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Slayers Rebirth

Segment 7: The End

ina blinked a few times. She rubbed her eyes. She shook her head. Standard sorts of things one does when they don't believe their eyes and want a second opinion.

No matter how you stacked it, though, the smoking crater where Sailoon City once was remained. There were odd bits of twisted metal and scorched stone sticking out of the upturned earth, but no living things... even the forests and plains surrounding the city seemed barren, rough encampments torn down, any survivors missing, presumed dead.

"Where did Sailoon go?" Gourry asked, his brain refusing to answer the question.

"There... WAS a war going on," Zelgadis reminded them. Even he was having trouble grasping the situation, a rare event. "Presumably there would be a few.. losses?"

"Xelloss said there were some casualties, when I checked with him last.." Lina said, unable to move her eyes from the scene. "I guess he meant this--"

A rustle in the trees drew everybody's attention. The problem with situations like this is that life rarely pauses to let you inhale and sort out your standing in the world -- instead, it lobs every awkward and sudden problem it can at you. The figure pounced from the trees, a fireball charged in one hand, as it landed before them.

"I have you now!!" the woman yelled... and stopped. The fireball winked out. "Oh. It's You."

She had changed a bit since last check. First of all, she was actually wearing more armor that covered her flesh, as opposed to exposing it. There was also a bandolier of tiny shrunken demon heads running from shoulder to hip...

Something about her expression also was different. It was a bit less haughty. A bit less mocking. And a lot more mean.

"Naga?!" Lina gagged. "What are you doing here? What happened to Sailoon? Where's Amelia!? WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Naga counted off on a slender, gloved hand. "I'm hunting Mazoku, it was vaporized in one fell swoop, she ran away, and I think the previous three explain what's going on nicely. The real question is, where were YOU when we were busy being slaughtered?"

"I was... I was getting this key, see, and... um..." Lina started, gesturing weakly to Timmy, who had remained quiet through the whole discussion.

"Some job of saving the world you're doing," Naga scoffed. "At least I'm out here taking care of business, instead of traipsing around looking for artifacts or hiding behind some pathetic white magic... I'm not going to rest until every last Mazoku is dead!! I will avenge Sailoon! ...and what are you going to do?"

"Ah... I haven't decided yet," was Lina's reply, rubbing the back of her head.

"Fine," Naga said. "I don't need you as my sidekick on this quest. In fact, you'd only get in the way, so stay out of my way. Amelia and the rest of the lot are in the World of Dreams, at last check, feel free to run there and pull the blanket over your head. If you'll excuse me..."

Naga teleported away. It's amazing, the tricks you pick up when you're really determined.

"Boy, she's acting funny," Gourry understated. "I hope she's alright. Ne, Lina, where are we going to go now?"

"Uh.. we could, er..." Lina continued.

Gourry waited patiently.

"May I interject?" Zelgadis asked, careful around Lina. "Maaaybe we should go to the World of Dreams? If Amelia's there, and presumably everybody else, it'd be a good place to get updated on... what's been going on here, as it is."

"We're going back?" Timmy asked. "Awww..."

"It would be prudent, given the circumstances," Chi'Nai noted.

"Gotta agree," Lina said. "They're all alive. Everything's fine, right? So! I'll cast the spell. Everybody ready?"

"Yes?" Zelgadis asked, hypothetically.

"Good! Here we go!" Lina said quickly, and snapped off the spell, not bothering with any incantation or building of power. Zelgadis twitched. Was that level of odd mental concentration a good or bad thing?

It didn't LOOK like the world of dreams. In fact, it didn't look like they had moved an inch. Except, of course, for the city. Sailoon City.

"Oh, this is better," Gourry commented. "I guess they just moved it or something."

"A dream of Sailoon City?" Zelgadis wondered aloud. "Who could make something this huge in the World of Dreams?"

Lina looked immediately relieved. "This is a good sign, right? I mean, case considering. So... do we just walk in the main gate or what? How can we tell if anybody's home?"

"We should probably sneak in," Zelgadis said. "We don't know for certain who's there waiting for us, if anybody. If we--"

Thinking less than a moment, Lina ignored Zelgadis's concern and shot a magical flare into the sky, willing it into dream existence like a giant golden firework blast.

"...or we could be stupid and shout 'yoo-hoo' to the world," Zelgadis concluded, resting a hand on his sword hilt, just in case.

With a trumpeting fanfare, Xelloss snapped into focus before the group, bowing deeply.

"Hello, and welcome to Dream Sailoon!" he greeted. "Good to see you after all this time. Allow me to extend my--"

Lina kicked him in the head.

"BAKA!!" she shouted. "Why didn't you tell me what happened?! How am I supposed to be directing this stupid war from afar if you don't bother to let me know that headquarters got pulverized?"

This dispelled any worry in Zelgadis's mind. That was the Lina he remembered. He also took a step backwards, away from her, just in case she exploded or anything.

Xelloss mock-grovelled from the dream-dirt. "Oooh, forgive me, Lina-dono... it's just that we've had a tricky time relocating the survivors here, and I didn't really have time to properly meet you... rest assured, your loyal subordinate Xelloss has the situation well in hand!"

"Explain. Use detail. Give examples."

"Weeeeell, the summarized, many fine details skipped version.... mmm," Xelloss said, getting back to his feet. "Basically, Loathing backstabbed us by shattering our defenses, and the Mazoku teamed up with him to blow up Sailoon. I'm afraid he's quite dead. Fortunately, we got a lot of people out of the city in time, including the other winged, Dayvid, Amelia, and so on... and we have an approximately 75% complete dream of Sailoon City for the refugees to live in temporarily. Quite a few casualties and losses, but the situation could be far worse. Is this a satisfying description of current events, Lina?"

"Ah... yes, that's good," Lina agreed. "Sounds.. nasty. Er. Loathing's dead?"

"He died trying to save the city, mind you. Very noble way to go. Very painful way, too."

Gourry stepped up. "How's my Aunt doing?"

"Not well, but likely will be better now that you're here," Xelloss said, smiling. "In fact, why not take the evening off from your quest? I'd imagine things have become quite a shock. We've got all the comforts of an imagined home for you to rest up with. I know it's helping the Sailoon folk recover better than some refugee camp full of tents."

"Right. Rest. I could use a rest. Rest would... no, no, wait," Lina started, shaking her head. "We're not done the quest. We just got a key, there's still.... aha! I can't believe I had forgotten. Chi'Nai, where's the map-stone?"

"Here," Chi'Nai said, pulling the circular stone from her pack. Lina took it from her, careful not to touch any of the colored dots.

"Oooooh, pretty," Xelloss said appreciatively. "What's it do?"

"You just touch a dot and it shows you where the thingy is," Lina said. "Four more to go, four more to go... okay... how about this one--"

Zelgadis waited for Lina to fall into the vision-trance. It didn't happen. Lina depressed her thumb against the dot a few more times, just to make sure.

"I think you broke it," Xelloss pouted. "Awww. Darn."

"If it's not showing anything, that means that part has already been remove from its resting place," Chi'Nai decided to inform.

"Okay... okay. So someone took that," Lina said, trying to remain calm. "That's fine. Still have three more. That's a good number, three. Next, we have....... no, wait, that one's not doing anything either.... or that.... or th--"

Time froze for her, as her vision whipped over the Circle Sea, towards a great island of storms... and it stopped there, bouncing back like a rubber ball rather than showing where whatever it was was. Not particularly helpful.

"-at," Lina completed. "Okay. Um. So... according to this map, one thing's left and it's apparently stuck behind an impenetrable hurricane somewhere I don't recognize. The others were stolen by who knows--"

"The Knight of Shaburanigdo and the Knight of Ceipheed, unless my guess is off," Xelloss supplied.

Lina's left eye began to twitch. "Bi-big Sis has one of these things?"

"Mm-hmm!"

"So.. so then... so they're taken, and... and Sailoon's gone, and... oh, for crying out loud!" Lina shouted. "This stinks! We're following some trail of bread crumbs sixteen steps behind the bad guys. And what's more, because we ran off, Sailoon got blown up! People are dead!"

"That's not your fault," Zelgadis said.

"Of course it is! The leader is to blame when the war fails, right?" Lina pointed out, exasperated. "All of you guys were relying on me, so I tried to keep cool and play what got thrown at us, and look what happened! Do you know how frustrating it is to have no idea what's going to happen next? If--"

"Actually, sometimes the conditions in war are out of a leader's hands," Gourry said. "You acted on the tactical information provided, and made decisions based on facts at hand. Therefore, any actions taken were as good as they could get and there is no 'fault' to be given to the decision makers."

Lina paused. "Where do you come UP with this stuff?"

"I told you, Gabrievs are good at wars," Gourry said. "Look, I may be dense, but let me see if I've got this right... you're upset because you don't know stuff, right? So find out that stuff and then you'll know it."

"Oh, sure, what am I going to do?" Lina asked. "Just shout, 'Yoo hoo! Lord of Nightmares! What the hell are you plann.....'"

She froze, in mid-comical-shouting position.

"I think I'll go do just that," Lina said, quietly. She tossed the map stone back to Chi'Nai. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Take five, gang. We'll set out again tomorrow morning. For now, I've got an errand to run."

"Uh.. where're you going?" Gourry asked.

"To talk to the gal in charge," Lina commented. And without incantation or flashy effects, a glowing golden door opened in front of her. She stepped in without much fanfare, and it vanished behind her...

Like a funnel that shunts through the universes of Chaos, a pillar on which structures rest, the Lord of Nightmares exists in some aspect in all worlds. For Lina's world, she was a rolling lake of golden energy, beautiful and random...

Lina ignored the poetic aspects, and cleared her throat.

"Come on, I know you're here," Lina stated loudly. "You might as well show yourself. You've got some explaining to do!"

But back at the World of Dreams, more explaining was needed as well.

"My my, she does like the direct approach, doesn't she?" Xelloss asked, smiling amusedly.

"Where'd Lina go?" Gourry asked, concern rising like mercury.

"Oh, do be calm," Xelloss yawned. "She's just used Giga's Gate. And without the spell! Her power is increasing. Innnnteresting."

"Is she in any trouble?"

"No, of course not," Xelloss said. "Really, Gourry-kun, you worry too much. Now, seeing as how Lina could be awhile, how about if the rest of you come with me to the castle? You're probably rather spent, and Gourry, your aunt probably could use a visit... oh, and Chi'nai-chan, can I see that artifact?"

"What?"

"The stone," Xelloss said. "Let's make Lina's job a little easier and get Dayvid to locate this odd place where the final item resides, shall we? Chop chop, there's things to be done."

"I get the feeling we're not going to be doing any rest and recuperation today," Zelgadis said dryly.

"Look at it this way, Zel-kun," Xelloss said, humoring the chimera. "If we don't get these little tasks and quests done, everybody will get a nice, eternal chance to take a nap. Ne?"

Lina picked up pebbles on the shores of wild abandon and pitched them into the lake.

"Come out come out wherever you are!" she ordered. "I'm your chosen one, right? So why aren't you talking?! I'll stop this silly quest right now if you don't."

Of course it wouldn't be as easy as showing up and expecting the Lord to chat with you over tea, Lina thought. And given how rarely she bothered explaining anything...

"Okay.. then I'll explain a few things to you," Lina said. "Stop me when you've heard this one -- The Knights of Shaburanigdo, Ceipheed and the Lord of Nightmares are all on a quest. They're tracking down parts of 'The Most Important Thing In The World'. And what's more, according to Zelgadis, he claims these things are designed with one purpose in mind... to control you."

A ripple formed in the lake... which would be normal, except that Lina had stopped throwing things in. She raised an eyebrow. A reaction, then?

"He took a dip in some Water of Reflection and came up with that," Lina said. "Or did he see it earlier? He hasn't explained much, but I get the feeling... did you give him a vision a long time ago? A hint? You know, it'd be a LOT more efficient to just drop these hints on me instead. C'mon. Talk to me."

No reaction. Lina tried a different approach.

"We also met a friend of yours," Lina said. "He kept babbling about... order?"

A larger ripple formed.

"Yep, that's it. Order," Lina continued. "The natural enemy of Chaos. You're a force of Chaos, aren't you? And I'm your little embodiment of Chaos. I remember that from the last set of hoops you made me jump through. You're God. Why didn't you just destroy these things? Seems downright dangerous to leave them just lying around, waiting for someone smart to go and pick them all up."

Nothing. The water was unnaturally calm, like it was deliberately trying to be unreadable and restrained.

"My big sis and the Knight of Shaburanigdo have all the parts, you know," Lina said. "Looks like this groovy world of yours is going to end. Boom! So much for your hard work, and all us humans you seem to adore. That's what Chi'Nai prophesied. Don't you care? Don't you give a damn about us?"

I Do.

Lina stepped backwards in surprise. "You do, huh?"

Of Course I Care. These Are My Worlds. My Creations, My Projects, My Children. From The Nursery Of Dreams To The Waking World of Adolescence, I Have Used Every Resource I Could To Stop Order's Tamperings In My Worlds...

"So kick him out. You're God, aren't you? He's just some--"

He.. Is The Same As Me.

"The same?"

You Call Me God. Godhead Is Your Concept, Not Mine. It Is All... Just A Matter Of Where You Stand. He And I Are Of Equal Nature. But He Seeks To Prove That I Am Inferior, That Chaos Is Nothing Against Order. He Wants To Show I Can Be Contained And Where I Stand Can Be Moved. We Have Struggled Since Earlier Than Your Time Existed.

"So destroy this stuff," Lina suggested. She withdrew the silver key she was carrying. "Here's one thing. Just blow it to bits and we can all go--"

But the water recoiled away from Lina, tide flowing out.

Please Put It Away.

Lina quickly pocketed the key. "It can hurt you, can't it? Sorry... should've thought. So what'll you do, huh? You want me to go defeat the other Knights, right? Stop them from hurting you and hurting this world."

Yes... I Do.

"And then what? What should I do with this stuff? If I leave it lying around, someone'll just pick it up again, but if YOU can't destroy it, I definitely can't."

I Have Prepared. I Have Done Things. I Have Done What I Can.

"Yeah, what? You haven't done anything I can see!"

Watch.

The chamber darkened, until Lina's eyes adjusted to... darkness. Just pure void. For a moment, she considered panicking; but the ground under her feet was still there, if unseen. It was just a light show.

A tiny, tiny, tiny dot of golden light appeared, hovering over the surface of a dark lake. Lina watched it reshape itself, trying to decide the best volume, the best mass... shifting up and down to measure height... before it was released.

The dot fell a very short distance, and impacted on the water. Golden ripples, minuscule waves spread out from the epicenter... and grew larger and larger with distance, quickly becoming sweeping changes and tidal waves. Similar dots, so infitesmal in power but not so in intent, fell; just a couple of brief points of light, reverberating waves in the water off of each other, adding up to a larger pattern...

The lake shone golden once more, the demonstration over.

Like A Butterfly's Wings In The Air, My Storms Are Planned Yet Unplanned. the Lord explained. I Can Drop Hints and Small Changes. That Is How I Am, That Is What I Do...

"You're.. you never instructed me," Lina realized, as her eyes adjusted. "Whenever you told me anything, it was short and directive... but you never walked me through anything. I just had to figure it out as I went, sometimes accidentally doing it the right way..."

A Tiny Push, To Start A Larger Process. Yes. A Fleeting Thought, A Random Passing Notion, To Break A Mirror, To Start A Journey. A Small Wind, To Knock A Book Into Your Pack, To Start Down A Path Of Prophecy. Vision In The Mind Of A Chimera, To Illustrate, To Hint Of Solutions. A Minute Shift In The Winds, To Blow A Mazoku And A Dragon Your Way, To Set The Stage Of War. A Passing Fancy, A Moment of Defiance, An Encouragement To Declare Defiance To Both Of Them...

Lina's eyes widened. They opened, in a lot of respects.

"All of that?" she asked. "Everything? Just to bring me here?"

To Bring My Chosen Savior To The End. Yes. Not A Dragon Of Order Or A Mazoku Of Nothingness-Order, But You. At Any Moment, It Could Have Crumbled, Random Chance In The Winds Of Chaos. But You Have Done Well. It Has All Been Well.

"Then tell me," Lina asked. "Tell me what I have to do. I'll go to get the final part of Order's trap, and.. stand up to Big Sis. But what then? I keep hearing people say the world has to end, but does it? What's really going to happen?"

The Lord of Nightmares remained silent.

"...you don't know, do you," Lina realized, drooping slightly from the knowledge.

I Know, the Lord said. I Know Some. Not All. But I Cannot Tell You Even The Some. You Know Why. It Would Nullify Your Natural Talent Of Riding Chaos. It Would Order You.

The sorceress took in a deep breath, thinking unfolding in her mind. Okay, she thought, so she couldn't predict the future. She never could before, why start now? But there was still the one, critical question. Without it, none of this really mattered.

Lina asked, "CAN I do anything about this?"

And the Lord responded, Yes.

"Alright...." Lina agreed. Something of a smile spread across her face. "Alright, then. If that's all I can know, then that's all I can know. I'm ready."

You Will Aid The World?

"Of course!" Lina said. "After all, I'm Lina Inverse. That's what I do, isn't it? I've got the knack. But for now, I need some dinner."

Walking a little bit taller, Lina re-opened Giga's Gate, and stepped out.

he turtle moves.

"How long is this going to take?" Zelgadis asked, reaching out to nudge the little reptile onward.

Dayvid grabbed Zel's wrist before he touched it. "Don't disturb it! It needs to make very precise calculations. Otherwise, it won't read the stone's programmed vision correctly and will lead us to the wrong part of--"

"Okay, okay, I get the point," Zelgadis said, sitting back. "But we've been staring at this stupid thing for the better part of an hour now. When's it going to get where it's going?"

"You are very impatient," Chi'Nai observed. "You should simply sit and wait. No other actions will make the machine work faster."

The chimera kept his silence, studying the thing in irritation. Dayvid had explained how the thing worked... some odd mix of dreamstuff, with Xelloss doing the forging, and Dayvid's science to guide it. He had the map-stone hooked up to an Apparatus (the boy did specialize in making them), piping the vision into the turtle over and over. The turtle would 'resonate', whatever that meant, and would feel unbalanced in the direction of the vision's pull, etc., etc... and somehow, it'd stop with the little pen pointing to the right spot on the map it was crawling over.

The others had more important things to do. Gourry had gone to visit his aunt, Lina had gone off to visit her god, and Amelia was helping Timmy get settled in. Naga was presumably still in the waking world, hunting Mazoku. Xelloss had run off on his usual enigmatic little errands. All that was left of the posse were himself, Chi'Nai and Dayvid... and all they had to do at the moment was this.

Zel considered wandering around Sailoon, but A) he wanted to be close to the action, and B)... it wasn't Sailoon.

He recognized all the buildings and streets, and the details were there.. but not all of them. A loose cobblestone that he had for some reason remembered sticking out in the middle of Main Street was repaired. A building wasn't really the same shade of white he had remembered it to be. Buildings themselves felt.. wrong. Too large, too small, too clean, too dirty. It wasn't bad, exactly, just different in creepy ways for someone used to the city at large.

Since no real conversation was going on, he decided to dig further.

"So how'd you rebuild the city?" he asked.

"Oh... that was the winged's idea," Davyid said. "This is how they made things. Back when they lived here, I mean, before our world existed. They just took every memory of the city the survivors had, mixed them together and made a dream-city based on it."

"It's not the same, though."

"Nobody remembers things the same way," Davyid said. "Whenever two minds conflict over how they see something, or if only one person remembers it, there's bound to be some differences to reality."

"It is still an amazing feat," Chi'Nai said. "I don't think chimeras could accomplish the same task, even with these resources."

"Eh? Why?"

"They suck at dreaming," Zelgadis said casually. "They're not human anymore."

The boy didn't quite get it, but shrugged, and let it go. "Anyway... you know... we've been theorizing. I know some people are saying the world's going to end -- although I don't quite see how given that the war isn't much of a war -- but if we tried, we could pull a LOT of people into the World of Dreams and just live here forever. I mean, it'd be hard work, but we've got an evacuation plan ready."

"It's better to be safe than sorry," Zelgadis agreed. "Lina'll probably know more about that world ending thing after her talk with the Lord of Nightmares, anyway. You can make extra preparations based on--"

"Sounds good."

Zel turned to look at the door to Dayvid's laboratory, and the sorceress framed in it.

"Better to be safe than sorry, right?" Lina repeated. "Especially given what I've found out. Call a staff meeting, guys, we need everybody in on this."

The scene looked familiar.

The Great Hall of Sailoon Palace remained quite identical to its destroyed counterpart, thanks to the combined memories and dreams of hundreds of servants. But the real deja vu, in Lina's opinion, was the way everybody was staring at her. Waiting for her to command the troops.

This was really the first time they had all been together since setting off on this madcap quest. Going clockwise around the table, Lina mentally counted off: Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Chi'Nai, Xelloss, Dayvid, Love, Myth, Paradox, Reason, Luck, Drama. Twenty four eyes in all.

Lina cleared her throat. "I suppose you're all wondering why I've called you here."

"No, not really," Xelloss chirped.

"Oh. Well... okay, then, let's get right to business," Lina said. "I'm happy to report that the Lord of Nightmares has given me basically nothing to report. She's relying on us wacky humans to just sort of figure it out and act as we go along."

"We're doomed," Zelgadis doomed.

"Actually, according to her, that's what I'm.. what we're best at," Lina responded. "So, here's what's gonna happen. We'll go to the place where that last thing is and take it and then proceed to step two!"

Gourry raised his hand politely, like he was in math class.

"Yes, Gourry?"

"What's step two?" he asked.

"There is no step two yet. We'll burn that bridge when we come to it," Lina said. "Any questions?"

"What's step ONE?" Zelgadis asked. "In more detail. Please."

"I think I can help with that.." Dayvid said, pulling some handwritten notes and papers from his Pocket Organizer (a strange invention he made that crumples all your papers up into a tightly packed wedge with some kind of key-based indexing, unless of course it loses track of them.) He uncrumpled the papers, picked the right one, and tapped it. "This is where we're going, according to my navigational makes-math-go-faster. Chaos Island."

"It'd HAVE to be named that, wouldn't it?" Zelgadis said dryly.

"Remember, kids, chaos is our friend," Lina cheered. "So! We'll just take the Sub Ways, and--"

Reason cut in. "The Way Station to that island has been disconnected for generations. All links to it collapsed days after they were built, and the creators of the Ways refused to rebuild them."

"...and according to the research I did with some sailors in town," Dayvid continued, "The island is surrounded by a stable hurricane that never goes away. Any ship approaching is usually destroyed in the winds. In fact, that's the way it always has been. I don't think anybody's ever set foot on that island."

"Hmm. Setback," Lina admitted. "Okay. I'll fly out there and figure out what to do when I get there."

Paradox jumped in. "Fly over the ocean? Are you out of your mind? Even with magic and with our.. your wings, it's ridiculously far!"

Lina shook her head. "My memory's not the best, but... anybody got a Way Station map?"

Dayvid looked up from the dozens of little wads of paper that were popping out of his organizer, and picked one seemingly at random, rolling it to Lina. She uncrumpled it, and studied the diagram.

"Okay... I can take a Way Station to Algeriya. That's a mini-continent right next to the island. I cross that, then it's a short hop across a sea inlet and through the storm and BAM! I'm there. Seems reasonable. Eh, Reason?"

"No," Reason said.

That gave Lina Pause. "No?"

"What... um. I think what Reason means to say is that you can't go," Gourry said, speaking up without raising his hand. "Not alone. We've got to come with you."

Lina groaned. "Guys! This is my fight. I doubt you could do much, anyway. The Lord of Nightmares picked me to handle this, and--"

"What, and pass up such obvious entertainment?" Xelloss put in. "Oh, I wouldn't miss the end of the world for the world!"

"Hey! Don't make me cash in that promise, buster!"

"What prom... ah! I remember," Xelloss said, recalling.

"Exactly. You promised you'd leave if I asked you to," Lina said. "It was the only thing you could do to get me to trust you. It might've been months ago, but it still holds."

"Oh, fine. If you're going to be a spoilsport about it, I'll stay here in the World of Dreams," Xelloss grumped, giving in easily.

Zelgadis coughed lightly, and spoke. "I didn't make any stupid promises like that," he said. "I'm coming whether you want me to or not."

"Me too!!!" Amelia squealed, hurting many ears. "I mean, whenever you run off to fight somebody big, all your friends are with you! That's just how it is."

"Father would want me to ensure that our relic was used appropriately," Chi'Nai rationalized.

"Actually," Reason said, "My original objection is because Algeriya was vaporized a week ago, and the Way Station along with it. But I suppose this other reason is valid."

Lina.. stared at her for a moment, before shaking it off and addressing the group at large.

"Look, I know you all want to do the dramatic thing and stick around for the Battle Royale with Cheese, but let's be serious here," she insisted. "You don't HAVE to put yourselves in absolutely obvious danger. I mean... you guys would be safer up here, where no matter what goes boom, you won't go boom too..."

The looks in those twenty four eyes were solid. Lina glanced to Gourry, who had the hardest look of determination she could ever remember seeing in those two globs of glazed putty that were his eyes.

"...and I take it you don't care about any of that?"

"Not really, no," Zelgadis said. "Since when did we let you go do anything alone?"

Amelia remembered. "What about the time Lina had to go into the World of Dreams to face Nightmare, and--"

"BESIDES that," Zelgadis said. "The Lord of Nightmares told us not to go that time. Did L-sama say the same thing today, Lina?"

"Um... no."

"Okay, then. Issue resolved," Zel said. "Actually, we resolved it before you got here, Lina. Gourry, Amelia, Chi'Nai, Dayvid and I are all coming with you. It was just a matter of letting you know."

"Oh, good to know my command is being taken seriously," Lina sarcasmed.

Myth spoke up. "The winged are going to stay behind in the World of Dreams. That way, we can pull people in if everything starts going wrong."

"Besides," Zelgadis added, "Dayvid here's got a better means of transportation than any silly pair of wings..."

The S.S. Guppy, the world's most heavily modified leaky little battered wooden boat, rocketed across the ocean at a incalculable speeds. The last time he had tried to lower some knots in the water to check their rate of velocity, the rope tore in half from the drag. The thing was moving so fast that Lina's vomit spewed over the side in a technicolor dream which stretched for double digit amounts of feet before it even reached the water, a fact that didn't comfort her in the slightest.

Still a bit green, she hauled her torso back over the railing and into safety. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was fall into the ocean.

"I should have flown," Lina mumbled to herself, keeping a firm hand over her stomach. "I should have flown. I should have flown..."

"I'm the queen of the world! WOOOO!" Amelia called, from the crow's nest high above, waving her arms in the wind. "Lina-san! Isn't this new thing Dayvid made fun?"

"Fun. Yes, that's a word you could call it, if you had no common sense," Lina muttered. She switched volumes and called back up. "The hell does he call this thing again?!"

"The Makes-Boats-Go-Really-Really-Fast Engine!" she called out, flinging herself out of the crow's nest and to a water grav-- no, actually, she grabbed the rope ladder and scaled down the mast, to join Lina. "He says it uses this funny spinny thing in the water that goes so fast the boat actually skims over the surface, which is why he put that big fin thing in the back to spoil it!"

"What, like milk?"

"Umm.. I dunno. But BOY, is it fast!"

"If you don't mind, I think I'll go to my cabin now, pull the pillow over my head and pray to suffocate peacefully," Lina said, lurching along the slightly bouncing deck of the ship. "Wake me when we get there."

"But we won't get there until tomorrow," Amelia said. "You can't stay in your cabin until then!"

"Name six good reasons why."

"Uhh... uh... one! I'm throwing a party tonight!" she said. "A big celebration, now that we're all together and on a quest again! We--"

"A celebration?" Lina asked. "Since when is being on a quest a GOOD thing?"

"Well.. of course it is!" Amelia declared. "A quest is a journey against hardships to prove that goodness can overcome any obstacle! With our proud spirits burning bright, we will win!"

"A quest is a series of irritating tasks that lead to a really large, painful fight and a letdown of a reward," Lina countered.

"Gosh, it's a wonder you're so good at them with that attitude," Amelia said, amazed (but in an impressed sort of way). "I guess you just have natural talent!"

"Yeah... I guess I do, at that," Lina had to admit. After all, God told her so, and that usually was a good indicator. "But a party?"

"So we can all have fun and be friends and catch up on old times!" Amelia nodded so hard that her head almost came off. "After all, we've been separated for awhile!"

Lina's will wobbled a little.. but she shook her head, with a sigh. "I'm just not up to it... I'd prefer to go to bed and be woken around the time the world ends, if you...... oh, god. Not that!"

Yes -- Amelia was giving her sorceress pal the infamous 'Sailoon Royalty Kicked Puppy' look. Huge, watery eyes, cute little balled up fists under her chin, humble posture... if it was possible to radiate hurt needing, Amelia was giving off at least sixty thousand rads of it.

And the voice... "But.. but I just wanted to do something nice for everybody, and--"

"Okay! Okay!" Lina agreed, before that went into dangerous, cavity inducing areas. "Groovy. Let's party. Wahoo."

"WAHOOO!!" Lina shouted, downing the last of the sake bottle. She tipped it over upside down, shaking it just in case there was anything hiding up there, then tossed it aside. "Gimmie annudder!"

This time, Amelia was the worried one. "Anoooo... don't think you should have--"

"More!" Lina demanded. "Or I won't shave the world."

"What, is it hairy?" Gourry asked, not quite following the slurring.

The party was loud; the party was disjointed. Dayvid had brought along a karaoke machine, which had become a near permanent fixture in Amelia's life to date, but it had gotten stuck in PLAYBACK mode and was continually pumping cheesily sweet pop music into the ship's galley. After awhile, all ears had filtered it out, but it did mean you had to shout a lot to be heard. Fortunately for the group, the nearest police station was hundreds of miles away, and nobody would be knocking and issuing a complaint from the neighbors.

Off in the corner, the chimeras were busy having their usual debate of the hour.

"I never said her dancing on the table and yelling was a GOOD thing, just a normal thing," Zelgadis said. "That's how humans react to alcohol. It amplifies feelings, like feeling good, in this case."

"Another reason to lack emotional responses," Chi'Nai counterpointed. "That way, alcohol does not affect you so drastically, aside from ordinary dehydration."

"Okay, I'll concede that it'd help when drunk. But how often is someone drunk compared to sober?" Zel asked. "Why ditch it all just so you can tank up?... god. WHY am I arguing this?"

"My argument is too logical to continue such a protest."

"No, not that," Zelgadis said. "Look... I don't like emotions much either. The few times I really caved to them, stuff went bad. In a big way. One time, I got totally angry at what I thought someone had done to Lina that I didn't notice an obvious trap until I was caught... I mean, if I could have stayed as cool as you do, it wouldn't have happened."

Chi'Nai had to give pause. "Then why ARE you arguing it?"

"Because... because! I don't know. Because you're arguing against it, maybe," Zel guessed, dismissively. "I'm supposed to be helping you and your whole race recover from this state, you know. I promised your dad."

"It can't be done," Chi'Nai stated, hard fact as hard as her skin. "At least I have mastered living without them, unlike my father."

A germ of an idea festered in Zel's head. "Prove it, then."

"Prove it?"

"Get drunk," he suggested. "Right here, right now. It holds a magnifying glass up to your feelings, right? If you don't change in the slightest, if you don't go nuts, I'll believe you. But if you've got even a shred of something in there, it'll show. Makes logical sense.... doesn't it?"

The chimera girl hesitated. "That.. would be juvenile. At best."

"Chicken," Zel accused, smiling all the way. Now he was starting to enjoy this. True, it WAS juvenile, but... somehow, he was getting a kick out of psychologically fencing with the girl.

"You will not goad me," she defended.

"And you're just afraid you could be wrong. Then you'd have to face the fact that you DO have some emotions. Boy, that'd shake your world, wouldn't it?"

"...I will prove you wrong. Get a bottle," Chi'Nai agreed. "Then perhaps you will learn how silly this is."

Lina was already dead asleep by the time Chi'Nai had gotten to her fifth bottle.

"I'd better get her to a bed to rest," Gourry said before departing with her. "I mean, otherwise, she'll be in terrible shape to save the world tomorrow."

Amelia and Dayvid retired next, both a little bit drunk as well.

Even after the others had exited, Chi'Nai was still going. Zelgadis watched, curiously; the two hadn't talked very much during the process, not trying to tip the hand to each other, other than the occasional taunt. The only sound was the occasional clink of a bottle, and that karaoke machine, which still hadn't run out of the compressed air that kept it playing.

"I'll... have you know," Chi'Nai said, wheezing slightly, "That I am experiencing many ill.. illll... negative effects of alcohol by this point. My motor control is not very......... fast."

"I can tell," Zelgadis said. "Feeling emotional yet?"

"Of course not," Chi'Nai said. "You should just admit failure. More drink won't change anything... won't.. no, it won't change anything. You and father are wrong. I'm sick of fighting about it."

"Sick?"

"We could discuss anything else. Weather, literature, sports, poetry, intellectual pursuits.. but no, every time you're always goading me about THAT!" Chi'Nai said, an edge sliding into her tone. "You're very, very--"

"Irritating?" Zelgadis offered.

"Repetitive," Chi'Nai adjusted. "I don't need feelings. And I don't need to explain why I don't need feelings to you, of all people. I don't like you or how you make me fe.. act. And that's a fact. So....."

She got up unsteadily, setting the empty bottle she held aside, took three places, picked up the karaoke machine, tore it in half and dropped it and jumped on the bits until it stopped playing the music that had been quietly driving her up a wall throughout the whole experiment and went to bed.

Then only Zelgadis remained, utterly speechless. The mangled remains of the music box gave off a few yellow sparks, and collapsed once more.

He was tempted to say some metaphor aloud like 'Looks like I cracked her stone' or 'Perhaps there's gold beneath the rock' but just went to bed as well, shaking his head. That is what he had done, however; she had admitted the truth, whether she accepted it or not. But what did she mean, how HE made her feel?

With luck, Zelgadis thought, he could fill her father's wish somewhere in the course of this impending endgame disaster. Then maybe he'd understand.

orning arose over the Circle Sea like the finest drops of golden purity across spotless plains of blue. The clouds were puffy and white, as if to say, 'Good Morning!' No, there wasn't a care in the world.

Lina crawled pitifully from her room to the main deck, feeling every bump and shudder that ran through the ship's high speed engines amplified to a power of seventy eight. Her bloodshots were eyes, rather than the other way around, and she was very much considering emptying everything she had in her stomach over the rail, but that would mean getting up off the nice, flat ground.

"Ugh," she offered, shaking her fist weakly at the world at large.

A door from below decks SLAMMED open, and Amelia jumped out, dressed in her formal royal dress. "HIEEE! Okay! I'm all set to represent the honorable royal line of Sailoon in this, the final battle to--"

Lina regained enough energy to grab Amelia and throttle her gently.

"NOT... SO... LOUD," she requested, then dropped the princess. "I feel dead. Ughh.."

Amelia looked up in slight fear. "Ah.. I think you had too much to drink, Lina-san," she said quietly. "I know! I'll cast Dicleary, and remove--"

The ship lurched, once. Lina turned green.

"A... ano? What was that?" Amelia asked, looking around... as the cloud above stopped being puffy, smiley, happy little clouds and rapidly started getting gray and nasty and evil looking. She climbed up to that deck that's a little bit up at the front of the ship which Dayvid had never named (when you're a crew of one, there's no need to use quickly shouted nautical terms) and looked...

Lina started to get to her feet when Amelia's scream pierced her brain.

"AAAAAAA!!!!" Amelia shrieked. "There's a hurricane up ahead! I've got to go get Dayvid!"

She ran right by Lina, as Lina was climbing up the steps to the deck to see what the fuss was about... and the sight made her stop dead in her tracks.

The Island of Chaos is, as Dayvid had explained the earlier day, surrounded by a constant whirling storm. A blanket of clouds prevented sailors from getting close, much less seeing what could be on the island, and any ships that tried to approach were usually shattered into tiny little bits. Of course, that's skimming over the details. Lina experienced the look of that storm first hand, how it had one message painted all over it to any being with self preservation : If you can read this, you are too close.

The others were on deck quickly, Gourry, Dayvid, Chi'Nai and Zelgadis. Lina tore her eyes away from the storm, and looked at them.

"I think my hangover just went away," she said. "Don't bother with the coffee. Dayvid? Could we, say, slow down now? We're still moving at Incredible Speed."

"I... think I miscalculated," Dayvid admitted. "I thought we wouldn't reach the island until afternoon, giving us ample time to slow down. Er. Sorry."

"How long will it take...?" Lina asked, knowing the answer already.

"Just a few hours," Dayvid said. "I could... try to steer away and slingshot around, but then we'd probably just get sucked in..."

The group fell silent.

"WELL!?" Lina shouted. "I'm open to suggestions, people! C'mon!"

"Water magic could get us through, with enough control," Zelgadis said cooly. "Of course, it's a Shamanistic practice, not white or black. I don't think you and Amelia plus me would be enough. Sorry."

"Why don't we just slow down?" Gourry asked.

"Keep up, Gourry," Lina snapped. She turned to look at the island to confirm that Yes, it was coming up faster than she expected and Yes, they were all going to die. "Okay. So. Ah. Um.. we--"

Her breasts vibrated.

Now, admittedly there wasn't much there to shake, and under any other circumstances the above statement would seem very weird. But Lina peeked into her shirt, to where she had tucked the Key of Order on a makeshift necklace, and pulled it out... the silver key was shaking, tugging on the string, pulling itself towards the approaching island...

A germ of an idea formed.

"Rope! We need rope!" Lina said. "We'll tie the key to... to... dammit, Dayvid, what's the pointy stick thing that pokes forward on the boat called?!"

"'The front of the boat'?" Dayvid guessed.

"What kind of a sailor are you?-- nevermind! We have to get this thing attached to the very front of the boat. It'll part the clouds, and we'll sail right though that thing!"

"That's nuts," Zelgadis said. "What makes you think it'll happen? We don't know anything about how the key works."

"Key, silver, Order," Lina commented. She pointed to the storm. "Storm, gold, Chaos. It's symbolism, look it up. Order controls Chaos, so we'll let the key slice through that mess! It's PERFECT!"

"The clouds are not gold," Chi'Nai said.

Lina grabbed a length of rope from Amelia, who had fetched it from wherever they store rope on a boat. "Details, details!" she shouted, stringing the cord through the handle of the key. She ran up decks, and climbed out on the mast, trying to ignore the choppy sea foam hurling around her and the frantic shouts of her friends (notably Gourry) because this was just one of those things where if you look BACK, you'll realize it's insane and probably will die so she pressed on, lashing the key to the Front Of The Boat, and--

The effect was instantaneous. The key flared with silver light, tight mathematical coils of power trailing behind it as the storm parted for them, sailing now through water as calm as a sea of glass. The heaving of the boat gave way to a near parallel run right over the ocean, still moving at high velocity, perhaps even accelerating with more consistent friction.

Lina pulled herself back to the boat, and stood up. "See?!" she yelled. "Of course it works! I have a knack for these things!"

"We're about to crash," Zelgadis said, casually pointing to the shore, which was approaching.

"What?" Lina asked, turning to look, before finding herself flying through the air.

Of course, Lina was no stranger to flight, as she had done quite a bit of it in her day. Usually it was with the handy Raywing spell, although lately she had been using those wings of hers to glide more easily through the air... like she was now, but with no wings. And with the ground about to make very close friends with her...

The wings snapped open instantly, sunlight playing off them as she swooped low, skimming the ground and pulling vertical. The drag slowed her down, and she fluttered a few times, hovering, before landing gracefully.

All around her was a lush island, of grassy plains and forests.. a perfectly blue sky. Surrounded by walls as dense and white as snow, with lightning crackling from wall to wall overhead, but otherwise a nice day.

The others arrived after that, with Zelgadis carrying Chi'Nai and magically flying in for a landing; Amelia was left struggling to haul Gourry and Dayvid by their shirts. They didn't exactly land, but at least they could get up shortly after.

"Everybody okay?" Lina asked, surveying the troops.

"We are fine," Chi'Nai stated, hopping down from Zelgadis's arms as if nothing had happened.

"Ow," Gourry responded, with a face full of dirt.

"Okay, good," Lina said, nodding. "We're here, and we're alive!"

But Dayvid was on his knees, staring back at the SS Guppy... which had apparently hit a rock, rolled three times, shattering every mast and breaking up the hull, and now was upside down with the little spinny things in the back twirling in the air uselessly. "My SHIP!" was his mourning. "It's dead!"

"Ah.. okay, we're not all alive," Lina corrected.

Zelgadis sighed. "I'll go get the key from the wreck," he announced, lifting off alone, and flying back to the disaster.

"Right, Zel, you d-- wait, wait!!" she called, flapping her wings and zooming after him. "Only humans can touch the key! You'll get hurt if you--"

He had already pried it off of the mast, and snapped off the cords. "What?"

Lina froze.

"Ah... never mind," she said. That didn't make sense. The other chimeras couldn't touch it, according to Chi'Leas. Why could Zel?

She dismissed it. No time to think about now.

"Come on," she said, waving him back to the group. "Let's get to work and explore this place."

Despite the crackling energy storm on all sides, Lina had to admit that the island was a pleasant place. Not at all what she was expecting out of a locale called the 'Island of Chaos'. The hike to explore it was short, as it was a small place, just a mile or three in radius.

She had taken to flying up a distance and looking around from time to time, but was walking for the most part, with Gourry at her side.

"Lina.. what happens now?" he asked. "I haven't really been able to keep up..."

"It's okay," Lina said. "None of us are sure. Probably some big fight. My sister's going to be here and the Knight of Shaburanigdo and whoever gets all these objects is going to end the world."

"Oh, I see," Gourry said. He continued to walk for a full minute before asking, "Wait, isn't that a bad thing?"

"Don't worry! I'll stop it," Lina said, clenching a fist.

"We'll stop it, you mean, right?"

"Gourry, there's not much you or the others can do here," Lina said. "It's a fight between all three knights. One of those apocalyptic sorts of things. I don't think the prophecies and fables and what have you mentioned a bunch of rag-tag sorcerers, princesses and mercenaries."

Gourry's eyebrows raised. "But we're your friends. Of course we'll help you fight."

"You don't have to," Lina said, smiling. "I'm the one who has to be put at risk, not you. So you should just stay out of it and let me do the dangerous stuff!"

"I can't do that."

Lina paused in her tracks, to look at Gourry.

"Why not? It's a simple thing," she explained. "You just sit, and don't move."

"I've got to protect you," Gourry said simply. "I love you, after all."

Her left eye twitched. "Ahh..."

"I know you don't like to talk about it, but it's true, isn't it?" Gourry said. "And I know you feel the same. Okay, maybe we haven't had a chance except maybe back at Timmy's house to understand it--"

Lina blushed faintly.

"--but it's still true. So, I've got to fight alongside you."

"Gourry! I... you don't have to. It's okay!"

"It is true, right?" Gourry asked. "You do feel that way? You said it before, but..."

"Of course... I mean, of course I..." Lina said, looking around nervously. She took a deep breath, shoving past her usual reluctance. "I lo--"

"Camp ahead!" Zelgadis cried out.

It was enough of a distraction. Lina and Gourry glanced over as the chimeras approached them.

"Very fuzzy, but it's there," Zel said. "I've got better vision than you. Look up."

"What? Who? Wha?"

"Up, Lina."

Lina looked up. Yes, it was the blue sky, just like she had seen before. With...

"It's getting darker," Lina said. She turned, to face the place Zel was pointing to.. and yes, she could make out some fuzzy shape in the distance. Her feet started to run.

The others were behind her, she could feel, but she was focused on what she saw... the landscape crossfading between two places, the closer she got to something, the center of something. One place melting away to show another, which existed right alongside it... she skidded to a halt, kicking up a few pebbles on the shores of the lake she saw.

The Lake of Chaos, the home of the Lord of Nightmares. Not all of it, but a single, randomly shaped pool of the golden waters was here, with the same black pebbly shores. Now, all around Lina, she saw the island as being of sand and rocks, black bushes and yellow flowers, lakes and pools of golden radiance...

A single object stood in the center of the central lake. An altar of silver, almost chairlike in shape.

Nearby, someone had set up a small cooking fire and a cute pink tent with a blue flag flapping jauntily in the breeze.

Lina turned to face the others. "Gourry, I don't think we're in Sailoon anymore," she said.

"I thought we left Sailoon days ago?"

"I think I understand," she continued, regardless. "If these things trap the Lord of Nightmares, it'd have to be in a place where she's strongest. A hidden place on a hidden island behind chaotic storms, right? This place."

"Possibly," Chi'Nai said, unable to just accept that without real evidence.

Zelgadis stepped forward. "That's the altar..." he said, recognizing the chair. "That's the thing from my visions. You combine the lock, the manacles, the chain and the altar, and she's trapped."

"All that's missing are those other pieces," Lina agreed. "We'll sit here and wait for the others, then. I--"

Luna Inverse walked out of her tent, yawning and stretching. She nodded in greeting to the group, fetched her bacon and eggs from a skillet over the cooking fire, and walked back into her tent.

A gentle breeze blew across the very, very quiet scene.

"Was that your sister?" Gourry asked. "Wow, she doesn't look a thing like you. Her chest is a LOT bigger."

Gourry didn't get pounded. He turned to look at Lina, who had gone as white as the purest white you could get out of the optical spectrum.

"Lu-- Lu-- Lu-- Lu--" she kept repeating, like a broken record.

"Lulu?" Gourry asked.

"I think she's in shock," Amelia said, stepping forward. She readied a calming spell, and fed it into Lina. Nothing happened. She turned up the power on the spell and tried again.

"Luna!!!" Lina finally managed to say. Then she socked Gourry, knocking him back ten feet. "And I am NOT FLAT!"

"Oh, good. Lina-san's back to normal!" Amelia cheered.

Lina stomped over to the pink tent, and threw open the flap.

Inside, her sister, the Waitress of Holy Justice, the Knight of Ceipheed, First Of The Holy Order Of Humanity was busy arranging a grand slam breakfast on a tray, complete with a little flower in a vase and a check. Some habits are hard to break.

"SIS!" Lina shouted.. and started to go white again.

"Hiya," Luna replied, offering Lina a cheese danish.

Food, especially since she had gone without breakfast, was enough to crack the younger Inverse's fear. She snatched the danish and ate it before continuing.

"Sis!" Lina said. "It's... ah... good to see you!"

"Still scared of me?" Luna asked, nibbling on some toast.

Lina put a hand behind her head and did the Godai. "No no! Not at all! Ha ha!"

The elder Inverse contemplated for a moment.. then shrugged. "'kay, I forgive ya."

"You what?"

"Forgive ya. For that little mistake ya made. S'okay."

Lina started to look real hopeful. "Ah.. you mean the time I... projected that illusion of you taking a bath to the guys back home to make some money and then you got real mad and beat me up and I ran away?"

"Right," Luna said. "S'cool. Bygones. Wasn't mad 'bout it after a few days anyway."

"...you realize I've been living in mortal terror of you for years over that, right?"

"Not my fault you overreact a lot," Luna said, cutting up an orange.

Lina controlled her Fist of Death, and had a seat. "So.... what happens now?"

"You know," Luna said, offering Lina some of the orange.

"A big fight," Lina sighed. "We don't HAVE to fight though, you and I, right? I mean... Dragons like not having the world go boom, and darn it, so do I! So we could work tog--"

"No."

"--ether, and what?"

"No," Luna repeated. "Ain't Ceipheed's will."

"Then.. what IS Ceipheed's will?"

"Ah," Luna said. "That's a secret."

"...please don't tell me you're Xelloss in a wig," Lina said, horrified.

"Nope," Luna replied. "Wanna bagel?"

Lina relaxed, and accepted. "Okay, then. Where's the Knight of Shaburanigdo? WHO'S the Knight of Shaburanigdo?"

"You'll find out," Luna said.

"Yeah? When?"

The silverware on the breakfast tray rattled, a muffled explosion shaking the tent.

"'bout now, I think," Luna replied.

Lina dashed from the tent immediately.

Commotion comes in many flavors. You can get loud commotion, angry commotion, dangerous commotion. The stuff being served outside Luna's tent was loud angry dangerous commotion, hot and fresh.

Gourry went flying over Lina's head when she stepped out; in the air, Amelia and Zelgadis were busy hurling magic at a darkened figure, in a long black cloak. The figure was easily deflecting every spell flung at it.

"WHERE IS LINA INVERSE?!" It boomed. "Bring me Lina!"

There wasn't a more obvious cue than that. Lina spread her wings, and took off, to confront this person.. the Knight, most definitely. When she approached, Amelia and Zelgadis cut their spellwork.

"Jeez, you could've walked up and asked politely!" Lina said. "No need to make a big explosive entrance. I'm here. Whaddya want?"

The figure paused... studying her, from inside the depths of the cloak.

Then it spoke : "I thought you were taller."

"What you see is what you get, okay?!" Lina said. "Now speak! You're the Knight of Shaburanigdo, aren't you?"

The figure pulled the hood back... and shook her raven-black hair free, eyes of red hate glaring at Lina.

"I'm here to bust heads with you and your other sister," the Knight said. "But you're obviously aware of that. So could you tell your friends to mamba off somewhere else? I wanna talk with you, and you alone.."

"I don't debate real well in the middle of the air," Lina said. She pointed down, and floated back to earth.. the other three airborne folk followed in turn, touching down.

The group had reassembled.. Gourry rubbing his shoulder, which was badly bruised under his armor. Dayvid had dug himself out of wherever he had hidden, as did Chi'Nai.

Also, was a young chimeric boy.. who had hidden himself behind a scraggly bush. He sheepishly looked at the group, and joined the Knight's side.

Chi'Nai leveled her eyes at him. "Traitor," she declared.

The Knight of Shaburanigdo looked around. "This is too many peanut gallery members. Vamoose, people. I just need you, Lina Inverse."

"They're my friends. Anything you got to say to them, you can say to me," Lina said, all cool and confident in her well-tested battle clichés........ she paused. "Ah.. I mean anything you've got to say to ME, you can say to THEM."

"They're a little trigger happy," the woman said, eyeing the group.

"So're you," Zelgadis said, voice like ice.

The Knight sighed... rubbing her temples in frustration. "Fine. Fine. I've been waiting enough years to say this, I don't care who hears it." She looked up at Lina, locking eyes with her. "Don't think I'm going to pulverize you just for my father, the great dark lord. This is personal too, toots. And I want you to understand WHY, before I go about putting the smack down. You might want to sit down for this."

"I'm fine as is," Lina said, crossing her arms defiantly.

"You're the reason why I am what you see," she said. "You alone. You've got no concept of how much I hate you for that. There isn't enough hate in your entire life to cover all the basis. Your father was happy with my mother, and they were getting along FINE until you went and got kidnapped, and he LEFT me for you! My poor mother couldn't take it and she jumped off the mortal coil. You orphaned me."

"What? Whoa, pause!" Lina said, backstepping. "I don't even KNOW you!"

"Of course not!" the woman said, stepping forward. "Why would you? I'm Lara Inverse! Your father's illegitimate daughter, the one he didn't want to keep!"

Lina's jaw sagged.

"Oh, sure, this is some big dramatic surprise NOW," Lara said. "Oh look, the missing Inverse shows after all these years, what a shock. Well, I've had plenty of years to live with it, Lina. Long, nasty, hard years. But I got strength from my TRUE father, Shaburanigdo, and he's going to help me do what I've always wanted to do... soon enough. I want you to adjust to the idea of having me in the family. I'm going to give you one day before I finally, after years of getting ready, kill you. One day to make your peace and--"

"I already knew."

The group (except Lina, who was too stunned) turned, to see the waitress of Ceipheed approach, dabbing at her cheeks with a napkin.

"You stay out of this," Lara said, pointing at her. "I only moderately despise you. You I'll whack nice and quick, but Lina's MINE."

"I already knew who you were," Luna said. "I got Dad to tell me a long time ago, and Ceipheed to tell me what you've become. Don't think you're not the only one came with plans and expectations. You won't win in the end of everything.."

The Knight of Ceipheed flicked her pinky finger-- and the ground exploded around her, knocking people aside. White fire started to drip upwards in a magical circle pattern, bleeding from the ground and into the sky, as she floated in the center, hair in zero gravity.

The Knight of Shaburanigdo glared evil steaming rage at Luna, and darkness coiled around her like a serpent, also charging up, ready to fight...

Lina got to her feet, trying to stop it, running towards them. A sudden weight in her backpack threw her off balance, but she continued all the same. "Big Sis! Don't! Just--"

But it was too late; the two had already taken to the air, the powers stripping the rocky land around them, debris floating upwards as well. Gourry was first into action, running over to grab Lina and drag her back with the others to safety -- Lina didn't fly or resist, too scared to move.

Both knights went high into the sky, and started an assault; it was impossible to hear the spells being cast, but the effects were obvious. Bolts of white and black seared through the sky, bouncing off each other, striking and being absorbed into both warriors. Zelgadis and Amelia cast in tandem, snapping a shield over the group to keep the fallout from hitting them...

Above, Lara glowed with anti-light, shoving Luna away with all the power she had. Luna tumbled backwards in the air, trying to right herself, while Lara cast one more spell... somehow, Lina could hear the words clearly, despite the distance between the two.

"Darkness beyond blackest pitch...
deeper than the deepest night...
King of Darkness,
I call upon thee! Swear myself to thee!
Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed...
By the power you and I possess! GIGA SLAVE!!"

A ball of the darkest black Lina had ever seen, a black that sucked light into itself, ringed with an aura of silver formed above Lara Inverse, and streaked with deadly accuracy towards Luna Inverse.

"Get DOWN!" Lina screamed, hurling herself flat, to weather out the blast.

The entire island rocked, and kept shaking as whatever was happening happened; colors flared into being around the group, rolling over the white magic shield and continually threatening to annihilate it. Lina added flow after flow of white magic into the mix, as did the others, continually rebuilding the shield until the island grew quiet once more.

The dust slowly settled on top of the shield, as the others started to rise.. Gourry got up, having thrown himself over Lina to protect her. Lina ignored that; she had bigger concerns.

The island had been reconfigured. There was now a huge bay where there was previously a huge chunk of land, and the sky looked positively seared by the black fires. Outside the shield, Luna's tent had been burned, now little more than a tattered rag.. but the altar remained, as well as the lakes. Little could affect those things.

Luna herself was nowhere to be seen. Quite possibly, vaporized.

Lina Inverse looked up, to see her third sister staring down at her, and remembered the promise. One day. She had one day to make peace.

The Knight of Shaburanigdo vanished, without a sound.

Dinner that night was held over the smoking remains of Luna's cooking fire, around which they had put up several tents. Why eat? Why rest? Why not? Not much else they could do, except wait. Wait, and try to plan a strategy laced with unknowns.

"We could still beat her," Amelia said, trying to cheer up the group's spirits. "So she can cast the Giga Slave! We're strong too. Lina especially! If we all team up, we--"

"We can't outpower her," Zelgadis said. "What we should do is find where she's hiding on the island. She's only human, and she needs sleep too. Kill her in her sleep."

"That would be advisable," Chi'Nai said. "And the traitor can inform us as to where she's staying."

The traitor being, of course, Chi'Bi. The young chimera was twice as shaken as anybody else, from the power display.. and as the night wore on, seemed increasingly worried. "I don't know where she's sleeping. I'd WANT to know... I don't know what I'm going to do, now. I'll never sleep again..."

"What's he yammering about?" Zelgadis asked.

"It's okay! We just need to sweep the island for strong black power!" Amelia said. "That'll find her!"

"She'd sense that coming miles away," Zel reminded.

"If I had some time," Dayvid said, "I could sort through the ruins of the Guppy and work up a marble thrower with orihalcon bullets, like my old one... then we could just shoot her through any magic. Um. But I don't think I had any orihalcon on board..."

"Of course, this is why we have a leader," Amelia said. "To help make these tricky decisions, and guide our path towards love and justice! Lina-san? What do you think we should do?"

All eyes went to Lina Inverse, who was busy staring into the fire.

"I don't know," Lina said, quietly. "I'm going to go sleep now. Excuse me."

She got up quietly, and walked over to her tent, which she had installed a distance away from the rest of the camp. The group didn't protest her leaving, but refrained from commenting until her flap was down.

"...I get the feeling she's depressed," Zelgadis said.

A figure that was sitting away from the fire stood up, and followed her.

Lina let the flap drop, the darkness of her tent more or less total. She fell face first onto her sleeping cot, exhausted and spent, but didn't go to sleep. She simply didn't move.

Light trickled into the tent, as the flap was raised.

"Lina?"

She looked up.

"Gourry," she said. "What do you need?"

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Gourry, it's too late to be playing word games," Lina said, sitting up, rubbing her eyes.

"No it isn't. It's early evening," he said. "A bit early to go to bed. I mean, I know I like to get to sleep early and wake early, but I'm not the least bit tired right now."

"I didn't mean that kind of late. I... ah, jeez. I don't know WHAT I mean..."

Gourry crouched into the tent, letting the flap drop behind him. "Explain, then. I'm all ears."

"It was... wrong. The spell, the fight... all of it was wrong!"

He nodded... agreeing. "It's hard to lose a sibling. I mean, I wasn't even related to Loathing, but--"

"Not that," Lina interrupted. "Yes that, I mean, I'm.. but... not that. Not all of that. It's the spell, Gourry. I know the Giga Slave, and... Lara left out part of it. There's a line right after 'king of darkness', meaning Shaburanigdo, that talks about the 'sea of chaos', meaning the Lord of Nightmares... Lara left that part out. It wasn't complete, and wasn't using the power of the Lord of Nightmares like it was supposed to."

Gourry struggled to understand that, so he could talk with Lina without looking dumb. "Ah.. so... if that's not what the power was, what was it?"

"I saw.. a silvery tint around the spell, right before she killed... you know what that color means," Lina said. "These gods practically use it as their calling cards. Order is the one who's fueling Lara. You know, the big nasty we met in the world of dreams. He said he had 'set my sisters in motion'. Is that what he meant? That he was the one who's pulling Lara's strings, giving her the power she wants?"

"Yes?" Gourry guessed.

Lina paused. "I know you don't understand me. Nevermind... I shouldn't trouble you with it."

"It's okay, it's okay.." Gourry said. "I don't have to understand. I can see how you feel, instead. What's going on is bad stuff, right? I mean, you know technically why it's bad, but it's bad either way.... and the end of the world is coming, from what you guys are saying..."

"Yes... that's right," Lina said, shivering slightly. "And if the Knight of Shaburanigdo is that strong, with Order.. and.. and if big sister is really gone, then... this really is the last night any of us are going to see, isn't it? She'll easily take care of me, take the key and the lock, and use the altar to destroy the world... I have the lock, Gourry. Big Sister must have known she wasn't coming back -- she teleported it into my backpack right before the fight started. Now I'm the only thing between Lara and disaster.. between someone who can CONTROL the Giga Slave, and.... how can I do this?"

"We'll help," Gourry said.

"You'll just get hurt," Lina softly spoke. "You should just leave. Go to the World of Dreams with the others, where you'll be safe. I can handle this. No problem. I've handled stuff like this before. I'm not scared.."

Lina wasn't quite sure how she ended up there, but she was in Gourry's arms, held close. She didn't pull away; if anything, she buried herself into his embrace more.

"I don't want to die," Lina continued, barely a whisper now. "There's so much I haven't done yet. I don't understand how this all happened, or why the Lord of Nightmares thinks I can do anything about it... but I just don't want to die. This CAN'T be my last night."

"It won't be," Gourry said, rocking gently. "Don't worry. I'm here; you're not alone in this."

Lina leaned away from Gourry, looking into his eyes... worry, fear, hope and trust as fleeting visions dancing between them. Need like nothing she had felt before comforted her, as she leaned over, and kissed him.

The hours of that night passed for her in warmth, in dreamless rest.

unlight doesn't shine in this fragment of shores from the Sea of Chaos, but morning is something you can feel in your bones. It's a new day born, refreshing and timely; and for an adventuress, who sleeps wherever she can and finds new things each day, waking to a new morning is no problem.

Lina knew, in her heart, when she wanted to wake. She rose from sleep, feeling renewed, stretching out... she glanced at Gourry, who slept like a rock next to her, still out. A smile danced across her lips, as she quietly got to her feet and dressed, stepping out into the cool air.

She considered setting out a note, but the chances of Gourry taking the group back to the World of Dreams to avoid the onslaught just on her say-so were low. But she absolutely didn't want him hurt in the mess... instead, she had tried to contact Xelloss in her dream, and ask him to take them all there while they were sleeping.... presumably the message got through. He was taking his time about it, though.

No matter -- Lina had business to do.

She opened her wings, and flew in silence to a point on the island out of view of the camp. Settling to the ground, she gathered her wits, and called out.

"You coming or not, Lara?!"

Darkness, with the silver edge she had seen earlier, coalesced into form. "I was always there, actually," Lara commented, studying her manicure. "I just turned myself invisible and inaudible for the night. Keep your enemies close, so to speak..."

Lina frowned in distaste. "I'm not your enemy."

"Of course you are, Knight of the Lord of Nightmares," Lara said, glaring at her. "Everything ABOUT you is nemesis to me. But don't worry. I won't kill your stud boyfriend; I'm not interested in him, only you. That's why you came alone, isn't it?"

"Shut up."

"I hope he enjoyed you last night, seeing how it'll be the last time," Lara said, starting to gather a ball of black fire. "But fun is fun and work is work. And I'm going to ENJOY this--"

"Boring," Lina yawned. "Fireballs and zappy wappies. Woo. I actually had something else in mind."

Lara voluntarily powered down her spell. "This is the part where you taunt me into making a huge tactical error, isn't it?"

"Hey, you decide yourself," Lina shrugged. "I was just wondering if you'd like to try fighting with blades. You're free to turn down the offer. The world won't care."

"Swords? I don't do swords," Lara said. "Or knives or bows or nooses or slings and arrows. Just magic--"

Lina finished the spell she had been chanting under her breath. "LAGUNA BLADE!" she shouted, tearing a black stream of lightning from the air, a sword made up of pure chaos energy, funneled from the Lord of Nightmares. She held it defensively, careful not to lop any of her own bits off (since it was a pretty big blade). "Your turn."

The Knight of Shaburanigdo wasn't impressed. "I can do that spell..." she said, pulling an almost identical blade into being. "And without the silly chanting."

"Yours isn't a true blade," Lina said. "You don't have any chaos. Look at it. You can SEE the way it just keeps repeating a pattern of squiggles through the air."

"Could we get on with the kicking of ass and taking of names, please? Taunting's old."

"I'm trying to explain," Lina said. She played a hunch hard and fast, inwardly hoping it'd help her avoid trouble. "You aren't drawing any of your power from Shaburanigdo. It's all coming from a being called Order. Can't you tell? Doesn't it feel strange when you go to tap all those Mazoku specialties?"

But Lara took direct offense. "My father protects me," she said, cold as steel. "You're a lying little slut, Lina Inverse."

"Shaburanigdo's dead. Look, Lara, you're being duped here if you think your 'father' is the one guiding you. It's all a trick! Order is manipulating you. We don't have to fight; we can team up to--"

The ordered blade slashed at the space Lina had occupied half a second ago. Lara swiveled to face her, purest hate in her eyes. "Shut up about my FATHER! You can never understand him!"

Lina gave up the argument; in this intense a fight, you can't spend time trying to debate a point like that AND defend yourself. She parried each strike, but Lara was fast, faster than Lina could have guessed -- a few narrow escapes popped up, now and then, as she kept solid distance between themselves.

The fight took to the air. Lara rode on a dark Raywing, sliding through the atmosphere smooth as silk while Lina was fluttering around with her butterfly wings, movements erratic. Lara couldn't guess where Lina would wobble off to next, and her strikes skimmed through the air, upsetting reality but not destroying her opponent; the two flew apart, losing the weapons, and started going back to conventional magic.

But that was Lina's error. While they were fairly even at the Laguna Blade, Lara was still a stronger opponent at straight fire tossing, ice flinging, explosions of darkness sock 'em beat up magical combat. Before Lina could start to get some defenses up and work on a nice weapon, Lara had her whipped left and right by strands of ordered darkness; Lina span out of control, like an insect with its wings damaged, and crashed to the ground.

Lara descended next, landing on one toe.

"Not much, are we," she said, holding out a hand that gathered as much black light as it could grasp...

A bar of solid white light penetrated the center of her spell, vaporizing it.

The Knight of Shaburanigdo turned to face the meddler, and saw Gourry, Sword of Light drawn. And backing him were Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Ganging up on me?" Lara asked, wrapping herself in a glowing red shield. "Fine. It'll just--"

She found herself staring down the barrel of a combined Ra Tilt attack from the two Shamanists, spinning like electrons around the nucleus of a Sword of Light strike.

The Knight of Shaburanigdo went away, black lines fading into nothing as the attacks shot through her.

Gourry immediately ran to check on Lina, while Zel and Amelia looked around, trying to make sure the target was really squished into atomic paste. "LINA! LIIINAAA--"

"You don't have to yell," Lina muttered, pulling herself up. "Ugh. What're you guys doing here?"

"Saving your ass, thank you," Zelgadis said. "Be careful. I don't think we got her."

Lina felt around at her side. "Wait, where's my bag?" she asked. "I put the Lock of Order in it."

"It's over there," Gourry said, pointing to the nice, open space where Lina's bag had fallen in the fray.

Before any of them could reach for it, Lara burst out of the ground, chunks of rock and dirt flying as she neatly scooped up Lina's pack. She tore the lock from it, and tossed the bag back to Lina.

"You know, you were right," Lara said. "Why fight? Now, I've got all the pieces! Lock, chain, clasps! You'll die with the rest of them, when I burn the world!"

Gourry, who had gotten a clue about one thing at least, spoke up. "But that's not all the--"

Lina silenced him with a hand over the mouth. "You won't get away with this!" she filled in.

"Watch me!"

Lara readied a large attack, and.... dashed away. South, towards the camp, towards the altar.

"Stop her stop her!!" Lina shouted, although really, there wasn't a need. Already, Amelia and Zelgadis were in pursuit, with Lina dragging Gourry along much slower than they could fly.

"We've (ow) got her (oof) on the run now!" Gourry shouted, occasionally bumping his head on a rock. "After all, you've got that key on your necklace and she doesn't! What could possibly go wrong?"

As if triggered, Lina's mind remembered something. "Gourry.. the key wasn't IN Zelgadis's vision. She can still assemble the pieces and use them!"

"...oh. Well, Amelia and Zel will stop her! I mean, what ELSE could possibly--"

"Stop SAYING that, Gourry!!"

Too late.

Twisting into reality from some unknown place, a wall of silver lines formed, blocking Lina from reaching the others. She stopped running, and Gourry stabilized as well, Sword of Light at the ready.

YOU HAVE INTERFERED ENOUGH. YOUR CHAOS WILL NOT INTERFERE ANYMORE, the being of power and Order stated.

"This is getting old!" Lina spat. "Out of my way!"

Lina spread her wings as far as she could, and dove through the matrix; the natural chaos of her wings penetrating it easily. But Gourry was an other matter. He hurled himself at the wall, and simply bounced right off. The Sword of Light wouldn't cut it, either, as the grid shifted to cage him...

"Gourry!" Lina called, turning to return and help him.

"I'm fine!" Gourry said, waving her off. "Stop Lara! You don't have time!"

Lina was torn, glancing between the raging battle between Zelgadis, Amelia and Lara.. and Gourry. But Zel and Amelia went down fast, as Lara sniped at them with magical strikes, knocking them aside while she made a beeline for the throne.. there wasn't much choice, after that. Praying that nothing would go wrong, she used every drop of speed she could manage, and closed in.

At the Altar of Order, Lara landed, and quickly assembled the pieces.. manacles on either arm, chain to connect them, lock to bind them. She was operating on autopilot now, doing the motions without knowing how she knew to do them.

A stream of golden water seeped up from the lake, drawn to the completed altar irresistibly.. flowing uphill against much force, flooding quickly into a near-human form...

"Finally," Lara sighed, relieved. "Lord of Nightmares, you are bound to a human as was dictated by your nemesis, and must obey my command... I wish you to destroy this world!"

Lina plowed into Lara head first, knocking her aside. The two girls splashed through the lake of gold and rolled to a halt on the shore, but the damage had been done.

The human form in the chair started to take on color and shape now, that of a little girl with a curiously sad expression, socks mismatched, golden hair waving in the breeze. She nodded to Lara, supremely disappointed.. and the earthquake began.

Lina got to her feet, and looked around as the island started to tremble. "Oh, come on, what now?!" she shouted.

"Hehh... I did it, I did it!" Lara laughed, wiping some blood from her lip. "I broke the world!"

The shaking drew out the non-combatants from their hiding places... staying away, but curiously watching, Dayvid, Chi'Nai and Chi'Bi watched the scene. Zelgadis and Amelia, bruised but not buried, were next; followed quickly by Gourry, who had somehow escaped his temporary trap.

Lina grabbed Lara by what little shirt she had. "Okay, you had your fun. Now STOP it."

"It's too late, don't you understand?" Lara said. "The command has to be obeyed. It WILL come true! Nothing's getting out of this one! The Mazoku have won, and so has my father!"

GOOD WORK.

The rising form of Order took his place among them.. in the form of Shaburanigdo, demon king. A smaller and less ugly one, but...

Lara pulled herself away from Lina's grip, and knelt at his feet. "Father, are you proud of me?..." she looked up, hoping to see the elation in his ruby red eyes.

But Shaburanigdo's eyes weren't red. They were silver, quick as mercury, pure as steel.

I AM NOT YOUR FATHER, Order replied.

A sinking feeling, like lead into soft peat. A horrible realization, like the first moment a noose snaps. Lara understood.

Order melted back into the ground, its task complete, leaving only the rapidly disintegrating island behind to mark his victory.

"Oh... shit," Lara said quietly.

The world was shaking. Even from high above it, it could be easily seen; and far below, on its surface, nobody escaped the notice of it.

Naga the Serpent was busy gutting the third Mazoku she had caught today when she first felt it. Looked left, looked right, but didn't see any more of the beasts that could be causing this tremor. More fighting, far away, perhaps? The war had been winding down over the last two days, both sides seeming to have lost the spirit that originally drove them to war, but the possibility was still there...

The ground cracked open beneath her feet, and she flew into the air, to avoid any injury... only to see entire villages be sucked under, from here to the horizon.

Far away, in some random village in the middle of Noh Wheir, a couple was having breakfast. Most people stayed away from them; they smelled like trouble. They smelled like badness gone sour.

"I think I need a shower," Angela said, sniffing herself.

"It's one of the many social problems Mazoku have," Bugger commented, munching on his pancakes. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it..."

The silverware started to rattle, gently at first, then louder and louder.

"Oh, bloody hell. Don't tell me the war's moved over THIS pit of the world as well," he grumbled. "Thought we came here to get away from all those morons."

"Can't you tell what's happening? It's in your power," Angela reminded.

"I know, I know. Misfortune's my game. Let's see, if........ oh, god," Bugger said, changing his tune. "The ULTIMATE misfortune?"

"What's that mean?"

Bugger looked at her seriously.

"It means you put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye, gel," he said. "End of the world. But look on the bright side. I won't be able to complain anymore."

"You can't be serious..."

The ground cracked beneath the restaurant, breaking the building in half.

"Oh, bugger," he said, shortly before falling in.

Even in the World of Dreams, some vibrations could be felt. The population of Sailoon, as well as the population of a few other cities that had been evacuated, started to worry.

The winged were gathered for a morning meeting at the time it started.

"We're fine up here, right?" Myth asked, growing more nervous by the second. "I mean.. if anything happens. Not that anything is happening."

"Of course," Paradox said, totally confident. "Hard reality separation. These are just dimensional shocks. They can't damage us."

Love hurried into the room, pulling her dress up to keep from tripping over it. "Something's wrong!" she shouted. "The people are vanishing! I just came from the city square; everybody's waking up from the World of Dreams!"

A loud WHAM signaled Paradox falling out of his chair.

"That's impossible!" he shouted from the floor. "You don't 'wake up' when you're here in the flesh! The only way is to be kicked out!"

"That's right..."

Darkness faded into darkness, as Xelloss teleported himself into the room. He wasn't smiling very much.

"I'm afraid Paradox is quite correct," he said. "I am, indeed, ejecting every man, woman and child from the World of Dreams, and moving them back to the waking world. Which is, yes, self destructing."

The winged stared at him, mixes of horror, anger and fear washing over them. Drama went as far as to draw his sword, before Xelloss dreamed it away.

"I'm afraid that the true traitor here is myself," he said. "I have sold all life on earth over to destruction, including you. I hope you understand once you enter the big picture. Goodbye."

He banished the winged in one flick of his wrist, and had a seat. Dream-Sailoon was empty now, and within minutes, everyone else would be gone as well.

He turned to face an unseen figure. "Are you certain this was required, my mistress?"

The ghostly specter of a god nodded to him. "It Was," she said. "And It Will Be."

Back on Chaos Island, Lara was starting to foam over with anger.

"You.. you TRICKED me!" she screamed.

YOU TRICKED YOURSELF. I SIMPLY AIDED IN THAT PROCESS. I REQUIRED YOUR INNATE CHAOS TO TRIGGER MY WEAPON.

Lina stepped up. "We can still stop it, right?" she asked Lara. "Just give the altar another command!"

"I can't.." Lara said. "It would have to be someone else who has touched the lock. That's the crucial part at this point. He... he told me, but I can't remember when..."

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Lina shouted, bounding over to the altar. "It'll be as easy as--"

A wall of white magic split the space between Lina and the Altar. She blinked in surprise, not sure who could have placed it here, and cut through with a swath of black magic... it healed itself instantly.

The others joined Lina, in confusion.

"I'm lost," Gourry said. "Could someone tell me who to attack now?"

"I didn't put that there," Lara said.

"There's a strong power near..." Amelia said, looking around...

A figure formed out of mist and vapors, on the other side of the shield. A smiling figure.

"Hiya, sis," she said.

"Lu-LUNA?!" Lina gasped.

"Here just in time," she said, adjusting her apron, and turning to face the altar. By now, the figure bound there was clearly a small girl, the Lord of Nightmares in some human form... Luna smiled to the girl. "Got sidetracked, but I got one more thing to do. To save you all."

"Sis? Take down this shield, okay?.... what're you doing?" Lina asked.

"Ceipheed's will," Luna explained, resting a hand on the little girl's arm. "I gotta command for ya, Lord of Nightmares. Preserve the life of this world. Preserve all of it even after the destruction. I order."

The Lord of Nightmares-icon flashed golden, the command obeyed.

"That's great, sis!" Lina smiled.

But the shaking of the island didn't stop.

"I don't think we're out of trouble yet," Zel said, stating the obvious.

Luna turned, to face the group. "Oh, can't stop the world from ending... but it's okay. All life will be preserved. The Dragon creed, Ceipheed's will. Even after death everybody will live on."

Lina's look turned to confusion... and saw Order again, this time in the form of a great Dragon, a shimmering outline behind Luna, behind the altar.

"He got you too..." Lina said, realizing.

Gourry pulled Lina away from the shield of white magic. "Time to go," he said, running and leading her on.. the rest of the group also running, taking to the air if they could. The area where they stood collapsed, sank into nothingness as the final crumbling began.

Zel and Amelia took to flight, carrying along Chi'Nai and Dayvid respectively; even Lara had joined them, holding a shrieking and panicking Chi'Bi by the back of his shirt. Lina kept Gourry aloft, as the ground beneath them started to... go away, to nowhere, a blank void beneath them.

"We can't fly forever!" Amelia shouted. "Where can we land?"

"There isn't anywhere to land!" Lara replied. "Don't you see? I broke the world, dammit! That means it's over!"

The group felt that they were descending... but descending into what? Nothing was around them, nothing at all...

"Gourry, hold on! Quit squirming!" Lina said, tempted to kick him, but realistically wanting him never to let go. "We can go to the World of Dreams! I've got the power to take us..."

But when Lina probed the membrane between the dreaming and the waking world, all she felt was battleship steel. She was blocked.

"We're stuck," she said aloud.

The light around them started to fade. Amelia and Dayvid, who were the farthest down, let out a confused cry and vanished completely... Lara seemed almost to give up, her spell weakening, dropping into whatever oblivion lie below.

Zelgadis... Zelgadis was almost peaceful, in a state of confusion. The universe was silent, as he turned to Lina, and reflected.

"It's funny, but... all I'm really upset about is that I couldn't keep my promise to Chi'Leas to make the chimeras human," he said, voice a pale echo in the void.

Finally, the nothingness, the total order of zero consumed the whole group... Lina felt it go, her grip still iron hard on Gourry but fading through... and at the last second, as if pulled by a bungee cord a thousand miles long, that battleship steel that had kept her out of the dream opened, and a hand pulled her through.

And then, silence. Oblivion.

The world had ended.

Lina Inverse's being snapped into sharp relief, jerked back from the fuzzy brink of nothingness by an unseen hand.

She rolled to a halt, on the ground that was provided for her, and got back to her feet in a flash. "Who--?"

"Hello," Xelloss said, smiling sadly to her. "Glad I could bring you back before everything went kaput. I trust you aren't harmed? No broken bones, no mental injury?"

"Xelloss?! What's going on?" Lina asked. "Where's Gourry? Where are the others?"

"You're in the World of Dreams," he said. "And I'm sad to say, we are the only two living things left from our world. More or less. I realize this may come as a shock to you, but there isn't a better way to present it to you..."

"More or..." Lina started, horrified. She grabbed Xel by his robes, shaking him with strength she wouldn't have if she wasn't using the dream of her own anger. "EXPLAIN. Now. Small words, no enigmas, no 'secrets'."

"Ahh... I think... she'd best explain," Xel said, weakly pointing off to the side.

Lina turned to look, and faced the Lord of Nightmares... the small girl, still wearing the chains she was bound to the altar with. She seemed profoundly sad, profoundly old... her eyes looking at nothing.

"I Was Hoping This Would Not Happen," the Lord said. "But It Has. Order Has Won. My World Has Ended."

And all along, Lina was thinking : This can't be right. That's not how it works. I save the world, it's my job, that's just what happens. Some miracle is pulled off in the eleventh hour, evil is defeated and we all go home happy and unchanged. The end of the world was supposed to just be a threat...

No. This wasn't helping. She went into problem solving mode, her brain clicking overtime to understand.

"How? How did he win?" Lina asked.

"Look, And Understand..." the Lord said, turning to gaze into the distance. Lina looked as directed, focusing... on a hole in reality, showing something far away, farther than the concept of distance really allowed...

And in that distance, a glowing mesh of silver lines had formed... hanging in the void, the oblivion of the world she were previously sinking into. The mesh allowed one cubelike structure for each dot of red light, each wavering form... one cube for every man, woman and child on earth, alive, but sleeping, and sleeping forever. Lina FELT what it was, rather than having it explained to her...

It was hard to tear her eyes away from the vision, because she knew what it was.

"The world... that's what the world turned into?" Lina asked. "Because Lara of the Mazoku busted it to shreds, and Luna of the Dragons saved all the life, and... and Order ORGANIZED it?"

"It's a nasty little bit of work, isn't it?" Xelloss said, pouting in distaste. "Forever alive and preserved, just like the Dragons wanted, but totally inert. Static. Absolutely no chaos to it at all, simply the essence of life, self repeating, self perpetuating. If this is Order's idea of heavenly paradise, I want my money back."

"It Is The End Of My World," the Lord of Nightmares explained, with a disappointed tone. "And The Beginning Of His Perversion Of My World. Twisting My Own Chaos To Organize Itself, Just As He Swore To Do, To Prove That Order Dominates Chaos In The End. And Now.. It Will Be Like This Forever."

"...Gourry... Amelia, Zelgadis... all my friends are in there?" Lina asked.

"And we can't retrieve them, because the Order is too strong for you and me to even dig a single person out," Xelloss said. "I'm afraid he's played us all, Mazoku, Dragons and humans alike. All that's left are you, me.. and the World of Dreams."

Lina stood, staring at the vision of the new world order... unbelieving, unwanting.

"We Can Start Again," the Lord of Nightmares said. "I Prepared. I Ensured That Xelloss And Yourself, Two Beings Of Strong Chaos, Would Survive. I Prepared The World Simply With The Winged, And I Can Do It Again Even With Two. You Will Be The Adam And Eve Of The Next World--"

"No," Lina said.

"Actually, I object to being called Adam as well," Xelloss said, smiling. "Seems like an unusual name. If I can, I'll take on my old moniker of Xelan Reshtag. Now, Lina--"

"No," she repeated.

"No to what?"

"No to it ALL!" Lina said, lashing out, banishing the vision of the new waking world from her sight, turning on the two others. "Are you nuts? Are you INSANE? What could have possibly... look, Miss-Lord-Of-Nightmares, what made you think I'd want to be the breeding pig to patch up your blatant errors?"

"It's not like that, it's not like that..." Xelloss said, backing away from the raging Lina. "She explained it to me a long time ago. We can make it better this way! Rebuild the world without the flaws it once had, start fresh. With your wit and my intelligence, anything is possible--"

"No, no, NO!" Lina said, grabbing piles of raw dreamstuff -- because that was all the World of Dreams was, reverted to the cradle of life it once was -- and hurling them at the pair. "Not interested!"

"You Have Little Choice," the Lord of Nightmares said.

"I do too have a choice!" Lina said. "I can just sit here for eternity and do nothing. And that's perfectly fine with me! Give me ONE good reason why I should play along with this ridiculous plan!!"

The two opposing figures fell silent. Lina tapped her foot, impatiently waiting...

Finally, Xelloss cleared his throat.

"Please... Lina, look, let me explain something," Xelloss said, floating to her side. "The big secret, I suppose. I haven't really thought it wise to tell you until now, but given the circumstances..."

Lina sighed, exasperated. "Yeah, what?"

"Lina..... I adore you," Xelloss said, taking her hand. (Lina's eyes widened immediately.) "I truly do. That's the final secret. I've followed your life for so many years, and everything you do is so wonderfully delightful... your personality, your behaviors, your likes and loves, it's all so good. Even when we argue and fight, I feel so alive! I didn't want to come between you and Gourry before, but now that we have this chance, I would be HONORED to--"

Lina jerked her hand away, as if it was bitten by a snake.

"This... this all doesn't matter!" she said, blushing visibly. "There has to be a better solution than this. If you think for a minute that...."

Her eyes trailed away from glaring at the Lord of Nightmares, down.. to the chains still on her wrists.

"Wait," Lina said.

"I Have Eternity To Wait For You To Realize This Is The Way," the Lord responded.

"You're still bound to the altar, aren't you?" Lina asked, pointing to the silver manacles. "In truth, you are, even if I can't see anything other than those chains. You can still be controlled. Look!"

Lina grasped her necklace, and pulled hard -- the thin string snapping like her temper, fist clenched around the loop that still held the Key of Order. The silver sheen of it seemed almost unreal here, like mercury that happened to want to float around in the air in a keylike shape.

"Until someone sets you free, you have to obey us humans," she said. "Lara didn't need this key to end the world, but it's needed to REALLY find the end of the world. Which is exactly what I'm going to do!"

Xelloss started to look concerned. "Lina... don't do anything rash, please..."

"I can do anything I want through you," Lina said, approaching the Lord. "Remake that world. Sure, it'll be a tough climb against Order, but me combined with you while perverting his own power... fair's fair, isn't it? He uses us, we'll use him."

"That.. Is Inadvisable," the Lord said. Despite the echoing voice, she had the vague appearance of a frightened little girl.. a dichotomy that Lina tried not to concentrate on.

"L-sama has a very valid point. That world is dead and tired," Xelloss said. "It was doomed to collapse. Too many flaws built right into it, and I don't just mean the Altar of Order. There are things there that Order exploited, helping him steal it away. If you go and restore everything the way it was -- assuming that's even possible, you understand -- what's to stop him from snatching it from under our noses once more, through some other means?"

"Then I won't make it exactly the same," Lina said, glancing over her shoulder at Xelloss. "She's god, and I'm her avatar, and I can do as I please through her. I can make it right, WITHOUT just shucking off everybody I love in the process!"

"And what way will you do it?" Xelloss asked. "Lina, listen to reason. It will take time to figure out the way to rebuild the world. We should do it the natural way. If you blow off half-cocked right now, and make ONE mistake, everything's gone, even this chance.... Lina... please.."

Lina turned, and started to walk off. "This is the Dream World, so I'll dream," she said. "And I'll find a good solution."

Floating to her side again, Xelloss started to follow. "Okay. I'll accompany, and help you. Two heads are better than one, right? Together, we can--"

"No, Xelloss."

"I really must insist..."

"I said NO!"

"You can't stop me," Xelloss reminded weakly. "I don't want to go against your wishes, but I can't leave you be on this. Lina.. I mean it. I do care about you. And finally, I can admit to that. It's RIGHT, now."

Lina paused, in her tracks. Something inside her tugged, pulling her back from her long march. She closed her eyes... not sure how to say it, but needing to say it.

"Xel... I appreciate this," she said. "And ... if things weren't how they were, maybe I'd... but I can't. No. I'm invoking my promise on you, Xelloss. You swore to me, so long ago when we sought the Mirror Lores, that you'd leave me alone. You'd go away, if I asked you to. I have to ask you to do that now. I'm sorry."

"I.. I did make that promise, yes," Xelloss said, retreating a pace. "I did. I'll honor it, Lina."

And in a move that surprised him, Lina reached out, and gave him a tender hug.

"Thanks for understanding," she said. She let him go, and walked off.. into the dreamstuff, shaping itself around her as she focused her will, leaving the god and her minion standing.

Xelloss inhaled deeply, and looked at his god, a look of hurt and misunderstanding. "Why did you set things up this way? She would never have agreed. I told you that. You got my hopes up, regardless. Are you that intent on destroying everything good you've got left?"

"No..." the Lord of Nightmares said, watching Lina leave. "On The Contrary. Everything I Had Hoped Is Taking Place. Finally, There Will Be Rebirth."

A world of unformed ideas, half baked notions and incomplete concepts taunted Lina. She stood on the threshold of dreaming, now very raw and wild, compared to the tamed and highly developed landscape it once was.

This wasn't going to be an easy task.

This might not even be a possible task. But Lina was determined, and as many bandits, chefs, and several evil villains can attest to, nothing stops that force once it starts rolling. The trick was to get it rolling, get that momentum going.

"Alright.. whatever you are, listen up," she said, focusing her energy through her words, as she often did when facing an insurmountable task. "I know you dreams don't think I'm hot stuff. I'm not that good at imagining stuff. But I'm all you things have to work with, so let's get cracking. Got it?"

The dreams didn't respond. But even if nothing was actually there to hear, Lina felt more confident after having said it. She took a step forward.

Zelgadis had visions before, things to explain what was going on. How did he start that? Oh, right; he drank the Water of Reflection. Lina dreamed up a bucket of the stuff -- hey, nobody ever said she was cautious -- and drank it all. It was as good a place to begin as any.

Now, she just needed direction...

"The goal here," she mused aloud, "Is to figure out where the world went wrong. Because I think something was foul even before my sisters started messing up the place on Order's order. I gotta go back and find the roots of this, and work from there."

She took a step backwards. Time flowed with her.

There was the disaster at Chaos Island, yes. She could see it from outside now, the running, the screaming, the fighting... it really was a total mess, now that she could see it clearly. Chaotic and frantic, with people doing things without knowing why, people not sure what to do, people doing things despite knowing that they shouldn't. And through it all, Order, threading the events like a needle, to set off two triggers; one to break the world, one to organize it. Both together to dominate it. But that wasn't the big problem. Something farther back smelled more. She walked backwards again.

And now, she was fighting here in the dreamworld, annihilating Nightmare and claiming the helm of the Knight of the Lord of Nightmares. Her comrades cheered her on, and.. she finally admitted something to Gourry in confidence, that she wouldn't admit to before. No, this isn't the problem. Back.

Here she was, with the Lord of Nightmares sending a wild chain of events starting with a butterfly and ending with a book falling into her bag... or did it start before that? Back, back. To where Silverquick was planning the book room, to where the ultimate wizard, Merlin Giga, was making his pact... neither of them really understanding why. Neither of them could see how trivial and important their efforts would be. No, this wasn't the problem; this wasn't even the right direction to look. This felt more like the solution.

Lina paused a moment. How was she seeing all this? Was it some fantasy her imagination was playing out?

Oh, wait; she didn't have much of an imagination. That meant something else was at play. Grinning, confident in that, she moved back, and to the left...

And now something she DEFINITELY had never seen before, never had explained; the birth of the world. She could see the wingless, the cast out, shivering in the cold, real earth, as the Mazoku and Dragons tore the countryside to shreds, the first step in their eternally bloody saga of war.

"Why did She forsake us?!" the one who would be Drama asked. His words were childlike, frightened, unformed. "What did we do wrong?"

"Nightmare betrayed us," the one who would be Reason said. "Nightmare and Myth."

"I didn't want to do it," Myth said. "He made me. He scared me and made me, and then he tried to undo me. She said we shouldn't do that."

"What do we do now?" Loathing asked. "This world scares me. I don't like it. We're going to be harmed now. Those beasts aren't us, but they move and think and half of them want to destroy this world and the other half want to calm this world."

"We are not safe here," Love stated. "We need to go, we need to hide. But we can prosper. We can multiply, as Myth almost did, and in numbers we can find safety, and perhaps in our chaos, we can win Her favor once more."

Lina's mind floated, not in a ghostlike sense, but of memory playing out from another's memory. She focused, feeling this feed...

You're showing me this, aren't you? she asked the Lord of Nightmares.

Yes.

Why?

Because You Want To Know.

Lina turned back to her task. She was on the right track now. She went backwards, back to the cradle of the World of Dreams, with the winged ones before the fall. They were very playful, designing new ideas like Reason and Loathing, with the most beautiful of them all experimenting with something he termed Nightmare...

Something was missing from here.

The Dragons and the Mazoku only started showing up when they were moved to the waking world, having matured enough to defy their creator. Unlike the wingless, both breeds had a tinge of order to them, the order of infinity and the order of nothingness.

They're the fault, aren't they? Lina asked.

I Did Not Intend Them To Be. I Wanted Them To Serve As Light And Dark Reflections Of Humanity, Saviors And Temptations. As Fleeting As The Air And As Real As The Mountain. But They Became Forces Onto Themselves, Guided Subtly By Order's Eventual Plan. He Subverted My Children, Even My Children Of Extremes. Watch. Learn.

This time, Lina wasn't the one doing the moving; she twisted around, looping through the needle of time, to.. somewhere ELSE.

It looked a lot like a school but wasn't really a school, not really, this was just a way for her to see. Small children ran around, playing and laughing, ignoring the many boxes placed in the back of the room, boxes storing their work. But one child, a small boy, was opening a battered yellow box.

"She plans to make two races of reflection," he said, studying the contents. "Her butterflies will be the master race. I will change that. They will run scared while her reflections dominate, led in the end by two of her own creatures. Two knights to guide their reflection's dark and light intentions into my hands. It will be trivial to design and organize such an outcome."

The boy spun a web of silver, coalescing into things Lina couldn't focus on, sinking into the sensitive, newborn flesh of this world like lead into quicksand.

"Stop! What are you doing?!"

A small girl ran from her playmates, to confront the boy. (Lina automatically recognized her as the Lord of Nightmares -- was this why she presented herself as a small child earlier?)

"You challenged me," Order said. "I have responded. Make your move, and then allow it to play out."

The girl chewed her lip nervously, looking worriedly at her world. "You're going to use my butterflies against me!"

"Order controls Chaos, and thus your own creations will control you," Order said. "You cannot stop that from happening."

She froze in fear, but... then, started to smile. From a pocket, she withdrew a tiny wisp of light, almost like a butterfly. "I will place my own knight at the end of the world. And then we shall see who truly will influence the second rebirth."

(Lina tried to focus on the wisp.. to give it some sort of form, a face. When the face turned up, to look back at her, she understood; because she was looking into her own eyes.)

Lina pulled herself out of torpor, out of the hazy dream of things long past. All around her, now, raw dreamstuff, nothing out of the ordinary, no visions to withhold save the Lord of Nightmares herself, no different than she had been in the dream.

"That... that fink," Lina offered. "I swear, kids can be so mean."

"We Were Not Truly Children. Not In Your Sense. But Yes, We Were... Immature."

"So why didn't you just destroy all of them and save the world a lot of trouble? The Mazoku and Dragons. Then they wouldn't have prompted Lara and Luna to want to break and save the world."

The Lord, still bound in the chains, shook her head. "That Would Not Solve The Problem. Humans Triggered These Events. Guided By Mazoku And Dragons, Yes, But Ultimately Guided By Order. He Prophesized This. The Combination Could Have Been Shattered, But The Humans Still Would Not Have Been Chaotic Enough To Resist That, In The Long Run. Besides... The Time Is Past To Fix Errors. All We Can Do Is Make Adjustments, Not Restart History. How Will You Change The World, Lina Inverse? How Will You Remove The Weaknesses?"

Ideas formed around Lina, sparks of color and light. She was forming a plan.

"I think I know what can be done," she said. "But there's still one thing missing. I can't say how I know, but I know..... what could it be?"

"Rely On Your Talent, And Find Out."

"My what?"

"Your Human Instincts. Your Natural Chaos."

Understanding approached her. Lina reached past the Lord of Nightmares, relying on her luck to randomly grab some idea that was floating around. It was a potluck at best, a million in once chance that she'd grab anything useful... but that randomness was just what she needed.

A fleeting vision passed, of Zelgadis, right before the collapse, and of his promise.

"I've got it," Lina said, forming a fist, trapping her ideas. "Now. What do I do?"

"You Hold The Key Of Order Still," the Lord of Nightmares said. "With That, I Can Be Freed And The Altar Smashed. Give Me Your Command, And We Will Finish This."

The Knight of the Lord of Nightmares drew the key from her shirt, and unfolded her wings. "Divine machinery of the gods, huh... but this isn't going to be easy, you know. Easy for everybody else, but for you and me..."

"With You, Anything Is Possible," the Lord said. "That Is Why I Chose You."

In the waking world, in the organized world, Order was total. He was his matrix, encasing and containing every living thing that the Lord of Chaos held dear. Order felt no emotion over the victory; it simply was, as he always knew it would be, and this state would persist until the end of time, which was endless...

He felt a tiny sting of abberation in his perfection.

Attention focused, to the small figure, the butterfly hovering in front of the infinite plain of his new toy world. The chained Chaos was on her shoulders, and her hair had gone yellow, from the influence of Chaos on her person.

YOU STILL RESIST? Order asked.

"I'm on the home turf," Lina said, addressing the being. "You may have been naughty and swiped the players, but the court's still here. It just needs rebuilding."

YOU CAN DO NOTHING. I ALWAYS WILL OVERCOME. THAT IS SIMPLY THE NATURE OF ORDER AND CHAOS.

"There Will Be Rebirth," the Lord of Nightmares stated. "Ours, Not Yours."

...THAT DOES NOT CONCERN ME. I CAN DESTROY YOU. YOU ARE SIMPLY HUMAN.

Lina peered over her shoulder, at her companion. "Check with me on this. Can we actually kill this guy? It would really make our lives a hell of a lot easier..."

But the Lord shook her head. "No, Not Kill. We Are Equal. But You Can Contend With Him."

"Right. Time to do some redecorating," Lina said. She reached inside herself, to the core of the power she was able to draw from the Lord of Chaos. And silently prayed that this would work without anybody exploding, herself in particular.

It worked.

Her wings started spreading to full width... and growing, and growing. The illuminated brilliance of them going beyond compare, beyond the simple little concept of an insect's flight apparatus. They expanded to twenty times size, then to the point where size wasn't an imaginable concern...

YOU CANNOT BEST ME, HUMAN. I AM THE PROVIDED OF YOUR TRUE, DESTINED END. I ORGANIZED IT TO BE THIS WAY LONG AGO.

Strands of the matrix extended, an infinite number of them, threatening to overwhelm Lina with the sheer reality of everything. Any instincts to snap off a spell had to be suppressed; this was definitely not that sort of fight. She simply grasped whatever she was manipulating, and held it out in front of her, as a shield...

The two powers finally collided. Lina blacked out, or at least imagined that she had blacked out, before pulling herself back and trying to stave off Order's influence, the desire to join the collective mind of humanity, of the Mazoku, of the Dragons and winged alike... asleep forever and alive forever--

Gourry was in there. She could be there as well. Order whispered the promise of it in her ear, tempting her.

A part of her wondered, Would I be with him? Together, forever? Everybody else was separate, in different cells of the matrix...

Order couldn't give a satisfactory answer, and Lina snapped completely out of it.

"Whoaaa," she gasped, getting her wits back together. "Close one."

"Strike," the Lord said. "He Has No More Weapons He Can Use."

Lina twisted her wings ninety degrees, making a razor's edge with them, and quickly slashed at the structure that supported Order's new reality...

In a silent scream of disapproval, Order was purged from this world, his being pushed out. Without him, the new world order went down as well; the lives of the people drifted in the void more randomly, their organizing force gone.

The wings stopped being larger than the mind could safely grasp without needing a quiet lie down somewhere, in a mere instant.

"...that was the easy part, wasn't it?" Lina said, looking back at her companion.

The little girl nodded.

"Okay, then..." Lina said, cracking her knuckles. "Let's get to work."

The way Lina figured the world could be rebuilt was pretty straightforward. She couldn't even claim full credit for it.

Dayvid had it figured out, when he made Dream-Sailoon. Everybody remembers just a little bit of the world. If you get enough heads together, anything is possible. Possible, but difficult...

Thankfully, time was not a law to be noticed, as the work continued... memory after memory taken by Lina from the floating minds, careful reassembly proceeding like a six billion piece puzzle, interlocking parts, conflicting parts, decisions to be made, changes implemented. Slowly, the world repairs to a state... almost like it was before. Fractal and strange but similar. Close enough.

The people, returned to where they wanted to be.. some, to who they wanted to be. Which was also close enough, if not wholly accurate. Every bit in a place, if not its true place. Odd and misaligned, curiously new and beautiful...

Lina had to pause, to take a break, after her mind told her she had been at it for several weeks. Expending so much effort outside of any reality that you're comfortable with was like living underwater on the moon in a thousand gravities.

"I'm getting tired," she said. "I've got to stop. I can't do this."

Keep Going, the Lord urged. You're Almost There.

The process can't be calculated in terms of how much work was involved or how long it took. It could be said to be infinite and infinitesimal. Lina labored on and on, past when her confused mind said she shouldn't be able to move a muscle or think a thought.

Still, the job was eventually completed--

And in one, great rush of relief, time restarts.

nd just as soon as Naga had finished blinking, those villages were back.

She lost control of her flight spell in the shock, feeling as if her entire body had shifted instantaneously; she fell, plunging from the sky, as the ground ran up to meet her, to greet her, to smash her...

Instinctively, she flexed muscles in her back, and swooped back up, to glide to a halt and hover.

Strange shadows flicked at her vision, from the corners of her eyes. She floated back to the ground, and looked behind herself... at the magnificent black and gold butterfly wings she had suddenly obtained. They looked very similar to the ones she knew Lina was wearing nowadays. But how did she get them?...

Curiously, she tried flapping them.. gaining some air. She soared high, and to her unending surprise... saw Sailoon City, whole and unannihilated, on the horizon.

In fair Sailoon, the winged shifted.. and landed in the Great Hall of Sailoon Palace, gleaming and bright.

"What the hell...?" Paradox asked. "Reality changed. ALL of reality changed! I could feel it, until..."

"Until it stopped," Love said. "Our Talents. They're gone."

"WHAT?!" Paradox gagged.

"I never needed mine anyway," Reason shrugged. "Life goes on. Same as it did the first time the world was changed around us."

Myth, in shock, immediately ran out, to the nearest window.. and came right back. "Sailoon City! It's all there! Every street we had in the dreaming is here, rebuilt! And... and... you guys HAVE to see this!"

The family of the winged, the original humans, followed Myth to the window, where they first saw humans take to the air, dozens of them confused about what had happened, but starting to enjoy their new situation in life.

Angela pulled herself off the floor, grasping for the table's edge. "Is everybody alright?" she asked of the other patrons around her. They didn't seem injured... and the floor had gone back to normal. In fact, everything was a bit.. brighter. Not the dismal, middle of Noh Wheir inn they had entered, but a shiny place, taken care of by one with a fond heart for the inn...

(...and somewhere else in the village, an eighty year old woman who had been a waitress back when the inn was shiny and new smiled in her sleep, having dreamed through the whole affair...)

"Soditall, soditall, I skinned my knee," Bugger said, rubbing the injury. "Don't it figure? Now, if......... ah. Gel? What's happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Angela asked.. and stared open at the man. "You have... you have--!"

"The same thing you've got," Bugger said, pointing to the open wings on Angela's back. "Great big bloody wings, we've got. Like the wingless... what gives?"

"I.. I don't honestly know," Angela said. "Can't you do a reading? Something has gone wrong here, and you're the one in charge of--"

"I know, I know," Bugger said, taking a handful of dirt from the pocket of his trenchcoat. He tried to tap his Mazoku powers, and threw the dirt in the air... and watched it simply fall back to the table and plop into his soup, ruining what would've been a perfectly good meal.

"Well? What does it say?" Angela asked.

"It says... we're changed folk," Bugger said. "My powers are gone, and yours too, probably. I'm not a Mazoku anymore, and you're not a Dragon OR a Mazoku... we've been turned into humans. Hu-bloody-mans."

The other patrons of the inn stared in shock at each other, as the room was full of wings...

Even elsewhere, stranger things were happening.

A man woke from what felt like deep slumber, on the shores of an unknown beach. A city was nearby, where he spotted many people, hovering in the air... he examined himself, and saw that he had wings as well.

A young lady awoke next to him, roused from sleep as well. But she was quicker to get back into action. "Lina? Lina?" she called. "Where did they all go?"

"I know you.." the man said, studying her.

Lara Inverse noticed the man for the first time, and an unusual recognition flowed through her... "What.. what is your name?"

"I think it to be.. Shaburanigdo," the man said, standing. "Although why I know this, I don't know... it feels like I just woke from a rather long nightmare. But you're my daughter, aren't you?"

Because it was just as Lara's memories had comforted themselves with. This was Shaburanigdo, the true one of her mind's eye; her noble, proud father, there with a smile and a hug.. as she ran to him, delighted.

Underneath a restaurant, a pounding was heard on the walls. Although there was commotion above, a busboy went downstairs, to see what the fuss was about.. he noticed a fake wine rack had shifted, and that there was a hidden door behind it, with the locks shattered. He opened, it quickly, and the man in light blue robes stumbled out.

"What.. what's happened?" the man asked.

"We don't know... it's the strangest thing, sir!" the busboy said. "Everybody's got wings! And the fighting overhead, the Dragons and Mazoku.. it's stopped!"

The robed priest looked around. He evaluated the situation.... and nodded. "I suppose it's a good solution," he said. "I must thank Luna next time I see her. It may not be what I expected, but who am I to argue, in this state? For now, I had better see to any of the wounded in the area... and if any of my children are lost and confused in this new change."

"Ah.. who are you?" the busboy asked. "What were you doing in the basement?"

"My name is Ceipheed," the man said. "As for what I was doing... that's a rather long story, I'm afraid."

Beastmaster Zelas-Metallum was just setting down to tea and reviewing battle plans when the world ended.

The teacup hit the floor of her throne room at Wolf Pack Island when time restarted; she clutched at her heart, feeling her whole being.. CHANGE. It was almost painful, but passed quickly.

Nothing seemed different. The throne room was just as she had remembered; exactly as she had remembered it. But something was wrong. She reached out with her Mazoku powers, to summon...

To sum... to do nothing. Nothing was there. Frustrated, she used her voice instead.

"WHAT is going on here?!" Zelas-Metallum shouted. Nobody came. She thundered to the balcony, her overlook to observe the Mazoku that resided on her island, and...

The scene almost made her faint. Each Mazoku, each beast and demon, each slathering fiend had been changed. All she saw were very, very surprised looking humans -- each with those blasted wings! She fluttered her own wings in anger.

Someone had done this. Lina. She had to have. Revenge. Yes, Zelas must find revenge. Without Mazoku power, Zelas was not up to par with battling Lina... however, she still had her troops -- they would do the task for her.

"Attention! ATTENTION!" she called to the humans below her. A few looked up. It was not the same enrapt commanding she could have over her minions before... "Gather! Gather together, we have things to do! We have been slighted, and must take action... pay attention!!"

Of course, from this height, they couldn't hear her. It hadn't been a problem when they were her demonic underlings.

Instead, they mulled around, in confusion... some left, unheeding of her commands, to find whatever it is they sought. Others looked up. At her. At how very much equal they were, no longer underling and Mazoku Lord...

What could an ex-predator do, when she was the same as her prey? She had definitely slighted many of the foolish minions at her disposal, in punishment, or simply to keep them in line over the years... already, some of them were making the connection. Things had the potential to get very, very unpleasant. Risky and dangerous...

"I should never have let Xelloss go to help her," Zelas-Metallum, no longer the Beastmaster, declared to herself. "Damn him. He's won."

She took to the sky, relying on her new wings to guide her away from her island, never to return.

But most importantly, out of all the things that had changed when the world was reborn, the scene on Chaos Island had changed.

The storms were gone. It was a nice sunny day, as it had once been, with no hints of other worlds. No golden lakes were present, and no battle damage and cracks in the earth.. in the distance, a mechanical boat sat waiting to launch in pristine waters, with a flag reading GUPPY.

Slowly, people stood up.. studying their surroundings and each other in bewilderment.

Zelgadis picked up immediately on the fact that Yes, everybody had wings. This didn't shock him very much; after all, it was as plain as the nose on his face. He reached up to scratch his chin, and instead of the rocky scrape he was expecting to hear, he FELT a fingernail drag on his skin--

"Aaah!!" he yelled, looking at his hands. "By the six Shamans of Ky, I'm HUMAN!"

"I'm human too!! Aaa! AAAAAA!!!" Amelia screamed.. before figuring it out. "Ah... wait, I always was human. Ehheh. Sorry! Just a little disoriented... why do we all have wings?"

"I'm pink," Chi'Nai said quietly, looking at herself in wonder and fascination. Words tumbled from her mind to her mouth without much control. "Last thing I remembered was falling, and... and being somewhere cold and silver... and now I'm pink."

"Where's Lina?" Gourry said, alert and always key to the number one question in his head.

The group scanned around their immediate vicinity.. and spotted no fiery tempered sorceresses with the possible exception of Amelia.

"She's gone," Zelgadis observed obviously. "Split up. Let's look."

Two minutes later they found her; there was just a few large hills in the way.

The change had dropped them on the island, but it put them around the same spot they had vanished from, after flying away from the Altar of Order. That, at least, was still there, in a small puddle of water that was no longer golden, but seemed to have a sheen of gold on it from the noonday sun. And in the chair, in the chains that kept the figure down, was not the Lord of Nightmares -- it was Lina Inverse, her wings spread, her eyes closed. Asleep.

Gourry shook her lightly, but there was no response. He shook her medium-hard and still got no response.

"I think we need to unlock it," Zelgadis said. "That's what the key is for. Who's got the key?"

"Lina-san had it," Amelia said. "But I don't see her necklace. It's gone..."

"You mean.. she's not going to wake up?" Gourry asked, concern rising. "Not until we find that key?"

"That's the gist of it," Zel confirmed.

"... I don't care how long it takes, we're going to find it!" Gourry declared, clenching a fist. "I don't care if we have to quest through the entire world again, for years on end. If you don't want to come, that's fine -- but I'm going to set her free if it's the last thing I--"

"Got it," Amelia said, holding up the key, and wiping it off on her cloak. "It fell into the water." Sure, it no longer had the brilliant silver gleam it once did, but a key was a key.

Zelgadis nodded in approval, as Amelia passed the thing over to Gourry. "Let's get on with this. I want to know what the hell happened."

Stepping closer to the altar, Gourry lifted up the lock with one hand, and slid the key in with his other hand... twisting it slightly, the chains fell apart in an instant, every link snapping, the metal pieces clattering and splashing down into the water. The manacles flew open as well, tumbling from either side of the altar.

Slowly... Lina opened her eyes, coming out of a deep sleep. Age marked her glance, as she tiredly looked up.. and reached out for Gourry, slumping into his arms.

"...how many weeks has it been?" Lina asked. "Or was it months?"

"Umm.. just minutes, I think," Gourry said. "Are you okay, Lina?"

"I am now," Lina said, letting a long sigh out. "I could sleep for a YEAR. If... ghhkk.. OW! Gourry, quit freaking out! I'm not going to sleep for a year!"

Gourry mumbled an apology, and set a slightly crushed Lina down. She dusted herself off, and looked around. "Huh. I guess it worked, then. I really did fix the world."

Chi'Nai was the one who spoke up. "FIX the world? How? You made me human! And.. we've all got--"

"I know, I know," Lina said, appraising the group. "Hrm. I wasn't figuring on that, but I guess it fits. I made everybody human. Everybody, from the chimeras to the Mazoku to the Dragons to the winged. We're all equal now. There's no way for Order to apply a crowbar when we're all unpredictable little buggers on a level playing field, eh? It was Zelgadis's idea, anyway, from his vision."

"Mine?!" Zel exclaimed.

"Sure. I filled your promise. So the way I see it, you owe me a steak dinner!"

"Wow, she hasn't changed one bit!" Amelia cheered, waving a pair of fans in victory. "So, what happens now, Lina-san?"

Lina pondered that. "Okay... rebuilt the world, end is the beginning, prophecies done, Order kicked out after much difficulty, Mazoku War over on account of species diversion, altar unlocked... hmm. I think that's it. Now, the altar explodes violently because it's been unlocked, and everybody goes home."

"That's great!" Gourry smiled. "See, Lina? I told you this'd all work out okay. Now, we can all go back.. and... ano. Why is everybody running away?"

The fleeing people made a beeline for the Guppy. Gourry looked at the altar, which was starting to vibrate at a really weird hum. Looked at the Guppy. Looked at the altar.

"Hey, Lina!!" he shouted. "What was that last thing again?"

Lina flew back, grabbed Gourry by his shirt, and darted back to the ship just as it was taking off.

Nobody was around to watch Chaos Island go up in a pillar of smoldering reality, which is for the best.

The world was a different place now.

How did things change? Nobody knew what caused it. Some had reoccurring flashbacks to some dark place, where they were trapped in a box, living only in their memories, over and over... until a golden warrior, with the wings they all had now, freed them. But that didn't actually explain anything. Some pretty fabulous stories were written, however.

"And so," Myth concluded, "The world had ended. But the end was merely a new beginning. You all know of this new world, similar but different.. and what has happened to us. Perhaps my tale was the truth behind it. Perhaps we'll never know for sure. But at least, when we close, we realize that the true end... has yet to be written. To be continued."

She closed her draft copy of 'Lina Inverse and the End of Everything,' and waited for her audience's reaction.

The drinkers at the Singing Drunk Karaoke Bar looked into their drinks, or outside the window, or at the amusing picture dogs playing poker someone had hung on the wall.

"Well?" Myth asked, probing.

"It's.. not that we don't like it, miss," a member of the peanut gallery said. "It's a good story, indeed. Just... it's pretty hard to swallow. Me and the lads were whispering a bit whilest you were reading -- terribly sorry -- and it doesn't sit well with us."

His companion nodded. "Yar. Now, I likes a good Lina Inverse story like any man. She's a good fictional type character. But all of this is too much! Nobody knows why all this happened, but come on now, Lina Inverse couldn't have.. even if... I mean--"

"You just don't want to admit you FELT it was true, yew bastard!!" a drunk, belligerent audience member shouted. "All of you felt that and are too scared to admit it! Ya weak bellied pansies!"

"No more for Earl, he's topped," the first drinker noted.

"Now now, it doesn't matter if it's true," Myth smirked, appreciate of at least one job perk. "You DID admit you liked the story as fiction. So, cough up the tips, please. A girl needs to stay fed."

She rattled her coin jar (which was specially padded to prevent any rattling, and encourage pity, which encourages more money) and collected. A few coppers here, a silver there, more coppers...

And two gold coins. Two big, heavy ones.

Myth looked up at the man who offered them; not a particularly impressive sort, sitting on a stool despite being too short to have his feet touch the floor.

"Good stuff," the man said.

"Ah.. thanks," Myth said. "And thanks for the coinage, sir."

"You know, I was here when you recited the 'Thousand Reflections' one," he said. "And the 'Chaos Factor' one. I was thinking, would you mind if I published them? You can't make that much money just reciting the stories compared to getting them up and out there for others to read. But a good trilogy like that could really help promote your work."

"Published?" she asked. "Ummm... I haven't been published in a long time. A really long time."

"All the better. My card," the man said, handing it over. She flipped it, and read the company's initials, SCP. "I think you're just what we're looking for."

Time had passed. Humanity had settled down; once you get over the initial shock that your whole species evolved overnight out of whatever cocoon it was in, things can get back to the usual order of relationships, stock trading, forceful appropriation of goods and so on. Architecture was going to need a slight overhaul, and fashions of course had to match your particular wing colors. Travel was going to need an overhaul as well.

Nobody sat around twiddling their thumbs. There were things to be done, after all, and time stopped for no one; things to do that had needed doing for a long time.

The crowd assembled at watched, expectantly, as the preacher paused.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," he said. "You may now kiss the bride."

The groom leaned over, lifting the bride's veil... and they kissed. The crowd cheered, throwing confetti, rice (non-boiled) and party streamers. Sailoon really knew how to throw a wedding.

Gourry looked deep into Lina's eyes, and smiled... "You know....... they look really happy."

"Who, Amelia and Dayvid?" Lina asked, peering up at the altar across three rows of seats. "Oh, you bet. She's adorably cute and clumsy, he's sensibly cute and clumsy... it's a match made in heaven."

The rest of the party in the pew row seemed to agree, nodding.. although Zelgadis was nodding because he was nipping at an itch on his neck. "I hate tuxedos," he grumbled. "I never realized how damn scratchy they are against your skin."

"Oh, ho, ho, hooo!!" Naga burbled. "My little sister, getting married!"

Lina shhhh'ed the elder Saileese princess. "Naga, don't laugh at them!"

"I'm not laughing! This is how I cry. Oh, ho ho ho hooo..."

Aunt "Love" Koirry sighed, a smile lightly painted across her face. "I agree, Naga-san. It's so nice to see a young couple in love," she said. "Isn't it beautiful, Chi'Nai?"

"Oh, it is," Chi'Nai smiled. "It's so pleasant..."

Everybody looked at her funny.

"...in that the matrimonial bonds allow for a more efficient way to spread incomes and share workloads in day to day chores," she added quickly, with a faint blush of embarrassment. "That goes without saying, which is why, ah, I didn't say it. Precisely."

"Don't force it, Chi'Nai," Zelgadis said, still tugging at his bow tie. "You just look silly--"

She bonked him lightly with a hymn book.

"When're they serving the cake already? Sailoon ceremonies are too long!" Lina complained, slumping over the pew in front of her.

Love perked up. "Oh, Lina," she said. "I forgot to tell you. Guess who's on the catering staff for the reception?"

"Who?" Lina asked.

Luna Inverse carried five trays at once, thanks to good balance, two hands and a few levitational spells. She whisked them down the line of Lina's table, each meal landing neatly in front of each guest.

"'njoy," she mumbled through her usual smile, and went on to serve the others.

"Gosh, it's good to see that she's back to work after losing her job as that knight thingy," Gourry said. "Lina? Lina, why are you so pale?"

"B-B-Big sis," she babbled. "Big sis. Big sis..."

"It's surprising, how many people we know who are here," Aunt Koirry said. "It's a shame that Dayvid's father couldn't make it..."

Lina nodded. "I haven't heard from Xelloss since the quest finally ended. Not one peep. I keep checking in my dreams, but he's a definite no-show. He could've been lost in the shuffle... you guys know what I had to go through to make this big happy ending you're living today, remember. Who knows what happened?"

"Awww, don't be so pessimistic!" Gourry smiled. "Xelloss is a smart guy. What could possibly go wrong?"

A hand clamped heavily over Gourry's mouth, but a moment too late. "GOURRY!" Lina hissed. "Don't -- say -- that! Unless you REALLY want more people we know to come..."

"Mphmphh," Gourry apologized.

A bit of silence hung over Lina's table... waiting for the inevitable. Confused looks were passed around; except for Zelgadis's.

"He's not a Mazoku anymore. That won't work," he said casually, taking a sip of his wine. "You can relax now. We--"

Luna Inverse appeared at Lina's side. "Oi, sis. Dirty lookin' guy's asking for you outside."

Lina twitched. "Great. Just great."

"Ah.." Gourry said, starting to get up. "Do you need me to..?"

"I'll be fine," Lina said, waving it off. She turned back to the 'waitress', without looking directly at her. "Um.. lead on, sis."

The Inverse sisters wound around the crowded Great Hall of Sailoon Palace, careful not to let their wings bump into anything or brush anybody; a skill learned pretty quickly, humanity was finding out, as time went on. But you can't avoid a sugar and alcohol fueled bride, as Amelia waved frantically to get Lina's attention as she walked by the head table.

"Liiiina-san!" Amelia cheered. "Like the reception!?"

"It's great! Congratulations!" Lina shouted back. And gave Dayvid a sympathetic look, as he was already starting to get a bit terrified at the concept of a drunk Amelia. She had to suppress a smile. It was an odd pairing, but it'd work. Married couples worked best when they were friends to begin with.

A point she mulled over a little more.

The din of the reception was dulled by the thick walls of the Palace, as Luna led Lina into a private study. She was ready for anything from a magical brawl to an argument to a bit of forced comedy... but wasn't ready for who was actually there.

Xelloss snapped the bound copy of 'Lina Inverse and the End of Everything' he was perusing closed, looking up to smile his trademark smile. "Hello again, Lina-chan."

"Xelloss?!"

"You state the obvious with an air of wisdom, as usual," he chuckled. "What, did you think I could leave this world without parting farewells to my son on his wedding day? Really, now, I may be a bad father, but only a complete schmuck would do THAT."

Lina glanced back at her sister. "But you said a dirty man was...?"

"Jokin'," Luna chuckled. "Naw. Angela 'n Bugger are off adventurin' somewhere else. I gotta get back to work. C'ya."

Being the only waitress who routinely teleported to carry things, Luna was off in a flash -- literally.

Xelloss stepped over, to talk closely with Lina. "I'm not violating my promise now, am I?"

"Ah... no. You aren't," Lina decided. "Look... I'm sorry for leaving you there, but--"

"It was required. I see that now," Xelloss said. "The Lord explained a great deal to me. How she set it up that we'd be the only two people left, just so you would explode with rage and stomp off to find the TRUE answer--"

"WHAT?! I--"

"--because, if they had evacuated everybody you know and a chunk of the population, we'd be back at square one," Xelloss said. "Hiding in the World of Dreams, in the cradle of the world. That means going backwards, not forwards. If... certain people were not taken away from you, you wouldn't have been able to do what you did."

Lina looked astonished. "Why, that manipulative, conniving little--"

"So, do you love Gourry?" Xelloss asked, as normally as one would ask if you wanted a cup of coffee.

"...what?"

"It's a simple question, Lina."

"I... I mean.." Lina said, twiddling her fingers. She swallowed, and gained resolve. "Yes. Yes, I do."

And.. Xelloss smiled.

"Then I wish you all the luck in the world you have made," he said. "Gourry's a good man. He will stand by you, right and well. It would have been nice, if I had... ah, but I didn't, and it wasn't intended to be, was it? I will miss you dearly, Lina, but I'm afraid I have much, much bigger fish to fry now."

".....?" Lina asked, speechless.

Xelloss straightened his robes, looking more dignified. "I'm needed. Another world, where the Lord is setting up a new project. Similar, but different. I'm going to lead Her heavenly army. It's a different side to play on, I know, but who knows what could happen? She appreciates my inner wildness, and thinks I'll be just right for the role. Of course, it means leaving this world, but that's fine, after I settle affairs... such as this. Which is now settled. Thank you, Lina. I have lived in very, very interesting times. I'll go have a chat with my son, then be off."

The trickster turned to go, taking a step.. then pausing.

"Actually, you can give me an opinion on something," he said. "I'm thinking of a name change with my new job. I've always had a thing for names that begin with 'L'... what do you think of Larry?"

Lina, a little stunned, went on instinct. "Lacks something," she said.

"Oh. I'll just stick with Lucifer, then," Xelloss said. "Ta ta."

In a blast of shadows, he was gone.

The reception was winding to a close. The band had played the same number twice in a row without realizing. Most of the guests had left; the happy couple was off for a honeymoon in Daratta, as Reason had negotiated a very fair travel package for them, if Dayvid would take a few hours to give a lecture at the university about blending magic and science. Reportedly, the students were very interested.

A few guests were totally drunk. Chi'Nai was one of them.

"These paintings are so beautiful!!" she wailed, studying the Great Hall's many portraits. "Oh, look at these colors... and the textures, they feel so delicate to the touch... I wish I could paint like this! I should practice! Ne, Zelgadis-chan?"

"Save me," Zel said weakly.

Lina looked up from the breadstick she was toying with. "C'mon, Zel. She's only been open to strong emotions for a few weeks now. Give her some time, okay?"

"At least she's going back to the Hi'Chi'Orld soon. Her and that weird kid, Chi'Bi," Zelgadis muttered... and turned to be surprised by a very weepy Chi'Nai.

"You want me to leave?!" she asked, near sobbing.

"Ah... ah, that's not what I meant..." Zel said, and had to duck to avoid a chair thrown at twenty miles an hour.

"JERK!!" Chi'Nai shouted. And the two were off.

Lina just.. stared. "Gourry, what do you think? Second oddball couple of the night or just a disturbing display?"

"I think... both," Gourry said. He fidgeted in his tuxedo a little. "Ah.. I forgot to say, Lina, but you look really swell in that dress."

"'Swell'?" Lina asked. "I look swell?"

"Neat? Pretty?"

"We'll leave it at that last one," Lina said. Her brain started wandering aimlessly... to avoid thinking about something. "Jeez. This has been the wildest ride yet, Gourry. And it hasn't stopped getting weirder."

"At least big gods aren't stomping around and the war's over and stuff," Gourry said. "It actually seemed pretty easy! All I had to do was walk around behind you and not really understand what's going on, and even after stuff started to explode, everything was great! What a piece of cake--"

Lina whapped him. "It was HARD, you nitwit! Hard! I had to get over everybody I knew being taken away for a possible forever, then figure out how to rebuild an entire freaking world, THEN stomp the god that was keeping me from doing it and then BUILD the thing! I think I deserve a medal for that!"

"What about the statue to you we found in the palace courtyard--"

"Accident," Lina said, nervously brushing by it. "Fluke. Must have slipped a bit when I was saving the world. These things happen."

"Oh, okay," Gourry said, accepting.

A silence fell over the couple. Except, of course, for the sounds of Zelgadis and Chi'Nai arguing somewhere in the distance.

Lina fidgeted.

Gourry shifted around.

"Ah, Gourry--"

"Yes?"

"I was wondering... if you wanted to do something," Lina said.

"Huh? What do you want to do?"

Sunset dips low, over the forest, a reddish gold that flows across the land. But soon, a new day would dawn, the sun rising to the top of the sky once more. Because that's what Brian was doing -- climbing all the way to the top.

His professional name was Skeleton Badass, a criminal handle he had used a long time ago. Of course, his entire gang of thugs had been blown up by Lina Inverse and he had run screaming back to a career in cost accountancy -- but then the Mazoku War started, and somehow the world blew up while he was busy calculating the estimated benefits of a new production technique. Just as soon as the building tore itself apart, he was sitting back in his chair with wings, a feeling that he had just brushed with death, and a renewed interest in being something OTHER than a cost accountant.

Since banditry was the only other thing he knew, it was a natural option.

He got some of the boys together again, and they came up with a scheme for making flying muggings possible. The bandit gang thrived for a little while, and Skeleton Badass felt that maybe, he had found his niche once more. Nothing could go wrong now. His life was set, his hidden fortress was extra tough, his men were hardy, his main gate was on fire, his...

Wait a minute.

BOOM.

The explosion knocked the flimsy walls he had put up around the camp to smithereens. Several of the boys took off running immediately, when they got a glimpse of who did it... Skeleton Badass squinted through the smoke, to see two figures come charging through...

Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev. In formal wear, but with sword and spell drawn, and smiling. Back to doing what they do best, together forever.

"Not again," Brian gasped. "Not AGAIN!!"

Lina and Gourry finished scooping the hoard of booty they had reclaimed from the tyrannical thugs into Lina's dress, and took to the sky. Gourry was a clumsy pilot, but a passable one.

"Ah, that felt good," Lina smiled. "Haven't properly trashed bad guys in awhile."

Gourry returned the smile, happy... not just happy that Lina was happy, but genuinely back in his own groove. "So, what now?"

She didn't need to think much.

"Hey, you wanna get married?" Lina asked.

Gourry wobbled in mid air, almost losing control. "Wh-what??!"

"It's not like we're going to be splitting up anytime soon. We've got a good team going here," Lina said. "And... since we both feel that way..."

"You want to get married RIGHT NOW?!"

"No!" Lina said, bopping him lightly. "Of course not right now! Don't be silly. Besides, there's still a bandit gang on the other side of Sailoon City I want to get a closer look at!"

"Oh. ...and after that?"

"We'll see what happens," Lina shrugged. "Details, details. Come on, Gourry! You fly too slow!"

"I do not! I just need training wings!"

"Slowpoke, slowpoke!"

"Cut that out!!"

Lina laughed, and soared into the evening sky.