Broken Nightmares

Act 4: Anguish! Lina Hurt by the Sword Light!

By: Sora Kazeno

As always feedback is welcome.

Zelgadis was silent as he continued his travels with his companions. His thoughts focused on what Xellos had said in order to keep Lina alive. Why would the Lord of Nightmares send someone to kill Lina? Something did not add up. The Lord of Nightmare could have easily killed Lina that day against Phibrizzo. Why did Xellos constantly appear? What is his role in all of this? He needed to talk to Sylphiel alone. He also needed to ask Sylphiel what Lina had met by sealing the Giga Slave.

The unexpected happened next, Luna reappeared before them with a smirk on her lips. Her gaze shifted from Lina to Gourry. Lina felt her stomach drop.

"What are you doing here?" Lina asked as she felt a lump form in her throat at the sight of her sister.

"I wasn't done talking with you yet Lina." Luna said as she walked closer to her. "What I don't understand is how you could be so careless and lose control over a spell as dangerous as the Giga Slave. When magic like that is used you must be able to focus all of your energy and concentrate. What made you lose your concentration?"

Lina was silent unsure of how to answer the question. Her eyes shifted over to Gourry and then back to the floor.

Before Lina could respond Luna spoke. "Of course, for him… you sacrificed all that you were … all to save that man's life..."

Zelgadis' head snapped up at the phrase. Those words were once spoken by the Lord of Nightmares after Hellmaster was defeated. This was not a coincidence. That was not Luna. "Lina!" Zelgadis exclaimed, "that's not Luna!"

Lina looked over at Zelgadis confused by his outburst.

That split second was all she needed. Luna smiled and waived her hand as a golden sword of energy appeared in her raised right hand. As she moved her arm down to her said her appearance changed from Luna to Kakken. She ran toward her pray, Lina.

Gourry didn't hesitant and readied his own sword, "Light come forth!" A blue light erupted from the base of the sword as Gourry charged at Kakken. He had a matter of seconds before Kakken reached Lina.

The sound of the commotion made Lina turned her head toward the noise just in time to see Kakken mere inches from her. She did not have time to prepare a spell to save her let know pull out her own sword to attempt to defend herself. She heard Gourry shout her name as he approached her as well to the right side.

The next few moments seemed to move in slow motion before Lina's eyes. Kakken was in front of her Gourry to her side. A clash of energies from the swords was heard and Lina felt a sharp pain in her side. Lina fell forward into Gourry. The pain in her abdomen continued to increase.

"LINA-SAN!" Amelia yelled as she rushed to her side.

Kakken laughed at the scene before her. "I might have missed but it seems Gourry beat me to the punch! I guess I should really be thanking you for making my job easier!" Kakken gestured with her right hand and her sword vanished.

"Lina!" Gourry shouted as he studied her face. Her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive. Gourry slowly lowered Lina down to the ground as Amelia collapsed on the ground next to them. She wasted no time and began to cast a healing spell. Gourry noticed the blood on his clothes. His stomach began to feel queasy knowing it was Lina's blood.

Kakken frowned. She knew they would try to heal Lina right away but if she could take out some of her companions the job would be easier and a bit more fun. She looked over at Gourry. "Ironic isn't it? The great protector turns out to be the one that harms her?"

Kakken words angered Gourry. He stood to face her, his eyes determined to strike back. His attention shifted for a moment as a purple blur fell to the floor beside him. It was Sylphiel assisting Amelia.

Zelgadis moved forward to stand next to Gourry along with Naaga. Naaga and Lina may not have always gotten along but if it was going to put to an end to Lina Inverse it was going to her.

Planning an attack was never Naaga's strong point. She struck back first, "RUNE FLARE!"

Kakken out stretched her hand in front of her a golden ball of energy formed and shielded her from the attack. She had forgotten that Naaga was also a colored sorceress, though not as powerful as Lina, could prove to be a nuisance.

Gourry turned to Amelia and Sylphiel, "get Lina out of here."

"But it's too dangerous to move her yet Gourry-sama. Her wounds have been fully closed yet," Sylphiel explained.

"But if we don't move her she'll be in danger from Kakken," Amelia murmured and she tried to determine the best course of action. Amelia surveyed her surroundings; in the distance she only saw more trees. They were still between cities and the closest city was behind them, Zefelia. They were running out of time. Amelia looked at Sylphiel, it was now or never. "I am going to cast a protection spell and I need you to cast Raywing so we can get out of here as fast as possible."

"But Lina-san…" Sylphiel said as she looked down at Lina's body. The ground shook next to her. Zelgadis was on his knee with his sword horizontal in front of his body. He was doing his best to block any attacks from Kakken to prevent injury to the others. "All right. Whenever you are ready Amelia-san."

Amelia looked around at the others, they couldn't last much longer. They where on the defensive to attack them; it was only a matter of time before Kakken would over power them. If they did not have to protect them, they might stand a chance. "WINDY SHILED!"

Kakken had been in the middle of preparation for another attack when she heard Amelia's spell. Confused she stopped to see what the duo had planned.

As much as it pained her, Sylphiel stopped healing Lina to cast her own spell. "RAYWING!" In a blur the sphere of wind flew off into the forest. They were going to stay low in order to make it harder for Kakken to follow them; the only hard part was to navigate the trees which surrounded them.

Kakken's eyes narrowed this was an unforeseen turn of events. Her prey was on the verge of escaping. What happened next was even more unexpected.

Xellos appeared before Kakken with his staff out stretched.

"What do you want Xellos?" Kakken demanded as she attempted to move around him.

"I'm stopping you from breaking the rules L-sama has given you. You alone must defeat Lina Inverse," Xellos explained as his eyes shifted below him toward Gourry, Zelgadis, and Naaga.

"And I will!" Kakken shouted back at him. "Out of my way they are escaping! I have her right where I want her!"

"It does not work like that. You must defeat her, not someone that "accidentally" hurts her," Xellos responded back with a smile on his face. "I was told to remind you, you can not be free if you break the rules."

Kakken was no longer smug, her eyes narrowed. She was so close earlier to defeat Lina if only Gourry hadn't gotten in her way. "What does She wish?"

"Return another day to fulfill your agreement on the correct terms," Xellos explained. He lowered his gaze to address the three below. "You've caught quite a break today."

"Fine," Kakken hissed, "this is far from over!" Kakken disappeared in a shimmer of golden light.

"The Lord of Nightmares takes rules very seriously. I guess you are lucky it was not Kakken that struck Lina," Xellos said as he faced the others.

"Why are you helping us?" Zel asked as he glared up at Xellos. There was always a hidden motive behind Xellos' actions.

"Why? Well…" Xellos paused for a moment before he raised a finger to his lips, "Sore wa himitsu desu." With a smile he vanished without another word.

"Now that that is over with, we need to find Lina," Naaga said as she turned to face the direction Amelia and Sylphiel and fled to with Lina.

"We should probably split up to cover more ground," Zel directed the others. "We need to find them as soon as possible."

"I'll find them in a matter of moments," Naaga said with a smile.

"How are you going to do that?" Zelgadis asked confused.

"Simple. Amelia and I used to play a game when we were growing up. When you were tired of hiding you send out a signal so the other sister could find you," Naaga said as a ball of energy formed in her hands. "Light which burns beyond crimson flame, let thy power gather in my hand! LIGHTING!" A small ball of light floated upward from Naaga's hand.

Zelgadis was at a lost of words and the mention of sister caught him by surprise. The two were extremely dissimilar.

Once the ball of light rose high enough in the area Naaga cast another spell. "BOMB SPRID!" Naaga called out as fire in the formed in her hands. The fire rearranged itself into the shape of an arrow and grew brighter in color. With a mere gesture of her hand the arrow soared in the sky and collided with the ball of light creating a bright orange color.

Within minutes a ball of white light rose in the distance. It shone brightly for a few moments before it disappeared.

"They are back there," Naaga said as she pointed northwest.

"I can't believe you and Amelia are sisters," Zelgadis said quietly.

Naaga responded back with her trademark laugh.

Gourry remained silent as the events unfolded around him.

Sylphiel became startled at the bright orange explosion in the sky. For a moment she stopped her effort to heal Lina to see what caused the display in the sky.

"The battle is over," Amelia stated as she stood up.

"How do you know?" Sylphiel asked confused.

"It's a system Naaga and developed growing up to find each other when we used to play together in Seiryuun before she left," explained Amelia as a white ball of energy formed in her hands. The ball raised to the sky and shown brightly for a few moments before it disappeared. They were lucky the sun had already started to set or it would have been even more difficult to locate each other.

"You used to play together when you were younger?" Sylphiel asked, surprised by her statement.

"She's my elder sister," Amelia explained. She was silent after that statement as her attention returned to Lina.

A white ball of light shown brightly in the air before it dispersed. "This way," Naaga stated as she began to walk toward the light.

Gourry was silent as he followed Naaga and Zelgadis. His thoughts focused on Lina and everything that had happened. He couldn't believe what had taken place. He felt as if he had been careless. He was unsure how he would be able to face Lina.

No one spoke as the trio continued to walk. Every now and then lights appeared in the sky to help lead the way to the other party.

The silence was finally broken when Naaga spoke, "Amelia!" She waited a few moments to see if there was a response. It was very faint but they were headed in the right direction.

Sylphiel felt relieved when the party finally merged again.

Zelgadis kneed down besides Amelia and asked her, "how is Lina?"

"Lina-san is okay but she will still need time to heal," Amelia explained to everyone.

"It is best if we do not move Lina-san," Sylphiel said as she observed their surroundings. "We should stay here for the night."

Gourry was silent and continued to stare at Lina's form fast asleep. He felt tormented and was unable to speak.

Sylphiel noticed the look on his face and stood next to him. "Gourry-sama don't blame yourself for this! It is all that other women's fault! You were protecting her!" Sylphiel said as she placed her hand on his arm.

"Lina got hurt because of me," Gourry quietly said. He shrugged Sylphiel's hand off his arm. Gourry silently turned and walked away from the group.

"Should we follow him?" Amelia asked as she followed his retreating from with her eyes.

"No. He needs some time right now. Besides we need to step up camp here." Zelgadis said as he viewed the surroundings. "We'll need fire, food, and water."

"Camping?" Naaga exclaimed. "You expect me to stay out here with such delicate skin?" Naaga questioned as she extended her arm as if to show off her appearance.

Amelia was not in the mood for her sister's antics. "Then go somewhere else! We're more worried about Lina-san than you not wanting to camp out for one night!"

Naaga fell silent and she reminisced about the days events. Someone had to stay with Lina and Sylphiel had the strongest healing magic of the group. That would leave Amelia and Zelgadis to find wood and food for the night if she left. It became apparent what needed to happen. "What do you need me to do?"

Kakken was enraged at the recent events. She had forgotten the rules of engagement. She must be the one to defeat Lina. She was injured by accident by someone else which did violate the rules the Lord of Nightmare had set.

The Lord of Nightmares had made it clear it would be impossible for Kakken to be free if she did not defeat Lina and did not follow the rules given to her that been developed since ancient times.

Her freedom was worth following the rules.

Kakken's next task was to determine when and where to plan her next attack. The group was traveling to a destination of some sort or they attempted to run from her. But it seemed like it was the first of the two options. What was it Lina so desperately needed?

Zelgadis continued to stare at the fire before him as he reflected on the next course of action. Amelia and Sylphiel had just switched roles and Sylphiel now sat next to him. This was his chance to ask her.

"What does it mean when someone seals a spell?" Zelgadis asked his eye not moving from the fire.

"It depends on how powerful the magic that is to be sealed and the level of the one that attempts to seal it. Sealing a spell for any reason is very dangerous and it requires mastery in black magic," Sylphiel said as she attempted to avoid the enviable question. Sylphiel sat quietly for a moment; she realized it could not be avoided.

"This is about Lina-san, isn't it?"

Zelgadis smiled, "I guess I don't have to walk around the topic any more. Based on what you have said, the Giga Slave would be difficult to seal and that is why we need to find this book."

"The odds of Lina-san being able to seal the Giga Slave are very small. If she were to seal the spell she would probably not survive."

"This doesn't make sense. If she were to seal the spell it would probably kill her and she doesn't defeat Kakken, Kakken would kill her. Why is it beneficial for her to seal the spell?"

"As it stands now Lina-san would not be able to defeat Kakken with using powerful magic… magic she might not be able to control."

"Her plan is to act the martyr. If she were cast the Giga Slave and lose control the world is in danger. If she were to seal the Giga Slave it would stop Kakken and she might survive," Zelgadis said as he thought out loud. "What is the process for sealing magic?"

"I don't know. The only black magic spell I learned was the Dragon Slave. Magic at that level can only be found in two places: the Claire Bible, or in the book of the Necronomicon," Sylphiel explained. She knew Zelgadis would look after Lina and be able to understand the seriousness of the situation. She was glad she was able to inform him of Lina's plan.

"So I guess we continue to head to Mipross… until we find another alternative," said Zelgadis. "I guess we don't have—". He ended his sentence abruptly as the sounds of footsteps approached them.

"Gourry-san hasn't returned yet," Amelia spoke quietly. "I think we should look for him."

Sylphiel held her breath as a number thoughts raced through her mind. "I'll go with you."

"Stay here with Lina, Sylphiel. I'll go with Amelia. If Lina wakes up she'll need your help," Zelgadis directed Sylphiel. "You have the strongest healing magic of all of us." Zelgadis quickly stood up before she could argue. "We'll be back soon."

Sylphiel continued to wait as the time pasted. She wasn't sure how long ago Amelia and Zelgadis left. A noise behind her made her jump. Lina began to stir. A wave of relief rushed through Sylphiel. The only question was what kind of condition Lina was in.

Lina slowly opened her eyes and it took her a moment to focus. "Sylphiel!" Lina said as she attempted to sit up.

Sylphiel gently held Lina back. "Don't try to sit up yet. You're too weak from the battle."

Imagines came to Lina's mind. "Gourry…Where is he?" Lina asked.

Sylphiel became silent and frowned. "He left a while ago. Amelia-san and Zelgadis-san went to look for him. They should be back soon."

"I have to help them look!" Lina said as sat up. She bite her lip as the pain shot up through her body. She tried her best to ignore it as she winced. She took a deep breath as she waited for the pain to subside.

"There's nothing you can do for him right now," said Sylphiel as she tried to calm her. "I'm sure he'll return soon with Amelia-san and Zelgadis-san."

Lina ignored Sylphiel's plead. She pushed a few blankets to side that once covered her. She felt her body's protest but she had to find him, with legs shaking she began to stand up. With a sudden serge of energy she moved pass Sylphiel and out of the tent. There she found Zelgadis and Amelia. Her eyes quickly scanned the scene before her but she didn't see him.

"Where is Gourry?" Lina asked.

Amelia was quiet for a moment. She knew Lina wasn't going to like the answer but it was obvious Gourry was not with him. "We came back to check on you and …"

"You didn't find him yet," Lina stated flatly.

"You need to stay here," Zelgadis said as he turned his attention to Lina.

"I don't need to do anything," Lina shot back at him. "I'm going to find Gourry." Lina began to walk away from the camp.

"Let us go with you Lina-san!" Amelia excited as she headed toward her.

"I'll be fine on my own. Besides, I need to clobber him anyway," Lina said with a grin.

Lina had stopped for a few minutes to catch her breath. She was weaker than she thought she was as she leaned against a tree. She had an idea where Gourry might be. She closed her eyes and focused on the sounds around her. She grew up near this forest and spent a lot time here. If anyone could find Gourry it would be here. She continued to focus and finally heard the faint sound she searched for, the river.

A short time later Lina arrived at the river. Gourry sat with his back toward her with a fishing line. She slowly approached him as she thought of what to say. She sat down next to Gourry without a word.

Gourry jumped at the movement he saw out of the corner of his eye. He was a highly trained swordsman yet he let someone get so close to him without his notice. It was an event that rarely happened. Gourry moved to his right to put more distance between them.

It was clear to Lina, Gourry felt horrible about what happened. "I don't blame you for what happened," Lina said as she stared out at the river with Gourry. "In fact I owe you. You saved me life," Lina said she turned to face him. "You're a pretty good protector."

"You never should have been hurt," Gourry said his eyes downcast. "It was because of me."

"And because of you I'm still alive. Kakken could have killed me back there."

Gourry was silent. A tug at his line turned his attention to the fishing line. With a quick movement the fish was removed from the water and joined a growing pile of fish to Gourry's right. Lina's eyes bugged out at the size of the fish pile. There must have been at least 25 fish.

Gourry turned his focus to Lina for the first time since she sat down next to him. "I was afraid of losing you," Gourry spoke quietly.

Lina felt a lump in her throat form. "That is how I felt against Hellmaster," Lina said. "But no matter what I didn't give up. We can't give up against Kakken and I'm going to need your help against her," Lina said with a smile.

Gourry's next action caught her off guard. He hugged her.

"Do you think Lina-san found Gourry-sama yet?" Sylphiel asked the others. She had begun to grow anxious. "Maybe we should start to look for them?"

A noise made the trio look up toward the direction Lina had left. A moment later two figures emerged.

"Lina-san! Gourry-san!" Amelia exclaimed as she rushed toward them. "Lina-san, where did you find him? We looked everywhere!"

"He was by the river and he caught a lot of fish!" Lina said triumphantly. Her stomach growled and she realized she had not eaten in a while.

"How did you know where he was?" Zelgadis asked Lina as she approached camp.

"I had a feeling…" Lina spoke quietly. "Food! Gourry start cooking!"

It did not take long for the group to eat their fill. Tomorrow would be another day of traveling before reaching Atlas City. Everyone went to sleep since it was only a matter of time before daybreak and the continuation of their journey.

Unfortunately for Lina, sleep was not as restful as she had hoped. Her dreams continued to consist of the same vision, her battle against Hellmaster.

"My plan, with all my perfectly set schemes! So close to its fruition! So close to it's fruition!" Phibrizzo yelled at the Lord of Nightmares. He was in shock since his plan did not succeed. He continued his rant. "I want to be destroyed! I want to be destroyed…" Phibrizzo continued to shout at her.

His body slumped. "Destruction…? Yes…" An idea came to mind and he held onto that belief in hopes of turning the situation around. "Destruction is the ultimate wish for any Mazoku. That's what you created us for! But this destruction shall consume all things!"

Phibrizzo began to gather power as he continued his rant. "It shall consume the entire world! I understand now, Mother!" The look on Phibrizzo's face was one of glee. It was up to him to fulfill the destruction.

"That girl is too small a vessel for you! Too small. That's why I have to destroy her. I'll free you. I'll set your power free! All the world! Let the world be destroyed with me!" Phibrizzo exclaimed as he struck the Lord of Nightmares. His energy hit the Lord of Nightmares as a last effort to complete the destruction. What happened next he did not expect.

Lina's eyes snapped open. 'He tried to destroy my body to free the Lord of Nightmares.' Lina slowly sat up. She looked around at her surroundings and saw Amelia and Sylphiel sound asleep. 'I would hate to see what would happened if the Giga Slave is cast again.' Attempting sleep at this point seemed like a futile effort. Lina slowly rose and headed for the exit of the tent. She hoped fresh air would calm her nerves and she thought about her upcoming battles with Kakken and what she would tell the others once she had the Necronomicon. It was possible she would die either way but if she failed to seal the Giga Slave it would only cost her life versus risking the world.

Lina exited the tent and was surprised to see Gourry sitting in front of the fire. He poked the logs with a stick. She was hesitant to approach him at first due to recent events. After a moment she realized it was silly. She sat down next to him without a word.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand there," Gourry said not movement an inch.

Lina felt her heart pound. She thought she had been really quiet but then again this was Gourry. Gourry was well trained and could hear things a great distance away. "So… how are you doing…?" Lina asked as she broke the silence.

"Fine," Gourry said as he continued to stare at the fire. "Problems sleeping?"

"…Yeah" Lina murmured. "Gourry, how much do you remember …. that day with the Lord of Nightmares against Phibrizzo?"

"I remember I almost lost you and I vowed to never let it happen again."

Lina blushed at his comment and her face began to turn crimson.

"I mean what kind of body guard am I if I can't protect you from a little kid?"

Lina smirked. 'If only he knew how powerful that "little kid" was! But this is Gourry I'm not going to try to explain it to him.'

"What was the big black thing?" asked Gourry.

"I don't remember the big black thing… I would remember parts of the battle. Bits of it have been coming back to me…" Lina said as her voice trailed off. She hadn't planned on telling anyone about the nightmares she had recently. But when she talked to Gourry things seemed to just flow out of her. Gourry wouldn't remember everything she told him anyway. Lina yawned. She felt more relaxed after she spoke with him. "I'm going to try to get some more sleep." Lina stated as she stood up.

Gourry nodded. "Good night."

Amelia wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was hotter out than she expected. She had hoped it would have been cooler as they approached Atlas City since it is a city by the coast. Unfortunately, it just happened to be a hot and humid day.

"This is ridiculous!" Lina shouted at no one in particular. "It's too hot out here!"

"We won't arrive in Atlas City until sometime tomorrow. Complaining about the heat will only make this worse," Zelgadis stated as he attempted to not lose his cool. Out of all the traveling companions the heat was the hardest on him.

The only thing that could make this moment any better was the appearance of a rather mysterious guest the group was too familiar with, Xellos.

"My, what a day to travel by foot," Xellos said as he floated above the others.

"And what do we owe the honor of seeing you again?" Lina said as she shifted her gaze to stare at Xellos. "Did you come to keep an eye on us again?"

"I have to since you're teammate almost killed you the other day," Xellos spat with a smirk on his face. "After all if you can't rely on your own teammates to protect you, who can you rely on?"

Gourry's fist clenched as tried to hold back his anger from Xellos' comment. Thought he knew Xellos was right. If it wasn't for Xellos, Kakken would have killed Lina within a matter of seconds after the event happened.

Lina on the other hand, was not thinking as calmly as Gourry for once. She did what came natural to her. She cast magic on her opponent, "FIREBALL!"

Xellos disappeared just in time to avoid the spell. Xellos reappeared next to Lina his lips not far some her ear so he could whisper, "she knows what you're planning to do, Lina. You will regret it."

The color in Lina's face drained. Her mind froze at the last 4 words Xellos whispered.

Xellos disappeared again.

Another act finished! The next should be out early Spring. It is a slow process but it is hard to find time to write. Be on the look out for Act 5: Shipwreck! Battle at Sea