Chapter 3
"The Key to the Nightmare
It was early morning and the day was already promising to be much better than the previous one. The dark clouds had disappeared from the sky, giving way to the warm rays of the sun. The world was once again waking up after a rainy night. The local birds had already begun their daily ritual, chirping happily to greet the new day.
Zelgadis slowly came back to reality. It took him some time to push away the daydreams in which he could look normal again. When he finally succeeded and awoke, he decided not to open his eyes. He wanted to keep the silence around him for a while longer. He knew exactly what they would find when they reached Saillune. Amelia's mad father would be waiting for them, and with him a lot of confusion. Servants running back and forth, all trying to accommodate the newcomers. And the newcomers are not bad either. Finally, Princess Saillune returns, which Zelgadis suspected would cause even more confusion. Deep down, the boy felt that somehow he would not fit into such a life. In fact, he was surprised that Amelia could stand it. And with a father like that, it must have been difficult in general. The guy seems to be even more crazy about spreading justice than Amelia herself, and loves his daughter more than life itself...
This last remark set Zelgadis' thoughts on a new course. Perhaps the princess's life was not as terrible as he had thought. She had someone to love her. He, on the other hand, was alone.
"Ah! Look, Gourry! Don't they look cute?" Lina's voice suddenly sounded.
Zelgadis opened his eyes quickly, wanting to know what the redhead was talking about. Then he saw Lina and Gourry sitting in front of him, and to his surprise, they were staring right at him! At him and... Amelia! It was only now that he realised he was still holding the sleeping girl, who was currently nestled against his shoulder.
"Lovely!" Gourry replied, gazing in that direction with buttery eyes and resting his head on his hands.
"And who would have thought that our mean Zel is capable of showing a little human emotion? For a while, I was even afraid that the demon you were mixed with had taken over the bigger half of you," Lina said, smiling cynically.
Meanwhile, Zelgadis moved so quickly away from the sleeping Amelia that she slipped and hit her head on the ground. Resigned, she opened her eyes and touched the sore spot. After a quick inspection, she discovered a large lump between her hairs that refused to shrink.
"What-what-what?" she groaned, looking at the others.
"Eh! Zel, you have to ruin everything as usual!" Lina said annoyed and got up from the ground.
"And this from the girl who is the source of total destruction around her..." he grunted and shrugged his cloak.
"Did you say something?"
"What, are you going to hit me with one of your spells?" An ironic smile appeared on his face.
"You're finished!" Lina threatened, preparing one of her best spells. Luckily, Amelia came to her senses at that moment and managed to stop the redhead. "Amelia, leave me alone! He must regret his insolence! Perhaps then he will learn how to address a lady!"
The scuffle would have gone on for a while if it hadn't been for Gourry's loud sigh that caught everyone's attention. The blond man was sitting on the floor, still staring at the spot where Zel and Amelia had been sleeping earlier.
"Er, Gourry? Gourry, what are you doing?" Lina asked, pulling herself out of Amelia's grasp.
"Well, you said yourself that they look cute…" the boy replied, giving another demonstrative sigh to show his admiration.
"Well, yes, but..." She looked at Amelia and Zelgadis. "Gourry, but who are you talking about?"
"Lina, you have a worse memory than I do! I'm talking about those two snails we were just looking at!"
"What?!" screamed the redhead.
Snails were probably the only thing that could scare the mighty Lina Inverse. Scare her? No, that's an understatement, they frightened her! And indeed, there were two little pests sitting on an old tree trunk with mystically decorated shells, which Gourry watched in awe.
"Take them away!" Lina shouted, pointing her finger at them and shifting from foot to foot.
"Miss Lina, what's all the fuss about? They're just two tiny snails," Kazuki said, taking them from the tree and putting them somewhere where Lina couldn't see them.
"You wouldn't believe what they can do! And they're so ugly!"
"I really think you're from another world sometimes," Zelgadis said, nodding disapprovingly. - Can we move on now?
"What about breakfast?!"
…
By the time they reached Saillune, the sun was already hiding behind the horizon. In the glow of the setting star, the whole town looked even more beautiful. The sun's rays danced on the streets, and everything around them sparkled with a thousand lights. Even the broken glass on the pavement looked like diamonds.
"It's late," Kazuki said.
"We'd be here sooner if we didn't have to stop for food all the time!" Zelgadis said annoyed.
"Zel, what are you so angry about? My powers don't just appear out of nowhere! I have to get my strength from somewhere," Lina replied, patting her stomach.
"Ah, I don't doubt it! With the amount of food you eat, you could easily take on an entire army!" Zelgadis bit off.
"Don't start with me, I advise you well." Her eyes narrowed and her forehead twitched dangerously.
Zelgadis was about to reply, but fortunately he saw Amelia's pleading face and just shrugged his shoulders. He too did not want to see Saillune, the great capital of White Magic, destroyed.
After crossing a few streets, they found themselves in front of the royal palace. The guards at the entrance, seeing Amelia, let her in immediately. With her head held high, the princess entered her home, followed by the rest of her companions. The clatter of their shoes echoed through the great hall as they walked across the marble floor.
"Daughter?" sounded a sudden question.
"Papa!" Amelia ran towards her father.
"I'm so glad to see you! And you too," he said, turning to the others and taking his daughter in a big hug.
Things went as Zelgadis had expected. Phillionel, Amelia's father, ran around with the servants to make sure the guests were provided with every comfort. It was also decided that a great feast would be held to celebrate the princess's return. Lina, on the other hand, was delighted by the vision of tables laden with food, and even helped with the preparations. Helping means directing Gourry and telling him what to do. Kazuki quickly ducked into the chamber under the pretext of being tired.
After a short time, everything was ready. Tables filled with all kinds of delicacies were brought out of the shadows by the flickering light of candles and torches. The royal cooks had not been idle. The delicious smell of roast meat filled the great hall. Gourry and Lina must have been dreaming of such a sight, for they began to eat immediately.
They spent the evening chatting and joking with Phill. They found out what was going on in the kingdom and told him a little about their journey. Phill also told them about the new plans to fight crime in the city.
"Phill..." - Lina started suddenly, changing the subject. "Have you heard of the Book of Chaos?" They all fell silent and looked at him, waiting expectantly.
"Hmm..." He scratched his head and remained silent for a long moment. "I'm afraid I can't help you, Lina."
"I see," she replied resignedly, reaching for another chicken.
"Although perhaps..." he began, "I think I heard a legend about it once, but unfortunately I can't remember it now."
"Hmm..." the redhead mused, chewing the same piece of meat over and over again. "Too bad," she added after a while, although it was clear that she was still thinking about something.
"It is already very late," Phillionel began, "I suggest we end our pleasant meeting. You must be very tired. The servants will show you to your rooms." He finished and rose from the table. "And you, Amelia, I will ask you to come with me to the main office. There are several matters you should be familiar with," he said to his daughter.
Amelia just nodded her head.
Everyone rose from the table and began to disperse in the directions indicated. Phillionel, meanwhile, made his way through the dark corridors of the castle towards the study, Amelia trailing behind him.
"Papa?" she began unexpectedly.
"Yes, darling?"
"I love you," she said simply, clasping his arm.
"I love you too." He smiled. "It's been sad here without you."
"I've missed you too, but unfortunately we have to leave tomorrow for a while."
"You are going on a journey again?"
"We're looking for that book Miss Lina asked you about..."
"I wish I could remember that legend," he thought.
"It's nothing, Dad," she comforted him with a smile.
She really wanted to tell him what power was hidden in the book, but she had promised not to tell anyone what Kazuki had told her. Maybe she would be able to revive her mother soon? Daddy would surely be happy.
"Don't worry, this meeting won't take long," Phill said as they stood in front of the mighty study door.
Zelgadis lay on a comfortable bed in a beautiful chamber, but somehow he could not fall asleep. He stared at the shadows dancing on the wall and listened to the sounds outside the window. Lina's bedroom was next to his, so he could hear her snoring and mumbling through the open window. Hearing his own 'incompetence', he decided to get up and shut it all up. He slowly rose from the bed and placed his feet on the floor, which made a slight creaking sound. He sat there for a while, rubbing his eyes, then got up and walked over to the window. As he felt the cool air on his face, he suddenly felt the urge to walk around the castle. He turned towards the door and stepped quietly out into the corridor to carry out his spontaneous plan.
He wandered alone through the corridors, which were bathed in half-darkness. He didn't know how to navigate the castle. He didn't want to get lost, so he tried to keep in a straight line. When he reached the end of his chosen corridor, he saw a large library on his right. Bored, he stepped inside. He ran his fingers over the leather covers of the volumes when, after a while, he had an idea. Why not look for something in this book?
…
Amelia walked down the empty corridor to her room. Anything could be said about the meeting she had just returned from, but certainly not that it had been short! The meeting had lasted a good three hours! Fortunately, she was not alone in her ordeal. The whole Council had to accompany her. Her father had decided that it was a matter of urgency and ordered everyone to be there, despite the late hour! The old man must be going mad... These were supposed to be the new reforms he had mentioned at dinner. Amelia, however, did not believe that her father's ideas would reduce the rise in crime. She picked up the papers in her hand to take another look at the reform idea and make her changes. She was about to step out into the corridor leading to the chambers when she bumped into someone... All the papers flew out of her hand and scattered around the hall, and she and the stranger landed on the floor.
"Oi, why don't you be a bit more careful!" she shouted reproachfully, but when she raised her eyes to the person she had bumped into, she immediately fell silent.
"Sorry, Amelia. You're right, I shouldn't be wandering around the castle in the middle of the night, but I couldn't sleep," Zelgadis explained, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Mr Zelgadis?" she began, a scarlet blush spreading across her face.
"When you talk to me like that, it makes me feel old," he said, rising from the floor and holding out his hand to the girl.
"I thought you weren't serious?"
"Amelia... I'm always serious," he said camly, but there was a note of amusement in his voice.
"Yes, I know," she said with a smile, taking his hand.
Unfortunately for her, she put her foot on one of the cards she had dropped earlier, and when she tried to pick herself up, she slipped on it. Without warning, she fell right onto the boy.
"You are a terribly clumsy person," Zelgadis began, holding the girl in his arms.
"And you are a terribly forgetful person!" she said, blushing all over.
"And why is that?"
"Because you should remember to dress properly before leaving your room!" The boy just looked at himself and blushed even more than Amelia.
He wore only short black shorts and a shirt that hung open at his sides. On a daily basis, Zelgadis did not expose himself like that. The reasons were well known.
"You win," he said embarrassedly and quickly buttoned up his shirt to at least hide that part of his body.
Amelia just laughed to herself and bent down to pick up the papers.
"What are these papers?" he asked, quickly changing the subject.
"They are plans for a reform that Papa has invented, although I think they are hopeless," she replied with a smile.
"I don't recognise you lately," he said, looking at her closely.
"I don't recognise you either," she replied calmly, looking into his eyes.
"Eee..." he began, embarrassed by her behaviour. "I thought the meeting was long over?"
"As you can see, no. I have just returned from it. And you, what were you doing here alone?"
"I was in the library looking for something about the book, but unfortunately I didn't find anything..."
"Dad couldn't remember anything either..." she began thoughtfully.
"We'll find out soon enough."
"Right, but let's go to bed now. I am terribly tired." She yawned longingly.
"Good idea. Good night, Amelia," he finished with a smile and moved away in his direction.
"Good night, Zel..." she whispered after him, but the boy didn't hear it anymore...
Amelia continued down another corridor. When she turned the corner to her bedroom, she was surprised to find the door to the next room ajar. She always passed her father's bedroom on her way to her room. Dad always locked the door at night. She knocked gently and opened it more to look inside.
"Daddy?" she asked quietly as she entered the room.
The room was very dark. When she got close enough to see the bed, she stopped abruptly.
"Dad?" she asked again, her voice breaking.
This isn't happening. It can't be… she thought desperately.
She moved closer to the bed and held out her hand to Phill, who was lying there.
"Daddy, wake up, please!"
When she touched his arm, she felt it was very cold. Terrified, she opened her eyes wider.
"Daddy!" She began to shake him vigorously, but he... didn't want to wake up... "You can't do this to me! Don't leave me! I don't want to be alone..." The last sentence was more of a string of unintelligible words. "You can't... Daddy... don't leave me... please don't... I don't want to... I don't want to... I love you... daddy..."
Amelia's words were systematically interrupted by successive bouts of crying. But words, even the most beautiful, could not bring life back to a dead body. Could the unspoken words stop it from happening? Was it our fault?
In the face of death, it did not matter who we were. And death itself would always remain deaf to our cries...
"Daddy, why!" she cried desperately, choking on her tears.
Just like the people who are no longer with us...
When Amelia raised her hand to her face to wipe away the tears she cried, she saw herself covered in blood. She looked down at her father's body and was horrified to see a dagger in his heart. It was more than she could bear. Why did she have to go through it all again?
"NO!" she screamed as loudly as her body would allow. But inside, screaming was much louder. It seemed to fly to the very gates of the realm of absolute death.
Suddenly, Kazuki burst into the room with a bang.
"Come!" He grabbed the stiff girl by the wrist and dragged her with him, running out of the room.
"Leave me alone!" she screamed crying.
"Stupid! Don't you remember what I told you about the Book of Chaos? If we hurry, we can resurrect your father!"
Suddenly, a glimmer of hope appeared in the girl's heart.
"The temple is not far, but we must hurry!"
Amelia didn't ask any more questions. She just ran after the dark-haired boy.
"Amelia!" Someone was calling from behind them.
"Don't turn around! They can't come with us," he explained, speeding up his run.
After a while they were in the courtyard, after another in the middle of the town, and after another at the entrance to the temple in the middle of Saillune, and the protecting pentagram.
"It's here," Kazuki replied.
"In the temple of Saillune?"
"Yes!"
"Stop!" shouted the stranger running after them.
Amelia looked in the stranger's direction and saw a group of people dressed in white running towards them. After a moment, a number of different spells flew towards her. Scared, she closed her eyes and for a moment thought she would be with her family again. But when she opened her eyes, she saw Kazuki who had created a shield.
"Get inside!" Kazuki shouted.
"Don't open the book!" Someone else shouted from a distance.
The girl obediently ran into the temple, followed by the black-haired man. He quickly mumbled an unfamiliar spell to prevent others from entering the temple and looked at Amelia...
…
Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis ran after the distant two. They lost sight of them for a while, but the sudden sounds of battle led them back in the right direction. After a while, they found themselves in front of the main temple of Saillune. They saw a group of people standing in front of it, looking at each other in resignation.
"Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" Lina shouted, looking at the whole gathering and the protective barrier around the temple.
- They were the ones with the kid!" One of the men shouted, pointing his finger in Lina's direction.
"You idiots! How could you not notice?" A young woman stepped forward from the group and approached the sorceress, pushing her back.
"What were we supposed to notice?!" Lina retorted, swinging at the stranger as Zelgadis unexpectedly grabbed her arm.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to remain calm.
"If they open the book, it will be the end!" the stranger said.
"If they open the book? What is this book?" Zelgadis asked, staring at the woman.
"It is the key to the nightmare..."
Zelgadis tried to keep his usual impassive expression on his face, but each word from this unfamiliar woman made it harder and harder. Unconsciously, he tightened his fingers around Lina's wrist.
Could they trust her? Kazuki had turned out to be a traitor.
"Ouch, Zel! Get a grip on yourself!" Lina finally shouted and pulled her hand out of his grasp.
"The key to the nightmare?" Zelgadis continued, as if he had not heard the redhead's remark at all. "What do you mean?"
"Opening the book will unleash a power greater than the Lord of Nightmares!" stranger shouted. "You are living a lie without even knowing it! But there is no time for explanations now! We must stop them from opening the book!" She looked towards the temple.
"I hope you know what you're doing... "Lina muttered under her breath, still massaging her sore wrist.
"How do we get in?" Zelgadis asked, examining the strange barrier that had formed around the temple.
"I don't know, this is the first time I've seen something like this, but we have to try everything..." the stranger said quietly.
After a moment, a number of different spells flew towards the temple. Coloured arrows and explosions lit up the black sky.
- Chest Flare!
- Val Flare!
- Fireball!
More shouts rained down, followed by more explosions.
It seems many hours passed before the decision was made to halt the offensive. The dust in the air slowly cleared, revealing the temples and the intact barrier.
"It does nothing!" Suddenly, one of the stranger's companions shouted.
"Our attacks haven't even scratched the barrier!"
"If magic doesn't work, maybe Gourry's sword will?" Lina said thoughtfully, looking at the blond man.
"Leave it to me!" Gourry said triumphantly. "Light!" he shouted.
"Just be careful!"
"Just a moment and there will be after all," the swordsman muttered.
The sword glowed in his hand. The blond man tightened his grip and ran towards the building. Until now, the temple was under fire from the others, so he couldn't test it. However, as the blade of the weapon touched the barrier, Gourry was thrown backwards with tremendous force.
"The Sword of Light doesn't work," Lina said as she looked at Gourry. "There's only one thing left to do..."
…
The temple was shrouded in impenetrable darkness. Only Kazuki's eyes seemed to glow red. Amelia watched them carefully, trying to read something in them. It was no easy task as his gaze showed no emotion. A sudden bang woke the girl from her stupor.
"We have to hurry," Kazuki said and grabbed the princess's hand.
"Why didn't you tell me the book was in this temple?"
"Your friends were too greedy. I was afraid that if I told them, they would sneak out before us and steal the book."
"But..." Amelia began.
"I've already told you that I'm helping you, not them," he interrupted her quickly, pulling her hand tighter.
Amelia asked nothing more. Silently, she followed the black-haired man through the twisting corridors of the building, lighting her way with the Lighting spell.
There was only one thing that mattered now - bringing her father back to life.
After a few minutes they reached the main hall. It was right in the centre of the city of Saillune, and thus right in the middle of the protective pentagram. Despite its size, the area was completely empty. Only torches hung from the walls, illuminating a symbol carved into the stone floor - another pentagram.
"Is it here?" asked a confused Amelia.
"Almost..."
Kazuki moved forward with a confident step and faced the star carved into the floor. Amelia watched him in amazement.
This must be some kind of joke. So this great power was hidden right under her nose the whole time?
"Obey my command! Show yourself!" Kazuki shouted, and his eyes lit up even more.
There was an uneasy silence for a moment, until it was broken by a strange crackling and creaking. A part of the floor in the middle of the sign spread out to the side, revealing a large, old book...
"Kazuki?" she asked uncertainly.
"Take it easy, Princess. It will be over soon."
…
Zelgadis looked at the temples with helpless eyes. What could he do in a situation like this? His magic doesn't work, and without it he feels weak and useless. After all, behind all those spells and the Chimera's body, there is just an ordinary boy. A boy full of feelings, desires, expectations and pain...
"Lina, what are we going to do?" Gourry shouted.
"If Laguna Blade could get through the barrier of the ancient dragons, maybe it can do it now?" the sorceress replied.
"Are you sure?"
"You who are part of the Lord of Nightmares..." she began to chant, and after a moment a blade of nothingness appeared in her hand. She approached the barrier and shouted: "LAGUNA BLADE!"
The blade slammed into the barrier, slowly slicing through it until the barrier disappeared completely, revealing the entrance to the temple.
"Great! Maybe there's still a chance!" the strange woman shouted as she and her two companions ran into the building.
"Let's hurry!" Lina yelled, running after them.
…
Amelia slowly approached Kazuki and looked at the book. Its black binding shone menacingly in the light of the torch, and golden inscriptions in an incomprehensible language glowed on the cover.
"With this, you will be able to revive whoever you want," Kazuki said, still not taking his eyes off the book.
"What do I have to do?"
"All you have to do is open it and think about what you want. Then you will get it. What are you waiting for? Go..."
The princess took another step and found herself inside the pentagram.
She knows what she has to do, so why hesitate? What if... No, these are just silly fears.
The next step.
Everything she wants is at her fingertips. She bent down and reached for the book. Her fingers touched the black cover, caressing the gold lettering. As she grasped the volume and lifted it from the ground, an indefinable shudder ran through her body.
"Open it. Unless you don't want to bring your family back to life?"
Amelia was about to open the book when suddenly ...
"Stop!" Zelgadis shouted, and the girl stopped in her tracks.
"How dare you!" Kazuki fumed.
"And you're the one who tells us the rules, you traitor?" Lina sneered.
"Traitor?" Amelia repeated in disbelief.
"He tricked you, Amelia,'"Zelgadis said. "Don't open the book!"
"Shabranigdo..." the stranger whispered suddenly, looking at Kazuki.
"What did you say?!" Lina jumped aside in horror.
But she didn't get an explanation for this shocking remark, because at that moment, Kazuki's voice rang out:
"Don't listen to them, Princess! They want to take the book for themselves, they want to trick you! If you want your father to live, you have to open it!"
"Daddy..." Amelia whispered and slowly opened the book.
"Amelia, no!" Zelgadis shouted, trying to stop her, but it was too late...
The book was opened...