Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Slayers Legacy ❯ A Family Crisis! Who the Hell is Zoa? ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

SLAYERS LEGACY
�A Family Crisis! Who the Hell is Zoa?�
by Michael Hopcroft

I don't own the Slayers -- I can't afford their bills.

This story is a sequel to Slayers Inheritance. having read the previous
series would be helpful.

Valgaav took a deep breath as he walked down a country road. �We're
almost home, Anya.� he said. �We're in familiar ground.�

Anya Inverse couldn't help but smile at the thought of seeing her
parents, the legendary monster-fighters Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev
again. After the struggle against Xellos and the myriad adventures that
had befallen them along the way home, she was in need of a rest. She
also knew that something special was waiting for them. �Do you think we
missed the birth?� she asked. The reason that she and Valgaav, the
reincarnated Ancient Dragon, had had to go out on their own was that
Lina had become pregnant, for the first time in sixteen years, with twins.

�Wouldn't surprise me. I think your mother was due about ten days ago.
We have been on the road a long time.� Indeed, during the journey Lina
and Valgaav had gotten to know each other very well. It wasn't as if
they had much choice, since they basically had each other's company on
the journey �home� from Syeruun. �I imagine you're going to want to
resume wandering the world with your family once everything settles down.�

�I'm sure that's what they want me to do,� Anya replied, with a little
hint of sadness in her voice. �And they are my parents, so I pretty much
have to go along. And they'll need help with the babies.�

�Did you have other plans, though?� Valgaav asked. His voice was not at
all pointed, but Anya felt a little bit of a sting. Although ti may have
been coming from her own subconscious, she couldn't tell. But she was
surprised enough to raise her hand, as if to give Valgaav a good slap.

�And just WHAT are you implying, Val?�

�As if you didn't know. Or couldn't guess. The fact is that I will be
sorry � very sorry � to see you go on your way without me.� Valgaav
shrugged after saying that. �But I guess it can't be helped. You are the
dutiful daughter, after all.�

Anya put her hand back to her side but she was deep in thought. What DID
she want to do? Valgaav was right in that she considered her family more
important than anything, but she knew that after traveling with Val as
long as she had that she would miss him terribly were she to leave him.
Her feelings � what WERE her feelings for Valgaav? He was a good friend,
no doubt, they had battled together and endured hardship and danger
together. And he loved her.

Yes, loved her. Anya was far from blind to it. He had not said as much,
except perhaps in little sly ways, but she knew it was true. But could
it ever be? He was an Ancient Dragon, albeit one who took a very
handsome human form most of the time, and she was very much human. He
would outlive her by centuries if she was to spend her entire life with
him. But would she mind? Did it matter to her that after seventy years
or so she would die and Val would have to go on without her, perhaps
finding another love to take her place? Would he be better off with some
female dragon lover, with whom he could pass the centuries in peace and
security? And what about her? Would she be better off with a mortal
love, someone like her father? Or did she even care? Was Val the one in
spite of everything? Had her heart already chosen for her and now she
had to deal with the consequences?

Anya walked in silence as she pondered these things. And within a couple
of hours they were at the outskirts of what Valgaav considered his
�hometown�. She knew she would have to go back to the Mace and teapot
and they would have to face their parents.

The prospect no longer appealed to her.

They were greeted at the front lawn by a very pleased-looking Filia. The
dragon-woman who had raised Valgaav from an egg greeted her �son'
warmly. She then surprised Anya by giving her a quick hug. �Thank
Cepheid you both are all right!� Filia said. �Even with the notes you've
been sending, everyone has been worried sick about you two.� She then
turned to Valgaav and gave him a suspicious look. �You HAVE been
behaving haven't you?�

Valgaav smiled. �Yes, I have. Anya is still pure in body � and, as far
as she's let on, in mind as well. Lina has no cause to fireball me.�

�Right now she's in no condition to fireball anybody. She gave birth
three days ago and she's still exhausted.�

�Birth? Did they make it?� Anya asked anxiously, knowing that childbirth
was complicated and that, even with magic, sometimes things could go
terribly wrong.

�Your brother and sister are doing fine. Do you want to meet them?�

�Yes!� Anya shot out. �Of course i want to see them!�

�What about MY sibling?� Valgaav said.

Filia smiled �It hasn't hatched yet. I'd give it another three weeks.
Well, I'd better take you inside.� Filia led the two teenagers into the
Mace and Teapot, and into one of the guest rooms. Lina Inverse, in a
loose robe, was fast asleep. Two cradles stood by the bedside, with two
peacefully sleeping infants inside.

�The boy's name is Ilya Gabriev.� Filia said. �Apparently the custom
your parents decided to follow, Anya, is to have the family lines follow
the gender of the parent. So the girl's name is Misha Inverse. As you
can see, they're both doing fine.�

�Which is which?� asked Anya.

�Ilya's wearing the blue baby clothes. Misha's in red.�

�They're adorable! I can't believe these fragile little creatures are my
brother and sister!�

�Believe it!� Anya looked up to see that her father was standing in the
doorway. Gourry Gabriev was every bit the essence of parental pride as
he walked over to his offspring. �I'm sure they'll grow up to be fine
and strapping youngsters, just like you did, Anya. Welcome home!�

Anya ran over and embraced her father. �Thanks, Dad. For everything.
Without what you two had taught me over the years, I wouldn't be here
today.�

�Lina needs her rest still� Gourry said, �Let's go to the common room
and you can fill me in on everything that happened.�

�Will you remember it?� Anya chided.

�Probably not,� replied Gourry, �but it'll be good practice for when
Lina wakes up.�

Instead of talking about their adventures, though, Anya and Gourry
started talking about old times, about the days when her parents were
training her in swordcraft and sorcery, about all the time they were
spending traveling together.

�So, dad,� Anya finally asked, �Are you and Mom hitting the road again?�

�I don't know.� Gourry said. �With one child, life on the road is
possible. Not easy, but possible. Twins will be harder, I think. We
might head over to Seyruun and settle down there for a while.�

Valgaav smiled. �There may be jobs for you at court.�, he said. �The
Queen was talking a lot while we were there about how she missed being
around you and Lina. I'm sure they could use you.�

Gourry frowned �Lina perhaps, courts always need sorcerers. But there
aren't many court jobs for a swordsman.�

Anya noticed something. �It's a bit chilly in here,� she said, �Which is
odd because there's a fire burning in the stove.�

�Ah?� Gourry said. �It seems fine to me.�

Valgaav frowned. �I notice it too. It's no ordinary chill. Something is
happening.�

Anya stood suddenly. �The babies! You don't think Xellos would...�

�After the defeat we laid on him, he wouldn't dare. But we'd better check.�

Anya ran into the babies' room and was greeted by an awful sight.
Standing over the crib was a figure robed in black. It stood about nine
feet tall and seemed to have a sinister, chill air about it. Anya could
tell he radiated evil, but it wasn't like a mazoku aura. It was
something she had never felt before, and the thought of it chilled her
to the bone.

The others followed right behind her. At the very sight of the thing,
Gourry drew the Blast Blade. �You!� he cried. �I don't know what you
are, and right now I don't care. Just get the hell away from my children!�

The figure turned its head and seemed to look at them, but it was hard
to tell because it had no visible face. �Your children? You mean MY
children. I have come to claim my own.�

Gourry didn't give it a chance to say anything more. He charged it with
a fury Anya had never seen, swinging the Blast Blade in an arc meant to
decapitate it. The thing reached out a skeletal hand and caught the
blade in mid swing. Gourry stammered. �That's � that's not possible! The
Blast Blade can cut through anything, material or astral! Nothing should
be able to catch it!�

Anya wasn't going to hesitate either. �RAH TILT!� she cried, sending an
astral blast into the creature. Valgaav opened his mouth and let fly
with a laser-like breath attack. The two blasts hit the creature square
on, and then vanished with no visible effect.

�Not unexpected,� the creature said. �Pointless, but not unexpected.� He
pulled the sword out of Gourry's hand and hurled it away from itself,
embedding the blade in the wall.

From the bed, there came a voice. �You...� Anya turned to see her mother
rising from the bed, her aura reeking of primal fury. �Who the hell do
you think you are going after MY children? Are you so tired of being
alive that you want to take on Lina Inverse?�

�Lina! We can handle this!� Gourry said. �You're in no condition to fight.�

�I don't care! I'm not going to let anyone take my children away from me!�

The thing turned its spectral head. �I don't need you dead, but I do
need you out of the way.� It pointed at Lina, silently.

Suddenly :Lina's legs could not support her weight. She fell to the
floor, and pushed against it ain an effort to pull herself to her feet.
It was no good. Her legs wouldn't move. �You! What have you done to me?�

�Your legs won't move until I say they can, Lina Inverse. And I will
never do that. Thanks to you, Lina Inverse, the world will be mine. And,
even though none of you asked, I might as well tell you. You can call me
Zoa. Your God.�

�GOD MY ASS!� Anya cried. Drawing her sword, she started to chant a
spell. �Spirits of air and darkness, spirits of twilight and crimson...�

Lina blanched. �No! Anya, don't do it! Don't cast Golden Blade!�

Anya, if she heard, didn't notice. �I call on you to lend your power to
this blade. In the great name of the Golden Queen of Chaos, I call you
to my aid!�

The thing turned to look at her. �Interesting. But I don't think I'll
let you finish.�

Anya pointed her sword at the creature. �GOL--� At that moment, Anya
felt her throat gripped as if my invisible hands, and more invisible
hands were running themselves all over her body, squeezing and pinching
in excruciatingly painful ways. Energy crackled around her and she felt
something burning from within.

�No!� cried Lina. �Stop this! The spell! The energy of the spell will
consume her!�

Anya choked out the words. �I... don't... care! I WILL finish the spell!
GOLD---�

:�Enough.� said Zoa and gestured with his hand. Suddenly Anya was
utterly unable to speak or move. �When you learn to cast the spell
without speaking or moving, try again. But, as a consolation, I will do
you one favor.� Holding out his hand, he watched as the energy that was
surrounding Anya discharged into it. After a few moments, Anya fell to
the floor and Zoa closed his hand. �You should thank me, Anya Inverse,
for saving your life.�

�You can go to Hell,' Anya spat out in reply, �Special delivery,
courtesy of me.�

�Another time, I'll give you the chance to make good on that threat. But
now my business awaits.� Zoa took one child in each hand. �Such
beautiful children. If only they knew the nature of their destiny. I bid
you farewell.� Zoa began to fade.

�NO!� cried Lina! �My babies!�

�Don't think you've won yet!� Anya cried. �I will get my brother and
sister back! I'll do it if I have to fight you through the fires of Hell
itself! You! You're dead! Do you hear me, Zoa? YOU'RE DEAD!�

Zoa said nothing. Valgaav would have actually been more comfortable if
it had laughed, cursed Anya back, displayed some emotion � any emotion,
Instead it simply faded away.

Gourry ran over to his wife. �Lina! Is the spell broken?�

Lina shook her head. �No. My legs won't move. What the hell did he do to
me?�

Gourry knelt down, put his arms under her legs, and lifted Lina up.
�I'll get you into a chair, darling.�

�My babies! What's going to happen to my babies?�

�I wish I knew. Zoa could have taken them anywhere.�

Valgaav helped Anya to her feet. �I don't understand. That Zoa, or
whatever it was, had enormous power. It took everything we threw at it
and didn't flinch. Not even Beastmaster Xellas was that strong. What
could something like that possibly want with human babies, even the
children of a powerful sorceress?�

�It wasn't a Mazoku, I could tell that much.� Anya said. �At least the
effects on me are wearing off. Will Mother be all right?�

Gourry seemed to be on the verge of tears. �I don't know. I don't know.�

Over the next few hours, both Filia and the local Priest of Cepheid had
attempted several healing spells on Lina. She still sat in the chair,
unable to move her legs.

�It's not magic,� the priest finally said. �At least, not magic as we
know it today. It's more like Primal Force.�

�Primal Force?� Anya asked.

Lina shook her head sadly. �Primal Force. The power used by the Lord of
Nightmares to forge the world out of chaos. No sorcerer has ever learned
how to manipulate it. The Mazoku can't even touch it. Only L-sama
herself can wield primal force. It almost never appears in this world
directly.�

�Then Zoa � is the Lord of Nightmares.�

Gourry shook his head. �No, he's not. Even I can tell that. The Lord of
Nightmares never directly intervenes on Earth. Never. She always uses
surrogates and agents, and none of those agents have ever applied this
kind of power. I sometimes think she's even used us for her own purposes.�

Lina shook her head. �As long as this Primal Force is interfering, I'll
only be able to cast the simplest of magic. And I can't even move my own
damn legs! What the hell am I going to do? How the hell am I going to
get back my babies.�

Anya walked over to her mother and took her hand.�Mother, send me.
Please. Let me get them back for you.�

�I can't. That thing's too powerful for you to handle. You don't have a
chance.�

�I don't care whether I have a chance or not, Mother. I'm going to do
it. How often have you done the impossible over the years? To steal
children � my siblings � is cruelty beyond the fathom of any rational
being. Zoa must be punished. No, not punished. Destroyed.�

�Anya, I can't let you do this. Not now, not alone.�

A voice behind Anya spoke up. �She won't be alone.� Valgaav stepped
beside Anya. �If Anya's going to take on a god, I'm going with her.
She'll need someone watching her back.�

Anya shook her head. �This isn't your fight, Valgaav. They aren't your
brother and sister.�

�So? Since when did that matter? You can't take Zoa alone. If our places
were reversed, if it were my sibling that Zoa had taken, what would you do?�

Only a few seconds of silence passed. �I'd go.� Anya finally said.
�Without hesitation. Just like you.�

�But how will you find him?� Lina asked. �He could be anywhere, on any
plane of existence, in any universe. We have no clue where to find him.�

�We'll find a clue,� Anya said, �I think Zoa wants us to track him down.
He had a reason for taking on all of us, I just don't know what it is.
When we find it, he's mine.�

Valgaav took Anya by the hand. �I guess we won't have much time to rest,
will we? The sooner we get some sort of fix on Zoa, the better.�

Gourry turned to Lina, sitting in the chair. �Aren't you going to try
and stop them, dear?�

Lina smiled. �No. Nothing can stop them now. No force on Heaven or
Earth. Our daughter is just like us after all. No matter what the odds
against her are, she will win. And L-sama have mercy on anyone who gets
in her way!�

TO BE CONTINUED