This is the second part of the Broken Hearts storyline which began with my brother's Idle Heart. Still, this part is more of a parallel story than a continuation. I don't think it does my brother's story justice though he says it's okay.
She existed. That was all that mattered. She existed and she could prove it. She would prove it again and again as she devoured the fear, the pain, the anger, the sorrow of these pitiful creatures. When would they get it through their fragile heads that there was nothing they could do to her.
"Bomb Blast."
She watched with satisfaction at the hungry flames licking through the broken remains of the town. She frowned slightly as she noticed that not one of the humans had escaped. Hmph, that was no fun. The taste of despair would have been most appeasing. She needed to find a new quarry. Perhaps she should go bug Sherra. Dynast's General was such a stick in the mud.
"Not enjoying yourself?"
She didn't turn, she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her out of sorts. "Why shouldn't I be enjoying myself? Can't you just taste their fear?"
Xelloss, Priest and General to Zelas Metallium, stepped forth from the shadows. He had known this particular Mazoku for quite sometime, even before she became one of them. Sometimes, a very old feeling would rise up within him when he looked at her.
She turned and shook a finger at him, mocking his common gesture. "Now, now, Xelloss. Why should you fear me? After all, you're the great servant of Zelas Metallium and I'm just one of the lesser Mazoku. Besides, it's most disgusting when a Mazoku feels fear. Why, I'd almost think you were getting soft."
Her laughter was tinged with barely contained malice.
Xelloss did not like this. She shouldn't have been able to read his state but then little about her was normal. The most powerful of the Lesser Mazoku and barely a step lower in power than direct servants of the Mazoku Lords like Sherra and himself, this Mazoku had a very unhealthy amount of fearlessness. Usually, such upstart Mazoku were eliminated. But perhaps she was right. He was getting soft.
"Me?" the Trickster Priest asked innocently. "Actually, I just wanted to tell you about this VERY interesting person that's coming by the area."
"Oh?" she murmured disinterestedly, watching the roaring fire.
"Yes, he's nothing really. Just some person with quite a bit of luck. Several of us have fallen to him."
She snorted. "They fell to a human? Deserving fates."
"Of course, however, we do need those weak ones around as cannon fodder. But one cannot turn back time. I just thought you might be looking for a new challenge."
"Humans are hardly a challenge," she smirked, firing a shower of flames to feed a dying blaze.
"If he's defeated several of us, he must have something of interest."
"If that's so, why don't you or Sherra go after it?" she replied coolly, fixing him with her deep slitted eyes.
Xelloss coughed gently. "Well, as this is sort of your territory, we thought it would be a courtesy to let you have the first go."
She sneered. "Either this human doesn't have anything really special, or you just want to get me killed."
"My dear, I am hurt," Xelloss said melodramatically, placing his hand over his chest as if his heart, if he even had one, pained him. "Would I do that to my favorite Mazoku?"
She glared at him, and then whirled away into the air. The darkness of the night wrapped around her and she vanished.
"I'll bring you back a souvenir," her voice whispered into Xelloss's ear. "Perhaps a heart?"
Her giggles floated through the air.
"Do you think this will really work? Will that slayer really kill her?" Sherra asked, coming out of the shadows.
Xelloss looked off into the distance. "I...have little doubt that this will destroy her."
Sherra glowered at the taller Mazoku. She had never liked him. But she hated that other Mazoku even more. "Well then, I'll keep my word not to touch her. But if this DOES fail, I won't hold my hand."
Xelloss barely heard the threat. No, he had no doubt that this encounter would destroy that Mazoku.
First she watched him for a bit. There wasn't much to see with the full armor he was wearing. That visor didn't allow for much vision. No matter since he couldn't see where she was anyway. This was going to a simple thing. She stifled a yawn.
"What brings you this way?" she asked, knowing her voice would echo around him, preventing him from pinpointing her location.
Yes, how predictable, he was trying to find out where was the source of the voice. But he didn't move very much, so he must be a very good warrior. Maybe this one will provide more than a moment's entertainment. Still, he would need to pass one test to be considered that.
In the darkness that shrouded her from view, she called forth arrows of flames not unlike those she used to torch the town earlier. With a careless gesture, she threw them at the fighter.
Impressively he dodged them all even in that heavy armor. So he had agility and strength. She smiled at the thought of breaking him. She clapped and giggled, mentally calling little fires to light up in a circle around him.
Watching the fires, he pulled out his sword.
"Do you think you can hurt me with that?" She giggled again.
She heard him chuckle as he moved into a defensive position. Tipping her head, she let her senses reach out to touch the sword. Her magical senses were much better honed than other Mazoku. Yes, there it was as she expected. Faint traces of enchantment, faint from concealment, not time.
"My, what a delightful enchantment you have on that sword of yours. You hide them quite cleverly. I almost didn't see them." No matter if he destroyed other Mazoku with that blade. She wasn't like other Mazoku. Let's see if he was a fool with fear or without fear.
She knew how to make an entrance. Letting her red aura radiate behind her, she would appear as nothing but a dark figure in its midst. The gems would glow on their own. It was an effect that had served her well for many years.
She smiled as the emotions emanated from the fighter. "Doubt, fear...my, what a delicious dish you are."
He was silent. She wondered what he was going to do. Wha -
The thought hadn't even been completed when she vanished from out of the line of the Ra Tilt that ripped from the fighter. She appeared above her last position, once again shrouded by darkness. Hmph, didn't take him to be a fighter AND mage. Now why hadn't Xelloss mentioned that?
Why indeed, she wondered. When did Xelloss ever tell more than he wanted?
The fighter cast a Lighting and looked around the blast center. Did he really expect her to be caught in that? Well, she would soon correct his misperception.
She called to being the weapon that made her feared among the other Mazoku. The blade of silent flickering darkness that was Nightmare energy gathered itself in her hands. She couldn't hold it for very long but then, she didn't need to.
"You got your chance, now it's my turn," she laughed as she dispelled her shroud of darkness, to let her victim see her bringing him his death.
Yes, yes, the fear, the despair, the...hope? Love? What were those emotions doing here? The different conflicting emotions distracted her, making the blade of darkness dissipate more quickly without her concentration.
"Lina..." the fighter choked as the remains of the blade tore through his armor like paper.
What? How...could he know that name...
She watched as the helmet and part of the enchanted armor shattered with the random energy of the blade.
No...
Something wet trailed down her face as the fighter collapsed in a growing pool of his red blood.
She gritted her teeth. By Ruby-Eye he was heavy. For a Mazoku, she was unusually weak physically but her magic and power more than made up for that. Still, this damn human was heavy!
If she could only just teleport to the temple steps, but no, then all the priests and priestesses would be on her before she could get a word in. And that would not help the bleeding heavy rock she was half carrying half dragging along.
Speaking of bleeding, she stopped for minute to look at him again. He had stopped bleeding though he had already lost a lot of blood. However, the energy of the Laguna Blade was still eating at him. She didn't know how to stop it. Lina only hoped that the priests of Ceiphied would have better luck.
Finally, shortly before sunrise, she arrived at the temple steps with her burden. And it wasn't a moment too soon for either of them. The temple would be awake any minute now and find him. She couldn't teleport away just yet, someone might sense it. Instead, she used her Mazoku speed to get her far away.
Lina didn't stop until she reached the small cabin she called home. Inside, she automatically raised the wards and protective spells around the wooden building before flopping into her fluffy bed covered with silk sheets and blankets. Sighing, Lina covered her face with her hands.
It broke into her conflicting thoughts. That smell. The smell of his blood staining her hands when the blade ran him through. His blood...how could he been here? Wasn't he dead? Didn't Lina hear of his death years ago?
Rolling over, she got out of bed and sat before her dresser. Pulling out a brush, she began to smooth the unruly red locks. Looking in the mirror, she could understand his surprise. Lina looked no different than when they last crossed, other than her slitted eyes.
But him...he hadn't changed, physically or mentally it seemed, since that fateful day.
Why? Why did she remember that now?
Lina had been shocked then, that he had actually loved her. What was there to love? Was this some kind of sick joke? What did he see in Lina Inverse that was worthy of being loved?
A child that had lived for more than several centuries who always went her own way without care for consequences. A person who could as easily hit friend as foe with a magical spell. A greedy, ill-tempered, selfish child always grabbing for treasure or a new magical toy or spell.
But those were human worries. You are Mazoku now. whispered the seductive husky voice of the Mazoku.
"Yes...I've been a Mazoku for how long now? I can't remember."
Humans are weak and foolish. Their emotions are their weakness.
But Mazoku eat those emotions.
It is our sustenance.
"Humans can use their emotions as strength."
Did you? Didn't you become a Mazoku to escape those human emotions? probed the Mazoku.
"Yes...but why did I act like I did just now?"
You should have killed him. He made you weak. You shouldn't have brought him to the temple of our enemy. His death should have been long and painful. the Mazoku hissed.
"It will be. The Nightmare energy is killing him."
But you brought him there to be cured.
"I..."
A false hope. Both for you and him. There is nothing that can withstand the power of the Mother of us all. Not even a favored one such as you.
"No...no...he can't die..."
Why not? All mortals die. You've seen that many times. By your own hand even.
"But...not him...not by my hand..."
You think that this was the first blow? Sometime even you humans surprise us Mazoku of your ability to inflict pain. That was merely the physical blow. It should have been the finishing one. You've only drawn out his death. His despair was most delicious. The Mazoku laughed.
"No. I never hurt him before!"
Really? How about this?
"The reason that I wanted to talk to you is that...I love you."
Lina could only stare at Zel, mutely watching his eyes cloud over with fear and desperate hope.
Remember those words?
"..."
Yes, you reacted the same way then. Pretended you didn't care. Pretended you didn't even notice. Did you enjoy his pain then? His despair? He left that night.
"He always did that. He was always searching for a way to become human again."
That was what you told the others. That was what you told yourself. Did you ever really believe that? That is what is so delightful about humans. They can inflict pain on themselves so easily. purred the Mazoku.
"He should have gotten over it. All of the others have."
Feeling bitter now? Pushing the guilt on to him? But you never felt anything like you felt with him now did you?
"I...I've loved many people in the past..."
But the intensity of what you felt for him scared you didn't it? So you ran away.
"I...I did not..."
You turned away from him again when you visited the swordsman's grave. Didn't you hear his stone heart cracking?
"It had been TEN YEARS. He couldn't have still felt that way."
Ah, but the point is he did. And you knew it. And you deliberately ignored him again. Trampled his heart like the grass under your feet. Just as you ignored him again at the funeral of that Justice Freak.
"Don't talk about Amelia that way!"
Like you didn't call her that when she was still among the living. Oh it's no secret to me about those thoughts you entertained of blasting her with a Dragu Slabu. Remember, I AM you. the Mazoku sneered.
"..."
I know your deepest thoughts, your secrets. The feelings you harbor...
"What?"
...nothing. the Mazoku sounded less sure.
"No, you said I still have feelings."
Did I?
"But Mazoku don't have feelings!"
Ask yourself.
"But how...why now...why am I feeling things again now?!"
You can't fully become Mazoku until...
"Until what?"
At best you're only half, though you've been reincarnated as Mazoku.
"What are you talking about?"
Don't you see? And you always claimed you were a genius. the Mazoku snorted. You have to kill him.
"What..."
Mazoku have no ties to anyone. No ties at all. You must sever that last tie to be free.
"Free..."
Yes. Remember? You became Mazoku to be free. Free of the crippling weak human feelings.
"Kill...him...?"
Yes. That's right. He's humiliated you. He's seen you and survived. He made you feel weak again. What right does he have to do that to you? the Mazoku growled angrily.
"What...right..."
He dared to love you, to admit loving you, and expected you to love him in return. After all the other hearts you've broken over the centuries.
"He didn't know..."
And is that an excuse? He is weak now. Killing him would be no hardship. Plus that temple. It should be destroyed.
"Destroy the temple, destroy...him? I can't do that! Not after all this time. Not after knowing..."
Are you Mazoku? Or are you nothing? If you kill him, you can fully claim your birthright. If you don't, you will cease to be.
Those thoughts plagued her every day and night for the last two weeks. Every day of those weeks she had kept watch over the temple of Ceiphied. She tried to sort through the emotions she was beginning to feel again. Every time a day passed without a mourning bell, she felt joy. Every time one of the people in the temple came out and didn't resemble the face engraved on her heart, she felt pain and sorrow.
It was only on the last day that she moved her position to watch the back portion of the temple that was the residences of the priests and priestesses. Perhaps it was the fault of hope, that maybe the Ceiphied priests and priestesses could do something that made her wait so long before moving to see. Maybe it was the guilt that she didn't want to see what she had done to him.
She saw him then, sitting on a porch in a rocking chair, playing a guitar. Since when did he know how to do that?
Kill him now.
The chilling voice of the Mazoku threaded through Lina's mind.
Remember the joy, the sweet taste of destruction?
Lina could remember the empty darkness of the Laguna Blade as it ripped through his stone body.
Remember his fear? His despair of being cut down by the one person he had given his heart to? You enjoyed it.
No, no she hadn't. Had she? How could she?
He blames you for his fate. He blames you for seducing him and then leaving him in the dust.
Lina had never tried to seduce anyone. She knew she couldn't get close to anyone. No matter how much she wanted to.
You love watching their hearts break. You love making their hearts break. You've done it long before you became one of us.
It, it wasn't true! She had never asked. It always just happened! She was never happy. They would forget but she...she would always remember.
They made you suffer. They hated you for what you did so they made you suffer. They forgot about you. They married someone else. They had children with someone else. They laughed in your face, sharing themselves with someone else.
Lina felt the long forgotten tears stream down her face. She both welcomed and rejected the bitter saltiness. Yes, all the people she had loved had gone on with their lives.
They said they loved only you. They said they would love you forever. And see what happened?
They found someone else. And Lina, Lina remained alone, nursing a heart that has broken countless times over the centuries.
And now this newest one, he uses his so-called love to destroy you.
No! None of them were like that. Especially not Zel! She wanted them to get on with their lives. She could never be with them. They would grow old and die while she remained young, she knew that.
Does he still love you now? After you nearly killed him?
Could he still love? After all of these years? Why was he still a chimera? Surely by now he should have found a cure.
If he hated you would you kill him?
If Zel hated her...
You'd want to kill yourself?!? You are even weaker than I thought. sneered the Mazoku. Why take the pain when you can deal it out to someone else?
If Zel hated her, she would want to just end it all. She didn't want to admit it but Zel was different. For awhile she had hoped that this time it would be different. But under the moonlight all those years ago, she again broke two hearts.
How funny that the only things you really fear are your older sister and deep mutual love snickered the Mazoku.
"Shut up," Lina growled aloud.
The soft melodic strains wafted up to where she stood watching the chimera. It was quite a reversal from those many years ago when he used to watch her when he thought she didn't notice. But she did, she had had a long time to practice.
The sad music pulled her, urging her to appear by his side. But how could she? What right did she have to even appear before him now? She was a Mazoku. She had killed hundreds of people for no reason other than she wanted to. She had nearly killed him. And she had nearly destroyed him with a deep unasked-for love.
Lina turned to go when the heavenly words brushed her ears.
"Lina, I forgive you..."
Part 3 | Fanfiction