Author's Notes
Probably a good time for me to note that a now nameless character in this story is neither a Slayers character nor an OC, but rather a character originating from another fandom. If you know her or not, it really doesn't matter at all as far as this story goes. But I do note that she's "borrowed".
7
That night, Xellos had another knock on his door. He opened it himself, and saw Filia, though she wasn't behaving the same as the other times she'd knocked on his door at night. She looked at him silently, with a stony expression. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Filia-san?" Xellos asked.
"Xellos-san... You are a mazoku after all then," she said.
"Correct," Xellos said.
"You're a liar, you filthy garbage!" Filia shouted. She grabbed her mace and wielded it, swinging it forward, intent on damaging the mazoku in front of her.
Instead, there was now a hole in the well-crafted doorway of Seyruun castle, as Xellos had done a short distance teleport to avoid her. "Oh? A liar? Filia-san, I really am a mazoku, you know."
"I do know," Filia said. So many things about him made sense now. Filia also now, knowing the truth about him, recognized the energy of his miasma as distinctly mazoku in nature. She supposed she really should have figured it out long before. "So you lied in saying you were human."
"I don't recall ever having said that," Xellos said calmly. "In fact I told you my name from the start. For better or worse, I believe I'm well known among your kind."
Filia trembled with rage as she heard this. So he was even THAT Xellos, the one who had hatefully destroyed thousands of her kind. She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been. "Lying by omission is still lying, you monster garbage!" she shouted, again swinging at him.
Xellos again dodged, appearing a little farther away this time, and gave a laugh as he reappeared. "Garbage?" he repeated. "So, just discovering that I'm a mazoku, you now think I'm garbage?"
"Of course," Filia declared. "You mazoku are nothing but a race made of the garbage of the world's discontent."
"Hm. I had been thinking you were different than other dragons, Filia-san. But here you are, defining my race in such narrow terms."
"It's true, isn't it? You're filthy beasts who should all be eliminated."
"Speaking of how you wish for peace from one side of your mouth, declaring your wish for destruction from the other. Typical hypocrisy from the barbaric dragon race," Xellos said with a shrug.
Filia's eyes widened with anger as he spoke this way of dragons, but she still stood steadfast, looking threateningly at him. "One who would have the world destroyed has no right to judge us!"
"But you also wish for it, don't you, Filia-san?" Xellos asked.
"No!" Filia shouted vehemently. "I'm nothing like you, monster!"
"But just now, you said it yourself, didn't you?" Xellos said. "We're 'products of the world's discontent' who should be 'eliminated', aren't we? And the only way to permanently be rid of that discontent would be to destroy the world."
For the moment, Filia couldn't think of a word in response, but still didn't falter with her fighting stance. Xellos frowned. It was easy to do so, but he hadn't really meant to berate her with the various hypocrisies of golden dragons and their belief system all at once there. It had been rude, and he didn't want to incite her anger any further than the truth already had. "Well, that is-" he began again.
"Silence, garbage. I'll destroy you myself, right here."
Though Filia's mace almost touched his face, Xellos didn't move, just stared at her blankly. "Please put your weapon away, Filia-san. I have no intention of fighting you."
"Well, I have every intention of fighting you, monster, so prepare yourself," Filia said.
"Even though you really stand no chance?" Xellos said.
"We'll see," Filia said. "I won't hold back anything against you."
"Hm?" Xellos said. He was surprised at just how fearless Filia was being. Foolish, but still fearless. She wasn't going to back off. "Well, if you really do insist, I suppose I have no choice. Let's fight, then."
Filia's anger only increased as Xellos calmly accepted her challenge. Couldn't he take this as seriously as her? "I hope you understand that I don't just rely on physical attacks. I know a wide variety of magics, many designed to destroy your kind."
"I'm aware that you're quite talented, Filia-san. As I've already said, I'll fight you if you insist. But I'd still rather not," Xellos still spoke calmly.
"And why not? Afraid of exerting yourself, Xellos?" Filia said.
"No," Xellos said. "It's just, if I battle you, I can't be sure of the result. Defending myself, I would likely even end up killing you."
"Isn't that all you're made to do?" Filia asked. "You've killed thousands of my kind before."
"Yes, during the war, I did indeed. But we're not at war with each other at the moment, so there's no need for me to," Xellos said.
"You're always at war with anything living, aren't you? You wouldn't hesitate to kill me, would you?"
"In this situation, I would," Xellos said. "It would disappoint me if you no longer existed."
"Liar!" Filia said. "You can't deny that you want to erase the existence of the whole world, the same as any mazoku!"
"It's true," Xellos said. "But for now this world continues to exist, and I've grown to enjoy you as a part of it. It's the same as you for me, isn't it?"
Xellos reached his hand forward to Filia. She slapped it away. She had wanted to hear something like this from Xellos for quite a while, but he wasn't who she'd thought he was. Now, she just narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll eliminate you, monster, for the protection of everyone here," she said, again aiming her mace toward him.
Xellos backed away. "Fine. Shall we move outside, to spare the Seyruun royal family's castle any more damage from the actions of the stubborn and reckless dragon they invited in? As a guest, I suppose I also ought to consider everyone's safety as well."
Filia still seethed. Why was he mocking her by still playing the part of the gentleman? She'd already unmasked him, shouldn't he be acting as the fearsome and destructive mazoku that she and everyone else now knew he was?
"Well then, I'll take the trouble of transporting us to a more suitable location," Xellos said. He touched Filia's shoulder, and she recoiled, though not before he'd already teleported them into the courtyard. "There we are. At some distance from the building. I wonder if it will really be enough." Xellos seemed to hide a laugh as he spoke.
"Mazoku, don't test me. I'll transform into my true form and use the full extent of my powers," Filia threatened.
"Considering the difference between us, it might be in your best interest for you to give it your all," Xellos said.
"I will," Filia insisted. "I'll transform and destroy you right here!"
Xellos nodded, and looked at Filia blankly. She didn't appear to make a move. "Go ahead then. I'll wait for as long as it takes," Xellos goaded.
Filia hesitated. She noticed that Xellos gazed at her with anticipation. It reminded her of the indecent thoughts she'd had, wishing he might look at her this way, in a very different context, of course. Filia was flustered and angry with herself, though she turned that anger back to Xellos. She didn't want him watching her as she transformed. "Look away and I'll do so," she said.
"Hm? You could see how tactically that wouldn't be the best decision for me," Xellos said.
"Just do it, Xellos," Filia hissed.
"No. I'll give you some leeway, but not that much."
"I wouldn't do anything underhanded. I'm not a mazoku, after all," Filia insisted.
Xellos began to get annoyed. He was being completely straightforward with her, and still she continued to insult him like this. "Your request is very suspicious," he said. "A member of a shifty race with a suspicious request, right after she promised to kill me. Come now, Filia-san, you can't expect me to fall for that."
"There's nothing suspicious at all!" Filia insisted. Xellos said nothing now, just stared at her smiling. "There's not! I'm just briefly unclothed upon transforming... So if you would just look away for a moment."
"Oh, that," Xellos said coolly. "Ease your mind Filia-san. As a mazoku, I have no interest in that sort of thing. So, transform then."
Filia clenched her jaw in humiliation. The idea that she had openly shown her interest to a man that had none bothered her greatly. "M-mazoku garbage," she eventually said. "It's a matter of modesty! Your kind wouldn't understand!"
"Is that so? If I'm really that lacking in understanding, why bother caring about my presence at all?" Xellos asked.
"I-" Filia stopped. She wasn't really thinking clearly enough to provide an adequate response to that question. It outraged her that he was being so flippant about her request, so patronizing about his race's lack of sexuality. Even considering that, they were still the most vile creatures on the planet, weren't they? "You'd defile me just for the fun of it, wouldn't you?" she said.
"Hm?" Xellos smiled widely. "Is that what you want me to do? 'Defile' you? Oh my."
"Y-You depraved garbage!" Filia shouted. She swung her mace toward him, this time hitting him. Instead of feeling satisfaction, she shrieked as he fell to the ground. She ran to his side. "Xellos-san," she said, touching his shoulder.
"You're terrible, Filia-san. You do realize that you're the one who just hit me, don't you?" Xellos said, his default expression still not faltering as he stood up.
Filia's hand trembled as she moved toward him and briefly touched his head, feeling the warm blood running down. It was all an illusion, wasn't it? She shouldn't hesitate to hit him again, as enough physical blows could indeed harm a mazoku, and that wasn't nearly enough, despite the very visual wound he was displaying. Still, she shook her head. "I can't," she muttered to herself. "I can't fight you, Xellos."
"Really? Dragons change their convictions so easily," Xellos said.
"Even if you insult me, I can't," Filia said.
"Why?" Xellos asked.
"I-It's not worth it for me to change my peaceful ideals for a piece of garbage like you," Filia lied.
"Come on now, that explanation won't do, Filia-san. Didn't you promise to try and destroy me? It's hardly peaceful language."
"You should be destroyed! Doing so would support peace! But it would take a few more hundred years of study and practice before I could even hope to stand up to a mazoku of your ranking, anyway. I wouldn't be able to right now, would I?"
"So you realize it now," Xellos said.
"Don't mock me!" Filia said. Her hands still shook. The Xellos she had been falling in love was being taken from her, and it was painful. But the truth had been there all along, she'd only not seen it because she hadn't wanted to. She didn't want to have any emotions for him right now, but it couldn't be stopped. She wanted to forget about all of this, but neither the love nor the hate could be so easily purged. Filia shook her head, so angry with herself. "I never want to see you again, you mazoku garbage!" she shouted.
Xellos was silent now. He only stood up straight, his eyes closed, still with the smile on his face.
"Didn't you hear me? Get away from me!" Filia shouted.
Xellos turned away now. "As you wish," he said.
Filia didn't feel any better as he disappeared. The agonizing empty feeling in her just deepened. This was the consequence she had for not completely adhering to her duties as a priestess, wasn't it? Her miserable state was due to her own lack of convictions. Even the mazoku had mocked her for that. She had no one to blame for her pain other than herself.
Filia wouldn't allow herself to wander any further from her purposes. Right now she would repent with prayer, and in the morning she would leave the humans' presence. She'd forget her doubts about her people's intentions, and just faithfully serve, as had been her intention upon taking up the title of 'priestess' in the first place. Questioning her leaders' intentions only led her into these kinds of situations.
"Here you are."
Xellos looked around. He was projecting himself on the castle roof, watching as Filia wandered back. There was no one there, which could mean only one thing. "It's you, young lady."
The girl of his delusions sat impossibly at the steeple, her blank eyes reflecting the moonlight. "It would have been easy enough just to kill her, you know," she said. "That's how I would have liked the story to have gone."
"Oh? Would you really like to see something like that?" Xellos asked.
"A murderer such as yourself has no place to judge. But yes, it may have relieved my boredom for a few seconds to see that kind of ending," the girl still showed no reaction as she followed Filia's movements.
"My, my. Someone as young as you, being entertained by those subjects? What sort of an adult will you make, young lady?" Xellos chuckled at the conversation.
"I've existed for longer than your Dark Lord, Xellos, and perhaps even longer than this world's creator, though neither of us are really counting at this point."
"Hm?" Xellos now gave the girl his full attention. "What exactly are you claiming to be?"
"I suppose I'll tell you now, since I'm bored and all. Though you still won't understand."
"It's funny you claim to predate the mother of all things, but before you said you used to be human. I'm sorry young lady, but it doesn't follow." Xellos shook his head.
"Yes, my existence is indeed beyond your understanding." The girl closed her eyes. "Oh well."
Xellos turned and watched as Filia entered the castle doors again. He had almost forgotten the presence of the his pretend companion when she spoke again.
"I'm a witch."
"You'd like to be a sorceress?" Xellos asked.
"No. I'm a witch, and a very high-ranking one," the girl affirmed calmly. "One of my specific titles is the Witch of Miracles. Might you like to see a miracle?"
"I wouldn't object to you showing me one," Xellos said.
"Oh? You speak so frivolously, as if creating miracles that aren't supposed to exist were such a trivial thing for me."
"I apologize, then. If you put forth the effort, I'm sure I would enjoy to see the result," Xellos said.
"Oh, you would." The usually stoic girl actually smirked now. "It's just too bad miracles don't really exist."
Xellos nodded. No, by definition they didn't exist, the same as the girl who claimed to be the Witch of Miracles. He let his occasional delusion fade out of his consciousness as he thought of other things, particularly Filia. Her reaction had turned out to be so predictable after all. It was almost disappointing. But this was really all he could expect, wasn't it? He might be able to use the word 'miracle' if her feelings for the true him were anything else but this.