Chapter 5

Screams In The Night

"Screams in the night,

Like a choir of demons,

Rise above in rivers of fright.

Alone, and lost, the damaged souls,

You'll never be able to heal them..."

- L.I.T.D

Zelgadis' blood had turned cold as one of his worse nightmares came true before his eyes, Amelia's body just lying there, bloody, lifeless... Hate, anger beyond words, and vengeance burned in his mind, body, and soul like a tsunami. He raised his gaze up to the murderer and his eyes went cold, dead to caring, except for his rage.

"You... have just signed and sealed your death warrant Mazoku." His voice was cold, even, and covering emotions that he was trying to control. His hand went to the hilt of his sword, "I am going to make you suffer ten times as much as anyone you have ever tortured!"

Immediately, and instantaneous to the words he had said, he threw one of the most powerful Ra Tilts he had ever been able to create, at Xellos. Xellos disappeared but even though he was on the astral plain, moving to dodge the blast, the spell still caught him head on, he was thrown backwards and he slammed into nothingness as the astral plains flickered, then disappeared leaving him in the real world to face the psychotic chimera...

...Who was rushing at him with his sword up, enhanced already with an astral vine.

"Shimata!" he teleported behind the chimera and swung his staff around to hit him in the back, it connected, and threw Zelgadis to the ground, the sword fell with him, ripping up the carpet, but Zelgadis was up in a flash of beige and blue and attacking again.

Xellos blocked each blow with his staff, "Zelgadis my quarrel is not with you!"

"It was the minute you touched Amelia!" he lunged at Xellos who easily dodged.

'He loved her... Just great.' Xellos didn't want to have to take more energy than necessary, all he wanted was to finish the damn business, and be left alone to wallow in the Mazoku version of regret for having to kill these people.

But no, that couldn't happen, because he had a mentally unstable chimera after his blood. And because of his uncontrolled emotions, the chimera's powers had tripled. Making him an opponent to be reckoned with. If this kept up Xellos could seriously be hurt.

As Zelgadis threw a powerful elemekia lance, and a dug hut following, Xellos nearly sighed.

'It looks like I'm going to have to destroy him too.' He frowned. "Your choice Chimera." He said the word chimera with venom, as if it was worth nothing more than a thing not worth dealing with.

Xellos teleported away and re-appeared directly behind Zelgadis, immediately throwing one of his stronger spells at him. It ripped through Zel's body and he fell forward, nearly dead, but still alive.

It was then Zelgadis realized Xellos hadn't even been trying.

"D-Damn you... you murderer." He turned on his back and as a parting gesture through his last spell, "RA TILT!" he choked on his own blood as he aimed his hand towards Xellos.

Xellos dodged it, but the power itself still hurt him, he walked over to the chimera's prone form that was slowly trying to move toward Amelia.

"I could have left you alive. You didn't read the book Zelgadis."

'The book? I knew we should have burned the damn thing...' Zelgadis thoughts moved quicker then his speech ever could have been, and he reached out and grabbed Amelia's still warm hand, "Ais.. aishiteru..." he coughed up some blood and laid his head on the carpet, willing himself into darkness, not caring about Xellos anymore.

Xellos looked down to the two and using his powers, lifted them up, and placed them on Amelia's bed, side by side. He than went over and found Zelgadis' hand still holding Amelia's.

It was the least he could do for them. "Sorry Zel, but I have one more Sorceress to greet tonight." Zel's choked as his body slowly died. Xellos then walked out of the room; he wanted to delay the last murder for the night as long as he could.

"Gourry what are you doing here?"

"I woke up in the library alone and I wanted to know what was going on Lina."

"What's going on is, I'm tired, and you fell asleep so I left you there. Meaning go get sleep we have more work to do in the morning." She replied irritably.

"Can't we talk Lina? I've got the creeps and I just wanna talk for a bit."

Lina sighed but gave in. "Fine, fine, get in before I change my mind."

Gourry walked in and plopped down on her bed and she frowned, he had taken her spot. She walked over to the window seat and sat down.

"So what do you want to talk about Gourry?"

"Um... I dunno, how about... What you did before I became your guardian."

She sighed, "Blah... I traveled with a tall bimbo named Naga, got paid for doing jobs, usually helped with various things..." she yawned. "Why do I have to talk, I'm tired, why don't you just go to bed..."

Snores answered.

"Damn it Gourry!" she face faulted out of her seat then pulled herself back up. "Fine... but I'm only gonna leave ya there for an hour."

For ten minutes she stared out the window when she heard footsteps stop at her door, and her knob slowly turn. Who would be coming into HER room without her permission? She moved quickly, readying up a fireball and dashed to Gourry silently, with one hand she covered his mouth, and than leaving the fireball in the air, shook him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw her, the fireball and nearly panicked.

"Shhh..." she said quietly. As the door creaked open he jumped off the bed in start and was beside her in a moment.

Xellos' shadow fell on the floor and the lit candles threw shadows across his figure.

"Xellos. What do you want? It's late!" she brought the fireball back into her hand.

"I'm sorry Lina but I must be with you alone. You and I have something to discuss."

"What?"

"The book."

"Well anything that you have to say can be said in front of him too."

"If you really want him to die with you. I tire of fighting lovers who defend each other."

Lina blinked. What was he talking about? She didn't have any lover. "Huh?"

A red lance aimed at her chest was her answer; her body automatically and instinctively turned to the side to dodge it, but was still hit by it below her ribs. She felt the sting of black power seep into her blood and she winced. That had hurt. Gourry's sword was up in an instant, without the hikari no ken, how the hell was he to protect her?

"Gourry don't be a fool, you can't fight him with a regular sword!" she threw her fireball at Xellos and it missed, hitting the wall behind him and scorched it. Then a flare arrow and flare bit, some hit but really caused minimal, if ANY, damage... to Xellos that is. The room on the other hand...

"Miss Lina, you should know better, not even Zelgadis lived to cause too much damage to me. And his powers were level with yours at the time."

Lina's stomach dropped, "What do you mean?"

"The princess and her love will forever remain within each others arms, lying in their own pools of blood. And I'm sorry, but I cannot let you live either." With demon speed he flew at her, his fist connected with her stomach and sent her flying into her table with a painful crash.

Gourry's reaction followed swiftly, his sword ripped through the back of Xellos' shirt, parting his skin, but it did not cause him any pain what so ever. He whirled around and punched Gourry in the face and sent a flare arrow after him. It pierced his shoulder and burned away at his armour and he winced as he dove at Xellos again, aiming to use physical strength against him.

At the same time Lina had stood up and thrown a very powerful blast ash at Xellos. He winced but it was nothing he couldn't handle. For minutes the three of them fought, and finally disliking the fact Gourry was becoming quite a nuisance, he threw a large fireball at him which Gourry tried to dodge but still was thrown into the wall by the blast, he than fell forward to show the wall had been indented from the force. His body ceased to move after that.

Lina's hope died away with her as she saw Gourry's body still. What was she going to do? She was alone. She had never been alone like this before... Never. Her immediate reaction was delay, run, run to live. She threw a strong light spell into the air that flashed brightly, in hopes to blind the Mazoku temporarily, or at least disorient him, and than shoved her window open and flew out.

She flew over the gardens to the other side of the palace, all the while thinking frantically. She was facing one of the most powerful Mazoku's, aside from the five dark lords. How was she going to beat him? She had fought Shabranigdo before so maybe she had a chance...

'But only a PIECE of him,' her mind cheerily added in.

'I beat copy Rezo.' She thought back.

'Yah with help, a sword, and luck. Besides... he wasn't a Mazoku... even if he did have Zanaffar to help boost his power.'

'I held the Lord of Nightmares within me.'

'Yes but even then that nearly destroyed you. Had it not been for Gourry you would have remained with L-Sama in the sea of chaos.'

'Gourry...'

She felt her throat tighten as her vision shimmered. Shit, her friends...

If only this hadn't happened! What was she going to do? What was she- -

'Back up,' her mind shouted, 'What was it you just said?'

'I said, 'If only this hadn't happened!' ... Hadn't happened... I could change this! I could stop this!'

'But remember what Zelgadis said,' her other self contradicted, 'It could change things drastically... possibly even for the worse.'

'But my friends... If I don't they'll still die and then I'll die. And I don't want to die too! I have to find a way to fix this... And I know how too. Casting it isn't that hard.'

'But you don't know how to get back.'

'Amelia's room! Maybe he left the book... or they hid it.' She flew into the nearest open window; thankful it was a hall entrance and started running.

For nearly a minute she ran, Amelia's room.... Where was it? Left down this corridor, down the stairs with the creaky steps... then another right... then up... I hate castles!!!

She found herself in the hall and started running to the room, further down the hall the candles were out, she flew into the bedroom and stopped, her heart pounding.

Oh gods.

"Amelia! Zelgadis!" she ran over to the bed and shook Zelgadis, "Please wake up! I need your help! You can't be dead! Please..." she backed away from the bed her lungs strained, her head hurting, "I'm going to die if I don't find the book..." she looked through the room quickly and as she was searching the drawers of the dresser she heard a pleasant tapping on the pane of the glass window.

The moment she heard the sound her heart skipped a beat, yet she found the book open off to the right of the dresser. Conveniently on the needed page. Her eyes traced over the words faster than lightning at the same time as she grabbed the book.

She turned her head to look outside the large window, she screamed in panic. Lo and behold there was Xellos levitating in view, full moon illuminating, yet darkening his features, the figure of him was terrifying, his face shadowed, yet his eyes... his unearthly eyes seemed to glow as he looked at her, a small sinister smile on his face. He was the face of death itself, and he'd come for her.

The next moment the window shattered and finally shouts were heard from the guards down below.

"Tsk tsk, Miss Lina, running out on me like that. Naughty, naughty you."

A thrill of terror went through her body and straight to her throat at the words but she didn't retort. Instead she flew out the bedroom slamming the door behind her and went the opposite direction from where she came from, and not a mere foot into running, she tripped. The wind knocked out of her, she fought her screaming muscles, feeling her way on the carpet and found the book, she sighed in relief until she stood, and than bumped into something... Correction: someone.

"Excuse you Lina." The cheery voice said, "Now really, the game of cat and mouse HAS been fun but I must be taking that book along with your life, Beast Masters orders, you understand, ne?

She jumped back and threw a fireball and ran back the other way down the stairs.

Do it NOW! Now or you'll never live to cast it!

Her mind immediately went into chanting and concentrating, she was half way down the stairs when a portal at the bottom began opening up. She began running faster as she started saying aloud the finishing words needed to stabilize the spell.

"NO! Flare lance!" Xellos shot millions of fiery arrows off at her as they hurled down the stairs. She felt them slice into her legs, arms, one hit her in her back, and another into her thigh but she kept running until her legs couldn't support her from the shock of pain, and she fell; tumbling, spell finished, right into the portal, which closed up as she went unconscious on the other side.

"DAMN IT ALL!" was the last cry of fury as she disappeared.