The Dark Brilliance
Chapter 4: Final Journey
"Sometimes walking toward death is foolish; at times, there is no solution."
Lina's hair blew back in the breeze, carelessly and freely, completely opposite of the way she and her companions were feeling.
It had been three days since she, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia, and Kyra had left the holy land, and although the sky had cleared up after Anguish had been killed, their hearts had remained as dark as if he was still alive, laughing at them. For that was what they all felt, an ebbing pain that the victory was not true.
After the battle, Kyra had urged that there was no time to lose; they needed to find the temple of the most ancient origin as soon as possible. Kyra had insisted that the de-quintessence movement used before would not be able to locate the temple; it had to be found by sweat and blood alone, travelling only with their knowledge and instincts. They had built a ship, though admittedly not a very large one. Using magic, and Gourry's brute strength, it was made very swiftly, and Kyra's own magic made it shine with a purity not believed possible.
But the darkness never left.
Even Lina and Gourry didn't notice the lack of food much; if they wanted to eat, they could catch fish using magic, though no one seemed to care whether they ate or not. It was the most horrible sinking feeling they'd ever experienced; the scar left by Anguish was too great to be healed.
No one spoke much either, except to Kyra about what the temple might be like. She claimed that she herself didn't know much, though sometimes the Slayers were doubtful.
Xellos, so unused to having no control over the situation, and no place to teleport to, lapsed into an unusual quiet, which unnerved even more the other members of the group.
"At any cost, that evil must be stopped," Lina whispered to herself, feeling the pain of the black blast for the thousandth time over.
To her surprise, she felt Gourry's strong hand on her shoulder. She was glad that it hadn't lost the feeling of comfort that she'd always felt before from it. "It's all right," he reassured her, demonstrating unusual integrity. "We're all in this together. Even Xellos is sincere on this one, I think."
Lina managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
The breeze blew in a slow arc, ruffling the sails. Elsewhere, Zelgadis and Kyra were seen having a scene of their own.
"Kyra, are you sure you know where we're going?" Zelgadis asked her, on the other side of the ship. "None of us but you have the faintest idea where we are. We don't even know the name of this sea, if this even is a sea."
Kyra looked back from her position as clear captain of the ship. "Do not worry. We're nearly there, in any case."
"W-we are?" Zelgadis asked, surprised. "So soon?"
"Yes."
And that was all. An awkward silence followed, and Zelgadis fidgeted uncomfortably. He couldn't help but eye the dagger around Kyra's ponytail warily. He was certain it hadn't been there before. "Um... shall I tell the others, then?" he asked.
"Do as you wish. I need to concentrate."
Zelgadis managed an awkward nod, and then retreated to another portion of the ship, any portion. Gee, you'd think I was joking all the time compared to that stone-faced expression that girl's giving out, he thought to himself.
Amelia and Filia talked amongst themselves away from both of these meetings. They each made conversation about idle, unimportant things having nothing to do with the present mission. Obviously, it was only to take their mind off the task at hand. Unfortunately for them, their silence would soon be interrupted.
"Oh, is there any news, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked as the aforementioned walked briskly toward them, and Filia looked up as well.
"It's Kyra. She says we're stopping soon," Zelgadis stated, looking a little ruffled.
Filia blinked curiously. "Really? How soo-"
"We're there," Kyra's voice somehow boomed over the whole ship, her voice strong with importance. Her hair glistened in the deepening twilight; there was definitely some magic in the air.
Xellos teleported into the area suddenly, nearly knocking over Zelgadis in the process.
Zelgadis stumbled.
Amelia rushed over to help him.
Filia surveyed the scene, debating whether or not to scold Xellos.
Lina and Gourry ran onto the scene from their secluded location.
All six of the Slayers stared at one another. Nothing had happened.
Lina peered over the edge of the ship. Just water in all directions. "Um, what exactly does 'we're there' mean?"
"Are you sure we've arrived?" Xellos asked Kyra as she appeared on the scene.
For some reason, Kyra had her eyes closed. The dagger around her ponytail glistened, and then disappeared. Her sky-blue hair blew freely in the wind, which was picking up for some reason, now that she'd arrived.
The others lapsed into silence as she began to chant some sort of spell or prophecy.
"Born of chaos, oldest of the old. On which this planet thrives. That which holds the key the vanquishing the most ancient evil. Let your purifying dagger be revealed, so that the horror which has encased this earth will be lifted!"
With those words, the waves that had rippled slowly along the ship began to increase in speed and size, and they turned to solid black. Every once in a while, a line of gold glistened like the moon upon a quiet forest on the pitch-black water.
The Slayers looked on in wonder, until the eruption. The savage water suddenly tore upward, clawing at the sky with unparalleled ferocity. It formed a devastating column around the ship, its volume completely encasing the ship inside, like a gigantic circular vortex. Surprisingly, there had been no sudden force that threw the passengers back; it was as if the event had been planned for eternity to occur flawlessly. Still, the Slayers were dumbfounded at the sudden happening. The humans, dragon, and demon alike had seen nothing of its like before.
Only the perfect goddess stared out into the black column of water with unwavering clear eyes. "Anata ishota gaureli tresaka kyra," Kyra shouted into the darkness.
"'Kyra'?" Lina asked in confusion, wondering how her companion's name could be part of this unknown ritual. However, all thoughts of this escaped her mind as she realized something horrible. The column of water was no longer staying a column.
Some screamed, some looked on in horror, and some regarded the happening with resolute determination. In any case, all seven companions were engulfed by the chaotic water, and all of it gleamed a brilliant gold before the ship was completely capsized. From the outside, the water then returned to normal, the waves innocently rippled naturally again. The event had never occurred.
***
Lina groaned. She felt like a million bricks had fell on her, the darkness spreading like wildfire until she lapsed into unconsciousness.
She opened her eyes. And stared with wide astonishment at the scene that lay before her.
Great beasts made of energy roared and flew across the pitch-black sky that stretched infinitely in every direction. The thin piece of land that she was on was suspended in nothingness, the only island in an otherwise limitless empty void.
Ahead, there was a building. An ancient one. A titanic one. It, too, stretched out into the distance as far as the eye could see, though it was thin just like the land itself. It was almost like some bizarre product of the imagination, the goal just ahead. There were no mazes, no endless wandering. There were no split paths, no traps, and no detours. There was no light.
There was only what lay ahead, the ultimate destination, and the ultimate obstacle.
The others were sprawled on the ground near her, still unconscious. At least, 5 of the others. Kyra stood at the very edge of the piece of hovering land, her eyes seeming to follow the path and behavior of one of the energy beasts. Lina wondered what she was doing, and what those energy beasts were for.
"Agh, where are we?" Zelgadis muttered, getting awkwardly to his feet. His reactions were similar to Lina's as he surveyed the new landscape. He sighed. "Looks like we've gotten ourselves into another mess."
Kyra turned. "So, you're awake?" she asked calmly, as if as an afterthought.
"Kyra, what just happened?" Lina asked.
Zelgadis nodded. "You told us that you didn't know much about this temple that you speak of." He gestured with his hand toward the huge structure that lay before them. "How do you explain knowing the exact procedure to get here, wherever 'here' is?"
Kyra sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you this until this is all over. Or until it is absolutely necessary. Whichever comes first."
"What happened?" Filia asked, still a bit dizzy. The other three regained consciousness shortly, also gazing in wonder at their surroundings.
"LOOK OUT!" Kyra suddenly shouted, her eyes flashing with urgency.
Lina looked around frantically. "What-"
"Get DOWN!" Everyone threw themselves onto the ground, and a familiar feeling horrible black blast flew over their heads. But it felt stronger - far stronger. The energy beasts let out fierce roars as they felt the presence of the energy.
"What in-" Amelia gasped, her eyes widening with terror as she locked her eyes on a dark figure hovering above the temple.
The seven got to their feet, and Gourry drew his sword in a flash as the others charged up spells. Xellos powered up, and darkness exploded from him as his staff glowed with hatred, hatred that hadn't glinted in his eyes since his encounters with Gaav. Seriousness that hadn't flooded his essence since the battle with Darkstar.
"I will not stand aside and allow you disgusting beings to threaten the mozaku race any longer!" Xellos yelled in a manner entirely unlike himself. With amazing speed, he teleported and ran threw the air until he was close enough to the figure to get a clear shot.
"We mustn't hold back!" Amelia shouted, remembering their battle with Anguish. The others nodded, and fired their spells toward the figure as well. She fired a blue blast toward the new enemy, presumably a shamanism spell. Lina and Zelgadis shouted "Ray Wing!" and flew with bullet-like speed toward their mysterious opponent, firing Fireballs all the way.
At the same time, Kyra let out a yell as she fired a huge blast at the target with deadly accuracy. Filia fired a holy blast along with it, and the two projectiles converged, shining as it cruised like a missile.
"Hyah!" Gourry yelled, his face dead serious. He wasn't about to stand around being useless, and had been practicing shooting projectiles with his Sword of Light. The blast that was released was better than he'd expected, taking its place with the other spells that blasted through the air.
Xellos swung his staff horizontally with a fierce slash, and thousands of black cones erupted from him, each one like a needle that would gorge the opponent. He then fired a blast from his staff, and teleported all around the diameter of the dark figure, continuing his barrage.
While Zelgadis continued to pelt the enemy with Fireballs, Lina charged up a familiar spell - the Dragonslave. The darkness coursed through the air, the largest blast of all.
The figure didn't move as the attacks almost reached him. He then suddenly held up his hand. Instantly, the seven attackers were paralyzed. Then were completely frozen in position, although they were perfectly aware of what was going on. The Slayers and Kyra could only watch what their efforts had come to.
They were able to see the dark figure more closely now, but it was both cloaked and hooded in black, as well, so they hadn't any idea what it looked like.
The enemy stopped all of Xellos's cones and the Fireballs in mid-air, seemingly only with will-power. They hung there in an unreal fashion, as the Slayers watched in horror. He held out his two hands as the spells that the Slayers had all charged up in the beginning were almost on top of him. He brought his hands together, and the attacks suddenly all converged into one and stopped. As Amelia's spell, Kyra and Filia's combination spell, and Gourry's projectile attack shot toward him, he held out one finger, and swatted each individual one away like flies, the spells shooting backwards in the other direction. He vanished, suddenly appearing a tiny bit lower as the Dragonslave passed harmlessly overhead. He snapped his fingers, and dark energy coursed out from him. Every piece of energy that had been blasted at him suddenly shot together into one immense energy ball. The darkness that exploded from him formed into a huge gaping mouth, and it ate the energy, vanishing back into its owner. Instantly, the Slayers and Kyra felt the increase in power. Their attacks had only made their opponent stronger.
With a flick of his wrist, the figure made Xellos, Lina, and Zelgadis's motionless bodies fly back to the original platform, coliding with Kyra, Gourry, Amelia, and Filia. With another motion, they could all suddenly move again. Still, they knew that it wouldn't do much good to try another attack like that with what had just happened.
The figure removed its hood, and he seven companions stared with wide-eyed horror. The eyes were even more dark and empty than Anguish's, and the face was twisted and grotesque. The figure hung in the air with the smell of death about him, and the completely black cloak blew in the nonexistant wind. He was definitely made of the same stuff as their previous opponent. He laughed suddenly, and the complete and utter evil in that voice made Lina want to curl up and die. Anything but this. Anything but even more darkness.
The Slayers all moved their heads to look into their enemy's eyes, as they were controlled once again. The eyes again. They were so emotionless, so horrible....
"Well, that was certainly a great way to make your acquaintance, don't you think?" he asked. "But I have a better way. Why not start by introducing ourselves? I am the Second of the Three that serve our master. I see that Anguish has failed pathetically; he never was good enough to take care of anything." He paused, as if letting the "introductions" sink in. "And by the way, my name is Pain. Allow me to show you why!"
Lina was the first to scream. Convulsions took over her body, and red energy coursed over her as she was completely covered by pain. L-sama, let me die! she thought desperately as the total torture continued. It was unending. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't even see the others as her vision clouded over with red, but they were having similar experiences. Never before had any of them felt so powerless.
But Kyra stood tall, and she broke herself of Pain's spell. She seemed far stronger than ever before, stronger than when they had faced Anguish.
"What the?" Pain asked in surprise. "Who are you?" He snapped his fingers, and the Slayers suddenly slumped over in agony, their torture finally ceasing.
"Not so fast!" Kyra yelled, her voice rising as her sky-blue hair and eyes, along with her shimmering white cloak, glowed with a radience that they'd never done before. "First tell me, what have you done with those guardians?!" She pointed furiously at the energy beasts which were flying in the sky overhead.
Pain smirked. "I banished them. They stood in my way, much like you are!"
"You cannot banish these sacred guardians! They are the powers of Ice, Water, Wind, and Fire themselves!" Kyra protested with her powerful voice. The Slayers couldn't move much, but they took in every word that they could hear.
"Oh, really?" Pain asked. "Then, would you like to have them BACK?!" With his last word, one of the guardians suddenly swooped down from the sky, landing with a loud rumble on the ground before the temple. The energy that coursed around it was green, and gusts of unbelieveable power blew around it. It roared, starting a green tornado that raced towards Kyra.
Kyra backhanded the energy, sending the shimmering tornado off into the infinite reaches of the darkness above them. "You disgusting creature!" she raged at Pain. "You've taken over these guardians entirely, and disrupted all balance that is supposed to be kept here. I can sense it! Not only have you taken over their minds and bodies, you've stolen their souls; now they can never return to their rightful purpose!"
Lina stirred on the ground, though she was far from being able to sit up. "Guardians?" she muttered quietly, wondering what was going to happen. And Kyra... when had she gotten so strong?
"I can't help it if they love their new master," Pain replied, laughing as black energy erupted from him. "But if you want to stand in my way, I'll be glad to prove their loyalty!"
With a snap of his fingers, he sent the Wind Guardian rampaging towards Kyra. She braced herself against the gusts of green light that coursed her way, and managed to fire a blast down on the guardian, causing it to roar even louder.
"This is no time for your stupid games!" Kyra yelled. "Do you expect me to face each one of these guardians one by one?!?" She suddenly turned to the Slayers, slumped on the ground. "Divine Heal!" she shouted, and the six on the ground were healed to their maximum.
"Wow, I've never felt this way after a healing spell before," Gourry commented, good as new. "Let's attack those guardian things!"
Kyra dodged to the left as anther piece of green energy shot in a spiral towards her. "No, don't attack the guardians! Time is running out; the Dark Brilliance could already be starting his final plan!"
"The Dark... Brilliance...? What's that?" Amelia asked.
Filia put up a shield as a precaution, and Zelgadis reinforced it.
"The Dark Brilliance is the Master behind these demonic beings!" Kyra shouted. "But now is not the time! Lina, cast the Giga Slave right away!"
"What?!" Lina asked, taken aback. She hadn't even known that Kyra knew about the Giga Slave. "But... the world could be destroyed!"
Kyra fired a huge energy blast at the Wind Guardian, and at Pain's instructions, the Fire Guardian coursed out of the sky in a brilliant display of red as well. "It WILL be destroyed if you don't cast the spell! It is essential to me!"
"But..."
"Cast it! NOW!" Kyra ordered. She fired three blasts at Pain, but he effortlessly blocked them all. A fiery whip lashed through the air at her, and she leapt backwards in the air. As the wind suddenly increased to the point of a hurricane, she let out a fierce cry that sent the guardians stumbling backwards, though they immediately recovered, charging again.
Lina didn't argue. She could sense the urgency, and besides, there was nothing else to try...
"Miss Lina, please be careful..." Amelia said, and the others nodded, showing their concern.
"Don't worry. I will," she said, and then stepped forward a few steps, facing Pain, who was watching her. It was now or never. The air tensed up and darkened as she began her ominous chant. "Darkness beyond blackest pitch...." she began, dark energy now coursing through her as well. "Deeper than the deepest night..."
"You WILL NOT stop my plans!" Pain shouted, and fired an enormous black blast at Lina. Kyra was too preoccupied with her battles, the Slayers couldn't react fast enough and weren't powerful enough, and the red-haired sorceress was rooted in place with her incantation.
The darkness enveloped Lina, and she felt like she was suspended in nothingness for a second. But then it suddenly cleared. It had only fueled her attack, for the Giga Slave was the blast that symbolized all darkness.
Pain scowled, and he sent the guardians of ice and water flew down from the sky, heading directly towards Lina. He let out a yell, and energy of the darkest power erupted from him as twin wings that dripped blood red. He powered up, and all could see the horror that he held; Anguish was a child compared to the power that their new enemy wielded. His form crackled with blood-red energy.
"King of darkness!" Lina continued, her voice rising in a powerful crescendo. "Who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos!" Energy erupted from her, and the ice and water guardians were thrown back in her wake. "I pledge myself to thee!"
"NO!" Pain shouted, and with the flaring of his eyes, the Slayers collapsed in horrible torture again. Pain. Pain everywhere. Their bodies were being broken apart. Every fiber of their beings burned with a horrible demonic PAIN.
But Lina still stood. The darkness that was covering her whisked away the pain to fuel itself. "Swear myself to thee!" The Ice Guardian showered hail upon her, but it did nothing to stop the ultimate spell. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the power you and I possess!!!"
Lina realized that she hadn't called upon the talismans for power. She also realized that it didn't matter. It was the only chance, the only small chance; either it worked or it didn't. She lifted the endless column of energy above her, the chaotic energy fueled by the darkness around them. The perfect spell. The most horrible spell. As the weight of it began to feed at her soul, Lina readied herself to use her last strength to send the energy towards Pain.
Suddenly, everyone stopped. The guardians. The Slayers. Pain. For the power of the Giga Slave was being controlled, and not by Lina. That someone made a gesture, and the Giga Slave shot in their direction. It obeyed like a dog on a leash, back to its rightful owner.
Kyra was commanding it, and her sky-blue eyes shone with a resolution that she'd never shown before.
"It is time that you all learned the truth!" she shouted, and all eyes were on her as the energy coursed into her, not destroying her. She slowly lowered her head, and then snapped it up again, only this time, her hair was not sky blue.
It was golden. Energy crackled around her, and her power was limitless. She spoke with a clear, resounding voice, as she fully made her way back onto their world once again. "You, who think you are darkness," she said, her eyes fixed on Pain as he stepped back a little. "You, who think you are part of perfection. How dare you stand against the Mother of All Things!"
Pain growled, and he fired the huge blast of pure darkness that he'd been forming at the Lord of Nightmares. It was absorbed by her, causing nothing. He shouted an order, and all four guardians charged at her.
"I hand back your souls," she stated, and suddenly, Pain yelled in surprise and terror. From the place his heart should be, four pieces of energy erupted, and were absorbed by their respective guardians. Fire, Ice, Wind, and Water vanished instantly, knowing that they were not to interfere.
"She has truly appeared yet again..." Xellos whispered in disbelief. "The Mother of All Things has been travelling with us all along..."
"Kyra?" Lina managed, gasping. "Y-you're...."
"There is no Kyra," L-sama replied. "I never appear on this world with all my power unless there is need, but these events are too important for their creator to ignore!" She turned back to Pain. "You were never created by me! Darkness like yourself was never meant to be created, even by the seeds of chaos!"
Gourry, Amelia, Filia, and Zelgadis could only watch in silence and awe as the events unfolded.
But suddenly, Pain, who had had his head down since the guardians had been destroyed, threw back his head in triumphant laughter once more. "You all still fail to understand! With my master's plan, it will not matter! And the pattern that is repeating is merely a game to him! Every move of yours has been predictable; I can still move you like pawns!"
The truth of what Pain said dawned on the Slayers instantly. "Phibrizzo..." Amelia whispered, tensing up, and Filia could only nod, having not been in that horrible battle.
"That's right! Aren't I Phibrizzo, just as Anguish was Copy Rezo?" Pain boomed, surprising Amelia. "It will all end the way my master plans!"
"Then as you are Hellmaster, so you shall die the same way," L-sama stated, her eyes devoid of emotion. Only a clarity and truth beyond anything that was on that world could be seen shining from her.
She held out her hand in front of her. At that moment, Pain fired all of his power at her, the attack which he'd been charging up during the entire battle.
And at the same moment, he charged in one final stand.
___________________________________________________________________________
Note from Author: Whew! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been remarkably busy, and this story is really hard to maintain realism in, especially when one type of darkness is compared with another. Don't worry, though; I'll see this fic through to the end. And speaking of the end, none of you will be disappointed. Please continue to R & R!
Chapter 4: Final Journey
"Sometimes walking toward death is foolish; at times, there is no solution."
Lina's hair blew back in the breeze, carelessly and freely, completely opposite of the way she and her companions were feeling.
It had been three days since she, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Xellos, Filia, and Kyra had left the holy land, and although the sky had cleared up after Anguish had been killed, their hearts had remained as dark as if he was still alive, laughing at them. For that was what they all felt, an ebbing pain that the victory was not true.
After the battle, Kyra had urged that there was no time to lose; they needed to find the temple of the most ancient origin as soon as possible. Kyra had insisted that the de-quintessence movement used before would not be able to locate the temple; it had to be found by sweat and blood alone, travelling only with their knowledge and instincts. They had built a ship, though admittedly not a very large one. Using magic, and Gourry's brute strength, it was made very swiftly, and Kyra's own magic made it shine with a purity not believed possible.
But the darkness never left.
Even Lina and Gourry didn't notice the lack of food much; if they wanted to eat, they could catch fish using magic, though no one seemed to care whether they ate or not. It was the most horrible sinking feeling they'd ever experienced; the scar left by Anguish was too great to be healed.
No one spoke much either, except to Kyra about what the temple might be like. She claimed that she herself didn't know much, though sometimes the Slayers were doubtful.
Xellos, so unused to having no control over the situation, and no place to teleport to, lapsed into an unusual quiet, which unnerved even more the other members of the group.
"At any cost, that evil must be stopped," Lina whispered to herself, feeling the pain of the black blast for the thousandth time over.
To her surprise, she felt Gourry's strong hand on her shoulder. She was glad that it hadn't lost the feeling of comfort that she'd always felt before from it. "It's all right," he reassured her, demonstrating unusual integrity. "We're all in this together. Even Xellos is sincere on this one, I think."
Lina managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."
The breeze blew in a slow arc, ruffling the sails. Elsewhere, Zelgadis and Kyra were seen having a scene of their own.
"Kyra, are you sure you know where we're going?" Zelgadis asked her, on the other side of the ship. "None of us but you have the faintest idea where we are. We don't even know the name of this sea, if this even is a sea."
Kyra looked back from her position as clear captain of the ship. "Do not worry. We're nearly there, in any case."
"W-we are?" Zelgadis asked, surprised. "So soon?"
"Yes."
And that was all. An awkward silence followed, and Zelgadis fidgeted uncomfortably. He couldn't help but eye the dagger around Kyra's ponytail warily. He was certain it hadn't been there before. "Um... shall I tell the others, then?" he asked.
"Do as you wish. I need to concentrate."
Zelgadis managed an awkward nod, and then retreated to another portion of the ship, any portion. Gee, you'd think I was joking all the time compared to that stone-faced expression that girl's giving out, he thought to himself.
Amelia and Filia talked amongst themselves away from both of these meetings. They each made conversation about idle, unimportant things having nothing to do with the present mission. Obviously, it was only to take their mind off the task at hand. Unfortunately for them, their silence would soon be interrupted.
"Oh, is there any news, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked as the aforementioned walked briskly toward them, and Filia looked up as well.
"It's Kyra. She says we're stopping soon," Zelgadis stated, looking a little ruffled.
Filia blinked curiously. "Really? How soo-"
"We're there," Kyra's voice somehow boomed over the whole ship, her voice strong with importance. Her hair glistened in the deepening twilight; there was definitely some magic in the air.
Xellos teleported into the area suddenly, nearly knocking over Zelgadis in the process.
Zelgadis stumbled.
Amelia rushed over to help him.
Filia surveyed the scene, debating whether or not to scold Xellos.
Lina and Gourry ran onto the scene from their secluded location.
All six of the Slayers stared at one another. Nothing had happened.
Lina peered over the edge of the ship. Just water in all directions. "Um, what exactly does 'we're there' mean?"
"Are you sure we've arrived?" Xellos asked Kyra as she appeared on the scene.
For some reason, Kyra had her eyes closed. The dagger around her ponytail glistened, and then disappeared. Her sky-blue hair blew freely in the wind, which was picking up for some reason, now that she'd arrived.
The others lapsed into silence as she began to chant some sort of spell or prophecy.
"Born of chaos, oldest of the old. On which this planet thrives. That which holds the key the vanquishing the most ancient evil. Let your purifying dagger be revealed, so that the horror which has encased this earth will be lifted!"
With those words, the waves that had rippled slowly along the ship began to increase in speed and size, and they turned to solid black. Every once in a while, a line of gold glistened like the moon upon a quiet forest on the pitch-black water.
The Slayers looked on in wonder, until the eruption. The savage water suddenly tore upward, clawing at the sky with unparalleled ferocity. It formed a devastating column around the ship, its volume completely encasing the ship inside, like a gigantic circular vortex. Surprisingly, there had been no sudden force that threw the passengers back; it was as if the event had been planned for eternity to occur flawlessly. Still, the Slayers were dumbfounded at the sudden happening. The humans, dragon, and demon alike had seen nothing of its like before.
Only the perfect goddess stared out into the black column of water with unwavering clear eyes. "Anata ishota gaureli tresaka kyra," Kyra shouted into the darkness.
"'Kyra'?" Lina asked in confusion, wondering how her companion's name could be part of this unknown ritual. However, all thoughts of this escaped her mind as she realized something horrible. The column of water was no longer staying a column.
Some screamed, some looked on in horror, and some regarded the happening with resolute determination. In any case, all seven companions were engulfed by the chaotic water, and all of it gleamed a brilliant gold before the ship was completely capsized. From the outside, the water then returned to normal, the waves innocently rippled naturally again. The event had never occurred.
***
Lina groaned. She felt like a million bricks had fell on her, the darkness spreading like wildfire until she lapsed into unconsciousness.
She opened her eyes. And stared with wide astonishment at the scene that lay before her.
Great beasts made of energy roared and flew across the pitch-black sky that stretched infinitely in every direction. The thin piece of land that she was on was suspended in nothingness, the only island in an otherwise limitless empty void.
Ahead, there was a building. An ancient one. A titanic one. It, too, stretched out into the distance as far as the eye could see, though it was thin just like the land itself. It was almost like some bizarre product of the imagination, the goal just ahead. There were no mazes, no endless wandering. There were no split paths, no traps, and no detours. There was no light.
There was only what lay ahead, the ultimate destination, and the ultimate obstacle.
The others were sprawled on the ground near her, still unconscious. At least, 5 of the others. Kyra stood at the very edge of the piece of hovering land, her eyes seeming to follow the path and behavior of one of the energy beasts. Lina wondered what she was doing, and what those energy beasts were for.
"Agh, where are we?" Zelgadis muttered, getting awkwardly to his feet. His reactions were similar to Lina's as he surveyed the new landscape. He sighed. "Looks like we've gotten ourselves into another mess."
Kyra turned. "So, you're awake?" she asked calmly, as if as an afterthought.
"Kyra, what just happened?" Lina asked.
Zelgadis nodded. "You told us that you didn't know much about this temple that you speak of." He gestured with his hand toward the huge structure that lay before them. "How do you explain knowing the exact procedure to get here, wherever 'here' is?"
Kyra sighed. "I'm afraid I can't tell you this until this is all over. Or until it is absolutely necessary. Whichever comes first."
"What happened?" Filia asked, still a bit dizzy. The other three regained consciousness shortly, also gazing in wonder at their surroundings.
"LOOK OUT!" Kyra suddenly shouted, her eyes flashing with urgency.
Lina looked around frantically. "What-"
"Get DOWN!" Everyone threw themselves onto the ground, and a familiar feeling horrible black blast flew over their heads. But it felt stronger - far stronger. The energy beasts let out fierce roars as they felt the presence of the energy.
"What in-" Amelia gasped, her eyes widening with terror as she locked her eyes on a dark figure hovering above the temple.
The seven got to their feet, and Gourry drew his sword in a flash as the others charged up spells. Xellos powered up, and darkness exploded from him as his staff glowed with hatred, hatred that hadn't glinted in his eyes since his encounters with Gaav. Seriousness that hadn't flooded his essence since the battle with Darkstar.
"I will not stand aside and allow you disgusting beings to threaten the mozaku race any longer!" Xellos yelled in a manner entirely unlike himself. With amazing speed, he teleported and ran threw the air until he was close enough to the figure to get a clear shot.
"We mustn't hold back!" Amelia shouted, remembering their battle with Anguish. The others nodded, and fired their spells toward the figure as well. She fired a blue blast toward the new enemy, presumably a shamanism spell. Lina and Zelgadis shouted "Ray Wing!" and flew with bullet-like speed toward their mysterious opponent, firing Fireballs all the way.
At the same time, Kyra let out a yell as she fired a huge blast at the target with deadly accuracy. Filia fired a holy blast along with it, and the two projectiles converged, shining as it cruised like a missile.
"Hyah!" Gourry yelled, his face dead serious. He wasn't about to stand around being useless, and had been practicing shooting projectiles with his Sword of Light. The blast that was released was better than he'd expected, taking its place with the other spells that blasted through the air.
Xellos swung his staff horizontally with a fierce slash, and thousands of black cones erupted from him, each one like a needle that would gorge the opponent. He then fired a blast from his staff, and teleported all around the diameter of the dark figure, continuing his barrage.
While Zelgadis continued to pelt the enemy with Fireballs, Lina charged up a familiar spell - the Dragonslave. The darkness coursed through the air, the largest blast of all.
The figure didn't move as the attacks almost reached him. He then suddenly held up his hand. Instantly, the seven attackers were paralyzed. Then were completely frozen in position, although they were perfectly aware of what was going on. The Slayers and Kyra could only watch what their efforts had come to.
They were able to see the dark figure more closely now, but it was both cloaked and hooded in black, as well, so they hadn't any idea what it looked like.
The enemy stopped all of Xellos's cones and the Fireballs in mid-air, seemingly only with will-power. They hung there in an unreal fashion, as the Slayers watched in horror. He held out his two hands as the spells that the Slayers had all charged up in the beginning were almost on top of him. He brought his hands together, and the attacks suddenly all converged into one and stopped. As Amelia's spell, Kyra and Filia's combination spell, and Gourry's projectile attack shot toward him, he held out one finger, and swatted each individual one away like flies, the spells shooting backwards in the other direction. He vanished, suddenly appearing a tiny bit lower as the Dragonslave passed harmlessly overhead. He snapped his fingers, and dark energy coursed out from him. Every piece of energy that had been blasted at him suddenly shot together into one immense energy ball. The darkness that exploded from him formed into a huge gaping mouth, and it ate the energy, vanishing back into its owner. Instantly, the Slayers and Kyra felt the increase in power. Their attacks had only made their opponent stronger.
With a flick of his wrist, the figure made Xellos, Lina, and Zelgadis's motionless bodies fly back to the original platform, coliding with Kyra, Gourry, Amelia, and Filia. With another motion, they could all suddenly move again. Still, they knew that it wouldn't do much good to try another attack like that with what had just happened.
The figure removed its hood, and he seven companions stared with wide-eyed horror. The eyes were even more dark and empty than Anguish's, and the face was twisted and grotesque. The figure hung in the air with the smell of death about him, and the completely black cloak blew in the nonexistant wind. He was definitely made of the same stuff as their previous opponent. He laughed suddenly, and the complete and utter evil in that voice made Lina want to curl up and die. Anything but this. Anything but even more darkness.
The Slayers all moved their heads to look into their enemy's eyes, as they were controlled once again. The eyes again. They were so emotionless, so horrible....
"Well, that was certainly a great way to make your acquaintance, don't you think?" he asked. "But I have a better way. Why not start by introducing ourselves? I am the Second of the Three that serve our master. I see that Anguish has failed pathetically; he never was good enough to take care of anything." He paused, as if letting the "introductions" sink in. "And by the way, my name is Pain. Allow me to show you why!"
Lina was the first to scream. Convulsions took over her body, and red energy coursed over her as she was completely covered by pain. L-sama, let me die! she thought desperately as the total torture continued. It was unending. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe. She couldn't even see the others as her vision clouded over with red, but they were having similar experiences. Never before had any of them felt so powerless.
But Kyra stood tall, and she broke herself of Pain's spell. She seemed far stronger than ever before, stronger than when they had faced Anguish.
"What the?" Pain asked in surprise. "Who are you?" He snapped his fingers, and the Slayers suddenly slumped over in agony, their torture finally ceasing.
"Not so fast!" Kyra yelled, her voice rising as her sky-blue hair and eyes, along with her shimmering white cloak, glowed with a radience that they'd never done before. "First tell me, what have you done with those guardians?!" She pointed furiously at the energy beasts which were flying in the sky overhead.
Pain smirked. "I banished them. They stood in my way, much like you are!"
"You cannot banish these sacred guardians! They are the powers of Ice, Water, Wind, and Fire themselves!" Kyra protested with her powerful voice. The Slayers couldn't move much, but they took in every word that they could hear.
"Oh, really?" Pain asked. "Then, would you like to have them BACK?!" With his last word, one of the guardians suddenly swooped down from the sky, landing with a loud rumble on the ground before the temple. The energy that coursed around it was green, and gusts of unbelieveable power blew around it. It roared, starting a green tornado that raced towards Kyra.
Kyra backhanded the energy, sending the shimmering tornado off into the infinite reaches of the darkness above them. "You disgusting creature!" she raged at Pain. "You've taken over these guardians entirely, and disrupted all balance that is supposed to be kept here. I can sense it! Not only have you taken over their minds and bodies, you've stolen their souls; now they can never return to their rightful purpose!"
Lina stirred on the ground, though she was far from being able to sit up. "Guardians?" she muttered quietly, wondering what was going to happen. And Kyra... when had she gotten so strong?
"I can't help it if they love their new master," Pain replied, laughing as black energy erupted from him. "But if you want to stand in my way, I'll be glad to prove their loyalty!"
With a snap of his fingers, he sent the Wind Guardian rampaging towards Kyra. She braced herself against the gusts of green light that coursed her way, and managed to fire a blast down on the guardian, causing it to roar even louder.
"This is no time for your stupid games!" Kyra yelled. "Do you expect me to face each one of these guardians one by one?!?" She suddenly turned to the Slayers, slumped on the ground. "Divine Heal!" she shouted, and the six on the ground were healed to their maximum.
"Wow, I've never felt this way after a healing spell before," Gourry commented, good as new. "Let's attack those guardian things!"
Kyra dodged to the left as anther piece of green energy shot in a spiral towards her. "No, don't attack the guardians! Time is running out; the Dark Brilliance could already be starting his final plan!"
"The Dark... Brilliance...? What's that?" Amelia asked.
Filia put up a shield as a precaution, and Zelgadis reinforced it.
"The Dark Brilliance is the Master behind these demonic beings!" Kyra shouted. "But now is not the time! Lina, cast the Giga Slave right away!"
"What?!" Lina asked, taken aback. She hadn't even known that Kyra knew about the Giga Slave. "But... the world could be destroyed!"
Kyra fired a huge energy blast at the Wind Guardian, and at Pain's instructions, the Fire Guardian coursed out of the sky in a brilliant display of red as well. "It WILL be destroyed if you don't cast the spell! It is essential to me!"
"But..."
"Cast it! NOW!" Kyra ordered. She fired three blasts at Pain, but he effortlessly blocked them all. A fiery whip lashed through the air at her, and she leapt backwards in the air. As the wind suddenly increased to the point of a hurricane, she let out a fierce cry that sent the guardians stumbling backwards, though they immediately recovered, charging again.
Lina didn't argue. She could sense the urgency, and besides, there was nothing else to try...
"Miss Lina, please be careful..." Amelia said, and the others nodded, showing their concern.
"Don't worry. I will," she said, and then stepped forward a few steps, facing Pain, who was watching her. It was now or never. The air tensed up and darkened as she began her ominous chant. "Darkness beyond blackest pitch...." she began, dark energy now coursing through her as well. "Deeper than the deepest night..."
"You WILL NOT stop my plans!" Pain shouted, and fired an enormous black blast at Lina. Kyra was too preoccupied with her battles, the Slayers couldn't react fast enough and weren't powerful enough, and the red-haired sorceress was rooted in place with her incantation.
The darkness enveloped Lina, and she felt like she was suspended in nothingness for a second. But then it suddenly cleared. It had only fueled her attack, for the Giga Slave was the blast that symbolized all darkness.
Pain scowled, and he sent the guardians of ice and water flew down from the sky, heading directly towards Lina. He let out a yell, and energy of the darkest power erupted from him as twin wings that dripped blood red. He powered up, and all could see the horror that he held; Anguish was a child compared to the power that their new enemy wielded. His form crackled with blood-red energy.
"King of darkness!" Lina continued, her voice rising in a powerful crescendo. "Who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos!" Energy erupted from her, and the ice and water guardians were thrown back in her wake. "I pledge myself to thee!"
"NO!" Pain shouted, and with the flaring of his eyes, the Slayers collapsed in horrible torture again. Pain. Pain everywhere. Their bodies were being broken apart. Every fiber of their beings burned with a horrible demonic PAIN.
But Lina still stood. The darkness that was covering her whisked away the pain to fuel itself. "Swear myself to thee!" The Ice Guardian showered hail upon her, but it did nothing to stop the ultimate spell. "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed, by the power you and I possess!!!"
Lina realized that she hadn't called upon the talismans for power. She also realized that it didn't matter. It was the only chance, the only small chance; either it worked or it didn't. She lifted the endless column of energy above her, the chaotic energy fueled by the darkness around them. The perfect spell. The most horrible spell. As the weight of it began to feed at her soul, Lina readied herself to use her last strength to send the energy towards Pain.
Suddenly, everyone stopped. The guardians. The Slayers. Pain. For the power of the Giga Slave was being controlled, and not by Lina. That someone made a gesture, and the Giga Slave shot in their direction. It obeyed like a dog on a leash, back to its rightful owner.
Kyra was commanding it, and her sky-blue eyes shone with a resolution that she'd never shown before.
"It is time that you all learned the truth!" she shouted, and all eyes were on her as the energy coursed into her, not destroying her. She slowly lowered her head, and then snapped it up again, only this time, her hair was not sky blue.
It was golden. Energy crackled around her, and her power was limitless. She spoke with a clear, resounding voice, as she fully made her way back onto their world once again. "You, who think you are darkness," she said, her eyes fixed on Pain as he stepped back a little. "You, who think you are part of perfection. How dare you stand against the Mother of All Things!"
Pain growled, and he fired the huge blast of pure darkness that he'd been forming at the Lord of Nightmares. It was absorbed by her, causing nothing. He shouted an order, and all four guardians charged at her.
"I hand back your souls," she stated, and suddenly, Pain yelled in surprise and terror. From the place his heart should be, four pieces of energy erupted, and were absorbed by their respective guardians. Fire, Ice, Wind, and Water vanished instantly, knowing that they were not to interfere.
"She has truly appeared yet again..." Xellos whispered in disbelief. "The Mother of All Things has been travelling with us all along..."
"Kyra?" Lina managed, gasping. "Y-you're...."
"There is no Kyra," L-sama replied. "I never appear on this world with all my power unless there is need, but these events are too important for their creator to ignore!" She turned back to Pain. "You were never created by me! Darkness like yourself was never meant to be created, even by the seeds of chaos!"
Gourry, Amelia, Filia, and Zelgadis could only watch in silence and awe as the events unfolded.
But suddenly, Pain, who had had his head down since the guardians had been destroyed, threw back his head in triumphant laughter once more. "You all still fail to understand! With my master's plan, it will not matter! And the pattern that is repeating is merely a game to him! Every move of yours has been predictable; I can still move you like pawns!"
The truth of what Pain said dawned on the Slayers instantly. "Phibrizzo..." Amelia whispered, tensing up, and Filia could only nod, having not been in that horrible battle.
"That's right! Aren't I Phibrizzo, just as Anguish was Copy Rezo?" Pain boomed, surprising Amelia. "It will all end the way my master plans!"
"Then as you are Hellmaster, so you shall die the same way," L-sama stated, her eyes devoid of emotion. Only a clarity and truth beyond anything that was on that world could be seen shining from her.
She held out her hand in front of her. At that moment, Pain fired all of his power at her, the attack which he'd been charging up during the entire battle.
And at the same moment, he charged in one final stand.
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Note from Author: Whew! Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been remarkably busy, and this story is really hard to maintain realism in, especially when one type of darkness is compared with another. Don't worry, though; I'll see this fic through to the end. And speaking of the end, none of you will be disappointed. Please continue to R & R!
