*All C&C is welcome.*
A Slayers Carol
Chapter5 by ashes2ashes
The clock struck three.
Dark clouds covered the moon. A thick fog hung in the air. You could barely see your own hand in front of your face.
"BOOM!" Lightning struck illuminating the area for a moment. A cold wind whistled through the rafters of the town of Sailoon. Somewhere down the street, a screen door banged against its hinges.
Zel lifted his head and saw a dark figure slowly floating toward him. The figure was shrouded in a black cloak. His face was a shadow, covered by the hood of the cloak. He carried a long staff with a red gem incased on the top.
Zel looked up at the figure and shivered.
"Figures he would look like Xellos," Zel thought.
The figure beckoned Zelgadiss with one hand silently. Zel arose tentatively and walked toward the dark spirit. Fog engulfed them both.
______________________________________________________________
When the fog finally cleared, Zel found himself in dark bandit lair. A few torches lighted the area. Burly typical bandits stood around a pile of loot.
"Look what I got," a bandit sneered and procured a sack of gold. He poured the contents of the pouch onto the ground. The gold glittered in the firelight. After a short chorus of "Ooooooh's" and "Ahhhhhhhhhh's " the bandits rummaged through the rest of their treasure.
"Look at this!," a particular rancid bandit exclaimed pulled out a handwoven blanket. Another bandit picked it up and felt it.
"This is still warm!!," he said in surprise.
"Well it's Christmas after all. I had to at least wait until the corpse turned stiff before I robbed it blind." The bandits exploded into disgusting vile laughter.
"What unfortunate person are they talking about spirit?" Zel asked a few feet away. He looked up at the cloaked figure. The ghost said nothing but pointed back to the scene. Zel turned back to the bandits.
"What do we have here?" a scrawny bandit asked gruffily. He picked up a photo. He examined it briefly then threw it over his shoulder.
Zel walked over out of curiosity and picked the item up. It was a photo. Zel's heart caught in his throat and his blood froze when he realized what it was. It was a picture of himself as a child.
"Mother... "
Zel remembered the ghosts of christmas past words...
"After she has died all alone in this cold cottage, no one there to hold her hand and tell her its all right"
She had died all alone....
"Spirits please tell me this can be change can't it?" Zel asked desperately.
The spirit stood perfectly still. Dark fog engulfed them once more.
__________________________________________________________________
Zel was transported to a grave yard. Graves stretched out across the horizon. Tombstones glowed unholy colors from the reflection of the setting sun. Zel stood at the center of the graveyard. Next to him stood a massive statue. These letters were engraved upon its stone base: "Here lies the bodies of the Sailoon Royal family. My L-Sama rest their souls". The statue was of a man sitting on a massive horse pointing to the heavens. A chilly wind gently blowed. A nearby willow tree swayed in the breeze.
Prince Phil knelt down in the icy grass underneath the willow treee. Under the tree were two identical graves. In bold letters were printed Sailoon on both. They were both grand tombstones, fit for royalty. One was new and still shined. The other was dated ten years previous and had started to wear with age. Phil's eyes were red and puffy. His head was downcast and long strands of hair covered his face. A young women with long dark hair stood behind him.
"Don't worry father we'll bring justice .......," the young woman began.
Phil looked up at her with haunted eyes. His will and his soul was broken.
"Justice?! There is no justice in this world, Gracia," he said bitterly. He lovingly stroked the cold grave. He sat a small rose on the dark earth.
Zel was horrified and shocked.
"Phil said there was no justice in the world???"
"The bastards that did this to her will pay." Phil clinched his fist in anger. The young women walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll find them father, and they'll wish they had never been born," the women told her father. Her expression was cold and unfeeling. The small thread that had been her sanity had snapped with another of her loved ones dying.
"My beautiful, innocent little girl," Phil held his head in his hands. Bitter tears ran down his face. He looked up at Gracia with a ragged expresssion.
"Its all his fault," Phil said inbetween sobs.
"Amelia?? Oh god... How did this happen?! Who did this!" Zel asked anger rising in his voice.
He was useless now. His will to live had died along with her. Gracia knew that.
Gracia turned around and looked at her kindom. It was her kindom now. A black cloud hung over the city. The once pristine white towers of the Sailoon palace were stained, black, and crumbling. The slums seemed to have overrun the entire town. The people were miserable and unhappy. All because Sailoon was ruled by a heartless, uncaring ruler.
Gracia smiled cruelly. Yes, the person who did this to her sister would pay.
__________________________________________________________________
The world shifted again.
Gracia swung a key around her index finger playfully as she descended stone steps. The utterly cruel personality had taken over, leaving the Naga persona to die in its wake. She descended dark stone stairs into the heart of a dungeon. Slime dripped from the walls as Gracia practically skipped down.
She made it to the bottom. The dungeon was small and compact. Ironed barred cells lined the far wall. There were no windows to the outside and various implements of torture lined the walls. The room reeked of filth. Gracia smiled a cruel smile and playfully called out.
"Zelly are you in there?"
Zel lay in a repulsive bed of filth in a cell. His face and hair were unkept. His expression was crazed.
"Zelly boy its time to play," Gracia said in a sing-song voice. She went to the wall and picked a particular nasty looking implement. The sharp instrument of torture gleamed in the light. She strolled into the cell. Zel made no movement at her approach.
Gracia put the key into the key hole and opened the door. It creaked open. The sound echoed in through the dank dungeon. She walked in and bent down next to Zel.
"Are you cold Zel, are you scared?" she asked mock sweetly. He shook slightly but made no other outward sign.
"I bet my sister was scared. I bet her heart beat furiously." Gracia put a hand to Zel's chest. Zel stared blankly.
"............Especially when you ripped it out." Gracia violently slashed Zel with the instrument drawing blood.
"Oh does it hurt Zel? I bet it hurt your friends more after the resurrected Shabranigdo killed them." Gracia kicked Zel in the head. He fell to the side but made no move to get up.
"You just had to have your cure didn't you?" Gracia grabbed Zel by the hair, his normal human hair, and slowly cut a line down his soft skin. Blood trickled down his face.
"All your friends died fighting the resurrected demon king, yet you still live?? How's that for justice?" Gracia slammed Zel's head to the floor. Blood spurted out his nose.
Gracia stopped a moment and wiped the blood encrusted implement on her sleave.
Zel crawled up into a little ball. Gracia grabbed him by the hair and yanked in upright.
"Dear, I"m not done with you yet," Gracia cooed to Zel. She cut tic-tac-toe shaped cuts across his chest.
"Was it worth it Zelly?" she asked as the crossed out her psychotic tick-tack-toe game.
"Hmm damn," she exclaimed gazing at her handy work, "The X's always win." Zel's voice croaked.
"I didn't know...
Gracia's eyes widened in anger at his speaking. She hauled back and backfisted him in the face. Zel rolled over from the force of the punch. Gracia pulled back to deliver the final blow and stopped abruptly.
"What the hell did you think? You could control the resurected demon lord? Even after you had seem it already. L-sama, you are truly a fool," Gracia spit out.
"I...could have if only...
"What?! If you hadn't harbored a peice of the demon lord within your own body in some kind of demented family inheritance?" She kicked him hard in the ribs. Zel gasped in pain.
"Its ironic really Zelly, I never would have been able to do this if you were still in your chimera body." Gracia glanced down at Zel's bloody and bruised body. He seemed to be losing consiousness. It wasn't any fun unless he was awake. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
Gracia shrugged and exited the cell. The door was closed and locked. She threw the instroment of torture in a pile next to many others. With the keys twirling around her finger once more, she turned to go back up the stairs.
"Till tomorrow, Zelly boy."
_____________________________________________________________________
The scene faded into oblivion.
Zel fell to his knees gasping. He was back in the cemetery. The dark star-less sky cast no light on his suroundings. There was an open grave behind him. It was dark and ice covered the ground. Zel clinched his frost bitten fingers.
"The horrible horrible future...," he whispered into the cold night.
He looked up at the ghost of Christmas future.
"Please spirit, tell me that these things can be changed," he asked desperately. The spirit didn't reply and stood perfectly still.
"Spirit Answer me! Are these the things that must be or are these the things that might be but can be changed!".
The spirit still stood still. He made no sound.
"DAMMIT ANSWER ME!" Zel grabbed the ghost of Christmas present by the collar.
The ghost slowly brought one finger to his face.
"Sore wa........
The ghost pulled back his hood. The figure under the hood was really Zelgadiss himself, not Xellos. His pupils were slitted.
"Himitsu desu".....
The dark spirit grabbed Zel by the collar and with inhuman strength thrust him into the open grave.
The lid closed.
"NO ! LET ME OUT!!!!!"
The dark spirit started to shovel dirt on the coffin.
"I''LL CHANGE PLEASE! GIVE ME A CHANGE TO CHANGE!!!"
Zel heard his own voice cackling manically as more dirt was shoveled on the coffin.
"WHY SHOW ME THIS IF I'M NOT GIVEN A CHANCE TO CHANGE!!"
More dirt was shoved on the coffin and Zel felt the air in the coffin start to get thinner.
"I'LL CHANGE! I'LL REVERE CHRISTMAS AND EVERYTHING IT STANDS FOR!" Zel beat at the top of the coffin.
"I'LL APPRECIATE WHAT I HAVE AND MAKE THE MOST OF MY LIFE! I WON'T WASTE MY TIME ANYMORE!"
Zel kept beating at the coffin. He had never been more afraid in his entire life.
"PLEASE!"...
"Please!......... Zel started to black out from the lack of oxygen.
"please.......
In the corner of his mind he could have sworn he heard the souls of the dammed crying out in torture. Zel's world faded to oblivion.
The clock struck three.
Dark clouds covered the moon. A thick fog hung in the air. You could barely see your own hand in front of your face.
"BOOM!" Lightning struck illuminating the area for a moment. A cold wind whistled through the rafters of the town of Sailoon. Somewhere down the street, a screen door banged against its hinges.
Zel lifted his head and saw a dark figure slowly floating toward him. The figure was shrouded in a black cloak. His face was a shadow, covered by the hood of the cloak. He carried a long staff with a red gem incased on the top.
Zel looked up at the figure and shivered.
"Figures he would look like Xellos," Zel thought.
The figure beckoned Zelgadiss with one hand silently. Zel arose tentatively and walked toward the dark spirit. Fog engulfed them both.
______________________________________________________________
When the fog finally cleared, Zel found himself in dark bandit lair. A few torches lighted the area. Burly typical bandits stood around a pile of loot.
"Look what I got," a bandit sneered and procured a sack of gold. He poured the contents of the pouch onto the ground. The gold glittered in the firelight. After a short chorus of "Ooooooh's" and "Ahhhhhhhhhh's " the bandits rummaged through the rest of their treasure.
"Look at this!," a particular rancid bandit exclaimed pulled out a handwoven blanket. Another bandit picked it up and felt it.
"This is still warm!!," he said in surprise.
"Well it's Christmas after all. I had to at least wait until the corpse turned stiff before I robbed it blind." The bandits exploded into disgusting vile laughter.
"What unfortunate person are they talking about spirit?" Zel asked a few feet away. He looked up at the cloaked figure. The ghost said nothing but pointed back to the scene. Zel turned back to the bandits.
"What do we have here?" a scrawny bandit asked gruffily. He picked up a photo. He examined it briefly then threw it over his shoulder.
Zel walked over out of curiosity and picked the item up. It was a photo. Zel's heart caught in his throat and his blood froze when he realized what it was. It was a picture of himself as a child.
"Mother... "
Zel remembered the ghosts of christmas past words...
"After she has died all alone in this cold cottage, no one there to hold her hand and tell her its all right"
She had died all alone....
"Spirits please tell me this can be change can't it?" Zel asked desperately.
The spirit stood perfectly still. Dark fog engulfed them once more.
__________________________________________________________________
Zel was transported to a grave yard. Graves stretched out across the horizon. Tombstones glowed unholy colors from the reflection of the setting sun. Zel stood at the center of the graveyard. Next to him stood a massive statue. These letters were engraved upon its stone base: "Here lies the bodies of the Sailoon Royal family. My L-Sama rest their souls". The statue was of a man sitting on a massive horse pointing to the heavens. A chilly wind gently blowed. A nearby willow tree swayed in the breeze.
Prince Phil knelt down in the icy grass underneath the willow treee. Under the tree were two identical graves. In bold letters were printed Sailoon on both. They were both grand tombstones, fit for royalty. One was new and still shined. The other was dated ten years previous and had started to wear with age. Phil's eyes were red and puffy. His head was downcast and long strands of hair covered his face. A young women with long dark hair stood behind him.
"Don't worry father we'll bring justice .......," the young woman began.
Phil looked up at her with haunted eyes. His will and his soul was broken.
"Justice?! There is no justice in this world, Gracia," he said bitterly. He lovingly stroked the cold grave. He sat a small rose on the dark earth.
Zel was horrified and shocked.
"Phil said there was no justice in the world???"
"The bastards that did this to her will pay." Phil clinched his fist in anger. The young women walked up and put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll find them father, and they'll wish they had never been born," the women told her father. Her expression was cold and unfeeling. The small thread that had been her sanity had snapped with another of her loved ones dying.
"My beautiful, innocent little girl," Phil held his head in his hands. Bitter tears ran down his face. He looked up at Gracia with a ragged expresssion.
"Its all his fault," Phil said inbetween sobs.
"Amelia?? Oh god... How did this happen?! Who did this!" Zel asked anger rising in his voice.
He was useless now. His will to live had died along with her. Gracia knew that.
Gracia turned around and looked at her kindom. It was her kindom now. A black cloud hung over the city. The once pristine white towers of the Sailoon palace were stained, black, and crumbling. The slums seemed to have overrun the entire town. The people were miserable and unhappy. All because Sailoon was ruled by a heartless, uncaring ruler.
Gracia smiled cruelly. Yes, the person who did this to her sister would pay.
__________________________________________________________________
The world shifted again.
Gracia swung a key around her index finger playfully as she descended stone steps. The utterly cruel personality had taken over, leaving the Naga persona to die in its wake. She descended dark stone stairs into the heart of a dungeon. Slime dripped from the walls as Gracia practically skipped down.
She made it to the bottom. The dungeon was small and compact. Ironed barred cells lined the far wall. There were no windows to the outside and various implements of torture lined the walls. The room reeked of filth. Gracia smiled a cruel smile and playfully called out.
"Zelly are you in there?"
Zel lay in a repulsive bed of filth in a cell. His face and hair were unkept. His expression was crazed.
"Zelly boy its time to play," Gracia said in a sing-song voice. She went to the wall and picked a particular nasty looking implement. The sharp instrument of torture gleamed in the light. She strolled into the cell. Zel made no movement at her approach.
Gracia put the key into the key hole and opened the door. It creaked open. The sound echoed in through the dank dungeon. She walked in and bent down next to Zel.
"Are you cold Zel, are you scared?" she asked mock sweetly. He shook slightly but made no other outward sign.
"I bet my sister was scared. I bet her heart beat furiously." Gracia put a hand to Zel's chest. Zel stared blankly.
"............Especially when you ripped it out." Gracia violently slashed Zel with the instrument drawing blood.
"Oh does it hurt Zel? I bet it hurt your friends more after the resurrected Shabranigdo killed them." Gracia kicked Zel in the head. He fell to the side but made no move to get up.
"You just had to have your cure didn't you?" Gracia grabbed Zel by the hair, his normal human hair, and slowly cut a line down his soft skin. Blood trickled down his face.
"All your friends died fighting the resurrected demon king, yet you still live?? How's that for justice?" Gracia slammed Zel's head to the floor. Blood spurted out his nose.
Gracia stopped a moment and wiped the blood encrusted implement on her sleave.
Zel crawled up into a little ball. Gracia grabbed him by the hair and yanked in upright.
"Dear, I"m not done with you yet," Gracia cooed to Zel. She cut tic-tac-toe shaped cuts across his chest.
"Was it worth it Zelly?" she asked as the crossed out her psychotic tick-tack-toe game.
"Hmm damn," she exclaimed gazing at her handy work, "The X's always win." Zel's voice croaked.
"I didn't know...
Gracia's eyes widened in anger at his speaking. She hauled back and backfisted him in the face. Zel rolled over from the force of the punch. Gracia pulled back to deliver the final blow and stopped abruptly.
"What the hell did you think? You could control the resurected demon lord? Even after you had seem it already. L-sama, you are truly a fool," Gracia spit out.
"I...could have if only...
"What?! If you hadn't harbored a peice of the demon lord within your own body in some kind of demented family inheritance?" She kicked him hard in the ribs. Zel gasped in pain.
"Its ironic really Zelly, I never would have been able to do this if you were still in your chimera body." Gracia glanced down at Zel's bloody and bruised body. He seemed to be losing consiousness. It wasn't any fun unless he was awake. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.
Gracia shrugged and exited the cell. The door was closed and locked. She threw the instroment of torture in a pile next to many others. With the keys twirling around her finger once more, she turned to go back up the stairs.
"Till tomorrow, Zelly boy."
_____________________________________________________________________
The scene faded into oblivion.
Zel fell to his knees gasping. He was back in the cemetery. The dark star-less sky cast no light on his suroundings. There was an open grave behind him. It was dark and ice covered the ground. Zel clinched his frost bitten fingers.
"The horrible horrible future...," he whispered into the cold night.
He looked up at the ghost of Christmas future.
"Please spirit, tell me that these things can be changed," he asked desperately. The spirit didn't reply and stood perfectly still.
"Spirit Answer me! Are these the things that must be or are these the things that might be but can be changed!".
The spirit still stood still. He made no sound.
"DAMMIT ANSWER ME!" Zel grabbed the ghost of Christmas present by the collar.
The ghost slowly brought one finger to his face.
"Sore wa........
The ghost pulled back his hood. The figure under the hood was really Zelgadiss himself, not Xellos. His pupils were slitted.
"Himitsu desu".....
The dark spirit grabbed Zel by the collar and with inhuman strength thrust him into the open grave.
The lid closed.
"NO ! LET ME OUT!!!!!"
The dark spirit started to shovel dirt on the coffin.
"I''LL CHANGE PLEASE! GIVE ME A CHANGE TO CHANGE!!!"
Zel heard his own voice cackling manically as more dirt was shoveled on the coffin.
"WHY SHOW ME THIS IF I'M NOT GIVEN A CHANCE TO CHANGE!!"
More dirt was shoved on the coffin and Zel felt the air in the coffin start to get thinner.
"I'LL CHANGE! I'LL REVERE CHRISTMAS AND EVERYTHING IT STANDS FOR!" Zel beat at the top of the coffin.
"I'LL APPRECIATE WHAT I HAVE AND MAKE THE MOST OF MY LIFE! I WON'T WASTE MY TIME ANYMORE!"
Zel kept beating at the coffin. He had never been more afraid in his entire life.
"PLEASE!"...
"Please!......... Zel started to black out from the lack of oxygen.
"please.......
In the corner of his mind he could have sworn he heard the souls of the dammed crying out in torture. Zel's world faded to oblivion.