In January, A New Year and a New Life

This is the final story for the "In..." series. The series begins with a story called "In a Clearing," which takes place in the month of February. After that, a story featuring Lina, Xelloss, and some aspect ofan observed holiday is featured for each of the months following for one year-- ending with this one. There is a thread which ties these stories together; it's about love between races and how it might survive despite the obstacles put in the way. I hope you have enjoyed reading this series and find the ending satisfying.

--Kaeru Shisho

---

For the briefest fraction of time, Xelloss had a vision of his mistress-- ex-mistress– looking back at him in her astral form, recalling him to service.

After giving it another moment's thought, he determined that without their bond in place she must have located him from the astral plane. He knew her search had taken her a long time. It was a vast universe. Executing the demon-create command when de-constructing the chimera must have caused enough of a disruption for her to track him. "Damn," Xelloss mouthed, and then sighed theatrically. "Ahhhh, well, there's no changing the past."

He had to go, had to leave Lina and learn what Lord Zelas wanted. Imparting the news to Lina turned out to be a miserable experience, but he was empowered by her strength and her trust in him to return to her.

Xelloss opened his eyes to gaze, possibly for one last time, upon Lina, the love of his life. She was nearly lost from view. He held on to that scene, her form, the background, the shapes and patterns her shadow made on the wall, while he used his mental imagery of Wolfpack Island to trigger his movement to his destination. In order to achieve instantaneous travel he must think of where he wanted to go, picture it, and then go.

But wait, what was that? His dear Lina was turning back, casting him a warm smile.

Oh, my! Lina is casting more than a smile, that's a spell!

The two images overlaid in his mind: Zelas on Wolfpack Island and Lina in the dark corridor. Then froze. The images faded as his vision shut down.

I'm not moving, not freely!

He was swimming in water--not water, but a liquid more viscous, like cream. No, that wasn't it either, thicker like gravy, but cold, yet syrupy. It was sticking to him, everything was resisting him, disabling his movement out of his physical state.

The teleportation has gone wrong!

From the astral side he was pulled, sucked through a pinpoint-sized opening to the physical world, molecule by molecule, tearing down his complex structure and squeezing out the minutest particles of space between the interstices in order to fit.

By Shabranigdo! Fight it!

Xelloss cried out, shouted, the last breath of air escaping his lungs in a raw throaty howl he couldn't hear. His ears were clogged. Xelloss reached out with his arm and touched his back.

That can't be right!

His arms wrapped around his gluey body. His feet were planted, fastened to the ground, which was moving up and to the side until his head bounced onto the sticky surface of his own legs, entangling his totality in a wretched, mucilaginous membrane.

Why can't I move?

He couldn't stop the constriction of his own body as it folded in on itself, condensing all that he was into an ever-tightening knot that throbbed and pounded in rhythm with the contractions.

When will this end?

Like a snail shell, he was spiraling inwards to a point, consolidating. He felt the compression, then just a heavy weight.

So, this is the death and destruction of a demon...

Darkness mercifully overtook his senses, and time passed immeasurably. During that period of stillness, the demon's body underwent amazing changes. It was best that he was unaware.

When he woke up, he felt dense, thick-limbed, as if he had amassed all the weight of ten humans into his body. To move a finger would require extreme exertion. He nearly laughed, and he would have if he could have moved his face muscles. Did he survive that attack, only to become a block of plasma, or worse, some glutinous, lumbering creature? Xelloss decided that he wasn't awake, that he must have passed on.

Was this death? Perhaps, but then why did my Lina kill me?

(o)

The massive shift in the astral plane and power surge from Lina' spell could be felt by everyone within miles of the golf course. Xelloss howl cut through the quiet of the day. "What was that?" Filia croaked, face ashen.

"A Dark Lord!" Amelia cried out.

"No, not that, but a terribly powerful something." Filia looked to the door. "Something Xelloss."

"Mr. Xelloss? We'd better go see if he and Ms. Lina are okay before anyone else gets there," Amelia said, already running out the door.

The door to Lina and Xelloss' room was blown open. "Oh gods!" Filia saw Lina lying face down on the floor and knelt at her side, checking for a pulse. "I will try to revive her. I wish Milgasia was here. His Resurrection casting is far stronger than mine."

Amelia slammed the door and cast several locking spells over it, hoping that would keep out any curious passers-by. "Is she all right?"

Filia shook her head and continued to apply her dragon healing magic. She jumped when someone pounded on the door.

A man's voice shouted, "Are you in there, Filia?"

"Milgasia, yes!" Filia didn't break her incantation, though, knowing that every moment counted.

Amelia immediately cast counter spells, unlocking the door, and the dragon man stormed in. "It's a madhouse out there. Not outside the door, but outside the inn. Folks all around wondering what caused that disturbance. I felt it flying in and I was miles out. Filia, what has happened here?"

Filia shook her head, forcing all her power into life-giving healing spell.

"Please help Ms Lina, Mr. Milgasia! Ms. Filia is doing all she can." Amelia scampered out of the way, allowing the big man to pass and fall at his wife's side.

"Do you know what happened?" he asked Amelia.

"No, we felt what everyone else did. Ms. Filia thought it had something to do with Mr. Xelloss so we came over here and found them. He's over there."

Milgasia knew there was nothing any of them could do for the demon– Xelloss would have to repair his own injuries on the astral plane– so he concentrated on reviving Lina. He moved the healing glow of his spell over Lina's small frame alongside Filia. After some minutes he directed his wife to center her forces on the unborn child, ensuring its safety, while he revived Lina. "Lina?" he called. "Wake up."

"Ugh..." Her eyes flew open, then closed, opening more slowly the second time. "Xelloss?" With Milgasia's assistance she sat up, leaning back on her elbows. "Where is he?"

Filia wiped her brow, exhausted from her exertion. "Xelloss is over there. Your baby's fine, by the way."

Lina glanced around Amelia for Xelloss and saw him lying motionless, curled up on his side with his nose to his knees. What Filia had said sunk in, and she patted her swollen belly. "Oh, ah, thanks." She pressed Filia's hand affectionately. "I mean it. I'm kinda selfish, I know. I should have thought about the baby first, not him, but I can't imagine living without Xelloss."

Filia smiled. "I can, but I understand how you feel, really."

"Good, then help me over to him. Let's see what I've done."

Milgasia let his hands hover a few inches above Xelloss. "Most peculiar." His eyes shot up, a look of disbelief on his face. "You didn't use that spell on him!"

"What spell was that?" Filia eyed them both curiously, her anxiety rising with each passing second Lina didn't answer.

"You don't understand. He was leaving, going to her. I could tell that he didn't think he'd be coming back and I couldn't stand that. I just couldn't!" With an ache of grief Lina remembered the words Xelloss had said, the call of Zelas to return to her. "Zelas was taking him away."

"But we were going to test it out before using it on him." Milgasia was biting back his words of condemnation for her act while grimly attempting to arouse the demon, "and the danger to you– it was... illogical... to suppose you could lock him into his human form."

"Lock Mr. Xelloss into a human body?" Amelia repeated, her voice shrill with fear. "What does that mean?"

Filia shook her head. "Not what it sounds like. That's just not possible for a human to do, not even one as powerful as Lina."

Milgasia looked up from his task to glare at Lina, his hands suspended over Xelloss chest. "His heart's beating."

"He hasn't got a heart. Oh! Oh, my gods, he has? Then it worked!" Lina pressed her ear to his chest to listen to the organ pumping lifeblood throughout the man's body. As she straightened out his arms. "Why's he not awake? Xelloss... Xelloss! Wake up!"

"He is not breathing. Perhaps his new lungs are blocked. I will attempt to use the Resurrection spell on him, although I haven't any idea if it will do any good," Milgasia said, sighing. He applied the spell, washing the still man with a clean, white glow while Lina rubbed his ice-cold hands in hers.

"I know a better way!" Amelia cried out. She instructed Milgasia how to clear the airway.

"I'll do that," Lina declared, and proceeded to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her husband. After some minutes, Xelloss drew a deep breath of his own and let it out in a shallow sigh. "That's a start."

They watched Xelloss breath in uneven gasps, choking and coughing a few times before settling down into an even rhythm. "Ms. Lina, what did you do to change his body this way? It's nearly human," Amelia noted.

"He's nearly human, you mean," Lina corrected her. "I sealed his astral body, the whole thing into his physical body– like what was done to the demon Gaav."

"You did what!" Filia shouted in utter disbelief, her voice shrill.

"No human or any other living creature has ever done such a thing. Only the Gods," Milgasia told them all. "It is unlikely that it will be successful. He's not waking up yet."

Suddenly Lina was ice-cold, as if the breath of hell had touched her, gripped her with a kind of pain she could hardly bear. An up-welling of misery and despair swept through the room, followed by an unfamiliar voice from inside the room intoning, "It will not-- without help."

Amelia barely covered her mouth in time to smother her scream. Filia and Milgasia swooned and collapsed in place onto the floor. Lina just got mad. "How did you get in here?" Lina shouted at the young woman with short-cropped, platinum-blond hair and wide, green, cat-like eyes.

The stranger gazed slowly around the half-circle gathered just inside the door. More like scanning with some instrument other than her eyes. It's not edible; I can't mate with it; it might as well not exist; it's not dangerous; I'll ignore it. Her eyes swept the prone man and lingered briefly before settling lastly on Lina. "Lina Inverse, the consort of Xelloss."

"Eh, eh, ehhh–" Lina felt the icy tendrils of fear creeping up her spine. For a moment she thought the woman was going to smile, but it died before it began. There was an underlying terror inside her which snuffed out every shred of lightness. She fought off the panic settling in by blustering aloud, "Introductions can wait. You answer my question first, kiddo. How did you get past that door?"

The newcomer looked a long moment at Lina's face, her unflinching eyes, and decided that in spite of her diminutive size she was determined enough to be a considerable nuisance. Whether she heard or understood Lina was unimportant since she continued addressing Lina without answering her questions. "My intelligence tells me you love one another. I have heard you laughing together often enough, and seen you kiss, seen the way you looked at one another. I know the nature and the acts of love, even if I cannot feel the joy of it."

"You are the demon-lord Zelas, aren't you?" Lina said in a voice so strained it was hardly more than a squeak.

"My priest, my general, my representative while I remain at my designation," the woman continued, touching Xelloss' forehead. "You did well."

"He did? Him? He did practically nothing," Lina said. "Say, is he going to wake up? Can you help him or something?"

"The child marks the new beginning." The woman, who was certainly the demon-lord Beastmaster Zelas, leaned over Xelloss and spoke into his ear, or at least so it appeared although no sound was heard. Lina was about to say something else, when the woman stood and addressed the room at large, but no one in particular. "Forever guarding we who are left. Always guarding– until the end." Zelas met Lina's eyes, her expression flat. "He shall adjust. Bring me the child, sometime, for a visit." She did not wait for an answer; she simply disappeared.

Milgasia and Filia were out flat on their backs, overwhelmed by the presence of the demon lord. Amelia was cowering between them, mute. "Well," said Lina, hands on her hips. "That was pointless. I might as well get him on the bed, stir up the fire, and wait. Amelia?"

"Eep...?"

"Wake up those two and help them to their room. Go back to yours, too. I'll let you know if there's any change. Oh, and you might see if this resort will send up some food. The nerve of that woman! Bring my baby to visit her. Yeah, sure. I didn't get this far in life taking orders from demons."

(o)

In January, winter storms would blow through the land from Dragon's Peak in the north to as far south as where the dragon's golf tournament was held, although it never snowed. The week after Lina sealed Xelloss was spent inside as one of those storms brought rain and cooler temperatures. The golf courses were temporarily closed, filling the indoor entertainment areas of the inns to overflowing while the players waited for the fairways to dry out.

The fire had gone out and it was frigid in the room. Walking barefoot on the stone floors was bitterly cold. "Some hot tea would help," Filia suggested, offering Lina a cup.

Lina nodded in pitiful agreement and accepted the tea. "You have anything for stomach cramps?"

Filia smiled and shook her head. It was Amelia who spoke up. "Dragon ladies don't bear children, Ms. Lina, and what you are having are labor pains. You're due in a week or so; it's to be expected that your body would be preparing now."

"Oh, gods... And you've been through this twice? I can't imagine repeating this after knowing what all I've had to go through."

Amelia almost laughed. "Sure you would! It's a part of you and Mr. Xelloss." What she didn't say, and had no need to say, was that this baby might be all Lina might have left of Xelloss, should he never wake up.

"Would you like a cup also?" Filia asked Amelia, changing the subject from such a sensitive one.

"Oh, yes, please. Should I go ask Mr. Milgasia if he'd like some, too?"

"No, please don't. I think he's still asleep."

They were still at the golf tournament since Lina refused to risk moving a comatose Xelloss. With Zelgadiss watching the children, along with Valiant and his wife, Amelia put up no resistance to staying, at least for a little while longer. Milgasia was flying back and forth between his Dragon's Peak home and their rooms at the inn every other day, tiring him out and wearing him down.

"He needs his rest, too." Filia leaned against the door lintel, looking over at the bed where Xelloss lay, composed, asleep. She wondered why she hoped he would recover. Wouldn't the world be a better, safer, more peaceful place without the demon Xelloss? She had considered him far too conscious of his own charm, but after knowing him for so long, learning about the man behind the manners, she found that she actually liked him immensely. When she thought about her life and their encounters she had to admit that her life had benefited by his being in it. So had Valiant's, Zelgadiss' and Lina's. He had been an excellent friend, and she knew the supreme value of that. What an odd turn life had taken, since she had met Lina Inverse.

Waiting was the worst, but there was nothing to do but wait.

(o)

Xelloss opened his eyes and recognized what he saw. "Well, this is nice, for death."

Clouds rose over the ocean like black-bellied monsters belching billows of smoke, filling the sky overhead, threatening rain at any moment. The sea was liquid-white, platinum edged in glistening pearls and sparkling crystals, cold and hard, reflecting the personality of the island's mistress. Xelloss turned, looking in the opposite direction, hoping to feel the pallid sun veiled by rising spindrift and stretched clouds, washing the scene in tepid light.

"Quite beautiful and serene. Odd, I certainly never felt this way before on Wolfpack Island. Oh, I know, I must be dreaming. But I don't dream! I'm not even alive, unless...

"Well, I'll be... I'm a vegetable. This would be amusing if I understood what was going on. I'll go back to sleep, or whatever I was doing before, try this again and see if I return to the same spot."

On his second try, Xelloss really did wake up, but he kept his eyes shut. He could feel the support of a soft cushion under his head, a blanket over torso. He heard the ticking of a clock, the crackling of embers in a fireplace, a sigh. Wait a minute. A sigh? Instantly his eyelids few up. This was a different place. He had seen it before, but what was important was locating the source of that sigh.

For a moment Lina did not notice. She was alone in the room, her head bent over a book, her face graceful in concentration, her hair coiling around her shoulders, bright in the candle light. At that instant the sight of her was more beautiful than anything else he could imagine.

"Hello..." he said quietly.

She jerked around, stared at him for a disbelieving heartbeat, then dropped the book on the floor and threw herself into his arms. "Xelloss! Oh, Xelloss, you're awake! I thought you might never open your eyes again!"

He held onto her tightly, as close as possible with her swollen abdomen pushing them apart, and kissed his wife passionately. He broke the kiss to rub his cheek against hers, finger her curls, and finally run his hand over her belly. "I thought I had died and wondered why you had killed me. I wasn't angry at all, just, well...stunned that you would."

She reached up, placing her hands on either side of his face, studying it. "I wasn't trying to kill you, just keep you here. How do you feel? Can you tell what happened to you?"

"You cast a spell on me-- that I remember. After that, it was...horrible. I felt my astral body pulled into this plane, this body, where it was stuffed to fit. I no longer know how to make contact with the astral world at all, and until I can I cannot transport or use many ofthe magic intrinsic to my makeup, although I haven't tried, obviously. I'm not even certain I can use magic at all. Ah... are you okay?"

"No!" she answered, gritting her teeth against another wave of cramping. She was concerned for his welfare following the spell, but the urgency her own circumstances took precedence, as usual. "I gotta walk around."

"Okay, I'll accompany you, if you think it helps." If I can stand, I will. He was relieved to find that he could move his limbs, marginally.

"Sure, around the room. It helps some. Amelia tells me that it's just my body getting ready to have the baby."

"Really? By making you feel sick?"

"No, idiot. Lots of things have to change shape for a baby to pass through, including an opening to enlarge. Don't give me that kind of look. You didn't think it just popped out like it got in?"

"Well..."

"Look at the size of your penis. A baby's lots bigger than that."

He made a face. "At one time I could have altered that, but it seems I'm rather fixed in this body as is. Which gets me back to my earlier conversation–"

"Ugh, there's another one." She winced and let him support her on an arm. "I used the same spell, approximately, that the dragon god used to seal Gaav into his human form. I figured that Gaav hadn't lost any of his power so you shouldn't either, but you'd lose that vulnerability to astral attack."

"You mean I won't be conveniently accessible to Lord Zelas via that route. I should explore my abilities–"

"Oh, gods... another cramp. They are getting closer together. Get Amelia now!"

"Time to explore later... Don't give my fate another thought." The examination of his own bodily functions and changes would have to wait. Xelloss smiled ruefully, and then dashed out the door. "Well, at least we know I can still move."

One hour later, Lina gave birth to a healthy baby boy, which appeared to be entirely human, but then again, so did Xelloss.

"Oh, Mr. Xelloss, he looks just like you," Amelia said, stroking the newborn's tiny cheek with a fingertip.

He frowned. "I look nothing like that– never did. I was created just as you see me. The only thing we have in common is a penis."

"Don't be an idiot, Xelloss," Lina snapped back. She was over the first flush of excitement and was now starting to feel peckish, but she wasn't angry. To make certain he understood that, she smiled, softening her voice, adding, "Amelia means the baby has dark hair and eyes, more like yours than mine."

"That's right," Amelia cut in, hoping to stifle any ensuing argument. "Although, most baby's eyes change color in a few days; these may turn brown and not indigo like they are now. And that little tuft of hair may all fall out, and who knows what color the new hair might be? But I don't think he has a chance of being a redhead."

Filia sighed and sat back. "Anyway, my work is done. You are comfortable, Lina? I never really dreamed humans had to work so hard giving birth. I wonder that you propagate so quickly at all." She caught the light dancing in Xelloss' eyes before she could catch her breath. "No, I mean, I really don't–" she said, trying to take back her words, but it was too late.

"It's all in the lovemaking," he said with a smile. "One can't get enough, speaking from experience." His tone was so sincere, the warmth in his smile so honest, that he endeared himself to them all, even Filia, who blushed.

Lina wasn't about to have her shining moment lost to her husband's charming ways. If she was no longer the center of attention, then they should all leave. "Ah, yeah, sure. So, thanks, Amelia...Filia. I couldn't have done it without you, not so easily, but, ah..."

"My pleasure," Amelia broke in.

"Not every woman gets a princess for midwifery," Filia said, standing to leave. "I'll go give Milgasia the good news. He'll want to see the baby, of course, then after that, do you two want to be alone for a while?"

"Alone, yes, and I want to sleep– no, eat– eat then sleep."

"Okay!" Amelia said brightly. "I'll order the food and have the inn's staff bring it to you. That will give us all a long enough visit and then you can sleep as long as you need." Amelia skipped out of the room, humming a nursery rhyme, and Filia followed more sedately to find her husband.

Lina studied Xelloss, who in turn was staring into his newborn son's eyes. Xelloss was not the same elegantly unfashionable demon man with whom she had fallen in love. He had been a creature whose easy charm had nearly put her off, thinking him too shallow, but time, experience, and marriage to Lina had improved him, resulting in a man of great intellectual and emotional depth. His eyes were still just as beautiful, flashing wickedly beneath his long and dark lashes, but there was a substance to him that had been lacking before.

"So this was what she wanted. This tiny little human," he whispered.

"To hell with her, it's what we wanted. Damnit, Xelloss. Can't this just be about us and not Zelas?"

"Of course, you are right, dearest. It's so small a thing."

"Small? If it hadn't been for Amelia's healing and pain reducing spells that head would have split me in two. That's one hell of a big baby."

"I see," he murmured, mesmerized by the tiny thing he and Lina had created. The skin was so soft he smiled as he stroked the cheek with his bare finger. He turned to Lina, his eyes steady, voice commanding. "Corax."

"But–" she began, searching for a lightness in him, a sign of yielding. "Corax? Are you naming him, our baby, after a crow?"

"No, ravens are larger than crows and ravens are corax. He told me his name. Besides–" Xelloss grew serious. For the first time in their relationship he brooked no argument whatsoever. He was the father and it was within his right to name his son. "It was your father's name. I'm certain your mother will be pleased."

Of course she would, but how had Xelloss known? Lina wondered.

He guessed her thoughts from her expression. "Luna told me; don't ask me when or how. She would like us to visit soon and bring Corax, and all our family, when you are feeling up to it."

"Oh," Lina conceded with as much grace as she could muster. "Corax, sure, I mean, we'll go if that's what you want."

"More than that, my love," he said with the first edge of a smile. "It is an order."

To her surprise she heard nothing but determination in his tone, no weakness hinting that she might dissuade him from either decision. There was a new confidence about him too, not built solely on charm and the need to manipulate, but upon some inner happiness and a purpose within himself, radiating outward. Still, she had her own concerns. "But to Zephillia? It's been a long time, but sure; that is, if it's safe and all our dealings with Zelas are settled conclusively."

"Oh about that–" he began, when they were interrupted by their friends.

Amelia accompanied by Filia, Milgasia, and a passel of servers carrying trays of food entered the room. "And I brought champagne!" Amelia announced. "I know you lost track of the time, but it's New Year's Eve and we're going to celebrate."

"There's dancing and music downstairs," Milgasia told them. "Everyone's got the holiday spirit around here. I know– I saw them passing it around."

Xelloss laughed. "That was a funny joke, Mil! You're learning."

Lina was ravenous, and tore into the first plate of food he handed her with gusto. The others had missed both lunch and dinner, and so were happy to indulge themselves, eating vast amounts of food as well. Xelloss was the exception. He ate very small portions very slowly, testing his intestinal tract with trepidation, unsure how it would react to digesting food since the sealing spell had taken place. So far, every part was in working order and he was feeling fit, but he had misgivings about the entire transformation and expected some painful reprisals at any time. He was also fully aware of his compact state. Without the vastness of the astral world to traverse, his massive astral body filled out his human form completely. He must have looked intent on swallowing his food carefully, because Amelia asked him twice if he was okay before he answered.

"Oh, yes, thank you for asking. I am fine, so far, just different."

"Were you thinking about your Lord Zelas retaliating?" Amelia asked.

Xelloss scratched his ear, then wondered if he cut himself whether astral material would leak out or blood?

"Mr. Xelloss?"

"Retaliating? Oh, no, you see, I haven't told you everything; I haven't had the chance, that is. This was the outcome she wanted. Her plan all along was for me to become as near human as possible. Ah, I need to explain more. Let me go back in time to my inception."

Here was a story few had heard. The chewing quieted dramatically. "Oh, now, it's not all that exciting. It was the work of a moment, I'm sure. My Lord Zelas made me at the time of the demon-dragon wars to do her fighting so that she could maintain her watch over the barrier holding back the Gods from the rest of the world. You recall seeing that one outpost when we encountered Valgaav and destroyed it, right?"

The others nodded and he continued. "The other demon lords brought their servants into existence at the same time and for the same purpose, however, they split their creations into a separate priest and general, whereas Lord Zelas put all her eggs, shall we say, in one basket: me. Having two servants seemed a good idea at the time– I guess, since most of the other Lords did it that way– but, as it turned out, halving their powers doomed them. In fact, only Sherra and I survived the demon-dragon wars. Later, Gaav created Valgaav, but that failed miserably. Combining demons and dragons whose natures and makeup are too disparate is no solution."

"Solution to what?" Amelia asked. Lina would have, but her mouth was stuffed with cake.

"To saving the demon race. Dragons are also dwindling, if you haven't noticed? You have been reduced to these few, final golden clans– even the non-speaking dragons all have been eliminated. You live in human form most of the time and, aside from your means of reproduction, you can pass for human, and will fade into the history books if you don't find a way to blend into the human race. Although, there is a little secret there I'll get to in a minute."

"Blend into the human race? That's preposterous!" Milgasia said. He said no more, though, remembering a time when the sky was filled with free-flying dragons; golden, black, green, and even the ancient dragons. There were so few these days.

"I know, you don't believe me, but look at your numbers and how few eggs hatch each year, and how many fewer are created. Yeah, not so many. It's the same with us. The demon lords created us, their priests and generals, to conduct the war against the dragon race while they held the outposts and maintained the great barrier. Only three of the lords remain now, remaining mostly at their stations. In fact, of them only Lord Grauscherra moves about regularly. The last time they all gathered outside was–"

"In that mountain pass," Lina chimed in. "You met us there and led us away for a picnic, a good one, too. So, they weren't skiing, like you said. They were there to do... what?"

"They lured us in, Ms Lina. Don't you see? It was a trap to give Mr. Xelloss an excuse to travel with us, and you in particular. He started courting you after that. Am I right, Mr. Xelloss?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, you are. They had agreed on a plan to save the demon race, using me–"

"And me, apparently," Lina said.

"Both of us, yes. The plan they came up with figured that if you could make me real enough to produce children, then there would be hope for my race. You see how this can happen now? All the demon astral material can be collected; all the minor demons can be reabsorbed. That, when combined together with the remaining essence of the demon lords, can produce a very few new demons of my caliber, or what I was, who can mate with humans and... That will be that. The demon race will pass into the human one."

Filia sniffed. "Yeah, sure. That all sounds grand, but how can they pull that off? Which one is going to stay behind to get the job done?"

Xelloss looked to Lina, their eyes meeting in understanding. Lina swallowed. "Zelas wants me to do it, I'll bet. I'm the only one who knows which spells in what sequence it took for Xelloss to make the adjustments safely along the way. I'm the one who can perform the final sealing spell. That was all in the plan, too, wasn't it?"

Milgasia frowned. "I wondered how I came by that spell book so easily. Is it possible that Lord Zelas made it accessible to me just for this purpose? Of course. She had the power to do that and plenty of ways to stick it under my nose when I wasn't considering outside assistance."

"So while we were worried that Zelas might be trying to stop us, she was assisting us all along. That means we have nothing to fear from her or the others, and actually they need us, me in particular, to help them succeed with the final part of their plan. They need my participation." Lina's eyes shone with knowledge, which was power at rest.

"That's right, Lina. You have been groomed from the day you were born to be the one to save the human race, and the demon one as well. Not predestined. There is no such thing, since you might have failed at any time. Things might have come out differently, who knew? Your sister suspected it, but could only watch as your powers were developed by the demon race, positioning you in harms way, forcing you to use more and more powerful spells to destroy Rezo, Lord Gaav, Lord Phibrizzo, and finally Darkstar."

Xelloss turned toward Filia. "Which gets me back to that secret. Valiant retains some of his demon astral body, not much, not like he had as Lord Gaav's general, good old Valgaav, but some. Luna hopes that there is a chance for his offspring to mate with humans or demon-humans in time."

"Valiant has what?" Filia asked. Milgasia tightened his grip on her elbow warning her to hold her temper and listen.

"Like Gourry being part elf–" Lina said, her mind taking off on other tangents.

"Yes, exactly. The elves have been merging into the human race for some time. Soon, the pure elves will be gone forever, along with the dragons and the demons. We will all be part of history, or more likely children's stories. But a bit of us will live on in the human race. At least, that is the plan."

"Is that a good thing?" Amelia wondered aloud.

"Sounds fair to me. I got what I wanted, power and you, seems like I owe Zelas a future. What I don't get is why isn't she holding out for that last bit of Shabranigdo and resurrecting him and taking over the world?"

"You haven't guessed then?" Xelloss smiled and nearly laughed aloud. "What it was that drew me first to you and, later, all the demon lords? Look into the mirror and what do you see? Your eyes, Lina. Ruby eyes! Luna holds the last remaining power of the gods and you that of last piece of Lord Shabranigdo. She protects you."

Interrupting again, Filia wanted some clarification from Xelloss. "My Valiant has a demon aura that I can't detect and Lina contains a fragment of Sha-sha– that horrid creature?" Filia was red-faced and nearly choking with contempt for all things Xelloss at that moment.

"Luna protects me?" Lina asked, waving Filia away.

"No, Her, the Lord of Nightmares. Once Lord Zelas understood for certain that you couldn't be destroyed to get at that last piece of Lord Shabranigdo, because you had the protection of Her, then she knew that the demon race was doomed. She and the other demon lords charted the path roughly to where we are today. Again, any number of things might have gone awry. You might not have fallen for my charms, or cared deeply enough to alter me–"

"Charms? My dear gods... what charms? And don't ignore me, Xelloss. I want answers." Filia dove at him, Milgasia pulling her back before she started pounding on the demon's head.

Xelloss shrugged and stepped aside, easily avoiding Filia's wild swing. "Val contains the most minute, lingering particle of demon-ity, Filia. Nothing to worry yourself about. He'll be happy to talk to you about it later, I'm sure. Now where was I going with my train of thought from before? Oh, yes, how remarkable that all this has come to pass. Lina, I might not have developed the feelings for you that I did or survived the changes or cared enough or trusted you enough to experiment on me. Many things might have changed the outcome, but they didn't."

"Luna knows," Lina murmured.

"Yes, she does by now. She will be by your side to assist when the time comes to transform the last of the demon race into...ah... creatures like me."

"That's why we have the invitation to Zephillia? It's to take place there and then?"

"Possibly. I don't know."

"You seem to know a lot. Why didn't you tell Lina or any of us this? How could you have kept this a secret from us, from Ms. Lina, your wife, all this time?" Amelia insisted on knowing.

"Oh, I didn't! I only just learned of it. When Lina fixed me into this body, the spell left me in some sort of stasis. I felt my mistress...er...ah...Lord Zelas... enter my psyche, and for a moment she instilled this information into my mind and released me from the final bindings to the astral world– just speeding things up for your sake, my dear," he said to Lina. "Then I woke up. I believe that Luna has the capability to do that final step for others, the one Lord Zelas performed, and that is why her presence is necessary. I'm not entirely sure, though." His eyes searched Lina's yearning for her acceptance, her approval, her continued support. "Oh, I don't know what I am, how much a demon or a human I am, what strengths I've retained or weaknesses garnered in all this, but I can tell you, Lina, my love, that I'd do it all over again to feel your kisses, know your touch, share your life—"

She drew his face to hers and kissed him passionately, ending his soliloquy. "After all these years you still manage to surprise and thrill me. You promised me life with you wouldn't be boring, and it hasn't. Why shouldn't I help bring about a dignified end to the demon race in return? Of course, it will mean the end of black magic, which calls on the power of the demon lords. That will be...sad."

"Yes, I'm afraid you're right. But there will still be other spells and inherent demonic magic, I think. I haven't actually tested that theory yet. Ah, but my dear, you are amazing," he said, moving to her side and placing a hand on hers. "You should also get some rest now, while you can. We should plan to be in Zephillia by Valentine's Day. That gives you month to garner your strength and a couple weeks for traveling. But now, I understand babies require frequent attention, have a poor concept of night and day, and have absolutely no respect for your preferences. So here, I'll take him."

Lina looked at Xelloss as he quietly reached out for their child. Her husband was beautiful, with his black hair as soft as night and his dark eyes that laughed one minute and drowned her the next. She found herself breathless and confused with feelings. Was he still hideously strong, or had he lost his magic abilities? Was he still practically immortal, or would he live out a normal human's lifetime now? How would their relationship change because of his new state? The questions kept popping into her head. There was something in his expression coming from deep within that told her he was unchanged, that his mercurial personality had escaped all the changes, and that Xelloss was and would continue to be as unpredictable as he ever had been.

He leaned forward, so close to her she could feel the warmth of his skin, and he kissed her lips, slowly, gently, as if he wanted to count every second and remember it. He took the infant from her and laid him in the cradle and put his arms around her, holding her softly, and kissed her again.

"Mr. Xelloss, what does Zelas want you to do from now on? What are your remaining obligations to her?" Amelia asked, still uneasy with Lina's compliance.

"Me? No obligations in the world," he said airily. He put up his hand and touched Lina's hair, turned, and then walked away, a faint smile on his lips.

The end, In January