Rememberance
Prologue
He strode through the forest, shivering in the figid air. The snow, though it rarely reached the earth from the sky, formed a thick blanket over the treetops, sealing in the cold and increasing the gloominess ten-fold. It was late, and nearly pitch-black in the woods. The stone-skinned Chimera grunted in frusteration and bashed the nearest tree with his fist, and act that netted him nothing other than a sore hand, and, as if the tree wished to insult him further, a portion of the snow covering that was suspended above him collapsed and landed directly on his head.
"Damn it all!" the young mand cursed bitterly, shaking the snow from his cloak. For what seemed like the thousandth time he chanted a heat spell, then sighed. At least he could keep himself somewhat comfortable, but his magical capacity was reaching his limit. Normally, heat and light spells wouldn't cause a problem at all, but he'd been casting them repeatedly for more than sixteen hours, and he knew that he couldn't keep it up much longer. The thought of a cozy little village with a warm inn filled his head. A friendly little village only a few miles away. This vision brought another thought across his mind, one depicting the reason he had begun this journey in the first place.
Zelgadiss blinked back sudden tears as he stood there in the cold, dreary forest, reacalling the events as they had occurred. He fell to his knees in the snow, the salty drops falling from his eyes un-restrained. Ameria. I'm sorry. I'm sorry as hell I had to do this to you he thought, sobs racking his body. But is was necessary, he reminded himself. He would never be worthy of her emotions until he had control of his own. And so he'd left her, left Lina and the others and set out on a journey of cleansing. In the beginning he'd had high expectations, hoping that he'd find his answer somewhere. Kotae Aru was the goal of every human. It was the spiritual meaning for each individual's life. Lina, Ameria, Gourry, they all knew why they had been placed on this earth. Perhaps it's because I'm only a third human he thought desolately. His sobs had subsided a bit, and he stood, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and cursing himself for breaking down. At least Lina or Ameria didn't see it he thought grimly. They'd never have let him live that one down.
It was now so dark inthe forest that Zelgadiss decided to give up all hope of finding a village. But shelter was a must in this climate. Even with his stone skin, he knew that he would never wake up if he went to sleep out in the open.
"Astral Vine," the Chimeric man whispered, drawing his sword. The weapon flashed as numerous bolts of energy rolled over it, then glowed a bright ruby hue. Zelgadiss turned in a slow cicle, looking for the perfect target. The selection was so large... There! A nice, big, fat one. It would be perfect for his needs, anyway. "Gyuhh!" Zelgadiss grunted as he swung his now-enchanted sabre at the un-suspecting victim, now dead in his sights. The trunk snapped and the tree fell, and Zelgadiss quickly dodged the enormous pile of snow that was shaken from its perch in the branches.
The Chimera began digging into the pile, quickly creating a space to sleep in. He closed off the enterance and made a small breathing hole in the roof of the cave. Zelgadiss sat back on his haunches, and, breathing hard, chanted one final heat spell. The chamber was sufficiently heated, but the spell, though minor, had taken up his last remaining bit of energy. Zelgadiss collapsed, landing face first on the frozen floor, unconcious.
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Psycho Chimera! is copyrighted 2000 by Adrian Metallium. Rememberance is copyrighted 2000 by Adrian Metallium.
