|
|
ilence echoed in the Planes of Paradox. Its lord and master now safely bottled away, the clocks had fallen out of sync, ticking no longer a low, steady rumble; the brief cacophony of unorganized clicks quickly turning sour, until every clock gave up... then nothing.
"That was needlessly dramatic," Lina commented. She turned, to check how the others were doing.
Amelia and Dayvid looked confused, but otherwise quite fine. The real problem was Xelloss. Paradox hadn't been nice to him, and without his Mazoku healing ability, the priest wasn't doing very well... his breathing shallow, blood leaking from several places.
"Is it over?" Dayvid asked. "Where'd Paradox... DAD!!"
The boy quickly ran to help Xelloss. He waved Amelia and Lina over, and the three conferred.
"What's wrong with him?" Dayvid asked.
"If I had to guess, I'd say... a lot," Lina said. "No idea what kinds of injuries Paradox was able to cause. I could try the Ultra Restoration, but I'd rather not risk such heavy magic in this weird place..."
"We can't move him, he's too hurt," Dayvid said. He thought briefly. "Amelia, can you heal him using your powers?"
"I can try," Amelia said, shifting herself to be more comfortable. "Here goes..."
White light gathered into Amelia's hands, shining with dull light and attenuated power. Amelia tried hard to gather more, but the physics of this world weren't making it easy... working with what she had, she pressed her hands on Xelloss, feeding the white magic into his body.
Xelloss jerked once, twice, and most of his wounds erased, save a few scars that were too stubborn to go away. His breathing grew more steady... but he didn't wake up.
"Is he stable?" Lina asked.
"I.. think so," Amelia said. "Something here is twisting magic, like you said... but we can move him."
"We'll have to carry him. I don't see any handy stretchers lying around," Lina said, glancing about. "Dayvid, get the portal open back to Sailoon. We'll revive Xelloss back there."
"Ummm..." Dayvid mumbled. "Problem."
"I don't like that word," Lina said. "Usually it means bad things. What kind of problem?"
Dayvid held up his stack of notes, which contained the portal spell. A rounded corner had been taken out of them, cut finer than the sharpest sword could have managed.
"I think when Paradox moved us here, he didn't move everything," Dayvid said. "A chunk of the spell is gone."
"Aaaaaaaaa!!" Amelia yelled. "We're trapped!!"
"Uh, actually, I remember most of it," Dayvid said, nervous. "I think. I think I can still cast it right and get us back."
Lina sighed. "Meaning either we can be stuck here forever, or possibly dumped in some random location in the universe. We're going to have to risk it, I guess."
"Sorry..."
"No need to be, it's not your fault," Lina said. "I'll smack Paradox around sometime later for you."
Dayvid took a deep breath, and pulling from the page and the memory of the page, he started the spell...
Fortunately, Sailoon was right where they had left it.
After Dayvid fumbled through his mathematical spellwork, the portal opened just as sure and true as it had before. Not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, Lina and Amelia hauled Xelloss through, Dayvid shortly after, and the four of them landed in the Great Hall of Sailoon, right as rain.
A maid nearby dropped a stack of dishes in surprise.
"Hello!" Lina waved. "Could you go tell Gourry and Reason that--"
"They're back!! They're back!" the maid screamed, and ran.
"...Amelia?" Lina said, watching her go. "You really need to work on this kingdom's hospitality."
Before Amelia could respond, Gourry came bounding down the hall, sprinting like a marathon runner. Lina had just enough time to register that he forgot to shave this morning or more when he grabbed her into a hug. A small group of servants gathered by the door, watching the scene.
"LINA!" Gourry exclaimed. "Thank the Lord! Where have you been??"
"Uh.. uhhh...." Lina said, dazed. "What? We went to Paradox's home. You remember, ne?"
"Yeah, but that was FOUR DAYS ago!" Gourry said, letting go of Lina. "Reason figured you guys were trapped, and was trying to figure a way to rescue you..."
"Four days?!" Lina gagged.
Dayvid swallowed. "Must've been the spell..." he said. "It displaced us in time, if not space."
"Calendar!" Lina said. "I need a calendar, fast!"
The servants, being a prompt and efficient staff, presented Lina with a Well Oiled Stud Pin-Up Calendar from nowhere.
Ignoring Mr. November, Lina checked today's date. "Oh, no..." she muttered. "It's the Forenight of Chaos tonight!"
"What, the holiday?" Amelia asked. "Oh boy! That means the festival will be tonight. Ne, Dayvid-kun, do you want to go?"
"It's also the most likely night that Nightmare is going to launch some twistedly freakish scheme," Lina said, tossing the calendar back to the servants. "This isn't good. This is SO not good. I was planning on having plenty of time before then to make an assault... we've got to wake Xelloss up and beat down Nightmare's door before dusk. Set him down, I'll get him healed."
Lina and Amelia eased the trickster priest to the carpet, and Lina knelt beside him, readying the spell.
"As tall as the tallest pillar..." Lina chanted, a white glow starting to shift and blend around her. "As bright as the lightest sun... final level of power, final spell of might, shining brightness that brings all life, let the darkness be repaired in this place... ULTRA RESTORATION!"
The whiteness consumed Lina and Xelloss, too bright to look at...
After a few moments, the light faded away, and Lina wobbled on her knees, visibly exhausted. "Okay... that'll do it," she said, weakly. "All injuries healed, everything's hunky dory. He'll be up any moment now."
Xelloss continued to lie still.
"ANY moment now," Lina repeated.
The priest didn't move.
"Why isn't he getting up?" Amelia asked. "It looks like he's asleep to me..."
Lina nudged Xelloss a few times, then shook him outright; nothing was rousing the snoozing man.
A small disturbance pushed through the assembled crowd, and Reason entered the scene. "Sorry, I was busy working when I heard the news," she apologized. The wingless swerved through the others in order to examine Xelloss, peeking under one of his eyelids with a lightstick. "Hmm... ah, I see."
"See? What do you see?" Lina asked. "In detail."
"Nightmare has his mind," Reason said simply. "Similar side effects to Amelia's previous enchantment. Xelloss was likely injured by Paradox, yes? Nightmare took advantage of the thin reality in Paradox's realm to claim Xelloss's mind before you could heal him."
"That's impossible. I used Ultra Restoration," Lina said smartly.
"You can't heal something that isn't there," Reason said. "It stands to logic. Good thing you kept the body alive, though, otherwise he'd be truly homeless."
"Nightmare's holding dad hostage?" Dayvid asked, a hint of anger in his voice.
"And Xelloss knows the spell to get to Nightmare," Lina groaned, slumping. "Ladies and gentlemen, we are effectively screwed. Any ideas?"
"I think I've got one," Dayvid said, stepping forward. "The spell I used to get to Paradox could be modified... I can rework it to enter the world of dreams instead. We shouldn't need Giga's spell to do this since there's always more than one way to solve a problem. Right?"
"Anything is reasonable with the right thinking," Reason recited, nodding along.
"Wait," Lina said, turning to face the scientist. "Dayvid, since when do you know as much about magic as Merlin Giga?"
"It's not my specialty, but..." Dayvid said. "Magic is just like another science, the way Reason's been showing me. Once you look at it as numbers, it makes sense. To me, at least. I think we can do it. Besides, it's the only option. Reason and I won't rest until it's done."
"Won't rest...? Waaait a second. How long is this gonna take??" Lina asked, sinking feeling...
"No more than a day or three," Dayvid replied, smiling. "A week, at worst. Probably."
Lina sagged. "If I said something definitive like 'You've got until midnight,' and walk away, you'd be able to pull together all your resources and do some daring feat like finishing up the spell by eleven fifty nine, right?"
"Are you kidding? No way," Dayvid said. "This isn't some adventure story."
"I guess it was a longshot," Lina sighed. She looked tired by the news, eyes drooping. "Okay... on the positive side, this means we WON'T be confronting Nightmare on his happy hour, the Forenight of Chaos. That's actually a good thing. I can't stand prophecy, honestly, it makes an easy job so much harder... we'll need somewhere comfy for Xelloss to sleep the night off, and I could use some.. a nice dinner would be..."
The room spun gently, and Lina started to lose her balance. Gourry moved to catch her, and set her upright again.
"You need rest too," Gourry said. "That Ultima Respirator spell really takes a lot out of you, right?"
"Rest? Are you nuts?" Lina gaped. "If I go to sleep, who knows what Nightmare'll do? This is his big night!"
"So I'll wake you up every half hour instead," Gourry said. "Or every fifteen minutes. You've got to get SOME sleep."
"I'm not tired," Lina lied badly, with an involuntary yawn to follow. "Okay... a little tired. Dinner, at least? I haven't had a decent meal in awhile."
Amelia's turn. "Right! We'll prepare a glorious feast!" she proclaimed. "So that the heroes who will soon claim victory over this horrible being may be fed and prepared for their battles yet to come! Have the cook prepare the finest in Sailoon cuisine and Zefielian dishes! Oh, and someone make a sandwich for Dayvid to munch on while he works."
Dayvid's stomach rumbled in protest.
The meal went smoothly. Myth was there, quiet as usual but occasionally telling a long, enthralling Anecdote with punchlines tried and true, but still funny... Amelia kept spirits up by just being who she was, and Gourry decided to carve the turkey with the Sword of Light, causing an amusing scene when he almost sliced the table in half. Lina, whose appetite was able to overcome any negative situation, chowed down and chatted and generally had a good time.
It was a rare moment for everybody, able to forget the random weirdness of their quest so far, and just enjoy the calm before the storm. Lina could forget for the night that she still didn't have a solid idea of why she was doing any of this, and how she bopped from location to location tracking these people down through wild coincidence and chaotic encounters. When all was said and done, Lina had a heavy load of food and a smile when she wandered back up to her room, Gourry tagging along like a puppy.
"Ne, Lina, I was thinking..." Gourry said, following along.
"Mmhmm?"
"Maybe we should take a vacation after this quest," Gourry said. "Not like a sit around and do nothing vacation here in Sailoon, but just a week somewhere nice, you know?
"A vacation?" Lina blanched. "What, just sitting around doing nothing?"
"Not nothing, just.. fun stuff, you know?"
"I'd prefer to go back to nice, simple and enjoyable bandit hunting, actually. Profitable and with low risk. Ne, Gourry... can I be frank?"
"Why would you want to be Frank? He's allergic to oxygen," Gourry noted.
"...I meant be direct and bluntly honest," Lina corrected.
"Oh, okay. That's good."
"What's WITH you lately?" Lina asked. "You've been exceedingly nice to me for no reason at all. And you haven't made a crack about my figure in the last... I can't even REMEMBER how long! Who are you and what have you done with Gourry?"
"Huh? I'm Gourry."
"I MEAN, you seem different," Lina clarified. "Why is that?"
"I'm not different, I just... figured a few things out," Gourry simplified.
"What things?"
"...just stuff. You know."
"Come on, Gourry, spit it out."
"You'll get mad..."
"About what?" Lina smiled. "It's no big deal, Gourry. Don't worry so much! What's on your mind?"
"I'm in love with you," Gourry said. "Actually, I have been for a long time. So I figured I should probably act on it and not say anything bad about your figure and treat you better and stAAKCHK--"
"You WHAT?!!" Lina said, throttling Gourry gently. "Not you too! Ever since Testabourne I've had people shoving it down my throat that we're supposed to be red hot lovers, and now you've jumped on the bandwagon too?! I can't believe this! Love enchanted you or something, didn't she??"
"N-n-n-n-n--"
"Oh, never MIND!" Lina said, dropping Gourry like a hot potato. "I can't deal with this right now. I am going to BED. Goodnight, Gourry."
Marching quickly down the hall, Lina opened the door to her quarters, stomped in and slammed the door hard enough to knock a few royal tapestries off the wall.
"She took it better than I thought she would," Gourry said to himself. Wait. Something not right here. Thinking, thinking... "Aaa! Lina!"
Gourry ran up to the door, and... knocked politely.
"Hit the road!" Lina shouted.
"Lina, don't forget, I need to keep waking you up tonight!" Gourry said. "Nightmare, right?"
"I don't need your help!"
"You do," Gourry said. "You can't wake yourself up. I'm sorry if I upset you, but this is really important and stuff, right? Please?"
A long pause.
"Fine," Lina said, opening the door, already in her pajamas. "But don't expect anything from it, okay, Loverboy? And we're going to have some firm words about this in the morning!"
lthough the quest itself had been more than scary, Myth was feeling good when she went to bed that night.
She still had her karaoke trophy, in a place of honor by her bedside. She had never won a trophy for storytelling before... she had declined to enter and bard's contests, because she didn't think it would be fair. After all, Myth had Talents, and the others had real skills. Never before had she felt the esteem boost that comes from... well, winning. Winning something.
The group had really accepted her as a companion now. Not just an informational resource, but someone to bring along when they were taking five from the adventuring. True, Lina and Company left her behind to visit Paradox's realm, which Myth shyed away from visiting -- she wasn't a coward, right? She hoped she wasn't, at least. But in these last few days, Gourry and Reason would try to pass the time by visiting the town, or playing cards, and Myth got a lot of time to really bond with these people. Even Reason, who always stayed cold and aloof from the other wingless enjoyed these outings, having no work to do in the meantime.
Gourry did his best to keep spirits up, but Myth could see growing worry about Lina in him. He didn't say it in words, but the keeper of stories knew the forms, and recognized pining for a love gone away. For his sake, Myth hoped Lina would return soon.
Lina did come back, but rather than a joyful homecoming, she brought more bad news about Nightmare... and Myth got scared again. She had never lost the fear of her old partner. Thankfully, instead of dwelling on it, they had a large social dinner and she was able to distract herself... returning to her room afterwards, she felt good about things. Lina could handle Nightmare. And then maybe she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore, either. Lina's strength and courage would pull through.
That night, Myth decided to do something she rarely did; she read one of her stories. True, she read them ALOUD from time to time, but that was just reciting. Here, she was reading only for herself, not for others. She was reading 'The Adventures of Jean the Clever.'
It was Lina's favorite book, and apparently the source of her strength when she was little. How could a story inspire that? True, stories had power and resonated the cultures that spawned them, but how much did Myth really understand about the impact they had on people who read them? Myth was a channel for these stories, a shaper... not a receiver.
But reading 'Jean the Clever', Myth began to understand.
As a reader, she felt.. good. You could identify with the plucky and sneaky Jean, who faced trouble after trouble. A real person, with unreal problems, that she had to strive to overcome, and all the while she managed to do it with a smile. Myth found herself looking up to this fictional character, based loosely on a girl she journeyed with so long ago. It was only an imaginary person, but that person felt so real... perhaps if Myth was to use her talents to truly shape a story, to bring a Jean into reality itself--
She closed the book quickly. That was dangerous. Dangerous, and foolish; Jean lived in the mind of the reader and the page of the story. Perhaps in the world that the wingless once lived in, it would work. You couldn't bring that into the waking world and have the same impact, however; it would be a pale shadow, a projection, a fake. No, better to leave Jean in the world of dreams, where she could be whatever the reader wanted her to be.
Still, Myth was satisfied. Her trophy shone, as she kept it nicely polished, and she knew what it was for now. It wasn't just for telling a good story with the right vocal inflection and accuracy, it was for the feeling it stirred in the ones who gave it to her. Definitely earned.
Bedding down for the night, Myth had very good dreams...
Disconnected images. A house on a hill. An apple orchard. A smile, a cloud. The sun. Gophers, an apron.
And in the world of dreams, Myth shaped the story--
Husband and wife, paradigm. She smiled. Myth liked a good romance, a sweet and pleasant story fraught with challenges to love, and so on... very light, and very inspiring.
Perhaps because she was busy thinking about them, the stars of her dream were Lina and Gourry. Myth sat on a hill, watching the two share good moments... Taking care of gophers that were plaguing the orchard via some careful magic and a hose. Lina proving that she wasn't very good in the kitchen when she brought out a very nasty tray of cookies, but Gourry eating them anyway because Lina made them. And because these two were who they were, there was also a thundering horde of bandits ready to steal the apples, and a gleeful fight to beat them back into the forest, sword and magic flying. Perhaps not a standard domestic scene, but it wasn't a standard domestic couple.
Myth sat on the hill, giggling and watching events unfold, when she noticed a tree disappear.
The next tree in line vanished after that, and in the blink of an eye, the rest were gone as well. The orchard was empty, but dream-Lina and dream-Gourry didn't seem to notice. Myth stood up, and her mind tried to bring these things back, but wasn't able to. They had been stolen.
The house was next, followed by those terrible cookies, and Myth walked down to the field to find out what was wrong... before the field vanished as well. All that existed was a void.
The voice spoke like dry ice.
"Thank you," he said. "This is exactly what I needed."
"Nightmare?!" Myth said, terror grabbing her spine.
"Don't worry, little girl, I will complete my work soon," Nightmare chuckled. "You won't have the burden of life any longer, as you did not want it to begin with. But I think I will give you death slowly, perhaps over many years... to ensure you realize your mistake in spurning me..."
He's trying to scare me, Myth realized on a calmer level. But fright controlled her. He could take her here, if she submitted to the fear -- perhaps like he did with Xelloss, who even now could be... so many horrible things she could imagine. Everything she had feared to date, if he ever found her again...
So, this is it. She was going to die. Quite badly, too, because she couldn't make a stand, couldn't be the thing she felt herself looking up to in her own writing.
A small spark ignited.
"..n.." Myth spoke softly.
"What was that, simple bardess?" Nightmare asked. "I could swear the mouse had a roar, for a moment--"
"No," Myth said. Firm as rock. "Get out of my dream. Leave me alone!"
"You can't do anything to stop me," Nightmare said, his darkness caressing around Myth, sending fresh panic into her. "The weakest runt of the litter. I don't know why I ever wanted to show you the beauty of life, why I felt an attachment. You've proven to be such a sad little thing--"
Myth flared with golden power, shattering the part of Nightmare that coiled around her. She could feel his presence reel back in surprise. He struck back at her, testing; Myth felt the blow, and walked straight through it.
"Sad little thing?" Myth asked, actually advancing on the other wingless. This is crazy, she told herself, but continued. "How many centuries have I lived in fear of you? You know how hard it is to get by day to day knowing that I meet echoes of your nightmares in my dreams? Survival like that isn't easy. It takes... it takes a clever person. And I'm telling you one last time, GET OUT OF MY DREAMS!!"
She struck out, shaping the story of dreams towards a positive slant, designed to chase nightmares away--
And the presence was gone.
Myth paused, stunned at the victory.
"I did it," she said. "I actually chased him away! I...!"
Just now she was registering the single hit Nightmare got on her, which burned through her mind. She stumbled, and forced herself awake, where she had the mother of all migraine headaches. Falling out of bed, she tried to get control, get a hold of herself.
Nightmare stole part of her romantic dream. Why?
"Oh no..." Myth moaned. She picked herself up, and lurched to her door, wrenching it open and running down the halls.
The first few half-hours Lina slept, she felt the pangs of nightmares. Hints at darkness, at torment... and each time, Gourry would pull her back before it got any farther.
Much to Lina's relief.
She didn't know what to think of Gourry's sudden proclamation. She didn't want to think about it. She just wanted to rest...
Lina carried the tray of cookies out, to Gourry. He was probably quite tired from that gopher hunt, and could use the snack... but Lina had to admit, the cookies were disgusting. Little lumps of dough, half-baked, pinkish. She was almost ashamed to bring them to him, but it took her awhile to make them, and he'd want to at least know what she was up to in the kitchen.
Gourry wiped some sweat from his brow, leaning on the hoe he was using to overturn a bunch of weeds.
"Here," Lina said, handing over the tray unceremoniously. "Food."
"Whoa, you baked?" Gourry said. "Umm... they're meatballs, right?"
"Cookies!" Lina said, pointing to them. "Yummy cookies! Not MEATBALLS!... it's okay. You don't have to eat them. I'm not actually sure they're edible, to tell the truth-- Gourry!!"
He continued to chew. "S'not bad," he said. "Needs salt, but not bad... thanks, Lina. It was sweet of you."
The two shared a smile, and a little laugh over the whole thing.
Lina felt something tugging at her, like someone trying to wake her up... but the dream was just too nice. She wanted to dream more of it. She stubbornly refused to wake up, experiencing more of the dream, sinking into it...
"Ah, the days are just packed," Lina said, relaxing, letting her butterfly wings out to feel the cool breeze. She gave Gourry a hug, comforting and warm. "I know I don't say it much, Gourry... but really, I lo--"
A rift of darkness tore through the dream, behind Lina; two chains whipped through the air, razor sharp hooks snaring each of her butterfly wings, and pulling.
Lina screamed in pain, clinging to Gourry, but it was over in a minute. The wings were pulled from her back, and sucked into the rift of Nightmare.
"Thank you," Nightmare said, through the haze of pain over Lina's mind. "You have made my job so much easier. Now, the Forenight of Chaos TRULY begins..."
Lina woke, screaming, clinging to Gourry in the waking world...
"Lina!!" Gourry said. "It's okay, you're awake now... it's okay. What happened?"
She concentrated, trying to summon them... with no results.
"The wings..." Lina said. "Nightmare took my wings..."
"...huh? Why would he do that?" Gourry asked. "If--"
There are some days when everything just goes completely off the deep end, and you don't even get a chance to take a breath. Some days life goes from weird to surreal to absurdly unbelievable. This was turning into one of those days.
Contrary to all expectations, that was the exact moment that the golden voice chose to speak.
'Bring The Wingless Through Giga's Gate,' the words said, washing over Lina and Gourry like a wave lapping at the shores of chaos. 'Something Has Gone Wrong.'
"Who, wh-- AAA! Gourry, that was the Lord of Nightmares!!" Lina said, freaking out. "We've got to hurry!"
"It's funny, I thought that voice sounded familiar," Gourry said, not quite grasping the importance of the situation. "So what do we--"
The door opened, and Myth fell into the room.
"Li... Lina," she gasped. "Nightmare is--"
"We know," Lina said. "Gourry, get Reason. I'll help Myth. We gotta hurry..."
She glanced out the room's only window, at the night sky. The moon burned golden, turned the yellow of the Forenight of Chaos.
"Just once," Lina said, musing to herself. "Just once I'd like to not have everything boil down to a climactic battle at the eleventh hour. But hey, play the hand you're dealt, right?"
"We're going to be playing poker with the Lord of Nightmares?" Gourry asked, really not quite grasping anything.
"Just go fetch Reason, Gourry."
Here lies a rolling lake of golden energy. Liquid light, fluid chaos, yadda yadda.
Lina didn't bother going all gosh-wow over the surroundings. Visiting the home of God was a rare thing, but she had done it once before, and frankly was far too rushed to bother being impressed this time around. With her came Gourry, followed by Myth and Reason; weirdly, Myth didn't seem as crazed as Lina was expecting. She stayed calm. A nervous calm, true, one tinged with the impulse to flee, but it was a lot more stable than the shy wingless had managed lately.
"Okay, we're here," Lina announced, rather than anything along the lines of 'O Lord of Nightmares, we hath completed thine quest as thy in thy holy grace allotted'. "Now what?"
The voice flowed from the waters freely. 'Free The Wingless From Your Traps,' the Lord said. 'All Of Them.'
"You sure? Some of these folks are downright antisocial..."
'Free Them.'
"Fine, fine," Lina said, getting her jars out, unscrewing them one by one...
Luck appeared in a flash. "--jar," she completed from a conversation held a long time ago. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. "Heyyyy!!! You tricked me. That was a really mean thing to do! WAAAAHHH!"
Drama was next, appearing just as annoyed as he was after their interrogation of him. "Gee, thanks a lot, Lina," he said. "What have you WHOA!!!"
'I Greet Thee, Master Of Patterns, Shaper Of Behaviors,' the Lord of Nightmares greeted. 'I Greet Thee, Child Of Extremes, Daughter Of Chance. Welcome.'
"hi," Drama managed weakly.
"Mommy!!!" Luck cheered. "Waaaaai!"
The next two out were Love and Loathing, from the same jar. They were still in an embrace, Love comforting her distraught brother.
Loathing got a glimpse of the lake, and panicked. "The Lord of Nightmares! The Lord of Nightmares! She's going to destroy us all!"
"No she won't, brother," Love said, keeping a good grip on him. "She loves us. She's going to help us."
'I Greet Thee, Love And Loathing,' the Lord said. 'Sides Of The Coin, One As The Other In Reverse. Welcome.'
Paradox was just as confused as he was when Lina bottled him. Moreso upon seeing his creator.
"Ohshit," Paradox said, quiet as a mouse.
'I Greet Thee, Hypocrite Of Time And Space,' the Lord said. 'You Have Made Many Bad Choices, But You Are Also Welcome.'
Reason cleared her throat.
'And Yes, I Greet Thee, Pathfinder of Logic,' the Lord added. 'As Well As My Cherished Daughter Of Stories, Of Dreams And Aspirations Of Man. Welcome All.'
"The gang's all here," Lina confirmed. "Except Nightmare, of course. The bastard took my wings!"
"He did?" Paradox asked, deciding to act proud at just the wrong moment. "HA! Your days are numbered, Lina Inverse! Nightmare will use your powers of Chaos in the wings to be the true successor to Giga's plans. And then all of you won't be laughing at me, and--"
'That Is Enough.'
"sorry," Paradox blurted, trying to hide in his robe.
'Nightmare Has Displeased Me,' the Lord of Nightmares said. 'He Has Taken My Name In Vain. He Has Reclaimed His Home, The True World Of The Winged, The World of Dreams. And He Will Use The Powers Of Chaos I Granted Lina Inverse, In Bargain With Merlin Giga. This Is A Thing Of Extreme Danger. But In Full Acceptance Of Human Chaos, It Is A Thing Which Might Be, And Thus I Cannot Stop It. Humans, However, Can Shape The Destiny Of Their Choosing. This Is Your Task, Lina, If You Wish To Prevent Disaster. Destroy Nightmare Of The Wingless. Will You Accept?'
Lina cracked her knuckles. "Your honor, I was already planning on ripping that guy a new one. I will more than happily accept."
But Myth was astounded. "The... the world of dreams? The world of dreams was the world we Fell from?" she asked. "How can that be? We visit it every night--"
'You Feel Echoes Of Your Home, Daughter, As Do All Humans,' the Lord explained. 'But Nightmare Has Entered It In The Flesh With Giga's Dream, Granting Him Additional Powers Over It. He Intends Great Evil. If You Wish To Stop The Evil, The Four Must Go.'
"I'm a bit fuzzy on this Great Evil thing, but I catch your drift," Lina responded. "So me, Gourry, Dayvid and Amelia--"
'No.'
"...no?" Lina asked.
'As This Affects All Life In This World, One Of Each Race Must Go,' the Lord said. 'Lina. You Will Go.'
"I figured as much," Lina said.
'Myth, You Must Go As Well.'
"Me?!" Myth asked. "But... I'm not a warrior, my Lord--"
'And Two Others Will Accompany As Well...'
A flash of light appeared to Lina's side. She turned, and saw the newcomers. "YOU?!"
'Of The Dragons, Angela. Of The Mazoku, Bugger,' the Lord said. 'Wingless, Human, Dragon, Mazoku. The Four Must Go.'
(The unlikely partners were just as surprised as Lina was. Moments ago, they were waiting around for Luna to tell them exactly what they were supposed to be doing; naturally, she didn't tell them anything. Except of course for 'Seeya later' mere seconds ago...)
"What? Go where? What's going on??" Angela asked, in a small voice.
The Lord told her.
"Oh," Angela said. "Now I wish I hadn't asked..."
"This is a right insult, it is," Bugger growled. "Ahm supposed to be a destructive bastard, ain't I? Why should I help you dorks go and fight a great evil? I LIKE great evil!"
'Because The Lord Of Nightmares Orders It,' the Lord reminded him.
"Oh," he said. "Well, that's different, then."
"Anooo..."
All eyes turned to Gourry, who spoke up for the first time.
"I'd like to go," he said.
'You Cannot Help Them There.'
"I love Lina," Gourry said openly. "I want to protect her."
A long pause settled over the crowd. Lina turned beet red for obvious reasons.
'There Are Ways To Protect Beyond Your Simple Bodyguarding, Holder Of The Sword Of Light,' the Lord said. 'This You Will Learn Through Time And Cherish. For Now, Have Faith In Lina.'
"Wait a minute," Lina interrupted, eager to get off this topic. "We still can't go slaughter Nightmare. Xelloss has the spell we need, and he's hostage!"
'You Lack The Fourth Of Giga?' the Lord asked.
"It's certainly not in the Giga Lores," Lina said, holding up the book she had used to bring them here. "At last check, all the pages after Giga Slave, Giga Restoration and Giga's Gate are blank. And anybody other than me sees only blank pages."
'Perhaps They See Nothing They Need,' the Lord said. 'Now You Need This Spell.'
Curious, Lina scanned the Giga's Gate page... then on impulse, with a tingle at the back of her mind, turned it--
"AAAA!" Lina yelped. "Giga's Dream!? It was in the book all this time?? But that's--"
'Such Is The Way Of Chaos,' the Lord said. 'Now, I Have Explained Enough For Your Task. Far Too Much Of This Speech Discussion. I Will Return To You Once The Quest Is Complete, If You Are Able To Retrieve Your Power From The Darkness. Goodbye.'
The lake of chaos faded, the real world coming into view... with the entire party of wingless, humans, Dragon and Mazoku sitting in the Great Hall of Sailoon Palace.
ina touched down in the Great Hall, surprised that the conversation had been cut off so suddenly. But she knew why.
It was time to get serious.
Lina had two working modes, Serious and Who Cares?. Usually, she was in Who Cares? mode, making fun of everything and generally not worrying about anything. It was actually a useful tool, since she could toss fear by the wayside and enjoy whatever she was doing. But now and then, usually times exactly like now, it was time to get Serious.
"I've got no idea what to expect out there," Lina told her troops... specifically, the two new ones. "If it's anything like Paradox's realm, we're in for a mess. Are you two going to actually help me out here? Considering you were trying to really hassle me last time we met."
Bugger sulked. "What choice do I have? I'm doomed if I don't. So whatever. I'll help."
"Your sister ordered me to help you," Angela said.
"Sis-- LUNA?!" Lina said, going white. "Big Sister?"
"Yes, the same," Angela said, annoyed. "Can we go now? I really would like to get this over with."
"Maybe you should take my Sword of Light," Gourry suggested, holding the blade out by the hilt for Lina. "It could help you."
"Really??" Lina said, cheering up after the shock of her most feared sister. "Why, thank you, Gourry! I can keep this, right?"
"No."
"Oh," Lina said, disappointed.
"Actually...." Reason said, drawing their attention. The crowd looked over at her, her arms folded, a wry smile on her lips. "If we have the time to do this, I know a sword that would be considerably more effective against the wingless than a Sword of Light."
"Big weapons. I like big weapons," Lina said, grinning as well. "A few minutes won't make a difference. Where is it?"
"You're holding it," Reason said, gesturing to Lina's sword.
Confused, Lina drew her sword, to make sure it was the same one she put on moments ago. The blade was still above average, not not particularly special... there was a pleasant brass butterfly design in the hilt, the attractive feature that drew her to it, but she couldn't detect any kind of magic.
"It's just a sword," Lina concluded.
"At the moment," Reason said. "Brothers, sisters. Gather around. We can each bless Lina's blade with a flow of our Talents. That should give her the power to strike Nightmare. Provided she gets close enough to use it and doesn't miss before he tears her throat out, naturally."
Lina didn't like the sound of that. Neither did the wingless, apparently.
"Give her some of MY power?" Paradox balked.
"Would you prefer Nightmare win the fight, and come back to express his displeasure at your capture?" Reason reasoned.
Paradox quickly touched the blade, golden light flowing from his fingers into the steel. "O bless this blade with the powers of time and space and be true in goal and cutting and whatnot, yadda. Hark and beware."
Reason nodded, satisfied. She repeated the gesture, adding more power; now the sword was glowing with a very faint golden aura. "May it move in very reasonable ways and for reasonable purposes."
Drama slipped back into his usual role easily. "May thine blade strike true in the cause of heroism, as the drama of life transcends!" he declared.
"That was such a pretty speech," Luck burbled, sobbing. "Waaaah! I'm moved! Oh, and may this sword be very lucky and not cut off its owners head by accident or anything."
Love and Loathing were next, taking the blade at the same time. By now, it was glowing a steady yellow. "Use this sword to protect what you love," Love said. "And destroy what you hate," her brother added.
Myth was next, but wasn't sure what she could do with it. She didn't have a little speech ready, or anything, and telling a story didn't seem to fit. Still, a blessing was a blessing. She touched the blade. "I hope they live happily ever after," she hazarded.
The blade glowed stronger than ever, almost difficult to look at now. Colored lights flared into being on the butterfly handle, one for each of the wingless.
"I think that'll do it," Reason said, not showing any signs of bedazzlement. "Happy hunting, Lina."
"Right," Lina nodded. "Now, the spell--"
"Uh, Lina...
"Yes, Gourry? We're on a schedule here," she reminded.
"Just... come back," Gourry said. "That's all. Come back."
Lina paused. It was a stupidly simple request, but... she could see Gourry making it. Very direct and honest.
"I will," Lina said. She turned to face the empty space in the room, and started her spell. Light started to flow around her, a blue glow. "Power beyond the known powers, deeper than the deepest mind... between the known worlds, vaporous as ether, I call upon the way to that which has no entrance... let the obstacles between what is and is not be shattered! GIGA'S DREAM!"
The light swirled, sliding along the floor to the point indicated, and arced upwards; a line of shimmering power expanded, turning sideways to make a rectangular door.
"Everybody ready?" Lina asked, getting a good grip on her photoluminescent sword.
The raiding party had their weapons. Bugger was tossing, oddly enough, a handful of dirt from hand to hand. Angela had a sphere of white light ready. And Myth had... her pen.
"You're gonna get slaughtered, gel," Bugger cheerfully told her.
"I thought the pen was mightier than the sword?" Myth asked.
"Sure, if the pen is really long and bloody sharp--"
"That's enough of that," Lina snapped. "And as for you wingless, no playing around while we're away. I've got a hunch that L-sama isn't done with us yet. Now, everybody into the pool."
The four walked into the doorway, almost hesitatingly. Purpose served, the glowing blue gateway sank back into the floor, and vanished.
Contrary to all dramatic expectations, Gourry smiled, and waved goodbye without a care.
Drama looked at him funny. "How can you do that? No tearful goodbyes or pining?"
"Huh?" Gourry asked. "Why would I need to? Lina's coming back."
"And why's that?"
"I asked her to," Gourry said. "And I've got faith in Lina."
Sleep comes in waves and patterns, in disconnected fragments of vision sequence. It is shapeless and formless, guided by thought and memory. Raw dreamstuff works like cotton, easily torn, easily mushed together, hard to move through.
Stepping through the gateway, Lina had to plow through gauzy material that was up to her knees. The group had arrived in a null of dreamspace, of factory material unrefined. A remote, nondescript location.
Myth, however, inhaled sharply. "It's true... this is it. This is my home."
"So he did claim his home," Lina repeated. "Bastard's got his own prophecy set up. I'd trust Giga's more, even though I have no clue what it really means. Myth, if you've been here before, do you know where we're going?"
"How can you find anything in this mess?" Bugger said, picking up a handful of the dreamstuff, appraising it. "Funny realities aren't a ball. They're a--"
"Don't say his name!" Myth said. "Sound carries in this world!"
"I was going to say a bloody awful place to be, thank you very much," Bugger completed. "This sucks. Where are going?"
Myth looked around... and pointed in a seemingly random direction. "The Palace of Chaos is that way, at the heart of the dreaming. That's where we made our home, once Love made up the idea of 'home'. It's one of the few solid structures that exist here."
"There's that word again," Lina said. "Chaos. I really wish someone would explain why it was so important."
"The Lord of Nightmares doesn't have to explain Herself to some human," Angela said. "If--"
A low rumble shook the land.
"Angela, DAMMIT!" Bugger shouted. "You bloody well named him! Didn't the lady just tell you not to do that?!"
"I didn't say Nightmare, I said Lord of Nightmares," Angela defended. "If... oh. Oh dear..."
Rising darkness started to take form, corrupting the puffy dreams around it like an ink stain. The four got their various weapons and non-weapons ready, expecting an attack...
Slowly, the figure took on a human form, with human pigments. But still with very, very black hair and clothes. It was a small boy, perhaps an adolescent. With large butterfly wings, corrupted like black gold.
"I feel true forms are more satisfying for true ends," Nightmare said, a normal voice, rather than a slick voice of oil and liquid from nowhere. "Especially since your gift of wings have given me the power to resume my form, after years of morphic corruption. How I thank you, Lina."
"So what's the deal? We going to fight or not?" Lina asked. "I didn't come here for tea and crumpets."
"I don't see a need to fight," Nightmare said. "You cannot stop me. My plans are already working. In hours, it'll all be over."
"And those plans are...?"
"Do you think I am as stupid as my brother Drama?" Nightmare asked. "Why should I tell you? Better that you die, unknowing."
"What's the fun of that?" Lina asked. "There's a reason why your bro's chosen ones tell all their plans. It's pretty satisfying, since your enemy knows exactly what's going on and how powerless they are to stop it."
"Yes, and then they break out of the easily escapable deathtrap. We won't have that," Nightmare said.
"Then what's the risk?"
Nightmare's will wavered, just a moment.
"Very well," he said. "It's simple enough. I have control over the world of dreams now, my home original. I have the wings of chaos, the power granted to the one chosen by prophecy to be the Knight of the Lord of Nightmares. With that, I can easily turn this plane into a world of nightmares, corrupt every human dreamer, and render the entire population insane. All in the span of one good night's sleep. Does that satisfy your curiosity, Lina?"
"Knight of the Lord of Nightmares?!" Lina gaped. "That's what this has all been about? I was PROMOTED?"
"Turn humanity insane? Right on!" Bugger cheered. "I'm all for that!"
"And then I will have them use the Giga Lores to destroy each and every Dragon and Mazoku they find," Nightmare added. "After which, I can rule over this world as the single most powerful being imaginable. I will become the NEW Lord of Nightmares. One that does not need Mazoku or Dragons."
Bugger went from delight to outrage. "HEY! That's our bloody war to fight, not yours! Stay out of it!"
"My nightmare..." Angela said, realizing. "Of the death of my kind... the figure with wings wasn't Lina, was it? It was you!"
"But enough of such pleasantries," Nightmare said, darkness flowing from under his clothes, wrapping itself around his flesh. "There will be no faceless minions. No goons. No subverting of your friends. There will just be me, Lina, and I will kill you very directly. Goodbye."
Lina got ready to move, as the death fog closed in on them...
A golden shot of power arced from the back of the crowd, shattering the fog around Nightmare. Lina could swear she saw... an orchard? Gophers? Something inside the light...
"Don't ignore us," Myth said, lowering her glowing pen. "You have four here to deal with. I'm not the weak runt of this litter, either."
"Four," Nightmare said, splitting once, twice. "Four." "Four." "Four." The group of identical beings looked at the group, one per player. "Then let it be this way." "We will still kill you directly." "Simply directly by numbers." "Again and again until you are gone..."
"Which one's the original dickweed?!" Bugger shouted, a fistful of dirt at the ready.
"Doesn't matter! Scatter!" Lina ordered. The group split up, moving away from each other... and into different dreams, piercing the thin walls of the world around them.
Bugger flew backwards, pushing through a barrier of dream. His personal Nightmare followed.
"You don't fight our wars," Bugger said, ready for him. "Mazoku and Dragons settle their own. You stay the hell out of it! Who do you think you are?"
"Fear," Nightmare said. "Your fear."
Beastmaster Zelas-Metallum engulfed Bugger's world view, gargantuan, fire from her eyes and mouth, glaring down at him with hate.
"You have displeased me," Beastmaster said. "Destruction. You will be destroyed. You are failure."
Sixteen kinds of chemical fire rained down on Bugger, searing his flesh, burning him to the core. Darkness and whiteness cascaded into his bones, tearing him to shreds, screaming in agony... and when the horror ended, he was gone.
The dream Beastmaster went away, purpose complete, and Nightmare turned to join the others--
"a-HEM."
A wall of dirt smashed into Nightmare, hurling him backwards, as Bugger stood fifteen feet tall in true Mazoku form, slimy and revolting, a pungent green gas following him as he advanced.
"Not gonna work, buddy boy," Bugger oozed. "I live in fear. I cause fear. I'm so used to complaining about how miserable I am that that sort of crap just doesn't bother me anymore. You can't scare me, because the worst possible thing you can think of, the most hideously godawful miserable experience you can dream up... I thought of it FIRST."
Nightmare knew when he was beaten. "This is only one of four matches. Your friends won't survive," he said, quickly. "The Dragon and the human and the wingless. Angela will burn and you cannot get to her. I have won. And you say I am wrong? Tell me, stinking Mazoku, what could possibly go wrong?"
The Mazoku lifted the projection of Nightmare, and crushed it neatly, like a small, crunchy ball of meat.
"You'll see, lad," Bugger said, casting the pulpy mass over his shoulder. "Call it a professional hunch."
Myth squared off against Nightmare, across a void plain. She held her pen defensively, for what it was worth. Nightmare opted to use a blade of darkness, wrought from the dreamstuff, shaped by his Talents of fear.
"If you give up, I promise to give you death quickly," Nightmare said. "Or perhaps you can enjoy life first, as a gift for what we once had. Would you like that?"
"I didn't want it then and I don't now," Myth said.
She felt Talent touch her, flood her with fear...
"Can't you feel that?" Nightmare asked. "I know I scare you. You have even admitted you live in fear. Perhaps once you stood, but that was in a shade, a flimsy parable. This is the actual moment..."
Myth gritted her teeth. "I'm afraid..." she said, acknowledging it. "You've hurt me before, forced me. I'm afraid of you."
"As you should be."
But then, Myth flared gold, and sprang away, garbed in the light armor of an adventuress. She held her sword tightly, squaring off against the king of dreams, in his empty throne room.
"But so was she," Jean said. "And she was able to act regardless."
"This sad trick?" the dream king asked. He smiled playfully. "Please, Myth. Lina attempted this in self defense once before, and it did not work for her either. Are you certain you want to take this stance in the game?"
"Lina didn't write this story," Jean said, standing, sword at the ready. "I did. You never understood stories. I don't care if we both came up with the idea 'Story', you never got the point. I didn't either, for that matter, not until recently."
"And your pretty words are supposed to impress me? Is that it?" the dream king asked, turning away from Jean, wholly unconcerned. "That you've found the true meaning of writing mankind's dreams, and now you will destroy me, and so on? You truly have been hanging out with Drama too much, letting him influence your writing. Next thing you'll be doing is posing andgnghghkkk..."
Blood dripped on the ground. Jean kept her blade firmly jammed into the dream king's side.
"You have to be clever to win over your fear," Jean explained. "For instance, stab them when they're taunting you. That's how weaklings like me win against the strong."
The dream king staggered, tripping on the rise before his throne, falling into the black iron chair. "How... you... how could you be able to..."
"I won't bother to explain it again," Jean said. "Goodnight."
The king of dreams was dead. His shade vanished.
Myth could only hope that was the true Nightmare, and not just a copy of him. But she knew that wasn't going to be the case; Lina was going to have to take on the original. That's how the myth worked. She just hoped the others wouldn't have too much trouble with their fights.
Angela backed against the stone wall, her feathered wings scorched and bloody. The Council of Dragons continued to advance on her, each face a mask of identical disappointment, each bearing tearing claws with her own lifeblood on them...
"Failure," they chanted, in unison. "Failure. Failure. Failure."
"I always did what was best for the Dragons!!" Angela protested. She had sank too far into the dream to realize what it was, and frantically tried to defend her life. "I sought nothing for myself! I preserve life! I do!"
"Liar," they accused. "Liar. Liar. Liar."
Weakly, Angela summoned her power, putting a glamor on herself. "I.. I am Angela of the Dragons. I am fair, as wise, and moderate in all things, like a force of--"
"Hypocrite. Hypocrite. Hypocrite--"
"STOP, STOP!" Angela shouted, curling up into a ball, trying to cover her ears. "I'm SORRY! I just wanted.. I wanted to be special above others, and... I didn't think--"
"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."
A fierce pounding sounded on the walls of Angela's personal nightmare, like a force beating its way in... distracting her from her self-loathing. She glanced up -- and saw Nightmare's face on each of the Dragons, their true identity.
"A trick," Angela said. "You're tricking me!"
The four merged into one Dragon, a creature of goodness and light that bore the face of Nightmare. "It's the truth, isn't it? You nominated yourself to your task. You deliberately sought every opportunity for bettering yourself. You disobey orders. You're a poor excuse for a Dragon!"
"..I do," Angela agreed, gathering a ball of burning whiteness the side of a boulder, sucking more power than she could tolerably hold into it. "And maybe I am. But I will not hear that from YOU!"
The two clashed, light consuming them as they fought--
The wall shattered, stiff dream bubble pierced as Bugger charged through, enraged at being locked out in the first place. He had to shield his eyes from the pain of witnessing so much white magic, knocked backwards from the force of the fight, unable to approach...
"Angela, you dimwit! Get out of there!" Bugger ordered, voice like spittle on pavement. "You'll blow yourself up like that--"
Sometimes Bugger wondered if his words were what caused the event. It was his domain to make your day turn out badly, and that's exactly what happened; Nightmare, unable to cope with the strain on his body, detonated. Angela flew away, landing on the idea of a ground, a lot of her body missing, a wholly disgusting mess. She only had one of her wings, her preened and cared after wings.
Cursing in sixteen languages, Bugger took a more human form and went to her side. "See? That's what happens. Some days, you just LOSE, Dragon or not."
"I got him..." Angela bubbled, in a near death euphoria. "I showed him who I was. I can have some glory of my own, can't I? True glory?"
"Yeah yeah, whatever," Bugger said. He appraised her injuries. "You're going, gel. Out of the bloody park."
"'tis a noble end--"
"There ain't no such thing as a noble end!" Bugger said, offended by the very concept. "Believe me, I know. The end is wet and nasty and smells bad! That's all there is, and you deserve... you.. oh, soditall! I think I can bring you back from this, if you trust me..."
Angela looked up at Bugger, confused. "..how?.."
"You ain't gonna like it," Bugger said, readying a flow of black energy over his palms. "And you'll be the first person I've ever tried Black Healing on. You ain't gonna kick. Call it the one thing I want to go RIGHT today."
Lina landed on terra non firma, facing off against Nightmare.
"A swordfight," he recognized, forming a blade of darkness. "Very well. Let's--"
"Wait up a minute," Lina said, holding a hand to signal a time out.
"What is it this time?" Nightmare asked.
"I just want to make sure of something," Lina said, leaning on her sword, loitering like a professional slacker. "It won't take long--"
An explosion of earth was heard, faintly to Lina's left, as well as a death rattle.
"I believe that would be Bugger crumpling one of your shadows into a little wad," Lina said. "That didn't sound good. And you're still here, so that must not have been the real you..."
"What are you trying to prove, Lina Inverse?"
"Shhh! I'm busy!" Lina said.
A minute or more passed, and the sound of a sword sinking into someone's ribs was next.
"And that would be Myth, disposing of her nightmare," Lina said. "I'm proud of her. She's had a lot to go through thanks to you, you know--"
An explosion of sound, a holy note ringing in her ears.
"Last but not least, Angela," Lina said.
"Angela lies dying," Nightmare responded, proudly. "Her sacrifice to stop me was in vain."
"Because you're the real thing, right?" Lina said. "The factory original. I suspected as much. It's me you want, the others were just some side fun. By the way, where's Xelloss? I know this is about more, but I personally would like to have him returned."
"Oh, very well," Nightmare said, tossing Xelloss at Lina by his hair. The priest flew ungracefully through the air, landing at her feet. "He's all yours, for as long as you live. I simply needed to keep his spells away from your ears."
"Didn't do much good," Lina noted. "So. You get your sword up and and I'll get mine and we'll kill each other like civilized people. Sound fair?"
"Yes," Nightmare said. "Very fair."
Lina charged Nightmare, sword ready at her side; but the wingless just stood there.
"I don't do fair," Nightmare said, and sent a dark pulse towards her--
--running headfirst into a battle of fire and lightning, Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis facing down Shaburanigdo, the Demon King of All, the Ultimate Evil.
All their resources were exhausted. Dragon Slave was useless against him, as were all the spells of Shamanism, and Gourry's sword was like a toothpick. There was only one spell left, which Lina had used once before... but it was risky. Chances were, she'd be consumed by darkness and doom the world...
...and didn't she? In another place and time, surviving the horror of her mistake, destroying everything and ending up an insane, paranoid madwoman... she can't take that risk! She can't!
Fear gripped Lina's throat, threatening to choke her. She looked to Gourry and Zelgadis for help, and they looked at her the same way; hoping Lina had some hidden ace up her sleeve she'd play in the game. Betting on her luck.
Lina broke free. "Okay, I have one last trick I can do," she told Shaburanigdo, wagering. "And if this doesn't work, I'll give up."
Her sword glowed gold, Luck radiating--
--charging at Nightmare, who was not pleased that Lina had broken free of his dream.
"You will not reach me!" he declared, another dark pulse flying--
--Lina was on the Island of Ultimate Despair, watching the darkness consume the entire island, creeping out to sea. This was not good.
She had a tool she could use. But she didn't want to; it was part of that damn prophecy, and she'd be walking directly into some cockamamie, hero-of-the-day, predicted chosen warrior trap if she did! It was the kind of stupid thing a lantern jawed, no brains hero would do. Those sorts of people had a low life expectancy.
But if not that, what? The darkness from other Lina's mirror was going to engulf the world. This was all she had. Would it work? It was a Giga spell, and she knew what the Giga Slave could do if you messed it up... fear...
Lina wouldn't mess it up, though.
After all, it was perfectly Dramatic for her to save the day with the big spell and start down another series of weird journeys. That's how it worked.
Her sword shone, glinting the sunlight with a *PINGGG!*, as Drama was her ally--
--Nightmare worked faster now, sending dual pulses towards her--
--Myth was trapped inside the mechanisms of the Sub Ways. This was foreign equipment from an era long gone. How the heck was Lina, who only knew these little cookbook spells, supposed to do anything? She could fiddle with the equipment for years and never make headway. Myth was gone for good without the knowledge of the past. No user manual, no operation.
Of course, the thaumatological hackers had no manual either. They just relied on a sheer dogged determination to make it work. Anything was Reasonable with the right thinking -- even causing a Paradox, pulling someone through time and space when any sane person knew that time and space were definite, unmodifiable things--
--charging at Nightmare, now more confident, her sword thundering with energy and ready to strike him down.
"You will not be Chaos! I AM Chaos!" Nightmare shouted, hurling another blast at her. "I am the Lord of Nightmares!!"--
--tied and left to crawl on the rocky cave floor, which was tearing at her pretty new dress, crying.
"They still aren't paying the ransom?!" the bandit leader asked. "But... it's their little girl! What are these people made of, ice? I thought you said they were made of MONEY!"
"The mother is made of money," a bandit said. "And the father. I guess they just care about the money more."
Lina didn't understand. She was alone here and these bad men were going to hurt her, and her parents didn't care? Why? Wasn't she a good enough girl? She didn't mean to be naughty and sneak into sister's treasure chest! She was sorry! She wanted to go home, go home! It was all her fault...
It was all her fault, right? She hid when she heard the bandits, and they accidentally took her. They took her. It was her... it was their fault. THEY took her away.
She hated them. Lina hated all these stupid bandits who would take little girls, and rob people, and make people unhappy. Someone should be stopping them from doing that. Maybe she could stop them. Loathing filled her, Loathing of the robbers. Once she was out of here, she'd see to it nobody had to be afraid again!--
--closer now, as Nightmare kept his blade up, in case she made it far enough to hit him, strike him down...
One last attempt. Nightmare willed up all the horrors he could imagine, tuned them to Lina's mind, and launched--
--no memory now, pure imagination, black imagination as Lina was held back by unseen hands, prevented from running to help...
"Lina!!" Gourry shouted, being pulled away by similar forces, but ones Lina could see; terrible monsters, hooks and chains, claws and teeth ready to tear Gourry Gabriev apart, licking their lips, ready and willing, wanting to shred him for Lina to see, to kill him...
Fear hit Lina stronger than ever before, seeing him pulled from her, wishing she could act, wanting him back, needing him, needing power to get him, needing him and wishing he was safe...
"NOOO!!" Lina screamed, flaring with an aura of chaos, of golden energy. She burned through the hands of her captors, running after Gourry, the monsters running too, keeping her at distance, making the distance larger and longer, every foot she gained she lost, monsters on her heels, likely going to die, not caring, pushing on, fueled by something stronger than fear...
And why did she do this?
"You can't have him, you freaks!" Lina yelled, sword flaring brighter than the sun as she made one desperate lunge for the beasts. "Gourry, I LOVE YOU!!"
Lina's blade struck home--
--and Nightmare coughed blood, eyes wide in incomprehension. The sword had slashed him from shoulder to stomach, parting him like butter, leaving behind a trail of chaos, fractal cuts to his body.
"How...?" he asked.
"Because that's how the story ends," Lina said, pulling out her sword, the final step to reaffirm the Myth.
The form of Nightmare swirled with blackness, trying to heal itself and recover, but it was a losing battle. Melting back into the dreamstuff around him, losing his personality and sentience, the king of dreams returned to the ashes from which he came. A tiny blaze of gold launched from the mess, seemingly relieved to be away from it, and swung around to impact against Lina's back; and unfolded, a pair of brilliant golden wings, chaos embodied.
Lina leaned heavily on her sword, catching her breath, fluttering her wings to exercise some stiffness out of them. Soon after, her companions arrived... from where? Who cared.
Myth approached first. "Did you--"
"Yeah," Lina said. "Got him. How're you guys?"
Bugger helped a limping Angela along. Something seemed different about her...
"Why's one of your wings black and leathery while the other's white and fluffy?" Lina asked.
"Don't ask," Angela pleaded. "Please don't ask."
ome was only a short spell-jump away. The five of them, Mazoku, Dragon, wingless, human and ex-Mazoku human (who slept through the whole thing, thankfully) walked through Giga's Dream, back to the waking world. After a near-death onslaught such as that, Lina was expecting nothing less than a confetti-strewn parade in her honor on returning, or something else that would fit her mood of triumph.
But instead of a thundering cheer, they met with an argument.
"Waaaaah! You're all being so mean!" Luck whined. "Quit picking on poor Drama-kun!"
"Just because you happen to enjoy a good speech doesn't mean YOU claim dominion over speechmaking," Drama told Paradox. "I'm not going to sit here and put up with you aping my modus!"
"I do your modus better than you do," Paradox said. "And I have better clothes and I'm cooler in every other regard. You're superfluous."
"You're all morons," Loathing injected. "If I had a dime for--"
"HEY!!" Lina shouted. "Kids! I'm turning this palace right around if you don't settle down!"
Shocked, the group immediately clustered around Lina.
"Now before anybody asks, yes, Nightmare is history," Lina said. "We got Xelloss back and won the day and I've got my wings. Everything is hunky dory. Where's Gourry?"
"Here! Here!" Gourry said, nudging his way politely through the mob, to greet Lina-- to hug her, at least. "It's good to see you! I knew you'd come back!"
"gkhgk," Lina wheezed, all the air compressed out of her lungs. "Grry!!!"
"Huh?" Gourry asked, letting go.
Lina straightened her outfit, and uncrumpled her wings. "Before we go any further in this lovey stuff, rule one -- no spontaneous ribcrushing hugs. Deal?"
"Lovey stuff...? Really?" Gourry asked.
"We'll talk later," Lina said, and turned to address the others. "Anybody seen the Lord of Nightmares? I have a few concerns, now that we're done doing her dirty work--"
'I Am Present,' the voice spoke, from somewhere inside their heads.
"Good timing," Lina said. "I got rid of your prodigal son, and got these wings back. Now. May I PLEASE ask you some straight questions? No prophecy, no--"
'Your Wings Are Those Of The Angel Of Chaos,' the Lord said, intercepting Lina's query. 'You Have Proven Worthy To Carry The Torch For Humanity, Those Who Are Children Of The Wingless. As For The Wingless Themselves, Who Have Pleased Me Greatly In Growing And Maturing, They May Return To Their Home If They Wish...'
A ruffling sound was heard, as wing simultaneously unfolded on the backs of each of the wingless, much to their surprise. Some were delicate, some were shiny, some bore complex designs... all pale in comparison to Lina's, in the way a bar of solid gold is pale compared to a golden idol.
The voice seemed to shift, to address Lina. 'I Name Thee Chaos, Knight Of The Lord Of Nightmares, Equal To The Knight Of Ceipheed And The Knight Of Shaburanigdo. The Three Races Are At Last In Balance. May You Quest For Your Days To Save Your People, And Seek To Become The Figure I Have Bargained With Merlin Giga For. Now He May Rest In Peace, Knowing That The Fruit Of His Labor Has Finally Seen The Golden Light Of Day. The Winged Are Yours To Direct, Lina Inverse. You Have Done Well. Goodbye.'
Task complete, the Lord sank back into her lake of chaos, and silence was all that remained.
".......oh," Lina said. "Ah. I.. guess that answers my question."
"Chaos of the Winged," Reason said, folding her wings under her lab coat. "I suppose it stands to reason that the Knight would take on the domain closest to the Lord's nature. The nature of humans, as well."
Myth, however, was furiously jotting down notes. "What a story!! This is so amazing!... I don't think anybody will believe it, but that's fine..."
"Err.. you're not still angry at me, right?" Paradox asked. "I know we had a bit of a misunderstanding, ma'am, but--"
"Can it, Paradox," Lina said. "You're all in my Okay Book from here out. Clean slate."
"What do you want us to do now?" Loathing asked, quietly.
Lina thought, and..... had no idea. "Whatever you want," Lina said. "I'm not much of a leader, guys. Just go do what you usually do. But if I need you, I'll call on you. And believe me, knowing my lifestyle, something's BOUND to pop up."
Plenty of nodding, all around. The group loitered.
"Shoo, shoo," Lina said. "Go have lives."
"Actually, there was something..." Love said, approaching. "We were talking about it while you were out, and..."
"Yeah?"
"We're seven now," Love said. "Unbalanced and incomplete. We need Nightmare, in one form or another. I know it's not exactly the same as having one of our family in the role, but could you...?"
"What, you want me to whip up some wingle... winged on the fly?" Lina asked. "I don't have Talents. All I have is magic and apparently a cool pair of wings and a mysterious destiny. I don't do bona fide miracles--"
"I'll take the job."
Xelloss limped over, still considerably battered from the day's events.
"I'm sorry," he said, talking directly to Lina. "I've made rather a mess of things as of late, haven't I?"
Lina was colored confused. "Huh?"
"Got caught by Paradox, unwittingly gave Nightmare access to the world of dreams..." Xelloss counted off. "Named Nightmare and brought his curse on you. And finally, captured AGAIN by Nightmare... so much for controlling, plotting Xelloss the enigmatic priest. Perhaps I should have stayed with the Mazoku, I did more harm than good this time around. You know what they say about the road that's paved with good intentions."
"Doesn't it go to the bakery around the corner?" Gourry asked, not following the conversations at all.
"Come on, Xel," Lina reasoned. "People make mistakes--"
"I don't," Xelloss said. "I wanted to help you. You don't quite understand, do you, Lina Inverse? Why I wanted to help you, to do these things that I had evaded when I ran to the security of the Mazoku, not wanting the pressure of Giga's prophecy on myself? It wasn't simply to finish old business, it was for... I did it all for..."
Lina leaned closer. "For what?"
Xelloss smiled wide.
"...that is a secret," he said.
"AAARGH!" Lina yelled.
"But I would like to make amends," he added. "I know the world of dreams well. Perhaps I lack wings, but maybe I can do something about that one day. I'll play a substitute Nightmare and round out the nice little group of fans you've gathered. Perhaps you can't trust me to such a dangerous position, considering what the last one did, but you'll never quite know, will you? Wouldn't that be fun?"
Lina sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "Vote. All those in favor?"
Four hands went up. Myth reluctantly raised hers. Luck elbowed Paradox, and he reluctantly put his up as well.
"Those against?"
Loathing raised his hand. "Just on general principles of hating everybody," he explained. "Nothing personal."
"The ayes have it, and I am going to go get a snack, and get some SLEEP," Lina said. "So beat it, all of you. I'll have Xelloss contact you when you're needed. And... thanks. You folks did a great job."
"Three cheers for Lina-sama!!" Luck started. "HIP HIP--"
"Why three?" Paradox said. "I think two would be fine."
"Three is standard operating procedure," Drama said. "You bastard," he added for emphasis.
"Well, I don't think she deserves three. Three is excessive," Paradox argued, crossing his arms in defiance.
"Two would be reasonable, considering it's just a symbolic gesture..."
And the whole group broke down into argument again.
"Wacky bunch," Xelloss commented to Lina. "So these are the fabled gods and goddesses of man, then? From the beginning of time through the currents of history? The shining examples of humanity?"
"Nobody ever said humans were perfect," Lina noted.
Somewhere beneath the shining sun, somewhere in the green and fertile lands the world, somewhere in the city/state of Sailoon, somewhere on the grounds of the Singing Drunk Karaoke Bar, a story was finished.
"And so," Myth said, "The beast and the dragon returned to their respective homes, and the wingless scattered like butterflies to the winds of chaos. As for the knight... like any good knight, her quests were not done. But that was exactly how she wished to live her life, forever in the world of stories and adventures, forever with her companion by her side. And they lived happily ever after. The end."
The various patrons of the bar sat back in silence, soaking up the story like sponges in the ocean.
"Admittedly it's a pretty rough draft," Myth said, closing her copy of 'Lina Inverse and the Chaos Factor'. "But any thoughts?"
"Rubbish," one of the customers said. "Doesn't make sense. You expect us to believe that the whole human race stemmed from these eight gods? There'd be inbreeding problems. Doesn't take a scientist to know that."
"Oh, come off it, it's not meant to be realistic," another customer argued. "Clearly this stuff never happened. It's all a parable, metaphorically relating to man's inward qualities and how we relate to dragons and monsters, which are actually just projections of our extremes. Everybody knows Mazoku don't exist. Wouldn't be reasonable."
"It's not believability that's a problem, it's just too damn confusing," another guy said. "Keeping track of all these people and why they were doing what they were doing... why didn't anybody just say at the start of it all that it was a quest to find some sort of knight? That'd make it all so much simpler."
"It's DRAMATIC BUILDUP, yew bastard!" another shouted. "And it woz a right good story, so piss off, mate!"
"No more for Earl, he's topped," the first drinker noted.
Finally, someone stood up, tapping his glass. "Look, I don't know about you fellows, but I'm a fan of a good Lina Inverse story. And I'd say the best one out there has got to be 'Lina Inverse and the Journey of a Thousand Reflections.' This one... it was decent, but miss, you could take some pointers from the author of that story. Maybe he could teach you a few things about how a Lina Inverse story should go. That one was simply masterful."
Myth barely suppressed a smile. "Really? I heard the first time s.. he told that one, everybody called it rubbish."
"Nonsense," the critic said. "Probably just some folk myth."
She gathered up the tips and donations given by her audience, which was pretty sizable for a group that was complaining so much, and moved on. Likely she'd come back in a month when her next story was done and hear the same thing; it's nice, dear, but nowhere near as good as 'Lina Inverse and the Chaos Factor.' That's just how myths spread.
And she could feel, on the edges of perception, that another story was building. Perhaps the biggest one yet...
This time, she'd sit on the sidelines and observe from afar. She'd enjoy the story as a reader first and a writer second. In all respects, Myth was looking forward to this.
She already had a title, too.
'Lina Inverse and the End of Everything.'
Mind you, that wasn't final. In any respect. She hoped.
Far away and a long way down, a single torch lit dim caverns and twisty little passages, all alike.
For the fifth or sixteenth time, Zelgadis begin to wonder if he was on a fool's errand. He had been staying in Pleasantville for two weeks now, keeping his face hidden so he wouldn't frighten the population with his chimera's skin. Every day, he'd come out to the ruins and to the entrance he had uncovered, and every day he'd explore and map the network of caves.
He hadn't found anything even remotely interesting.
It didn't make sense, though. There was an entrance, complete with a ladder, so presumably someone felt these caves important enough to open up. And admittedly, finding natural tunnels that didn't squeeze too tight or crumble too easily was a true find, but not when they're totally empty.
The wall painting seemed to suggest some kind of goddess, able to turn a chimera into a regular human. He hadn't seen any other hints, though, no paintings, no writing. Maybe he was just hallucinating when he saw that vision in his dream. Long suspecting that was the real explanation, Zelgadis paused in his journey underground, briefly considering turning back and leaving Pleasantville altogether.
Why consider it? Just split.
Zelgadis turned to leave when he heard the groaning sound.
Hand to his sword hilt, the other holding the torch out, he scanned the cavern for some sort of life. Fortunately, chimeric eyes were good at seeing in the dark, so he was able to see some movement fifty yards down the tunnel. It wasn't threatening movement; someone was hurt down there.
Quickly, but carefully, he picked his way down the tunnel to the fallen form. Definitely an injured person. He nudged the figure, rolling her over--
A female chimera looked up at him, eyes clouded, dying of thirst and starvation.
"Ha..." she tried to say. "Have to... get to..."
Zelgadis got over the shock fast, needing to act. He pulled out his canteen, and let her sip from it, water over blue lips.
"Have.. to get to her," the strange chimera spoke.
"What? Who?" Zel asked.
"Wings.." the chimera said, weakly grabbing at Zel's cloak, to pull herself up. "The wings of chaos..."
Energy spent, she collapsed.
Zelgadis stood up, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He looked around, trying to see where the girl came from, but all that was around him were miles and miles of tunnels.
No other options, he picked her up -- stone skin being very heavy, even for him -- and started to make his way to the exit.
Despite being shapechangers, capable of living in small huts or large caves filled with gold, Dragons tend to stick to Dragon-based haunts. Tall mountains, with rocks to perch on and peaks to sail majestically between, picturesque and breathtaking.
The scenery was not on Angela's mind. The Council of Dragons, hastily formed in order to chastise her actions, was the main problem. All eight of the anonymous Councilmembers looked down on her in disapproval...
Not just at her, of course. Luna Inverse was right there next to her. And weirdly, Luna was still smiling, and seemed totally unconcerned.
"Evaluation of the situation was abbreviated," a Dragon accused. "Action preemptive. Destructive. In addition, bonding with Mazoku for assistance, and eventually joining with darkness in other ways..."
Angela tried to hide the black bat's wing that had joined her feathery bird's wing, but it would be even more shaming to will her wings away in front of the others.
"In addition, you, Luna Inverse, allowed the rising of a Knight of the Lord of Nightmares, Chaos of the Winged, a thing which has equal danger as well as benefit. Angela's risk calculation was accurate in that this is a thing which is threatening to the Dragons. Why did you allow this? Why did you order Angela to side with chaos rather than the order of the Dragons?"
"Ceipheed's orders," Luna said, her usual minimalist response.
"I don't see how Ceipheed could possibly suggest that we allow an enemy to rise, if not aid him," another Dragon said. "In addition to ordering you to blackmail a Mazoku into assisting in a DRAGON'S quest! This is appallingly chaotic and unforgivable. Angela, do you have any words in your defense?"
Before any of this happened, before her humbling at Nightmare's hands, Angela would have a prepared speech. She would stress the importance of maintaining the Dragon way of life, as well as the preservation of life in general. She would reiterate how it is her duty to uphold the ways of her people, and that she sought nothing for herself save a noble deed for the betterment of all...
"No," Angela said, instead. "I have no words that can defend me truthfully. But I did act nobly once, fellow Dragons. I helped punish our true enemy. For that, at least I can be thankful."
"Perhaps we could have bargained with this Nightmare, or sent more capable warriors to destroy it," another Dragon said. "Insufficient defense. Unacceptable. The Dragons do not act so wildly. We preserve life, we do not endanger it. Luna Inverse, do you have any words in your defense?"
Angela was expecting her to say something glib, something short. Luna even appeared to be about to bark out a tiny sentence, but... changed her mind. A white flash burned in her eyes a moment, the light of Ceipheed -- the Dragons flinched in involuntary response, recognizing the prophetic implications...
"You don't have the foresight of my lord to know how to truly preserve all life," Luna Inverse said. "Ceipheed possesses knowledge beyond your comprehension, and even then the Lord of Nightmares above Him knows more. Who are you faceless things to accuse me and one of your own of acting outside your interests when you don't even have a tiny scrap of the bigger picture of what is at stake? What comes of your petty bickering but sound and fury?
"This world needs my sister in her new position, in order to destroy this threat and to take on the largest threat yet to come to all living things. I am proud of my sister as I always have been, even when nobody else in my family would be. The Dragons are not my family, simply my adoptive kin, and I personally don't care how you feel about me, since I answer to a higher authority than you. Don't forget that I am the Knight of Ceipheed, His pawn in the eternal game. Even if I am 'simply human' and easily destroyed by any one of you, you will lose the game for you and all your kind if you do so.
"Hear your god, and know this, Gold Dragons; everything will change, as everything does. The end is the beginning and the beginning is the end. My usefulness in your hierarchy is now over, and I will be taking leave to complete one final quest. Angela, you may accompany me if you wish."
The words of Ceipheed ending, Luna resumed her usual silent smile.
"...is that all?" a Dragon asked.
"Yup," Luna said.
The Council dismissed, with nary a word, shapechanging back to the Gold Dragon form, and flying off into the sky. In confusion, Angela turned to face the human.
"You want me to to accompany you?" Angela asked. "They were going to destroy me, you know. I'm corrupted. What use is a tainted Dragon to the Knight of Ceipheed?"
"Dunno yet," Luna said, back to glib answers. "We'll see."
"I thought you hated me," Angela said, looking away.
"Says who?" Luna asked. "C'mon. Gotta go now."
The Royal Gardens of Sailoon couldn't be considered one of the wonders of the world, but they were definitely a nice place to be, regardless. Just the place to be if you were winding down after a strange long journey. Also quite boring.
Lina sat in a tree, looking over the walls of the palace. "Hey, Gourry?"
Her companion leaned against the tree, resting at ground level. He looked up. "Yeah?"
"I'm bored. Let's go trash bad guys," Lina said, hopping down, landing on her feet. Her wings were probably helpful in that regard.
"What, already? But we just finished a quest," Gourry said.
"So?" Lina said. "What's the sense in sitting around for a month doing nothing? Besides, it's not that hard to stomp bandits. More like... exercise. Plus, we're still broke, and if we're ever going to eat without looting Sailoon's royal kitchens..."
"Okay, okay," Gourry smiled. "I get the idea. I'm not THAT slow, you know. But hasn't everything changed? I mean, you're a Knight of Somethingorother now. That's an official thing."
"Knight of the Lord of Nightmares," Lina corrected. "And... you've got me, Gourry. Nobody gave me an instruction manual. My sister's a Knight too, you know..."
"You have a sister?" Gourry asked. "You never talk about your family, you know."
"I didn't have a close family. Not like yours... my sister was the only one who knew I was alive, practically. But then she left to be the Knight of Ceipheed. I don't know what she does on the job, either, but since she also holds down a waitressing job, it's not presumably a full time occupation... I guess if something comes up, I'll be told what to do."
"Oh, that's good. Hey, you wanna go get dinner before we start hunting bandits again?" Gourry invited. "My treat."
"A date?" Lina asked, suspicious.
"Uh... no, not if you don't want," Gourry said, tugging at his collar. "Just food, right?"
"Whatever," Lina smiled. "C'mon, let's get some chow. Gonna need a lot of energy for tonight!"
"What're we going to do tonight, Lina?"
"The same thing we do every night, Gourry," Lina smiled. "Try to rid the world of evil!!"
"I thought you just liked to steal gold from robbers," Gourry said.
"Side benefit. Now c'mon, let's book."
Gourry decided to risk his own horrible death. "Actually, um... there's something I wanted to ask you."
"Food, Gourry. Food calls."
"It'll just take a minute, I swear," Gourry said. "Are you, like... angry at me? Over what I said to you that night..."
"Oh? What was that? I can't remember," Lina teased.
"You know, the uh... what I said."
"Words?"
"When I said how I felt," Gourry simplified. "Jeez, weird how it's hard to say now... when I said that--"
Without any adequate warning, Lina stepped over to Gourry, and gave him a big hug -- and held it there, warm and comforting.
"Don't worry about it," Lina said, quietly, but still smiling. "I had a small revelation too, while I was away..."
Gourry's internal steam started to hit danger levels. "Uh, you did? What about?.."
Lina whispered it in his ear, then let go.
He fell on his rear, with a thud. Lina smiled at him.
"So, that settled, let's go stuff ourselves silly with fine cuisine!" Lina said. "Race you there!" And she turned and ran at top speed.
"But... hey! Lina, wait for me!!" Gourry shouted, running after her.
"Slowpoke!" Lina taunted, tugging an eyelid at him.
"How can someone with such scrawny legs move that fast?" Gourry wondered aloud.
*BONK*
"I am NOT scrawny!"
Once upon a time in fair Sailoon, there was a sorceress.
Let's call her Lina.
Lina was known across the land for a variety of reasons. She was a famous bandit hunter, magic slinger, world saver, and consumer of large dinners. With no fixed address, she wandered the world doing random quests and getting into surprising amounts of trouble. In recent times, her and her usual gang of cohorts managed to track down the first eight beings that ever lived, fill a couple prophecies along the way, and save the world from unending nightmares; all in the span of a few weeks.
That's just the sort of person Lina was, always active, always leading an exciting life. Randomly moving from situation to situation. She was like a monster reincarnation of some hero long gone; a girl on the move, just lucky enough to be totally confident.
And if you look fast enough, maybe you'll catch her as she moves on by.
THE END