Upon returning to the relative quiet inside the house, Zelgadis pulled his logbook out and started to write thoughtfully, moving across the room to sit at the table. Amy walked into the kitchen, and popped back out with a cup of coffee, which she wordlessly set beside the chimera.
        He looked up and over in time to see her red braid swinging as she walked quietly back into the kitchen, and he shook his head. How much did she remember and just repress… and how much was still lost to her? He picked up the cup, sipped at it, looked at the liquid thoughtfully, and then set the cup down. She made a good cup of coffee. He’d never asked Lina to make him coffee before. Still haven’t, he corrected himself, scribbling another note in the book.
        Zelgadis paused writing in his logbook when the door opened and Ian walked into the house. Upon reflection, Ian was fairly old. White-haired and heavyset, Ian looked well the part of the jovial old shopkeeper that he was.
        “Well, hello son! Did you make any progress today?” Ian asked upon spotting Zelgadis sitting at the table, the merchant’s brown eyes flickering with the unspoken concern that Ian had for the girl.
        “Some,” Zelgadis admitted. “I know at least part of what happened now, and I’m not sure that I like it.”
        Ian walked over and laid the book and pencil that Zelgadis had requested on the table beside the youth. “What’s the part that you know?”
        Zelgadis glanced back into the kitchen, seeing Amy stick a spoon into a pot and give the contents a stir. He looked back at Ian. “Apparently, it was a high-level Mazoku. A demon, more or less.”
        Ian didn’t look at all surprised. “Oh, aye. We’ve got them all over the Balck Forest out there. It’s named for Old Man Balck, a sorcerer that was around these parts about ten years back.”
        Zelgadis frowned. “What more can you tell me?” He flipped a page in his logbook and started to write.
        “Well, you see… Old Man Balck… he used to be the top-rate sorcerer around here. Used to be looked up to. Pretty powerful, he was. But one day, some fella came to town, saying that he was looking for Balck. Turns out that Balck was using real bad magic when no one was looking, and this guy was out to take the power away.”
        Zelgadis stopped writing and looked at Ian. “So what happened?”
        Ian shrugged as he sat at the table. “No one knows. Never saw the kid again. But rumors of a demon lived in the forest, controlled by Balck. Could have been what was left of the fella, I suppose.”
        “So why would Lina have gone into the forest?” Zelgadis wondered. He looked up from his notes on the woods and frowned. “What’s in the forest?” He pressed.
        “Some old ruins with a lot of magical stuff, from what the stories around here say. Others say there’s a book older than the known world. Whatever it is that’s in there, it’s guarded by that creature,” Ian replied offhandedly. “Or, that’s what some believe. Others think that it’s where Old Man Balck hid his magic things. Me, I never gave much thought to it.”
        Zelgadis sighed. “That’s more than enough for Lina to go headfirst into the forest without much in the way of a backup plan. Unfortunately, she’s about the most greedy person that I’ve ever met.”
        “Zelgadis Greywords! You’re mean!” Amy stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. “You take that right back before I fireball you!”
        Zelgadis was so surprised that she’d used the family name that he hadn’t told her, and that she’d threatened him with a fireball just like Lina would have that he didn’t have an answer forthcoming.
        Her eyes narrowed, and for a brief instant, two tiny mage-marks appeared under her bangs. “Fireball!”
        The resultant ball of flame burst on Zelgadis, charring him slightly, and before he or Ian could react, Amy had squealed and grabbed up a glass of water to douse the smoldering chimera.
        “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, Zelgadis! I don’t know what came over me… I’ve never done that before…” Amy spluttered.
        Zelgadis sat dripping in the chair as Amy attempted to dry him off with a napkin and absently wondered if Fate enjoyed herself when it came to him.
        Ian shook his head. “Amy, love… let him go change clothing and you get dinner on the table. Go on, son. We’ll be waiting for you.”
        Zelgadis glanced to Ian. Does nothing upset the old man? Pah… leave it be. It’s better to just let it go. If I confront her now… she might retreat further.
        Amy stepped back from Zelgadis, looking at him worriedly. “I’m sorry…”
        Zelgadis rose and smiled faintly at her. “I’m fine, Amy. Don’t worry about it. I’m… used to far worse.” He turned and walked into his room, even more convinced that she was Lina, just fighting herself.

        Dinner was uneventful after that, and Zelgadis was afraid that Amy would push harder at herself, to force the memories farther away. When they had eaten, he looked to Amy. “Are you going to the grave tonight?”
        She nodded slowly. “I go every night.”
        “May I accompany you?” Zelgadis asked.
        She only nodded silently, rising from the table. As she reached for a plate, Ian stopped her. “Go on, Amy. I’ll do the dishes tonight. You two go on.”
        Amy nodded and looked to Zelgadis. “Are you ready to go now…?”
        Zelgadis stood, nodding and they headed out to the churchyard.
        As they walked, Zelgadis contemplated what he could say to her. A thought came to his mind, but he didn’t get to voice it. Instead, a voice that he only barely heard caught his attention. “Behind you, chimera!”
        Senses on alert, he spun, right hand reaching for his sword, left hand catching Amy’s arm and pulling her behind him.
        The world’s ugliest monster was standing in the air. He felt Amy stiffen behind him, felt her wrench herself free of his grasp and heard her frightened voice. “That’s… that’s a monster!”
        “Get out of here! I’ll hold it off!” Zelgadis called back to her, readying his sword. As she took off running for the house, he called the astral vine spell on his sword and allowed his anger to feed on itself. He wasn’t one-third demon himself for nothing, and he had a big grudge to hold against this creature. Either it, or something like it was responsible for the death of Gourry, whatever had happened to Lina… and well, Zelgadis wasn’t too displeased over the death of Xellos. He’d never quite liked the fruitcake anyway.
        Not surprisingly, the creature wanted nothing to do with him. It started after Amy, only to be drawn up short by Zelgadis’ sword-point as the chimera hung in the air before it. “This is not your fight, chimera.”
        “I’m making it my fight,” Zelgadis countered, casting a fireball at the thing before glancing back to see how far Amy had gotten.
        She was frozen, watching him in the air. As he frowned, she shrieked.
        Something knocked into him, and the only thing that saved him from harm was that stone skin of his. Turning back around, Zelgadis snarled at the Mazoku. “You killed Xellos and Gourry. Why do you want to kill Lina?” It took a swipe at him, which he dodged.
        “Lina Inverse killed Garv and Hellmaster.”
        Zelgadis rolled his eyes. Not that old grudge again. You’d think the Mazoku would figure it out. “Lina didn’t kill either of them!” He ducked another attack, fired another fireball and looked at the Mazoku. “Hellmaster killed Garv, and the Lord of Nightmares killed Hellmaster. Hellmaster asked her to!”
        The monster growled. “You are in my way. Give me Lina Inverse!”
        Zelgadis brought his sword up, the red-black blade slashing at the monster, only to miss. Somewhere in the back of his brain, he realized that the monster wasn’t based on the physical plane. His only choice would be to attack it on the Astral, only he wasn’t prepared, and the Ra-Tilt would take him a moment to cast.
        He brought his hand up, drawing on the power around him and from within. “Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite. Everlasting flame…” He saw the incoming claw moments before it grabbed him, pinning him in midair.
        “Zelgadis!!” Amy shrieked, freezing on the ground below him.