The whispered word echoed in the room, chilling the air and sending a shiver along Sylphiel’s arms as she pulled away from the crystal, blue eyes widening in surprise.
        Lina walked towards the crystal, eyes narrowed in disbelief. “Eris? But the copy that she made of Rezo killed her… we saw it.”
        Zelgadis shook his head, as if in attempt to clear some ghostly vision from his sight. “She… this woman looks like the Eris that I knew long ago. Before Rezo’s madness tainted her as well. The Eris that would never…” A light flickered within his eyes, and he drew his sword suddenly, a silent Astral Vine spell snaking up the blade as he drew it in line to bring the blade sharply against the crystal.
        “Zelgadis!” Lina shouted, moving towards him, the crystal beginning to shear at the point where Zelgadis was striking it over and over. Before the sorceress could get close, a large section of crystal sheared off, falling free from the rest of the crystal, shattering on impact with the floor.
        A spell collapsed with the shattering of the crystal, and with held breath, Zelgadis looked up to the figure now half-released. Moments passed, the figure unchanging, no sign of life flickering. Zelgadis lifted into the air, rising to the figure, placing his fingers at her neck, a healing spell coming to his hand. “Breathe.” The spell released, and through gritted teeth, he uttered the command again. “Breathe, damnit.”
        A whimper issued from the still figure, and blue eyes flew open, shock and terror clearly evident within them. Before she could do anything further, Zelgadis put his hand on her cheek. “You’re fine, Eris. It’s safe now. Rezo’s… gone.”
        Sylphiel, Lina, and Amelia in particular all noted the tenderness with which he addressed Eris. At once, the female minds came to the conclusion that Zelgadis had liked Eris. Sylphiel was pleased, Lina was oddly discomforted, and Amelia felt her world collapsing. But none of them did anything. They simply watched.
        A slender hand lifted from its crystal prison, and her whisper was faint as she rested her hand on the stone of his cheek. “Zelgadis…? Is it really you…?”
        He sighed softly, pulling her free of the crystal. “Yes, Eris. I’m sorry that I didn’t find you sooner. I always suspected…” One of her feet was still caught within the crystal, and he frowned, bending down. He reached out to the crystal with one finger, and as he touched the crystal around her ankle, a violet spark shattered it.
        As he stood, he helped her free, and they both alighted on the floor softly. Zelgadis looked over to see Lina standing there with her arms folded, and he knew an explanation was due. Both for Lina’s curiosity and Eris’ sake. “Everyone… I’d like you to meet the real Eris. Not the copy that we fought before, but the Eris of flesh and blood.”
        Lina moved forwards, unfolding her arms. “So Rezo captured Eris and made a copy of her? And the copy, seeking to outdo its creator, in turn made a copy of Rezo?” She looked from Eris to Zelgadis. “Really, Zel. I’ve heard some long stretches, but even this one is going a bit thin. All this about a cure down here… you just wanted to find your girlfriend and rescue her, right?”
        Eris blinked in confusion at Lina, repeating the one word. “Girlfriend…?”
        Zelgadis’ cheeks flamed scarlet, and Amelia put her hands to her heart. “I should have known, Mister Zelgadis! All this time that you’ve been cold and heartless was because you were waiting for your long lost girlfriend! And now that you’ve found her, you can be happy again for nothing can stand in the way of true love! It’s soooo romantic!” Heart-shaped flowers bloomed around Amelia as she put her own feelings aside for the romance of the moment.
        “Um…” Zelgadis began, but Sylphiel put her hand up.
        “It’s perfectly natural to be embarrassed, Zelgadis. But it’s also wonderful that you’ve been reunited with your love. I know how you must feel… when I caught up with Gourry dear…”
        “SHE’S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!” Zelgadis exploded in an annoyed tone.
        The three girls looked at Zelgadis and Eris and fell silent, blinking in surprise. Finally, Lina folded her arms again and tilted her head. “Okay, she’s not your girlfriend. But you did seem to like her a lot.”
        Eris looked from the redhead to Zelgadis, and then back. She didn’t understand who everyone was, and all this talk about a girlfriend… were they talking about her? She opened her mouth to venture a reply. “I’m…”
        Before Eris could finish her thought, Zelgadis put his hand on her arm. “This is Eris Greywords. My sister.”