Chapter 19: After the Storm
Gracia stumbled around the underground room the survivors were occupying looking for Ayla, Gourry's sword in her hand. She was very tired, as they all were, but she had to get this over with before she rested and grieve could overcome the state of detachment she was in at the moment.
Looking for Ayla was never difficult, you just looked for all the children. And as she expected Ayla was in a quiet corner sleeping children around her the last sentence of a fairy tale on her lips. Gracia approached her and from the look Ayla shot into her eyes, she knew the girl knew of her brother's fate, and as she extended the blade-less sword hilt towards the blond girl, no words were needed. And they sat in silence, surrounded by sleeping children unable to cry, till sleep overcame them as well.
* * *
Lina saw Amelia approach her, she was sitting leaning on the wall while Zelgadis knelt beside her and performed healing spells on her injuries. She had put her sisters Stone of Demonblood around her left wrist and was clutching Xellos staff to her chest, tears rolled down her face. Somehow, they had managed to stumble toward Elwingil where Luna had drilled them the survivors should converge in case of an emergency. Not that they thought they'd ever have to.
"Where is that bastard Mazoku idiot? I've been waiting for him for hours, he dared leave me alone through all this mess!!" Amelia stamped her foot on the ground not noticing Lina's tear-filled eyes.
Lina and Zelgadis shared a glance, now was a good moment to tell her as any. Lina reached Amelia Xellos' staff.
"I... I'm sorry Amelia... Xellos didn't make it." said Lina as tears rolled down her cheeks once more as she remembered Xellos lying dead on the ground.
For a moment Amelia just looked blankly into space, then her face turned red as anger built up inside her.
"That idiot, bastard, brute, piece of shit Mazoku, how dare he?" Amelia closed her fist, "how dare he die, sneaky idiot priest! Fruitcake! Pervert!" the list went on and on, but as she fumed and cursed, tears rolled down her face, the staff clenched in her hand.
Zelgadis took Lina in his arms, she was crying too. First Gourry, then Xellos, then Luna... they had found no sign of her after the big explosion and the flash of light that had blinded them all for minutes. And had awakened in a deserted landscape. A crater where the hearth of the resistance had been. How they had survived was a mystery to him,
That idiot! How dared he die on me? How dare he leave me alone?
"Hugh?" Amelia found herself being picked up by a pair of strong arms. She turned around and looked into a pair of too well known closed eyes and a smiling face.
"Xellos!" she threw her arms around his neck.
Zelgadis looked unbelievingly at the trickster, Lina looked up and wiped her tears away, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Xell!" said Lina almost not believing who she was seeing.
She ran towards the trickster and hugged him, he hugged both girls. Zelgadis came closer to them.
"How come you're not dead? I mean... we saw you die!" said the chimera to Xellos.
Both women let go of Xellos.
"Yeah, why did you leave me here on my own? You scared me to death!!" Amelia screamed at him while beating him up with his staff.
"I <cracks> am <bum> a <knacks> Mazoku <paff> Xellas-sama <bum> revived <paff> me <bang> after <zack> I <paff> died. <cling> Ouch!!" said Xellos while Amelia hit him continuously.
Suddenly he grabbed his staff back from her, "That'll be enough!"
"Yeah? Who says so?" asked Amelia.
"I do. Remember, you're my toy!"
"You wish!"
Zelgadis and Lina shared a glance.
"Are those two ever going to learn?" Zel asked as he put an arm around Lina.
Lina didn't answer, she was just glad that Xell wasn't dead after all. Maybe Luna was still alive somewhere, she didn't know for sure. But there was not much time for grief, they would have to help the injured and there was still the possibility of asking Xellos about her sister. Now they had to rebuild the rebellion, Kayless was no more, but the dream that had grown with it would forever remain in their hearts.
* * *
The trickster priest and general followed his mistress through what was left of the hallways of the Hellmaster's palace, well, if you still could call it a palace... He looked at the stone on his staff, inside a brooch with a blue stone surrounded by a dragon could be seen, not by anyone of course just him, and Lina and Zel. The fact the Knight had put the brooch inside his staff meant that she had known that she was going to die, which he hoped she wasn't or she must be injured so bad that she couldn't, and stubborn as she was, wouldn't let him know about it. He shocked his head, he wished he new what had happened during the great battle. The good thing was that there was still the chance to find Luna through the last Demonblood Stone that should still be in her possession. Xellos sighed. He would have to wait for a search till after the meeting and if he didn't succeed... well,. that could wait until later....
He had left Amelia with Lina and the others in Elwingil after Xellas had called him letting him know that Phibrizio had called a meeting. Xellos wasn't very anxious to see the little Hellbrat, he knew that Phibrizio wasn't in a good mood after the death of Kaana.
The trickster remembered what his mother had told him about the time the Hellmaster's general and priest had been killed. Phibrizio had been furious, almost mad, he had let all his anger out at once and had destroyed everything in miles around him. What had made Phibrizio angrier was the fact that Shabranigdu hadn't allowed the Hellmaster to bring his servants back to life. Since then this place had been called the Desert of Destruction.
Xellos was glad he hadn't been anywhere near the Hellmaster as Kaana died, this place looked even worse that he had imagined. Ruins everywhere. Dead Mazoku. Blood. Destruction... Not that he actually cared...
The Beastmaster walked towards and iron door and opened it. They walked inside and Xellos could not see for a moment, the room had almost no light, but he felt that presence of the others and noticed that they were the last to arrive. After his eyes had got used to the darkness he looked around, the room didn't seem to have suffered under the Hellmaster's little anger escape, or maybe it had, and Phibrizio had only rebuilt it for their meeting.
He saw the other four Dark Lords in their human form. Dynast was leaning against a closet, to his left was Sherra leaning on her sword, to his right Kolary. Dynast's priestess played with two small marbles in her right hand. She turned to look at who had entered, her cat-like eyes watching his movements for a moment before she turned her attention back towards Phibrizio who was sitting behind a desk.
Xellas sat down on a chair in front of the desk. Xellos stayed behind her and he put a hand on his mother's shoulder.
Garv was sitting near Dalphin on a chair, Mia sitting on his lap while Valgarv stood behind his master.
Dalphin had made herself comfortable on a small table in the room, Genvan stood next to her. The trickster noticed that Agaroth was missing. He wondered if that nonstop talking Mazoku had got himself killed again. But if Agaroth was dead why hadn't his mistress brought him back to life now that Shabranigdu was dead?
Then he noticed a spiky-haired young woman sitting on the floor leaning with her back against Genvan's legs. She looked far too familiar for his taste. She was looking at the Hellmaster and as she noticed Xellos glance on her she turned to face the trickster. Her amethyst eyes were fixed on him for a few seconds, before she gave him a dangerous grin and turned her attention back to Phibrizio. Xellos felt a cold shiver run through his body. Impossible!! It can't be!! How?!
Xellas reached for his hand and brought his attention back to where everyone else was looking, to the blue-haired boy. The few light that fell inside the room created shadows around the Hellmaster. Those shadows and the silence in the room made the innocent looking boy look extremely dangerous. Phibrizio's face was expressionless, suddenly a malicious yet amused smile crossed his features. Phibrizio swung his chair around.
Xellos heard Sherra and Mia gasps, Val hissed something incomprehensive, Genvan's eyes widened and he himself breathed in hard, Edele looked questioning at Dalphin's general. The other Dark Lords reaction were similar to the ones of their servants, Dynast raised and eyebrow and looked at the Hellmaster as unbelievingly as Garv was. Dalphin had jumped of the table and murmured something like "Oh L-sama" as she too breathed in hard. The only one who showed no reaction was Xellas Metallium, the Beastmaster herself, she just smiled at the blue haired man behind the desk.
Phibrizio had his arms crossed, eyes closed and he still had that amused smile on his face. A figure appeared from behind the Hellmaster and laid its hand on Phibrizio's shoulder. It was Kaana.
Xellos stared open eyed at the Hellmaster behind the desk. First Edele, then Phibrizio, if Mia grew up like that now he would definitely need some vacations....
Kaana looked amused at the others in the room. The Hellmaster opened his green eyes, no longer the ones of an innocent little boy, he was grown up now.
"Now I have all the power." Phibrizio's voice echoed through the room followed by his laughter that made them all shudder.
Ruby eyes flashed furiously in the shadows before hiding once more in the darkness...