Chaper 2 For the Love of Evil
Book one
By Kiavie-chan
"Where the hell are we?" Lina asked, looking around, then down at the map in her hands. "There is nothing on the map that says anything about a desert. We should be able to see a town in the distance by now."
Xelloss walked over to Lina, looking over at her shoulder and studying the map for himself. "Ano, Lina, you know that this map is VERY old, don't you?"
"Old, waddaya mean?"
"As in outdated, the town that was hear was abandoned hundreds of years ago after a 7 year drought."
"What?! And you didn't bother to mention this little tidbit to us earlier?" The redheaded sorceress looked ready to blow up something...particularly a mazoku with purple hair.
"Well, I thought you knew. But the town is still there, it's just unoccupied." Xelloss gave his best at a cheerful smile and began walking again. "Besides, since there is nothing here that gives me any clues to the whereabouts of my master, I will continue forward."
Everyone looked totally beat. In fact, Amelia sat hard on the sand and looked at Zelgadis. "I think right here is fine to spend the night. If someone will make a fire, I'll attempt to make something to eat." Lina and Goury readily agreed with the princess as Zelgadis started a fire.
Filia looked at Xelloss as he was slowly putting distance between himself and the rest of the group. She felt the same as he, that there had to be something more she could do than stop and rest. "I'm going to keep going too. I'll check out the town and see if there is anything there. I'll meet you guys in the morning." And the dragon started to walk away.
Amelia looked at Zelgadis again, as he finished lighting the fire. "Do you thing it's safe for her to go out on her own like that?" Her brows created a worried crease as she studied the fading figure of the blonde.
"I'm sure she can look out for herself."
"Xelloss!" He heard his name and turned to find, to his surprise, Filia running to him without a mace in her hand or any apparent intentions to beat him to a bloody pulp.
"Nani?"
"Let me come with you."
"Nani?" He asked again.
"You've been looking for you master, and if the same people took Val, I'm comming with you. You already know where not to search."
Xelloss observed her through closed eyes for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "Hai. Just don't get in my way." He continued to walk.
Filia felt her blood boil at his last remark, but kept her anger in check. Why spend my energy just to give that namagomi something to munch on? she reasoned with herself.
In short time, they made it to the abandoned town. And oddly enough, there was a strange, magical reasonance comming from the entire area. Filia stepped closer to Xelloss and whispered. "What is that?"
"I have no idea..." He looked around, for some reason opting to keep his eyes open.
In the horizen, raidly approaching, the priest noticed four balls of glowing light. Something about them was familiar..."The vision. Filia, those are the orbs from the dream, aren't they?"
Filia glanced at them and nodded her head in agreement.
"I think we better get out of here and fast." Xelloss grabbed the dragon around her waist and levitated as fast as he could to the camp.
"Hey, let me GO you filthy-good-for-nothing-BAKA!" The dragon screamed, balling up her fists and getting ready to clobber the preoccupied mazoku.
"That would be unwise, Fi-chan. I believe those are the people who are causeing all the trouble."
"What makes you think that?"
Becasue we are. We told you, you are next...
Filia caste a nervous glance at the orbs, they were closing in the distance and fast. She looked forward and saw the camp fire, just as far away. There was no way they would make it there in time, the orbs were too fast. "They are catching up, Xelloss..."
"I know this..." His lips were set in a firm line as he went as fast as he could.
"LINA-SAN! HELP US!" Filia yelled at the top of her lungs, trying to catch their attention.
Moments later, a bright light flashed, and overwhelming pain swept through her body. Filia only barely here Xelloss scream likewise as they came crashing to the ground and rolled several yards. The orbs were surrounding them, and glowing fearcly.
"LINA-SAN! HELP US!"
Lina's head shot up from her food, as well the other's, as they heard Filia's familiar voice call out a plea for help. Xelloss was carrying her, and four glowing balls were chasing them.
"What's going on?" Gourry asked, still biting into his bread as he stood up.
"Whatever that is, it's enough to worry Xelloss." Zelgadis muttered before he casted rei wing. I may not like that fruitcake, but if those balls are enought to send him running...
Everyone else was not too far behind.
Suddenly, a bright flash of magical light blinded them, and halted their pursuit.
"What's that light?" Amelia asked worriedly. As soon as she asked her question, screaming rose into the air. Their eyes came back into focus and noticed that the balls of light surrounded the mazoku and the dragon, and both were collapsed on the ground screaming in pain.
"Hey, get away from them!" Lina yelled, charging toward the globes.
Filia reached out toward Xelloss, grimacing in near unbearable pain. "Xelloss....we have to get out...." She groaned.
Xelloss opened his eyes, pain-filled and slightly disoriented. He reached to he in return, he wasn't quiet sure why he did so.
The light flashed again, and when the light went away, both were gone, leaving the other four utterly confused.
Xelloss was feeling quite bitter at this point. He looked around at the walls surrounding him in slight discomfort, and rapped his knuckles once again against the metal bars...and once again causing seering pain to shoot up his arm. He attempted to shake the pain away, but the pain continued, as before. Xelloss clutched his hand and sat down hard on the stone floor.
Filia sighed in irritation, sitting on the stone floor herself and resting her head against the wall with her eyes closed. The shackles on her wrists had warmed to her temperature, and were not so...blantently there as they were a few hours ago since the once ice cold metal was not bitting into her anymore. Filia opened her eyes when she heard Xelloss sit on the ground, and found him sitting cross-legged, looking at the shackles on his wrists and fiddling with the chain.
Xelloss felt her looking at him, and looked up to meet her eyes. He hadn't bothered to keep them closed like he usually did, but then he hadn't been acting quite himself lately. He kept her eyes locked with his for a moment before he sighed and looked away. They had been stuck in that cell for at least 24 hours; when they were first brought to this place, they were seperate. Both had some ritual performed on them, leaving both weak and strangely different, though neither could quite put their finger on it.
"What do you think they are going to do to us?" Filia asked, torturous images plaguing her for the last few hours finally compelled hre to ask.
Xelloss was silent, looking out the bars with a blank look. After staying silent for a while, he finally answered. "Who knows. Your people and my kind have been disappearing for a while now, and it seemed we were next...whatever happened to them I imagine will happen to us."
Should have figured. Filia thought to herself, sighing imwardly and keeping quiet.
After the silence hung in the air for a while, Xelloss got back on his feet. Thinking he was going to touch the bars again, Filia leaned her head back again and closed her eyes. To her surprise though, she felt something shift beside her, and found that Xelloss moved to go sit next to her. He pulled his knees up, and rested his head sideways on them, his face turned towards her. His look was expectant.
"What?" Filia asked irritably, wondering what stupid game he was going to pull to get some cheep pleasure.
"Keep talking." The priest whispered.
"Huh?"
"Keep talking. This place is so quite."
What is with him? Filia was totally baffled. "About what?"
"Anything. I don't care about what."
Filia suddenly got a wicked thought as he conceded to anything. "How about love and how wonderful life is?"
"I don't care if you sing the genki song. Anything." He thought for a moment, and spoke again. "In fact, do tell me about how wonderful life is. Why is your life wonderful?"
She was taken aback slightly. After Filia got over being stunned, she shrugged her shoulders. "Because I have people who love me, I guess. And I have lots of friends."
"That's all that makes life wonderful? That compensates for hate, greed, malice, death, eccetera? Love and friendship?"
"Yeah, I suppose. Sounds a little silly I guess. But maybe I am an optimist. What are you doing?!" Xelloss had slid a hand up to her hair and was looking at one of the locks distractedly.
"You hair...it reminds me of Juu-ou-sama's."
"I'm nothing like that monster." Filia growled, offended at his comment of her resembling a mazoku lord in any form.
"Hmph." Xelloss released her hair and turned his face away. "Whatever. Might as well just zone out until they come back."
"'Hmph' indeed." Filia put her head against the wall, waiting as the priest did.
It wasn't long before someone fetched them and began to lead (more like drag) the dragon and the mazoku down several halls and through countless doors. Finally after about three hours of walking, they ended up in front of two huge ornate doors, covered with several sea creatures and seaweed designs. The doors opened, admitting the two shackled captives. Sitting on a throne which resembled a hige wave, a woman with cascading blue hair and a beautiful, if young, face stared off into what appeared nothing. A man shrouded in a dark cloak stood beside her, unmoving and quiet.
They were shoved forward into a circle, once again surrounded by the colorful orbs that captured them in the first place. They were glowing dimly, but the blinding light that surrounded them the first time they encountered the mysterious orbs did not surround them again.
Deep Sea Dolphin looked at her captives. "Well well well. Looks like we finally caught the little wolf." She snickered, standing and walking to the edge of the circle closest to Xelloss. "And the lizard." Dolpin moved her gaze to Filia, who stared difiantly at their captor.
"So you are the one doing all this. Where is Jouu-sama?" Xelloss demanded, a firm set to his chin as he looked up at the youngest of the dark lords.
"With the other dark lords, mazoku, and dragons. You see, the whole time I have been...absent from the affairs of the world, my servants and I were researching a way to...simplify things around here. As you know, there is this huge stupid war that has been fought about the decision of the fate of the world. Personally, I don't want to destroy the world...yet. I'll do it eventually, but not until I toy with it for a couple thousand years at least. But for total conquest, one needs to eliminate the competition. Sorry priest, but the momma wolf was one of the competition. But, some of the competition cannot be completley eliminated. So, instead of destroying everyone, I restrained them. There is a balance of good, evil, and chaos, but they are not represented by mazoku, dragon, and human in truth. They are represented by the spirit of the person. A human with an evil heart can tip the balance toward evil, as well as a mazoku with a good heart can tip it the other way (though that case is rare). That is going to be that hard part about ruling this world, I have to make sure that there remains a balance so there is a world to rule. Enough of that. I am so close to conquest I can taste it. I still need help maintaining things though, and I want you to be part of my army, so to speak." She looked at Xelloss, smiling to herself.
Xelloss smiled back and opened his eyes. "I think not."
Dolphin got up, laughing lightly. "I thought as much. Too loyal to your precious master. Well, what if you recieved a direct order from her?" Dolphin knodded to the man in black, and he created an image of Jouu-sama, bound by similar chains and sitting in a corner.
"Ah, there she is. Oh Hellllllloooooooo!" Dolphin made a waving motion to the image. The Beastmaster looked up at her, a nasty look overcomming her face as she looked upon the lord.
Filia was...surprised to see how pretty she was. She thought that the woman would be a little bit more...scary looking. And he said I reminded him of her...What also surprised her was the reaction Xelloss was giving: his eyes were wide and intent as he looked at the image, and his face almost resembled...panic.
"What do you want?" Zelas snapped.
Dolphin reached across the circle and grabbed Xelloss' chin, raising his face up so the Beastmaster would notice her servant that knelt on the ground. "I caught your little pup."
Zelas didn't move or flinch. She looked at Xelloss with a blank expression, not saying anything for a long moment. "And why do you show me? To mock me?"
"I want you to tell him something. Command him into my power."
"WHAT?"
"I want you to order him to become my servant."
Zelas looked at Xelloss and smiled. "No. Don't serve her."
"You both are so damn stubbron." Dolphin made another motion at the man in black and in a moment Zelas was surrounded by a strange glow, followed by a scream of pain.
"You see, I now have the power to directly channel positive emotions into a single person, or negative. You still refuse, Juu-ou-sama?"
"Xelloss..." Zelas had her head hanging in pain as she called out his name.
"Please...don't order me to serve her..." Xelloss whispered.
"I order you to..."
Filia looked at Xelloss as his eyes grew wide and his head sank slightly.
"Spit on her feet, and deny her any control over your powers."
His head snapped up, and a smile crossed his face. "As you wish." And he did as he was told.
Dolphin showed no outward reaction..at first. Her anger at this defiance rose steadily within her, and she made a quick snapping motion at the shouded man. A peircing scream from Zelas managed to get to their ears before her image dissapeared.
Dolphin looked at Xelloss and Filia for a moment, thinking deeply to herself for a moment before she spoke again. "Drain them...completely this time. I want them mortal."
The orbs glowed, then flared to a blinding brilliance. A sharp needling pain lanced through Xelloss and Filia's body as the light grew brighter. Xelloss collapsed before Filia, falling face first into the ground. Filia reached out with her hand towards him like before, still not even sure she was compelled to, even though the pain almost overwhelmed her. "Xelloss...?" Then blackness.
Dolphin looked upon the still figures in anger. "How the mighty have fallen."
"What are you going to do now mistress? Do you wish me to kill them?"
"No, no. Something better. I want you to give the pup a nice little wash, if you know what I mean. Do as you did with the others, send him back in a situation that is suitable for my purposes."
The man nodded is head, and pointed at the blonde dragon. "What about the Priestess?"
"Keep her alive, and wash her too. I have grande plans for her...she will be the instrument in which I teach the little wolf a lesson in pain with. Send her back as well, but not together with him, that might rise a complication, like a brother/sister arangment. Oh, and arrange to give them the same gifts we gave the others."
Twenty four ago, on a boat called the "Sea Blossom" in a dock of a large city to the west...
"Captain! Captain Marner!"
Captain Marner, a middle aged man of the sea, looked up from his charts as a younger man with blonde hair and a almost dainty nose, his first mate, burst into his chambers. Marner was a gentle looking man, with many wrinkles and scars and a mustach that covered his lips, so when he talked, all you saw was his mustache move up and down. Broad sholdered and tall, with iron gray hair that was pulled into a low ponytail. His eyes were green and young looking, eyes of a man who enjoyed to laugh. He was kind and goodnatured, a man with many virtues.
"What is it, sonny?"
"Yer not gonna believe what th' boys found in the crow's nest..." "Hmm? What was it?"
"Ye gotta see it fer yerself, Captain." His first mate shook his head to so his disbelief, and walked out of his chambers, not even bothering to see if Marner was following. He was, curious to see what was so unbelievable. Once he reached the deck, he saw the men were gathered around in a circle, muttering to themselves.
He pushed though his men to see what they were all looking at, and at their feet was a basket. "What the hell?" There was a baby in the basket, eyes wide and chubby arms flailing. It had downy purple hair and purple eyes I thought most babies had blue eyes when they were this young.... The poor thing couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. There was a silver locket with an engraved dolphin in the basket. He picked it up and tried to open it, realizing that it was only half a locket. He flipped it over, reading the simple engraving: Xelloss
Marner looked at the baby for a long moment, then looked at his nearest crew member. "He was in the crow's nest?" The captain had been hearing stories about ships finding babies in their midst. Most believed them to be gifts from the sea goddess, Marner himself didn't know what to think.
"Aye, Captain...what shall we do with it?"
"For one, "it" is a boy...named Xelloss." He handed the locket to him and bent to pick up the little baby. "And for two, you boys better make room for a new shipmate."
"Wait, Captain, are yer sure this is a good idea?" His first mate asked, perplexed and slightly worried that the Captain so suddenly and without any long consideration decided on something so serious.
"Of course. If we leave the poor thing in a city, they'll leave him to be street trash, you know how those land dwellers can be. He's better of with us."
"But, what about th' mother?"
"The mother obviously does not want him."
"Maybe she accidentally..."
"Nobody leaves a baby in a crow's nest on accident with a locket with his name written on it, for the gods sake THINK ABOUT IT!~"
"Are you sure you are ready to take up such a resposibility?"
"Of course. And who said I was doing it alone?" He looked at his first mate and grinned evilly.
The first mate face faulted and sputtered. "Captain, ye can't be serious! Me, US as a crew raise a baby?"
"Sure thing, it'll give all you a gentle side. At least it's a boy, you would have no clue how to raise a girl."
