Amelia was fighting with her thoughts to keep herself focused on the ghost, it was difficult to concentrate now that she was inside the forest and so close to the lake, it seemed to be even more difficult the closer she got to the lake, there so many possibilities to what could happen, if she found the cure then maybe Zelgadis would be on debt to her and she could ask him to stay, or he could realize he was inlove with her from the beginning and forget about his cure, or maybe she could help him find it and they would have all the time in the world to search it together and find it, if they found it then he would be human and would maybe fall in love with her, or maybe he would eventually fall inlove with him after spending so much time together, or maybe she should let him go and give her something for him to remember her and the time away would make him realize how much he missed her.... or maybe not, when she finally ended her inner discussion she looked up to see she was in front of a wide lake, it was already night and the moon shone brightly over the water.

The sudden crack of a branch near her made her turn around, searching for the source of the noise but when she turned she found no one, not an animal not even the wind, there was no wind at all, suddenly all life in the forest had died, no sound at all. Amelia had a very bad feeling about it, then a cold breeze caressed her back making her jump in surprise immediately turning to look at her adversary, coming face to face with a young woman, lifeless eyes, black hair with auburn eyes, pale while skin, a scream died in Amelia's throat and she tried to ease herself, not panicking was rule #1 to deal with ghosts and she was starting to panic. Walking back a few steps she tried breathed still trembling.

"You are the ghost haunting this forest, aren't you?"

"My name is Shya and I meant no harm to the poor girl... I guess I couldn't help scaring her... after all... am dead"

A ghost with sense of humor XP just great..."Being dead is not and excuse for scaring people to death, why are you haunting this forest and scaring the villagers? You should let go, go to wherever you're supposed to be"

The ghost girl seemed to be insulted by Amelia's intent of her passing away, with an indignant look she answered "It's not like a have a choice, people get scared when they see a pale girl who they expect to be dead.... if they know am dead and they know they don't like how I look why not never ever come to this place again? I can't help live here, this is my home!" Shya sat down on a nearby rock soaking her bare feet on the lake's shore, Amelia was surprised by her sudden outburst, she acted pretty much like any other girl alive, how could she be so aware of her condition and the place she was in, ghost are never that way.... were they?

"Shya... what happened to you? why do you... err... why are you here?"

"Am dead, not stupid... I know those people tell everyone who wonders even nearby town about my so horrible story, you might dislike how I tell you this, but they are just a bunch of assholes, what they said it's nothing more than a story my neighbors created, they continued to grow and grow until it became the horrible story of the husband monster"

"Monster? what do you mean by that?" Shya's expression changed dramatically the moment Amelia asked, first she was angry but when she heard those words another thought seemed to come to her mind and change her vision of the petit princess, drawing a mischievous smile on her pale lips making Amelia shiver more than once.

"I know something about you... Amelia Will Tesla princess of Seyruun..."

"How'd...... why?"

"I know something must deny or don't know.... even you for a time"

"What are you talking about, I demand to know"

"You are in no position to demand anything, I can disappear in any second and you'll be alone here with no answer to the questions you've been asking yourself for quite sometime now... about a certain chimera..."

Amelia's eyes grew big, she tried to ask or say something but nothing came, how'd she knew? why? would she be her answer? a twist of fate she never expected to show her a little mercy from above?

"I was married once... and I used to live nearby the inn, worked at home; I was a "witch" to everyone in town although they said it on a "good way", I made poisons for rats and other undesirable creatures, medicine for almost any illness or problem one might had, I was happy living here, until one day... I met... him... and my life changed, I realized how blind I had been living, happiness wasn't what I had, happiness was what I knew when I met him, I was completed... he was my other half, and he loved me like the ocean loves the moon, she moves them and changes them and they can only follow her, we were happy together"

When Shya started telling the story Amelia sat in front of her over her knees to listen better and payed attention to her words, something told her they had more in common than she could imagine.

"You know... he wasn't perfect and the town disliked him since the first time he set foot in here, he pretended to stay just a few days, he was in search of a cure to an illness, one I never knew it existed... he was a chimera a union of a human, a golem and a demon, his skin was made of stone, his hair of a material alike wire, it could cut my skin easily and an evil nature, because of the demon he had inside, I convinced him to stay, told him I could find a cure for him and so I worked hard to make it, but it was no use, no flower or mineral or spell I tried worked. I thought he would leave but instead he stayed, he always said he trusted I would eventually find the cure and he would be human again but I was never sure of that... with time the cure begun to be even for me just the excuse to be around him. He lived here but after the first 3 years passed he moved to my house, we married a couple of years later, no one came to the wedding but we didn't care, we were happy together, eachother was everything we needed"

(dramatic pause) xD

"Then it happened, soon after our son was born I found a flower, a really rare flower which mixed with other ingredients could change him into a human, but before I could use it on him I found they've had already done something to him... Rezo, the red priest came to claim the life of the chimera he created, he was his failure and now he had come to destroy it, a chimera with no intention to fight was no use and bad publicity to him.... so when I got home my son and my husband were lying on the floor, dead... I tried searching for help but no one helped me, but instead they banned me from town and from my own house, condemning me to die here, alone..." She looked at Amelia lost in thoughts , when she walked to her and taking one of Amelias hands in her own she spoke kindly; "Well, the only reason why I'm still here is because of girls like you"

"Girls like me?" Amelia had a quizzical look on her face, because of Shya's answer, she felt as if she knew where was the conversation going, something in the back of her mind was urging her to runaway from the place, maybe ask Lina for help to get rid of the ghost, but before she could fall in temptation, the ghost disappeared and re-appeared in a few meters away from her.

"I have no intention on killing you or your friends, they have nothing to do with me... you have no reason to fear for I only want good over you, the burden you have been caring over your shoulders has been to much for you, and now even against your effort and his he will be leaving you to a future without him, isn't it true?"

"... there's nothing I could do... he won't stay cause he needs to..." Before she could finish the phrase the ghost re-appeared in front, her hand in front of Amelia's face holding 2 small bottles, enough for a couple drops to fit in each bottle, the soft smile on Shya's face grew bigger as Amelia realized what was inside the bottles.

"THE POTION!!... the... the.... the one you? how? ....you did finish it... but... shouldn't it be over by now since.. you well... you died, there was no way you could have kept it fine all those years, it was a natural potion after all, done by a naturist doctor..."

"Don't be silly, this is a new one, the one I made so long ago was for my husband and he's the only one capable of drinking it, this one is specially for you" she let go of the bottle letting it fall gently into Amelia's hands "But there are somethings I must explain to you about this potion, the only way I did it and the only way I know how to do it is like this, divided in 2, if you misused them... your life will be in danger"

"Misused them? how would I..?"

"Amelia, we are so alike but thanks to only 1 thing"

"Which would be?"

"Love, an undying love for a man, a chimera... I died because of him, I died for him.... and others have"

"Others?"

"You are not the first to try and cure a chimera; When I was alive I created 2 potions, both in the end have a common purpose, to cure him, no matter what happens he will become human again, the first one, the purple colored one has the power to open him up, since the curse it's already a part of him and a part of his essence the potion will expose him and his true self, now is when the other potion comes in; this one opens your heart so you can cure him, just one kiss and he will become human with the first touch of daylight"

"a....aa kiss?" Amelia thought for a moment maybe she fell sleep while listening or she got confused and used another word instead....

"Yes Amelia, a kiss"

"I.... I... can't, he doesn't"

"Oh! stop it!? will you? that's exactly what you don't need to cure the guy...." take a deep breath Shya... she's too young... "My dear, you have to drink the blue one and he has to drink the other, the union of both mixed with your own hormones will cure him, once you've drank it you won't have doubts or second thoughts, that I can assure you. but I have to warn you, if you drink the potion your heart will be as exposed as his, so whatever feeling you have inside will come out nonstop, don't worry about confessing to him, that'll be the easy part... in the other; if he loves you and says so before the sun comes up you two will live happily as long as you want to and fight for it... like any other couple, but if he doesn't feel the same way or doesn't tell you his real feelings before the time's up, you will die within a week"

Amelia's face fell, there was no chance he would even feel the same way about her, how would she be able to do this if she knew she was sign her death sentence, could she love Zelgadis more than her own life?

"My dear, you have the life of a man in your hands, but you also have to think of yourself too, is him worth your life? would you die for him?"

Amelia didn't answer, lost in her thoughts, images of Zelgadi's danced throught her heart to her soul, what she wanted? what she needed? what was she praying for? a cure for him or a love for herself? would he miss her? would she regret it?

"Amelia" this time Shya took her by the shoulders with her hands, looking directly to her eyes "Your life won't be lost, no matter what choice you take, your life will always be with him... I can assure you..." Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and Amelia fought them in again "Amelia, will you die for him?"

A moment later she was on her way back to the inn, 2 bottles on her hands. Those 2 villagers were gone and it took her no time to get to back inside her room. Zelgadis woke up when he sensed her open and close her door, he quickly looked at the sky, it was almost midnight, what was she doing outside so late? he thought for a moment to go to her room, ask her if she was alright, but then again... it's not like he should be meddling with her life, whatever she did so late at night wasn't for him to know, else she would have asked him to go with her, so better stay inside and maybe in the morning he would hear it from her during breakfast.