A/N: Ah, I just love my titles, don't you? XP I did this in one spurt really, and I really don't feel like checking over it, so I hope you can endure. Thx again for reading it btw.
Winged-Knight: grin soo glad to hear your questions- you may find them answered in this chapter, though I can't promise new ones won't pop up (which the reminding of will be graciously appreciated by em moi).
Maurice A. Nigma: You didn't know that about Liona? Sorry- was in the fics preceding this one (hmm...maybe I should label these timelines better...) I thought if I reminded readers of it earlier, it might give away more surprise. cough murder story huh? Um, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that that's a good thing... good luck of course though.
9- Redemption for Idiocy
All eyes were on the wandering healer, the child of their strongest true friends, the mastermind behind the current line of events. Her strawberry blonde hair rippled in the flames, her clothing slightly tattered, moving with the licks of flames, as if to make the impression that they were only viewing an apparition, an image in the fire. As the silence lengthened, Zelgadis growled, drumming his fingers on his thigh, irritated beyond comprehension by how much he had missed, and how much Sylphiel had caught. Perhaps that had been the most devastating blow- to his ego. It was simply unfathomable how Sylphiel could piece together the puzzle before he had even tried, or rather, before he even realized he had the pieces in front of him. He had known Liona for God's sake- how could he have missed her involvement so completely?
Sylphiel, on the other hand, felt breathless with silent relief that she had even got all that out. She knew she had been pushing her luck, her intuitive smarts, but Eldwin's confirmations encouraged her to plow through it. The rambling had apparently born results. Liona was before them, either in person or in projectile fashion, it didn't matter- she had been summoned, and without need of a ward. Now she had to fill in the last puzzle piece, and all would be well. At least, she hoped so. Sylphiel may have had a rather rare spilling of deductive reasoning, but she was far from being so in reality- she knew it was only a temporary boost. While still in effect, however, her mind repeated the same question over and over in her mind. Why?
Eldwin remained as grave as the others, probably even more somber. Now facing his savior, he knew the consequences of his acquiece. He'd hoped that he would be the one to break it to them, in passing also wishing that his Mistress wouldn't be brought into it, but that seemed inevitably part of the plan. His skimish with the post-chimera had simply been a more forceful reminder of what he had given up. What his Mistress wanted the chimera to learn. Even if she had to make drastic measures. She most likely wouldn't, out of pure spite, but then, in the eventual string of things, his Mistress was ultimately kind, generous, and a good samaritan. He almost snorted at that. Reborn in the body of his dragon lover, by someone purged of true evil. She had her moments of course, but she wasn't really evil. It would take someone else a while to understand that though, given the circumstances of anyone who knew her at all. His mind was blank of questions, knowing the end result of it all. She had confided in him, and he would keep that trust until the grave, if he had to.
Zelgadis finally spat out with impatience, "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Like why the heck (you know I'd use stronger words if I, ahem, wanted to) you planted all this on us? Why you allowed us pills that cured my body only to put it through a huge series of tests, or somehow boosted Sylphiel's power, or rescued him from the jaws of death? What- are you going to suddenly put it on a new quest to save the world and all that rubbish? It's not like we can really do anything now, could we? And you, you'd probably wait until everyone was dead and then wipe the enemy out effortlessly. After that fall so many years ago, you must have been reborn a monster. You show nearly all the signs of that...that fruitcake- mystery, suspiciousness, power, and all."
Sylphiel wanted to groan aloud at his words, knowing full well that very little of it was right, though she couldn't be sure any longer what the correct take on it was. She had to admit, however- those were awfully direct questions, some of which she wouldn't mind hearing the answers to.
Soon enough, she had it. Liona stared down at the resentful chimera, icy steel glittering in the light of the flames. Though the gaze wasn't directed at her, Sylphiel was almost certain Liona-san held a certain loathing for her chimera- erm, ex-chimera friend. "As if I'd trust a world-changing quest with the likes of you. There was a reason why I entrusted two sets of pills to her. You realize though, taking the other pill sooner would have been much better for you. Even if you took it now, inside, you will always be the pansy inheritor of a rich estate, and therefore, a weakling. No magic can change that, if that is how you intend to be. And FYI, I'm no monster- I'm more human than you, even though you were born the same as I. If you honestly think only monsters can hide their true strength..." she paused long enough to shake her head in disgust.
Eventually, she opened her eyes again, boring them into Zelgadis', who was now fully aware that fear was seeping into his skull, flowing through his veins. "As to my reasoning?" She took another deep breath and exhale before answering, "Sylphiel's green pills were made from a special magical herb that grows with supernatural health near the domain of Deep Sea Dolphin. By no means is it tainted with evil- its will is so much stronger than that... well, that's the basic element to it. The plant and pill release the being's ultimate pool of potential, one that few have been able to completely tap into. Releasing it like a waterfall over the barriers of the mind... it makes it only natural that your power, your reflexes, your reasoning, increases by the amount of potential within you. I've always known that Sylphiel had great potential, in any aspect really, but she always held back, afraid to- well, I'll let her fill you in on that, if she wants."
Sylphiel half smiled in response, but said nothing. Liona continued. "Eldwin's case... I never saw the point in making dragons and monsters enemies. The strongest entities in our plane shouldn't have to spend their time fighting the other. Greater Beast Zelas knows of this, and that is why she was able to befriend the Knight of Celphieed, despite their apparent differences. Deep Sea Dolphin has also realized it, to an extent, and has chosen to hole up within in her own domain rather than deal with everything else that occurs around it. In any case... I suppose I just wished to have an example of the power they could possess if they just set aside their age old compulsions and... joined forces. The world has yet to see what the Entity L (pronounced 'el' as in, the beginning of Eldora and Eldwin :P) is capable of."
Liona paused again, seeming to allow all of her anger and resentment seep into her voice as she spoke of Zelgadis. "And you. There is only one reason why I even bothered to put your cure into the exchange. Because you. are. a. complete. idiot. The worst kind of idiot that refuses to believe he's an idiot. Denial can only be allowed to go on for so long. The first idiocy was to wish to be stronger, and later wish to be back the way you were, not thinking that the strength you wanted in the first place would have to leave with it. The second idiocy was shunning the love of those around you, those who cared, and those who would have cared, had you given them more to work with. The third idiocy was in believing that a little optimism would kill you. Three things, strung together, that make you either the lowest sort of human, or, as you really are, an evil greater than the world has ever known, but only to yourself. I would gladly put you out of your misery, but I can't. It simply pierces my skull that you are, in fact, a distant relative. That is, a relative descended from two pieces of Shabrinigdo. You want to know why you yourself could never find the cure you were looking for? It's because it doesn't exist."
After allowing her words to sink in for a few moments, she continued, still resentful. "All Lord Rezo did to you was awaken the inner beast- you were a mixed breed from the start. In all reality, what Rezo did to you, is what I did for Sylphiel. You just don't realize it because she's not born from monsters. The only way to cure yourself of, yourself, is to kill yourself. But that, should never be considered a cure because darn it (ahem, yes, I'm extremely set on not actually cursing, though you probably know the replacement word I'm thinking of) people already started caring about you since before you were even born. Together, we are eternally a phoenix, born from our ashes to be given another chance. Alone, we are nothing but soot. Dirty, repulsive, soot. That's the only reason why the emotion of 'love' means anything at all. Because true love is untainted, and in time, purifies our souls and bodies. And once purified, the heart struggles to undignify itself again, and that alone repulses the remaining soot of others. I suppose my real meaning is this: The only cure worth having is the love of another, a mutual, unconditional love. And because of your selfishness, your love will die. And you will live on in tortured existence."
Zelgadis immediately became shell-shocked at the thought of Amelia dying, the reference finally bleeding into his heart. "A-amelia? No... don't let it be her... she doesn't deserve to die..."
Liona scoffed in blatant agreement. "Of course she doesn't. But like you could have been, she is a thoroughbred human, and will die because of it. Like I said, together we are like the phoenix, constantly reborn from our ashes, but because we have spread apart so much, it becomes more difficult to group enough of us together to cause a rebirth. It doesn't matter, but I will not be the source of her death. Neither will anyone involved with me. In fact, until she recovers, I will be sure to protect her, like you never could."
Peace reigned over them all, an eerie silence broken only by the crickets from afar. Eventually, Sylphiel manage to squeak, "Why did you plant slugs and snails in the Inverse property, your old home, then? Zelgadis-san had nothing to do with that, and you of all people must be aware of how your- how Lina feels about them."
As she shifted her gaze to the shrine maiden, Liona softened her expression considerably, even allowing a similar smile to grace her lips. There was a forelorn loneliness in her eyes, smoldering in the flame as she replied to her. "It's been seven long years. Can you blame a girl for getting a little homesick? Truth be told, those creatures are actually quite helpful- zap them with the right spell, and you have an army of soldiers, cleaning servants, cooks, and whatever else you can think of. The Knight of Celphieed knows this, and will no doubt appreciate it, after the terror that Mazolina's copies became. Most likely, out of simply keeping up appearances, she will find a way to punish Lina and her spouse, in any case. Again, the stupidity of humans reigns on. I knew you would be drawn into the open on the way there, so I found you, gave you the pills, and sent you on your way."
Sylphiel kept her eyes locked on those of Liona's, searching for... something she couldn't place exactly. Then, like a small projectile, it hit her, nearly sending her reeling. Comprehesion dawned on her, and she smiled, lowering her head, and chuckled lightly. Zelgadis was still wallowing in self... contemplation. After all, it's not everyday someone calls you an idiot, lists the reasons, and thus making you question if you hadn't gone about your life the right way at all. The fact that he was supposedly a "distant" relative of Inverses, and along with that, of two Shabringdo vessels. There had only been two pieces ever awakened, one being that of his grandfather, the other being Lei Magnus of a millenia past. Inverses were descended from Magnus and the Dark Lord... no wonder they were so freakishly strong and at the same time, still human.
Eventually, Zelgadis forced himself to speak, though it came out as a low croak. "What happens now?"
A long period of silence followed, making Zelgadis look up out of curiosity. Liona was gone. Eldwin however, had the answer to his query. "You find your heart, and then follow it to the ends of the earth." Sylphiel said nothing, except to say that dinner was ready.
In the distance, Liona sighed to herself. Stupid, stupid chimera boy. It made her angry every time she thought of him. She'd given Sylphiel the knowledge of the extent that things could be salvaged, and took heart in that. Along with that knowledge came the oath to never relate this information directly or conspicuously. With a little luck, her childhood companion would actually make a comeback to life. She hoped. She wished. Almost as much as she wanted to be back with her family, her humanoid family, strange as it was. I wish I could hold you in my arms again, Mommy dearest, but I'm afraid I'll accidentally kill you. I only hope now that you take relief in knowing that I'm all right, knowing that if you're ever in danger, I'll protect you. Even from the people you think are your friends.
A/N: Hmm...I stink at reactions, don't I? Maybe it has something to do with not... caring enough? I dunno. I like Liona though, what she is, what she represents. Maybe I'm biased as her creator, but what the hey- that's the stuff of fanfictions. Reviews appreciated. Reminders of things you still want to know- will be duly noted. Ciao.