Fear of Ghosts Part 7 Fear of Ghosts
Chapter 7

Zelgadis stopped cold. Immediately, he flicked his head around, peering in amongst the darkened ruins with his eyes and ears on full stage alert.

The chimera could sense something was amiss. He was certain of it.....

It was mere seconds ago that he was making his way through these ruins, in complete and utter total silence, searching for his lost friend Amelia.

But this silence wouldn't last too long: For what was once silence was interrupted by a rather sudden disruption - a disruption that was enough to make Zelgadis stop dead in his tracks. It was enough to him forget all about his search. It was enough to make him forget locating his friend. It was enough to ignite his caution for the unfamiliar......

Strange, he could've sworn he heard someone scream.....

Yet while this scream interrupted the deafening silence that infested in the village, it had gone just as abruptly as it arrived - leaving the village as silent as before.

But not with Zelgadis' mind riddled with doubts.

That scream.....where did it come from - only to disappear so quickly? There couldn't be anyone else in this village apart from himself and.....

Suddenly, the chimera's legs burst into an astonishing rush of speed. That scream could only mean one thing.....

.....trouble.

It seems he shouldn't have any difficulty finding Amelia now....

Zel had only ran a short distance until he skidded to a stop.

Something had appeared right up in front of the chimera. Something that was enough to make him stop running. Something that was enough to make his eyes widen and his jaw drop. Something that was enough to trigger his persistent distrust for the unknown.

There, right in front of him and emerging from the shadows, was Amelia.

She made her way from the darkness of the shadows and towards the chimera.

Normally, Zel would've been overcome with joy. His searching for Amelia had come to a successful end and she was practically unscathed - even if it was her scream he heard mere minutes ago. Yes, normally Zel would've certainly shown his relief that his friend was alive and well.

But if Zel was elated, he certainly didn't show it. Instead, he remained standing right where he was, with his arms folded and a suspicious glare. Try as he might, Zel couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't exactly feel right......

Yes, Amelia had recovered and, from the look of it, was still in one piece. But there something didn't exactly fit together. Something that was enough to ensnare him in a trap of disbelief. Something that was enough to make him wonder if he was still sane.....

Firstly Amelia didn't walk at her usual pace. Normally, she would've run to the chimera....

But not this time. Instead her pace was slow, stiff, uncertain and unenthusiastic. With her arms dangling lifelessly at her sides, the princess walked at such an awkward way that one might think that her knees had ceased function. This certainly wasn't the movements of a princess who liked to leap on tall places and recite Justice speeches.....

Secondly, Amelia's expression was unsettling. Her complexion was disturbingly pale, her mouth hung half open and her cheeks revealed signs of trembling. But what was the most unnerving aspect about Amelia, since this reappearance, was that her blue eyes, her brilliant blue eyes, had dulled. What was once an ocean of rich blue and sparkles of energy was now a cave of darkness. The blue had died away and took the spark of Amelia's eyes with it.

And it was this changed Amelia that made her way towards the chimera.

He didn't move. Nor did he flinch or make any type of sound. His brow furrowed, waiting for the princess, as she approached closer and closer. Already Zel was growing suspicious from analysing Amelia's peculiar movements. Things were getting more and more bizarre by the minute.

Yet Zel retained his collected composure. His brain, forged from extensive research from many sources of magic (thanks to constant journeying to find a cure for his body), recognised this oddity immediately.....

It seemed possible but, at the same time, highly unlikely in an abandoned village such as this. Confirmation was required......

But in the meantime, he was best to put on a normal face.

"Amelia!" Zel whispered. "You're alive."

It was then that Amelia spoke - But oddly enough, it wasn't in a voice that was her own.

"Yes. I am."

Zel raised an eyebrow. That voice that sounded like Amelia's yet, at the same time it wasn't. That voice wasn't the voice of a Saillune princess - No, this voice was flat, emotionless and more of a wind whistle rather than an actual voice....

This revelation was the final nail in the coffin. Zelgadis' eyes hardened.

"Amelia?" the chimera inquired. "Are you all right?"

"Yes" she replied in this disturbingly unfamiliar tone. "I am all right"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" Amelia said, without flinching or blinking.

But Zelgadis wasn't going to be put off that easily: "I thought I heard you scream...."

"That was nothing."

But this statement did nothing to comfort Zel - instead it made him more suspicious than ever! He opened his mouth to speak but Amelia was already moving. Moving in her awkward sense of movement. Moving back towards the darkness of the shadows. Moving her face away from the chimera's accusing gaze. Moving somewhere deeper and deeper into the village.......

"Amelia?!" Zel growled. 'Where are you going?"

But Amelia didn't seem to pay any attention to the chimera's question.

"Did you hear the bell?" she answered. blankly.

"What?" Zel blinked, uncertain as to whether he heard correctly.

This was enough to make Amelia turn around to face the chimera again. Oddly enough, her mysteriously blank expression now looked somewhat....

.....puzzled.

"Didn't you hear the bell? The bell that was ringing in the tower?"

"Bell?" Zel asked, confused. "What tower?"

But Amelia didn't provide a straight answer: "Come. I'll show you....."

And with that she turned away from the chimera and headed off in a direction that led back into the shadows.

But Zel didn't hurry after the princess. Instead, his mind pondered on this recent series of events. Events which certainly developed in a startling fashion:

His suspicions were correct. Amelia had, somehow, been overcome with the spell of mind control! The chimera had certainly read about many types of mind control but each came in so many shapes and forms. Each had it's own effect and trademarks. But all had the same result: the act of one losing their own free will and ending up under someone's control.

But how could this happen? There was no one else in this accursed village.

Could this have been the work of the village's ghostly residents?

That was possible. Yet why would they do it? Amelia seemed convinced that the ghosts in question were asking them both for assistance. Yes, the ghosts needed "help". But exactly what this help was, wasn't made clear. Amelia had told him that the ghosts' village was under a "curse". A curse of the sinister variety. But while the ghosts may have revealed the secrets of their village to the outsiders, they didn't explain everything.

And, following this piece of unhelpfulness, they go ahead and utilise Amelia via the powers of a mind control spell?! Once again, the flames of Zelgadis' doubts ignited. Where once his cursed form provided a formidable obstacle in helping this people - why should he, an outsider and a monster in the eyes of society, abide to the demands of helping these people? - it was this distrust of these ghosts that now gave Zel another excuse for not helping the curse-stricken villagers.

In fact, he would go so far to say that instead of helping these villagers, he would rather burn their wretched village and the ghosts along with it......

Suddenly, Amelia's voice brought the chimera out of his thoughts.

"Are you coming.....?"

She was standing merely centimetres from the shadows that infested in the village. She had turned around, waiting for Zel to follow her. She wanted to show him something and she seemed quite intent to show him this discovery.....

Zel sighed and set off after Amelia.

Satisfied that he was following Amelia turned around and led the way into the shadows, not turning around once ever after.

But had she turned around, she would've uncovered a sinister plot.

But had she turned around, she would've seen Zel's face etched with determination to rid the evil that was plaguing his friend.

But had she turned around, she would've seen Zel's hand reach closer to his sword hilt.....


Zel was indeed correct with his perceptions in Amelia's behaviour. She was truly under the power of a mind control spell.

But unbeknownst to him, something much more sinister was taking place within the depths of Amelia's mind.....

Amelia was confused.

One second, she was having a blaze of power, blazing it's way from a ghost's finger and into her forehead. Then everything went black.....

And it was within the confines of this blackness that she found herself.

What was this? She couldn't see anything. And she couldn't feel a thing - She couldn't feel her hands, feet or any part of her body. She couldn't feel any terra firma, she couldn't feel anything worth gripping onto and she couldn't see anything in this inky blackness.....

All she had was her voice and her thoughts......

"What is this?" she wondered aloud. "Where am I?

"Am I dead?"

"Not quite" said a voice.

Had there been a floor, Amelia would've jumped several feet in the air. It wasn't just the shock of hearing a voice in such an empty state of mind.

No, the voice was one that Amelia recognised.

"You!" Amelia gasped, her brow furrowing with distrust.

"Yes" the ghost girl replied.

"What's going on here?! Where am I?! What are you doing here?!"

"You are helping me break the curse of the village." the ghost answered.

"You see," she went on "When you arrived to the bell tower, I used my powers to take possession of your mind. I have now severed the link from your mind to your body."

Amelia was stunned.

"Am.....I.....?"

"No you are not dead" the ghost answered. "You must understand that while I have severed the link, your soul has remained untampered with. Your mind is still untouched and unviolated. Thus it is through your mind that I am able to tell you this."

"Yes, but that doesn't explain why all this has happened" Amelia yelled, not liking this piece of news at all.

"Well" the ghost explained, in sinister fashion, "We, the ghosts of this village, know the Crystal Dragon is hidden. By recovering it from it's hiding place the curse of the village will be lifted.

"However, in order to recover it, we needed a human body to do the job for us. So that's why I transported you here."

Amelia paused in astonishment as the bizarreness of this news sank in , yet her confusion was as rampant as ever.

"Hold on." Amelia said. "If I'm here with my mind untouched then where's my body?"

"Under my control" the ghost replied, In a rather sadistic fashion.

Upon hearing this piece of piece of news, Amelia was left speechless..

It was then the ghost announced her departure from the conversation - by going silent.

"Wait!" Amelia yelled in alarm "Don't go!"

But it was too late. The ghost was gone, leaving Amelia helpless and alone in the inky blackness.....


Zel however was growing with suspicion. He stood at the foot of the staircase that led up to the darkened, mysterious, oblivion that made up the top of the bell tower. It was this black oblivion that the possessed Amelia made her way up. She ascended the staircase one step at a time, one foot making it's slow way in front of the other, on each of the rotten steps. Each step seemed more like an action from a dream. It was as if Amelia was acting out some hideous event forgotten in time.

Zel growled in suspicion. Amelia's possession did nothing to hinder his distaste for all things in and around the village. The chimera was, at this stage, growing with so much distaste that he was, at this stage, questioning his sanity. He had seen many weird and wonderful sights in his time spent with Lina Inverse and on his never ending journey for a cure to his cursed form. He had seen Ruby Eye Shabranigdu and Dark Star, actual demon kings, rise up to destroy everything in their path. He had seen many other demons, dragons and legions of undead warriors. He had even seen entire cities and civilisations obliterated with just the one spell.

But for sheer bizarreness, nothing quite compared to the nightmare that was this village.

But one thing's for sure: He's not going to take any more of this. He is going to bring an end to the evil that's choking this village. He's going to put an end to this mayhem. He's going to bring this nightmare to a grinding halt.

And he's not going to do it without a fight.

First, he'll destroy the evil spirit that's controlling Amelia's body.

And then.....

With a firm grip on his sword hilt, the chimera took to the stairs, following the princess as she made her way up to the top of the bell tower.

After a long and laborious journey, the chimera finally found himself at the top of the bell tower. And he was quite impressed with what he saw there.

The area was dominated by a huge copper bell. It hung from a sturdy beam that looked like it had the bell for many years and will continue to do so for a long time yet. Yet, it was surprising that the bell was still situated in an abandoned, haunted village such as this. Even though it was spotted with areas of rust, cobwebs and coated with a thick layer of dust, the massive bell was still an impressive sight.

But why was Zel brought here? Why did Amelia, or to be precise the possessed Amelia, led him all the way up here? What was the intentions of this entity that was possessing his friend?

Seeking answers, the chimera glared suspiciously at the princess. She was making her way towards the bell - But something was unusual in her movements: now her pace, whilst being stiff and awkward, now carried a sense of purpose. It was as if Amelia, although she was possessed, now carried a sense of awe. A sense of awe brought about by the sight of the bell....

The girl turned to face the chimera.

And what Zel saw certainly created a sense of unease to his increasingly-cautious mind.

Although Amelia's eyes were blank, they undertook a sudden change: They now looked like they contained a spark of colour. A spark of colour that brought some light to the darkened pools that were once Amelia's brilliant blue eyes. It was as if the possessive spirit seemed.....

.....excited.

The princess' movements now seemed less awkward and more controlled. In fact, the movements now seemed more tingly.

The princess raised her arm and pointed towards the bell: A gesture that was practically radiating with excitement.

It seemed that the possessive spirit had finally found something. Something it was looking for. And from the looks it, something it had spent a long time looking for....

But what would Zel care about the demands of the spirit? The only time he had for it, was ridding Amelia from it's manipulative presence. This is no time to be dawdling, this is a time for action.

Zel drew his sword with dramatic flourish.

Now was the time for action.....

The chimera advanced towards the princess, his expression sinister and his sword exhibiting a lethal edge.

Yet the princess, or at least the spirit, seemed unperturbed by the chimera, clearly revealing homicidal intentions, bearing down upon her. Instead she continued pointing at the bell in an excited manner.

But this did little to cease Zelgadis' advancement.

Suddenly, from the depths of Zel's mind, came a voice. A voice that called out to him.

Wait! Said the voice. Are you sure you're doing the right thing here?

Yes Zel mentally replied Amelia is possessed by some sinister force. And I'm the one to release her from the power of this force!

You.....you.....aren't going to kill her are you? the voice asked.

Zel blinked at this sudden revelation. But still he marched on.

Hold on! The voice yelled You don't know what you're dealing with here.....!

But Zel wasn't listening any more. His mind was truly gone. He was pretty much at the stage where the effects of the nightmare had cracked his mind. He was at the stage where he wanted out and will stop at nothing to achieve this goal.

Even if it meant giving anything a try.....

Thus it was that Zel loomed over Amelia - who was still pointing at the bell and unafraid of the impending danger that was nearing.

Amelia.....Zel thought....I'm sorry......

He lunged forward, bringing his sword down towards Amelia.....

But the blade never reached it's intended target.

For, at the last moment, Amelia dodged swiftly out of the way.

She side-stepped out of harms way and reappeared several feet away, still seemingly unperturbed by the chimera's sudden attack and still pointing at the bell.

Zel blinked at this sudden move. Obviously the spirit was quick in movement and quite capable of moving from point A to point B in a matter of seconds.

But what does it matter? Zel's determination to destroy the evil spirit's hold on Amelia, still stood strong.....

Zel lunged after Amelia with sword in hand. An attack which she dodged. But Zel was expecting this and followed up with another charge. An attack which Amelia dodged with no great difficulty. Zel welded his sword in a great arc, piercing the air, trying to strike the princess. But to no avail. The chimera then brought his sword in a great downward arc, in an attempt to bring the spirit down.....

But to little use - the princess merely leapt upwards out of the chimera's sword swinging.

Zel, emerging from his last attack, raised his head. His eyes darted left and right, looking for the princess. Dammit. How could that spirit elude his grasp so quickly and so easily?!

It didn't, however, take him long to locate the spirit and it's unwilling host body.

There the princess was, standing above the chimera's head. It had leapt up and had managed to obtain a position on the bell itself. It stood in a graceful position, that didn't disturb the bell at all. The spirit leered triumphantly at Zel.

Zel glowered back. It seemed obvious that the spirit was toying with him. It was mocking his efforts to break the possession spell and escape this wretched village. It even had the audacity to manipulate all those around him in such an appalling manner.

But Zel wasn't prepared to take any crap like that.

He must bring an end to this, no matter what the cost.

Zelgadis raised his arm whilst sporting an open hand.

And then, he uttered two words. Two simple words...

"MEGA BRAND!!!!!"


The tower was rocked by the full force of Zelgadis' spell. Such an ancient construction had no chance of withstanding a blast of that multitude from such a destructive spell.

An enormous shock wave reverberated through the bell tower, shaking every brick, shaking every supportive beam, shaking the whole tower right down to the foundations.

It wasn't possible for the tower to survive such a destructive force. Within seconds the tower came down with a terrific crash. The tower toppled from it's foundations only to fall onto the cobblestones of the village ruins. The tower fell only to conjure up a huge dust cloud upon impact.

And it was in this dust cloud that the tower fell apart. What was once a tall tower, housing an immense copper bell, had now disintegrated into bricks and wood. Pieces of the tower had fallen away to construct a huge mountain range of rubble. The tower was no better then the rest of the ruins it had once stood amongst.

And with the tower's destruction came the end of the bell as well. The tower's sole purpose would end up going down alongside it's house. The bell tumbled out of the tower when it fell. Yet it had little prospect of surviving such a journey downwards. When the bell tumbled out of the tower, it struck the cobblestones of the village streets. Along with this, and the bombardment from pieces of the tower, the bell was shattered into a thousand pieces, to remain silent forever.


Zelgadis moaned. His body ached with the most incredible pain. Even with a flesh that was made out of stone, nothing could halt the pain that made it's way through his limbs.

Zel shifted his gaze towards the rubble. When confronted with such an extraordinary sight he blinked. Amazing - His spell had managed to bring the tower down completely.

Even when housing so much agonising pain, Zel still managed to hoist himself with his elbows. Following this, he managed to struggle his way onto his feet and surveyed the damage caused.

Yes, his spell had certainly brought about the tower's end - in more way's than one!

But did it also bring the spirit to it's demise.....?

It was there and then that Zel realised he was standing a good distance away from the rubble itself. He must've been thrown clear by the explosion.....

But if that's the case then there was no way he would've survived a fall from that height...

....But then again, he is one third rock golem. He could easily live through such an explosion and such a fall with that type of protection.....

It was then that Zel was struck by an alarming thought. An alarming thought that broke him into a run. He might have the protection to withstand a fall like that.

But Amelia doesn't.

Zel darted here and there, though the ruins, searching for his friend. She has to around here somewhere.....

She just has to be.....

Please don't let her be dead, please don't let her be buried under this rubble, please don't....

Within moments he found what he was looking for.

There she was, lying still and motionless in amongst some large shards of copper.

Zel's eyes widened. Immediately, he sprinted over to Amelia's prostrate form. Was she alive? Did she manage to elude the chaos of the explosion and the collapse? Upon arrival, he knelt down and cradled her form in his hands.

"....don't die on me...." he whispered, his voice shaky.

"...please don't die on me....."

Suddenly Zel's eyes caught the glint of silver. Curiosity drove him to turn away from Amelia and towards this discovery.

There, lying in amongst the copper shards that were once a parts of a bell, was a tiny crystal trinket. It was sculptured entirely in the shape of a dragon. Amazingly it seemed untouched and unscathed from the devastation that surrounded it.

Zelgadis' eyes widened. Was this the Dragon that Amelia told him about.....?

His questions received answers much sooner than expected.

Suddenly a huge whistle resounded throughout the village. A whistle that howled through the village, blowing up dust, rocks and other devastation that was riddled throughout the ruin. A whistle that sounded like it came from a different time and place.

What happened next was enough to make Zelgadis' jaw drop.

Gradually the village become flooded with light. Rays of sunlight came sweeping over the horizon, penetrating the cruel grip of night that grasped the village. Rays of light that gradually grew in number. Rays of light that were a long time coming to the ruins themselves.

Within moments the sun crept over the horizon, flooding light onto the cursed village. And suddenly, with the arrival of the longed for, the ruins changed. What was once ruined buildings were now beautiful houses, what was once blackened and damaged cobblestones were now clean streets and what was once empty was now populated with people. Laughing people. Happy people. People who welcomed the sun with the most jovial expressions, and set about their day's activities with a look of absolute refreshment - it was as if they had all emerged from the sweetest of dreams.

Zel looked around. The rubble that was the tower had disappeared completely. In fact the entire ruin had disappeared completely. And now there were people, people going about their business without noticing himself and the princess he was cradling.....

Then it dawned on him.

Amelia had been right all along. The ruined village was under the grip of a curse. A curse had now been lifted.....

Seconds later, the image of the restored village, shimmered in front of the chimera's eyes. And within moments the entire thing had gone, faded into nothing. Faded from human eyes. Faded from sight completely.

Forever.

Leaving Zelgadis all alone in the middle of an empty plain, cradling Amelia.

Zel blinked. He was indeed astonished by this sudden chain of events, the sudden visage and the sudden disappearance of the village. But it didn't take him long to work it all out.

The village had gone. The curse was lifted. The eternal limbo that the village was locked in had been eradicated. Time, space and balance had been restored. The village's existence as a separate entity had come to an end.

It was all over.

Suddenly a soft moan brought Zel back to earth.

Zel looked down at Amelia.....

...and what he saw nearly made him fall over backwards. He was so happy.

Amelia's eyes had opened. Opened to reveal a pair of big blue eyes. A pair of big blue eyes that Zel recognised.

"Zelgadis?" Amelia inquired softly, in a voice that was entirely her own.

Seeing her blue eyes and hearing her voice was enough to convince Zel that Amelia had returned. The possessive spirit that encased her had gone completely. Amelia had come back. The Amelia he had known all along.....

It was then and there that Zel lost it all. He pulled Amelia closer towards him. He was so happy. She was alive....

She was free from the grip of possession.....

Amelia was startled by this. Man this was a change. What happened to the stoic, cold, indifferent Zel she met when she entered the village? What happened to the Zel who would stop at nothing to achieve a cure - even if it shutting off all around him? What happened to the Zel who saw her as a silly, juvenile child?

This certainly was a change.

But one that happened to her delight.

Grateful for the change, Amelia reached up and gently stroked the side of his face.

Zel blinked at this move but eventually smiled back.

And so they remained there in silence. Not a word was spoken but none was necessary. The nightmare was over. The ghosts and their wretched village had gone forever. Now they had returned to the real world.

And that feeling was truly refreshing.

Then Amelia's eye caught the sight of a sparkle. A sparkle that glinted in the grass within her reach.

She slowly shifted her gaze away from Zel and towards this discovery.

It was a crystal dragon.


It's not over till it's over....
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