SLAYERS TRY ( AGAIN ! )

Written by : TokyoFlame

.::.

Legend : Italic sentences = thoughts

Characters belong to the respective legal owners

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The dark golden-haired maiden walked quietly amongst the chaotic crowd, a stark contrast as she darted swiftly left and right, eyes withholding emotions which she felt from deep within. From afar, the neighbouring city of Yelissa had black thundering clouds adourning the heavens above and she could see, with the same aquamarine eyes, that the people of Yelissa were flooding out of the city gates like an army of black ants.

To be honest, this wasn't the first Mazoku attack on cities which were already spiritually-protected. Many others had been propelled to attack the human-manifested cities due to an overwhelming urge to consume blood, flesh or simply the enjoyment of killing. Most Mazokus met their untimely death at having triggered off the powerful spells embedded within the formation, but higher-leveled Mazokus, such as Isetor, had managed to break through without blinking.

I have to do something.

Filia thought anxiously to herself, as she realised that she wasn't going to make it to Yelissa's gates until dark. She spotted a deserted alley between two closed shops and decided that she could transport herself instead. In her town where she had chosen to reside in, no one knew she was actually a golden dragon, nor knew that she was once a priestess in the Temple of the Fire Dragon. No one would have guessed that she had been one of the vital parties to the downfall of Darkstar and had participated in saving the world from total darkness. She was contented with her life now, and she would gladly leave her past behind forever.

Xellos appeared in the city square of Yelissa, seemingly from mid-air. People who were still running for cover screamed harder as they witnessed the sudden apparition. Cries of terror filled the air and Xellos mockingly shook his head sadly.

" Ah, how the screams seem like music to my ears. Not a good comparison by human standard. "

Xellos said to himself in jest as he looked around to survey the damage.

Not too bad, for a Mazoku like Isetor.

Most of the splendid buildings in the city centre were either flattened or left crumbling on their remaining pillars. Fresh corpses were left strewn around and the dark scavengers, the crows, were already surrounding the area which smelt of death. Xellos walked in a northeast direction, towards the palace where the Royal Family of Yelissa was situated. He had felt the presence of Isetor there and he decided that he should stop his crazy comrade before he added more mud to the Mazokus' reputation. He needn't hurry, for Isetor would find it difficult to break through the spells casted around the royal palace.

Isetor should be as smug as any Mazokus of his level would be, after breaking through a 6-element-formation. He would think that he could walk over the octagon-blood-formation like a piece of cake.

Xellos knew exactly what the latter spell could do to a Mazoku who could not repel the effects successfully. He would either disappear completely, or simply be sucked into the octagon and be trapped for eternity. Xellos wasn't keen on rescuing Isetor from such hideous fates. He just wanted to make sure no miracles occurred and be blamed if Isetor killed all the Royal Family.

Then, he stopped in his tracks.

Filia reappeared in the city centre of Yelissa, using her long-forgotten powers in an instant. The surge of the familiar energy rushed through her body and gave her a sense of belonging and identity. She had tried so hard to forget herself that when she realised how pleasant the feeling was to use her inborn powers, she knew she could never lie to herself. She was, and will be, a golden dragon. She cannot escape the curse of her race, her own race, who eradicated an entire clan for selfish reasons.

And yet, her revived feelings were brushed aside as she clutched her heart at the scenes of destruction laid before her. Lives were thrown senselessly, buildings had crumbled like sand, the sun was hidden by all the smoke and dust. She carefully bent down to a young lifeless child lying beside a bloodied fountain and cradled his head lovingly, whispering soft words of prayers which she was all too familiar with. Closing her eyes with a pained effort, she laid the child down into a sleeping position and stood up again, to take one last look around her.

She began her long-forgotten dance. The dance in the memory of death and rebirth. Her mourning. She closed her eyes and rays of powerful beams rose from around her, surrounding her, encircling her. She started to chant a queer incantation, of a language no longer spoken by any other. The yellow beams turned soft and translucent, quickly spreading themselves out in a thin line and covering almost the entire city's surface area. Soon, everywhere was a yellowish-copper colour. Filia continued chanting, louder and louder as her voice rose majestically upwards to the heavens above. The dark clouds broke into pieces and the sun shone down onto the city again. Blood and dust dissolved rapidly and the corpses were ridden of all dirt and mud. Serenity was once more present. Frenzied survivors stopped crying and stared speechlessly at the sudden calm bestowed upon them.

Filia ended her chant softly and slowly opened her eyes. There was a soft breeze now coarsing through the city and the fountain was quietly flowing with glistening water again. She had just performed a Rebirth Chant, one which accepted death but hastened the start of a new beginning. She knew it would take some time for the people to rebuild their lives, but she knew they would succeed.

I've done what I should do. I don't think I should interfere with the affairs of Mazokus.

Filia's eyes turned mellow for a while, and as she turned around to leave, she stopped abruptly.

And her mind froze.

Xellos had witnessed the entire performance, much to his confusion and surprise. The elegant figure had appeared from nowhere and before he even had the chance to sniff her identity out, she had started to bless the fallen city with a very advanced and difficult technique, a chant from the Gods.

Who is she ?

Xellos narrowly missed the rays from her incantation, something which he decided that he would rather forgo than be hit by them. He wouldn't want to know how it would feel to be covered with such a spell. Quickly erecting a sharmanic shield, he protected himself as well as not alerting the figure of his presence. Xellos could hide the musk of his Mazoku origin very well, due to the fact that he had attained a very high level of power after years of inhaling human emotions. Then again, he had been very cautious and much of his Mazoku body was always lurking in the Astral Plane, leaving an almost empty shell walking.

He steered closer to her, when she was on her last phrase of the entire incantation.

Familiar, very familiar.

Xellos knew that he had seen her before, since someone of her calibre should not be hastily overridden by the Mazokus. This figure was wearing a pale reddish full-length dress, with a white cloak and shoes. Her long dark golden hair was straight and flying lightly in the wind. Her eyes were mature and aquamarine, filled with sorrow and remorse as she chanted her spell. She was very simple and yet, very attractive. She was slender and tall, beautiful and wisely. And as the mist created from the spell started to disappear, he couldn't believe his eyes for the first time.

It couldn't be ...

Filia stared at the sudden outline of a person appearing before her. A man, about 6 cm taller, stood wordlessly before her. His eyes were intense on her, a very dark amethyst pair. He was doning a simple satin black cloak, a white top with long black pants. His straight-cut hair was almost reaching his shoulders and his fringe was ruggedly fashioned just above his eyes. His face was devilishly angled, bearing experiences which seemed to weigh his otherwise youthful appearance down to a more tired look, and a mature and respectable aura seemed to emerge from him.

You ... !

Filia lost her power to speak, her mind was locked as she refused to remember who this man was. She knew she could identify this man if she just tried to remember, but she refused adamantly.

No .. please .. don't let me remember ..

She stepped backwards, almost haltingly, as though she was willing him not to approach her. Her eyes turned watery as he did against her wishes, taking a step towards her.

No ...

Then all of a sudden, it hit her. It hit her like a train that just whirled into a train station. The power was so overwhelming that she felt a little nauseous and yet a sense of familiarity washed over her at the same time.

Xellos knew who she was now. It took him no less than a few minutes to decide who she matched in his mental bank data and it brought him genuine surprise. He tried to approach her, but her reaction to him was of absolute denial. She seemed to recognise him, then again not. Her eyes remained empty, or was it plain refusal ? She had hesitated, and he pounced onto her immediately.

Being so close to her again was like an old scene replayed, for Xellos. He appeared right in front of her, barely inches away from her body. He smiled, a rather empty one, he had to admit. Filia's reactions were so mixed, he barely knew which was which.

How am I going to feed off her ?!

As he scruntinised the confused dragon girl before him, he realised that she HAD indeed changed a lot.

No wonder I couldn't recognise her at first glance.

The clumsy Filia had morphed into a different person altogether, with a sense of authority he couldn't quite place. Something about her attracted him intensely, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. She was now more lovely, a grown-up beauty of intellect and wisdom. She no longer seemed to enjoy screaming nor shouting. She had grown. The mace was nowhere to be seen. Her face was of such timeless classic. Gone were the childish innocent look in her eyes and the big hat that she used to adorn. Gone were her usual priestess attire, gone were her orb of power located on her chest. She was now so simple, she was such a goddess.

Xellos blinked for a while as all those thoughts were processed in his mind.

Why the sudden abrupt change in you, Filia ? Where did you go ? This is all very interesting.

Filia trembled for a while at the closeness of this man to her body. He did not touch her, and yet this sense of trespass could not be ignored. It was as though he had just possessed her soul.

I know who you are. I hate it, but I know who you are.

Filia looked into the amethyst eyes, captivated by the sheer colour and depth of the evil that lurked in them. The darkness in them had deepened, so much so that they created an everlasting brilliance in itself. They held her steadfastly, better than what a physical hold could do. Her breath was forgotten as she looked at his face. The youthfulness was still present, but barely. He had definitely aged, a presence of authority and weight were seemingly placed on him. He was more spiritually heightened than he was when they parted ways many years ago. His light-heartedness had seemed to be replaced by a more sombre and sinister tone, something which seemed to suit his new being.

Is that you ... Xellos ?

She realised that the staff he used as a weapon was gone, his usual purple-dominated attire was replaced by a more modern look. He seemed to be more at ease, more alone, more self-dominated. His smile, which he was donning now, was more complacent and yet filled with a manner she couldn't decipher at the moment. He had seemed to mature into an attractive, self-assured ... Mazoku.

Why did you appear before me ? Were you responsible ?

Filia somehow seemed to know that Xellos wasn't responsible for the destruction, yet she wondered why he was here. Her suspicions brimmed to the surface and yet, as she looked at him, they seemed to melt away. He had such an effect on her. That he wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. That he wouldn't stoop so low ... that he would be able to wield more damage than this.

Xellos ...

" My dear Filia, is that you ? "

" Xellos .. "

" I see that we have reunited again. "

" Why are you here ? "

Xellos was surprised that he wasn't tempted to lie.

" I'm here to stop a Mazoku. "

" Have you stopped him then ? "

" No, I thought I'll let the spells kill him. "

Filia managed a very wry smile. The thought of talking to Xellos again was almost surreal. The closeness that they were sharing was not just physical. She was confused. Very confused. The 'dear' term used on her felt almost exotic this time. She knew she would have beaten him to a pulp in the past. Her forgotten past.

" Where are you staying ? "

" The city of Gilitran. "

Filia was amazed that she was telling Xellos her whereabouts.

" Still working at a teashop ? "

" Yes. "

" How is Valgaav ? "

" Grown up and left on a journey. "

" Ah, time has passed in a flash. "

Filia couldn't agree more with Xellos's sentence, as she looked down to contemplate on the passing of time. She had been too caught-up with her daily affairs to bother at all. Xellos surveyed her for a while, and on an impulse, he lifted her chin gently up to face him again.

Filia was shocked at this first physical contact. The touch was surprisingly soft to her skin and her mind did not resist it. As she rested her eyes onto him again, a loud wail was heard from a distance. Xellos lifted an eyebrow in distaste as he stepped away from Filia lightly.

" My fair dragon, I bid you farewell. I am reminded of unfinished business. "

" Xellos ! "

Filia called out abruptly as Xellos was preparing to enter the Astral Plane.

" Yes Filia ? "

" ... do we meet again ? "

Xellos smiled again, this time it seemed rather menacing but with a deeper secretive meaning. His look unnerved Filia for a while, making her feel rather self-conscious.

" Yes Filia-chan. You can bet on it. "

Author's Rants

I've made the two protagonists meet in a chance encounter. I'm not too sure what could happen next. Hmmm, I hope I won't get writer's block ! Please read and review yeah ? If you have any questions, queries or suggestions, please feel free to email to me. All feedbacks are welcomed.

If you want email updates on this story, please provide me with your addresses.

17th September 2002