't remember anything. So does that clear it all up?" Lina asked cheerily. Naturally she left out the parts of the story to do with his ex-demon part trying to kill her and how they were all in incredible danger. He doesn't need to know that stuff now...
Zelgadis had wide eyes. He wasn't just surprised about everything she had told him. Though she gave the whole story starting from when Rezo first cursed him and turned into a chimera down to everything that had happened recently. What surprised him was how much Lina could talk. His headache worsened just try to process everything that she told him.
"Ah... yes that does..."
Lina flashed a victory sign and Zelgadis found himself subconsciously chuckling.
"Anyway we're all heading out back to inn to go have a celebratory dinner. And since you're the reason we're going to celebrate you have to come with us. Okay?" Lina half asked, half ordered.
Zelgadis deftly nodded and followed Lina down the stairs.
"Where are the others?"
"They are already at the inn."
"Is uh, Mr... um Mr..He..."
"Mr. Hender."
"Is Mr. Hender coming too?"
"Nope he's staying here at the library. He still has work to do. So lets go and eat!" Lina cheered.
Zelgadis sat uneasily at the table. He had the strange feeling that a battle was going to happen at any moment only he wasn't sure why. But when the food finally came Zelgadis finally saw the answer.
Lina and Gourry started having a food argument, one that naturally Gourry had started by stealing food. Zelgadis watched in amazement at the two. All this commotion... over food? He slumped low in his chair. Lina and Gourry were making quite a scene and most of the people eating in the restaurant were staring at the group.
"What do you mean I shouldn't eat too much?!?!?" Lina screamed at Gourry.
"Well if you eat too much you'll bust out everywhere besides your bust."
(SMASH!)
Lina smashes a plat over Gourry's head. Zelgadis made a mental note not to ever get on her bad side.
The creature watched the sleeping monster with interest. Xellos was talking in his sleep. He seemed to be dreaming about someone named Filia and deviously smiling followed by expressions of pain like he'd been hit by something hard. Weird monster. The creature shook its head. Then all of a sudden he became aware of people moving in the halls. He could hear three voices, Lina, Amelia and Zelgadis. What? So he lived... Damn they are probably coming to this room! The creature scowled. It couldn't let them see Xellos like this. And can Zelgadis see me?
"So this is your room where you suddenly disappeared on us and were you casted that stupid spell that caused all this mess." Lina opened the door to reveal a dark room. Lina casted a light spell to illuminate the room. It was empty and in the same condition that they last seen it in.
"Well Mister Zelgadis I hope you sleep well. And if you need anything our rooms are just down the hall. Goodnight."
"Yeah goodnight Zel."
The two left Zelgadis alone in his room. They expect me to sleep now? I'm not even tried... I was sleeping just a few hours ago. Still he lay on his bed and tried to sleep even if it was pointless. Surprisingly enough Zelgadis fell asleep right away.
The creature watched the sleeping form of Zelgadis with interest. It had moved Xellos to another room and it was back in Zelgadis' room. The creature was a bit surprised with Zelgadis. Indeed Zelgadis looked exactly like he was supposed to, like he had been before Rezo had changed him. But even though there were no visible differences with Zelgadis, but there was something different. The creature could easily sense the difference something wasn't right. He sensed something in Zelgadis that he didn't sense before. What changed in him after he was cured? The creature could only guess an answer to that question.