"We found it Gourry!" a shrill voice shouted in excitement. The voice in question belonged to the one and only Lina Inverse. "Gourry this is it the Orb of Luminance" she grasped her hands together as she stared in awe at it's beauty. The orb itself was bright seemingly made of nothing of light, the power it contained was unlimited. And soon it would be in her clutches...erm her safe hands.
"Lina...what exactly does this do hickey do?" Gourry asked in curiosity. Twirling the said object between his fingers.
Lina blanched as she watched the way Gourry was twirling the Orb. "Gourry don't touch that you might drop..."
Gourry tossed the object back towards its pedestal, only to have it miss by a few inches. "Whoops sorry Lina" Gourry said smiling.
Lina let out a scream as she dived for the Orb of Luminance, "phew I caught it...Nani?!" Lina's grin dyed on her lips as she watched in horror as the Orb disappeared in her hands. "Ahhh Gourry you meat for brains!..." Her tirade was cut short however when a bright light began to envelope her.
Gourry stared in horror when he saw Lina's form go transparent, then disappear altogether. "Lina! Lina! I have to go get help!" turning Gourry ran from the cave heading for the nearby inn.
Two Hours Later...
Gourry finaly reached the town still running he headed for the INN. Gourry knew he wasn't the smartest but he knew something like this would happen when Lina had insisted that they go to the caves alone.
Flashback...
Gourry could hear rustling coming from out in the hallway, quietly getting up he peered into the hallway only to see Lina making her way to the hallway window.
"Lina where are you going?" Gourry asked curiously as he walked into the hallway shutting the door behind him.
"Shhh Gourry! I don't want the others to hear. I heard through the locals of some kind of powers hidden up in the nearby mountains I think it could hold the answer to Zel's cure"
"Oh ok but why don't you want the others to know?"
"Because Gourry if it fails I don't want them to be disappointed"
"Oh. Well then I'll go to, I have to be there just in case anything happens. I did say I would be your bodyguard didn't I?" Gourry asked smiling.
Lina let one of her rare soft smiles reach her lips even as she grabbed him by the arms, grinning evilly she tugged him from the windows. "Ray Wing!"
He was supposed to be Lina's bodyguard and he couldn't even protect her from a ...but it was his fault in the first place. He didn't mean to drop the orb it had slipped and now Lina was gone, well he would find her and then he would tell her how he felt. They had been traveling together for so long that it had never occurred to him that anything dangerous would happen to either of them. He had the sword of light and Lina was a powerful sorceress. But today showed that anything could happen to either of them and he was determined to tell Lina inverse that he...Time enough for that later.
Quickly he ran through the Inn doors his eyes scanning the interior for his friends. His eyes rested to one of the many tables set up in the back of the room. Zelgadis Greywards was sitting at the table sipping a cup of coffee most likely. While Amelia was chattering inanely about justice while trying to grab Zel's attention, a certain someone was floating above the chimera's head. All in all a very normal day for the slayers gang.
"Zel!" Gourry panted as he stopped in front of the table.
"Calm down Gourry, and tell us what's wrong...where's Lina?" Zelgadis without even looking knocked the Mazakou from over his head. Xellos fell to the floor with a loud thump.
So Gourry explained from the top what had happened and led up to the point of him arriving back at the INN. Everyone was in shock, everyone varying in different ways. Amelia began to cry then she straightened her back and began to give a justice speech. Xellos seemed to have a worried expression flash across his face but then that disappeared and it was replaced with a smile that seemed a little forced. Zelgadis while all this was being said was being unnaturally quiet; his hand shaking slightly as it held the coffee cup.
Lina screamed as she fell through seemingly endless black space. And for once in her life she was scared, she had no clue how long she had been falling but all she knew was that she had better stop soon.
As if answering her wishes Lina came crashing down hard and then everything went black.
Later...
Lina blinked her eyes groggily as she slowly sat up. "Where the heck am I?"
"That is what I would like to know!" a loud booming voice demanded more then asked.
Lina huffed how dare someone demand anything of her, turning she gave one of her most cocky grins which died immediately as she saw what was speaking to her...A giant ghostly head! "Wha...Wha...What are you?!" Lina asked even as she began to back up.
The giant head laughed evilly as it seemed to stare through her. "I am lord Arago and you are in my domain! Now I ask again how did you get here!"
"You asked...well I would like to stay and chat hehehe but I must be off! RAY WING!" Lina didn't waste any time in flying out of there.
Arago for the most part was in shock that small girl had just flew out of there...and she was mortal. "Yami Ma Sho, Oni Masho, Doku Masho, Gen masho come to me at once!"
The intricate candles that were held up by the tall candleholders flickered briefly, when the flames were again lit 4 figures stood in their respective places.
"What have you called us for Lord Arago?" the first stepped forward his long white hair obscuring right eye.
"I want you to find this girl" Arago demanded of them as he somehow (he has no body!) to bring up the image of Lina on a screen. "And bring her to me..."