Hello, everyone! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful new year celebration. Good luck to everyone in 2014- I'm going to work hard too! As always, however, I don't own anything regarding Slayers, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. On that note, I also want to preface this chapter by acknowledging that I am taking some creative liberties, specifically with the availability of knowledge in the Claire Bible. As I understand it, the Claire Bible's store of knowledge is said to be infinite, and from this description, I draw my conclusions. It may not be directly supported by the canon, but it's a theory, I suppose. …a theory that advances the story, in any case. Thank you very much for reading, and I hope you enjoy! (Don't think too hard about it.)

25- Light at the End of the Tunnel

"Okay, so maybe Vireas was a total creep, but he was still an effective leader." Pestis tried to come to the Mazoku Lord's defence as the group trudged through the snow the next morning, but no one was buying it and everyone was too cold and tired to care. "He knew how to delegate work for maximum efficiency, and he-"

"So basically, you're saying that he knew how to be lazy." Lina cut him off.

"Efficiently lazy." Pestis corrected. "And he never procrastinated. If something was worth doing, it was worth doing promptly. That was his belief."

"So then, why did he stay locked up in the crystal for four-thousand years when he could've convinced someone to free him as easily as he did?" Zelgadis asked.

"The crystal wasn't just lying around! It was buried! No one- not even I- knew of its whereabouts! It took four-thousand years just for Phibrizzo to find it."

"What about you? Weren't you looking for it?" Zelgadis asked. "The crystal that you asked me to help you find back when we were investigating the ruins in Seyruun… that was it, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes-" Pestis began.

"So you would've released Vireas if you had the chance?!" Lina hissed.

Pestis flinched. "Th-that's not… I mean… yes, I would have, but the fact is-"

"Let's not dwell on the could'ves and would'ves." Zelgadis interrupted. "That won't get us anywhere. Today we are seeking out the Claire Bible. Can we focus on that?"

"He's right." Amelia agreed. "We must remember that, no matter our pasts, we cannot secure Justice for the future if we don't work together!"

"The cave is just beyond my property line, tucked into the mountainside. The trail going to it is a pretty easy climb, and the scenery is lovely this time of year- er, I mean, during the winter." Pestis pointed out the trail that we were following. "It'll probably take us no less than fifteen minutes to get up to it."

"You promise that it's an easy walk?" Lina asked.

"I guarantee it. It's not very steep, the path is wide so there's no danger of falling… this is the reason that my wife and I chose to build our home where we did. For many years, we were charged with keeping outsiders away from the cave."

"Who protects the cave now?" Shizuri asked.

"Well, no one does… everyone seems to have forgotten about this particular entrance. There was a rumour spread that the entrance here had been sealed away- by either myself or Maria, of course, depending on who you heard it from- and so people stopped coming." Pestis explained.

"An awfully convenient rumour, if you ask me." Lina murmured. "Someone really high up must have spread it around."

"Why would that be?" Amelia wondered out loud.

"I don't know." Pestis shrugged. "But, the fact remains that it is one of the best-hidden places to access the Claire Bible anywhere in the world."

"Is that it over there?" Gourry pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah! Right over that hill over there." The professor exclaimed, jumping and running off in the direction of the cave. "Follow me!"

"Don't leave us behind!" Amelia called, running after him, dragging a reluctant Zelgadis behind her.

"Wait for us, you guys!" Lyos joined them in running down the path as well.

"They're going to slip and fall." Shizuri commented as she watched the rest of the group running. "All this ice and snow is dangerous."

"We're just going to walk." Gourry kept one arm draped over Lina's shoulder. "It's not like we're in a hurry."

"We are, though." Lina sighed. "In a way, I suppose. The Claire Bible is our last hope for finding this Key. What if we don't find what we're looking for?"

"We will." Gourry replied confidently.

"And what if we do? What then?"

There was a pause, and Gourry shrugged. "Let's not worry about that right now."

"…okay…"

"S-stand guard?" Pestis stammered, staring at his friends. "Why would you need to do that?"

"Azarel surely knows we're here." Zelgadis reasoned. "She probably knows all about our plans to seek out information about the Key. I'm quite certain that she's going to show up, and the resulting chaos is not going to be pretty."

"Besides, we don't all need to be in that cave at once." Shizuri agreed. "As much as I'd like to actually see the famous Claire Bible, as a member of the Church of the Aqualord, I need to protect it more than anything else."

"The three of us will make sure that Miss Azarel doesn't get anywhere near here!" Amelia exclaimed proudly. "There's no need to worry!"

"I'm going to let you guys take care of guard duty while we work on negotiations." Lina agreed, giving her friends a nod. "We appreciate it."

"Should I stay outside and guard the cave too, or…?" Gourry looked around for someone to give him an assignment.

"You come with us." Lina tugged on his arm. "You and Lyos will be the guards for inside the cave to protect Pestis and me from harm."

"Pestis doesn't need protecting. Didn't you see how he punched out that little-?" Lyos began, though Lina cut him off.

"Yeah, yeah, don't think too hard about it and do your job."

"As the Knight of the Aqualord, we'll need you to serve as our contact between us and the consciousness of Aqualord Ragradia." Pestis added. "Your presence is invaluable."

"Maybe they'll have some information about the Banisher too." Lyos gave a sigh.

"We won't know if we never ask." Lina was already a few steps into the cave, motioning for her friends to follow her. "And the sooner we finish here, the less time we'll have to spend in the cold. So let's get moving!"

"Good luck. Thank you." Pestis gave a nod to Amelia, Zelgadis, and Shizuri.

It wasn't clear where the actual cave stopped and where the alternate dimension began. After several minutes, the stalactites and stalagmites disappeared, replaced by the churning chaos that surrounded the path. Gourry moved closer to Lina, probably with the excuse that he was trying to protect her, but the truth was he was completely unnerved by the strange setting.

"Hello?" Pestis called, but there was no answer. "Hello? Is anyone here? Auntie Aqua?"

"I get the feeling that we're not supposed to be here." Lyos murmured. "Maybe we should turn around and look somewhere else-"

"No turning back." Lina grabbed his arm and held him in place. "If you leave us now, you'll never find your way out of here. Only Pestis knows how to get out."

"Is that true?"

"Yes." Pestis nodded. "We can't lose you. You're too important. Just try to stay close, alright?"

"You don't have to tell me." Gourry was still clinging to Lina.

"Didn't you say that you weren't on good terms with Auntie Aqua?" Lina asked Pestis, ignoring Gourry for the moment.

"Well, yes… I mean…"

"Auntie!" Lina yelled. "It's me, Lina! I brought Gourry with me- and the Knight of the Aqualord too! We need to talk to you!"

There was a long pause. The strange dimension was eerily silent.

"Well, maybe she-"

"Professor! How rude! Why didn't you tell me that you had Lina Inverse with you?"

The group jumped and turned around quickly.

"A-Auntie!"Lina exclaimed with a smile. "Oh, thank goodness! I was starting to get worried!"

"It's been a long time, Lina." Auntie Aqua smiled brightly. "It's good to see you again. I hope you've been doing well."

"I have!" Lina assured her. "Well… I mean… for the most part… but-"

"Still can't get rid of that swordsman you were complaining about earlier, hmm?"

"H-huh? You mean Gourry?" Lina blushed. "Did I say that? I didn't mean… I just…"

Lyos edged his way between Lina and Gourry to get a closer look at the small, elfin creature that had appeared all of a sudden. "What is this? Is this who we've been looking for all this time?"

Auntie Aqua leaned in closer to Lyos, blinking a few times. "My knight!" she finally exclaimed.

"Lyos, Auntie Aqua is what remains of the consciousness of Aqualord Ragradia." Lina explained.

"Th-the Aqualord? Her?" Lyos stiffened and gave a formal bow. "I-I apologize! I didn't know!"

Auntie Aqua gave a small laugh and jumped up to perch on Lyos' shoulder. "What a respectful young man. It's nice to meet you, Lyos. You remind me much of the previous Knight of the Aqualord."

"Y-you met him as well?"

She nodded in reply. "I've known several generations of Knights. When the time was right, they all ventured to the Claire Bible to receive the Aqualord's wisdom."

"Th-the Aqualord's wisdom…" Lyos stammered breathlessly. "Th-that's-"

"Great, but that isn't what we're here for." Lina broke in. "We want to ask about something else."

"I figured that was the case…" Auntie Aqua sighed sadly, sending a glare in Pestis' direction. "Since you were with Professor Nisery, it can't be anything good."

"H-hey, hey!" Pestis waved his arms. "I said I was sorry! You can't hold a grudge against me! I'm working for the good of the world here!"

"The good of the world?"

"I'm working against Azarel!"

Auntie Aqua's expression suddenly became grave, and she climbed down from Lyos' shoulder to approach the professor.

"Azarel." she breathed. "This is his doing?"

"And we need to put a stop to it before everything gets out of hand." Pestis replied.

Lina nodded in agreement, grabbing hold of Gourry's hand again. "Azarel kidnapped our son. You have to help us."

Auntie Aqua was silent again for a long moment. She then let out a sigh.

"What kind of help are you looking for?"

"We want to know… about the Key of the Aqualord." Pestis finally spoke. "We want to know what it is, where it is, how we can find it…"

"The Key of the Aqualord…" Auntie Aqua responded. "…that information…"

"Yes? What about it?" Lina inched closer.

"…that information is forbidden!"

"WHAT?"

"The information is forbidden. No one may access it."

"Wh-why not?" Lina gasped. "We've come all this way to find this information! How could you?"

"It's not about you." At lease Auntie Aqua seemed genuinely sorry for what she was saying. "I am strictly forbidden to reveal that information to anyone, no matter the situation."

"E-even to the Knight of the Aqualord?" Lyos stammered.

"This knowledge is something the Knight of the Aqualord must learn on his own."

"I've been trying!" he yelled back. "Don't you think I've been searching for the knowledge on my own? It doesn't exist!"

"I'm sorry."

"But… are you sure?" Gourry asked. "Couldn't we work something out? Maybe come to some sort of compromise-"

"I cannot." Auntie Aqua shook her head decisively. "This is a rule and I cannot break it."

"…Auntie Aqua… this was our last resort. Our last hope." Pestis murmured. "We… we can't… just give up…"

"What can we do?" Lyos had finally calmed down enough to ask politely.

"There is nothing that can be done." Auntie Aqua shook her head.

"Maybe there is." Lina spoke up. The rest of the group turned to look at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Auntie Aqua, the Claire Bible contains an infinite cache of knowledge, correct?"

"Yes."

"That means that it contains all the knowledge that has ever existed in the universe?"

"Yes."

"Meaning that it contains the memories of every person who's ever lived and died…?"

"…yes…" Auntie Aqua ventured.

"What are you trying to do, Lina?" Gourry asked curiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lina smiled. "Auntie Aqua isn't allowed to tell us. But wouldn't it be allowed for us to ask someone else? Someone who would've known?"

"That's… an odd request." Auntie Aqua murmured. "No one has ever asked to use the Claire Bible's power to consult human knowledge…"

"But how can you be sure that the person you choose to contact will have the information that you're looking for?" Lyos asked.

"We can't." Lina shrugged. "But what else can we do? If Auntie can't tell us…"

"The Claire Bible can contact you with the memories of one human." Auntie Aqua began. "If that is your request, I can allow that. But that means that you must choose wisely."

"I already have a good idea of who I'm interested in contacting."

"Are you sure about this, Lina?" Gourry asked. "Maybe it'd be best to let Pestis or Lyos contact the Claire Bible-"

"Professor Nisery cannot." Auntie Aqua interrupted. "A creature created by a Mazoku has no place in the business of the gods."

"H-hey now! I'm not that bad!" Pestis protested, but sighed as he continued. "Though… she's right. I can guard it, but I can't contact the Claire Bible. One of you needs to do that."

"I'm not going to volunteer." Gourry offered. "I know my limits. I can fight battles, but I'll leave the heavy thinking up to you guys. I think Lyos should go."

"I have a few questions of my own to ask anyway." Lyos nodded. I'll go ahead and-"

"Lyos, wait!" Lina called. "Who are you going to contact?"

"Uh…" Lyos blinked. "I mean… who were you going to contact?"

"Someone I'm almost positive will have the information we want. Don't you trust me?"

"Lina, how can you be so sure?" Pestis asked.

"Well, I can't. But I can be close, and I have confidence."

"If you think so…" Gourry sighed, taking his hand off Lina's shoulder. "I suppose it's okay… but be safe!"

"As long as she is in the protection of the Claire Bible, she will come to no harm." Auntie Aqua spoke. "But Lina… are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure." Lina nodded. "Please, I need to speak to a man named Luke."

"Wh-wha-" Gourry stammered. "Lina, he-"

"Luke? Is that it? No last name? No title? Out of all the humans who have ever lived, how do you expect to find him?" Auntie Aqua questioned.

"His first name is all that I have." Lina replied. "But… after what happened, that should be all I need."

"I see. That one." Auntie Aqua nodded knowingly. "I cannot guarantee that he'll have the information that you seek, but you may consult his knowledge nonetheless. Follow me."

"Guard duty is important, but it can be really boring sometimes."

Amelia yawned and leaned against the rock face next to the entrance of the cave. She didn't seem at all worried about the possibility of a Mazoku attack. Zelgadis was not as confident.

"Amelia, it's not a good idea to fall asleep out here in the snow." he scolded.

"Ah, sorry about that." Amelia apologized. She moved next to him and snuggled under his coat, pulling it tightly around the both of them. "You're right. This is much better."

"H-hey! I meant, don't fall asleep at all! This is important!"

Shizuri giggled as she watched the two, and Zelgadis sent her an annoyed glare.

"Thank you, ladies, for your efforts to boost morale… but we need to be sure not to be distracted, just in case-"

"Hey! You kids! What do you think you're doing on my property?"

The voice of an old man snapped the whole group back to alertness. Amelia peeked out of Zelgadis' coat to see what was going on.

The man who'd suddenly appeared over the nearby hill made his way down the path as quickly as he could, using a cane to compensate for a slight limp in his right leg. "Damn kids… always loitering around the place… how in the world do you expect me to keep watch over everything that goes on around here?"

"Sir, I'm not sure I understand!" Shizuri called out to him. "We didn't realize that we were on someone else's property. We were here under the instructions of a friend, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, that professor, right? What's his name… Nisery?"

"You know Professor Nisery?" Zelgadis asked.

"He's always hanging around this edge of the property. He's pestered me for years to buy the whole thing, but I told him to forget it. This is my grandfather's land, and I won't let anyone dare-"

"We mean no harm! We promise!" Amelia waved her hands as though vigorous hand-motions would assure him of their sincerity. "This cave is home to a great power, and our friends have ventured inside to seek information to help-"

"Yeah, yeah, the great power of the cave. I've heard this spiel before." The old man waved his hands. "You self-righteous brats are always claiming to be doing something on behalf of the gods, and lemme tell you, I don't buy it for a minute. Get out of here before I call someone to remove you from the premises!"

"Sir, this is important! We're not doing anything wrong-"

"You're trespassing and that's wrong enough. It's my land, and I'll decide what I want to do with it. If I don't want kids hanging around, that's my decision-"

"You might own the land, but you can't own what's in that cave." Zelgadis interrupted. "That is the property of the gods."

"Didn't you hear what I said? I don't give a damn about the gods."

"Please, listen!" Amelia exclaimed, loudly enough that it caught everyone's attention. "This isn't about the gods at all! Our friends are trying to save their son!"

The old man's fierce expression suddenly softened at the princess' words. He backed down a little. "Th-their son…?"

"Yes." Shizuri nodded. "He's been kidnapped, and this may be our last hope for rescuing him."

"…their son…?"

"You'll allow us that, won't you? For the boy's sake?" Amelia pleaded.

The old man stared for a few moments, as though he were trying to process what was going on. "…their son… ah, yes…" He shook his head a few times. "I have a son- a precious boy. He's grown now, but… oh! Their son! Kidnapped! Goodness knows I could never handle having my boy taken away from me! If that's the case, I'll help you- help your friends, anyway!"

Zelgadis stiffened slightly at the sudden change in the man's demeanour. It was too abrupt. Something wasn't right. Was he really that senile, or…?

Amelia smiled brightly, grabbing the man's hands and shaking them up and down. "You understand! Thank you, sir! Mister- uh-"

"Frederick. Call me Fred! And you are?" The old man seemed pleased to shake hands with Amelia, and didn't let go until Zelgadis stepped in between them.

"We appreciate your understanding, Mister Frederick sir, but we don't need any help. It's enough that you would let us use this cave on your property. You may return home. We will take good care of everything here."

"Oh, no! I insist!" Frederick grabbed onto Zelgadis' hands too. "It won't be much, but please let me do something to help you out! Aren't you cold out here? I can bring you some hot beverages. Don't you like hot cocoa? Everyone does!"

"S-Sir… Sir, please…" Zelgadis began as Frederick moved to Shizuri in order to shake her hands. "We really don't need anything. We're guarding against a terrible force, and-"

"Don't worry so much, my boy!" the old man gave Zelgadis a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I'll go get you some hot beverages- it's not a problem!"

"P-Please sir-"

The man was already hobbling off around the corner of the trail towards another hillside before anyone could stop him.

"I'm sure he's a nice man. He didn't mean any harm. He just needed to have things put into perspective."Amelia tried to comfort Zelgadis.

"I'm not so sure. I'm worried about having him here. We're guarding against Mazoku, and if we get attacked, that old man is going to be a liability. I don't want to risk my friends' lives trying to save some annoying old man that we barely even know."

"He's going to bring us some hot cocoa. Won't that be nice?"

"Amelia, please-"

"There's nothing we can do about it now." Shizuri stepped in-between them. "When he comes back, we'll just have to thank him for his help and tell him honestly why he can't stay here with us. If it's for his own safety, I'm sure he'll understand."

"Okay, then." "Alright, fine." Amelia and Zelgadis both nodded in reply. Neither looked quite satisfied, but there wasn't much else to be done.