Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ The Slayers: Legacy of Darkness ❯ Prelude 06 ( Chapter 6 )

“It looks like we're in luck,” Lina commented, studying the valley. “It's almost completely deserted.”

They had just entered the border of the valley, finally encroaching upon enemy territory after only a few days of travel. It was certainly a breathtaking view; the expanse stretched far and wide beyond the sight of a human being and glorified all the aspects of beauty, especially since the sun was beginning to fall into the water on the horizon. Crystal clear water that reflected the shades of the sunset ran through the center of the valley, supported by the magical waterfall that came from the source they were looking for—Lei Magnus. Without the dragons that generally resided in it, the valley seemed like a cozy place to relax and spend time at—maybe even vacation at—but that was hardly the case; this place had been the site of a great war only a hundred years before. What remained was what had been left by the efforts of the great aqua dragon, one of the four scattered pieces of Ceipheed. And the golden and black dragons had sworn their lives to protect it.

Lina was about to advance forward when Xelloss extended an arm out to block her path. She glanced at him quizzically, and to answer her he gestured to a smaller path nearly hidden from view to the side. She acknowledged the suggestion, knowing it would be the better solution, and guided Xelloss through it.

The path extended through one of the rocky mountains, eventually turning into a mysterious, dank tunnel. On the walls all around were missing chunks of rock through which one could see outside, and all along the ground lay mixed pieces of clutter composed of both metal and wood. As Lina walked over them, she began to realize from the shapes that they were indeed the weapons of the dragons, and she even managed to pull a spear out of the stone wall. Running a hand over the coarse, corroded surface of the wood, she could feel the imprints of an enormous claw where it had once been handled, along with crusted, dried blood which fell off when disturbed.

Xelloss stood by her silently as she examined the decaying artifacts. There was no need for an explanation—she knew that the tunnel was built by the mazoku during the war in order to create openings for siege attacks and that the holes in the wall were formed by the onslaught of the golden dragons. The crusted blood was undeniably that of the mazoku—it didn't have the rough texture that defined the blood of the ryuuzoku. Instead, it was smooth and peeled away like paper-thin chippings of wood. The entire tunnel was caked in it.

He wondered what it was like to be able to come to this place and see what was left from a hundred years before with only the knowledge that comes from books which record history from a skewed point of view. Lina must have been curious to find the truth, for the descriptions in the books were far too vague and abstract to be trusted. He, on the other hand, could clearly remember escorting the smaller squadron of mazoku through this tunnel and even the faces of a couple ryuuzoku that he took down that day in the same spot he was standing in. It was almost haunting to have a billion memories for each and every centimeter of the planet, but that was the consequence of being a mazoku that would not age.

Satisfied with what she saw, Lina propped the spear head against the wall and dusted off her hands before continuing forth. Xelloss watched her curiously; her lack of reaction or particular interest intrigued him, but he decided not to ask. The sorceress probably had knowledge of subjects beyond his wildest dreams; she had come in direct contact with the capricious Lord of Nightmares herself, after all, and the original Clair Bible, too. She might have known the truth before already.

When they reached the end of the tunnel, they were behind the very foot of the waterfall. Lina poked her head out and glanced around, confused, then turned to Xelloss. “What now?”

He pointed downward with his index finger. “We swim. There's another tunnel deep down there that leads to a staircase we can use to climb to the lair where Rubyeye-sama—Lei Magnus-san—resides.”

She nodded and, hoping the water wasn't unbearably cold, dived directly into the heart of the waterfall itself. The sheer force of the water falling on her put her off balance, but Xelloss managed to catch her before she flowed too far astray. She nodded her thanks to him, and they swam into the depths.

Lina couldn't see any particular tunnel opening as she was swimming. Also, something was amiss—the rocks seemed to be forming a blockade above them, preventing their escape from the way they had come. She was worried, but Xelloss's confident grip on her hand assured her that he knew what he was doing, so she trusted him. There wasn't much she could do right now, anyway.

When they finally reached the bottom of the river, they were completely enclosed in pitch black. Lina cast a small lighting spell to aid her sight, and looked around hurriedly for an exit.

But there was none. She double-checked and scanned the area once more in a panic, but the results did not change. As a move of desperation, she prepared a fireball spell (all she could muster in her current condition) to concentrate on a single point in the rock above her, but Xelloss stopped her.

She looked at him hopefully, thinking he had found a solution, but he was still scanning their surroundings slowly and carefully. However, she could not hold her breath for much longer and struggled to get out of his grip, though to no avail.

A few seconds later, Xelloss reached forward into the stone beside them and felt it, as though a secret switch were hidden among the rubble. His fingers finally seemed to land on a certain area in particular, and Lina watched in wonder as he effortlessly reached his hand through a small light portal.

He turned to her and gave her the usual smile as they were both pulled into the vortex.

 

They landed in a dry area, still dark but not completely void of light. Lina was coughing, sputtering water, and shivering violently since it was somewhat cold where they were. Xelloss rubbed her back gently as he studied their surroundings. “Not a bit different from what I remembered,” he noted nonchalantly.

Lina sneezed and rubbed her arms. “So where do we go from here?” she asked, sniffling.

“Up this short flight of stairs,” he replied, using his staff to provide some light.

She sneezed again and walked quickly up the stairs. “Maybe it'll get warmer,” she thought.

He frowned, as though reading her thoughts. “It'll get colder as we get closer.”

“Oh…” she muttered. “Great.”

He frowned again as he watched her shiver from head to toe, dripping cold water as she dragged her feet along the ground and breathing clouds of steam from her bluish, chapped lips. When she sneezed again and cursed, he decided he couldn't just stand by and watch anymore.

Before Lina even had a clue of what was taking place, she had been swooped off her feet and plopped down between Xelloss's legs as they sat down on the stairs. He held her close and almost tried to forcibly stop her shivering, though logically it wouldn't be quite that simple.

Lina blushed brightly and exclaimed, “Xelloss!?”

He smiled sweetly. “Yes, Lina-san?”

“What do you think you're doing!?” she demanded, trying to wriggle her way out of his embrace, though her efforts were only half-meant. “He's so warm!” she thought, and actually didn't mind it much at all. She tried to convince herself: “It's only natural that people would huddle to collect body heat.” But she also didn't want to seem too comfortable, either.

He pondered for a moment, then innocently declared, “Well I couldn't help but notice you shivering uncontrollably back there, so since I was feeling generous I decided to offer you some warmth.” As a joke, he added, “But of course, if you don't want it…”

She clung onto his shirt, answering non-verbally. He laughed inwardly and shifted positions, making it more comfortable for the girl. Perhaps he was feeling bold—he put his arms fully around her body and held her closer, causing her to stiffen up a little, but she soon relaxed and focused on appreciating his warmth. Minor details were unnecessary, after all.

The silence was ringing in her ears, but Lina didn't feel up to conversing and consequently kept her mouth shut. She was starting to feel tired after having stayed up all night, and a small nap would be nice. Her head slowly drifted down, as a gesture by gravity or God, and rested against Xelloss in the hollow of his neck, just below his chin. He blinked a couple times, then a few more times, then turned his head upward and wondered, “Shabranigdu-sama, what are you trying to tell me?”

But for some reason he couldn't keep the joking pretense up for very long, and swiftly fell into a more somber disposition. It still baffled him how strange being this close to Lina Inverse could make him feel. But it wasn't a negative feeling; no. But it wasn't a positive feeling, either.

It was infinitely ironic how their thoughts coincided.

“So this is how it feels to be embraced without emotion,” Lina thought.

“So this is how it feels to embrace someone with emotion,” Xelloss thought.

“It's not that different…” Lina concluded, letting sleep overcome her. She had stopped shivering and sneezing a while ago, and it was so incredibly comfortable against Xelloss that she couldn't resist the urge to rest her eyes just for a small while. Xelloss, on the other hand, found a tiny bit of difficulty because she had fallen asleep. He had been expecting to rest for only a few minutes—just until she felt better—then they would resume their journey.

“Oya oya,” he sighed. It couldn't be avoided; she must have been exhausted after expending all her energy throughout the night. It's not like it was a big deal either—he'd just be getting his powers back sooner or later, depending on the circumstances. And it's not like he really minded.

He smiled amusedly. “I guess I'm stuck here until the little fire-breathing walking dragon of destruction wakes up,” he remarked.

 

You will be like us soon.

What?

I can see it.

Who is it?

Your future…will be very similar to mine.

Lina blinked her eyes open. She was still in the same dark cave that she had fallen asleep in. It was a strange dream—nothing remarkable, just two humanlike figures off in the distance talking to her. One was a female figure with wings; the other a man with an unseemly smile. She shivered slightly. Something about the man was unsettling, but she couldn't place her finger on exactly what it was. And they were saying something about how their futures were similar? “Probably just a load of crap,” Lina thought to herself.

“You're awake?”

She popped her head up in surprise and hit something, hard. Cursing softly, she rubbed her head and looked up to see what it was she bumped into.

Xelloss leaned back a little, rubbing the lower part of his left cheek. In a hurt voice, he whimpered, “You didn't have to go and do that, now.”

Lina flushed. “Oh right. I fell asleep against Xelloss…” She felt a little embarrassed the idea, but it was already over and done with so it would be worthless to worry oneself over it now.

She stood up and felt her clothes—dry. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Xelloss once more for guidance. But what she found was not merely a gesture or signal where to go. Instead, he held a hand out to her, expecting her to take it.

Sensing hesitation, he explained, “The pathway is slippery and likely to fall apart.”

“Oh,” she responded and took his hand timidly. He almost seemed like Gourry in that sense—always watching out for her safety…

She shook her head. “Now's not the time to be thinking about Gourry…” she told herself mentally, though she was already feeling sadness from the thought alone. Xelloss could feel her sadness overflowing towards him, and though as a mazoku he should have fed on those feelings, instead he left them alone.

A couple times the gravel gave way and Lina stumbled forward into Xelloss's arms, but aside from that the trek was uneventful and quiet. The air was still chilly and mysterious, but it was manageable now that they were both dry. Not too long afterwards, they finally reached the icy area where Lei Magnus resided. Lina took a step forward and immediately slipped, but Xelloss caught her before she hit the ground. “Thank you,” she muttered sheepishly.

He was focused on other things at hand, however. Finding Lei Magnus in this ice could take days if you had no idea what was going on, but thankfully as a mazoku of higher office he knew just how to go about getting through this icy maze. Now it was a matter of finding the first step.

Lina walked forward more carefully this time and studied the structure of the ice. After a few moments, she brought a finger up and pointed at an angle towards the right. “My intuition tells me it's this way.”

Xelloss sweatdropped. “My my, aren't we being impatient?” he said quietly, but her intuition never failed, and this time was no exception. The direction she decided on turned out to be, in fact, the correct direction he had been looking for. He remarked with a grin, “She never fails to astound me.”

The rest of the walk was easy for Xelloss to map out. Just a myriad of casual turns ultimately leading to a giant structure of ice, much like the others, except brighter and more crystalline. Lei Magnus stood petrified deep within the ice—if a group of people equipped with picks and shovels dug at him for days on end they would still be unable to reach him. But even through this thick barrier of ice one could clearly see the agony on his face, pain he has suffered for a hundred years, for he hasn't died; no, he has simply been put into a sleepless sleep, preserved by the magic ice that surrounds him. And forever he would remain like this, for it was impossible for anyone to free him from this prison. Such was the punishment decided for him by the Great God himself.

Lina inched forward slowly, but she soon realized that Xelloss had nailed his feet down to the ground where he stood, and later, sat. Suspicious of traps or some kind of noxious fumes or poisonous liquids, she turned to inquire before advancing any further. “What's wrong?”

He blinked naively, then realization dawned upon his facial features. “Oh, I suppose they didn't mention this in the books. The ice around him is particularly deadly to both ryuuzoku and mazoku—thus no one has approached it—but humans may touch it without being harmed,” he explained.

Lina wasn't particularly happy being stuck with the grunge work, and she put her hands on her hips to display her dissatisfaction with the circumstances. “So what do I do?” she asked.

“Well the basic concept is this: the essence is enough to decimate any part of a ryuuzoku, so essentially it should be enough to destroy the dragon's blood as well. That is of course, in theory…”

But there was something still left unexplained. “Doesn't that mean it has to touch you to get to the dragon's blood?”

He smiled. “Well in the worst case scenario I'd lose an arm, but if it's Lina-san then I shouldn't have anything to worry about.”

That was a bad joke, and Lina didn't appreciate it. She bopped him once on the head before reaching over and breaking off a small chunk of crystal that should be enough to suffice for their purposes, but when she approached Xelloss's shoulder to begin the operation, she realized it wouldn't be as easy as she thought. Any visible parts of the hole had been swollen shut, so there was no ideal way of getting to the embedded blood.

“Cut it open.”

“What?!” Lina exclaimed.

“It'll heal afterwards. Just cut it open.”

Lina wasn't particularly fond of the idea—she would always feel ill from watching soldiers slice into their own flesh to pull out an arrowhead, and this seemed like the same basic concept. But Xelloss was depending on her, so there was no backing out.

“Thank god I have most of my powers back now,” she thought mentally. She might not be able to pull off a dragon slave or something of the sort yet, but she could definitely take on this task. “Elmekia Lance!” She focused all the power she conjured up to a pinpoint in the palm of her hand, casting the spell with a slight variation. A small needle of light appeared in her hand, and she picked it up between her index finger and thumb, inspecting the product for discrepancies with the keenness of a merchant.

Xelloss showed no visible signs of discomfort as Lina used the needle to carve a hole into his skin, but the steam coming from the decayed skin proved otherwise. It was interesting to look at, though; through this hole in Xelloss's body one could witness the endless maze which is the astral plane. And in the middle of this endlessness was a small blob of red liquid that was the dragon's blood they were looking for. Doing this kind of thing with hands would be incredibly hazardous due to the imprecision, so Lina had to resort to other, wiser methods.

Tossing the crystal shard into the air, Lina threw her cape back as she extended her arms away from her sides. She focused on precision with this particular spell and stared fiercely at the target without blinking. Slowly, she let the words escape her mouth - “Ray…wing…!”

As the crystal fell, it got sucked into the sharp wind and flew swiftly towards its target in a piercing flash, entering the liquid effortlessly and vaporizing it on impact. The swelling immediately receded and the hole closed up, leaving no trace of the wound that had been there only a few seconds before. Lina stepped back with a small “Phew!” and wiped the tiny beads of sweat off her brow. It was finally done.

But, contrary to her expectations, Xelloss turned around slowly with—though it was only a glance—a truly heartbroken look on his face. He vanished from her field of vision, and she felt warmth press up against her back and wrap around her waist. Stunned beyond the point of reaction, she stood cluelessly as he embraced her from behind.

“I beseech you; I wish only to stay by your side as I am,” he began, pressing his face into the crimson hair that covered the small, delicate nape of her neck. In a doleful, pensive voice he whispered, “…But I am afraid it is not possible. Forgive me, Lina-san…”

The warmth that was Xelloss instantly left her back, and when she turned around, he was gone. He had successfully stricken a chord in her heart, but it confused her—Xelloss had never spoken that way before. What did he expect her to make of this melancholy mess? Somehow, deep down inside of her heart, she believed that it wasn't a spoof; that it wasn't a simple ploy to deceive her as he always did. But what the hell—where did all of this come from so suddenly?

And more importantly, where had he gone?