Chapter 5
"Do you remember me?"
Zelgadis walked down the dark corridor towards a small room in the attic. From below he could hear the muffled conversations of travellers and the screams of an angry woman. In the end, he had to admit that this was certainly not the best place for a fussy lady to stay. Flaking plaster on the walls, damp and rats - although the owner strongly denied the last. Suddenly, the noise was interrupted by the sound of a clock chiming midnight. The nervous young man looked at the clock, quickening his pace, and a moment later, pushed open the door to his destination.
"Good, you're here," he heard as a greeting.
"Where's the book?" Zelgadis asked bluntly, scanning the room with a steely gaze.
"I have it right here," Yuuki said. She rose from her chair and placed the volume on a small table. "Are you sure?" she asked, but received only a nod as an answer.
"Very well then..."
Lina and Gourry got up from the old corner sofa and moved to stand next to Zelgadis. Meanwhile, Mizu walked over to the door and locked it with a soft creak.
"Ready?" Yuuki asked tensely.
"Always..." Gourry muttered, instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword.
"When I open the book, you have to 'jump' inside! Alright, on three!"
"This is starting to scare me..." Lina whispered, shifting nervously from foot to foot.
"One!"
Zelgadis swallowed loudly...
"Two!"
He slowly began to understand the danger of the situation and the risk he had taken...
"And...!"
Perhaps he should retreat?
"Three!"
Yuuki reopened the cover, revealing the passage. The pages rustled dangerously, as if pulled by an invisible force, then flashed with a blinding light and unleashed the demon once again...
(…)
The girl woke up with a scream in her bed. Her breath caught in her chest, as if it were afraid to face the world. The cool air slowly and cautiously made its way through her lungs, strained by an uneasy rhythm. After a moment, her frail body was shaken by shivers, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"It was just a bad dream..." she whispered to herself, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.
Cold beads of sweat trickled down her face, and her clothes clung uncomfortably to her back.
"Akama...?" The sudden question faded into the darkness, unanswered.
Embarrassed, the girl lowered her head. The awkward silence was broken by a soft sigh. The boy knew well how pointless conversation was at a moment like this, but he struggled to find another way. Without a word, he rose and sat beside the shrouded figure.
"Kirei, leave me alone!"
She was about to stand when the boy grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.
"It's not that easy," he said with a triumphant smile, but like everything good in this world, it quickly vanished as he felt something sticky beneath his fingers.
"You're bleeding again..." he said grimly, looking down at Akama's wrists.
"So what?" the girl snapped.
"Do you really not care, or are you just trying to act indifferent?" He studied her blue eyes carefully.
"I... ugh..."
"I thought so," he murmured, smiling to himself before turning his gaze back to her hands. "Does it hurt?" he asked, gently touching the wound.
"Ass!" Akama grimaced in pain.
"Thought so..." he muttered. "Hold on, we need to bandage it," he added, standing up and turning toward the dressing table.
"Kirei, it turns out you're like a walking book of prophecies! Why bother asking if you already know the answers?" she teased as the boy rummaged through the bedside drawer.
"See? And that just proves you should listen to me more!" He laughed, unrolling a bandage.
"In your dreams!"
"Maybe. It would be a bit boring if you just did what I said, like everyone else. You're different..."
"Kirei, I..."
"You had a dream, didn't you?" he asked suddenly and sat down on the bed again.
"Yes..." She looked at him in surprise. Why had he changed the subject? Oh well, they'd been over this many times before.
"So?"
"Ah, sorry, I got lost in thought! I don't remember exactly. I was dreaming about... someone..."
(…)
Zelgadis slowly regained consciousness. Everything had happened so quickly and now seemed like a blur of events. Yuuki opening the passage, the demon appearing, and even Lina deciding at the last moment to forgo the 'trip' to another dimension. It should be noted that she would have succeeded if the door had not been locked.
"Ugh, I'm dying!" Lina wailed, getting up from the ground and brushing off the dust. "Zel, are you okay?"
"Yes, I think so," he replied, getting to his feet. "Lighting..." he murmured, and a moment later, a ball of light shone in his hand.
"Gourry..." Lina looked at the spot where the blond man had been standing moments before. "Hey! Where's Gourry?"
He was not there.
"Lina, calm down! He probably went to look around or something..."
"Zel, did you hit your head when you fell?! Look around?! Here! Are you blind or what?!" Lina was really worried.
Zelgadis, previously staring at the tear in his shirt, raised his eyes. He realised immediately what Lina was talking about. The city they were in - or rather what was left of it - would give anyone the creeps. Old, crumbling buildings with shattered windows loomed around them, and a pervading sense of emptiness hung in the air. It was a scene of misery and despair, emerging from the dense fog. For a moment, as Zelgadis looked up at the sky, it seemed as if he was floating in a void. He could not see the twinkling stars or the moon in the vault above. Was this what nights looked like here?
"Gourry! Gourry!" Lina's excitement had now turned into hysteria.
"Lina, look!" Zelgadis shouted, suddenly noticing a strange light in the distance.
They both sprinted towards it. After running several metres, the figure of a tall, blond man emerged from the mist. Gourry stood with his back to them, staring intently at something in front of him.
"Gourry, you idiot!" Lina reached out and slapped him on the back in frustration. "Are you even listening to me?!" she yelled, noticing that he was ignoring her. "Hey!" She was about to step in front of him when a sudden movement of his hand stopped her.
"Look..." Gourry whispered suddenly.
The confused witch followed his gaze, but she couldn't quite understand what he was pointing at.
"Gourry, I don't see anything..." she said.
"Exactly!" he shot back. "Look!" He grabbed her hand, the one that held the light spell, and pointed it at her feet.
"Do you see it?!"
"I..." she faltered. "Is this... what the end of the world looks like?"
Lina and Gourry stood at the edge of... they weren't quite sure what. Beneath them was nothing but a black void, an abyss, and the city seemed to float above it.
"Not exactly," Zelgadis explained, having already grasped the situation. "Look, the city is suspended by chains!"
Zelgadis was right. The city was suspended by chains, which coiled around the area like venomous snakes, rattling ominously.
"Hey, you!"
The trio turned quickly in the direction of the unfamiliar voice.
"So there are people here after all," Lina muttered.
"Don't even think about resisting!"
"Resisting?" Zelgadis asked, confused. "What is he talking about?"
Moments later, the silhouettes of five men emerged from the darkness, all looking menacing. They carried oil lamps and swords.
"Hey, guys! Good to see you!" the redhead greeted them with a strange smile on her face.
"Stop, demon emissaries! You can't fool us!" the stranger shouted as Lina tried to approach.
"Demon emissary?" she repeated in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"I won't fall for your tricks! You're going to die, monster!"
"Monster?" Lina's eyebrow twitched dangerously.
"It's easy to recognise your kind," one of the men sneered, drawing his sword.
"If that's the way you want it, I guess I have no choice," Lina muttered to herself, preparing to cast a spell.
"Lina, you can't..." Zelgadis began, but at that moment he was struck by a blade. If it had not been for his stone skin, the wound would have been far worse than just a tear in his clothes.
"Zel! Enough!" Lina screamed. "Fireball!"
"What?!" Gourry's eyes widened in surprise.
"Fireball! Fireball!" the redhead shouted, waving her arms, but nothing happened. "My magic...?" She stared at her hands.
"Mine doesn't work either!" Zel shouted from somewhere in the distance, busy with a swordfight.
"My sword!" Gourry was holding the Sword of Light, but instead of its usual glow, it was now completely black.
"It's not working?" the sorceress exclaimed in confusion. "But the Lighting worked before!"
It didn't take long for the trio to be overcome. Well, mostly Lina, but with a knife at her throat, Zelgadis and Gourry were forced to surrender as well.
"What do we do with them?" asked one of the men.
"I don't know," replied the one holding Lina. "They seem... different. Let's take them to Kirei, he'll decide."
(…)
A sudden knock interrupted their talk. Kirei looked to the door.
"Wait here, I'll see what's going on," he told Akama with a smile.
When he opened the door, he saw a familiar face. The captain of the night guard looked rather worried.
"Has something happened?" Kirei asked.
"Sir, we found someone. We suspect that they are new emissaries of the demon, but we're not sure..."
"Akama, forgive me, but I have to go," he explained and left the room.
Zelgadis, Gourry and Lina were tied up in the middle of a large hall. The whole place resembled the interior of an ancient temple.
"Lina, what happened to our magic?" Zelgadis whispered.
"I don't know, but Gourry's sword didn't work either!"
Kirei stepped closer, studying the trio carefully. Naturally, his gaze lingered on Zelgadis - after all, it wasn't every day you saw a Chimera.
"You all look strange," he said simply, a broad grin spreading across his face.
"And I thought Gourry was the simple one," Lina muttered sarcastically.
"Who are you?" Kirei continued.
"You wouldn't believe us anyway," Zelgadis sneered.
"If that's what you think, there's no point in continuing this farce," Kirei remarked. "Although you in particular are quite interesting." He sat down opposite Zel. "You don't look like demon messengers. But if you won't talk, I'm afraid I'll have to get rid of you..."
"Kirei, no!"
A girl stood in the doorway, watching the scene.
"Akama? What is it?" Kirei asked in surprise.
For a moment, Zelgadis thought it was humiliating to have a girl defend him, but when he looked up at her...
"Amelia...?" he whispered in shock.
"Amelia?" Kirei repeated, confused. "Who is that?"
Zelgadis didn't hear him. He was still staring at the girl. Her unnaturally pale skin seemed to glow in the golden candlelight, and there was a strange glint in her eyes. He hadn't seen her for so long! And he could've sworn that at the sound of her name, her face twisted into a painful grimace - a suffering that only he could recognise. But she quickly regained her composure, her lips forming a friendly smile that wiped away the traces of her previous emotions.
A smile full of pity?
"Kirei..." she spoke in a melodious voice. "Let them go," she said simply, as if stating an obvious fact.
"But, Akama! They must be punished!" the blond protested.
"Kirei, have you lost your mind?! I know you enjoy playing the perfect guard, but stop it. Everyone can see that they're not demons!" She approached the prisoners and, ignoring her friend's protests, cut their bonds in one swift motion.
Zelgadis didn't need a second invitation. He sprang to his feet and ran to the girl.
"Amelia!" he shouted, grabbing her hands.
He wasn't quite sure what to feel. Should he be glad they'd found her, or worried about her strange behaviour? Why was she pretending not to know them?
"Amelia?" she repeated, confused. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. My name is Akama."
"Akama?" Now it was Zelgadis who looked surprised. Surprised? No, he was in shock. For a long moment, he just opened and closed his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat at the last second. "Do you know who I am?" he finally managed to choke out, still gripping her hands tightly.
"Should I?"
"I..."
What should he say? That she had been in love with him for so many years that she should remember him? That they used to be friends? Used to be? It was yesterday! Yesterday when those eyes had looked at him shyly with such adoration. An adoration he had never appreciated. In fact, he didn't even deserve it.
"Hey! Will someone tell me what's going on here?" Lina finally shouted, obviously frustrated by the lack of information.
"It's more like we're expecting an explanation," Kirei remarked as he gently pulled Akama away from Zelgadis.
"Who are you?" Akama asked. Although the question seemed to be directed at Zelgadis, it was Lina who answered it. Apparently, she realised that her friend wouldn't be able to say much for a while.
"I'm Lina Inverse, this is Gourry, and over there is Zelgadis," she introduced them. "We came from another pillar... for you!" Lina declared bluntly, pointing straight at Amelia, clearly pleased with the sensation she had just revealed.
"What?! Another pillar? But they're sealed! Sealed from us!" Kirei snapped, pulling her friend even closer.
"Tell me..." Lina started, ignoring Kirei, "what do you remember, Amelia?"
"I don't understand," replied the confused girl.
"What is your last memory?" the redhead pressed.
"My memory?" she repeated quietly and Kirei made a horrified face.
"You have no right to ask her that!" he threatened.
"Actually, we do, unless you all want to die," Lina explained with a mocking tone.
"Die? What are you talking about?" he asked quietly.
"It's only a matter of time if we don't get her out of here," Lina explained. "Amelia was kidnapped from our world by a demon yesterday. If it finds her, it will be the end for all of us."
"Yesterday?" Kirei scoffed. "Then it's a mistake," he finished with a sigh of relief.
"A mistake?"
"Yes, a mistake. Akama has been with us for almost a year," he explained calmly.
"A year?!" Zelgadis perked up. "That's impossible!"
"It seems we didn't expect this..." Lina said, her expression turning sombre as she began to rub her temples in frustration.
"What didn't we expect?" Gourry asked her.
"Well, I heard about it once, but I didn't believe it was true..."
"Can you please explain what you're talking about?" Zel shouted after a long moment of silence.
"Calm down! Can't you see she's trying to concentrate?" she shouted, but then added more calmly, "The dimensions are time-shifted. I've heard about this regarding other pillars; it seems to apply here as well."
"Time-shifted... what?" Gourry struggled to understand Lina.
"Time shifted. It turns out that when a day passed for us, it was a year in this pillar," Lina said sadly.
"A year?" Zelgadis echoed hollowly, looking regretfully at Amelia.
Her expression was distant and closed. She seemed to be somewhere far away, lost in the corners of her pain-filled consciousness.
"So it wasn't just a dream..." Amelia finally said with a hint of sarcasm.
"It's impossible..." Kirei whispered in disbelief.
"Kirei, but what if it's true?! I don't remember anything from before you saved me!"
"Akama... you know very well why you lost your memory...", the confused boy replied.
"And my dreams?"
"That's right, DREAMS! They're not real!"
"But..." the black-haired girl started, but her friend quickly cut her off.
"I don't want to hear that! And you all need to get out of here!" he shouted at Lina and the others.
"Rei, think about it..." Amelia pleaded. "He already caught me once! A year ago! So according to them, right after I got here. And it's possible that he would do it again if you didn't protect me! Do you really think it's just a coincidence? What if it's true?" she asked quietly.
The boy was silent for a long time, clearly processing the girl's words. His face was a canvas of a thousand different emotions. Fear mixed with disbelief, concern with anger. One moment, he furrowed his brow, the next, he raised it in surprise.
"Akama, I don't want to lose you..." he finally whispered, looking worried.
"Rei! You'll never lose me! You know I'll always be by your side..." she replied, hugging him.
Zelgadis felt an uncomfortable twist in his stomach and quickly looked away.
"So..." Kirei began, gently pushing the girl away from him, "assuming you're telling the truth. How do you explain your arrival here?" he asked Lina. "From what I've been taught, I know that the other pillars have turned their backs on us and the Lord of Nightmares has condemned us to the eternal mercy of that... that monster. In other words, there was no way to get here, and most people don't even know we exist..." He clenched his fists in anger.
"Well, not exactly..." Lina began to explain the situation.
She described the events of the past week in detail. The meeting with Kazuki, or rather, as they later learned, with Shabranigdo, the story of the book he had presented to them, the journey to Saillune, the battle in the temple, the encounter with Yuuki and her companions and the true nature of the book, which they had unfortunately discovered too late. She deliberately left out the part about Amelia's father being murdered - whether she remembered it or not, he was still her father; she preferred not to take the risk.
Zelgadis, on the other hand, stood staring blankly at the wall. He tried not to hear what Lina was saying, but it was damn hard! For some reason, the memories of the last few days were burning like a red-hot torch in his heart. Maybe if he had kept a closer eye on Amelia...
"And that's how we ended up here," Lina concluded.
"So if the demon finds Akama, he'll be able to open a passage and get to the other pillars?" Kirei summarised in disbelief.
"Exactly."
"Something doesn't add up..." Kirei said confused.
"What do you mean?" Gourry asked.
"You see..." Kirei began, "Akama didn't come to us right away. Perhaps I should start at the beginning; if you're telling the truth, you have a right to know our story as well. My name is Kirei Matte, and I'm the leader of the rebellion. For generations, we've tried to oppose the demon in every way possible. We have no chance of defeating him directly, but we can destroy the beasts he creates. That's why my people captured you; you didn't look like you belonged here, especially to him." He gave Zelgadis a significant look. "Besides, we try to help others like ourselves. Your world probably imagines the demon as a large, mindless creature. You're wrong. While it is a creature, it is certainly not mindless. On the surface, he even resembles a human... For some, it would have been better if he had killed them on the spot... Meanwhile, he holds humans captive. He treats them like his toys, plays with them... And we are too weak to free them..." He looked down resignedly. "The place where he keeps them isn't just any place. It's the Manor of Death..." he finished in a whisper.
"It is said that anyone taken there and imprisoned by the demon can only be released by death... The place is cursed and no living soul will ever leave it. Of course, many have tried, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, they died instantly." He swallowed hard. "It's different if you enter willingly. And that's what happened a year ago. I sneaked into the Manor to ease the suffering of some unfortunate souls. That's when I found Akama. I freed her."
"Wait!" Lina interrupted him. "Didn't you just say that anyone who gets trapped there won't get out alive?"
"That's true. You see... she wasn't alive."
"She was dead?!" they all exclaimed.
"Her heart stopped beating for a few minutes. That was enough time for me to get her out of that place..."
"What happened?" Zelgadis asked, trying to keep calm.
"She..." Kirei glanced furtively at Amelia, but she ignored him. "She tried to take her own life... By some miracle, we managed to bring her back. She was unconscious for two months, and when she woke up, she remembered nothing. Not even her name. But she had nightmares every night, those must be some memories from her life, I don't know".
"So there's a chance that Amelia might remember something..."
Kirei smiled grimly and continued with a lowered voice: "As I said, something doesn't add up. If the demon needed Akama so badly, why didn't he use her to open the passage? What was he waiting for? And more than that, he let her die!"
"Good question..." Lina thought. "Maybe he couldn't do it right away? I don't know, but one thing is for sure: we can't let him catch Amelia again!"
"Maybe..." the blond reluctantly agreed. "You know... listening to your story, I'm even willing to believe it, but this is too serious a matter to take on faith. Do you have any proof?"
Zelgadis lifted his eyes from the ground and looked sceptically at Lina and Gourry. It was obvious that they had no proof. What could they possibly have? No matter what they said, Amelia wouldn't remember it anyway, and they had nothing else. Amelia wouldn't recognise her own things. Unless it was something Kirei recognised!
"Kirei..." Zelgadis began, "how well do you remember the day you rescued Amelia?"
"Very well, why?"
"Do you remember what she was wearing?"
"Hmm, not really, but I think some of what she was wearing is still here."
"Could you bring it?" Zel continued.
"Sure."
Kirei quickly left the room only to return a moment later with a small bundle. He walked over to a small table and unpacked the contents. There were the ancient amulets of Amelia. The final proof that they had found the true princess. Zelgadis didn't wait long. He reached into his cloak and pulled out an identical gem from the bottom of his pocket. Amelia had once given it to him as a keepsake. Now there was no longer any doubt.
Both stories were true.
"Isn't it nice to know your name?" the dark-haired girl said suddenly, looking at the stone in Zel's hand. She had seemed distant throughout the conversation.
"Akama..." Kirei looked worriedly at his companion.
"Rei, please... It seems I'm going to be called Amelia from now on, right?"
"I think it's better if we all get some sleep now," Kirei suggested. "Give them rooms upstairs," he said to the tall man standing at the door, then quickly left, dragging Amelia with him.
"I guess we have no choice," Gourry said.
"Don't wait for me," Zelgadis announced unexpectedly, heading for the exit.
"Zel!" the redhead called after him, but the boy had already slammed the door behind him.
As he stepped out of the hall, a cool breeze brushed against his face. He slowly descended the worn marble steps and made his way down the winding street. Looking back, he realised they had been taken to an old church. The tall spires, adorned with tiny windows, looked eerie in the prevailing fog and darkness.
"Lighting," he muttered to himself.
At least he could do that. Tomorrow he would have to talk to Lina about their magic...
"Wait!" someone called after him.
He turned around and cast a spell to light the way for the approaching figure. Moments later, the figure in the distance came into focus.
"Amelia?" Zelgadis rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and when he opened them again, the girl was standing within arm's reach.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you!" she began, looking down in confusion. "I just wanted to talk to someone in your group. Whenever Rei can't handle something, he is trying to slip away! When I finally managed to free myself and came back into the hall, I ran into the red-haired girl and the tall guy. I wanted to talk to them, but they said it would be better if I talked to you," she explained chaotically, raising her eyes. "Wow!" she suddenly exclaimed in amazement, realising what her companion was using to light the way. "How do you do that?" she whispered, as if a louder noise would cause the glowing orb to disappear.
"It's not difficult," Zelgadis laughed. "You can do it too, and much more!"
"Me?" she asked, her eyes still fixed on the light. "How?"
"Admittedly, Lina and I have some problems using magic here, but I don't think this spell will be affected." He smiled at the girl. "Give me your hand," he asked.
Amelia obediently held out her hand, and Zelgadis took it in his. Her delicacy and fragility contrasted sharply with his. Well, not everyone has the body of a Chimera. Besides, Amelia wasn't 'that' Amelia. The swordsman noticed that not only her memory changed. The girl had lost a lot of weight and dark shadows had appeared under her blue eyes.
"It's simple..." Zel began, no longer wanting to dwell on Amelia's new appearance. "Imagine the darkness that hangs over you parting, bending under the influence of the light you carry within. That light is your kindness. Try to use it in your battle against the darkness. Imagine something pleasant and then invoke the light by saying 'Lighting'.
"Lighting," Amelia whispered, looking at her hand.
She could hardly believe her eyes as she saw a glowing ball begin to form there.
"I told you it'd be easy," Zelgadis said with satisfaction, but his smile quickly faded as he noticed the girl's wrists. They were now clearly illuminated by the white light of the spell. The bloodstains on the bandages did not bode well.
"Sometimes they bleed," Amelia said simply, reading his mind.
"Sometimes?"
"I have different dreams; in some of them I bleed."
"Dreams?"
"I think it has something to do with my past life, but let's not talk about that now," she asked.
"I see," he replied, studying the girl's eyes. It was hard to read anything in them.
"I know this sounds silly, but what's your name?" she asked suddenly, embarrassed.
"I'm Zelgadis." He smiled and tightened his grip on Amelia's hand.