Temple Halls, Inner Sanctums of Belladonna's Domain

Two eventless days of traveling later, well unless you count Xellos's pranks, they arrived at an old run down temple. It showed signs of age, as well as abandonment. However, there was also a light in one of the windows. When Mina Levitated up to see what it was, she spied a fire and a hoard of Lesser Demons and wispy spirits sprawled around. At that moment, she knew they'd found their target hideout at long last.

"Mina-sama?" inquired Shawn, "What are we going to do against that many spirits? After all, I have no physical magic and Sandi doesn't know magic at all. Who knows how effective a simple sword will be against Demons like that. Plus, Chisa's only a cat. That leaves us with only four people who can fight."

'Only a cat! I resent that remark, human. I can do a lot of damage with these claws. Besides, I can throw holy energy at my enemies. If I need to, I can even assume human form. But I don't think now is the right time. Only when Mina has seen the true light will I show her what I really look like,' Chisa thought.

Mina informed the team, "We can do it just fine. Remember, we have a Mazoku in addition to three strong sorcerers. And a sword can cut Lesser Demon's just fine. As for you, simply try to protect the other five members of our group. Defensive magic can be the key to winning even the toughest battles of all."

So they all went through the door, and into the inner sanctums of Belladonna's temple. Suddenly, Chisa jumped off of Mina's shoulder and began to hiss. Standing before them in the passage was a large beast unlike any they had ever seen. It must have been a Chimera, for its muscular body was that of a Lesser Demon, its head the shape of a lion, and a long snake tail came of its backside. Claws like that of a wild animal adorned its hands and feet. The creature let out a large growl, and shot evil energy at the team.

Mina began to fear, when suddenly she heard the voice from before. -Child, use all of the power you possess to destroy this being. There is no use trying to fight me, I claimed your soul for my own long ago. Now that you house mine as well, I can just as easily take control of you like I did five years ago when you fought with the wicked spirits to save Noel. Now then, let's get ready to have some real fun with this beast.-

Mina's eyes flashed red, and suddenly the energy dissipated. Not that she had anything to do with it, but the timing of Victoria and Shawn's Defense spell was too uncanny. Upon seeing his Mina-sama look at him with her glowing red eyes, Shawn found a new position behind Victoria's back. Sandi gave Victor a look of fear; she well remembered what happened five years ago. And Xellos smiled at what was happening.

'It appears as if Mina is trying to awaken,' the tricky Mazoku mused, 'Just too delicious. That girl is more powerful than she makes herself out to be. Now then, let us watch and see what she does. If she is able to completely awaken, then perhaps the girl will be willing to come along with me after this is all over.'

The Demon didn't look fazed as the girl child walked up to it. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer all the foes that stand. Before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess. DRAGON SLAVE!" screamed the young girl. Instantly, the spell destroyed the hybrid beast. However, Mina also managed to destroy most of the temple at the same time. As rocks and debris fell around them, she simply ran forward hoping to find her friend.

Victor yelled, "Blast it! She's more powerful than she looks. What in the world is she? All I know is the girl is an orphan who was abandoned by her birth parents and found by Zelgadis. So how is she able to suddenly change her temperament along with her eye color? Where in the world did Mina come from?"

Sandi looked towards him. "I don't know, and neither do Aunt Amelia and Uncle Zelgadis. All the information they have about Mina is that she was found in a forest. Mina's other connections to her past come from the occasional dreams that seem to speak of why and how she was abandoned in that place."

Soon, Mina arrived at the central room. There, she spied a woman with a short black dress and long flowing black hair. On her back was a pair of wings like that of a bat. Her eyes were demonic red. She sat on a throne of gold, with cowering Lesser Demons and Spirits of Truth that had yet to take on a corporeal form gathered around her. Instantly, the girl knew that this must be the one called Belladonna.

"So, you came for your prince," the woman took note of, "How sweet. And Chisa, my old rival, how do you do? It seems you finally chose a master in order to gain a form of your own. You would choose the side of life if only to spite me. Well, as for the boy, I cannot give him to you. I need his Key of Creation to implement my plans. Also, I need to find the Key of Destruction. If you want the child so badly, then I will give you an offer to join me. Once on my side, the two of you will be able to be together for all eternity." She began to laugh. However, once you're used to Naga's, this one didn't seem entirely painful at all.

"I don't simply want to be with Noel, I want him out of your evil grasp. You will not use him for your own twisted scheme. Release my friend or you'll suffer the wrath of one angry woman," Mina demanded. She looked at Belladonna with a gleam in her glowing red eyes. It appeared as if she was ready to cast another Dragon Slave. By this time, the others in the group had arrived in the room and were watching it all.

Xellos silently goaded, 'Come on Mina, blow that one to oblivion. This could very well be the trigger that will flood your soul with darkness. You would make a fine ally for the Mazoku. But as long as you are not awake yet, there is no chance. I don't even know if awakening you will allow you to come with me to see my mistress. The awakening might simply bring out your true potential. Oh well, either way we're going to defeat this threat to both Mazoku and human interests. So deliver your death blow right now child.'

Belladonna was taken aback by Mina. 'How can a simple child have this much power? Almost as if she was the second key. But that cannot be, this is the student whelp of Zelgadis and Amelia; no more than Noel's buddy. Only the daughter of Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev can carry the forces of the Key of Destruction. She is not the one, but she is indeed a powerful bodyguard. Perhaps I should retreat for now and wait and see what she does. In the meantime, I should concentrate on finding Inverse, and tricking her child away from her. Brute force will not work when your enemy is such a powerful sorceress as she.'

"Well my dear," Belladonna stated, "You win for now. Something urgent just came up, and I really must be going. But do not let that lull you into security. Soon I will return to take the prince. Have a nice day my dearies." With that, she faded out. In the same instant, Mina's eyes and aura returned to their normal state. Although a little tired, she knew she couldn't rest until she found where Noel was being kept.

Teefa's Last Words...

The power will be more explained in Book 3. We will also be including the return of the Zoana siblings (Scarlet will have become a long standing rival of Mina's in the time between the two stories), some revelations about the actions that Xellos took in the past, and the long awaited answer to Mina's true origins.