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Prologue   |   Chapter One   |   Chapter Two   |   Chapter Three   |   Chapter Four   |   Chapter 5   |   Chapter 6   |   Chapter 7   |   Chapter 8   |   Chapter 9   |   Chapter 10   |   Chapter 11   |   Chapter 12   |   Chapter 13   |   Chapter 14   |   Chapter 15   |   Chapter 16   |   Ending Number 2
Chapter Four

          Blood covered the ground like a map of red rivers and streams converging and mixing. Chimera, warrior and princess all lay defeated in pools of their own life essences....

          Someone is screaming....Filia... she is yelling to him not to do this..she doesn't understand why..how could any of us understand it......

          I can't move..I just can't find the strength to get up....

          Lina! Xellos has Lina!..She's hurt...I can't get to her....oh gods someone help...please just let her survive...

          He's standing before us now..I can here Amelia whimpering in fear..Zelgadis is trying to protect her..

          Filia's blood now is mixing with the rivers that are already flowing......she tried...to save us..but what good was one dragon against Xellos...

          Lina! I look at her, she is broken and bleeding...she struggles to rise... I shout to her.. to run ...to save herself....

          The explosion of energy is so great...I can't look....Lina is lost inside the magical energy...

          I open my eyes, Xellos is gone..but where is Lina...I pray she wasn't consumed by the spell as the last of my strength fails me... "Lina..."

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          Gourry awoke in a cold sweat, he couldn't breath. He stumbled away from the others to a stream ducking his head in it. Sitting on the bank he tried to push the memories back. He didn't want to remember that day. He didn't want to relive it again. The nightmare was never complete, but it was getting closer.
          "Gourry, do you want to talk about it?" Walking up beside him, Zelgadis stood next to him. He couldn't help but worry about his friend, reflecting on how different he is now. Gourry sat so still Zelgadis wasn't sure if he had heard him. "Gourry?" Slowly he reached out the blond's shoulder.

          Gourry felt the touch and it brought him back to the present. He couldn't help but shiver as a  brief image of Lina flashed in  his mind. "Zelgadis I still don't understand a lot of what happened that day. These nightmares keep haunting me. Every night it's the same, the beginning of that day and never anything more, but now the nightmares are around the end of the fight" Barely above a whisper he spoke, he wouldn't turn to look at Zelgadis.

          "I suppose it's because we know for sure now that Xellos survived the nightmares are worse. Phil said Amelia every so often wakes up screaming from them. I know when I sleep they haunt my dreams. You're not alone Gourry, you never were. I'm going to make sure Amelia is ok, I don't want to leave the camp unguarded too long." Walking off, Zelgadis heard Gourry stand and start walking behind him. He slowed his pace a bit letting the tall warrior catch up to him.

          Gourry sat next to him when they reentered camp. He knew sleep was lost for the rest of the night, so he decided to ask a question that had bothered him for long time. "Zelgadis do you think Lina has nightmares too?"

          "Yes Gourry, she does. Luna and her mother said she would wake up screaming every night for the first few months. She often screamed out for you, she always demanded that we find you at first. When she would wake terrified it would take her a few moments for the present to return to her, she would still think that you were with us still, Gourry." Zelgadis hated to admit it to himself but he did take a small savage pleasure in making Gourry realize the pain he had caused to the sorceress.

          Gourry hung his head feeling the hot tears slowly escape his shut eyes. "I hate him Zelgadis, I couldn't think about anything but finding him. I had to make sure he couldn't hurt Lina again. I couldn't protect her then, can I protect her now? How can I face her again after failing her?" He wiped his eyes refusing to give into the emotions he had pushed away for so long.

          "Gourry, what did Luna say to you?" Zelgadis had always had a feeling that the older Inverse had something to do with his friends behavior. He hoped asking would draw Gourry out of his frame of mind.

          "Luna." Gourry gave a laugh that sound all to familiar to Zelgadis, it was filled with bitterness. "After I could stand on my own she drug me outside and began to blame me for all that had happened to Lina. She was furious saying that Lina gave up everything she was to save my life, all that she had pushed Lina into becoming, was ruined. She went on to tell me how as a protector, I was useless, a burden now. Only thing that even made me stand out was the fact at one time I carried  the Sword of Light. I can see why Lina reacted the way she did to her sister, if she grew up hearing things like that all the time." Stirring the embers he brought the fire back to life, seeing the dawn coming.

          Zelgadis shook his head watching the fire consume a new piece of wood, understanding now why Gourry had left without a word two years ago. How could anyone not feel the burden of words like what Luna had said to him, without being weighed down. He was sure Gourry had his own guilt, they all did deep down inside. Lina had suffered for them. The Lord of Nightmares words echoed in his head. 'All that she is, all that she was, she sacrificed for that man's life.' Only this time no one could have saved her. "In a couple of day we will be in not at at Zephilia. Will you be alright Gourry?"

          "Yeah, I'll be fine. What choice do I have? I always knew I would have to come back one day." Rising he stretched and looked at the sky as night gave way to day. "Why don't you wake Amelia?" Picking up their water canteens, he left  to fill them, his way of telling Zelgadis this conversation was over with.

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