*Author's note:  Zelgadis is a chimera in this story, and has been since 
'The Wedding'.  I must have accidentally edited that part out when I 
was writing it.  Sorry for the confusion!*

The War of Rebirth, Madness and Exile
Part II: Madness


	Changer glared at Luna. " Damn.  She's gotten better since the 
last time I faced her."
	" You look like you're wearing out, Knight of Shabranigdo!," 
Luna taunted as she launched another spell.  Changer dodged only to 
be hit with the flat end of a spear that Luna had.  Changer landed face 
first in the dirt.
	With a yell, Changer stood up, drew a sword, and charged 
Luna.  Forget spells.  This was more fun.
Across the battle field. . . 

	" Dragon Slave!," Lina yelled.  Mazoku went up in smoke.
	" Dynast Brass!," a Mazoku yelled.  Dragons went up in 
smoke.
	Ohhohohohoho!," Naga laughed, " Do you think a mer Dynast 
Brass would put Naga, the White Serpent out of the action!  
Ohhohohoho!  I'll-"
	" Fireball!"
	" Gaav Flare!"
	Naga went up in smoke, after getting Fireballed by Lina, and 
Gaav Flared by a Mazoku.
	" That hurt, Lina," Naga moaned.
	" Quit fighting one another, and focus on beating the Mazoku!," 
Zelgadis yelled, " Ra Tilt!"
	" Elmekia Lance!"
	" Demona Crystal!"
	" Pacifist Crush!"
	" Flare Arrow!  Opps. . . "
	" Nice Flare *carrot* Silpheil!," Martina laughed.
	" Let's see you do better, Martina!," Gourry yelled as he fought 
the Mazoku with a brand new enchanted sword that Ceifeed had given 
him.  Zangulus had the Howling Sword, (version II) and was hacking 
away as well.
	" I will!  Zomelgustav Curse!," Martina yelled.  Nothing 
happened.  The Mazoku laughed.  Martina cursed under her breath.  
Lina smiled.
	" DRAGON SLAVE!!!!"

Meanwhile. . . 
	" You're better with a sword then I thought you would be, 
Changer," Luna said as their weapons locked once more.
	" Yeah, and you're going to die before this is over Luna.  I 
really hate to do it, but orders are orders after all. . . I'm sure you 
understand!," Changer laughed as she kicked Luna in the gut, sending 
her reeling backwards.
	" You underestimate me-," Luna said as she tried to get up, but 
something held her back.  
" I love restraining spells. . . ," Changer chuckled as she cast a 
Ruby Eye Blade.  " I am sorry about this, Luna. . . ," Changer sighed as 
she held the blade over Luna's head as she prepared to skewer her.
	" I don't think so, Changer-san!," Amelia yelled as she and her 
friends landed.  Four Golden Dragons landed behind them.
	" You're beat.  When Lina started throwing powered up 
Dragon Slaves around, the Mazoku either scrammed, or got fired," 
Gourry shrugged.
	" Damn you all to Hell!," Changer screamed and brought the 
blade down on Luna.
	" Vomerdil Wind!," Zel yelled.  Changer was flung backwards 
and landed against a tree.  She pulled herself off the ground and wiped 
a trickle of blood off her chin.
	" You think you've won, don't you?," Changer hissed, " Did 
you really think I would just let you have Sairune?  I didn't think I could 
win this, but still, you won't get your hands on the holy city!,"
	" What are you-," Martina started, but Changer vanished.
	" Damn!  We had her," Zangulus yelled.
	" What did she mean by not letting us have Sairune?," Amelia 
asked.
	" I don't know, but we better check it out," Luna said as she 
stood up.  Then they all ran for the city.  " Bye the way, thanks Zel. . . I 
would have been killed if it wasn't for you!"

Above Sairune. . . 
	Changer was hovering over the city, trying to decide what a 
good target was.
	" I think the palace will do nicely," she laughed as she raised her 
hands above her head and began to chant, " Darkness beyond twilight, 
Crimson beyond blood that flows, Ancient power, buried in the flow of 
time, I call upon thee and swear myself to thee, In thy great name, I 
pledge myself to darkness, let all the fools who stand in my way be 
destroyed by the power you and I possess!  Dragon Slave!!"
	" NO!!!!," Amelia screamed as the spell ripped through the air.
	Changer laughed, " Aw, is the little Princess upset?  It wasn't 
even you're city anymore, Amelia!"
	" Do you have any idea how many people you just killed!," 
Silpheil howled, " and you used to be a healer!"
	" Times change, I change.  Hell, my name is Changer for Ruby 
Eye's sake!," Changer grinned, " Till we meet again."  Then she was 
gone.
	" Over half the city is gone. . . ," Martina said.
	" The Dragons will occupy what's left of it. . . even though half of 
it's gone, Phibrizio can just turn it into a phantom city, and we can't let 
the Mazoku have control over it," Luna said.
	" Yeah. . . ," Amelia sniffled.

Three hours later, at the temple. . . 
	" Well, we've successfully occupied Sairune. . . or what's left of 
it," Luna sighed to the others.  Besides the 'human army' Uka, Nam, 
Tallen and Filia were also with her.
	" This is going to be a long, bloody war isn't it?," Tallen sighed.
	" I'm afraid so.  This one might be the one that decides it all," 
Luna said.
	" Another battle has already broken out on a mountain range 
between what's left of Sairag and the Demon Sea," Nam said.  " 
Melgazia is in charge of the Dragons and the Hellprince and Princess 
are controlling the Mazoku."
	Tallen paled considerably and sighed.  It figured three of the 
most important people in his life would be in a battle fighting each other.
	" The Demon Sea. . . Deep Sea Dolphin must want control of the 
area around her domain," Zelgadis said.
	" More then likely.  Luckily, the desert and the North Pole are 
so far away from human and dragon civilizations that we wont have to 
worry about Phibrizio and Dynast doing the same thing.  Gaav doesn't 
have a specific place that's his so we won't have to worry about him, 
either," Lina said.  " Zelas on the other hand, is going to want to be in 
charge of the lake Wolf Pack Island is on, and the forests around the 
lake too."
	" I have to go to the battle in the mountains.  Changer might 
show up," Luna said as she stood up and began to leave the room.
	" Wait!  Are you sure you want to face her so soon, Luna-san?  
She almost killed you," Amelia said.
	" It's always that way," Luna said.  " She almost kills me, or I 
almost kill her.  We're evenly matched when it comes to power.  All the 
past Knights of Ceifeed and the Knights of Shabranigdo have been 
evenly matched.  Always.  I think L-sama does it on purpose, that way 
neither side can really get the upper hand."
	" Luna, I don't think Shabranigdo would send Changer out 
again so soon.  She has other duties she attends to at Mazoku Domain," 
Tallen said.  " She's still a healer. . . she heals the wounded General's 
and Priests and any other higher ranking Mazoku that needs her help.  
Plus she's always the one in charge if the Lords aren't there."
	" How do you know so much about the Mazoku?," Martina 
asked.
	" Like I said earlier, most of them are my friends. . . why do you 
think I chose to be neutral in this war?"
	" Fine. . . I wont go unless she shows up first," Luna said.  " I 
have to go see Ceifeed.  The rest of you are free to do as you wish until 
we go into battle again."  With that, the Knight of Ceifeed left the room.
	" I hope Melgazia-san is okay," Amelia said.  " He was so nice 
to us, and he saved my life. . . "
	" Melgazia will be fine!  He's the King of the Golden Dragons, 
after all!," Filia said, trying her best to be cheerful, but in her heart, she 
was worried too.

At Mazoku Domain. . . 
	" I almost had her," Changer growled.
	" You *always* almost had her," Valgarv sighed.  Changer hit 
him playfully on the arm.
	" I hope Phibby and PJ are okay," Valterria said.
	" We should be there with them!  And we should go get 
Tallen!," Genie yelled.
	" You aren't going anywhere, especially to get Tallen.  He's 
probably with Filia, and Filia is more then likely at Ceifeed's Temple, 
where she'll be able to stay neutral for this war!," Xelterria told her 
daughter.
	" Ne, shouldn't we all be doing something instead of sitting 
here?," Kosha asked.
	" No.  The Lords will tell us when they wish for us to go into 
battle," Sherra said.  All the Generals and Priests, plus the other 'high 
rankers' that were at Mazoku Domain were all sitting around the 
library.
	" Where are the Lords anyway?," Viv asked.  " And 
Shabranigdo?"
	" I think they're all in the Astral Plane doing L-Sama knows 
what," Grau said.
	" Meaning I can't go anywhere since I'm in charge with all of 
them gone," Changer said.  " Luna better not show up at that battle. . . "
	" PJ and Phibby should be able to handle it," Vallos said.  " 
They'll be back in no time beaming to Deep Sea about how they got 
her lands under Mazoku control, and PJ will claim it was all his doing, 
and Phibby will get angry at him."
	" Then they'll fight for a bit and everything will go back to 
normal until the next lot of us get shipped off to fight," Xellos said.  " 
We have absolutely nothing to worry about."
	" I hope you're right, daddy," Raya said, " because I have this 
awful feeling that something terrible is going to happen soon. . . "

At the battle. . . 
	" This is way too easy!," PJ laughed to no one in particular as 
he cut a Dragon in half with Soul Destroyer.  He looked around and 
saw his sister standing about thirty feet away, throwing spells left and 
right.
	" I can't wait to get back and tell Deep Sea how *I* got her 
land for her!," PJ giggled.  Then he saw a Dragon flying high above the 
battle field.  For a minute he thought it was Melgazia, but then he saw 
the Golden Dragon King ripping through a lesser Mazoku.  So who was 
it up there?
	PJ continued to watch, and gasped in horror when the Dragon 
cast a spell that had been come to known as 'Mazoku Slayer'.  It was a 
spell the Ancient Dragons had come up with before the Koma Wars, 
but it had been lost for over a millenium. . . then some Dragons found it, 
and they were using it full force during this war.  It was an offensive 
white magic spell that was roughly equivalent to the power of the 
Dragon Slave.  If it hit Phibby head on, she would die. . . 
	" PHIBBY!!!!  MOVE!!!!!!!," PJ screamed as he ran towards 
her.  She looked over at him and began to move forward when another 
Dragon hit her head on with a low powered spell.  Phibby fell to the 
ground, unconscious.  PJ charged forward and reached for his sister's 
hand.  The Mazoku Slayer had been fully cast, and the beam of white 
magic was rushing towards them.  With a yell, PJ lunged forward and 
grabbed a hold of his sister just before the spell hit.  He was more beat 
up then he would have liked to admit, and Phibby was suddenly very 
heavy.  He managed to drag her out of the way of the spell, but the 
power still flung them both backwards at least five hundred feet, and 
Phibby was hurled out of her brother's arms in the process.
	PJ landed hard, black blood was trickling out the side of his 
mouth, and his whole body ached.  He forced himself to sit up.  Phibby 
was no where in sight.  He looked down at his hands, and in one fist he 
held Phibby's hair ribbons. . . all three of them.  One white, the other two 
dark blue.  
	" Phibby!  Phibby where are you!," PJ screamed over the roars 
of the Dragons, the shrieks and battle cries of the Mazoku, and the 
explosion of spells all around him.  Fear clutched his chest and his throat 
was dry with worry.
	" PJ!," Phibby's voice weakly called from somewhere near by.
	" Phibby!  Where are you? I can't see you," PJ yelled as relief 
flooded over him.  Suddenly, he saw her.  Phibby was bleeding severely 
and she was lying in a twisted almost broken looking position.  PJ could 
see that she was seriously wounded.  "She must have caught more of 
the spell then I did," he thought as he ran over to her.  It would take 
several days for her to regenerate it Changer couldn't take care of her 
along with following Shabranigdo's orders.
	" PJ. . . it hurts," Phibby whispered as PJ ran to her side.
	" You'll be okay. . . I promise I'll get you out of here, and then 
we can go home and tell Aunt Deep Sea how I got her land back for 
her all by myself."
	Phibby smiled weakly, and somehow, that made PJ feel better.  
As he kneeled down to pick her up, a sword was thrust through his 
chest.  PJ screamed in pain as he was pinned to a tree.
	" How do you like the feel of cold metal in your chest, Mazoku 
Prince?," a Dragon in human formed hissed.  " You killed my sister just 
five minutes ago. . . now, I'll finish off yours!"  Before he could move, a 
black magic spell ripped him apart.  PJ looked over and saw Phibby 
standing up, her legs were wobbly beneath her.
	" No one messes with my kid brother," she said and headed 
towards him.  PJ smiled and grabbed the hilt of the sword.  He noticed 
that Phibby's ribbons were still tangled up on his fingers.  As he began 
to pull the sword out of his own chest, Phibby screamed in pain as a 
beam of white magic cut though her.
	" Phibby!," PJ howled and ripped the blade from his chest.  He 
threw it aside and ran towards her.   Phibby looked up at him and saw 
his fear and worry for her in his face.
	" Perhaps we don't hate each other as much as the others 
think," she thought silently.  Then she felt a searing pain. . . and everything 
went black.
	" PHIBBY!!!!!," PJ screamed as another Mazoku Slayer 
ripped through his sister.  This time, nothing was left.  She was 
gone. . . utterly gone.  He fell to his knees where his sister had been just a 
moment before. . . just ten seconds ago.  Hot, salty tears began to pour 
down his face as he screamed in pure anguish and sorrow for his 
sister's death, and pure and total hatred of the Dragons.  In that instant, 
he made his decision. . . under his breath so the Dragons wouldn't hear, 
he began to whisper the Giga Slave. . . 
	" My chosen one. . . ," a female voice whispered in his head.  PJ 
ignored it. . . avenging Phibby was the only thing on his mind, and just 
before he could scream 'Giga Slave' so those damn Dragons knew 
what hit them, and knew he, the Hellprince, son of Hellmaster Phibrizio, 
had cast it in revenge for his beloved sister, everything went black.

	PJ woke up with a start.  He sat up and looked around.  It took 
him a moment to realize he was in his room at his father's palace in Hell.  
His wounds were healed, and he felt as if a tremendous power had 
been within him. . . but was now gone.
	" How did I get here?," he wondered aloud.  He looked down 
and saw Phibby's ribbons were still in his hands.  With a sob, he 
realized that is wasn't a dream. . . Phibby was really dead. . . and that 
Father and the others didn't know yet.  He fought back hot tears as he 
teleported to Mazoku Domain.

In the war room. . . 
	" I want to know where my children are, and I want to know 
NOW!!!," Phibrizio roared at the other Lords, the Generals and 
Priests, Viv, Valterria and Changer.
	" They're not on the battle field. . . or weren't when we got news 
of our victory," Valgarv said.  " All I could figure out is that one minute 
they were there, and the next they were gone."
	" How many Dragons got away?," Deep Sea asked.
	" Melgazia did, and about ten or fifteen others. . . out of two 
hundred," Albatross told her.
	" Who gives a damn!  I want to know where PJ and Phibby 
are!," Phibrizio yelled.
	" I'm right here, Father," PJ said as he entered the war room.
	" Where's your sister?"
	PJ sniffled and placed Phibby's ribbons on the table in front of 
his father.  " That's all that's left of her. . . "
	" L-Sama," Viv gasped.
	" Phibby is. . . ," Phibrizio stammered.
	" Yes.  She's dead," PJ said.  He wasn't even trying to stop his 
tears now.  " A Dragon got her with a Mazoku Slayer. . . I tried to save 
her. . . "
	Everyone stared at the ribbons.  Even Sherra was quite for a 
change.  Phibrizio reached out and picked up one of the blue ribbons.  
He pulled his bracelets off one of his wrists and threw them across the 
room.  Then he carefully tied Phibby's ribbon around his wrist.  PJ 
looked up at his father, and Phibrizio nodded at him.  PJ took the other 
blue ribbon and did the same.
	" Now," Phibrizio said to the others.  His voice was shaky.  The 
others could tell he was trying to keep control of his emotions, " we are 
going to kill every last one of those Dragons.  Every last damn one!  Is 
that understood?  We don't know which one of the bastards killed my 
daughter, so we'll just have to kill them all!" 
	" That's-" Zelas started.
	" I don't want to hear it, Zelas!," Phibrizio yelled as he stormed 
out of the room.  One by one, the others left after him.
	Dynast remained in the room, staring at the last ribbon on the 
table. . . the white one.  Slowly, a realization came over him.  In his own 
way, he had loved Phibby. . . and he knew she had loved him.  Slowly 
with trembling hands, he picked up the last ribbon and tied it around his 
wrist.
	" For you, my love, I'll kill them all," Dynast vowed to the now 
empty room as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

	Phibby groaned as she sat up.  He hair was in her face, and she 
grumbled as she pushed it back.  Then she noticed her ribbons were 
gone, and all her wounds were healed.  For a moment, she thought she 
was home, but after a moment of clearing her thoughts, she realized that 
couldn't be right. . . 
	" What is going on?," she mumbled as she looked around.  She 
was in a rather large room, and she was on a huge bed.  There was a 
table with several chairs around it, and a few books were on a shelf by 
the table.  There wasn't a door in the room.
	Phibby shook her head to clear it of the still lingering confusion 
and grogginess.  The last thing she remembered was PJ running towards 
her after a spell hit her, and seeing a look of pure fear and worry for her 
on his face.
	" So how did I get here?  And where is here anyway?," she 
mumbled.  " And what happened to my ribbons?  Dad gave those to 
me when my old one wore out."
	Phibby sighed and jumped off the bed and grabbed a book that 
looked sort of interesting, sat down in a leather chair and began to read.

At Ceifeed's Temple. . . 
	Melgazia ran into Filia's room.  Tallen was there with her.
	" Melgazia!," Filia yelled with relief.  " We heard we lost the 
battle. . . I was so worried about you!"
	" I'm fine," he smiled and gave her a hug.  " The Hellprincess on 
the other hand isn't."
	" What happened?," Tallen asked, suddenly interested.
	" She was killed."
	" What?," Tallen gasped.  " What about-"
	" The Hellprince was there too, but he vanished soon after his 
sister was killed.  Those who say it said he was surrounded in a golden 
glow for a minute then vanished," Melgazia said.  " If Valgarv and 
Albatross hadn't shown up with reinforcements, we could have won."
	" Phibby's dead. . . ," Tallen said softly as tears began to fall 
down his cheeks.
	" I know she was your. . . friend, but it can't be helped.  It's a 
war, Tallen."
	" Did you kill her?," Tallen demanded.  " Did you!  Did you kill 
one of my only friends, Father?"
	" No.  I did not kill her. . . but I wasn't going to protect her 
either," Melgazia said.  " She was a Mazoku, Tallen.  She was killing 
our people without a second thought."
	" You father is right, Tallen," Filia said softly.  " I know how 
hard this is for you. . . but he's right."
	" Neither of you know anything about me!  You wont even 
claim me as your son!," Tallen screamed.  " If you cared, you would at 
least do that much!"
	" Tallen!," Filia yelled as her son stormed out of the room.  She 
started after him, but Melgazia held her back.
	" Let him go. . . he needs time to sort things out for himself," 
Melgazia said.
	" He's right you know, we should tell the others that he's our 
son!  I don't care about the consequences anymore!," Filia yelled.
" Neither do I," Melgazia said and kissed Filia.  " After this 
damn war is over, we'll tell the others he's our son."
	Filia smiled up at him as he held her close.

At Mazoku Domain. . . 
	Phibrizio was in alone in his room, crying.  He didn't think he'd 
ever cried before. . . ever.  He hadn't even known he was capable of it 
until now.
	" Damn those Dragons," he hissed, " L-Sama, why 
Phibby. . . why Phibby. . . "
	" Phibrizio-sama. . . ?," Viv asked quietly as she opened the 
door.  The room was pitch black, except for some faint moonlight 
coming in through the window.  She could barely see Phibrizio.
" Hai, Viv?," he asked.
	" Are you okay?," she asked.
	" I'm fine," he lied, trying to be 'cheerful' for Viv's sake.  " 
Come on in.  Was that all you wanted to ask me?"
	Viv entered the room and closed the door behind her.  " You 
can't lie to me very well, Phibrizio-kun."
	" Viv. . . I don't know what I'm going to do. . . ," Phibrizio 
sniffled.  Viv sighed and sat down next to him on the bed.
	" You can cry. . . and miss her more then anything in the 
world. . . ," Viv said softly.  " That's what I did when I thought Valgarv 
was dead.  And to me, he was dead for over a thousand years."
	" How long did it take you to get over it?"
	" I never did. . . the pain, it becomes part of you. . . but after a 
while you learn to live with it, and to go on.  Eventually you except that 
they're gone, and they're never coming back. . . no matter how hard you 
wish for it, or hope for it."
	" I could resurrect her. . . "
	" No.  Not without her body.  Sure, you could try to bring her 
back, but it wouldn't be our Phibby. . . she'd be a shadow of who we 
knew, and you know that.  That's why you haven't tried it yet," Viv 
said.
	Phibrizio sniffled and tried not to cry.  " How long till you learn 
to live with the pain, Viv-kun?" he whispered.
	" I don't know, it's all up to you, Phibrizio-kun," Viv said.  " 
Just remember I'm here for you. . . and so are Raya and PJ. . . they're 
hurting just as much as you are now. . . so is Genie, and if Tallen hears, 
I'm sure he'll cry for her too."  Viv got up and headed for the door.
	" Wait, Viv-kun," Phibrizio said.
	" Hai?"
	" Promise me you won't die.  I'll go insane with this pain. . . this 
grief and despair if you do."
	" I promise," Viv nodded.
	" Viv. . . I miss her so much," Phibrizio sobbed as fresh tears 
began to spill down his face.  Viv smiled sadly and sat back down next 
to him.
	" Cry all you want, my love," she whispered as she pulled him 
into her lap.  He buried his face into her shoulder and cried.  " I'll be 
here for you. . . I promise."  After a few minutes, Phibrizio fell asleep in 
Viv's arms.  She smiled softly as she lay down on the bed, still holding 
the sleeping Mazoku Lord in her arms.

Elsewhere. . . 
	" Changer. . . I want you to set up a camp near the Ceifeed's 
Temple.  Not so close that they will sense your presence, but close 
enough for you to see them," Shabranigdo said with an evil grin.  " 
Things are going quite well. . . with the death of the Hellprincess, 
Phibrizio is even more determined to destroy the Dragons, and so are 
the others.  If I'd known everyone had gotten so close over the years 
since I've been gone, I would have been sending more of the higher 
rankers into battle."
	" I'll go set up that camp, my Lord," Changer said.
	" Tell me. . . who else would have an effect on so many if they 
were killed?," Ruby Eye asked.
	" Xellos, Viv, Xelterria, almost anyone, Shabranigdo-sama"
	" I see.  Go."
	Changer left the throne room, and went to find a new camping 
spot. . . 

Later that evening. . . 
	Tallen sighed as he walked in the forest around the Temple.  
Maybe he shouldn't have snapped at his parents like that. . . it was just 
that they made him so mad sometimes!  It wasn't fair. . . they didn't 
understand what it was like to have friends on the other side of this war.  
Tallen cursed the day L-Sama decided it would be 'fun' to make a 
dragon race and a demon race and see how much of her precious 
chaos they could make by killing each other off.  And then, just for 
another laugh, she'd decided to create the humans, and let them be 
chaos. . . some of them were evil, some of them were good, and some of 
them bordered the thin line between.  Tallen sighed again as he came to 
a ridge and looked down over a valley.  He saw what looked like camp 
fires burning.
	" What. . . ?," he murmured and decided to take a closer look.  
As he quietly made his way down the mountainside, he sensed and all 
too familiar presence. . . Mazoku.  They'd set up a camp this close to the 
Temple!?!  Were they out of their minds!?!  " Maybe it's Deep Sea's 
crew?," he laughed to himself, although he knew for a fact that Deep 
Sea was far from insane, she was just a little. . . odd for a Mazoku.  As 
he neared the edge of camp, he heard a conversation between two 
Mazoku guards.
	" Did you hear the Hellprincess got killed today?," the first one 
asked.
	" Yeah. . . Phibrizio-sama and PJ-sama are infuriated.  If we find 
the Dragon that did it, we can beat him as much as we like as long as 
we don't kill him," the second guard said.
	" Yeah. . . they're going to come and get him themselves and 
lock him in their torture chambers in Hell. . . I almost pity the dumb beast 
that finished her off."
	" Me too!  I wouldn't want to even go within ten feet of those 
torture chambers. . . much less be trapped in them with Phibrizio and his 
son mad at me!"
	" Apparently Dynast-sama is angry about it too," the first guard 
said.  " Rumor is he loved Phibby-sama."
	" Really?," the second guard said as they walked away.
	" Things couldn't be more perfect!," Tallen thought with a grin.  
Now all he had to do was march into the camp and say he was the 
Dragon that killed Phibby!  Sure, he may get a little beat up, but when 
PJ and Phibrizio finally got him, he'd be let go.  PJ would understand 
why he'd done it, and Tallen was pretty sure Phibrizio would forgive 
him too. . . with that, Tallen took a deep breath, and marched into camp.

	Tallen coughed, and whimpered as that sent a wave of pain 
over his chest.  Perhaps walking into camp and announcing that he was 
the Dragon that killed Phibby wasn't the best idea in the world. . . in fact, 
Tallen had come to realize that it was one of those ideas that should 
have been destroyed the millisecond it was conceived.
	Tallen coughed again, harder this time.  He had to hold his 
breath to keep from crying out in agony.  Sure, they hadn't killed 
him. . . but that would have been kinder then what they had done.  
Tallen's feet were tied together at the ankles, and then tied to a pole 
sticking out of the ground.  His wrists had been tied to the pole as well, 
forcing him to hang at a seventy-five degree angle to the ground by his 
arms.  It wouldn't have been so bad if his left arm wasn't broken and if 
his right arm wasn't out of its socket.  His right wrist was also broken as 
were several of his fingers.  There was a cut of some sort on his left 
arm, and he could feel his blood running down his arm.  He just hoped 
that it was a cut, and not the bone sticking through his skin.
	Both of his kneecaps had been broken to keep him from trying 
to run, and in the process of tying Tallen to the pole, the Mazoku had 
managed to break his right leg in several places.  Even if he got down 
from the pole, there was no way he could walk, or even crawl.
	He knew that all of his ribs were broken, and that one of the 
bones had pierced a lung.  He could feel the liquid in his lungs when he 
breathed, and every time he coughed, he could feel the blood run down 
his chin.
	His face wasn't any better then the rest of him.  His left eye 
socket was broken, and he couldn't see out of that eye at all.  His right 
eye was swollen shut, and he could open it if he concentrated hard 
enough, but it hurt like hell.  Every movement, even breathing, hurt like 
hell.  Tallen ran his tongue over the inside of his mouth, and counted ten 
teeth missing.  That explained the constant coppery taste in his mouth.
	Tallen coughed again, and whimpered as his whole body shook 
in pain.
	" Aw. . . is the little Dragon hurting?," a Mazoku taunted.  " 
Serves you right, you damn Dragon.  There isn't going to be a single 
one of you left after this war."
	Tallen couldn't help but growl.
	" Oh, you still have some spunk in you yet?," the Mazoku 
asked with a chuckle.  Tallen heard a snap, and screamed in agony as a 
leather whip cracked across his back..  He screamed again as the whip 
was brought down again.  Soon, all that Tallen could feel was numbness 
as everything faded to blackness. . . 

	" Tallen!  Tallen wake up!  Wake up!"  Tallen could faintly hear 
a female voice screaming at him.
	" Tallen!  Please!  Tallen!"  Pleading. . . that's what the voice 
was doing, pleading with him to show some sign of life.  Tallen moaned 
and tried to open his eyes.
	" Tallen?  Thank L-Sama!  It's me, Changer.  You're at 
Mazoku Domain.  PJ went to get Lei Magnus and Rezo. . . they'll be 
here in a minute, and you'll be fine," Changer said.
	" Tallen?," PJ's voice asked.  Tallen opened his mouth to say 
something but was cut off by Lei's silky voice.
	" Don't speak, my young friend.  You're hurt severely. . . damn 
barbaric lesser Mazoku. . . but my dear descendant and I will have you 
fixed up in no time, right Rezo?"
	" Of course," Rezo smiled.  Tallen fell asleep just as he felt the 
first tingle of the healing spells.

	" They what!?," Lina yelled.
	" The Mazoku had a camp, not even two miles away," 
Melgazia repeated.
	" Why would they risk having one so close to the Temple?," 
Goury asked.
	" To keep tabs on us," Nam said.  Luna nodded.  She, the 
'human army', Filia, Melgazia, Uka and Nam were in a room talking 
about the war.
	" Where's Tallen?  He's usually here for these meetings too," 
Silpheil said.  Tears welled up in Filia's eyes, and Melgazia put a hand 
on her shoulder.
	" He was in the camp, then Phibrizio, Changer and PJ came and 
got him," Melgazia said.  " Phibrizio and Changer took him somewhere, 
presumably Mazoku Domain, and PJ totally destroyed the camp with a 
flick of his wrist."
	" Excuses me?  Didn't you just say there were almost three 
hundred Mazoku there?  Why would PJ just blow it up?," Zangulus 
asked.
	" I'm not sure.  His whole body was surrounded in a faint 
golden glow for a second, he snapped his fingers, and bye-bye camp," 
Melgazia sighed.
	" Didn't you say something about him being in a golden glow 
before he disappeared yesterday when Phibby got killed?," Luna 
asked.
	" Golden glow. . . ," Lina said.
	" Yes. . . I don't understand why that's such a big deal," 
Melgazia said.
	" Well, besides the fact that *I* was surrounded in a golden 
glow why L-Sama possessed me, nothing," Lina shrugged.
	" L-Sama!?  In that Mazoku scum!  That's absurd!," Nam 
yelled.
	" And so are you for thinking L-Sama hates the Mazoku!  She 
created Shabranigdo just the same as she created Ceifeed!," Zelgadis 
said.  " L-Sama is chaos!  She is indifferent!"
	" All she cares about are her worlds," Luna said.  " And we just 
happen to be living in one of them, and so do the Mazoku.  They are as 
much Her children as we are."
	" But they're evil!," Uka sputtered.
	" Oh, get a grip!," Martina yelled.  " Tallen was right when he 
said you were insane!"
	" Shut your mouth, human!," Nam roared.
	" No one talks to my wife like that!," Zangulus sneered.
	" Stop it, all of you!," a little old lady said as she came into the 
room.
	" Auntie Aqua!," Lina smiled.
	" Hello, Lina," Aqua smiled.  " As for the rest of you, this 
bickering needs to stop!  We are all on the same side. . . Ceifeed-sama's 
side.  We need to work together to defeat Shabranigdo.  A simple Giga 
Slave will not stop him this time."
	" The Giga Slave wont destroy Shabranigdo?," Gourry asked.
	" Not if he is at full strength. Ceifeed is the only hope we have 
of destroying Shabranigdo. . . ," Luna said with a sigh.

	Tallen sighed as he headed down the hall of the castle.  How 
long had he been at Mazoku Domain now?  Was it four or five months?  
He knew his parents had to be worried sick about him, and he was 
concerned for his father and mother as well.  He knew Filia wouldn't be 
in any battles, but Melgazia was almost always on the front line.
	" Hey Tallen!," PJ said as he ran up.  " Did you hear?  A battle 
has broken out at Sairagg!"
	" Sairagg?  Why Sairagg?," Tallen asked.
	" I don't know, but almost six hundred Dragons are there.  It's 
going to be a slaughter!," PJ laughed, an evil gleam formed in his eyes.  
" I'll see you later!  Don't worry, I won't kill Melgazia if I see him."
	Tallen sighed as PJ vanished.  PJ had become bloodthirsty since 
his sister's death. . . that's all he cared about, killing the Golds.  Tallen 
had told PJ that Melgazia was his father, so PJ wouldn't kill 
him. . . Tallen wouldn't have been able to bear it if his best friend killed 
his father.
	" Why won't PJ kill Melgazia?," Viv asked as she came up.
	" Oh, no reason. . . I just asked him not to, that's all," Tallen 
said.  Viv raised her eyebrow at him, but let it drop.  Tallen looked up 
at her sadly, " The battle for Sairagg is going to be a bloodbath, isn't 
it?"
	" Hai," Viv said.  " The Golds are going all out on this 
one. . . with Phibrizio-kun and PJ so insane with grief for Phibby, they'll 
do anything to slaughter the Dragons. . . "
	" I just wish this damn war were over with!," Tallen yelled.
	" You can leave you know, no one would stop you."
	" What's the point?  Instead of worrying about the people on 
the Dragon's side, I'll be worrying about the people over here."
	" Another battle has started!," Kosha yelled as she ran up.  " 
The Earth Dragon King is there!"
	" Lanngourt. . . ," Tallen sighed.
	" Hai!  Phibrizio-sama went to take care of it," Kosha said.  " I 
have to go!"
	" Two bloodbath's in one day. . . " Tallen sighed and walked off.  
Viv looked after him, and vanished.

At Sairagg. . . 
	Viv appeared in the middle of the battlefield.  Bodies were 
everywhere.  Dragon and Mazoku alike.  There definitely weren't six 
hundred Dragons left. . . more like two hundred.  But there weren't that 
many Mazoku either.  Viv saw her brother fighting nearby, and she saw 
PJ further down.  He was covered in blood, and Viv knew he was 
enjoying every minute of the killing. . . Phibby's death had changed him 
so much.  He was still the PJ they used to know most of the time, but in 
battle, he was a completely different person.  All he cared about was 
avenging his sister.  Viv had a feeling that the Dragon that had done in 
Phibby was long dead. . . 
	Viv looked up as she heard the whine of a spell going off behind 
her, and saw a Mazoku Slayer racing towards her.  She teleported 
back to Mazoku Domain a millisecond before the spell hit the spot 
where she had been standing.  To anyone watching it would have 
looked like she had been killed. . . 

	A lesser Mazoku started in shock at where Viv had been 
standing.  That was Valgarv's little sister. . . Valgarv's little sister had just 
been killed!
	The Mazoku saw Valgarv himself not ten feet away, fighting the 
Dragons.  The lesser Mazoku gulped as it made it's way over to him. . . 

Across the battlefield. . . 
	" You evil Mazoku!  Even though you wear white, the holy 
color of all things good and just, you still fight for the cause of evil and 
destruction!  I, Amelia Wil Telsa Sairune, shall strike you down in the 
name of justice!," Amelia proclaimed.  Albatross gave her a rather 
bored look.
	" Do you know who I am?  I am Deep Sea Dolphin's priest."
	" I don't care who you are!  In the name of justice I must 
destroy-," Amelia started.  Albatross sighed and snapped his fingers.  A 
beam of black magic sliced through Amelia killing her instantly.
	" Thank you, Albatross. . . she was beginning to get annoying," 
Xellos said as he phased in beside Deep Sea's priest.
	" It's a shame that she killed all those flowers when she landed, 
though," Albatross shook his head.  The two Mazoku priests grinned at 
each other, and Albatross vanished.
	" Xellos!  How dare you congratulate him for killing Amelia!," 
Martina yelled as she jumped down in front of Xellos-and landed on her 
face.
	" Martina-chan. . . go bug someone else before you find yourself 
in the same situation as Amelia."
	" You wouldn't kill me, Xellos," Martina said.
	" No, I wouldn't, since we are friends of a sort. . . but they 
would," Xellos grinned and pointed behind her.  Martina whirled around 
just in time to see Grau and Grou both launch high-powered Dynast 
Brass's at her.  Martina didn't even have time to scream before the 
spells hit her. . . 
	" Xellos!  Behind you!," Albatross yelled from behind Xellos.  
Xellos looked over his shoulder.  Both of his eyes flew open as two 
Mazoku Slayers ripped into him.
	" Tell Kosha I love her," Xellos yelled at Albatross, Grau and 
Grou a split second before he was ripped apart.

	" WHAT!," Valgarv roared at the lesser Mazoku.
	" I saw it with my own eyes!  Viv is dead!"
	" Viv. . . L-Sama. . . VIV!," Valgarv yelled.  His eyes began to 
glow, and his wings came out of his back.  Valgarv yelled in pain as the 
rest of him began to change as well.  But unlike before, the 
transformation didn't stop with his wings and arms. . . he continued to 
change, and soon, he was fully transformed into an Ancient Dragon.
	" Ancient Dragon!," the Golds yelled as Valgarv took to the air.  
Viv was gone. . . this time, he knew she was. . . and *again* the Golds 
were responsible for it.  They had killed her. . . he wasn't going to let 
them get away.  Not this time. . . not ever again!
	Valgarv roared and began to rip into the Golden Dragons with 
all the power he had.

Meanwhile. . . 
	Phibrizio looked up and saw a single Golden Dragon flying in 
from the direction of Sairagg.  Suddenly, Albatross appeared at his 
side.
	" Phibrizio-sama!," Albatross said, pure panic showed on his 
face.
	" Nani?  What happened?," Phibrizio asked.
	" Valgarv went nuts!  Something got his angry enough to allow 
him to turn into his full Ancient Dragon!  He's killing the Golds off by 
the hundreds!," Albatross said.
	" What happened?," Phibrizio demanded.
	" I don't know, Phibrizio-sama," Albatross said.
	" I do," PJ said gravely as he appeared.  " Viv showed up at 
the battle for some reason, and the Golds got her."
	" What?," Phibrizio asked.  His son couldn't have said Viv was 
dead. . . 
	" Viv is dead, Father," PJ said.
	" Viv. . . ," Phibrizio said.  First Phibby. . . now Viv too.  What in 
L-Sama's name had he done to deserve this.  " I'll kill them. . . kill the 
ALL!!!!!!!!," Phibrizio roared and he began to change.
	" He-he's going to his Mazoku form!," Albatross said.
	" Father!  Raya is here!  So are some of the other Generals and 
Priests!  You'll kill them too!"
	If Phibrizio heard his son, he ignored him.
	" Albatross, find as many of the Generals and Priests as you 
can. . . I think Raya, Sherra, Keet, and Kosha are the only ones here.  
I'll go back to Mazoku Domain and tell the others what's going on," PJ 
said.  Albatross nodded and went to look for the others.  PJ vanished.

Lanngourt stared in amazement.  Phibrizio was going to his true 
form. . . but why?  The Lords never did this unless they were using it as a 
last ditch effort to win a battle. . . and the Mazoku weren't losing that 
badly, were they?  Lanngourt's amazement turned to fear as Phibrizio 
headed straight for him. . . 

Later at Ceifeed's Temple. . . 
	" Lanngourt is dead!," Luna stared at Ceifeed in shock.
	" Hai. . . the Hellmaster killed him in a fit of rage.  Something 
infuriated Phibrizio enough to make him got to his full Mazoku form. . . ," 
Ceifeed sighed.
	" L-Sama!  What on earth could have done that?"
" I don't know. . . but the remaining three Dragon Kings are 
infuriated. . . they have heard that Zelas is returning to Wolf Pack Island 
tomorrow morning to pick up reinforcements for her army.  They plan 
to ambush her and her forces.  Killing her, her General, and all of her 
army if possible," Ceifeed said.
	" You're going to let them do it, aren't you?," Luna sighed.
	" Yes.  I was planning to try and do it anyway. . . but this just-"
	" Adds more support from the others," Luna finished the Flare 
Dragon's sentence for him.  " I understand Ceifeed-sama.  Is there 
anything you wish me to do?"
	" Keep your sister and her friends out of it. . . I understand we 
lost two of them in the battle today?"
	" Yes.  Princess Amelia and Martina.  They aren't taking it 
well."
	" Send them my sympathies," Ceifeed said.
	" I will," Luna said as she left.  Ceifeed sighed. . . things were not 
going well. . . not well at all. . . 

At Mazoku Domain. . . 
	" We lost Xellos and Viv today. . . one of our most powerful 
priests, and someone who was trying to stay neutral," Changer sighed.
	" I'm not dead yet, Changer-kun," Viv said as she stumbled 
into the war room.
	" Viv!," Valgarv yelled and ran to his sister's side.  He caught 
her as she fell.  " What happened?"
	" I went to see how bad things really were, and a Dragon saw 
me.  He fired a Mazoku Slayer at me, and I teleprted before the full 
spell got me, but it still hit me hard," Viv said.  " I'm pretty beat up."
	" You won't be for long, my dear," Lei Magnus smiled as he 
walked over and began to cast a healing spell.
	" Viv," Phibrizio said as he walked over.
	" I promised you I wouldn't die, didn't I, Phibrizio?," Viv 
smiled.  " I keep my promises."
	" I'm so glad you're alive. . . ," he whispered as he leaned down 
and kissed her forehead.  Viv smiled up at him.
	" About time, you two," Val smirked.

Meanwhile. . . 
	Phibby was counting the words in a book when Amelia 
appeared on the bed.
	" Amelia?," she asked.
	" Phibby!?  I thought you were dead!," Amelia said.
	" Dead?  How long has it been?," Phibby asked.
	" Uh. . . about five months, I think," Amelia said.
	" The war is still going on?"
	" Yeah, no one is really winning, but-," Amelia began, but was 
cut off as Martina landed on her.
	" Martina!?," Phibby and Amelia yelled.
	" Phibby?  Amelia?  You two are dead!  I just saw Albatross 
kill you, Amelia!," Martina said.
	" That can't be true!  I couldn't be hear talking to you-where is 
here, anyway Phibby?," Amelia asked.
	" I'm not sure, honestly.  The last thing I remember is PJ trying 
to save me from a spell or something. . . then I woke up here," Phibby 
shrugged.  " What's the last thing you remember?"
	" Uh. . . talking to Albatross. . . then he snapped his fingers, and 
everything went black.  Then poof!  I was here," Amelia said.
	" Albatross snapped his fingers, and a beam of black magic 
ripped through you. . . you died before you hit the ground," Martina said.  
" The last thing I remember is Grau and Grou firing a spells at me."
	" You died, Martina-chan," a voice said from behind the girls.  " 
Apparently, all of us have."
	The girls whirled around.  " Xellos!?!," they all yelled.
	" Hai!," Xellos grinned.  " My guess is that someone very 
powerful is snatching our souls up as we die, 'reincarnating' us, and 
then sticking us in this room.  Which is most likely a pocked dimension 
of some sort.  It's magical, I know."
	" Even I know that!," Phibby snapped.
	" So, now the question is, who is putting us here?," Xellos 
asked.
	" Who?," Marina and Amelia asked.
	" Sore wa-"
	" He doesn't know," Phibby broke Xellos off.  " I have a 
feeling we're going to be here for a while. . . "
	Xellos pouted for a minute, then looked at his three 
'roommates'.  " So, who wants to play truth or dare?"

The next morning, at Wolf Pack Island. . . 
	" I can't believe I only have three hundred warriors left!," Zelas 
sighed to Kosha.
" I know. . . ," Kosha said.  Her eyes were red, and so were 
Zelas's.
	" Look at us. . . crying like babies!," Zelas said with a sniffle.  " 
Oh, I'm not fooling anyone, am I?"
	" No, you're not my mistress," Kosha stammered as fresh tears 
began to roll down her face.  Zelas started to cry too, and the two 
women looked at each other, and embraced.
	" He was like a son to me," Zelas whispered.  " I can't believe 
he's gone. . . "
	" Zelas-sama!," a lesser Mazoku yelled as he ran into the throne 
room.  Zelas and Kosha let each other go, and looked at him.
	" What?," Zelas tried to snap.
	" The last three Dragon Kings are here!  They're about to blow 
up the castle!"
	" WHAT!?!," Kosha and Zelas yelled together and ran to the 
nearest window. . . just in time to see the spell that would be their doom 
flying through the air.
	" We'll be seeing Xellos sooner then we thought, ne?," Zelas 
said as Wolf Pack Island was whipped off the face of the planet.

At Mazoku Domain. . . 
	" This is it," Shabranigdo said as he vanished.
	" What did he mean by that?," Viv asked.
	" I don't know. . . but I have a feeling I need to be somewhere," 
Changer said as she too vanished.
	" What's going on?," Viv asked.
	" You'll find out soon enough," Dynast said as he, Gaav and 
Deep Sea disappeared.
	" We have to go too," Valgarv said and all the generals, priests 
PJ, Genie, and Valterria vanished.
	" Phibrizio, what's going on?," Viv demanded.
	Phibrizio sighed, " This is it. . . we can all feel it. . . the final battle.  
That's where everyone is going.  Shabranigdo and Ceifeed with face of, 
while the rearming Dragon Kings and we four Lords will fight, Luna and 
Changer will fight, and the generals and priests will battle Lina and her 
friends. . . probably Melgazia too.  The last of the Dragon army will fight 
the last of the Mazoku army. . . in short, this is *it*."
	" You might die, Phibrizio," Viv sighed.
	" Hai. . . but I'll try my best to stay alive. . . for PJ, and most of all, 
for you."
	" You can't die!," Viv yelled as tears began to fall down her 
face and she fell to her knees before him.
	" Don't cry.  I'm still here," Phibrizio said as he took her into his 
arms.  " I'll come back. . . I promise!," he said.  " I love you, Viv."
	" I love you too, Phibrizio," Viv told him.  He kissed her and 
then he vanished.

Soon. . . 
	" This time, one of us won't walk away. . . ," Luna said.
	" It's a shame things had to end this way, Luna," Changer 
sighed.  Then the two Knights charged at each other.

	" It all comes down to this, Mazoku," Aqua said.
	" In the end it always does," Dynast said, and fired a spell at 
her.
	" Dynast!," Phibrizio yelled as Volabazard materialized behind 
Dynast.  There was a second in which no one breathed, and then 
Volabazard's claws ripped through Dynast, and the Mazoku Lord 
screamed as he was ripped apart.
	" Now it's fair. . . three on three," Barluwin sighed.

	" Where is my son?," Melgazia yelled at the PJ.
	" Tallen is safe and sound at Mazoku Domain. . . did you actually 
think I'd let someone hurt my best friend?," PJ snickered.  " Oh, I can't 
kill you, Melgazia, I promised Tallen I wouldn't kill his father."
	" Let's just get this over with," Sherra sneered.
	" I'm with her," Lina said as she began to chant the Dragon 
Slave, Silpheil joined her.

	The two armies stared each other down. . . no one spoke, or 
taunted the other side. . . then at the same moment, the Mazoku charged 
down the Dragons, and the Dragons charged the Mazoku.

	" Here we are again, Ceifeed," Shabranigdo laughed.
	" Yes. . . here we are.  The same spot and everything," Ceifeed 
said.
	" You'd think she had it planned or something," Shabranigdo 
snickered.
	" Perhaps she did. . . enough of this talk."
	" Yes. . . enough talk. . . ," Shabranigdo nodded in agreement.  
Then the Flare Dragon and Ruby Eye tore into each other.

	PJ laughed and stepped forward. . . if Lina and Silpheil wanted 
to try a double Dragon Slave, he's let them. . . then he'd show them what 
Soul Destroyer could really do.  Suddenly, PJ screamed in pain and feel 
to his knees.
	Black energy poured down from the sky and surround PJ.
	" What's going on?," Genie yelled.
	" I don't know," Valterria told he.  Lina and Silpheil had let the 
spells decimate, and were staring at PJ.
	" I do. . . ," Lina whispered, fear shinning in her eyes.  The black 
energy was slowly vanishing, and PJ stood before both sides, on his 
face had an indifferent look, and his whole body was surrounded in a 
brilliant golden glow.
	" Enough," he said.  His voice echoed.  " I have had enough. . . "
	" PJ. . . ?," Raya asked.
	" No," Lina said.  " It's-"
	" I am darkness beyond blackness pitch. . . I am deeper then the 
deepest night. . . I am the King of Darkness who shines like gold upon 
the Sea of Chaos. . . "
	" The Lord of Nightmares!," Zelgadis yelled.
	PJ/L-sama nodded, " And I have had enough of this madness!"

To be continued. . .