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    <03/16/1972 – 03:25 | Queens, New York, United States>


    "We''re almost there. How is she feeling?" Nyar had to project his voice in the car to overrun the noise of the elevated engine cruising him through the highway. Focused only on driving, he left her care up to Jane''s friends. Not much time had passed since their departure, but in another moment, the three of them will be out of sight.


    Taylor checked Jane''s hands in the darkness to see if they were still glowing, but the black fingerless gloves she wore were dampening all available light from the spark show in her hands earlier. It was possible that Jane was already healing.


    Danny checked Jane for a fever holding her forehead. She was still warm, though not as much as before. The sweat all around her skin was drying up. Somehow, Jane was getting better already, and she was more conscious than before. "A little better for now."


    Nyar held the wheel while turning to the exit leading to the airport entrance. "Good. I need her to be able to walk on her own without much support. If people suspect that Jane is sick, they won''t let her on the flight."


    Nyar really does think of everything when he needs to. Danny prepared Jane to move, making sure she would be capable, but while waiting for Nyar to pass the checkpoint leading into the parking lot, Nyar dropped the full gravity of their situation right there.


    "Don''t forget one thing," he reminded. Making sure all three of them were listening, Nyar counted the remaining balance in his pocket before paying for any tickets. "I''m sending all three of you to Sprawn Valley, but after that, I won''t even have enough to send myself anywhere."


    "I know," Danny recalled. Nyar did hint at it earlier. It''s not the best of situations, but it will have to do.


    "This also means that I can''t pay for any other trips off of Sprawn Valley for a long time. Once you''re in, you''re in to stay, understand?"


    With her energy slightly restored, Jane sat up straight, affirming her rehabilitation despite the stinging sensation on both her hands. "I''ll be sure to keep you posted on everything that happens out there Nyar."


    Danny remembered Nyar''s number by heart, and luckily, Sprawn Valley doesn''t charge for any external calls. "I''ll call you too Nyar, every moment I get the chance to. I''m not leaving anyone in the dark while we''re there."


    At least he finally understands that magic can be a dangerous weapon... Maybe this is for the best... "Danny? I know you don''t want to hear this right now, but I must apologize for any trouble I caused you and your friends earlier."


    "Don''t worry about it Nyar." Danny figured he might feel bad about it, but Nyar is at least ordinary in feeling fear from such a powerful tool. "If magic can be dangerous, it makes sense to why some people would reject it. But we''ll fight to make it safer to use. We''ll stop anyone who tries to take advantage of magic in that way."


    "And you will do so without taking any harm or dying." Nyar had to affirm one thing. Failure or injury is not an option for anyone. "No matter what, you stay alive in there no matter what it cost you. Even if you want to fight for something noble, don''t put yourself at any risk. Don''t fight for what you think is right unless it directly protects yourself and the people you actually care about."


    Danny agreed before Nyar could continue, as they were now parking in one of the lots. "Alright! I won''t die or do anything stupid, and the others won''t either."


    "Good to hear." Nyar and the others hopped out of the car as he locked the vehicle to prevent theft. He then made sure that Jane could walk on her own power. She was capable, but slower moving than the rest of them. Nyar made the three of them promise their own safety while heading all the way to the flight terminal. He purchased the three tickets with the credit he had available, and entered the boarding plane to seat everyone. The flight attendant checks passes and tickets before initiating the take-off procedure, but Nyar knew he wasn''t coming with them. He only needed to make sure that they would be seated in areas without appearing to be suspicious. Right now, only this plane is scheduled to head to Junon Airport.


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Frost Maiden ~ Derek & Brandon Fiechter [Winter Wonderland]</a>


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    Once the three of them were getting seated up, Danny realized that several more minutes would need to pass before the ticket checks would even begin based on the current time and estimated time of departure. Nyar was about to leave them alone, but he stopped him first. "Nyar!"


    Nyar turned around nervously, wondering what the problem was... Jane didn''t look different from before, but something in Danny''s expression seemed too curious to pass up. "What is it?"


    Danny knew he should have asked this question before, but Nyar would have probably dodged it up until now. There has to be a more specific reason for all of his recent behavior. "What happened between you and Leray magic? I get the sense that you used to be accepting of the whole thing for some time."


    Danny is still as sharp as ever, and Nyar could only stand there with a blank expression on his face... It was so long ago from now, but why does he want to know? Everyone usually has a reason for distrusting in the magic system... With a long sigh, Nyar accepted the invitation, assuming he wouldn''t be booted off the flight before he could finish his story. It should be fine, since passengers are still boarding at this time.


    Danny tried again to bring Nyar''s personal story out. If there is any real reason that they should be concerned about Leray magic, it should be heard. "Come on Nyar. It''s best if we know what we''re going back into."


    "Fine, but only the short version." Nyar could see all their faces light up. They really were curious to know what happened all those years ago. Nyar held on to both seats'' opposite ends of him to relax part of his body. He felt like he was about to dive into a long flashback, but it probably can''t be helped here.


    "Her name was Yuel Biion," Nyar announced. Immediately, dread painted new expressions on Danny and Taylor''s faces. They already went to their assumptions, but Nyar continued to tell the story. "When I came to America, I wasn''t all by myself. I brought Yuel with me, and for some time after we arrived in New York, we both got married to each other."


    "What happened to her?" Taylor couldn''t help but ask, and there was much worry in her voice. She made it sound like Yuel must have died somehow in a tragic event, but given Yuel''s current absence and never any mention of her, that must be the case, right?


    Sadly, Nyar didn''t try to correct or reassure Taylor''s assumptions. "Yuel Biion quickly got into the concept of Leray magic, a lot more than I did. I was never really into that stuff at any point in time, but if she loved it, I couldn''t hate the idea that much of letting her practice magic. I still had to stay in New York and finish my training as a lawyer. Yuel on the other hand wanted to train being a Leray wielder in Sprawn Valley. So we technically had to split up in order to make that work. I don''t mean split up as in leaving each other alone."


    None of them were asking anymore questions, though they were totally engaged so far. Nyar felt he had to keep going, further bringing back the memory of his wife. He could imagine the beautiful way she saw the world back then. "We never changed our last names of course. Yuel wanted it that way in respect to her family name, and I agreed. But she would study Leray magic, occasionally drop in to New York to see me, and then head back to continue her training and research."


    "Yuel held herself down in the prestigious city of Eldora, though I have no idea what her real skills or capabilities were. She didn''t look like much of a fighter, more of a worshiper of magic. She was so happy with the ability to practice all sorts of amazing spells and skills."


    Jane could partially relate to that feeling... But perhaps it was more than that. She could see a sudden glow in Nyar''s face, like he was a totally different person right now. "I wish I could have met her."


    "But about seven years ago, something was off. She called me one night. I''ve never heard her sound so distressed before. That spark she had in her voice wasn''t there anymore. She sounded so depressed and nervous. When I asked her what was going on, all she could tell me was that she was poking around in her research one day; must have been the wrong time or place. She just kept telling me that magic wasn''t what it seemed, and it could be far more dangerous for everyone than what we realized. She said that some kind of government conspiracy was involved with the mage council. I didn''t understand what she meant at the time, and she was trying to be quick, so Yuel wouldn''t provide me with any details. I of course freaked out and urged her to come home where it would be safe."


    "I''m guessing this was about dark magic," Danny translated.


    "It would have to be. Two nights after that, I kept calling the agent department in Eldora City to get in touch with Yuel... And they told me that she had been killed in an accident." The shock and gasps came then to the kids, but Nyar couldn''t let this go. "The bastards wouldn''t tell me what was going on, so I flew myself to Sprawn Valley myself to check it out. I learned that on that night, Yuel Biion was killed, apparently by the use of magic. And that got me thinking very quickly. According to what most people know, magic cannot be used to cause physical harm to or kill other people. That was the specified norm of Sprawn Valley society. When I dug around more to learn the truth about dark magic, I understood what happened. The only thing I was missing was why it happened."


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Nyar could feel tears about to flood into his eyes, but he put that energy instead to his balled fists, ready to punch whoever was responsible. "Yuel was killed with dark magic, and it was likely linked to the fact that she was investigating what that cover-up was all about. She also said it was centered on the mage council." They still don''t understand. "I''ll spell it out for you three. Whoever killed Yuel used dark magic, and I''m betting on the fact that her killer is part of the existing government of Sprawn Valley."


    "No way!" Danny kept his voice to a minimal whisper, but what Nyar was claiming is dangerous news if it''s true.


    "Well they were covering up the existence of dark magic only to a low level, but maybe this lunar magic was something a lot more secret. Either way, Yuel''s death was kept on a low radar as well, and it never made any headlines. Care to bet which person was in charge of Sprawn Valley that day? His name is Brash Danton, and I bet he sounds familiar to all of you."


    Jane had to sit up and defend the claim. "No Nyar! Brash Danton would never be capable of something like that!"


    "You know him that well?" Nyar waited for her response, but even Danny and Taylor were silent in the matter... Even they can''t fully trust Danton. Yet they are willing to work for him. "I don''t know the man myself either. Apparently, civilians or immigrants have no rights to speak to the higher-ups. I continued trying to investigate this so much, that it brought dangerous attention to myself. I had no choice but to fly back to New York, but I swore that I''d be able to prove it one day."


    Danny nodded his head in disapproval. "I won''t believe that Danton is capable of murdering someone to cover something up Nyar. I just can''t do that. I have met him at least, and he seems to be honorable enough to never use dark magic. He''s completely opposed to it."


    "And how can you be so sure?"


    "Well," Danny started, "I''ll ask the man myself when we get back to the tower. I am going to make sure I run this down with everyone."


    "You better be careful how you do that. Because if I''m right and you ask that question to a killer, your body will float up in the ocean, and then I''ll kill everyone in the Sprawn Valley government."


    So he lost someone important to him over dark magic... Danny could sympathize easier now with the sense this made from before. Nyar doesn''t want to lose Danny or anyone else to magic. But that won''t happen. "I won''t die Nyar. I promise."


    "That-a-boy!" Nyar rubbed Danny''s hair a few times, as if to quickly pet a dog.


    "Nyar?" Jane called. "I''m sorry that this happened to you. Let me be the one to ask Danton instead. If anything happens, I can use my symbol to stop them, if they really are traitors. I know they''re not, but I have to be sure after hearing that. Danton has been leader for almost ten years now. A lot could have happened."


    "Then I expect you to follow the same rules of caution Jane. Do not take these people lightly. You can''t trust anybody but yourselves these days."


    "I''ll remember that," Danny promised.


    Nyar was momentarily distracted by the high voice of a flight attendant a few meters behind him, going around asking people for their passes. It''s finally time to leave them. "I have to go now. You all make sure Jane doesn''t get stopped by any TSA agents in Junon... Oh, who am I kidding? They''d probably be okay with people walking around with guns over there. I have to go now."


    Danny didn''t want Nyar to leave them now, after everything that''s happened... But he really can''t afford the ride here, and Jane''s currency is locked only to Sprawn Valley right now. "Yeah. Take care Nyar!"


    "Oh, sir? Can you please be seated?"


    Nyar faced the lady with his small suitcase in one hand. He already gave another case of supplies to Danny for safekeeping, but this is where he gets off. "No ma''am. I''m only here as a temporary escort. It''s time I leave the flight."


    "You don''t have a pass?"


    "Nope. I''ll be going now." Nyar squeezed himself past the lady through the narrow isle, and proceeded to walk to the exit of the plane connector. After everyone''s passes have been confirmed, that connector will disengage, and the flight will be capable of taking off after taxying to the runway. Nyar knew they couldn''t hear him anymore, but he glanced back slightly, and whispered good luck to those brave kids. "Stay safe out there."


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Aerial Drift ~ Tigerforest</a>


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    After another five minutes passed, the plane was already beginning to take off from the ground as everyone was seated with their safety belts firmly buckled, but everything Nyar just told them left Danny in deep thought about it all. In another moment when the plane flew higher, a groaning sound snapped him to attention.


    Jane was sweating again, her eyes locked shut and her entire body shivering. Taylor noticed just as soon as Danny did. Jane''s fever was returning, and without those gloves, her hands were probably sparking up again. There shouldn''t be any possible magic involvement happening. Maybe even with that symbol, the use of lunar magic has devastating consequences on the body. All Danny knew is that this was a troublesome situation.


    "Here." Taylor offered Jane one of her fresh icepacks, given to her by Nyar who anticipated this possibility. "Just take it easy for now Jane."


    "I''ll try." Jane managed to understand everything and speak back to her friends, being fully conscious this time for this return of hell on her body. She felt warm herself, yet unable to stop shivering as if she were locked in a freezer. Her skin felt like it had pins and needles poking at her every nerve, though the sensation was still more intense towards her hands.


    Danny nervously glanced around to make sure they weren''t drawing attention to themselves. "Just try to keep it down Jane. I know it hurts, but we can''t look like you have a serious problem." He kept his voice down too in case anyone was listening to him. He didn''t need to explain that the panic of noticing a sick passenger on board would be enough to turn the plane back around. There isn''t time for that. They would never let them proceed if they realized that Jane or her friends don''t have a legal guardian escorting them back home. Danny at least knew what to do once they land in Sprawn Valley. In fact, Jane should begin to feel better again the moment her body enters that veil... Then again, that''s just a hunch from Danton. Can he really be trusted?


    "Danny? Taylor?" Jane had to struggle just to speak at this point, her voice already weak and hoarse. Even with Taylor trying to get her to relax, Jane didn''t want to sleep or slip away to unconsciousness. She had to know the truth. "Is it all true what happened before? Did I really use magic on those horrible people?"


    Danny thought they had cleared that up already, but Jane wasn''t able to return to herself all at once in the living room, so maybe she forgot some of it. "You invoked your symbol before you did, and I don''t think you were fully conscious of what was happening during that moment. If you ask me, the only thing that makes any sense is that you invoked pure lunar magic. According to Danton, lunar magic can be used without a veil anywhere in the world, usually only once and at the cost of that person''s life."


    "So I''m dying?"


    "No," Danny reassured. "We both think that your symbol has something to do with the way you were able to use it so often. It''s probably keeping you alive right now. Then again, we could be completely wrong. These are just guesses until they find out what your symbol is really for."


    "Oh..." Jane felt uncomfortable still. "Still... those bandits wanted to cut me up and torture me. I can remember everything before I attacked anything. But I don''t know why they were targeting me."


    "I can''t answer that." Danny was left in the dark about some things too. Right now, nobody is sure of anything anymore. "We know they were a unit of the Scarlet Cult, operating without magic as some sort of spy or research unit in New York City, but they knew your face. It''s possible they knew it from that publicity reveal you pulled on national television. Or it could be that they recognize you only as a person of interest, brought about by Stanley Marx, or that Heather chick who took Geiger. Truth is, I don''t know."


    "We shouldn''t worry about it until you get better." Taylor knew she would have to be the one to try and get Jane to relax, but it''s understandable as to why she won''t want to. Even back home, there are probably a few ordinary people who won''t accept Jane knowing that she is marked.


    "I''m more concerned about Nyar''s story, and Yuel''s murder." Danny couldn''t stop thinking about it. Sure, it''s one of those mysteries he can''t get anything out of, but something doesn''t feel right about the whole thing. It''s not the story that''s suspicious, but the things Nyar couldn''t find out on his own. "She was killed with dark magic, and that obviously points to some kind of criminal... I don''t think that it was someone from inside the mage council or within Eldora Tower. It just doesn''t make sense."


    Taylor and Danny began arguing back and forth the same concept; what made more or less sense in the end, and it kept Jane quiet for a while. "But she was killed right after finding out that dark magic exists."


    "But here''s the thing. I know that a lot of Sprawn Valley people don''t like talking about dark magic, yet Jane knew about that concept during her enrollment in school. Eliza was able to confirm its existence as well... I know this happened seven years ago, but I think the people already knew about dark magic to begin with. It doesn''t make sense that Yuel would be upset to learn something the public might have already known. At least that''s what it feels like. The secrets she probably was about to uncover could have been something bigger than dark magic."


    "But Nyar specifically thinks it is dark magic. I mean, what else would have put Yuel away?"


    "No," Danny corrected. "I''m not saying that Yuel was killed by anything other than dark magic. What I am saying is that she must have been onto something deeper; a secret far more valuable than dark magic. I can only think of three possible scenarios that make sense in that. I don''t like the first one, but I also think it''s unlikely."


    "What is it then?" Taylor begged.


    Danny narrated through all of them reluctantly. "Scenario one. Nyar is right about all of it. There is some kind of internal cover-up involving the murder of Yuel Biion. Somebody killed her because she learned something that the government didn''t want her to know, and she became a liability. Whether it was Danton or someone else, it means that everything we''re trying to do is already compromised by the existence of a double agent working in the higher government, which means the secrets are already compromised to the parties we are supposed to be fighting against."


    "And what''s number two and three?"


    "I find it far more likely that Yuel was killed by a different party, some kind of criminal that, at that exact time and place was trying to gather information illegally on the same secrets she was going for. It still would make Yuel a liability to that party, because she could - no, she actually did panic and call Nyar to give him as many details as she could. Whoever was spying on Eldora''s staff or infrastructure to learn these secrets must have noticed Yuel in the way during their operation, and they silenced her to make their job more covert."


    "But who is they?"


    "It could be anyone. A member of the Scarlet Cult, a rouge military unit who got too involved with dark magic, or even an ex-member of the government. Scenario two and three are the same except for the target of secrets they were looking for. Yuel either learned something specific about the origin of Leray magic, possibly something about Eldora''s crystal core. Or, if scenario three is correct, they learned instead that lunar magic is possibly more powerful than dark magic and Leray magic combined."


    "Lunar magic? But I thought people can''t actually use it."


    "That''s the official story we hear. Everyone in Sprawn Valley is taught that lunar magic isn''t possible to use, otherwise everyone would be using it. And I think that''s how it works... Except, if that''s true, it makes Jane the anomaly in that claim. I know that her symbol is responsible for unlocking her ability to use lunar magic, but I don''t know why or how. Maybe there is something about lunar magic that we don''t know, something that Danton''s team does understand better than we do. And as of recently, I heard Danton claim that the use of lunar magic is possible outside of the veil, though it would still kill the same people trying to use it. So that claim coming from him means the information taught to everyone in Sprawn Valley is a lie. The question then becomes, how do you use lunar magic, lethal or not outside of the veil? I bet that has something big to do with how Jane is able to use that symbol to invoke lunar magic."


    "Danny..." Jane couldn''t believe the route he was taking to try and figure this all out... And he was already saying some interesting things so quickly... His deduction powers are amazing!


    Danny glanced at Jane for a moment with brief concern. "That symbol you have was meant for the Scarlet Cult. Geiger ruined their plans and gave it to you instead, but if you try to think about this with all malicious intent, I bet they were researching symbols and lunar magic together, trying to merge the substances into some kind of stable method that would allow them to use lunar magic anywhere in the world for whatever they want to, all without having to face the obvious side effect of death during invocations. That must have been their plan all along, to get the upper hand on a destructive kind of magic. What worse than something requiring no veil?"


    What a horrible and disturbing thought! Jane couldn''t believe it if it were true. Is this symbol really all that powerful? That all this time, it wasn''t designed for MP conservation or power shields, but something as horrible as world destruction? No, that''s too big, too ambitious even for the Scarlets. They would never use harmful magic on innocent unarmed people. What would they ever achieve by doing that?


    "I don''t want to alarm anyone," Danny added. "I''m just thinking out loud for now. When I face Danton again, I need to know what questions to ask him."


    "And if you''re wrong," Jane reminded, "there would have to be a double agent in the mage council."


    "Wrong? I said one of three scenarios. One of them has to be right."


    Taylor nearly chuckled and replied, "That''s cheating. To say any of them is possible and just go with whatever is the truth."


    "Fine," he answered. "It could be anything, and I just don''t know."


    "We''re going to find out, as soon as we land in Sprawn Valley." Taylor felt so sharp knowing what was going on around that place, but her thoughts were everywhere at once too. She also reminded herself that their special JDT suits were all waiting for them back in secure storage, as well as their supply spheres and currency cards. Everything that is a part of them and their lives in Sprawn Valley are right in Eldora City, near the south exit. It would feel so good to be able to invoke magical powers again. But then this flight is going to take hours long in the air. Hopefully Jane doesn''t get any sicker or draw any attention to anyone else.