Chapter 1
The bandits ran on for miles, destined for their hideout. Each step they took was a step further and further away from the safety of Saillune. But what did the bandits care? They hurried onward, never looking back, never stopping, never neglecting the purpose of their mission nor the devotion to their goal.
What mattered was their struggle to achieve the sanctuary of their hideout. Once the alarm was raised that the princess of Saillune had disappeared, the countryside would be crawling with bounty hunters and there would be nowhere left to hide. Thus, for the bandits, failure was not an option.
However, if one of the bandits had bothered to turn around, he would've noticed that the fleeing bandits were being pursued by a chimera.....
The ruins were certainly a decrepit sight. Where once stood houses was now home to empty foundations. Where shopkeepers went about their business' was now a batch of deserted and crumbling buildings. What was once busy streets filled with people, was now reduced to cracked cobblestones. Where children used to laugh and play was now as silent as a tomb. That which was once occupied by people was now abandoned.
What was once a bustling village was now a prime example of desolation.
Where did everyone go? No one can tell.
Why did everyone pack up and leave? No one can be sure.
What terrible fate did befall the village, that it was abandoned? No one will ever know.
But, even in a deathly fate, this village still serves it's purpose as a home.
And it is a home that the bandits, and their prisoner, ran to.
The bandits broke the silence as they fled across the broken streets and into a shell of a house. What was once a simple cottage was now four walls and a doorway. It was in this former hovel that the bandits gathered. As they all paused to get their breath back, their leader swung his sack (and the prisoner it contained) from over his shoulder and placed it onto the ruined floor.
Looking mightily pleased with himself, the bandit leader grinned at his henchmen.
"Well done boys!" he boomed. "We should get a pretty penny out of this!"
The other bandits, upon hearing their leader's triumphant speech, erupted into cheers.
"Yes!" the leader cowered. "Her daddy would certainly pay a lot of money to see his precious daughter back, alive!"
"But boss!" asked one bandit. "Wouldn't the Crown Prince send search parties?"
"Nonsense!" the leader answered. "These ruins are miles away from Saillune! If someone would find us, he would have to be a very experienced tracker! These ruins are practically hidden away from the highway! Why, it was only luck that I stumbled upon this in the first place!!!!"
The bandits cheered at their leader's achievement. Why, if this place was located in such a secluded place away from civilisation, they could organise such an ingenious crime spree! Imagine that! Raiding the nearby towns and populace, only to disappear to such a well concealed hideout! They would live like kings with no worries about being busted by the law! Marvellous! Wonderful! A bandit's dream come true!
"So," one bandit inquired. "Where do we go from here, boss?"
"Well boys." The bandits leader explained. "First we tell Crown Prince Philionel that we have her daughter and then we demand a ransom....."
And the bandits leader would've given a full explanation about his plans if he wasn't interrupted by an intruder.
"Oh, I wouldn't count on it if I were you." said the intruder's voice, as cool as ice yet as sharp as a woodsman's axe.
All the bandits then turned their heads away from their boss, all thoughts of his plans completely forgotten. They all turned to see the owner of the voice that produces such daring announcements.
There, standing in a pose that practically screamed defiance, was a young man, clothed entirely in beige and with his hand resting warily on the hilt of his sword. But what was this intruder's most striking feature was his flesh and his hair was blue. Yet even though this flesh and hair was disturbing to look at, it still looked capable of withstanding even the most incredible of punishment thrown at it.
The bandits gasped in horror at the unexpected visitor - and his MOST unexpected appearance.
"What the hell is that?"
"It's a monster!"
Big mistake - At the mere mention of the word 'monster' the intruder's eyes hardened and his teeth ground.
"A monster?!"
"Yeah! What a freak!!"
At this point, the intruder began twitching with rage. But if the bandits noticed, they would've realised they had just made a fatal error.
"What's that doing here?!"
"Maybe these ruins are haunted!"
Suddenly, the intruder's patience fell through. With his eyes burning with fury, the intruder glared at the bandits. And then he spoke - uttering but two words. But these two words spelled doom to the listener.
"MEGA BRAND!!!!"
Before the bandits realised what the 'monster' was up to, they were suddenly hurled into the air by a tremendously powerful force. Where their feet once met the ground, now came to greet the air. All of the bandits where blown off into the air and out of sight.
Down below, Zelgadis let out a vengeful growl. Yes, those bastards certainly got what was coming to them. No one, has EVER called him a monster and gotten away with it.....
Suddenly Zelgadis looked up. And to his surprise, he found the bandit's loot hurtling down through the air towards him. Zel blinked.
It must have been blasted into the air with my spell.... he thought.
Without a moment's further hesitation, the chimera leapt into the air and caught the falling sack. However, he wasn't expecting the sheer weight of the sack! Astonished by the his newly acquired burden, Zel nearly dropped the sack.
What on earth is in here? Zel thought. What could be in here that is so heavy?
Once his feet returned to the ground, the chimera set about finding what was being held in the sack. Setting the sack gently down, he then proceeded to untie the strings that held the opening together.....
And it wasn't long before he found himself staring into two enormous yet strangely familiar blue eyes...
The eyes blinked. "Zelgadis?!"
Now it was Zel's turn to blink. He recognised that voice. How could he forget it?
"Amelia?"
And what happened next happened very quickly.
Amelia, overjoyed at seeing Zelgadis again, after so long, leapt from the sack and cannon-balled straight into the bewildered chimera. Zel was so surprised, he found himself being, quite literally, knocked of his feet. Over he went, with his newly found burden in tow. Amelia, on the other hand, couldn't be happier. She wrapped her arms around the astonished chimera and hugged him tight, her eyes closed in pure bliss.
He had come back...
He had returned to her.....
....and her loving arms....
And for a while nothing happened. A silence hung between the two. Zel was both astonished by the princess' boldness and embarrassed by the situation. Meanwhile, Amelia was wrapped up in a moment of pure bliss.
"Umm....Amelia?" Said Zelgadis eventually. "Can I get up?"
Amelia looked up and into Zel's eyes.....
...before realising the point he was trying to establish.
With an embarrassed grin, Amelia got off the chimera and to her feet - thus allowing the time and space for Zelgadis to get back to his feet.
As Zel dusted himself off, Amelia's grin turned from one of embarrassment into one of pure happiness.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia said, her voice one of pure excitement. "I'm so glad to see you! Where've you been? What have you been up to?"
"I've been searching for my cure." Zel answered bluntly.
Amelia blinked, as Zel went on.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Saillune?'
"I was on a diplomatic mission when I got kidnapped by those bandits."
Zel's eyes hardened. Amelia? Kidnapped by bandits? Impossible! Unlikely! Yet....
Was this the same Amelia whom he had faced many adversaries and experienced many adventures? She had triumphed over many a mazoku, many a disaster, many a earth-shattering danger. So how could she fall prey to something so small and insignificant as a bunch of bandits?!
The Amelia he remembered could certainly take care of herself...
And this Amelia certainly wasn't the one he remembered. She's changed....
Then Amelia noticed her new surroundings.
"Whoa, where are we?" Amelia inquired. "What is this place?"
"Not Saillune, I'm afraid." Zel replied. "You see, these ruins are a fair distance from your city."
Amelia nodded in consent. "Do you know the way, Mr. Zelgadis?"
Zelgadis' expression started to grow into one of annoyance. He didn't want to hang around when he could be searching for his cure. And her certainly didn't want a travelling companion: Finding a cure was his fight and his alone. He didn't want anyone's intervention of any kind. Particularly that of an enamoured princess....
"...Yes...."
"Great!" the princess beamed as she headed for the door of the ruined cottage. "You can come back with me to Saillune! You can show me the way! It would be just like old times! Why, we have so much catching up to do....."
Suddenly Amelia realised that Zel wasn't following her. He still stood within the ruined cottage, looking rather irate.
Amelia blinked.
What? What was this?
Hang on, Zel doesn't act like this.....
Well, at least the Zel she remembered didn't act like this! He acted in a helpful manner, not in a way that was both apathetic and horrible.
Not in this way.
Amelia turned around and headed back into the building, back towards the chimera. Her expression was now one of concern. Why would Zel act like this? Was something wrong.....?
Have the months apart corrupted his mind.....?
But Amelia's concerned expression did nothing to change Zelgadis' look of contempt.
Amelia halted within a foot of the chimera and leaned in towards him, so her face was mere centimetres away from his.
However, this move only made Zelgadis look even more annoyed - much to Amelia's horror. Yet she didn't let this indiscretion falter her steps.....
"Do you want to come back to Saillune with me?" the princess asked. "We haven't seen each other for a long time. We have so much to talk about. Why, we have....."
But Amelia didn't get to finish her sentence. Zel cut her off by snorting his contempt. Then, with a terrific leap, he shot off into the air, over the cottage wall and into the ruins outside.
Amelia blinked in astonishment. She couldn't believe it. What the hell was going on?! The Zel she knew all too well wouldn't do a thing like this!
What had happened to him? Has the time spent apart really corrupted his mind completely? Had the months without her changed him for the worse? Has she really failed as a friend who was trying to show him the light and to penetrate his darkness?
It would appear so....
But one thing's for sure, she's certainly not taking no for an answer.
And without a moment's pauses, she sped out of the ruined cottage, in pursuit of Zelgadis.
She didn't have to look far. She found him walking, at a brisk pace away from the cottage and from her. With a sigh of frustration, Amelia ran up after him.
"HEY!" she shouted. "WAIT UP!!"
But there was little point in shouting. Zel could hear her running feet upon the broken streets. However he wasn't about to stop his flight and turn around. Instead he continued on his way - only now at a much quicker pace.
But he didn't have much success: Amelia was, after all, a Champion of Justice, and as such, she wasn't prepared to give up on anything.....
....That and the fact that she now had a firm grip on his cape and was refusing to let go!
Zel sighed in defeat. He brought his march to a standstill and flicked his head around at Amelia. The princess gasped, as she realised that his expression was extremely furious....
"What?" growled Zel.
"Where are you going?" Amelia asked, her voice worried. She didn't like to see Zel angry.
"To continue my quest for my cure." Zel snapped.
"I want to come too!" Amelia blurted out, without thinking.
"You?" Zel retorted. "What can you do?"
"You need me!" Amelia yelled, her eyes growing moist. "You need the company! You need the companionship! You need the support! You need me!"
Zel snorted and turned away.
Amelia fell to her knees in total defeat. She bowed her head and loosened her grip, thus allowing Zel's cape to slide from her fingers. Zel walked coldly away as Amelia's eyes welled up with tears.
"YOU BASTARD!!!!" Amelia screamed after Zelgadis.
He kept on walking.
Then Amelia began to cry. She buried her head in her hands and sobbed out loud. The tears splashed down onto the broken cobblestones, her wailing ringing out across the desolated village.
But Zelgadis still didn't turn around.
Within moments, he was gone, leaving Amelia all alone...
Eventually Amelia raised her head. All her tears were used up.
She stared up at the broken road before her. Zelgadis was gone.
Gone for good?
Sadly it would appear that way...
Amelia sighed in defeat. How could he do that? How could he be so indifferent, when she'd just poured her heart out? Has his goal to find a cure evolved into an obsession? Even so that he must refuse all else life had to offer?
Where had he gone? How long had she been bawling her eyes out? How long had he been gone? How long.....
Oh, what does it matter? Chances are, he was long gone, away from her, away from comfort, away from this ruined place....
Amelia paused. Where was this place? She didn't recall any village's location this far from home, in any of the atlases within the Saillune library.
But how far away from Saillune was this place?
Yes, She was truly alone now...
Well in that case, the only thing left to do, was to return home, to the palace of Saillune....
Amelia got to her feet and started to head off, on her way out of the village.
But if Amelia had been observant enough, she would've noticed a strange mist floating into the scene, to encase the entire ruins in it's embrace……
The princess had only gone a little way, when she suddenly heard something.....
It sounded very much like....
A soft sobbing....
Someone's crying? Where?
Amelia's eyes scanned the mist encased ruins. Where could that noise be coming from?
Eventually her eyes settled on a forest, situated on a slope rising above, out of the ruins.
Amelia blinked at this newly discovered slope. Was that there before.....?
Elsewhere, in another part of the ruins and fair distance away from Amelia, Zelgadis was continuing on his way, on his never-ending journey to find a.....
Hold on.
Zelgadis stopped dead in his tracks and darted his eyes around, his senses vigilant and ever-cautious.
He could feel a mist creeping in around him. A mist that was both unnatural and mysterious.
Zelgadis glared at this mist. What the hell was going on here? Where did this mist come from? And how on earth did it arrive so quickly?
Obviously, there is a great and powerful magic at work here, so he must be on his guard...
Wait a minute.
What was that?
Hang on.
There it was again!
Zelgadis flicked his head around. He could've sworn he'd heard the sound of.....
.....children laughing?
Strange. He thought this place was abandoned. What are laughing children doing in a ghost town such as this?
Zel pushed his way on through the mist towards the laughing, all in the name of investigation....
Meanwhile Amelia was exploring the newly-discovered forest. She was pushing her way through the trees and the mist. She was absolutely certain that she had heard someone crying. And she was also convinced that it was coming from these trees.
But, where did this slope come from? She was positive she didn't see it before....
Oddly enough, she had only come to see it when that peculiar mist swept into the ruins...
This chain of events was getting more and more unsettling....
Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks.
It was then she saw it.
Up ahead, roaming in amongst the trees was a girl.....
Chapter 2
Contents
