The earth hadn't moved in two days. The five traveling companions had been battling the constant earthquakes for days, but lately they had been silent. Clef had gone back to being his normal, crabby, silent self, but it seemed to the four girls around him that now his old self was a front for something hidden deep within. He treated the Magic Knights the same, but there was always a spark of light in his eyes when he spoke to Emerria. Especially when he was reprimanding her.

"Hikaru-san," said Fuu softly. "How much further?" Fuu and Umi were lagging behind again, something that had been happening alot.

"Fuu-chan," Hikaru answered "I'm not the one you are supposed to ask, remember?"

"I don't want to ask *him*." Umi grumbled under her breath.

"Clef-san." Fuu asked more loudly so the sorcerer could hear her. "Master Clef-san? How much further?"

"I truly don't know right now." he answered. He couldn't know since the earth stopped shaking. "Maybe this is a fruitless quest." he thought to himself. "Maybe she has already been found."

Then the mornings queries were answered by the earth's rumbles. A large earthquake, larger than any of the previous ones ripped through the land and it began to fracture.

"Earth Calming..." Emerria whispered as she leaned down to the earth and placed her hand palm down on a newly formed hill. Suddenly, as sudden as it started, it stopped.

The others turned to look at her; Even though they hadn't heard the words, they knew that she had something to do with this. They could see an afterglow from a small wave of light that had come from her body that still surrounded her, and she was standing upright. Within the glow, she radiated power.

"Eme-chan! That was great!" squealed Hikaru.

"YEAH!" echoed Umi.

The glow around Emerria died and she walked towards them. "I know." she said softly. "I can feel her burning within me."

Clef looked up at this remark. "If she is in her, why do we have to find her?" he thought to himself. Emerria was just looking at him as he sunk into his thoughts.

"She told me to give you a message." Emerria said to him as she came closer. "She told me to tell you that you aren't doing your job." By this time she was standing so that she was whispering directly into his ear. "You aren't doing your job, my love..."

Clef looked up with startled eyes and pushed Emerria away with a heavy swing. She fell to the ground and stayed there as the Magic Knights looked between them with shocked faces. They began to approach Emerria but as she raised her head, they could see her eyes were vacant and burning with a deep red glow.

"Oh, you!" she said and began to cackle. "*My love*!" Emerria looked at the group as she began to glow with a deep red haze. "You never know what you will find in the back of a host's mind."

"WHAT ARE YOU!!!!" screamed Umi.

"Me?" the Emerria thing looked at the group. "I am an earth devil!"

Clef looked at the three Magic Knights and began to scream over the din of the Earth Devil's cackling. "An Earth Devil is a demon that was sealed in the earth! Apparently the loss of the great spirit caused the seal to be broken! They can posess any thing and take over the hosts body! The only way to get them out is to cause the host pain and drive the demon out!"

"But that's Emerria!" screamed Fuu as the Earth Devil threw a ball of energy at them.

"I KNOW!!!!!!!" Clef yelled as he raised his staff.

"WAIT!!!!!!!"

"LIGHTNING STRIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A large energy discharge from Clef's staff ripped through Emerria's body and the four companions heard an inhuman scream come from the air around Emerria's body. The body jerked in convulsions and it was as if she was being controlled by puppet strings.

"Clef-San! Let me try!" Fuu tried to begin her healing spell but Clef ran and grabbed her arm. "If you do that it will heal the body with the spirit in it and the spirit will be stronger than ever!"

"I understand, Clef!" yelled Umi and Hikaru.

"Fire ARROW!!"

"WATER DRAGON!!"

As the two attacks ripped though Emerria's body, a large black spirit-shadow released itself from her body and Emerria's mouth flew open and screamed for herself. As she fell from the air that the Earth Devil had floated her body in, Clef ran towards her and caught her. She was battered and bruised, singed and nearly drowned. But the Earth Devil still remained.

"Attack the black shadow." Clef said as he looked up, still holding Emerria in his arms as she cried softly in pain. "Fuu, come here and heal her!"

Hikaru and Umi attacked the black shadow and Fuu ran towards Clef. The black shadow screamed in inhuman frustration as its existance came to an end.

"Wind of Healing." Fuu's healing spell swirled around Emerria's body and her bleeding and bruised body began to heal. As they did, Emerria opened her eyes.

"Please tell me all of you are alright." she said as she stood back from Clef. Her eyes were back to normal and she looked at her stunned companions with deep regret. "I wish I could have done something..."

"Its okay Eme-chan." said Hikaru. "None of *us* were hurt."

Emerria turned to Clef. "I am SO sorry. I wish I hadn't said that."

"You had no control, Emerria. I realize that." He put his hand on her shoulder. "Never blame yourself when you have no control. At least I got the message!" he said as he smiled.

Tears welled up as she hugged him tightly. "She said to tell you also that she wishes that you could find her where she resides." She shook her head within his shoulder. "I have no earthly idea what all of that means!"

Clef looked at the shaking cascade of red hair in his arms with startled eyes. His hands were in the air as if he didn't dare put them down at his sides nor on her body. He was frozen from her contact. He wondered why. He had hugged her before, and she had spent a great deal of the time that she had known him and the Magic Knights hurt in his arms. But for some reason, this was different. All of this passed over his mind in a matter of a second and he realized something. "Don't worry." he said softly as he wrapped his arms around her lightly. "I know what it means."

Emerria looked at him with tear-filled eyes and he laughed. "You do?" she said questioningly, her lip quivering.

"Yes, I do." he said smiling at her. He let go and stood back. "I know exactly what it means. Why don't we take a break and make camp for the night."

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