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Author’s notes: FIVE! Gods, five parts to unseal Dynast and Dolphin ( 5 if this part is really the end of that.) *groan* ! I’m so tired…hehe, watch as my Xel/Filia bias get MORE apparent. Oh, yes, the plot IS going somewhere, I just have to figure out where. This is becoming more like an RPG by the minute…
"L-sama?"
Yes, Zira?
The Knight of Chaos stood at the shores of the Sea of Chaos. It rippled, setting everything around it aglow with golden light. "It’s almost time."
Yes, I have realized this.
"Do I have your permission, then?"
Do as you wish, Zira.
"Thank you."
Be strong. Teach her to be strong, like you.
"She’s strong already." The impassive woman replied. "Circumstances make us who we are. And she will have to face difficulties all throughout her life. I don’t think Lina is the type to just give up."
I hope not. The very fate of humanity might depend on her.
It was easy to guess where Sheela was. One could hear the metallic rapping as she tapped the blade of her Demon sword against the armrest of the throne. The General of Dynast had remodeled her Lord’s throne room, but Beldon couldn’t see what was different. He shook his head and continued down the hall. She didn’t give any orders as to what they’re supposed to do next, and he suspected, judging from the gleam of anticipation in her eyes when she spoke of it, that he would not get any orders, since she seemed determined to do this herself.
Sheela smiled as she heard him leave. The air inside the room was no warmer than the temperature outside, but she didn’t mind that. It reminded her of her first death, as a human. A little girl that froze to death so many winters ago, then was revived by the Lord of the North. Briefly, she frowned. That meant that she and Xelloss that much in common…she had heard from Dynast that he was also human before the Beastmaster made him her Priest-General. She didn’t want to have anything in common with him. That bastard.
The Seals that she placed on him have weakened, but not completely broken. She had no doubt that he knew that, but it was only a matter of time anyway. Nothing short of a Sealing from the Cepheed Knight or one of the Dragon Kings can hold him for long. The only good thing about even getting the chance to put that Seal on him was it that it will hopefully, weaken him as its power faded. That would make her job a little easier. Especially since there were still some mysteries that are unsolved….how could he cast a Dragon Slave when Ruby-Eye is Sealed? Come to think of it, how did he survive this long when Xellas had been Sealed? All of a servant’s power came from the master, and if that link was broken…
Sheela’s slight frown deepened as she switched tracks and tried to figure out what to do with the Dragon that he was traveling with. Given how much he hated Golden Dragons, obviously she was important in some way, otherwise Xelloss wouldn’t be wasting his time. But how is she important….? Unless…
The General smacked a hand against her forehead. "Of course! That must be it!" Xelloss was here to Unseal Dynast. But it was already proven that none of the Demons could break any Seal. So the Dragon must be here to break the Seal, and if that’s why she’s here, then she must be… "General of Cepheed." Sheela whispered to herself. "I thought he died in the war…" But since she’s here, that means that she is his successor. Xelloss…and the Dragon General…Sheela threw her head back and laughed. This will be very interesting indeed.
"Did you hear that?"
Yes.
Filia swallowed. "That sounded too close for comfort."
Yes.
"Stop saying yes!"
What do you want me to say? ‘Oh, my god we are all going to die let’s panic!’? He asked. Don’t be so skittish, Filia-chan.
"Okay. What do we do, then?" She snapped.
Why don’t you transform and stomp on them?
She snorted. "Right, and let Sheela know exactly where we are so she can send more Hounds after us? Great!"
The wolf gave her a semi-surprised look, then she heard him laughing. Great, you are not an idiot after all.
"What’s that supposed to mean?" She growled.
Nothing. He answered evasively. If we’re not going to fight them, we’d better hustle.
Filia huffed, crossing her arms. "I am sick and tired of running away from them. Can you tell how many there are?"
His voice sounded amused, to say the least. Not a lot. Five or six, I’d guess.
"Then we’ll fight them." She decided.
Who’s ‘ we’?
"Chicken?"
Calling names is childish, Filia-chan.
"If you’re afraid of them, I’ll just do it myself." She said firmly, glaring at the wolf beside her. "Any objections?"
Whatever you say, Filia-chan, as long as you don’t get yourself killed.
Filia cracked her knuckles as her ears picked up the sound of paws on the snow. "They’re coming." She murmured, taking a deep breath.
They melted out of the blue-black shadows of the trees. She counted seven in total as they circled. Hounds in every sense except for the malevolent intelligence in those eyes. The eyes that looked like the eyes of an insane human. Slinking and snarling, they slowly began to circle around her.
Quickly, Filia scanned the surroundings, making note of where her attackers are. Just as quickly, she snapped off a barrage of Flare Arrows, taking out three in the first barrage. One came spitting and snarling from the dust cloud, and she managed to detonate a fireball in its face before the jaws can tear off her face.
She allowed the recoil from the spell to send her back, rolling and coming to her feet again in a smooth motion. Three more left. Her senses humming with excitement and adrenaline, Filia faced off with the three Hounds that were left.
"Good job."
She didn’t bother turning around to face him as he clapped. Since he was talking, it was rather obvious that he had changed back. "Xelloss, either do something or stay out of my way." She replied as the Hounds separated and began circling. A planned attack from three sides.
"Must I?" Xelloss frowned a bit from his perch on the tree. "I suppose I really should." He mused as Filia continued to ignore him, busy engaging in vicious combat with the Hounds. He sighed at her stubbornness and decided to mind his own business for a while.
Filia whipped around in a half circle, barely avoiding the claws of one Hound that leapt at her. She felt a sharp sting on her cheek and warm, sticky blood trickling down her face as she let loose another Flare Arrow. Her sixth sense screamed danger and she spun around in time to see three more demonic canines run out of the trees and leap at her.
There was a muffled sound, then a transparent shockwave traveled through the air, passing her and only leaving a slight distortion in its wake. It slammed neatly into the three Hounds in the air, turning them into mincemeat with frightening efficiency. Filia hopped back a few steps to avoid being hit with the blood rain.
"Xelloss, what did you do that for?!" She growled. "I could have taken care of them!"
He grinned. "Gee, is that what I get for helping you?" Xelloss tsked and shook his finger at her. "Filia, they were not fighting fair when they sneaked up on you, and fighting dirty is my department." His smile widened a bit as he hopped off the tree. "From the looks of it, this is just the beginning. We’d better go unless you want to stay and say hi to their buddies when they show up."
Filia eyed the mangled mess on the snow. "Let’s go, then."
"Ya! I thought we’d never see the light of day again!" Lina cheered. Gourry smiled indulgently as Amelia chuckled. Deep Sea Dolphin waved from where she was standing, and Xellas waved back. It was slightly unnerving at first to see Dolphin stand on water, but she had quickly assured them that she had always been able to do that. Then again, they were subjected to Xellas’s Raywing bubble as they emerged from the Demon Sea and headed back toward Wolf Pack Island.
"I’m hungry." Gourry complained. "When are we eating lunch?"
Lina nodded in agreement and turned to Xellas, who sweatdropped. "Yeah! When? Hmm!?"
"When we get back." Xellas told them. "Which should be soon." She added when they gave her patented forlorn looks. Amelia sighed then shrugged.
"Well, that went pretty well." She said to herself. Then she remembered. "Xellas-san, what about Xelloss-san and Filia-san?"
"Almost forgot about those two!" Lina exclaimed. She shuddered. "I hope they didn’t kill each other yet."
"They didn’t." Xellas reassured her. "But they are going to take a little bit longer."
"Oh? Why?"
"There have been some…complications."
"And just how are we supposed to pull this off?" Luna asked calmly as she sat at the head of the Dragon Council. The Chief-Elder that she removed from the seat was not too happy, but in the presence of the Knight, he decided it was wiser not to argue.
"The Army is already mobilized, and I’m sure you’ve heard the reports of the flow of Demon Magic in the more remote areas of the North." He gritted. "We’ll just send the army over there to investigate."
Luna knew perfectly well who’s where, but she wasn’t about to tell the old fools. "And what happens if it was a mistake? Or worse, a decoy?" Her long bangs hid her eyes, but her face was stern. "Or an ambush? I have read the reports, and they seem to indicate that a large amount of dark power was released in the past few months. Who knows who’s loose right now? I can tell you, that even if the reports are true, if you send the Army over to the North Pole and they meet Dynast there, we’re not going to have much of an army left after he’s done."
"The Demons have lost much power since the war," an elder argued. "There is no way that one of them can take out so many of us."
The hard thump of Luna’s fist against the table silenced the room.
"Wrong." She said flatly. "That is one of the biggest mistakes that we can make right now." The Dragons looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and surprise. "How did we win the war? It wasn’t because there were more of us than them. No, we were evenly matched in every way. Our large numbers against their select but powerful few. Make no mistake, one of them can take out one of our armies." Luna straightened, fixing them all with an unseen stare from her hidden eyes.
"They lost because even though they had the power, they did not have the unity. The Dragons were one in their desire to win. The Demons were not. I’m sure all of you have heard of the turmoil in their ranks before and during the war, of all the backstabbing and lack of harmony. The Demons were fighting us, and they were fighting amongst themselves." She made sure that sank in before she continued. "Because of that disharmony, we faced five individual Demon Lords and only one piece of Shabranigdo. Because of that disharmony, none of us had to challenge the Mazoku Knight. In essence, we were lucky." The stern, unforgiving look was back on her face. "We will not be so lucky this time. Demons are anything but stupid, and they will not repeat past mistakes. That’s why we must be very, very careful now in order to prevent any blunders that will doom us all to destruction."
"We should strike now, while they’re still weak!" One Dragon protested. Luna leaned back in her chair, relaxed and calm once again.
"How do you know if they’re still weak?" She replied emotionlessly.
"How much longer, Xelloss?" Filia asked as she scanned the snow-covered landscape. They had left the forested area a while ago and now all she could see was mountains and mountains of snow. That made her feel very vulnerable, seeing as how there was no cover anywhere.
The Demon had reverted back to his human form again. She didn’t know whether to be relieved that she wasn’t hearing voices anymore or nervous at the extra audible conversation. She didn’t like being hunted at all.
"We’re getting close." He offered vaguely as a reply. She frowned, trying to squish her irritation at such an equivocal answer.
"An estimate would be nice." She prodded. "A year? A week? A day?"
He gave her that annoying smile again, that smile with the mixture of amusement and secrecy that always made her blood pressure rise. "That is a secret."
"I wish one of the Hounds would eat you." She muttered. Xelloss chuckled.
"I don’t taste very good." He replied, "I doubt they’d want to. You, on the other hand, would make a nice, tasty meal."
"Go to hell."
"And make Phibby mad? Now, would I do that?"
"Of course you would."
"If you say so, Filia-chan."
There was silence between them, once again. Then, "Hear that?"
Xelloss tilted his head. "The howling? Yes."
"Sounds like more of Sheela’s friends."
Xelloss hid his frown. There was something wrong with the auras of the Hounds heading their way…something that he couldn’t pinpoint.
"Here they come." Filia said resignedly. "I wish she’d quit doing this, it’s not accomplishing anything." A ball of fire gathered in her hand. "Burst Flare!"
"Filia, MOVE!"
She felt him slam into her, then they both tumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding the volley of spells that ripped through the air above them. Filia scrambled to her feet, cursing as the ground around them exploded.
"How can they cast spells!?" She yelled, summoning a shield in time to deflect another volley. It looked like they were facing a full pack now.
"Nicely done."
The quiet voice beside her ear made Luna jump. She was sure there was no one in this hallway.
"What, surprised to see me?"
The waitress/Knight of Cepheed spun on her heel and shouted in a low whisper "What the heck did you do that for Zira!?"
Zira raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"
"Scare me like that!"
The woman looked innocent. "I congratulated you, I didn’t scare you on purpose."
"Of course you didn’t." Luna muttered sarcastically. "Sometimes I think you’ve been talking to Xelloss too much."
"Oh, it shows?"
"Sheesh." Luna threw up her hands in despair. "Did you just come here to congratulate me on how badly I’ve misled the Dragons on Filia and Xelloss’s whereabouts or did you actually have something constructive to say?"
"Young people these days have no respect." Zira murmured with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Well, let’s just say I have some good news."
"Oh? Good?" Luna rubbed her eyes tiredly. "That’s a first. What is it?"
"Lina’s okay. She survived Unsealing Dolphin."
Luna heaved a sigh. "Thank Cepheed." She murmured.
"I doubt Cepheed had anything to do with it. You might want to thank Dolphin the next time you see her though."
Luna snorted. "Right. Like when I see her in the middle of the battlefield? I’ll be sure to thank her then." The waitress crossed her arms. "Any more news? Deep Sea Dolphin is out and about now?"
"Yes." Zira leaned against the wall in a nonchalant position. "You know, Luna. Now would be the time for the Dragons to act. Phibrizo is resealed. Garv refused to side with the Demons, and Dolphin is just out. Xellas is the only one who can do anything right now, but all that will change once Dynast is Unsealed…"
Luna laughed. "You’re suggesting that I tell the Dragon Elders to go hunt them down? Is that what you want me to do?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you’re planning something." Luna replied with a smile. "If the Demon Lord and the Dark Lord weren’t meant to be awakened, you never would have bothered to show up and make Filia and Lina do it. And now you’re suggesting that I undo all that Lina and the others have worked for? I don’t think you’re serious."
"I’m not." Zira answered. "I just want to make sure…"
"That I know what’s going on? That I know what’s in store for me?" Luna sighed again. "Yes. I know." There was silence. After a few more seconds, Luna finally asked. "And you, Zira? What’ll you be doing after all this?"
The Knight shrugged. "I don’t know."
Sheela hummed to herself. She tugged on her blue jacket, making sure there were no creases or wrinkles in the stiff fabric. Unsheathing her sword, she checked its balance once again. Then laughed at the absurdity of it all. She had the sword for all her life and it had never failed her.
Xelloss was staying in his human form now, and she recognized the challenge when she saw it. He knew that she could track him much more easily when in the form the Seal was on, so he wanted her to find him. That’s fine with her. Still, she was a little worried; Xelloss didn’t survive this long by being stupid…
"Sheela-sama?"
She turned to face Beldon. "Yes?"
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes." She answered.
"Any orders for me?"
Sheela thought for a second. She might need backup if things don’t go as planned. "I’m going out. Take Nova and follow me, about a mile out. I’ll summon you if I need any assistance."
Beldon nodded. "Yes, Sheela-sama."
"A little bit more…"
Filia winced as pain shot up her leg. The remains of the pack of Hounds lay around her, littering the snowy field. That was a direct result of the Megaiddo Flare she casted after one of the Hounds decided she really DID look tasty. She hissed as Xelloss pressed down on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
"That hurts, you know." She growled.
"Yes, I know." He retorted. He didn’t escape unscathed, but a few scratches were minor compared to the bleeding rip in her calf. "I’m trying to make it hurt less, if you don’t mind."
"It’s my leg, of course I mind." She snarled. "Will you just leave it alone? It’ll heal by itself."
Xelloss shook his finger in front of her nose again. "The hounds were using black magic. I think that will probably slow down your natural healing abilities."
"It bit me, Xelloss."
Xelloss snorted. "That it certainly did."
"There was no magic involved."
"Really?" He stepped back. "Have it your way."
Filia bit her lip as she got up, limping a few steps. "See?" She forced a smile. He frowned at her and she glared. "Don’t give me that look. I’m not going to slow us down, wherever we’re going."
"Right. Why don’t you cast a Recovery spell on that leg while you’re so far ahead, anyway?"
Well, she would have smacked herself for forgetting that, except that she wasn’t about to do it in front of him. "Took you long enough to figure that out," She muttered. Pure, white light gathered in her hands and she pressed it to the wound. "Recovery."
The white light solidified, then faded, leaving her leg healed. There was still a slight soreness, but she could ignore that for the time being. "Shall we go?"
"Lina?"
Xellas sweatdropped as she peeked into the room. Snores greeted her. "Um…I’ll come back later." She said to herself as she hastily pulled back, out into the hallway. "Oh, my…"
"Mother?"
Xellas smiled at her daughter. "Yes, Xelana?" The lavender haired little girl fell in step with the older woman.
"When is Xelloss-niichan coming back?" she asked in that serious way that children have.
"He’ll be back soon, Xelana. He’s on a very important mission right now."
"I miss him lots. Why does he have to go?"
"Because I needed him to, Xelana."
Xelana’s eyes couldn’t be seen, but she didn’t look too happy. "I wish I can help or something, like last time."
Xellas shook her head. "No. He has to do this without our help…Besides, you still need to recover from last time." Quickly, she changed the subject. "It’s been awhile, Xelana. Do you want to go hunting?"
Another one of those snow covered plains.
Filia was getting really tired of it.
Xelloss stopped and she looked around. Snow, and more snow. The only thing remotely unique about this place was the fact that it was a cliff, jutting over a river that still had liquid water. She could see miles from this vantage point.
The silence was oppressive…or it had been. Now it seemed almost comforting. Something to be taken for granted, like the cold and fatigue. She was beginning to think that maybe this wasn’t going to end after all.
"Here’s where we part ways, Filia."
She blinked. Then blinked again.
The wind was picking up, lowering the temperature and making her colder than she was. Maybe she didn’t hear him right. "What?" She finally said.
Xelloss turned to face her, eyes opened but smiling. "I said, we’re separating here."
"What?" She asked again, feeling stupid.
"You’re going to Unseal Dynast now. All you have to do it follow the river to its source, and go in the cave. Dynast should be waiting for you."
Filia blinked, then opened her mouth. "And what might you be doing during all that?" She asked, recovering from her temporary surprise. Xelloss’s smile didn’t waver.
"I’m going to deal with Sheela."
Silence, except for the wind, now ripping though the uncovered plains. A storm was coming, she could feel it in the icy air.
"By yourself? Against Sheela and maybe that human with the Nova?" She asked incredulously. "Are you nuts?"
"Do you think I can’t do it?" He replied curiously.
"I…" She wasn’t sure what to say. After all, they had come this far…together. And now she has to go on alone? "Well, can you?"
"I think so."
"You think?" Filia questioned. "This isn’t a game, Xelloss. What do I tell Lina if you get killed? You’re kind of important."
"Kind of?" He choked. "Gee, thanks."
"Well, no one else knows where Ruby Eyes is Sealed." She said. "So…" she trailed off, not really knowing what she wanted to say.
"What are you trying to say?" he said quizzically, eyes open. The wind was whipping around their cloaks and Filia wrapped her arms around herself. It was getting really cold. Again.
"I don’t think it’s a good idea." She finally said. "Lina did tell us to do this together. And even if you can handle Sheela…there’s still that Blessed Blade to deal with…"
Patiently, he shook his head. "You are the only one that can Unseal Dynast. I believe I mentioned this before, because you’re the Cepheed General. Since the Seal was created by your power, you should be able to break it."
"So? You can watch."
"And let Sheela stab you in the back? I don’t think so."
Frustrated, Filia stomped her foot. "I don’t have a clue as to how to do this. If I leave you here, there’s just the possibility that Sheela might…end up killing you." She held up a hand to silence Xelloss’s indignant protest. "There’s the possibility. And Dragons don’t leave their…" Filia hesitated. "…companions behind."
"No need to choke on the word, Filia." Xelloss said calmly. "Tell me, do you really give a damn about whether I live or die, or do you just want to live with a clean conscience? Because I can tell you, right now, that what you’re saying is that you don’t want me to stay here because you will feel guilty if anything happened. You don’t want to have anything on your conscience."
The dull roaring of the snowstorm intensified, but there were no words in the air. Filia looked at him with numb…shock? Surprise? Astonishment? He couldn’t really tell. He should be able to tell…unless she was as confused as he was. Why’d he say that, anyway?
Just to make her angry so she’ll leave. That’s all. I just want her out of here so she can Unseal Dynast. That’s all…
Isn’t it?
"Is…is that what you think? Is that how you think I am?" She finally said, very, very quietly. "Am I that type of person?" her voice rose in an effort to be heard over the wind. A sharp, stinging pain warned her to unclench her fists. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the icy, biting air. "You know what I think, Xelloss?" Filia concluded in a low voice, "I think you’re trying to piss me off."
Xelloss remained silent.
"You’re trying to make me angry enough to just stomp off. Well, it’s not working. I’m not falling for it."
"Filia, you have to go." There’s no more time left, he added mentally.
"I’m not moving." She said, chin raised and arms crossed in a stance he was familiar with. Except this time, he knew she really would refuse to listen.
"Please?"
"I don’t leave companions behind. I…I don’t leave my friends behind. So there."
He could feel Sheela’s aura approaching. There simply wasn’t enough time left to argue about this. "Would you stop being so pig-headed?!" Losing his patience, he shook her by her shoulders. "The fate of the world depends on this! You need to go to Dynast, now!"
"No!" She yelled, shrugging his hands off her shoulders. "I refuse! Screw the fate of the world, I’m not going to make the same mistake I did last time--"
He pulled her close roughly, his lips coming down over hers.
Her brain exploded in confusion.
WHAT THE HELL!?
…it’s warm…
WHAT IS HE DOING?!
…kind of nice…
WHEN I GET MY HANDS FREE I’M GOING TO-
…kiss him back?
-KILL HIM!!!!
His arms tightened even more and the kiss deepened. The confused babble in her brain silenced as it hit overload and shut down, instincts taking over. Silence.
Oh, gods, she’s so going to kill me, he thought. But it’ll be worth it.
Won’t it?
Filia wrapped her arms around his neck as the snow flurried around them. The darkened sky seemed to wrap a dim fog around the intertwined figures.
Breathless.
Xelloss pulled back, reluctantly. "Forgive me." He whispered.
Filia blinked, still dazed, then saw the white light in his hands. "You-" she gasped.
"Sleep."
He caught her as she crumpled bonelessly into his arms. "Good luck, Filia." He murmured as he summoned a Ray Wing bubble around her. If they both survive…He pushed away that thought and sent the Ray Wing on its way, carrying its precious cargo. With any luck, she’ll wake up once she reaches the cave…And Unseal Dynast.
In the mean time, Xelloss thought as he caught sight of a blue clad figure in the storm. I’ll have to deal with Sheela.
The restaurant was bustling with customers during the noon hour. Luna carefully balanced five plates on one arm as she navigated the crowded room smoothly. Setting down the customers’ orders, she took out her pencil and paper as she approached the next occupied table.
"No smoking." She said.
Xellas looked at her with watery eyes, pale gray smoke wafting up towards the ceiling from her cigarette. "Please???"
"No smoking." Luna restated. The Demon Lord sighed as she snuffed her cigarette. "What would you like today?"
"Luna, we need to talk."
The waitress gave the crowded room a look. "When I have time. Now, are you going to order?"
"Two bottles of your finest wine," Xellas sighed. Luna gave her a look, or at least, it seemed like a look. It was hard to tell when her eyes are covered so. "And I want to talk to you when things slow down."
"Gotcha." Luna nodded.
Ow.
First thing she was aware of was the cold, hard floor.
She opened her eyes, sitting up as she did so.
"What the…"
Filia froze as the memory of the past few minutes flew by inside her head. He-
"EW!" She yelled, wiping her lips and cursing. "How DARE he! Why, I ought to-" finding a lack of words to describe the horrible things she will do to him, she settled for wiping her mouth harder on her sleeve. Muttering a few choice oaths, she got up and for the first time, noticed her surroundings.
She was inside a cave, surrounded on all sides with semi-transparent ice. Icicles hung from the ceiling, some of them her height. The ice itself seemed to emit a soft, blue light that lit up the cave so that it was easy to see.
The Dragon General frowned, Xelloss and what he did shoved temporarily to the back of her mind. She took a few steps forward, and from there she could see the opening where she must have came in through, with that Ray Wing…And to the other side of the cave, there was another opening… Curious, she entered the darkened passage carefully, casting Lighting.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever. Filia proceeded cautiously. After all, if this really was the place where Dynast is Sealed, there’s no telling what might jump her. She felt slightly guilty now that she passed the initial burst of anger and indignation…after all, she was the one that insisted that Xelloss shouldn’t stay behind…but it was his fault! She comforted herself with that. He was the one that tricked her, so if anything happened…he deserved it.
Putting that aside, she concentrated on moving. The passage seemed to be heading down, but it obviously wasn’t anything shaped by human hands…it was more like something dug by a giant mole. Filia chuckled at the thought.
Soon, the passageway widened and led into a room. She sent the ball of light up to get an idea of just how big it was. The room itself was oval, also covered with icicles and sheets of ice. How typical.
But it was just that. A typical, ice covered cave. Filia walked around in it, trying to find another door or opening, to no avail. "How strange…"
She checked over the walls, peering, searching for some sort of mechanism to open a hidden passage. Once again, her efforts proved futile.
Maybe…she needs to blast something….
Common sense warned her against using magic. After all, she was in an enclosed space and she had no idea how strong the walls are. If she shot off random spells, she just might bring the roof down on her own head. But if she just used a small spell…
Quietly, she began to chant the words, casting a very, very small fireball.
The room suddenly flared with rainbow colors in reaction to her magic and Filia felt a huge distortion wrapping around her. The same feeling that she got when Xelloss teleported them out of the Dragon’s Sanctuary, being torn apart then put back together wrong, a horrible nauseating feeling…
As quickly as it came, it faded away, leaving Filia standing in the middle of the cave still. Yet she could tell it wasn’t the cave. It felt different, like something else, something…familiar.
Another dimension?
Must be it, she thought as she tensed, waiting. The sense of familiarity disturbed her to no end, as far as she knew, she’d never been here before. The room was shifting around her, slowly but surely…
Blue-green light shimmered and the ground trembled beneath her feet. It erupted, flinging her back as a giant pillar of ice burst from the earth and shot straight up, stopping once it reached the ceiling. Filia climbed to her feet immediately as the tremors subsided.
Inside the pillar of ice was a figure…A shadowy figure outlined in jagged edges, razor sharp spikes and black armor…
"Dynast." She breathed.
The light in the room intensified, lighting up the frozen Demon Lord. Dynast Grausheela, despite the armor, looked no older than Lina. The ice entombing him gave his face a bluish cast and he looked as if dead. Hard to believe that he was actually one of the most powerful Demon Lords…Filia shuddered, remembering Phillip and Phibrizo. Then again, appearance is not a good basis for judgment.
She was just about to take a step forward when specks of white light began swirling around her. It was like standing in a field of white fireflies, the pure glows flickering, and spinning. Faster and faster they flew, gathering about three feet in front of her. Slowly, they took form.
Golden armor…
Filia gasped.
Brown hair…
"No…" She whispered.
Sapphire eyes in a face lined with too much care.
The form solidified as the holy light faded away, making the figure as human as she was right now. Filia shook her head. This shouldn’t be possible…
He was dead. He should be dead.
"Fa…father?"