Counting
Stars
Summary: The trials and journeys of Lina Inverse and her friends have come to an end, and many years have passed since...but something has been bothering Lina. "I'm not growing, or aging...nothing about me has changed in the past ten years...why?" One travelling 'mysterious priest' knows the answers...but will he be willing to share? "Heh heh...it's a secret~!"
Authors Note: I have watched all of the seasons...finally...with the exception of the movies which I'm still going through. I did not get into Revolution or Evolution-R...as much as I did enjoy Slayers...Slayers Next and Slayers Try. So...with that said, this story will take place as if Revolution and Evolution-R never took place.
Anime/Manga: Slayers
Pairing: Xellos/Lina
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"So you are telling me that nothing in here is of use to me?" Lina grinned, "Then you won't mind if I take a look for myself."
Four young women shook nervously in front of a set of large wooden doors. "P-please...Miss. Inverse...we cannot allow anyone who uses dark magic to enter these doors."
Lina scoffed, "What makes you think I use dark magic?"
"...your reputation precedes you, Miss. Lina."
'That voice...'
"Oh...Lord Xellos~!"
'...Lord?!' Lina watched as a familiar face walked up from behind her. "If it isn't my old stoolpigeon...what trouble do you bring after so many years of ceasing to exist?"
Xellos gave a small laugh, "Oh Lina...surely you are joking." He turned to the young women, "Please excuse Miss. Lina, she is here as a guest."
The four ladies bowed and both Lina and Xellos entered with the opening of the doors which were pulled closed the second Lina's cape passed through.
"So what's this Lord Xellos stuff about?"
Xellos stayed silent for a moment, the glancing back at the entrance way before turning back to Lina. "As of recently, Zelas's powers have been waning...and her hold over her monsters...has also started to diminish. They have begun to rebel...and I have been sent out to clean up those who would turn against her."
"What does that have to do with why those girls were calling you 'Lord'?"
Xellos frowned, "Not that it really matters, but in my free time, I've taken to going through every single book of every single Library I find, searching for the Clair Bible. It is still a missing artifact...one that I intend on finding."
Lina raised a brow, waiting for him to continue, when he didn't she sighed, "that's still not an answer."
"I'm the 'so-called' apprentice of the Archive Master who watches over these scriptures."
"Oh, and because of that, you are now Lord Xellos."
"Apparently...this is of course the choice of the young ladies who had moments ago accosted you and delayed your entry."
"Of course..."
Xellos raised his hand out a bit in front of him, using an illumination spell to light of the room. "So tell me Lina, what brings you here? I've heard little of you and your group since you all went your separate ways."
"I'm looking for a book on ancient magical artifacts," Lina muttered.
"Any specific artifact? Or perhaps you are merely trying to expand your knowledge."
"...The Ancient Goblet of the Goddess Gildine..."
"Hmn?" Xellos glanced over the tall walls that towered them with books, "I've not yet found a book on that particular artifact."
Lina sighed dejectedly and leaned against a shelf, sliding pathetically down to the floor, she failed to notice Xellos's smile as he watched her look over the library with a crestfallen face.
Xellos chuckled, "Interestingly enough I do recall a book with a topic similar to that of the Goddess Gildine's Goblet..."
Lina sprung forward and took his hands in hers, "You have?! What was it called? Is it here?! Have you read it?!" In her excitement, she hadn't realized just how close she'd gotten to the Monster Priest.
"My, my...calm down, Miss. Lina. I believe it was called 'The Divine Chalice of Fate...I only skimmed the pages, but from what I can recall...it spoke about how the Goddess Gildine was known for carving out her own twisted paths for those who were brave enough to drink from her Chalice. It could be either a gift...or a curse...It seemed interesting to be sure, but what would you want with something like that, Miss. Lina?"
Lina looked ashamed by the time he finished talking, "...was there mention of the Goblet turning the liquid inside it into blood?"
"...something like that..." He put a finger to his forehead and thought back in concentration, "What were the words...oh! When one with the will to be places thy lips to me, drink thine blood and thy walls will shatter unto me and you will breathe...or something like that."
Lina looked at Xellos with wide eyes and her lips parted in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding me...can't you tell me where it is, Xellos?!"
"Heh heh, I can do one better, Miss. Lina. I can take you to it's location."
That shocked her. In all the time she'd known Xellos, he had never taken her to the location of a place she needed to go to or was trying to get to. In fact, he took great pleasure in watching her struggle to get to her destination. "Seriously?"
"Oh Miss. Lina...have you ever known me to lie?"
Lina shook her head. No, she hadn't. Sure, he avoided answering questions at times, and could be less than helpful at others when he withheld information, but he never outright lied..."No...Xellos, you don't lie. It's below you."
He smiled at that, "Then shall we go?"
"...yeah."
In the next moment, Lina found herself being embraced by surprisingly warm arms before they disappeared from the library they had moments ago been standing in. She felt lightheaded as they drifted through something that felt like an accumulation of energy before he cut a hole in the air pulled her through and let his feet set gently on the marble floors of what appeared to be a castle.
"I've been here before..."
"Indeed...it is the castle of Amelia and Zelgadis..."
"WHAT!?" Not even a moment later, guards were surrounding Lina and Xellos. The two stood back to back in the circle the guards had come to create around them. Neither moved a muscle as they wondered how exactly this would play out for them, or in a more likely case, how it would play out for Lina with the high probability of Xellos taking off before he can be involved in the drama of a narrow escape.
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Me: Here is the next chapter of Counting Stars.