Chapter 19: Metamorphosis
Zelgadis shifted slightly as his senses returned. "Lina?" he asked as the world came into focus.
"I'm right here Zel," he heard her say.
Blinking a few times, he turned his head slowly. "Rezo must not have killed us," he murmured. "I feel too bad to be dead." He trailed off as he regarded Lina. "Your clothes…" he said, his eyes widening with surprise. He sat up and looked around wildly as he took in their surroundings. "Where are we?"
Lina was sitting in the bed next to him, her face pale and her eyes unusually wide. "You're at my house, Zel. Amelia's wish worked. We're in my world now." She smiled nervously. "Are you okay?"
"This is your world?" Zelgadis said, slinging his legs over the bed and rising to his feet. He looked around in confusion. "I want to see outside," he mumbled in disbelief.
Lina nodded mutely, rising to her own feet and offering him a hand, which he took. She grasped it gently and led him to her window, flipping up the blinds. "This is my home, Zelgadis. Welcome to America."
Zelgadis grew stiff, his eyes widening as he looked out over the night city. Though it was late, there were still quite a few cars on the road, and streetlights and signs flickered in the distance. He stood there, rooted to the ground, trying to take in the sight. "I-It's so big…" he managed after a few moments. When his surprise faded slightly, he faced Lina. "How did I get here?"
Lina leaned forward and slumped into his arms. "I don't know. I guess you managed to get caught in Amelia's spell, too." She squeezed him tightly. "I'm just glad you're alive," she admitted. "I didn't think you could make it here…"
Zelgadis sighed and stroked her hair gently. "I promised I wouldn't leave you," he said resolutely. "Nothing is going to separate us." He stiffened slightly. "But the war… what happened to Gourry and the others?"
Lina shook her head. "I don't know. My sister rescued us. I think she knows what's been going on."
Zelgadis pushed her away gently, looking confused. "That presence that threatened you on the boat? She's not an enemy?" he asked warily.
Lina smirked wryly. "Well, when you put it that way—"
The door to Lina's room flew open, and Luna strode into the room. "Lina, I just sent Sarina back home." She stopped as she saw Zelgadis and a frosty aura filled the room. "Get away from her," she said ominously to Zelgadis. "And you, whatever it is you were planning to say, don't," she added to Lina.
Zelgadis' face dropped into a frown and he opened his mouth to reply, but Lina quickly stepped on his foot.
"We weren't doing anything!" Lina said defiantly, crossing her arms. "And you know dad will kill us both if we fight in the house again. So don't start anything!" she said. "And don't say anything you might regret," she added warningly, her eyes dropping to the red book Luna held between her hands.
Luna tilted her head in silent acknowledgement and turned her attention back to Zelgadis, who was looking confused. "You. Get out of this room. You need a bath and a change of clothing. I'll show you how to work the shower. Lina, you better figure out what you're going to tell dad when he gets home," Luna added.
Lina's face paled another couple of shades as her gaze flicked back and forth between Luna and Zelgadis. "Can't we say he's your boyfriend?" she burst out nervously, noting for the first time how old Zelgadis actually appeared to be.
"What?" yelled Zelgadis, still feeling confused but knowing enough to understand a bad idea when he heard it.
"No!" Luna exclaimed at the same time, her expression darkening.
Lina cringed, but strengthened her resolve. This was Luna, and she was back on Earth. If there was one thing she could manage after her trials in the Universe of the Four Gods, it was negotiating with her sister. "My monthly savings," she offered tersely. "But you can't touch him. No beatings, no accidents, nothing," she said.
Luna leaned back, crossing her arms across her chest speculatively. "Three months, and you take my share of chores for the next year."
Lina felt her eyebrow twitch. "The whole year? Do you want me to get into college or not?" she yelled at her sister.
Luna shrugged. "You're not only asking that I don't hurt him, but also that I call him my boyfriend in public. Two months, but that's my final offer." She grinned mercilessly.
Lina felt her head drop in defeat, but gave a slow nod. "Deal. Now… get him into something modern looking before dad gets here!" she hissed, pushing a still-confused Zelgadis towards her sister.
The poor man did manage to follow at least a little bit of the sibling negotiation. "What's wrong with my clothes?" he called out to Lina indignantly as Luna dragged him out of the room.
- x – x – x -
"Amelia!"
The girl in question moaned quietly and rolled over in her bed. "I'm so tired…" she mumbled, trying to bury her face in the pillow. Her efforts were useless as the door to her room burst open and Gracia lurched in.
"Amelia! Oh my God, you're back! And you're safe!" Gracia ran to Amelia's bedside and pulled the covers away, yanking her upright. "How could you do something so stupid like that?" she sobbed, throwing her arms around the young girl and hugging her tightly.
"Naga?" Amelia mumbled, blinking her eyes a few times sleepily. "Oww… Naga, let me go. You're smooshing me. What's wrong with you?" she murmured grumpily.
The older girl released her and sat on the edge of Amelia's bed with a frown. "Gracia. I want you to call me Gracia from now on," she instructed her sister. "What's wrong with me? I've been losing my mind for the entire evening! I know what's been going on in the Universe of the Four Gods! Lina showed me the book…" she started.
Amelia's faced dropped into a scowl. "You know? Lina told you about… everything?" she said incredulously. "How is that even possible? Lina was in the book too!"
Gracia rolled her eyes. "I know what's been happening in the Universe of the Four Gods, and you're the one who has to listen to me! You're in danger, Amelia!" She reached out and grabbed her sister's hand earnestly, but to her surprise, Amelia snatched it back quickly.
"That's great, Naga. Why do you care? The last time I saw you, you didn't even know I was applying for college! Now you're suddenly worried about me and know what's best? Because Lina told you something?" She glared at her sister, reaching for the bedcovers once more.
Gracia pulled the covers away once again, her eyes hard and angry. "Amelia, stop it! I'm your sister. Of course I care about you! I don't want you to die, but that's what will happen if you keep asking Shabranigdu for wishes!" She gestured at Amelia angrily. "Look at yourself! Don't tell me you can't feel what it's doing to your body!"
Amelia bit her lip uncertainly. The cold, numb feeling had still not left her body. It was more intense than before, when she had made her first wish. "I-I'm dying?" she whispered, staring at her fingertips.
"Yes, this Shabranigdu thing is killing you!" Gracia rubbed her head wearily. "Luna and I have been running around for the past four hours trying to figure out how to keep you two alive. And you have got to stop listening to this Rezo guy. He's been using you from the very beginning! At least you're out of the book now," she added with relief.
Amelia felt a twinge of guilt as her sister chattered rapidly. "Rezo…" she repeated softly, fingering the jewelled bracelet on her wrist. "I just left him there without even asking him about the final wish…" she murmured.
Gracia stopped gesturing and regarded her sister with a dumbfounded expression. "What? You mean you still think you owe that guy something? Stop being so naive!"
Amelia balled her fists together and glared at her sister angrily. "Naive? I'm sick of being treated like a little kid! By you, by Lina, by everyone! Well guess what, I did something, and I did it on my own, without anyone's help! So don't lecture me about what I can do," she huffed. "You never cared about me before anyway, so why start now? Go back to your stupid parties and your embarrassing boyfriends," she added angrily. "I don't want or need your help, Naga!"
Gracia's face paled and her eyes narrowed angrily. "Making a final wish is going to kill you, Amelia. I'm not lying. And maybe I'm not the type of sister you want, but I'm still your sister. Rezo isn't even family to you!"
Amelia glared at her sister. "Rezo means more to me than you do! He protected me, he looked out for me. You're right! You're not the type of sister I would ever want! You never did any of that for me!" she shouted, matching Gracia's glare with one of her own. "I have a promise to keep for Rezo, and you won't stop me."
Gracia stood up angrily, planting her hands on her hips. "Promise to Rezo, huh? Well, I'd like to see how you're going to do that. Rezo's stupid ideas haven't worked so far, and neither has Shabranigdu!" she huffed, turning her nose up into the air. "You need to buy a clue, Amelia!"
Amelia ground her teeth together, frustrated. Arguing with her sister had always been like talking to a wall. Gracia simply never listened to anything she said, when she bothered with the pretence of listening at all. "I managed to bring Lina and I back to the real world, didn't I?" she growled.
"Not just her," Gracia muttered under her breath.
"What do you mean?" Amelia said suddenly, her anger dropping away.
Gracia looked away uncomfortably. "Nothing. Forget I said anything," she mumbled.
"No. 'Not just her' you said." Amelia's voice rose in pitch. "What happened? Didn't my wish work? Where is Lina now?"
Gracia sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Lina's at home with her sister. Amelia, look, I'm sorry about what I said earlier—"
Amelia stood up from the bed unsteadily. "Take me there, Naga."
Flustered, Gracia waved her hand around nervously. "Oh, it's already so late, and you really don't want to meet Diol—"
Amelia was already making her way towards the door. "I'll walk there if I have to," she said. "I need to see her."
With a sigh, Gracia dropped her head in defeat. "Luna is going to kill me…" she muttered.
- x – x – x -
Lina lay sprawled across the couch, one hand thrown over her head. She stared up at the ceiling of the apartment blankly. It's so boring, she thought to herself, suddenly wishing that she was looking at the open sky instead. I wonder what's happening in Sairoon right now… Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of a door opening, and Lina sat up. "Oh good, you're finally done," she started. "Dad left a message on the machine, he said he'd be coming home late…" She trailed off as Zelgadis followed Luna into the living room.
"Well, I tried to make him presentable," Luna said briskly. "At least he doesn't look like a walking advertisement for a Renaissance fair now." She stood back and admired her handiwork. "A shower, a haircut and some decent clothes, and you could pass for a college student now," she said approvingly.
Zelgadis looked extremely uncomfortable, but that didn't take away from the striking effect of the white shirt and rumpled dark suit Luna had dressed him in. He undid a few of the buttons at the collar of his shirt irritably. "This is what your people actually wear? It's uncomfortable…" he complained, pulling at his throat.
"Wow…" Lina mumbled stupidly, her eyes glued to tantalizing the glimpse of chest he had inadvertently revealed. She gulped and swallowed as she heard Luna clear her throat loudly. "Uh, I mean, you look great Zel! Wow… just wow!" she sputtered, feeling her face turn bright red. "Where'd you get the suit from, Luna?"
Luna shrugged, pushing Zelgadis onto the couch and seating herself across from the two. "It's one of dad's old suits. It's a little big on him, but beggars can't be choosers." She sighed and leaned back into the couch. "We need to talk. I've been able to follow your progress in the b... alternate universe," Luna began, brushing a few of her bangs out of her eyes. It didn't work very well, as they fell right back into place, obscuring her gaze from their sight a moment later. "As far as I'm concerned, this whole adventure should have been over the moment you and Amelia got back to this world. But now he's here, and we have a problem."
Lina rolled her eyes and leaned back. "Of course you'd say it's done. Look, Luna, I know you think this isn't important, but it is to me. There's more at stake here than Zelgadis' welfare. I need to know what's going to happen in Sairoon! What about Gourry, Xellos and Valgarv? They're my friends!"
Zelgadis nodded in agreement. "I'm glad that I made it here with Lina, but we shouldn't have left them there. They could be dead for all we know!"
Luna sat forward, clenching her fist. "Maybe I'm just stating the obvious here, but you could have died too, Lina! Are you insane?" Her voice trembled with intensity as her temper flared. "You mean to tell me you'd be willing to kill yourself for a fantasy, then. Is your life here with us really that bad, Lina?"
Lina glared at her sister angrily. "It's not a fantasy! Everything I experienced is real! They're my friends, and they need my help!" she yelled. She glanced quickly at Zelgadis, who had fallen silent.
"A fantasy?" he repeated calmly, addressing Luna. "Why do you think Sairoon is just a fantasy?"
Luna fell silent, while Lina fidgeted nervously.
Zelgadis faced Lina with a pensive look. "What is your sister talking about, Lina?" When she failed to answer him, he felt his own temper nearing its end and stood up from the couch. "Fine. This charade stops here. What is it you two are hiding from me? And what is that?" he added, pointing at the red book still in Luna's hands. "I'm not stupid. Tell me what's going on, or I'm going to take that book from you and find out for myself."
"This…" Luna said, lifting the book, "… is the Universe of the Four Gods."
"Luna, don't--" Lina said, her eyes widening.
"This book is the cause of all of our problems," Luna continued, ignoring her sister. "It tells the story of a make-believe land, with make-believe characters and make-believe wars. But even though it's just a book, it has the power to capture real people and put them in real danger." She threw the book onto the small table between them. "Go ahead and read it if you want, Zelgadis. I'm not lying."
Zelgadis' eyes were glued to the book. He felt ill and weak, suddenly understanding Amelia's outburst to him in the city of Atlas.
You're not even real! You're just a made-up character in a book!
"I… that's… that's my world," he said softly, reaching for the book. "I'm not real?"
Lina's hand shot out and grabbed his own, squeezing it tightly. "Zelgadis Greywords!" she said, her eyes wide and frightened. "You're real to me," she said earnestly. "Please… don't look at it. Just believe me… you are real!"
Zelgadis looked at her hand, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her quietly. "I'm not… I'm still not human, not even now."
Lina rose to her feet, grasping his other hand. "I didn't tell you because it's not important to me. Not anymore," she said, ignoring the sharp hiss of disapproval she heard coming from Luna. "I want to be with you. I want to be a part of your world, and a part of your life! Please, Zel. Can't that be enough?"
Zelgadis stared at Lina with confusion. "But how could you do that? Knowing that I'm not real… that our world isn't real?" He paused, his gaze turning angry as he searched Lina's eyes for answers. "You'd let yourself be trapped in that story, knowing the truth?" he said, tilting his head towards the book. "And your family, your life here? How could you live with that?"
Lina felt her face flushing with shame, but she held Zelgadis' gaze. "I could live with that if I could live with you," she said quietly. "You are real to me, Zelgadis. And I won't lose you!" She gripped him tightly, afraid that the knowledge of who he was might cause him to fade from her eyes. "Not after everything…" she choked out.
Zelgadis felt his own gaze soften, watching Lina's tortured expression. "Lina, what you want isn't the only thing you have to consider." He glanced at Luna, who was watching them silently. "What about your family? Your sister? Your friend Amelia? She's…" He swallowed thickly. "She's real too. Not like me…"
Lina shook her head, trying hard to push back the tears she felt forming in the corners of her eyes. "Don't say things like that, Zel. I promised I'd stay with you!"
Zelgadis sighed and drew her to his chest, feeling her reassuring warmth and comfort. He stroked her hair slowly. "You've already done enough stupid things trying to save Amelia from the book," he told her. "I can tell you're lying. The real world is important to you, and so are your real friends." He heard her choke back a sob and her grip around him tightened. "Besides, you haven't asked how I feel about it."
Lina stiffened and looked up at him. "What are you saying?" she said worriedly.
Zelgadis closed his eyes and dropped his chin onto her head. "I love you, Lina. And I want to be with you… but I couldn't ask you to give up this. Not for a fake world, filled with imaginary people." He sighed heavily. "I don't know if I could live with myself, knowing the price you were paying to be with me." He smiled ruefully, his voice bitter as he slowly pushed Lina away. "You shouldn't have to live in a cage. That's what the book is for someone like you, isn't it? A gilded cage."
Lina balled her fists together. "It's a pretty damn big cage, if you ask me!" she yelled at him. "Besides, you're here with me now. It is possible for us to be together!" She shook her head angrily. "Stop being so pessimistic, Zelgadis! We're sticking together no matter what."
Luna cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, Lina," she said. "But Zelgadis is right. There's something I noticed when I was helping him earlier." Luna stood up from the seat and moved towards the bathroom as she spoke. She emerged from the room a moment later with a small hand-held mirror. "He wasn't meant to be in this world. I don't think he can stay," she added, holding the mirror up.
Lina stifled a gasp and Zelgadis paled as he reached out and took the mirror from Luna's grasp. An empty reflection stared back at him, and with disbelief, he passed his hand in front of it a few times. "I'm invisible?" he murmured, taking a quick look at his hand.
"No!" Lina said, snatching the mirror away and looking at her own reflection. "You're standing right here! I can see you. You're wearing my dad's clothes!" she said, panic in her voice. "This can't be right!" She glared at Luna furiously, for once all inhibitions gone. "How could you do this to him?" she hissed at the older girl.
Zelgadis finally spoke up again, after a moment of silence. He let out a short, mirthless laugh. "So it's true. I'm not real," he said tonelessly. "It's almost funny… knowing that my entire life has been pointless," he mumbled, collapsing onto the couch and tossing the mirror onto the table. Leaning his head back, he stared at the ceiling of the apartment blankly. "I just can't bring myself to laugh."
"Zelgadis!" Lina said, worried for his safety and furious at her sister in the same moment. As she spoke, a soft chime sounded through the apartment, and everyone froze.
"What was that?" Zelgadis said, lifting his head as the chime sounded again.
"I thought you said dad was coming home late," Luna growled at Lina as she made her way towards the door.
"That's what he said!" Lina shot back angrily. "I don't know, maybe his plans changed! Just get the door already!" she added nervously.
Luna shrugged slightly, and then froze as she swung the door open. "Naga, Diol?" she said with surprise. "What are you two doing here?" She fell into silence as Amelia pushed her way past them.
"I couldn't stop her," Gracia said quietly as she followed her sister into the apartment.
Amelia stopped as soon as she stepped into the small living room of the apartment. Her eyes flickered from Lina, who was still standing, to Zelgadis sitting on the couch. "What is he doing here?" she said quietly, refocusing her attention on Lina.
"Amelia, listen-" Lina said, taking a step forward.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" Amelia exploded, her voice trembling with fury. "If one more person tells me that I have to listen to them, I'm going to ask Shabranigdu to make me deaf!" She inhaled shakily, her eyes straying to Zelgadis, who was watching her silently. "I wished us away. I wished us away so you would lose him. And now he's here, with you? What was the point?" Her shoulders shook, and a pained laugh escaped her. "It doesn't matter what I do, does it? You always win, Lina!"
"It's not a game, Amelia." Lina answered quietly. "It never was."
Amelia shook her head, backing away from the two. "You get to have your happy ending, Lina, and I'm left with nothing! Again! I'm tired of this!" she shrieked, stumbling into her sister, who grabbed her arms. "I just want it all to stop!"
"That's what we've wanted from the beginning, too!" yelled Gracia, her grip tightening around the struggling girl. "Stop running away, Amelia! That's what I've been trying to tell you for the entire evening! You're going to die if you use your last wish! Shabranigdu is going to consume you, that's the whole point of the stupid spell! The Priestesses are human sacrifices used to summon the beast gods into the real world!" She huffed angrily and looked up as silence settled over the room. "What?" Gracia said in surprise. "Didn't you tell Lina already?" she said pointedly to Luna.
"Sacrifices?" Zelgadis said, springing to his feet. "You mean Lina would have died if we managed to summon Cephied?" He directed his glare to Luna. "So it's alright to tell me I don't exist, but not that your sister might be killing herself?" he ground out.
Luna placed her hands on her hips and scowled defensively. "She knows. Don't you, Lina?"
The petite redhead was pale, her attention riveted on Amelia, who was also staring at her with shock. "Y-yeah, maybe not the details, but I knew," Lina stuttered out. "That's why I was trying to stop you..." she added softly. "Idiot!"
"By summoning Cephied yourself instead?" Amelia asked, freeing herself from Gracia's grasp. "You mean the race for the artefacts wasn't just…"
Lina sighed loudly, looking embarrassed and diverted her gaze away from Amelia. It landed on Zelgadis, who was regarding her angrily, and she quickly looked away. "Come on, Amelia. You can't take care of yourself, everyone knows that. That's why I have to look out for you." Feeling uncomfortable with the growing silence in the room, she fidgeted nervously. "You couldn't even survive high school without me to stick up for you. Do you really think I'd just dump you in a different world and leave you for dead because of a boy?" Lina added sarcastically.
Amelia remained silent and indecisive, her face pale and pained. "I-I think I need to sit down," she whispered quietly, leaning against Gracia for support. As she was guided to the sofa, a loud, hacking cough caught everyone's attention.
Diol raised one bushy white eyebrow as everyone regarded him. The old man had slipped towards the couch during the tense standoff and was currently paging through the book once more. "Oh, eh, sorry for interruptin' ye moment there," he said sheepishly. "Hard to believe two sweet lil' girls like you were trapped in this here book," he said, scratching his head. "The story's still goin' on even without ye, though. I do wish I had my pipe with me," he added regretfully as he looked back down at the pages.
"Wait a minute, the story's still writing itself?" Lina said, leaning forward and gripping the edge of the couch tightly. "What's going on? What's happening to my friends?" she asked desperately.
Amelia looked up from her position on the couch, her face pinched and worried. "What happened to Rezo?" she asked nervously.
"Well…" Diol began as he looked at the book.
- x – x – x -
Rezo stood before the tent, watching impassively as the wind whipped at the fabric roughly. It rustled noisily, as if the cloth was alive and struggling to tear itself away from the ground. "I have held you here long enough," he said softly. He raised his hands, and as he did so the fabric burst out in a fiery eruption. He watching the flames rise higher, smoke billowing in the wind. Soon, the tent collapsed on itself.
Some time after the fire had gutted itself and only smoking ruins remained, one of the Elmekian soldiers cautiously approached Rezo. The red sage spoke without turning around. "It is done?"
"My lord," the soldier said nervously. "The Emperor has been assassinated as you instructed. You are now the Shogun of Elmekia. May your glorious reign last forever!"
Rezo regarded the charred earth with his blind eyes dispassionately. "Nothing lasts forever," he said finally, turning away from the smoking ruins. "The time for battle is upon us. Rally the soldiers. I will crush the Emperor of Sairoon and all those foolish enough to follow him."
- x – x – x -
The battle was not going well. Lina and Zelgadis' disappearance had a powerful influence on the fragile morale of Sairoon's army. While the murder of Eris and disappearance of the High Priestess had also adversely affected the Elmekian forces, Rezo pushed them forward like a man possessed. And indeed, his power was so great that Gourry grudgingly allowed himself to be taken from the battle front at the urging of an exhausted Xellos. But nothing could stop the advance of the ruthless Elmekian army, fuelled by Rezo's anger.
Valgarv and Zangulus did what they could, trying to slow the army's march, but without their powers, defeat was inevitable. The forces of Sairoon were eventually pushed back to the capital, where a desperate last stand was being made within the city walls. It was going to be the end of the Kingdom of Sairoon, and everyone knew it. So it was on the fourth morning of the siege that Gourry made the decision to try and end the war.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I really must protest," Xellos said as he stood by Gourry's side in the courtyard of the palace. "You won't be able to defeat Rezo alone without the power of Cephied."
Gourry shrugged and continued to fiddle with the straps on his armour. "Well, what else are we gonna do?" he said simply, reaching for Zangulus' sword. His hand hovered over the hilt, and then shaking his head, he passed it over and picked up the Sword of Light. A new blade had, of course, been forged for the hilt, but for all intents and purposes, the once-powerful weapon had been reduced to an ordinary sword by Amelia's curse.
"Your Majesty!" Xellos said, his eyes popping open. "If you don't take at least Zangulus' sword, there will be no hope for you!"
Gourry paused and rested a hand on Xellos' shoulder. He gave him a large, wide grin and clapped the magician heartily a few times. "I couldn't have asked for a better advisor, Xellos! But this one's not your decision anymore."
Xellos stared at Gourry, and then gave him a slow nod. "As you wish, my liege. It has been an honour to serve you." With that, he stepped aside.
Gourry smiled and finished the last of his preparations. As he strode towards his horse, however, Valgarv stepped in front of him and pushed him backwards. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Uhh… well, I was gonna challenge Rezo to a duel. Maybe then we could stop all the fighting, right?" Gourry smiled and rubbed the back of his head.
"The only thing fighting Rezo will do is get you killed," Valgarv answered angrily. "Xellos might be a pushover, but there's no way I'm letting you step outside of this city." His gold eyes were hard and his posture unyielding.
"You're going to have to make sure Zangulus gets his sword back," Gourry answered, his own blue eyes narrowing as he looked down on the shorter man.
Valgarv growled angrily. "Don't tell me you're that stupid, Gourry! This country needs a leader, and you have no heirs!" To his surprise, Gourry burst into a huge smile.
"Aw, come on, Val, I'm not going to get married now. The only woman I'd want isn't here anymore," he said easily. His smile broadened as Valgarv's confused look. "Don't worry about a thing. I need to do this. For the Kingdom, for its people… and for Sylphiel."
Valgarv stared at Gourry. "You can't just decide one day that you want to stop being Emperor, you fool!" he sputtered.
"Why not?" Gourry said with a shrug. "I don't think we've been doing too well. At least I can try to save a few lives. And you can't stop me. I'm still the Emperor now, remember?" The tall blond stopped, looking thoughtful for a moment and turned. "But hey… come to think of it, I would like to have you guys with me when I go out there. Would that be okay?"
Xellos and Valgarv traded glances, and then Valgarv swore under his breath. Xellos spoke for him. "We would be honoured, your Imperial Majesty."
- x – x – x -
The sun shone high in the noon sky, blazing down on the muddy battlefield that stretched in front of the city gates. The flag of truce hung limply in the stifling air, waving only slightly when the gates creaked open.
Gourry rode out, his ornamental armour shining in the light. He was followed by Xellos and Valgarv, each mounted on their own horses. They rode out together into the open field, amidst the many soldiers of Elmekia surrounding the city walls.
Xellos kept his eyes closed and a neutral expression on his face, while Valgarv scowled openly at the enemy soldiers surrounding them. Gourry held his head high, his expression stern. He turned slightly in the saddle and gestured for his two companions to stop, and then spurred his horse onwards. "Red Sage Rezo! Do you accept my challenge to duel?" he called out towards the lone figure that stood among the crowd, his blazing red cloak standing out clearly from the dark, grimy suits of the soldiers.
Rezo smirked. "You wish to duel me for the honour and safety of your kingdom?"
Gourry glared at Rezo from under his helmet. "Let's just stop the pointless battle and solve this like men!" he bellowed.
Rezo inclined his head slightly. "Your words are honourable and noble. Exactly what I would expect from an Emperor of Sairoon."
Gourry smile grimly. "So you accept my challenge?" he asked.
Laughing, Rezo gestured to one of his guards, who brought him a horse. "You are eager to die, Emperor Gabriev. Since you have gone to the trouble to meet me, I will honour your challenge." Mounting the horse, he turned it around a few times and then trotted to the center of the field.
Gourry drew the Sword of Light and held it to the sky. "Cephied, protect this Kingdom!" he shouted.
Valgarv leaned over to Xellos, his eyes wide. "There's no way he can win! What are we doing?" he hissed.
Xellos shook his head slightly, shushing the angry bandit. "This is Gourry's decision as Emperor. We have to respect his wishes. If there's a chance to save the Empire…"
Valgarv shuddered, watching as Gourry and Rezo faced off, charging at each other. "Then he has to take it. It's his duty as Emperor," he finished for the magician.
On the field, Gourry let out a mighty shout as his sword clashed against Rezo's staff. There was a loud clang, and both men wheeled their horses around. Gourry's eyes widened as he regarded the shining blade of his sword. There was a hissing and bubbling sound, and the metal quickly corroded and melted away where it had made contact with the staff. "What is this?" he yelled angrily, turning to face Rezo.
The sage smiled impassively, twirling his staff around. "I am sorry, your Majesty. But I only agreed to duel you, not to the terms under which we would fight." His smile turned cruel as he raised his staff once more. "I shall decide those terms," he added, swinging the staff down and sending a blast of magic energy towards Gourry.
"No!" yelled Valgarv as they watched Rezo's attack tear into the Emperor, lifting him cleanly off of the horse and depositing him several feet backwards in the dust. He rolled a few times in the ground and came to a stop bonelessly, sprawled on his side.
Rezo laughed as murmur rose from the surrounding crowd. "I also did not agree to your demands," he added as he circled his horse around Gourry's slumped figure. "Duelling you has been most amusing, your Majesty," he said mockingly. "However the attacks will not stop." His face twisted into an angry grimace. "I will raze your kingdom to the ground," he said coldly. "When I am finished, Sairoon and her people will be nothing more than a memory in this world. That shall be the final legacy of the Gabriev Dynasty!" he spat. With a grim smile, Rezo whirled his horse around and galloped away to the cheers of his men.
Gourry groaned and tried to roll over, coughing painfully. He blinked as a pair of strong hands lifted him up and opened his eyes. Valgarv and Xellos peered down at him worriedly.
"You damned idiot! I told you this was a bad idea!" Valgarv yelled as he tore at Gourry's broken armour and searched for wounds. Xellos' hand caught his, and he looked up from his frantic appraisal to regard the magician angrily. "What are you doing?"
Xellos shook his head, passing a hand over Gourry's head lightly. "Rezo used a magic attack. There won't be any wounds to bind," he said. He bowed his head towards the blonde. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. There's nothing I can do."
Gourry shook his head, coughing up an alarming amount of blood. He turned and spat, and then reached up and grabbed Valgarv's arm. "Listen," he said, his eyes clearing and boring angrily into the surprised bandit. "The Gabriev Dynasty is over. Maybe it was time…" he closed his eyes as a wave of dizziness overcame him, and he sighed tiredly. "We made a lot of mistakes, too," he mumbled. "My line is broken, like the Sword of Light."
Valgarv's eyes widened. "Sairoon can't go on without a leader! You can't die and leave us here against Rezo alone!" he growled, struggling to bring Gourry to his feet. "Xellos, get a horse over here! We have to get him back to the city!"
Gourry's grip tightened on Valgarv's arm, and his eyes shot open. "Xellos, I need you to stay here!" he commanded harshly. He reached towards his lips and drew a shaking hand away, his fingertips covered with blood. Reaching up, he grabbed a surprised Valgarv's chin, his fingers leaving two bloody trails down each side of the young bandit's cheeks. Satisfied, he gave him a tired smile. "You'll make a good Shogun," he murmured, falling back into the dust. He turned his head towards Xellos weakly. "Make sure it happens, ok?" he told the magician, who nodded mutely.
Valgarv remained stiff, his eyes wide. He reached a hand to his cheeks stiffly, then leaned over the prone man, furious. "What the hell do you think you're doing? I can't lead Sairoon! I'm a bandit! We need you, Gourry! We need the Emperor!"
Gourry ignored him, his eyes already closed. "I hope Lina got back safely to her own world," he murmured to himself. "Gonna miss eating with her. It's not the same without Sylphiel there to cook for us," he added sadly. His sigh changed into a gasp of surprise as his eyes flew open. "Sylphiel?" he murmured in wonder as his eyes focused above Valgarv's head. The breath died on his lips as he smiled towards the sky with a look of relief.
"Gourry!" Valgarv yelled. "Wake up, you fool!" He shook the lifeless blonde's body angrily, his face drawn into a hard scowl.
Xellos interrupted him once more, shaking his head. "He's gone, Valgarv," he said quietly. "We need to get back inside the city before these soldiers decide to act as honourably as Rezo has."
Valgarv looked up from Gourry's still body, his face twisted angrily. "How can you stand there and say that, you bastard? Gourry—he just--" He looked down at Gourry, cradling the fallen emperor in his arms. "Why did he have to die?"
Xellos straightened up, his eyes closing and his expression smoothing. "That was his choice, my Lord. We need to return to the city now, for your own safety." The purple-haired magician grabbed the horses and brought them around, ignoring Valgarv's look of surprise.
"L-lord?" Valgarv managed to say. "You can't be serious…"
Xellos opened his eyes, glaring at the aqua-haired youth. "Yes, Lord Valgarv. I am dead serious. In case you hadn't been paying attention, Gourry asked me to witness his decision. You are now the Shogun, my liege. You are Lord Valgarv, ruler of the Kingdom of Sairoon." He glared at Valgarv, a rare look of anger flashing across his face. "Now start acting like one!"
Valgarv looked down at the slain emperor, his hand reaching up to touch the bloody stripes on his cheeks hesitantly. Then, narrowing his eyes, he picked up Gourry's body and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll walk," he told Xellos, his golden gaze steady.
- x – x – x -
"Gourry!" Lina cried, gripping the edges of the book. "Gourry, you big stupid lug, don't you dare die!" she cried as tears pooled in her eyes.
Zelgadis stood by her side, reading over her shoulder. He pulled Lina away from the book gently. I can hardly believe it myself, he thought to himself, regarding the strange book that had created him with a measure of disbelief. But his shock and anger fled at the sight of Lina's tears. She cared deeply for him… for all of us. Even though she knew… from the beginning… that none of us were real. His grip tightened slightly, and he reached for Lina's chin, tilting her head away from the book. "Lina… Gourry's gone," he said quietly, feeling a sting of pain as he spoke the words. "I'm sure he's with Sylphiel now. He wouldn't want you to cry," he said, wiping away the wet tracks left by her tears.
"But it's Gourry! He's the Emperor!" she cried, grabbing onto him and sobbing. "They're not supposed to die! Who's writing this story anyway?" she cried out, burying her head in his chest.
Amelia spoke up quietly, her face pale and nervous. "Rezo killed him like that…" she murmured. "I didn't know… why did he do that?" she said softly.
Diol cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, see here lass, I don't know how to tell you this…" He reached for the book and flipped back a page, scanning through the text. "Yer friend died, too. That Eris girl," he said, pointing at the text.
"What?" Amelia gasped, her eyes widening as she grabbed the book out of his hands and began to read it.
Zelgadis and Lina looked up quickly. "Who else?" Lina said, her voice full of dread. "Who else died?"
Amelia looked up from the book, her eyes shining with tears. "Your stupid Valgarv did it!" she yelled. "He killed her!" She quieted down, looking at the book. "Eris was the only other one who…" She trailed off, as Lina stared at her intently.
"Rezo? You still think he cares about you? You just read what happened in Sairoon, Amelia! Gourry is dead! It's only a matter of time before he comes after Valgarv and Xellos! He doesn't want to conquer Sairoon, he wants to destroy it!" She leapt forward and grabbed Amelia. "He doesn't care about you either! He'd destroy you to get that final wish, I know it!"
Amelia stood up and stumbled towards the door. "Leave me alone!" she yelled at them. "Just stay away from me!" she cried, reaching for the handle and escaping from the crowded apartment.
Gracia stood up quickly, her eyes narrowed, but Lina's voice stopped her.
"No," she commanded, glaring at the others. "I need to talk to her. Alone." She shot an apologetic but stern glance at Zelgadis and angrily scrubbed the tears away from her eyes. "Completely alone. I made this problem, I'm the one who has to solve it. Just… stay here, and keep track of what's going on in the book. We'll deal with one problem at a time!" As she strode towards the door and grabbed her jacket, Luna stopped her.
"Lina, wait."
"If you're going to apologize for acting like an ass, just save it Luna," Lina said angrily. "I'm not scared of you anymore."
The older girl sighed and regarded her sister thoughtfully. "You grew up when I wasn't looking, brat." She frowned and pushed a folder into Lina's hands. "You're smart enough to figure this out. You might need these, though." With a final nod, she crossed her arms. "Good luck, Lina."
The redhead stared at her older sister with a mixture of surprise and shock. Finally she managed to stutter out a reply. "O-okay, Luna." After a moment of contemplation, her face clouded over once more. "But I'm still mad at you!" she finished loudly.
"And I'm still going to collect on that deal we made," Luna replied with a smirk. "Now get going before you lose her."
Lina smiled ruefully at her sister. "I never thought I'd say this, but thanks, Luna." Swinging the door open, she paused and looked over the others. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone!" she warned them, her eyes lingering on Zelgadis. Then she left, slamming the door behind her.
"Ain't gonna be too hard to keep track of her, either," Diol mused as he looked up from the book with some concern.
"What?" Luna said, moving over to the chair and reading over his shoulder. Her mouth tightened into a thin line as she scanned the book. "This isn't good." She looked up and regarded the others. "The boundary between the two worlds is getting messy. First with you," she said, gesturing at Zelgadis. "Now the book's writing about the two Priestesses… in our world."
Gracia sucked in her breath. "But the book is still just a story, right?" she asked nervously. "It's not real?"
Zelgadis grimaced, crossing his arms. "I might not be real, but that doesn't change the fact that I made it here." He flexed the fingers in his hand, cracking his knuckles. "If the borders are blurring, then there's nothing to stop Rezo from coming into this world too," he said darkly. "And he'll still have all of his power."
"That's exactly why we have to try and seal the border between our worlds right now," Luna said pointedly. "I'm sorry, Zelgadis. But it will be easier if Lina's not here when you go back."
Zelgadis smiled ruefully at the girl. "So you're the reason she's so tough, huh," he said quietly. He fingered his borrowed clothes amusedly. "These things weren't comfortable anyway. Besides, with Lina around it'd only be a matter of time before they got destroyed." He looked up and regarded Luna seriously. "At least let me write her a letter before I go. You owe me that."
Luna nodded slightly. "Of course. Thank you for understanding, Zelgadis."
- x – x – x -
Lina huffed and glanced around wildly, finally catching a glimpse of Amelia further down the busy street. She took off at a sprint, finally catching up to the younger girl in the middle of the sidewalk. "Amelia, wait up!" she said, pulling alongside the other girl and falling in step beside her. "Boy, you sure got into shape while I wasn't looking," she said appreciatively, wiping some sweat from her brow. "You know we need to talk."
Amelia frowned slightly, keeping her gaze trained on the street ahead. "I know, Lina. Let's go somewhere quieter."
"Yeah," Lina agreed, glancing down at her friend's Elmekian clothing. "Man, you look just as bad as Zelgadis did when he came through. All these people must think we're on our way to a school play!" she laughed.
Amelia smirked slightly as they turned off into the empty park. "My dad would kill me if he knew I was walking around here after dark," she said after a moment of silence.
"Somehow fighting for your life constantly for a couple of months makes this all seem sorta tame," Lina said dryly.
"Yeah," Amelia laughed, then sobered as they made their way towards a bench. "I guess that was my fault most of the time, wasn't it…"
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing. "What are two sweet young things like yourselves doing in alone this late?" said a slurred voice. Lina and Amelia froze and turned around slowly. To the hobo's surprise, the two girls who faced him looked anything but frightened.
"Hey! Get lost, pervert!" Lina yelled, showing him her prized middle finger.
Amelia glared at the man angrily. "Don't you have better things to do than pick on innocent young girls?" she said, pointing at him.
"Oh screw this, Amelia. I say we kick his ass and get on with our conversation," Lina said with boredom, pushing up her sleeves as she advanced on the man.
Amelia rolled her eyes. "This guy? Come on, Lina, you don't even need my help!" she complained. "You're just being lazy again." Then she covered her mouth, her eyes growing wide. "But don't kill him! It's not like before, the police will actually track you down here and punish you for that!" she squeaked.
By this time, the hobo had already turned blue in the face and was backing away. "Y-you two are a pair of serial killers, aren't you..." he muttered, falling over himself as he scrambled away. "Just leave me alone! I'll never approach a young girl again!" he swore as he scurried away from them.
Lina stared after him, grinding her teeth. "Coward!" she yelled out angrily, shaking her fist in the air. A small giggle made her forget her anger and turn to face her friend. Amelia stood there, giggling.
"I can't believe we just did that," she snorted, making her way to a bench and collapsing on it in a fit of laughter. "I bet we could make the evening news as the newest teenaged crime fighters! Daddy would be so proud of us!"
Lina grinned and plopped on the bench next to Amelia, feeling a case of the giggles overtaking her as well. "Crime fighters? What are you talking about? We could be the next crime WAVE!" she said, causing them both to collapse into another fit of laughter. The joke wasn't really all that funny, but it was cathartic. After a while, they both fell silent, except for the occasional hiccup.
"Lina," Amelia said finally, wiping at her eyes. "What happened to us?"
Lina leaned back on the bench, looking up towards the sky. "I don't know, Amelia," she answered. "You know, you can't see the stars here. It's too bright and too dirty," she said sadly.
Amelia leaned back and regarded the sky. "I never looked at the stars when I was in Elmekia," she admitted. "I spent most of my time inside."
Lina swallowed. "I know what happened, Amelia. Everything. I met a mystic who showed me. You weren't raped, you know. Rezo was just using you." She lifted her head slightly and regarded her friend. "I'm the one who broke our link when I came back. It was the uniform," she said sadly. "I didn't even feel it when you tried to kill yourself…"
Amelia looked down at the jewelled bracelets covering her scars. "I didn't want to believe you abandoned me like that," she told the other girl quietly. "But everything Rezo said just made so much sense… and then you came back, and I heard you talking to Zelgadis…" She swallowed loudly. "I wanted to hurt you," she mumbled quietly. "I thought you betrayed me."
Lina paused for a moment before speaking. "I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't thinking about him back then, too. It's only gotten worse since this whole thing started, you know. I really would go back into the book for him now," she admitted, causing Amelia to glance at her with surprise.
"Even though you know Rezo would kill you?" Amelia said, her eyes widening.
Lina drew her brows together and frowned. "Even then," she admitted. "I guess I don't do anything halfway, huh? I'm in love now." She smiled ruefully. "Zelgadis can't stay here, you know. He doesn't even have a reflection in the real world. Luna's probably trying to do something clever like send him back right now."
Amelia looked up from her shoes with surprise. "Then why are you here with me?" she asked. "If you love him so much, shouldn't you be with him? What if he leaves you?" She drew her fingers over the pattern of the bench absently. "It's not like I've been a very good friend lately either. I… I guess I'd understand if you didn't want to be here right now."
Lina yawned and sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "It takes two to make a criminal partnership," she joked. Seeing that Amelia wasn't smiling, she dropped her grin. "I'm here to make up for the mistakes I made the first time. Zelgadis is a grown man. He can make his own decisions. He knows what he is now, too. If he wants to go back without me…" her voice cracked, but she pushed on. "Then that's his choice. This is mine." She reached out and grasped Amelia's hand gently. "I still want to be your best friend… if you'll still be mine," she said.
Amelia looked down at Lina's hand. "I'm so tired, Lina," she admitted, turning her palm up. "I'm… I'm sorry about all your friends who died," she mumbled, looking ashamed. "I know they're not real, but…"
Lina shook her head. "Don't say that. They're real enough to you and me. That's enough, isn't it? I'm sorry about Eris, too," she admitted. "At least we can stop it here, right now," she said firmly. "Friends?"
Amelia looked up, her eyes shining. "Friends," she agreed.
- x – x – x -
Foe unvanquished, I won't perish in the field;
I'll be born again, to take up the halberd seven more times.
- Kuribayashi Tadamichi
AN: Beejeebus! It was only a few hours late! Anyway, again, this chapter is not betaed, and the last chapter is still not done, but things are wrapping up, as you can tell. If you enjoyed this fic, tell other people about it, so more people will read it. Or recommend it to one of the C2 communities. Or I don't know, just hit that little review button and say "Hey, I read it! Thanks / You suck!" I still like reviews of any sort. Ideally, I'd like to have more reviews than chapters! Anyway, thanks for sticking it out this long, and I hope I don't disappoint for the ending.
