Hellmaster watched through his servant's eyes as the threesome made their way to Sairaag. That annoying green-haired human was gone after some argument with Lina Inverse. Something about not wanting to go in the same direction as an underdeveloped, foul-mouthed peasant girl. For her troubles, and his amusement, Lina Inverse sent that human flying if not over the next hill, then over the next forest.
"Apparently, Lina Inverse already suspects you, Xelloss," murmured the Mazoku Lord, breaking off the contact. He mused as when would be the right time to spring the truth on her if she didn't figure it out before reaching Sairaag. "Now how to waste the time until she arrives?"
Fibrizo's gaze flew around the room, finally settling on a human half encased in the crystal that made up the innermost chamber of his current home. How unfortunate that his mouth was part of the section that was free, Fibrizo could have had some fun watching the human's bewilderment as the crystal grew away.
"Hey." Hellmaster, floating in the air, gave Gourry a good kick in the ribs. "Having fun just hanging around?"
"What was that for!" Gourry tried to lunge for the shrimp but found his arms and legs were trapped in light blue crystal. No matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't loosen them. "Where is this? Where is everyone?"
"Around," smirked Fibrizo, sitting on nothing. There was no need to hide his true nature now but this dense human probably couldn't figure it out anyway. "I had a few things to discuss with you first."
"Oh? Like what?"
The human didn't give any indication that he found it strange to see a youth floating in the air. Fibrizo smiled inside. Xelloss had said this one posed no threat other than his possession of the Gorun Nova. Of course, Xelloss hadn't thought that Zelgadiss would cause problems either.
"How about we start with how you got this." The Gorun Nova dropped into Fibrizo's open palm, thrumming in response to the contact with something similar to it. A beam of light the length of a bastard sword shot forth, ending just at the tip at Gourry's nose. "That's all? Those silly elves must have put a power output cap on it as well. Even if say the Knight of Ceiphied used it, the Gorun Nova itself would hardly be a threat to us. Pity really."
"That's my sword!"
"Really. How did it come into your hands? Answer quickly now, or we'll see how well I can still wield a sword," Fibrizo taunted, letting the blade swing lazily over the human's head.
"Watch it!" Gourry winced, trying to duck when the blade looked like it was getting too close. "That's a family heirloom!"
"Heirloom? This?" Fibrizo looked at the Gorun Nova. "Too bad your creator didn't add the ability to speak. I wouldn't have to ask Mr. Slow-and-Steady here. So it's been in your family? How long?"
"Don't know," muttered the human in a very low voice.
Hellmaster studied the swordsman who was obviously lying. Well, it was obvious to him at least and it pricked his curiosity. After all, this human was supposed to be too simple to blatantly lie. Let's see, what were the other times that the Gorun Nova had appeared? The most recent event he could recall was that mess with someone experimenting with chimeras. What was it called?
Fibrizo snapped his fingers. "Zanaffar! Ate its creator didn't it, not something most people know. Took a lot of mages and an entire city to take it down. And to think that this was the only thing that could cut its hide." Casually tossing the hilt up and down in one hand, Fibrizo leaned close to Gourry. "You wouldn't happen to know who that person was do you? The one who managed to cut Zanaffar and allowed the remaining mages to take it down."
Gourry's eyes shifted to study the floor. Could this kid know the truth? There was no way he could have been alive if he was human. But that was the point of interest wasn't it? This kid wasn't human, just like Xelloss. They were something else.
"Afterwards, Sairaag was no longer the City of Magic but the City of Ghosts. And here we are!" The Mazoku Lord whirled around, raising his arms to gesture all around. "Here you will witness a monumental, once in a lifetime event! All because you carried the Gorun Nova, you are now privy to the end of everything. You, Gourry...what was it again? Gabriel? No, Gabriev."
Fibrizo paused in his gleeful dancing. "Gabriev? Wasn't there a..."
The blood in him ran cold as Gourry felt more than saw the boy's eyes fix on him. Silence lay thick as the wheels in Hellmaster's minds slowly turned, bringing up one bit of information amidst a sea of tidbits gathered over several millennia.
"Isn't it ironic."
Gourry licked his dry lips. "What?"
"Talk about coincidences," chuckled the Mazoku Lord darkly. "To think that you of all people would be here. Do you know? Even if you did, you would probably feign you didn't. Well then, Gourry Gabriev, let me enlighten you."
"Why did that mage ever create the Zanaffar? Quite simply, to use as a hidden ace against enemies to his family. But when they lost control over it, that is when the armor consumed its creator who was testing it, they decided to cut their losses and get rid of it before anyone discerned the truth. And who was this family?"
Gourry's long hair fell over his face, hiding it behind the curtain of yellow from the malicious eyes of the inhuman boy before him. Empty laughter echoed, resonating with the crystal encasing his limbs.
"You know, Gabriev. You know," mocked the voice.
"This can't be true," Lina muttered, fiercely ripping the meat from the bone. On their way to Sairaag, the three travelers had been flooded with reports of the city of Sairaag and its large temple. "I've never heard of any effort by anyone in trying to restore the city, especially considering that there were only two survivors."
"I do recall hearing something a year ago. What did happen to Sairaag?" Xelloss asked innocently. "That is, I heard the city was destroyed but there is precious little information on how it happened. You seemed to be very well informed, Lina-san, if you know how many survivors there were. I was led to believe that there weren't any."
"Um, well..." coughed the sorceress, buying time as she tried to quickly figure out how much she could tell Xelloss. Most of the people involved in Sairaag's final days hadn't spread around what happened. Besides, it was still a touchy subject with Sylphiel. "Anyway, what's this about the whole city being back? Come on, Sylphiel, help me out. Don't you think it's strange?"
The priestess was quietly stirring the spoon in her soup.
"Hello, Sylphiel?" Lina waved a drumstick before Sylphiel's vacant green eyes. Guess Sylphiel was taking this a bit harder than she thought along with Gourry's kidnapping. Hadn't she picked up any independence over the last year? Lina certainly wasn't moping around and if you really wanted to point fingers, she was the one you wanted to point at. But Sylphiel wasn't Lina and Lina being Lina decided that the priestess had moped long enough.
"Yo, Gourry!"
"Gourry-sama??" Sylphiel quickly looked up only to have Lina's fist bop her on the head. "Itai. Lina-san, what was that for?"
"Girls shouldn't wear frowns. Smiles always make you look stronger and more beautiful," Lina lectured, giving Sylphiel a wink. "So stop worrying. Everything will be alright."
What good is optimism before Hellmaster-sama's plan, Xelloss wondered, sipping some hot milk. Despite her show of cheerfulness, he could sense the confusion and anxiety rolling off of her. Anyone but a fool would not be concerned about challenging a Mazoku Lord, which Xelloss expected her to do. So far, the plan was running smoothly.
Sylphiel tried to smile to satisfy Lina but the lines of worry still touched her eyes. Lina noticed this, rolled her eyes, and leaned back in her chair.
"Well? What is it?"
"It's only a strange rumor I heard. It couldn't be true but it's so...outrageous that I can't get it out of my head."
"And that rumor is..." prompted Lina.
"Flagoon...the Holy Tree Flagoon...is gone."
"WHAT??" Lina shouted, her chair falling back because of her suddenly leap to her feet. "How can a tree as big as a small hill be gone?! You can't even cut it with an ax and yell 'timber'! Besides which, what are they going to do with all of that wood!"
"Yes, that's what I thought," Sylphiel sighed in relief. "Well, not exactly what I thought but I cannot believe that the Flagoon is gone. Besides being a spiritual symbol of the city, it is also necessary for cleansing the evil left behind by the Zanaffar over a century ago."
"And news of someone succeeding in taking it down should have been known across the peninsula. How long have these rumors been flying around?" Lina snagged an innocent passer-by and repeated the question. All she got was a confused look and after she clarified, the man only shrugged. She booted him away. "Damn it, Hellmaster has to have something to do with this. Was he responsible for even Rezo and Zeigram?"
"Lina-san, you mean Hellmaster may have been involved in...that incident?" Sylphiel asked, an additional layer of fear and worry clouding her eyes.
"Maybe," Lina answered neutrally. Of course, she didn't have any proof that Fibrizo was behind the destruction of Sairaag but it was certainly a convenient set-up. But why Sairaag of all places?
"Ano, about this Rezo, would that be the Red Priest Rezo?" Xelloss had to ask, just to keep up the facade of an ignorant observer. "And who is this Zeigram fellow?"
"Let's go, time's a wasting!" Lina cried, jumping up and dragging the other two after her. "It's about a two week journey to Sairaag and we don't want to keep our host waiting."
"Ano, Lina-san, why..." The priestess looked meaningfully at Xelloss.
"Something wrong, Sylphiel-san?" Xelloss smiled.
"There will be plenty of time to talk after the day's over," Lina said firmly, looking at both of them. She needed a private talk with Sylphiel, and probably one with Xelloss as well.
Amelia stirred, feeling the gentle hand brush back her hair. A half-forgotten lullaby pulled at memories she had buried a long time ago. When was it? Before her sister disappeared, before her mother...died. But who was singing the song? Certainly not her father, he was tone deaf.
"Who is it?"
"I've missed you so much, Amelia-chan."
Even her father never called her that. Only one person ever did.
"Mother?!" Amelia's eyes snapped open and looked up to the concerned young face of her childhood. That silky dark hair, the eyes like her own, the gentle smile that won her the love of the people and her husband. The image still stayed strong despite the tears welling up in Amelia's eyes. "Mother!!"
The Crown Princess wrapped her crying daughter tenderly in her arms, something she had longed to do for many years. She fought back her own tears, knowing that this meeting was hardly under the best of circumstances. Rocking Amelia as if she was only a toddler, Amelia's mother let her daughter cry the hidden loneliness and fear of many years. Eventually though, she had to let go.
"Mother, you aren't leaving are you?" Amelia asked frantically, feeling the safety and warmness go away.
"I don't have the choice, Amelia-chan."
"Just a little longer," pleaded the princess. "I haven't seen you in my dreams for so long."
"Amelia-chan," her mother looked at her sadly. "This isn't a dream."
"Wh-What do you mean, not a dream..."
"Do you remember what happened?"
Amelia frowned as she tried to think back. "I'm not sure...Ah, that's it. I was with everyone at Dragon's Peak. We were fighting Chaos Dragon Gaav because he wanted to kill Lina-san. And then...he...I..." Her wide eyes turned to meet her mother's sad ones. "I...died?"
Slow clapping echoed around the chamber which Amelia noticed for the first time. It was only an alcove of blue crystal that glowed faintly as the only light source. Just where was this? Looking up, Amelia found the source of the clapping, Rizo looking inexplicably smug slowly descended to the floor.
"Rizo? What are you doing? Where is this?"
He landed silently as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him. Amelia suddenly noticed how hard and cold Rizo's green eyes were. There was suddenly something there that she hadn't seen before.
"Fibrizo-sama," curtsied Amelia's mother, resignation and sorrow evident in her voice.
"Of course, of course." Fibrizo waved her away, enjoying the turmoil of emotions and thoughts from Amelia. He could just wait for her to figure it out or he could tell her right now. In a mockery of the greeting to royalty, Fibrizo bowed. "We haven't been properly introduced yet. Devoted servant to Ruby Eye Shabranigdo, Hellmaster Fibrizo."
The words fell like leaden weights in the silence. Amelia couldn't believe it. Rizo, the slightly competent thief that had lead them to the Clair Bible, was a Mazoku Lord? And not just any Mazoku Lord but Hellmaster?? But he was only a kid!
Fibrizo decided to not correct her impression that he looked like a kid when he actually looked like a teenager. But the shock and sense of betrayal were delicious, even if she was... Did she realize it yet? Not fully. Might as well compound the emotions.
"Come along, 'Amelia-chan'" Fibrizo said in mocking parody of her mother. Leading her by the hand, Hellmaster brought them to a large chamber also of crystal in which the center held a huge faceted pillar reaching high into the darkness above. "How about a tour of my home?"
"Why am I here? Where is everyone?" Amelia demanded, tearing away her hand, desperately trying to restore her equilibrium. If her feet weren't rooted to the ground, she would have backed away.
"Now, now, is that anyway to treat the person who saved your life?" Fibrizo tsked.
"If you're really Hellmaster, why would you save me?" Amelia hesitated. "Unless...you've changed."
"Sorry to break your bubble but it was only an advantageous turn of events. I couldn't have Lina Inverse breaking too soon. She's about halfway here now."
"Lina-san is coming alone? To rescue me? But I don't want to be the helpless damsel! I want to be the hero!" Amelia's protest echoed in the large chamber, waking another occupant of the room.
"Damn it, what do you want know?" growled Gourry, tiredly raising his head. The only thing to do was either sleep or listen to Fibrizo tearing down his mental barriers. He didn't feel hunger but then, that might be the crystals. The crystals around him lit up, allowing him to see.
"Gourry-san!" Amelia cried, running to the trapped swordsman. "What happened to you?"
Gourry's eyes widened, seeing the young girl run toward him with her arms open. Flinching away, he shouted, "Don't touch me, you... you...shade!"
Fibrizo watched amused at the swordsman's disgust and the princess's confusion and hurt. Perhaps he wouldn't have to tell her anything. Let the blond do it all. The news would probably be even more devastating from a trusted friend.
"Wha-What's wrong, Gourry-san? It's me, Amelia."
"Sure you're Amelia," Gourry said with uncharacteristic bitterness. "Just like the city outside is Sairaag and everyone in it are people who didn't die a year ago!"
Amelia froze, struck by the fierce expression on Gourry's face. It was like a completely different person stood before her, not the simple, cheerful swordsman she had come to know.
"Don't think you can trick me with her, Fibrizo." Gourry's hard blue eyes turned to Hellmaster, they had 'discussed' many things over the last several days. He almost didn't care that his past self was becoming more and more prevalent in his mind. "I already know."
"Know? Gourry-san, you know that Rizo is actually..."
"A Mazoku? I knew from the moment we met him that he wasn't human. Same with Xelloss."
"WHAT??" Amelia shrieked. Gourry winced at the amplification from the crystals. "How could you know that!" Then she remembered something else. "Xelloss-san is a Mazoku as well??"
"Oh dear, they've figured it out," Fibrizo sighed. "Not like either of you are in any position to tell anyone. One of you is stuck here and the other well..."
"What about me?" She looked between Fibrizo's smug smile and Gourry's restrained anger. "What is it?"
"I guess I couldn't keep it from you forever," smirked Fibrizo, his eyes turning to the crystal pillar. At his silent command, it completely lit up, revealing numerous things within it. "I'll show you."
Amelia stifled a shriek as Fibrizo wrapped his arms around her from behind. Then they were floating right before the crystal.
"Remember your mother?"
Amelia swallowed. "That...wasn't my mother."
"You think? Then look over there."
Following his pointing hand, Amelia stared in horror at the image of her mother floating in the crystal. What was her mother doing in there? Who was that person she met? Had Hellmaster somehow stolen her mother's memories to use against her? But there was something else near her mother's image. It was too familiar, much too familiar.
"...impossible."
"Didn't you know?" Fibrizo grinned, leaning forward to whisper in Amelia's ear. "You're..." He whispered the rest.
Lina woke up before the last watch which incidentally was hers. They were only a couple days away from Sairaag now and the journey this far hadn't been a peaceful one. More than once a Mazoku had crossed their path. Oddly enough, Lina noticed that though they often fought to their last reserves, none of them actually tried to kill her given the opportunity. And she hadn't missed Xelloss's interest in these little battles.
Looking around the camp, she saw Sylphiel sleeping in her bedroll but Xelloss, who had watch, was gone. Not that she was too surprised about that, only surprised that Xelloss was careless enough to get caught like this. So she was sitting and awake on her bedroll when Xelloss walked back into the camp.
"You're certainly awake early, Lina-san. Couldn't sleep well?"
She shrugged. "I certainly wasn't worried about my safety if that's what you mean. After all, we both know what a great job you've been doing in keeping me alive."
"You give me too much credit, Lina-san."
"Perhaps."
They continued exchanging sickeningly sweet smiles.
"I suppose I'll go to sleep now."
"Why? It isn't as if you need it. Talk with me for awhile."
Xelloss paused, and then settled into a more comfortable position. "How long have you known?"
She thought about that. Though it only really hit her recently, it seemed more like something she was finally sure about as opposed to just realizing. "Since the first time I met you."
"That long... May I ask how?"
"I knew there was something different about you right away," Lina smiled, various pieces falling into place as she began to talk. "You were able to hold your own against Gilga even though all of us combined couldn't do the same. Both Zeigram and Milgazia knew you and were scared. But the biggest clue...were the talismans and...Zel."
Xelloss smiled.
"Zel was always hostile around you, you could cut it with Gourry's wit. And your possession of the these talismans proved to be the connecting link." They both looked at the dark red gems glinting in the soft moonlight. "These talismans are boosters and when used as such tend to glow with power. Zel told me about a Mazoku who tried to kill him using some amplification talismans and a Bomb Blast."
The smile Xelloss had grew thinner. "And your conclusion?"
"You were the Mazoku working with Rezo and who tried kill to Zel. And your Hellmaster's servant."
"Not exactly." Lina could feel Xelloss's eyes on her, a bitterness touching his voice. "Though the deeds you attribute to me were done under my service to him."
"So Xelloss is your real name?"
"Yes. Priest Xelloss, sworn to Greater Beast Zelas Metallium." He amusedly sensed Lina Inverse's surprise at this admission. There was no harm in letting her know, Hellmaster-sama never said he couldn't. "Each Mazoku Lord has direct servants but as Hellmaster-sama lost his a long time ago, he...borrowed me from my true master."
Great. She had a bitter Mazoku on her hands. Xelloss probably wasn't enjoying his current position in life. But was his loyalty enough to ensure he wouldn't renegade against Hellmaster as Gaav had? How much could she get out of him?
"If you had noticed my true nature from the beginning, it seems pointless in hindsight for me to have hidden it. Has your friend over there realized it yet?"
Lina shook her head. "No, but she is highly suspicious of you thanks to Gourry. I guess he might sense something isn't right with you either."
"Funny. You would expect him to be the last to know. But Gourry-san was always very good at hiding." Xelloss smiled at Lina's confusion. She hadn't noticed Gourry's darker side yet. "By the way, did Zelgadiss-san ever explain to you how he knew I was a Mazoku?"
"No..." Now that she thought about it, how exactly did Zel know that? If Xelloss had been masquerading as a human, the only reason for which he's bother to cast a spell, then what clued Zel to Xelloss's true nature? The situation wasn't one for profound analytical thinking.
"That Zelgadiss-san is quite a mystery. And a survivor to live through that Bomb Blast."
"Why didn't you try to kill him later?"
Xelloss shook a finger. "It wasn't part of my orders."
"Are you Mazoku responsible for his..." Lina tried to think of a word to describe Zel's recent behavior.
"Current state of mind? No. But you may find it interesting that I can sense nothing abnormal about him."
"Nothing abnormal??" Lina yelled, then quickly lowered her voice as Sylphiel stirred. "Excuse me, I think he has 'abnormal' written all over him!"
"Exactly. It is only visible to the physical sense but to an Mazoku's other senses, Zelgadiss-san is like any other human." Xelloss thought for a minute and then corrected himself. "Though that isn't quite true."
"About Zel being human?" Lina asked sharply, remembering those vague references Gaav made during this duel with Zel. "He isn't a chimera anymore, at least on the outside. Perhaps something remained?"
"No, I don't believe so. Do you recall what it was that Gaav said?"
Lina noted that Xelloss did speak of Gaav with the same respect he gave to his own master and Hellmaster. Gaav must have really broken away from the other Mazoku.
"He did say some things about being not as human as they appeared, a half, Hellmaster called him mongrel..." Understanding began to light up in Lina's eyes. "You can't mean...that Zel is a...half..."
"Mazoku," Xelloss finished. "I was quite surprised myself. Somehow both Gaav and Hellmaster-sama were able to sense that though I couldn't. Something to do with how he is able to use the power of Her."
"Zel..."
"So, are you going to be more cooperative today?" His arms folded, Hellmaster looked up at the mongrel trapped in the crystals much more intricately than the blond human. He was talking to the mongrel itself but the shadows that writhed over its body. "Or will you continue throwing a fit?"
One of the shadows lashed out but struck the transparent crystal shield surrounding the prison. Angrily, it sank back. It was a constant pattern, always testing the crystal prison for any weaknesses to break out. But as the incident at Dragon's Peak proved, though the shadows and their master may be equal to Gaav, they were no match for a true Mazoku Lord.
A pity really. If the mongrel's power had been stronger, Fibrizo could have dispensed with Lina Inverse all together. But after almost two weeks of watching, he knew that the mongrel generated less Nightmare energy than the Giga Slave and his control over that energy was too strong to be bent to Hellmaster's plan. However, once the Giga Slave was in place, the extra source of energy would be suitable for unstabilizing it.
"What are you so sullen about? I only want to talk."
...we have nothing to say to you.
Fibrizo's eyes narrowed. "Finally. And I wouldn't be so quick to say that. After all, we do have something in common. Say a human called Lina Inverse?"
The shadows gathered into an amorphous mass, tendrils still wrapped around their host. The key is ours, it hissed.
"Obviously you know what my plans are. You could at least tell me what yours are. We might be able to cooperate."
You do not truly believe that.
"No," glibly replied the Mazoku Lord. "But as I see it, you're at my mercy, such as it may be. I could destroy your host and you'll go back to wherever you're from."
You wouldn't. You need this body.
"Not really. As I never knew one like him existed, I didn't take him into account in my plan. It will work very well with only Lina Inverse." Hellmaster fixed an eye on the dark mass. "You're probably the master of those golden-eyed things that Lina Inverse ran into in the mountains. How do you know of them?"
The shadow rippled and Fibrizo could imagine those beings were laughing.
"Are you their mysterious Masters?"
What would it matter to you if we were? The shadow was more restless, torn between its desire to explain itself and its need to be free, enforced by the need for some degree of secrecy.
"Not very impressive," Fibrizo noted the shadows in disdain. "I don't see why She didn't want us to know about you. Except perhaps to spare us the pathetic nature of your existence."
Silence, fool! raged the shadow, striking the crystal shield with such force to cause golden sparks to fly. You are nothing before us. Nothing even to that one who we curse. Only puppets moving to strings of the puppetmaster.
"I'm nothing? I'm not the one resorting to possessing a mongrel like you have there," snarled the Mazoku Lord, the comments about being a puppet hurting more than they should. "It took three of you to do it even."
When we are free of our prison, you will be the first, the shadow darkly promised, anger and impatience along with arrogance pushing it beyond the barriers of knowledge it usually kept. We existed long before any of you, we held a world all to our own. There was no struggle, all we surveyed was ours. We were the world.
Fibrizo raised an eyebrow. "If you were so powerful than why aren't you out here?"
Unlike you spineless fools, we did not accept the cursed one's commands willingly. For daring to refuse Her will, we were cast away, locked in darkness everlasting.
"How poetic," yawned Hellmaster. "Let me guess, you think Lina Inverse is the key to your freedom. Do you honestly think She wouldn't notice such a transparent attempt to escape?"
The shadows seemed to smirk. It matters not if the witch notices. There is nothing that can be done on this plane of existence. We will not make the same mistake again.
"You know, just for having such thoughts, I should destroy your host and dissipate the lot of you right now," Fibrizo shrugged, walking away from the entrapped mongrel and his possessors from way back when. "But I won't."
Almost chagrined that it had said too much, the shadows fell apart into three again. What are you up to?
Fibrizo only smiled. "I have some guests to take care of."
"What the hell is with this??" Lina screamed.
"Lina-san, could you lower your voice a little?" Sylphiel pleaded as half of the people in the street turned to look at the disturbance.
"How can you just take this calmly?" Lina hissed in a whisper, pulling the priestess down to her level. "Tell me what you see!"
"It looks exactly like Sairaag..."
"But Sairaag was destroyed, leveled, burned to the ground, etc. Even if a new town was constructed, it can't look exactly like the old one. I mean, if I go and find the Cheese Emporium in the exact same place, I'm going to..."
"Scream?" Xelloss suggested.
"No, see if they have any cheese this time."
Xelloss and Sylphiel exchanged confused looks.
"Private joke from the last time I came here," Lina sighed. "So Xelloss, how much longer are you sticking around?"
"My duty entails only in escorting you to Sairaag."
"Fine. Hope we don't meet again."
"Be careful what you wish for, Lina-san."
"Yeah, I know," Lina grumbled, remembering why she was here.
"Lina-san, was that a wise thing to do?" asked Sylphiel, watching Xelloss leave. "We aren't sure..."
"It's alright, Sylphiel. Hellmaster doesn't need him anymore." Lina began walking down main street which used to lead straight to the Flagoon. Now however, the massive bulk of the tree was replaced with the foreboding dark dome of a temple.
"Hellmaster? So Gourry-sama was right to suspect Xelloss-san." Sylphiel found herself having to step faster to keep up with Lina's pace. "So what are we going to do?"
"What else? A dashing, heroic rescue!" Lina winked. "We'll have your Gourry-sama and everyone else out in no time!"
Sylphiel blushed, and was quietly relieved that Lina was still able to make jokes. "But it's very strange, this town. It just doesn't look like my city, but the people..."
"The people are the same as well?"
"Yes."
"What is that brat up to," Lina muttered.
They arrived at the temple with no trouble, not even a glance from the oblivious townspeople. Lina figured it must have been even more disturbing to Sylphiel, everything she knew up to a year ago returned but not one recognizing her. It was if Sylphiel never existed in this Sairaag.
One problem at a time and the temple before them was a very big problem. From the distance, they hadn't seen any markings or portals and up close it was more of the same. Lina and Sylphiel flew around the structure and over it but they couldn't see any way to get in.
"You'd think they didn't want any visitors," Lina grumbled after they landed in the 'front' again. "Considering that it appears to be the only thing that wasn't Sairaag, Fibrizo is probably inside."
"If he created it, then we probably can't get inside without his permission."
"Or...we can use something more powerful than him," Lina winked.
Sylphiel stared at her. "Lina-san, you can't possibly mean to use the Giga Slave - "
"No no, that would be major overkill. Besides of course, maybe destroying the world in the process. I was going to use the Laguna Blade." Lina looked at Sylphiel warily. "Unless there's a prophecy about that one too."
"Would that be the one you used to free yourself at Dragon's Peak? Are you sure you can handle it?" Sylphiel was referring to Lina's first attempt after which she was barely able to stand.
"I know what to expect now," Lina reassured her. "Here it goes. Lord who controls the darkness of four worlds, I beseech thy fragments..."
Suddenly a normal wooden door with a metal knob appeared on the smooth dark gray wall. Lina and Sylphiel blinked.
"That...wasn't here a moment ago right?" Sylphiel asked as they cautiously approached it.
"No," Lina confirmed, checking the plain door for any traps. "But if it's here, we might as well try it."
Motioning Sylphiel back, Lina reached out for the door and gave it a quick pull, leaping back ready to blast anything that came out. But the wooden door only fell to the ground, revealing a black portal behind it. Silently, signaling Sylphiel to keep her distance, Lina stepped up to the portal. It looked safe enough. She went through.
And promptly came back out.
"Lina-san? Did something happen?"
Lina stumbled, blinking away the blind spots. She looked at Sylphiel, then back at the portal behind her. Wasn't she just in the portal? How did she end up out here?
Ignoring Sylphiel's confused look, Lina turned back around to face the portal. "Alright, let's try that again."
Lina ran in. And she came right back out. And she ran in again to the darkness within the portal. How long was she running? And where were all the lights? There! There's a light. Lina dove for it.
Sylphiel watched Lina dive out of the portal and come to a sliding stop several feet away.
"Ano, Lina-san?"
Lina propped up her head on one hand, drumming her fingers on the ground. "Don't ask. Somehow, in that darkness, I get turned around. It looks like that there's more to this than it seems. Fibrizo isn't going to let us just waltz in."
"Perhaps then we should explore the city some more," Sylphiel suggested. "Maybe if we learn how the city was brought back..."
"Just say you want to see if your father is here, Sylphiel," Lina said, brushing off the dirt as she stood up. "At the very least, we know we can trust him to tell us the truth."
"I can only tell you what I was given to know."
"Impossible..." Sylphiel gasped as a person walked up to them, seemingly from nowhere. Lina was also shocked.
"It has been a long time hasn't it? Lina-dono."
"But you..." Lina stammered. It was one thing to expect to see him, but knowing that he died right before her eyes and seeing him before her now was still a shock.
"Fa...father!" Sylphiel cried running into her father's arms. Lina narrowly watched the tearful reunion. The priestess pulled slightly away from her father. "But how? I saw you die..."
"You and just about the rest of the city," Lina added, waving an arm at Sairaag. "I don't suppose you can explain to us what all of this is."
He gently smoothed the long hair of the crying priestess. "I have missed you but I wished that you never had come."
"But why...?"
"Sorry to break this up but could we go somewhere a bit less public?" Lina interrupted.
Sylphiel's father nodded. "Of course. Come with me to my mansion."
"This town isn't real, is it?" Lina said flatly as they sat around the long dinner table in the mansion. She hadn't gotten a very good look at the place before but it seemed so empty with only three people.
"You are correct. This town, and all of the people here, are not alive."
The news fell like a rock. Lina had suspected this place was a fake, she hadn't expected him to come out and admit everyone was dead. No, he hadn't said that. He said no one here was alive.
Sylphiel slowly reached out a hand to her father's heart. "His heart...isn't beating..."
"But, you aren't any type of undead I'm familiar with," Lina frowned.
"We are not undead. We, the people and everything here, are part of Fibrizo-sama. He created us, he knows us, he controls us. I will warn you now that I cannot help you against him."
Sylphiel closed her eyes, struggling to absorb all of this. Lina didn't bother with the struggle point, there was time for that later.
"What can you tell us about that temple? Is there anyone other than Fibrizo inside?"
"Forgive me, but I was not given that information."
"This is terrible," Sylphiel whispered, picking up a teacup to sip to calm her nerves. The cup was suddenly whacked away from her mouth. Startled, and a bit angry, Sylphiel looked up at Lina leaning across the table with a speculative look at the spilt tea. "Lina-san, what did you do that for?"
"Didn't you hear what he said?" Lina gestured at Eruk, Sylphiel's father. "Everything here is a part of Fibrizo. I don't know exactly what it means but consider this. Mazoku, pure Mazoku, don't really exist in our world. They have to create forms in order to interact with us and the world. If, and mind you this is only a theory, if the amount of matter a Mazoku could manipulate in our world is proportional to its power, then one like Fibrizo could have created a much larger or impressive form than that of a kid."
"What are you saying?"
Lina rolled her eyes. "I'm saying that Fibrizo could be using his energies elsewhere instead of creating some hideous scary form. That this whole place could just be an extension of Fibrizo himself! If the buildings and people are, what's to say that the food and drink aren't!"
"Oh Ceiphied," moaned the priestess as she realized what she had been about to do. "But that means..."
"We can't really live here, even if the food and drink were normal. I'm not crazy about living under a hundred different eyes, all of which answer to Hellmaster." Lina stood up. "I'm going to try that temple again. And if we still can't get in through that door, I will use the Laguna Blade."
"I wish you luck."
Sylphiel and Lina looked back at Eruk.
"Is that you or Fibrizo speaking?"
"...I don't know."
"You know Sylphiel, you don't have to do this. The town outside of this valley still seems safe. Fibrizo is only after me, he may just kill you."
Sylphiel shook her head. "I'm going with you."
"Are you sure? I promise I'll bring Gourry back in one piece," Lina teased.
"It isn't just because of Gourry-sama," Sylphiel smiled, shaking her head as she looked around the road. "It is because of this city as well. Everything here is a mockery of the place where I grew up. My father, my home, even though I know they are dead and gone, looking at this place somehow makes me almost believe that my memories are lies." Sylphiel wiped away a tear. "Anyway I'm going with you whether you want me to or not. I want to give that Fibrizo a piece of my mind."
"Well, if that's the way it is," Lina shrugged, secretly relieved that she wouldn't be going into this alone. But still, it was a rather ridiculous scene if taken out of context. Two lone magic users going against a Mazoku Lord.
"That door we saw earlier is gone," Sylphiel noted.
"It was probably a trick the entire time," Lina snorted, raising her hands to cast the spell. "Stay back, Sylphiel. I'm still not too sure how well I can control the blade." Sylphiel nodded and once she was a safe distance away, Lina began the chant.
"Lord who controls the darkness of four worlds, I beseech thy fragments; by all of the power thou possesseth, grant the heavens' wrath to my hand. Unleash the sword of dark, freezing nothingness; by our power, our combined might, let us walk as one along the path of destruction. Laguna Blade!!"
Lina slashed through the wall, a shield she didn't notice before briefly warping to resist the spell before collapsing entirely and letting the nothingness eat away at the stone wall.
"Are you alright?" Sylphiel asked, rushing up to support the sorceress if needed. Lina waved away her concern.
"There's the door we were looking for." She pointed at the long jagged gash in the stone wall. "Let's go."
The inside of the temple appeared as vast as the outside. A long hallway stretched out before them, lit only intermitently by torches. The place was like a tomb, no sounds other than their own running feet and hurried breathing. To their own ears, each footstep sounded like an explosion.
"Lina-san," Sylphiel finally said, after several minutes of walking in silence. "Have you given any thought as to what Hellmaster wants with you?"
The sorceress took a deep sigh. "He wants me to cast the Giga Slave."
"The Giga Slave??"
"And yes I remember the consequences of the spell," Lina smiled wanly, recalling both Sylphiel's warning and the vision of that scrying pool. "Hellmaster knows the result as well. That's why he wants me to cast it."
"But then why did you come here?" Sylphiel asked alarmed.
"I couldn't just leave everyone here," Lina shrugged, walking briskly. "You'd think someone would put a map of this place somewhere."
"But the Giga Slave!"
"I'll worry about it when we meet him."
"Which may be sooner than you think, Lina Inverse."
The two looked up at the echoing voice of Hellmaster.
"Don't try too hard to find me. I'm at the very center and bottom of my home. Oh, did I forget to welcome you?"
"What game are you playing now?" Lina demanded.
"Game? Wouldn't you like to know," he laughed. "I'll give you this." Before Lina and Sylphiel, two visions appeared. One was of Amelia, still trapped in crystal. The other was a Gourry in another crystal. "Find the crystals and defeat their guardians to get back your friends."
"Where's Zel?" Lina yelled as the visions disappeared.
"Him? He's with me. Come find us when you're ready!"