Chapter Selection

"So?" Lina demanded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"What do you think will happen to us when the Lord is awakened and the spell is completed? Or have you even thought of it?"

"Really Talis, you worry too much." Xellos said, calmly dismissing the other mazoku's point, "Now, I really must insist that you let us pass."

"And I really must insist that you leave immediately, or die, whichever you prefer."

"Well then, it looks like we have a fight on our hands." Lina said with a smile, {{Fireball!}}

With that first spell the room erupted into chaos as everyone began fighting at once. Zelgadiss drew his sword and attacked the mazoku nearest to him. He could see Xellos attacking Talis as Danlineus attacked the new yousei, but beyond that he was unable to keep track of them. He noticed that they were forcing their way down the hallway towards the temple interior and smiled, they were winning.

"Ha!" Lina cried triumphantly as the mazoku in front of her fell, along with the two behind it. It was over quickly, Danlineus had knocked Losiel unconscious and all Talis' minions had been destroyed, all that was left was their master.

Zelgadiss turned to find the lion-like mazoku holding Xellos off the ground with one hand wrapped around the priest's throat. The chimera started to run towards them but stopped, Xellos was smiling.

"It's over now Talis-san." Xellos said, his voice somewhat strained by his constricted throat. "Give up."

"Never." Talis spat, "I will kill you and then the Keys will never reach the inner chamber."

"I don't think so Talis, you already had your chance at that and you failed." The air around them began to glow black and shimmered around Talis' shocked face.

"What is this?"

Xellos smiled, "Sore wa himitsu desu." The black air swirled around them, forming a gale wind that caused all the air in the chamber to vibrate. When it cleared, only Xellos was left standing. Or at least, he was briefly left standing. When the wind in the chamber finally stilled he collapsed. Zelgadiss ran to his side.

"I'm all right Zel-chan," he said weakly, but he still could not stand.

"Help him up." Danlineus said, "We must make it to the inner chamber as quickly as possible."

"What's the rush?" Lina asked, "We beat the bad guys."

"Something will come up." Danlineus said ominously, "Something always does."

Despite his dire prediction they arrived at the large oaken doorway without incident. Xellos had recovered fairly quickly, and both he and Danlineus walked towards the door chanting in a language none of the others understood. Slowly, the ancient doors before them began to creak open.

"No!" A weak voice from behind them cried, "Please, stop!"

"There is nothing you can do Losiel." Danlineus replied, not even turning to look at the distraught yousei, "Nothing except watch as the ritual is completed. It will not be as bad as you fear sister, do not worry." He walked into the chamber and the others followed quietly.

A large gleaming dais sat in the center of the room, and around it in four separate corners were raised platforms. Xellos pointed to these,

"You must each be placed at the appropriate corner, Danlineus and I will show you which one you are to take." He led Lina to one of the platforms as Danlineus lead Gourry to another. As soon as the sorceress and the swordsman stepped upon them the air around each began to shimmer. After a few moments they were encased in transparent crystal diamonds, Lina's red and Gourry's blue. Both rose into the air and hovered above the ground waiting. Xellos then walked back to Zelgadiss and lead him towards his platform as Danlineus lead Amelia.

"I still don't like this Xellos." He whispered, stopping just before he stepped up onto the platform.

"Zel-chan, everything will be fine, please, don't worry, I will make sure that you are safe."

"I know." On sudden impulse Zelgadiss pulled Xellos to him in a kiss, then stepped quickly onto the platform. As the air around him began to shimmer he whispered, "I love you Xellos." He saw the mazoku's shocked look just as the green crystal closed around him and began to smile.

Xellos watched the smile flash across Zelgadiss' face and then the crystal holding his love rose above the floor and out of his reach. He smiled, Zelgadiss certainly had a better sense of timing than he did. He turned and walked back towards the dais where Danlineus was now waiting. They nodded to each other and then began to chant the words of the spell that would break the seal binding the Lord of Dreams. They completed the chant and listened to the words fade into the large chamber.

"Ano, wasn't something supposed to have happened at the end of that?" Xellos asked, but Danlineus looked just as confused as he did.

"You have failed!" A shaky voice yelled from behind them, and Xellos watched as Danlineus suddenly flew across the room, hitting to the opposite wall before slumping to the ground.

"Shame on you Losiel-san," he said, turning to face the yousei attacker. "He spares your life in the last fight and this is how you repay him?"

"He should not have been so kind, I will not make that same mistake." Losiel snarled, "You have destroyed my only ally, but you will not succeed. I cannot allow you to release the seal."

"Remember that I defeated Talis, and you are nowhere nearly as powerful as he was, you will fail."

The yousei attacked, but the battle was over quickly, she never had a hope of succeeding. Xellos stared at the unconscious body in his hands for a few moments, unsure what he should do with it.

"I'll take that." A low, commanding voice said from beside him. He turned to find a tall yousei with a thick gray beard standing beside him, he did not know this person.

"It is all right Xellos," a far more familiar and just as commanding voice said from the shadows. "You may hand over your charge to the Mountain King."

"Hai Zellas-sama," he replied, then did as she directed while looking over the tall man in front of him. The Mountain King was one of the strongest yousei, equal to Zellas in status, it made sense that they were working together.

"I assume you will be using that one instead," Zellas said as the three of them stepped up onto the dais. "It's highly unfair."

"You could have used Talis if your minion hadn't vaporized him." The Mountain King replied smugly, "It is my reward for teaching my soldiers restraint."

Zellas scowled, but made no further complaints. Xellos had no idea what was happening, even when the Mountain King pulled out a crystal dagger and slit Losiel's throat. It wasn't until he felt a sharp pain across his own neck that he finally realized what they meant.

He collapsed to the ground, watching the dark blood spill from his body and fell, looking up at his master.

"A sacrifice was required Xellos," she said, cleaning the Obsidian dagger before putting it back in it's sheath, "It's part of the spell. I'm sure you understand."

He did, actually, he found this rather amusing. All this time he had assumed Zelgadiss was the one in danger when it had actually been him. His gaze shifted from Zellas to the green crystal that was floating high above them. It suddenly didn't seem very funny anymore, but there was really nothing he could do.