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In passing, Filia had often wondered what exactly made someone a channel to Siephied or Shabranigdu. How long did it take to make someone a channel? Could a new one be assigned on a whim? Could Ragradia do this? Could Knights be channels? Could angels be?

Just how expendable were she, Luna and Claire, if Laust could be killed when Zelas's plot called for it?

It didn't help anyone to worry about that, but she kept having to steer back her thoughts to the here and now. Whatever it was that made her a channel, it allowed her to help Lyos contain his new power.

Filia had always thought of magical energy as having intensity, rather than density. As she tried helping Lyos she shed this idea : magic had not only density, but also structure and texture. Spell energy was just a breath compared to this almost visceral nature.

That made the silence of Lyos worrisome, somehow. For all the vivid energy, it felt like he should move more. Sometimes he'd say, "I'm still sane," but he never said he was still himself. Filia often considered asking whether she would be allowed to visit his spirit, but stopped herself every time. She was not sure she knew what to do.

When she woke after an accidental nap, she found him smiling. "I can sense Claire again."

"That's great. How do you feel?" she asked. "Does she say anything?"

He sat up and cracked his bones. Had Filia need been able to see the utter chaos of his astral body, she could have mistaken him for waking after a good sleep.

"Like hell, but once Claire and I get the telepathy thing going again I bet she can help me. She's already balancing me out from afar."

Filia frowned. "Does that mean she's staying outside of Val's hollow?"

"Yeah ... I don't know why, but I'm getting some really strange memories. I keep remembering that time you told me how Val turned into Valteira in Kataart. I'm not sure why Claire's doing that."

"Maybe miss Milina knows how to improve telepathy. She does have experience being linked to Rangort, after all," Filia said. "I'll be right back."

Milina had taken the brunt of Lei's first attack, which left her worse for wear. Filia knew no way to heal the wounds of angels, so Milina had gone to feed on what little positivity she could find among the healthy soldiers. They had gathered below the statue of Ragradia in the watery hall.

The mood in the mountain had little room for laughter, but the Sailoon soldiers still here (still alive) made a valiant effort. The devil clan wasn't likely to return, so they'd regroup and steer clear of places Lei Magnus might be. A lot of faith was put in the idea that very soon, Lyos would be strong enough to make a real difference for the war.

Milina helped the mood by telling stories about how hell had improved, how that none of the dead were likely to suffer. Communes had risen in what once had been dreary wastelands, and she made promises to carry on messages.

Filia lingered at the edge of the hall, on one side eager to talk to Milina, but on the other side were the eyes of everyone. She hadn't had much chance to explain what happened with Xelloss. If the doubting, confused looks she got were any indication, that would be a hard conversation. Honestly, how was she to explain her people what her deal with the dragon slayer was? She herself didn't know. Gods, he had killed her allies recently.

To her relief, Milina spotted her. After excusing herself, she plane shifted to Filia.

"I take Lyos is stable enough to be alone?"

Filia nodded. "He's back in touch with Claire. Do you know any tricks to improve their telepathy?"

"It depends. I'm inorganic altogether and had years of practice with this life, he doesn't. I can try, but whether he understands it is another question. "

"Thank you," Filia said, grateful for Milina's professionalism. It gave her some stability, however fragile.

As Milina walked back with her, Filia considered asking her about Luke. He had almost destroyed the world because Milina had died. The topic seemed inappropriate, Luke had not been quite himself. On the other hand, he still was that new person, wasn't he? How did Milina deal with it? Did it even matter? Xelloss was far from the fiend Luke had been to Milina. Milina knew to expect good from Luke, while Filia always had to second guess Xelloss's motivations.

"Is something the matter?" Milina asked. "I don't mean to introduce your privacy, but I can't help perceive your emotions this close."

Filia swallowed. "I'm just wonder what I have to say to people like mister Milgazia and mister Azonge. How do I explain ... well, Xelloss?"

"You don't. Ignore them. Once this is over, we're taking you far away from here. Besides, ... you don't want to hear their theories. Most of them think you're in a poisonous romance."

"We don't need that nonsense," Filia spat.

Milina stopped walking. "Then what do you need?"

Filia threw her hands up. "I don't know. What am I supposed to do with Xelloss?"

"Do?" Milina raised an eyebrow. "In what sense?"

"It's ridiculous," Filia sputtered. "No dragon should be on terms with a devil. How can I ... never mind."

"I do mind," Milina said. "Remember, I perceive emotions as an astral. If am to go close to an unstable demigod, I'd rather you not be fretting at my side. Spit it out."

"It's ... oh, I don't know. I always justified my interaction with Xelloss by telling myself that he is a lesser evil than the other devils. I don't know whether I still can."

"You didn't have a choice about interacting with him," Milina said. "Why does it matter?"

"Whenever I'm anything less than hundred percent hostile it feels like I'm going along. He's a remorseless killer."

"Look, I died only to learn I've been a chain on Shabranigdu himself. I thought at most I'd redirected an assassin. That's the way it is. I don't care for what might be, I just make sure nobody suffers. If I can do that by pulling at Luke's love for me and you can make silly bargains with Xelloss that play his pride, what's the problem?"

When Filia only looked down and sighed, Milina walked on. It took Filia a second to say it.

"That's the problem. I don't know whether I can still play. We lost fusion magic during the first fight with Lei and failed again when he broke out. Didn't you wonder why?"

Milina stopped again. "I've wondered, yes."

"We disagreed over mister Milgazia's fate. Xelloss wants him dead because mister Milgazia's existence offends Xelloss's idea of fun. I know Xelloss cannot disobey orders from above, but this ... I don't even know what his orders are most of the time. Maybe he'd be worse if Zelas didn't restrain him. Fusion magic doesn't work if the goals of the wielders aren't aligned. How can I align with someone like Xelloss?"

Milina shrugged. "I don't think my experiences will help you."

Obviously, but Filia just needed to rant for the sake of it. "I can't feel coordinated with someone who treats lives on the same level as foul language and he sure is not making it easier. He said he's afraid I'll do something stupid if I know the full story. Do you think that too?"

"No, but to be honest, I think I don't have the full story either. My link with Rangort makes that an issue. It'll take some time to go over everything to match up our holes."

Oh, great. Wonderful.

"What in heaven and hell is wrong with everyone? This whole mess could have been avoided if they had just taken a year or so to teach me and miss Luna to fortify our soul gates," Filia screamed.

"I'm not so sure that would have made everything go smoothly."

Filia planted her hands on her hips. "Well, it would have made some things smoother. But I guess now we're here, there's no fixing it. Xelloss and Zelas aren't going to stop being jerks, but can you at least tell me what you know?"

"Alright. There is a project in hell to control the power of Shabranigdu in a new way. The current pieces are split but still of the original mind. We're trying to get rid of Shabranigdu in the smaller pieces."

"Why do they need the talismans? What will the revived Ragradia do? I doubt Zelas does this without gaining something."

"If Rangort seeks to read my mind, that would mean the hell project's secret side is already revealed, but I don't know the exact details of Lina's part. I'm sorry. Lina told us this : Zelas wants to abolish the old world order, but not in a way that defies the Lord of Nightmares. Lina is allegedly the apostle of the Lord of Nightmares and she hinted that Shabranigdu is to be fuel. Something to do with the machine in the middle of the demon's ocean. Whatever happens, we'll be rid of Shabranigdu."

"That's it?"

"That's the first good news I got in a while," Lyos piped up.

Lyos who wasn't anywhere in this hallway.

"Look who figured out voice projection," Milina said. "Does this mean I'm not going to have to help with stabilizing your telepathy, or ..."

"You two are within the fraying layers of my astral body. Not exactly long distance, so yeah. I'm still gonna need help."

Fraying ... the moment he said this, what Filia had seen as mere blue waves on the astral plane now appeared more as chaffed skin layers. Making an effort to ignore that, she said, "Miss Claire hasn't even told you as much as that?"

"Not before today," Lyos said. "The usual reasons, mind reading gods and all that, but she's trying to tell me more now."

"Well I'd like you to tell her—" A dragon claw unfolded on the astral plane, held up in a halt sign.

"I think she might know my side of things, but I'm not experienced enough to figure out hers let alone tell her anything, Filia."

Filia gave a tense nod. The rest of the walk back, she questioned Milina on the details of hell and the death of Laust. Well, the second death.

Milina had seen it happen. On the surface Zelas's story held up, but Milina had little faith in the necessity. The man had been one of the few good people down in the hell side of the project, and a friend to Milina. Filia remembered him as a cheerful old man with many good stories and unrelenting heroism. Xelloss has tortured, eaten and experimented on him.

When they arrived at the room, Lyos had gotten his astral body a little more condensed. A thin, scaly layer now covered the dreadful mass of guts and his size didn't flit all over the place anymore. Milina still kept her distance and would not enter the room, keeping the resonance at a minimum.

What Milina added to the flow was method and sense. Direction, form, wavelength and speed all played into a countless variations of magic — Filia set all her mind to perceiving it and pushed all her monsters to the back of her mind.

Lyos's power was unruly to say the least. While not chaotic, the way he wielded it had this raw precision, while Milina's was more like the passing of time. Filia ran short of ways of describing it to herself, she couldn't even tell the difference between wielding and being that energy. The best she could do to help was use her hands to help along the flow. Here it paid off to be a magical creature herself.

"What's your approach to magic?" Milina asked. "You seem to have bypassed auditory control, but you're still material about it."

"Miss Luna and I have stumbled around a bit, but Claire has told me to use hands like before."

"Can you grow wings in this form? I use them for focus, maybe you can do as well. They are limbs after all."

Filia gave a nervous chuckle, remembering a long-ago accident. "I'm not wearing the right clothes for wings."

"Well, try next time Claire's around to help," Lyos said.

"You should know she didn't teach me anything out of the goodness of her heart. I had to push for a contract," Filia muttered. "I suspect if I ask her for more, I'll have to put something else on the table."

"Good to hear you've got no more illusions about the gods," Milina said. "I had about five minutes to enjoy the idea there were caring gods before Rangort made it clear how they operate."

Lyos gave a wry smile. "We should start a club. Member requirements : demigods cynical about the bosses with a side dish of caring for the wrong devils."

"As if there's anything like the right devils," Filia said. "No offense, miss Milina. Mister Luke isn't exactly a devil, is he?"

"He is a chimera now," Milina said. "But I understand your point."

Filia wasn't sure of that. She wracked her mind on how to put to words what bothered her, but got nowhere. It wasn't just that Xelloss veiled everything, it was that he took joy in dangling her around. She couldn't even form a solid opinion on how he took lives because she didn't know his exact position on it.

Milina looked so calm while she worked. Did she really feel at peace?

Lyos might be forcing his smiles, but he made progress mastering his power. Was he really so confident?

Could they project something that they didn't feel? Filia knew so little of astral life.

"So, how's this?" Milina asked once she was done with her next frame of magic.

Lyos flared out some of the outer layers of his power. "Odd ... Leyunso is outside, yelling things into the mountains. I can't hear what she's yelling, she's blocking me somehow."

"If she's eager to talk, something must be very wrong," Milina said with a frown. "Hmm ... ignore her words for now. Can you try to mimic her flow? Look for this."

Milina curled her wings forward and created a sphere of light between her hands. When she blew into it, it flew out like dust in the wind, softly swaying between her wings.

"What's this?" Lyos asked her he took the sphere.

"I think I recognize that," Filia said. "Rather than just reading the natural flow, one uses some holy energy to send out and retrieve. Valwin used it to see what Luna was up to."

"Right," Milina said. "It should work even if normal flow reading is too subtle for you."

"It's not what Leyunso is doing, but I can try it on my own."

Filia waited, hoping to hear why Val had lowered his protective hollow. The only reason she could imagine was that Luna had dealt with whatever threat the gods might have sent, but she didn't look forward to hearing about how.

Lyos quietly complained about how much easier this would be if Orun was around to help him. It took him nearly twenty minutes of tinkering before the distorted message became coherent. Then he grinned, but only for a second before shooting to his feet.

"Valgaav."

"Come again?" Milina asked.

"Claire says Valgaav is alive."

"No," Filia said, no more pressure than when denying the sky was polka dotted.

Lyos looked straight at her. "He hid within Val. Everything, the hollow, the machine, he has a plan in name of Volphied. He's coming for us."

"No," Filia said, more urgent now.

"Claire and Luna entered his dreams, something like that. She's frantic and says he's gathering an army to come capture you and me. He claimed the pieces of Shabranigdu that Dolphin had."

"That makes no sense," Filia said. Val wasn't a trap, he was her child.

Milina grabbed her arm. "Come. You and who ever else can move must get out of Lyos's imbalance. Teleport them away. Lyos, get out of range so you can fight. If you manage to break through the barrier, don't wait for us. We can teleport if that happens. You go find Vrabazard or Valwin — mad or not, they are powerful and the devils won't get close."

"Got it," Lyos said. "Sure the others shouldn't stay close to me?"

"When Lei escaped, you almost killed everyone with your powers," Milina said. "Your control is better now, but is it good enough?"

The two got up and broke from the room. Filia followed in a haze.

Maybe it wasn't Valgaav?

Into the halls, running back down long, long corridors. Miles didn't seem so long for a dragon, but now they couldn't go by fast enough.

Was Val now trapped inside another mind?

With every step, she pulled her energy together. How many people could she take along in one go? Could she invoke Siephied's power for extra teleportation power? Probably not, she could only wield to her own limits.

Had Luna told the truth when she said Val attacked her?

She tried sensing where Luna was, the safest place to go in this world. There was a beacon somewhere with her signature. Reaching for it now, Filia almost caught it ... only for it to vanish at her touch.

"Lyos, what does Claire say?" Milina asked at the same time.

"It's gone again," Lyos said. "The flow is broken... I think there's a barrier over this place. I can't sense anything outside these mountains."

"We are in deep trouble," Milina said after a moment's focus. "Devils call it a void pyramid, it's the same thing that covered the northern region."

"But why right when we move? They can't know that we're ..." Lyos's voice trailed off and his eyes widened. "Dammit. Can they see it when I move?"

Filia remembered the way the water responded to him, right down to his aggression, but not when he didn't fight. Him firing himself up would have very noticeable effects on the environment, and devils might just want to speed up their plans ... they had to have been there already. The entire time.

Valgaav ... for him to get out, go to Dolphin, that must've taken hours. How long had Val been alone? She should have been there for him.

"Bloody great," Lyos said. "Any way to get around it?"

"No!" someone shouted from the direction they were head. Leyunso rounded the corner and said, "No, there isn't."

"How?" Milina asked without missing a beat.

"Going below it won't work," Leyunso said, making a small scoop motion with her hand. She wanted them to dig below the barrier.

"Okay, why doesn't she just say what she means?" Lyos asked.

"She's got this curse," Milina said. "Hmm ... are there any rules for how people must be told about this?"

"Not quite," Leyunso said.

"Do you know what's up?" Lyos asked to Filia.

"No," Filia said. "She's got some sort of curse, Zelas and Xelloss wouldn't tell."

"Just assume she means the opposite of what she says for now," Milina said. "Go deeper below the mountains until Gaia's energy dominates, see whether you can teleport from there. I will take care of gathering people. Leyunso can lead you, but don't ask her where to go. Just follow."

"Why not?" Lyos asked.

"That would make any direction she goes count as a claim," Milina said. "Look, we don't have time. You can trust her, do it."

At that, she withdrew to the astral plane and shot off faster than any physical creature could.

"We should help," Lyos said.

"Oh yes, that's completely safe," Leyunso said. "Following me is a bad idea."

Filia didn't always listen to what she knew was the best idea, and didn't know Lyos to be that person either, but somehow ... was it the best idea for their survival, or a good idea for ..."

Leyunso shook them both. "Go."

"Right," Lyos said. "I'll see you all later. Tell Luna and Dilgear hi."

He tried to smile, but it was tense.

"Goodbye," Filia said. "You know the way out, right?"

"I'll blast a hole if I have to. Don't worry."

He ran ahead and took a left turn, while Filia followed Leyunso down a stone stairway into pitch black. Still, Filia could see the outline of the walls — on the astral plane, the earth's magic contrasted with the mucky hollow.

Once they reached the lower levels, they found a group of devils and lesser demons in one of the wider halls. As one, they turned towards them. Filia braced for a fight as the nearest devil pounced toward them, but Leyunso just took a step forward.

"Hey demon, you're an individual," Leyunso told it. In mid jump, the demon faded to nothing, leaving behind the matter of the creature it had possessed.

Wait, what? Devils had to be individuals to be, yet the woman had lied, she was sure. There had to be an ... oh, right. It had been an individual right up until it was affected by whatever her power was.

"All you devils are individuals!" Leyunso called. With varying speed, devils and demons faded away. The lesser demons all left behind piles off flesh, indicating it wasn't energy that had destroyed them. Strange ... they'd just given up being?

Only two lesser demons remained standing.

"They can understand language," Leyunso said. "Deal with them."

Filia didn't get how that had anything to do with her power, but there was no time. She took them down with two narrow but strong laserbreath rays. The lesser demons vaporized, but the attack had left cracks in the opposing walls. Next time she'd try to have a spell ready.

As they ran on, Filia tried pulling holy energy together, but there wasn't enough. Even if Lyos were in his chaotic state from hours ago, there should be more flowing around. Had something happened to him?

She couldn't afford to worry. They had to get deeper and dig somehow, if she even could.

The road down brought them past the worship halls where Filia had once forged fusion vessels with Xelloss. Back then it had only one door, but now combat had broken holes in the walls.

They had to wait before passing open space, so they stayed behind the walls, hoping the magic of this earth would shield them. She couldn't see through it on the astral plane, that probably worked both ways.

Sight was blurry, but sound and sense bore down on her. The amount of devils here was thick and so was the amount of cries of their victims.

When devils killed, they liked to draw it out. Filia's first impulse was to run and stop it, somehow, but that would be madness. The most useful thing she could do was get somewhere under the shield and prepare to teleport away whomever Milina could help. Still, in rapidfire she found ideas on what she could do better. Should she have gone with Milina to help her? With Lyos?

Stay here as long as possible or go to Val right away?

Val was with the enemy, she remembered. That thought did not come naturally.

Leyunso conjured together a small water plate, which she positioned to reflect in the inside of the halls. It allowed them to look inside the hall on a purely visual level; they themselves concealed by shadow. They'd wait until nobody looked in the direction of the gaps they had to pass.

The cries went on and on, some of them Filia could recognize. She'd helped heal several of these dragons and elves. Dread boiled up from her stomach — would they notice her emotions here?

Between the agony, the devils spoke in light tones. They laughed and jested. Two voices she recognized, but she didn't want to.

Blue fire engulfed someone on the edge of the mirror's vision — Xelloss's fire always was blue.

The smoke blocked out anyone looking this way. Leyunso pushed her hard, and Filia ran without looking at anything but ahead.

Filia and Leyunso ran until sound wouldn't carry anymore. There, Filia broke open the floor to a lower level. Leyunso had a wind barrier that could dampen sound somewhat, allowing her to use raw dragon strength. The rubble she piled up below, in case Milina and whomever she brought needed it.

They repeated this for a few more levels, but then roads became scarce. Down here, only the storage rooms remained and they still weren't below the barrier.

The enemy was scarcer here, but not lost altogether. Others had the idea to flee lower, only to be chased. More than once did Filia hear death in the distance, right after Leyunso changed route.

Filia had lost track of time once Milina rejoined them.

She'd brought three dragons in human form, five elves and two Sailoon soldiers, each in bloody shape. Filia had hoped to save more, but could she?

"Were you seen?" Leyunso asked.

"Yes," Milina said. "There's a swarm of them right behind us.

"I won't go to intercept anyone," Leyunso said. Without another word, she ran off.

The group Milina had gathered stood on shaky legs, one elf carried by a dragon. They wouldn't be fast, but Filia tried to remain hopeful.

"We're going deeper until I can teleport us," Filia said. "Do any of you have teleportation powers?"

None answered that, some shook their head.

"Okay. Stay close so I can teleport us all the moment I've got a sense of the surrounding. My friend has built a beacon for us, I'm sure. She's powerful, we'll be safe when we get to her."

"You got Xelloss to help us yesterday. Can't you do something now?" one of the elves asked.

"No," Filia said. "I have no influence over him."

"But for a devil to save dragons—"

"He helped himself," Filia said. "He is so powerful that our lives don't mean anything. He doesn't hate us enough to care."

"Yeah, we thought as much," he said, but she heard the disappointment.

Maybe she could do something. She conjured the hell gem out of her pocket space and held it out to Milina.

"Miss Milina, you should be able to ride its flow back to Megiddo, and then return outside the barrier. Could you use this to separate the wolf pack from anywhere Shabranigdu can command them?"

Milina hesitated. "I should stay here and fight for you. I can escape if it's really necessary."

"Necessity is getting Zelas away from Shabranigdu. You already took damage from Lei and if you're wiped clean here, what will happen to mister Luke? Help out if you will, but do it in a safer way."

After Milina had left, Filia stored the hell gem in her pocket space and led the others on.

"There's a way into the natural caves that way," one of the dragons said, so she let him decide the route.

With injured along, there would be no running. At intervals she spoke with them, asking how they did, whether they'd been here before, but nothing about what had happened. She couldn't bear the silence, but she couldn't bear the truth either.

She couldn't give up, but the sense that she would have to crawled up.

It had been crawling up ever since Xelloss's second visit to her home so many years, taking root by the third, when she realized the devils would never be out of her life.

Always closer.

Chasing her down.

He had said no when asked whether he would harm them if they cooperated. Of course, that only counted for as far as the state of cooperation lasted. Now he didn't need them anymore. That's how devils really were.

She counted the corners until the corridors had become caves, and they were still not deep enough. Maybe this barrier went all around. Maybe they'd send some devil to clean out the whole mountain. Maybe they'd send Xelloss.

Valgaav ... she could not unite the idea that Val caused all of this. Something more had to be going on, but what? Could he be ...

She sensed Xelloss before anyone else did. The bloodlust he brought along crumbled what little hope she had.

"Look what we've got here. I didn't expect to find you while chasing angels, miss Filia," Xelloss said.

"What do you want?" Filia asked. "How did you get past miss Leyunso?"

"Miss Filia." Xelloss opened both eyes and smirked. "Run."

"From whom?" she asked, though she knew her enemy.

"From me. Today we'll be playing cat and mouse, but first ..." He flicked a finger at the group behind her, bursting them all into fire. "I'll prepare dinner. You're welcome to try any water spells on that, or I suppose you could try to escape. The field distortions should end at the mountain's edge."

He just kept smiling as if it were a sunday afternoon and the tea was late. A cacophony of echoing roars filled the mountain as they burned — too slow, she knew Xelloss could do it quicker. She locked eyes with one of them; she didn't even know any of them, but knew their faces. At least two of them had been saved from the torrents by Xelloss the day before.

Filia was half tempted to spit every foul name at him, but that seemed such a petty revenge. She could do nothing to get to him now. She never had been able to do that.

Val needed her, she couldn't die here. She couldn't help anyone here. Not against Xelloss.

So she fled, only having the notion to go down. Without guide she ran into dead ends every time and more than once, but she kept going. Didn't think about what followed her, or why. Didn't have to think, she felt it.

Xelloss stayed close enough behind her that she could sense him. If he wanted to he could have caught up, but he didn't. Sometimes ahead, somethings to the sides : he herded her.

"You've isolated yourself quite nicely," he said from the left. She ignored it. An hour ago, she hadn't been alone.

Next time, his voice came from the right. "Or maybe you were left behind."

Every following taunt was a variation, like he didn't even try. He almost sounded bored.

The sound of footsteps joined in, and the ticking of his staff on the rock. Even though she ran fast enough to be out of breath, he never failed to keep up with his slow pace.

Knowing Xelloss, he'd catch her right before the area was stable enough to navigate. He'd know when, she'd taught him after all.

So when she caught the first wisp of the earth's flow, she didn't hope, and she was right not to.

A sharp pain cut through her back— something had struck her right on the spine.

Little bits of gravel got into her mouth, her head pounded from impact. Her cheek and arms had scraped open, but she hardly noticed with the bloodthirsty devil hovering behind her.

"If you move, your life is lost," Xelloss said. This time, she had expected it.

"Did mister L-" The knock on her back forced the air out of her lungs.

"Let's not get off topic now. To be honest, I'm surprised you're leaving when there's all those people needing your help? I didn't think you'd do it." It was exactly the same voice he used to annoy her if she tried walking out of a tea party.

"I know what you can do, so I took your advice," she said, because everything else she might say could bring out worse.

Leaning on his staff, he said, "I guess you're right. You know, maybe I'm getting tired that you've figured out deflecting my bait. True, I've said I thought that's you at your best, but opinions change. Right now, why don't you rage at me like you did before the revelations at your temple, hmm?"

Filia tried to stand, intent to at least face him with dignity, but he swung his staff against her legs. With a cry, she fell back to the ground.

Xelloss hunched before her. "Come on, won't it be fun? I'll give you time to cast Chaotic Disintegrate, but some good old fashioned laserbreath will do."

If she had one leverage left, it was that she could deny him what he wanted.

"Xelloss, shut up," she said, looking away from him. The other end of the hall had a dim grey light, an excess of holy magic? If she could get there, maybe she could teleport out ...

Miss Filia, if you don't become more interesting soon, I'm afraid I'll have to hand you over. I've been permitted to play, should I find you, but I do have a schedule to keep."

"Hand me over to whom?" she asked, careful to keep her voice bland. Her head beat along with her heart, but she managed.

"Your son, I suppose."

Xelloss took her hand. Instinctively Filia pushed away, readying energy to cast at him. He was quicker, as always. He just had to squeeze to break her bones.

"Stop!" she cried out, useless as it was.

He just took her other hand and broke it as well. It went beyond her bones, affecting the flow her magic.

"Stop? Why would he?"

Filia froze up at the sound of that voice, and Xelloss backed to the wall.

Forcing herself up on her knees, ignoring her pain and the fresh wave of bloodlust that he brought, she faced him.

There Valgaav stood as the winged humanoid, only a silhouette against the gray light. There never had been a way out, because he had waited here.

"You still don't understand, do you?" said the dragon who shouldn't exist. "Unless you entertain him, you might as well stop existing."

As he approached Filia, she could see him clearer.

Oh heavens, those wings. He had the horn too and the marks on his cheek, but with every step the black headband burned away and his hair fell down in long waves, till he resembled the dragon she'd seen in Kataart. Valteira, but with the expression of Valgaav and the blood of Shabranigdu.

It sunk in at last. Lyos had no reason to lie. She had neither shock nor acceptance for it, but resignation. The denial of her prayers and aspirations had become enough a part of her life that she almost expected it.

Raising Val to a happy life had been her duty to atone for her people's crimes, yet there stood the dragon she knew to be controlled by past grief. Worse than ever, he looked like he bore the world, tired and torn yet still with that mad grin.

"Our world of the living is ruled by creatures who do not see us as anything but food sources. They do not care for us at all. Don't you think that's unfair?" he asked when he stopped before her.

"That's pretty ironic coming from you," Xelloss said, somewhere out of sight, only to be ignored.

She stood stock still as he approached.

"Val ..."

"Isn't here right now, little lady," Valgaav said.

He sat down on a rock outcrop and pulled her before him. His right hand turned to a claw on her shoulder, the talons playing against her neck. Strands of her hair fell down as he nicked them off with his claws.

When his wings curled around them, the dim glowing veins between the feathers lit malformed unborn, embedded in the crook of the wings. Pitiable on the physical plane, but on the astral plane they radiated stinging red power.

"Shabranigdu ..." she whispered, turning her eyes back to Valgaav. "Why are you doing this?"

"I need them."

"What for? Controlling the devils?"

"If I want to retake my Elmegiddo, yes. That's also why we're here. Getting Lyos and you, making sure Zelas obeys."

"You didn't need to launch a war on us ... why didn't you just talk to us? Do you know what Val knows?"

"My army needs to eat," he said. "I'll get rid of them in due time, don't worry. Certain pain is necessary, but only in this world. In the one I create, there will be peace."

"Just taking away the gods and devils won't do that," Filia said. "You cannot create a world without war."

"Seeing as he can craft personalities, I'm sure he can," Xelloss said.

Valgaav shot him a glare. "Shut up and go find that angel."

"As you wish," he said, his voice drifting away. "I'll be around."

Crafted personalities ... what did that mean?

"Where is Val?"

"He's safe," he said. "You'll see him again once this over."

She laid her broken fingers on his arm. "Valgaav, please. Let me talk to him."

He just smirked. "Not now. I need you to listen to me. I bet you want to know what Lina's doing, don't you?"

She didn't need to answer, he could taste her curiosity.

"She's going to murder all the astral creatures and remake the world as she sees fit."

"Miss Lina wouldn't do that!"

His other arm turned to a claw and played with her tail.

"Off course she would. You told me yourself, about, what was it, two years ago? Lina is always in pursuit of riches and magic, regardless of what devil or god may command. Now she had a chance for the ultimate magical tool, for the ultimate defiance. I knew she'd be tempted to use it and I was right."

A violent shiver ran over Filia. If nobody else did, Lina Inverse had to be there for the world and all of life. Filia had never even thought of doubting that.

"Don't be afraid. You'll be alive to help the new world to be born," he said. "That will be the purpose you sought."

Filia shook her head. "No, I can't do anything that sacrifices the world." Hollow words, recited because they were right but she couldn't push strength in them.

"Really? Everyone else does it. Even Claire. She knows the other gods will be executed. That's what you weren't allowed to know. If Rangort caught wind of being used as fuel for a world's destruction ... there it is, it finally clicked. Didn't it, little lady?"

"But ... Miss Lina. She wouldn't do that."

Lina wouldn't ... would shrug off runaway trains plowing through villages.

Would cast the Giga Slave to save one man.

"Ha! You've been wrong about your elder, your gods, Luna, Claire, Liliane and Xelloss. Why would you be right about Lina?" He let go of her neck and ran his claw up her head. "I'm just trying to help you understand. Do you?"

She couldn't do anything but stare back into his eyes.

"Answer it, little lady. Why would you be right about Lina?"

"I ... I don't ..."

The echo of step approached from the right, she almost mistook it for the rhythm of her panicking heartbeat.

Valgaav lazily looked up, but his eyes grew wide. Filia sensed Leyunso's strange aura.

"You ar—" Leyunso started, but Valgaav was gone.

She fell aside, bracing her arm on reflex. It put all her weight on her broken hand, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Dammit!" Leyunso yelled. She kicked at a nearby rock, sending it clattering. "Almost. Almost."

Next moment, the woman was at her side. A cold hand on her shoulder pulled away some of the pain.

"Xelloss, you fool ... " Leyunso helped her sit up. "Listen. Valgaav is not around. Give me the hell gem, or would you like Valgaav to get it?"

Why would he ... maybe he wanted to get to Luke, or Milina ... she didn't know. She never knew enough.

So she handed it over to someone who did.

Right then, a tremor ran through the mountain, startling Leyunso.

"Oh my, looks like someone wants to collapse the lower area," Xelloss drawled somewhere in the distance.

"I do not have to go," Leyunso said, and in a regretful tone, she added, "I can use my power on Xelloss."

She stood up, ready to leave. Filia almost grabbed her arm but remembered not to use her searing hands. "Wait. What side is Xelloss on? Is going along with Shabranigdu part of their plan?"

"I have time to talk. I do not have to find Zelas or Valgaav. Think, Filia." Leyunso squeezed her shoulder once. "I'm not sorry to leave you."

For a while, Filia did not know how long, she remained alone in the silent darkness. Numbness threatened to crawl over her, but she couldn't give into that. The tremors stopped after a while, but she couldn't pick up that wisp of earth's flow again.

When Xelloss reappeared, a swarm of devils surrounded him.

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" Xelloss said pleasantly. "Alas, we have to wrap up everything."

Xelloss picked her up by the arm and warped space.

They reappeared in a brightly lit hall, where he dropped her on the floor. She landed on her left hand and curled up, biting back a scream.

She stayed where she was, blinking against the light. It was the scent of scorched flesh that cued her in of her location, the hall they'd passed before.

Surrounding her were several other dragons and elves, many of them bleeding and some no longer breathing.

"I've never had a chance to taste this much dragon miasma at once," a nearby devil said. "You took all the thunder in the Devil's Descent War. No wonder, they're bland but they produce so much."

"It comes with the age, mister Rashat," Xelloss said. "They have different perception of time and a lot of things to remember and lose. Force them into the here and now and they're nutritious."

"That's why you saved them," said some devil in pope form, grinning. "Our army can use this banquet as a motivator."

Xelloss held up his hands, palms up. "Of course they could. Not that such a thing would have occurred to you at the time. I do hope you can keep them contained, it'd be such a bother if I had to return to raise my finger while my lord needs me."

"What?" Rashat sputtered. "Will you drop that already?"

Xelloss trailed off with polite insults, chatting up with his colleagues. Only them, they ignored all the lesser devils.

Filia had never been around so many devils, her holy senses screamed for her to eradicate them, but she could not act on that. Her head still bled, her hands were useless and her tail must have something torn. She stayed put, every second she lived longed counted. Did it?

A devil in woman's form passed by the arguing devils, and they bowed to her. On the physical plane she appeared a statuesque aristocrat in fur coat with trailing pale hair, but on the astral plane she was a horrifying mermaid with two lower bodies coming together in a humanoid face.

This devil stopped shortly before Ragradia's statue. Filia pushed up on her elbows to get a better look.

Only now did she realize Lyos was here. A Raugnut Rushavna spell hampered his flow and claimed half his body. On the astral plane, his emerging dragon form had disintegrated back into the visceral blob it had been before. Despite what had to be pure agony, he sat on his knees and kept the weaker devils away with raw energy.

"Hello, Lyos," said the devil.

"Milady?" Lyos was stunned for a few seconds, then he scowled. "You liar ... you are Dolphin."

"Both are right, my boy," she said, kneeling down to run a hand over his cheek. Where her fingers passed, the flesh rotted. Lyos's power flared up, but in this chaotic state it misfired. Dolphin just shifted away, one step for her human form and her whole astral body.

"Still angry, dear Lyos? That emotion never got you anywhere but in my arms." The devils around them snickered.

"What do you want with me?" he snapped.

"Oh come now. We seek to possess you, as we always have. I might try it myself, but I shall have to wait for what lord Shabranigdu says."

"I'm afraid that may take a while. He has run into the Sage of Siephied and fled," Xelloss said.

Dolphin turned. "That is peculiar. I should inquire why he fears her so."

"Do so," Xelloss said. "In the meantime, you might also request we keep several of these dragons alive?"

Xelloss shifted a few meters away and pierced a humanoid dragon through the shoulder, levering him up at the tip of his staff. When his head rolled back, Filia recognized Milgazia.

"This is one of the leaders of the north dragon tribe. I was interested in seeing whether anyone could drive him to insanity and how that would affect, well ... his sense of humor."

"Would you like to reserve this dragon too?" Dolphin asked.

"No, lord Deep Sea Dolphin. Please, no. Not my flavor, but I want to be there to see the end results. Who knows, he may also say a few interesting things about the army's plans and what's been up with Ragradia's power. He knew Ragradia, once."

"Can I have him?" Grau asked. "I specialize in faith issues."

Xelloss tossed Milgazia to him. "Be my guest."

"Will someone please go find lord Dark Star?" Deep Sea Dolphin asked. "I do not believe we'll be able to put off disobeying our lord's specific orders for much longer."

"Lord Dynast is already searching for him," Grau said.

"I'd prefer someone more competent go. Rashat."

"As you wish, my lord," he said.

Dolphin turned to Xelloss. "You may want to go find your lord, I presume?"

"Yes. Where can I put my dragon? Will we move location or stay here?" Xelloss asked.

"We will stay here for now. Take one of those cells we saw below, I shall tell my troops which dragons are on reserve."

"Thank you, lord Deep Sea Dolphin. I will return as soon as I've found my lord."

He picked Filia up by her neck. "Let's go see how nice the cells of your kind are, hmm?"

· · · · · · ·

The cell he brought her to had been designed for sentenced humanoid dragons The floor had handcuffs chained to them and magic that kept casting and teleportation impossible, now upgraded with devil energy.

Xelloss dropped her to her knees and chained her hands down, no regarding for the pain it caused. He probably ate it.

"Nothing to say, miss Filia?"

Val needed help ... she couldn't give help. She could ask Xelloss.

Nothing to fight for now.

"How can you?" Filia whispered, despite herself.

It wasn't a real question. She knew he how could, but she just didn't understand in what manner they existed? It was easy to imagine to empty eyed lesser devils as evil, but not when devils were like Xelloss and Deep Sea Dolphin. So lifelike. How could they be like that yet not understand what they destroyed? How can you be just like them yet also just like us, Xelloss?

Xelloss placed a finger on his chin and feigned a thoughtful expression. "How can I? Well, it is my nature and I have plenty of motivation, do I not? I was made to strive for the world's end and I must feed, and honestly, I introduce myself as trickster priest. That is how I can."

A chorus of devil voices joined in, tonal, animalistic and words. Somehow the idea he had this little audience spiked her rage, but she refused to act on it. All that would do was satisfy him.

"When you've been betrayed by your mentor, why are you feeling betrayed when I do it? You've loathed me from the start."

She narrowed her eyes. "It's just that I thought you had a different plan, Xelloss. Something smarter than this mess."

Eyebrow twitch.

And then there was a narrow cone pinning her tail to the floor. She cried out shortly, but bit her jaws together. She wasn't going down like this ... it was already bad enough that he could read every fear in her soul ... eat it.

Xelloss started pacing around her.

"I will admit that our situation with Lei Magnus is considerably out of hand. But I truly don't think a dragon such as you is in any position to comment," he said with a chuckle. "Nor to feel betrayed about it. Or did you think it meant something that I obliged your silly trade? That was a whim, not a sign of worth."

The cone in her tail angled sideways; there was no getting used to physical pain. Every new thing felt worse than the last. Another thing sank in, she'd been lucky up until now to have walked past so much without a scar. She'd have them now, if she survived at all.

"Think, miss Filia, I know there must be some rational thought in your little head," Xelloss said, tapping her forehead. "You seem to have a grandiose idea about your worth. I remember your surprise when the Elder made it clear seven years ago he would not trade for you. He must have been annoyed with you, because he pointed out he would not before he said he could not. Did you really think you were worth the world?"

No, she wasn't taking this lying down. "I thought you'd have gotten it open anyway, at that moment, and I thought he'd known that much. I'm not worth the world, I never thought so. You're the last I'd have to tell."

He locked eyes with her for a moment, warning in them more so than hate. Filia had come close to saying something she should not, but before she could wonder, he continued.

"The only thing you were worth were a few extra words to ensure you were hurt. What a fitting end to all our debates about how violent dragons are, wasn't it? I needn't say a word, it was all you pleading for your Elder to admit my point."

Of course. It had all just been extra spice. He'd won their debate about the violence of dragons as a bonus to riling her up till she cast a spell.

"It's pretty funny though, you were willing to risk the world for your feeling of justice, back when you refused to attack Valgaav at the world's end."

"I couldn't—"

"Yes, you could. You just refused on base of your feelings. Don't lie now, miss Filia."

Right then, he did something she could not place in him, be it at his best or his worst. He ran his hand down her hair, what was left of it.

"Let's continue talking once I'm back."

He vanished. In his place appeared a misty devil without recognizable form, flowing around her like water.

"Courtesy of the lady of the sea," it whispered. Then it was gone too.

Think, Filia.

The strange gesture remained in her mind, until she remembered the one time he'd done it before. Here in this same temple, when he'd run his hand through her hair to clean the muck out of it.

The cries in the distance were too loud, and though the light was dim, it became unpleasant. The pain in her hands worsened by the second. Her skin felt every grain on the stone floor and the cold drove in like a thousand needles. When she tried to stand, she fell over — it was hard to tell where her limbs were. She could only bear the touch of the floor for seconds, she had to stand.

That devil had placed a curse on her, but she had nary the space to think about that.

Trickster.

If he wanted to hurt her where it hit hardest, he'd find her family and friends. Miss Luna, who Zelas could track down, would be the first to show up. He hadn't said a word about them, and Zelas was curiously absent.

The temple of the ancients?

Back at the temple of the ancients ... ranting about his intentions was uncharacteristic. He'd done it then.

A devil neared her, sending agony up her devil sense. It didn't touch her, just went round the walls to light lamps or ... something ... it was hard to see, she couldn't bear to keep her eyes open.

Seeing ...

Xelloss as an astral being would have been able to see that the shield was fueled by the weapon itself, so distinct from regular magic due to not relying on the astral flows. Knowing him, he'd account for the possibility of having to use fusion magic. On top of that, Xelloss with his magical senses and sharp mind would have realized the same as Lina : her Elder had come to kill everyone, Filia included. It made no sense to take someone hostage against the one trying to kill this person.

If you move, your life is lost.

Lost to whom? Lost how? Lost when?

When Xelloss spoke, everything only meant exactly what he said and no more. He hadn't said he would kill her, he had put up a scheme to get a specific response from her.

Just like today.

That simple word trick stood out clearly now, but it offered no comfort. Xelloss had no choice when he was under orders, true, but he'd never told her what exactly his orders were. Without that detail, she could not tell what was his own choice. That kept her doubting, and it kept the power in his hands. Or Zelas's.

She'd always been his little puppet. So she wasn't going to end up sacrificed like Laust. Xelloss intended to get the response he needed, and then he would clean up.

And every time, he just defaulted to the vilest way to get what he wanted. Just one sick game after another.

Then, antagonize her with the benefit of winning their little game. Regardless of her suffering, right as they stood in the scene of a genocide.

Today, break her for the sake of keeping up his act. Regardless of anyone's suffering, right as they were surrounded by massacre.

No, she did not think she was worth the world, or even the unveiling of his act if that meant Luna and others would die. But she didn't actually know what the stakes were, and nobody would tell her. They had seven years to devise a better way and find out what their options were.

Zelas and Xelloss were just lesser evils. What would happen if Xelloss learned she wouldn't be fun anymore?

She set all her anger on him, and so she could avoid thinking about whom the greater evil owed their freedom to. Her son.

· · · · · · ·