Notes: There are three continuities in the Slayers universe: the novels, the manga, and the anime. This deals solely with the anime since I have never read any of the manga or novels.
Furthermore, most of the information I got about the spells from the Slayers anime universe are from the following websites and my own notes from watching the series:
Inverse[DOT]org
-anime[DOT]org/rpgs/slayers-spells[DOT]html
http:/animeyume[DOT]com/slayers/magicspells[DOT]html
http:/www[DOT}absoluteanime[DOT]com/slayers/
I decided to list then just in case anyone was curious. Feel free to browse.
I have taken a few liberates and made up a few incantations for some of the existing spells in the slayers universe which have no incantations that I know of such 'freeze arrow.' I may also make up one or two spells as needed, but I will try to keep as much as possible to the spells already existing in the Slayers universe. I also try to stick to spells for a character that I know that character has cast sometime in the animated series although again I might take some liberties and add a spell or two to a character's arsenal which I believe that character is likely to cast.
Now I would like to ask readers if they want me to site the spells I use in the chapters at the end of said chapter with a brief explanation of what that spell is. I can do that if people want, but if no one speaks up I'm going to let you find the spells yourself if you are curious about them in the websites I have listed above.
One more note: To my knowledge there are five seasons to the Slayers anime (excluding all the movies and OVA's that might have slipped past me): The Slayers, Slayer's Next, Slayers Try, Slayers Revolution , and Slayers Evolution-R. As I said before this story is set solely in the anime 'verse.
Revolution and Evolution-R are newer series compared to the other three (the copyright dates I could find on them are 2008 and 2009), but they are still pretty good so I added them to the list. The four main characters have the same voices (at least in the English version) animation is pretty good and it has new adventures for Lena and crew. (Plus there are some really cute scenes with human Zel in it) ;p If anyone is curious and hasn't seen them yet, you can find pretty much all of the episodes up on YouTube.
Okay enough of my rambling. Lets get on with the story!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing and no one from any of the Slayers. I am just a poor college student who also happens to be a rabid Zel fan and this just happens to be a fanfiction that my mind came up with that I feel like sharing with other fans. I make absolutely NO money from this. It is merely for fun and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don't sue and fans please enjoy.
Title: Changes: Part 1
Chapter 1: At the Beginning
That night Zelgadis Graywords ran. He ran as fast and far as he could. He needed to get away. He couldn't take it anymore. Not after this.
How could Rezo do this to me? I'm a monster. A freaking monster.
Zelgadis barely felt the brush that would have just hours before torn his clothes, bare feet and legs to bloody shreds. Nothing could seem to hurt him as he crashed blindly though the dark forest. Small creatures of the night scattered before him, but he didn't notice. He was too caught up in his own thoughts, too distraught to even think about using a levitation spell to flee.
Damn you! Damn you Rezo…. Why? What did I do to deserve this? What?
The teenager dashed tears from his eyes angrily, but more fell down his cheeks, clouding his vision. His anguish was almost palatable. Suddenly his foot caught an upraised root and he tripped, crashing to the ground.
He lay there panting on his side, staring blindly forward. He almost longed for the pain his original body would have felt at such a fall. The wind hadn't even been knocked from his lungs. He caught sight of the new, blue pebbled skin of his arms in the dim moonlight and had to look away. He couldn't stand to even look at himself. Instead just he curled up and sobbed into his hands.
What am I going to do? I'm a monster.
The boy cried until he didn't have anymore tears left to shed then he rolled over on his back and stared up at the night sky. The moon was above him. He could see it through the trees. It was barely a silver of light, but he knew it was growing towards it fullness. His eyelids drooped as he quietly watched the sky above him. He was so tired. No, not just tired… numb. He knew he should get up. It was too dangerous to fall asleep in a forest like this with no protection, but it was so impossible comfortable where he lay. He didn't want to move. His body felt so heavy. Besides he wasn't sure he would really care if something came along and ate him. What did it matter when he was cursed to look like this?
The exhausted teenager let his eyelids fall shut. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. He didn't want to have to feel anymore. He just wanted to sleep.
…
Zelgadis gasped awake and sat up bolt upright, glancing around him scared, but there was nothing there. Just the forest and the sounds of night life around him. What had frightened him so? He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It must have being something he was dreaming about. There was nothing dangerous around him. He relaxed back on his hands, breathing hard and let his head fall back to look at the sky again. It was still dark out even thought the moon was setting. He must have only slept for a couple of hours, but he still felt so exhausted. He rubbed his tired eyes, then saw his hand again. The skin that had been soft and pale before was now hard and rough and blue. Black pebbles dotted the blueness in an asymmetrical patter of some kind. It was disgusting. He looked away. He didn't want to look like this. He wanted his old body back. "Why Rezo why?" he said the despairing words out loud as if someone would answer him, but no answer came. He sighed and flopped back on his side, curling up and closing his eyes. He wanted to sleep some more, to shut out this awful reality and surrender himself to nothingness again, but try as he might he couldn't fall asleep again. He sighed and sat up, resting his head in his hands. Why did the world insist on being so cruel to him?
His sharp, pointed ears twitched, picking up a sound his human ears never would have at that distance. He lifted his head, turning it towards the sound and listened, curious. Voices. He couldn't hear the words, but whoever was talking was definitely human. Who would be out here at this time of night?
Sudden panic surged up within Zelgadis. His stomach seemed to jump into his throat with his panic. He swallowed hard, feeling as if butterflies were fluttering around inside him. Had Rezo sent someone to take him back?
Horrified by the thought, Zelgadis stumbled to his feet, glancing around him, trying to decide which way he should go. He chose a direction and started running again. He bit stubbornly down on the panic that threatened to bubble up inside him as he raced through the forest again and tried to force the shivers that had overtaken his body away. He couldn't let Rezo catch him. He wouldn't go back. He'd never go back.
Zel only got a few dozen feet before he heard a snap. He cried out in surprise as something suddenly enveloped him and lifted him off his feet into the air. He was disoriented and it took a couple minutes for him to realize he was hanging from a tree in a net. But how?
He looked around him, arms and legs flailing in the net, trying to get upright again and saw the mechanism. The net had been a trap. It was pre-set. Zelgadis doubted it was for him. There was no way Rezo would know which way he would run and on top of that, Rezo would certainly not have resorted to something as crude as a rope net to catch him, but then who set it. What was going on?
"Hey I heard something… This way."
Zel flinched at the sound of the voices again. Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Really close. He didn't want to meet these people. He had no clue what they'd do if they saw him. He had to get out of this infernal net now! But how? He hadn't even thought to bring a knife with him let alone a sword.
"I think we caught something."
No time for subtlety. He chose the first spell that came to mind and lifted his hands, starting the incantation.
"Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. FIREBALL!"
The firey power raged out from his palms searing a hole through the top of the net. The last few surviving strands of rope snapped within seconds and Zel suddenly found himself and the rest of the net falling thought the air.
This time it hurt a little when he landed on the ground with a thump. He grunted in surprise then struggled to get him self untangled from the remains of the net.
"What the hell was that?"
Shit. Zelgadis cursed himself. They had seen the light. He should have known better. Dammit get off. He struggled harder with the tangle of thick netting, clawing at it desperately with his fingers, but it just wouldn't let his legs go. He was scared what the humans would do to him if they found him. He was surprised to find even with everything that had happened to him in the last 24 hours he still did want to live.
"It's here!"
Zel gasped hearing the voice so close. So terribly close. He had been so caught up with his struggles he had almost forgotten other humans were closing in on him, then a stranger parted the brush to his right.
"Zixcy's right. We caught something big. I think it's a troll or something."
Zel gapped for a moment at the human who had seemingly suddenly appeared then immediately started a new spell, whispering it hurriedly under his breath.
"Light of life, brighter than flame, Let thy power gather in my hand."
He hid the lighting spell in his hands until the last second then shoved it out at the approaching human. Pure white light flared up in the darkness.
"AH! My eyyyeeees!"
Zel knew he was successful at the cry, but then he hear others.
"Shit it got Taj. Taj!"
The stranger cowered away from him covering his blinded eyes. The spell would give Zel a few extra precious seconds, which was all he needed. He grabbed the mans knife from his belt and cut the ropes trapping his body and jumped to his feet.
More humans crashed out of the brush behind him. He whirled, throwing another short spell he had kept ready on the tip of his tongue.
"Wind at my command, come to my hand! BOMDIWIND!"
The gathered air soared out from his palms knocking the second human back into the trees. Zel didn't even notice that spell had been stronger than any of the others of its kind he had ever cast. He couldn't believe he wasn't even a little tired from all the castings yet. His luck must finally be turning for the good. Made sense after all the horrible things that had happened to him lately.
"It's out of the net!"
"Catch it! Before it gets someone else."
Zel whirled from the men he just blasted into the trees and raced away in the opposite direction, but a strong hand caught his arm. "Where do you think you're going?"
He cried out and shielded away, slicing at the hand with the knife he had stolen. The hand suddenly let go before the knife could reach it and off balanced Zel fell on his butt with a gasp, the knife skittering away into the brush.
"What the hell are you?"
Zelgadis glanced up to find what had to be the biggest man he had ever seen towering above him. The human was ever bigger then Romidus! Taller too! The teenage chimera back peddled from the man really scared now, adrenaline pumping hot in his veins, until his back hit a tree. He glanced over his shoulder and finding nowhere else to go started a new incantation. Wind spells on his mind he immediately started the incantation for a blam gush.
"Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and-"
"Oh no you don't."
Light flashed before Zel's eyes as something hard crashed into the side of his skull. He cried out, ruining the spell, surprised by the pain. The blow threw him to the ground. He lay there panting on his chest as stars flickered before his eyes and red hot pain throbbed in his head. He hadn't even seen the blow coming. The world seemed to swim around him. He felt like he was going to be sick… But he needed to keep going… as far away from Rezo as possible. He couldn't stop now. He tried to push himself up on his hands despite the darkness that had started to eat away at his vision.
New pain smashed into his side. The blow picked him up and slammed him back into the tree. He screamed as he felt something inside him break. Then the darkness swallowed him up and he didn't have to feel anything anymore.
TBC…
Hello all. It is so nice of you to try out my little fanfic. This is the first chapter in part 1 of a projected 2 part fanfiction centered around Zelgadis. I am an old Slayers fan (I think it was the first real anime I ever saw actually, as a kid of course, and I definitely still enjoy it), but I am a new fanfiction writer to the Slayers category and I would really like a few reviews to know how I'm doing. Reviews keep my fingers typing so please if you like and want me to keep going please, PLEASE review. I would really appreciate it. Oh and if you haven't guessed Part 1 of this fanfic is set before Zel met Lena and crew and right after his change. Thanks for reading. I really hope you like and one last time please, please review :)
P.S. My chapter titles are mostly inspired by songs or lyrics within a song that I generally like (although sometimes inspired by other media like popular movies etc…)
Main title: "Changes" is from the song "Changes" sung by Carrie Underwood.
Chapter title: "At the Beginning" is from a song of the same title sung by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis.