Slayers: Chaos

Chaos 26

Slayers: Chaos

Episode 026: Sadness! Facing Sorrow

Zelas walked to the next cave chamber. Xellos found himself staring at her curiously the second he saw her. Her energy... she was a monster, no, not a mere monster, she was a monster lord. "Lord Beast Master, Zelas Metallium." He voiced, as all the others were too surprised by her presence to say anything or even move.

"The child?" Pokota inquired with a tone of worry.

"Is an answer even required?" Zelas stated rhetorically. Pokota looked sorrowful then paused and stared into the monster lord's eyes boldly. She narrowed her gaze ever so slightly, sending shivers all over the young prince's body. He didn't want to, but he had to look away as a deep terror overtook him. Her eyes... there was something every so cunning and malicious about the way she looked at everyone. Yet in this occasion, for this particular catastrophe, she was guiltless. His theory that the lost life was because of her was quickly banished and Pokota wondered if it was in truth because of the chimera genetics. He knew that it was very likely.

Gourry seemed to be the only one who didn't know what the sudden silence meant. Normally, the mother's voice would only cease when the child's cries stated, but Amelia had quieted leaving nothing but silence in the atmosphere. "Is it over?" He looked at Zelas with puzzlement. He wasn't sure when she got there, but she came from the next cave chamber, so she must know what was happening in there.

"Yes, Gourry, it's over," Zelas replied in a nonchalant matter of fact tone.

Gourry innocently smiled, "the baby is born?" He looked at Xellos, who seemed to be fascinated by Zelas' visit, and at Pokota who looked terribly sad. "Why isn't everyone excited? Don't people usually get all excited about this sort of thing?"

"Ignorance is bliss... Yet it cannot last forever," Zelas chuckled before disappearing. Her presence was gone; Xellos was no longer able to sense her. She seemed ever so familiar and he didn't understand why.

A dejected Lina approached the waiting men. She stood in a corner leaning against the wall and sniffling. "Lina?" Gourry inquired in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Don't talk to me now." Lina's request was spoken in a whisper, but it was so fierce that it silenced Gourry immediately.

The confused swordsman looked at Sylphiel and Filia, who soon walked into the area they were at, leaving Zelgadis and Amelia to have a moment alone. "What's wrong?" Gourry asked again.

No one was in the mood to explain it, but Sylphiel knew that he wouldn't understand until it was spoken directly. "The child was..." still born, he wouldn't understand that concept and she didn't want to speak of the event more than needed. "The child passed away."

Gourry frowned, "oh..." Suddenly the sadness around him made sense and he too was sad over the tragedy.

Filia's eyes were fixated on the ground. When she finally looked up, she caught Xellos staring at her. Her eyes were teary and she knew it. The reaction happened and it would take a lot of concentration to make her projected form look nonchalant. Yet she didn't want to do it. She didn't want to look like a monster should, she wanted to express the things she felt and didn't understand; she wanted to let it all out. Beast Master had not scolded her; in fact, the monster lord had not acknowledged her at all. Filia didn't want to think about what that meant now, she had too much on her mind as it was. It was too much to add Xellos to it too, thus she teleported away.

Xellos quietly exited the area of Flagoon and focused. He could sense Filia's presence not too far away. He followed the feel of her energy to the area outside, behind the growing Flagoon and the leftover ruins. The rain had stopped, though the rain clouds were still up in the sky covering the sun with lighter shades of gray than before. The heavens' tears were not yet empty and it might rain again at any moment. Xellos walked towards were Filia sat alone on the ground in the shadow of the Flagoon and ruins structure behind her.