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The large courtyard was silent. All the dragons and the humans that lived in the sanctuary were quiet as they waited for the Chief Elder to speak. Filia stood off to one side of the platform, content to just look sullen and foreboding. Luna Inverse sat in a chair beside her, her long bangs hiding her eyes and anything one might have seen in them. The General and Knight of Cepheed were usually present on such occasions, and both had long ceased to really care about what was going on.
This morning was different, though. Filia scanned the crowd for a face that was at once unfamiliar and familiar. She found it in the form of a human girl, standing at the edge of the crowd, as if she wanted an escape route if she ever needed escaping. The fiery red hair was hard to miss.
The General looked hard at the human that she had met only in her dream. The girl, Lina, looked up and their eyes met. Lina’s was surprised. They became more surprised as Filia looked away.
"Hey, Lina, what’s going on?" Gourry whispered.
"I don’t know. Don’t ask me." She whispered back. The Chief Elder began to speak. She instinctively tuned him out. It was all the same thing, the same thing that she had been hearing since she was a little kid. Things like Dragons are the keepers of peace and that Demons must be wiped out if there is to be any future at all. Personally, Lina didn’t understand what the big deal was. Well, Demons might be dangerous, but now? When all the powerful ones are sealed away and the minor ones are milling around getting slaughtered? It wasn’t even really a war against the Demons anymore, since the Demons aren’t really fighting back.
But of course, the dream is going to change all that. How, she was not sure. How was she supposed to revive the Dark Lord and his servants? And where is that man that was in her dream?
"Lina-san, you’re not listening again." Amelia whispered in her ear.
"I am too." She muttered under her breath. "Besides, you know how to recite his speech backwards and upside down too."
"True…" Amelia giggled.
If what the Lord of Nightmares said is true, then the world will end…Lina shook her head mentally. But to awaken the Dark Lord and his generals…
"I don’t know…" She replied softly to no one in particular. "The price of both are too high…"
"What did you say, Lina-san?"
"Nothing, Amelia, nothing."
"I can’t." She murmured. "I can’t start a war. I can’t participate in instigating one. I can’t go against Cepheed, my God."
"Can I sit here, Miss Sunshine?"
Filia looked up in surprise, "Wha-oh, it’s you."
Lina made a face as she set her tray, laden with enough food to feed a young dragon for a week, down by Filia’s cup of tea. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. What do you want?"
"What do you think I want?" Lina asked. Well, that’s what she meant to ask, but it came out rather distorted since she was stuffing her face. "We have to talk."
"About the dream? That is exactly that. It was only a dream. Not reality. Just a dream." The dragon said firmly.
Lina swallowed her current mouthful so she could have her mouth available for the debate. "You’re not going to just ignore the whole warning, are you?"
"Yes, I am. The whole dream was nothing but a figment of my imagination. I don’t believe the world is going to end at all."
"Dragons really are stubborn…" Lina muttered, stabbing a sausage ferociously. "What if it’s true? I mean, you’re a dragon, so you might not know, but it doesn’t seem right that the dragons are so…well, self-righteous all the time. How they want to be in charge of everything."
"Are you calling us control freaks?" Filia asked suspiciously. Lina winced.
"Er...no. Not you, maybe not the majority of dragons. But…"
"The answer is no and that’s that. I’m not going to go running off to ‘save the world’ as She put it." Filia stood up, almost angrily. "I will not-"
She stopped as the world spun crazily around her, things distorting and melting together and zooming in and out. A golden light slowly solidified until it became the form of a woman in full golden armor.
"Dragon, General of Cepheed. Do you refuse to see what is in front of you?"
"Who are you?"
"Where did my food go!?" Lina gasped, looking at where the table used to be.
"You’ll get your food soon, Human. As to who I am, I am Her servant. She has sent me to aid you in the quest. But I can see that we are already running into some problems." The golden woman said. As far as Lina could tell, she wasn’t the Lord of Nightmares, the voices were too different although the way they spoke was similar. This woman did seem more than human, or dragon or demon for that matter.
"That’s right." Filia replied. "I’m not going. I’m not reviving any Dark Lords, and I’m not going to do it, no matter what you say."
"A world that is consumed in Light is still a world that is destroyed. Why do you refuse to see that?"
"Do you know how many people this will kill? Do you know what turmoil and chaos and ravaging will ensue?! I’ve lived in war. I’ve lost many that were close to me. I never want to go through it again. Never." Filia snarled. "Now let me out of wherever here is and let me get back to my life."
"That’s an interesting argument that you’re making, Filia."
Her eyes narrowed. "Xelloss." She growled.
A dark shadow expanded and solidified. He smiled. "That’s me."
"Get out of here."
The Demon shook his head. "Now, now. I’m part of the debate team too. Don’t forget that."
Lina scratched her head. "Okay, if this is just an attempt to get Filia to join us in this crazy endeavor, can I gracefully back out and get back to breakfast?"
"Human, you are just as important as the Demon or the Dragon. Therefore you must participate in this discussion."
Conversationally, Xelloss turned to the woman in gold. "Hello, haven’t seen you in awhile."
"You haven’t seen anyone in awhile, Xelloss. What do you want?" The woman asked, looking slightly annoyed. Lina raised an eyebrow at the abrupt change in mood.
"You know her?" She asked Xelloss.
"You can say we’ve met. After all, she works for L-sama, and L-sama’s the mother of all, including Darkness."
Filia tapped her foot. "I’m still not convinced."
"Let me put it this way, Dragon. If you prevent the destruction of the world, then those hardships you mention will happen. That is true. But even if that happens, at least all the living creatures have a chance to live on and fight on for what they want. If the world is destroyed, everything becomes irrelevant. Nothing will matter, not war, not pain, not happiness, not despair. There will only be emptiness and the void of Chaos."
"No one gets a second chance, Filia. That’s what it boils down to." Xelloss said, serious for once. "You want to condemn everything in this world to destruction? Is that what you want?"
Lina crossed her arms. "Well, Filia?"
"I…" The Dragon looked hesitant. "I don’t know."
The woman sighed. "Then allow me to show you something. Lina Inverse and Xelloss Metallium, you two must see this also."
"Eh? What?"
Gracefully, she raised an arm. The world around them distorted once again.
"I think I’m getting a migraine…" Lina muttered, closing her eyes so she won’t have to look at all the clashing and swirling colors.
"They control the power of Chaos, Lina-san." Xelloss chuckled. "Making them stay constant would be asking too much."
"Do I know you?" He smiled. "No, you don’t. You might know of me, but even that’s highly unlikely. I’m Xelloss, Lina. Nice to meet you."
Lina’s brow furrowed. "Your name sounds familiar…"
"Don’t trouble your brain. Ask your sister sometime." Xelloss turned his attention to the new scenery. "I think we’re supposed to pay attention now."
Indeed, the scenery screamed for their attention. Lina gasped at the sight of the torn earth, at the dead littered everywhere, and at the rivers of blood that seemed to course through the golden sky.
"What is this?!" She whispered.
Most of the forms seemed to belong to Dragons and Humans, although there were a few Demons here and there. It was easy to see, because all traces of landscape had been flattened, leveled as if by a force greater than humans, dragons, demons or any gods.
Filia clutched at her head. This scene was too familiar…too familiar for comfort. Only Xelloss seemed unmoved by the sight. He glanced around, smile never wavering.
"Oh, Gods…" Filia murmured. "Oh, gods…." Just like the Golden Dragons. That was how she found her people, so long ago. Torn apart on a bloody battlefield. Blood everywhere…
"The creatures on this planet will destroy themselves if the balance is not restored. And even if they didn’t, L-sama will intervene when one race finally dies out."
"It's really interesting," Xelloss said off-handedly. "In trying to save the world, the Dragons actually furthered the Demons’ goal of ending the world."
"We can’t let this happen!" Lina cried. "We can’t! This isn’t how it’s supposed to end. This world wasn’t supposed to end yet."
"That is true." The woman nodded. "That is why there is one option before you. And that is also why the Dragon must make her decision."
"Filia?"
Filia was shaking, kneeling in the earth, staring at the red streaks in the sky. Like blood. Like the blood of her people. Like the blood of all that will die…
"I’ll do it." She finally said.
"Hey, sis?"
"What is it, Lina?"
"Do you know of…the Lord of Nightmares?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was just thinking, you know. About Good. About Evil. About Balance. Do you think too much good is bad?"
"That’s a good question, Lina. I think it probably would be bad. After all, there can be no light if there is no darkness. Without darkness, light fails to be light. The same thing works vice versa. What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Peace is well and good. But too much of anything, even a good thing, can be bad."
"Okay, sis…Another thing. Do you know someone named Xelloss?"
"…"
"Sis?"
"…Lina, promise me something."
"What?"
"Never speak that name when in the presence of any Dragon. Never. Do you understand me?"
"Why?"
"They hate him. They all hate him. Some of them hate him more than they hate the Dark Lord himself. He’s dangerous, in their eyes."
"Is he dangerous?"
"Are you his enemy?"
"Ur…"
"Be very careful when dealing with Demons, Lina. Very careful."
"Sis…"
"I’m not stupid, Lina-chan. Take care on your journey, okay?"
"All right."
"I hope you succeed."
A dark cloud obscured the full moon as a stealthy figure made her way to the lower levels of the Sanctuary. She did not notice another person following her.
"You’re late." Filia said, waiting for Lina by the barred door that led down to the deepest dungeons.
"Can I help it? I had to sneak past the guards." Lina retorted. "Well?"
"He’s down further. We have to get him out first."
"Him? As in Xelloss? He’s here?"
"He’s been here for awhile, Lina. The Dragons finally captured him about a hundred years ago, and he’s been here ever since, except for a few times when the Elders moved him for questioning." Filia somehow opened the door silently, and they began to head down.
"Did you ever find anything out?"
"No."
"Oh." Lina was feeling a little claustrophobic about the walls and the spiraling stairs that seemed to go on forever. "How are we supposed to go unseal those Demons?"
"That’s why we need Xelloss. The Dragons don’t know where the Demons are."
Lina stared at Filia’s back incredulously. "Wait a sec! You were the ones that sealed them, but you don’t know where they are?!"
The General continued her descent. "The Demons were sealed separately, by different dragon mages. Usually the Dragon mage sacrificed his or her life for the sealing, and the unsealed Demons hid the Dark Lord and his servants. The Demons couldn’t break the seals, obviously, because they have not done so yet. But our whole mission was to wipe out the Demon race, and if we had found the sealed Dark Lord, we would have destroyed him already."
"I see…" Lina nodded. "It’s a good thing the Dragons didn’t find them, then. Still, where does that leave us? Does Xelloss know where they are?"
"That is very possible, since we suspect he was the one that hid them in the first place." Filia finally stopped. "Here we are."
"Ah."
Suddenly, the Dragon stiffened and spun around. "Who’s there!?"
"What?" Lina asked, confused.
The giant war axe was shifted to her right hand. "I heard someone. Come out now!"
Lina strained her ears in the silence that ensued. "I don’t hear-"
"Kyaaa!!!"
"Wait, that voice-"
Filia swung the axe back, ready to chop the intruder in half. Or at least, that was what she intended to do. The powerful swing was hampered by Lina hanging off her arm and the whole speed and balance of her weapon was thrown off.
"Stop! Stop!"
Her axe clashed against something metallic. A sword.
"Stop it! That was Amelia’s voice! Stop!"
"Lina-san?"
"Lina?"
"Amelia? Gourry!? What are you guys doing here?"
"Would you kindly let go of my arm?"
"Oops."
The Dragon was not pleased. "I guess the whole ‘Let’s leave quietly’ plan is screwed." Grumpily, she chanted a Light spell. The white light illuminated the small, narrow hall they were in. Amelia was rubbing her bottom, obviously smarting from having fallen down the stairs, and Gourry was looking confused. "Who are these people, Lina?"
"Who do you think, Miss Kill First, Ask Later?" Lina snapped. "Those are my friends. You didn’t have to try to kill them."
"Excuse me-" Filia retorted.
The door that was at the end of the hall blew outward with tremendous force. Lina and company yelled and screamed as they were flung back violently.
"Geez, what does a guy have to do to get rescued?" A voice said with mild annoyance. Lina looked up, for somehow the Light spell didn’t dissipate in the explosion. A tall, slender man that she recognized as Xelloss was brushing hair out of his eyes. "Filia’s right, of course. There’s no possible way we can leave without the Dragon guards’ knowledge. Better go, I’ll meet you guys outside." And with that, he disappeared.
"WHAT?!" Filia half screeched. "How the HELL were we supposed to-Damn it." There were shouts from above. "Let’s get out of here."
"How?" Lina retorted. " We’re deep underground and there’s only one way up!"
"Grab my hand. I’ll teleport out of here." The sound of feet rushing, the clang of weapons coming down…
"But what about Gourry and Amelia?" Lina knew that if they were caught down here, with Xelloss gone and the wards destroyed…"We can’t just leave them here!"
"Lina-san? What’s going on?" Amelia asked frantically.
"We don’t have time! Just grab on!"
Lina grabbed Gourry’s hand. "Hold on to Amelia! Filia, get us out!" Already, she could hear the clang of the weapons. Too close…
A golden light filled the small space and Lina screamed as it filled her, with light and pain and it was tearing at her stop it it hurts….Then the jolt, then the white became black that slowly faded into nothingness.