Another lovely edition is out! Time for reviews!
Catwho: Or was there any time before? Lol. I'm glad you liked it, I aim to please, and am glad you got it!
XyoushaX, Mwafwa, Tbiris: thanks! I am so happy you liked it!
Inverse-chan: aw, why'd you go telling everyone? Lol
SithKnightGalen: Wait. You're confused? Nahhh . . . As to if Mazoku have an after-life or not, as I said long before, I'm not gonna tell you guys stuff the chars don't even know yet! Tee hee. Death has to be criptic, or he'll get fired. J/k!
Emmyjenny: I suggest less sugar! But otherwise I really appreciate your review! I am glad you are so hyper from it.
Damnyou: Hmmm . . . seems you didn't really read much of it. If you had read on, you would have realized that Xellos admits to himself that he's running from confronting Filia and that he feels the need to talk to someone who isn't going to judge him (as he feels his family and friends would). Sorry you are so quick to jump to conclusions, but I refuse to let you ruin my story. I'm just lucky I have so many wonderful friends/readers to care about me and help me move past such a nasty review.
CEP: Do I really have to have a flame before you'll review? LOL! Lazy bum. :-p
Vinceliavalentine: thanks, hon, for all the support!
Kaeru Shisho: Aw, thanks for the words of encouragement and praise over Val. I do try really hard. He's in this chapter a bit, but there will be more later. I am really glad that you liked this chapter. I regret that the plot isn't moving along as much myself, but I realized before I wrote that chapter that I couldn't "feel" the story anymore. I studied and thought about it and realized that Xellos was in a rut. These chapters are his progression and escape from that rut. Hope this one is good too! PS: your description of Xellos' strengths is dead-on. I completely agree. Not to mention that strength doesn't have to lie in the traits most commonly associated with it!
Ryu-Zero-Rei: You are awesome! Thanks for all the reviews! I will touch upon certain comments: I can't quote or even say "this song is" because I admit I'm afraid of getting labeled as a "songfic" and deleted. But the song they were dancing to in the abandoned ballroom was "All you wanted" by Michelle Branch. ;-) I'm also glad you like Iyzeka and Kendar! And as to Zelgadis vanishing being the turning point, the "might have been" is Crazy Elf Paladin's fanfic "Duality" on ff-dot-net. ;-) Wow, someone liked the scene between Zelas and Luna? That's good to hear! Funny/happy scenes will be here and there, but not very often for a little while longer! Don't worry about X/F though, I won't let them "shatter" (a nice word, I like it) and they are strong. Too strong to let that happen. ;-) Also, your English isn't that bad at all! I hope you don't hurt yourself anymore by reading. :-( And you don't have to apologize for not reviewing every chapter, few people do, you're great for reviewing so many!
Thanks for giving me some things you want to see, they are good ideas. And you're right, I try to never leave lose ends. ;-) As for the short "thought" paragraph that is confusing, I believe the "you are mine" is what you speak of. It's supposed to be Telgaln since he is attacking. ;-) sorry it was confusing. As for the cat, you are closer than you think . . . I am so glad you liked my fusion of Slayers with our world! Yes, Filia has found an answer, and Xellos is losing his sense of self. And if I understand you correctly, you are saying my story has more to it than plot, story or characters, and you would be correct. I do have my own agenda of getting across some life lessons! Thanks and please keep reading!
Tanwen Whitefire: I get ten dollars then! Why it's not Lina: Azrael states clearly that Xellos cannot learn who Azrael is because Xellos cannot be told anything he has forgotten. If it were Lina, it would be fine because Xellos hasn't forgotten Lina. :-p You're right in that it makes sense, but keep in mind that as Death, Azrael knows everything that has transpired upon the earth as well! Hope you like this chapter too!
Ryoko: You are totally right, I really did love writing this chapter! I am getting back into it and I'm happy of that, I hope I can write a chapter a month. I even have half of the next chapter already done! (yea!) And thanks for the support, you are, as always, wonderful. ;-)
NekoMenchi: you're in luck! I am posting a new chapter right now, and you are also totally welcome to make fan art! (never had anyone make fan art for me before!)
Love to you all, and onto the next installation of the special! This one will hopefully teach us all to appreciate and be thankful (hint-hint, thanksgiving for those of us in the US) of what we have! Or, um, something. (trying to give it a theme isn't that easy now that Halloween has passed, lol)
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Chapter 48
Land of the Dead - Book Two
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R E V E L A T I O N
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Filia walked for a while through the empty corridors, seeking a familiar place. Climbing stairs and crossing over wide, luxurious balconies, she merely found herself further and further away from anything she recognized.
The rain pattering on the ramparts still sounded through the hushed air as she made her way to a wide window set into an alcove, overlooking a hazy valley of fog and verdant foliage. Watching the drops fall for a moment, the dragoness called out, "Zelas? Can you hear me?" She then bit her lip and wrapped her velvet-draped arms tightly around her chest, wondering what answer she would receive.
"Of course," the suave voice returned within seconds, and Filia impressed herself by not jumping at the sound behind her. "You seem," the demoness purred as she drew closer to stand next to the Golden Dragon, "to be more at peace than you were yesterday."
This time the blonde glanced to her side, eyes meeting Zelas', only to find that the Mazoku had become an aquette overnight, her hair a brilliant sapphire. "Yes," Filia spoke haltingly, then attempted a wincing smile. "Um, you changed your hair. It's very pretty." I'm never going to get used to chatting with Zelas Metallium like this. Never, never, never . . .
The demoness raised an amused azure brow before smirking back. "Flattery will get you everywhere. So, what did you need? Lost again?" She smiled broadly and raised an ever-present glass of wine.
Giving her a skeptical glance, Filia returned to gazing out the window. "Maybe," she hedged. "But actually, I found out something. I meditated for a while . . . I'm not certain of how long, but I received a very clear vision this time." She then cast another look at Zelas. "Isn't it a bit early to be drinking?"
The Hellmaster threw back her head to laugh loudly, before leering at Filia and leaning against the wall of the window alcove. "Only for mortals," she sneered, and Filia blanched, her disapproval vanishing. "But you must be missing some time, dear. It's close to dinnertime."
"Right . . ."
"Let's get the others, then. And Xellos should be just about finished with his body by now," Zelas added, straightening. "In fact, he was past overdue when I spoke to him this morning."
Nervously clutching her hands together, Filia nodded. "Of course. It's about time he came out of there," she murmured.
Zelas gestured, and they reappeared in a broad hall that Filia recalled easily as that which led to their assigned rooms. Sauntering down the corridor, the blue-haired woman spoke aloud, "Valgaav. Iyzeka. Please join us now."
The blonde followed quickly behind, grabbing up the folds of her dress to move more swiftly. "It's so easy for them to hear you and to get around," she grumbled. "I wish it were so easy for me."
"Did you ever try?" Zelas' eyes twinkled at her. "Just think deeply and with strong desire about where you wish to be. That's all it takes. You have little psychic capacity, so you probably never even considered it."
Feeling stupid and insulted at the same time, Filia frowned and looked down at her feet as they walked. Within moments, Valgaav and Iyzeka appeared ahead of them, and Zelas collected them quickly. "Filia has discovered something," she informed them without halting in her march. "So it's time to pull Xellos out of his funk."
In moments, they were at the door to the convalescence quarters, which opened upon Zelas' presence. "Xel-" she began, then frowned at the thick darkness, illuminated only by a glowing circle of magenta-hued orbs, within and around which Xellos' miasma swiftly swirled in a typhoon of energy.
A scowl upon her face, Zelas strode forward to stare, mouth twitching, at the crystals. "Xellos. What have you done."
All four gathered around the orbs, and Filia gasped as she realized through the haze that Xellos' motionless form resided within. "Xellos!" she called. "Can you hear us?"
Val took her arm and spoke up. "He doesn't seem to be moving. And there's so much energy . . . what IS he doing, Zelas?" he demanded.
"He's using the astral orbs," the Hellmaster snapped, "which, by the way, were placed here to enhance the healing of astral beings – to travel to another plane. And since there is only one plane in this dimension that astral beings cannot normally access . . ." With a sigh, she tossed back the last of her wine and growled, "He split himself and sent part of himself to the netherworld."
"WHAT?" Stunned, Filia began clutching at her dress and kneading it between her hands. "No one can do that! It's not possible to even survive such a journey."
"Maybe for mortals," Zelas murmured, gazing into the distance. "But you are right, it's very dangerous. Perhaps that is why he split himself. If he loses the other part of himself, he will simply have to grow it back."
Val winced and scratched his head. "Wait. I know that Shabranigdo is split into several parts kept sealed away, but I thought his ability to survive that was because he was really powerful. Shouldn't that be more difficult for Xellos?"
"My son is not weak," Zelas whispered as she conjured a lit cigarette into her hand, but it was a distracted comment without humor. "I should never have given him the amulet to look at," she added as if speaking to herself, and took a drag, the tip of the stick glowing brightly in the dim lighting.
"Mommy?" came a tiny voice, and Zelas held out her free hand to Iyzeka, still preoccupied with gazing at the motionless form of her General Priest, trapped within a storm of black energy. "I'm scared," Iyzeka murmured, snuggling into her mother's one-armed embrace.
"I know. But . . . I don't sense the amulet here," Zelas frowned, patting the redhead. "If he took it with him . . ."
"Yes?" Filia demanded, her desperation no doubt showing across her features. Xellos! How could you leave us? All for Lina? She swallowed as bile rose suddenly and unexpectedly into her throat, and for a moment she entertained the terrifying thought that Xellos might choose to stay in the realm of the dead . . .
"He may have survived," Zelas told them all. "Just. Those crystals were originally made by Phibrizzo," her deep voice grew disgusted, and she held her small child closer to her chest. "His obsession with forcing Lina Inverse to use the Giga Slave led him into unsavory abuse of souls. He created them to allow himself access to the dead."
Val frowned, eyes still on Xellos' body, but one hand going to clasp his anguished mother's shoulder. "You don't sound as if you liked him much," he mused, golden eyes darting to Zelas before she looked away.
"No. At the time I could have not cared less about what he did to human souls," she admitted. "But he demanded the use of Xellos," she spat, "and nearly got him killed by Gaav in the process." Her eyes glittered with rage, and Filia glanced up to meet them, realizing they had become a crackling chartreuse in color. "Xellos knew they were not enough to actually travel to the other side."
Filia could feel Val's hand tighten on her shoulder as he spoke. "How did you know? Did he try this before?" he asked calmly, yet the question sped her heart and made her palms damp. Did he?
"He spoke with me about it," the Mazoku woman admitted, her arm still around Iyzeka who was now peering fearfully at the barely visible figure behind the vortex. "I told him it was foolish. I told him too much, I realize now. Without a powerful focusing item belonging to the dead, the breach cannot be made. He always wanted to visit Lina. It seems he decided to take that chance."
"But he's there!" Filia pointed, shoulders beginning to shake with sudden rage. "Why can't his other part come out and talk to us or something. Xellos!" she yelled. "Snap out of it!"
Zelas shook her azure head. "No use. This segment of him is concentrating fully on the link between the nether-realm and this plane of existence. If this form is interrupted, he might lose the link and his other half will be trapped forever."
Xellos, Filia winced in agony and pulled away from her son to take a few feeble steps towards the veiled form. I know you missed Lina. But couldn't you have told us first?
"Xellos did what he felt he should," Val spoke up softly, and Filia jerked at the sensation that her son had read her thoughts. "Mom . . . we don't own him, we're not his keepers."
This merely earned him an amused glance from Zelas. "Well, technically . . . I am. He should have told me. He may be my offspring, but he is also my immediate second, and my servant."
"You Mazoku have a really weird social structure," Valgaav intoned, only to be laughed at by the demoness.
Turning to them, Filia felt her rage darting from one target to another. "But, he could be in danger! He has to come back!" Fists clenched, she glared at Zelas, blood churning hotter and hotter. "Can't you do something?"
"My, my," Zelas blinked lime-green eyes at her that seemed to glow slightly in the darkness, "aren't you the bold one? I see why Xellos feels it to be so enjoyable to anger you. However," she waved Filia off even as the dragoness gaped at her flippancy, "there is little we can do. He will either succeed or fail. Either way, he will be alright. He's made certain of that. He'll just have to heal further if a negative outcome arises." Gazing into Filia's angry eyes pointedly, she added with a flick of her cigarette holder, "Bravado is only useful as long as you can bluff your supremacy, dear Filia. Do not forget whom you are with. It is well that Xellos is doing as he pleases. You may have his favor, but you have not tamed him. And you have not tamed me."
With that, she turned to walk out, releasing Iyzeka and leaving the child with a startled, uncertain expression. "Don't disturb him," Zelas called back, ignoring the suddenly bloodless dragoness. "His reasons are his own. He will receive any punishment when he returns, but for now, let it be. Understand?"
Iyzeka's "Yes Mistress!" was a squeaking shiver, and Val was quick to add, "Of course, your Highness."
Then Zelas vanished, and Filia moaned, clutching herself once more. "Oh, I can't believe I did that . . ." she winced, and found her terrified eyes matched within the tiny demoness before her.
"Scary!" Iyzeka groaned as well. "Mommy isn't fun when she's mad . . ."
Val took Filia into his arms, and she continued to whimper, this time covering her eyes. "Oh, Val. I am so stupid . . ."
"Not stupid. Upset. And," he added sadly, "jealous."
"Grrr," Filia straightened and glared at him. "I, I am not!" His knowing look simply served to undermine her, and the blonde slumped again. "Okay, maybe a little."
To her surprise, Iyzeka hopped forward to hug her tightly. "Poor sad Filia," she chirped, and the dragoness sighed, putting her arm over Iyzeka's shoulder. "No sad," the child baby-talked, and Filia gave her a bemused glance.
"Alright, Iyzeka," the blonde exhaled once more. "Lady Zelas is right," she murmured bleakly. "We just have to wait. Ah, damn!" she cursed suddenly, then blushed and covered her mouth. "I messed up big time by making her mad in more than one way." The two teens stared at her curiously. "I meditated and came up with a solid answer as to what these prophetic visions meant, and now she's gone and I can't tell everyone!"
Val patted his mother's shoulder and gestured to the exit, where light from the hall still poured through into the darkened room. "Why don't you tell us, and then we can talk to Zelas when she's calmed down?"
Rubbing her forehead, the blonde nodded, her eyes darting back to the miasma, and the silhouette of the man within. Xellos . . . He could not have created a more tangible barrier between them than the cyclone of pure demonic energy that surrounded him now. You've never felt so far away . . .
Pointedly turning from him, Filia began towards the door. "Alright," she softly acquiesced, not bothering to see if her companions followed. "Let's leave."
Xellos, she called out to him once more from within her psyche as she stepped into the corridor, memories of the past month rushing through her mind, one after another. What is going on? What are we to do? She hung her head as the images threatened to overwhelm her with pain, and the effort to prevent it left an exhaustion she could feel in her bones. We're best friends . . . aren't we? Then . . . why do I feel this way?
The mere recollection of their time together brought dryness to her mouth and a churning warmth flooding through her that was decidedly more than friendly. I can't claim you, she reiterated Val's words with a significantly different meaning, and the epiphany was like a heavy weight sinking into the bottom of her stomach. I am jealous. This is stupid. I'm stupid.
"Mom?" her son's voice entered her world quietly, and she realized she stood within the hall, the sound of the storm thundering in her ears. "Are you . . . okay?"
"I'm fine," she murmured, and forced a smile as lightening racked the sky beyond the open windows within a sudden downpour. Just a crush. Just friends. It hurt. It hurt so much, but it was true, and the angry pelting of the rain seemed to sympathize.
Yet as she approached an open window to watch the raging torrent, black clouds booming with ominous fury as evening settled in, she realized in anguish that the persistent ache of Xellos' sudden absence hurt far worse than even her acceptance of his freedom. Let go, Filia. He never had to tell you that he was going. He has his own life to lead, the way he wants to. Bleakly, she clenched her fists, and the thunder crackled above them. Just let it go.
"Val," she heard her own voice speak softly, "I think . . . I just need to be alone for a while." Her hands found the windowsill, and clutched it to stop their shaking.
"Okay," he returned, tone deep with sorrow. "Come on, Iyzeka."
Their footsteps faded away, and she was alone but for the wind and the rain. Only then did she allow her angry tears to fall, and her sobs of frustration to echo down the barren halls. You have to let go, she told herself, bitterness filling her.
Just . . . just let it go.
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C E L E S T I A
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Death's icy winter had swiftly given way to a springtime of decadence beyond even that which Zelas had constructed in the deepest throws of yearning.
As the two men walked and Xellos quietly told of amusing things that had come to pass, the chill vanished, frost seeping into the mossy ground and the silver trees' barren branches growing buds moments before luxurious flowers appeared to weigh down their slender arms. While Xellos watched, the world became a mist of rose-hued light and blossoms of every pastel shade from lilac to cream danced upon the air with each soft zephyr that wound through the branches.
The tinkling of chimes jingled in the distance, a cheery, yet still eerie sound that he could only presume danced upon the same breezes as the wind-swept petals spiraling around them both.
"Well," Azrael's steps slowed, "this is where we part ways."
The Mazoku blinked, and found his eyes drawn to the angel's calm indigo gaze. "Oh?"
Death nodded and gave a cheeky smile, leaning back against one sparkling trunk before crossing his arms over his chest. "And you wanted a quest, so here you go. Upon the highest mountain in heaven," he began, and gestured vaguely over the abundant flora to a shimmering spot in the distance, "there is a spring at the very top. Bring me a flask of the ambrosia that pours from its mouth. Then," he smirked, "there is a dagger that was stolen from me an untold amount of time ago. I want you to bring it back to me."
"Is that all?" Xellos drawled as Azrael opened his mouth once again, only to receive a defiant grin in return.
"No, it isn't." An intense purple gaze met his own. "One more thing. There is a holy creature that lives within the realm of the dead. A very special being to me, in fact, which you know of as the phoenix. I want you to pluck a feather from it and bring all three of these items to me. You can have as much time as you like to complete the quest," he added with a smirk, eyes twinkling. "But I'm sure you'll wanna finish it as fast as possible."
Xellos peered up at him, studying the angel as he slowly drew forth the hood to cover his features once more. "Azrael . . . thank you. I just hope you hold true to your word and give me something for my efforts when this is all over."
The black-cloaked figure turned and began to silently slide away through the petal-strewn woods. "You'll get something," Death's voice lingered even as his form started to vanish into the mist, "don't worry about that. I don't lie, Xel, and I keep my promises. Guess that's just another thing we have in common."
Abandoned among the cascading blooms, Xellos took a long look around himself at the pastel paradise. The trees, bark sparkling silver, gold and bronze, sunk deep into a ground of rich emerald moss. Betwixt and between the trunks ran rivulets of crystal water, filling the heavily perfumed air with a beautiful tinkling that Xellos had originally attributed to wind chimes upon the breeze.
"Well," the demon spoke to himself within the silent, yet beautiful realm he found himself within, "I guess that's that." Somehow, he had to find a phoenix, a dagger, and a holy spring. And who knows how long that might take. Guilt began to wash over him as he leisurely started to move through the forest, crossing over a stream with every step. I can't stay too long here. I have to go back . . . eventually. His heart grew heavy and cold at the thought, but determination thrust the fear away.
After a few moments of plodding through the soggy undergrowth, his steps sure and oddly unhindered by the piles of flower petals or the slippery moss and his staff sinking satisfyingly into the ground, Xellos realized that he was being watched. He knew not how he had been made aware, but his eyes scanned the gently shadowed woods, seeking out the presence that made his shoulders twinge with paranoia.
Leaning against his staff, the Mazoku called out, "Who's there?" and listened as his voice seemed to shimmer along the wind and fade into the distance.
A flicker of light spun in his peripheral vision, and he turned at the sound of huge wings unfurling. There from beneath the shade of the blooming trees stepped a glowing figure, diminutive and draped in ivory robes. Feminine, with creamy skin and short black hair cut into a pageboy, the winged form drew closer, until Xellos found himself staring down at a curvaceous young girl, the very reflection of the sorrowful figurehead that had adorned Death's vessel.
Her smile and deep blue eyes reminded him of Filia, and his shoulders loosened as he blinked, uncertain of how to react. "Hello," he finally spoke, tone bemused.
"Hello, Xellos," her alto voice returned, then she fell silent.
"Um," he frowned, then continued to walk, but glanced over at her as she followed, "can I . . . help you or something?"
"Actually, I thought maybe I could help you," she answered from his side.
In the following silence, Xellos sighed, then looked down at her again. "And you are?"
"The angel of Mercy," she replied. "I am called Meliael. And," she paused, as if thinking, then frowned, "I've decided to give you a hand with your quests. After all," she continued before he could even ask her why, her expression becoming more animated, "all you want is to talk to Lina Inverse, right? It's completely unfair for Azrael to make you jump through all of these hoops! That jerk!" Her indignation lit her features with a rosy warmth, and her intense eyes burned into his own with a fire that drew a nostalgic sigh from deep within him.
"Meliael, eh?" Xellos smiled, then looked out into the foggy distance. "You remind me of Amelia. Actually, you kind of look like her. Even your name is similar. But your hair is too short, and you're taller."
The angel flushed shyly and looked down, falling silent.
"You definitely have the bust, though," he quipped, then continued flippantly before she could angrily retort, "You wouldn't happen to know where Amelia Wil Tesla Seyrun is, would you? Or Goury Gabriev?" If Lina was inaccessible, they might know something about her whereabouts that he was thus far unable to discover.
"No," she shook her head, apparently letting the remark pass. "Almost all of Lina's companions have disappeared. I'm not certain of where they are."
"Almost all?" the Mazoku stepped over a fallen log and pushed past some trees, before finding his travel halted by a broad, round pond, flat surface glittering in the carmine light. "Who hasn't vanished?"
"Well . . ." The petite angel put her hands upon her hips and frowned. "Sylphiel, Zangulas, and Martina."
The short list elicited a long exhale. "Wonderful. The least intelligent of all Lina's companions. I can only hope they've gotten smarter in death." He gazed down at Meliael, eyes narrowing a moment. "You also couldn't by any chance to be able to take me to where they are, could you?"
She beamed back. "Of course! Let's go!"
"Thanks."
"You know," she added with a smile as she took his arm, "you really haven't changed a bit." She raised a hand filled with ivory fire, and his existence faded to white.
"So I keep hearing," he chuckled, before he vanished too.
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M E T E M O R P H A S I S
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Sighing out into the rain, Zelas peered beyond the sheets of water and listened to the thunder rumbling across the mountains. She took another long drag from her cigarette, and mused upon why it was that she enjoyed the damage done to her body. Perhaps the time it takes to heal it keeps me distracted from the passing eons.
Her children were other distractions, not always pleasant ones. Xellos had taken a great amount of latitude in the choice he had made. Zelas, slow to anger, felt frustration more than rage, and had let it control her when she shouldn't have. It wasn't Filia's fault that she was unable to think straight when it came to Xellos. He had a tendency to do that to people. It was one of his charms, and perhaps also a curse.
The wind swept across the sill Zelas sat at, well aware that below and far across her castle, the saffron-locked dragoness mirrored her, a sorrow overwhelming in its depth. Filia hadn't had the easiest of two days; after her late night, the dragoness had woken late to spend many hours meditating, only to find Xellos had abandoned her. It was a harsh blow.
However, now was not the time for overwhelming emotions that undid all reason. Her son's decision had been influenced by the same, and look at where it had led him in his quest for absolution. If they continued in this vein, then all would be lost and they would be precisely where Telgaln wanted them; broken and unable to support each other.
Finishing her cigarette, Zelas sighed and closed Kelly green eyes to the storm. "Iyzeka. Come. Leave Valgaav, you can fetch him later."
The child appeared before her within moments, a worried look filling her wide, inquisitive eyes. "Yes my Mistress?" she cowered haltingly.
With another exhale, the Hellmaster shook her head and chuckled dryly. "Rise, child. I am no longer wrathful," she spoke with dark humor. "Your brother has taken his leave and stymied our progress. So, where I would have normally asked him for a report on what transpired as soon as he had fully recuperated, I will be asking you, instead."
Iyzeka's eyes grew ever wider, and she began to sway from one direction to another in awe. "But . . . but I've never given a report on a mission before, Mommy!" She then began pulling her maroon bangs down to cover her eyes as if to hide herself, and Zelas chuckled.
"Just tell me what happened. I wasn't able to watch you all," she reminded her daughter. "I missed you, but I am also concerned to know exactly what happened. Tell me what you know. I will get the rest from Filia and Val. And then, we will continue on with making our plans for what to do next, with or without your brother's input."
She then waited expectantly, and Iyzeka began to speak.
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C A T E C H I S M – R E C A N T E D
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The wind swam around him as if he were surrounded by water, a force that lifted him and pressed him down. The sea of wildflowers shimmered with every mighty breeze that cut smooth arcs through the meadow grasses, as captured petals were driven high into the air to glisten and dance in the glare of the hottest, most blinding sun Xellos had ever seen. He couldn't even look near it, and every color around him stood out in sharp relief. Eyes dazed by the glowing orb above and the slashing gale, he could barely make out past his own tossing tresses the lavender and lilac-sheathed figure, long violaceous ribbons curling around her.
He felt a supporting hand on his bicep as the wind threatened to topple him with one ill-placed step, and peered over his shoulder to see the little angel holding him firmly in place, her azure gaze crystal in the light and unaffected by the gusts.
"Is it always this difficult to traverse heaven?" he called over the blustering zephyrs, only to receive a giggling smile from his companion as a response. "Right," Xellos grumbled and pressed on, ever nearing the form swirling slowly before them.
With every step through the tall grasses, hand held before his eyes to block the searing viridian and shocking citrine shades, the Mazoku drew closer to his goal. He realized as he pulled nearer that the flashing streams of deep amethyst cascaded down from the crown of the female form's head as she swayed and spun in the hurricane winds that wracked the endless fields of wildflowers.
The features, pale and beautiful, filtered through the violet strands and Xellos struggled to see them as the gale's ferocity soared, his arm aching from the strong grip holding him steady, the strange sensation within his mind that without the Angel of Mercy behind him, he would be lifted into the air and lost forever within the burning skies.
Then the force simply stopped . . . the air instantly still and clear as a placid lake, the dancing figure hanging in place, suspended like a wind-up doll waiting for the life-giving touch of her mistress.
The lengths of hair, yard upon yard, gently settled around her like a cloak, and she slowly spun to face him, her features apparent now before his eyes. "Oh," the rosebud mouth smiled, and instead of the humble jade he remembered, eyes the color of wide, cloudless skies gazed into him. "Xellos. I wasn't expecting to see you here."
She glowed with purity so brightly that Xellos felt stained and awed all the same. He stared at her, until Meliael shoved him forward, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Well," he attempted, "you see . . . I'm not really dead yet."
She nodded and smiled, and he could feel his entropy dying, seeping away from him in exquisite agony. "I understand. You're looking for Lina." The woman bent to pluck another flower from the field, and the grasses shivered in response. "A lot of things have been occurring to you, haven't they?"
Flustered, the demon cleared his throat and stared at her in reverence and pain. "How do you know that?"
"We watch mortals from these heavenly plains." She then smiled at him again and handed him the lily; he took it, and found himself absorbed by the pale lavender petals as she continued. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? I think the last we met was at Lina and Goury's wedding."
"You," Xellos forced past his throat, "obviously got over it."
She beamed and nodded, gazing past him into the distance. "Yes. Oh, hello, Mercy," she then curtsied to the slight angel behind him. "I apologize for my distance. I am still communing."
"Communing?" he cautiously asked, a frown marring his face.
"Yes. It is so much easier to prophesize from heaven," the violette smiled brilliantly at him, and he had to quickly avert his eyes once more from the radiance. "I'm so much closer to the key players, after all," she laughed a tinkling sound, and Xellos felt dizzy.
Is this what Filia will be like when she is dead? he found himself wondering as his legs weakened, and Meliael grabbed his arm to anchor him. I don't know if I could survive her presence. It's so pure . . .
Those depths of blue caught his eyes again and peered into his very essence. "I hope, Xellos," the priestess' soft voice cut through his cluttered thoughts, "that you are able to see for yourself the beauty that is Filia's soul. But that will be up to you," she finished, a warning note that sent a cold swath of dread into his already churning stomach.
"Lina," he finally croaked out, wishing to be rid of this place as quickly as possible.
"She is gone," came the simple answer. "She has been for some time, but others left before her."
"Whom?" he put his hand over the angel's on his arm, thankful that the petite brunette didn't bring out such strong reactions from him.
The azure skies that scorched into his eyes left him and began to stroke the horizon, blinking easily within sunlight that blistered Xellos' skin. "Luna . . . Goury . . . and others. They have gone," her velvety voice dropped into a whisper that shivered across the sea of blossoms.
"Gone where?"
She turned away from him, lengthy tresses catching a fresh breeze that began to fill the air. "You have your duties, Xellos," her voice spoke with sorrow. "Do not fear, and do not lament," her tone vibrated within his skull, and he clutched his head as it echoed. "It is what you must do. You cannot stay here."
He fell to his knees, the words deafening his mind, and felt Meliael's hands upon his shoulders before blissful darkness claimed him, and he could smell fresh rain and moss.
Looking up, Xellos felt the brush of feathers upon his face, and found himself gazing into the soft, deep ocean of the angel's eyes in the shadow of her sheltering wings. "You were brave," she told him gently, and smiled a smile that did not shred his very being, but instead bolstered him.
With his regained strength, she stepped back and folded her wings once more, and Xellos looked around them to find a peaceful night sky, vibrant yet soothing with a spread of jewels tossed carelessly across the heavens, galaxies undulating before his eyes. "What happened?" he asked, hands folding across his chest with uncertainty. "She's so different."
"She's . . . powerful," the angel looked wary for a moment. "Angels such as myself are meant to comfort, Xellos. But souls are unhampered. She could have chosen to hide her nature from you and shield your malevolence from her purity, but she didn't. It hurt you, as I'm sure she meant it to. Perhaps she was teaching you a lesson, I don't know," the tiny being frowned thoughtfully. "She's a great sage, even in death."
"Clearly," Xellos mused, juxtaposing the priestess with his memory of her in life.
"But there are more powerful ones," Meliael reminded him, and her sad gaze struck him solidly, and gave him pause. "We should be lucky that none of them are likely to come across us, or us them."
He could hear the silent you in the we, and shivered, though the air of the forest remained warm and clear. "Thank you, Meliael. I'm not sure I would have survived."
"It's time for your required tasks," she segued suddenly, and stepped up to take his arm again. "I'll take you to the mountain stream. But be wary, Xellos," her voice began to echo, and all was luminous white once more. "Heaven is a dangerous place for a soul drenched in darkness."
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