Author's note

I know it have been a long time, I apologize for it, but life happened... Anyway, if anybody is still present here willing to read the next chapter, I'm hoping you'll like it.

As always, I'm warning English isn't my mother tongue, so be ready for errors :)

Chapter V

Uncertainty

In the dim light of candles, only the outline of three young kneeling women could be seen before a girl of a slight build. The only person standing in the room folded her hands and began to say some words. As soon as she started to utter them, she started to tremble. Few minutes passed in a complete silence. Only signs of concentration and tension could be seen on the feminine faces. However, despite the inexorable passage of time, nothing happened. The girl fell to her knees in sheer helplessness. The other three immediately broke their trance and approached the despairing figure. The shortest of the three placed a hand on her head, uttering a few words. In response, the girl clung to her, bursting into tears. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wind blew up. All the candles went out, plunging the room into darkness. Almost everything went silent. Apart from crying full of rage and helplessness.

Lina reluctantly opened her eyes. She wanted to sleep some more, but something told her that she should get up as soon as possible. She slowly pushed herself up to a half-sitting position and looked around the room she was in. She was surprised to find that the high ceiling, white and gold colors, and marble-like floor were remarkably reminiscent of the style in which the palace in old Seyrun had been built. That is, in the style in which the room from her dream was arranged. Though sleep wasn't the right word for that flashback. After all, it was a snippet of the only memories she had yet to recover. As always in the bits of her past life about the Princess, she couldn't see the young monarch's face clearly. However, this dream differed from its predecessors in one detail. The sorceress could never hear even the slightest sound. It always felt like watching a silent movie. This time, her ears filled with anger and helplessness. Lina pushed those thoughts aside, she had other things to worry about at the moment. And then the awareness of what had happened fell upon her. Someone helped them at the last moment just before the final collapse of Sylphiel's barrier. Moreover, she was convinced that she knew this energy from somewhere. She looked around the room more carefully and only then noticed the unconscious figure of Zelgadis lying on the bed standing in the other part of a huge room.

'Zelgadis!' She screamed in horror and quickly went to the second bed. Hiruzenkai slept in his human form, but his aura was very weak… In that last moment he gave her some of his energy to overcome the fifth blockade. Doubtlessly, he also aided Sylphiel in maintaining the barrier. And all of that he teleported them all. This little flame of life could not mean that he…

'Don't worry. The boy will recover, although this time he really overdid it. Even for him, such an effort is not safe.' Said a calm male voice behind her. The girl turned to see an almost bald but robust old man with a beard smiling warmly.

'Who are you?'

'My name is Rodimus. I took care of Zelgadis when he was a baby. It's a great honor to meet the great cephieleu.' He bowed politely to her. Lina smiled back at him, but she had too many questions to continue the pleasantries.

'Where are we?'

'This is the undergrounds of the Seyrun Academy. You've probably already guessed it, but this whole establishment was built to protect you. There is a barrier here that no Mazoku can cross. And you came here two days ago. Miss Sylphiel was the first to regain consciousness. She tended your wounds better than I did, and then had to go back to bed because she still hadn't regained her full power.

'So they're all alive?' She asked with relief.

'Yes. Though I can't tell when Zelgadis will regain consciousness.' He admitted honestly. Lina looked at the unconscious man with pain in her eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed and took his limp hand.

'Idiot.' She said quietly.

'I understand why Zelgadis is so devoted to you.' Commented the old man after a moment of silence. Lina immediately blushed upon hearing this.

"I…"

'We need a cephieleu like you.' He smiled warmly at her. 'But you should get some rest, you still haven't fully recovered, and you'll need your stamina back."

'In a moment.' Replied the sorceress, although Rodimus had a feeling that the red-haired girl would not move from her spot for a long time.

Another beastly howl broke the almost deafening silence that filled in a huge stony room. Only thanks to the light of the few candles attached to the high ceiling, it was possible to see the outline of metal rods forming a strong structure. Only after approaching the solid cage did the observer see a monstrous sight. A huge beast with hair as black as the vault of the night sky raged across the dungeon. A dark mane waved in the wind of a wild dance to the accompaniment of shrill roars. At one point, the monster got up on its two hind legs and froze. Immediately, a stream of a powerful energy came out of its mouth and flew towards the metal bars. The entire prison was drowned in the glow of the explosion. For a moment there was a dead silence, and then, after a few seconds, a terrible howl could be heard once again. For a brief moment, the sound might have been almost human, but it quickly faded back to a ferocious roar.

This terrifying spectacle was watched from a distance by a black-haired girl, measuring the beast with a clearly disturbed look. Her yellow eyes twitched as she saw a tall, feminine figure beside her.

'Hello, Giss.' She greeted the newcomer in a low but exceptionally pleasant voice. Long, wavy hair with a slightly blue tint fell freely on Mazoku's shoulders. If it wasn't for the slightly overextended chin, the brown-eyed girl could be considered an unusual beauty.

'What do you want, Surkia?' The younger girl asked suspiciously.

'Lord Phibrizzo told me to ask you how long it will take for Gethley's transformation.' Surkia said in a matter-of-fact tone. Hearing this, Gissleyna returned her worried gaze to the raging beast.

'It's a matter of days.' She replied quietly.

'You don't look too pleased.' The blue haired girl noticed. At these words, the shorter girl began to speak in an unnaturally high voice.

'And how am I supposed to be pleased when my brother lets himself be treated like a walking weapon?'

'Each of us is, after all, only a tool for killing.'

'But do any of us look like him?!' Gissleyna shouted, pointing her finger at the raging monster. 'It's all because of that damned cephieleu! If she had just stayed dead, none of this would have happened! My brother wouldn't have become obsessed with defeating her.' Gradually, she spoke softer and more weeping. 'He wouldn't have agreed to that curse. Yes, he gets stronger with each death. But he is losing himself. I don't know if she will recognize her own sister this time. How can Lord Phibrizzo allow this?' There was a real mix of anger and sadness in her eyes. The elder Mazoku looked at her with sympathy or something that was a perfect imitation of it.

'Giss, you must not say such things. What Gethley has agreed to is an honor. If Lord Phibrizzo heard you, you'd be dead by now. Especially now that his personal attempt to kill the cephieleu had failed.'

'What about that hiruzenkai who supposedly joined us?' Asked the yellow-eyed girl in a calmer way.

'I wouldn't put it that way. I'd prefer the word "alliance". Lord Phibrizzo and Valgaarv have made a deal. Hiruzenkai was supposed to help us eliminate the cephieleu, while Lord Phibrizzo supposedly promised him the head of Xellos.'

'Xellos?' She asked with a genuine surprise in her voice. 'Lady Zellas Metallium's most powerful subordinate? Are they even alive?'

'Nobody knows that. The fact is that Lord Phibrizzo promised him the head of the mysterious priest. But I have no idea if Lady Zellas is alive or still dormant. And if she had indeed come out of hibernation, why hadn't she contacted Lord Phibrizzo? After all, since the deaths of Deep Sea Dolphin and Dynast Grausherr, there are only two Mazoku Lords left. If only they would cooperate, we would have won this war a long time ago.' Surkia sighed heavily.

'Hmm... I'm more interested in what happened between Xellos and this hiruzenkai...' Giss mused.

'Hmm... Who knows, maybe this was some kind of betrayal?' The taller Demon's eyes narrowed dangerously.

'It's better not to mess with Xellos.' The younger Mazoku muttered under her breath.

'It's better not to insult Lord Phibrizzo." Surkia snapped back.

'Do what you want.' Giss shrugged.

'And you have better not do anything stupid.' She warned before disappearing.

The second Mazoku narrowed her eyes and began to wonder if one of Phibrizzo's closest subordinates suspected what she was going to do. And anyway, did it really matter? All that mattered now was a revenge. If her only family suffered such an anguish, then at least one syenleu would experience the same pain.

Sylphiel watched with great interest a funny scene taking place just outside the window. Two boys were trying to impress a pretty girl with blonde hair. They both were holding balls in their hands and tried to perform all possible sorts of tricks. To healer's amusement, each of their attempts to prove themselves ended up in a funny failure. Syenleu smiled to herself. She hadn't had a chance to observe the youngest students of the Seyrun Academy for a long time. Their shelter was located in the underground of the site. The upper floors were not so heavily guarded like underground ones, but Sylphiel couldn't resist taking a trip to places where she could finally observe what had been taken away from her several years earlier. With indescribable pleasure, the girl was discovering another, extremely colorful aspects of life, from which she was supposed to be cut off not so long ago. Knowing that in the near future she would still be able to enjoy life made the green-eyed beauty make a list of things she promised herself to do. First, she had to let her father know she was okay. He must have been terribly worried about her. After all, two days passed since she had disappeared, and she gave him no sign of life. Secondly, she had to finally confess her love to Gourry. A thousand years ago, she didn't dare to do it. She couldn't afford such cowardice now, especially since her third and most important resolution was not to be weak. But as soon as she tried to tell herself she was going to be strong, she remembered Gethley saying these horrible words:

You have become just an empty shell being only an imitation of existence. You're a worthless vegetating puppet.

It had been a while since she had heard those words, but they were still stuck inside of her. They pierced her like thorns, tearing apart her confidence. She couldn't get rid of that hateful sound. And just when she thought the pain was becoming unbearable again, she heard a soft call. Cephieleu sent her a gentle but firm impulse. Without even thinking for a moment, Sylphiel headed towards the stairs leading to the room occupied by the high priestess.

A few hours after her conversation with Rodimus, there was a soft knock on the door. Lina said softly "Please" and saw Sylphiel enter the room timidly. Cephieleu took a closer look at the green-eyed girl and was relieved to see that the priestess looked much healthier and calmer than she had on the day she awoke.

'How are you feeling?' Lina asked, gesturing to a nearby chair.

'Excellent. I haven't felt so good for a very long time.' She said serenely, sitting down in the place indicated by the redhead.

'Sylphiel, I wanted to ask you that earlier. Gethley said you were terminally ill. Is that true?' Asked the sorceress. At the mention of the feline Mazoku, the syenleu shivered.

'Yes. I know it sounds weird as healing is my forte, but my weakness is that any other healing techniques other than my magic don't work for me. Therefore, my disease seemed to be incurable. Unlocking my power caused me to heal instantly.' She said cheerfully.

'That's good.' The cephieleu sighed with relief. But before she continued, she paused for a moment, examining the healer. Remembering the yellow-eyed Demon, made the priestess look so vulnerable and withdrawn, which seriously disturbed Lina. This time, they could not afford any moments of weakness. 'But I need to ask you one more question. What has Gethley told you?' she asked earnestly.

Sylphiel immediately started to fidget. Her eyes tried to avoid Lina's scrutinous gaze.

'Nothing…'

'Sylphiel, it hasn't been "nothing" and you know it.' Lina looked at her in that unyielding way that was so characteristic of her. 'Is that why you wanted to cease to exist?' She asked.

The dark-haired girl flinched. She hoped that this moment of weakness would remain her secret. The redhead, however, still mercilessly continued this heavy topic. 'You don't have to tell me all details. But you have to know that Gethley is able to find our every weakness and can turn them into an extremely painful attack. What he has told you was a lie and you must not believe it. I can see his words are still stuck in you somewhere. You can't allow it.' She made a short pause and smiled tenderly. 'Sylphiel, you are strong. Do you believe me?'

The healer finally dared to look straight into Lina's eyes. At first, she thought she was going to be scolded for endangering everyone so much. But there was no contempt in the high priestess's gaze, only strength and warmth...

'Yes.' She replied, feeling that she indeed believed the words of the leader, which made her feel as if a huge burden had been lifted from her heart.

'That's what I'm talking about. Because if not, you will receive such a Fire Ball from me it wil take a long time for you to recover.' Added the sorceress, threatening the priestess with her finger.

Sylphiel could only shiver with fear.

'Yes, Miss Lina!' She answered right away. Undoubtedly, Lina Inverse was a person one better not to mess with.

When he woke up, at first, he couldn't remember where he was or what had happened earlier. He looked around the room. The equipment of a medium-sized room without a window, apart from the bed, traditionally included a small chest of drawers, a wardrobe and a large bookcase. Though he couldn't remember ever having been in that room, he sensed a familiar energy. Shortly he smelled an incredibly delicious smell. In an instant, he felt unbearably hungry. Without another thought, he left the room and went in direction of the wonderful smell was coming from. Before he reached his destination, walking down the long corridor, he heard an angelic voice. As he got closer, he slowly began to distinguish the words of the song.

When the light of the lonely moon shines.

The rebellious wind will drive away the hostile mists.

And only the flame of painful acceptance.

Will brighten up your engulfed in darkness dreams.

Gourry stopped just outside the kitchen entrance and watched a girl with long dark hair listening to a familiar tune. The only thing he didn't know were the words.

'Sylphiel, have you come up with new words for this song?' He asked without any other greeting.

Syenleu, who hadn't noticed his presence before, jumped nervously and dropped the pot, from which unfortunately all contents spilled.

'Gourry, you scared me. Don't sneak up like that, please.' She replied, taking a deep breath.

'Oh sorry.' The blonde replied, giving her an apologetic look. He walked closer to her and bent down to help her clean the rice, which was just adding a new layer to a pattern of the terracotta floor. 'But you sang so beautifully that I didn't want to disturb you." he said with his characteristic, charming smile. Sylphiel immediately blushed. 'But didn't those words flow differently?'

'Do you remember the original words of this song?' The priestess asked incredulously. After all, Gourry always had a trouble remembering the names of not only his enemies, but also his friends. So picking up some inaccuracies in the text wasn't something that often happened to the blonde.

'Well, not quite.' Hiruzenkai just grinned. 'But the original words were… How do I put it… Happier.'

'I liked those better. I was thinking of Mr. Valgaarv...'

'Of Vaaalwhat?'

'Gourry, don't you remember Mr. Valgaarv?' Sylphiel asked in disbelief.

'Um... No.' He replied after a short thought.

'Gourry… apart from Mr. Zelgadis, he is your closest comrade-in-arms.' Said the stunned girl.

'Hmm... Maybe there was something like that... So where is he now?'

'Oh… You have no right to know that since you passed out before he showed up.' Sylphiel sighed sadly. 'Valgaarv has betrayed us. He went over to the enemy's side.' She said briefly.

Gourry was left speechless.

'What do you mean?'

'He was among the Mazoku who attacked us.'

Hearing this, the blonde immediately became serious. Silence fell upon them when he was analyzing the whole situation.

'Oh well. If he made that decision, there's nothing we can do about it.' He summarized simply. 'And where are Lina and Zel?'

'Mr. Zelgadis has used too much power.' Sylphiel looked even sadder. She felt partly responsible for everything that had happened. After all, if her barrier hadn't started to fall, the mage wouldn't have had to give her some of his power. Nevertheless, she was aware, that Zelgadis, having been the one who had awakened first, was the most proficient with magic of them all. He certainly felt responsible for everyone because of it, and therefore his own safety was the last thing he thought about. Although she was convinced that the hiruzenkai's life was in no danger, she wasn't sure when the man would wake up. She was torn by the pain in Lina's eyes, who tried not to show her worry. 'He sleeps all the time, and Miss Lina sits by him all the time.' She saw Gourry's face grow even more serious, so she added more cheerfully. 'But everything's fine. He's strong, so he'll be back very soon.'

'If you say so, then it must be so.' He said with a slight smile. And then Sylphiel realized how close to her the swordsman was standing. They stared into each other's eyes for a tense moment.

'Gourry…' Sylphiel began. But before she could say anything else, a loud grumble echoed throughout the kitchen. The atmosphere vanished as quickly as it appeared, and the blond nervously scratched his head.

'Are you hungry?' The healer finished with a smile.

'YES!'

Four days passed since the last clash with Mazoku, but Zelgadis still hadn't awakened. Lina, despite Rodimus and Sylphiel's assurances that the hiruzenkai's life was in no danger, was beginning to get seriously worried. She stayed by his bedside until late every night. It was only when she fell asleep from exhaustion that Gourry usually carried her to her own bed. Sometimes it seemed to the sorceress that the man would never open his eyes again. As soon as such thoughts entered her mind, she quickly pushed them away. But time passed inexorably, and Zelgadis was still in a coma.

'Zel, damn it, how much longer are you going to torment me like this?' She whispered, staring intently at his sleeping face. For a long time, she didn't get any answer, but suddenly, to her surprise, his eyelids slowly opened. His gaze, though unconscious at first, quickly sobered. Before Lina could react, the man abruptly sat up.

'Lina, how much time have I...' He wanted to ask a question, but he stopped when the sorceress suddenly hugged him.

'You idiot! How could you put yourself in such a state?!' She started yelling at him, punching him in the chest at the same time. 'You do that to me again and you'll regret it! Do you get it, you moron?' She grabbed the confused hiruzenkai by the collar and came even closer to him so that their faces were only a few centimeters apart. 'Understood?!'

Zelgadis at first looked at her in a slight surprise, but after a moment he gently took her hands and relaxed her grip. Then smiled almost imperceptibly.

'No.' He said briefly.

'Zel...' Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

'What?' He asked teasingly.

'Stop playing around.' She said in a lower, serious tone.

'I think you're the one who's playing around by saying such nonsense.' He replied.

Hearing this, Lina started to tremble with anger.

'Nonsense?! What are you calling nonsense?!' She started yelling at him. After a moment, she fell silent. She wanted to point out what an idiot he was for letting her nightmares almost become reality. She glared at him, waiting for any reaction, and after a moment felt that she was getting even more furious. 'Anyway, I don't feel like talking to you anymore.' She added with anger enhanced by a complete calmness of Zelgadis. She got up and tried to yank her hands out of the man's grip, to no avail. The mage pulled her to him in one smooth motion and kissed her. The girl resisted at first, but soon she returned the kiss. Both were aware that nothing would guarantee them a happy ending. The enemy was powerful. More powerful than a thousand years ago. Everything could turn against them at any moment. At any moment, a blow could come from the least expected side. And every moment could be the last one...

The kiss, although gentle at first, quickly became more intense, more passionate. It expressed their fears and joy of meeting again, longing and fear. A fear neither of them had the courage to verbalize. The fear that they constantly repressed, and which was still present in their thoughts and dreams. Fear caused by the uncertainty of tomorrow.

Mazoku, demons of darkness whose sole purpose of existence was to spread death and chaos. As they were all subject to the god of darkness, Shabranigdo, they were said to be creatures incapable of love or any other human feelings. Gissleyna and Gethley made an interesting couple. On the one hand, they were characterized by typical Mazoku cruelty, and on the other, they showed several characteristics that made them peculiar cases. First of all, they were born at the same time. In the case of Mazoku, there was no concept of siblings, as young Demons were born separately. Yet Gissleyna and Gethley had an unusually strong bond beyond their physical resemblance. Therefore, a term was borrowed for them from humans, calling them twins.

Those who knew Gissleyna saw that what she cared most about in the world was her own brother. They certainly wouldn't be surprised if the yellow-eyed girl performed the most gruesome acts in order to take revenge. Obsessed with settling scores, the Mazoku became as unpredictable as elemental disasters. It brought death and destruction. And nothing could stop her.

It was a first warm and sunny weekend in Seyrun. After waking up Zelgadis, the whole group felt better and everyone was in a joyful and optimistic mood. Sylphiel announced that she would like to visit her father. However, as soon as Lina expressed doubts about whether this was a good idea, Gourry volunteered to accompany his syenleu. In that case, the cephieleu didn't mind the two of them leaving the safe haven for a few hours. Thus, the healer found herself in a ridiculous situation. She always dreamed of introducing Gourry to her parent, and suddenly it turned out that this small dream could come true. True, she wasn't a syenleu in this vision, and Gourry didn't have to protect her, but Sylphiel didn't complain.

As soon as they teleported right in front of Nels Rada's house, the healer realized that something was wrong. The front door was wide open, which never normally happened. Her father hated it when someone left the door open, so he was always meticulously checking if it was locked. A cold, unpleasant shiver ran through her before she stepped closer and stepped inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Gourry was also on combat alert, which only confirmed her worst fears. She was speechless when she saw the interior of her home.

'DAD!' She screamed in horror. The old man was lying on the floor in a puddle of blood. There was no doubt that this man was dying. With the last of his strength, he opened his eyes and stretched out his hand weakly towards his daughter. Panicking, Sylphiel immediately rushed towards him.

'Dad! Everything will be fine, soon the pain will pass.' She spoke quickly, trying to focus her power on the dying man.

'My dear, for me…. It's too late.' He said, panting. It was clearly painful for him to speak. 'The most important thing is ... that ... you are alive.' He whispered his last words. 'Promise…. me…that…you… will…be… strong…'

'I promise.' She said, holding his hand while still trying to assess the depth of the wound. Subconsciously, she already knew that his heart was damaged in such a way that even she would not be able to heal him, but she still directed a stream of healing energy into his tortured body. She didn't even stop when the man closed his eyes and his grip relaxed completely.

'Sylphiel, you can't help him anymore.' Gourry said quietly. The healer ignored him and increased the power she was sending. It wasn't until the swordsman gently took her hands, forcing her to look at him, that she looked away from the dead man. 'Sylphiel, let him go.' The healer slowly stopped the stream of energy and, cuddling into it, began to cry quietly. Hiruzenkai hugged her wordlessly.

'Who did it? And why?' She asked after a long silence.

'I don't know, but whoever it was he will pay for it.' The blonde replied seriously. 'But thanks to the fact that you managed to say goodbye, he left with a smile on his face.' He added quietly.

Sylphiel looked at her father again. In fact, Eruk Nels Rada was smiling as if he had dreamed a very long and pleasant dream. Syenleu no longer remembered the smile of her only parent, for the poor man was always worried about the health of his only child, and as a result, he was never happy and carefree.

But that didn't change the fact that the man was now dead.

'I should have come earlier. I should have protected him somehow. I should…" She began to accuse herself. Gourry quickly interrupted her.

'First of all, you should take care of your own safety. Do you think your father would be happy if you took his place?'

'We can always make it happen.' Suddenly, a cool, girlish voice echoed throughout the house. Gourry and Sylphiel immediately looked up, listening for the sound.

'I'm here.' The newcomer spoke again, but this time the two were sure the enemy was outside. Without thinking they both ran towards the door. When they got there, they saw a short girl with short, black hair and yellow, catlike eyes very similar to those that haunted her in her dreams. Only after a while did the healer notice that Mazoku's hands were stained with blood.

'You killed him?' she asked quietly. Gourry looked anxiously at his syenleu.

'You are the cause of my brother's suffering, so now you will taste this pain.' She said vindictively. Her tone betrayed no emotion, but her eyes conveyed the cold fury that possessed her.

But she wasn't the only one feeling like this.

The girl was surrounded by a bright glow. A split-second later the Demon was pierced by a stream of white energy.

Sylphiel, as a syenleu endowed with extraordinary powers in the field of healing, rarely went on the offensive. Therefore, few people knew that the priestess could reverse the course of healing power, which led to the destruction of organs from the inside, leading to an extremely painful death.

'And that, in your opinion, justifies murdering my father?' Sylphiel shouted jamming Mazoku's scream. This outburst caused the healer's focus to slightly lose her focus, which was quickly noticed by the Demon. She quickly teleported right behind her and directed her claws towards the priestess.

'It is your existence that is to blame for everything!' She screamed just before delivering the final blow. Sharp claws brushed Sylphiel's chest in surprise, but suddenly the creature froze. Before it happened, the healer saw a flash of bright light and only after a moment realized that Gourry was behind the black-haired woman.

The syenleu realized that the blonde had performed his legendary invisible slash with the Sword of Light. Many Mazoku had died in the same way before, without even seeing where the killing blow came from.

'Gethley will avenge me. He'll kill you like dogs! Just like a thousand years ago!' She managed to scream before she staggered. 'I'm sorry, brother...' She whispered and fell dead to the ground.

Sylphiel's knees buckled. She stared indifferently at the girl's cold body. She thought she would have felt joy that her father's death had been avenged. Or anger. Or more despair. In fact, all she felt was a cold, unpleasant emptiness. Not a single extra tear spilled from her eyes. She was aware of Gourry's presence, but she still remained where she was. She only flinched when Mazoku's body suddenly disappeared. She lifted her head and saw a tall, majestic woman with wavy light blue hair falling over her shoulders. Undoubtedly, it was a Demon of immense power.

'I won't forget it.' Mazoku said softly and immediately disappeared.

It had been a first sunny day in weeks in Seyrun. Many people marveled at the beautiful sunset against the blood-red sky. None of them could have guessed that this phenomenon heralded the coming of war. No one noticed as the city slowly began to cover itself with suspicious frost. No one could had expected that Seyrun would not see the sun for a long time yet.