Slayers - Chaos Theory

3. The Key to the Nightmare

Chapter 3

"The Key to the Nightmare"

It was early morning and the day was already promising to be much better than the previous one. The dark clouds had disappeared from the sky, giving way to the warm rays of the sun. The world was once again waking up after a rainy night. The local birds had already begun their daily ritual, chirping happily to greet the new day.

Zelgadis slowly came back to reality. It took him some time to push away the daydreams in which he could look normal again. When he finally succeeded and awoke, he decided not to open his eyes. He wanted to keep the silence around him for a while longer. He knew exactly what they would find when they reached Saillune. Amelia's mad father would be waiting for them, and with him a lot of confusion. Servants running back and forth, all trying to accommodate the newcomers. And the newcomers are not bad either. Finally, Princess Saillune returns, which Zelgadis suspected would cause even more confusion. Deep down, the boy felt that somehow he would not fit into such a life. In fact, he was surprised that Amelia could stand it. And with a father like that, it must have been difficult in general. The guy seems to be even more crazy about spreading justice than Amelia herself, and loves his daughter more than life itself...

This last remark set Zelgadis' thoughts on a new course. Perhaps the princess's life was not as terrible as he had thought. She had someone to love her. He, on the other hand, was alone.

"Ah! Look, Gourry! Don't they look cute?" Lina's voice suddenly sounded.

Zelgadis opened his eyes quickly, wanting to know what the redhead was talking about. Then he saw Lina and Gourry sitting in front of him, and to his surprise, they were staring right at him! At him and... Amelia! It was only now that he realised he was still holding the sleeping girl, who was currently nestled against his shoulder.

"Lovely!" Gourry replied, gazing in that direction with buttery eyes and resting his head on his hands.

"And who would have thought that our mean Zel is capable of showing a little human emotion? For a while, I was even afraid that the demon you were mixed with had taken over the bigger half of you," Lina said, smiling cynically.

Meanwhile, Zelgadis moved so quickly away from the sleeping Amelia that she slipped and hit her head on the ground. Resigned, she opened her eyes and touched the sore spot. After a quick inspection, she discovered a large lump between her hairs that refused to shrink.

"What-what-what?" she groaned, looking at the others.

"Eh! Zel, you have to ruin everything as usual!" Lina said annoyed and got up from the ground.

"And this from the girl who is the source of total destruction around her..." he grunted and shrugged his cloak.

"Did you say something?"

"What, are you going to hit me with one of your spells?" An ironic smile appeared on his face.

"You're finished!" Lina threatened, preparing one of her best spells. Luckily, Amelia came to her senses at that moment and managed to stop the redhead. "Amelia, leave me alone! He must regret his insolence! Perhaps then he will learn how to address a lady!"

The scuffle would have gone on for a while if it hadn't been for Gourry's loud sigh that caught everyone's attention. The blond man was sitting on the floor, still staring at the spot where Zel and Amelia had been sleeping earlier.

"Er, Gourry? Gourry, what are you doing?" Lina asked, pulling herself out of Amelia's grasp.

"Well, you said yourself that they look cute..." the boy replied, giving another demonstrative sigh to show his admiration.