To Live Another Day 147

Slayers: Alive

Episode 147: Life! The Chaotic Force That Unites Us

Xellos rarely opened his eyes and when he did, it meant something. Even so, Lina had no patience for him. She knew the Stillness would eventually manifest itself again and she had been expecting it to happen soon since that time at the beach when Shabranigdu was so guarded. By now the fragment of Ruby Eyes probably sensed that the Void was released from its temporary hiding place and was likely holding back even more. The Dragon Slave's power would no doubt be significantly reduced again, perhaps rendering it almost impossible to use.

The red haired sorceress looked at Filia, finally answering Xellos' question. "It's consuming her, isn't it obvious?" She snapped. Now was not the time to ask about things that she assumed he knew. Lina wasn't aware of Xellos' amnesia, she only knew about Filia's. "It must be like what it tried to do with Amelia, except rather than leaving her after the attack, the Void is still in her."

"Then get it out of her!" Xellos snapped. He reached over to Filia, but the holy magic around her stung him with a mere touch, as it would for any purely astral being.

"Don't touch her now, you'll just hurt yourself!" Lina scolded as she pulled Xellos away. "Onyx, you must have had time to train with your own power by now. Let's give Phythan more energy for his spell with recovery."

"Yes," Onyx nodded quietly and stepped forward. "Brother, make way." Both Lina and Onyx continuously casted recovery on Phythan. Xellos wasn't really paying enough attention to her to even question why Onyx, would call him brother, though they were obviously not related.

Filia lost consciousness completely, but Gourry caught her before she hit the ground. Being human, he wasn't adversely affected by Phythan's spell, which was powerful against astral beings and was aimed at the Void. Xellos could feel the energy being poured into Filia, it was exceptionally powerful, with Lina and Onyx giving their energy to Phythan, even a high ranking monster would have a severely hard time dealing with such an attack.

The unconscious Filia remembered her discovery about the ancient dragons and the most critical parts of the battle against Dark Star. Her missing memories from the past few months were resurfacing, but she was forced to focus on the hardships. The near death experiences, the emotional pain, the trickery, the deception, the perceived betrayal, the struggle. 'No... Stop... Please stop!' Filia begged in her mind to no avail.

'Let go... let go of your will and you shall feel no pain... Let yourself sink into the relief of indifference... Feel no desires... Give up...' An ominous voice echoed in Filia's mind. It no longer sounded like Kirei; this was an unidentifiable sound of emptiness.

"Don't stop now!" Lina insisted, though all the energy she was giving to Phythan was leaving her in exhaustion.

"I won't give up... I promised myself not to let anyone get hurt again..." Phythan was dizzy from the strain. He had never poured so much energy into a spell before. The Void was very strong.

Lina gasped for breath, "that thing... has to... come out..." Amelia was in mortal danger from the after-effects of an attack from the Void. Having the Void remain in her like that had to be worse for Filia. No doubt about it, she was facing her worse fears and reliving her most painful moments.

"This isn't working," Xellos complained.

"You're right," Onyx agreed, but didn't stop casting recovery. "The Heaven Light spell is effective, but the Void is too strong, it cannot be defeated as if it were only a monster."

"Filia is getting cold," Gourry frowned in worry.

Lina ceased her spell casting and closed her eyes in thought for a moment. This whole thing started back when Lina faced off against Fibrizo. By calling upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares she allowed the missing fragment of the Stillness to enter the world and begin the cycle. She just wanted Gourry back and she admitted that she was willing to give up the world for that purpose, but the world was not hers to give away. "I can fix this..." Lina whispered under her breath, she had stopped casting recovery, though Phythan was still keeping up the holy magic with Onyx's help. "I will fix this," Lina assured more determinately.

Placing her hand on Phythan's shoulder, Lina began to chant a spell. "Invisible links of the chain, which binds all in this plane, make the target's struggle vain, follow the inescapable lane, Pursuit!" The golden glow around Filia faded and the line of golden light coming from Phythan's hands became thinner but stronger. "This should make the spell remain focused on the target, so that less of it filters out of Filia, it should be safe enough not to make me fail as a bodyguard now. Phythan, keep this spell going. Onyx, keep using recovery."

"The Void isn't exactly a curse, but it hates emotion, good and bad. It brings bad feelings in order to make people reject their emotions to stop the pain. But it would be a lot harder to force someone to reject positive emotions," Lina explain. "Do you remember the spell you used to cure Filia's poison?"

"No," Xellos replied truthfully. He didn't even remember Filia being poisoned. Gourry passed her over to him, since the Heaven Light spell was not seeping out dangerously anymore.

"You have to remember important stuff like that!" Lina pulled out a scroll from her cape. "I haven't just been traveling around idly. I paid Celo a visit and raided his collection of magic tomes. Here are some of my notes. After experiencing being human for a few months, you should have built up enough of a resistance not to get killed casting a spell like this, even as a monster."

Lina handed the scroll to Gourry, who held it up like a cue card for Xellos to read. "Here you go, heal Filia with a kiss, just like in a fairy tale."

"I'll back you up with some luck. Let the destiny that our fates reach be the one that we pursue! Life is a gamble to be faced without fear!" Lina began to cast another spell. "Ye who flies and never lands, ye who knows and understands, aligning fate, destiny, chance. Eternal clock of shifting sand, commanding time's advance, heed mine will, mine stance, deliver triumph to mine hand. Fortune Lock!"

Xellos wasn't even sure what to make from the recent events, but this was not a time for doubts or hesitation. "Potentia, pura amor, vera basium, basiamini, salutes, vitae, nostra corda, iungitis, nego finis, aeterna!" The spell was charged with positive emotions, that was what empowered it. Xellos couldn't remember how he developed a resistance to this, all he could do was believe he had it, which wasn't as difficult as he thought it would be. He kissed Filia. There was an overwhelmingly sweet taste to it, but he found that perhaps he had a big enough sweet tooth to handle it after all. Images surfaced in his mind, they were the memories he had been missing, they were all coming back.

They finally parted, the spell casting ceased completely from all those present and a few silent seconds passed. A silver mist fell out of Filia, the Void sunk into the ground in a hasty retreat. Filia's blue eyes opened, tired but focused. "Xellos... I remember..." She smiled weary but relieved. "I remember everything..."

"So do I," Xellos grinned. It was a lot to take in, suddenly recalling all the events that had transpired all at once, but he was glad to have his full memories back.

Lina felt the ground beneath her feet vibrate slightly. The Stillness was reemerging, that had to be it. "It looks like the Stillness is finally coming out of hiding. It's about time we finished this." Her serious expression turned hungry as she glanced at Xellos. "You still owe me some food, especially after all I did just now!"

xoxox xox xoxox

The next day, Filia paced around the waiting room of a stadium where the women's brass rackets tournament was being held. "Why are we playing brass rackets at a time like this? I already got my memories back anyway. The Stillness is out there waiting to attack!"

"It is best to relax before a match." Zelas, in her Yuna Wolf look, leaned back on her chair and close her eyes. "Celo will take a while longer to finish the gateway to the Stillness' hideout now that it's accessible again." Plus Zelas needed to complete her plan to reveal her identity. It couldn't be done in the world-wide classic brass rackets tournament that would take place in a couple of weeks, since she couldn't wait that long. Yet even if she had to push her plans forward hastily, she still intended to get a good amount of chaos out of them. Yuna Wolf and possibly by association, Angel Dragon, would likely both be banned from the world-wide tournament after it was known that she was a monster. "If you're curious, I can tell you about the cure I was planning to offer you for your brass rackets partnership services, even if you already have your memories back anyway."

Filia allowed herself to fall into a chair. "I thought you'd leave me guessing." She let out a breath of exasperation. "Honestly, I'm here more so for Solex's sake than because I expected help getting my memories back if I didn't have them."

"It would be harmless to tell you. Not particularly fun since you already have your memories back, but still somewhat amusing," Zelas decided. "You know how they say that your life flashes before your eyes before you die? That was the answer. You might not need to be killed to remember anymore, but if you ever decide you want some assistance with that, I'm always available," she offered sweetly.

Filia frowned as she sarcastically replied. "That's very kind of you, but I'll have to decline your offer."

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, at Dragon's Peak. A buzz zap sound was heard as Xellos faded out of the astral side, rather forcefully, just outside of Milgazia's house, as if he had crashed face first into a shield while trying to teleport. "Ow..." The static of the magical shield that blocked access even from astral space, which caught him off guard, was still clinging to him, making his purple hair stick out in every direction. Xellos smoothed out his hair as Milgazia ran out of the house in a white, golden lined bathrobe, still slightly wet as if he got out of the tub in a hurry.

The golden dragon elder carried an oversized mace as big as him, which had been sent as a gift from Filia. He assumed she was just being friendly, although she was actually trying to cheer him up after his supposed breakup. It looked like he had casted Astral Vine on the mace and was ready to cause some serious pain. Milgazia stopped as he realized who it was that had arrived, "it's you..."

Seeing that Milgazia didn't look like he was going to attack after all, Xellos inquired. "Who were you expecting?"

"That annoying snake monster, Galathia, has been trying to teleport into my house at the most inappropriate moments recently." Milgazia frowned in extreme annoyance and disapproval. "I warned her not to try it again if she valued her life." Really, there was only so much even the ever patient Milgazia could put up with. "Anyway, why have you come here? If it is to discuss the fate of Kirei and the issue of the Stillness..." He trailed into silence in frustration. He didn't expect Kirei to give up her very will to exist for revenge when it looked like she was finally becoming accustomed to living in Dragon's Peak.

"No," Xellos interrupted. "I'm not here to talk about that at all. I came to warn you."

Milgazia wasn't expecting that and he wasn't about to so easily believe it. "About what?"

"You've angered Beast Master and because of that, the golden dragon race is doomed." Xellos' violet eyes opened for a second, showing that he was serious, before closing again. "You need to fix it."

Since Filia never got around to telling Xellos what was it that she was supposed to be doing for Beast Master, instead continuously stealing his trademark phrase teasingly, he decided to ask Zelas directly. The monster lord's reply was simple and to the point, truthful, yet deceiving. "I offered to kill her."

Xellos took it all with a calm demeanor. Zelas didn't sound particularly angry or bitter, but even so, her threats were not to be disregarded or taken lightly. He reasoned that she must be upset at the golden dragon race as a whole because of Milgazia. That meant that there was still a chance to repair the damage and for Filia to be spared. Xellos certainly didn't want Zelas to get back together with Milgazia, but if they could tone down the bitterness, then maybe she could get revenge on him only and not on all the golden dragons.

Milgazia remembered that Zelas had slapped him, but he still didn't understand why she did. "I don't even know what she's angry about."

"And you think I do?" Xellos pouted. He had learned and reaffirmed the knowledge that all females, be them monsters, dragons, humans or otherwise, were temperamental sadists, it was simply in their nature. "Either way, the least you could do is go talk to her."

As much as Milgazia disliked the monster lord, he would like to discuss a few things with her, especially concerning the Stillness. "Very well, I will go to Wolf Pack Island then."

"She's not there," Xellos pointed out. "In the place where she is now, if you are to reach her you must go in disguise. There's no time to waste, so let's get ready."

xoxox xox xoxox

A few minutes later, at Milgazia's house... "I'm not wearing this!" The golden dragon elder's voice echoed through Dragon's Peak.

"Are you going to let your race be destroyed just because you're picky with colors?" Xellos argued.

"It's not about the color!" Milgazia snapped.

Just outside of the house, Memphis, Phythan and Onyx were listening. They couldn't see what was going on, but they found the argument to be very peculiar. "I always knew it was only a matter of time before someone made uncle Milgazia lose his patience and snap. He's always so serious, even though he tells great jokes."

Phythan nodded in agreement, he was still sad about Kirei, she was his friend. But at least he had his other friends still with him, including his best friend Onyx, who had started to give him more attention lately and that made him feel better. Onyx on the other hand didn't quite agree with Memphis' affirmation about Milgazia's jokes, which she found to be rather dull.

Memphis, Phythan and Onyx went around the house to the backdoor as the argument continued. Then suddenly, the door burst open and Xellos and Milgazia rolled down the hill behind the dragon elder's house, mixed up in a fight as if they were trying to strangle each other. The struggling pair landed in a mud puddle at the bottom of the hill as the three spectators rushed to see the results of the battle.

Covered in mud, Milgazia stood up and pulled his pants up, he was hoping that no one had seen the ordeal, but he had no such luck. Honestly he preferred Xellos' thinly veiled threats instead of this. "Um... Xellos, did you just pull down Milgazia's pants? I think that's cheating." Phythan pointed out.

Xellos was also covered in mud. "Don't think badly of it. I was only trying to get him to wear a skirt." Xellos explained with a cheerful painted grin as if it was the most logical and reasonable thing in the world.

"Oh, right," Phythan nodded. "You were only trying to... what?"

"I'll handle this," Milgazia voiced sternly. Concluding that it was in their best interest to leave, Phythan, Onyx and Memphis swiftly retreated up the hill, disappearing behind Milgazia's house and leaving the golden dragon elder to deal with the tricky mischievous purple haired monster. "I don't see how this is absolutely necessary." Milgazia tried to reason with Xellos. "Why must we infiltrate the tournament just so I can talk to Zelas?"

"I already told you," Xellos insisted. "This is the only way you can talk to her right now and you can't afford to wait. Quit complaining, I'm infiltrating along with you."

"That's different," Milgazia growled as he forgot about his self imposed rules of diplomacy. "It's okay for you because you have no dignity."

Xellos wasn't sure if he should be angry, offended or simply shocked. "You kind of sounded like Filia just now." He noted, not sure if he really wanted to make such an observation.

Milgazia mentally counted to ten, Filia was a good person, but she wasn't exactly the best diplomat and he was supposed to be. "Somehow, it appears that sooner or later, you're capable of making any dragon throw diplomacy out the window."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Xellos voiced and pushing aside his annoyance, he grinned. "Would you stop being stubborn if I find you a blue skirt instead of pink? Or would you prefer purple?"

Milgazia let out a groan of exasperation. Somehow, he had become a part of that very strange group that Lina Inverse claimed to be the leader of and he knew there was no way out. Although, as straining as it could be at times, perhaps it was for the best. At the very least he could say his life would always be interesting, becoming closer to its essence, closer to chaos.

xoxox xox xoxox

At the stadium where the brass rackets tournament was taking place. All the contestants, including the mysterious late entries, were gathered in a room where a random drawing would determine which teams would participate in the next match. Filia was surprised to see Lina and Amelia were there in a team. Gourry and Zelgadis were spared the trouble of using disguises since Lina and Amelia were partnered with each other. Instead, the swordsman and the chimera would be watching from the audience.

"Miss Filia, Miss Lina told me you recovered your memories and about the dramatic battle against the Void. In light of that, have you and Mr. Xellos reconciled?" Amelia inquired with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Filia blushed, "yes." Although they had actually reconciled before her memories returned.

"How wonderful!" Amelia happily exclaimed, making random people give her odd looks at her outbursts. "I've been keeping this safe for you." The princess revealed the amethyst ring she kept in her pocket. "I knew you would want it back later."

"My ring!" Filia was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't lost after all. Val had chewed up the wedding bands so many times during his first few weeks of life, that Filia had eventually given up on fixing them. "I thought it was lost, thank you."

"You're welcome!" Amelia cheered.

"Um..." Lina lightly tapped Amelia and Filia on their shoulders and when she got their attention, she pointed. The redhead's expression looked like she was making a huge effort not to burst out in a very loud fit of laughter.

Filia and Amelia followed the direction of Lina's pointing finger to find Xellos in a girly brass rackets uniform. Given the fact that this was Xellos and Zelas was participating, they weren't too shocked to see him like that, nor were they particularly shocked at how believable the outfit was, Xellos was a tricky master of disguise. What shocked them beyond belief was the one standing next to Xellos who shrunk into the crowd, leaving their line of sight as fast, quietly and inconspicuously as he could. "Milgazia!?" Filia and Amelia chorused, while Lina's laughter exploded loudly, prompting the same reaction from Amelia and Filia.

"Oh, no, no," Xellos shook his finger, speaking in a feminine voice. "That's my brass rackets partner, Mimi, and I am Xexe, nice to meet you." He added a cute little giggle at the end of his sentence which just made everything even weirder. As for Zelas, she was standing near the front of the crowd, away from the group, not really paying attention to them and had not yet seen Milgazia.

As soon as Lina managed to get her laughter under control, she placed her hands on her hips and pouted. "Where's my food? You owe me!" She demanded.

"Alright, alright, come over here for a minute," Xellos and Lina left the room, while Filia and Amelia discussed what could have possibly come over Milgazia to make him parade around in a blue and white brass rackets uniform, short skirt included, with a big blue bow on his head.

To be Continued