Lina felt it, something she had not felt since... then... The day the Lord of Nightmares took her. Pure being - no confines - simply existence. "Morning Lina-Chan!" the voice, who's was it? Xellos - why was she with Xellos? "Sleep well?" speak, open your eyes, do something. Her mind shouted uselessly at her body. "Oh - opps - forgot to tell you. You're going to have a little adjusting to do - try moving your soul... Oh - here - let me teach you" she felt a presence like a gentle hand over her whole body, yet somehow soft and gentle. Suddenly, she felt it - Xellos's mind, and she felt her own somehow leave her. She knew every secret he did - and then it all was replaced with a simple 'knowing' and 'sore wa himitsu desu'. Lina felt her own spirit, her true being begin to move, her eyes fluttered open and she saw the beauty and chaos of the astral plane. And she saw Xellos. "Welcome back!" Xellos smiled.
Lina felt she could not panic, no emotion touched her. "Why am I here Xellos?"
He floated around behind her "because, you are about to feel pleasure, unlimited, undilluted, and consuming." Lina felt it, a spark in the center of her being, it grew, slowly at first, and then settled.
"You call that pleasure - I can name things I like a lot more than that."
Xellos smiled and waved his finger at her "Tsk, Tsk, Lina-chan. It takes time for things like this to grow." and suddenly she saw herself at the camp she had slept in last night - except she wasn't there. She merely had a presence.
"LINA! LINA!" Gourry yelled, looking around.
Zel poked the fire, "you know Lina - when she smells breakfast she'll come running." Amelia snored quietly from a log next to where Zel was. Obviously, still drowsee from the walks of previous days. Lina saw Xellos appear, somehow both like herself and physically.
"Zellie!" he said cheerfully. "How you been, sleep well? I do hope that you make it in time - where's Lina anyway?"
Zel regarded Xellos with his normal level of trust "look, fruitcake, you know as well as I do that you can find Lina easier than most anyone and I don't know where she is so go away." Lina felt something inside her grow, gently, quietly.
Xellos giggled. "oh please Zel..."
Zel suddenly caught on "Where's Lina? What did you do with her?"
Xellos giggled again. "Sore wa Himits..." suddenly a sword had cut itself straight through Xellos's chest. "Arigato!" the very instant the sword penetrated, Lina felt it. Whatever Xellos had put inside her had just doubled, and it was pleasure - not like anything she had felt before - not mixed with physical feeling - simply the euforea of pleasure. "Don't worry about Lina... I'm sure she'll... show up" and with that, he hopped up, stepped in the fire so his clothes caught and began to burn. "mmm... that feels good." and with that he dissappeared.
Lina felt her presence fade and she was back on the astral plane again. "What was that?" she asked her mind, which promptly responded in Xellos's voice, "That, Lina-chan, is the pleasure that only mazoku can feel. The food which I, and now you, can feed on." and with that Lina felt her entire being relax into a sleep again.
Amelia knew her Zel was upset about Lina, and she had to admit - she was worried. Gourry still didn't quite understand the concept of how she was gone and would only give a cheerful "I'm sure she just went ahead to the next town to eat." and keep walking, surely, sometimes stupidity was a blessing.
Amelia decided to speak up, "Zelgadis! Cheer up! Xellos may not uphold the code of justice like he should, but he won't do anything bad to Lina." Zel had his doubts "Come on!" she said and wrapped her arms around his chest. "In the name of justice, I order you to smile!" Zel couldn't resist that line, which even Amelia had a joking tone about. The ground began to shake, this isn't right Zel thought, my shamanist power should have alerted me to this before hand. the ground in front of them opened, and a gigantic worm creature shot into the air.
"This isn't good, those worms are desert creatures - this absolutely reaks of a summoning." Zel shouted, as the worm turned towards Amelia and dived.
Gourry jumped in front, neatly slicing the bottom half of the worm, however - it was not entirely diverted and Amelia hit the ground, Zel began summoning his power when. "Hold it right there you evil worm-thing! You work against good and just people! In the name of Justice, cease and desist this action or feel the wraith of Phil, prince of seyruun and champion of Justice." (*Worm and everyone but Amelia and Phil sweatdrop*)
The worm regarded Phil momentarily and then turned back towards Zel, he felt power eminating from this one, the power it feed off of. "You have been warned! Now prepare yourself! - PACAFIST CRUSH!" Phil jumped at the worm and in a storm of yells including "GOOD WILL TOWARDS MAN KICK" and Phil's other moves which are all well known in the SWF (Seyruu Wrestling Federation) in the end, the worm was tied into 4 different knots and held over Phils head, who gently set it down. "Now that you've stopped that, I can teach you the meaning of proper and just behavior."
Zel walked up behind Phil and spoke "Morning, Phileonil, what are you doing here?"
Phil turned "Why, Mr. Zelgadis, I've been invited to Geoas as a judge," at this point he patted his slightly oversized belly slightly "I've been invited as a judge for 4 years straight now. This worm, however, needs a stern lecture on justice - so - I'll have to talk later. oh - Amelia dear. There you are!" Amelia came out from behind Zel and gave the normal father/daughter how-are-yous and talked about justice for about 10 minutes, then Phil looked back up towards Zel "well, if Lina is going to Geoas, I look like I'll have some competition. I'll meet you all there!" and with that he turned to the worm and began lecturing again.
Lina felt it inside, raw, pure - pleasure, power, emotion. All were one and the same. Her magic gave it a wonderful cucoon to grow in, she rested peacefully. Xellos admired her beautiful body. It was coming, the time Lina would discover just what she was - why she was there. Just what did the Lord of Nightmares tell her? and just when would Lina realize what it meant. The time was approaching... Soon - very soon.