I won't even bother making the millions of excuses I could, and instead will answer reviews.
I will say, however, that in the next chapter, Xellos will definitly be all better! Sorry for the long drawn out convalescence. Bleh, it's been hell!
XyoushaX: Aw, thank you. Yes, I do think Filia and Val would have almost a brother/sister relationship in some ways, where Val protects Filia as much as she protects him. Lol, now I'm just imagining Val being "introduced" as you say. Poor Val. And that's a good idea having Xellos tie up Filia, I just might use it!
Mwafwa: I am so glad! Thanks for reviewing, I hope this new chapter is up to snuff!
Mistress DragonFlame: Val wouldn't combine powers because he doesn't know how, as he's never done that kind of thing before and was just then introduced to the concept. Also, he and Iyzeka didn't need any more "personal" interaction, lol. Iyzeka and Filia needed to learn to work together. Another thing that may not have been clear is that Val hasn't really accessed his raw power before. This is something that will be remedied, don't fear that! (grin) Thanks for the review and the comment!
Tanwen Whitefire: More fluff here, I think. I hope you like this one! Yea!
Nosferatum: I am glad (?) then that my story is more complex and gives you some trouble. Maybe it will expand your vocabulary! (as I hope it does for everyone who reads it and needs some extra words under their belt) And Xellos, he's just been moping a lot. He's going to mope a bit more after he's all recovered, as his sanity has been tenuous. Once he has his faith in himself restored, then we'll see more of his self-assured, arrogant pranks! Thank you so much for your imput, and I hope you like this chapter too!
Kaeru Shisho: Good to see you again! I'm glad you caught that scene with Filia dancing around her worry for Xellos. I, too, liked how she was able to show her feelings without getting maudlin, though she DID do her share of "emo"ing. Thank you for noticing such subtlties such as that and the "moodring" room. You never fail to please a writer!
Ami Metallum: Aw, please forgive me for taking so long! It's been really difficult. (cries) I hope this one is good too!
Akita: I'm glad you took the chance to read this. (smile) And I would agree, the characters tend to overdramatize a lot. Especially Filia, lol. I kept that part of her character, and the melodrama seems to be something she would like in some secret part of her. I hope this chapter suits you! I am planning on writing more as soon as I can.
Legona: thanks, here you go!
SithKnight-Galen:
Yes, Zelas and her kin can feed off of regular emotions. All Mazoku can, as Kendar discovered in China when he was watching Filia and Xellos. They just have a social stigma against it and have conditioned themselves to believing that they can only feed from negative emotions.
EXPOSITION TIME!
Iyzeka's position in the hiarchy? That is a hard question to answer! Before Fibrizzo died, Zelas originally had only one powerful offspring, Xellos. (As other Mazoku such as Dynast and Dolphin are said to have a priest and a general, but Xellos is both for Zelas.) After Iyzeka was created (before Fibby's death) it could be said that Zelas had finally created two children, so technically Xellos would have had to chose to be either general or priest, and Iyzeka would have had to take the other role.
However, fortunately for Iyzeka and Xellos, due to Gaav, Fibrizzo, then Dynast and Dolphin being killed, Zelas was the only one available to take Fibrizzo's place as Shabranigdo's regent. So she became the "Hellmaster" (as I have decided to make that the "title" for the regent of Shabranigdo while he is frozen and divided into bits) which meant then that Xellos was promoted to her old position of Greater Beastmaster while Iyzeka was then given the Lesser Beastmaster title. (this was discussed during the first airplane scene where Filia and Xellos drank wine outside the plane, in chapter 3.)
But to prevent other Mazoku from saying that she was trying to take over, she promoted two other more minorly powered Mazoku from Dynast and Dolphin's people to the position of "Hellmaster" as well, even though she is the most powerful Mazoku living (besides Shabranigdo and, if you count her, LON) and all the demons know that.
Zelas is the last of the original five Mazoku that Shabranigdo "created", all other Mazoku created from those five. So the other Mazoku will never be able to rise above her. The promotions of Hellmaster to those two underlings was only to promote stability.
The promotion of them caused those who they promoted to think more of themselves, such as Haramon in chapter 4, who decided that since he was now a General, or "beastmaster" for one of the other lesser Hellmasters, that he could now try to defeat Xellos. Obviously titles mean little against true power, and he was killed swiftly.
Vincelia Valentine: Aw! This chappy is for you! I hope all of your future dreams do come true . . .
Cyberimp6: That's fine! I need new readers since it seems i've lost a lot of old ones. And once again, I commend and thank you for finding that inconsistency! That's what I get for trusting someone else's judgement without doing the research myself! I did change it, so go check chapter 13 out again and let me know what you think!
Tbris: I am glad to see you! Well, right now, they have two pieces of the Philosopher stone. Telgaln has the other three, since it broke into five large pieces. So now it is simply a matter of the right time to strike. Fate is going to bless them, however!
Revanninja: Hola! Well, I'm afraid Filia babies are just not going to happen right away! But fear not, they will happen eventually . . . Thanks for reviewing! (smile)
—
Chapter 46
Beneath the OceanJune 10th, 2002
The black, foul world of the watery cavern greeted Kendar with the familiar tang of salt and sea-rot as he dragged himself through the pitted coral halls. He was there . . . somewhere. Nursing his wounds like a rabid beast, rebuilding himself slowly . . .
What was left of him.
Kendar slowly lowered himself to his knees, then pulled his legs around himself to sit cross-legged upon the clammy floor, his pale hands hanging limply to either side. The throne room stood empty, but he could sense the remains of Telgaln below and to the side of him, in another room on a deeper level.
Absently, the demon considered. His thoughts were clear, practically empty of all sensation. Drained. It was a childish feeling, and he supposed that he had reverted to such a fiendling state because of his fear and the experiences he had so recently gone through. Still, if he had had any emotion to feel it, he would have been humiliated at reverting so fully.
As it was, he simply thought. Telgaln had put so much effort into swiftly rebuilding his body after the female dragon had blasted apart his physical form. To have it decimated again – along with a fair share of his astral self – was cataclysmic to his plans.
A lamed bird, the King had returned to his haven, Kendar trailing afterwards with nothing else remaining for him. Now the dung-hued Mazoku sat within the dripping orifice of the great hall and dimly wondered at the darkness, wondered at his place in this point within the stream of time. And wondered, too, what was beyond.
This period of existentialism quieted him. He stared, unblinking – for his eyes truly did not need to blink if he wished it – into the abyss of existence, and pondered the reality that he drifted within.
Why not relive a bit? He had always enjoyed his childhood, especially with Dolphin around. She was a good mother, for a demon. Perhaps a bit negligent, but that could hardly be helped.
And now, he waited. Awaiting. What did he await?
Kendar blinked his deep ocher eyes, unaware of the brightness that gleamed within their enlarging orbs. He awaited something in stillness. But there was a patience he had not previously experienced. A peace.
In his serenity, his aura drew across himself as fingers strum the strings of a harp, and a strangely non-dissonant chord reverberated through him.
He didn't know why he felt this way. But it was soft, and quieting.
Kendar . . . had . . . time.
Letting his body lax, he carefully slid down upon his side, drifting within the fresh sensations. And, with an ebb and flow of each breath, of each ocean tide growing and receding, he fell asleep within the quiet, empty chamber.
(-(-(-)-)-)
Wolfpack IslandJune 10th, 2002
Zelas watched as her youngest child danced circles around the befuddled dragoness, and a smile upon her lips masked her focus. So many questions . . .
For one thing, how on earth did Valgaav manage to go through a Halcyon Field of that strength? The weaker versions prevented phasing and passage, but could be stepped through by a more powerful magic user if the effort was made. However, when a powerful being created one with as much power as Xellos had created his, they were impenetrable both physically and astrally. Xellos had put a great deal of energy into it for just that reason, so he could use it to hold both himself and Telgaln within the magically-charged shield. He had risked himself in order to do some damage to Telgaln, and to allow his companions to escape.
Frowning, Zelas continued to gaze into the distance as Filia tried to talk to Iyzeka about the fusion magiks and explain the principles to Val. No one should have been able to go through that field. Even Telgaln was trapped, and Xellos had trapped himself. So how in the Planes did the boy manage to not only go through, but to pull Xellos from within?
Then, of course, there was the book that now lay upon the ground, the type across its face glittering eerily in the firelight. Iyzeka and Filia stood before it in the thick darkness of the cave, the fires flickering on their faces as they joined hands as Filia instructed Iyzeka to do. Magical Fusion may just open the secrets of the book. But it could also destroy it . . . I wonder which will occur? Or will the book react violently to the attempt? Zelas did not think any of them were weak enough to be damaged by the item, but still, precautions might be best . . .
Sauntering forward, the Hellmaster smirked at the absorbed expression upon Valgaav's face, then turned to address them all. "This could end up having explosive after-effects. So Val and I will have protective shields ready to raise should the book react violently."
The boy nodded to her, so she tossed him a wicked grin, then returned to her cigarette, and her musings. The boy is special. And I think I know why . . . Her eyes held the image of the two slender female hands, clasped together before her. So akin to her own pale palm with long, gently curving fingers as they held her cigarette before her . . .
The sensation of magic was faint at first, and slowly grew as the blond dragoness raised her free hand before her. Concentrating, Filia drew out, in waves of burning ivory, a pillar of white magic within her. Conversely, the tiny child next to her became enveloped within her own vortex of black power, a little cyclone that Zelas thought looked charmingly similar to Xellos' . . .
The two magiks danced and spat when they met in the air, a display only visible to those with a magical aura born within them. No human eyes could see the torrent as the females faced each other and began to press the powers together per Filia's instructions, until the energy appeared as a ball of ebony and gold between them. Then, undaunted by the intense gazes of their audience upon them, the two women cast the undulating orb at the book, and in that instant, the magic Zelas had gathered threw up a shield around them—
The book absorbed the power silently, and a ripple in the air shimmered anticlimactically as the ground shook. In the second it took to still, Valgaav had collapsed onto the ground, lifeless.
—
Filia watched as if time had slowed. The book flared into a blinding white sphere of light as their magiks struck it, and her son fell bonelessly to the ground. "VAL!"
She was at his side without even realizing she had moved, and vaguely noted the other women had knelt around her to either side. Within moments, she had the pale boy upon her lap and was checking his pulse. "He's not breathing," she snapped at Zelas before she could even pose a question, "and his heart's stopped!"
The two demonesses looked at her, stunned and apparently struck dumb.
Taking a deep breath, the dragoness laid Valgaav down flat on the ground and began to draw her energy to herself once more. "We'll see if a resurrection spell works," she murmured to herself. Please, let it work . . .
Her hands pulsed with light as they hovered over the still form, and then she touched his body, and the energy began to pour into him. Tense moments passed as they were all silent, the Mazoku unable to help. Then, finally, the boy took a shuddering breath, his body still limp with unconsciousness upon the rocky floor, but alive.
"Val?" Filia's voice glinted quietly in the silence, her eyes upon him as she touched his shoulders, then pulled him to her breast to rock him gently. "Val, wake up," her hushed words pleaded, a few relieved tears pricking at her eyes.
Carefully, Iyzeka reached forward and poked Val's arm insistently. "Val! Get up. You scared us all," she stage whispered loudly, bright eyes far too wide and glittering like shattered emeralds. "Val! Vallie!"
The boy began to stir within his mother's embrace, and Filia released him as he stumbled from her lap onto the nearby ground, one hand falling to the stone and another clutching at his brow. "Uh, Mom? Iyzeka?" He opened his eyes and they stared into them as if reassuring themselves he was truly alright. "What happened?"
Filia watched as Zelas sighed from behind him and stood, the demoness gazing down at him then shaking her head. "You had a . . . reaction, my boy," the Hellmaster spoke darkly, her deep voice a purr of contemplation. "It is good that your mother was here. Your heart stopped beating."
Shock spread over Valgaav's face as he turned from one uncomfortable woman to the next. "It . . . it did?" Quietly, he rose, then held out his hands to his mother and Iyzeka as if to help them up. Filia stared queerly at his extended hands, then found to her distant shock that Iyzeka did the same, before they seemed to decide as one to take the respective assistance, and were pulled to their feet.
"Sweetie," Filia said into the unnatural silence, "are you really okay?" She studied his face, the firelight illuminating only half and casting all else into shadow, but his expression merely seemed confused. "I think we should stop for tonight . . ."
Shaking his head, Val rubbed at his eyes. "Yeah. I just feel really tired . . . What do you think happened, anyhow? I feel like I got struck by lightening or something, everything's tingling . . ." His shoulders jerked before he wrapped his arms around himself and cast a worried glance to Zelas.
The tanned blonde shrugged and tossed her head slowly, her ever-present cigarette smoldering in the darkness. "I have a clue," her low voice purred. "But yes, it is time that we stop. You two," she pointed to the dragons, "go visit Xellos. He is likely to have felt the energies and the emotions of what just occurred, and could be concerned. Lighten his mind, won't you?" She gave them a smile, that, however kind, still felt very calculated. Filia suppressed a shiver at it and quickly looked away.
"Right," her son answered for her, and gave a final look into the flaming fire pits before taking his mother's hand. "I'll teleport us," he told her, his encouraging smile twisting her stomach. "Don't worry, Mom," he said, reading her anxiety. "I'm just fine."
Fine? The word echoed in her mind as she glanced back at the demons, only to find Iyzeka's green eyes staring, terrified, into her own. You collapse, and you're fine? Your heart stops, and you're fine? What is fine, Val? Her eyes shut, and she felt the magical transition, and the pleasant sensation of Xellos' aura near.
This is not fine . . . but, she squeezed his hand tightly, eyes opening, I'll let it go – for now.
(-(-(-)-)-)
The night fell and passed in an eerie blur of subdued emotion. The gulf that spread between them all stretched across like a turbulent river, frothing and churning in fury and fear.
When the evening drew to an early morn, and Filia could not sleep, she found herself wandering the halls of the fortress, so lost in her thoughts that all sense of direction or the time that had passed left her.
In the blackness of every broad corridor, shadows of evil jumped and loomed with every shift of her candle's flame. Statues appeared suddenly as her light found them, hollow eyes staring into her own as if she, the explorer, were the first to look upon them in a millennia of shattered memories as their only companions.
Ancient kings' visages gazed somberly from murals and paintings, their secrets buried between each stroke of oil. The light glowed within a ball of safety that she erected falsely around herself, and with every step that fallacy seemed to drop away. No one remained awake and alert in this wing, it appeared. . . . But she knew, with every stumbling step down a marble stair, with every heart-wrenching pause before turning every silent corner . . . she knew that monsters could be anywhere, hiding anyplace . . .
And though she could sense them, and feel their auras, some could hide that signature, as Xellos had done . . . some could . . . and if they were hiding it, right now, should they be watching her, feeding off of her fears and her confusions and her doubts . . .
Well, she would at least be very angry, she was certain. As soon as her hands stopped shaking.
"No, Filia," she told herself, setting the candle holder down on a nearby glass table and risking a glance behind her at the dark parlor she had stumbled upon. "No one is going to attack." But no one knows where I am, she wondered, then shook her head again. Iyzeka was watching Val while he slept, after promising Filia intensely that she would try nothing this night, of all nights. And this time, she truly felt she could believe the girl, for the gaze she gave her held a tormented, hollow fear that the dragoness recognized completely. "I swear I won't, Lady Filia," the redhead had said desperately, returning to her old way of addressing her once more. "I promise."
So Filia had left them and begun to wander, Iyzeka's green eyes upon her back but no dissuading comment falling from her lips. And here she was, in a frightening place, her empty thoughts spent and her paranoia finally catching up to her. What on earth was I thinking, wandering off within a demon castle! she chastised herself. "Stupid, Filia. Very stupid . . ."
Then, a sensation established itself, many yards away, but still frightening. Filia, unrecognizing the evil that approached her, spun, candle held before her like a shield. "Who . . . who's there?" her voice squeaked in the silent darkness.
"It's me, Filia," a throaty female voice stirred the tomb-like air, and a match flared in the deepest shadows of the sitting room to illuminate Zelas' face. "Now, why would you be wandering at such an early hour?" she murmured, lighting her cigarette and taking a deep drag before letting the match die. Plunged into darkness again, the demoness stepped forward into the globe of candlelight. "Let's talk, dearest. You're troubled."
The dragoness stared, then blinked, unable to answer until her terror had subsided a bit more. In reaction, Zelas sighed heavily, then flicked a finger and suddenly the room was illuminated with warm modern lamps sitting on each side table and china cabinet. "There, that's much better, isn't it?" she asked as the chamber was transformed into a warm, comfortable reading room. "I can even light the fire, if you want."
Filia nodded numbly and sat in a nearby plush chair facing the darkened fireplace, and watched as a fire sprang into existence within the confines of the pit.
A cup of fragrant, brown liquid was set down on a table near her elbow, and she turned to stare at the steam rising from it. "Th-thank you, Hellmaster," she murmured, taking the chocolate and staring into the swirls and foam that spun upon the surface.
"Well," the demoness smiled as she slid into the other recliner and sipped her own hot cocoa, "here we are. It's been a long couple of days since you returned, hasn't it." Strangely unassuming golden eyes rested upon her, awaiting a response. "And I think we know each other well enough that you can call me Zelas whenever you wish."
Filia blinked at the other woman, then sipped the drink, gaze drawn to the fire that cheerily cracked in the fireplace. "Okay. Yes, it . . . I just don't know anymore. Something feels so wrong . . . And Val almost died for nothing, you know? The fusion didn't do anything . . ."
Raising a finger, the demoness shook her flaxen head. "Not necessarily. After Iyzeka left to make sure nothing else happened to Val for the rest of the day," her smile twisted into a smirk but Filia did not respond, "I checked on the book. It appeared to be fine, until my footsteps jarred it, and it collapsed into dust."
"What?" Blinking, the dragoness straightened in the chair and set down her cocoa. "Then, we destroyed it? Oh how horrible . . ." Her shoulders sagged and she exhaled heavily.
"You assume too much, Filia dear," Zelas smiled again. "In fact, when I brushed the dust away, I found this." Her closed hand raised and unfolded to reveal an item far too large to hide within her fist: a rather sizeable crimson hemisphere set within a base of mithril silver.
Upon sight of it, Filia gasped, then reached out a hand to take it. "This . . . this is one of . . . one of Lina's amulets!"
"Yes."
The magical aura of the item pulsed and glowed, and as she turned it closer to the fire to study it, the red jewel within the titanium setting seemed to smolder with its own inner flame. "My gods . . . how could this be! Was it trapped within the book? And why? Who could do this?"
Zelas frowned, one hand twining a rose-hued lock between her fingers as she gazed upon the item. "I am not sure . . . The amulets were lost centuries ago, passed down from ancestor to ancestor until they fell into obscurity and were swallowed by the sands of time," her voice hushed. "Now, this is the first sign I have seen of them since."
Studying the disk, Filia felt a surge of sorrow well up within her, and she choked back tears as she recalled her fiery friend. "But . . . why now? Why this? What . . . what is going on?"
"Obviously, we cannot know, just yet," the Hellmaster mused, taking a long gulp of cocoa. "Would you like some music, Filia? I think the silence is far too prevalent." Before she could reply, rambling classical music began playing quietly all around them, and Filia dropped her gaze to the amulet once more.
"Hellmaster," Filia murmured, only to be cut off
"Please, call me 'Mother'," Zelas smirked at her, and Filia flushed.
"Um, Zelas," the Golden Dragon continued, "I, I think we should talk about something else, as well. Obviously," she murmured, setting Lina's amulet down on the table and gazing at it, "there is much more going on than we are aware of."
"Whatever do you mean?" the Mazoku asked, innocence feigned in her voice so obviously that Filia glared at her before she realized who she was glowering at. The solid look that Zelas returned left her in a chill.
"Well," Filia murmured, turning away to stare fearfully into the fire as if nothing undue had occurred, "I, I have been having these strange feelings, almost like visions. I think they might be related . . ."
"Explain," the demoness commanded easily, and Filia wilted with the knowledge that she would willingly do as she was told when the order came from the most powerful Mazoku on Earth.
Shifting as her chair suddenly seemed rather uncomfortable, the dragoness lifted her blue eyes to Zelas for a moment, then bit her lip. "The first vision I received was during our mission in China. It scared me a lot. In it, I heard a voice in my head, like my own inner thoughts, but it wasn't me. It said something like 'days for years and years for days' and then that time would starve upon my . . . flesh," she winced, azure gaze pained as she found herself glancing at the monster for sympathy.
Sympathy, from a Mazoku! What strange folly am I in? The hour of night, the strain of the passing days, all melded together into a seething stew of horror and apprehension. I feel like I'm destroying myself . . . or someone else. . . . Her eyes found the fire once more, the silence broken only by the strains of Chopin lilting in the distance. And what is worse, it's all my own doing. . . . No one is making me do this.
She knew Zelas would not harm her . . . If she kept repeating it to herself, she just might be able to forget that she was anyone other than Xellos' mother.
"Filia." Huskiness interrupted her mounting terror, and a hand touched her own a second before she gasped and jerked her head around to fearfully stare at Zelas. "That sounds serious."
"Oh." The blonde snatched her hand away as if seared, and held it close to her chest, eyes warily studying Zelas as she leaned back into her chair. "Um, yes. And others. One that told me to stay within my shell, and be protected from chaos . . ." Her eyes wandered away once more as she bitterly acknowledged to herself that she was not brave enough to stare down the new Hellmaster.
Zelas nodded thoughtfully, appearing as if she saw nothing of Filia's troubles, but the dragoness was certain the façade was simply well-crafted. "Well . . . I would not have expected you to figure this out on your own. Xellos might have had something of an inkling of what it might mean, but it's unclear if you told him all of this . . . Did you?"
"Just the first," Filia whispered.
"Ah." Sucking another long pull from the cigarette holder, the rose-haired woman leaned her head back, eyes resting on the ceiling. "You see, with enough power, there are a few tricks that this island is capable of doing. One of them is affecting how time flows within the confines. We could, especially with two of the fragments, essentially make days become years."
"Oh!" Filia gasped, then blinked and swallowed as she looked at her companion. "Um, I just remembered. It also said, 'thrice you shall wait' or something like that. Three times. But I'm not sure what that means. Three days? Three months? Three years? I don't really understand." Deflating, she returned to her hot chocolate and her paranoia.
"I suppose," Zelas flicked a long tanned arm out and began studying her fingers with an air of superiority, "that means that you'd better start praying, doesn't it? After all, the world isn't going to just save itself."
"Eh?" Filia blinked at her, then flushed and dropped her head. "Oh, right. Yes."
"Good. But first, you need sleep. Let's get you back to your room, shall we?" The Mazoku smirked and rose, spinning to face Filia. Patiently, she stood there, until Filia belatedly realized she expected her to stand with her. As soon as the blonde got up, their surroundings morphed into the quiet, darkened sleeping chamber that Filia had been assigned. Outside the windows, the sky held a dusky gray, the moon hanging high in the sky and flickering beneath a veil of tarnished clouds.
"Thank you," Filia murmured, but when she turned her head, Zelas had vanished.
"You're welcome," answered the air around her, and she jumped. "Get some sleep, darling," Zelas' voice chuckled, and slowly her miasma faded from the room until Filia was left alone, her strange night brought to an end.
As she drifted alone in the bed, she found her last thoughts to be a memory of the day that had passed and the strange sensation that much of the mystery lay with Valgaav . . . and with the quiet, reserved manner in which Xellos' astral form had taken the news that his godson had almost died of a reaction to fusion magic.
They should have been surprised . . . just as she had been surprised so often before when Val had demonstrated his brilliance. But there was no shock, no dismay. Worry, yes . . . and relief. But shouldn't she be surprised?
We keep secrets from ourselves, Filia, her inner thoughts said as she began to fade into slumber. You must learn to face the truths you fear.
But the words spoken within her mind weren't her own . . .
Sleep claimed her soon after.
(-(-(-)-)-)
Wolfpack IslandJune 11th, 2002
Zelas sighed as she rested against the wall, her lanky arms wrapping around herself tightly. "Xellos. Won't you at least create an apparition for Filia to interact with? She misses you dearly. And with what has occurred with Valgaav and the amulet's discovery . . . things have become positively tense."
She stood within the convalescence room on this new morn, gazing at the slowly twisting typhoon that was her son with glittering golden eyes that waited patiently for any reaction. None came immediately, as the magic simply swirled as an ebony cloud of agitation that was reflected within and upon the dark and ill-colored walls of the chamber. Finally, however, his emotions verbalized within her mind, as the hues spun into a muddy jade and umber mixture.
-I cannot. Some . . . events transpired, Mistress,- came his tired reply, an aching, fetid sensation attached to the feelings within her mind. –Events I am ashamed of. She isn't safe with me. And while I, too, worry over the reasons behind Valgaav's collapse, and Lina's amulet, and the prophesies Filia has received, I just can't risk her safety . . .-
With narrowed eyes, the demoness brought thoughtful fingers to her lips and studied the dismal miasma spinning before her. "Well, then she's lucky that a ghostly form can't touch her, isn't she?" she murmured with dark amusement. "Really, Xellos. She seems to have no troubled memories of what happened. Are you sure that you aren't merely overreacting and perhaps embarrassed, too embarrassed to see her at this time?"
-Perhaps I am . . . I'm not sure how I can face her after what happened.-
"Tell me, my son," she asked him softly. "Or is it something that I, too, will be unhappy to hear?"
-Yes . . . you will. But I will, of course, not hide anything from you. I . . . lost control. I got angry, and let myself become inebriated, having forgotten in my rage that I had locked away my magic. My behavior afterwards was . . . unforgivable.- The emotions undulating from him held such self-depreciating remorse that Zelas sighed heavily as he continued. –Not only did I disrespect and mistreat Filia, I also risked the mission. I was . . . unstable. I still am. I feel unwell, Mistress,- his mind-voice shakily finished, and the kaleidoscope of darkness upon the walls twisted nauseatingly.
Frowning, the slender woman dropped her head and nodded, unfurling her arms to rest her hands upon her knees as she leaned back along the wall. "It should probably have been expected, my poor child," she mused thoughtfully. "Being so long without your intrinsic magic, and having to keep up such a charade for such time, in private as well as around others . . . I'm so sorry, Xellos, that you had to bear something so unfamiliar to yourself for so long, so suddenly."
-It is my wish to please you, Mistress, - his voice returned, echoing her solemn language. –I would do all that I could to achieve that.-
"I know," she whispered, cold eyes almost sad. "Then rest, Xellos. But you'll have to face her soon. Your recreation of your physical form will be finished shortly. When it is, we have to discuss the next steps to be taken. And I've never known you to be a coward. You'll find the strength, I know it. I have faith in you," she cast a coy smile towards the cyclone of darkness, then straightened. "I'll return later to check on you. Until then, darling."
She vanished with a puff of shimmering smoke, leaving her son to consider her words from within his vortex of fog and uncertainty, as the room darkened further into a murky pool of contemplation.
(-(-(-)-)-)
"You know," Valgaav murmured from the crest of the frozen peak, "when we first met, I thought that Zelas had intended on sending someone for Mom to get jealous over." The moisture in his breath barely fogged in the thin, cold air as he spoke. "Someone to give her some competition over Xellos."
Below him tumbled thousands of feet of mountain fog and snow, plunging into a misty, shrouded watercolor painting of forests and hidden streams. Floating above the frozen pillars, Iyzeka merely smiled at him, then pushed off of nothingness to leap into the frigid winds, passing through the cloudy coverings.
"Hey!" the green-haired boy exclaimed, launching himself up after her to find himself lost in thick white clouds far denser than he had believed possible. Giggling echoed softly down the mountain's summit and within the heavy mist, leaving the dragon to give a baffled sigh.
"Gotcha!" sang her voice behind him, and he spun just before she tackled him through the foggy air, thrusting him higher into the troposphere.
The attack emptied his lungs of the diffuse air, and Val coughed and gasped as he was flown above the clouds by the giggling demoness. "Dammit, Iyzeka," he growled once he had inhaled the meager oxygen the elevation allotted. He then turned and glanced out across the expanse of clouds below them as she flew them higher, and with a smile, placed his arm over her shoulder.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured, soprano voice velvet against his chest where her head rested. "The clouds look like whipped cream . . ."
In fact the furrows and dips seemed spread by an invisible knife, the smooth lines undulating as the wind blew against them sharply. The rising sun overflowed, filling every swollen embankment with a dazzling light, and casting the valleys into a willowy darkness shredded by swift zephyr winds.
Val could only nod, eyes filled with the view spread before them. "Humans have aspired to this for millennia," he mused, "and even now they can only remain here with aid of technology, or magical enhancements. The strongest sorcerers died a long time ago,"
he exhaled, gaze rising to the sun. "I wonder if humans will ever be able to experience this firsthand ever again."
In silence they floated, the pristine, glacial oasis of light below them, the only impediment that which he could 'see' magically: the shield, a translucent orb that spread wide over the entire area high into the atmosphere.
Finally, the girl's sanguine head rose and she blinked wide eyes at him before following his gaze to the blazing orb above. "Did you really think that Mommy wanted to make Lady Filia jealous?" her voice lilted innocently.
"It's possible. It seemed as if she got a kick out of mom acting the way she did originally towards you. And," the Ancient Dragon frowned, "Xellos seemed as if he hid his feelings beneath an indifferent mask. I wasn't really sure what he thought of you."
"I think," the redhead murmured, "he was kind of ambivalent for a while. A part of me knew he was my 'big brother', yet another part feared him." Val nodded as she continued, though her words revealed that which he had been unaware of before. "I guess I was unsure of my feelings, too." She narrowed her eyes into a sudden gale as it tossed her tresses, glaring into the sky defiantly. "Mazoku are a lot of things, I suppose. I feel more like a single thing, now. One whole, instead of many fragments."
"Fragments?"
With a nod, she beamed up at him. "It's difficult for us. Mommy tried to raise me with a set view of myself, but I really am not bound by mortal, corporeal rules. She likes the stability, though. The idea that she is only my mother . . . perhaps my ruler, but not my lover, or my master, nor my enemy. But Mazoku can be and often are all of those things to each other."
Valgaav knew his expression showed his distaste and shock as he slowly drew away to gaze at her. "I guess," he fumbled, "that makes sense. I'm sorry, but I just have trouble wrapping my mind around. . . . She created you. But you don't really have a physical body, it's just a puppet . . ." he quickly looked away as his entire body seemed to thaw from the sheer heat of his embarrassment. "Er, you don't really have gender or genetics, so, you um, can pretty much do whatever . . ."
With a sad nod, the sprite bit her lip. "Yes. We have no social stigma against that which humans, dragons and other mortal corporeals find unnatural. We," she glanced away, this time ashamed, "go against nature just by creating physical bodies to begin with."
It's so strange to hear that she finds it more embarrassing that she has a fake human form than the fact that Mazoku go against every aspect of human society, committing acts between each other that humans and dragons would consider vile and unnatural. Val shook his head at his own ignorant, biased views and felt his face heat further. "I'm really stupid," he admitted to her. "I . . . I still keep thinking of you, and Xellos, and Zelas as corporeal."
With a sigh, Iyzeka suddenly smiled brightly at him, glinting green eyes mirthful. "Could you love a cloud of inky, poisonous electromagnetic energy?" she asked him. "A mostly formless mass of something which upon mere proximity deals damage upon your own kind?"
Heavily in thought, Val gazed down, his mind settling upon the island hidden beneath the shroud of clouds. "I already do," he murmured, then flinched and blushed as his eyes met hers before looking away. "I mean . . ." Eh, how is she going to take that? As much as I like her, I didn't mean . . .
Iyzeka's eyes turned to the clouds as well. "You're thinking of Master Xellos, aren't you?" she chimed, then laughed at his startled expression. "I know you don't love me. Affection is not the same as the filial love I sense from you toward Lady Filia and Master Xellos . . . it shines brightly, akin to that which I feel toward Mistress Zelas."
Hearing her refer to Zelas in that term gave Valgaav pause, and he watched her for a few moments intently. "Your changes still throw me for a loop," he quietly admitted.
She nodded. "Maybe Mazoku and Ryuzoku will never be able to really understand each other," her voice fell sadly. "I never met a dragon before you and lady Filia . . . we seem to be reaching across an abyss that cannot be spanned . . . the two sides never to meet . . ."
Reaching out a hand, Val caught Iyzeka's within his grip and in a fit of determined daring, pulled her close. "Are we?" he asked as she gave her other hand to him as well and they began to spin slowly in the refracting sunlight. "I think we've met rather well."
He then cleared his throat and looked away as fiery humiliation flared from his head to his toes. She's going to laugh at me, he moaned in defeat, and winced as she did so.
"You're so cute when you're embarrassed," she told him with affection. "Thanks, Val." Honest green eyes assessed him in the silence, before Iyzeka gave him another lopsided grin. "Let's go bother Master Xellos."
"What, now?" he stuttered, hating every millisecond of his awkwardness. You're such a lady-killer, what with tripping over every damn thing that falls out of your mouth, dumbass.
"Yes," she replied, rotating to yank them down through the thick clouds. As they sped towards the island below, she called out, "He's been taking his sweet time with recuperating, so now we're going to annoy him into hurrying it up!"
Narrowing his eyes against the wind sheer, Val added, "He was acting kind of strange when mom and I told him about my collapse. Not that, um, a huge vortex of demonic energy can, um, "act" like anything . . ." I am the most stupid individual on the face of the planet, he denigrated himself. Stupid, stupid, stupid . . .
The crystalline laughter that followed sent delightful shivers down his spine and heat coursing throughout him as they soared down towards the island hanging far beneath them. "Oh, Val," she smiled at him, and he could feel the amused affection flowing from her.
—You are unique,— her soft voice found his mind, and he blinked to gaze into her eyes, lids narrowed from the swiftness of their flight. —Don't change for anyone, okay?—
He nodded, and squeezed her hand. —Okay. And you do the same. Er, don't . . .—
Her chortling followed them through the cold air as they descended through the brilliant azure sky, cresting the heavens before they were absorbed into the billowing mountain mist below - and at least in that moment, it felt like something was finally going right.
