The third, longest, and final chapter. Zelgadis makes a discovery about the ghost town, and makes some progress towards his cure.

I enter the building closest to me, the tall curved building I had seen from a distance. As I approach the building, I apprehensively think of a method of entrance. I did not want to destroy anything. Hopefully the door would be in the same miraculous condition as the gate.

My worries were apparently nothing more than paranoia. The door opened with a squeak similar to that of the gate. Apparently the inhabitants were either fond of such a simple mechanism, or severely limited in mechanical methods. I step into the dark room.

"Lighting." I toss the small ball of magical light to the ceiling. I blink as I realize that this temple was far more impressive than the other Outer World temples I had seen. The first such temple I visited was mostly rubble, with the occasional fragile-looking pot or statue. Nothing noteworthy, except to those interested in history or other such social subjects. This temple is much more elaborate. It reminded me almost of the grandeur of the Golden Dragon temple, rather than a more typical human one. This comparison became more pronounced as I notice the statues of the Dragon Flarelord. Each of the statues depicts an impressive-looking, almost regal dragon. Several different poses are shown: some statues depict him taking a step forward, while others simply show him standing still, with great dignity. Each statue is a brilliant red, and is extraordinarily beautiful.

I turn my curious glance away from the impressive statues and look for books. There are a few books on podiums, all of which appeared to be strong enough to read. I walk to the one closest to me, one without a title. I skim the first page, seeing only a description of a religion. It would have been unreasonable to expect anything else, so I did not become disappointed or angry. A quick browsing through the other books revealed they were similar, if not identical. Useless to me.

I wander around the temple, just to be sure I don't miss anything. I of course do not expect to be cured at the first temple I visit, but I suffer an odd feeling of disappointment that the temple, though aesthetically pleasing, is useless. I exit the way I came in, not bothering to look for another door or even shut the one I use. I wander around the town, spending a small amount of time memorizing the differences between the buildings and the various locations.

Based on what I saw before in the first temple, I doubt the others will be of any use. My wanderings have taken me to a small and short rectangular building. I pull open the door, and blink at a rather large bedroom. I quickly note the placement of the bed, desk, shelf, and chair, with plenty of room for movement. The rather large desk has a good supply of paper and a few quills. The shelf has several of the by-now-familiar statues, except in miniature form. Additionally, they are not quite as elaborate as the others in the temple, but still represent admirable skill. They are placed almost carelessly about the shelf, as though the previous inhabitant either did not care about them or put them there in a great hurry. Perhaps they were gifts, or perhaps the person was threatened or summoned.

The room as a whole is perfect for my needs. For that matter, perfect for any sorcerer who does not cook. The previous inhabitant was almost certainly a sorcerer, or at least a researcher of some sort. The room would be a good place to live in. I could either take books from the library and read them or simply read them at the library. If I so desired, I could also collect some of the books and other objects of the town into the room, as such an action would ensure thoroughness.

I note the late hour, and place my belongings near the bed. An emergency in the middle of the night was unlikely to say the least, but such preparation would have no adverse effects. I fall asleep fairly quickly, dreaming blissfully of a life with a normal body.

I wake up at sunrise, unsurprised that my sleep was uninterrupted, but pleasantly surprised that Rezo did not appear in my dreams. I spend the entire day working for my cure, first searching through every temple, and then taking a short break by determining which of the other buildings were libraries and which were not. Each temple is as useless as the first, but several of the largest rectangular buildings are libraries, each of which hold a great deal of books. The others appear to be dwellings. The other dwellings consist of varying numbers of rooms, some with one bed and some with two, each with a desk and chair. It appeared that the previous inhabitant of the building I happened to find was the leader of the group, or perhaps simply the most demanding and unreasonable.

Finally, I find myself with nothing more to do than go through the libraries. I decide to search an entire library for my cure before picking out books that could prove useful later. There was no telling what knowledge could be gained from an old library, particularly one so everlasting as those in this town.

I open the door to a library of a size that could be considered a representative average of the town. I picked the closest shelf to my right and looked at the volumes. I grin as most prove to be related to magic. Because their order is fairly random, I assume there was no librarian, only researchers. Most are related to white magic, but I see none related to curses or curse removals. For that matter, none are related to chimeras.

I scan the rest of the shelves, and find several related to chimeras and curse removals. I examine the volumes related to chimeras first. Such a topic is not particularly hopeful, since the books look ancient. Techniques for making chimeras have advanced greatly in the past few generations, let alone past hundreds of years. Therefore, I was only slightly disappointed when the books were useless. I shift topics with some zeal to curse removals.

I pick a book randomly from the pile, and note that it indeed involves white magic spells to remove curses. I skim through it, looking for spells I have not heard of. I grin as I see several. One in fact I recall from one of Filia's short descriptions. That description was of a magic spell drawing power from the Dragon lords to cure curses, but could only cure curses of low power. Useless to me, of course.

At any rate, these were books of Divine magic! Spells lost from humanity for just over a thousand years, ever since the Kouma Sensou. Dragons, a few elves, and even fewer humans used Divine magic in that war. This let to the Mazoku barrier, which fell apart due to the death of Phibrizzo. The barrier limited the beings able to call on the power of the Dragon Gods only to the most powerful Golden Dragons. With the barrier gone, more beings could learn to use the magic.

From what Filia told us, humans could use Divine magic, but only after the Dragon language was translated and adapted to fit human use. The translations alone would take a substantial amount of time and effort, and the adaptions even more so. She had heard of humans being able to use Divine magic, but because they did not possess the strength and constitution of dragons, they were all killed during the Kouma Sensou. It appeared that I had stumbled upon an incredible discovery. Perhaps my fate is not as fickle or evil as I had always thought.

Evil. What would the Mazoku think of this? Xellos destroyed Clair Bible manuscripts relating to the chimeric armor of Zenafa, because they could threaten Mazoku. Divine magic would certainly not be as threatening, but it could be seen in the same light. On the other hand, Xellos showed no inclination towards killing any more Golden dragons. Besides, the only attack spell dangerous to Mazoku is Chaotic Disintegrate. Even when wielded by a powerful Golden Dragon, it is only a little more powerful than a Ra Tilt. It would probably be safe to make the knowledge of Divine magic public. However, I would still want the presence of all my friends before that occurred.

At any rate, there is little I can do about such a decision except idly think it through. I review what I basically know about Divine magic with some excitement: it has various effects too difficult for ordinary white magic to handle. Obviously, such effects would include cures for extremely powerful curses. I grin as the possibility of a cure seems well within reach. Because white magic has never been my forte, I would be unlikely to master the difficult spells alone without a great deal of effort. However, I would certainly try my best. I skim through the other books on impulse, but only see Divine magic spells.

In all likelihood, there are many beginner's guides to Divine magic in the libraries. With that in mind, I return to the library I have already visited. After a few minutes, I carry the dozen or so books back to my room for careful study. I search the other libraries, and bring dozens more books to my room.

After about a week of study, I have a general feeling of the basics of holy magic. I notice that several spells are apparently easy enough for novices. A few of these relatively simple spells are useful. I figure it would be best to master these more simple spells before moving onto the much more difficult curse removals.

I quickly noted the simplest spell: a spell of summoning a little more powerful than the ones I knew of. The description was succinct: "Summons a dove with incredible stamina, enabling it to carry messages across great distances. Works only if caster concentrates the intended recipient and his present location at the time of casting." The incantation was similar to that of the summoning spell I was adept with. The only friend whose position I am fairly certain of is Amelia. The dove could probably find her as long as she was in the palace of Seyruun. I write a short letter to her, deciding not to tell her exactly what I have found.

Dear Amelia,

During my quest for a cure I have found a ghost town of sorts, located a few days travel through a desert. It contains some very impressive libraries and temples. I have learned a few new magic spells, including this method of communication. Some relate to curing curses, and may prove useful. I will communicate with you again soon.

I sign my name and roll the sheet of paper. How would I attach the letter to the dove? I notice several pieces of string on the shelf that escaped my initial observation. They were probably used for the same purpose. Apparently the previous inhabitant of this home either carried on important correspondences or was simply incredibly powerful and lazy.

I draw a quick breath and prepare to cast my first Divine spell as I go outside. I concentrate on Flarelord Vrabazard, whose presence I can faintly feel if I concentrate. I suppose that's why Filia's group of Golden Dragons paid him patronage over the other Dragon Lords. Leaving that thought behind, I focus on Amelia. I did not focus on her typical clothes, as she might not be wearing them. I focused instead on her face and her power. I felt that I had focused on her presence adequately, and I continue to concentrate on making sure her presence did not fade from my mind as I chant the incantation. "You, who controls the origins, who must come, who must go; With your power of flame, Obey my order and bring that one to me; Come forth, my ally!"

Because I feel the Flarelord Lord most clearly, not to mention that this town was obviously related to him somehow, I used the phrase "your power of flame" instead of a different phrase more befitting of a different Dragon Lord. I manage to restrain my excitement to the point that I thrust my hands out and will the dove to appear. For all my work, I almost expect a dramatic or extremely pronounced magical effect. Instead, the dove simply appears there. I manage to maintain my thoughts of Amelia, even while I attach the note to the dove's foot with the string. I will the dove to fly, and it does so at an incredible speed. If, as the book maintains, the dove maintains that speed, it could arrive in Seyruun within a day.

I think about my next move. I could ask for help from my friends, or I could take the books in my pocket astral dimension and go to Seyruun. I instinctively and impulsively decide against waiting, let alone immediately asking for help. However, I should think through this logically. How could I ask for help? I did not see any other sort of communication spell, so I would have to show Amelia where I was. Amelia would know my location, and she could eventually round up my other friends. I guess some sketches and a precise map would work. I should probably make those anyway: at some point, people should know of this town. And I wouldn't want to take the chance of a human memory. Besides, I may desire someone to come to the city without my presence, even if I decide to go to Seyruun.

However, the only way for Amelia to accomplish this would be to use her royal standing. She would most likely be forced to say what she was doing. Even if such coercion did not occur, she would very possibly talk to people about it. Hell, she may even do so in some sort of royal conference, or even a justice speech. I sweatdrop as I mentally picture Xellos politely asking her for the location, and her answering him with pride or general cheerfulness. That was of course unlikely, but I could not take the chance. If the Mazoku took objection to the discovery of Divine magic, I would quickly be killed by either Xellos or one of the remaining Dark Lords.

That clinches it. I would travel to Seyruun with the books. Going to Seyruun would be very helpful, even without the aspect of Divine magic. I could receive assistance from magi of the white magic capital, research my cure in its libraries, and look into my feelings of Amelia. Besides, Seyruun's very location makes white magic less difficult to cast, and makes the results more powerful. Hopefully this would apply to Divine magic. I of course decide to prepare at once.

My first act is to determine whether the books will resist decay outside of the city. I assume that a Divine protection spell was cast on the city before the previous inhabitants left, I assume to fight in the Kouma Sensou. Either the spell is extremely powerful, or the Flarelord decided to maintain the spell until someone eventually found it and learned from it. I wonder if he did not try to tell the Golden dragons that still followed him, or whether they ignored that message. I wouldn't put it past that Supreme Elder of Filia's.

I cannot determine whether the protection field applies to individual objects or the area itself, only that it exists, with the now-identifiable essence of the Flarelord. I decide not to risk one of the books from the library in a test, and so I take one of the copies of the books from the temple and hold it well outside the gate. For good measure, I take one of the statues. Neither shows signs of decay. Perhaps the decay would not be immediate? With that idea in mind, I leave them several paces outside the city gate.

I spend the next few days studying and practicing the beginner's Divine magic, this time allowing myself a few breaks of my beloved tea. I also plot the city with my sextant, and sketch a few buildings, the gate, and the city itself. I check the statue and book of the desert. The paint on the two was slightly corroded, but the objects were still strong. Apparently the Flarelord's power is great indeed, as he seems to have protected everything within this town.

Despite this reassurance, caution is necessary. Fortunately, there are duplicates of many books. I take one copy of each such book and set them aside. I also take the time to copy several curse-removing spells from the others. After two days, had a good supply of material that could vanish with no real loss. Somewhat impulsively, I add a few statues and a few copies of the temple books. Amelia would probably appreciate them. It would also never hurt to appease Lina's greed.

I shift the large collection to my astral pocket dimension. With that, I leave my room. As I walk through the city, my thoughts wander to the various possibilities. Other magi besides Amelia would certainly be interested in Divine magic. Slyphiel, of course, would be at the top of the list. Filia might want to get involved, and perhaps Milgazia would as well. Lina would probably not be especially enthusiastic, and of course Gourry would not care. As I leave behind the ghost town, I realize that I have a great deal to consider. Seyruun is at least a few weeks travel from here, so I will have plenty of time to mull over everything.

Author's Note:

My short one chapter story kinda ran away from me. I decided Zel would find Divine magic only while writing this chapter. As I wrote that first part, I thought what his reaction would likely be, and now I've got plenty of options for the sequel. Too many, probably, but hopefully it'll work out. A beta-reader, or someone to read over some of my ideas, would be really great. The last paragraph shows a bit more of my own thought process than that of Zelgadis.

Hopefully I'm not taking too many liberties. The only good information on Divine/Holy I could find was at QP's Slayers Page, her great Dictionary of Magic. I incorporated that information into the fic, and since Divine magic is greatly superior to white magic, I'll simply take white magic spells and removed certain flaws. I'll probably end up making my own spells, such as the Divine summoning spell of my own creation. I'm not sure if that was appropriate or not. I've come across references to pocket astral dimensions, but I'm not sure if they're canon.

Thanks for reading, and please share your ideas and opinions by reviewing.