Author's Note and Disclaimer: Whoopsie. So much for keeping to a schedule. Guess I'll make the perfect webcomic artist, huh? ^^;;;; Anyway, I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Really, I do. I don't wanna loose loyal readers and reviewers because I'm a lazy bum and don't feel like updating. I'm sure y'all can understand when the fic isn't finished, and I'm hard-pressed to write more chapters, but this stupid fic is done already!! Even I can't forgive me. I hope you can, though. Cause y'all love me, right? ^___^ Everyone loves me. How could you not love me? ^_____^ Anyway, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the delay.
SPOILER WARNING: A LOT OF THIS STUFF HAPPENS OR IS VERY CLOSE TO WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SERIES. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST BUNCHA EPISODES OF NEXT, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS.
That night, the six of them... Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Martina, Sylphiel, and Zangulus ...all sat around a table at a tavern.
"So why did Hellmaster kidnap Zelgadis?" Zangulus asked, sipping his coffee.
"He wants me to do something for him," Amelia said. She was staring into the flame of the candle in the center of their table.
Zangulus looked at her questioningly. "In exchange for Zelgadis's life?"
Amelia looked away. If she cast that spell... the whole universe would be destroyed. She couldn't cast it. She wouldn't !
Lina covered up Amelia's silence. "The point is, don't feel you have to come with us. You aren't caught up in all of this," she said to Zangulus.
"Naturally, I don't intend to come with you," Zangulus said, standing up. "However, once this is over, I want one last duel with Gourry."
"You aren't going to fight Philbert with us?" Gourry asked Zangulus.
Zangulus adjusted his wide-brimmed hat, and said, "No, I.... don't do well in groups. You know." He shrugged, and turned and walked out of the tavern.
Martina stood up, and gazed off after Zangulus. He was so cool. That stylish cape... That upturned hat.... Suddenly she shook her head. No, Martina, she told herself. The only person you can trust is yourself. Just think about the resurrection of Zoamelgustar-sama. She turned to look back in the direction Zangulus had gone. But.... But still.... She then drifted off into a daydream full of her and Zangulus.
Lina stared at Martina. "Boy, does she need a better eye for guys," she said monotonously.
"Tell me about it," Sylphiel agreed.
...§...§...
"There it is," Lina announced the next morning as they stood on the trail, overlooking Sairaag.
Everything was just as Sylphiel said. The city, which had been destroyed just a short time ago, had been rebuilt, and the Holy Tree Flagoon was gone. In it's stead was a large dome-shaped building.
"The city's back!" Gourry exclaimed, happily oblivious, just proving Lina's theory that ignorance really is bliss.
Amelia said, "I didn't think you could rebuild a city this fast."
"You can't," Lina told her.
"Well, we can't just stand here," Martina said impatiently. "Let's go already!"
Sylphiel gazed off in the direction of the domed building while Lina and the others started towards Sairaag again. "Flagoon," she said, remembering the Great Tree that had once stood in the town. It was gone...
...§...§...
A hay wagon driven by a farmer and his team of horses was rolling through the city streets. Out of the hay in the back poked the green-haired head of Martina.
"Why do I have to ride in the back of a hay cart?? I'm a royal princess!!" she complained.
Lina peeked out as well, and said to Martina, "Amelia's a princess and you don't see her complaining."
"Just let this cart take us into town," Amelia said to Martina, sticking her head out too.
Sylphiel decided to come and have a look too. She glanced around, and gasped. "Lina-san !This isn't a new town!" she told them.
"What do you mean?" Lina asked her.
"Not a new town?" Martina echoed.
Sylphiel looked around again to make sure. "No, this isn't a new town. Come with me!" She leapt out of the back of the cart, and started running towards a small hill off the road. The others were quick to follow, except Gourry, who had fallen asleep in the cart. Lina had to run back and drag him out by his hair, and then catch up with the others.
Sylphiel took them all to a small grassy hill, with a large tree at the top. "Look at this, everyone," she said, walking up to the tree.
"What is it?" Gourry asked.
"When I was little, my father would mark on this tree every year how much I'd grown." Sylphiel knelt down at touched the marks on the tree, remembering her father. A tear sprang to her eyes at the thought of him. "I'm sure this tree was destroyed in the explosion."
"So, that means," Amelia started.
Lina finished for her. "This city isn't new. It's been completely regenerated."
"But how could someone do that?" Gourry asked the others, and for once, they didn't have an answer for him.
In the short silence that followed, there was a single, deep voice that broke through. "Sylphiel?" Lina and Amelia started at who they saw. Gourry didn't recognize him, and Martina wouldn't know him, but...
Sylphiel, whose back was to him, stiffened and gasped. "It... it can't be," she whispered quietly. She turned around sharply, right into the arms of her father! "Oh, father! Father!" she cried, hugging him.
"Sylphiel!" her father, Eruk, responded, hugging her back.
"Oh, father," Sylphiel said. "I was so sure... When the city had been blown away.... That you...."
Lina stepped forward, and placed a hand on Sylphiel's shoulder, pulling her slightly away from Eruk. "Sorry to interrupt this touching moment," she said. "But I think I'd like some answers here."
...§...§...
At Eruk's home, they all sat around a large square table. As they had walked through the house, they noticed that everything was as it once had been, the first time they were in his house.
"Now, what can I do for you, Lina Inverse-san?" Eruk asked, folding his hands on the table.
"What do you think?" Lina demanded, crossing her arms. "I want to know what's going on here. How can this city be completely regenerated like this? Huh?"
Eruk closed his eyes, and looked at the table. "The truth is, none of the people in this city are alive," he told her.
Lina nodded, and leaned back in her seat. "I figured as much."
"Wait, what's that mean?" Gourry asked. "You're dead?"
Eruk nodded. "Right now, everyone in this city is dwelling in the Underworld," he told them.
"How could someone do something like that?" Amelia asked.
Slowly shaking his head, Eruk replied, "We were not created to answer that question. We only have what knowledge Hellmaster allows us to have. For us to answer that question would be as impossible for us as it would be for a human to breathe underwater without magical aide."
"I see," Lina said slowly.
"You can breathe underwater??" Gourry asked incredulously, pointing at Eruk.
Lina elbowed him in the head. "No, jellyfish-baka!!" she shouted. Gourry rubbed his head, more confused than ever.
"Can you tell us," Amelia asked. "Where Phibrizzo is?"
Eruk nodded again. "He is in the center of the town. In the temple of Hellmaster."
And that's just where they went. Amelia flew around the large domed building, looking for a way in. Though she would never let on to anyone, she was scared. Scared for Zelgadis. Scared of Phibrizzo. Scared that she might actually have to do what he wanted her to. She was scared of so many things.... And she could never let the others know. Just like she could never let Lina know about Lord Infinity or her spell. They were things that should never be known.
So when Amelia landed on the ground again near Lina and the others, she hid her feelings. "I couldn't find any entrances," she told Lina. "There doesn't seem to be any way in." What she also didn't tell Lina was they she did see an entrance. In the center of the dome, on the very top, there was a glass window. But, for what Amelia was planning, she couldn't let Lina and the others come with her, so they couldn't know of the way in.
Lina rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Then we'll make a way in!!" She stalked up to the wall, and shouted, "Damu Bras!"
The resulting explosion was huge. Much larger than it should have been for just a Damu Bras. When the smoke cleared away, the wall was still in perfect condition, not a score or scratch on it.
"It looks like it has a shield protecting it," Sylphiel said.
"Then we blast through the shield!" Lina shouted, not wanting to let some stupid building stop her. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."
"Lina! !You're casting the Dragon Slave!" Gourry shouted, grabbing Lina's arms from behind her.
Lina struggling against him, kicking and flailing her arms. "You think I don't know that??" she demanded. "But if I'm gonna break through that shield, I need a big spell!!"
"Gourry-san is right, though," Amelia said. "I don't think a bigger spell would make a difference. I think the wall was meant to block all spells."
Lina hit Gourry's face with the back of her head, releasing his grip on her, and stood up, brushing herself off. "Well, then we'll just..."
She broke off when she heard Sylphiel behind her. Sylphiel was helping Gourry to his feet. "Gourry-sama... Are you all right?" she asked tenderly.
Gourry nodded, rubbing his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Aggh, I'm gonna be sick..." Lina complained.
"What's with you all of a sudden?" Martina asked, noticing Lina's drastic change in behavior.
"Nothing," Lina said quickly. She stretched her arms above her head with a smile. "Nothing, nothing!"
Amelia sighed, and looked over at the temple. "Maybe we should go for now?" she asked. "And later tonight, we can each try to find our own ways in?"
Lina looked over at Amelia from the corner of her eyes. She shrugged, and said, "Yeah, sure. Come on, guys." Then she started back towards Eruk's house, Amelia close behind.
"Wait for me!" Martina cried, chasing after them, and was closely followed by Gourry and Sylphiel.
...§...§...
During most of the afternoon, everyone slept, getting their strength back up for the last battle with Phibrizzo. Amelia, however, was anything but asleep. She just lay on her sleeping bag on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Phibrizzo only wanted her, not anybody else. If the others went with her, they might get hurt. And she definitely didn't want that.
Amelia sighed, and rolled over onto her side, holding the blanket up over her shoulders. It seemed the only way to do it was to go alone. Then Lina and the others wouldn't get hurt as well. Zelgadis already got hurt because of her. Tears sprang up in Amelia's eyes, remembering how Phibrizzo had taken Zelgadis away, and then made them fight him.
Making up her mind, Amelia shoved off her covers, quickly changed back into her clothes and out of her pajamas, and tiptoed out of the house to make sure she wouldn't wake anyone else up. She opened the door slowly, and peeked out. It was full dark outside now.
With one last look over her shoulder into the house, Amelia took off running down the streets, heading for the temple. It wasn't too long before Amelia heard another set of footsteps, along with her own. She looked behind her, and saw Lina running to catch up! Amelia stopped mid-step, and stared at Lina.
"Lina-san, what are you..." she started to ask, but Lina interrupted her.
"Just where do you think you're going?" Lina asked, jabbing a finger at her. "You're going after Phibrizzo alone, aren't you?"
Amelia looked away, ashamed that she had to trick her friends like that. "Well," she said slowly. "It's only me he wants... And if you all came, then you could get hurt..."
Lina smiled a little, and settled back. "That's just like you, Amelia," she said. "But it's also just like you to get into too much trouble for your own good."
"L-lina-san..." Amelia asked slowly, almost knowing what she was getting at.
"Meaning, I have no choice but to come with you!" Lina said with a raised fist.
Amelia's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Lina-san!" she said honestly.
Lina put a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Then let's go," she said. "to Phibrizzo's temple."
Amelia nodded, the look of determination in her eyes matching that of Lina's .
