Soulmates A Lina/Sylphiel Fanfic by Jeff Hosmer The Mazoku laughed through the roar of the flames as Lina dodged desperately. She could hear the screams of the villagers around them as they hammered against the magically locked doors of the inn. They had been traveling, looking for another cure for Zelgadis when they had come across an inn. Lina and Gourry of course had to stop to eat, Amelia and Zelgadis had snatched what food they could get in between, and Xelloss... Better not to ask where he was. That was when the Mazoku had attacked and sealed the inn magically so no one could get out. That meant they couldn't unleash their most powerful magics without hurting an innocent. That didn't stop the Mazoku of course. "Gourry!" Lina shouted. "Right! LIGHT, COME FORTH!" Gourry shouted, igniting the Sword of Light. "Zel! Amelia!" Lina directed, trying to run interference with the Mazoku without getting speared by its claws. "ELMEKIA LANCE!" the two shouted, their spells shooting into the Sword of Light. It immediately absorbed the spells and began to crackle with power. Gourry jumped at the Mazoku. The Mazoku, seeing him coming, put all its power into one last attempt to kill Lina. She dodged out of the way... then froze as a scream filled the air, moments before the Sword of Light cleaved the Mazoku in twain. She numbly watched as the Mazoku disintegrated, laughing at her as it held up its claws. Claws stained with the blood of a young girl. "No!" Lina shouted, half-crawling, half falling as she ran to the fallen girl. There was so much blood and it was all her fault. Without even thinking, she placed her hands over the wounds. "Oh, blessed and humble hand of God, life and breath of Mother Earth--" "Lina..." Zelgadis said, coming up behind her. Amelia followed, swallowing at the sight of all the blood but hurrying to help. "--come before me and show your great compassion and deliver us: RECOVERY!" White light flared beneath Lina's fingers, blinding everyone. When it faded, the young girl gave a gasp and began to breathe again. Lina smiled weakly at her friends. "Victory..." she said, then collapsed into Gourry's arms. "I don't get it," Amelia said. "I thought Lina wasn't that good at White Magic..." "She's not," Zelgadis said slowly. "Something is wrong." ***** Elsewhere, at the base of a sapling, a young woman with long black hair suddenly falls to the ground, unconscious. ***** "I'm FINE, jellyfish brains!" Lina shouted. "Now put me down!" "Can't do that," Gourry said as he carried Lina in his arms. The group had been firmly (but politely) asked to leave town after the Mazoku had been defeated. Xelloss had shown up again (of course) and seemed to be amused as they set out to find a campsite. But then the Mazoku Trickster Priest ALWAYS seemed amused by something. "My, my, Lina," he said. "You sure look comfortable there." "SHUT UP!" Lina screamed. Lina looked away from her friends, certain they were all laughing at her. She felt fine. She didn't need to be carried. OK, she had fainted back in the inn, but that was just from casting the Recovery spell. She wasn't used to channeling so much White Magic. The fact that she managed only proved what a genius sorceress she was. Still, it was nice to be held in Gourry's arms as they went along. She sometimes forgot how strong he was, and how nicely defined were his muscles. The gentle motion of being carried rocked her into a half-doze. "Gourry-sama," she murmured. "Huh?" Gourry asked. Lina's head snapped up, her cheeks as red as her hair. Everyone was looking at her. With that sort of attention, she did the only thing possible. She plowed her fist into Gourry's face, knocking him to the ground, and ran off into the forest. ***** Sylphiel Nels Lahda zoomed over the countryside inside the shield of a Ray Wing spell. The shrine maiden was worried that something was wrong with her, something that her divinations said was connected to Lina. She couldn't explain why, but she had to get to the red-haired sorceress quickly. Looking back over the last few year, she could see the signs she had missed at the time. Her drive to master the Dragon Slave, for instance. She had no background in Black Magic. She could barely manage Shamanism. But somehow she had mastered one of the mightiest of Black Magic spells. Had she thought about it, she would wonder how she was maintaining the Ray Wing so effortlessly. Still, the trip was going to be a long one, even with the use of magic. She was feeling a little... bored? Spotting something out of the corner of her eye, she decided that would be a good diversion. ***** "Drink up, boys!" the bandit chieftain roared, holding his own mug aloft. "We're rich!" The bandits drinking with him in their keep roared their agreement as they held their own mugs aloft. The latest merchant caravan had not only lots of gold, but several casks of fine ale and a noblewoman and her ladies-in-waiting. They had money, drink, and "entertainment." The ladies were kept in a crude enclosure, huddled together and sobbing as they awaited their fate. It was a good night to be a bandit. "Um, excuse me Mr. Bandit Chief," came a soft-spoken voice. Everyone looked around in confusion. "Um, up here," the voice said. "Please excuse me." Everyone looked up to see a girl with long black hair floating over their table. "Who are you? What do you want?" the bandit chief yelled, tossing his mug aside to draw his sword. "Um, I'd like your treasure and for you to let the women go, if that's alright." The bandits looked at each other silently for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Ha! Good one, little girl," the bandit chief said, laughing. "What if we refuse?" "Oh," the girl said, looking downcast for a moment. "I guess then I'll do this... FIREBALL!" ***** "Um, really, it's okay," Sylphiel said as the noblewoman blubbered her thanks for the millionth time. All around them the bandit keep's walls were in flames and the soot-covered forms of the bandits lay unconscious in the dirt. Sylphiel had been quite proud of how well she had controlled the spell. She had freed the women, of course, and they were making her quite uncomfortable with all their praises. The priestess looked around as she tried to fend off the effusive noblewoman. Coins and gems sparkled all around her and she was putting the prettiest ones in a sack. As she looked, she spotted a pair of jet and electrum bracelets that seemed to practically sparkle with magic. "Lucky!" she squealed, pouncing on them. "Please, you must come with me to our estates," the noblewoman said. "We shall offer you a feast in thanks!" "Food?" Sylphiel said, her stomach suddenly growling loudly. ***** Lina stumbled into a clearing and tried to catch her breath. "Okay, something is SERIOUSLY wrong," she said aloud. "But I'm a genius sorceress. I can figure it out." Someone handed her a cool damp cloth. "Of course you can." "Right!" Lina said, wiping her face with the cloth. "Thank you... Xelloss!?" "My, my, Lina, what a predicament," Xelloss said, his trademark grin never wavering. "What do you know about it?" Lina shouted, grabbing the Trickster Priest by his collar and shaking him roughly. "How violent we are today," Xelloss said, once the world stopped shaking. "Talk!" Lina demanded. "Now, now, that is--" "LAPHAS SEED!" Magical ropes and chains appeared out of nowhere and sought to bind Xelloss, but the Mazoku merely teleported away. "Interesting," he said. Power gathered in Lina's hands. "Talk or I'll--" "What, cast Sleeping on me?" Xelloss asked. "Can you still use Black Magic at all, or has it all gone to your counterpart?" Lina grit her teeth. "FLARE ARROW!" she chanted. A carrot formed out of light gently bumped into Xelloss's nose before popping like a soap bubble. Lina looked in shock at her hands. "That far along already," Xelloss said. "I would hurry up, Lina. You're running out of time." With that, the trickster vanished. Lina sank to her knees. Her magic had failed her. How? Why? Lina sat down, crossed her arms over her chest, and began to think. Fact: She had gained extraordinary power with White Magic, practically overnight. Fact: Her Flare Arrow had become completely useless, kinda like-- Xelloss's words floated through her mind. "Can you still use Black Magic at all, or has it all gone to your counterpart?" She stood up. "Sylphiel," she said. On top of a nearby tree, Xelloss smiled. "Oh, this will be fun," he said. ***** Sylphiel bowed politely as she left the noblewoman's house, especially to the rather shell-shocked chef. She turned and began to walk off, patting her now full belly. "That was delicious," she said. "I hadn't realized I was so hungry." She let off a little belch and covered her mouth with her hand, cheeks blazing crimson with embarrassment. Where had her manners gone? She had plowed through those sixteen plates like... like... "Lina," she said suddenly. "Oh, no. This is not good." ***** "Um, where are we going again?" Gourry asked. "Sairaag! Sairaag!" Lina screamed, resisting the urge to throttle him. "Oh. Are we going to see Sylphiel?" Lina decided resistance was futile. Zelgadis and Amelia watched as the two started fighting and sighed. It looked like it was time for another "rest stop." "My, my, they certainly are energetic, aren't they?" a certain Mazoku priest said calmly, appearing suddenly from nowhere. "What do you know about this, Xelloss?" Zelgadis growled. Xelloss grinned and opened his mouth, "That is a--" "Forget it," the chimera said. "I should have known better." "Please, Xelloss-san! You have to tell us what's wrong with Lina-san! How else can the forces of Justice defeat the evil that is afflicting her?" She stared up at one of the most powerful beings in the world, her eyes going sparkly and huge. Faced with that much cuteness, it was all Xelloss could do not to run screaming in terror. "Well," he said, "it has to do with something that happened when you defeated Copy-Rezo," he said slowly, getting what pleasure he could from drawing out the telling. As Zelgadis' anger mounted the Trickster Priest couldn't resist a smile. Their emotions were so tasty... when Amelia didn't send him into insulin shock. "The dastardly fiend cast some sort of curse on her, didn't he! Well, death will not protect him from the mighty talons of Justice!" Amelia proclaimed. Xelloss resisted the urge to gag while Zelgadis looked surreptitiously to see if Prince Philoniel was lurking around anywhere for another one of those father-daughter moments. Xelloss decided he better finish telling this story before he lost his appetite completely. "No, nothing like that." He smiled. "It wasn't Rezo who cast the spell. It was Sylphiel Nels Ladha." "Sylphiel?" Zelgadis asked in disbelief. ***** "For the last time, jellyfish brain, we are going to Sairaag to find Sylphiel!" "Oh." Gourry considered this for a moment. "Are we going for her cooking?" "ARGH!" Any further "discussion" was cut short by a quiet voice from overhead. "Gourry-sama? Lina-san?" Both of them looked up in surprise to see Sylphiel flying overhead supported by a Ray Wing. The priestess smiled at seeing them and floated gracefully to the ground. "Oh, I'm so GLAD to see you!" she exclaimed. "Lina-san, I think something has gone wrong--" "No kidding!" the Dragon Spooker yelled. "Now give me back my magic!" With that, she charged up and took hold of Sylphiel's arm. Gourry watched dumbly (is there any other way for HIM?), expecting fireworks to begin. Some sort of spell would soon be cast. Hmmm. They're looking in each others' eyes. An intake of breath. Gourry scratched his head. Should they just be staring at each other like that? "Hmmm, this is not good," Xelloss said. ***** Lina wondered where she was. One moment she was confronting Sylphiel, the next she was in a black void. It reminded her uncomfortably of-- darknessbeyondblackestpitchdeeperthanthedeepestnightlordofd arknessshininglikegoldupontheseaofchaos --something she wasn't EVER going to do again. A tiny spot glowed in the darkness, then it rushed at her, like a tsunami. She screamed. Images assaulted her brain. A city beneath a holy tree. Her father marking her height on a sapling. (--no, that's Eruk Nels Ladha, not my--) Stealing the Bless Blade and hiding it. A blond man in armor using the Sword of Light. (--Gourry-sama/Jellyfish brains--) Her father dying from Copy-Rezo's blast. (--No! NOT ME!--) Searching for Rezo's legacy, the battle against Zanaffar, saving Lina. (--That's me! Isn't it?--) Then there was nothing but light. **** Sylphiel looked around cautiously. She had finally found Lina-san and Gourry-sama. Squelching down her joy at seeing them, she had flown down to talk to them and Lina-san had run toward her and then.... She was here, surrounded by nothing. She tried to call out, but no sound emerged. She wondered what had happened. Then the images hit her. Growing up in her parents' store, chasing coppers that rolled under the counter. Her parents vanishing and her sister teaching her magic. The local Sorcerer's Guild laughing at her for being so young. The local Sorcerer's Guild reduced to a pile of rubble. A bay reduced to a place of death by the Giga Slave. Making an image of her sister bathing and selling peeks to the local boys. Seeing her sister's eyes-- Then, traveling. Far, far away. Meeting a sorceress named Naga. Adventures beyond count. Meeting up with Gourry (--Gourry- sama--). Facing Rezo/Shabranigdu, facing Copy-Rezo, the destruction of Sairaag, dying at the hands of Copy-Rezo-- Now she was in a place deep beneath the Holy Tree. A dark- haired priestess was praying over her body, desperately trying to save her life. ***** And her spirit flowed into the fiery-haired sorceress, along with the power of Flagoon. A bond between them that would never be broken. Their souls were one, THEY were one. The priestess Sylphiel and the sorceress Lina ceased to be for one timeless moment. Instead there was only one being. Then apart again, separate again, screaming in despair at the separation. But now there was only union. ***** In the "real world" everyone shielded their eyes as the two girls were enveloped in a golden glow. When it faded... one girl fell to the ground. Only one. Zelgadis looked on in shocked. The girl was neither Lina nor Sylphiel. She had long, straight red hair and her face looked like a amalgamation of Lina and Sylphiel's features. There was Sylphiel's nose, Lina's cheeks. And the girl's costume was a mix of both as well. Purple leggings and tunic, covered by a band of yellow over the chest region (was it larger than Lina's?), a long leather tie hanging down the front, and huge shoulderpads adorned with purple gems. The Demonsblood Talismans sparkled at her wrists, throat, and belt and she wore a large black cape. Only one thing was out of place. A pair of jet and electrum bracers glittered on the girl's forearms. He didn't remember Sylphiel wearing them before and he knew Lina didn't have something like that. They glowed with a golden light for a few seconds, then it faded. He immediately turned to the most likely source of answers. "What did you do?" he growled, shaking Xelloss like a rag doll. "My, my, how suspicious, Zel-kun," Xelloss said placatingly... or as best he could manage being manhandled by an irate chimera. It wasn't that good an effort. "Explain! Now!" Gourry and Amelia just looked on in shock. "Lina?" the blond swordsman asked in confusion. "I don't understand," Amelia wailed in confusion. "It's a--" Xelloss began. Zelgadis punched him into a tree. "--side-effect of--" The Trickster slammed into the tree headfirst and his eyes rolled up into his head for a moment. Then he opened them and looked straight at the chimera. "Don't do that again," he said coldly. Zelgadis, despite himself, shivered. "As I was saying," Xelloss said as he stood and brushed himself off, his usual smile returning. "It's a rare side effect of a Resurrection spell." He pulled out a book from somewhere in his cape and flipped several pages before reading. "'It only happens when a Resurrection is cast under very particular circumstances, and even then not all the time. Since Resurrection calls upon the life force of beings around the caster and patient, it is advisable to have donors nearby to supply the energy. However, in dire cases, some highly skilled spellcasters can make do with their own life force and the energy of nearby spirits. This can have the effect of linking the caster and patient's souls, making them Soul Mates for all eternity.'" "That doesn't explain THIS," Zelgadis said, pointing to the unconscious girl. "Ah, well that..." Xelloss shrugged. "It's a secret?" he ventured. Zelgadis turned away and stalked to the far edge of the clearing. "She's alright, whoever she is," Amelia said, tending to the girl. "I think it's just shock." Xelloss walked over and looked at her closely. He picked up one of the girl's arms and peered closely at the bracers. "Ah," he said. "You've found something?" Amelia asked, hopefully. "Yes," Xelloss said, smiling. "She chews her fingernails. See?" He held the hand before Amelia's face. "Xelloss-san!" The girl opened her eyes. They were neither red like Lina's nor green like Sylphiel's. Instead, they shone like gold. "Eep!" Amelia exclaimed and scooted away. "Xelloss-san?" she asked. "How are you?" Xelloss asked, solicitously. "My head hurts... but other than that..." "That's good," Xelloss said. "Now... WHO are you?" The girl blinked at that question. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped, thinking about it. Finally, she shrugged. "Call me... Sylphina." "A pretty name," Xelloss said. "I liked it better than Liniel. And I'm obviously not Lina Inverse or Sylphiel Nels Ladha any more." She turned to Xelloss, her golden eyes making even him feel uncomfortable. "So, what do you think of this, Xelloss-san?" The Trickster shrugged and said. "I think what they think is more important." "Lina? Is that you?" Gourry said. "Not quite, Jellyfish-sama," she said. "Do you like my new look?" Amelia and Zelgadis looked at each other in confusion. This new girl was behaving... oddly. The silence stretched on for several self-conscious minutes. Finally, Sylphina coughed into her fist and glared at them all. "OK, say it. I know you're thinking it." "Thinking what, Li--Sylphina-san?" Amelia stuttered. "I'll say it," Zelgadis said. "Who are you and what have you done with Lina and Sylphiel?" "I AM Lina and Sylphiel," she said. "Look at me, Zelgadis- san. I am everything they were." "You are NOT Lina," Gourry said. "And what are you basing that on, Jellyfish-sama?" she asked, teasingly. Gourry scratched his head. "Your breasts are bigger." Sylphina sighed. "That's not a nice thing to say, Gourry." "Now I know you're not Lina!" "What, I have to hit you to make you know it's me?" "Now, now, let's all calm down, shall we?" Xelloss said. Turning to the redhead, he said, "Sylphina-san, I would very much like to know where your bracers came from." "Huh?" Sylphina looked down at them. "Oh, I--Sylphiel, that is--found them in a bandit camp." "What does that have to do with anything, Xelloss-san?" Amelia asked. "Ah, unless I miss my guess, they are somewhat responsible for what has happened. May I examine them?" he asked Sylphina. Sylphina shrugged. "Why not?" She looked for a clasp on the bracers. There was none. Giving them an experimental tug, then a harder one, Sylphina sighed. "Great. Cursed bracers on top of everything else." "Let me see," Xelloss said, reaching out to touch them. Golden lightning crackled and snapped. Xelloss gave a shout and reeled backward, clutching his wrist. Where his hand was, there was nothing. His arm simply... stopped at the wrist. The others had seen this happen only once before, when Xelloss had been wounded by Gaav. "Should... have... known... better," he gasped. "Wow! So do these things blast Mazoku?" Sylphina asked. "No. They only attack if we try and study or remove them. A Dragon would be equally at risk." "Dang," Sylphina said. She held out her hand over Xelloss's stump. "Recovery," she said. "That won't--" Xelloss began, then stopped. The energy around Sylphina's hand was black, not the usual white. When it touched him, he could feel its energy flowing into him. In a moment, he held his restored hand in front of his face, flexing it incredulously. "How did you--?" "I merely substituted the energies," Sylphina said. "Black magic for White. It'd only heal Mazoku like that, though." "That's not possible!" Zelgadis said. "White magic heals, Black destroys." "I thought so, too," Sylphina said. "But since I was... born, I can see it's not quite that simple." "Lord Beastmaster would give a lot for that spell," Xelloss said, more to himself than anyone else. Sylphina looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Remember this, Xelloss. I have all of Sylphiel and Lina's knowledge of magic--Black and White combined. No one else since Rezo the Red Priest has known so much about them both." Xelloss smiled sheepishly. "It was just a thought." Black energy coiled around Sylphina's left hand while white glowed around her right. "It's so strange, but now that I can see both sides, it's becoming so simple..." "Rezo went mad," Zelgadis said flatly. Sylphina sighed. "Rezo had Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu sealed behind his eyes." She looked at the chimera with her golden eyes. "Do you think I have a Dark Lord inside of me?" "You tell me, Sylphina," he said with an expression of distaste. "I want Lina and Sylphiel back." "Yes, it's not right that you've taken their lives!" Amelia piped up. Sylphina sighed again. "It's not that simple. I didn't TAKE anything. They gave it. Their souls wanted to be one." "I don't believe that. Lina wouldn't give up!" Gourry said. "She didn't 'give up' Jellyfish-sama. It wasn't like that." "Why do you keep calling him that?" Amelia asked. Sylphina paused to consider that. "I guess because Lina called him 'Jellyfish brains' and Sylphiel called him 'Gourry- sama.' I mixed the two. Don't you think it fits?" Gourry took a few steps closer to the girl. "Give her back," he said, taking her by the arms. "Give Lina back." "I can't! I don't know how to go back, and I don't want to! Can't you understand that?" "All I understand," Zelgadis said, "is that you've taken the place of our friends. We want them back. NOW." "I told you, I don't know how." Sylphina crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And if I did know, it'd kill ME to do it. I don't think anything you say will make me commit suicide." ***** Xelloss sat back and watched, but inwardly his mind was miles away. *Juu-ou-sama,* he said to his creator, the Greater Beast, Zelas Metallium. *The Discordian Bracers are in the hands of the Lord of Nightmares' Chosen.* His master's displeasure needed no words to be conveyed. *I understand,* he said. *I will take care of it, personally.* The General-Priest turned back to view his "friends." Perhaps they would have been surprised at the genuine affection he felt for them, he thought. He certainly was. Mazoku were not supposed to have such feelings, especially not for humans. Next thing you know, he thought, I'll fall in love with a Ryuzoku. He snorted at the image of him loving one of the Golden Dragons he had almost exterminated. He shook his head. It didn't matter. In the end he could no more turn against Juu-ou-sama than stop breathing. If he had to, he would kill Sylphina to remove the Bracers. ***** End of Chapter One.