Vivi and Zentarou appeared just outside Alexandria. A quick look around revealed the Hilda Garde just pulling into port. They quickly made their way into the city and to the palace, where they met up with the group just entering the palace.

"I'm back, Zidane," called Vivi, waving as they jogged over. "And I brought help " They quickly joined the group.

"Vivi says you need my Expand Matter spell," Zentarou said in greeting. He eyed the crystal Kuja held. "So that's Mist."

"You can replicate the Mist we have?" asked Kuja. Zentarou nodded, then looked at the other Black Mages. A lot of them were pretty ill, having to be supported or flat-out carried in. Vivi had to choke back a sob when he saw his sons... and abruptly coughed, hard.

"Master Vivi?" The fit was short-lived, but put alarm in all their eyes.

"I'm okay," he assured, which was not believed. "We've still got a problem. Zentarou has never heard of Soul's Mastery." The cat apologetically shook his head.

"I've heard of a meditation technique called Soul's Control, but not a spell," he elaborated. "A friend of mine named Syn'Rae taught me how to use it. True, it enhances concentration, and relaxes the mind, but it's no spell."

"Perhaps you could show me," asked Kuja. "Many memories of mine are locked away, and the spell we seek might be one of them."

"Sure. Once those who are ill are settled, we'll find somewhere quiet and I'll teach you." Soon the pair went to a quiet spot in one of the palace gardens to practice the meditation Zentarou had mentioned, while everyone else went to search through Dr. Tot's books, searching for any reference to Soul's Mastery.

Vivi was searching through one thick tome when suddenly he felt the need to cough again. Quickly he buried his face in his arms, trying to muffle his coughing fit, which stole his breath and made his eyes water. When it passed he glanced around, but it didn't look like anyone had noticed. He panted a bit, then returned to his searching.

I can't get sick, he told himself. If I can just hold on until the spell is cast, then everything would be okay. He coughed roughly again, and this time Beatrix, also looking weary and pale, took notice.

"Vivi?" He tried to say he was okay, but couldn't stop coughing. She thumped his back a couple of times, and that seemed to help, as did the water he drank once he could find a second.

"I'm fine," he finally said. She frowned slightly, but the expression in his eyes kept her from commenting further. She merely nodded and returned to her own searching. Vivi glanced around again, noting that there were only eleven other Black Mages total who were up to the search, and more than one looked as if he was fighting off the illness. If three fell ill, all was lost.

Vivi searched harder.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Near dawn, Zentarou still worked with Kuja to use the meditation technique. The Genome refused to quit, no matter how long it took, and Zentarou knew that he could reverie when he needed.

They sat side-by-side in the palace garden, legs crossed, arms and hands relaxed in their laps. Zentarou, when they first began the exercise, lamented that they had no incense as his teacher used, but it couldn't be helped.

"Forget the matter at hand," he instructed, eyes closed as were Kuja's. "Ignore the press of time, the sounds of the world, ultimately even the sound of my voice. With each breath, relax a different part of your body, beginning with the legs and going up. When you were totally relaxed, focus on the sound of your heartbeat, and nothing else. You should feel a vague sense of floating, or tingling in your body. Now begin." Kuja knew all this; Zentarou had repeated is over and over each attempt. Each failed attempt, Kuja reminded himself, as he tried to focus. He just couldn't block out the world, the coughing and moaning of sick casters without, the feeling of urgency within. It was like being caught in a tornado, buffeted about in the maelstrom of wind.

The image stuck in his mind, of himself in a whirlwind. He could see the eyes of the storm, the center of calm, and tried to move towards it. But it was so hard. Every moan of a caster made the whirlwind spin faster, pull his further away from his goal, every inch gained hurt.

No! He conjured up a mental image of Eiko, so ill and weak, and of Vivi's sons, all caught in the winds. Each pass in his mind made them weaker, and he told himself that is he wanted to help, he had to break into that center. It hurt to push against the storm's walls, hurt terribly, as if his heart was being torn out. But then after one agonizing shove - he broke through!

Kuja stood in the calm, watched as the turmoil swirled around him. He felt focused, able to think.

Soul's Mastery, he asked the calm. What is it? Do I know, somehow, somewhere? Tell me! Show me! A book materialized in the calm, and he knew what it was instantly. Without a touch, the book opened, pages flipped, filled with every dark and powerful spell he'd ever known, now forgotten, to stop on a page. When he looked, his heart felt a cold fist of fear squeeze it, and he reached up... to tear the page out!

With that the whirlwind blue furiously, irresistibly drawing him back in. It tried to rip the paper from his grasp, tried to deny him the information, but Kuja held it with both hands to his chest, curled his body around it and let the maelstrom take him...

"Kuja! Kuja!"

Kuja slowly opened his eyes, surprised to see that it was dawn. Zentarou looked at him in concern, apparently having been trying to rouse him for some time. "Are you okay?" Kuja nodded, then simply said,

"I know Soul's Mastery... and we're in trouble."