Slayers Reflect

ight was soon to descend on HappyWorld. Most of the swimmers and tubers and shoppers and eaters had left already, off in their private yachts, off on public transportation coaches which arrived sharply at seven o'clock to pick up ten passengers each. Only a few stragglers, unable to admit that the day of fun was over, remained.
    Dayvid popped out of the waterslide for the twenty seventh time that day, holding his nose as he splashed down in the water. Amelia was next down the pipeline, laughing and happy, dumping into the pool headfirst.
    Both surfaced, all smiles.
    "Amazing, how simple physics principles of water can be... well, fun!" Dayvid said. "I've got to study this thing!"
    "Hey... do you think you could make one of these?" Amelia asked. "I mean, full scale, the whole thing?"
    "Sure! The concepts are sound, and I think I could even do it without magic..."
    "Make one for Sailoon!" Amelia demanded/requested. "I'll get money together, and once this quest is over, you can come with me to the capital and we can design it together! It really needs more inner tubes and pools and things, this place is actually kind of limited..."
    "Uh, work together?" the boy asked. "I'm not really, I mean... that's a big job and I wouldn't want to, ah, get it wrong..."
    "I have faith in you, Dayvid-san!" Amelia said, raising a fist of justice and might. "Our waterslide of righteousness will reach the clouds themselves, our tribute to good clean family entertainment and excitement! Together, we shall overcome!!"
    "...okay," Dayvid said, slightly spooked. "We are a day ahead of schedule at least.. we'll just stay on the ship tonight and I can come back and sketch some ideas based on those towers, like that one that's about to crush us."
    "Right!" Amelia agreed, and smiled.
    They smiled.
    They looked up.
    They swam for it, as the huge towering waterslide complex careened over, crashing into the wavepool's waves.

    Security officials in mirrored glasses (because, as mentioned, some things are universal across space and time) frantically ran around trying to order people to evacuate the park in a tidy and organized manner. They were then promptly trampled as the mob made its way to the main gates, buildings collapsing around them, spilling merchandise and frosty fruity refreshments everywhere.
    Xelloss had managed to salvage his beach umbrella, which was only slightly wilted, as he perched on top of a stable gift shop and watched the funpark shake itself to pieces. It was all quite amusing, really; in not less than three minutes, what was a safe and pleasant scene of sunset-lit amusement became a swirling holocaustic miasma of destruction and screaming. Fortunately, nobody he knew or cared about was in--
    Oh, wait.
    He set the umbrella aside, scanned the madness for a familiar face, and zipped over to where Amelia and Dayvid were fleeing the scene, landing in a brisk trot at their side.
    "Are you alright, son? No horrible maimings or anything?" Xelloss asked, not losing his smile.
    "Run! Run!!!" Dayvid suggested. "Something's gone wrong with the pumps! The whole park is coming apart at the seams!!"
    "Yes, that's what happens when there's a dangerous surge of magical power," Xelloss said calmly. "Given Zelgadis's skills, I predicted he'd find the lake right around now. I wasn't counting on him enraging the guardian, though. You know what that means, right?"
    "We're going to die!!" Dayvid shouted in a panic.
    "Always a bright lad," Xelloss nodded. "Always clever."
    "Wait! We can't run! We have to help get these poor people to safety!" Amelia said, stopping in her tracks. "There is no time to think solely of self interest! Let us rally behind compassion and--"
    A blue and purple chimera dashed past them, running for the exit in a very self interested manner.
    "So much for that notion," Xelloss said. "Who's up for flying out of here?"

    HappyWorld melted like a wedding cake in a supernova.
    Ships of customers, rapid response escape ships designed by the HappyWorld Safety Brigade, and anything else that could float tore pell mell across the ocean to outrun the destruction. Fortunately, there weren't very many people in the park, and they all managed to cram into some form of transport; which is also fortunate because unfortunately the very dormant volcano that towered over the park picked today to stop being dormant.
    So, as the lava flows wiped out what was left of the park and flowed like a river of molten fire into the sea to cool into slag, Amelia gazed back at HappyWorld in regret. Dayvid was too busy pumping levers to give the Guppy a boost of speed to worry about regret.
    "I guess that ruins my idea of making a funpark in Sailoon," Amelia said.
    "I... I could... gaaah... probably... remember a lot... of it!" Dayvid said, between pumps. "If my arms don't break here, I'll still help! I'm very excited about this project! My hands are going numb!"
    "Really?" Amelia asked, delighted. "That's great! Don't worry, Melvin's really bright too and can help!"
    "Is he here to help me pump?" Dayvid asked before passing out.
    "No, but..." Amelia said before he hit the floor. "Um... oops. Ne, Zelgadis-san, are we going fast enough?"
    The chimera looked up from his daydreaming. "Huh? What?"
    "Are we going fast enough, or should someone keep pumping?"
    "Um.. we're fine," Zelgadis said. "Yeah."
    "So, did you get the thing we came for?" Amelia asked, leaning over to look at him. "You seem a little spaced out or something..."
    "Just.. thinking about stuff," Zelgadis said. "And yeah, I got the water. We can go to the Island now."
    "Hoooraaay!!!" Amelia cheered, going into sugar overdrive, jumping up and down. "We've prevailed against strong forces and succeeded in our quest! Lina-san will be so proud of me!"
    "Lina.. yeah, she will," Zelgadis said absently.
    It was funny, he thought, because he was just thinking of Lina at the moment. Specifically because he kept going over the strange vision he had upon drinking the clear Water of Reflection, over the figures standing on the three pillars...
    And he was almost certain, in hindsight, that the one in the middle had been none other than Lina Inverse.
    He really, really wished he understood what that meant. It didn't feel like it was going to be a good thing.

TO BE CONTINUED