Slayers - Chaos Theory Chapter 10: Roots, a slayers fanfic

Chapter 10

"Roots"

"I can't!" Zelgadis shouted suddenly, pushing the girl away.

He stepped back and leaned against the far wall. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm his raging senses. Eventually, his breathing returned to normal, and with it, his awareness of his surroundings.

How could he have done such a thing?

He opened his eyes and looked at Nirali. She was still standing in the same spot, a mocking grin on her face, but despite her best efforts to hide it, there was a trace of surprise in her expression.

"Well, well! I'm impressed, swordsman!" she said, clapping her hands in a fake show of appreciation. "No one has ever had enough willpower to resist my potion."

"Potion?" he repeated dully, still standing by the wall. He was truly confused.

"I couldn't resist trying it on you!" She laughed mockingly, picking up Zelgadis' sword from the floor before he realised what was happening. "Where was I?" she wondered, staring at the blade. "Ah! Our little interrogation... So you're telling me you got this sword from a relative?" she asked, ignoring the boy's confusion and the entire previous situation.

Meanwhile, Zelgadis put the pieces together. That vile potion must have been in the water she gave him to drink. He cursed himself inwardly for his carelessness. The potion could have had far more serious consequences. He still didn't understand why she wanted to test it on him. Was it just some twisted fetish of an abnormal witch? He sighed loudly, concluding that he didn't even want to know the answer. Angrily, he gave her a piercing look. He wasn't going to answer any questions, especially not for free.

"If you want answers to your questions, you must first answer mine."

The terms were simple - quid pro quo - and Zelgadis was not about to be tricked. Not anymore.

Nirali opened her mouth, probably to protest, but before the first words came out, she closed it again. She bit her lip and reluctantly nodded.

"All right, question for question, a fair exchange," she said conciliatorily. "So, what do you want to know?" There was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Let's start with what happened to my friend before you brought me here?"

The image of Amelia on the floor and the Undead standing over her flashed before his eyes. He felt even more guilty. How could he not have thought about it and let himself be so easily influenced? He really wanted to believe that the reason for his behaviour was the potion's influence...

"I don't know what happened to her after that..." Nirali began, sitting comfortably on the old couch and crossing her legs. "When I teleported into the building where you were, it all happened in a matter of seconds. I saw about as much as you did... well, maybe a little more. The undead standing over the little one had someone's dagger in her skull," she finished with a horrible smile, as if such scenes gave her pleasure.

Zelgadis breathed a sigh of relief. Someone had come to their rescue; Amelia wasn't alone, and that was the most important thing. He hoped it had been Gourry and Lina who had saved her.

"I hope you're telling the truth. If you're lying, I swear I'll kill you..." he threatened, certain he would keep his word. "What do you want in return?" He didn't like having to answer her question, but a deal was a deal.

"Who gave you the sword?" she asked, and he couldn't understand her strange fascination. What was it about his sword that intrigued her so much?

"I already told you. My relative," he replied curtly.

"Could you elaborate on your answer, or is that too demanding for you?" she hissed, dissatisfied, twirling the blade in the air. "So?"

"My great-grandfather Rezo gave it to me; he looked after me when I was young. I've had this sword for as long as I can remember," he replied, ignoring her earlier comment. He had a more important goal than arguing, so he intended to play this game for as long as necessary.

"Who was your great-grandfather? How did he come to have this sword?" The questions came fast and furious, and a flash of curiosity flickered in the girl's eyes.

"Sorry, but that's two more questions. Now it's my turn," Zel said in a matter-of-fact tone and sat down as well. "Who is your Master?"

"He is the ruler of this world," she replied, weighing her words carefully.

"You mean the demon, the Soul Thief?" Zelgadis remembered that was how Kirei had described him.

"Among other things, yes," she confirmed hesitantly. It was clear that this was an uncomfortable topic for her.

"What do you mean by 'among other things'? Are there more of these demons?" Zelgadis pressed, but the girl just smiled mischievously.

"That's another question," she said, still smiling, though Zel noticed something genuine in it. Or so it seemed to him. "So, who was your great-grandfather Rezo?" she continued the interrogation.

"Who was Rezo..." Zelgadis let his mind drift far, far back into the past. "He was a priest, the greatest sage of his time, and yet he was a fool. Rezo was born blind, and though he had immense power, he could not cure himself of his handicap. He couldn't accept this, so he made a pact with the Dark Lord of our world, Shabranigdo. Well, he met a grim end..." He remembered his death and smiled coldly. He hated that man, hated him for turning him into a chimera, and took satisfaction in the fact that he was killed by Lina, along with a piece of Shabranigdo.

"It seems like you really didn't like him?" Nirali remarked, watching his dark smile.

"Didn't like him?" Zelgadis scoffed. "I hate him." He was about to confide the reasons for his feelings to her, but he quickly realised who he was talking to and what the purpose of the conversation was. He needed to get as much information as possible about the demon and the rules of magic in this dimension. "So there's more than one demon?" he asked, confirming his recent suspicion.

"Yes," came the curt reply.

"The rebels don't know of their existence, do they?" Suddenly, Zelgadis felt sorry for these people. They were living under the false belief that they had a chance of winning the war, when in fact they didn't even know who their true enemy was.

"In general, the rebels know very little. They deceive each other..." She stopped, realising she shouldn't say too much.

"Why are you on the side of the demons?" he asked curiously. In his eyes, Nirali didn't seem as bad as she pretended to be.

"It guarantees my survival. What would you do if you were in my place?"

"I suppose I wouldn't betray my comrades..." he answered in a neutral tone.

Nirali shot him a quick glance and apparently decided to ignore his last remark. She turned the sword she was holding and held it out in front of her.

"So you're saying you got this sword from your relative, your great-grandfather, who was a powerful sage. The same one who made a pact with the Dark Lord..." she summarised, directing the words more to herself than to Zelgadis. "Why did you come to this dimension, anyway? I suppose it has something to do with the girl - the Key. I was ordered to find her," she muttered, not particularly pleased with her assigned duties.

"That's pretty obvious," Zelgadis scoffed. "We're here to get her out of here. I won't allow anyone to use her as a link to our dimension and let your demons cross over to us. But since you have orders to capture Amelia, why did you bring me here instead of her?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

Nirali's sudden confession left him completely confused about her motives. He watched her, waiting for an answer, but she just stared at the sword, turning it over and over in her hands, examining the blade from different angles. Suddenly, she stood up and threw the sword at Zelgadis, who caught it with a swift hand. He looked at her questioningly, but she had already drawn her own weapon. She smiled mysteriously and swung at him with astonishing speed. Zelgadis raised his weapon in response, blocking her blow.

Then it happened. He felt that strange sensation of incredible power again, and both blades flashed with blinding light. He stared at them in amazement - was this some kind of spell? Before he could answer that question, Nirali jumped back in shock. She looked at him with wide eyes, her lips drawn into a thin, barely visible line.

"It can't be..." she whispered after a moment, frozen in place.

"What the hell is going on?!" Zelgadis shouted, throwing his sword against the wall, fearing that some kind of spell had been cast on it. Nirali didn't react immediately, still clearly in shock.

"What's going on? I'm asking myself the same thing..." she began, nervously shaking her head. After a moment, her pupils dilated in realization... "This can't be..." she gasped in astonishment.

Zelgadis waited tensely for an explanation, for an answer, but it... never came. Nirali lowered her head and shook it, trying to deny the insistent truth. The truth that had broken through all the barriers and uncertainties in her mind. The girl laughed hysterically and crouched down, hiding her face in her hands. Before Zelgadis could notice the change, her laughter turned into a maniacal giggle. He stared at her in shock and cautiously reached for the sword he had thrown earlier.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" he asked cautiously.

The laughter stopped abruptly. The girl raised her head and looked at him with a mixture of fear and surprise. She opened her mouth but closed it again after a moment. She stood up from the floor and, ignoring Zelgadis, began pacing the room, her hands pressed to her temples. Suddenly, she stopped and looked back at Zelgadis.

"You must leave this world at all costs," she whispered, approaching him and grabbing his hand. All the confidence and mockery had vanished from her eyes. For the first time, Zelgadis saw fear, exhaustion, and worry in them.

"Why?" he asked, stunned, pulling his hand from her grip.

"You can't let the demons know you have that sword. You have to run!" she cried in panic.

Zelgadis laughed nervously and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what game you're playing this time, but I'm not falling for it. What's so special about my sword? If it were so valuable, you'd have taken it yourself. After all, you're their errand girl, or am I wrong?" His words dripped with contempt.

"You don't understand, you idiot! If you let them find it, it'll be the end! The end, do you hear me? The demons won't have to go to other dimensions anymore..." she shouted, desperately trying to make the swordsman believe her.

"You're ridiculous," he scoffed and moved towards the door.

"Please... You have to believe me," she whispered as his hand touched the doorknob. Zelgadis hesitated for a moment. What if she's not lying? "Let's make a deal," she added. "I'll help you get out of this dimension, and you guarantee that your sword will come back with you."

"That means you'd have to break your orders," he summarised, turning to face her. "You said you were ordered to capture Amelia, and now you say you're going to help us escape. I don't understand..." he said suspiciously.

"I know exactly what I'm doing and what my orders are, and you don't need to concern yourself with them. So how about it? Shall we make a deal?" she asked, holding out her hand. The boy measured her with a piercing stare.

"Agreed," he said slowly. "But if you deceive me, I won't forgive you." Zelgadis hesitated before shaking her hand, and Nirali smiled in relief and nodded.

Zel had many doubts, but he could see no better solution. He had to get the necessary information from somewhere, and if Nirali only expected to get his sword back on the way back, then of course he agreed. However, he decided to trust her only to a limited extent, just in case. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened with the rebels. Before Zelgadis could ask anything, Nirali gestured for him to approach the table. Dozens of different symbols were carved into its surface, symbols that Zelgadis couldn't recognise.

"This is all the knowledge I've been able to gather," she explained, brushing a thick layer of dust from the surface. "Look, this is the Sea of Chaos, and these are the five pillars that emerged from it." She pointed at a pentagram surrounded by a circle. The area between the circle and the star was meant to represent the Sea of Chaos, and each point of the star represented a separate pillar.

"And what's here?" Zelgadis asked, pointing to the centre of the star.

"I was wondering the same thing..." Nirali muttered in response, brushing her white hair from her cheek. "Maybe it's some kind of dimensional gate? Hmm, I don't know... Anyway, you won't be able to use magic unless you learn how to use it here." She pointed to one of the points of the five-pointed star.

"What do you mean by that?"

"That in your world, you definitely used spells related to the powers of your lords, gods, or whoever... Those spells won't work here because the energy flow from your dimension is blocked. So, if you call upon powers from that dimension, they simply won't get through. To use magic, you have to draw on the powers of the demons and gods here," she explained slowly.

"Alright... Will you teach me these spells?" he asked, hope in his voice.

"I wish I could, but unfortunately, I can't, because you see, it's not that simple..." she began wearily. "When I learned how to cast spells, one of those spells was cast on me. Whenever I try to say the incantation out loud, or even write it down, something blocks me. I start to choke or have convulsions. It's supposed to be a form of protection, so that in the event of betrayal, none of the servants can pass the skill on to the rebels."

"Very clever," Zelgadis said, sinking into the couch in resignation. "So, how are you going to help me?"

"I can't give you those spells, but there is someone who can..." she trailed off. "I just don't know what price she'll ask you to pay for it..."

"You're not talking about that witch... what was her name?" Zelgadis wondered, trying to remember the name of the sorceress they were supposed to visit with the rebels.

"Silva," Nirali finished for him.

"Yes, that's right, I think that was her name..." he nodded thoughtfully. "But I thought she didn't exist, and Kirei and his merry band were just lying to us."

Nirali laughed at that.

"Yes, they lied to you, but not about this," she explained with a smile. "Anyway, that witch, as you call her, is actually one of the demons, and her name is not Silva, but Acedia."

"You're kidding me?" Zelgadis jumped up from his seat. "So they led us right into the claws of a demon!"

"I don't think the rebels even know she's a demon," the girl muttered, sitting down in one of the armchairs. "To them, she is probably just a witch. Besides, Acedia is harmless to humans. In fact, she hardly cares about us..." she said with a sour smile.

"Is Acedia just going to give me that kind of knowledge?" he asked, surprised. After all, with this information, he'd be able to hurt her.

"No, I never said she'd do it for free. She will ask for something in return. But what that will be... is impossible to predict."

Zelgadis remembered Tamaki's story about how he had chosen to sacrifice his own eye to save Rei's sight. He wondered what price he would have to pay...

"I see," he nodded. "In that case, you'll have to help me find Acedia."

"Don't worry, I'll lead you and try to protect you as much as I can. But you must know that this has to remain a secret. If the demons find out that I'm helping you..." She trailed off and lowered her head.

"Why are you helping me?" Zel asked suddenly, studying the silent girl. He couldn't understand why his enemy had decided to risk her life to help him.

Nirali raised her head and gave Zelgadis a sad smile. There was something familiar again in her blue eyes, something... impossible to define.

"Why?" she repeated, amused. "I don't know, maybe I'm just stupid..." She laughed, tossing her hair back. "Maybe I'm wrong, but if by some miracle I'm right, then I'm saving the whole world from destruction. Dramatic, isn't it?" she scoffed.

"Tell me... What's with this sword? Why is it so important, and why do you care so much about me taking it?"

Zelgadis stepped closer, crouched in front of her, and held out his sword.

Nirali looked at him and, in response, grabbed her own weapon, holding it out with trembling hands. Only then did Zel realise how similar the two blades were - almost identical.

A moment later, something even stranger happened: both swords began to radiate a blue light.

"There is a legend..." she began quietly. "A legend about the creation of a powerful weapon capable of destroying even the Mother of Nightmares herself..." She trailed off, staring into the blue glow. "I don't know if it's a good idea for you to learn this legend..."

"I need to know the truth," he said firmly.

After those words, they fell into a long silence, broken only by the shimmering blue light of the swords.

"Long ago, the Mother of Nightmares created five separate pillars, but there was one world she cherished above all others..." Nirali began. "As a sign of her love, she forged two identical swords and bestowed them upon the Dark Lord and the God who ruled over her beloved world. If the two had worked together, these swords could have fused into a powerful weapon capable of threatening even the Mother of Nightmares herself. She wished to show them that she regarded them as her equals.

But the Dark Lord grew jealous and raised his blade against the God. A great battle broke out between them. No one, however, expected that the blood spilled from their wounds would mark two children with extraordinary power. They would become the heirs to these mighty blades.

Time passed, and the Dark Lord defeated the God - or so he thought. Believing the God would perish in agony, he turned his back on him. But before God's strength faded, he found five individuals in whom he hid fragments of his soul and power - his Divine Priests.

Meanwhile, the Dark Lord took the God's sword and set out to challenge the Mother, seeking to harness the full power of both blades. But alone, he couldn't unleash their true potential. Despite his efforts, the Mother of Nightmares managed to defeat him.

On the scorched battlefield, only the two swords remained - the very cause of the world's downfall. They changed form and passed into the hands of the children marked by the blood of the God and the Dark Lord.

The Mother of Nightmares tried to take the swords from them, but it proved impossible. The only solution was to take one of the children, along with their sword, and send the child to another world - so that the blades would never meet again. The Mother took one child and sealed the fifth pillar. The swords were never to reunite. Saddened by the destruction, she shed two tears as she closed the seal.

But fate was cruel - one of those tears fell upon the Dark Lord's remains. With this fragment of creation, he was able to be reborn, but only in pieces, each manifesting as a powerful demon. Acedia is one of these fragments. To fully reunite and reclaim his lost power, the Dark Lord must find the Mother's second tear. But the God seeks it as well, having sealed himself within the bodies of five mortals—the so-called Priests, whom you have already met..."

Nirali paused for a moment and looked into Zelgadis' eyes. He understood that she was obviously referring to Kirei and the others, but that was not the greatest revelation in this story.

"You are the heir to one of the Twin Blades - the other belongs to me..." she explained slowly. "The demons want to break into other dimensions because that's what they're searching for."

Nirali stopped her story and looked at Zelgadis with concern, waiting for his reaction, but he remained silent. The next few minutes passed in uneasy silence. Nirali shifted uncomfortably until the first words were spoken:

"I don't know if I can believe you," Zelgadis said uncertainly. "If I believe you... it means everything I ever believed was a lie. Everything..." he repeated firmly.

"I know this is hard for you," she began. "You don't have to believe me if it makes things easier. Just take the sword and go..." she finished in a distant tone.

"Go? You think that would make it easier?" he retorted bitterly. "Don't be ridiculous! Nothing will ever be the same! So that means the world I truly came from is..." He trailed off mid-sentence and slammed his fist onto the table. Nirali flinched, then closed her eyes wearily.

"Please, calm down..." she said gently.

"Calm down..." he scoffed, irritated. "How am I supposed to calm down when I know they've all made a fool of me! Rezo... Was he even my relative? And what about my parents?" he spat, disgust heavy in his final word.

Nirali paused for a moment and looked into Zelgadis' eyes. He understood that she was obviously referring to Kirei and the others, but that was not the greatest revelation in this story.

"You are the heir to one of the Twin Blades—the other belongs to me..." she explained slowly. "The demons want to break into other dimensions because that's what they're searching for."

"I don't know if I can believe you," Zelgadis said uncertainly. "If I believe you... it means everything I ever believed was a lie. Everything..." he repeated firmly.

"I know this is hard for you," she began. "You don't have to believe me if it makes things easier. Just take the sword and go..." she finished in a distant tone.

"Please, calm down..." she said gently.

"I don't know. And stop acting like this, or you'll learn nothing more from me!" she threatened, restraining the sharpness in her tone.

At her words, Zel lowered his head and nodded silently. Nirali sighed and continued:

"I think Rezo wasn't your relative. Most likely, after the Mother of Nightmares took you from that pillar, she entrusted him with your care. It fell to him because he was a powerful sorcerer, as you told me before, and you are in possession of a powerful weapon."

That made sense to Zelgadis, so he simply nodded again.

"As for your family... That depends – what do you remember about them?" she asked curiously, leaning slightly towards him.

"I remember that my parents died when I was five..." Suddenly, he remembered how he had answered the same question when Amelia had asked him during their journey with Kazuki. It felt like an eternity ago. "I don't remember them very well. Rezo said they got sick and died."

"No, that was a lie," she said firmly.

"How can you..." he began, but then stopped suddenly in shock. "You knew me, didn't you? In this world?"

"My, my, Zelgadis, you really are perceptive," she laughed, obviously surprised by his question. "And think about it – since we were marked by the blood of the God and the Dark Lord at the same moment, that must mean we were close at the time, right?" She smiled warmly. "We lived near each other," she explained before Zelgadis could ask another question.

"Oh..." Zelgadis didn't know what to say.

Everything he had believed to be true had suddenly turned out to be nothing but lies. Rezo wasn't his relative, his parents... he didn't know who they were because someone had probably altered his memories, and on top of that, his true home had turned out to be the fifth pillar. It all scared him, but at the same time, it made him curious.

"Too bad you can't see your own face," Nirali's voice interrupted Zelgadis' thoughts.

"Neighbour..." he repeated dully. "It all sounds like an incredible fairy tale."

"So, you believe me?" she asked, hope in her voice. Zelgadis looked at her and nodded slowly.

"Tell me, when did this war start?" he asked, waving his hand in an indeterminate direction.

"It seems to have been about fifteen years ago," she said thoughtfully. "Why?"

"Because I'm twenty now..." he began uncertainly, "and the war has lasted fifteen years, which means someone erased and replaced the memories of the first five years of my life," he concluded with an ironic laugh. "I should remember you..." he added after a moment, looking painfully into Nirali's eyes.

He felt betrayed and robbed of his own memories. Since Nirali had lived so close to him, he should have remembered the five years they had spent together. At least something... But he didn't remember. In his mind, there were only vague lies that someone had implanted in him. He couldn't even remember his family.

"Don't torture yourself, you haven't lost much. I'm sure you've had a wonderful life for the last fifteen years in a world without wars," she shrugged.

Zelgadis turned away from the girl and clenched his fists.

"Maybe the world I lived in all those years was free of formal wars, but every day there was... Look at me, who am I? I'm not even fully human anymore!" he spat bitterly, gritting his teeth in anger.

Nirali didn't answer. She stood up and walked along the bookshelf. Ignoring Zelgadis, she pulled an old photograph from between two thick volumes. Without a word, she pressed it into his hand. Zelgadis had no idea what was going on, but obediently examined the old photo. It was a wedding picture of a young couple he didn't recognise.

"Those are your parents," Nirali explained after a moment. "For their memory, don't you dare speak like that about yourself again." Her voice trembled with emotion.

"How did they die?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the photograph.

"They died in the war, like most humans."

Zelgadis looked at the girl. Her body trembled with anger, and her eyes were misted with tears. She lowered her head, strands of white hair falling across her face. On a sudden impulse, Zelgadis stepped towards her and hugged her as tightly as he could. There was nothing romantic about the embrace; it was more like a reunion with an old, dear friend. For a moment, he thought Nirali would pull away, but instead she returned the hug.

"Ever since I came to this world..." Zelgadis began, "I have seen a figure in a long black cloak in my dreams. I have never been able to see its face. When I saw you for the first time, I realised it had been you in my dreams all along! I had this strange feeling that I knew you... but I can't remember... I'm sorry..." he finished quietly, and Nirali clenched her hands on his shirt.

"It's ironic," she said, her voice breaking. "But if it weren't for those swords, I probably would have killed you the first time we met. I would never have recognised you in this form..."

Zelgadis stepped away from the girl and shook his head in resignation, glancing back at the photograph of his parents.

"It was Rezo who made me a Chimera; I wanted to be stronger. That's all there is to it," he explained dryly and tucked the photo into his pocket. Nirali looked at him thoughtfully.

"Did it ever occur to you that Rezo might have had a reason for turning you into a Chimera?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Zelgadis asked, surprised.

"You know... Maybe it was a safeguard. He gave you a purpose in life so you'd never dig into your past and uncover the truth."

Zelgadis fell silent. Could it be that this was all so carefully planned? He refused to believe it; after all, he had asked Rezo to make him stronger. He had just gotten what he wanted.

"I don't think so," he said firmly, but deep down, a seed of doubt began to sprout. "I think I should go back now," he added after a moment.

Nirali studied him thoughtfully.

"I'll see you out," she said, throwing a black cloak over her shoulders. "You must get to Acedia as soon as possible."

(…)

"Lina, I've told you several times, I didn't see what happened to Zelgadis!" Amelia shouted, her voice echoing off the empty walls.

"Shh!" the redhead shushed her. "Stop shouting, or we'll get into trouble again."

"You shouldn't be so hard on Amelia; it's not her fault," Gourry said, turning to his friend.

"Oh, you're the last person who should be lecturing me, you empty-headed fool!" Lina raised her hand as if to hit Gourry on the head, but the sudden sound of footsteps in the distance stopped her in her tracks.

Gourry got up from the ground and quietly reached for his sword, but this time, he didn't even try to activate its magical properties. The blade itself had to be enough.

"What a nice greeting! Leave you alone for a bit, and you're already causing trouble," Zelgadis said, emerging from the darkness and seeing the blade pointed at him.

"Zel!" Lina exclaimed in delight, running over to her friend.

"I'm glad you found yourself, because we had no idea how to do it," Gourry added, smiling as he sheathed his sword.

Zelgadis returned the smile and looked at Amelia. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was unharmed. He was surprised, however, that she hadn't reacted at all to his arrival.

"Amelia, are you alright?" he asked, taking off his cloak and approaching her. He crouched down in front of her and gently took her hand. "Amelia?" he repeated, getting no answer. Finally, Amelia looked at him and unexpectedly embraced him. Surprised, Zelgadis gently returned the hug.

"I'm sorry!" Amelia sobbed into his shoulder.

"Sorry? But for what?" He pulled her away, his hands resting on her shoulders, looking at her in surprise.

"I couldn't protect you!" She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

"You're foolish..." Zelgadis laughed and shook his head. "If anyone should apologise, it's me. I promised to protect you, remember?" he whispered, pulling her into an embrace.

He felt incredibly good just being close to her, knowing she was safe. And now he partly understood her feelings. He felt the same for Nirali. He didn't remember her, but subconsciously he felt some kind of connection, closeness. He could only guess that Amelia, after losing her memory, felt the same way about him.

"Alright, alright, I'm going to faint from all this mushy stuff," Lina finally spoke up, grabbing Zelgadis by the collar and pulling him away from Amelia, who had turned bright red. "You'd better tell me where you've been and what you've been doing?"

"Well, Lina, while you're camping here, some of us are working," he explained, pretending to speak in a serious tone.

"Don't make me work on you..." she gritted her teeth.

"Anyway... I've gathered some interesting information. First, the witch that the idiot, uh, I mean Kirei," he corrected himself, looking at Amelia, "led us to... she really exists. Her name isn't Silva, it's Acedia, and she's one of several demons. And to answer your question, yes, there are several demons..."

"What do you mean, several?" Lina asked in surprise.

"The war in this world broke out because the Dark Lord craved complete power, not just on this pillar. He destroyed the local God and attacked the Mother of Nightmares, but of course, she killed him..." he began to explain, careful not to inadvertently reveal any information about the swords or Nirali. He also didn't reveal who had given him all this information, claiming that he had simply been transported to the library by some unknown magic immediately after the attack, where he found some interesting notes and then tried to find his friends. Fortunately, Lina and the others didn't press the matter, apparently overwhelmed by the flood of new information.

He didn't know why he had decided to keep some important facts secret; he just needed time to process everything. When they finally went to sleep, Zelgadis couldn't rest. He took the photograph of his parents out of his pocket and stared at it for a long, silent hour.