"Just who in the hell are you?" Ramza asked the overlord raising his weapons of a Chaos Blade and Excalibur.

"They call me many things, I suppose." the Overlord assessed, "I am the hate that fills your human hearts with bitterness, yet I am the emptiness that your apathy creates. I embody what is the human spirit, all bitter and twisted. The answer to your calls for damnation, the harbinger of disease and sickness. You may be permitted to call me Cespai, the Plague Overlord, the one all of Ivalice shall answer to."

"SHUT UP!!!" Corlan screamed enraged as he lunged at the Overlord. Mercans, or rather Cespai merely batted the silly adventurer aside as he looked at Ramza, "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for me."

"Wha?" Ramza inquired confused but still with his guard up.

"Altima, you remember the Bloody Angel, don't you?" the Overlord answered smiling while showing his blackened teeth, "Do you know how much trouble it is getting competent servants in a time like this?"

"Altima, was your servant?" Ramza spoke in disbelief. He had thought that the Bloody Angel was his own master, but it appeared wrong as Cespai stood before him.

"Not a terribly strong one, but still competent." Cespai continued, "For killing a servant of the Plague Overlord as dictated by Demonic Law, the murderer IF human, shall be punished by death. Ready yourself YOUNG noble, for I shall rend your head from your shoulders and fulfill the punishment."

Before Ramza could move, Cespai quickly appeared and proceeded to beat the daylights out of the young Beoulve. Throwing Ramza into a wall, Cespai took his time as he took off his mantle and hood to reveal his true form, a hideous demonic beast. His muscular body was coated with fluid, and eyes glared from multiple places across his body. Cespai's head had two horns growing out of it and his eyes were large and dark. They soon looked at Ramza with evil glee.

"Do you really think you humans are a match for a REAL devil?" Cespai taunted, "The Zodiac Monsters are nothing compared to OUR power. We are the real chaos behind your problems, the cause of your hate and bitterness toward one another."

Cespai then felt someone approach from behind as he flung an arm out to smash the person against another wall. It was Meliadoul.

"Ah, Vormav's daughter." Cespai smiled, "How delightful to see you. Your father is quite well, would you like to see him?"

"SHUT UP!!!" Meliadoul cried out as she calculated a Holy spell to blast Cespai and to heal Ramza and herself. The blasts came quickly as Meliadoul felt revitalized. She then saw Cespai standing looking at her annoyed.

"That little spell of yours hurt..." he spoke as he rubbed his side, "But that's what it is, a LITTLE SPELL."

The demonic overlord then started to beat on Meliadoul as he delighted in her cries of torment. A twist here, a stab there, and Cespai felt happy again. he was so happy that he failed to realize that two lancers were descending onto him. Their lances crashed down onto him with a fury. The two lancers then jumped back to their places of origin.

"You lowlife lancers..." spoke Cespai in an angry tone, "You'll go next."

Ramza came up from behind with his Chaos Blade as he slashed Cespai in the back to spill filth and bile from the wound. Cespai laughed while he fought against his pain.

"I am poison, therefore, it runs through me." he grinned at Ramza, "I commend you human, it's not everyday I am hurt this badly. But you have only made your death that much more agonizing for you. And your hell will become much worse than you realize."

As he started to advance toward Ramza, Cespai then stopped. He looked upward and nodded, "It appears you were spared this time, due to my king's orders. You should thank him for letting you live just a bit longer. Farewell pathetic nes."

With that, Cespai disappeared into the darkness laughing at Ramza and the others who accompanied him.

Ramza slowly went to Meliadoul's side and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Meliadoul responded as she looked to see Carmen and another lancer over Ramza's shoulder, "Thanks, everybody."

The lancers nodded as they looked at Meliadoul with smiles. Then, a cry could be heard coming from Corlan. The group came to him to see Alma trying to restore Gwen to health with Corlan holding the white mage's hand.

"Please, don't leave." Corlan sobbed, "I still need you... I-I-I love you..."

Gwen, who was bleeding heavily looked at Corlan with tired eyes and started to weep, "I've waited for you to say those words to me for the longest time... but it is too bad that it was when we had to part..."

"NO!!!" Corlan interrupted Gwen, "Don't die, not like this! Please... don't..."

"Goodbye..." Gwen whispered as her eyes closed in slumber.

Ramza and Meliadoul watched on in sorrow at the death that had occured.

Ramza searched himself and pulled out his Zodiac Stones. There was no reaction to the situation as had happened with Malak and Rafa's sorrow.

Nothing could be done as Gwen's body formed a crystal that lighted the dungeon.

Corlan wept as he bowed his head at the crystal that had taken Gwen's place. His sorrow could be felt by the group as his eyes met the crystal. Slowly, he accepted the last gift that Gwen had offered. There, Corlan sat motionless as the others watched.

"Sometimes, there are no happy endings." Carmen spoke looking on.

It had taken them a little while longer to find the entrance to the priest's hideout after what had happened. The hideout was a stone castle that appeared in the dungeon, which seemed odd to them. Anyhow, they manged their way up to the castle's front door. in the party were Ramza, Meliadoul, Alma, and Carmen. The other lancer, whose name was Bob, and Corlan both headed out of the dungeon for other ventures they did not discuss with Ramza and his band. It was understandable to Ramza that such events could change a person, for he himself had been through hardships of loss. He then focused at the task at hand: Restoring the forms of those lost to the Morbol Plague.

After they knocked on the door, they could hear the shuffle of feet and someone tripping followed by the sounds of one falling down the stairs.

The sounds of "Kupo kupo." could be heard softly from inside as someone or something came to the door. The door was finally swung open dramatically by an old man with a long gray beard on his chin and a hand to his head. Moogles could be seen behind him looking on in curiosity.

"What do you want?!" snorted the old man, "I fell down the stairs to get to you hooligans. So what is it?! Out with it!"

Ramza felt somewhat intimidated as he formed a question, "Um, could you possibly know if a priest lives here?"

"I am the priest for crying out loud, BOY." the old man responded, "Name's Fil. Nice to meet'cha. NOW GET OUT!!!"

The door was slammed shut in Ramza's face. He then knocked again, and Fil then opened the door for him once again.

"What is it?!" Fil snarled in anger.

"We need your help." Ramza spoke, "If you'll help us."

"How much you paying?" Fil asked crossing his arms at the request.

"Huh?" Ramza grunted.

"ARE YA HARD OF HEARIN', BOY?!!!" shouted the old priest, "I don't do services for free you know."

"Hey, what's with this guy, Carmen?" Meliadoul asked Carmen.

"I said he could help us." Carmen whispered, "I didn't say he did charity."

"I'm willing to pay your asking price." Ramza continued his conversation, "Given it's reasonable."

"What do ya want me to lift?" Fil asked as he spit to the side, "Curse, disease, what?"

"Can you lift Morbol Plagues?" Ramza questioned Fil.

"Easy." Fil replied with a toothy or rather toothless smile.

"On all of Ivalice?" continued Ramza.

A look of shock came to Fil's face, "That's gonna be a problem."

"Why?" Ramza wanted to know.

"Well, for a spell that big, I'd need some pretty special ingredients for my spell." Fil answered as he walked into his castle, "Most probably don't exist anymore."

"Tell us and we'll get them for you!" Alma said energetically.

"You hear of the Chosen clans?" Fil started to lecture, "Well, their hairs were the primary ingredients in my spells. And just the other day, I was robbed of my last supplies of Chosen hairs. Also, before you go looking for Chosen people, I know that there aren't any left. I get reports every so often and I found out that the last survivors of these clans were killed in battle."

"They were?" Ramza asked with his spirits diminishing.

"Yup." Fil responded, "They died some months ago, in an explosion from what I heard."

The group bowed their heads in sadness. Hope was practically lost to them.

"There is nothing we can do?" Carmen asked looking at Fil with tearful eyes.

"Not that I know of." Fil answered, "Both clans are gone. Boy, I miss the talks I use to have with them."

The group spent their time in sorrow as Fil started to recall his good old days. They were too busy in their own misery to listen to the old man's spiel. Meliadoul felt worse off, but then decided if she was going to go, she would at least have courtesy to listen to Fil's stories.

She heard Fil's story partways in. He was talking about the time he was cutting one of his chosen friend's hair. While she listened, she heard part of the name of the friend, something Banes.

"What was that friend's name again?" Meliadoul asked Fil.

"Oh, Balbanes..." Fil continued onward in his lecture. Ramza's attention perked up immediately.

"Balbanes?" he said, "As in Balbanes Beoulve?"

"Yeah, why?" Fil answered looking at Ramza strangely, "What's it to you, BOY?"

Ramza was ecstatic, "He was my father!"

"Really?" Fil questioned, "Hmm... so you're Ramza. Not impressed."

"Forget about that!" Ramza continued, "We still have a chance!"

"Oh yeah," Fil smiled, "We do, don't we?"

"Are you sure you can cover Ivalice with the spell?" Ramza asked with his spirits high.

"Oh... Is that all the hair you've got?" Fil said examining Ramza, "We'll need more."

Alma, who had heard the conversation then joined in, "I can offer some too. I don't mind a trim."

"You're a Beoulve too?" Fil spoke in astonishment, "My informant is losing his touch. He said you died."

"We can do the spell, right?" Ramza asked again.

"Umm, let's see..." Fil said as he went over to a spellbook and opened it to the 'M' section, "Ingredients... chosen hair, moogle fur, eye of newt, powder of esuna, and... ohh."

"What?" Ramza and Alma said together in unison.

"We need someone who has the virus on them." Fil responded shutting the book, "I suppose you don't have that."

"Wouldn't a person with the virus be a Morbol?" Alma asked.

"Yup." Fil spoke lowering his head, "Too bad for us I guess."

"Couldn't we grab a morbol then?" Alma suggested.

"It needs a PERSON with the virus, not a morbol." Fil answered the cleric girl.

Everyone became depressed again as they had come so close to getting the cure to the plague. Meliadoul sat on the floor and remembered the time she saw that abomination of human and morbol take place. She remembered the horrible figure with sharp teeth...

"What's that stench?" Fil spoke sniffing the air, "It smells like... like... filth."

The others started to notice the smell as they began to sniff around. Their noses led them to Meliadoul who felt offended by their conclusions.

"That's uncalled for!" Meliadoul spoke embarassed at the stench.

"No, I think I know what this is..." Fil said with a smile, "It's the Morbol Virus!"