Chapter 15
"Twin Blades"
"Down there?" Zelgadis repeated softly, instinctively looking down at his feet. "Of course!" he exclaimed after a moment. "Listen! We'll break through the ground before Ira realises what's happening. That way, we'll have a chance to escape," he explained.
"You... You can do that?" Tamaki asked in surprise.
"The ground we're standing on shouldn't be that solid. Besides, Zel specialises in shamanistic magic, which includes earth magic - if anyone can do it, it's him," Lina explained on his behalf, still concentrating on reinforcing the magical barrier.
"Great! Then maybe get on with it, because we're barely holding on here!" Daiki snapped irritably, obviously struggling to keep Lillya on her feet with the help of his runes.
"Everyone, stand next to Daiki!" Zelgadis ordered quickly, gently pushing Amelia in that direction as well.
"Zel, be careful. We wouldn't want to fall that fast..." Lina murmured sarcastically, but Zelgadis understood her concern. If he miscalculated the spell's strength, the ground beneath them could quite literally collapse…
As carefully as he could, he placed his hands on the sticky sand and focused all his energy on a small circle at his feet. In response, the earth gave way, revealing a narrow tunnel leading to a void several metres below. He sighed in relief.
"Lina, go!" he said, standing up.
"Amelia, Maya!" Lina called. "You first, move!"
Using a spell, Lina created a sizable floating bubble, large enough to fit all three of them without issue.
"I can't pull you all down at once, my magic isn't that strong in this world. I'll be back as soon as I can!" Lina explained quickly.
Zelgadis gave the sorceress one last look, hoping she would read the unspoken message in his eyes:
"Hurry."
He didn't know how much time had passed since Lina and the others had disappeared into the darkness beneath the city; he didn't even know how deep the abyss was. The only thing the mage focused on was the barrier protecting them. Time stretched in silent anticipation, and beads of sweat trickled down his temples until Lina finally appeared. She was panting heavily from exhaustion, but it was clear that she had no intention of giving up.
"Gourry... Tamaki..." she gasped between breaths. "Your turn."
Just like before, the three of them quickly vanished beneath the surface inside the conjured bubble. Zelgadis wondered how vast the space below was, but he hoped he would soon find out for himself.
"Lillya!" Daiki's cry cut through the surrounding noise. Moments later, the darkness surrounding the barrier trembled dangerously. Half-conscious, Lillya collapsed into Daiki's arms.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered weakly before her unconscious body went limp in his embrace.
"Lillya! Kirei, we can't hold out much longer!" the medic cried as the surrounding darkness began to rise above them like slowly dissipating smoke.
Zelgadis looked down in horror at the abyss beneath his feet, hoping to see a flash of fiery red hair rushing toward them. But Lina was nowhere in sight. Through the fading darkness, the waiting Undead became visible again, now advancing toward the barrier once more.
"Damn it!" Kirei shouted. "We're not going to make it!"
The barrier shook dangerously, barely holding together as the first wave of Undead crashed against its walls. The darkness had almost completely dissipated, leaving only swirling black smoke to shield them from Ira's gaze.
Zelgadis exchanged a knowing glance with Kirei, who, understanding without words, simply nodded. The mage quickly lowered his hands from the barrier and conjured a bubble identical to the one Lina had created earlier, sealing Daiki and Lillya - still cradled in Daiki's arms - safely inside.
"What are you doing?" Daiki shouted in surprise. "No, no! I won't leave you! Kirei!" he yelled as the bubble began gliding toward the gaping abyss in the ground before disappearing, carrying its passengers into the darkness.
"You could have gone with them..." Kirei murmured softly.
"Oh, right... so you could play the hero?" Zelgadis replied sarcastically, smirking at the priest. The white-haired man merely snorted in amusement.
Zelgadis exhaled sharply, focusing all his energy on maintaining the levitation, which was proving to be a difficult task at this distance. Like Lina, he knew he wouldn't have been able to support all four of them. In fact, he could already feel himself struggling. He could have gone with Daiki and Lillya, but he knew Amelia would never forgive him for leaving Kirei behind. And Kirei, on the other hand, would never have agreed to leave sooner - he wanted to protect his friends until the last possible moment, which, at this point, he could only do by holding the barrier and buying the others time to escape.
"Zelgadis? Ready?" Kirei murmured beside him, breathing heavily from exhaustion.
Zelgadis nodded silently, knowing full well that their situation was hopeless. He could only hope that Daiki and Lillya would make it safely to the bottom.
"Step aside!" Ira's voice roared above them, and in an instant, the wave of Undead retreated a few paces, obediently following their master's command. At the same time, the barrier shattered with a sharp crack.
Through the last wisps of smoke, Zelgadis finally caught sight of the demon towering above them, his face twisted into a cruel grimace as he realised that only the two of them remained and that a black hole now gaped in the earth below. Nirali stood obediently at Ira's side, though her face was hidden behind folds of cloth, making it impossible for him to read the sorceress's expression.
The Undead had formed a ring around them, pressing against some unseen boundary, waiting for a signal.
"You..." Ira began, seething with rage. "You think you're so clever?" he hissed through clenched teeth. "It's only a matter of time before I find them. In fact, they're already as good as dead. Kill them!"
Ira's scream echoed, and at his command, the undead surged forward. But worst of all so did Nirali...
(…)
The bubble shot downwards at a dizzying speed, enveloped by the all-consuming darkness that seemed to press in from all sides. Cold sweat trickled down Lina's neck as she whispered under her breath:
"Faster, faster..."
She stared intently into the darkness until the first pale blue glimmer appeared in the distance, growing stronger with every metre. The light became so intense that she had to squint to shield herself from its blinding glow.
"Lina!"
The first voice that reached her was Amelia's.
Slowly, Lina opened her eyes to find that they had reached the bottom, in the heart of a land she had never expected to find in this world.
They were surrounded by towering trees, dozens of metres high, their dense canopies formed of multicoloured leaves. Flowers of strange shapes, unlike anything she had ever seen before, rose a head taller than them. For a moment, the redhead thought this must be how ants felt in their world. Everything was enormous.
But what struck her as odd wasn't just the sheer size of the flora, but the fluorescent blue glow emanating from each plant, pulling this mysterious realm out of the previous darkness. Between the trees, something like glowing fireflies flickered and weaved through the air.
Lina gazed around in awe before finally dispelling the bubble.
"What is this place?" Gourry asked as he stepped onto the soft moss.
"It's beautiful..." Tamaki murmured in response, scanning the surroundings with undisguised admiration. This world - so vastly different from the one they had left above.
Lina sighed heavily with exhaustion. Inspecting this place would have to wait until she brought everyone down. She rose into the air again, intending to fly, when she suddenly caught sight of a figure falling at a dizzying speed. Straining her eyes, she made out a floating bubble with Daiki and Lillya inside.
It must have been Zelgadis who conjured the bubble and, unable to wait for her, sent the next two people down. Lina gazed calmly at the approaching bubble, ready to take off and fly to Zelgadis' aid, when - without warning - bubble burst mid-flight.
Daiki's loud scream echoed above their heads as the two priests began to fall. Lina reacted immediately, casting a spell to cushion their descent and prevent them from hitting the ground.
Under different circumstances, she might have sighed in relief, but instead, she swallowed hard, fear gripping her as a cold lump formed in her throat. If the bubble had burst of its own accord, it could only mean one thing...
"Zelgadis..." she called softly, her gaze drifting up into the darkness beyond the treetops.
(…)
Breathe in, breathe out...
Breathe in, breathe out...
Between each breath, Zelgadis took in his surroundings with his eyes wide open. He felt as if time had slowed incredibly, so much so that he was able to take in every last detail of the situation before he even blinked. He saw Nirali flying towards them, her cold blue eyes growing clearer with each passing second, and behind her, Ira hovering in the air with an angry grimace on his face. The roar of the approaching Undead pressed from every direction.
No way to escape.
Breathe in, breathe out...
A blink.
He felt the time he had left dwindling dangerously, slowly returning to its usual pace, and he could only hope that his companions had made it down safely.
He glanced at Kirei standing beside him, breathing heavily, barely able to stay on his feet, but with unyielding determination on his face. With all his might, Zelgadis tried to summon a similar resolve in this hopeless situation, knowing deep down that this was not yet his time, that his mission was not yet complete.
Breathe in, breathe out...
Suddenly, the world returned to its usual pace and rushed forward. Nirali landed directly in front of them, drawing her sword and pointing it in their direction. Zelgadis instinctively reached for his own blade, still hidden in its scabbard, but when he saw the disapproval on the white-haired woman's face, he hesitated...
That brief moment was enough to give Nirali the time she needed, and she swung her sword at them. Zelgadis instinctively closed his eyes. So, after all, he was going to die for stupid sentiments... He was about to taste the bitterness of those unspoken words and carry them with him forever, when a loud cracking sound came from just beside his temple. Taking a sharp breath, he opened his eyes to see the shattered skull of an Undead and Nirali's smile at the edge of his vision.
"I promised to help you get out," she said defiantly, quickly turning to face the approaching Undead. She moved with fluid grace, striking with precision, the heavy sword in her hands moving as if it were made of paper.
"You bitch!" Ira shouted angrily, swinging his mighty wings violently, looking like an angel of destruction. "How dare you!"
"You're not my master!" Nirali shot back, delivering a powerful blow to another of the Undead. Breathing heavily, she glared provocatively at the monster hovering in the sky. "And I'm not your dog," she added, spitting violently on the ground.
For a moment, it looked as though Ira might lose control, but then a cold grin spread across his face.
"Remind me, my dear, what was his name?" he began, as if pondering something. Meanwhile, the Undead pressing toward them froze in place, commanded by the demon's silent will. "Ah, yes! Eryk!" he said, snapping his fingers in feigned admiration. "Eryk..." he repeated, stretching his mouth into a diabolical smile.
Zelgadis felt his stomach twist into a small knot. He couldn't see the white-haired sorceress's face, but he instantly remembered what she had said about her lover being held in the Manor of Death. But why?! Why had she decided to risk his safety?!
"Nirali! No!" Zelgadis finally couldn't keep it in. "You don't have to do this!"
"It's too late, Zelgadis," the girl replied quietly, still with her back to him.
Meanwhile, the Chimera caught Kirei's puzzled gaze, and it took him a moment to realise that the secret of his acquaintance with the sorceress had just been revealed.
"My dear!" Ira began again, "If you don't start doing what you're supposed to do right now, I'm going to have to pay someone a little visit."
Zelgadis could see that the girl's body was shaking slightly, but she still hadn't moved and was staring at the demon with a hateful glare. He looked around, slipping between the faces of the Undead, who were watching from a distance. Ira was clearly enjoying himself, creating this whole spectacle.
"Well..." the demon began again. "I haven't got all day. While you're standing there, my key is getting further and further away, so your last chance... Three..." He started counting.
Nirali screamed in anger and threw one of her spells at the demon, which appeared as a fireball, but the demon didn't even flinch.
"Two..."
Zelgadis felt he had to do something, anything. Now or never!
In one swift motion, he grabbed his sword and leapt toward Nirali, who was still holding her weapon. As soon as the two blades were side by side, they glowed with an incredible blue light.
(…)
Lina ran towards Daiki and Lillya, and the others immediately followed.
"Daiki!" Maya shouted as she ran up to the exhausted pair. "What about Kirei and Zelgadis?" she panted.
The black-haired man just gave her a worried look, still holding the half-conscious Lillya in his arms.
"What about them?" Amelia urged, her eyes fixed on the darkness above them.
"I... I don't know. There was confusion, and they sent us here," the medic explained quietly, his head bowed in guilt.
"We have to go back for them immediately!" Lina declared firmly and was already preparing to leave when Maya grabbed her wrist.
"No..." she began quietly, hiding behind the curtain of thick hair that fell over her lowered face. "We can barely stand... We need shelter and rest, and most of all, we need to protect Amelia. If the demon catches up with us, we won't be able to defend ourselves, and it will take Amelia, and when it does, it won't hesitate to destroy your world... and others. Our friends have bought us time; let's not waste it. Let's go."
Maya's determined and calm tone was like a cold blade, brutally cutting through their sense of reason and their simultaneous desire to fight. Lina silently watched the hand still resting on hers. Zelgadis had given them time... he had given them time, she repeated softly to herself. From a distance, the loud protests of a sobbing Amelia reached her ears, while the others remained frozen in the same silence.
"Please! Please, we can't leave them..." the princess sobbed. "No!"
With tears in her eyes, Lina looked at her former friend.
"Hey..." she began softly. "Zelgadis and Kirei are tougher than you think, and they'll join us soon, you'll see," she said quietly, forcing certainty into her voice. Then she added, "Let's go."
(…)
A powerful energy began to emanate, steadily growing around them as the two blades came together, ready for the attack. The glow became so bright that Zelgadis could barely keep his eyes open. At the same time, he felt the weapon in his hands grow lighter. The light was now almost blinding. In that brief moment, he shared a quick, understanding glance with Nirali. He saw in her face, as if in a mirror, a mixture of surprise and fear. Driven by an inner instinct, he tightened his grip on the hilt, preparing to deliver the final blow... At the same time, Nirali moved with him, bound to him by some unknown force.
The blades slashed through the air with a hiss, and just behind them, a powerful, energy-filled slash shot towards the demon, engulfing everything in a blue glow.
Zelgadis closed his eyes and felt the ground shake beneath his feet as the energy spread throughout the area, building to a deafening crash. Moments later, silence fell, broken only by their heavy breathing.
When he finally opened his eyes, he was surprised to see that the surrounding Undead had vanished, literally blown away by the powerful gust of wind. He quickly turned to Ira and saw him lying on the ground a few metres away. The demon was panting in pain, his body soaked in blood from numerous wounds. His wings, once proud and powerful, were now tattered and hanging hopelessly from his back.
"How... how... why..." He muttered fragments of sentences, staring at the blood-soaked ground in shock.
Zelgadis silently lowered his sword, which was slowly regaining its normal weight. Nirali followed his movement, still standing by his side.
"It's over, Ira," the sorceress finally spoke.
"You... you..." The demon hissed angrily and finally glared at them with his bloodshot, hate-filled eyes.
He watched them for a moment in silence, trying to comprehend what had actually happened. His face was a kaleidoscope of emotions, from anger to shock to surprise, and finally to a strange grimace of understanding.
"Is it possible?" he asked quietly to himself, still staring at Zelgadis and Nirali. He paid no attention to Kirei standing behind them.
"It's over, Ira," Nirali repeated, trying to break his train of thought as she moved decisively toward him. Her body seemed strangely tense to Zelgadis, as if she didn't want Ira to discover another card...
"Twin Blades!" the demon shouted, choking on his own blood. He tried to stand in a surge of determination, but only staggered and fell back to his knees. Nirali stood coldly over him, pressing the blade to his throat. "So this is how it is?" Ira began again with a mocking smile. "You decided to betray the secret for your brother, even at the cost of your love," he concluded, and the girl's previously tense body trembled slightly, though Zelgadis couldn't see her face.
It took Zelgadis a moment to realise the meaning of the demon's words, and in shock, he opened his mouth, but only silence came out.
Brother?
No... no, that is impossible, he kept telling himself, but that short word, which had been so absent from his life until now, was burrowing dangerously deep inside him. Yes, he already knew that he was truly born in the Fifth Pillar, that the blood of the Demon and the God had marked both him and Nirali. That's why he had been sent to another pillar, as one of the heirs to the Twin Blades. But... Nirali had told him earlier that they only lived in the same neighbourhood and that their families knew each other well. Could it be that she hadn't told him...? A flood of thoughts rushed through his mind.
"Shut up!" The sorceress's sudden scream brought him back to reality.
Before he could ask any questions, Nirali plunged the blade of her sword into the executioner's throat. Ira let out a quiet grunt as his own blood began to suffocate him. With dark streams of blood on his lips, he collapsed limply a moment later, and the sorceress angrily yanked the blade from his body and fell to her knees beside him. Her body shook with silent sobs, but Zelgadis could not move. Her image, those blue eyes, had been with him since they arrived at the Fifth Pillar, but this... this was too much.
"What the hell?" Kirei croaked from behind him, limping towards the sorceress. But before he could get close to her, Zelgadis stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"Is it true?" he asked quietly, asking the white-haired woman.
Nirali only turned her desperate face towards them, a single tear slipping from between her clenched eyelids.
"I..." she began, but her voice caught in her throat. "They're going to kill him... Zelgadis, they're going to kill him," she finally wailed, releasing all the tension that had been building up inside her.
Zelgadis remembered her words. He remembered the story of the man she had loved, the one whom the demons had kept imprisoned in the Manor of Death for three years, using the girl's possession of the Twin Blade to force her to betray her own people. He kept turning the word 'girl' over in his mind. No, not "girl," but hi r.
It sounded absurd.
"Damn..." he muttered, grabbing his head and shaking it in confusion. "Damn..."
Kirei took advantage of the mage's disorientation and finally reached Nirali. Barely able to stand, he managed to lift the kneeling girl and grab her robes. Nirali offered no resistance, with only fear in her eyes. Before Zelgadis could react, Kirei slapped her and contemptuously shoved her away.
"You bitch!" he shouted angrily, his body shaking with rage. "We could have died! Do you understand?! Because of you..." He stopped abruptly. "Speak," he added harshly, trying to control his anger.
Nirali snapped out of her shock and looked at the priest with a hand pressed to her face.
"You can't tell them, do you understand?" she said, pleading with him with her eyes. "Maya and the others can't know what you've heard, that we are the bearers of the Twin Blades," she said, looking at him desperately.
"You've got to be kidding me!" he spat angrily. "This weapon will help us kill the demons, I don't care who you are!" he shot back.
Zelgadis stared at him, surprised. Maybe he didn't know Kirei well, but ever since they had met, he had thought of him as a gentle man, far from making such statements.
"Kirei!" Nirali interrupted him. "Three years ago, when I was with Eryk and a group of gatherers, Ira ambushed us. We tried to defend ourselves, but then he saw my sword. I... I didn't even know. He told me it was the Twin Blade. At first, he tried to take the sword from me, and when that proved impossible, he tried to force me into cooperation. I refused. Eryk tried to defend me, and that's when Ira found out... He took him and demanded that I betray you. Kirei, I had no choice! He would have killed Eryk, and the only way I could protect him was to do what he wanted..." She lowered her head, her hair covering her face.
Kirei gasped heavily, then cast an uncertain glance at Zelgadis.
"When did you find out he is your brother?"
Nirali raised her head, also looking at Zelgadis.
"I didn't know. Ira ordered me..." she glanced carefully at the priest, "...to capture Amelia. I tried to follow the order, and when we fought," she turned to Zelgadis, "our swords somehow connected. I didn't recognise Zelgadis, probably because of... his current body. However, I had to see what had happened, so I kidnapped Zelgadis instead of Amelia."
"Fuck!" Kirei growled, kicking the sand at his feet.
"You... kissed me..." Zelgadis said suddenly, looking at her in horror as he remembered the moment.
"I gave you an elixir," she continued calmly. "Only members of the closest family can break such a spell and... resist it," she finished, embarrassed, as Zelgadis remembered the scene of their kiss, which had almost led to something much more serious. He felt the blood drain from his face. "At that moment, I was already sure that you were my... brother... twin..."
Zelgadis pursed his lips and stared at her in silence. Could that be why her eyes, her whole being, seemed so familiar to him? Was that why he had trusted her so easily in this terrifying world?
Those eyes, they were... his eyes.
He felt his knees buckle under the weight of his thoughts. Were the pictures she had shown him of their parents? Deep down, he had always believed that Rezo wasn't his real family, but he had never chosen to search for the truth or delve into the matter. He had believed they were dead. He had believed the false memories Rezo had given him. His knees hit the ground with a thud. Had Nirali been right, suggesting that Rezo had turned him into a chimera just to force his life onto a different path, away from his past? From his true origins? Would he have discovered this sooner if he hadn't been so obsessed with returning to full humanity? He remained silent.
"Zelgadis... I'm so sorry..." the girl whispered, awkwardly trying to move towards him.
Kirei let out a hissing breath and collapsed heavily onto the ground between them, drawing Nirali's attention once more.
"I know you love her, Kirei," she began, addressing the priest. "Amelia." He merely gave her a stern look. "When Maya finds out that Zelgadis has the Twin Blade, she won't let him go. You know she'll want to use it in this war. Only Zelgadis can protect Amelia and get her out of this dimension."
Kirei sifted sand through his fingers, nervously biting his lip.
"Nirali... Lina and I have already agreed to help Maya find the Tear of the Mother of Nightmares, so you could say we've already allowed ourselves to be used to protect this world," Zelgadis said quietly.
"Helping to find the Tear through which the Divine Ruler will be reborn is one thing, but remaining in the middle of the war afterward is another, Zelgadis," Kirei said flatly. "She's right. Maya won't agree to you leaving with the sword. Lina won't go without you, and that means Amelia won't go either. I can't let that happen," he said quietly. "I don't like having to lie to them, and I don't expect it to be an easy task. Agreeing to your participation in the search for the Tear was my compromise between protecting Amelia and saving this world. I thought that once you regained your powers, you wouldn't be in any danger during the search itself," he sighed. "I was wrong. The demons know that Lillya, the fifth priest, has joined us, and they've intensified their search. It seems we have another traitor in our ranks who told them about it." He gave Nirali a sharp look. "Or maybe not, maybe they sensed her energy themselves, I don't know..." He shrugged helplessly.
"Thank you, Kirei, and... I'm sorry, I would never betray you willingly..." Nirali said quietly.
"It doesn't matter anymore." He slowly stood up.
Rei slowly walked over to Nirali and held out his hand to help her up. She took it and got to her feet with some difficulty. Cautiously, they approached Zelgadis. Nirali wanted to help him as well, but he stopped her with a gesture.
"I... need some time," he explained, surprising himself.
He had never imagined anything like this. He hadn't imagined a scenario in his head where he unexpectedly found family.
He didn't know...
Nirali didn't answer, only nodding and pressing her lips together as he stood up on his own.
"We have to get out of here. If demons share a bond similar to that of the priests, they probably already know about Ira's death. Our only hope is that they'll assume"—he gestured at the demon's lifeless body—"this was the priests' doing and think we found the Tear before they did. That might buy us some time, but we should be careful." At Kirei's rational explanation, the other two simply nodded in agreement.
"We need to find a place to hide and rest before we search for the others. In our current state, we won't be able to use magic to reach them," he added before heading toward the distant buildings.
"Oh, and don't think I'm doing this for you," he called out suddenly, turning back to Nirali. "Yes. I love her."