The church also writes of a heretic and ruffian, Ramza Beoulve, and they condemn him.
Professor Alazlam Durai discovered about a year ago that the personalities of these two individuals were misshaped by church records, and Ramza is the true hero, while Delita was a manipulative tyrant.
The church covered up Ramza's deeds in Ivalice, but when he was forced to flee to another continent, things changed for Ramza and his friends...
Join Professor Alazlam and his assistant, Watson, as they research...
CHAPTER 1
PROLOGUE
Professor Alazlam Durai inhaled deeply as he got off the boat that had carried him far away from his University study in Igros, Ivalice. He had been at sea for almost three weeks before the ship had docked in Porta Vista, the local port in the northern area of the new country he was in. This country was called Zeratul, and it was much more technologically advanced than Ivalice was.
Professor Durai was a history buff. He wanted to know as much about it as possible. In fact, it was this interest that had led him to research Ivalice's infamous 'Lion War,' and publish a new report that pretty much reversed the church's written records.
The church had written the history like this; a young man named Delita Hyral appeared during the Lion War and ended it on his own, then became a powerful king. However, Durai, with the help of his friend and trusted assistant, Watson, had researched enough to come to a different conclusion; Delita was not the kind grandfather-like figure the church made him out to be.
First of all, Delita had a friend; Ramza Beoulve. The church merely blows him off as a heretic and a blasphemer. Durai and Watson found that this was because Ramza kept a monstrous entity from conquering the world by keeping the legendary Zodiac Stones out of the church's reach. Also, Delita was a twisted and manipulative person, who tricked people into doing his dirty work for him. And the last and final thing was that Delita had killed his wife, Ovelia, and assumed total control of the country. These are the reports that Durai and Watson had found in Olan Durai's book, The Durai Report.
"Ahh, this is a real nice place!" Durai's assistant, Regis Watson, said as he walked off the boat and stood next to his friend. "I will enjoy our stay here."
"Remember, old friend," Durai said. "We're here on a mission."
A mission, indeed. Alazlam had received word from a friend of his that lived in Zeratul that a few documents of interest had been found in a previously undiscovered chamber of the capital's library, which was over 500 years old. The documents had something to do with a subject that Durai was familiar with, his friend had said. Durai had decided to use his sabbatical to come and see these documents.
As the scholars rode the bullet train- a fantastic new device- Durai's mind drifted back to the story of Ramza and his companions. Ramza may have been hated by the church, but he had a lot of people that traveled with him and cared for him...
Agrias, Princess Ovelia's bodyguard, who Ramza rescued after she had failed in her duties to protect the princess...
Alicia and Lavian, Agrias's two aides, who were as devoted to Agrias as any knight could be...
Mustadio, the genius engineer who helped Ramza find new things all the time...
Rad, the apprentice of the Dark Knight Gafgarion, who Ramza had to defeat, and Rad had decided to travel with Ramza and learn from him instead...
Rafa, an exotic Heaven Knight who Ramza had rescued. She seemed to be very devoted to protecting him and the others...
Malak, Rafa's brother, who cherished his sister more than himself...
Orlandu, a skilled swordsman who had earned the nickname "Thunder God Cid" among his peers...
Meliadoul, a mighty swordswoman who had joined Ramza to find out what happened to her father...
Beowulf, a Temple Knight with a taste for adventure...
Reis, a Dragoner, who Beowulf protected with all his muster...
Worker No.8, the Steel Giant that Ramza and Mustadio had revived, who did everything it could to please its masters...
Cloud, the mysterious time traveler that no one really could make heads or tails of...
And Alma, Ramza's devoted sister, who was the only other surviving member of his family.
"They couldn't have just vanished where Olan's report ends," Durai said. "There had to be something else that they did..."
"We're here, Alazlam," Watson said, getting up. "I should think we'll go to the library and meet your friend."
Durai and Watson walked into the massive library of Berkana, Zeratul's capital. Books and scrolls were stacked up from floor to ceiling on all four sides. Even Durai was surprised.
"Alazlam! Regis! You guys came!"
Durai turned and saw one of his best friends, Atremis Katrea, walking towards them. "Atremis, how are you, you old salt?" Durai asked, the two shaking hands warmly.
"Never been better!" Katrea laughed. "It is so good to see you get out of the old university once in a while!"
"Well, I was very busy," Durai said. "Remember my report on the Lion War?"
"Indeed!" Katrea said. "I read that over five times. Magnificent work, you two. In fact, your report is the reason I sent for you."
"Really?" Watson asked. "What is it?"
"I'm a historian at this library," Katrea said. "But I'm also kind of an archaeologist. I discovered a hidden chamber beneath this library where the most sacred and renowned texts lie, and I found a book..."
Katrea leaned in very close, so that only Durai and Watson could hear him. "...A book about the young Beoulve and what happened after the Lion War!"
"Surely you must be joking!" Durai exclaimed. "No one wrote any more about Ramza after Olan was eliminated."
"No one in Ivalice, you mean," Katrea said. "Apparently, Ramza had quite a few adventures after he fled your country. Please, come with me."
Katrea pulled out a flashlight and motioned the other two scholars to follow him down a long flight of stairs.
"I'm not as interested in Ivalice's history as yourself, Alazlam, but I knew that you'd think this is a gold mine," Katrea said as he motioned the others into a room about 7 floors below the regular library.
"Why do you keep it down here, out of reach of the common folk?" Durai asked.
"The Zeratulians are very... emotional about lying and wrongdoing," Katrea explained. "If they found out about this, they'd be practically swimming over to Ivalice to give Ivalice's branch of the church an earful."
"Well, when you put it THAT way," Watson chuckled.
Katrea plucked a rather large, dictionary-sized volume off a shelf and blew the dust off the cover, which everyone reacted to in a wave of coughs. "Here it is," Katrea said, handing Durai the book.
Durai wiped some of the more stubborn dust off the cover with his sleeve. The gold-leaf letters on the cover read:
As told by Cinna Garnomm
Written by Cress Woodrow
"Cinna Garnomm?" Durai asked.
"A renowned Zeratul bard," Katrea explained. "He wrote and sung ballads to honor things and people. Well, I'm sure you'll be wanting to check in to your hotel, so go ahead and take the book with you. We're closing soon, anyway."
"Thank you, old friend," Durai said. "I hope this is as huge a discovery as you put made it sound in your letter."