Chapter fifteen
All right, this is it; the final chapter. First things first, I want to thank all of you whom have stayed with this story through my goods (A couple) and bads (Oh so many). Thank you all! You've made this story such a success!
And also, to anyone and everyone who read this story and didn't review, thanks to you all as well!
For those of you, who reviewed the last chapter, look at the bottom of the page
Now, to the end!
Bright light was the first thing Lina's brain registered. The next was a distinctive buzzing sound in her ears. Blinking, Lina sat up and looked around. Her vision was blurred, and she couldn't see. When she went to stand, she almost stumbled. She was a lot lighter than before.
Used to the tons of talismans and other things, she had grown accustomed to the extra weight. Confused, she glances down.
She found herself wearing a white dress that came up a few inches shy of her knees, with spaghetti straps.
What in L-sama's name was going on?
Slowly, Lina began to realize it was cold. She shivered and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest. True, movement causes heat, but she felt lightheaded suddenly.
With a desperate sigh, Lina laid her forehead against her knees and closed her eyes.
"Lina!"
Her head snapped up suddenly at the sound. But she saw nothing. And then, a scent filled her senses. Roses. She stood quickly, and without thinking began to run.
She chased after the sound, though one really could have any sense of direction; as there was white everywhere. It was almost like Lina was swimming rather than running, but she paid this no notice and continued to follow the sound.
Finally, Lina ran into something. Funny, she hadn't remembered anything being there before, but she could have been running in circles for all she knew. All she knew was that she had hit something and fallen back. She groaned slightly and opened her eyes.
Short, dark hair sat above alabaster shoulders. Two gems for eyes twinkled down at her, and rose pink lips curled into a smile. Lina gasped.
"A-Amelia…?" she stuttered, and she hardly noticed the fact that she was trembling. The smile of the girl grew wider.
Without a second thought, they latched onto each other. And she was real. Lina could feel her skin, and smell the scent of her hair. Roses…
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they broke apart. Lina was near tears, while Amelia already had them streaming down her face. Eventually, one of them broke the silence.
"Lina! It's so… terrible to see you!"
Lina blinked. That wasn't the response she had expected. "Amelia? Have you lost it?"
Amelia shook her head and whipped away a tear. "No, no. I'm sorry, it's just, I haven't spoken to someone for so long, that I mean to say two things and they get mixed together…" she laughed, gently, and the sound echoed.
Lina slowly placed her hands on Amelia's arms and looked into her eyes. "Amelia, where are we?"
Amelia looked around. And then sighed, "This place is a bit of Limbo, I suppose. Except, I've been stuck here for so long… there's really no telling of time here…"
Lina froze. And then. Slowly, she began to speak, but her voice had the timbre of a whisper, "Does that mean I'm dead?"
Amelia chuckled. "No, no. Though you are very lucky. You barely lived."
"Because of that Mazoku…" Lina cursed.
Amelia placed a finger on her forehead. "No, because of your own stupidity."
Lina blinked. "What?"
"Sit down, Lina." Lina blinked, and then, almost reluctantly, lifter her legs until she was sitting cross-legged, hovering a few feet below Amelia.
Amelia sighed and turned away, and her eyes glossed over and she looked far away. "Lina, do you know what the spell you used does? I mean, really does?"
Lina nodded. "Yeah, it destroys Mazoku."
Amelia shook her head. "No. Have you ever listened to the words? The spell literally eradicates Darkness- evil- from the area. The reason it destroys Mazoku is because their hearts are pure darkness."
Lina cocked her head to the side while she listened. Amelia turned back to her. "The reason it effected you as well is because of your magic. Black magic, after a long period of use, slowly begins to seep darkness into the users heart. Eventually, after many, many, many years of use, the darkness will take control over the user's heart and they will die.
"In a sense, it's the world's largest oxymoron. The use of Black magic slows the aging process, but it will actually shorten your life in the long run." Amelia knelt down until she was eye level with Lina. "Lina, because of your extensive use of Black Magic, and Nightmare Magic, for that matter, your heart was nearly swallowed. When you said that spell, it destroyed that darkness, but it also injured you in the process.
"You are very lucky, Lina. You've been given a second chance. Your heart's clean now."
Lina smiled. Amelia gently took her hand. "You need to go back now, or else you may be stuck here forever." Amelia gently smiled at her. "I do, however, have a request of you."
"What?"
"I want you to help Zelgadis."
Lina blinked once more. "Help him with what?"
"He's still brooding over my death." Lina flinched at the word 'death', but Amelia didn't. "I want you to help him move on. I think you can do that. " Amelia winked and then stood.
"Okay. It's time for you to go back. Please close your eyes," Lina rolled her eyes, but complied. Slowly, Amelia's voice faded, but she heard her call out, "Oh! And tell him I miss him!"
And then, she felt like she was falling. It became hard to breath, and the bliss she had felt melted away only to be replaced, by a burning pain in her side.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and was greeted with the sight of two very concerned crystal blue eyes. As her vision cleared, she realized Zelgadis was looking over her. Struggling, she craned her neck to see what was causing so much pain. A bookcase had pinned her. Turning her attention back to Zelgadis, she carefully reached a hand out and grasped his cloak. She could feel it in her hands.
Upon seeing her awake, Zelgadis sighed with relief, turned his head, and began to speak. But the sound only came out muffled to Lina as she slowly drifted off.
"So you saw Amelia?"
Lina smiled, "Yep."
They walked slowly, their bare feet rustling in the soft green grass. Slowly, they headed up a low hill. As they reached the top, Lina smiled as a cool breeze blew back her hair. She wore a simple yellow tank top that Sylphiel had cut the mid-section out of, to make it easier to redo her bandages. A pair of shorts sat lazily on her hips, and her side was patched with a white bandage. She had ditched her headband for the day.
"I wonder how Seilloon's doing…" this brought Lina out her thoughts. She laughed and hit his shoulder lightly.
"I thought told you not to think of that! We're on vacation!"
Zelgadis chuckled at her.
"Hey!" both looked down onto the beach that rested under the hill. Sylphiel waved gently from the blanket she had set up next to the crystal water. Both laughed and waved back to her.
Zelgadis turned to Lina. "So, what did Amelia say?"
Lina grinned mischievously at him, and ran a hand through her hair. "That she misses you…"
"And?" he pressed.
Her grin turned slowly into a gentle smile. "That I need to help you move on from her death…"
He looked at her curiously for a moment, but slowly, a smile crept across his face as well as she gently slid her hand into his.
The End (for now)
There we go. It's finished. A big thanks to everyone who reviewed this story:
Samanda, Ysengrinn, Irusta, Aisha C, Lina-Marie Metallium, Lina Gabriev, Knight of L-sama, (No name), Jaretha, :), and Yun Fei.
And of course, to those very special reviewers:
Sammy You're the best, Sammy. Your reviews always gave me a jump-start, and your support means the world to me. You're like the older sister I never had. Thank you so much. Love you!
Irusta You have been here since the beginning, and your praise always made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But, seriously, thank you so much. Your constant reviews always gave me the urge to write, and I've found myself anticipating your reviews with anxiety, hoping you would like the chapter. Love you!
Knight of L-sama Now here's a picky one, indeed! I've always enjoyed your reviews, as they are always both witty and insightful. Thank you very, very much. And you're always welcomed to email me at anytime!
(Smily Face user, whose name does not show up)Ah, another loyal reviewer! Thank you so much for everything. It's people like you whom I really look foreword too. Not much to say here, (Points above) that pretty much spells it out.
To anyone and everyone who enjoyed this story, please look for the sequel, Feigned Innocence, which shall be coming out some time before Halloween. Also, you may all feel free to email me at but please, Review anyway.
Once again, thank you all who reviewed. See you at Feigned Innocence!