-Chapter 16-

The trio of friends walked their way down the narrow path surrounding the tall craggy peaks searching for a way inside. They noticed that the area around the red-stained rocks had become barren without greenery or water. It did not bother either Gravos or Jillas that there were no signs of life, but Val on the other hand thought that it wasn't right to not see a bird flying in the sky.

As they circled their way around they came upon a deep and narrow entryway. Leading the way, Gravos and Jillas went inside between the red stones, Val trailing behind. Gravos picked up a solitary tree branch and, after wrapping the top with some spare cloths, lit it with a match to create a torch. The underground caves were empty and silent; Val could not imagine that this was once his home. He remembered that on their journey, Gravos and Jillas told him when he was a mazoku-hybrid, he saved their lives from certain death and ever since then they were his loyal servants. Val didn't like the idea that he once thought of his best friends as nothing more than servants but from what they said he was not a cruel master.

When he first realized that they too, were involved in hiding his identity he felt betrayed all over again. When he started to lash out at them he remembered Filia's face and said nothing more; for now he learned the hurt words could cause. It took a while but Val learned to forgive them. The two beast men apologized for hiding the truth from him but they thought that Filia was right to leave him in the dark. It made sense to Val; after all they loved Filia as well and would do as she said, especially if it were in his best interest. As they traveled in the darkness of the caves, Val asked them to tell him about himself, but what they could tell him he already knew. They both had sad expressions on their faces; they felt as if they failed Val. They told him what they could but they did not know much for their master used to close off his thoughts to them. They could not tell him of Garv either, for when they came under Val's service the mazoku lord was already dead.

While Val took all of this in, they made a turn at a sharp bend and began to walk down a vast corridor that lead to an arched doorway. High vaults lined up either side of the passageway, with dark shadows in their inner depths. When they reached the door, Jillas tried to open it but was not strong enough, for the door had sealed tightly shut after years of not being used. Only Gravos, with his mighty strength could open the door. Jillas and Val covered their ears from the loud screech the door made as it slowly opened. Val's eyes widened as he looked upon the inner chamber.

This cavern, made in the hollow rock of the mountain, was indeed immeasurable but there was an uncanny sense of loneliness drifting in the air. It seemed there were no other openings or tunnels that led to other levels in the caves but there were sharp rocks that wound steadily upwards to the ceiling like they were guards. As Gravos entered, the light from the torch scared the massive shadows away and Val saw above his head more of the stone pillars on the roof of the cave. They seemed to threaten to fall if an unfortunate enemy should happen to enter. The air itself was warm and musty, were before as they walked in the darkness it was cold to feel on their faces.

Val walked in following Gravos and Jillas, his feet kicking up several layers of dust off what used to be a smoothly polished stone floor. In the middle of the floor was an engraving of a pentagon. In each of its corners, four spheres radiated blue light, which made a dark sheen appear on the walls. Val's eyes however, caught sight of the throne made out of solid black stone in the center of the far end of the cave. It sat upon a large dais and seemed to be six feet in height. It looked that it was made for someone of great stature with its massive armrests; the seat itself was big enough for two people.

He made his way towards the throne but tripped on one of the crevices that were formed in the ground. Val fell with a loud thump that echoed throughout the cavern. The contents of his travel pack spilled on the floor and he scrambled to retrieve everything. A flash of pale jade caught his eye and he stood to go get it while Gravos and Jillas recovered everything else.

Val staggered quickly to the lost object not wishing to lose it. It was a small orb made of jade, a gift given to him by Filia when he was still a child. She had given it to him as an early coming of age present saying that he should have it now instead of later. It had become very dear to him, but not because Filia gave it to him, for some unexplainable reason Val felt complete whenever he touched it. He was unsure as to why that was though when he finally spotted the small orb resting against one of the throne's legs. As Val neared it, soft voices began to whisper in his ears causing him to freeze. He struggled to make out what the voices were saying but it was no use, they were too muffled. The voices continued to whisper around him and Val felt the palms of his hands grow cold and clammy; his brow began to dampen. He struggled to clear his mind to listen more closely to the voices but a deep silence fell.

The voices had stopped but as Val went towards the orb they came back again like a breath against the skin on the back of his neck. They were ghostly and unnatural, but had a sense of forlornness embedded in them. It made Val feel empty and sad as well. Val turned to look to see if Gravos or Jillas could hear the voices as well, but the two beast men were busy looking at a map to plot their next destination. The voices drew him back and he once again tried to make out any sort of words, but it seemed that there weren't any actual words, more like feelings. He could make out certain feelings, some standing out more than the others. There was despair, sadness, hopelessness, anger, betrayal, but most of all, hatred. The voices were starting to grow louder and louder with their emotions and Val felt like they were his own. His heart ached as the feelings began to have their toll on him and he covered his ears to silence them. All of the torment the voices carried threatened to consume him, and for some reason, Val thought that if he had the orb in his grasp he would be safe. The desire to have the orb became stronger as the voices grew louder. Without hesitation, Val plucked the orb from the ground holding it to his chest desperately.

It was then that everything changed around him. The blackness of the walls appeared to melt right off, swirling and forming till nothing but a black abyss surrounded him. Val looked behind him to Gravos and Jillas but they were still in the same positions he saw before. He called to them but there was no answer to be heard, the two had been frozen in time. Sudden warmth was felt on his chest and Val was surprised to find the orb glowing a bright, almost pure white, light. The orb released itself from Val's grasp to float in the air; the great light coming from it illuminated the blackness.

Suddenly, there before him, stood three elderly men clad in white robes. Their features were hard but something about their eyes held a profound sense of memory. Something about them… was familiar.

"You who are the last of the Ancient blood!"

Val looked at the apparitions in fear. The moment he grabbed the orb the voices had stopped along with the pain in his heart, he believed to have been rid of them, but now here were the same voices again. Val started to doubt his sanity.

"You have no need to doubt us young Ancient. We are not figments of imagination. We are as real as you." Again the voices spoke, but he could not tell if they were coming from the apparitions in front of him for their mouths did not move. The figures held steady gazes at him and Val felt uneasy at the weight of the stare.

"Wha… what do you want with me?" he asked with apprehension evident in his voice. The answer came to him again in the form of voices in his mind.

"We are not here to give you commands, young Ancient. Our purpose is to tell you what you desire most. Your past."

Val blinked in disbelief. "You… you could do that?" he asked.

"Aye that we can. Then there will be no more need for you to retrieve the Golden dragon."

Val stood there in shock. "What are you saying?"

The three figures held their gazes on Val and spoke once again in his mind. "Is it not the sole reason for your quest, to find the Golden dragon to learn of the past? Your past!"

Val hesitated at the question. Had that not been why he went back to the cottage? Had that not been the reason he set off to find her, to learn the answers to solve the mystery that was his past? Well… it was part of it at least. Val had a feeling that these beings in front of him could tell if he were lying or not so he decided to tell the truth. "No." he said.

"And why is that?" they asked.

"Because, I have fallen in love with her." Val realized that was the first time he said it aloud. He gave a small smile as he looked at the ground.

An uncomfortable silence followed for the apparitions did not answer. After minutes of the prolonged stillness Val looked back to them and bit his lip nervously. Had he said something to offend them? They finally spoke again.

"We must say that this was unexpected. For we would never imagine that one of the Ancient race could develop feelings for a murderer."

"How can you say such a thing?" cried Val in an outraged voice. "Because it is the truth!" they answered.

"No I will not believe it! Filia is not a murderer, she would never take anyone's life." Val said.

"Her being a Golden dragon alone is enough to convict her." They said in monotone voices. Val frowned deeply. "That is not true, she was not even born when it happened! How could you put the blame on her when she had no part in it?" he asked.

"One time, you thought no differently than we do. It does not matter if she was not alive then, the blood of those who murdered us flows through her veins. The instinct to kill is within her, she just does not know it."

"You say 'us'! Are you Ancient dragons as well?" Val asked, trying to ignore the terrible things they said about Filia.

"Yes. At one time we were the supreme elders of the Ancient dragon race. When the Golden dragons slaughtered our race, we used the last of our power to transport our spirits into the small tome you had just held. We did it so that the memory of the Ancient dragons would not be a tarnished with deceit and betrayal. So that one day the world will know the truth."

Val looked on as they continued. "As the generations passed we collected all the memories of our race, including yours. Though the tome was not with you in the physical sense, it still connected with you and has the ability to show all that was once lost to you. If it is your wish, the tome will show you all that you want to know. Do you wish to know, young Ancient?"

Val stared into ageless eyes and nodded.

"Very well then. Pick up the tome and all shall be revealed."

Val fought to keep his nervousness down, this is what could genuinely be called his greatest desire and also greatest fear. He walked towards the tome; his heart grew heavy with each step. He bent over and gently scooped up the tome in his grasp. The warmth flood to his body once again, but suddenly everything grew hot and a bright flash of light enveloped Val. In an instant, he vanished.

-Wolf Pack Island-

They remained in deafening silence and Filia thought she would scream lest Xellos explained what Ailah was. 'Why does he like to keep people waiting so much?' she thought.

"I wonder Miss Filia, do you remember your mother?" She blanked at the question. What did her mother have to do with anything? Before she could ask, he continued.

"It's a shame you know, when a child has no memory of their mother. They go on their entire lives thinking that since mother was not around, they were unwanted. Some of the people who commit the most heinous of crimes were without a mother. It's amazing what one succumbs to just because they did not have a mother's care."

Even as he spoke, Filia was utterly confused. Xellos slowly approached her and knelt next to her. Ailah crawled over to him and wrapped her arms, snuggling him the same way she did with Filia. Xellos patted the girl's head and smiled. "But it's not so bad when a child has their daddy! Isn't that right Ailah?"

The girl meekly nodded but there was a tiny hint of fear in her eyes.

"So what are you trying to say? That Ailah is your daughter? That is not something uncommonly known. Mazoku usually call the servants they create from themselves children, as if it were a means to suffice the inability to have children the way dragons and humans do."

"Yes that is true, but Ailah is not just my daughter, she's yours as well."

Silence.

For a few moments, nothing registered in Filia's mind. He said in such a simple way, like he was pointing out the color of her hair, although the implication behind his words was startling.

"Y… you… you're joking right?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm afraid I'm not. Terribly sorry for that." His face begged to differ.

"But… but that's impossible! In order for us to have a child we would have…" Filia's face paled at the unmentionable thought. "I would never…!"

Xellos cut her off. "As much as I would love to have you think in a rather suggestive manner," he paused to give her a wink. "I'm afraid you are mistaken."

Filia gave a low growl. "Well how else would we? Not that I believe you when you say that she is ours mind you."

"I knew you would not believe me in the slightest. But it is the truth." He said in a fierce tone.

"Then tell me how Xellos! How is she our child!?" Filia demanded.

"It is quite extraordinary really. You remember our final battle with Dark Star correct?" he asked.

"Of course you idiotic namagomi! How could I forget something like that?" she said becoming irritated.

"Miss Filia, if you insist on being so rude then I shan't tell you of how our daughter came to be." Xellos opened his eyes to look at her. "Now will you be cooperative and let me finish?"

"Only if you stop calling her our daughter!" she shot back at him.

Xellos pretended not to have heard her and continued. "As you are well aware of, Miss Lina asked of us to combine both our powers to increase the power of Lina's spell."

Filia nodded and waited for him to continue.

"The union worked as it defeated Dark Star but also in another way. The fusion of our powers, along with Lina and Dark Star's, combined the moment they all clashed together, causing nothingness into creation, like I said then. Only I had no idea at the time that the creation would be Ailah herself. That union, a small beacon of light that only I noticed, formed her. You and the others were busy discovering Valgarv's reborn form at the time. After everyone departed home, I stayed for but a minute to find the light to discover what it was. The small light shaped and molded itself into the form of a small baby when I finally came upon it. I sensed my mazoku power along with your own dragon power that was held within her. So I brought her back with me to Wolf Pack Island and raised her as my own. Like you have with Valgarv."

Filia was silent for a while as she tried to absorb all this new information all at once. She looked towards Ailah, who was staring at the Golden dragon intently. It was then, now that Filia knew what she was trying to sense, that Xellos had to be speaking the truth. Filia could feel the haunting familiarity of a dragon in the girl, along with the despicable presence of mazoku.

"But then… why would she attack me? I… I… don't understand." She stuttered.

"Because I told her to. Surely you wouldn't let that escape you." Xellos said as her stroke Ailah's hair.

"Why would you do that?" she asked horrified.

"For the simple reason of destroying your life, my dear dragon. I filled Ailah's mind with lies and thoughts, I told her that you were the reason she no longer had a mother. Being the simple-minded girl she is, she believed everything I told her. But it was hard to convince her to harm you." Xellos said.

"What do you mean convince her?" Filia asked fearing the worst.

"Well her being half dragon, a Golden dragon at that, made her well… defiant towards me. But I made certain that she would never defy me ever again. Isn't that right, my precious?" Xellos asked with fake warmth in his voice.

Ailah's eyes were filled with fear as she looked at Xellos, but she gave an obedient nod.

"What did you do to her?" Filia asked in a soft fear-filled voice.

"Well, I did what any mazoku would do when their child back talks to them. I cut out her tongue." Xellos said with a genki smile.

To be continued…

A/N: Well what did you guys think? Was Ailah's origin confusing? I knew what I wanted to say but did not know how to write it in words. So lemme know what you think or what you thought was going on with her. Hoped you guys like it, I'll try to have the next chapter out soon, but knowing me and updating who knows when that will be. XD But I love you guys for being so patient with me. So leave any thoughts, comment, or ideas that you want to share with me.

-To my loyal fans, readers, and fellow writers,

First of all, let me say how deeply sorry I am for the lack in updating Forbidden Love and my other V/F fanfiction that has been promised. Boy what is with these overdue updates and me huh? Well, due to RL circumstances over the past summer, I was unable to update any of my fanfiction. And when my muse -finally- got inspired... my hard drive was ate up by the recent worm on AOL, meaning that I lost my latest chapter of FL and all my other writings that I was working on. ;_; Now do not fret, I shall update when possible as soon as my life gets back on track, but until then please be patient.

On another note concerning FL, I may not be updating it anymore on fanfiction.net. The reason being is their policy on material for ratings R+. In the chapters that I have planned, FL is going to take on a darker path than it is already and the situations, plus a planned lemon scene, are not suitable for this archive anymore. Now before I have anyone say, to heck with that, post the lemon on here anyway, sorry folks but I agree with Xing's decision on the lemons and I refuse to break the rules. I do not want to be part of the cause that -all- fics rated R, be they lemon-scented or not, are taken off ff.net permanently. Perhaps if it is possible, I will post an edited version on ff.net after I complete my uncut version which will be posted on such sites as adultfanfiction.net, and mediaminer.org, plus my own website.

On a side note, since I've had e-mails asking me, Destined Dragons is not dead! It is however, experiencing a brief downtime. DD's host, mazoku.org, recently reached its expiration date, but the owners are slowly in the process of renewing it, and bringing back all the Slayers goodness online. So expect it online in a short amount of time. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Thank you for your patience, and be on the lookout for my next update,

Tara-hime