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Episode 052

by Mikari 0 reviews

Episode 052: Prophecy! Calculated or Coincidental?

Category: Slayers - Rating: PG-13 - Genres: Drama - Published: 2012-11-05 - Updated: 2012-11-06 - 3417 words - Complete

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Slayers: Chaos

Episode 052: Prophecy! Calculated or Coincidental?

Another monster teleported beside Xellos in a human-like form that was rather familiar save for the black fox ears and tail the monster had. The monster's silver eyes focused on Xellos, who recognized the facial features of the projection, though his energy and expression were distinctly different. "Fang?" Xellos breathe unsure.

"Lord Beast Master made me into a monster fox chimera, I'm not purely astral anymore, so I have added defenses now," Fang smiled with a true cheer that wasn't just a monster's mask.

'His malice is gone,' Xellos quietly mused. It must have been a side effect of the chimera process.

"I've come to help you," without further ado, Fang teleported Xellos away, just in time to dodge the laser heading straight for him.

Xellos and Fang reappeared at Zelas' throne room at Wolf Pack Island where Lord Beast master glared at them from her throne. "Leave us, Fang."

"Yes, Lord Beast Master!" Fang chirped cheerfully. Then he took a moment to pat Xellos on the shoulder comfortingly and disappeared.

"He has become quite strange," Xellos commented as he tried to stand up straight and pretend that he wasn't badly hurt.

"Indeed," Zelas agreed. "But that is not our current topic of conversation here. For you to have to be dragged back home by a monster of a lower rank than yours..."

"Ah, but lord Beast Master, only you and the other monster lords have a higher rank than me," Xellos truthfully pointed out.

"That is not the point. Explain to me why you're an inch away from death," Zelas demanded. "What kind of carelessness could have put you in this state? You were pitted against one golden dragon, a talented one from what I've heard, but only one. Is Milgazia truly this powerful?" If she wasn't confined to Wolf Pack Island for the sake of keeping the barrier up, Zelas might go pay a visit to Milgazia herself.

"It was the sword of light..." Xellos admitted, lowering his head. "Milgazia casted a Chaotic disintegrate on the sword and the blade somehow wielded the spell as if it was tempered by it. The effect was not permanent of course," fortunately for him. "But it was... significant. That human, Flagoon, the sword somehow responds to her as if the weapon was somehow attached to her, as if it wanted to protect her and she talks to it."

"I've heard that swordsmen often get attached to their weapon of choice and treat it as a comrade," Zelas commented. "Has the sword of light truly shown any signs of sentience?"

Xellos thought about the question for a moment before finally replying, "no." The weapon protected Flagoon, but that was most likely because it reacted to her energy, her instinct to survive. She was wielding it, she was fighting with it, it was only a weapon, at least as far as he knew. "If anything it is only an imaginary self-reassurance on her part."

"I see..." Zelas further mused on the happenings. "Can Flagoon cast spells?"

"I have not witnessed her doing so. My understanding is that she is a swordswoman only and not a sorceress," Xellos replied. If he could just keep answering questions like this, then maybe after a while Beast Master wouldn't be too angry.

"Yet paired with a capable magic user, she could be dangerous..." Zelas mused aloud.

"She defeated the Zanaffar without Milgazia's interference," Xellos revealed.

"Oh?" Zelas raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "That is interesting indeed. Yet still, for you to be so careless," she glared.

Xellos almost cringed, then something came to mind. "There is another thing I should mention. Milgazia said something peculiar. He said that one day, a human would shine so brightly, that the monsters and dragons will both focus on that person and that the fate of the world would rest on that human's shoulders." Xellos made a pause as he recalled Milgazia's prophetic words in more detail. "No, the word he said wasn't world, it was worlds. He didn't seem to notice it, but there was a strange presence around him for a second. I..." Xellos didn't want to admit it, but he knew that Beast Master would further inquire about it and it would be revealed anyway. "I couldn't sense what it was; it didn't feel like a dragon or a monster."

"What a peculiar prophecy, if that's even what it was," Zelas acknowledged. "I want you to see if Flagoon and Milgazia stay together or go their separate ways. If they part ways, report back to me, but if they decide to travel together for a time, you are to follow them quietly. Do not interfere with them, only observe them for now. By traveling with a human, the most open and easy to read of creatures, Milgazia may reveal information about the dragon race that could be useful to know. I am also curious about Flagoon and the sword of light. Humans are disorganized, short lived, vain and unfocused creatures, for the most part at least, yet Milgazia's words... There's something about his prophecy that catches my interest. I want to see if it'll come true and if it does, I will be the one to control that human."

xoxox xox xoxox

Meanwhile, Filia had reached the coast. She looked at the vas ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. "I was rescued from the sea so..." She paused in pain. Romeo, how she wished he could have been saved. Monsters were truly terrible creatures, she was disgusted by them, she hated them more than anything! She let out a hopeless breath. "If only I could take this amulet off my neck!"

"Um... miss..." Jullios spoke up.

"Oh, that's right, you're still following me," Filia acknowledged the fox beastman. "I should probably mention that I have no idea where I'm going."

"Oh..." Jullios sounded disappointed. "Well, it's alright, at least we're safe. By the way, about that necklace, it's a magical amulet, right?"

"Yes, it's a terrible thing!" Filia pulled at it fruitlessly.

"Here, try this," from his cape, Jullios retrieved a small bottle. "It's supposed to dispel magic, temporarily at least. Although I can't say if it'll render the amulet permanently useless."

"I wouldn't care if it did!" Filia accepted the bottle and sprinkled its clear liquid on the chocker. Finally the amulet came off. "Oh thank you so much!" She threw the choker far away into the sea. "You've really helped me out a lot, now I can finally go home! What's your name?"

"Jullios," the beastman voiced in surprise at how far the choker flew. "You've got quite an arm there, miss...?"

This time, she decided to give out her true name. "Filia."

"Well, I'm glad I could help you out. I'm sure you're family's worried about you, so you should go on home. It must be nice, having a home to go to and all," Jullios sighed.

"Don't you have a home Mr. Jullios?" Filia asked full of compassion.

"Not really. I wish I could go far away and start over, but I've been all over the peninsula and my reputation as a bandit precedes me in most towns. I guess I really can't start over," Jullios lamented.

"That's not true!" Filia encouraged. "None of the places I've seen in this area are familiar to me, so I must be far from my home. Why don't you come with me and make a new start in a new land? I'll even give you a ride across the sea!"

"What are you talking about, miss Filia?" Jullios shook his head. "Even if you have a ship, we wouldn't get far with the barrier."

"Barrier? What Barrier?" Filia asked in confusion.

"The monster barrier of course," it was common knowledge as far as Jullios knew. "You know, the barrier that's been there for centuries?"

Filia's eyes widened in shock and horror. "We're inside it? That can't be!"

"It's true, if you go out far enough into the sea, you'll see it," Jullios assured.

Filia felt like she was hyperventilating. She looked around and spotted a cluster of palm trees not too far away. "Please don't run away Mr. Jullios, I promise not to hurt you." She ran behind the palm trees, while the beastman stood there in confusion. There was a flash of light and soon a golden dragon towered over the trees. The dragon stepped forward as the fox backed away, even running into the swaying tide of the sea. "It's okay, Mr. Jullios, it's me, Filia."

"You're a dragon too? Wow, two dragons in one day," the fox trembled.

"I don't know who the other dragon was." If the dragon lived within the barrier than she couldn't have met him. Maybe they would meet if one day the barrier came down, but at the moment, Filia was focused on going home. If she was somehow thrown inside the barrier, than there had to be a way out. But what if only the monsters could control it? She didn't want to think about that, she could be trapped there for the rest of her life and her clan would think that she deserted them or that she was dead. First things first, she had to take a closer look at the barrier. "My intention is to return to the Fire Temple outside of the barrier. My offer still stands if you wish to form a new start."

Jullios gulped. Going with the dragon made him nervous, but she was nice and not at all intimidating when she looked like a human, unlike now with her big teeth and claws... Yet she looked smaller and far less imposing than that other dragon he saw, maybe because she was younger. He had nothing to lose, nothing to hold him back, thus Jullios decided to be brave. "I'll take you up on that offer." The fox climbed on Filia's back and the golden dragon took off.

xoxox xox xoxox

Filia flew towards the west until she reached the barrier. Touching it was painful and Jullios almost fell off. She backed away and flew around looking for a way out. Eventually, she flew over Wolf Pack Island.

Zelas saw the golden dragon from the surface of her island and thought about destroying her, but something interrupted her train of thought. Xellos was hurt, badly hurt, she could sense it, "Fang!"

"Yes, Lord Beast Master!" Fang appeared in his semi-human form.

The success or failure of the chimera experiment was still in question, but he could at least do this simple task. "Bring Xellos to me."

"Right away, Lord Beast Master, it's just like playing fetch!" With a cheerful laugh, Fang teleported away.

Zelas looked at the golden dragon that was shooting lasers at the barrier in the air. She carried a beastman on her back and seemed unaware that she was being watched by a monster lord. Beast Master didn't have time for this small recreation now. It was best if the dragon was just gone. Zelas opened the barrier a little.

Filia thought that the opening was because of the lasers she had been shooting and hurried to leave the area, unaware of Zelas' presence. She did sense a terrible monster presence, but she assumed it was the energy that the barrier itself was giving off.

Thus Filia and Jullios journeyed away from the peninsula. They went their separate ways after landing in the outer continent, where Jullios would eventually establish his own village and become Jillas' ancestor. Unfortunately, that very village would be destroyed by prejudiced humans years, burned to the ground, leaving Jillas homeless and starting the chain of events that would, unknown to them, reunite him with the very same golden dragon that transported his ancestor to the outer continent all those years ago.

xoxox xox xoxox

As per Zelas' orders, Xellos followed Milgazia and Flagoon through their adventures until they finally parted ways. Despite having feelings for her, Milgazia never acted upon them, as he thought a human and a dragon were too different. Eventually, Flagoon settled down with a human and she and Milgazia went their separate ways. Her line of descendants took her surname to continue the legacy of the Warrior of Light. That eventually led to the journey of Rowdy Gabriev, who obtained the priced family heirloom at a young age. Later, by the time Rowdy was full of years; Gourry Gabriev would go on his own journey to improve his skills with the sword of light.

Years later, Xellos was still watching from the shadows unknown to Gourry. He witnessed his meeting with Lina Inverse, the sister of the current incarnation of the Knight of Ceifeed. Lina appeared to be an ordinary super powered little brat. Yet strong magic users were not unusual in Zephilia. She gained a reputation as a bandit killer and dragon spooker, but none of that was enough to capture Xellos' notice. The general priest was growing quite bored with his observations of the current wielder of the sword of light until his path crossed with that of Lina Inverse. Then things began to happen. Rezo, Shabranigdu and the journey that led them to the tree that no one remembered was named after a heroine of ages past...

"Could Lina Inverse be the one?" When Xellos proposed such a possibility to his master, somewhere far away, a certain being of chaotic gold chuckled.

If Milgazia had not gone with Flagoon, if Xellos had not followed the sword of light, if Lina Inverse had never become involved in the many adventures that surrounded her... 'Lina Inverse...' The golden lord smiled. Only creatures as random as humans could, if left to their own devices, create the embodiment of chaos as one of their own. 'The power between light and darkness... Go forth and change the world! And most importantly..." Her smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Amuse me."

xoxox xox xoxox

Thus it happened years ago, that the foundation of adventures that would eventually come was laid. Now, years later, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, Zelgadis, Filia, Xellos and Zelas, found themselves in a world not their own, preparing themselves to, against all odds, face their greatest challenge yet. Darkstar, who had absorbed the remnant power of the Stillness threatened to leave the worlds in absolute silence, in nonexistence. He used Luna's empty vessel to trick the golden dragons into lending their power to what they thought was Vorfeed's plan to rid their world of the monster lords. The whereabouts of Luna's soul were still unknown.

Darkstar's plan was almost a success; he managed to summon the three remaining monster lords into the over-world, however, because of the interference of Canal and the crew of her ship, the Swordbreaker, Darkstar was prevented from absorbing the power of the monster lords. After a fierce battle, only Zelas Metallium was able to escape from Darkstar and his vessel Dugradigdu. The defensive program placed into Deep Sea Dolphin and Dynast Grausherra by Canal would not last forever. Before Darkstar can absorb their power completely, thus destroying them, Canal, Zelas and their crew had to find a way to defeat Darkstar, or the gap of power between them would become unreachable.

The over-world was quite different from the world that Lina and the others knew. In that world, magic did not exist and technology flourished greatly. The closest thing to magic was psyenergy, the manifestation of the energy from the mind that could be projected through special devices similar to how the weapons of light worked in their world. However, upon being returned to their own world, the weapons of light, the sword Gorun Nova, the bow Galveira, the lance Ragudo Mezegis, the trident Nezard and the axe Bodigar, regained their true forms as lost ships. The form of a lost ship, a sentient space vessel of unmatchable technology, was also the shape the monster lords took when they reached the over-world. There was no magic in that world and certain beings were not easy to interpret for the fabric of that plane. Thus they became something else; they became the thing that was most abundant there, technology. That was also how Filia and Zelgadis became cyborgs.

After a violent encounter with Gorun Nova's revealed true form, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia and Filia were able to join Xellos and Zelas, who arrived along with the Swordbreaker. Zelas would become their space transport in the vessel she called the Great Beast, while Xellos, a very special program, resided in the system of the same ship. Thus Lina's group met the crew of the Swordbreaker. Canal was a part of Vorfeed, Swordbreaker's main AI and the acting lord of light of that world, so to speak. Her crew was composed of Kain, a young man with a resemblance to Lina, who loved to collect capes, and Millie, a young woman who had her mind set on being the best in the universe in all the areas she could.

After obtaining some weapons suitable for that world, which they were yet to use for the first time, the crews of the Swordbreaker and the Great Beast went their separate ways, off into the depths of space. "This world is really big," Amelia commented as she looked out the window. There was nothing but an endless darkness with distant points of light as far as the eye could see, but she had learned that among those points of lights there were planets, whole worlds that were all a part of the over-world.

"Do you think that maybe our world is this big too, but we just haven't been able to see it?" Lina asked, joining the Seyruun princess in looking out the window.

"That thought is pretty amazing," Amelia voiced. "I mean, up until a few years ago, we could only travel inside the barrier and after exploring the outer continents the world seemed so much bigger."

"For a while at least," Lina chuckled. "It feels like I've already been everywhere in our world, but the over-world is just waiting to be explored!"

"It sounds like you're really excited for this," Filia joined in.

"I am!" Lina cheered.

"I want to see what the over-world's restaurants are like," Gourry added.

"So do I!" Lina agreed, her voice echoing throughout the main control room of the Great Beast where they were as they traveled through space.

"I just hope I can be human when this ends, though seeing the history of this world does sound interesting," Zelgadis commented.

"There must be so many different cultures here, I'm sure it's amazing!" Amelia breathed in anticipation. "The technology is so advanced, it's one new discovery after another."

"I'll say," Xellos chuckled as he took a tray of beverages out of an odd little machine that seemed to come out of one of the walls of the Great Beast. The machine sunk back into the wall when he was done.

"I made those, just so you know," Zelas pointed out.

"Although I could have done a fine job myself if Lord Beast Master had given me control of the mechanism," no one believed Xellos' assertion. Regardless of the circumstances, they were sure he could only be a terrible cook.

"What are those?" Lina immediately took a glass. "This smells like coffee, but it's cold."

"It's a type of frozen coffee latte, something or other, with chocolate and caramel," Zelas explained. "I got the recipe from the astral, I mean digital, library, the Internet, and found that this useful new body of mine comes equipped with kitchen implements."

"You're a flying ship and a kitchen? That's awesome!" Gourry commended, taking a drink of his glass. "This is amazing!" The others tried the drinks as well, with favorable reactions.

Zelas grinned, "the Great Beast also has living quarters, get settled in and be ready for when we arrive at our destination. Let's not forget we're not tourists in this world. You are all my honorary minions with potential to join me permanently after this is over," though Zelas knew they wouldn't take the offer. "I'm going to make you work hard to defeat Darkstar, so make sure you absorb all that caffeine, you're going to need it."

To be Continued

We're finally back into the present, heading into the final saga of the story starting with the many preparations that they'll have to do to stand a chance against Darkstar.
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