After another night of walking, and fighting a few more chimeras, Lina and her friends had finally come to what seemed like the end of the portal. Now that they had found it, they were taking a break.
"I hope that wherever this thing leads has a nice inn, with nice food and nice warm baths. It seems like we've been walking for days I'm so tired..." Lina was complaining. Everyone agreed with her, they were all exhausted and hungry. They sat for a little while longer, resting, when they heard something.
"Watch out guys, there's something out there," warned Xellos, "and I can't sense what it is."
The group jumped up and took battle positions. Gourry took out his sword, and stood ready to fight. Lina, Naga and Amelia were ready to cast a spell at any second.
RING....RING.....
Lina remembered that sound and let out a gasp, "It...it couldn't be...not him...."
"Hello, dear friends.." said a familiar voice, "It's nice to see you again."
"R...Rezo..." mumbled Amelia, "Ms. Lina...what's happened?"
Xellos was as confused as the rest of them. Gourry and Naga both looked completely clueless.
"You seem surprised to see me again, Lina Inverse, maybe I should explain. You really should have closed that portal before. When you opened it, young child, you released a power that reverses time...reverses time for me, as it was I who created it. You will pay dearly for stopping me...I am still blind, and the Philosopher's Stone is still destroyed, but I am now living again."
"You mean to tell me that YOU created this portal just so that YOU could come back to life if you died?" Lina screamed. "YOU EVIL BASTARD!"
"Oh, and Lina, your little friend's opening of this portal also allowed something else. I gained some power when I was brought back. I gained the powers of the two lords you recently destroyed. I believe you know them. Hellmaster Fibrizo, and the Demon Dragon King Gaav."
"OH MY GOD!!!" Lina screamed.
"AH HA HA HA A HA HA HA HA!"
"Naga! Don't try anything!" Amelia yelled at her, "Don't you realize how powerful this guy is?"
"Oh, I'm not laughing at him, I'm laughing at the fact that we are all about to die! AH HA HA HA HA HA A HA HA!"
"Oh no we aren't..." Gourry yelled. "Light come forth! Lina, you and the others run back to the beginning of the portal. I am going to hold him off for now. You guys have to find some way to stop him."
"Gourry..." Lina thought to herself... "We can't leave you here, Gourry!" She shouted. "You will be killed!"
"Don't worry about me Lina, remember, I'm your protector! I'll be fine."
"Swamps of the south, give me your murky fog, DARK MIST!!!" Naga shouted, casting the mist toward Rezo and Gourry, then grabbed Lina, and they all ran for it.
"GOURRY!!! GOURRY!!!!!" Lina was shouting. "Dammit" she thought, "I'm losing him again.." She struggled to get away from Naga and get back to Gourry, but she couldn't.
Gourry was having a tough little battle with Rezo. Rezo fired spell after spell at him. "You are too slow for me, red priest." Gourry yelled. He jumped into the air, just as Rezo fired another spell at him. He waved the sword in front of the spell, absorbing it, and he fired it back.
"You have gotten better, dear friend, but you are not good enough to best me. That which grows within the eternal abyss, be called forth here, do my bidding, and destroy my adversary." Rezo waved his staff, and thrust it to the ground. Black energy flowed from the top of his staff, and surrounded Gourry.
"Dammit.." Gourry thought. "He's good...and now I can't see anything." He swung his sword around, trying to absorb the energy, but he couldn't.
Rezo laughed, and then said, "Now dark energy, collapse upon him, and take the very breath that he has been allowed." The spell began closing on Gourry.
"NOOOO!!! LINA!!!!!" Gourry yelled, as the energy pierced him. His body was being ripped apart by the vortex Rezo created around him. He closed his eyes, and said one last thing, "I love you, Lina Inverse....and I will be back.." After he said that, the darkness completely engulfed him, leaving only the Sword of Light.
"A weak adversary you were, Gourry Gabriev. Not even much fun for me." Rezo said aloud. He walked to the sword, and picked it up. "Such a shame that you had to be killed, I could have used you." He said, before raising his staff and vanishing.
"I love you, Lina Inverse....and I will be back.." Lina could hear Gourry's last words. Naga had finally put her down, as they were back at the beginning of the portal. She burst into tears when she heard the thought. "Guys..." she started between sobs, "Gourry is....he's..."
"Oh...no.." Amelia said. She broke down into tears just like Lina. Naga pulled them both close and hugged them. Xellos was watching, very silent.
"Lina, I know this is a hard time for you...but we need to get going. Rezo could be back at any time." Xellos said to her.
"I know," she said, sniffing. "Just give me a minute." Lina started thinking back to the battle with Hellmaster Fibrizo. After she was taken into the Sea of Chaos, when Gourry risked his life just to be with her. They kissed, for the first time during the entire time they had known one another. The next thing she remembered, was standing on a large rock, looking down at Sylphiel, Zelgadis and Amelia, in Gourry's arms.
"Ok, Lina," Xellos said, breaking Lina's thoughts. "It's time to go. I am going to take you all to meet someone. But we must first leave the portal. Levitation." He cast the spell on himself and the others, and they rose to the entrance, and went through the energy.