Chapter 7
Breaking of Possession
Syl blinked in horror at the psychotic Amelia and then at the princess' fist that loomed above the helpless Shrine Maiden. There was no escape.
Desperately Syl's frightened eyes darted around at the crowd. Most of them were several feet away. Judging by their frightened expressions, the members of the crowd were too terrified to deal with a possessed princess of psychotic intentions! Thus, everyone kept their distance - Nobody was brave enough to step forward and come to Sylphiel's resuce.
Since there was no hope of rescue from the masses, Syl turned desperately towards her friends - As she has aways done. The shrine maiden's gaze had no trouble locating the direction where Lina and Gourry were coming from. Yet even as they raced to save the shrine maiden they were still too far away to stop the possessed Amelia.
There was little the terrified Syl could do to escape the wrath of the rapid princess.
The end was nigh.....
And she was all on her own.....
Then something extraordinary happened.
Whether it was the urgency of leaving this existence or the panic in this situation of chaos or the frustration of helplessness, no-one will ever know. But something lit up inside Sylphiel. The flames of strength ignited within the Shrine Maiden, urging to take action and stop the rapid Amelia.
With a strength inspired from fear, Syl pulled her left hand free from her prostrate position. Then, leaning up on her right elbow, she reached up her hand right into contact with Amelia's fist!
The fist never reached it's targeted destination. Instead, it's flight path was intercepted by the palm of Syl's hand. The fist rammed into the palm with a terrific thump.
Even though her mind was currentely lost to some heinous evil and her eyes still blazed with possession, Amelia was indeed surprised by this move. Perhaps this shrine maiden wasn't as weak as first believed. Instead, she was certainly proving to be quite a formidable enemy.
But it didn't take long for the princess' eyes to ignite again to burn with increased fury.
But Sylphiel didn't see this. She had her eyes closed real tight. But even with her eyes closed she could still feel Amelia's fist still carrying on it's relentless journey. It ploughed it's way into her palm. It challenged all that dared to stand in it's way.
The shrine maiden could feel the pain burn into her palm and an urge to scream in agony.
But she fought this urge. She could still feel the pain....
Yet she could also feel the power of her newly-discovered strength.
Even as Amelia's fist burned it's way into her palm, Syl fought back. She brought forth a defence against the juggernaut of a fist. Syl's palm pushed away the fist. Syl's palm defied the fist. Syl's palm denied the fist.
But Amelia, possessed as she was, wasn't ready to give up. The fist still tried to plunge forward, against this barricade of a palm.
But as the fist pushed on forward, it got pushed back by the palm. Back and forth the battle raged, with either side gaining an advantage.
Nevertheless Syl grit her teeth and fought on.
But, as she gritted her teeth and took the brunt of Amelia's fist into her hand, her mind was swept up into a whirlwind of confusion. Why would Amelia launch into such a psychotic rage? Why would Amelia want to attack her so much? They were friends right? What one earth was going on here?
And what was she doing? Erecting a defence against an enemy wasn't something she did everyday. She hadn't done a thing like this before. Doing a thing like this was best suited to either a warrior like Gourry or Zelgadis.
Why was she doing this? Was this an act utilised in such a way to keep her from death's door? Was this a method of protection? If so, then it certainly was a crude and unreliable way of defence. Or was she acting out of the desperation of the situation?
This so wasn't like her....
Suddenly, Syl could feel the strength of the punch slowly die away. What the....?
Seeking answers, an astonished Syl opened her eyes.
What greeted her field of vision was an indeed perplexing sight. Amelia still kept her pinned to the ground and still had her fist rammed into the shrine maiden's palm. But something had changed: The princess' eyes were now different then before. Her eyes had once blazed with possessed fervour, but now this blazing fervour had now died away. All homicidal fervour that burned within Amelia's gaze had now evaporated and returned the princess' eyes to their normal state.
Amelia had well and truly broken out of her trance. But it was only now that she found herself startled and in the middle of quite an unsettling situation. The princess blinked. What? What on earth was this?
Amelia's expression grew rapidly into a mixture of confusion and horror. What was going on here? What was she doing pinning Syl to the ground and having her fist held up like this....?
Hang on....
A FIST?!?!?
Blinking in confused horror, Amelia averted her gaze from Syl and looked up at the surrounding crowd.
Their facial expressions explained it all. They were all, from several feet away, gazing at the princess in horror. But now, the onlookers' faces were now not only horrified but also quite perplexed. They could tell that Amelia's struggling had ceased but were now uncertain on how to react.
Even Lina was confused - so much so she stopped running and came to a skidding halt. Gourry, Zel and Phil, who were right behind the sorceress, also followed suit.
"What's going on Lina?" the swordsman inquired.
"That's exactly what I would like to know!" Lina murmured.
Phil didn't say anything. Instead, his expression was grim. No doubt he was pondering on how this incident was going to look on the Saillune trade relations record....
"Look!" Zel yelled.
Amelia slowly got to her feet, releasing her grip on the startled Syl. Upon the princess' face was a mixture of confusion, horror and embarrassment. She had no recollection of being possessed. Thus she had no idea what was going on, she couldn't recall what had just happened and she had no clue as to what to say to the aghast crowd.....
The princess looked around her. Even with no recollection of the action she committed whilst being possessed, it wasn't difficult to deduce what just transpired at this social gathering.
And, judging by the mayhem that was a quite dignified affair, exactly what happened couldn't have been too good!
The entire party was trashed beyond belief. The whole thing had collapsed in an uproar. Martina's wedding anniversary had now disintegrated into chaos and confusion. And now here she was, surrounded by a startled crowd, atop an equally astonished Syl.
Syl! Amelia's facial expression grew with alarm. She had just tried to kill Sylphiel! She had just tried to kill a friend! And, in the process, she had trashed Martina's party beyond belief! What the hell was going on here? Why doesn't she have any memories of what just happened? And why is she acting out of her own free will....?
Daddy isn't going to like this...
But....But....But it wasn't her fault! She can't be lynched for something she had no control over! Surely they could see it....?
Distraught, Amelia's eyes began to well up with tears. It wasn't her fault....!
It never was...
It never was...
Suddenly, riding on the wings of guilt and fear, the princess darted into the crowd. She didn't want to be here. She needed to be out of sight. She wanted to hide away from accusing glares. She wanted to hide from eyes that saw her tears. She wanted to escape this awkward situation.
An awkward situation where not even her skills as a Champion of Justice could save her.....
Fortunately, Amelia's flight path didn't suffer from too much in the way of interference: The onlookers, all of whom had just developed a fear of the princess, wisely got out of her way. The onlookers had no idea what was going on. The onlookers didn't have a clue as to how to react to the princess. The onlookers didn't even know whether or now she was still possessed.
What mattered was getting out of her way - In case she struck again.
Amelia fled into the dispersing crowd unchallenged. She ran through the crowds and then out of the public gardens completely.
"AMELIA!" Lina screamed.
"I'm going after her!" Zel announced.
And with that he sped off after the fleeing princess.
Lina and Gourry exchanged looks.
"Here we go again." Lina murmured.
Gourry just shrugged. He didn't seem too bothered. To him pursuing Amelia certainly seemed like a much more interesting and exciting undertaking then staying at Martina's party!
"Right behind ya, Zel!" Lina called. And with that, she and the swordsman set off after the chimera.
And they would've got very far.
Had it not been for two arms holding them back!
Lina and Gourry both run on the spot, bewildered to the fact that they weren't really progressing anywhere.
"Hey Lina?" Gourry asked. "Are we actually getting somewhere?"
"No" the red-head replied. "It's as if someone is holding us back...."
"Darn right there is!!" came a furious voice from behind.
Both Lina and Gourry exchanged glances before looking over their shoulders.....
....only to be greeted with the sight of a very furious Martina.
Lina blinked.
"Martina?"
"Is something wrong...?" Gourry said.
"YOU'RE DARN RIGHT SOMETHING'S WRONG!!!!!" Martina roared. "Your friend Amelia has trashed my party! Its now all ruined!"
The two adventurers were quite perplexed by the fury of the princess. They had seen her mad before but never like THIS! Martina's expression was enough to make one's blood turn to water! Someone had ruined HER day and, being the spoilt princess she is, Martina needs scapegoats. And since Amelia isn't here any more, Lina and Gourry will fit the bill nicely!
Yet in spite of Martina's wrath, the sorceress and the swordsman still managed to put on a brave face.
"It wasn't our fault!" Gourry blurted out.
"Yeah!" Lina agreed. "Amelia was possessed!"
Marina blinked at the two, as if uncertain on what to make of their story. Is there any truth in that? Yes they had all travelled together, Yes they had all seen some extraordinary sights and yes weirder things have certainly happened....
But what mattered is that Lina Inverse trashed HER party!! As a consequence, Martina had every right to be furious!! This blasted sorceress has destroyed everything that meant something to Martina! First Lina destroys Martina's kingdom, then she eludes any plot for revenge! And now she goes and trashes, her wedding anniversary! Martina's one chance of getting to shine is pulverised by the sorceress! Damn it sucks being second best!
All of a sudden she let loose on a whole bunch of epithets on how they had no right to trash HER party and how she wouldn't believe a preposterous story such as that and how this disaster would look on the cleaning bill as well as how catastrophic this mess would look on Saillune trade relations.
Gourry looked at Lina.
"You know Lina, I don't think she believes us."
Lina groaned.
And if facing Martina's wrath was bad enough, Zangulus approached the trio. he too was looking quite incensed. The former bounty hunter went up to Martina and laid a comforting hand on Martina's shoulder.
"There, there Honey" he said.
If music soothes the raging beast then hearing Zangulus' voice was music enough to Martina's ears! It only took mere seconds for her raging fury to calm down completely. What was once a strom had now died down to nothing.
Then Martina's face softened and she turned to face her husband - With an adoption of the "puppy dog eyes" routine.
"They destroyed my party, Darling!" Martina procliamed in a whining voice.
Martina was well and truly putting up an act to draw sympathy from Zangulus.
But he didn't seem to notice. Instead he comforted his wife and caressed her cheek in a reassuring manner.
Sympathy act or not it certainly worked!
Lina and Gourry blinked. For an instant, they were ignored. Yet they stood transfixed with astonishment at Martina and Zangulus. Gourry looked astonished. Lina however looked disgusted.
"They...They...They've ignored us completely!" Gourry said.
"Great!" Lina grinned. "This gives us the chance to run!"
And just like that, the two adventurers ran! They dashed! They fled! They ran out of desolation that was Martina's party at top speed! They charged out of the public gardens like a fugitive on the run! The two friends ran like a mazoku was on their tail!
Well, there was no Mazoku.
Only Zangulus!
After seeing Gourry and Lina run off like that, he was suddenly struck by some thing's called honour, duty and instinct. Without a second thought for anything else, the swordsman pushed Martina aside and took up pursuit of the two adventurers.
"Gourry!" he yelled. 'Get back here! We've gotta finish that duel! I'm not letting you leave without settling this little issue.......!"
Meanwhile, Martina, now cast face down in the mud, cursed the day she learned of the name of Lina Inverse.
"Damn you Lina...."
Why do bad things ALWAYS seem happen to her whenever Lina is around?!
Elsewhere, Zel made his way through the streets of Sairaag, his mind buzzing with a thousand questions. The streets were surprisingly empty for a city, but this only added to the benefits of the chimera: He now doesn't have to be bothered by anyone criticising his appearance and it gives him the time and space to think.
What had made Amelia go berserk like that? What type of force would make her go and attack Sylphiel? From the outset of it, all the clues pointed to the conclusion of possession. But who, or what, would want to utilise a princess of Saillune (and Champion of Justice) for their own ends? And why?
The chimera has faced many evil and their motivations, as well as their methods, seemed quite varied. But why would someone want to use Amelia for their own ends?
As Crown Prince of Saillune, Phil had to keep a wary eye on his throne and, as a champion of the people, keep his kingdom from danger. He had cultivated a lot of enemies in his time and all of whom, at some stage, faced the wrath of the power of Justice.
Yet if someone had the audacity to involve Amelia, Phil's daughter, in some nefarious plot then this could be the work of a former foe who is now seeking revenge....
Or it could be someone whose interested in destroying the Saillune name by gaining control over the princess. Then the destruction could be wrought from the inside - and the chaos that would follow would provide the perfect opportunity for someone to assume control.
Zel pondered on these ideas but then shrugged. They were good theories but he had encountered such minded lunatics before. They were good theories but they weren't anything new.
Then the chimera was struck by another thought: Now that he thought about it, this whole caper started ever since Amelia was abducted by the lunatic Diol. And she'd been suffering from disturbing dreams and coughing fits most violent ever since. Are these symptoms part of the possession spell?
Did Diol make her a target for possession?
No. Impossible. According to Lina, Diol wouldn't be smart enough to come up with a super-intelligent spell like possession or dream altering.
Perhaps he's working for some higher power?
Perhaps this was the product of that interloper that Lina suggested?
Perhaps.
But one thing's for certain, once Zel gets his hands on the bastard that did this, he is going to break every bone in his wretched body....
Suddenly Zel heard a noise. A noise that was enough to break him out of his reverie.
Zel stiffened. That noise....
It sounded like someone moaning.
A moan that sounded so familiar.....
Zel's eyes darted around, the empty streets, looking for the source of the noise.
Eventually his gaze settled on an alley, in-between two of the buildings. And it was this alleyway that Zel sped towards.
Once he had reached the mouth of the alleyway, Zel then picked his way through the dirt and the garbage that littered the alleyway.
"Amelia?" the chimera called.
He was then answered by a soft moan from the depths of the alley. Zelgadis' demon sight peered into the darkened alley and soon picked out a quivering form.
It was Amelia.
She was crouched down within the shadows with her head buried in her hands, her knees pulled in tight and softly sobbing.
Zel slowly made his way towards the princess and knelt down in front of her.
"Amelia?" he asked.
The princess didn't answer. Instead she continued sobbing.
When he didn't get an answer, Zel reached out his hand. After navigating through her hair, Zelgadis' hand gently settled down on the side of Amelia's face.
At the chimera's touch Amelia slowly raised her head. Zel blinked as her face came into view. Her cheeks were stricken with tears, her lips were shaking and her eyes well welled up with water as well being incredibly bloodshot.
Then, with a whimper, Amelia toppled forward into the startled chimera, weeping waterfalls of tears, like there was no tomorrow.
Gently, Zel wrapped his arms around the distraught princess and cradled her quivering form. He didn't like to see her so upset and he wanted to do whatever he could to rescue her from her depression.
"Shh, Amelia shh...." He whispered.
"It wasn't my fault!" she wept. "I'm so sorry!"
"shh...."
Then Amelia went silent. Gently, she laid her head against Zelgadis' chest and took in his warmth. Even though she was distraught by the chaos she caused at Martina's party, was currently bawling her eyes out and still haunted by her dreams of the woodsman, she still found comfort in the chimera. And that was all that mattered....
Suddenly Zel looked up.
"Can you hear that?" he asked.
"Hear what?" Amelia replied.
They waited in silence....
Before picking up sounds of two voices calling out their names.
"Amelia!" yelled a distinct feminine voice. "Where are you?"
"Zel!" shouted a familiar masculine voice.
The chimera and the princess exchanged glances. Not a word was said but they knew who the voices belonged to.
Lina. And Gourry.
And from the look of it, they were both looking for the two runaways.
Then, much to Amelia's disappointment, Zel broke out of the embrace and got to his feet. Following that he held out his hand to the tear-stricken princess.
Amelia blinked at the hand. Then, smiling the sweetest smile through her tears, she reached out and took the chimera's hand. Zel then hoisted Amelia to her feet.
Then, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her out of the alleyway - Much to the princess' surprise.
"Zelgadis?"
"Lean on me" he softly replied.
Amelia blinked before complying with Zel's request. A small smile crossed her lips. My, this wasn't like Zel to be this noble but what mattered was that he was doing something for her. He was helping her when she was in a time of great crisis. He wasn't too good with this romance stuff but whatever he did, he did it well.
Zel helped Amelia out of the alleyway and into the street. Suddenly, both Lina and Gourry came running over.
"Amelia! Zel!" Gourry grinned.
Lina leaned up towards the princess.
"Amelia?" the sorceress asked. "Are you all right?"
Amelia looked up, her facial expression still as distraught as before.
"It wasn't my fault!" she cried.
"I know!" Lina interjected. "We saw it all! You were possessed! Some evil force compelled you to attack Sylphiel!"
Amelia blinked. Then she nodded. She felt a little better knowing that what she did wasn't her fault. Then she raised an eyebrow.
"Possession?"
Lina nodded sadly.
"By who?" the princess demanded.
"That's exactly who the rest of us would like to know." Lina answered.
"So, how did Martina react to her anniversary party being trashed?" Zel asked.
At Zelgadis' question Lina groaned and Gourry grimaced.
"Look Zel" Lina said. "You don't even WANT to know how annoyed Martina was!"
"Yeah" Gourry added. "She even talked about putting a bounty on our heads!"
The other three stared at the swordsman - much to his astonishment.
"W-What did I say?" he said.
Lina groaned.
"Well this is just great. Here we are, facing a bounty put up by one of our friends, threatened by an evil force who decides to possess one of us and without a proper meal! What do we do now?"
"What we've always done I guess" Zel said softly.
The other three looked at him. It didn't take them long to realise what the chimera was implying. Yes. They will do what they've always done in times of crisis! Its worked before and it hasn't let them down! And it seems the most logical thing to do.....
RUN!!!!!!
Chapter 7.5
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