"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows. I pledge myself to conquer all the foes that stand against the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. May the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power that you and I possess! Dragon Slave!"
I recited the spell to myself, smiling, priding myself on my anime knowledge. I walked onwards through the mall, humming the Slayers Next theme song.
"Give a reason for life Todoketai!"
I finally found the video store and ducked inside away from the madness in the halls. I made a beeline for the anime section. No sense in wasting time staring at the movie being shown on the various monitors that were scattered throughout the store.
Scanning the anime videos until I found the Slayers tapes, I recounted all the fanfics I'd read on various characters. Some funny, some serious - but mostly funny, because that's what I liked.
"Ah, here we go!" I snatched the tape from the shelf. It was the newest release of Slayers Next - The Forbidden Dance. And I actually had the money to pay for it. I flipped it over to examine the back, and giggled at the sight of my favorite character dressed in drag as a chef and looking like he was cooking up something even crazier than usual. "Oh, Xelloss-sama!" I exclaimed through my giggles.
A sudden movement caught my eye, and I glanced up. The man who had been wandering indecisively through the store had stopped in his tracks and gone straight to the counter to pay for the video in his hand. Wondering why he had suddenly decided to do so, I studied him for a moment. His black hair was cut short, he was in casual clothes, and there seemed nothing strange about him. He turned to look at me as he paid, however, and I almost dropped my tape.
His eyes. They were sharp - almost too sharp to be human - and their blue-gray color hinted at ... violet? I shook myself, but an unsettling hunch rose inside me. I decided to trust my instincts.
I shoved the video back on the shelf and walked swiftly after the man as he left the store. I followed him at a distance until he stopped to inspect a booth, and then I took my chance.
Concentrating hard, I reached inwardly for a power available to only a lucky few in these dismal times. I coaxed it up and out, until it hung around me in a tangible aura. Still concentrating, I raised my hand and focused on the man.
"Flow Break," I distinctly commanded.
White fire erupted over the man, dissolving his disguise. Not having expected the spell to be so powerful, or indeed to work at all, he yelled out in surprise and spun to face me, still covered in the ghostly flames.
The amethyst, slit-pupiled eyes that I knew so well were the last thing I saw before the world went black.
My eyes snapped open to meet more darkness. That was it. There had been no period of waking - I had been out, and then awake, just like that. The first sign of a controlled sleep spell.
"You know who I am." It was not a question. The voice that spoke it was the voice I had expected, but in a tone I would never dream could be. A serious tone.
"Yes," I replied, sitting up and blinking at the shadowy figure outlined in the darkness.
"You know ... what I am?" He was uncertain at this one.
"How could I not?" I swiveled on the bed to face him. "Xelloss Metallium, priest and general of Xellas Metallium, a Mazoku lord."
The figure nodded, and a soft light filled the room. I studied him with interest. It seemed strange to see naturally purple hair in real life, and even stranger to see Xelloss with a serious expression and no smile.
"How did you dispel my disguise?" he asked, shifting, and I noticed he was still wearing modern clothes.
"It's a simple variation on the Flow Break spell," I explained, my mind only half concerned with answering his question. "I inserted a darkness-eradicating spell into it, which negated your disguise because of the Mazoku energy used to create it."
"Ah." He nodded again and turned away, the light in the room dimming and focusing on him.
I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on any longer.
"This is so wrong!" I exclaimed to his turned back. "What's happened to you? Where's the fruitcake we all know and love?"
Was it my imagination, or did he wince at the adjective used to describe him so many times before?
"That is none of your concern," he growled, and I wasted no time in pointing out the abnormality of his reply.
"You didn't even say 'That is a secret,'" I breathed.
"Listen!" he cried, whipping back around. "The old Xelloss is dead; do you hear me? Dead! And nothing is going to bring him back to life."
I stared face to face with him for a moment that seemed to last forever. Finally, he broke away, turning his back to me once more and sitting down on a nearby stool.
"I see," I replied, my voice softer than a spring breeze.
"You do not," was the hissed reply.
"The knife that can cut to a Mazoku's heart - and especially yours - must be very sharp indeed."
Silence filled the room for another long moment. I didn't dare move the slightest inch. Then, not turning, he spoke.
"If you must know what happened, then sit back down," he commanded. I did so.
He blinked, looked over his shoulder at me, and turned his gaze to the floor. He could see that I would trust him until he gave me reason not to.
"Very well, then." Still with his back turned, the words of his story filled the room. "It was several centuries ago; exactly how long I can't remember. Science was beginning to come into power." He spat the word "science" out like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I didn't care, of course. Cocky as ever. Xellass was becoming worried after several ... incidents ... but I didn't even flinch. 'Don't be so concerned,' I told her. 'Their weaponry can't touch us.' What a fool I was. I see my mistake now." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Something glittered on his eyelashes - a tear? "Later, we came face to face with the horrid machines. Overconfident, I attempted to blow them away with a simple spell. It didn't even scratch them. Laughing, complimenting them on their superior armor, I then hit them with all my power." He raised his head, turned slightly, and looked at me, the pain of old wounds filling his expression. "Do you know what happened to them then? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They fired upon us before we could react. Well ... before Xellass could react. I teleported out of the way. She ..." His voice caught, and he turned his face away. A tear of pity and sympathy threatened to roll down my face. I blinked it away.
"So you isolated yourself from society," I concluded, saving him some of the pain of remembrance that I knew all too well.
"Yes," he replied, his words hoarse. "I ran, disguised myself, slunk away from my shame and sorrow. That day was the last time my once-trademark smile ever crossed my face."
"And the world lost its trickster," I said, my own words surprising me. "And thus magic was lost, science reigned, and the world became the depressing hellhole it is today."
He started, surprised, and looked sharply in my direction.
"You mean ... I caused it?" Realization slashed through his handsome features. "I ... I never looked at it that way ..."
"Look, Xelloss," I said, standing up. "If there's one thing life's taught me, it's that you can't run from your troubles. Just take a look at the world today. At your life. Are you satisfied with it now?" I was half-quoting songs from the Slayers series, but it seemed to be hitting home. His gaze slid back to the floor. "You once stirred trouble, attracted blows, caused chaos, and took pleasure in it. Secrets and trickery weren't just entertainment, they were a way of life." I walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me. "The world needs its trickster back, Xelloss. And you're the only one to do it." I dropped my hand. He was still silent. "There are many stories written by your fans, stories I have read, stories zany enough to bring a smile to anyone's face. They are on the Internet."
"The Internet," he scoffed. "Who needs it?"
"You do, Xelloss," I replied. "Read the stories, the fanfics. They will help you realize the way you were meant to be."
"I will do no such thing."
"As you wish," I said, and nodded. "The world still needs you. Remember: the only difference is the one you make."
"Enough!" he cried, and was suddenly standing up, a few inches over me. "I'll have no more of this! Sleep!"
I fell backwards onto the bed as the room faded out.
Sometime later, the sleep spell wore off. I saw a glow in the corner of the room and silently moved to see what it was. It was Xelloss - sitting in front of a computer monitor. I smiled, lay back down, and slept.
I awoke the next morning to find myself outdoors under a tree. I pulled myself up. Something was different, but I couldn't put my finger on what besides the fact that I was now outside.
I fumbled for my glasses, found them, put them on, and it hit me like an avalanche. Or, more accurately, like Xelloss's staff.
"Ow!" I spun to face him, rubbing my head. He was perched on a low branch of the tree, dressed in his old priest's clothes, and, yes, grinning.
"Good morning!" he exclaimed. "How nice of you to finally notice me!"
I stared, blinking, for a few seconds, then asked the only question I could think of.
"Xelloss, why is everything rendered in anime style?"
"That is a secret," he replied. Then his expression became serious and his eyes opened. "But secrets, then, are a way of life."
I smiled.
"Xelloss-sama -" I began, but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.
"You've done your duty; there's no need to say more," he said. "It is I who should be thanking you for making me realize the truth."
"Ah, well ..." I was certain I was blushing. "It was nothing, really."
"No, it was far more than nothing," he insisted. "I must give you something for your trouble."
He reached into the bag at his waist and pulled out an amethyst-colored gem. It was the width and shape of a pencil, though only an inch long with its six sides tapering sharply into points at the ends. I watched as he cut a third of it off with magic, and fixed the piece to a clear glass section the exact size and shape of the other two thirds. Light flared as the pieces connected. He handed the newly made gem to me.
"This amulet will protect you from Mazoku magic," he explained. "As a token of my gratitude, it will assure that whatever I may do in the future, you will survive. I trust you not to abuse its power."
I nodded, lost for words. I swallowed, took a breath, and found my tongue.
"Thank you ... I suppose ... Where will you be going now?"
"Off to fulfill my role as a Mazoku lord and the world's trickster," he replied, smiling once more. "And you should be returning home."
My heart lifted as the scene began fading out, and Xelloss suddenly remembered something he had wanted to ask.
"Wait!" he called, though it was too late to stop the spell. "Who are - " and then he was gone.
"Sore wa himitsu desu, Xelloss-sama," I murmured, smiling, as the scenery was replaced by that of my living room. "A secret indeed, and one well kept - even from myself."
A mystery indeed, no? ^_^
This is one of my first shots at a dark fanfic. I hope you liked it. For those of you dying to know who our mysterious main character is and what happens next - do not despair! It is a solid fact that I cannot write a story without it turning into a series. Translation: there will be sequels. Yes, plural. Maybe. I really don't know. Another interesting fact to know about me and fanfics: this is the shortest you'll see from me. I'm much more likely to turn out sixty-plus page sagas, as you will plainly see if you read my Slayers/Final Fantasy 7/Pokémon/Xanth fic, which as of the time I write this I haven't come close to finishing and it's already over 40 pages. It's a pity I can't write like this for school. ^_^
- Thundra1
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