Chapter 18: Consequences

Lina blinked, the world coming into focus very slowly as she sat up in the bed. "Where am I?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?"

"You're in Sairoon," said a soft voice. Lina's head whipped around, and she saw Zelgadis sitting in the chair next to her. A very human Zelgadis. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.

As a chimera, Zelgadis had strange, unearthly good looks that not even his rocky blue skin or metallic hair could mask. And in the illusionary world that Phibrizo had trapped her in, Hallas had reflected those looks as a human. But neither quite prepared her for the sight of the real Zelgadis in human form.

His hair was dark, almost blue-black, in stark contrast to how it had been previously coloured. His skin was deathly pale, most likely because he had not had time in his human form to soak up very much sunlight. Still, somehow she could tell that no amount of time in the sun would ever really darken his pallor. Most startling of all was that his eyes retained their unusual turquoise colour. Against his shock of dark hair and pale skin, they glittered like pale gemstones.

"You're hot!" Lina blurted out, unable to contain her surprise.

Zelgadis gave her a surprised look. "Actually, we're approaching winter," he told her with some confusion. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "You're not sleep-talking, are you?"

Lina blushed and shook her head. "No, I meant… uh… well, you look really good," she said, brushing her hair away from her eyes. "I always thought you looked good, but you could be a model now!" she added, giving him a small smile.

Zelgadis' cheeks coloured slightly pink and he looked down at his hands, flexing them experimentally. "Thank you, Lina. It's strange, but…" He trailed off, his eyes growing unfocused as he stared at his fingers.

"Zel? What's up?" Lina asked him worriedly.

Zelgadis let out a sigh and flexed his hands once more. "I always dreamed about what it would be like to be human. To find a cure for my condition, to be able to fit in with everyone else as a normal person." He gave a dry chuckle and looked up at her, his eyes clouded with pain. "Now that my dream has turned into a reality, the only thing I can think about is getting my powers back."

Lina sighed and drew her knees up, resting her chin on them. "Don't be so pessimistic. You've always wanted to be human, so you should spend your time enjoying it! I for one can't wait to brush your hair," she offered with a large grin.

Zelgadis thought of how Lina had left Gourry on the throne before their fateful journey began and sweatdropped. "I think I'll have to pass on that for now," he mumbled. Then he frowned, brooding once more. "You should take this a little more seriously, Lina. Amelia sealed off the powers of Cephied. That means no summoning. No protection. No going back to your world—"

"Hey!" Lina interrupted him. "You're assuming this is some kind of permanent condition! I'm just saying you should enjoy your human form while you have it, because I'm going to find us a way to get our powers back." She shrugged slightly. "Lighten up, Zel. We're not beat yet," she told him.

"We would have been if Taiitsukun hadn't rescued us. She's the one who brought us here, to Sairoon."

Lina brightened, sitting up. "That's right! Is Filia still here? I'd like to thank her."

Zelgadis shook his head sadly. "No… when I woke up, she spoke to me. She wanted me to tell you that she can't help you anymore, and that you're on your own now."

Lina's mouth dropped open. "What? Why'd she save us then? What was that, a hit-and-run for her personal amusement or something?" she sputtered.

Zelgadis leaned back and shrugged. "It's unusual that she would have interfered in the first place. You'd have to ask the fruitcake to figure out why she did it. But it doesn't matter anyway… she's already gone," he told her.

- x – x – x -

Zelgadis was, in fact, only half right. Filia was still in Sairoon, though no one else knew this besides the person standing next to her in the small gardens of the courtyard.

"Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself, you piece of garbage?" Filia said primly, crossing her arms and glaring at her companion.

Xellos' eyes remained closed, but the half-smile dropped from his face. "We should have died," he told her matter-of-factly. "My actions were quite logical for the situation. It's yours that require some explanation."

Filia sighed and turned away from him. "Things aren't so simple. There never should have been two Priestesses in the world at one time. It's upsetting the balance of things." She shivered slightly as a breeze stirred the wind around them. This caught Xellos' attention immediately, his eyes popping open.

"You're not well," he said in shock.

"Our world is falling apart," Filia told him tiredly. "Never before have there been two powers actively vying for control. Their personal conflict is tearing this world apart." She let out a small sigh, the insignificant sound being the only indication of her great weariness. Still, it did not go unnoticed.

"You are being drained?" Xellos asked her, stepping to Filia's side and studying her profile. He had never considered his blonde tutor to be anything less than indestructible. Even the most insignificant signs of visible weakness shook him to the core. "Ridiculous," he said out loud, his strained voice mocking. "You are Taiitsukun."

The blonde only smirked slightly. "Not drained. The vessel is overflowing. Soon it will crack," she said. "Nothing good will come of this. Nothing will be gained if Shabranigdu causes the death of Cephied. Our world will be destroyed… and it will echo through Lina's world as well."

Xellos' hand snaked out and caught Filia's arm. He turned her towards him, his amethyst eyes fully open. "That's why you interfered. You're stopping it? But how can you-"

"I prevented your deaths, that's all," Filia said angrily, meeting his gaze. "I will do no more. I can do no more!" Her expression softened as she saw the intense anger and worry in the man beside her, foreign expressions on his usually cheerful mask. "You stupid pervert," she told him affectionately. "Of course I must pay for my interference. But I'll be fine," she said with assurance. "I am the guardian of this world, after all."

Xellos refused to release her arm. "Why did you save us?" he asked her softly.

Filia smiled. "Do you really think I could let my best student die?" Gently, she unwound his hand from her forearm and released it. "You must never give up, Xellos. You are still a student, only now you must learn from your Priestess. Try not to get yourself killed," she added, golden light surrounding her figure. "I'd be most upset," her voice echoed as she faded from view.

Xellos was left alone in the gardens, his hand clenched around his staff with enough force to almost snap it in two.

- x – x – x -

Lina reached out and grabbed Zelgadis' hand, tightly gripping it as they stood together before the ornate double doors leading to the palace's throne room. "What am I going to say to him?" she said softly.

"We tried our best, Lina. Gourry will understand that," Zelgadis told her. He paused. "We told him about Sylphiel, Lina. It's okay. I think he already knew," he said.

Lina's knuckles turned white from her fierce grip. "Okay? How can it be okay? What am I supposed to do, go in there and say 'Oh hi, Gourry! I killed your girlfriend, lost the sword of light and got the holy powers of Cephied sealed away! How's it going?'" Her whole body trembled visibly as she spoke.

Zelgadis winced. "Lina… my hand," he gasped.

She jumped, and with a start let him go with a sheepish grin. "Heh heh, sorry, Zel. I forgot you weren't made out of stone anymore!" Her face fell moments after saying that. "Oh God!" she squeaked, mortified.

Zelgadis sighed and faced Lina, gripping her firmly by the shoulders. Well, gripping her by one shoulder and resting one tender, throbbing hand against the top of her other shoulder. "Lina! Pull it together. Gourry's your friend, and he'll know you tried your best. We have to help him more than ever now."

Lina took a deep breath and stared at Zelgadis, willing her knees to stop knocking against each other. Finally, she gave him a curt nod, and he released her. Without any further hesitation, she pushed the doors open and strode forward.

"Lina!" Gourry looked up from the large table he was standing before with Valgarv and a few advisors, and gave her a brilliant smile. "I'm glad you're finally awake! Hey, are you hungry? I was just thinking of taking a break and getting the cook to bring us a meal!"

Lina faltered, and then continued forward without answering. Gourry frowned in confusion and stepped around the table to meet her.

"Hey, Lina, what's wrong?"

Lina swallowed, and then threw herself into Gourry's arms, a loud sob escaping. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she yelled, clutching at his robes and burying her face into his chest. "I couldn't stop any of it… not Sylphiel, not Rezo… it's all gone to hell, and it's my fault!" she choked out.

Gourry faltered, and then slowly brought a hand up and rested it on her head. "Hey, hey, stop that," he scolded the sobbing girl, pushing her away. "We all have bad days," he said.

Lina did stop crying, long enough to stare at Gourry with disbelief. "Bad days? I just about ruined the entire damn kingdom of Sairoon! I lost everything! Everything! How can you just stand there and be so calm about it?" she said.

Gourry sighed tiredly. "Well I sort of have to, Lina," he told her. He smiled at her, and Lina suddenly realized how much more mature he looked. The eager boyish grin was gone, and in its place was a weary knight's smile. "I couldn't be there to protect you… or her," he mumbled. "So I'll be the one to protect you now. I can still do that," he said confidently. "I'm the Emperor after all!"

Lina gave him a small smile, a feeling of relief washing over her as she realized that Gourry, being as sweet and dumb as he was, didn't blame her for his kingdom's misfortunes. Or perhaps not so dumb as I thought, she reflected as she met his pained gaze and gave him a steady nod.

"Yes, indeed you are!" Xellos called out to them with a smile as he strolled into the throne room. "And with our help as your advisors, we'll manage to win this war."

Valgarv facefaulted and stared at Xellos suspiciously. "Where have you been fruitcake? And what's with the change of heart?"

Xellos laid a hand over his chest and gave the bandit a look of innocent surprise, joining him at the table. "Change of heart? My dear Valgarv, I assure you that my heart has been in its proper position for this entire journey! I think I would have noticed if it moved," he smirked. Valgarv's swift knuckle sandwich knocked Xellos face-first into the table. Instead of popping up swiftly, however, the magician slowly pushed himself up with a slight groan of pain. "Could you please stop doing that for now?" he whined, holding his nose. "My disability prevents me from enjoying the full benefit of your attentions at the moment."

Valgarv was rubbing his knuckles with a wince. "You know, I might have actually enjoyed beating you up right now, if it didn't make my hand hurt so much," he growled. He turned and regarded the others. "My strength is gone. And Vessegace is useless," he added. "I hate to burst your happy little reunion, but we're going to have to come up with a miracle if we want to survive Rezo and Eris' next attack."

"Not to mention the Priestess of Shabranigdu's remaining two wishes," Xellos added, still rubbing his nose.

Gourry shambled back over to the table and leaned on it, studying the maps laid out before him. "We're fighting them at the borders," he said, motioning towards the maps. Lina and Zelgadis joined the others at the table, leaning in.

"Those aren't the borders I remember," Zelgadis said in surprise as his eyes travelled along the jagged red line of the map.

"Yeah," Gourry said sadly. "Elmekia's army managed to push us back all the way to the edge of the forests," he told them. "They might have gone further, but Zangulus stopped by and helped us out. He's a really good fighter, you know?" Gourry said with a grin. "He even gave me his magic sword since I didn't have one," he added, patting the hilt of the blade at his side with a smile.

Lina felt her face flush and glanced up at Gourry. "Umm, about your sword, Gourry…"

The Emperor's face flashed briefly with pain, and he gave Lina a slow nod. "It's okay. It wouldn't have been the same anyway," he said, rubbing at his neck where his symbol once shone. He brightened after a moment. "Besides, Zangulus' sword is pretty nifty!"

Valgarv nodded, clearly impressed. "I can't believe that fool gave you his sword. He's growing up!" he said, laughing shortly. "So he brought the Mountain Scorpions to aid you?"

Gourry nodded. "We've managed to stop Rezo's army. Zangulus took over planning out the assaults. It was a little hard to convince my advisors at first, but you know, banditry is pretty useful for fighting against soldiers! I might make it mandatory training for the army after this," the blonde added sagely.

Everyone at the table sweatdropped.

"Never mind that, have you managed to push them back?" Zelgadis said, stabbing his finger at the map once more.

Gourry nodded, gesturing at the map once more. "Yeah, it was working pretty well up until now. Then I got that funny feeling yesterday and my symbol disappeared. We're still winning, but I have a bad feeling about this…"

"Rezo's going to tear Zangulus and our army apart," Valgarv growled, his gaze rising to meet Gourry's own. "I have to be there. I can't abandon my men," he said decisively.

Gourry nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think we should all go out there. It'd be better for the troops, you know?"

Xellos rubbed his chin and nodded. "I fear my assistance in this matter will be somewhat limited, but I will accompany you as well," he smiled. Then he cracked an eye open and stared directly at Zelgadis. "But you should stay," he added pointedly.

The man in question's hands slammed his hands onto the table, causing the tiny markers on the maps to rattle precariously. "Stay? What are you talking about? I still know how to fight, even if my skin isn't made of stone anymore!" He glared furiously at the magician, who remained unflustered.

"You have no experience fighting without your natural armour. You'd be run through the moment you forgot yourself," Xellos said pointedly. "Besides, someone will have to stay behind and watch over our dear little Lina," he added with a smile.

"Dear little Lina? What the hell?" Lina exploded. "What makes you think I won't be coming with you guys?"

"Well, the fact that your friend Amelia seems to want you dead would be one," Xellos said, ticking off his reasons on each finger. "That the two remaining servants of Shabranigdu are both powerful and share her sentiment might be another. That we will undoubtedly meet all three of them on the battlefield should be the final argument," he concluded reasonably.

Lina's jaw clenched. "I am NOT staying behind!" she yelled.

"Lina," Zelgadis interrupted, gently pulling her away from the table. "Xellos is right. We'll both stay. I'll watch over you," he said, turning his back to the others to face her and grabbing her arms.

"Zel? That coming from you of all people—" she began angrily. She stopped when he raised one eyebrow at her knowingly. "Uh, I mean… you're a jerk too!" she mumbled, trying to hide her grin. "Well, fine. Don't think I'm going to like it though!" she growled at the others.

"Lina? Cooperating? This can't be good," Valgarv said suspiciously.

Lina peered around Zelgadis and bared her teeth at the bandit. "For your information, I would never agree to this if Zel wasn't staying behind with me!" she added. "But I just don't want anyone else to get hurt. So promise to watch yourselves out there, okay?" she said, giving each of her friends a hard look.

"It's decided then," Valgarv said, heading for the door. "We leave tomorrow."

- x – x – x -

In Elmekia, Amelia moaned and stirred in the makeshift bed she was lying against. Though sweat beaded her forehead, no amount of blankets could warm her chilled skin. "So c-cold," she mumbled, her teeth chattering. "Sun…" she moaned. "I want to see the sun…"

Rezo sat at her side and gently wiped her forehead with a soft cloth. "You are feverish. You must rest."

Amelia's eyes popped open and she twisted her neck to look at Rezo with a moment of lucidity. "Rezo… why does it hurt? I feel so cold… am I dying?" she whispered, her eyes wide with fear.

"It is just a belated effect of the summoning. It will pass in a few days. You must be strong, my Lady. There are still two more wishes to be used."

Amelia turned her head away from Rezo, her eyes staring off into nothing. "Making a wish hurts," she murmured.

"It is your duty as a Priestess," Rezo replied coldly. "Have I not fulfilled my duty to you as a Warrior? We have bled and died for you, my Lady. Now you must fulfill your own responsibilities."

Amelia remained silent, refusing to look at Rezo.

"I have brought us to Sairoon, my Lady. The Emperor's war goes badly. He will require our help. Your help, my Lady."

Amelia rolled onto her side, showing her back to Rezo.

"When it is time, I will bring you to the battle. You will not be able to avoid the truth there. Rest while you can," he said, rising with a silent swish of his robes and leaving her alone.

- x – x – x -

Zelgadis sighed slightly as Lina took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

"WHAT?" she screamed at him.

"I said, I think you should stay behind," Zelgadis answered as he continued to pack his things for the journey. Lina and Zelgadis had waited patiently, seeing the others off and biding their time for a few days to avert suspicion, before beginning their mad, secretive rush to follow the Emperor's group. "There's going to be fighting, Lina. This is warfare. Trust me, you don't want to see it."

Lina scowled and continued to shuffle her worn clothes and supplies carelessly in her tattered backpack. "Of course I don't want to see it. I'm really starting to hate fighting. But I can't let you guys down. I have the same responsibilities as you do, Zel." She punched her bag down a few times with a grunt and forced the zipper closed. "So you can just forget about arguing. I'm going! Besides, someone's got to watch your back," she added with a smirk.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "Just because I don't have my stone skin or strength anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten every lesson I learned about fighting," he muttered. "What makes you think I can't protect myself?"

Lina leaned over and reached for Zelgadis' arm. With a sharp twist of her fingers, she gave him a painful pinch.

"OW!" Zelgadis yelled, slapping away her hand as his eyes watered with unexpected tears of pain. "Why did you do that?"

Lina rolled her eyes. "You big baby! It's something Valgarv showed me when we first met. The little things can hurt you more than you think. You've probably never even gotten a hangnail before, so how do you think you're going to react if someone manages to cut you?"

Zelgadis frowned. "I don't know, but I don't see why you think being there will stop me from getting injured."

Sighing and shouldering her pack, Lina ignored his last argument and glared at Zelgadis resolutely. "I'm going. We can either compromise and work together, or you can lecture me and I'll sneak off as soon as you're gone. So what'll it be?"

Zelgadis' frown twitched slightly as the corners of his lip turned up. "Fine, I guess we all know better than to argue with you by now," he said. "But I'm serious. When we reach the front, don't follow me into battle. Don't follow ANY of us into battle. This isn't a game, Lina, you don't know how to fight and you could get killed."

Lina sighed slightly and fingered her pack. "We'll see what happens when we get there, okay?"

Zelgadis looked displeased with her answer, but realizing that continuing the argument would only further the delay, he gave her a curt nod. "Then let's get moving. We can take one horse," he said to her.

- x – x – x -

Eris cleared her throat nervously as she entered the tent. Rezo, as usual, paid her no mind, not even turning around to acknowledge her presence from his seat. "My lord," she said quietly. "The men are prepared and wait only for your arrival." She bowed her head quickly and waited. When no answer was forthcoming, she dared an upward glance and scowled, seeing that he had not moved. "My lord Rezo?" she asked cautiously, approaching him.

"Astounding," murmured Rezo absently. "This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities," he said to himself.

"What are you speaking of, my lord?" Eris said, glancing over his shoulder. She sucked in her breath quickly as she saw the golden sphere lying on his hand. "Doesn't that belong to Phibrizo? But I thought he was-"

"He's quite dead," Rezo said irritably, never removing his sightless gaze from the orb held in his hands. "It remains here, powered by my own magic."

Eris leaned in closely, studying the pulsing sphere. She gasped as the glow dissolved, displaying images inside of the tiny sphere. They were unfamiliar and foreign; strangely shaped buildings and monstrous mechanical creatures roamed the ground. The denizens of the illusion dressed strangely, but were all clearly human. "What is it?" she breathed.

"Phibrizo's last illusion," Rezo replied, a smirk forming on his face. "The little troublemaker was useful for something after all. This is the world of the Priestesses, Eris."

Eris' felt her eyebrow lifting as she gazed in wonder. "So strange," she murmured. "I never truly believed it until now…"

Rezo passed his hand abruptly over the golden orb, his mouth tightening into a hard line with displeasure. "If you do not believe in the legend of Shabranigdu, why have you come this far?" he said cuttingly.

"Lord Rezo! I didn't mean-" Eris choked, flushing brightly.

He cut her off as he stood, pocketing the orb. "The Priestesses have access to a power far greater than any we know of. Greater than even that of Taiitsukun," he said with a smirk. "I will make that power my own."

Eris' blush faded, anger replacing her surprise and embarrassment. "Is that all you can think of? Gaining more power? We're falling apart, Rezo! Three of us are already dead! You would take on an entire world by yourself? Are you mad?"

Rezo whirled on her, his staff jingling as he held it under Eris' chin menacingly. "Are you questioning me?" he said softly, his voice ever calm and polite. "Naturally, I will not do it alone. I will have the Priestess of Shabranigdu do it for me. For that, you are not necessary. Consider it a boon that you are still alive."

Eris exhaled softly, the paralyzing fear of having Rezo's full attention focused on her fading into something else. I'm tired of lying to myself, she realized. "Of course I'll support you, my Lord. But I don't want to be just your follower. Rezo, I love you! Don't you understand?" she cried out to him, her voice filled with hope and pain.

Rezo drew his staff back, his face falling into its emotionless mask. "I hope you're not expecting me to return your feelings," he said to her. "Do not think because I saved you that I harbour any feelings for you. You are useful to me, Eris. But not as useful as Amelia." Without waiting for a reply, he strode past her, pausing at the flap of the tent. "Bring the Priestess when you join me," he commanded crisply, and then left.

Eris took a shuddering breath and squared her shoulders, blinking back her angry tears. "Why can't I kill these feelings?" she whispered to herself. "I hate myself… but I still love you more."

- x – x – x -

Things were not going well on the battlefield. While Sairoon's army had been able to drive the invading forces of Elmekia back into the forests, the arrival of the famed Red Sage had done much to boost the confidence of the enemy troops. One of Rezo's first tactical moves on arriving to the front was to blast away the many trees surrounding the opposing armies. Not only was the destruction breathtakingly terrible, it also destroyed Zangulus' previously effective strategy. Sadly, while the Mountain Scorpions were excellent at planning ambushes and short-range attacks, when it came to an actual clash of armed forces on the open fields, the troops from Elmekia were better trained.

Gourry and Valgarv's arrival did much to bolster the faltering morale among their own men, but without the powers of Cephied, they were clearly outmatched; more so because neither Rezo nor Eris hesitated to use their own holy powers to sway the tide of the fight. It was in the midst of the hopeless battle that Lina and Zelgadis finally arrived.

"N-no," Lina said, her eyes widening as she recognized the scene folding out before her. The charred remains of the once-beautiful forest were still smoking, darkening the already-hazy afternoon sky. The field itself was littered with the bodies of slain soldiers; a battle which still raged on even as the forces of Sairoon were being pushed back. "Filia's vision… it's coming true," she gasped, her fingers tightening around Zelgadis' shirt.

Zelgadis gripped the reins of his mount tightly, his face grim. "This is terrible," he muttered. "We can't win." Even as he spoke, lightning arced down from the stormy sky, smashing into the army below and sending them flying. "Eris' handiwork," he growled, his expression darkening. "We have to find Gourry."

Lina swallowed, nodding and pushing down her horror and revulsion. She scanned the field, and finally, pointed at a small group bearing the tattered standard of Sairoon. "That idiot is fighting next to the flag!" she screamed. "It's like he's painting a bull's eye on himself!"

Indeed, Gourry remained close to the banner depicting Sairoon's God, Cephied. He fought like a man possessed, wielding Zangulus' magic sword. Ringing him were the remaining members of his faithful personal guard, each fighting desperately to keep their emperor from harm. And among the guards was a familiar flash of aqua; Valgarv, fighting just as grimly as the others to protect Gourry. As they watched, another of Eris' bolts raced down towards the group. Lina let out a squeak of surprise as the lighting split as though it had hit a dome, leaving the warriors unharmed. Moments later, she spotted Xellos' head behind the standard, his eyes still closed and his staff smoking.

"Wow," Lina gasped, watching the desperate battle progress. "I thought you guys lost all your powers!"

Zelgadis shrugged slightly as he guided their nervous mount down the hill and towards the fields below. "Gourry might have lost the Sword of Light, but everyone in the Empire knows that his swordsmanship is the best in the kingdom, even with a normal blade." He turned slightly and gave Lina a reassuring smile. "We're not completely helpless without our powers, you know. I'm sure even Valgarv knew how to fight long before he knew how to access his holy power. And as for Xellos… it's no surprise that the fruitcake still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He was Taiitsukun's student, after all." He spurred the horse on. "We'll be fine, Lina. It's you I'm worried about. I'm not going to bring you all the way up there."

Lina's hands dug tightly into Zelgadis' side. "You can't just leave me back here. I'll be useless!" She cringed, already knowing Zelgadis' answer, though he wisely chose to leave it unsaid. I'll be useless up at the front, too. "Zel… thanks for trying to make me feel better," she mumbled. "I know you guys aren't helpless. But look at this," she said, gesturing at the fight they were rapidly approaching. "You guys are good, but you're not that good."

Zelgadis brought the horse to a halt and craned his neck around, trying to look at Lina. "What are you saying?" he asked her quietly.

Leaning forward, Lina buried her face into Zelgadis' back. He's not hard anymore, she thought absently. I wish we had more time. "I'm going to be with you guys until the end. I won't leave you, Zelgadis. So just let me have this, okay? Don't give me a hard time." She kept her voice light and cheerful, trying to sound nonchalant, but she felt him stiffen. She almost wished that he would yell at her, scold her and call her silly. But Zelgadis was, like herself, a realist before all else. The former chimera chose not to live in a world of illusions, and was not about to change for her sake. Neither of them would have appreciated a lie when faced with the obvious truth so close by.

"I'll protect you for as long as I live," Zelgadis answered calmly, reaching down and covering her hand with his own. "Are you ready?"

Lina shut her eyes tightly. Luna… I wonder if you're still reading this. I guess… I really do love you. I hope you understand. Feeling a sense of completion, she nodded firmly. "Let's go," she answered, her voice steady and confident.

Zelgadis spurred the horse into a gallop, approaching the raging battlefield rapidly.

- x – x – x -

"This is pathetic!" Eris said as she sent another bolt into the field. "It's like whipping a beaten dog. Why don't they just give up?"

Amelia fidgeted nervously from her place next to Eris' side. "It's not right," she whispered. "It seems unjust…"

"Justice is often lost on the battlefield, my Lady. In the end the only thing that matters is who won," Rezo said calmly. He joined them on the tiny hill overlooking the battle. "They are unusually persistent," he murmured. "If they refuse to capitulate, we will use the power of Shabranigdu."

Amelia swallowed loudly and clutched at the hem of her cloak. "M-maybe we won't need to do that," she said nervously. "They're retreating already. Isn't that enough?"

Eris let out a long sigh as another of her lighting attacks was blocked. "They've rallied. Somehow that idiot Emperor and his magician are fending off my assault. It looks like they're trying to make their way here!" she added incredulously, her eyes widening. "Do you want me to take care of this?" she growled, turning to Rezo.

Rezo watched the tattered standard of Cephied steadily approaching their own mini-camp, his face thoughtful. "Let them come," he said. "In the end, it will make no difference."

"But my lord!" Eris yelled, shocked. "You could be put in danger!"

Rezo ignored the woman's outburst, his face twitching into a mild grin. "Ah… so that is the reason they still fight."

Both girls glanced once again at the waving standard, still moving closer to their own position. Amelia's face paled as she recognized the faces visible among the melee. "That's Lina…" she gasped.

"Correct, my lady. They bring with them not only the Emperor, but the Priestess of Cephied as an offering," Rezo smirked. He raised his staff and made a gesture to his own troops.

"Are you mad?" Eris screamed at the red sage as the battle died down, the troops warily disengaging from each other.

"An interesting turn of events. I will hear what the Emperor and his Priestess will say," Rezo said. The standard moved once more, the group that bore it forward much smaller than it had been in battle.

"Your spirit is admirable," Rezo called out as Gourry approached him, followed by Lina and the other Celestial warriors. "Do you wish to offer me terms of your surrender?" he said mockingly.

"We're not giving up, if that's what you mean," Gourry shouted back, his blue eyes flashing like hard chips of ice in his boyish face. "But no more fighting! Let's finish this man-to-man. I challenge you to a duel!"

Rezo smirked down at the blond man. "A duel? Interesting, considering that you don't have a sword of your own, do you?" he called out. "Or do you want this back?" he added, drawing the hilt of the Sword of Light out from his robes and dangling it between them.

Gourry's face brightened and then grew angry. "Give that back!" he roared, his hand moving to the sword at his side reflexively.

"Of course," Rezo answered, laughing. "It's nothing but scrap metal now, powerless to harm anyone." He flung the hilt to the muddy ground before Gourry with an insulting smile. "Just as you are powerless, Emperor Gabriev. There will be no duel. Kneel before me and pick up your toy sword, and this battle will end."

Gourry stood there, twitching, his eyes still fastened on Rezo. "I have to protect the Kingdom," he finally said, dropping his eyes to the hilt as his shoulders slumped.

"GOURRY GABRIEV! If you move another muscle, I'm going to make sure you regret it!" Lina's shrill voice cut across the air, halting Gourry's hand even as he stretched it out towards the fallen sword. She strode to the blond man's side angrily and put her hands on her hips. "I know you want to save the kingdom," she added more softly to him. "But this is Rezo you're dealing with. He just wants to humiliate you. He'll probably kill off the rest of your men as soon as your back is turned anyway!" She turned and addressed the last of her speech to the sage who was watching her outburst impassively. "That's because I know for a fact that Rezo is a liar. He doesn't care about truth or honour. He doesn't even care about his own Priestess!" she said venomously.

"That's a lie!" Amelia blurted out, darting out from behind Eris to stand at Rezo's side. "Rezo's the only friend I have. And a better one than you, Lina! You're one to talk!" she said hotly.

"Amelia!" Lina choked, her eyes widening as she regarded her friend. "What are you doing here?"

Amelia lifted her chin and glared at Lina defiantly. "I'm supporting my Warriors. Did you think I'm too much of a coward to do that? Don't test me! I'm sick of your condescending attitude! I summoned a beast god, not you!" Amelia snapped furiously.

"What's happened to you?" Lina said, after recovering from the initial shock. "Don't you even understand yet? For God's sake, Amelia, you summoned Shabranigdu! You have to be a virgin to do that! Don't you get it yet?" she yelled back.

Amelia's mouth opened and closed with confusion. "W-what?" she said, taking an unsteady step backwards. "Rezo?" she asked, turning towards him in confusion.

"Lies," Rezo said smoothly, not even bothering to look down at her. "Lies from an angry little girl who was unable to maintain her grasp on the power you now wield." He gave a slight smile. "Though perhaps she was not always so depraved," he said condescendingly. "It could be that she has learned her bad habits from her pet."

Amelia's eyes darted back towards Lina and widened. Sure enough, there beside her was Zelgadis, somber and silent, and standing supportively beside Lina. The redhead in question was still staring at her, waiting for an answer, but it didn't escape Amelia's attention that her fingers were tightly entwined around Zelgadis' own. "He's human now!" she blurted out in surprise.

"Yes. You sealed the powers of Cephied, my Lady. Now there is nothing standing between your so-called friend and her lover." Rezo gave them another smirk. "It would have been simpler if you could have accepted your fate, Priestess, and just run off with your toy to lead an ordinary life outside of Sairoon. Interesting, that you can never be content with the ordinary," he said to Lina mockingly.

"Put a sock it in, bastard!" Lina yelled, her face growing red. "And stop trying to change the subject! You lied to Amelia!"

Amelia's bangs were lowered over her eyes as she choked back the jealousy curling in her throat. Rezo's mocking words were more than effective, and she bit her lip so hard she drew blood. "Nothing I do comes out right," she whispered, clenching her fists together. She looked up quickly, glaring at Lina with loathing and sadness. "I'll end this here and now!" she screamed. "It doesn't matter what happened before! It doesn't matter what Rezo did or didn't do! You still left me here, Lina! You abandoned me! And now I'm going to make you pay!"

Lina felt her stomach clench as the younger girl began the invocation. "No! Amelia, stop it! Don't—" She wasn't able to finish her sentence, the holy blue light already swirling around Amelia's tiny body, stirring her clothes and hair in a non-existent breeze.

"Take us back to our world! Both of us, right now! I pledge myself to thee, Shabranigdu!" the dark-haired girl cried out, her eyes opening.

Two pillars of light shot down from the sky above. One enveloped Amelia, while the other surrounded a very surprised Lina. "Zelgadis!" said Lina, turning to face him with her eyes wide.

He said nothing, merely launched himself at Lina, trying to shield her from the surrounding light. As suddenly as they appeared, the pillars vanished, leaving only a few sparkling motes of blue where Lina and Amelia had been standing before. But most disturbingly, Zelgadis was also gone.

"Interesting," Rezo said thoughtfully, breaking the shocked silence that had descended over the fields.

"Rezo!" Eris screamed, drawing his attention back to the remaining warriors below. Too late, he saw the narrowed golden eyes staring directly at him. Valgarv's hand was still outstretched, the bandit's dagger flying swift and true towards him. So there is a worthy opponent among them, Rezo thought with a faint touch of amused surprise. The weapon hit with the sickening squelch of metal digging into flesh, and his surprise turned genuine as an unexpected weight collapsed into his arms.

"It was enough…" Eris whispered as she sagged into his arms. "… being useful." A small, pained smile stretched across her face before her head rolled forward. Her body slumped over lifelessly, the hilt of the long dagger protruding from her back.

Rezo held her up against him, his face still impassive even as he tried to register his surprise. His attention was diverted as he heard the bandit swear.

"Shit! She was too fast," Valgarv growled, even as he strode forward and reached into the mud unceremoniously, retrieving the hilt of the Sword of Light and handing it to Gourry brazenly.

Rezo reached down gently and lifted Eris' limp form into his arms. His voice was cold and cutting when he spoke. "I advise you to retreat while you can, Emperor Gabriev. One day. You have one day, and then I will destroy you and your kingdom." And with a swirl of his red robes, Rezo was gone.

- x – x – x -

Gracia choked and spit out the soda she had been sipping. "Guys!" she screeched. "This is unbelievable!"

Luna sighed and wiped her face off. "That's disgusting, Naga. There had better be a good reason that you spit on me," she warned.

Gracia ignored her and began to read out loud. "… and so the Priestess of Shabranigdu found herself alone in her house, still plagued by her hurt and doubts. The Priestess of Cephied was sent to the place where she had entered the world. Next to her lay her faithful Celestial Warrior, who had braved time and space to be at her side."

Luna's jaw dropped. "It was that simple? But how can Zelgadis be in this world? You must be joking," she said.

Gracia continued to read. "… unable to believe the news, the sister of the Priestess vehemently denied the truth." She did a double take and re-read the last lines. "I don't believe it! It's writing about us now! What should we do?" Gracia panicked.

"I need to get to the library," Luna said decisively.

"But I need to get to my house first!" Gracia protested as Luna snatched the book away from the other girl.

"I can take one of you with me," Sarina interrupted as the two girls glared at each other dangerously. "I have a car we can use."

Luna smiled in relief. "Then it's settled. Sarina will take me to the library, and you'll go back home with Diol, Naga. I'll keep the book for now."

Gracia facefaulted. "Why do you get to keep the book? And why do I have to ride in Diol's stinky old truck?" she whined.

"Hey!" Diol said, his face turning slightly red. "You girls just don't know how to appreciate fine craftsmanship!"

Luna rolled her eyes and ignored the old man's angry muttering. "Simple. Because Lina's trapped in the library, which is closed. Because she's there with Zelgadis, who's not even from this world. Because even a bicycle would be faster than Diol's car. And finally, because I'll hurt you if you say another word," she finished seriously.

Gracia balked, and then hauled Diol to his feet. "Fine, Luna. But just be thankful that we don't have the time to get into an argument about this!" she huffed, as she dragged the old man towards the foyer of the mansion.

Luna shrugged and faced Sarina, who was looking at her with a nervous expression. "How fast can you drive, Sarina?" she asked with a humourless grin.

- x – x – x -

"My head…" Lina muttered, sitting up slowly. She blinked, taking in her darkened surroundings. "This is… the library?" Instantly, she was on her feet, her expression panicked. "No! Gourry and Rezo… she didn't!" She spun around, recognizing the room where she had last spoken to Gracia before entering the book for the second time. "Oh, hell…" she muttered, her spirits dropping as she sunk to the ground once more. A lump by her feet caught her eyes, and as they adjusted to the darkness, she stifled a gasp.

Zelgadis lay on the floor next to her, unconscious. "Oh my God!" she whispered, covering her hands with her mouth. When the initial wave of panic passed, she cautiously reached out and poked him in the arm. Though the man gave no sign of a reaction, his skin was warm and solid to the touch, just as it had been in Sairoon.

At least he's human, she thought to herself suddenly. We still have to get out of here though! "Sorry, Zel," she mumbled out loud as she stood behind him and slung her arms under his own. Carefully, she dragged him to the window and lay him against the wall. Reaching over, she fumbled for the lock and pushed the window open as widely as it would allow. "You're in luck, I think we're going to fit," she called over her shoulder absently, her fingers working at the screen. Finally, with a sigh, she gave up. "Sorry about this... you can take it out of my sister's tuition," she muttered out loud.

Dragging a chair over to the window, Lina climbed onto it and silently prayed that the University library wasn't equipped with an alarm. Then, lifting a foot, she gave the screen a solid kick. It fell away from the window with a loud clatter, and Lina winced and glanced around automatically, half-expecting an angry librarian to be breathing down her neck. When nothing happened, she let out a sigh of relief and climbed back down.

"You're going to owe me for this big time, mister!" Lina huffed as she began to laboriously sling Zelgadis' limp body over the windowsill. "Not every girl is willing to get a criminal record for their boyfriends," she mumbled.

Zelgadis' weight was suddenly lifted from her shoulders, and Lina waved her arms around, trying to regain her balance.

"I always knew having a boyfriend would be a bad influence on you," Luna said disapprovingly as she hefted Zelgadis' body over her shoulder. "You're lucky that I've been too worried to think about how I'm going to punish you yet," she added as she offered a very surprised Lina her other hand.

"Luna?" Lina sputtered as she climbed out of the window, her eyes wide. "You're helping me?"

Luna ignored her and pointed at the window. "Shut that," she ordered, "then follow me. I've got a friend waiting at the car."

Scurrying after her sister, Lina regarded her cautiously. "Do you need any help?" she asked. Lina knew from first-hand experience that Luna worked out regularly, but it was still a sobering experience to watch her older sister handle her boyfriend like a sack of potatoes. "You're not going to hurt him or anything, are you?" she said nervously.

Luna sighed heavily and shifted Zelgadis' weight as they approached the car. "Since I'm not putting him in the trunk, that should answer your question, brat. Now open the door."

Lina nodded mutely, quickly complying with her older sister's wishes. She winced as Luna slung Zelgadis' body into the back seat of the car, "accidentally" knocking his head against the doorframe.

"Get in," Luna said in a deadly voice as she circled the car and entered on the passenger side.

Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be as dangerous as facing Rezo…? Lina thought weakly as she climbed into the back seat.

- x – x – x -

Amelia blinked slowly, the ceiling coming into focus after a few moments. "This is my room," she murmured, not actually surprised. She was too exhausted for surprise, both emotionally and physically. It felt as though her body was made of lead, too numb to move, and so cold it was painful. She closed her eyes and let the exhaustion wash over her, giving in to the peaceful, disjointed sensation it provided. It was a relief, if only a temporary one from the whirling maelstrom of her thoughts.

"I did it…" she mumbled softly to herself as sleep stole over her. "I finally made Lina understand."

/ AN - Again, not beta read. FF's editor is STILL cutting my punctuation, damn it. Just please tell me if there are errors in the story. And thanks especially to angie! Your reviews are very helpful, they motivated me enough to restart the final chapter again. Still, I have to say, writing this novella has got to have been one of the least rewarding experiences of my life to date.