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      Chapter III
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          Part I
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The two banits left the cave. Time passed, in the noon a bandit came in and put some food before the girl and went out.
"I will show you. *Shouted the girl with tears* I will kill you all!! *She kicked the chest nearby, wiches lock wnet dangling on the floor* My sisters chest. *Said the red-orange haired kid* She learns magic. *As she tore through the cloths and old stuff kept in the chest* I know my sister, she hides a magic book somewhere here. * Her little hands opened a secret pocket* What's this? *As she picked an old scroll and a letter out. The letter was signed to her older sister, Luna Inverse*
Lets see:
^You must hide this spell, for this is much more powerfull than every man or mazoku could imagine. If those beast lay a hand on this the world is surely doomed.^
Mazoku means probably bandit or so. *She fetched the scroll. After studiing the bounds on the scroll she unwrapped them and opened it. After first reading through the text she started to memorize the instuctions how to open the channel to the astral plane and summon the spell itself. After she was finished with that she moved to memorize the chant. Before she could finish the complete learning of the spell the scroll caught fire, thus she threw it away. The scroll falls to dust before it could reach the ground.* This will be the one that I seek." Stated the girl before she fell unconcious from the immense power of the spell that now arced through her veins. The strange thing was only that there weren't any fireplaces in the cave from wich the scroll could have gotten aflame.
"You know, Shabby-chan. The more you make me remember this, the more I suspect that you want to show me something... A something that I will not know so desparetevaly. Am I right, or am I right?" Asked Lina from the void.
"Lina-chan, I do not want to show you anything, this is our common dream, our common past. But it is a riddle to me why don't you wanna remember the events that we lived through then." Appears the little girl.
"You know, I don't know... and I feel I don't wanna know it eiher." Lina stepped to her.
"Lina-chan, this is weird. If you don't wake up now, you won't wake up forever."  This time she didnt vanish.
"What did she mean by that?" Started Lina to awaken.

"Lina Inverse. *Said Grin* Wake up, Lina Inverse."
"Wha-- What is it? *Yawned the sorceress, and saw the familiar face* Oh Grin, It's you."
"Keh, your tied up, your hair is white from being burned out with magic, you hung over a pit of poisonous beasts and you say ^Oh Grin, it1s you^? *Angered himself the mage* How can you be so calm when you life is in danger and you can't save yourself."
"Kage can." Said she calmly after realizing her place.
"Who's Kage?"
"Turn around."
While Grin not turned around. "That's the oldest trick in the world, you know that I won't fall for that."
"I am the Guardian of the Shadows, Kage the Ancient dragon." Said a toneless voice.
"Nice trick. *Now he turned around to see a dragon* Illusion eh? *Poked the drake* Huh? *As his fingers did not penetrate the scales of the dragon* What the... *The shadows started to strip themselves from their counterparts and moved to the confused man* Guess these are real?" Tried he to joke with that.
"Yepp" Said she as Kage cut the ropes of Lina free, he placed far away from the pit, but close enough to Grin.
"Now what should I do? *Frightened Grin* You can't harm me with spemhmv-- * As Lina's hand connected with his mouth* Lm mv fmr." [Let me go]
"Lina Inverse. *Shifted Kage down* We must go, we have only three days left." Noticed the dragon.
"Allright, but I compared to you do need to sleep atleast six hours undisturbed."
"You will PaaaAAEEIII!!" Chukled he together after Lina kicked him in the groan.
"I do not fully understand the biology od humans, but wasn't a bit too much?"
"Ne, he's just Grin." Said Lina as she grabbed her stuff.

*later that day*Kage.
"Yeah, what's now?" Stops also the sorceress.
"My powers are nearing it's limits."
"So?"
"I want to touch you--- *boom* ---r amulett."
"Sorry." Tryed she to apologize.
"The spell went through me luckily."
"Why do you want my amulett?"
"You have no powers, but I can give, from mine at least a little." Kage touched the amulett on Lina's left arm, wich went from crimson color to crimson with grey stripes and the amulett drained the essence of Kage within. Lina didn't notice it, but several gray locks appeared in her hair.
"Kage!! *looked Lina shocked* Kage, where are you?"
~~I'm here.~~
"Where?"
~~Inside your mind.~~
"What? Come out!!" She demanded and the dragon appeared.
"Let me in, I need to rest." Vanished once again Kage into the amulett.
"Inside my mind?"
~~Outside probably I would cease to exist in a short time.~~
"I understand this, but why in my mind?"
~~I already explained it, but with my help you regained some of your powers.~~
"Some of my power?"
~~To be exatcly sure the shadow-counterparts of your knowns smaller spells.~~
"Given my power and this... "trade", how much does it mean?"
~~It depends on how much essence will you drain from me.~~
"Drain essence from you? Will you be allright?"
~~Slowly I regenerate myself.~~
"And how long intend you to relax in my mind?"
~~Untill I complete my mission.~~
*sigh* "And what is that?"
~~Need ... rest....~~
"Hey, do not try to not to answer to me Kage!!"
"Lina Inverse, are you starting to become insane?" Asked Grin with a maniac smile.
"Not you again, hadn't you enough a half day ago?"
"A simple trick won't fool me again. *Said the mage* But, why is your hair now white with a few grey locks? I thought that your haircolor was red-orange..."
"... Is it? ... "
~~Its because me... I'm here so your hair is colored, the more power I have the more your hair is changed.~~
~I see, but...~ "I can show you why." Lina hold up her arm. ~I need your sword.~
"And what will that be?"
~~Don't drain too much from me.~~ A sword started to manifest in her hands.
"A mere illusion won't harm me!" Then the sword cut through the mages arms shadow.
"Are you sure?" Smiles the sorceress.
"What? Why can't I move my arm?" Looked shocked Grin.
"I am Kage, the Guardian of the Shadows." Spoke a creepy voice from Lina.
~Hey don't possess me!!~
~~I thought that I'm more fit to dismantle him.~~
~Let me out ---~ "Nooww!! *Screamed she* Huh .... ?" Wondered she aloud. ~I need your help Kage.~
~~You can summon my wings, just concentrate hard enough to let them appear, but be carefull to not draw too much of me.~~
"And now!!" Lina unfolded 'her' wings widely. ~I'm going to like this.~ *smile*
~~Not so much, no more.~~ Echoed the weak though of Kage.
~Sorry.~ Tried Lina to apologize.
"Hey Grin!! *Shouted she at the mage who started to get away while Lina was 'speaking' with Kage* Do not dare to sneak away!!" Lina flapped her wings, but oversetimated it and almost fell over.
"I'm not sneaking!!" Accelerates Grin to full spead and leaving a dust-loud back along with the confused sorceress.
As Lina let her anger out with a Dragon Slave, the environments shadows had been destoyed instead of the well known red and black explosion. "What the?!?" As the living and non-living things whose shadow was just demanifested started to evaporate into nothingness.
~~Like I said, your spells are now 'Shadow-related' So think before you act. Lina Inverse.~~
"Lina-chan, you see very adorable out." Commented a voice.
"Xellos, What do YOU WANT FROM ME?"
"Oh, That is --- *A 'shadow' Fireball zipped through him* --a secret." Completed the smiling mazoku.
" ... ?"
"Shadows can't harm me." Waved a finger before her.
"What are you planning Xellos?"
"You would look well with mazoku wings, eh Lina-chan?" The priest held up a miniature Inverse-doll, that had leathery bat wings, claws on her hands and feet and with two horns sprouting from her head.
Veins twinkled on Lina's head. "You know that I won't join you're cause Xellos." Tried Lina to be calm, but her wings started to change with her rising anger more and more. Getting red stipes all over it, the bones in the wing started to become slimmer and sharper.The whole constuction of the wings were reorganized. The gray, scaly, lighter, two metres long wings now had become bloodred stipes, little thorns along the main-bone in the wing and a longer size. Now these wings were a little over than two and half metres long, stronger although smaller in the overall surface that it covered.
"Oh, than look at you, Lina-chan." Nodded the priest.
"Wha-?!? ... What did you do to me?" Lina held up her arm wich started to get scales and claws, shattering her gloves, but the red-tainted Mazoku Blood Talisman, burned through the holds and encased itself into her lower-arm. This sort of things suddenly made Lina remember what happened to Valgaav back then.
"Me? .... No, Lina-chan. It ...was ....you..." Pointed the prankster towards the girl.
"Me?"
"Yes Lina-chan, You sortof absorbed a Shinzoku's power, but cannot contol it ... Does this not remember you of something special?" Smiles. [Shinzoku sortof means Servant of the Gods, while Ryuzoku sortof means Servant of the Dragons ]
"Shinzoku? ... But hes only a Ryuzoku."
"Didn't Kage tell?"
"Tell what?"
"That is a secret." Vanished the smiling man.
~How do I be normal?"~
~~You...must...release...me...~~
~What did Xellos man by absorbing? Can we be ever seperated?~
~~I ... don't ... know...~~
"NOOO!!!" She screamed as her other hand also started to get scales and bloodred claws. The suddenly a rushing tire came over her and the muscle in her body ceased to work right, thus she collapsed and losed the conciousness.

When Lina awoke she realized that she was in some sort of cavern.
"You're awake. *Said a Silver dragon* Shin-sama I was worrying about you."
"Where am I?" Stood up the sorceress.
"Shin-sama, we are near Sairaag."
"Sairaag? How long was I unconcious?"
"A day or so Shin-sama." Commemted the dragon.
"Sairaag, good. I have one or more days before me to find Shadow an... *Then she noticed* Why are you calling me 'Shin-sama'?" Walks away the dragon to finish somethin up.
"Shin-sama, I am only a mere Ryuzoku and you're a superior Shinzoku, so I must call you Shin-sama, Shin-sama."
"Shinzoku? *Raised Lina her arm trying to scratch her cheek, but after spotting the clawed hand she froze in motion and stared at it for a while. Then with a scream she fell to her back, histerically scratching, wounding her arm with the other claws.
"What's wrong Shin-sama? *Turns around the drake and when he spots what does Lina do he grabs her and hold her tight, not letting to continue this histeric surge.* Shin-sama, Shin-sama? Are you allright shin-sama?" Grabs Lina's hands and stares into the frightened eyes. The eyes move with incredible speed from here to there not lasting a second on anything always moving with a chaotic pattern. The dragon holds Lina still for a few minutes and when Lina realizes where is she again and in which form she just lets out a nerved sigh and sits down.
"I'm not a Shinzoku. *Cries she aloud* I am Lina Inverse!!" Looks at her clawed hands.
"Lina.... Inverse?" Waterdropps appear on the dragons head who back off a few dozen metres in that minutum.
"Kage!!! *Shouts Lina aloud, demanding to summon the Ancient dragon* Come out!! *She demanded once more and her wings started to revert to normal, much  to Lina's relief* I know that you're here somewhere." Her wings started to shrink and gone in the first phase, two metre long grey,scaly wings.
"I don't get this." Stares  the dragon.
"KAAGEEE!!! *Shrieks* Manifest before me you body possessing, soul cripling Shinzoku." The 'tainted' amulett on the left arm started to glow and emitted a small cloud, the cloud grew relatively larger as the time passed and the dragon manifested itself in a mere ten minutes.
~~I'm here.~~
"Hey!! Get out of me!!"
~~I only speak telepatically, it's easier for me like than I had to speak.~~
"Why did I transformed?" Lina looked at herself, as her arm started to shift back to normal and the wings also started to vanish.
~~You had given you're self to temptation and drained too much of me.~~
"Temptation?" Wondered the girl.
~~The barrier around you're soul is not working quite well and Xellos perked you up with 'THAT' doll. You simply shattered the barrier letting yourself get caught in the nimbus of feelings, although there is some shards left out of I could make aother one, but we must find Shadow and fast because we have time for only this evening.~~
"And if the barrier is completely broken?"
~~Then darkness will consume you're soul ... ~
"Cant I do anything?"
"Like I said, we must seek Shadow." Said Kage in Lin's body.
"Hey!! Don't possess me!!" Yelled Lina after getting back the controll over her body.
"Are you allright, Shin-sama?"
"I am not you're Shin-sama, he sortof possessed me and ... Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just wondering your beautifull wings Shin-sama."
"Not again..." Tryed she to stay calm, but the anger was a little too much for her. Lina tryed to unwill the wings, but she was far too exhausted for the concentration.
"How cute, Shin-sama."
"Eh?"
"See yourself, Shin-sama." Showed the dragon a mirror to the sorceress.
"What is it now?" First she didn't saw anything suspicious, but then noticed her eyes. *sigh* ~Why does these kind of  things happen to me?~ 
Within an hour with the help of Kage she learned basically how to summon and unsummon the wings, although Kage told her whenever she get too much emotions her wings appear and her body starts to change.
"Shin-sama, you're changing."
"Again? *Lina looked herself in the mirror, but she didn't notice anything deformed on her body* What did you mean by I'm changing?"
"Your hair Shin-sama." Explained the drake.
Lina looked again in the window, now detecting some red locks in her white hair. "Seems my powers are returning."
~~That is bad, Lina Inverse. That means your 'shadow' gathers powers aswell.~~
~We have to hurry than, eh?~
~~Yes, at dawn your barrier will be totally desintegrated and after that there will be only one way to get. back .... Die~~
"What!?! *Screamed Lina* How much further is it to Sairaag?"
"Shin-sama, in slow fight, about a fifteen minutes." Replied the dragon.
"And how much till dawn?"
"About a two hours, Shin-sama."
"Then I must go." Proclaimed Lina. ~How do I hate this, and I thought this will be fun.~ *sigh*
She found her destination in a mere ten minutes. The city of Sairaag looked like it was in the build-up phase, although someone caused a large destruction as everywhere lied bodies and wrecks from the worker group.
~Will this city be once again whole?~ Thought Lina.
"Shadow. I sense you." Spoke Kage's voice.
~Do not possess me!!~
~~I'm more suited to break through the darkness consuming our soul.~~
~Well allright, but don't do reckless things.~
"Lina Inverse." Said Shadow weakly.
~This could be fun.~ Smiled Xellos.
"And me, Shadow. We're here to lift the darkness from you." Kage summoned the shady blade.
~Man are you for real? These sentences are faaaaar toooooo laaaaame.~
"Kage-sama, are you here to erase us?"
~Them, whos the other?~
"That won't go. *Another voice could be heared. Shadow summoned the Ruby-eyed Blade* You won't defeat us, not untill You kill us."
~Again... who's them? Who is the other?~
"So, do you not think  that I will freely let you roam this world." Kage started to launch an attack.
~WHO?!?~
~~No time for that..~~ Dodges Kage a strike and replies with a blow.
"NOW DIE!!" Stromed Shadow Kage.

~I have to act.~ Pulls a leaf off a flower. ~I don't have to react.~ Pulls another. ~Act, do not act, act , do not act~ Pulls last ~Ah, damn. *sigh* 'I'VE GOT TO' act, this isnt my day. oh well.~ Vanished Xellos.

The incoming blow from Kage and the stike from Shadow was abroted by a jeweled staff. "Ah, ah ah. Lina-chan, Shadow-kun. You don't need to kill each other."
"You 'mazoku'." Slashed Kage towards Xellos.
"Oh, Kage. How an ironic way to met again, becoming a parasite, eh?"
~Parasite? Now I'm really pissed off!! What does he mean by that?~
"What do you search here and why do you intend to abort our fight?"
"I don't want anything to happen with Lina-chan."
"Priest, why are you offending us?"
"My lord, this is not the time,yet." Smiled Xellos and tossed Shadow away.
Kage slashed at Shadows body, tearing the weakened sword into pieces and lifted a barrier around him . Shadow tried to break though it, but it was a futile attempt.
"You can't defeat us. You won't defeat us. You don't defeat us." Echoes the voice all over the place.
While Xellos maintained the field Kage gathered up a golden orb and throwed it at the elven 'shadow'.
"Now, Xellos. *Lina after getting the controll back, scoped up him under her arm and started to strangle the mazoku* Why did you help me?"
"You didn't recovered fully yet, and you're precious to me." Says he with a smile.
Lina blushed promptly and let him go, Xellos in return vanished at the moment. "Hey, that was unfair, to trick me like that."
"I didn't trick you Lina-chan, you're precious to me like I said." echoes the voice.
"Then what did you do with Kage?"
"We just sealed the darkness inside Shadow-kun." Comes the answer.
"For how long?" Looks around Lina, but can't detect the source of the voice.
"You have adorable eyes, did you know Lina-chan?" Teased the mazokus voice the girl.
"What?"
"You're eyes Lina Inverse." Said Shadow who recently came to conciousness.
"Now, what is with it?"
"It looks kinda wierd." Xellos appears in the meantime.
"You're losing controll again Lina-chan." Points the mazoku at Lina and vanishes again.
"You ... You .... *Notices Lina the doll sticked into her helt* Come back!!" Screamingly teared apart the Inverse-dolly.
"Lina Inverse."
"Do you want to critisize me?"
"What is with you?"
"Kinda long story, but I don't get it either fully, In short Kage fused with me to hold up the barrier, but he is too much exhausted now."
"Exhauseted?"
"I drain his essence, to use my powers, in trade-off he protects me."
"Isn't that frustrating?"
"I fell kinda like Phiria now."
"The Gold dragon?"
"Yeah, her tail sprung out everytime she was angry, I slowly transform."
"Like how?"
"Don't wanna know.. And I don't wanna know it either."
"Uh. O.K."
"Khm, where do we go now?"
~~To the northeaster runins.~~
"To the northeastern runins."
"Why there?"
"Kage told me."

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     TO BE CONTINUED.
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