Kera and Martina turned around to see a large man running towards them. "Oh, so my efforts haven’t been wasted after all," murmured Kera, smiling. "Are you going to give us a reward for helping to douse the fires?"

The man looked confused. "No, I just wanted to ask you two if you have any urgent business to attend to."

The two girls exchanged glances then shook their heads. "That’s great!" said the man. "My name is Andor and I’m the director for a troupe of travelling actors. We travel around the country performing various plays for people. Would the both of you like to be actresses?"

"Huh?" Kera and Martina stared blankly at Andor. "B-but why are you asking us? We don’t have any experience at all," said Kera.

"It doesn’t matter," said Andor, smiling genially at them. "I just need to have someone who knows magic to join my troupe. A priest I met just now told me that the both of you are skilled in magic. Don’t worry, the pay is good. If you manage to act well, the pay would be even better."

At the mention of money, the eyes of both girls lit up and they nodded quickly. No, they weren’t as money-hungry as Lina but they were looking for a job that paid well. "But I’m not a sorceress," said Martina. "Do you still want me to join your troupe?"

"Sure," said Andor generously. "I’ll need all the help I can get. May I know your names?"

"My name is Kera and she’s Martina," said Kera, gesturing towards Martina, who nodded. "We’ll be glad to join your troupe."

"Ah, I’m so glad," said Andor. "I’ve been trying so very hard to get a sorceress to join. Thank you, Kera and Martina."

"Don’t mention it," said Martina, grinning gleefully.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And so, Kera and Martina immediately joined Andor’s troupe. The rest of the actors welcomed the two new, not to mention beautiful, additions. Being the only actresses in the group, Kera and Martina were treated like queens. Andor was also very glad of the fact that it cost very little to feed Kera. However, Martina was another matter altogether. The princess insisted on being treated like one and most of the cast was glad to comply. However, Andor was not pleased to see that the green-haired girl was costing more than she was worth. To get back at her, he made her act in most of their plays as a poor wretch who had to look for food in dustbins. For the experience, he told her to survive on her own for a week without any money to buy food. After the week was over, a dirty, but humbler Martina came crawling back to the troupe.

Meanwhile, Kera provided all the special effects needed for the production of the plays. She created all the dramatic flashes of light, the slight quaking of the ground, even the lightning during a make-believe storm. Of course, she was always careful not to hurt any of the actors whenever she cast her spells. A few times, she also acted when a character that could fly was required. Not long after Kera and Martina joined them, Andor’s troupe became famous and they were invited to various countries to perform. The salaries of all the actors rose exponentially, especially Kera and Martina’s.

Nonetheless, there came a rumour about another Clair Bible. To add to that, Martina overheard something about Lina and company being in a neighbouring town. To Andor’s dismay, two of his most necessary performers immediately asked him for permission to resign. Nevertheless, he graciously let them leave with all the money that they had amassed over the few months. There was a tearful farewell as the troupe soon left for another town.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kera took charge of Martina’s fortune since the princess was sure to squander every last gold coin. As usual, they booked a room in an inn and Martina bought several disguises for herself. Over the last few months, she had consulted one of the actors in the troupe and had learnt the secret of cursing a person. She was determined to make Lina suffer by cursing her with the curse of Zoamel Gustav. Personally, Kera had some doubts about this method but did not want to spoil Martina’s mood so she did not mention them. In addition, Martina also hired a host of bandits so that Lina would not get away without a fight. Now, in order for the curse to work, Martina needed an item of Lina’s. That was what the disguises were for, she told Kera. Now, all they had to do was to wait for Lina to arrive.

They didn’t have a very long wait. Lina, Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss came into town two days later. Martina dressed up in one of her disguises, complete with glasses and a mask, before going to meet them. At the same time, Kera waited at a nearby roof to aid Martina’s escape. Everything was going as planned. However, the one thing that they did not expect to happen was Xelloss’ appearance. "What are you doing here, Kera-chan?" Xelloss asked as he suddenly appeared beside her.

Surprised to say the least, Kera very nearly fell off the roof. She was about to cast Levitation when a strong hand grasped her arm and pulled her back onto the roof. "Can’t have you falling from such a height now, can we? You might injure yourself," said the trickster priest.

He seemed to have forgotten that Kera knew magic, so Kera reminded him by casting a few flare arrows at him. "I can take care of myself, thank you," she said as he brushed the fire-arrows aside as if they were nothing.

"Of course I know that," said Xelloss, still smiling at her. "I just didn’t want to let you waste your energy, that’s all. And you still haven’t answered my question."

"I’m waiting for Martina to get something from Lina, then help her to escape," replied Kera. It was no use hiding any information from Xelloss, since he would find out sooner or later.

"Why, thank you for the information," said Xelloss. "Maybe I can help you with that."

"How?" Kera asked skeptically.

"Wait and see…" was his cryptic answer. "This should be interesting…"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As she had planned, Martina suddenly ran in front of Lina and asked if Lina wanted to exchange an item she owned with a special gold coin that Martina was offering. While Lina and the others were still confused, she grabbed one of the gems on Lina’s costume and dashed off into a narrow alleyway. Gourry quickly followed, intending to get the person to return the gem to Lina. However, Lina didn’t seem very concerned about the theft and an explosion soon explained why. The cunning sorceress had placed some kind of spell on those gems that caused them to self-destruct when someone stole them.

Meanwhile, Gourry and Martina were tangled in a heap. "Hey, are you all right?" Gourry asked, shaking Martina by the shoulder.

When Martina opened her eyes and saw that beautiful, flowing blond hair, half covering a finely chiseled face and those crystalline blue eyes, she promptly fell in love with Gourry. The green-haired princess sighed and blushed as she realised that he was still holding on to her shoulders. "Hey, Gourry, are you all right?" Lina asked as the other three walked into the alley.

"I’m fine but the girl… huh? When did she turn into a rabbit?" Gourry said when he discovered that the mysterious girl had disappeared, leaving a green-furred rabbit in her place.

"Well, since you’re done playing, shall we go look for an inn?" Lina asked.

"Sure," agreed Gourry, still scratching his head in confusion.

For one moment, she had been staring into Gourry’s handsome face and the next, she was on the roof of a building looking down into the alleyway. Turning around, the disorientated Martina saw Kera and Xelloss. Now even more confused, Martina asked, "Wha-what just happened?"

"Xelloss teleported you here," answered Kera, who seemed unhappy for some reason.

Xelloss smiled at her and Kera scowled at him. Martina glanced at both of them, then remembered what she asked Kera a few months ago. Well, it didn’t matter now, because she was in love with Gourry Gabriev. No! Gourry was her enemy’s travelling companion! How could she fall in love with her enemy’s friend? Wait… If Lina was no longer around, Gourry would be free to be with anyone and that meant he could be with her, Martina!

"Yes! That is the plan! That is what I shall do to win back my fiancé, Gourry!" Martina said, thinking aloud.

Kera and Xelloss sweatdropped as they watched Martina go through several strange poses. "What is she doing?" Xelloss asked Kera.

"I have no idea," replied Kera, shaking her head. She walked forward and tapped Martina on the shoulder. "Uh, sorry for interrupting you, but can we go back to the inn now, Martina?"

"Sure," said the princess happily as she held onto Kera’s hand.

"Levita-" began Kera.

"Allow me," interrupted Xelloss.

He then teleported the two girls back to their room and vanished without a word. Blinking, Kera stared at the space where Xelloss just vacated. That Mazoku had her all confused. What was he intending to do? Was he being kind to her on purpose? Why did he help them so many times?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"KERA-SAN!" Martina shouted for the third time.

"Huh? Wha- what?" Kera said, shaking her head to clear all thoughts of Xelloss. "What is the matter, Martina?"

"Look there! Lina Inverse is coming to this inn!" Martina said excitedly, beckoning Kera to join her at the window.

Kera did so and saw the familiar group of four travellers entering the inn. "Oh. How convenient for you, Martina," she said. "Er… Martina?"

The green-haired princess was dancing around the room in ecstasy with stars twinkling in her eyes. Kera sighed and sweatdropped. Not again, she thought. The girl’s a total nutcase. However, it would be amusing to see how her half-baked plan worked out. Maybe that was why she tolerated her for so long. Well, at least Martina had some sort of plan to make Lina suffer. What about herself? She claimed that she also wanted revenge on Lina but didn’t know how to go about doing it. Face it, Kera, she told herself mentally. You’re a failure just like Martina, only in a different way.

Kera took another glance at Martina, then looked away, sighing once more. She certainly did not want to end up like that. Nevertheless, Martina might come up with an idea that was not completely idiotic… if she stopped talking about Zoamel Gustav and stopped falling for almost every guy she met. When that happened (if it did happen) Kera would be able to use it to her advantage. In the mean time, it was time for dinner. Martina was about to step gleefully out the door when Kera pulled her back by her cape, saying, "If you go out like that, they may recognise you. Zelgadiss would certainly recognise me too."

"Oh! I forgot about that," said Martina. She went to her pack and immediately took out two dresses, wigs and glasses. "Here," she said, handing one set to Kera. "If we put these on, no one would recognise us, Kera-san."

"They certainly will if you keep calling me Kera-san," said the brunette sorceress as she reluctantly took the disguises from Martina. "And are the glasses really necessary?"

"Of course they are!" declared Martina. "In fact, they’re the most important part!"

"All right, then," said Kera, sweatdropping.

~ ~ ~ The End of Chapter Six ~ ~ ~

"I don’t see how anyone would be stupid enough not to see that we’re wearing disguises," grumbled Kera.

"That’s the idea," said Martina, admiring her disguised self in the mirror. "They will know that we’re wearing disguises but won’t bother finding out how we really look like."

"Are you sure?" Kera asked doubtfully.

"Of course I’m sure, Kera-san," said Martina. "When have my ideas failed to work?"

Lots of times, said Kera mentally. Sigh… I’ll better go along with her or I’ll never hear the end of this. "Whatever you say, Martina."

"Kera-san…" said Martina, her eyes brimming with tears. "You’re so nice to me!"

Here we go again, thought Kera, scratching the back of her wig. "Enough already, Martina-chan," she said. "Let’s go and eat our dinner."

"Yes! Dinner!"

The two girls were dressed in matching outfits and wigs. Kera was in a dark blue dress while Martina was in a maroon dress. Both wore blonde wigs and big, round glasses. As Kera had expected, everyone stared when they entered the tavern. Fortunately, Lina and Gourry were busy eating so they did not notice the pair of strange looking girls. As they sat down at a table, Kera thought, Xelloss had better not appear now. This is so humiliating! Martina ordered for both of them, knowing Kera’s propensity for food.

Zelgadiss stared at the two girls for a long time. Both of them vaguely resembled the girl they met this morning. There was almost something familiar in the features of the taller girl. It was as if… "Ouch!" he said, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"It’s not polite to stare at others like that, Zelgadiss-san," scolded Amelia, holding the pot she had just hit his head with. "Especially girls."

"Mind your own business, Amelia," he said, turning away from her as he sipped his tea.

Amelia frowned angrily, then also looked at the girls to see what was so interesting about them. Apart from their poor taste in clothes, bad hair and huge spectacles, Amelia could not see anything particularly fascinating about them. Maybe Zelgadiss-san found them familiar? Nah… probably not, she thought as she continued eating.

Finally they finished their dinner. "Say, why don’t we pay a visit to the hot springs?" Amelia suggested eagerly.

"That’s a good idea, Amelia," said Lina. "Let’s go right now!"

Gourry and Zelgadiss agreed so they all went off to the changing rooms. Martina and Kera overheard their conversation. "Chance!" Martina exclaimed. "When Lina goes to the hot springs, I shall go into the changing room and pick any of her belongings I want! Yes, that is a perfect plan!"

"That’s what you said the last time," said Kera, sipping an iced drink.

"This time it’s different! I will succeed," said Martina with conviction. "It would be downright impossible not to succeed."

"If you say so," muttered Kera.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And so, a few moments later, Martina went walking down the hall to the changing rooms, dressed in her chambermaid disguise. Unfortunately, she met Gourry and was so distracted that she completely forgot about her mission until it was too late. When she finally entered the girls’ changing room, there was nothing there. Lina and Amelia had already changed and returned to their room minutes before.

A very depressed and embarrassed Martina returned to the room she shared with Kera. "I thought you said it was not possible not to succeed? In fact, if I remember correctly, your exact words were ‘downright impossible’," said Kera, smirking.

"Don’t tease me any more, Kera-san," begged Martina as she cast her eyes down sadly. "I don’t know why I keep failing."

"All right," said Kera, sighing. "I’ll help you get the item you need, ok?"

"Really?" Martina said, her eyes filled with tears. "Kera-san, you are-"

"I know. I’m so nice to you," said Kera as Martina nodded in agreement. "Well, it’s no use going right now, so we’ll wait until they’re asleep."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A few hours later, Kera crept into Lina and Amelia’s room. Everything was quiet so far. Kera looked around the room. Lina’s clothes were scattered everywhere. Her headband was lying on the floor not far from where Kera was. Smiling, Kera was about to pick it up when Amelia abruptly sat up and pointed straight at Kera, saying, "Cease your evil action, villain!"

Startled, Kera froze until Amelia lay down again. She’s only talking in her sleep, thought Kera as she picked up Lina’s headband. As she was turning to leave, a hand caught her collar. "With such poor skills, how dare you call yourself a warrior?" Lina said, tossing a surprised Kera out of the window with a powerful flick of her wrist.

"Raywing!" Kera intoned quietly before she was halfway out of the window. Phew, she’s dangerous even in her sleep, she thought, shaken by the experience. With Lina’s headband held firmly in her hand, the brown-haired sorceress turned and flew back to her room.

On arriving at their room, Kera handed over the headband to an overjoyed Martina. As Kera watched, the green-haired princess took the headband in one hand and took out the cursed dagger in the other. With a grin of triumph, Martina pierced the headband with the dagger. Black smoke was emitted from the cursed dagger. "Lina Inverse, you are hereby cursed in the name of the great Zoamel Gustav," she said solemnly.

"So what happens now?" Kera asked, curious.

"Whenever Lina hits another person, the damage will be magically multiplied and transferred to herself," explained Martina. "Sooner or later, Lina will have to kill a person and when she does that, she will be killed! Ohohohoho!"

"What if Lina does not kill anyone or hurt anyone?" Kera asked, ignoring Martina’s laughter.

"Why, that is impossible for Lina!" Martina said confidently. "She is such a violent person that she will surely suffer tomorrow! Especially since my mercenaries will be there to make her hurt herself! My revenge will be complete and my fiancé, Gourry Gabriev will finally be mine!"

"Since when was Gourry your fiancé?" Kera asked with raised eyebrows.

"I decided that today," said Martina dreamily.

Kera facefaulted. Martina was too preoccupied to notice and continued, "Gourry and I will make this place into the kingdom of Zoamel Gustav. Don’t you think it’s a splendid idea, Kera-san? Kera-san! What are you lying on the floor? You must be exhausted! Let me help you into bed."

Martina half-carried Kera into her bed, then lay down on her own bed. "Have a good night, Kera-san," she murmured.

"Yeah. I’ll need it," said Kera under her breath as she covered herself with the blanket.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Early the next morning, Martina gathered her mercenaries and gave them orders to attack Lina on cue. Meanwhile, it seemed that Lina had already discovered that she was cursed, with Xelloss’ help. Kera had already gotten used to the priest’s mysterious appearances and disappearances so she was not very surprised when he turned up in time for breakfast at the tavern. Now she had to prepare to teleport Martina and her mercenaries to a spot in the forest when Lina and her group decided to flee. Giving Xelloss a last puzzled glance, Kera flew off to the forest.

During this time, back at the tavern, Lina was wondering who the person who cursed her was. Martina’s eerie laughter sounded and she appeared at the doorway in her chambermaid disguise. "Who are you?" Lina asked, embarrassed that she had forgotten Martina.

Martina facefaulted. "I’m Martina, you dolt!" she shouted angrily. "How dare you forget me!"

However, Lina still didn’t know who she was until Zelgadiss reminded her. "She’s the princess of Zoana, the city that you destroyed."

"Oh, that Martina! Ah, the memories," said Lina. "Nice to meet you again, Martina. How have you been? Fine, I hope?"

"I’m definitely not fine! I was the one who placed the curse on you, Lina Inverse! You shall pay the price for destroying my kingdom!" Martina declared. "Men, get her!"

Her group of mercenaries appeared and charged towards Lina. The redheaded sorceress screamed and jumped to the ceiling, leaving Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadiss to fight in her place. However, Martina ordered her men to spare only Gourry so the blonde swordsman stood dumbly, confused by the one-sided battle. Xelloss was hanging on to the rafters beside Lina. "At least go down there and help them, Xelloss," said Lina.

"Don’t worry, Lina-san. I will cheer for you in the background," said Xelloss, leaping into the ceiling and vanishing once again.

"Come back here! Coward!" Lina demanded.

"Call me whatever you wish, it doesn’t matter to me," replied an echo of Xelloss’ voice.

"In that case, there’s only one thing I can do," said Lina, jumping down to the ground beside Gourry. The skirmish halted temporarily. "And that is… RUN!"

"Hey, Lina! Wait for us!" Amelia yelled as she, Gourry and Zelgadiss chased after her.

Martina smirked at their quick exit. "You may run, but I’ll catch up with you soon."

She gestured imperatively at one of her mercenaries and he let fly a flaming arrow. Kera saw the signal and started casting the spell that would teleport them to the prepared location. When Martina appeared beside her, the green-haired princess immediately climbed up a nearby tree to be more dramatic. Shrugging, Kera hid behind a large bush to watch. Lina and the others soon came on the scene. Martina’s strident laughter soon sounded again and once again, she ordered her mercenaries to attack. As Zelgadiss started to fight, Lina asked Martina why she cursed her. Martina replied, "That’s so that I can be with my fiancé, Gourry Gabriev."

"Fiancé? Since when did you become her fiancé, Gourry?" Lina demanded.

"I don’t know…," said Gourry vaguely. "What’s a fiancé? Is it edible?"

Lina, Amelia, Zelgadiss and Martina facefaulted. "Why did I even bother to ask?" Lina asked herself. "It must be Martina’s idea, then."

Martina was completely dumbfounded. This handsome, skilled blonde swordsman that she had chosen to be her fiancé was nothing but a brainless idiot? How could it be? Lina had tricked her again! "But it doesn’t matter," said Martina. "I will still get rid of Lina Inverse with the help of this cursed dagg- ouch! Oh no!"

In her agitation, Martina dropped the cursed dagger on her own boot. She stared at the black smoke being emitted in dismay. "It would seem that she has now cursed herself too," said Xelloss, appearing beside Zelgadiss.

"Hey, where did you come from?" Zelgadiss said as he drew back from the priest in shock.

Not Xelloss again! Kera thought. Why does he always show up at the worst times? She glanced at Martina and smacked her forehead. That stupid girl! Why did she get herself cursed too? It looked like it was going to be another bad day for them.

"Never mind," said Martina, smirking. "I’ll just remove the curse and I’ll be fine."

"Ha!" Lina exclaimed, walking menacingly towards Martina. "That would mean that you would have to remove the curse from me too! Once you do that, I’ll make sure you’ll never forget this incident."

Smiling evilly, Lina continued walking towards Martina, cracking her knuckles in preparation for battle. "Is that so?" said Martina. "Then I’ll just have to remove the curse after I defeat you. Lina! Prepare to die!"

The two girls charged towards each other with angry fire in their eyes. What followed was the strangest battle ever seen. Both opponents hurt each other at the same time that they hurt themselves. The observers all sighed and sweatdropped. Finally, Lina became fed up with playing around and threw a fireball at Martina. There was a huge explosion…

~ ~ ~ The End of Chapter 7 ~ ~ ~

After Martina had completely recovered (with Kera’s help) from her fight with Lina, she and Kera started to travel towards Seyruun where there were some rumours of a Clair Bible. "Ooh… that Lina!" Martina said in a voice full of hatred. "She must pay for what she’s done to me!"

"It’s no use just saying that all the time," said Kera. "We must figure out a plan that will work."

"Hey, haven’t I been thinking out all the plans?" Martina muttered.

"Yeah, but they were full of flaws," reminded Kera, frowning.

"Why don’t you come up with a perfect one, then, Kera-san?"

"Er… Well…," stammered Kera uncomfortably. "I can’t seem to be able to think of any good ones yet. When I get a really good idea, I’ll inform you."

Martina gave her a sly glance out of the corner of her eye. "You’ve been too distracted, haven’t you, Kera-san?"

"I don’t know what you mean," replied Kera, looking bewildered.

The green-haired princess grinned shrewdly and said, "I may not be as smart as you are, but I know love when I see it. You’re in love with Zelgadiss, aren’t you?"

"Wha-what?!" Kera exclaimed, blushing. "No! I’m not!"

"Heh heh… your face is completely red, Kera-san," said Martina, grinning widely. "It’s no use denying it. I saw how you acted around him when we were in the same inn. If it wasn’t for the disguise… Oh! Poor Xelloss-san. He’ll be so jealous of Zelgadiss when he finds out. And-"

"Stop!" Kera shouted suddenly.

"Ke— Kera-san?" Martina asked in concern when Kera stopped walking forward. "Wha-"

With fists clenched tightly, Kera stood staring at the ground. "Don’t say any more. I don’t want to hear any more."

"Kera-san, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-" gasped Martina, her eyes opened wide.

"Go away, Martina. I mean it. Get lost, NOW!" Kera shouted furiously as she pushed Martina roughly to the ground. She then tossed a heavy bag of money into the now frightened princess’ lap. "Take back your money and get as far away from me as you can," ordered Kera, glaring at Martina.

"Kera-san? What’s going on? I don’t understand…" cried Martina, tears filling her eyes. "Why are you chasing me away? I thought we were friends?"

"Friends?" Kera laughed in Martina’s face. "Since when was I your friend? Don’t assume that I helped you because I wanted to be your friend, foolish girl. I’ve tolerated you long enough. Why are you still here? Didn’t I tell you to get lost? Scram!!"

Taking the money, Martina ran away in the other direction tearfully. What had come over Kera-san? They had been talking amiably for one moment, then the next moment, they seemed to become enemies. Why did Kera want her to leave? Martina could not figure it out. She only knew that if she did not follow her orders, something terrible would happen to her. Something that would be worse than any number of Lina’s fireballs. Did Kera-san really hate her so much? Tears continued flowing down Martina’s face. Was she really so detestable?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kera watched Martina’s retreat with satisfaction. Forgive me, Martina-chan, she thought sadly. Once the princess was out of sight, she continued walking forward grimly. "You might as well come out now, Mazoku," she said quietly. "I know you’re there."

Deep, echoing laughter sounded as a large figure of a red-haired man with a large sword slowly shimmered into view. "Hmmph! You let the princess get away," said the man in a deep voice. "But she doesn’t matter. You are the one I’ve been looking for."

Crouching in a battle-stance, Kera placed her hand on her sword hilt and said, "So you’re the mastermind behind all those Mazoku. I was wondering when you would show up. What do you want with me?"

"First, let me introduce myself. I’m called the Chaos-Dragon Garv," he said, bowing slightly. "Perhaps you’ve heard of me?"

"Cha-Chaos- Dra-Dragon Garv?!" Kera gasped in shock, stumbling to her knees.

"Ah, so you have. You don’t have to bow to me, though," said Garv. "Not yet, anyway."

"Wha-what do you want with me?" Kera repeated, hastily getting back on her feet.

"Kera Yurion, I would like you to join my forces," said Garv. After a pause, he corrected his statement, "Wait, scratch that. I must insist that you join my forces."

"Why? Why are you choosing me?" Kera burst out. "Of all the people in the world…"

"I decided that you would make a very good addition to my forces. An addition that would enable me to fulfil my wish to take over the world," he replied.

"You’re not answering my question," said Kera with narrowed eyes. "Besides, I would never join forces with Mazoku even if my life depended on it."

"Well, that’s too bad," said Garv regretfully as he unsheathed his sword. "I guess I will have to kill you to make sure that you don’t join the other side, then." He paused, then said, "However, I’m not totally merciless… I think. I will give you a fighting chance by letting you hit me with everything you’ve got. Then I’ll kill you."

Kera gritted her teeth in fear and rage. Without warning, she unsheathed her sword and lunged at Garv, yelling, "Astral Vine!"

Garv parried her thrust almost effortlessly. Swiftly darting away, Kera shot a Ra-Tilt at the Chaos-Dragon Lord, which did exactly nothing. "You’ll have to do better than that to injure me," said Garv disdainfully. "Try using more powerful spells."

Clenching her fists in utter fury, Kera forced herself to shut her eyes as she intoned, "Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows, buried in the flow of time; in thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness! Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess… DRAGON SLAVE!!"

To her surprise, Garv was caught unawares by this particular magical attack. It caught him directly in the chest and the resulting explosion leveled more than half of the forest. Sweatdropping, Kera glanced at the damage she had caused and turned to leave. That was a nearly fatal mistake. Garv teleported behind her and slashed her back with his enormous sword. Fortunately for Kera, his move had been calculated more to injure than to kill. Coughing up blood, Kera collapsed on all fours.

"This has been rather amusing," remarked Garv as he dusted himself off. "I never considered the possibility of you casting such a destructive spell like the Dragon Slave. I’ll give you another chance. Join me and I will spare your life."

"I would rather die," gasped Kera, breathing heavily.

"I’ll grant your wish, then," said Garv, bringing his sword down for a final strike. "It’s really too bad, though. With your incredible learning ability, you could be the most powerful sorceress in the world. Why do you have to be so stubborn? Then again, I can do to you what I did to Valgarv… What’s that you’re saying?"

Kera was mumbling something under her breath. "If even the power of Shabranigdo cannot defeat you, perhaps some higher power…" Eyes closed, she was very pale from exhaustion and loss of blood. Nevertheless, she forced herself to stand up and chant, "Brightness beyond whitest light, paler than the palest twilight; Lady of Light, gleaming like silver upon the Sea of Chaos…"

"What?! What kind of chant is that? It can’t be the Giga Slave…" said Garv, staring at Kera in awe. "STOP!! What are you doing?!"

He leaped at her, intending to end her life with a swift, downward stroke of his sword. However, Kera continued relentlessly, "I call upon thee, swear myself to thee! Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"

Bright light gathered in Kera’s outstretched hands. Dark clouds covered the sky as lightning crackled and thunder boomed. The ground shook. She looked up at Garv with gleaming hatred in her eyes and grinned. Daunted by the power she possessed, Garv recoiled. Raising her light-filled hands above her head, she brought them down hard with a cry, "AURA SLAVE!!"

The light in Kera’s hands exploded, sending silver streaks of light flying in all directions. The massive explosion of light devoured Chaos-Dragon Garv whole. His hastily raised shield just as quickly shimmered out of existence. "It’s not possible!! Nnnnooooooooo!!!!" he bellowed in pain and terror as he was completely consumed by the inexorable forces summoned by Kera’s spell.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The dark clouds parted and blue sky soon appeared again. The forest where the sorceress Kera and Chaos-Dragon Garv fought had become a large, barren plain. A dusty wind blew across the sandy ground where there had once been the tall, leafy boughs of trees. The solitary figure of a girl stood in the middle of the plain, tears drying in her unseeing eyes. Without a cry, she toppled to the ground and lay very still, only the wind fluttering her bloodied cape and dark-brown hair.

In another part of the world, Xelloss turned sharply around, staring at the ominous sky with his garnet eyes narrowed. A bead of sweat trickled slowly down his face. Something of great importance had just occurred, but he didn’t know what. His brow furrowed in anxiety, the Trickster Priest teleported away.

Blinking in surprise, Lina Inverse glanced at the spot that Xelloss had just vacated. What happened? She had never seen him so uneasy before. Looking at the darkened sky with suspicion, she wondered if the thunderstorm had anything to do with it. A munching sound interrupted her thoughts. She turned to look and saw Gourry swiftly eating everything edible on the table. "Gourry!! Why didn’t you tell me that the food had arrived?!"

"I saw that you were thinking and did not want to disturb you," mumbled the swordsman between mouthfuls.

Lina started eating in frenzy, with the thought of Xelloss’ disappearance at the very back of her mind. "Don’t give me excuses! You just wanted to take advantage of the fact that I was preoccupied to eat more food!"

"Lina-san, it’s your own fault that you were too absorbed in your thoughts that you didn’t notice the food was here," added Amelia, also stuffing herself.

"What? Amelia…!!"

Sipping his tea, Zelgadiss sighed and thought, I wish they didn’t have to talk while eating.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In yet another part of the world, Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova looked at the brightening sky and sighed in relief. "Looks like there isn’t going to be a storm after all," she said. "I wonder why the sky became so dark just now. Was Lina Inverse casting another of her destructive spells? Sigh… I wonder Kera-san is doing now. Surely she is in a much better state than I am."

Martina looked down at her torn, dirty clothes and sweatdropped. "I guess I’ll just have to buy new clothes at the next town."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, back in the desert created by the battle, a tall shadow loomed over Kera’s limp body. "It’s hard to believe that a young, fragile-looking sorceress like you is able to cause such damage to Lord Garv," said the cloaked figure. "If it was up to me, I would end your miserable existence right now. However, as Lord Garv would say, killing you would be a terrible waste of resources. Hmmph! If I leave you here any longer, you would die anyway."

Kera’s hand twitched. Smiling contemptuously, Valgarv picked her up carefully and slung her over his shoulder. "Put the girl down, Valgarv. You’re not taking her anywhere," came another voice. "She belongs to my master."

A certain purple-haired priest flashed into view. "Xelloss!" said Valgarv, his smile disappearing. "I should have known you would appear. Hmmph! But even you can’t stop me from following Lord Garv’s orders."

"And why can’t I? I am also under orders, you know?" Xelloss said, smirking at Valgarv. "It seems that this little girl is very popular with our lords, eh?"

"If she is that important to Zelas Metallium, you wouldn’t want her to die, would you?" Valgarv said scornfully. "If we fight, she might get injured accidentally."

"Yes, that’s true. So if you simply hand her over to me, she won’t get injured and everyone will be happy," said Xelloss, smiling.

"You must think I’m an idiot," laughed Valgarv. "I will nev-"

He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Xelloss’ knee at his abdomen. Grasping at his midsection in pain, Valgarv lost hold of Kera. Before the unconscious sorceress fell to the ground, Xelloss snatched her out of the air and vanished after casting Mega Brand and Dark Mist. Valgarv picked himself up from under the rubble caused by Xelloss’ Mega Brand spell. The fog from the Dark Mist spell was still too thick to see through but he did not need his sight to know that the priest had disappeared once again. He clenched both fists in fury at his ignominious defeat and teleported away.

~ ~ ~ The End of Chapter Eight ~ ~ ~

Pain. Hot, searing pain that made her twist in agony. Then, cool blackness. Kera wanted to give in completely to the comforting darkness but something in her warned her not to do so. It took every last bit of her weakening willpower not to submit to the release of death. But she was tired, so very tired. Surely a little rest would not matter? Then came the terror. First Garv appeared, brandishing his large sword. He slashed at her continuously and she was powerless to retaliate. She could only scream with pain. Garv was suddenly replaced with a child, a dark-haired boy of about six or seven. He looked innocent, but when he grinned, Kera knew that he was not all he seemed.

A small, golden ball appeared, floating above the boy’s palm. He looked at it, then grasped it tightly with his index finger and thumb. Horrified without understanding why, Kera wanted to scream but no voice came from her throat. Very slowly, the boy’s finger and thumb became closer and closer together, squeezing the golden ball. The ball cracked… and Kera was gripped by tremendous pain. She rolled on the ground, her shaking hands grasping her sides.

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice saying, "It’s all right now, Kera-chan. I’ll get you to safety."

Listlessly, she opened her eyes and saw… Xelloss. Where was he carrying her to? "To a safe place, where no one will hurt you anymore."

Reassured by his words, Kera closed her eyes. And saw Garv coming at her with his sword again. She screamed and shuddered as his blows hit her again and again.

Xelloss gazed ruefully at the trembling girl he held in his arms. So she had faced the Chaos-Dragon Garv all alone? And had injured him severely, according to his master. Nevertheless, she was only a child. A powerful sorceress, but still only a child. She would still remember this event in her nightmares in years to come. He gripped his staff more tightly as Kera flinched from another imaginary attack. Covering her body with his own cape, Xelloss continued on his way to where Lina Inverse and the others were currently staying.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun heard an urgent-sounding knock on her door. Yawning, she got up sleepily to answer it. "Who is it? Wha- Xelloss-san! What are you doing here? Don’t you know what time it is now?"

"This is an emergency, Amelia," said Xelloss seriously as he carefully laid Kera facedown on the bed. "If you don’t heal her fast, she’s going to die!"

Amelia took one startled glance at the extent of the girl’s back injuries and immediately started to work her magic. After a while, she paused and told Xelloss, "Call Lina-san here. I’ll need her help too. Please hurry!"

Xelloss nodded once and vanished. Amelia instantly continued to cast Resurrection on Kera. If only Sylphiel were here, she thought desperately. The princess of Sairaag had been the one who taught Amelia the powerful healing spell. Wearing her pajamas, Lina burst into the room looking stunned. "What happened? Xelloss told me that there was an emergency and you needed my help! Who’s she?"

"I don’t know," replied Amelia, shaking her head. "Xelloss brought her to me and ordered me to heal her. She’s been injured very badly."

Lina gazed at Kera’s blood-soaked clothes and at Xelloss’ similarly stained cape. Where did the Mazoku find this girl? She looked like she was a sorceress and had a long sword buckled to her belt. How did she get so seriously injured? They would certainly get little or no information out of Xelloss himself. Perhaps the girl would tell them when she recovered. "I don’t see how I can help you, Amelia," said Lina regretfully. "I don’t know Resurrection and casting Recovery may well kill her."

"You don’t have to do anything, Lina-san," said Amelia as she concentrated on healing Kera. "Just your presence is enough. As you know, the spell Resurrection uses the energy drawn from nearby life forms to heal the person."

"So you need my energy?" Lina asked. "Why don’t you call Gourry and Zelgadiss here too?"

Amelia looked embarrassed. "That’s because I will have to remove some of her clothes later so that I can make sure that the wound is healing properly. And when she wakes up later, she’s not going to be very happy if she finds out…"

"That’s easy," said Lina. "I’ll just tell the guys to face the wall. The first one who turns around to look gets a Fireball. Xelloss! I know you’re around here somewhere. Get Gourry and Zelgadiss here!"

There was no answer but the three men soon came into the room. "What’s the matter, Lina?" Gourry asked, yawning widely.

"KERA!!" Zelgadiss shouted when he saw who the injured girl was. He dashed to the bed and gazed in horror at the great slash on her back. "Tell me who did this to her!" he demanded, grabbing Xelloss by the collar.

"I’m not supposed to tell you now," said Xelloss, looking uncomfortable in Zelgadiss’ grip. "But if you really want to know, it was a very powerful Mazoku."

"What?! Another Mazoku?" Zelgadiss exclaimed.

"It wasn’t just any Mazoku…" muttered Xelloss under his breath. "Even I would not be able to defeat him…"

"So this is Kera?" Lina said, gazing down at the fragile-looking girl.

"Who?" Gourry asked, confused as usual.

"Never mind about that now, Gourry," said Lina. "The three of you, turn around and face the wall until I tell you not to. Or else, you’ll get a Fireball."

Xelloss, Zelgadiss and Gourry immediately turned around. "What’s the point of getting us here, then?" Zelgadiss asked.

"Amelia needs your energy to heal Kera by using Resurrection," Lina explained. "But, the last part of the healing process needs…um, er… some of Kera’s clothes to be… er… taken off."

Zelgadiss blushed. Lina smirked and said, "Any more questions?"

Gourry raised his hand. "May I ask a question? Who is Kera?"

Lina sweatdropped and said, "She’s the girl who is being healed by Amelia now, dummy. She used to travel with Zel on the way to Zoana. Amelia, are you done yet?"

"Not yet, Lina-san," replied Amelia. "I’ll be done in a short while… Phew. I’m done now."

After covering the peacefully sleeping Kera with a blanket, Amelia sat down on the floor, feeling exhausted. It was a good thing that Lina-san had asked the others to come or. Since Kera was a close friend of Zelgadiss, she had done her best to heal her and had succeeded. Zelgadiss, Lina and Gourry came over to stand beside the bed. Xelloss picked up his cape, flipped it once then put it on. "Thank you, Amelia," said Xelloss as he bent down to pat her on the shoulder.

"You don’t have to thank me, Xelloss-san," replied Amelia. "It was my duty. Anyway, everyone contributed their energy."

"So, did Kera destroy that Mazoku?" Lina asked Xelloss.

"No," he replied, his hair hiding his eyes.

"NO?!" Lina and Zelgadiss said loudly.

"Hush! You’ll wake Kera up!" Amelia scolded.

"What do you mean by ‘No’?" said Zelgadiss in a quieter voice.

"Exactly what it means. No, she did not destroy the Mazoku, even though he was terribly injured by her," said Xelloss. "Don’t ask me about the details because I don’t know either. I just found her lying in a desert and brought her here."

"So how did you know she fought the powerful Mazoku?" Lina asked in deep suspicion.

"Now, that is a secret," smiled Xelloss.

Zelgadiss grabbed him by the collar again. "Tell me, or else…"

"Or else what?" said Xelloss, disappearing once more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Outside the room, a shadowy figure hovered just outside the window, watching silently. Then it also disappeared.

"So what are we going to do about her?" Gourry asked.

"We’ll wait until she’s recovered before we continue travelling," said Lina. "She might want to come to Seyruun with us."

Zelgadiss nodded agreement. Lina continued, "Meanwhile, you two guys go back to your rooms. Amelia and I will keep watch here in case any Mazoku should attack."

"All right," said Zelgadiss as he and Gourry walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"Amelia, if you’re tired, go ahead and sleep," said Lina. "I’ll wake you when I get tired."

Yawning, Amelia said, "It’s all right, Lina-san. I’m not that sleepy yet."

"If you say so, Amelia."

"Lina-san?"

"What is it, Amelia?"

"Do- do you think that Zelgadiss-san likes Kera-san?" said Amelia shyly.

"Well, I dunno. It may be possible," replied Lina thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, er, nothing, nothing at all…"

"Hmmph! What I really want to know is why Xelloss brought her here and how he knows what he does," remarked Lina. "Attacked by a very powerful Mazoku, eh? Hmm…"

"Maybe he was just being kind," suggested Amelia.

"Hello? We’re talking about Xelloss here," said Lina. "He never does anything without a really good reason."

"That’s true," agreed Amelia as she yawned again.

"What do you think he’s up to, Amelia?" asked Lina.

There was no answer. Amelia was already asleep beside Kera. Lina smiled, then also started feeling very sleepy. "Maybe I’ll rest for a little while," she said, laying her head on her folded arms. She was asleep in a few seconds.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The room became filled with a ghostly green-white light. "Arise, Kera," came a deep, echoing voice. "Come to me."

As if hypnotised, Kera got up and walked towards the voice. She became infused with the greenish light and started to walk out of the room. In the corridor, Zelgadiss was also fast asleep. Gourry was snoring inside his own room. When she was outside the inn, Kera looked up at the sky and chanted, "Levitation!"

Suddenly, Xelloss appeared in front of her. "Where are you going, Kera-chan? Surely you’re not so rude as to leave without thanking them for healing you?"

Without hesitation, Kera shot a Fireball at Xelloss. The Trickster Priest dodged the first attack easily but was grazed by the Flare Lance and nearly hit by the Garv Flare that she fired at him. "What the- Kera?" Xelloss said, surprised that she was attacking him so viciously. "What are you doing?!"

"Elmekia Lance!" called a voice from behind them.

Kera evaded the spirit magic attack, then retaliated with another Elmekia Lance. Lina yelped as she quickly darted away. Amelia and Zelgadiss were hovering in the air beside her. "I told you she learns damn fast," said Zelgadiss, narrowing his eyes at Kera. "If Xelloss hadn’t awakened us, she would have disappeared already. Kera! Where are you going?"

The girl did not answer but continued to stare at them with cold, jade-green eyes. "She’s being controlled by someone," said Xelloss, both his purple-red eyes open.

"Huh? Who could it be? Why?" Amelia asked, looking scared.

"Whoever it is, he’s gonna pay," said Lina, flying towards Kera.

Kera flew further away, then closed her eyes and chanted, "Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows, buried in the flow of time; in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness. Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"

"What?! The Dragon Slave?" Lina said, appalled. "How can she-? Everyone, run!"

"Dragon Slave!" Initially, Kera was aiming at Xelloss, then she suddenly switched direction and aimed at Lina instead. Shocked beyond belief, Lina could only stand and stare as death came towards her. The crimson flame engulfed her completely.

"LINA-SAN!!" Amelia cried as the explosion occurred. "NO!!!"

Zelgadiss stared at the red ball of flame in horror. He simply could not believe his eyes. "No, this can’t be happening," he whispered. "LINA!!"

~ ~ ~ The End of Chapter 9 ~ ~ ~

Lina opened her eyes. She wasn’t dead, she thought. Why? Looking up, she saw Xelloss with his staff in front of her. So he was the one who saved her. "Lina! Hurry, there isn’t much time," urged Xelloss. "Kera’s getting ready to cast another powerful spell."

"What am I supposed to do?" Lina muttered. "Kera’s being controlled by a spell, so… ok! Xelloss, you distract her. I need to get close to her."

"Understood, Lina-san," said Xelloss. "Leave it to me."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, a flood of tears was coming from Amelia’s eyes. "Lina-san! Waaaaahhh!!"

"Wait, Amelia," said Zelgadiss as he spotted Lina. "She’s still alive! There! Look!"

"Huh? Where?! Oh, Lina-san! You’re alive!" Amelia exclaimed, wiping her tears.

Lina flew swiftly behind Kera, who seemed to see something in front of her. Kera continued to attack the image that she saw. As soon as she was close enough, Lina cast Flow Break. Kera stiffened, then started to fall. "Zel! Catch her, quick!"

Zelgadiss flew directly below Kera and caught her in his arms. "Phew, that was close," said Lina as she wiped off perspiration from her forehead.

"Are you all right, Lina-san?" Amelia asked as Lina and Zelgadiss landed on the ground.

"I’m fine, thanks to Xelloss," said Lina, winking at the priest.

"You’re welcome, Lina-san," said Xelloss as he winked back.

Amelia glanced at the two of them and was relieved that Gourry was not here. "Ahem, so what do we do about Kera?" she asked.

"I’ll keep watch over her this time," said Xelloss, walking over to where Zelgadiss was standing. "You three did a really great job the last time. Falling asleep on the job, indeed!"

"Hey!" Lina exclaimed angrily. "It wasn’t our fault, ok? The thing that was controlling Kera made us sleep! And Zel, what were you doing in the corridor?"

"I… er…" Zelgadiss looked rather embarrassed.

"You didn’t trust us, did you?!" Lina accused.

"Well… it wouldn’t have much difference if I hadn’t been there," retorted Zelgadiss.

"Lina-san, Zelgadiss-san, please stop arguing," pleaded Amelia. "Shall we go back to the inn now?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Xelloss took Kera limp body from Zelgadiss and went to Amelia’s room. "Eh? Then where do I stay?" Amelia asked Xelloss.

He shrugged, then smiled and said, "Either Lina’s room or Zelgadiss’. You decide."

Amelia glanced at Zelgadiss and the both of them blushed simultaneously. "Er… I think I’ll go to Lina’s room," Amelia said, blushing.

"Good luck to you, then," said Xelloss, still smiling.

"Hey, what did you mean by that, Xelloss?!" Lina demanded.

"Nothing, nothing," said Xelloss, sweatdropping.

Lina stalked off and Amelia followed her back to her room. "You’d better take good care of Kera, understand?" Zelgadiss said, looking at Xelloss directly in the eye. "If anything bad happens to her, I’ll hold you responsible."

"Sure, don’t worry, Zelgadiss," said Xelloss. "You can rely on me."

"Hmmph!" snorted Zelgadiss as he gave Xelloss a narrow-eyed glare then returned to his own room.

"Aw," said Xelloss, as he opened the door. "They don’t trust me all that much, do they? Well, at least Kera-chan trusts me… I think."

He walked into the room and laid Kera on the bed, as he had done just a few hours before. Pulling a wooden chair beside the bed, he sat down on it and looked around the room. As cheap inns went, this one wasn’t all that bad. There was a small vase of flowers on the dressing table and there were some pictures hanging on the walls. These added some colour to the otherwise drab-looking room. After he got tired of looking at the room, he looked at Kera instead.

Kera Yurion is a nice name, he thought, smiling. Much better than Xelloss. The name fitted the girl who bore it. She was basically a nice girl, who had the misfortune to meet Lina Inverse. He grinned. Lina would hurt him considerably if she ever heard that. However, her ability for learning magic was amazing. She must have been given that special ability for a reason, he thought. What was the reason? As he pondered on this, the hours seemed to pass quickly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun’s rays shone through the window. Kera stirred, then opened her eyes. Where was she? was her first thought. She only remembered fighting Garv, then collapsing in exhaustion on the sand… after that, she couldn’t remember. She glanced around her. "Ah, you’re finally awake," came a familiar voice. "How are you feeling, Kera-chan?"

Xelloss?! Why was he here? Wherever here was. "Where… am I?" Kera said as she sat up.

"You’re in an inn," replied Xelloss. "I brought you here, remember?"

Kera shook her head drowsily. "I can’t seem to remember anything after the battle with Garv. Did you heal me?"

"So you did fight Garv," said Xelloss thoughtfully. "No, I didn’t heal you. Amelia did."

"Amelia? The princess of Seyruun?" Kera asked. "But she’s with Lina Inverse, isn’t she? Don’t tell me- you-"

Smiling, Xelloss nodded. "What? Lina Inverse is my enemy, you Mazoku!" Kera exclaimed, then grasped her head in pain. "Ahh… damn this headache."

"You shouldn’t have gotten up so quickly," commented Xelloss. "You haven’t recovered completely. Especially after last night…"

"What happened last night?!" Kera demanded, looking at Xelloss through narrowed eyes. "Don’t tell me you…"

"No, no. I didn’t do anything to you, Kera-chan," said Xelloss, waving his hands frantically. "You really don’t remember a thing? Ah well, I’ll tell you. Zelgadiss, Amelia and Lina were guarding you, but they fell asleep and you walked out. Then when I followed you, you attacked me. Fortunately, I woke the others earlier and they came to my rescue… sort of. Anyway, you Dragon Slaved Lina but it didn’t work because I was shielding her. Then, Lina cast Flow Break on you and we brought you back here."

"But… why did I do all those things?" Kera asked, bewildered.

"I suspect that someone was controlling you," said Xelloss. "Quite a few Mazoku are after you, you know? Especially after that encounter with Garv. I’m sure he’s after you now more than ever."

"What?! He’s not dead?" Kera shouted, then clutched her head in pain again. "Ow…"

"Oh, relax, Kera-chan," said Xelloss, patting her shoulder comfortingly. "You did injure him terribly. How ever did you manage to do it?"

Kera worked Recovery on herself and said, "I’m not sure… I Dragon Slaved him but it didn’t do much use, so I called upon some higher power."

"Higher power? The Lord of Nightmares?!" Xelloss said, staring at her in alarm.

"Who’s that? No, I didn’t call upon the Lord of Nightmares," said Kera. "I think it was the Lady of Light or something. I can’t remember all that clearly."

"You mean you didn’t use the Giga Slave? Lady of Light…? Hmm…" said Xelloss.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," said Kera.

Lina opened the door cautiously. Amelia, Zelgadiss and Gourry were behind her. "Hi, Kera. Are you feeling better?"

Kera flinched. It was Lina Inverse! Her enemy. Xelloss whispered in her ear, "Pretend you don’t know her, Kera-chan. There will be less complications, this way."

"Er… who are you?" Kera inquired nervously.

The others thought that her nervousness was because she was meeting Lina for the first time. "Oh, I forgot," said Lina, coming into the room. "My name is Lina Inverse. You may have heard of me?"

"Lina… Inverse? Oh, that famous Bandit-Killer Lina Inverse?" Kera said.

"Ah! Yes, that’s me!" Lina said happily. "But I’m afraid that the rumours are a little exaggerated. I’m not that bad, really."

"Is that right? I’ve always thought that the rumours were quite accurate," remarked Gourry, scratching his head.

Lina kicked him in the shin. "Ow…" said Gourry as he hopped around the room in pain. Kera stared at them, sweatdropping. Zelgadiss looked embarrassed to have them as travelling companions. Amelia sighed. Xelloss just smiled.

"Er… don’t mind him. By the way, he’s Gourry Gabriev, she’s Amelia and you already know Zelgadiss, right?" said Lina, smiling sheepishly. "Yup, Zel told us all about you… mostly. So, what really happened to you? And who was the ‘powerful Mazoku’ that Xelloss told us about?"

"Er… well…" Kera was at a loss of words.

"Lina-san," interrupted Xelloss. "Perhaps it’s not a good idea to ask Kera-chan these questions at this point of time. She’s still recovering from the shock she’s had."

"Well, ok," said Lina reluctantly. "But you will tell me anytime you’re ready, right? Kera?"

"Uh, sure," said Kera apprehensively. Phew, thanks, Xelloss, she thought.

"Shall we go for breakfast, then?" Lina suggested.

"Yes!" Gourry exclaimed enthusiastically, his injury forgotten. "Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!"

The two of them rushed out of the door while Amelia followed them more slowly. Zelgadiss stayed back to see if Kera needed any help. Kera was touched by his action. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Zelgadiss-san! I missed you so much!" Kera cried, impulsively hugging him around the waist.

The blue-skinned chimera turned completely red. Amused, Xelloss coughed abruptly. Once Kera realised what she was doing, she let go of him hastily, blushing deeply. "I’m sorry, Zelgadiss-san," she said hesitantly. "I… er…"

"…" There was a short silence. Xelloss glanced at both of them, smiling. Both Kera and Zelgadiss did not dare to look at each other.

"Zelgadiss-san! Kera-san! Xelloss-san!" Amelia’s voice rang out. "Come on, it’s time for breakfast now! What’s taking you so long?"

"Er… I guess we should go now," said Zelgadiss, moving towards the doorway.

"Xelloss, are you coming?" Kera asked, giving the Mazoku a side-glance.

"Sure, sure," replied Xelloss as he stood up.

Zelgadiss walked in front, with Kera behind him. Xelloss walked beside Kera, looking at her red face. "What are you looking at, Mazoku?" she muttered.

"Oh, nothing," murmured Xelloss. "I’ve just never seen your face so red before. You really like Zelgadiss, don’t you?"

Kera quickly cooled her burning face with her hands. "So what if I do? It doesn’t make much difference to you," she said quietly.

"Of course it does!" said Xelloss, wagging his finger at her.

"Oh yeah? How?"

"My master won’t be happy with a priestess who’s in love with a mortal," said Xelloss.

"Your master doesn’t have to bother," said Kera. "What priestess are you talking about?"

"Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you," said Xelloss, smacking his forehead. "My master, the Greater Beast Zelas Metallium, wants to make you her priestess. You should be honoured, Kera-chan. She doesn’t just choose any mortal, you know?"

"WHAT?!" Kera exclaimed. Zelgadiss glanced behind him to see what they were so excited about. "No way!"

"What’s the matter, Kera-chan?" asked Zelgadiss. "Is Xelloss bothering you?"

"Er… not exactly," replied Kera, sweatdropping.

"Do consider it, Kera-chan," whispered Xelloss in her ear. "I’ll ask you again soon. Meanwhile, just travel with Lina and her group and don’t create any trouble, ok?"

"Why should I obey you?" Kera muttered.

"Because it’s in your interest too," said Xelloss, disappearing. "I have something to attend to, but I’ll be back soon."

"Good riddance," said Kera as she stuck out her tongue at the spot where Xelloss had been.

~ ~ ~ The End of Chapter Ten ~ ~ ~