The elf directly behind Vivi lowered his bow.

"Face me, slowly." Vivi obeyed, and turned completely to face the elf. Tall and fair skinned, the brown-eyed and brown haired elf was unfamiliar in all aspects save one: an emblem stitched into his clothes over his heart or a crimson ring encircling the branch of a tree.

"Rycharde's crest," Vivi blurted out in recognition. The eyes of those around his narrowed slightly, but a few, at a gesture from their leader, lowered their weapons. The elf knelt to look Vivi in the eyes, touching the symbol with his gloved hand.

"You know this crest?"

"Yes. It's Rycharde's. I saw Zentarou wearing it, only it was on the right side of a diagonal line, with the Triple Rings on the left."

"Hmm..." The elf studied the Black Mage for a bit, then stood. "Follow me." Instantly all but the elf, two other elves, a fox, and a raccoon slid back into the trees, and practically vanished from sight. Those that remained stood all around Vivi, in a pentagon formation with the elf at the point, then began to lead him through the woods. They didn't follow a set path, or any path at all, and Vivi thought that they passed the same tree several times. But he didn't speak, and neither did they. Eventually, the sounds of music, sounding like a guitar-like instrument, reached them. "We're almost there." Within a couple of minutes, they reached a clearing where more elves and Sir'Kai, mostly foxed and other stealthy types, were gathered, all wearing clothing similar to his five escorts. Two were very familiar to Vivi, however, and weren't foxes or raccoons.

"Vivi!" Zentarou Cat, the gray-furred, blue-eyed, prince of the realm stood up from where he'd been leaning against a tree. "It's great to see you." His escorts let him by so Vivi could jog over to clasp wrists with his mage brother.

"It's great to see you too, though I'm not here for the purpose of a visit." The cat's ears tipped down slightly as he took in Vivi's concerned tone. Rycharde, Zentarou's uncle, set aside the instrument that had been resting across his lap.

"Tell us what happened," he said. Vivi sat on the grass with them, and told of the illness, of his dream, and the Mist Crystal.

"I remembered the spell you used to lengthen a bit of cord when Dregan broke his leg."

"I remember that."

"I thought - could you teach me the spell, or give me a scroll of it, or something? We have such little Mist to use." Zentarou smiled kindly.

"Learning the spell could take a while, time I don't believe you have." Vivi's shoulders slumped. He hadn't thought of that. Zentarou patted his arm. "So I'll go with you, to cast the spell myself." The Black Mage blinked.

"You - you will?" Zentarou nodded. Rycharde chuckled.

"I guess you were right." His odd statement to Zentarou caused Vivi to tip his head curiously. "When I hear of mysterious incidents in my realm, I and my Hunters investigate." Rycharde's Hunters nodded in agreement. "For some reason, my dear nephew insisted he come alone." Zentarou chuckled.

"I felt like mother was nagging at me to, just like when I was a child and wouldn't go to bed or take my bath." He looked at Vivi. "And you saw her. I know you did, because you described her exactly as everyone else who has seen her in spirit has. She wants to help you, so I will too." He smiled. "All casters are family, after all" Vivi smiled in return, then blinked as he remembered.

"Oh yeah. Zentarou, have you ever heard of a spell called Soul's Mastery?" The cat, and many of those listening, tipped their heads and blinked curiously.

"No." Vivi sighed.

"So we still cant sure everyone. Queen Adreana said that the ten casters would control the Mist using a spell called Soul's Mastery. Without it, the Mist will cover the world, like before, and make everything horrible."

"There's only one person on Talsdia who might have heard of the spell," Rycharde said, "but getting to Him would take a while." Vivi blinked.

"Who?" Those listening chuckled.

"His title is, in elven, Ela Drymaril, which in the Common tongue literally means 'He who is most respected,' or more simply He. He's the eldest and wisest of all the elves, age unknown, able to cast the most powerful spells known. If any here would know of the spell, it's Him."

"But He lives in the Elven Capital," Rycharde added. "To get there, from here, on horseback would take about a month or so."

"I can't wait that long."

"And you'd still have to learn the spell," added Zentarou. Vivi was silent, thinking.

"The others might have found something by now," the Black Mage said at last. "We'll just have to see." Zentarou stood.

"Then lets go," he said, helping Vivi to his feet and placing a hand on his shoulder. Vivi double-clicked his side, concentrating on Alexandria, and the two mages vanished.