Hello, everyone! As per usual, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

52- Just the Facts

"…I don't wanna stay here alone. Something about this city gives me a bad feeling." Enrique pleaded one final time. "Can't someone stay here with me?"

"You'll be fine, Enrique." Shizuri assured him. "Someone has to stay here and look after this egg, and we trust you to do that."

"You won't be alone with that egg there." Lyos pointed out.

Enrique glanced over at the Ancient Dragon egg, unamused. "It's an egg. It won't do anything."

"Enrique, for the last time, you can't come with us to that restaurant. It's in a bad part of town and it's not a place that children normally go. If we bring you with us-"

"I know, I know. It'll arouse suspicion, blah blah blah." Enrique rolled his eyes. "And so what? I'm supposed to stay all alone?"

"Not alone. With the egg." Lyos pointed out.

"Will you stop that?!"

The group continued to argue, but Pestis broke away from them and approached Filia, who was sitting in a corner by herself, staring out the window. The inn that they'd chosen to stay at was very homey, but it also provided a beautiful view of the bustling city, especially at night when everything was brightly lit.

"…something wrong, Filia?"

"Oh, nothing." Filia shook her head. She moved over on the bench a little so that Professor Nisery could sit down next to her. "I was just thinking."

"About Xellos?"

"A little."

"Hm." Pestis nodded in reply. "You love him, don't you?"

Filia shrugged, but she grinned at him. "Only about as far as I could throw him."

"I told you before, you could throw him really far." Pestis giggled.

"The way I'm feeling right now, I'd love to get the chance."

Pestis sighed. "For everyone's sake, I ask you to refrain. I've been to this restaurant before. At a shady place like this, one small act of violence can trigger a bar fight easily. We have to stick to diplomacy."

"And I hear you're pretty good with that." Filia murmured. She extended a hand to him with a smile. "With everything going on, I haven't had the chance to formally apologize to you."

"For what?"

"For when we first met. I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot."

He chuckled in reply. "Don't worry about it. I get that a lot, to be honest. It was an honour to be punched by a lovely dragon such as yourself."

"That's a new perspective." Filia laughed. "…though, I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"Well, I…" She wrung her hands nervously. "…the other night, that is, when you spoke with Azarel-"

"You knew?" Pestis interrupted, his eyes wide.

"I was out in the garden, trying to clear my head. When you started yelling, I was afraid something was wrong, so I came by just to make sure."

"That's why you were so willing to accept the idea of Xellos as your attacker." Pestis realized out loud. "It's because you heard Azarel describe it first-hand."

"I haven't seen Xellos in months. He used to visit frequently, but he stopped coming around when the strange weather started up. I was worried about him for a while, but I suppose I should've been more worried about myself." She stared at the floor for a moment. "What are your feelings toward Azarel?"

"I do love Azarel." Pestis answered. "Not romantically- certainly not- but… love all the same."

"Love doesn't have to be romantic to be meaningful." Filia answered. "I'm sorry to pry, but the reason I asked is because you remind me of Xellos in a lot of ways. Your conversation with Azarel reminded me of Xellos and myself."

"It's tough, that's for sure." Pestis nodded his head. "Conflicting ideologies and lifestyles put a strain on a relationship. It seems idyllic to watch couples like Amelia and Zelgadis or Lina and Gourry, who are the same on a spiritual level. Any conflict they might have with one another will be petty in an ultimate sense. But… when you really love someone..." He quickly shook his head. "I shouldn't be filling your young head with all these idealistic notions. This will all depend on Xellos' perspective. Remember that it takes two to make a pair."

"Thank you." Filia murmured. "You know, most people have been telling me to forget about him. They say that all this worry and frustration isn't worth it."

"They might be right, but that's something only you can decide." Pestis replied. "You have to be honest with yourself, but as long as you are, it's your decision to make. You must do what's best for you."

"Lord Pathosmasterrrrrr~ say something!" Enrique's voice interrupted the conversation as the boy came running over. "I don't wanna get eaten by wolves!"

"Wh-who said anything about wolves? What happened to this conversation while Filia and I were away?"

"Uh… nothing." Lyos avoided eye contact with the others, though Shizuri continued to give him a dirty look.

"Enrique, I'm counting on you to take care of my egg." Filia placed her hands on his shoulders. "Professor Nisery says that you're trustworthy and strong. Is that true?"

"I… guess…"

"Then that's why you need to stay here and be on guard. Can I expect you to do that?"

Enrique nodded slowly. "Y-yes, Miss Filia."

Lyos was already by the door, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "Let's get going so that I can beat some sense into that-"

"Ah, ah, ah! We have to promise no violence." Pestis interrupted. "So as to not cause a ruckus, we need to remain calm. We're just going to have a nice dinner and talk things through."

Lyos rolled his eyes. "Right. You keep thinking that."

"Sorry, sir, but we don't take reservations. If you're looking for high-class dining, this ain't it."

The man who greeted them at the restaurant was apologetic enough, but he looked like the kind of guy who could knock someone out just by swatting at a fly, and no one wanted to argue with him.

"P-please, we were invited by a friend." Pestis explained, pulling the paper that Enrique had given him out of his coat pocket. "Here's the information he gave us."

The man took the paper and read over it for a few minutes before he seemed to realize what it meant. "…oh. You're with that guy." He balled up the paper and tossed it on the floor, motioning for the group to follow him toward one of the back rooms. Filia reached out for the paper in an attempt to properly dispose of it in a wastebasket, but Pestis grabbed the sleeve of her shirt and shook his head. This was not the time or place for proper manners.

Xellos was sitting alone at one of the tables in the back room, which was filled to the brim with loud chatter. He was far overdressed compared to everyone else around him, and was sipping on a cup of tea. His face lit up when he saw the group approaching him, and he stood up to greet them.

"Friends!" he exclaimed loudly- at least loud enough that he could be heard over the commotion of the room. "I'm so glad you could make it!" They weren't sure how to respond, but they didn't need to. Xellos grabbed Pestis' hand to shake first, and then Lyos'. He kissed Shizuri's hand with a polite nod of the head, but Filia he tried to embrace. "Filia, my love!"

Filia allowed him to hug her, but didn't return the gesture. It wasn't at all genuine. She growled at him.

"Oh, Filia, you have such a beautiful scowl. It warms my heart." Xellos took his seat once again, much to everyone's relief.

"Don't give us that nice-guy act." Lyos hissed, sitting down in the seat next to Xellos. "If you love Filia so much, why'd you stab her?"

"It's not like that, I assure you." Xellos waved a hand dismissively, taking a sip of tea before continuing. "I had only just acquired that dagger from a prisoner of Lord Beastmaster's. All new weapons can be troublesome to work with before you get the hang of them- why, it's not uncommon for them to just plant themselves in your girlfriend's gut for no reason! Isn't that funny?" He laughed loudly.

Shizuri shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I don't like this guy's sense of humour." she whispered to Pestis.

"And I suppose it's also common to accidentally walk off with your friends' baby, too?" Filia asked pointedly.

"That was intentional." Xellos answered curtly for a change. "Though an informant has assured me that he is now safely in his parents' care once again."

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Lyos muttered.

"Certainly thanks to me." Xellos replied. "Just think of how troubled they would've been to find him had I just dropped him off in a field somewhere. I was courteous enough to leave him with a family friend."

"But not courteous enough to return him to his actual parents." Shizuri corrected.

"I wanted to keep up the illusion that Azarel was the kidnapper, remember? If I'd known that you'd find me out so quickly, I would've taken him straight back. I'm a general-priest, not a mind-reader."

"Why did you do it, Xellos?" Pestis pleaded. "You obviously wouldn't have invited us here tonight if you weren't willing to give us answers."

"You're absolutely right." Xellos nodded in reply. "I had expected you would ask that question, which is why I brought this- er, ugh-" He struggled to pull a large, heavy object out of his bag. "-this with me."

It was several stacks of file folders held together by a string that looked ready to snap at any given moment. Xellos sat it down on the table and began untying it.

A waitress passed by the table. "Can I getcha' anything to drink?" she called to the group, trying her best to grab their attention away from Xellos and his stack of papers. Her surly disposition didn't help. Most of the group wasn't in the mood to order anything, but Pestis wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

"Coffee, please. Black." he requested politely.

"Anything else?" The rest of the group was being quiet and avoiding eye contact.

"I'd like to order a pitcher of that fruity cocktail I've seen you carting out to other tables." Xellos spoke up. "Bring out glasses for the whole table, would you?"

"Got it. A black coffee and a pitcher of sangria." The waitress scribbled onto a notebook and left the table muttering to herself something no one could hear.

"What are these?" Shizuri finally asked, pulling a folder from the stack and examining its contents. Xellos eagerly passed out folders to the rest of the group.

"Look at them all you like. This information is declassified."

"They're profiles of sorcerers." Lyos observed, digging through the stack. "But I don't recognize any of 'em. Who the hell is Justine Spandrel?"

"Oh! I remember her!" Pestis chimed. "She was a famous treasure-hunting sorceress, well-known for her daring escapades in search of the world's most valuable hidden treasures. She died as one of the wealthiest humans in the history of- well, ever." His excitement died down and he frowned, looking through the file. "But she died almost two-thousand years ago. Why do you still have all this data on her?"

"This pair of twin sorcerers lived almost three-thousand years ago." Filia observed, looking through more of the files. "But this sorceress just died within the last thirty years. What do all of these people have in common?"

"What, indeed." Xellos smiled and took a group of four files from the top of one of the stacks. The files were labelled with a different colour than the others for easy identification. "These are the most important entries in this collection- I'm sure you'll find them quite interesting."

Shizuri took one and gasped loudly. "Luke? But what does he have to do with- er, wait. This is someone else…"

"…Rezo the Red Priest…" Pestis murmured, staring at one of the files in awe.

"Hey, hey," Lyos began, waving a third of the folders around. "you bothering all these sorcerers is bad enough, but what business do you have harassing these poor little girls?"

Xellos grabbed the folder from him and began to put the papers back in order. "I assure you, Marielle and Jetta Arcarti were far more than poor little girls. They were a decade-long project that, though ultimately ending in failure, provided the Mazoku with a lot of great data for future work."

"…Shabranigdo…" Pestis gasped. "That's it. It has to be. Lei Magnus makes four- these are the four humans in which pieces of the Demon King Shabranigdo have been awakened! That means that… the rest of these sorcerers…"

"A piece of the Demon King's soul attached to a human one is much more easy to detect than it is to awaken. Simply knowing that a human harbours the Demon King is not enough. The Mazoku started a whole war to awaken the piece in Lei Magnus, and you can see just how that turned out." Xellos explained slowly. "Over the past four-thousand years, Lord Beastmaster has been identifying and cataloguing humans who have pieces of the Demon King attached to their souls. They generally live and die normally, never realizing that they are any different from other humans. The piece of Shabranigdo is passed on as the soul is reincarnated, and so on continues the cycle."

"So what's the point of performing this level of surveillance?" Filia demanded. "Why catalogue all these people?"

"Because it's led to some interesting discoveries." Xellos replied. "After all these years of cataloguing, we now have a sample size large enough to draw statistical conclusions about Lord Shabranigdo's taste in hosts, so to speak. The Demon King has preferences."

"Really?" Pestis murmured, his interest piqued. All his life he'd been studying the ways of the Mazoku, but this was something he'd never considered before.

"Oh yes. By comparing the data about the hosts to the average, there are many conclusions to be drawn. For example, in terms of biological sex, the sample matches up almost perfectly with the birth-rates for the average population." Xellos explained. "That means the Demon King doesn't discriminate among the sexes. Makes him better than some humans, wouldn't you say?"

Shizuri rolled her eyes, not wanting to agree with him, but having little choice.

"In fact, the gender ratio and racial makeup of the hosts also fit perfectly with the average population. Those aren't things Lord Shabranigdo cares about. But," Xellos opened one eye with a smirk. "the average magical capacity of the hosts is exponentially higher than that of the population as a whole. The Demon King favours stronger magicians."

"Makes sense…" Filia murmured uneasily.

"Yes, there are a few factors that can make a person a more likely host candidate for Shabranigdo. That's what we're after- finding the pieces of Shabranigdo more efficiently." Xellos continued, finishing the last of his tea. "And out of all the data we've collected, we've noticed one trait that stands out the most of any other. A whopping nineteen percent of the hosts we've catalogued share this trait, which doesn't sound like much, but considering the statistic is more along the lines of 0.3 percent for the general population, it's statistical anomaly."

"So this one trait can make someone…" Pestis counted on his fingers. "er, a lot more likely to be a host for Shabranigdo?"

"That's what the numbers show." Xellos nodded.

"And this trait is what, exactly?" Lyos asked, unimpressed by Xellos' drama.

Xellos picked up the folder with the illustration of the Arcarti sisters. "Why, isn't it obvious?" He smirked. "Having an identical twin, of course."