The Other Side of the Dark

By: Morri

All copyright laws apply to the owners of Slayers and to me for my plot and original characters.

Mysterious Reunion!

* DISCLAIMER* Warning! This is a very dark fanfic. It involves an alternate reality, death, violence, and is very much not the slapstick Slayers we're all used to. While it does retain a certain comic element, the core of the story is nothing if not creepy. It also retains my views on the couple situation, so there. If you don't like that, you don't have to read it. Otherwise, enjoy!

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Vrumugun's lips pulled back in a snarl. He began chanting the Dragon Slave. Lina grew desperate. When did this two-bit sorcerer learn the Dragon Slave?

"Amelia! Cast the Ra-Tilt!" Lina yelled to the timid girl. Amelia stood with her mouth agape for a moment more then leapt to action.

"DRAGON…" Vrumugun said, raising his glowing fist.

"RA-TILT!" Amelia screamed and sent her blue bolt sizzling toward the hooded man. Vrumugun was caught off guard and could not finish his spell. Amelia's Ra-Tilt hit him hard, and he screamed in pain. Had he really been human, the spell would have had no effect on him at all.

"Lina…Lina Inverse! Mark my words, someday, you will get what's coming to you. Some…day…" Vrumugun cursed as his skin began to literally dissolve. He had been a zombie! Otherwise, the Ra-Tilt would not have had such a gruesome effect on him.

Amelia watched with sick fascination as little pieces of flesh and entrails fell off of the dead man's body. A piece of his scalp fell down at Amelia's feet and she bent to pick it up. But somehow, as soon as she touched it, the bloody flesh disappeared. Amelia shrank back again, going to Lina's side for any protection she could get from this horrible sight.

"Miss Lina! It's so disgusting! Why can't I stop watching?" Amelia cried as she covered her eyes only to look through a slit in her fingers. Finally she gave up the effort and looked on again. Lina was frozen in the moment. Somehow, this made her sick. After all the times she'd fried people with Dither Bolts and Fireballs why did she feel such revulsion now?

By now the last of Vrumugun had dissolved and Lina and Amelia looked around for the next threat. None came. Lina suddenly had a thought. What if this place was a pocket dimension and their captor was a monster. They were still in Seyruun, so Lina should be able to break through the barrier. Lina chanted her dove-summoning spell, and waited.

A few seconds later, a white dove burst through the subspace barrier like glass. Lina and Amelia flew toward the hole, just like they had done before. Amelia stepped through and looked around.

"We're back in Seyruun…I think. I don't remember this building being here, though," Amelia said, looking at the restaurant in front of them.

Lina paled, "We're not in Seyruun, that's why. This is my sister's restaurant," Lina said.

"Then why don't we stop in and see what's going on? Hasn't it been a long time since you've seen Luna?" Amelia said innocently.

"Yes," Lina said through gritted teeth, "And I'd like to keep it that way if you don't mind."

Lina took to the air and flew in the direction of Seyruun. At least it wasn't very far. Amelia caught up to Lina about five minutes later. "Miss Lina, why don't you want to see your sister? She seemed very nice to me," the princess said.

Lina's face twisted in agony, "You talked to her?" she said with an injured tone.

"Yes, but don't worry, she doesn't know you're with me. I kind of gathered that you had something to hide from her, so I just said I was on my way back to Seyruun. I really don't know why anyone would have a problem with her. She seemed very nice," Amelia said as way of consolation. Lina let the matter drop.

"Amelia, forget it. What we have to do now is figure out who's behind this whole thing. We know it's a monster, but we don't know which one or why. But someone went to a lot of trouble to raise Vrumugun from the dead, and I don't like necromancers, monster or otherwise," Lina began.

"Miss Lina, we're almost to the castle, should we get on the ground?" Amelia interrupted. Lina shook her head and kept talking.

"First of all, some Monster has apparently learned how to manipulate dreams and raise the dead. Second of all, we know that they're trying to get you at least. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be there at all. So what we have to do now is put you under constant watch. I'm sure Zel won't mind watching you day and night," Lina looked pointedly at Amelia, who blushed.

"Miss Lina, what a terrible thing to say!" she said; though she obviously didn't mean it. The castle loomed into view and Lina started for the ground.

"The last thing we know is: this monster is really powerful. His pocket dimension spanned almost two whole cities!" Lina said as they touched down. Two guards were nearly scared out of their boots when they saw Lina and Amelia flying towards them. Amelia put on her smile and immediately got them back into the palace.

Down the halls Amelia ran with Lina trailing behind. Down through the throne room and through the Main Hall she ran until she came to her father's bedroom. She knocked then flung the door open. Her father had been asleep, since it was now night, but he woke up immediately when he heard Amelia's sweet voice calling him.

"Daddy! Daddy I'm back!" Amelia squealed as she leapt into her father's arms again. Lina rolled her eyes and went looking for Zel, Xel, and Gourry. She found them sitting in the Foyer drinking coffee. Zelgadis was in a heated discussion with Xellos, while Gourry sat alone, barely touching his coffee.

Lina stepped onto the marble floor. Her heel clacked, turning the boys' heads. Gourry's eyes lit up and he ran toward her, arms outstretched.

"Lina! You're okay! I was really worried! You missed dinner!" Gourry exclaimed as he embraced Lina. Lina put her arms around the swordsman and hugged him back.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Xellos snickered from behind them.

"Shut up, laughing boy," Lina growled as she continued to hold Gourry, "You have no idea what I've just been through!" Lina recalled the Zombie Vrumugun and shuddered. Gourry took the shudder to mean she was cold and held her tighter. Lina found herself enjoying this immensely. She felt that she could just sink into Gourry's arms and never come out. Unfortunately, this embrace could not last forever.

"Ahem," Prince Philionel said as he came into the room, "Amelia has told me everything. I will keep guards posted at her door and below her window. What else should we do?"

Lina looked at poor Zelgadis, who was obviously disturbed, and replied, "I think at least one sorcerer should be with her. And since I need to start working out the details of this little mystery, we'll put Zelgadis in Amelia's room as well." Zelgadis visibly relaxed and Lina wondered why she was being so nice

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"Master, I don't like this. I don't like it at all." Xellos said as he paced around the Beast Master's sitting room. His master sat in a high-backed chair and watched her monster servant closely. Something was troubling her high priest and she didn't like it. He almost never got this flustered.

"Well, what don't you like about it, Xellos. I can't help you if I don't know what you need," Zellas said calmly, attempting to calm Xellos as well.

"Master, there is a Monster involved here whose signature I recognize. It's Lance. The Traitor is back. Somehow, he's back. Master, this is very serious. He is very powerful, and I-I don't know if even I'm strong enough to handle him. But he must be returned to his exile, and quickly," Xellos said. The Beast Master just looked speculative for a moment.

"No, Xellos. For now, I think he shall be allowed to roam. We need to get rid of Inverse, even if L-Sama favors her. Let Lance do the dirty work for us," Xellos' master said. She gave her servant a hard stare.

Xellos just sighed. His master then took pity on him, "Aww, okay Xel, I suppose you can do it your way. But eventually, something will have to be done with Lina Inverse." The Beast Master then faded out of view, leaving Xellos alone with his scheming.

"And so what I wonder now, is why was I able to cast the spell of dissolution and Amelia could cast the Ra-Tint. If we weren't in Seyruun anymore, the subspace should have been stronger. I'm really confused now!" Lina was saying.

Zelgadis had his chin in his hand and was thinking about that too. "But didn't you say that Vrumugun was in the process of casting the Dragon Slave? So whoever was controlling him must've had to allow him to use magic. Apparently what happens in one part of subspace happens all over. And the spell of dissolution probably worked because there was an active spell to maintain Vrumugun's illusory body."

Amelia smiled, "Yeah, I think Zel's got it!" She smiled.

Lina frowned, "Yes, but if that's the case, then we've got a little bit of a bigger problem than usual." Everyone turned to look at the red-haired sorceress. "What kind of sorcerer, monster or otherwise, can maintain that large of a dimension and control spells?"

"Lance, that's who," said Xellos, who had come into the room, unnoticed. Lina spun to face him and demanded to know what he was talking about.

"Xellos, what do you know? And if you tell me it's a secret, you can expect to just bounce your shiny little Monster head right back to your master…in pieces," Lina said threateningly, a fireball appearing in her left hand, her sword in her left.

Xellos grinned broadly, "Oh, Lina, you know I love it when you talk that way to me. But too bad for me that it isn't a secret. Lina, I'm sure you know about the Renegade Monster who betrayed a whole group of us to the Dragons. His name was Lance, and, sadly, he was my brother back when I was still human. He was once the right-hand man for Shabranigdo himself. But that was before I became a monster. He was banished to the Astral Plane and was supposed to have been locked there for eternity. Apparently, though, he has somehow escaped. Lina, Lance has absolutely no morals. He must be stopped at all costs. I don't know what he hopes to accomplish by this, but whatever it is, it will probably involve you all more than I would like."

Lina gaped. This was the most she had ever heard Xellos say. Something was definitely up! Lina wanted desperately to go to believe that Xellos was just making up another of his stories, but a nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her to believe him.

Zelgadis woke up with a start when Amelia moved. It was a sharp jerk that he barely felt, but it was enough. With his demon hearing, he picked up Amelia's small cry for help. He jumped up and looked around, but no one was there. Still, at his side, Amelia struggled helplessly as someone's invisible hands tried to choke her. Zelgadis shook the girl to try and wake her, but the only response he got was the opening of her eyes. She stared with frozen horror at Zelgadis as she continued to struggle. Zelgadis could see the handprints beginning to form on her neck.

"Amelia! Hold on! I'm going to save you!" Zelgadis whispered into the girl's ear. She blinked as her eyes continued to grow dimmer and dimmer. Zelgadis had to act on his hunch, but if any of his instincts were working, he was right.

"RA-TILT!" he yelled as he hurled the spell at Amelia's weakly struggling body. Her body leapt off of the bed and Zelgadis could hear a distinctly inhuman shriek echoing on the Astral Plane. His hunch had been right. Lance the Renegade Monster was still trapped on the Astral Plane. Two more things clicked into place in Zelgadis' mind.

Amelia stopped struggling and sat up, her eyes frightened. She looked over at her savior and fell into his open arms. There, she cried until she finally drifted back to sleep. However, Zelgadis would get no more sleep this night. He had many things to think about. First and foremost was the motivation of this monster to attack Amelia. Why none of the others? Why did Zelgadis suddenly feel so strongly protective of the Princess? And the thing that kept running through his mind more than anything else was why was Xellos acting so concerned?

TO BE CONTINUED…