Amelia did her best to walk as casually as possible, resisting the strong impulse within her to run. She didn't want to attract any attention to herself and she was worried that Luna had put men on her to follow her. But if she had, Amelia could sense no sign nor hair of them so, after a lot of buckling up to return to her house for the first time since her father's murder for some clothes, food, money and supplies, she walked as quickly as she dared to the jail. It was late, at a time of the night when Amelia was usually in bed. But she needed to spring Zelgadis and Sylphiel now, and then get as far away as possible.

Amelia reached the outskirts of town, and her stomach twisted as she noticed three people by the jail. Guards? How was she going to get around them? Amelia nearly turned back around, but she knew if she did it would be forever too late. So Amelia kept walking. As she got closer she started to doubt they were guards. One of them was struggling with an animal on a leash. She couldn't see their features in the dark, but as she grew closer, she realized that something about the way that two of them stood beside each other was familiar. There was the huge height differential for one thing. One was obviously a tall man while the other a petite woman. But then there was also the way that they moved together, back to back, guarding each other, that made Amelia's heart race. But it couldn't be them!

As Amelia got closer the clouds parted, allowing the light to fall on the woman. Amelia gasped. "Lina!" she cried as she ran to her, "Gourry! You came back!"

Amelia embraced her tightly as the third person said, "Gee, you hug Lina before you hug your own sister?"

Amelia felt her heart jump again, "Sis?" she said as she turned to look at Naga, "What, but, you've been gone for years!"

"And now I'm back."

"Lina," Gourry said, "This fox is really wanting to get a move on."

Amelia turned to gape at him. "But why are you walking a fox?"

"Long story." Lina said, and Amelia was relieved to see she seemed clear headed for once. "Anyway. We've got some important stuff to do. We'll be back before you know it."

"Wait, you can't leave me here!" Amelia said.

"We won't." Lina said reassuringly, "We can't explain right now, but you're just going to have to trust that we'll help."

"But Zel and Sylphiel are in jail, and Zel is going to be hanged tomorrow, and the way they're talking they're going to stone Sylphiel for adultery."

"What?" Lina and Gourry exclaimed.

"That's why you came back, isn't it?" Amelia said, "You heard how out of control Luna became?"

"No." Lina said uncertainly.

Amelia's hands balled into fists, "But now that you're back you are going to help! We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't run off and set your sister off…"

Lina put her hands on Amelia's shoulders, "I promise you, we will help. We just need to figure out the best way to do this."

Lina looked over at Naga, "I don't want to cast a spell and lose my boost. Do you think you could…?"

"Spell?" Amelia said.

Naga looked dubious, "I'll give it a shot."

Amelia buried her hands in her face, "I thought you seemed lucid!" She turned to Gourry imploringly, "Please do something! I know you never loved Sylphiel, but she never did anything to deserve this!"

"Trust Lina." Gourry said quietly, which only infuriated Amelia even more.

But before she could say anything, Naga cried, "Dam Brass!"

There was an explosion, and when the dust cleared, the group could see that there was a definite hole in the wall. From within they could see a lone guard looking out at them in shock. "S-she really is a witch!" he cried as he looked at Lina, and then he ran towards the town, "A witch! The witch has returned!"

Amelia pointed at the ruins of the wall, her hand trembling as Zelgadis and Sylphiel came to the bars of their cells and looked at them, stunned. "H-how…how did you do that?" Amelia asked.

"There's no time to explain." Lina said as she found a key hanging on a wall and grabbed it. "Let's just say, I'm not crazy."

Lina walked to Zel's cell and put the key in the lock. "Naga, do you think perhaps you should take them out while Gourry and I take down Kitsune?"

"Or perhaps we should just forget Kitsune and run now that we have everyone we need." Naga said.

"We can't let Kitsune keep getting away with this!" Gourry said as he wrangled with the fox while Lina sprung Zel out and went to unlock Sylphiel's door. "Who knows how many people she's trapped."

"It's their own bad luck." Naga said as Zel and Amelia looked on, confused.

Before Gourry, or Lina, could say anything, Lina pulled back the door holding Sylphiel, who walked out, looking between Lina and Gourry, bewildered. Cautiously she walked up to Gourry, her expression unreadable as the air seemed to cool around them.

Gourry fidgeted nervously, even as he held tight to the fox. "If you want to slap me, it's okay."

Sylphiel closed her eyes in frustration, "Is that all you have to say to me?"

"I owe you an explanation. A long one. But right now is really not the time." He said.

"He's right." Amelia said as she looked out the gaping hole in the wall, "There's a mob coming!"

The group turned to see that the townspeople had amassed bearing torches and pitchforks. "Dammit!" Lina said, "We have to find Kitsune."

"Find Kitsune?" Zelgadis said, "We have to get out of here!"

"I agree." Naga said.

"Then take those three and go!" Lina said, "Gourry and I will take down Kitsune."

"I don't think we should be separated!" Sylphiel protested.

"You don't know enough of what is happening to have an opinion." Lina snapped.

Sylphiel reddened, and Gourry scrambled to find a way to defuse the situation, but he was distracted as the fox continued to pull aggressively on the leash and from fighting the influx of other memories from this world.

"So be it." Sylphiel said as she turned to Gourry, "I never understood what you saw in her, but from now on I'm washing my hands of you."

Sylphiel walked over to Naga, "Take me where you will."

Naga nodded, "Amelia, warty, this way."

"Warty?" Zelgadis asked as he followed her nonetheless.

"You'd better move, the mob is here!" Lina said as she looked at the fox and wondered how they were going to track Kitsune without running into the mob!

Naga opened the door to the jail and ushered Sylphiel, Amelia and Zelgadis out. They didn't get far. From the woods emerged a pack of wolves, their teeth barred and eyes fierce. The group ran back towards Lina and Gourry, and Lina looked behind her and got a good look at what the group was running from as they closed the door, "Dammit, look, those wolves aren't real. They're just one of Kitsune's illusions."

"They look very real to me!" Amelia said.

Lina closed her eyes. And then she felt it. The influx of memories from this place grew stronger, threatening to drown out her true identity. But, thanks to the boost spell, Lina was able to fight it, to see the façade for what it was. But what about the others? She opened her eyes just in time to see Gourry let go of the leash. "Gourry!" she admonished, "Why did you do that?"

He looked confused, "Why was I walking a fox?"

"Gourry, we have to track it!" Lina said.

"But why?" he asked.

"Don't you remember?" Lina said, "To track Kitsune!"

"Kitsune?" Gourry repeated as he looked at the approaching mob in a panic, "Lina, this isn't time for your delusions!"

Lina felt cold as it occurred to her that the ease with which they'd held onto their memories upon returning to Ktsune's world had been a trap. She'd been toying with them. She'd allowed them to have their memories for a bit to develop a false sense of security before tricking their minds again. Lina looked out at the approaching mob, and then noticed a pulsing light coming from the north. She frowned, took a deep breath, and went out to greet the mob. "Lina!" Gourry cried.

Lina held her hand out for him to stay back as she glared at the mob. With the boost spell she could see that only about a quarter were real people. "I am Lina, and I am a powerful witch!" she announced as the crowd gasped. "I've put these five under a spell to do my bidding! But now I am releasing them, and anyone who harms them will be cursed by me!"

"Lina!" Luna cried as she came up to her. But Lina wasn't scared of her. She was an illusion.

"Luna knew I was a witch and aided and abetted me!" Lina said, "So you're free to do with her as you please."

Luna turned red as the crowd started to roar as from behind her the wolves came up. Lina pointed to them, and for some reason they disappeared. Lina smiled as she figured that Kitsune likely had her hands full trying to keep this crummy little hell world going. And she could use that to her advantage. "See that pack? I've set them on you! While I lured you from your homes I set the wolves loose upon them! As we speak your homes and businesses are being ransacked!"

Thankful that she could now see her real clothes under the illusion, Lina grabbed one of the gems from her shoulder guards, counted a few seconds, and then threw it into an area with a lot of illusionary people. As it exploded she ordered, "Go save your town before it's too late!"

The crowd screamed, and Lina started to run, grabbing another jewel from her mantle as she did. Someone came up to grab her and she dropped the gem. It exploded, distracting her attacker and kicking up the dirt she needed for cover as she made it to the woods. By then it was chaos among the mob, and it was so dark, that Lina was able to lose sight of them. Unfortunately, it also meant that the fox was long gone. But Lina had a hunch.

She looked to the north and found the pulsing light again. Spells had a focal point from where their caster was, and most spells left a visible trace. Could the pulsing light be emanating from Kitsune as she forced her hell world onto the people unfortunate enough to get trapped in it? Lina started following the light. It wasn't long until she heard footsteps behind her. She reached for another jewel from her mantle, but stopped as he came into view.

"Gourry?"

"What the hell were you thinking?" He asked, "And how did you do that?"

"No time to explain." Lina said. "Just shut up and follow me."

"Lina!" Gourry protested.

"The longer we stand here and argue the more time they have to find us!" Lina insisted.

Gourry looked like he wanted to protest, but ended up nodding grimly. Lina located the pulsing light again and started following it, Gourry on her heels. Lina started jogging as fast as she dared given the uneven surface and the dark, honing in on the light. Lina wasn't sure how long they had been running, but it seemed as if the light was picking up intensity. Then Gourry said, "We're being tracked."

"Shh." Lina said. She heard a growling from the bushes.

Gourry grabbed a stick and swung it around just in time to club a fox as it shot out of the foliage at Lina. Another fox shot out at her, only to be intercepted by Gourry. Foxes. They had to be close. Lina kept walking forward, chanting as she did.

"Lina!" Gourry cried, "Wrong way!"

Lina ignored him as she kept walking forward. But the growling grew more persistent, and suddenly they were attacked from all sides by a flood of foxes! "I can't keep fighting them off, they're too many!" Gourry said.

Lina cried out as one bit at her ankles, but she kept walking forward as she kicked it off her. Behind her Gourry was doing his best to fend them off, but more and more kept getting through. The trees parted, and finally Lina saw her. Kitsune was sitting on a trunk, her three eyes closed as though in a trance, surrounded by growling foxes. Lina wondered why she didn't do more to defend herself, but then perhaps holding all of their minds hostage took up so much of her concentration that all she could do was set her pets on them. "I pledge myself to conquer…" Lina said, and then she did her best to keep from throwing her hands in front of her face as the foxes charged at her as a group. Gourry moved in front of her and batted several away. "Get behind me! Don't worry about them!" Lina ordered. She had to keep chanting, and fast!

"But Lina, they'll tear you apart…" Gourry said as he kept swinging his stick like a club at them.

"You idiot, just trust me!" Lina said as she tried not to cry out as several foxes started climbing up her legs. She tried to kick them off, but they managed to get to her arms and started biting.

Gourry turned to look at her, and then pulled one off of her and threw it to the ground before grabbing the others. "We have to turn back!" he said.

Lina closed her eyes. How could she get him to understand? A fox jumped on her arm again, and she grabbed another jewel from her mantle and threw it. There was an explosion, followed by the whimper of some of the foxes. "So help me Gourry, if you don't get behind me right now you'll get caught in the next explosion!"

Gourry's jaw dropped, and he nodded and got behind her as Lina resumed casting.

"All the foes who stand…" Lina bit her lip as the biggest fox she'd ever seen ran up and jumped on her, nearly sending her flying back. Gourry steadied her and punched at the fox. It whimpered, but his claws dug into Lina and he held on tight! "Against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand."

Gourry punched at the fox again, but all that happened was his claws tore deeper into Lina's flesh as he struggled to hang on. Then Lina felt a stabbing pain in her neck as he bit her throat! Blood started to drip down her neck and backed up into her mouth as behind her, Gourry yelled as he tried to pry the fox off of her.

Panic set in. Could she still talk? Could she complete the spell? She coughed, spitting out as much blood as she could as she tried to retain her grip on consciousness, "Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you as I possess."

Her voice was a barely a croak. But the power continued to grow in her hands, even as the fox started to shake his head in what Lina assumed was an attempt to rip her throat out. The pain was blinding! But she still had to complete the spell! "DRAGON SLAVE!" Lina said weakly. But the power that surged from her hands was still strong as it flew towards Kitsune.

But before she could see if it hit or not, the fox clamped down on her throat, and Lina blacked out.