Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. They are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Shoko Yoshinaka.

Chapter Seven

The forest was thick in this part of the new world. It was almost a jungle. Filia walked through it, knowing the placement of every twig, every leaf. She noticed a snake hanging down from a branch. It wouldn't bother her. The animals here knew who she was even if the humans did not. It wasn't very much further now.

Her house was at the end of this tiny lane she was walking. It was more like a watch tower than a house. It was very tall and thin compared to the buildings in Sayruun. She stopped and looked at it more carefully. It looked deserted, like no one had been inside it for weeks. It was entirely possible that was exactly what happened. She had often wondered if Val would go on one of his adventures in the woods and would just never come back.

She went inside. Everything was covered in dust. Had he really not come back?

She sat down on a chair. She had set out a tea set before she left, just so it would look like someone had done something special for her arrival when she did finally come home again, but the tea set was caked in dust. Someone had left a window open. Before she left, she explained to Val that she was going away. She had invited him to go with her, but he refused.

She looked at the tea set again. It seemed like the final fiber of a rope connected to her wrist, her last safeguard from falling was now gone.

Filia began to cry.

Should she go looking for him? Would she be able to find him? Maybe he was somewhere in the house asleep. She scrambled to her feet in search of him. The house was empty. She was empty.

She pulled her hair out of its pony tail.

She had to think about something else. Lex . . . Xellos . . . no, there was no hope for it. Her heart was going to break. Why should she try to keep herself together? He had not even come to say good-bye to her when she got off the Blue Rose.

The Blue Rose – she was supposed to forget everything, but instead of losing everything, she felt as though she had picked more up. She was carrying other things besides her grief about Val. She knew what it was. It was a new loneliness. She was alone for so long, and then she met up with her comrade – her peer. The only other creature she knew intimately in this world that had the ability to live as long as herself besides Val.

He had left.

She opened another window. Staring out over the tree tops. Where was her baby?

"Val!" she hollered out the window as loud as she could. "Val!" The birds fluttered and flew away from the branches they had been resting on. "Come home!"

Where was he?

Where was anyone?

She fell to her knees. There was only one thing left to do, and she really did not want to do it, but it had to be done. She needed to call in a little outside assistance, and there was only one person powerful enough to help her find an Ancient Dragon. She hated to ask him, but she had no choice if she wanted to find out what happened to Val, and she was in no state to wait to see if he would come home on his own. Her pride could be damned for all she cared.

"Those who sail the Astral Plain, reveal these shadows to me," she said, half choking herself with the words. "Please find Xellos-sama – I'd like to speak to him."

"You called my lady," Xellos said as he teleported in before her.

Filia looked at him. He was wearing his priest's robes and carrying his staff. His hair was shoulder length as before, and his mouth wore the familiar smile. It was as though nothing had changed for him in the past seven years. She didn't know why she had ever thought that Lex and Xellos were the same person. Lex was obviously a much younger mazoku. His body didn't house near the same power – Xellos could have murdered him with a flick of his wrist. She should have been easier on Lex, but it was too late now. She was never going to see him again.

However, now that she was facing the actual Xellos, it was important to play things cool, or at least not show how bad they really were.

"Hi Xel," Filia tried to say in a honey tone. "It's good to see you after so long."

"Is that so? Oh my, Filia. I'll bet you're wondering where I have been. Well actually . . ."

"Actually, I'm not interested in where you've been," she interrupted. "It's really none of my business. I just have a problem that I need your help with."

"What is it?" he asked, looking serious.

"I went on a trip these last few weeks to Sayruun. I just got home today actually, and well, Val is missing. I don't know where he is or where to look for him. He could be anywhere and I am very worried."

"And you can't find him the same way you found me because he's just a dragon now and cannot be located by those methods," Xellos said.

Filia watched him. He seemed to be thinking very hard.

"I'd love to help you Filia, but I sort of have a little problem myself," Xellos said, leaning a little on his staff.

"What? You wouldn't get anything out of it?" Obviously he hadn't been feeling anything like what she had been feeling, but she didn't see why he should seem so self fulfilled. The monster race was definitely not what it once was with only Dynast and Zelas doing anything.

"Oddly enough, that isn't exactly the problem," he said. "Okay Filia, I will do this for you – but I will need you to do something for me."

"What's that?"

"You'll have to tell me all about that little trip to Sayruun of yours. It sounds most interesting," he said opening his eyes. He had to do something to let her know she was making a deal with the devil.

He wants me to tell him about Lex, she thought. There wasn't much to tell. So, why not agree?

She nodded.

"Very good Filia-chan," he praised, as he faded from view.