This one really doesn't require any introduction. Enjoy. :3
21- Rescue! Because we love you!
Lina and Gourry stepped cautiously into the large chamber that the path had led down into.
"S-so this is it..." Gourry gasped. The entire place seemed to glitter with red gemstones, and there was a large structure in the centre of the room. "Wh-what is that?"
"It looks almost like... a giant sundial..." Lina replied, staring at the raised octagonal platform.
"But it has those try-thingies." Gourry pointed out. Lina also noted the trigrams- in the same pattern as the decoration on the floor of the upper chamber. She approached it cautiously, but when she got close, she was stopped by a barrier of red magical energy. She yelled when she touched it, and was sent backwards with a flash of light.
"Ouch." She murmured, examining the finger that she had touched the barrier with. It appeared to have been burned, but was nothing that a simple recovery spell couldn't heal in a few seconds.
"You?" Lina and Gourry heard Zaragio's loud voice echoing through the cavernous room. "How did you find this place and get here so quickly?"
"That's a secret, you monster!" Lina yelled back. She was not happy with Zaragio now, and was more than ready to fight him.
"Heh, well, no matter. Our plan is already in action. Isn't that right, Zara?"
"Y-yes sir..." Zara choked.
Lina gasped. The little boy was surrounded by an aura of fire- and from the way he looked, it seemed as though it was painful. "Zara!" She exclaimed. She began to run toward the boy.
"L-Lina! Don't!" He called, but it was too late. When Lina got close, an explosion of fire shot her backwards painfully.
"Lina! Are you okay?" Gourry asked. He, Amelia, Zelgadis, and Ozzel ran up to Lina, who was clutching her arm painfully. It had been burned when she got too close to Zara.
"Yeah... but Zara isn't..." She murmured.
"What are you talking about?" Zaragio laughed. "Zara is discovering his true powers- isn't it amazing? But this is only the beginning! There is so much more power sealed inside him, waiting to be drawn out!"
"You fool! You'll kill him if you do that!" Lina yelled. "That much power unleashed at once would destroy him!"
"Hmph. The only ones that are going to be destroyed right now are you!" Zaragio turned to the little boy. "Zara, why don't you show them some of the tricks I've taught you?"
"I-" Zara gasped, as a fiery blade materialised itself in his hands. He lunged at the group of people, sending them scattering away from the little boy. "Help! I can't control it!" He sobbed.
"We've got to do something!" Lina yelled. "If we don't, then Zara's going to be destroyed by his own powers!"
"Not to mention that we'll also get killed in the process." Zelgadis added.
"But he can't control the attacks! How are we going to help him without hurting him?" Gourry asked.
"We have to help him regain control of his subconscious mind." Ozzel said. "Right now, he is being manipulated like a puppet by Zaragio. We have to find a way to bring him back to his senses."
"But how do we do that, Miss Ozzel?" Amelia asked.
"His own willpower can overthrow Zaragio's control. If he refuses Zaragio's orders outright, then he will regain control of his body." Ozzel explained.
"So we just have to put him into a situation where he can't- or won't- obey Zaragio's orders, correct?" Zelgadis questioned. "Isn't that kind of dangerous? We don't know just how far Zaragio's control over him goes. If we expect Zara to defy the monster's orders and he obeys him instead..."
"Someone could get hurt, or worse." Amelia finished.
"I, for one, will not stand for this!" Lina replied, standing up. "Zaragio wants Zara to kill me, right? So we'll just have to make sure that he gets the chance! Maybe, if he has the perfect opportunity, he'll refuse!"
"W-wait! So you're going to let yourself get cornered so that Zara-chan can kill you?" Amelia gasped.
"I'm hoping that he has the willpower to refuse..." Lina replied. "But that is the idea." She began stepping toward Zara and Zaragio, but Gourry grabbed her and pulled her back.
"You're not going anywhere. I'm your protector, and since I think Zara would be just as reluctant to kill me as he would you, I'll do it instead." He said.
"B-but Gourry! What if it doesn't work?" Lina protested.
"What if it didn't work for you? What would I do?" Gourry asked. "I don't want to lose you, Lina."
"And I don't want to lose you, jellyfish-brain!" Lina shot back.
"No one wants anyone to get hurt!" Amelia exclaimed, coming between the two of them.
"We've got to save Zara, though. I have a good feeling that this will work." Gourry said, stepping forward before Lina could pull him back.
"I sure hope you're right, jellyfish-brain..." Lina murmured.
"Hey! Zara! You're trying to kill us, right? Well, if that's what you want, then I'm right here!" Gourry yelled.
"Giving yourself up already?" Zaragio asked suspiciously. "You put up quite a fight before to abandon it now. What are you up to now? Not trying to pull the same trick that I did, are you?"
"No! I'm serious!" Gourry dropped his sword and it fell to the ground with a clatter. "Look Zara, I'm not going to fight back! Go ahead! What are you waiting for?"
"Hmph. If you want to throw your life away so easily, then who am I to stop you?" Zaragio laughed. "Go on then Zara. Give the young man what he wants. Destroy him."
"I-I...I..." Zara stammered, lifting his sword with difficulty. He appeared to be fighting back, but he was having trouble, and was getting closer and closer to Gourry.
"Quickly! We don't have all day!" Zaragio ordered.
Zara obeyed.
The little boy lunged forward with the flaming sword in hand, raising it high to bring down on top of Gourry.
"Gourry!" Lina screamed as the little boy attacked. But suddenly, just before the sword hit its target, it stopped.
"No... no! NO! NO! NO! I won't do it! I WON'T!" Zara cried, the tears running down his cheeks quickly being evaporated by the flaming aura around him. Gourry looked up at the boy again in relief. It had worked! Zara was no longer under Zaragio's control. "I'm not going to kill Gourry or anybody, no matter what you tell me! You're being nothing but mean to him, and I know why too! You're jealous! It's because, in two months, he's been a better dad to me than you ever were my whole life!"
Everyone was shocked, especially Zaragio. The flames around Zara began to grow as he continued shouting.
"You always wanted me to be nothing but evil, and to do terrible things! You're a bad monster and I won't let you hurt any of the people I love! Gourry was always nice to me and looked out for me! He taught me to do good, caring things, and helped me out when I was in trouble, and comforted me when I was scared, and acted like he actually loved me!"
Zara rushed back toward the monster with the flaming sword in his hand, attempting to strike the monster that had nearly caused the death of the people that he cared about.
"What? What nonsense are you spouting?" Zaragio spat, jumping out of the way of all Zara's attacks. "You think that I did none of that?"
Zara stopped, not quite believing what Zaragio was saying. "At least Veridia tried to protect me the way Lina always does! You just sat by and watched while we were attacked!"
Lina had a feeling that the fire surrounding Zara was doing something to him. He had never been so outright with insults and accusations before. Zara's intentions were good, but his monster side was showing up far more powerfully now.
"You..." Zaragio growled. "You actually think that it was my CHOICE to sit and watch helplessly as those cruel humans tried to destroy everything in the world that I loved? DO YOU? You that I WANTED to be forced for nearly two whole years, every second more painful than the last, wishing for nothing but revenge on the people who took away everything that I ever cared about?" The monster grabbed his head painfully, falling to his knees. "Zara..." he murmured agonizingly. "Wh-what... what am I doing...?"
Lina gasped, watching the scene. The psychosis evident in Zaragio's speech before was slowly draining away, and his eyes were returning to normal. "I think he's... finally seen the light..." She observed.
Zara walked up to the monster, staring at him. "Zara,... I..." Zaragio began. "These are not the people that we should be attacking... those people are far away from here... and to risk your life in all of this...I should have never... I didn't think that..." He wasn't sure how Zara would react to him, judging by the boy's previous accusations, but was taken by surprise. The little boy approached the monster and threw his arms around him.
"You can love. You are a good monster. I'm sorry." Zara murmured.
The small group watched the monster and half-monster, happy together for the first time in what seemed like forever. After all that had happened, Lina didn't think that she'd be able to forgive Zaragio so easily, but she saw the look in his eyes. It was the same look that she had seen on Zara, and the eyes were the same. Though somewhat appalled by it, Lina had to admit that she actually felt sorry for Zaragio. Maybe, finally, this struggle would all be over.
"Zara," Zaragio began, standing up, "it's impossible to forgive me for the things I've done. It's too much isn't it?"
"No, it's not." Zara replied, his eyes sparkling warmly. Suddenly, he backed away a few steps, and fell to his knees clutching his head in pain.
"Z-Zara?" Lina asked, watching the boy.
"L-LINA? WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Zara screamed as the fire flared up around him. A white-hot flame began in the centre of the inferno, and shot out an explosion that blasted Lina and her friends against the walls. It felt as though the temperature of the enormous room rose at least 10°C.
"Zara!" Lina yelled through the smoke.
"Wh-what's going on?" Amelia coughed.
"That power! Zara's powers!" Zaragio gasped. "They're finally awakening! But..."
The dark shape of the little boy clashed with the white flame that blazed furiously around him. His eyes were no longer green- they were a pure, glowing white colour, and the very air around him was hazy due to the excessive amount of heat generated by the flames.
"N-no way! His eyes are white!" Gourry exclaimed.
"Of course." Zaragio responded. "Fire takes on a colour based on its heat. Relatively cool fires are red, while hotter fires are yellow, and then the very hottest fires are blue, and sometimes even white."
"So you mean that that flame...?" Ozzel began.
"...is the hottest fire known to this world." Zaragio finished.
Amelia gasped. "Is that why it's getting so hot in here? We're all going to get fried!"
"Right." Zaragio nodded.
"But even for someone with your kind of power, that kind of heat is too much." Zelgadis reasoned.
"Right, again." Zaragio said. "At this rate... if Zara's powers keep progressing..."
"H-he'll be incinerated!" Lina choked.
"Exactly." Zaragio murmured.
Zara shot an enormous blast of fire out in all directions. There was no room to dodge, and the group could only watch in horror as the inferno approached them. Amelia screamed, clutching Zelgadis, and Gourry grabbed Lina with his sword held defensively as though it could actually stop the incoming flare. Suddenly, there was a loud sound, and Lina looked up to see Zaragio supporting a thick barrier of red magical energy. "Z-Zaragio!" She exclaimed.
"Quickly! We don't have much time- Zara doesn't have much time!" He said, turning to Lina. "There's no way to reverse the damage that has already been done, but we can stop it from progressing any further!"
"And how exactly do we do that?" Lina asked. She was prepared to do anything to save Zara's life. Zaragio's reply was shot and concise.
"You must destroy me."
"Whaaaat?" Lina gasped. "D-destroy you? But why?"
"I created this magical amplifier, and its functionality depends on my power being present. If I were to be destroyed, then it would lose power and immediately stop working. Zara might sustain some damage from the sudden loss of power, but it would be nothing compared to what he would suffer if we did nothing." Zaragio explained. "But only a very powerful person could actually finish off a monster such as myself. That's why I'm asking you, Lina Inverse. You're the only one with the magical capabilities to do so."
Lina figured that was true, since Xellos (and Lorelei) seemed to have vanished to somewhere else. "But Zaragio, you'd allow yourself to be killed just to stop this?" Lina asked.
Zaragio smiled sadly. "I have no reason to stay alive. Zara is important to me, but he has you and that is assurance enough that he will be fine. Some time ago, I lost someone very important to me, and I've been wishing to see her again. So you need not worry about me, Lina Inverse."
Lina looked up in awe at the monster. Just a while ago, he had been maniacally trying to kill her, and now he was imploring her to destroy him. "But which spell should I use? The Dragon Slave obviously wasn't strong enough."
"That is true, though I am much weaker now than I was at that time. Do you have any spells that are more powerful?" He responded.
"A more powerful spell, huh...?" Lina murmured.
"Lina, you're not talking about the...?" Gourry asked nervously.
"Well, the Giga Slave would be too powerful- it could destroy the whole temple. But perhaps if I were to use the Ragna Blade..." She reasoned.
"Y-you should hurry, Lina Inverse. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold up this barrier, and if the barrier were to fail, then we all would be incinerated and, eventually, so would Zara."
Lina nodded. "Of course. Are you sure about this, Zaragio?"
"Of course. You must remember that you are destroying someone guilty to save someone innocent. I wish you luck, Lina Inverse, and beg you to take good care of Zara."
"Right. You can count on that." Lina replied. "Here goes nothing...
Lord of dreams that terrify
sword of cold and darkness
free yourself from the heavens bonds
become one with my power ,one with my body
and let us walk the path of destruction together
power that can even smash the souls of the gods-
RAGNA BLADE!"
Lina raised the blade of the sword and drove it directly into Zaragio. At the same time, the red barrier disappeared, and the fire surrounding Zara subsided, causing the little boy to fall over, unconscious, but unharmed. A blast of light came from where Lina and Zaragio stood, and Lina could feel the blade's power increasing as the monster was destroyed. In one last flash of light, they both disappeared.
"L-Lina? Where'd she go?" Gourry asked.
Lina looked around her, but could see nothing everywhere she looked. It wasn't dark, but it didn't seem light either. This must be where I sent Zaragio... she thought to herself. But why am I here? Did someone summon me...?
Looking over her shoulder, Lina noticed two figures. One of them was Zaragio, unconscious, with his head resting on the lap of his companion. The other was a young woman with long brown hair, who was looking lovingly at the monster. Lina knew instantly who the woman was.
"Veridia..." she gasped. The woman was quite beautiful- now Lina knew why Zara was so cute. Veridia looked up at Lina with grateful, lavender eyes.
"Lina Inverse... thank you." She said.
"Thanks? For what?" Lina asked.
"For what you did for Zara. You saved our- no, your son." The woman said softly.
"M-mine...?" Lina stammered. Veridia continued.
"I wanted to thank you for all that you have done for him. He really loves you, and I'm sure that with you he will have a better life than he ever had a chance to have with us. Please, teach him to use his powers for good instead of evil. I'm sure that you'll find a way to help him reach his full potential. You'll be a much better parent than we were..."
"What are you talking about?" Lina exclaimed. "Bad parents? Both of you gave up your freaking lives for him! Gourry and I could never compare to that!"
Veridia shook her head. "Just because you are alive and we are not does not measure dedication. You allowed yourself to be attacked in Zara's place, and would have died had Xellos not been there. Gourry allowed Zara the full chance to kill him so that he could regain his willpower. You two are just as dedicated as we were. Things just did not go as well for us. Please, take good care of Zara. Can you promise me that?"
"I promise." Lina smiled.
"Thank you. Now, I believe that you need to return to your own dimension. I appreciate everything, Lina Inverse."
Lina smiled. "You don't have to worry about a thing. Zara's in good hands."
Lina appeared again in the temple with a flash of light. She didn't have much time to examine her surroundings when she was met with a large hug from a little boy.
"Lina! Lina you're back!" Zara sobbed.
"Zara!" Lina exclaimed, picking up the little boy and squeezing him in her arms. He didn't seem to be harmed at all, which was a huge relief. "Oh, Zara. What are you crying about?"
"I... was so afraid...that you had left me..." He stuttered.
"I will never leave you." Lina said. She pulled the boy tighter, and then set him back down. "Never."
"R-really?" Zara's eyes sparkled as he looked up at the sorceress.
"Of course. I love you, silly. And when you love someone a whole lot, you always stay with them, to help them out, and protect them." Lina grinned. "Why do you think I can never get rid of this guy?" She motioned playfully at Gourry, who was standing beside them, watching the two of them talk.
Gourry smiled back. "Well, does 'this guy' get a hug too?" He asked.
"I guess so." Lina laughed, grabbing Gourry and pulling him closer. He returned the gesture, and Zara grabbed onto their legs, joining the hug.
Amelia, Ozzel, and even Zelgadis couldn't help smiling as they watched the group celebrate.
"Well, Zaragio and Veridia are both dead now... so I guess Zara really is an orphan." Amelia commented.
"I doubt that. He's had parents all along." Zel replied, pointing to the threesome that appeared so happy together.
"You're right, Mister Zelgadis. I guess he has."
Xellos and Lorelei had been watching the last part of the battle secretly, but once Zaragio was destroyed, they left, realising that it would probably lead to some beautiful moments that could be potentially harmful to their health. Afterward, they continued with their missions, but always remembered to often pay visits to their favourite humans (and dragons too.)
Zander stayed in Sairaag. He had offered to help Sylphiel with the rebuilding of the town, and in return, she promised to teach him some more powerful healing spells.
Ozzel finally got a master who wouldn't order her to do evil things, and Prince Philionel said that the Seyruun royal family had never had such a hard-working chief maid.
Zelgadis continued on his search for a cure, and discovered some ancient, underground ruins just outside the city of Seyruun. They would take a while to fully explore, but he was convinced that the time would be worth it. Of course, since the ruins were of historical and archaeological interest to the Kingdom of Seyruun as well, it was Amelia's job to assist Zelgadis in exploring them. Or, at least, that was what she said anyway... The prince suspected that there were other reasons besides an interest in her country's history that drove Amelia out to work with the chimera every day, but he couldn't complain, seeing his daughter so happy.
Lina and Gourry continued their wandering, capturing bandits and staying on the lookout for a new sword for Gourry. The one he had received as a gift from Sylphiel was nice, but it was no Sword of Light. Of course, Lina also had an apprentice to train now. Zara was a fast learner, and, thanks to Gourry, he was becoming proficient with a sword as well as magical spells. The little boy had never been happier, and he could tell that his companions felt the same way.
And everyone lived quite contentedly... that is, until some other crazy thing happened that made them all have to save the world again... ah, but that's another story for another day!
~The End~
(A/N: *sniff* Well, there you go. Zaragio wasn't meant to live through the story, but I felt like it would be too sad to have him die when he was still evil. There really was good inside of him, they just had to look deep enough. :3)