Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow Magic - Xellos and Filia ❯ Tonight and the Rest of My life ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter One

Tonight and the Rest of my Life

 

A Song by Nina Gordon

 

 

Italics - Lyrics

Black - Any Narrative

 

 

Filia stood behind the gate. Looking at the other competitors, she realized how foreign she really was in this place. She had never been to Sayruun before. For the capital of white magic, their white mages sure wore their weapons in obvious places. She wore no weapon at all. She didn't see the point. It was against the rules of the contest to use weapons of any kind. Using enchanted armor was strictly against the rules, but she noticed some of them wore it anyway. She supposed it was not illegal to wear them. That way, if anything really did hit them, yes they would be disqualified, but they would also be alive. Their confidence must be lacking, she thought. If they had to work with a net, than it didn't seem likely that they were very good.

 

She wished she could see the black mages they were competing against. She hoped Lina Inverse would be one of them. The prize offered in the competition was something quite valuable. However, Filia had been in the city for three days, and had not run into anyone, except Amelia. Maybe she arrived just in time, but maybe she was hung up somewhere.

 

Filia had come herself, but it was more because she needed a break than anything. Somehow raising Val had not been what she thought it would be like at all. He seemed more like the spirit of a dragon. He was not very old. Only about six, but he spent a great deal of time on his own. He liked to hunt. She didn't remember being anything like him, or seeing another child who was like him. He seemed to have been born with his own ideas, and mostly took care of himself. He had his own power. She had been with humans too long, she thought. She was starting to think that he ought to have needed her to care for him until he was a man, but he didn't. He jumped into the night with reflexes unknown to any Golden Dragon. This was not the first time she had left him for a few days. It didn't matter if she left. His magic surpassed hers. If something really bad happened, he would be more likely to take care of himself than she would be to protect him.

 

Perhaps that was why she was here.

 

No one needed her.

 

Down to the earth

I fell

With dripping wings
Heavy things won't fly

 

She felt the fabric of her pants. She could wear pants now. There was no possibility that her tail would fly out without a command from her. She hated that she used to be so uncontrolled that it would involuntarily appear. She wouldn't wear a cape either. She wanted her back open, to remind herself if no one else, that she was more powerful than she had ever been. It was sad, but Val had been able to teach her greater control, how to wield greater energy, and that was why she was here. She was going to stomp this competition.

 

And the sky might catch on fire

And burn the axis of the world

That's why I prefer a sunless sky

To the glittering and stinging in my eyes

 

It was night, and a breathtaking night. They were outside the Holy Pentagram, so that the white mages wouldn't have the advantage of location. There were stands set up for spectators to watch from and giant torches set up to light the battle field.

 

It was almost her turn. She had already fought twice and defended so well that her opponents had been thrown down two tiers. She pulled her light hair into a pony tail, and took a deep breath of the wild fresh air.

 

“Filia Ut Copt,” the announcer called.

 

She opened the gate in front of her and stepped onto the battle field.

 

Ifeel so light

This is all I want to feel tonight

Ifeel so light

Tonight and the rest of my life

 

The ground was mostly burnt under her feet. Too many fireballs had been cast here. There wasn't much grass left.

 

Gleaming in the dark sea

I'm as light as air
Floating there breathlessly

 

It didn't matter that all her hopes for motherhood had been dashed against the pavement. She was going to show the energy of her spirit and win right now against whatever odds she was given.

 

When the dream dissolves

Iopen up my eyes

I realize that everything is shoreless sea

 

The figure she was to fight was at the other end of the field. She could not tell if it was a man or a woman, but dressed strangely for a black mage, dressed all in white. They were wearing both a blindfold and a hood - completely unidentifiable.

 

It didn't really matter.

 

A weightlessness is passing over me

Everything is waves and stars
The universe is resting in my arms

 

She began chanting her first protection spell.