Disclaimer: No jokes this time. I don't own the Slayers.
Lina glared at the light rushing to engulf her. She stood tall and called out to the light defiantly, "I won't hide from you anymore!"
As if in answer to her challenge, the light reached out and swallowed Lina. A moment later, the ground Lina was standing on was erased from existence.
Lina floated in the void, just as she had so many times before. She looked around to see a golden abyss stretching in every direction. There was nothing but her and the light. Long moments passed.
Lina growled in frustration. She yelled, "I know that you've been looking for me! I'm not running anymore! Come out!"
Nothing changed in the abyss.
Lina threw a tantrum. "Are you trying to bore me to death or what?! I finally get the nerve to face you and you get scared?! Where are you?"
The sound of an amused chuckle reached Lina's ears. It seemed to be coming from all around her.
"Damn it! Don't laugh at me! I'm the powerful sorcery genius Lina Inverse!"
The voice spoke to Lina. "Please forgive me. I've been waiting for this day for so long."
Lina looked around angrily. "Show yourself! I want to see who I'm talking to!"
"Once again, I apologize. I sometimes forget that human senses cannot totally comprehend me."
Lina watched as the light was drawn to a single point in front of her. All around her was nothing but darkness. The only light came from a golden orb the size of her fist.
Lina looked at the sphere doubtfully. "That's it?"
"Allow me to take on a more familiar shape." The orb grew and stretched until it had assumed a humanoid shape.
The light faded slightly and Lina was surprised to see a blonde version of herself floating in the darkness. "What the hell?"
The figure nodded. "I decided that this form is fitting considering that we share the same body."
Lina smiled nervously. "So you finally reveal yourself."
The golden figure chuckled. "Finally reveal myself'? Lina, I have been searching for you for twenty-nine years. I seem to recall that you're the one who spent so long running from me."
Lina glared at her. "Never mind that! There's something I have to know."
The figure nodded. "As expected."
Lina looked a little nervous as she asked her question. "Are you really her?"
The figure nodded. "I am the mother of all things. The Lord of Nightmares."
Lina hung her head and sighed shakily. "I knew it was true. I just didn't want to believe it." She felt despair welling up inside of her. "This is the end, isn't it?"
The Golden Lord observed Lina with a concerned expression on her face. "Please calm yourself Lina. You have nothing to fear from me." She embraced Lina lovingly. "I've grown to care for you deeply."
Lina felt her fear drain away as the arms encircled her. She felt nothing but compassion from her doppelganger. "Why?"
"Because of all that we've experienced together. Do you feel better now?" The Lord of Nightmares smiled at Lina reassuringly.
Lina sighed happily. "Yeah, I do. Can I ask you some questions?"
"Of course."
Lina nodded. "Thank you. How did this happen to us?"
"For the answer to that, we have to look twenty-nine years in the past." The Golden Lord waved her hand and the darkness around them lit up to reveal a large chamber.
The room seemed to reach up for eternity. Lina struggled to see the ceiling, but the walls faded into the darkness far before she was able to discern any end to the room. In the center of the room a huge crystal loomed. Suspended within it were hundreds of bodies. At the base of the crystal was a throne. Standing in front of the throne was a demon that wore the face of a child.
"Hellmaster!" Lina quickly began to cast a spell.
Her companion spoke. "Calm yourself Lina. This is only a memory."
Lina blinked. "Hey, I do remember this."
Phibrizzo smiled cruelly. "When these crystals shatter, it's such a beautiful thing to watch. Wouldn't you like to see it?"
Lina saw her past self, standing in front of Phibrizzo. "Who'd want to see that?"
Hellmaster continued. "Then why don't you cast the Giga Slave? There is a chance it won't go completely out of control."
The past Lina stood silently.
Phibrizzo sighed. "Seems you won't understand until I kill someone." He turned to the crystals. "So, who should I begin with?" He pondered for a moment. "Maybe this chimera man here." He grinned wickedly. "I know! Let's start with him!" He pointed to Gourry's crystal. "Unless you do something, he is about to die."
Lina squeezed her eyes shut. "Gourry. . ."
The Lord of Nightmares put a reassuring hand on Lina's shoulder. "I know it's hard Lina. But, you want to know the truth don't you?"
Lina hesitantly opened her eyes.
Phibrizzo blasted Gourry's crystal causing a large spider web of cracks to appear in it.
Lina and her past self called Gourry's name simultaneously.
The past Lina began to gather power to cast the Giga Slave. "I don't care who I get it from! Give me the power to save Gourry!"
The Lord of Nightmares nodded. "I heard your plea Lina. Your pure heart and noble intentions drew me to your world."
Their surroundings became dark once again.
Lina looked around with a confused expression on her face. "So, what happened?"
"After you cast the Giga Slave, Phibrizzo killed your body. I assumed your form and destroyed him."
"No. . ." Lina looked at her mirror image with a terrified expression on her face. "Am I dead?"
"No. Watch!"
"Lina!" A familiar voice came to Lina from the void.
Lina looked up excitedly. "Gourry!"
Gourry was pursuing the past Lina through the chaos. "Maybe you're stubborn and sort of perverse!"
Lina's smile started to fade. "Excuse me?"
Gourry continued. "Maybe you trick people with your charms!"
Lina twitched.
"Maybe you look down on anyone who's weaker than you!
Lina growled at the image of Gourry. "Okay Gourry, I get the picture!"
"Lina! I need you!"
The past Lina continued on, paying no heed to the pleas of the swordsman.
Gourry wouldn't be stopped though. He struggled through the void until he was within reach of Lina. He grabbed her arms.
A surprised look crossed the past Lina's face briefly before she shut her eyes and disappeared.
The Golden Lord smiled. "I remember that. I couldn't believe that a human would risk utter destruction for another. It intrigued me."
Lina was smiling with tears running down her cheeks. "Gourry, you did that for me?"
"He risked his very existence to save you. I was impressed. So, I sent you back to him."
Past Lina reappeared in Gourry's arms and they kissed.
Lina watched this, trying to take in every detail. She had a smile on her face as she whispered, "You saved me." She frowned as she continued. "And I never even thanked you."
"It's alright Lina. He knew how you felt."
The scene faded and darkness surrounded the two women again.
Lina wiped her eyes and struggled to regain a little composure. "You came back with me. Is that it?"
A smile. "Yes. As I said, I was intrigued. First, you risked your entire world to save Gourry. Then, he risked utter destruction to save you. I wanted to experience what the two of you shared. So I decided to put myself into you. I've been slumbering for the past twenty-nine years, dreaming about you. All your adventures."
The darkness lit up to reveal Lina and her friends fighting for their lives against Darkstar.
"All of your love."
The scene shifted to a bedroom in a Zoana inn where Gourry was carrying a blushing Lina over to the bed. They lovingly kissed as he lowered her onto the mattress.
Lina whispered, "Gourry?"
Gourry smiled at her. "Yeah, Lina?"
"Promise me that you'll never leave me?"
Gourry answered her with another tender kiss.
The scene shifted to an exhausted Lina holding a newborn child in her arms. She smiled at the child and sighed happily. "Hello Emily."
Mother and daughter quietly regarded each other with eyes the color of flame.
Then the darkness again.
Lina shook her head. "Is Emily. . ?" She was unable to finish the question.
The darkness lit up with a montage of images. Emily learning to walk. Painting on the walls of the palace in Seyruun while being pursued by a young Phil. Several sword practice sessions with her father. Finally, an image of her setting out on her own three years ago.
The Golden Lord smiled. "She's entirely yours Lina. I didn't want to directly interfere in another life the way I did with yours. However, I promise that she will have a long and fruitful life."
Lina sighed. "So, what happens to us now?"
The smile faded. "I'm very sorry Lina, but you must return with me to the Sea of Chaos. My slumber has been disturbed recently and I fear for your world if I were to fully awaken."
"It's the Soul Render, isn't it?" Lina shook her head. "My nightmares got a lot worse after I touched the fragment."
"That is correct."
"What is the Soul Render?"
"Nothing less than a gateway to the Sea of Chaos. When you touched it, it called out to me interrupting my sleep."
Lina shook her head, confused by this new information. "But, that doesn't make any sense. Zelgadis thinks that it can cure him."
"He's not entirely wrong. When low levels of magic are sent through the artifact, small waves of chaos are released. Just enough to rend a person's soul into its basic natures. In Zelgadis's case, it may very well rip the demonic portion of his body away."
"Low level magic? Like a human's power right?"
"Correct."
"So, if someone who had greater than human power used it, the effects would be far greater right?"
"Very astute."
Lina scratched her head. "Someone else is after the Soul Render as well. I'd guess the demon race was involved. They would have enough power to fully activate the Soul Render right?"
"No. They would be able to wipe out a large part of the world, but only we have enough power to unlock the artifact's full potential."
Lina whispered, "That's why you want me to leave, right? This time, I'm the threat to the world."
"I'm very sorry Lina, but I would hate to see this world that I have grown to love be wiped out."
Lina nodded. "Yeah, me too. So what do I have to do?"
"Find the last fragment. Use the gateway to return to the Sea of Chaos. You know where it is, don't you?"
"Yeah. It's Sairaag, right? That's where we were born. It's the only missing component. The others were where I first experienced physical love, the birth of my child, and where I faced my potential death."
"Very good Lina. Sharing those experiences with you pulled the fragments from the other worlds into yours at those locations. You must hurry though. It's only a matter of time before I totally awaken. If that happens your world will not survive."
Lina grinned. "So, if the bad guys get the fragments the world ends. If I fail to get the fragments the world ends too. If I do get the fragments, my life ends." She chuckled dryly. "You're not making it easy for me are you?"
The Golden Lord laughed. "I have faith in you Lina. We've been through worse before, haven't we?"
"That's true. So what happens to me when I leave this world?"
"I can't be sure because we are eternally bound to one another, but I expect experiencing my realm will destroy you utterly."
Lina nodded sadly. "That's about what I expected. And because I won't be a part of this world anymore. . ."
"You will simply cease to exist."
". . .and I'll never be reunited with Gourry."
"You have my condolences Lina. I never should have tampered with your life."
Lina winked and smiled through her tears. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it is there? All I can do now is my best." Her smile faded. "I just hope it's enough."
"It will have to be."
Lina felt herself falling into the darkness. She saw the Lord of Nightmares rapidly dwindling in the void.
"Farewell Lina. I have faith in you."
"And that's when I woke up in Kira's house." Lina slumped a bit. Telling the story had been extremely hard for her. She looked up trying to see Emily in the darkness. The campfire had long since dwindled to embers and she was unable to see Emily's face in the night.
"Emily, are you okay?" Lina moved over next to her daughter and placed an arm around her. She smiled sadly. "See? I told you that you wouldn't want to know the truth."
Emily was weeping, unable to answer Lina. She hugged her mother tightly as if she would be able to keep her there forever.
Lina gently stroked Emily's hair as she spoke. "Hey, it's alright. Why are you crying? It's not like you're dying, you know." She smiled and gave her daughter an encouraging squeeze. "Didn't you hear? You're going to have a long and happy life. Isn't that good news?"
Emily shook her head fiercely and buried her face in Lina's chest. "I don't care about that!"
Lina struggled not to cry as she held Emily. "Please don't say that. I want you to be happy."
"First I lost dad, now I'm losing you." Emily looked up at Lina sniffling. "I don't want to be alone mom."
Lina started to quietly weep when she heard that. "You'll never be alone Emily. You've got friends all over the continent don't you? You'll always have someone to talk to."
Emily shook her head. "None of that matters."
Lina sighed. "Emily, don't say that. There's a lot more to your life than me."
"You and dad were always there for me to come home to. No matter what happened on the road, I always knew that you'd be there waiting for me. It made me feel safe."
Lina thought of Gourry. He'd followed her for thirty years. It had always been comforting to know that he was beside her. "I know how you feel."
"Mom?"
"Yeah, baby?" Lina gently rocked Emily back and forth.
"Do you know what the worst part of everything is?"
Lina shuddered. "Emily. . ." She knew what was coming. The thing that she had tried to put out of her mind.
"I'll never see you again. Not in this life or the next. Neither will dad. It'll be like you never existed."
Lina began to sob and she clutched Emily tighter. "I know. I'm sorry." She kissed Emily's cheek. "I'm so sorry."
There was a long moment of silence as both women tried to comfort each other and be comforted all at once.
Lina smiled through her tears. "Emily, do you remember what I told you after we attacked those bandits?"
Emily shook her head.
"I told you that it wasn't easy being the hero. You have to make tough decisions. I risked the entire world to save Gourry all those years ago. Now, I have to make amends for that. But, it's worth it." Lina lifted Emily's chin. "Do you know why?"
"No."
"Because, it's your world now. Whatever happens, it's okay because I know that you'll be here and that you'll make the best of it. And that's enough for me."
"But there's so much we haven't done yet." Emily smiled and spoke hopefully. "Remember your promise? You said we'd visit grandma and grandpa in Zefielia. You wouldn't break your promise would you? Let's forget about Sairaag and go."
Lina shook her head. "Emily, please don't do this to me. This is the reason I didn't want to tell you the truth." She looked over at the lights of Sairaag, now only a couple hours away and trembled. "Do you think it's easy for me, knowing that I'm walking towards my own death?" She looked down at Emily. "I'm terrified. I've never been so scared in my life. Nothing would make me happier than to turn tail and run."
Emily frowned and whispered, "But you won't."
Lina shook her head. "I can't."
Emily wiped her eyes and released Lina. "Alright. I won't try to stop you."
Lina smiled. "Thank you."
"And I'll stay with you until the very end mom. You can count on me."
"I knew that I could."
Next Chapter: The journey ends.
Notes: I absolutely love this chapter. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was crying a little while writing it. I hope that all of you enjoy it. Another 3-4 chapters to post and we're done.
Matakishi, uh *sweatdrops* I was kinda making a pretty lame joke when I said that I didn't know who L-sama was. Don't hurt me okay? I was just trying to keep the surprise revelation in this chapter a, well you know, surprise. How obvious was it and when did you figure it out?
Thanks for reading everyone!
Lina glared at the light rushing to engulf her. She stood tall and called out to the light defiantly, "I won't hide from you anymore!"
As if in answer to her challenge, the light reached out and swallowed Lina. A moment later, the ground Lina was standing on was erased from existence.
Lina floated in the void, just as she had so many times before. She looked around to see a golden abyss stretching in every direction. There was nothing but her and the light. Long moments passed.
Lina growled in frustration. She yelled, "I know that you've been looking for me! I'm not running anymore! Come out!"
Nothing changed in the abyss.
Lina threw a tantrum. "Are you trying to bore me to death or what?! I finally get the nerve to face you and you get scared?! Where are you?"
The sound of an amused chuckle reached Lina's ears. It seemed to be coming from all around her.
"Damn it! Don't laugh at me! I'm the powerful sorcery genius Lina Inverse!"
The voice spoke to Lina. "Please forgive me. I've been waiting for this day for so long."
Lina looked around angrily. "Show yourself! I want to see who I'm talking to!"
"Once again, I apologize. I sometimes forget that human senses cannot totally comprehend me."
Lina watched as the light was drawn to a single point in front of her. All around her was nothing but darkness. The only light came from a golden orb the size of her fist.
Lina looked at the sphere doubtfully. "That's it?"
"Allow me to take on a more familiar shape." The orb grew and stretched until it had assumed a humanoid shape.
The light faded slightly and Lina was surprised to see a blonde version of herself floating in the darkness. "What the hell?"
The figure nodded. "I decided that this form is fitting considering that we share the same body."
Lina smiled nervously. "So you finally reveal yourself."
The golden figure chuckled. "Finally reveal myself'? Lina, I have been searching for you for twenty-nine years. I seem to recall that you're the one who spent so long running from me."
Lina glared at her. "Never mind that! There's something I have to know."
The figure nodded. "As expected."
Lina looked a little nervous as she asked her question. "Are you really her?"
The figure nodded. "I am the mother of all things. The Lord of Nightmares."
Lina hung her head and sighed shakily. "I knew it was true. I just didn't want to believe it." She felt despair welling up inside of her. "This is the end, isn't it?"
The Golden Lord observed Lina with a concerned expression on her face. "Please calm yourself Lina. You have nothing to fear from me." She embraced Lina lovingly. "I've grown to care for you deeply."
Lina felt her fear drain away as the arms encircled her. She felt nothing but compassion from her doppelganger. "Why?"
"Because of all that we've experienced together. Do you feel better now?" The Lord of Nightmares smiled at Lina reassuringly.
Lina sighed happily. "Yeah, I do. Can I ask you some questions?"
"Of course."
Lina nodded. "Thank you. How did this happen to us?"
"For the answer to that, we have to look twenty-nine years in the past." The Golden Lord waved her hand and the darkness around them lit up to reveal a large chamber.
The room seemed to reach up for eternity. Lina struggled to see the ceiling, but the walls faded into the darkness far before she was able to discern any end to the room. In the center of the room a huge crystal loomed. Suspended within it were hundreds of bodies. At the base of the crystal was a throne. Standing in front of the throne was a demon that wore the face of a child.
"Hellmaster!" Lina quickly began to cast a spell.
Her companion spoke. "Calm yourself Lina. This is only a memory."
Lina blinked. "Hey, I do remember this."
Phibrizzo smiled cruelly. "When these crystals shatter, it's such a beautiful thing to watch. Wouldn't you like to see it?"
Lina saw her past self, standing in front of Phibrizzo. "Who'd want to see that?"
Hellmaster continued. "Then why don't you cast the Giga Slave? There is a chance it won't go completely out of control."
The past Lina stood silently.
Phibrizzo sighed. "Seems you won't understand until I kill someone." He turned to the crystals. "So, who should I begin with?" He pondered for a moment. "Maybe this chimera man here." He grinned wickedly. "I know! Let's start with him!" He pointed to Gourry's crystal. "Unless you do something, he is about to die."
Lina squeezed her eyes shut. "Gourry. . ."
The Lord of Nightmares put a reassuring hand on Lina's shoulder. "I know it's hard Lina. But, you want to know the truth don't you?"
Lina hesitantly opened her eyes.
Phibrizzo blasted Gourry's crystal causing a large spider web of cracks to appear in it.
Lina and her past self called Gourry's name simultaneously.
The past Lina began to gather power to cast the Giga Slave. "I don't care who I get it from! Give me the power to save Gourry!"
The Lord of Nightmares nodded. "I heard your plea Lina. Your pure heart and noble intentions drew me to your world."
Their surroundings became dark once again.
Lina looked around with a confused expression on her face. "So, what happened?"
"After you cast the Giga Slave, Phibrizzo killed your body. I assumed your form and destroyed him."
"No. . ." Lina looked at her mirror image with a terrified expression on her face. "Am I dead?"
"No. Watch!"
"Lina!" A familiar voice came to Lina from the void.
Lina looked up excitedly. "Gourry!"
Gourry was pursuing the past Lina through the chaos. "Maybe you're stubborn and sort of perverse!"
Lina's smile started to fade. "Excuse me?"
Gourry continued. "Maybe you trick people with your charms!"
Lina twitched.
"Maybe you look down on anyone who's weaker than you!
Lina growled at the image of Gourry. "Okay Gourry, I get the picture!"
"Lina! I need you!"
The past Lina continued on, paying no heed to the pleas of the swordsman.
Gourry wouldn't be stopped though. He struggled through the void until he was within reach of Lina. He grabbed her arms.
A surprised look crossed the past Lina's face briefly before she shut her eyes and disappeared.
The Golden Lord smiled. "I remember that. I couldn't believe that a human would risk utter destruction for another. It intrigued me."
Lina was smiling with tears running down her cheeks. "Gourry, you did that for me?"
"He risked his very existence to save you. I was impressed. So, I sent you back to him."
Past Lina reappeared in Gourry's arms and they kissed.
Lina watched this, trying to take in every detail. She had a smile on her face as she whispered, "You saved me." She frowned as she continued. "And I never even thanked you."
"It's alright Lina. He knew how you felt."
The scene faded and darkness surrounded the two women again.
Lina wiped her eyes and struggled to regain a little composure. "You came back with me. Is that it?"
A smile. "Yes. As I said, I was intrigued. First, you risked your entire world to save Gourry. Then, he risked utter destruction to save you. I wanted to experience what the two of you shared. So I decided to put myself into you. I've been slumbering for the past twenty-nine years, dreaming about you. All your adventures."
The darkness lit up to reveal Lina and her friends fighting for their lives against Darkstar.
"All of your love."
The scene shifted to a bedroom in a Zoana inn where Gourry was carrying a blushing Lina over to the bed. They lovingly kissed as he lowered her onto the mattress.
Lina whispered, "Gourry?"
Gourry smiled at her. "Yeah, Lina?"
"Promise me that you'll never leave me?"
Gourry answered her with another tender kiss.
The scene shifted to an exhausted Lina holding a newborn child in her arms. She smiled at the child and sighed happily. "Hello Emily."
Mother and daughter quietly regarded each other with eyes the color of flame.
Then the darkness again.
Lina shook her head. "Is Emily. . ?" She was unable to finish the question.
The darkness lit up with a montage of images. Emily learning to walk. Painting on the walls of the palace in Seyruun while being pursued by a young Phil. Several sword practice sessions with her father. Finally, an image of her setting out on her own three years ago.
The Golden Lord smiled. "She's entirely yours Lina. I didn't want to directly interfere in another life the way I did with yours. However, I promise that she will have a long and fruitful life."
Lina sighed. "So, what happens to us now?"
The smile faded. "I'm very sorry Lina, but you must return with me to the Sea of Chaos. My slumber has been disturbed recently and I fear for your world if I were to fully awaken."
"It's the Soul Render, isn't it?" Lina shook her head. "My nightmares got a lot worse after I touched the fragment."
"That is correct."
"What is the Soul Render?"
"Nothing less than a gateway to the Sea of Chaos. When you touched it, it called out to me interrupting my sleep."
Lina shook her head, confused by this new information. "But, that doesn't make any sense. Zelgadis thinks that it can cure him."
"He's not entirely wrong. When low levels of magic are sent through the artifact, small waves of chaos are released. Just enough to rend a person's soul into its basic natures. In Zelgadis's case, it may very well rip the demonic portion of his body away."
"Low level magic? Like a human's power right?"
"Correct."
"So, if someone who had greater than human power used it, the effects would be far greater right?"
"Very astute."
Lina scratched her head. "Someone else is after the Soul Render as well. I'd guess the demon race was involved. They would have enough power to fully activate the Soul Render right?"
"No. They would be able to wipe out a large part of the world, but only we have enough power to unlock the artifact's full potential."
Lina whispered, "That's why you want me to leave, right? This time, I'm the threat to the world."
"I'm very sorry Lina, but I would hate to see this world that I have grown to love be wiped out."
Lina nodded. "Yeah, me too. So what do I have to do?"
"Find the last fragment. Use the gateway to return to the Sea of Chaos. You know where it is, don't you?"
"Yeah. It's Sairaag, right? That's where we were born. It's the only missing component. The others were where I first experienced physical love, the birth of my child, and where I faced my potential death."
"Very good Lina. Sharing those experiences with you pulled the fragments from the other worlds into yours at those locations. You must hurry though. It's only a matter of time before I totally awaken. If that happens your world will not survive."
Lina grinned. "So, if the bad guys get the fragments the world ends. If I fail to get the fragments the world ends too. If I do get the fragments, my life ends." She chuckled dryly. "You're not making it easy for me are you?"
The Golden Lord laughed. "I have faith in you Lina. We've been through worse before, haven't we?"
"That's true. So what happens to me when I leave this world?"
"I can't be sure because we are eternally bound to one another, but I expect experiencing my realm will destroy you utterly."
Lina nodded sadly. "That's about what I expected. And because I won't be a part of this world anymore. . ."
"You will simply cease to exist."
". . .and I'll never be reunited with Gourry."
"You have my condolences Lina. I never should have tampered with your life."
Lina winked and smiled through her tears. "Well, there's nothing to be done about it is there? All I can do now is my best." Her smile faded. "I just hope it's enough."
"It will have to be."
Lina felt herself falling into the darkness. She saw the Lord of Nightmares rapidly dwindling in the void.
"Farewell Lina. I have faith in you."
"And that's when I woke up in Kira's house." Lina slumped a bit. Telling the story had been extremely hard for her. She looked up trying to see Emily in the darkness. The campfire had long since dwindled to embers and she was unable to see Emily's face in the night.
"Emily, are you okay?" Lina moved over next to her daughter and placed an arm around her. She smiled sadly. "See? I told you that you wouldn't want to know the truth."
Emily was weeping, unable to answer Lina. She hugged her mother tightly as if she would be able to keep her there forever.
Lina gently stroked Emily's hair as she spoke. "Hey, it's alright. Why are you crying? It's not like you're dying, you know." She smiled and gave her daughter an encouraging squeeze. "Didn't you hear? You're going to have a long and happy life. Isn't that good news?"
Emily shook her head fiercely and buried her face in Lina's chest. "I don't care about that!"
Lina struggled not to cry as she held Emily. "Please don't say that. I want you to be happy."
"First I lost dad, now I'm losing you." Emily looked up at Lina sniffling. "I don't want to be alone mom."
Lina started to quietly weep when she heard that. "You'll never be alone Emily. You've got friends all over the continent don't you? You'll always have someone to talk to."
Emily shook her head. "None of that matters."
Lina sighed. "Emily, don't say that. There's a lot more to your life than me."
"You and dad were always there for me to come home to. No matter what happened on the road, I always knew that you'd be there waiting for me. It made me feel safe."
Lina thought of Gourry. He'd followed her for thirty years. It had always been comforting to know that he was beside her. "I know how you feel."
"Mom?"
"Yeah, baby?" Lina gently rocked Emily back and forth.
"Do you know what the worst part of everything is?"
Lina shuddered. "Emily. . ." She knew what was coming. The thing that she had tried to put out of her mind.
"I'll never see you again. Not in this life or the next. Neither will dad. It'll be like you never existed."
Lina began to sob and she clutched Emily tighter. "I know. I'm sorry." She kissed Emily's cheek. "I'm so sorry."
There was a long moment of silence as both women tried to comfort each other and be comforted all at once.
Lina smiled through her tears. "Emily, do you remember what I told you after we attacked those bandits?"
Emily shook her head.
"I told you that it wasn't easy being the hero. You have to make tough decisions. I risked the entire world to save Gourry all those years ago. Now, I have to make amends for that. But, it's worth it." Lina lifted Emily's chin. "Do you know why?"
"No."
"Because, it's your world now. Whatever happens, it's okay because I know that you'll be here and that you'll make the best of it. And that's enough for me."
"But there's so much we haven't done yet." Emily smiled and spoke hopefully. "Remember your promise? You said we'd visit grandma and grandpa in Zefielia. You wouldn't break your promise would you? Let's forget about Sairaag and go."
Lina shook her head. "Emily, please don't do this to me. This is the reason I didn't want to tell you the truth." She looked over at the lights of Sairaag, now only a couple hours away and trembled. "Do you think it's easy for me, knowing that I'm walking towards my own death?" She looked down at Emily. "I'm terrified. I've never been so scared in my life. Nothing would make me happier than to turn tail and run."
Emily frowned and whispered, "But you won't."
Lina shook her head. "I can't."
Emily wiped her eyes and released Lina. "Alright. I won't try to stop you."
Lina smiled. "Thank you."
"And I'll stay with you until the very end mom. You can count on me."
"I knew that I could."
Next Chapter: The journey ends.
Notes: I absolutely love this chapter. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was crying a little while writing it. I hope that all of you enjoy it. Another 3-4 chapters to post and we're done.
Matakishi, uh *sweatdrops* I was kinda making a pretty lame joke when I said that I didn't know who L-sama was. Don't hurt me okay? I was just trying to keep the surprise revelation in this chapter a, well you know, surprise. How obvious was it and when did you figure it out?
Thanks for reading everyone!
