Chapter one
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A warning right up front: This story's progress is going to be slow. I'll try to get chapters out quickly, but I'm not making any promises. Just be patent and please don't hurt me.
Slayers is not mine in anyway. The story idea, however, is.
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"FIREBALL!" Flames erupted in the small clearing, charring everything in their mighty path. Several dozen bandits fell prey to the blazing wildfire. Red hair that not even the mighty flames could compare to tumbled down the back of the assailant, and a mischievous grin spread across a heart shaped face. Lina Inverse stood just a few feet away from the now charred field, ginning madly.
The remaining bandits picked up whatever things they could and took off down the beaten path. Lina, however, did not give chase. Her grin soon faded, as did the spark in her eyes. She turned on her heel and stalked out of the clearing, not even bothering with the treasure.
Seven years earlier, she would have been jumping for joy as she looted the camp, a look in her eyes that could put even the greediest man to shame. But that was so long ago, before Gourry had left, before it happened. Lina had soon after lost interest in her old hobbies. Bandits, quests, and treasure seemed so… uninteresting now that she just gave up on them.
It might have been different if Gourry was still there, bounding up to her and making some stupid comment so she could blow him up. She might not feel so guilty if she had a friend now. But she didn't, and there was no changing the past. Not even she, the greatest sorceress in the universe, didn't have a spell for that. Now, those titles made her wince with guilt.
So here she was, spending her time wandering the paths of the world, with no friend, or family she could turn to. She was now more often than not called the "Ghost Wanderer". The name Lina Inverse didn't strike fear in the hearts of bandits everywhere. Now, that name was considered a joke. Lina Inverse was just some kid who had her fifteen minutes of fame and then faded from view.
Today, she found herself at a decent inn, with a nice set of hot springs to sooth her muscles and body aches. The only up at the hour, she slowly slipped into the steaming water, her small, tanned body tensing for a brief moment before relaxing. Wearing only her undergarments with her hair pulled into a loose bun, Lina closed her eyes and tried to relax. Impossible.
Every time she closed her eyes, her imagination began to picture horrid things. Seeing her friends distorted faces as they looked straight into the eyes of death; watching as the large castle she had spent so much time in burn to the ground. She wasn't sure which was worse, having to imagine it, or seeing it first hand.
Her eyes flew open and she sighed. It was only when she tastes the salt that she realized tears were streaming down her face. Slowly, she reached into her cape, which rested beside the bath and pulled out an old envelope. Exactly seven years old in four days, if she could remember correctly. Gently, Lina ran her fingers over the neatly printed crest or Seilloon. Slowly, she pulled out the letter inside and opened it, once again going over the neat handwriting inside that told the tale that ruined her life.
Lina,
I pray this reaches you. Just what is it we did that would make you leave us out in the open like this? Even I cannot hold back the mazoku at this point. Amelia, Gourry, and even Xellos are all dead; Seilloon doesn't exist anymore. We needed you, Lina. Why didn't you respond to Amelia's request for help? Were you actually that angry with Gourry that you would leave us all when we needed you? That's not you, Lina. It's not you at all.
I'm writing this letter in hopes you will come to the funeral. It's on Amelia's birthday, just behind the remains of Seilloon. Maybe then we can discuss this matter further.
Please Lina,
Zelgadis Greywords
That letter had ended it all. It had broken her heart, and her soul. She remembered that she had gone on a rampage after reading that. She couldn't hold it in. She had considered going to the funeral, but she couldn't bare it. She wouldn't be able to stand Amelia, or Gourry, for that matter, in a coffin. She would rather die first. She hadn't heard from Zelgadis since.
What puzzled her most was the fact that Zelgadis had mentioned in the letter Amelia requesting help. She hadn't received a letter prior to the one that had brought the horrible news.
Lina sighed. Perhaps it was time to return to the small princess and say her goodbyes… time to mend her broken heart and, with luck, mend her friendships. I suppose I'm going to New Seilloon, She thought as she slipped out of the spring. It was time.
It was time to return to the past she had been running from for seven long years. She wondered how Zelgadis, if he were even still alive, would react to seeing her. Probably have her executed for treason, Lina suspected. But at this point, she had nothing more to live for. She knew she could never take back what she had done unknowingly, but maybe she could somehow make it easier to live with. And if worse came to worse, at least she wouldn't have to worry about late nights due to a guilty conscience.