Thump. Thump. Zelgadis's heart pounded in his chest with fear as he ran to the source of the scream, Solanna right next to him. Side by side they ran, their shoes clicking against the floor in perfect unison, breathing in perfect concord. She's matching my pace, Zelgadis realized. Even though he was running at an incredibly fast speed, she still managed to keep up with him.
The pair stopped short as soon as they reached a large room that looked like a library. It was filled from ceiling to floor with books and a large winding staircase distended from a gaping hole in the center of the floor, leading down to a basement extension of the library. It was almost like a balcony. To the right they saw Amelia trembling in fright, clutched in the wrangled hands of a demonic-looking vampire. Lina was held at bay by three others and she was kicking her feet like a toddler, screaming at them to let her go. Her blond companion was just sitting there dumbly as more vampires held him back, not even attempting to reach for his sword. His attention was fixed on the center of the room, near the balcony, where the notorious pair Spike and Druscilla stood behind a small, dark-haired boy. The boy held a round, gilded object in his hand, the legendary Orb of Xanthalin. He was chanting a lengthy spell in an ancient language, a magical wind encircling his weak body.
Solanna cursed harshly and stared daggers at the Mazoku priest as he appeared overhead. "Why aren't you doing anything? Help us stop them!!"
Xelloss laughed in amusement. "Stop them? Why would I want to stop the resurrection of Shabranigdo? He is the master of the Mazoku, of course. I think I'll just sit back and wa..." He trailed off, a peculiar look coming over his face. "Well. Looks like we'll have to finish this conversation later. Zelas-sama calls," he explained, disappearing.
"Namagomi," Zelgadis growled under his breath. "So it's up to us then?" He immediately drew his sword and charged at the vampires who were restraining his friends, swinging in a great arc and lopping off several heads at once.
Solanna, still not very good with a sword, blasted off the leg of a wooden chair and invoked the wrath of its jagged edge upon the vampires. The struggle was brief and violent, but bloodless, and in the end all were freed from their captors. Lina Inverse cursed violently under her breath and took up her magic in her hands, blasting the remaining vampires to ashes. To her utter dismay, they reformed their bodies, still alive and kicking. "What the hell?!"
Solanna patted the sorceress on the shoulder and handed her a chair leg. "Staking is always a good way to kill 'em if you find beheading too messy."
Beyond the safety of two great stone doors lay a great hall, filled with devotional light and the overpowering scent of lilies. The walls were lined with rows of lamps, splendid wall paintings hammered with gold, and the ceiling was veiled in gold. But the gold veil was made of leaves, with droplets of silver water collecting on them, falling down to strike the marble floor. The paintings were of the clouds, a welcoming colored mist that did not stir as a light breeze rippled through the golden leaves, and the lamps sung like birds from their tongues of flame. In the center of all this wonder, all this serenity that could never be duplicated by human hands, sat a tiny figure of a woman, her blond hair spilling over her lean shoulders and cascading to the floor.
This woman was the Lord of Nightmares, the great ruler of Chaos and the ultimate goddess of the realm in which Lina Inverse lived. The woman sat before an opaque vision of the universe, looking down upon it and watching the events that occurred in it. Her lordship was particularly interested in the activities surrounding the being known as Lina the Bandit Killer, the red-haired sorceress who was considered to be the Hand of Chaos, through which L-sama implemented her plans. She spoke aloud to herself, her lips unmoving and her face frozen like a mask. "Mine Naughty Nemesis, Thee Lord Of Darkness, Art Thou Attempting Rebirth Once More? It Is Not Thy Time, Not Now. I Cannot Let Thee Enter My World, Not Yet." She closed her heavily-lashed eyes. "I Cannot Send Mine Child Against Thee Once Again, However... She Hast Used Mine Power Too Many Times At Such Close Intervals. I Shall Use Another..."
Lina Inverse clutched the side of an engraved bookcase in an attempt to keep herself from being dragged away by the strong winds of magic that swept through the library. No magic she summoned could break through the protection of the Orb, neither white nor black, and Zelgadis's shamanist powers were useless against such a powerful talisman. Shimatta, she thought desperately, her fingers slipping from the carved wood. Am I gonna have to use the Giga Slave again? The sorceress yelped as a strong gust of magic knocked her from the bookcase and into Gourry, sending them both sprawling.
The Anointed Once was still chanting the spell, his boyish features darkening and his brown eyes taking on a reddish hue. He called for Shabranigdo, he prayed for the dark lord to enter his body and use it. There was no stopping him. The Dark Lord Shabranigdo was certain to be reborn into this tiny boy's body. He was close to finishing the spell and there was no chance of anyone getting close enough to stop him. Despair settled in upon Lina and her friends as they closed their eyes and clung to one another, waiting for the end.
A loud clanking noise forced the group to open their eyes, and they saw the Orb clatter to the floor. The spell ceased; the magical winds stopped blowing and the room became silent, save for the indignant screams of a young boy. Spike and Druscilla held the Anointed One's arms in restraint as he kicked in protest. The male vampire smirked and yanked the boy over to the hole in the center of the room, dangling him over the edge. "It's time to dispose of the Annoying One..." he said quietly, triumphantly, and dropped the boy thirty feet...to his death.
Zelgadis rose to his feet and stared uncomprehendingly at Spike, meeting the vampire's eyes for the first time. "Why? I don't understand..."
The leather-clad vampire shrugged. "Everyone thinks that vampires are so obsessed with trying to destroy the world and with bringing hell to it. Perhaps that's partly our fault for putting up such a front. In truth, I sort of like this bloody world. We can make a good life for ourselves living in the catacombs of different cities, Dru and I." He paused as his eyes met those of his partner for a moment, then dragged them back to Zelgadis. "And there's plenty of humans to keep us vampires fat. Like millions of little meals on legs." Spike smiled at the disgusted reaction the humans gave him and took Druscilla's hand. "Reviving the Dark Lord wasn't in my plans for the next couple of centuries." He nodded in farewell to the humans before he and Druscilla faded back into the darkness.
Gourry stood and dusted himself off, looking perplexed as usual. "What was that all about?"
Lina was scratching her head. "Never thought I'd see a vampire actually fight against the despair and suffering of humans." She smiled dazzlingly and flashed the 'victory' sign to everyone. "Looks like we've avoided yet another disaster this ti..." she trailed off, staring in shock at the Orb, which lay on the cold marble floor. "Masaka..."
The others turned just in time to see the Orb rise from the ground on its own, the magical winds that had so shaken the castle before once again starting up, this time twice as strong. And emitting from the Orb itself was a deep, rumbling laugh, a familiar laugh. Zelgadis shuddered involuntarily. "Shabranigdo..." The Orb glowed with a glossy obsidian aura, its power encircling the room. The lanterns fizzled out and the candles in the library flickered several times before plunging the entire castle into pitch blackness. The only visible light was that of the Orb itself.
"What's going on?" Amelia cried plaintively as she groped for something to hold onto, something to keep her from being swept away by the roaring winds that now shook the entire city.
"It's Shabranigdo," Lina managed to answer. "He's finishing the spell for his rebirth all by himself! I don't know how he's doing this, but we've got to stop him!" She ducked a piece of flying debris and pushed her way through the oncoming winds towards the Orb, which was suspended in the middle of the library. She began to chant as a sphere of white light formed in her palms. "You who cross the barrier between...ouch!" The Orb lashed out with a bolt of lightning, striking Lina in mid-spell and throwing her back several feet. The others leaped forward for a try at stopping the spell.
"RA TILT!!" Zelgadis aimed his most powerful attack at Gourry, powering up the Hikari no Ken. The swordsman slashed with astounding skill at the wind barrier created by the Orb. This barrier could keep spells out, but not people or weapons. Gourry's attack, however, proved to be fruitless when Shabranigdo's spirit blasted him back with a crimson ray of fire.
The red-haired sorceress gave a guttural growl. "Everyone get over here!! Attack all at once, and try to get to the Orb! We have to smash it to stop the spell!"
Her friends immediately complied, rushing forth with their most effective attacks. "Fire...ball!!"
"Blam Blazer!!"
"Elmekia Lance!!"
"Laguna Blade!!"
"Hikari O!!"
Shabranigdo's laugh grew louder as the spells were easily deflected by the obsidian sphere, filling the castle with echoes of death and destruction. A gargantuan blast of energy burst forth from the Orb and slammed into the five humans, sending them careening in all directions. The copper-haired girl let out a short cry of protest as the energy lifted her off her feet and smashed her into the wall behind her, turning her world black.
Emptiness. Silence. Solanna was floating in an empty void of blackness, feeling oddly separated from her body and not fully conscious of where she was or what was going on around her. She could hear noises, faintly in the background, the sounds of people yelling to each other and the sounds of spells being cast. Voices? Screaming? Her body told her to sleep, to ignore the irritating noise, but she was for some reason reluctant. Voices...where are they? Her body again encouraged her to sleep, to give up and fall into the sweet world of dreams. The cries of anguish were far in the distance now, vague, and Solanna's thoughts drifted towards happier things. Yes, yes, her body seemed to say as the screaming faded away into almost nonexistence. But one cry broke through the silence, one sharp stab through her thoughts. She turned her attention back to the noise. Zelgadis?
Yes, a voice in her head told her. Yes, that's him. He's out there. Do you remember?
I... Images flashed through her mind. Shabranigdo. Xanthalin's Orb. Lina. Amelia. Gourry. My friends... She saw herself walking through the forest and laughing, the others by her side. She saw a campfire in the woods, the city of San Doria, the tavern at Yar Nadrak, the doorway to Sairiis...and she saw Zelgadis. Zelgadis laughing, Zelgadis smiling. Zelgadis rolling his eyes at her antics. Zelgadis looking down at her with concern, Zelgadis encouraging her, and most of all...Zelgadis in pain. Solanna's mind began to wake up. I have to help...Shabranigdo...rebirth...must stop...
Yes, the voice told her. You have to help your friends. They need you. Get up and help them fight.
Fight?
Solanna's mind suddenly cleared and she awoke from her unconsciousness. She saw before her the same devastating wind and the same crumbling library. Her friends were battered, injured, and struggling with their last reserves of strength. She saw Lina Inverse chanting the spell for the Giga Slave, armed with Gourry's Hikari no Ken, and saw the spell utterly fail as Shabranigdo's spirit blasted the sorceress with a powerful burst of light. "Fight," Solanna whispered aloud, pushing herself off the cold ground. "I have to fight." She rose to a standing position, her heart full of determination.
Zelgadis coughed from all the smoke and debris that cluttered the air and clutched a wound at his side. To his surprise, he saw a lone figure striding confidently into the wind, approaching the Orb. "Sol!!" he called out, standing weakly. "What are you doing?!" She didn't hear him, and continued to stride into danger. Powerful blasts from Shabranigdo struck her body as she drew closer to the innermost wind barrier and she cried out, tripping and collapsing to the floor. Blood flowed freely from her wounded body, but she ignored the pain and continued on, Shabranigdo attacking her with every step.
Blood, Solanna thought as another blast racked her body. Pain...it hurts...but I must go on. Each step grew stronger and more determined, though blood flowed from her many wounds and stained her skin and clothing. I must go on... She stepped through the last wind barrier, despite Shabranigdo's efforts, and stood behind the floating Orb, its gilded edges flickering at her presence. "All right!" she cried aloud, speaking to no one in particular. "I don't know what to do, and I don't have any spells to use! But all I know is that I want to save everyone! Everyone!!" her voice echoed as she reached her delicate hands towards the Orb and grasped it.
The surge of power into her body was of enormous proportions as Shabranigdo tried to finish the spell for his rebirth. Solanna screamed aloud in agony as the power entered her body, enough to kill her, but it didn't. Another surge of power, this time coming from her own body, blocked the Dark Lord's attack. Her grip on the Orb tightened and the room exploded with a strange purple light.
Zelgadis saw a change pass over the girl's face and drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes were now a blazing violet, as was her usually copper-colored hair. The resemblance to Xelloss Metallium was uncanny, and the chimera's eyes blinked with surprise as he realized what she was doing. Solanna was drawing upon her Mazoku powers for the first time to stop Shabranigdo from entering the world. The power output was incredible, far more than any average human could have managed. Her knuckles were turning white as she gripped the Orb tighter and tighter, every last bit of her energy focused on the task. Zelgadis's heart suddenly thumped with panic as the Orb shattered in her hands.
The winds stopped. Debris that had been flying around crashed to the floor. The purple light faded from the room, and Solanna's eyes and hair returned to their usual colors. Her body wavered for a moment in the silence before it crumpled to the ground with a resounding thud.
Zelgadis rushed to her side as fast as his wounds would allow him. He nudged her with a hesitant hand, but she didn't respond. Her skin looked awfully pale and her chest wasn't rising at all. The chimera leaned his ear close to her chest and listened, a sudden surge of panic rushing through his body. Her heart had stopped beating. "No..." He laced his hands together and hurriedly applied pressure to her sternum in a desperate attempt to resuscitate her. "No...no, please, hang on!" He breathed twice into her mouth, noting with dread that her body already felt very cold and stiff. One, two, three, he pumped, his efforts in vain. "Come on, come on," he begged, pumping and breathing into her over and over again. After awhile he realized that she was not going to respond...not ever. "No!!" Zelgadis sat back and stared at her lifeless body, the impact of her death dawning upon him. "Sol!! NO!!"
Clang. Clang. Zelgadis lifted his head a little, thinking he heard the sharp clank of chimes knocking together. He wondered how long he had been there. An hour, perhaps? Yes, an hour...an hour of sitting by Solanna's body, his mind unable to accept her death. An hour of vision blurred with tears, hearing Lina and Amelia crying and even an occasional broken sob from Gourry. He heard the clanging of chimes again, louder, closer, but couldn't see through his tears.
Zelgadis heard a shuffling sound and noticed that Solanna's body was no longer on the ground before him. He quickly wiped his eyes free of tears and looked up, blinking in shock at the figure that towered above him. Rezo the Red Priest stood before him, his crimson robes flowing like blood around him. He shifted the body of the copper-haired girl in his arms and turned away, disappearing into the darkness.
Amelia leaned against the sharp bark of an oak tree and sighed with depression. It had been a week since Solanna's death and her absence was taking its toll on everyone. She was no longer there to amuse them with her tales of valor, to offer her blunt opinions, to even grace them with her dazzling smile. The princess hadn't known Solanna for very long, yet she had already felt the girl to be like an older sister. And even though Zelgadis's affection was for Solanna and not for her, Amelia felt no resentment towards the girl. Rather, she felt a growing concern for the chimera's health. She had put aside her feelings for Zelgadis as soon as she met Solanna, since she saw how attached he was to her. And now that the girl was dead, Zelgadis acted like a lost child.
Amelia glanced briefly at the chimera, who sat on a flattened rock facing away from his companions. He had drawn back into himself after her death, avoiding conversation and contact with the others. It was as if he was afraid that they would die and leave him, too. Amelia wanted to comfort him, wanted to reassure him and tell him that it was okay to cry. But he was so drawn into himself that he would hardly look at her, let alone allow her to come near him.
Clang. Clang. The little princess's head jerked up in surprise as she heard the familiar clinking of chimes. Her companions were already on their feet, scanning the area for the source of the sound. The wind began to blow in large gusts around them, tossing leaves and grass into the air and temporarily blinding them. When the wind finally stopped, a vision in crimson stood before the four travelers: Rezo the Red Priest, whom had at one time been killed by Lina Inverse and whom had turned Zelgadis, his grandson/great grandson, into his present form.
Rezo held up his hand for silence and began to speak, his voice hollow and distant. "I know this must come as some surprise to you, friends. Do not be alarmed, for I can assure you that I am quite dead. You killed me yourselves, if I remember correctly. When I first died, L-sama wanted to send me directly to the realm of Hellmaster Phibrizio to be punished for nearly destroying the world. However, she decided to give me a chance to atone for my actions by putting me to work for her. It is my job to look after the souls of the dead." His eyes moved to Zelgadis, who was glaring at him with hatred, and smiled sadly. "My grandson, it is regretful that I turned you to your present form while under Shabranigdo's influence. If I were alive, if there was some way for me to change you back, I would do it in an instant. Under the circumstances, I do not have the power to do so, and it saddened me to know that I could do nothing to make amends." His smile brightened a little. "And then I witnessed the Dark Lord's last attempt at rebirth, Zelgadis. I was there. I watched Solanna Chamier fall to her death, and watched you cry over her body for so long. I then knew exactly what to do. As the watcher of souls, I appealed to L-sama on Solanna's behalf, and...this is my last gift to you."
All stared in shock as the priest parted his outer robe, revealing a short, copper-haired girl clinging to him. She blinked her blue eyes and waved to her frozen friends, a smile alighting on her familiar features. "Hi!"
Lina was the first to recover. She pointed a shaky finger at the girl. "Solanna...how...?"
The girl smiled and let go of the Red Priest. "Surprised? I don't blame you. I'm pretty surprised myself. It seems that L-sama intended for me to use my Mazoku powers to stop Shabranigdo's rebirth, but she hadn't intended for me to die in the process."
Zelgadis was frozen in place, too shocked to move or even to react to such a blow. The wounds in his heart that had been slowly healing over the past week were now reopened, raw and painful. It hurt...it hurt a lot to see her again and remember how he'd cried over her death...but he shook his head and dismissed the matter, his eyes filling with tears of happiness. The chimera forced his shocked body to move forward, one step at a time.
"L-sama decided to bring me back to life," Solanna was saying, "as thanks for helping me get rid of Shabranigdo. We talked. We had tea together. She stripped me of my Mazoku powers so that Zelas and Xelloss won't be able to use them against me, and she balanced it out by granting me some of her own power. So I guess you could say now I'm the daughter of both my mother and L-sa..." she trailed off, staring at the chimera who was rapidly approaching her.
Zelgadis took hold of her and gathered the copper-haired girl into his arms. Gods, it felt so good to hold her warm body once more! His voice grew choked up, unresponsive. If only he could tell her how glad he was to see her, how much he cared for her! Zelgadis lifted her chin, held her closer, and pressed his lips full upon hers in front of everyone.
"The Red Priest smiled with an inconceivable sadness. No one noticed him disappear from the forest, and he was never again seen by human eyes. It is rumored that he was allowed to pass on into the next world after that day." The slight figure paused dramatically. "As for the others? Well, that is another story." She closed the book that was open before her, its cover reading The Adventures of Zelgadis Greywers: Book One. "Well, gentlemen? What did you think?"
An old, bearded man stroked his chin thoughtfully as he addressed the storyteller. "I rather liked it, m'dear. Quite intriguing, actually."
"I agree," a younger man spoke up from the back of the tavern. "But it leaves me wondering what happened next. Did Zelgadis Greywers ever find a cure for his curse? Did he ever become human?"
"And most importantly," one of the tavern regulars added slyly, "did he ever get around to sleeping with that girl of his?" This comment brought a burst of laugher from the crowd.
The storyteller smiled, her face partly hidden by the shadows cast by the lanterns. She bowed her head to the audience, a stray copper-colored lock bouncing in front of her eyes. "As I said, gentlemen...that is another story." She nodded to the back of the room, where a cloaked and hooded figure stood hidden in the shadows, and gently picked up the bundle that lay on the chair next to her. The two discreetly left together, hand in hand. Anyone roaming the streets that night might have noticed the way the streetlamp lights glinted off the skin and hair of the hooded figure like light on a blue-colored stone. The storyteller squeezed his hand gently, shifting the blanket-swathed bundle to her other arm. A gentle breeze parted a flap of the blanket, allowing the moon to cast its beams upon the soft blue skin of a sleeping, copper-haired infant. "You know something? I'm just glad this story has a happy ending...Zel."
The hooded figure smiled down at her. "Me too, Sol. Me too."