《Leray World》


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    All material is copyright ? by the author of Leray World: The secrets of Leray magic and immortality


    Dylan FrendoThis story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    October 30, 2018


    {Content Edited in June 2024}


    Official Revision Version: 09


    Royalty Free: The cover image was altered from a royalty free image.


    All rights reserved


    This is book #1/19 of the official Leray Series.

 About Chapter Theme Music System

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    I have included various links to excellent music for chapters and moments within chapters to match the mood and tone of the current moment. It will show as "Chapter Theme Music: (Title) ~ (Artist)", followed by its hyperlink, and is meant to be played on loop until changed. The chapter theme music will often shift mid-chapter for these changing moods. All of this is for the convenience of hearing some badass music from a dynamic playlist, though it is totally optional as well.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    A very small handful of this music is also unidentified in all aspects of track data and true source, though I will update links to attribution if this changes later.


    It may also be in best interest to make some use of a Youtube adblocker extension, or something like FreeTube ~ as their ads may get in the way of listening.


    Enjoy the adventure!

 Chapter 0: Prologue

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    To the judges of this world, I bestow to thee a riddle. What are we?


    What is meant by the term ¨C "magic"? Why does something only simulated fascinate every one of us? Some think of magic as strings of numeric code; data. Others believe it manifests inside of every living creature. And others gaze upon its power, recognizing a force to resemble the reigns used in the deepest depths of Hell. What shall we believe to be the meaning of this existence? Are we part of this segregated dimension, or is magic simply smoke and mirrors?You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Mankind may dwell on the question someday. But then, I feel the need to apologize in advance. Not everybody has a soul clear of mental debris. The dark hearts of those we entrust with great power will use this magic to create the nightmares of twisted revelry. Magic is not something out of a fairy tale, nor is the matter as simple as witchcraft and wizardry. The conspiracy of magic is deep, while the potentials of magic are endless; for both our families and those who desire to enslave us.


    Then again, I still wonder... When did everything get so crazy? What was the point of no return for us? This burden we carry, is it right to keep this hope alive? You may wonder and ask, what exactly is magic? But there are more pressing questions that take higher precedence. I must instead ask; what are we?

 Chapter 1: Tidal Max

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    <12/17/1971 ~ 18:49 | Atlantic Ocean ~ International Waters, Tidal Max>


    A long and loud crash of gentle ocean waves flushed off the port side just below his ears. The sound of the moving sea was soothing enough to get lost in a perpetual chain of thoughts whirling in eternity. Danny absorbed all of the sights and sounds from the deck of where he stood, enjoying the ride on the ocean through its peaceful atmosphere. With his eyes wide open and a smirk of satisfaction, Danny watched the mid-day sunset taking effect in the far distance in front of him. Time has already passed into the late day stages.


    Danny enjoyed such tranquility despite not being alone. The massive cruise ship in the middle of the ocean housed thousands of sea borne souls sailing in serenity just the same, all with similar goals and destinations. Known mostly for its growing popularity of traveling the entire world as a water taxi service, the Tidal Max is one of the largest and most stable cruises in the ocean, and as always, the ship is setting sail from one country to the next.


    Only those with reservations or a lot of cash could join the voyage, but the reasons for sailing were well founded within the services. A ship that houses up to 2,100 passengers, outfitted with a diving pool on one side of the deck, an observation relay, an indoor restaurant with a five star rating, and a large casino in the same general area made the pricy trip worth the sacrifices to board the vessel. For adults or children, the Tidal Max is the best place in the world to have a vacation while traveling all at the same time.


    Danny Mason is a fifteen-year-old boy currently hailing from Kalamo, a small country in the farthest reaches in the southeast Atlantic Ocean. Danny has lived there all his life, and though it is his home and family location, it was finally nice to get away from it all. Kalamo is not a very popular place in the eyes of outsiders, being that Kalamo is a suffering island dried up of all valuable resources currently ruled by the Bruma dictatorship. Since the 1940''s, Kalamo has only been able to maintain its own economy with everyone devoting their lives to that of anglers. The freedom there to start a private business is nonexistent. Even after thirty additional years, little there has changed in the political structure and nature of citizen lives.


    He shook the thought of home away. Danny was already on his destination to New York in the North American region, making the thought of home futile for the purpose of the trip. The United States of America was getting popular due to its growing freedom, as well as its total victory during the cold war early of 1961. Danny could only remember bits and pieces to that kind of history as to how the Soviet Union lost in the cold war - which caused the collapse of their communist movement earlier than anticipated. After driving both nations into a state of economic decline, it was only a matter of time and strategy before one side would have to stop developing weapons and military power. But even so, bits of Russia still remains communist in its purest forms. Ever so has the shift in defense maintenance helped improve the rate of technological and industrial growth of the super powers in the last century.


    Danny had never been outside of Kalamo before, and now he was on his way to a new location in New York to visit his uncle Nyar. Being taken care of was just part of the business, and this was Danny''s big chance to finally travel as he had always wanted to since he was a child. Kalamo gets stuffy rather quickly with available land diminishing, making this trip all the more exciting.


    Taylor waited for the automatic door to swing open to the outer deck. The fresh air forced its way into that part of the ship, and brushed right into Taylor''s face. Bringing her the smell of the ocean and the feeling of fresh air, Taylor welcomed the breeze and showed herself outside on the pontoon while her eyes adjusted to the brighter light source. Just to the side, leaning gently on the guardrail at the edge of the cruise, Taylor saw her lifelong friend standing in silence and thought. The slight angle of the sunlight reflected his face perfectly, showing off his short cut dark brown hair and his weekly tan while the light bounced off his hazel colored eyes.


    Taylor Feer is of the same relative age as Danny Mason, and she is even from the same general location in Kalamo. That is how they were capable of growing up together and becoming such close friends. Taylor had the same exact idea in mind about traveling, and she even had her destination set exactly the same too. She was given permission from her parents to travel with Danny all the way to New York City, where Nyar would take care of them both for the excursion. Taylor got to travel away from Kalamo, which is a favorable option for anybody living there today, but she also got to do this with a trusted asset to make things much more interesting.


    "Sucking up the view? Here I thought you were too busy trying to fake your age into the casino again."


    Danny recognized Taylor''s voice immediately, but he still turned around to address her properly. Taylor was a brunette with blue eyes, and slightly taller than he was, but Danny always welcomed Taylor''s company whenever he was alone anywhere. Taylor''s blue eyes were refracted in the yellow sunlight glow, beaming back to him with radiance. With a slight humph escaping his breath, he answered, "Where''s the fun if I already know I can pull it off?"


    Taylor denied his confidence with ease while stepping closer. "Yeah right! You couldn''t sneak your way past my grandma if it were a Sunday night during her soap opera." Taylor realized that Danny was far more interested in the attractive females hiding out at the casino than actually gambling, though she didn''t want to bring it up again after what happened several hours ago.


    "Whatever you say..." Danny turned away again at the sun, stretching his arms out far from exhaustion. Too much happened today anyway to dwell on it. The next stop will be New York, and he knew that himself and Taylor were both curious to see what the country of the United States will be like. "I''ve had enough fun for one night. I can''t wait until we get to New York."


    "I wonder what it will be like over there!" Taylor added excitingly. "How much longer?"


    Danny answered Taylor as best as his memories could gather to his mind, and that was assuming he did not read the pamphlet incorrectly again. "We should be there in just two more days. I''m going swimming tomorrow by the way. Might as well with this much time left."


    Taylor let a brief moment pass, rethinking her entire day over from start to finish. "I''ve never been on a cruise before, but I absolutely love it!"


    "Hahahaha," Danny laughed at Taylor''s comment.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Wha- What''s so funny?!"


    Danny answered her with a brief nodding of his head. "I''ve never been on one either, but you''re just now choosing to compliment this water taxi? Talk about zoning out. Your mom always warned us that you did that too much."


    "Hey?! I wasn''t zoning out!" With just a short second, Taylor stopped tensing up and shifted her side towards Danny. "Never mind." Taylor seemed to be ticked off from the tone in her voice, but if Danny knew Taylor at all, that would only last for five more seconds.


    "Anyway," Danny continued. "It''s almost seven PM. We should go back in and get some rest."


    "You mean you can actually sleep? After still not making it to America?" Taylor had her arms folded, but she sounded a lot more curious than she was upset, proving Danny''s predictions about her short-lived anger.


    Danny interjected, "It''s still two days away Taylor. I''m not going to get all nervous and excited until it''s that time."


    "Who said I was nervous?" Taylor defended.


    "Well I''m not the one acting like a spaz today."


    Taylor glared at Danny with a chastising look in her eyes. "Look who''s talking, board flopper." Taylor''s choice of word for board flopper was really a reference back from two years ago, when Danny tried to fit in better with the cool kids crowd, and failed miserably. Not even aware that no such initiation existed, as neither did their makeshift gang of 16-year-old men, Danny was told that to be in with their popularity, he had to do a triple kick-flip on a skateboard off of a curb and land it first try. Though he was used to riding a board all the time, his skills in performing tricks were still not so great. Without even considering anything, Danny decided to just jump right in, certain that he could do it despite never performing one successfully before. After landing flat on his face, he had humiliated himself in front of the same people he wanted to impress. Maybe if he wasn''t so impatient and immature, he wouldn''t have been asked to ride a skateboard so dangerously in the first place.


    "Oh stop," Danny interrupted. He began walking back to the sliding door while assuming Taylor was going to follow him from behind. "At least I still haven''t lost our only key card."


    Taylor couldn''t help but blush a little from that earlier incident. On the first day of their cruise, which was just yesterday on the Tidal Max, Taylor ended up misplacing their only key card for access into their sleeping quarters. For irresponsibility, Danny ranked that mistake higher than his own example, especially since they both had to sleep in the same room, thus having only one electronic card to access their quarters. Danny managed to find it that day at the last second, on the floor in some corner by the restaurant.


    "Let''s just get some rest," Taylor suggested, defeated by Danny''s cleaver memory. Both of them walked back inside of the ship, as the outside area was barely populated at all due to the coming of the sunset.


    Taylor and Danny were both tired, so there was not going to be a problem getting to sleep tonight. Their sleeping quarters were not far away, with a room outfitted with two separate bunk beds on each side to hold up to four people total. The corridors however were built like a maze, making that strong memory of his - very important for getting around on the inside the ship. Danny had to whip out that electronic card he was bragging about earlier, as he swiped it into the scanner to open the sliding door in the first place.


    Even though it was not very late, Danny wasted no time at all in preparing his bed and blanket for sleep. Taylor seemed to be slower at it today, perhaps due to her unreadiness to fall asleep so early in the day.


    Danny checked his big bag that he took with him for carrying items. There was still plenty of cash and water left in there for later, as well as several changes of clothes and another clean towel for tomorrow. Satisfied with the rest of the plan for the big event in New York, Danny decided to lay down and get comfortable in his bed after dimming the lights in the cabin.


    Taylor was still getting her stuff together, organizing what was already in her purse. They were both lucky that Nyar had a lot of money from his job while defending a large business in court. He was practically paying for most of this stuff. Taylor exhaled slowly with fear that the trip back will not be so luxurious.


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Briefing 08 ~ Advanced Battlegrounds OST</a>


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    <12/18/1971 ~ 04:04 | Atlantic Ocean ~ International Waters, Tidal Max>


    Several hours had passed since the same night on the Tidal Max. With the current time and date reading as December 18, 1971, 04:04 hours; on the computer console screen, Captain Sterold of the Tidal Max keyed in more reports for the coast guard.


    Using his small yet powerful ham radio, Sterold held in the transmit key and attempted a communication once more. "This is Captain Sterold of the S.S. Tidal Max. I say again, we are hailing local coast guard seven-seven-zero. Please respond and report your last update on the weather."


    "Heh. Still worried about the weather sir?" Jamaro, the second in command to captain Sterold made a snide remark that the both of them were used to by now.


    Sterold put down his talk set for a moment to respond to his trusted second in command, who has been trained to handle the operations that the captain normally does. "Ah, stow it son. I can''t seem to raise anyone on coms. We''re sailing blind with poor visibility."


    "It''s the international ocean, captain; we always sail blind out here. Based on our sector, you know as well as I do that the nearest coast guard center is miles out of range for communication, even in clear skies. Plus, there were no reports of any bad weather this morning." Jamaro had a good argument; especially since the last weather check was only three hours ago. But the sudden shift in the slow and subtle rocking of a ship this size had Sterold all worried.


    "This is Captain Sterold, I say again. Does anybody hear me? Can anybody respond?" Sterold waited for any sort of a reply back over the encrypted radio transmission, but there was absolutely no response for several moments. The outside view was nearly pitch black, and the sky became invisible in the darkness. Something about the gain in wind speed and the force of the waves did not match the earlier weather description. The weather tracking equipment just had its standard routine maintenance check, so there was not the possibility of a scan error. This cruise is tough, but even Sterold refused to believe that anything is unsinkable. No, sinking over a bad storm would not be likely, but structural damage could still occur, and replacing any section of the hull would become a separate financial issue as well. "Kelly?" the captain called over the control center.


    "Yes sir?"


    Sterold was already giving commands and orders to some of the other people in the room responsible for weather radar, sonar checks, and systematic readings. "Use the on-board weather tracking system, and send a live feed to my desk on the double."


    "Yes sir. I''ll have the data in minutes."


    Jamaro nodded his head slowly. "You''re really that paranoid about an itty bitty storm?" Just on cue, a bright flash of a lightning bolt in the sky illuminated everything just outside of the windows, revealing for a split second to the crew the storm far out ahead in the distance. The size of the new storm was almost huge, and the sound of roaring thunder quickly followed the lightning bolt in the sky.


    For a solid five seconds, the low pitch echoing sound of closing thunder alerted everyone in the room, while another flash revealed the storm to the team once again. The bearing was straight on an intercept course, and Sterold glared outside at the cloudy wave, after which he shifted his gaze at Jamaro. "You were saying?"


    "Right..."


    Sterold reminded Jamaro of another weather factor he might have been leaving out. "Don''t forget where we are. We''re about to pass over an interesting section of territory. I wouldn''t be surprised if the storm turned invisible, changed direction, and blew water ten stories tall all at the same time."


    Kelly gave his status report a little late, but without leaving out important details. "Captain? The storm is growing in size, and we are heading right for its effective range. Expecting large residual waves from wind speed pickup in just five minutes."


    Sterold demanded for more info from Kelly''s data console. "How much speed are we talking about with the wind?"


    "About one mile per hour acceleration every two minutes. It could get up to 66 miles per hour sir."


    Sterold held his hand to his chin in thought, then he walked over to his console to take the controls. "Jamaro? See if you can''t get in contact with anyone around us using the open channels. We''re shifting our course to avoid that storm. And tell our staff to make sure nobody goes outside on the deck or the pontoon. Everybody stays indoors for this ride. I''ll engage the outer door automatic locks myself."


    "Yes sir," Jamaro saluted.


    "Damn meteorologists!" Sterold cursed. "No storm at five my ass. Can''t trust a weatherman, especially to give an accurate report this close range to that sick wasteland." Sterold already began the new navigational program to change course and direction to veer to the right of the storm. "We''re changing course now. It will get a bit bumpy soon."


    With the waves already rising in power and in height, the entire deck of the Tidal Max soon became very busy, though nobody was panicking so far. A cruise ship of this size was designed to stand up to a storm this big, but Sterold was obviously not taking any chances.

 Chapter 2: Crash

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    <12/17/1971 ~ 04:49 | Atlantic Ocean ~ International Waters, Tidal Max>


    "Hmm! Five more minutes," Taylor groaned. Ignoring the mild turbulence she presumed to be someone shaking her to wake, Taylor held her eyes shut tighter, hoping it was just her imagination.


    Taylor''s small rambling in her sleep was followed by the sound of a clunk! She felt something slide onto the top of her head, and immediately came to her senses, realizing something wasn''t right. Her bag managed to slide onto her head, and some of her items were now rolling out to the wooden floor. But what was she doing on the floor instead of her mattress?


    "Huh?" Taylor repeated. She pushed herself upright and took a look around the room, easy to see with a dim night light. It was a little messier than before, but Danny was still in his mattress sound asleep. Something about the entire cruise was off, more like the total orientation. There was some swaying left and right, though slow and subtle. The entire ship must be rocking on waves, but since it is so big, it happens so slowly.


    Rocking on waves was typical for a vessel in the center of the ocean, but for the force to knock her onto the floor with her things was a bit much. Taylor didn''t want to chance that whatever was going on was no big deal, and she woke Danny from his sleep. Somehow, that was even harder to do than it was for her. "Danny. Danny! Come on." Taylor kept pushing him in his bed, rocking him left and right, but it was almost no use. "Danny, wake up!" With one final smack to the face, Danny''s eyes opened up. He sat up quickly while covering his face, perhaps too fast since he nearly hit his head on one of the bunk bed bars.


    "What the hell Taylor? That''s my new alarm clock now?" Danny''s voice was a bit hoarse, though he managed to come to his senses swiftly. Sadly, he didn''t seem to notice the swaying of the ship as swiftly as Taylor wanted him to.


    Taylor was not in a patient mood. Whatever was happening outside to the ship must be powerful enough to rock a boat of this size over and over. "You need to get up. Something''s wrong."


    Danny developed a murky expression that told Taylor she might be crazy, raising one eyebrow as a symbol for question mark. "Don''t tell me you woke me up over a few waves." He could sense it too, the mild swaying of the orientation of the room, something any normal vessel would do in a noisy ocean, so he assumed. "Go back to sleep, I beg of you."


    "These waves can''t be as gentle as you say. The force of it threw me out of bed."


    "That or a bad nightmare," he presumed at a whisper. Before Danny got the chance to lay down like before, Taylor fought him on his carefree attitude, shoving him enough to get his attention.


    Holding the pen that fell from her bag up again, Taylor gently set the utensil on the ground with the cap off while Danny was watching. It was only two seconds until the pen began rolling quickly, hiding somewhere under Danny''s bed. "See? If the waves are no big deal, why is everything so unstable?"


    Before Danny could reassure her that this was normal, Taylor''s handbag followed the pen, as the ship listed to the right more than what either of them were used to. Even in Danny''s mind, while this wasn''t cause for alarm, it was at least unusual, unusual enough to believe Taylor did roll out of bed with help of the storm. A massive storm outside would be the only logical explanation, however, Taylor won''t accept this on its face. "Okay. Say I do believe you. It could just be that there''s a rough storm out there. Want to go see what''s going on?" Danny was only mildly interested, but if Taylor could just assure herself that everything was fine, she would go back to bed in one more yawn.


    "It''s not a bad idea," Taylor suggested. As soon as they both prepared to exit from their dormitory, the announcement bell dinged twice, and the captain raised the intercom.


    "This is Captain Sterold speaking. Attention all passengers and crew: We are currently suffering the disorientation involved in an unforeseen thunderstorm. A light emergency has been declared, and all passengers are hereby grounded to your quarters until further notice. Nobody is to leave their rooms to access anywhere else of the Tidal Max until we have finished navigating out of the storm. Do not panic, as course corrections have already been made. And to clarify, the outside deck is strictly off limits to all crewmembers aboard this ship. That is all."


    Taylor and Danny processed that message from their captain. What Taylor had predicted was exactly the case, only they higher ups were making it sound like a small deal. Taylor fought against the urge to stay in her own cabin. She has never been good being cramp up in situations like this. "That doesn''t sound too good. We need to take a look."


    "But the captain said¡ª"


    "I heard what the captain said," Taylor interrupted. "I mean we need to know how bad that storm is, without going outside." Taylor opened the door from her cabin room despite the orders given to her. This time, Danny was not complaining at all. He even shut up long enough to try and follow her.


    Just when Taylor walked out of the room, Danny followed her from the side, and they both began looking around. They would have a long way to go before accessing a single window from anywhere, the nearest being the domical window attached to one of the many bulkhead doors up a couple of floors of stairs. Taylor wasn''t going near the main common areas, since she didn''t want to get in trouble for disobeying orders with her nervous curiosity. Danny already presumed exactly which vantage point Taylor would be heading for, and kept calm knowing she would calm down with enough time and information.


    Was Taylor really afraid of big storms? Danny couldn''t be certain, but it was clear enough that she was jumpy from the situation, and this meant one thing. Danny knew she''d poke around until she was 100% sure what was really going on. It''s in her nature; Taylor''s best method of keeping herself level-headed is to learn as much as possible or to reassure herself that everything is as it should be. As far as Danny was concerned, a storm is just a storm, nothing to get this excited about.


    In came a jinx meant to challenge his very thought; an unexpected power outage. Since the lights in the halls and everywhere else were the only things lighting up this part of the interior, everything became pitch black.


    Taylor instinctively shrieked from the surprise, but then they both came to the realization that the absence of light was just the absence of power. The Tidal Max is supposed to have a backup generator system that will kick in emergency power any second now, but Danny felt it was best to help Taylor out in this mess. "Calm yourself Taylor! It''s just a power outage..."


    "I knew that."


    "The why''d you scream?" Danny pressured.


    Sensing a poor attempt to tease her, she told Danny, "Cause it surprised me... I can''t see a thing!" Challenging her own statement, the flickering evanescent light of the storm peaked in from above. Just a few stairs away was one of many bulkhead doors Taylor wanted to pry her eyes through in the first place. With the following boom of thunder, they both had their answer.


    "You see? Exactly as the captain said. One big thunderstorm, a little rattling here and there, a power outage, and you''re as freaked out as a five-year-old."


    "I''m not freaked out you big idiot! I just wanted to see how bad the storm was." Taylor didn''t have an easy time reassuring herself with the power to the cruise still totally out, darkening the area around them. With another flash of lightning, she could see Danny creeping up the stairs, slow enough not to hurt himself. "What are you doing now?"


    "Seeing how big this storm is, since you''re so interested. Come on, there''s nothing to be afraid of." Danny thought to himself whether Taylor was always this fearful of storms and darkness, or if it was merely her exhaustion catching her at the wrong time. Without much of a fight, he noticed the girl following slowly behind him.


    It was only twenty stairs to the bulkhead door. These reinforced metal hunks separated the whole outside world from the interior of the ship, so much that the noise of the rain was muffled into a gentle hum of brown noise. It was almost soothing; the ambience would have been serene if it weren''t for the anxiety flowing in their blood.


    Before they could say another word, the outside view from the window lit up again, but this time with a different radiance of light which neither have ever seen before. Amidst the bellowing flashes of light and thunder, glowing green pulsations of light painted most of the immediate interior of the room with its aura. The glowing light held its intensity, flicking slightly without burning out, its source and composition mysterious and captivating.


    Taylor couldn''t understand what that green light was on the other side, though she didn''t have the best view with Danny hogging the only spot he would view it best. "What is that light out there? I''ve never seen something like that before."


    As the glaze from the outside became stronger, Danny lost what sense and words he had for the elegance dazzling his mind. The mysterious glowing unison of magic was beautiful as it was terrifying. Something like this shouldn''t be terrifying to him, but the enigma unraveling around him made his skin crawl with the defying scenes too real to ignore.


    "Danny? What is it? Danny?" Taylor could make out the expression on his face thanks to the brightening glow from outside, and it was an expression she''d never seen on him before. His arms were shaking, his lips quaking, as if he had seen thousands of ghosts just on the other side of this door.


    An irrational impossibility took over every natural thought process of his mind, as Danny became locked inside this cold metal room he never recognized before. Surrounding him were several human-sized capsules and fluid pipes running in mazes to hidden adjacent rooms. The most terrifying view of it all was the glowing green fluid trapped behind the glass, a fluid with the same green glow in the night, the same terrifying energy he knew in his heart all along.


    Singing the same tune as his shaken core, foreign thoughts of his own voice rippled and echoed out before him, certainties about this light which were established in memory, yet missing from time.


    "You better not be messing with me again!" Taylor only hoped it was the truth, with how strange he was acting suddenly. The green reflecting off his eyes revealed to her what strange trance Danny was stuck in, and as she waved her arms in front of his eyes, nothing about his sudden condition seemed to change. Taylor risked a glance out the same window since she was now close enough too, and as mystical as this glowing green hue was, she wasn''t zombified by its brilliance the same way Danny was.


    Even in the pitch black darkness of his surrounds, a place Danny sank into with the unknown weight jostling his consciousness, the magical hue from just outside this door was all he could register. With his hands still shaking nervously, he put his right on the handle of the door, as if to contemplate opening it to the outside.


    "Wait, you can''t mean to go out there. It''s too dangerous to see what that light is in person." Danny didn''t seem to be listening. Ordinarily, he would never get this door to open, since the advanced mechanical designs creates a digital locking mechanism sealing the door tight. The issue is, when the main power to the door is cut, this locking mechanism is inert, and backup power hasn''t kicked in to stop Danny from what he was about to do.


    Struggling his thoughts into fragmented whispers of pain, Danny started to understand all that was around him again, but he wasn''t leaving his trance. If anything, he felt evermore compelled to discover what this mystery light was, why it was overwhelmingly familiar. "The properties are the same. I''ve felt this heat. I know the truth!"


    With a light slap to his face, Taylor shouted to his ears, hoping he would give it a rest with the teasing tonight. "You''re going to start making sense now. I don''t want to know what the light is that badly. Please, let''s go back to our rooms." As Taylor tried to tug Danny''s right arm from the door away, he fought back, still entranced by the light.


    "Find out the truth! See for yourself!" Even though he had no idea where these external thoughts were coming from, the compelling desire to acquaint himself with a broken memory was more overpowering than Taylor''s distress, but it also brought him back to his sense, just enough to have more awareness of what he was actually doing. "That isn''t some normal search light. I have to know what it is." And apparently I''ve felt it before? The logic didn''t have to make sense to him, his very actions partly controlled by something otherworldly, with answers just on the other side. Against the wishes of his friend, Danny used both hands, adjusting his strength and angle to properly open the bulkhead door, totally unlocked without the power flowing to the security panel.


    "Don''t do it you idiot!" Taylor went completely ignored, and Danny rushed through the door, unfazed by the sudden rushing winds of nature or by the slight tilt of the cruise. Out on the side of the deck, piercing rain pelleted the metal hull with such force that the sound drowned out Taylor''s continued protest, so she swiftly followed him outside.


    Finally giving into this requirement to know what was calling to him, Danny tilted his gaze upwards, catching just the faintest glint of this glowing magical light, before it suddenly vanished without a trace. It was visible long enough to know it was there, but its darkening absence left behind a hole inside him, one just as familiar as the memory or dream he thought back to, one that made no sense, one that shouldn''t exist in the first place.


    At the same time, the absence of this light brought Danny to full revelation, his own control restored with the mysterious pull of amplified curiosity removed. "The light''s gone!"


    Even when he was screaming his voice through the rain, the showering sound diluted everything too greatly. "What?!" Taylor knew she had to yell even louder, since she did not hear Danny too well in the first place.


    Still, hearing Taylor''s voice behind him in this cold shower snapped the sense back into him. Turning around, Danny came to terms with his own actions; Taylor and himself were standing on the most dangerous part of the ship in a most gruesome storm. The thought of being thrown off this ship was terrifying in its own right, but the fear of being locked out was much greater, as it was more likely. "We really shouldn''t be out here!"


    "Ya think?! You''re the one who led us out here!"


    "Let''s just get back inside." Danny noticed that he only ventured about thirty feet from the opened door, the hint of lightning illuminating the watery mess flooding into that part of the interior. Before he could move more than an inch, the floodlights on the exterior section of the cruise suddenly blasted on at full power. It was suddenly easy to see in this vacuum of darkness, but this also created one larger problem for the two.


    "Noooo!" Danny realized the issue a moment too late, as the door shut on its own accord, and with axillary power restored, the locking mechanism fully engaged, according to the lock-down orders the captain gave. Slamming his fist on the door with Taylor cursing at him from behind, Danny tried everything he could to get the door open again, his effort fruitless. "Dammit!" Danny aggressively pounded on the door with his defeat. It was more than enough to signal to Taylor just how screwed they were.


    "I told you this was a bad idea! I can''t believe you got us locked out!" She didn''t know what to make of him anymore. Did Danny really run outside like that out of mere curiosity, or has he gone mad? The boy had already proven to be an idiot in the past, but this takes the cake!


    Danny could hear his friend yelling at him, but through all of the noises from the wind speed brushing through his ears and the echoing rush of raindrops bouncing off metal infinitely, he barely had enough sense to make out what was being said. Since the rain had been picking up speed, the droplets felt sharper too, digging into his skin. Against his logical plans, Danny began pounding on the door over and over again non-stopped. "Hey! Is anybody in there?! You''ve gotta let us in! Let us in!"


    "Pounding on the door isn''t going to work, egg head. It''s soundproof remember?"


    "Why did you follow me outside then? Why did we both have to wind up locked out here?"


    Clenching her dripping fists with the fury Danny rightfully deserved, Taylor held back on punching his face on, trying to come up with any better ideas. "We should try a door closer to the frontal deck! The admins might notice us there!"


    "That''s a long way over there Taylor!" Danny felt the fear in his own vice, crippling what hope there was to be had. The tilting of the cruise was steadily becoming much worse than before. In their current spot, losing balance wouldn''t lead to a tiny bump or bruise with all the structures around; but if they trek it to the forward section of the cruise, there will be a lot less to break any sudden falls. "Look, just stick together - follow me closely. I''ll find us a way back inside."Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Mako Reactor 1 ~ FFVII Remake HD OST</a>


    <hr>


    <05:10>


    In agreement, Danny led himself and Taylor around the corner, passing by the many tied-down obstructions in the way. Their footing was cautious and careful. The pouring rain on the tilted deck was dripping down to the left side, mitigating some of the flooding. In short of another minute, Danny and Taylor suddenly found themselves being blown hard in the face by 60 mile per hour winds, pelleting water drops into their skin and stopping their movement.


    In his pause, Danny''s mind raced with the conundrum he was stuck in, uncertain which option was the worse of the two. He could turn around right now, attempting to head to the furthest rear section of the deck. It was a much further distance away, though the door in the back would be the only one with a totally different locking mechanism, possibly their only hope. On the other hand, he could try to get the attention from someone in the bridge from the outside, if could just make it there.


    Taylor and Danny both instinctively covered their faces in discomfort, holding position as moving felt too dangerous. They began panning around for any spot they could take cover in, even if to find stability, maybe even wait out this storm. The thought of bunkering down on the side of any obstacle bolted into place became priority, but the moment Danny tried setting just one foot forward, Danny''s foot ended up hydroplaning through the water, just as the cruise''s tilt shifted rightward. The distortions caused him to fall on his back, bringing Taylor down with him since she was standing in front.


    Because he was now unstable and carried by the running water with nothing to hang on to, there was little time to recover from the forced slide against the metal deck. Danny was being shoved against his own power down towards one of the edge rails of the ship, where the cruise was tilting further, continuing this shift beyond normal operation.


    Taylor was screaming in fear as she was being dragged down, uncertain of what was happening anymore. It took a while for her to notice that she was sliding on her stomach down towards the edge of the deck, where the ship was swaying down on its starboard side. Danny was falling too, but he was on his back for a moment until he got enough control to shift around more. While in a position to see their inability to hold onto the floor, neither of them were going to recover, the incoming rail being their only hope if they don''t slam into it too hard.


    All the evidence of this unprepared storm came crashing down when a couple of smaller storage units broke open, spilling the slipping contents down with the two teens. Various object began flying or bouncing with Danny and Taylor, including one of many small yet sturdy inner-tubes designed to hold the weight of only one. Danny was lucky not to be bumped in the head by any of them as they hurled on by.


    Even though Danny was about to hit the edge railing at full force from his slide, he attempted to grab on to Taylor. Taylor saw what he was trying to do, and gave him her hands to latch onto. Terrified of a bad situation becoming much worse, all the world became focused, his muscles put to the test when the inertia shift nearly flipped both of them over the top edge of the rails. "Don''t let go!" Danny shouted after grabbing Taylor''s hands as a support anchor.


    Danny''s legs smacked against the rail first, stopping his descent without much of a problem, but when Taylor''s added force transferred their momentum, Danny tumbled down even further, breaking the plastic seal on the only guard protecting them from falling into the ocean. Everything happened so fast while they both lost control of the ability to stay on the ship as it tilted against them, pushing them towards the sea. Without much control, Danny''s body was slipping off under the edge of the rail, and now Taylor was joining him.


    Danny wanted to tell her that he would not let that happen, but his words got trapped inside of his mouth when he calculated as much. His legs were now about to be the only force left in him hanging on, and before it even got to that point, another rushing wave of a powerful gust of wind helped him slide off the edge through the broken part of the under-rail. He could grab onto the metal bar above him, but that would mean letting go of Taylor for just a split second, something he refused to even try. Then, another gust of wind blew Taylor back like a pendulum in Danny''s tired arms, his hands separating from Taylor''s. He intentionally let go of the rail as soon as he noticed Taylors lost grip followed with a whirling scream muffled in the heavy rain. Now, neither of them had anything else to land on while falling to the waters below.


    Danny started his long descent towards the open waters with one of the loudest masculine screams he had ever bothered to let out. He felt the increased air friction on his body as he was flailing towards the sea. The cruise was right in front of him, but just out of reach to touch. Though if he got any closer, he could have hit his head on something solid on the way down too. Bracing himself for the impact, Danny plumed into the water below to descend about ten feet under. Despite the day starting so warm, the depths of the ocean water were chilling and cold. Danny surfaced as fast as he could kicking his arms and feet around, holding his breath until then.


    As soon as Danny pulled his face above the water and started swimming, he suddenly felt the fighting force of the powerful waves in the oceans, coming in multiple unpredictable directions. Some of the waves managed to score some of the salt water down his throat, immediately creating a scratchy, burning sensation there. Other waves bounced him around in multiple directions, making it more difficult to stay surfaced.


    Taylor heard the splash Danny''s body made just after surfacing herself, and braced herself for her the worst water ride. She had already fallen off just about two seconds before watching Danny fall down into the water. Danny didn''t seem to notice that Taylor was in the ocean nearby him, not until they accidentally bumped into each other from their jostling.


    Danny saw Taylor struggling just as much as he was, but seeing anything was difficult right now because of the darkness outside. Now they were both drowning in the middle of the ocean, and he knew exactly whose fault this was. "Keep swimming Taylor!"


    With encouragement, Taylor kept her spirits up despite the severity of the storm. All she had to do was keep kicking and paddling. Much of the big waves submerged her face into the water anyway, but she was at least not going to die in the next ten seconds. Still, this was the scariest moment she had to face yet. Where''s the way out?


    Taylor was distracted about the same thing Danny was distracted by. He was staring in defeat at the Tidal Max, the cruise that used to be their ride just a few seconds ago. Now it was already several hundred meters away from them, heading in the opposite direction away. It''s main power and engines must have just kicked in to get that far... Or maybe a rip tide was pulling them away.


    "Taylor! Grab my hands!" Danny made sure to stay with Taylor. The waves here would separate them both if they were not careful, and Taylor had no complaints about that at all. Both interlocked and swimming together, Danny was trying to think of a way out of this mess.


    "What do we do?!" Taylor pleaded.


    Danny needed to think of the next move. "We can''t swim in this storm! Just keep paddling until it leaves!"


    "Great plan," Taylor muttered to herself. She and Danny were both going to die here; the only way to salvation was far out of reach. Though Taylor had trouble seeing anything, she still caught a fleeting glimpse of the Tidal Max cruise, leaving far away, and Danny, the boy she was holding onto was barely visible either. Only his face was surfaced above the waves just as hers was, but she could only make out the outline of a form. Darkness from the angry clouds overhead removed visibility from everything. Taylor kept swimming fiercely just to stay above the water, the same as Danny was doing.


    Another moment of luck smacked Danny in the back of the head as he complained. Turning around to see, Danny noticed the floating tub of air, jostling around in the sea with them. Denying no bit of help, Danny used his free arm to grab the life-saver, barely buoyant as an ordinary buoy they use at beaches. "Taylor! Don''t let go of me, but grab on to this thing. Don''t let the waves carry it off!" This thing was too small to be the one of the official industrial life-savers onboard, and the currents already engaged a battle to rip the device away from his grasp. If he could just hold onto this thing, he wouldn''t have to kick for his life just to avoid drowning, though that''s only if they don''t cap-size first.


    Taylor did as she was told, housing no arguments with the only option in front of her. For the next fifteen minutes, she played Marco-polo with Danny, using each other''s responses to ensure that they both were okay. Danny''s hands did not let go of Taylor''s for a second.


    "Polo!" Danny cried over the high-speed winds roaring across the waves.


    "Marco!" Taylor''s response was almost immediate, but after kicking her legs non-stopped for so long, she was getting exhausted. It was safe to assume that Danny was having a similar dilemma.


    In only another minutes, the situation changed when an eerie loss of sound was noticed by both. The chaotic waves around them were still going strong, but not nearly as bad as it was a moment ago. Additionally, the rain which plagued every inch of their attention was totally absent now, the ocean alone singing its song without the crushing white noise. Thunder still cluttered the airspace with booms, but the storm itself was beginning to let up. There were a couple of lightning bolts here and there, but even without the flash to brighten everything up for a short-lived moment, it started to get a little bit brighter than before overall.


    They managed to stay afloat with passive kicking underneath, holding this buoy and each other for safety. Their drenched clothing weighed much more than before, and Taylor didn''t want to contemplate whether she could have stayed swimming without it. Impossible! Danny''s plan actually worked out!


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Winds of Svartur ~ Dark Horizon OST</a>


    <hr>


    Taylor knew it already, but she wanted to say it aloud anyway. "The storm''s letting up!" From the edge of the clouds, some parts of the clear sky were distinguishable even in the dark time of the morning, but now there was nothing around them for miles, nothing but more ocean and waves, so it seemed.


    Danny was glad to know that some of his luck had changed thus far. "That''s good." He tried to think of a way out of the middle of the ocean, but he had no idea where to begin searching. "If we can just find land, we can swim over to it."


    "There isn''t any place to go for miles!" Taylor corrected. Though she was still holding on to Danny''s arms tightly, it almost seemed pointless since the wind was now dying down too.


    Danny scanned in all directions for a hint of anything, uncertain of where they could possibly be. Even the Tidal Max would have been nice to spot by now, but that was already impossible for a number of reasons. With another random pulse of light emanating from another lightning bolt high in the clouds, Danny''s entire field of view spanned out for a short second, and then the light faded again. This time he clearly saw something in the distance, the same directional area he was staring at when that lightning went off. There was something there! It was a bit tall; could have been a rock, a delta, or even a cliff top of something; whatever it was did not belong to the ocean itself. Excited about his discovery, Danny announced to Taylor the possible good news. "Taylor! I saw something!"


    "What?! Where?!" Taylor suddenly decided to let go of Danny''s arms, allowing her to move around more freely and search her surroundings. Taylor twirled everywhere in the water, kicking in place in the softer waters.


    Danny grabbed her hand again and tugged in the direction he wanted to go. "It''s this way. It looks like some kind of cliff or a rock of some kind." Using the ring buoy to save some energy, Danny angled himself towards the direction he remembered, kicking harder to gain some speed.


    "How does that save us if we can''t be sure it is land, or an island?"


    Danny reassured her without hesitation. "Well for one, it get us out of the water. If it is land, it could still be an entire island. And if it''s not, we can rest there to figure this out later. Let''s go."


    Taylor was being tugged before she could even start swimming, but she was able to think more clearly, since the absence of the previous storm allowed the water to feel warmer; or perhaps it was just Taylor''s skin adjusting to the difference in temperature. She did not know where the spec of land was, or how far it would be. "How far away is it?"


    Danny had to take a wild guess on this one. He only saw what he saw for a flash of a second, but it did not appear to be that far in distance. Based on how wide the possible landscape was, the distance being so close could have been an illusion? Maybe a mile. "A mile," he answered.


    Taylor really did not want to swim another inch. Her legs were sore and aching all over, but with the possibility of land ahead, she was not going to chance staying there in the water, so she joined up with Danny''s pace of swimming.


    Right now, Taylor could not see anything in the direction where Danny was swimming, but she could still see him. That was something she counted on. It was getting slightly brighter out, an indication that sunlight was just off shore somewhere, if there was a shore.


    For the next ten minutes, Danny and Taylor swam in that singular direction, occasionally singing Marco and Polo to make sure they were both near each other. Danny had a hard time lifting his head to check for anything again, so he kept his face level with the water to avoid unnecessary strains. That was when he suddenly noticed that his foot just kicked something, down beneath him. He tried again to plant his feet, and noticed that he was actually standing on something while in the water. It was sand! Or what passes for dirty ocean sediment.


    Taylor was right behind Danny when she finally managed to make out the very tall and gigantic cliff that was reported earlier. It really was there, and the cliff was part of the land itself. "I see it!"


    "Land ho!" Excited to be out of the dangerous ocean, Danny quickly dashed further in towards the land, when he noticed the large cliff above him. It was made almost entirely out of rock, and stood at about 500 feet high. After glancing behind him to see that Taylor was now walking in the water just the same, his hopes and confidence built itself back up. This may not be paradise, but now they could at least rest and relax some more.


    Taylor followed Danny until the both of them ended up standing on the shore, where there was no water and waves pushing them around. Once they were both out of the water, Danny collapsed into the ground as his way of pursuing some rest. Taylor knew that he was fine, and she decided to join him in doing nothing for a while.


    Her legs ached, her stomach churned, and her head was beginning to hurt. It was only an hour ago or so since she woke up from a nice long rest, but now it seemed like she would be needing another one soon. "We made it." Taylor could not speak fairly due to her heavy breathing.


    Danny was breathing as quickly, but both of them were suddenly relaxed. In total agreement, they remained still to allow regeneration. With their stamina lower than before, what choice did they have? At least it was not raining anymore.


    <hr>


    <05:52>


    Whatever kind of deserted island this was, the name for it sure fit the description. Danny did not even know if this was an island. All he could tell was that a very tall and wide rocky wall was obstructing whatever was on the other side. It could just be more ocean, but it could also be a surprise arsenal of food and fresh water from a spring. That would be rather convenient.


    Taylor was counting the time. Barely saying a word to Danny, she counted for twenty uninterrupted minutes while recovering in the sand. Much to her surprise, some of that incoming water from the waves of the ocean managed to seep all the way to her shoes, which were already soaked anyway. She sat up to discover the reason for getting wet again, and the tide from the ocean seemed to be coming their way slowly.


    Taylor looked back behind her, at the very large wall in the way. Then she panned her eyes elsewhere, looking to see if there was any way to walk around the cliff, but there was no such route available, at least not from this location. The cliff was basically a circular wall covering the other side, making it virtually impossible to walk around or swim around. They were indeed stuck here. Taylor looked down again at Danny, who was still resting, almost to the point of napping again. "Where do you think we are?"


    Danny had to think about it for a second, but there was absolutely no way to determine their location. They fell off the Tidal Max two days away from New York port, which could place them anywhere on that route in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There were other large continents nearby, but none of which he was too familiar with. "If we''re lucky, there is food on the other side of that rock, and some fresh water too." Danny''s throat was sore from swallowing some of the ocean water, and it was making him very thirsty too.


    After sitting up and studying the cliff more closely, Danny thought about the next move. The tide was sort of coming in to this spot, but not for the next hour or so. The wall was not only tall and natural, but there were rocks sticking out everywhere, like a massive rock wall full of danger. Only these rocks were much more rounded off, eroded from all the rain the island must get, and that would make them a bit more slippery. Danny did not have his bag from the ship, so any material to help scale this thing would not be available, but somehow, it had to be done.


    Taylor saw what Danny was up to, the expression on his face that challenged the impossible obstacle in his way. In total refusal, she tried to stop those thoughts. "No way Danny! We can''t just climb that thing. It''s too high! And we don''t have any harness." There has to be another way past it.


    Danny replied, "Well this isn''t the time to be worried about luxuries. We need to get up this wall." There did not appear to be any other way around. There was a slight narrow land without any tide on the other edge of the cliff far to the left, which made a slight curve just knee deep back into the ocean, but looking over there could just be a waste of time. The curvature of the cliff made it appear that way. If he did take the extra time, the tide could simply flood in and pull them away. No, that wasn''t as likely. But how long can a person go without any fresh water? This has to be done right now.


    "And how do you propose we do that?" Taylor challenged.


    "Let''s face it." Danny turned around to face Taylor, hoping to explain just how serious this problem is. "We know that the Tidal Max will not be coming back this way to rescue us. Nobody knows where we are, and it will be a while before anybody on that boat even notices that we''re gone. We don''t have any idea where we are, and we are without food, water, and a change of clothes."


    "Okay, that''s bad," Taylor concluded. She wanted to say more, but the strange way Danny acted when that light hit him was all the reminder of how little this made any sense. It was hard to tell if Danny was really using his brain today. What does he know about being trapped on a stranded island?


    "Yeah, so the way I see it..." Danny turned to face the large rocky wall again. "We scale this wall, or we die a more slow and painful death. Besides, we won''t have a lot of strength to climb something this high later on, so pushing it off won''t help us either."


    Taylor scratched her head in amazement. Danny''s idea still sucked, but it was now clear that he was trying. A tactical analysis that leads to a rash yet best plan of options, and Danny was not too decisive on how to do this either. It made Taylor wonder what happened to him before getting into this mess, though she wasn''t sure just how out of character that was for him. Taylor remembered how he would often make any call without thinking things through. Mainly, it ended up embarrassing him in front of his peers or just in public places. Maybe that''s what got into his head earlier, but now leave it to a bigger emergency to finally knock some sense into him. Despite scaling a five hundred foot wall leveling on insanity, something about his focus gave her a trusting attitude. "Okay," Taylor nodded in agreement. "I''ll do it."


    "That''s good. And you''re good to try this? You cannot afford to slip and fall. I''m serious!"


    Taylor shuttered at the thought. "Just don''t let me look down."


    Danny faced the wall again with Taylor, thinking about how he would climb this thing exactly. It was a similar challenge to a rock wall in an old gym, only this time much more difficult and with devastating consequences. Danny didn''t even want to consider the possibility of falling off this thing, but there wasn''t another way around it. If the top of the cliff has nothing on the other side, they are both dead anyway right? Without delaying much longer, he decided to approach the wall of the cliff and start climbing anywhere. There were plenty of small rocks and holes to latch his hands onto, and the larger more rounded off stones made a good anchor for his feet.


    Taylor watched as Danny climbed the wall just by one foot. He was not slipping yet, and so far it seemed pretty easy. After letting him move up three more feet, Taylor decided to try it.


    Danny continued up the wall, putting one hand up after the next, then his feet after that. He then looked down below him just to see if Taylor was doing well. Lagging behind him only by six feet, he decided to continue on with much more wall to climb.


    After a few more feet of climbing, Danny suddenly noticed some residual water on some of the rocks, probably from that last rain. If these rocks are still wet and cold, then that means they were twice as slippery as he thought. With a fair warning, Danny paused to holler to his friend. "Be careful Taylor! Slow and steady!"


    Any one of the smaller rocks could also come popping out from the wall with any pressure put on them, and that could be bad. Danny however was also noticing that his field of view has been more improved since the last time. The sky was beginning to turn a very dark color of blue, with most of the clouds overhead from before diminished. The lightning was no longer present, and the storm itself must have ended minutes ago, though there was still no sign of any actual sunlight. It was still enough for this perilous task. Danny still had hundreds of more feet to climb as well, so he continued cautiously.


    Minutes passed while Taylor climbed up this large wall, keeping Danny in her sights. She could see that the top of the cliff was a little closer than before, but she dare not to look down at all. Even moving her head could tilt her only balance. While making the next move with her hands and her feet, Taylor did not notice how wet the next large rock was, and she inched her shoe onto it with little regard for anything other than her balance. Without much of a warning, her foot on that same rock ended up sliding off without a fight, and Taylor was forced downward.


    "Yaah!" Taylor shrieked in terror. Her body slid down the edge of the cliff while she was trying to hang on for her life. Her hands simply scuffled down on the wall, and her feet were dangling until they found something to fall down on. When her foot landed on a rock to soften her descent, she still slipped down further, and managed to only use her hands to latch on the slippery formation she had tripped on. The stone under her feet broke off from the force and weight applied.


    Danny looked down to make sure Taylor was okay, and saw her hanging on a rock with only her two hands. Her arms were stretched out all the way, and she was barely hanging on. "Taylor! Don''t let go!" Danny started looking down some more towards the wall, trying to discover which rocks he could step on to get as low as Taylor was. He needed to help her out and restore her balance fast.


    Taylor was hanging on as best as she could, but the strain in her arm muscles was getting severe, and to make matters worse, this large hunk of rock was also soaking wet. Her hands were very slightly sliding down from where she had grabbed it initially. "Help! I''m slipping off!"


    Danny made a dangerous slide down, trying to land on another pair of embedded rock chunks. He almost fell off completely, but managed to hang on tightly when he landed in just the right spot. Taylor was still several feet below him. "Hold on Taylor! I''m coming!" Danny''s damaged voice still commanded loudly how hard she needed to try.


    But it was futile; Taylor''s hands could only hold on for a few more seconds. She could see her fingers running down from the top of the rock without her control. Her muscle fatigue wasn''t helping her either. Taylor then looked down again at how high she was up. From here, that was a 250 foot drop with nothing soft to land on. All of that sand would not reduce the shock to her fall either, and she very well knew it. After looking back up, Taylor saw that Danny was still too far up there to help her out, and now her fingers were finally sliding off.


    Taylor didn''t want to see how the rest of this went, and she closed her eyes completely to brace herself for an inevitable injury. Unable to hang on to the slippery stone, Taylor ended up losing all contact with the wall of the cliff, and began her descent towards the ground without anything to stop her. With the loudest and strongest breath Taylor allowed herself to store up, she began to scream with as much breath while falling down towards the earth.


    Danny could only watch from this level when Taylor slipped off entirely and began falling down, screaming at mid-level in terrorizing fear. He instinctively threw his left arm and hand out towards Taylor, knowing it was too late to grab her. "Noooooooooooo!" With his heart pounding, Danny stood frozen solid.


    Taylor heard the sound of Danny''s regretful yell at the same time, but it was now being muffled by the wind. Picking up speed, Taylor kept her eyes closed, praying that the impact to the ground would not end up hurting her at all. All of the wind she was picking up only reminded her that she was falling fast towards the ground, making her scream some more.


    Danny was beside himself, in total disbelief at what had just happened. When Taylor smacked into the floor, it emitted the loud noise of a thwack which echoed all the way back to him. Taylor seemed to have landed on her back, meaning she also took a direct head injury as well. Even though it was far down and he could not see that well from this distance, he feared that it was over for Taylor.


    The sight felt unreal, unbelievable, until it swiftly sank in. Danny was totally frozen solid by the sight. Taylor''s death began ringing in his ears over and over, and Danny could not even move an inch. A few more seconds passed before he regained some self-control again. "Nooooo! Taylor!" Danny began clasping his body tightly to the wall again, this time trying to slide down using his own weight. For most of the way back down, it was working. When he managed to get about 100 feet down, he decided to jump off the wall to land on his feet.

 Chapter 3: Faults and Apologies

    <hr>


    <12/18/1971 ~ 06:06 | Unknown Territory>


    Danny yelped when the surge of pain shot through his legs and upper thighs, shocked from the force of gravity. Though Danny rolled after falling to lighten the damage, it didn''t help as much as he''d expect. With his friend injured beyond comprehension, Danny pushed aside all care for his own injuries, stumbling down in a half-broken sprint to reach her, limping as his legs failed.


    Taylor was either unconscious or worse. Before he could reach down to her, Danny noticed a lack of blood anywhere near her body, but his anxiety remained. After kneeling before Taylor, Danny inspected her - inch by inch quickly. The next thing he did was place his fingers on her neck and press gently. "Taylor, no. You can''t leave me. You can''t die!" She looked so helpless, so lifeless and fragile! The one and only friend he had was gone!


    With tears already building up in his eyes, Danny awaited a response on his fingers, anything enough to be a pulse from her heart rate or a twitch from her nervous system. Finally, he noticed a pattern of a beat, the feel of it on his hand registering at about 90 beats per minute. Barely even elevated, but at least Taylor was alive!


    Danny almost broke down right there just from his relief in the suspense. Taylor was still alive, but she was still unconscious. He tried to pick her up off of the dirt, holding her up slightly to make sure she was alright. She didn''t weigh much. Danny sat her up on his lap, and inspected the back of her head for any additional damage.


    To little surprise, there was a bloody scrape on the back of her head, right down to her neck about the size of his fist. The same scrap managed to go almost to the blood layer. Her neck was bleeding just a faint amount, with the appearance of a large brownish bluish mark of a dangerous bruise. The bruise there looked massive, and being so close to her spinal region most likely explained her unconsciousness. It was amazing that she was even still alive, more so that she was not in any paralysis.


    Danny had to make sure she was still breathing. He did not remember seeing her chest inch up and down before while checking her pulse, and he put her back down to see if she was. He put his ear closer to her chest, listening for any indication that she was breathing. He heard breathing noises through her nostrils, but they were very subtle and faint, not even visible by sight. Despite being alive, it was obvious that Taylor''s health was in a very critical state. Moreover, Danny knew how this was all his idea. He did this to her!


    Danny kept himself and Taylor there almost motionless. He took some deep breaths after avoiding the worst case scenario yet. Taylor was not just any girl after all, she was his lifelong best friend. If anything had happened to her, Danny was sure he would break down beyond the point of recovery. Delaying his guilt, amazement and awe took his attention first, the fact that she was still even alive to this level should be impossible. He only had time to consider this now, after proving to himself that Taylor was not considered technically dead. He estimated it was a 250 foot drop for her, straight into the ground hitting the worst part of her body first. The scraps on the other back parts of her body did not even compare to the back of her head, but it seemed a little unrealistic for Taylor to be okay in any regard. He was certainly not complaining about such fortune.


    Danny waited for five long minutes, checking to see if Taylor was still breathing with a pulse every twenty seconds. The only thing to do for her now was to let her rest, but what good can that do without any help, or even just some food and water? Danny knew that one of them had to scale this wall, and he checked his surroundings one more time to ensure if there was another way.


    Even though the sunlight was nowhere near the sky yet, a lot more was visible in the dark blue glow of the sky. Danny discovered again that one particular section that ran around the cliff wall in a curve, which seemed to be floor level even though the water was covering it up a bit. There was no indication of any way around this cliff in either direction even with the water level changing, but in hindsight, Danny should have realized that his challenge was a most impossible one!


    With no other logical choice available to him, Danny moved Taylor a little further from the water and rest her on the sand, ensuring that no high tide takes her out to sea forever while she rests. The only sensible thing to do was to scout the area again. There must be a way further beyond this wall that doesn''t involve a climb. Despite how screwed up his legs were, Danny found enough strength to push past the physical pain and force his limbs to march. At least he had not broken them both.


    Danny did all he could before leaving Taylor there on her own. He did not want to get far from her at all, but discovered no other option. Upon reaching the furthest right side section again, Danny risked getting soaked again, standing in knee-high water and making slow movements to determine if there was more around the corner he could not see from before. Danny thought over what happened again in his memory, unable to stop the continuous replay of that moment; Taylor slipping off the rock, and falling down to the ground. It brought about a depressing sensation, but it was also his fault that Taylor was hurt in the first place. If he does suddenly find another way out of this, his recklessness would only be proven much more.


    The time he had walking through the water seemed to slow the moment down; Danny''s mind was racing from some residual shock. He remembered to all of those times Taylor tried to warn him about being too reckless or immature about all sorts of random situations. Though none of which were dangerous for either of them, Taylor was absolutely correct. "It''s my damn fault. Taylor... You shouldn''t have followed me. I should have been the one to fall off!" Why didn''t I force her to wait, to see if it was safe? Her death, though it had not happened yet rang in his mind and in his ears louder than anything ever could, and the sensation nearly brought him to his knees.


    Disregarding his self-degrading comments, Danny saw something in front of him, an alcove from a large fallen boulder which has since been flattened out and balancing on two other round boulders below it. The flat top of the large rock led to a small opening just above it. The large wall that he was at before spanned across this island in a full circle, but right in this section, this opening in the wall was only a tiny bit higher than the top of that rock. Erosion literally created a crack-like formation to the entire barrier on the other side, though in perspective, the section he could pass through would support by width two whole people. Ultimately, it would be so much easier to climb up the boulders, and jump across through that small opening. But is there anything on the other side?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Danny wanted to investigate further, content with the fact that this place was still just a short ways away from where he left Taylor. Danny climbed up onto the top of the rock by using the other boulders as his initial anchors. Before he even got to the top of it, there was an endless supply of fresh green trees on the other side visible from here. Come to think of it, the circle round off here had ended, and beyond that rock in the other direction was just more of the same wall that went on far past his visual range. It really was an island, populated with some vegetation and wild life in the center!


    Danny had done it! He found out that the other side was habitable to them both. And instead of scouting around, he ended up nearly killing Taylor in the process, trying to scale a pointless death trap. If he can get himself and Taylor over this small jump to the other side, then they would both be in a forest, so big one could not see through to the other side.


    It was decided then. Danny started heading back for Taylor, hoping to god that she was still where he left her, resting peacefully in the sense that she was still alive and well. His unintelligent leap down from the small height crushed the muscles in his legs again. The force of the six foot drop reminded him how much he had damaged his legs earlier, and the sensation grounded him to the soaked sand for over thirty seconds. After bringing himself to concede with the idea that he needed to keep moving or die, it wasn''t too difficult to force himself back up, traveling one foot in front of the other at a slow and careful pace. The way back was not any different than before, but he did rush his way back to Taylor, making him a bit more clumsy and prone to fall from the water riding up to his shoes.


    After getting back to the wall, Danny spotted Taylor right where he left her. With a short lived sigh of relief, Danny stumbled to where she was laying, checking her vital signs again to be certain that she was going to make it. He then checked that damaged area on the back of her head. It was still a nasty gash, but somehow it did not get worse than it was the last time he took a peek at it. Satisfied enough to move her, Danny picked up Taylor into his arms and lifted her up against the gravity, promising to himself not to let anything bad happen to Tay ever again.


    Danny needed to carry Taylor back to the alcove he discovered, slowing his movement in care not to drop Taylor. Once he got to the small boulder in his way to the rounded path, he slowly stepped over it without tripping or losing hold of Taylor. She just seemed so helpless, fast asleep or perhaps comatose in his arms.


    After reaching the high area he made it to before, Danny scanned his objects to find out exactly how to get himself and Taylor up there. Since he could only use his legs and feet, it would be harder to get up to that rock, and if it got unstable from the two fulcrums it was sitting on, they would both be finished. The crack in the wall was far off the ground and slanted at an angle, so this would be the only way inside. With the most steady and careful steps he had ever taken so far, Danny used one of the smaller boulders to stand on in order to gain enough height to push Taylor onto the top of the flat rock above him. The rock was not entirely horizontal and level, but enough to stop Taylor from rolling off of its edge.


    Danny used his free arms and hands to climb up to where he had set Taylor down temporarily. After pulling himself up there, he got back on his hands and knees, taking a short breather. Now he and Taylor were both on the top of the flat rock with that last little crack in view. It would be easy to make that jump alone, but Danny had to do it while carrying Taylor in tow, reducing his leap height and length significantly. Seeing no other choice, he picked up Taylor again like before, and prepared his remaining stamina for this next leap.


    By making it over the edge of the damaged rock wall, he and Taylor would both slide down to the other side, containing all sorts of secrets to whatever this island has to offer. With a short preparation, Danny backed up for some room to build momentum. This dash would destroy his ability to walk after it was over, and hurt like hell during his push off the stone, but it had to be done. Danny darted for the edge of the rock he was standing on. With Taylor clasped into his arms, Danny ran with solid acceleration, and made his hopeful leap right at the edge. Without even trying to calculate if it would be enough to make it, he already found himself landing somewhere unsteady and unstable. Danny ended up sliding down the wall just after zipping by the edges from the open crack, causing him to drop Taylor too.


    He shifted his body in order to fall on his face purposefully, trying to catch Taylor and break her fall to the dirt, only partially successful. Naturally his skin scraped against the friction of the rougher ground beneath him, with some of the soil spattering into his teeth.


    After ending the earth slide and picking himself up, it was a little surprising yet obvious now where he and Taylor were. The dirt on the ground that Danny had nearly swallowed was different than sand; it was rich soil. It was a no-brainer that there were going to be endless trees in front of him, supplied with apples or something that could be eaten.


    Danny made sure Taylor was still okay first, checking her breathing like before, concerned for her slumber. The trees before him were large, but the grass was a little bit absent in comparison to the dirt mesh in the ground. In fact, the density and frequency of each tree wasn''t all that high either, but still much more preferable to the outside walls. At least it was more nature-filled here than back there behind that crummy cliff.


    Danny glanced back at the wall he jumped over with Taylor, and noticed that from this angle and position, it was impossible to get back over it even without having to carry Taylor around. The crack he used was elevated far up the slide from this position, thus inaccessible. So with no other idea in mind but to proceed forward in search of anything helpful in a survival situation, Danny walked upright with Taylor being carried in his tired arms.


    Only now was he noticing the occasional sightings of birds and noises of mysterious bugs among the trees. If the animals and birds lived here, that proves there has to be food or water around somewhere. The night sky was still somehow dark like before, but not enough to completely obstruct the view of the trees. To a certain point however, Danny noticed that the reason he could not see as far away as he wanted to was partly the poor lighting saturation in the area.


    Danny managed to proceed through the forest for as long as he could. The search for any food or water was not going well however. The darkness did its best to impede his visual range, while his sore legs became much more of a heavy nuisance. It still must be around six A.M. for it to be this dark without the sky being a perfect black color, and since he started walking, Danny predicted that about thirty more minutes had passed. It was a little unsettling to see that the brightness in the sky did not really change that much since then, but maybe his time prediction was way off.


    Danny''s legs were about to collapse under his extensive exercise, and carrying Taylor sure was not making things easier. She seemed so much lighter when he first picked her up and carried her, but now that his arms were getting tired...


    Danny decided to stop moving completely after noticing that there appears to be no end to this scenery. It was like he had been walking in a complete circle again and again. There was a small boulder full of moss under him to the right, and what he claimed to be his next land mark now became a perfect resting spot. Danny was really tired, and thus decided to put Taylor down on the ground gently. After making sure once again that she was still alive, he decided to join her idea of a long needed nap.


    While waiting a bit before laying down, Danny inspected his own legs, which had much more problems than exhaustion. They had to be injured up to some extent, after dropping about 100 feet off a rock wall and landing on them to the ground. Sand may be soft to touch, but it was not a bouncy elastic kind of material with so much of it combined. His landing put proof to the fact. Despite all of that pain in either leg, nothing seemed broken or dislocated. There were a few minor scrapes and major bruises, the sight before him too daunting for any lingering hope. However, he wouldn''t be able to walk through the forest if he had broken either of his bones, or dislocated their joints. Who knows how bad his health is with no doctor to look at them?


    Danny let himself lay limp besides Taylor on the soil, panning around his view for any signs of fruit or ponds. After having trekked for about 30 minutes and finding nothing, the fatigue and exhaustion intensified, his limbs more sore than ever, his eyes heavy as stone. Perhaps he has failed to save himself and Taylor after all. With his eyes drifting shut in shallow breath, Danny accepted this unsightly defeat.

 Chapter 4: Fronas

    <hr>


    <12/18/1971 ~ 06:45 | Unknown Territory>


    Danny inhaled the fresh air so suddenly, confused by the displacement. His eyes needed one second to adjust, though he felt a little more refreshed than before, apart from his sore legs.


    The forest around him was brighter, and a faint orange glow of sunlight finally lifted over distant treetops. With hardly any of it available, the glow was burnishing off the very leaves of the large trees to create floating shadows everywhere. Danny could now see much further through all of these trees looking past the sunrays, and only now was he noticing that the density of the vegetation remained mild.


    Realizing what happened to Taylor from last night, Danny checked where she was; still asleep next to him balanced against the boulder. Danny knew he had done it over and over before, but could not stop ensuring that Taylor was still alive. It seemed almost impossible before, but he checked her vital signs once again; pulse first, then her breathing rate. Everything seemed normal, other than her induced sleep from that incredible injury.


    Just when he was about to leave her alone again, Danny suddenly noticed movement from Taylor. Her hands and her feet were shifting a little. Her fingers twitched nervously, and her breathing became loud and tense. It was not long before she began fidgeting more in her sleep. It was not unusual for Taylor to fidget in her slumber, but to see her still conscious in there meant the world to Danny; this proves she isn''t paralyzed either.


    Danny could only watch curiously while Taylor began swaying her head back and forth, sitting up and turning around as she became more conscious. She let out a few soft groans as if someone were trying to push her awake, whispering out inaudible noises. With little delay left, Taylor opened her eyes, returning gently to consciousness.


    Taylor could not explain what happened to her, nor did she remember much about what was going on. She managed to recall waking up just now, opening her eyes to an unfamiliar place. The sky was right over her, but so were several trees, and a faint glow of morning sunlight. This wasn''t Kalamo, and it sure wasn''t the cruise ship either. Before she could even think about what happened, Danny decided to stick his face right over her own. Reacting quickly, Taylor slid back against the stone and rose up immediately, startling Danny in the process. How did they get here? What happened? "Where am I? Danny? What''s going on?!"


    Danny put his hands up a little to try and calm her down, but he was suddenly excited by how well she was doing waking up like this. Taylor didn''t even seem fazed at all. "Relax Taylor," Danny soothed. "You''re going to be okay. Take it easy."


    Taylor studied her surroundings in all directions. Forest, forest, nothing but forests. The grass was barely there at all, mostly top soil and dirt dampened from rainfall. There was a massive tall rock cliff to the side as well, rounding off in both directions, but that did not explain what she was doing here. "How did I get here? Where are we?"


    Danny took a deep breath hoping to explain everything. Obviously, Taylor must not have remembered falling down that wall. Understandable, since she did gash the back of her head almost open completely. "I''m not sure how far back you can remember, but we were trying to scale a dangerous wall, and you were severely injured."


    "Ah¡ª" Taylor was hardly believing the words coming out of Danny''s mouth so far, but she couldn''t say anything with him jabbering on about what apparently transpired. What wall was he talking about? And if it was dangerous, what business did she have climbing it?


    Danny continued, "You took a massive hit to the back of your head and went unconscious for an hour or so. I''m amazed you''re even still alive Taylor." Danny could only feel so much relief that she was okay, and his heart still refused to slow down in the same disbelief.


    "The back... Of my head?" Taylor slowly reached her left arm around her neck, and used the palm of her hand to feel for any abnormalities. Her skin did not feel any different than it had before, nor was she experiencing any kind of headache. The very back of her neck did sort of hurt to the touch, but not intensely. "My head feels fine... But my neck?"


    Danny''s expression changed in an instant. To his own disbelief, he got in closer, and forced Taylor to turn around. "What?! You must not be able to feel it, but it''s there. Here, let me see." Just having Taylor awake again was more than Danny deserved, and he knew it full well. He could have done so many things differently that involves keeping her safe, and he chose the most reckless course of action.


    Danny ended up pulling on Taylor''s hair slightly, angering her to his sudden move. "Ouch! Don''t pull on the hair please!"


    Danny''s head began spinning. That bloody gash on the back of her head, which was clearly visible just an hour ago had completely vanished away. There was no blood, no indication of an injury, and no peeling skin on her neck or her scalp. The afflicted area did seem slightly darker than the rest of Taylor''s neck skin, probably due to a residual of the bruising it caused. But where in the world was the scar?


    After Danny let go, she turned around to meet his silence. Taylor saw the expression change on her friend''s face again. This time, his eyes were bouncing around, as if he had seen a ghost. What the hell did he just notice? "What''s with you?"


    Danny didn''t know what was going on with her, or how to explain it. He saw Taylor fall from a 250-foot drop, landing directly on the back of her skull. And when he discovered she was still somehow alive, that gory gash on the back of her head should have still been here right now. "That''s... That''s impossible!" Even if he had somehow slept for days without noticing, wouldn''t Taylor have woken up sooner to realize that? And if she hadn''t, the both of them would have thirsted to death after a few days. Danny struggled to find his breath again, trying to find words to describe the insensible situation right in front of him. He then stared into Taylor''s eyes, with his own as determined as ever. "You were injured, I saw the scar!"


    "You''re starting to freak me out," Taylor admitted. Did he want her to be injured? Or was he delusional?


    "No, you''re starting to freak me out!" Danny pointed to Taylor''s face, bringing all more dramatization to his point. "I saw it. I saw you fall and get hurt. You were out for over an hour! There''s no way you''re neck healed that quickly! Where''s your scar?" It wasn''t exclusively this moment which bothered his mind to the core. It was now that Danny remembered some strange moment back aboard the cruise, the instance reminding him about a place or a light he had seen before, memories that didn''t belong to him, thoughts that were most foreign to him... Is this the same world he was born in, or was he perhaps delusional after all?


    Taylor did not approve of Danny''s freakout. If he could hear himself, Danny would know that he was getting upset about her being in good health. Something else was wrong, evident of her missing some details. Whatever got Danny spooked could be something more obvious, but first she needed answers. "Hey Danny? Stop talking."


    "What?" Danny was frozen twice in surprise. Taylor was now just going to tell him to shut up and keep quiet?


    Taylor addressed Danny directly. She was getting to the bottom of this. "Now... Start from the beginning. I only remember something about a large cruise, the Tidal Max... And then..."


    Danny could see the confusion return to Taylor''s face. She really didn''t remember too much. "We both went exploring outside, on the deck, even when we were told not to..." It was now when his fragmented memory of the green glow bothered him most, the allure too strong to resist, born of a foreign curiosity none could resist. "All of this is my fault, every single moment of it..." The moment was hazy even to him, but why didn''t Taylor stop him from leaving the interior?


    "What for?"


    Danny knew he had to retell every detail, but did Taylor not even recall the glowing green aura of magic just outside the deck? Their very location on this island proved he wasn''t dreaming. "I saw a strange green glowing light, and you saw it too. I don''t know what possessed me to go outside to see it, but I couldn''t control myself. Neither one of us should have been out in that storm. Come to think of it, maybe you tried to warn me, and I didn''t listen."


    The way he was rushing the explanation made this all seem like make-belief, but his words still carried all of his worried tone with it. Still, it was too unlike him to be uncertain of why he would do anything stupid; Danny is a lot of things, but he never lacks self-awareness. After Danny paused momentarily, Taylor replied with anything to fill the silence. "I don''t know what to think, but I''ll have to take your word for it. I''m sorry."


    "Don''t apologize! I don''t deserve it. Regardless of why or how, I dragged us both onto the outdoor area of the cruise in the middle of a massive storm. Had I just stayed inside, we wouldn''t be here right now."


    "The Tidal Max couldn''t have sunk. That''s not..."


    Danny''s hand motion told Taylor to shut up immediately, and it worked just as well. "Will you stop jumping to conclusions? We didn''t sink. We fell off, right off the deck of the ship during an oceanic tilt."


    Taylor''s expression froze solid, still finding trouble bringing her mind to believe it. How could they both had fallen off the deck of the ship? In a rainstorm, it seemed more likely, but what about getting back inside?


    "Then," Danny continued, "we were in dangerous waters for some more time, caught right in that horrible storm. Miracle after miracle, we ended up surviving it until the storm calmed down. Then we swam for the nearest land available to us, which was not easily visible, not even to our ride apparently."


    "So... We''re on an island?" Taylor guessed. This is horrible! How will she eat? Where will she go?


    "Once on shore, we were both tired from the commotion, but I needed to know where we were. Even now, I''m not certain if this is an island, but we needed to scale a very massive wall to get over it."


    Taylor suddenly remembered in a deep flash back. Talking about the wall triggered her last thoughts. She remembered climbing up the wall of an impossibly tall cliff, and everything else further back, but absolute blackness after that. Her gasp confirmed it to Danny before she explained herself. "I remember now. I remember the light, the storm, the violent waves, all of it. I remember climbing the wall, but nothing after that."


    "That''s when you fell," Danny concluded, turning his guilty gaze away from her. "Which was also my fault. You suffered an injury so severe; I was certain you didn''t make it. I was thankfully impressed you were alive at all, unconscious, but still alive." It was only now that Danny revealed to her how relieved he was for Taylor to be okay.


    Taylor pressured, "I''m alive. What happened after?" The thought of her falling from such a height dug into her many fears, but it still seemed like a distant dream too.


    Danny thought about what happened for him to get this far. He did just wake up from a nap, but the past few hours were too crazy. "Then I scouted around more, finally found an easier way past the rock, and jumped in with you. I had to carry you all the way over here. But this island, whatever it is, it''s bigger than it seems."


    Taylor was silent in deep thought. This explains the trees, the dislocation, and everything else. Even the time of day was not that far ahead and forward. Judging on the sunrise and location, it had to be about 6:30 A.M. or later, and it also explains why her friend sounds so guilty. If Taylor injured herself from one of his ideas, he had to be feeling terrible right about now.


    "But that reminds me." Danny was staring at Taylor''s head again. "I need to see the back of your head again."


    "My head is fine," Taylor assured. It was not even hurting at all, though it did feel a bit tender to the touch.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Danny was not buying it at all. "But you shouldn''t be fine! You should be in pain, or unconscious, or partly disabled. You took a direct hit right where your spine is. There''s no way you can possibly be okay, not from a fall that high!"


    Taylor remembered this tone. Danny was frightened by this development. Taylor pressed on her neck again, and allowed Danny to see it to prove once again that her wound that Danny claimed was there was totally absent. Taylor even explained how it felt in that one spot. "It does not even hurt much. The only thing I feel right now is... I''m tired."


    "It can''t be..." Danny sunk his head down, now in a trance to think about what could cause instantaneous healing with no side effects. How was this happening at all? Just two hours ago, he and Taylor both were safely snug aboard a class-four cruise ship on its way to a nearly free country. Now they were trapped in god knows where, with crazy impossible things happening. Was this some sick nightmare? I want to wake up now.


    Taylor remained silent too, assessing all that happened. Though she felt fine physically, there was still room for rest, and even some food. "Hey, Danny?"


    "It doesn''t make any sense. I fell too."


    "Huh?"


    Danny explained his own situation as well. "At about 100 feet from the wall, I was a nervous wreck thinking you were dead, so I jumped off at that height, landing only on my legs. I was sure I had sprained them to some extent. Even now, they feel sore from before, but I can still walk on them, and they don''t even hurt that bad anymore. How is that possible?" Danny had noticed this after he woke up a minute ago. The pain in his legs was still harsh, though much less intense compared to before. He could even squat on them without causing a strain. He could stand up without stumbling over. It wasn''t complete, but they too were healing rather quickly.


    "Hey, Danny?" Taylor attended. "How about we look for a better place to eat and rest first? We can figure all of that stuff out later. Don''t we need to survive if we''re trapped on an island? I am hungry ya know."


    Danny could not even deny his own stomach. All of that swimming, climbing, falling, and jumping certainly worked up an appetite. But even with the forest this lit up already, it could go on forever, and he did not notice any tasty fruits or berries nearby. "You''re right. Let''s go. I don''t know where we will find anything, but we should still try and search the area." Danny relaxed quickly. The mystery of Taylor''s immediate healing surely bothered him, but Taylor was already alive and awake, and that spoke volumes about how good she was right now. If Taylor really is okay, then why worry so much about it?


    Taylor was satisfied with his course of action, standing up beside him and ready to walk in any direction. Her legs and arms worked just fine too. Other than being thirsty, hungry, and tired, she was ready to walk just to find something. Danny seemed ready to move too.


    Danny took into account several random details he did not concern himself with earlier. First of all, Taylor was still acting like her usual self. So regardless of what was going on with her, she was still Taylor all the same. It goes further to prove that he isn''t dreaming. Second, the density of the trees here is significantly lower than what it was before. That does mean something. Something unnatural or something different was in the general vicinity. "Follow me. We might find something around here."


    Taylor wondered what kind of deserted island they had landed on. It could end up having inhabitants on it, or dangerous animals, or nothing at all. After being reminded of what mostly happened, his reactions to her earlier made a lot of sense. She remembered that natural cliff wall in detail; it was huge. If she did fall down from a high place, according to her own logic, something should be heavily injured. But instead, she felt as normal as ever. As she followed Danny around, walking slowly in one direction, she thought back to her home and her family. Her parents would be missing her as soon as the Tidal Max arrives at New York and uncle Nyar does not spot them exiting from the bay. Maybe then, someone will send a search and rescue party.


    Danny dragged his legs forward with light fatigue. Despite being exhausted and hungry, his thoughts continued circling back to how that scar on Taylor''s head vanished so suddenly, and now she was walking along as though nothing bad had happened to her. It was beyond bizarre.


    After counting the minutes and checking the tree density, which did not really change since the last nineteen minutes, Danny stopped in his tracks, causing Taylor to stop moving as well. Taylor noticed that Danny was stopping for no real reason, and he had his eyes nearly shut.


    "What is it?" Taylor probed.


    "Shhhh! I can hear something..." Danny and Taylor both remained silent, listening for any kind of echo in any direction. With just a few more seconds passing by, Danny heard the noise again echo through the leaves. The sound was brisk and quiet, but still available for him to hear, coming from straight ahead. It almost sounded like a person hollering out something, diffused with multiple echoes. Danny never stopped to consider that this island might be inhabited by someone.


    "I heard that too," Taylor announced. "Should we keep going?"


    Danny gave Taylor a down to earth look. "Of course we keep going! You want to starve out here?"


    Ignoring how rude his stomach was allowing him to be, Taylor proceeded forward past Danny, hoping to bump him on the shoulder just enough to annoy him. She squinted her eyes and ducked down a little, finally noticing that the line of trees ends up ahead. Something really was on the other side. Even though Danny was playing catch up, Taylor was leading the route further in. It only took about one more minute until Taylor made it to the edge of the woods on the other side, revealing a well-groomed open field of short cut grass.


    Spanning to a few hundred meters wide, the vast openness of this area was interestingly populated with eight or more houses, which were spread far apart from each other. With an old looking well tap set up near the center of the circular field, Taylor studied more while crouching down near the cover of the bushes to remain hidden. People obviously do live here, but what kind of people?


    Danny joined Taylor''s hunt for answers, but everything seemed to get even more mysterious with this discovery. The houses were all painted a certain color, indicating that they are not nomads or Indian like people. Their houses were not big, but well made, likely using some kind of timber. It came close in comparison to a modern day structure if not for the old style to the design. That well in the center obviously supplied this place with water. This is some kind of village.


    Before long, Taylor and Danny continued to observe even more about this place. There was no way it was deserted. It looked like there were cleared paths that exit the town further ahead and more to their west. Following the sound of a closing door, they tracked in sight a child who seemed to be at the age of six judging from height running around like the place was his favorite play area. Then an adult woman stepped into view, probably the mother. Little by little, Taylor was noticing even more people walking around, up to something individually. This place was getting livelier than it was before with little time passing, probably since the sunlight was now carrying up much higher.


    "I can''t believe it," Danny spoke. "It''s a village."


    Taylor guessed, "Could be an entire town." There were not all that many people involved, but Taylor soon decided to uncover herself from the bushes and move in much closer, even though that would make her visible to anyone here.


    Danny tried to pull her back, believing it was a bad idea, but Taylor walked away too quickly for his hand to reach out that far. Taylor walked carefully, still crouched slightly while trying to get a view behind the closest house that obstructed the view behind it. Taylor only wanted to continue observations this way, since the foliage of the bushes behind her obstructed more than half her entire field of view. To her surprise, the land mass was much bigger than she expected it to be. There were two additional open paths in the distance, looking like natural roads leading into more directions into the forest, each covered in dying grass with a tarnished yellow color for their formalities. But barely beyond the road furthest away, Taylor saw some other building, very short in vertical size, but also too wide to classify as a house. It was painted black, and had some kind of decorations she could not make out from this distance.


    Danny remained hidden, and saw one of the adults wearing some kind of white robe approaching Taylor directly from her right.


    Taylor noticed the man in the robe as well, but she did not run or back down. Whoever he was must have been trying to see who she was and what she was doing here. If he speaks English as well, then this cannot be just any random island.


    There was still a growing amount of people moving about in the open field. This was obviously some kind of network neighborhood of people who all share the same land generally and get along enough to keep living here without a fight. There was no sign of conflict here or anywhere else.


    The guy in the robe finally got in speaking range of Taylor. Taylor prepared herself for anything, but the guy in the robe finally stopped without touching her, obviously to say something. First, he lowered his hood down and revealed his face. About thirty years old, Caucasian male growing in a small mustache and beard with a skinny body. He kept the rest of his white robe on, but stood there to speak to Taylor. "Are you lost, young one?"


    Taylor back away a little in surprise. She wasn''t expecting a slanted version of an English-speaking person to be so... "Uh''m..." Taylor found herself speechless. She didn''t know what to say or who this man was. Whatever robe he was wearing did not look familiar with the fabric materials she was used to seeing, and there was something strange about him she did not trust, other than the guy being a total stranger.


    "It''s okay ya know. I''m not going to hurt you."


    Taylor spotted someone wearing the same colored material heading her way, but it was a woman this time. The woman''s eyes were on the person trying to talk to Taylor, and her walk was aggressive and quick.


    "Kain! What did I tell you about...? Huh?" The interesting woman seemed to be upset by something this Kain guy did, but now she was distracted by Taylor''s presence, staring intensely into her face for a brief moment. She then looked back to the man she addressed as Kain. Taylor was getting answers without even saying anything, but what could she say? "Who''s this?" the woman bartered.


    Kain gave the woman a very short look to her, then focused again back to Taylor while explaining his situation. "This appears to be a non-inhabitant to our town. She doesn''t seem to be able to speak."


    Taylor blushed, cursing herself for being so shy and making a fool of herself. But before she could prove that she had a voice, the woman beat her to more speech. "That''s because you probably scared the hell out of her. I told you to stop looking like a creep in that robe. It''s only been two days since you''ve worn the upgrade, and this is the third issue I''ve had to put up with about it. Stop going around by yourself talking to random people! We do things like that together."


    Now Taylor was impressed. Whomever the woman was obviously did not treat him very well. She seemed over the top bossy, almost like they were an angry married couple. But to be fair, the guy totally gave off a creepy vibe, even now while he was with company. Kain''s new expression told Taylor that this kind of fighting was normal to him. With a quick clear of the throat, Taylor tried to say something back in the middle of their bickering. "M-my name''s Taylor."


    The woman stopped talking to Kain, now only focused on Taylor. After a brief second, she started conversing with Taylor with a greeting. Her voice got so high and cheery, like she was talking to a little girl. "Hey there. My name is Bella." Bella held her hand out to Taylor openly, obviously to shake her hand.


    Taylor had the same kind of guess, and shook Bella''s hand firmly. Before Taylor could get much more word in, Bella decided to continue talking. She seemed like a usual chatter bot.


    "I can tell you aren''t from around here, but there''s no need to be shy. Tell your friend hiding in those bushes over there that it is safe here."


    Danny heard the entire conversation so far, and he knew that Bella was talking about him. Even below a bush, he did not stay well hidden. Defeated in his stealth, Danny hesitantly stood up tall again, taking his time to stroll back to Taylor''s side. On his way there, he had some more time to analyze these two. Bella and Kain were adults in this town, but whatever they''re here for could have been anybody''s guess.


    Bella watched as both the new boy and the new girl known as Taylor were standing together, curiously looking for information. Taylor looked like an early teenager, while the boy seemed about the same age for his type. "And you are?"


    "Name''s Danny," he swiftly replied. There wasn''t time to introduce everyone. He needed answers right now. Taylor''s injury would have to come after securing food and water for them both. "Now where are we?"


    Bella was light on her formalities. She turned around half-way showing off the town again, which now had been populated with at least fifteen people. "Good to meet you Danny. I know you are both from out of town, but that does not mean you can''t join us and have a look around. Welcome to Fronas!"


    Taylor felt even more embarrassed. Though Bella was a total stranger as well, she seemed a little too overly excited on her introduction to the name of the town. Did she say Fronas? "I''ve never heard of it."


    Danny saw Taylor now looking at him for an answer, but he had not the slightest idea where or what Fronas was anyway. "Don''t look at me. I don''t know this place either."


    "May I ask where you are from?" Kain questioned.


    Danny answered simply into one word, "Kalamo."


    "And I have to say that I have never heard of it either," Bella replied.


    Danny began talking to them both as if they were people he knew in order to make everyone feel more at home. The odd fact that they speak proper English made it easier. "I''m not surprised. How would a civilization level from an island like this know about a lower level country like that?"


    Bella seemed puzzled by his answer. "Island?"


    "Yeah," Taylor filled in. "He''s talking about where we are now."


    "Huh!"


    Danny noticed that Kain had a confused look on his face as well, but he wasn''t saying much else after. Don''t hide things from us! "You seem troubled by that news?"


    Kain nodded. "Oh I''m not troubled... It''s just... Where do you two think you are?"


    Danny and Taylor both exchanged looks, then returned their focus back to Bella and Kain. Kain was the next person to speak on behalf of filling them in.


    "Fronas may be just a small town here in the Gulop Region, but this is certainly no remote island."


    At the same time, Danny and Taylor gasped with their jaws half open. Taylor felt more confused than ever, and she tried to figure this out immediately. "If we''re not on an island, then where are we?"


    "I can''t believe it," Bella added. "They''re not just from out of town; they''re from out of the country!"


    "No... They aren''t from the valley? How did they get here then, huh? They don''t have any pass ports on them, so that leaves out the possibility of air travel." Kain and Bella were now arguing to each other about where Danny and Taylor were from, but did Taylor hear her correctly? Out of the country?


    This time, it was Danny who had to interrupt them. "Excuse me, but... If we''re not on an island, and we are somehow in a different country, then what country would that happen to be?"


    Bella paused to analyze their curiosity, but didn''t deny them in her next announcement. "Well, you are currently standing inside the boundaries of Sprawn Valley. Sprawn Valley is much bigger than it may sound, and we make up about a quarter size of the northern American continent, or if you will, one twelfth the size of present day Russia."


    "Auhhh! It''s that big?!" Taylor never realized how big an island could be until now. To think that she and Danny both swam to another country. But she had never heard of Sprawn Valley before, and there was an obvious hint that her friend knew only as much as she did.


    "How did you get here?"


    Danny had a sudden realization. If these people have houses, live in another country, and speak English, it is entirely possible that they could be useful to him. "Hey, you''ve gotta help us. I don''t know where we are now, but we''ve been separated from our group. We were traveling in the ocean on a cruise, and somehow we fell off the ship. We only made it here by swimming through the ocean and climbing past that barrier to get into the forest, and..."


    Danny almost left himself breathless after changing his attitude from careful to trusting, but Bella''s concern for their safety had exploded into a massive urge to help them regardless of what they knew. "Oh my goodness. You swam here? You must be all worn out from that kind of experience, and hungry too."


    "What was that about falling off a cruise?" Kain dwelled. "How did you end up in the ocean outside, and then appear inside?"


    "Do you have anything that can help us, like food and water?" Taylor asked. Despite how okay she felt, Taylor''s voice was still hoarse from the sea water she ended up swallowing on the way here, and it came out much worse than Danny''s raspy tone with enough elapsed time, but she simply went along with Danny''s plan to siphon living materials off these people.


    Danny added in an additional concern of his while ignoring Kain''s need to figure them out. "And if you have access to a cellular phone, I need to make a call as well." It seemed unlikely these people would have cellular phones, which were considered somewhat new technology. This little town appeared to be old fashioned by the looks of the outside and the small amount of houses in the field. Despite Kain calling this place an entire country, it didn''t look as if more than 100 people could have possibly populated the infamous landscape.


    "Well then," Kain offered. "I''m not sure what we can do about a phone all the way out here, but we can defiantly do better than food and water. You have much to learn about Sprawn Valley if you really are as new as you say you are, but for now, you must rest up and restore your energy. Come with us. I''ll show you around to our medical facility. It''s right in town, and though it is small, we have all we need to heal any patients of any injuries. We also allow travelers to rest up and eat for free."


    Taylor''s eyes sparked with such excellent news. These guys are not savages; they are incredible! Offering free food and rest so generously! "Oh, thank you!" Taylor even pressed her hands together to show her respect.


    Danny felt that such a reaction was normal for Taylor, even if she was acting too helpless, but even he cracked a smile from the first good news in a long time. The people in Fronas may be strangers, but perhaps they are as useful as they are generous. Even after waking up from an almost perfect sleep on the Tidal Max, there was no denying that he and Taylor were in need of a nice long rest.


    Both of them ended up following Kain and Bella towards the medical facility said to be in town. Now they would get perfect rest, and learn all they could about Sprawn Valley tomorrow.

 Chapter 5: Leray, Magic, and Immortality

    <hr>


    <12/18/1971 ~ 17:45 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Danny felt a shocking force wake him up, taking him by surprise. After sitting up too fast, he took several moments to realize where he was. Remembering everything that happened last night, Danny knew he was just asleep, probably awakened from a nightmare. Though he could not remember any dreams he had, not even the one a few seconds ago.


    The room he slept in was still familiar to him, after he and Taylor were set up last night with their own sleeping quarters; at least that is what they would be call if they were safely aboard the Tidal Max. Then again, last night was really last morning on several technicalities. They had both fallen asleep at around seven or eight in the morning. Who knows what time it is now? It obviously could not have been nighttime already, because a bright yellow glow from the sunlight managed to peak through the wooden cracks in the wall into his room.


    Talk about low maintenance. This place really must be underfunded for a medical facility. There was only one nurse as well, who just so happens to run the front desk all in the same job. Either this too is a poor country, or Fronas Town is just close to poverty, but at least the bedroom looks very nice. Much of the structure was made out of wood, but everything was neatly decorated with strange symbols and even posters of strange domes. The backgrounds in the posters looked like places, but nothing about them were familiar to Danny.


    After rubbing his eyes a little more, Danny stood up out of his temporary bed, which was hardly anything but a mattress on a raft. Despite being cheap, everything looked like it had been cleaned, and the floors were well boarded up. He currently had the weather to thank for him not freezing in his still soaked clothes, since there was no heating or air conditioning, though the slim heat outside managed to take care of his comfort in the situation. This was a lot like sleeping inside of a cabin to be more precise. A cabin hotel treating injured patients by sleep or medicine was a bit unusual, but so was the rest of this place called Sprawn Valley.


    Taylor woke up at about the same time Danny did, only she could not have known this being in a separate room. Her waking process was a lot more gentle, but she also managed to notice how interesting the place was. She had seen it before from yesterday, but sleep was one of the only things on her mind then. Their new friends, Kain and Bella were nice enough to hand them pancakes with a hint of syrup before they fell asleep. That must mean that despite its looks, Fronas cannot be a bankrupt town.


    Unaware of what time it was today, Taylor got herself up and patted down on her clothes again. They were still a little damp from before, and regardless of the kindness of the town''s people here, nobody offered her or Danny a change of fresh dry clothes. The outfit was mostly dry anyway after wearing it for so long in her sleep. Any of her owned possessions she brought with her were stuck back on the Tidal Max, and that means they are gone.


    Taylor spotted a hint of sawdust in the air, visible by the small beam of sunlight breaking through the structure and into the hallway of her room. There were not even any doors for any of the rooms. Taylor remembered a short conversation with Nurse Francine before she slept, about how the doors to each room needed to be repaired using better wood; in other words, out of commission. Such a low maintenance structure even for a town working together on resource management, it was a little bit upsetting for Taylor to witness. Then again, she nor Danny knew much of anything about this country or the town they were in. It could have a totally different civilization level, with a free governmental system. Anything was possible at this point.


    Danny was in deep thought again, not leaving his room until after thinking more on Taylor''s injury. As he remembered again and again, Taylor fell from a high place with nothing soft to land on. Even if she did not fall down from a high enough place to get killed, it was more than enough to have her skin damaged and pierced by the ground, but he also examined that scar on the back of her head. It was halfway on her head and halfway on her neck, but that scar had defiantly broke skin, amazingly not enough to penetrate down to the bone. And then in just an hour flat, the scar is gone and Taylor is perfectly healed?


    That wasn''t all. Minor little cuts and a few scrapes and skin abrasions painted the back of her arms, and probably more that was covered by her current outfit, but he had not noticed until now that Taylor''s skin on both hands were undamaged. There wasn''t the smallest hint of any injury on her face either. A fall that high should have done either more or lasting damage...


    "You coming?" Taylor was already in the small corridor of the hallway, noticing Danny just standing there in thought. Since he was awake now too, they might as well do something.


    Danny noticed Taylor standing right outside his doorframe, brutally edging him to follow her. After considering that he was not going to get the answer he wanted right now, he finally agreed with Taylor and began to follow her. He quickly fixed his short poofy bed hair while proceeding to leave the comfort of the small room. It went quick for him since he had no possessions of his to take. While walking casually behind his friend, Danny had even more things to consider that didn''t make any sense. He remembered himself jumping off that wall at about 100 feet. The pain of landing on his legs from a long drop is more than miniscule. After the impact, his legs were at least sore to prove to him that he should not have done something like that in the first place.


    But what about now? From the time he just woke up, even to this moment while he was following Taylor to the front desk of the small building, his legs felt absolutely fine. No pain, no stress, no lag, and no pressure. His legs were as good as new, and he had not even slept for a full night this time. Wait, what time is it anyway?


    The building had poor lighting structure. Most of the areas around them had glass protected candle domes set up on desks or side tables to light up the area during the night. During the day, it was a series of simple pane glass windows letting in all of the sunlight, and there was an electrical lamp here and there. The facility management, whomever that was seemed highly adamant about saving that electrical power; either that, or the town simply had no electricity. The amount of light that poured in during the day outside of the medical rooms however was more than enough to completely reveal every detail of the facility to them, and now it resembled something more of a hotel than a hospital. Sure, there were medical supplies somewhere, but it didn''t seem as if people keep them in plain sight. Despite being made out of wood, the craftsmanship and interior design seemed quite professional. Right now through the window glass, it seemed to be a clear afternoon by the looks of the sky color and lightness.


    After leading Danny to the front desk of the medical facility in Fronas, Taylor noticed that Francine was not there, only an empty desk with a round analog clock hung on the top of the wall behind it. At least Danny would not have to ask for the time, but analog clocks were almost luxury items in Kalamo, so reading one was almost as difficult as it was to obtain one. The smaller dial was pointing far down, almost towards the sixth large marker. The longer dial was aimed at the far left large marker. That either means it is 9:60 o clock, or 5:45 P.M.? Taylor was not even that sure of herself, but instead of figuring what the time was, she rather decided to take it outside.


    The front of the main entrance door to the building was right in view, and though Danny wanted to know the time more than Taylor did, he followed her outside with her slower pace. The front door was made mostly out of glass, so plenty of light got in from here as well. Back where the sunlight was bright, there were people everywhere, at least twenty or more of them. Fronas was a strange place. The neighborhood was in a wide-open space of area, while the other facilities were within man-made cut paths into the woods. From this position, the houses seemed a little further away than before. And as for the people walking around, where did they have to go? Some of them waltzed into the shallow end of the forest while others took to the exit paths around.


    The houses here seemed to represent individual families, and their design seemed much better than the building they just came walking out of, but that still said nothing about the infrastructure here. Why is there only one water source for a place like this; that well tapped into the center of the field of short cut grass? And where did those other paths go? Taylor remembered getting out from the forest from the opposite angle, so it had to be from the South, right? That means there is more that goes West and North? While picking up on observations, Taylor soon noticed that Kain and Bella were right next to them, wearing the same bright hooded robes as last time. They were so quiet before that her new knowledge of their presence immediately creped her out. The two acquainted adults managed to notice them first, but now Danny had his chance to ask as many questions as he needed to.


    Kain cleared his throat, giving him the lead on who gets to speak first. Both he and Bella were leaning on the wooden edge of the cabin, which was also the medical facility from the outside. Their faces were a lot clearer in the brightened sunlight from the daytime, but the sunlight''s angle also seemed to be receding closer to the ground. It was clear they were both waiting for Danny and Taylor to wake up, ambushing them at this place. "Well, well. Look who decided to rest up."


    Even Danny knew it was a bit awkward to want to start a conversation that quickly. He felt a little strange to just begin asking questions about their location to a stranger on the spot, but Kain didn''t appear as reserved either. "Anyone have the time," Danny urged. Kain and Bella stared at him for a brief moment, obviously surprised at the subtle request.


    "It is currently five forty seven," Bella answered. "But based on where you are from, that time zone could be really different."


    "Enough about the time," Taylor demanded. After realizing that Kain and Bella were here for one reason only, it was finally time to discover what the hell was going on here. "Kain? Bella? I don''t really know where to begin, but there is a lot we need to know that we don''t already."


    Kain folded his arms at Taylor, in total agreement with her evaluations. "Allow me to ask you one simple question first, one that will determine just where we should start. Taylor? Danny? How much do you really know about Sprawn valley, even from just rumors or legends?"


    "Absolutely nothing." Danny and Taylor answered together the same way, and exchanged a brief look for confirmation. Taylor decided to take it from there, asking what comes next. "We know nothing about Sprawn Valley, or this town called Fronas. Please explain everything."


    Bella had decided to stand up from her earlier leaning pose, but kept her arms folded together. Nobody had a problem so far with estimating the length of the next conversation, and so she continued in preparation. "I take it to assume that neither of you are even familiar with the land marks of this country. So I will begin with where you are. As far as general locations go, you have arrived in the country of Sprawn Valley. You of course know that, but that does not mean you have an understanding of where you are."


    Kain was now continuing Bella''s conversation, as if the two knew what to say next from practice. "Sprawn Valley is very large, massive in land size. Located just northeast of Brazil is the best description of where we are. Based on where you said you were from, Kalamo, it seems that that country is very small, relatively located just southwest of Sierra Leone. I was able to figure out on a world map where Kalamo is, though I only know that much about the land. And you said you were on a ship?"


    "Yes!" Taylor agreed. "We were on a cruise; the Tidal Max. It was going from Kalamo to New York."


    Kain and Bella glanced at each other for a moment, and Bella took it from there. "New York? As in, New York - the United States?"


    Danny confirmed, "You know it?"


    "Yes." Bella allowed the two teens to take in the news they were getting, but she only stopped talking momentarily. "Your cruise should have traveled pretty closely to Sprawn Valley, but perhaps they were trying to avoid our civilization. Being unregistered in their public travel plans would prove my claim."


    "Why would a public cruise like that want to avoid a place like this?"


    Danny''s question was not a harsh one, but Bella had a new worried look on her face. She obviously did not want to answer this one just yet. "All vehicles used to travel here are registered for a reason. The vessels of ships or airplanes that do not register only do so as a precautionary measure to avoid stopping at Sprawn Valley. Even though the pilots and officials are given such information, they try to keep their passengers from learning about this place."


    "And I say again," Danny protested. "What about Sprawn Valley is so inhospitable?"


    "Please," Kain interrupted. "We will get into that much later. You now know about where this country lies on a global map, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Your ship must have tried passing right by us, using that recent thunderstorm to cover up our visual trail. But just in case, you should also learn as much as you can about the inside of Sprawn Valley. Currently, we are standing in the southwest most section of the entire continent, in the Gulop region."


    "You have a map of that?" Taylor requested.


    Bella seemed eager to be the volunteer for the map, but she did not have one on her. "You know what Kain, you keep on explaining our four mini-regions, and I will go get them the map of the entire area."


    "You do that Bella. I will keep our guests informed about the other stuff." Kain waited for Bella to take off in the direction of another interesting path in the distance of the open field. She seemed to be speed walking, too embarrassed to sprint in that robe.


    Kain returned his face to the two youngsters, who appeared to him as more mature than they looked to be handling this separation so well. "Like it or not, there are only two entry points into Sprawn Valley. That would be Vanon Port, which of course is in the Gulop Region, and then the airport in Junon sector. Sprawn Valley''s borders are tightly protected by natural barriers such as those rocks you must have climbed over. Lucky for you, those were not the tallest ones. I must say I''m impressed you managed to scale such a large rocky wall just like that, and getting down from it must have come with the same difficulty. As to what I was saying before, inside of our valley there are four other regions all separated by our own interior ocean, known as the Hollifax Ocean. So all of our regions are like large islands I suppose, but they are comprised inside of this large barrier of natural formations. Anyway..."


    Danny and Taylor shortly exchanged looks. They were learning a lot of information already, but perhaps now he was realizing that this could literally drag on forever.


    "The only other way to enter Sprawn Valley is at the local airport in Junon sector, which is far away from where we stand now. Air travel is usually the way to get into Sprawn Valley, because altitude can work wonders over an ocean vessel. Then there is the Eupharus, which is a much smaller region to the Northeast corner, and Iktal region, which is much larger in comparison - directly in the mid-southern section of Hollifax Ocean." Kain''s tone and voice sounded so clear and confident about what he was saying and how he presented the facts. It was hard for anybody to call him lying or mistaken about any of this so far. Dare anyone even assume he seemed a little eccentric about getting a chance to explain all of this to strangers?


    Taylor could feel her head beginning to twirl. She was never good at hearing the details of anything without visual aids. "That map sure is sounding useful right about now."


    Kain nodded to her comment. "I''m telling you about locations because when it comes time to let you get in touch with your parents or other guardians, you will be able to explain to them where in Sprawn Valley you are. Though I must predict that their travel here could be a while, even from an airplane."


    "And why is that?"


    Taylor felt like bonking Danny right on the head for asking that question. "Weren''t you paying any attention?! The only airport here is far in the Junon sector, and we don''t even know where that is."


    "There is no need for panic," Kain reassured. "Let''s say that it takes forever, which it shouldn''t. We are a peaceful nation, and we would never let a couple of lost travelers such as yourselves stave or go without the daily necessities. For as long as you like, we can keep you healthy in Fronas using this medical facility. I know it seems like it really needs work done to it, but it will not be long now until the facility is upgraded."


    Danny paused before his next question, thinking about how to politely tell the man how poor his own town seems to be. "Expecting some big relief funds?"


    Taylor gave Danny that look again, amazed by how passively rude he was able to be, but Kain did not sound offended in his response. "You could say that. We have a new and big event called the arena, happening just north of here that we expect to attract heavy investment opportunities. The nearest town that way is Blue Port Town. And before you assume anything, it is not a port, just another small town, but twice the size of this one I dare say."


    "I''ve got some maps," Bella hollered. She took her time getting back to the group, holding a stack of papers in her hands. Once she caught up with everyone, she handed Danny and Taylor each a sheet of tinted paper with printed mapping data on them. The sheets showed a visual of the entire Sprawn Valley region and with such excellent detail. "These are the visual maps of Sprawn Valley''s most important locations and landmarks. You''ll have to ask around each town you visit in order to learn any more about them." Bella didn''t let any gasps escape her breath, assessing that she was in rather good physical shape.


    Danny studied his map intensely, but gave up in just three seconds. He was more interested in stuff he did not already know now, or anything he could not just learn later. "I''m more interested in hearing more about Fronas Town. Is this all of it?"


    "I''m afraid not young man," Kain declared. "And it''s just called Fronas in context. As you can clearly see, our town is not heavily populated, which explains why there appear so few houses. There are only eleven total connected to Fronas, three of which are a little further into the forests that span around here."


    "What else do you have?" Taylor questioned, still studying her map intensely.


    For now, Bella took over the conversation, still able to keep up in synchronization to Kain. Perhaps they were really married. "Not much. The only shop of supplies we get are the ones from Blue Port Town. They have an official store selling all sorts of items. But we don''t have a shop set up in Fronas. People have to walk to Blue Port in order to get the supplies."


    "How long is that walk?"


    Endorsing Taylor''s curiosity, Bella answered, "About twenty minutes; forty for the trip there and back. It''s quite the good workout for everyone since that is where they must get their supplies."


    "No automobiles to help out?" Danny assumed. He had only seen one automobile up close once in his lifetime, luxury items in Kalamo, but managed to learn a bit more about them from reading and television in his spare time.


    "Nope." Kain seemed unbothered by admitting how lower his civilization level was to most other countries. "Nobody in all of Sprawn Valley drives an automobile. We''ve never had a single car - not one. But we do get boat drivers and even a few pilots around."


    "I get the feeling that is done on purpose," Danny pressured.


    "You would be right to think so. We''ve never accepted automobiles into our society, and it does not appear that this is about to change. If you want to get around places, you have to walk like the rest of us. I''ve only rarely heard of people who ride horses. Bikes are actually more common than that. Of course, I''ve never seen a live horse, considering none live in Sprawn Valley to begin with. So bikes are really your best bet. You''re only going to find a bike shop in Gross City for this region, which is a much longer walk from here."


    "Back to Fronas," Kain picked up. "We are known for housing the Dakota training facility."


    "Dakota Training Facility?" Taylor and Danny spoke the name of it together, both just as surprised to figure out that this place has training facilities... But for what? Kain sounded proud to announce the fact, as though the facility is what made the town more popular than it appeared to be.


    Bella gave Kain a worrisome look mixed with anger. "You want to tell them about that now?"


    Kain faced Bella dominantly with his claim. "They''re going to learn about it by accident sooner or later. I would recommend they remain informed about the situation in Sprawn Valley before they get involved with it in the wrong way. It''s something that will freak them out later unless they know about it firsthand."


    Danny squinted his eyes at Kain, certain he was about to reveal something a bit shocking about his own country. A big part of him wanted to tell Kain to shut up about it right now, but Danny couldn''t bring himself to deny his ears the truth. Was it something big? Why was it related to a training facility? What do people around here train to do? Did they land in the middle of some kind of war zone?


    "What kind of training facility?" Taylor begged.


    "First," Kain began. "You two need to understand the concept of our ways. Sprawn Valley does have one very large specialty. It''s not a big secret, but it is our lifeblood around here. You must first become familiar with the concept of Leray magic."


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Cranktown Night ~ Resonance of Fate / End of Eternity OST</a>


    <hr>


    Danny nearly froze, and he softly repeated what he heard to avoid getting the name any more wrong. He must have misheard him. "Uh, Lee-ray magic?"


    "Correct; Leray magic," Kain repeated. "It is a type of magical energy that flows everywhere in this country. And when I say magic, I really do mean magic."


    Taylor was at a loss for words as much as Danny became, but his doubts had already overtaken the concept. His tense muscles quickly relaxed at a simple realization. "Uh, okay. Hey, listen. Can I speak to anybody else... with intelligence?" Danny paused before implying that Kain was smart, hoping not to offend him with his accidental sarcasm.


    Kain laughed casually at Danny''s response. "Hehe. I''m not surprised at that reaction young man. You don''t believe in magic, do ya?"


    He has to be joking right now, and if he was, this was the worst one he had ever heard of before. "I think anybody who does is just crazy or childish."


    Taylor glanced at Danny, then back to Kain. She could not decide anymore what to think of this civilization. Was everybody here going to be like this? "What do you mean by magic?"


    Bella took over for Kain, deciphering the meaning of his claim. "Sprawn Valley is blessed every day with what is known as the Leray Veil Protection Zone. There is a force of magical energy that courses all around the entire continent of Sprawn Valley, and nowhere else. This protection zone of magic is responsible for the invocation of Leray magic, and the protection everybody here receives."


    Danny remained silent. He could not believe his ears, and his tongue could not even condone chatter with this nonsense. Did the people here do drugs? If so, which plant was responsible for it?


    Bella continued her explanations. "Describing what Leray magic is in general can be very difficult. The magical form of energy exists on a multidimensional separation link between this world and other metaphysical worlds that are in perfect parallel to this one with the difference of frequencies and energy related patterns to auras and astral forms. Because of the protection zone we have here, that infusion of magic gives people the power here to tap into that kind of potential, which includes the level of protection provided from instantaneous diffusion of the primary physical astra."


    Danny''s face had frozen with a funny looking expression, which he assumed Taylor shared at the same time. None of what she just said made any sense, and though it may have sounded somewhat decently scientific, that didn''t mean it was truthful or provable assuming it was decipherable. Just what were Bella and Kain talking about?


    Bella continued while summarizing the limits of the protection veil. "And it is that very specific type of magical veil that protects all of our inhabitants from the unusual deaths."


    Once again, Taylor and Danny were in total sync with their surprise. "What?!"


    "Even that has its own meaning," Bella continued. "The people who are in Sprawn Valley, whether they are official residents are not - are currently being affected by the flow of Leray magic, including you two as well. Every one or two years, a strong lasting field of Leray energy is sent pulsating in all directions, covering the entire valley with its blessing. And because of that, everybody in here is invulnerable to death."


    "Yeah right," Danny impeded. "Immortality? There is no such thing."


    "You are partially correct," Kain allowed. "You see, the protection zone that prevents people here from dying only does so with certain implications. That means that people are only protected from death when threatened by a severe injury, or damage, or by some crazy accident. We are not immortal to the other things in life, such as aging, or naturally caused diseases."


    Bella picked up where Kain was going with this. "Even if someone living here eats unhealthily and raises their cholesterol too high, they are prone to death by having a heart attack, and no magic in the world can save them from that. But from physical injuries that would otherwise leave a person dead or severely injured, they are protected by the same magical veil that covers this continent."


    Danny shook his head, not buying the story. He could tell that Kain and Bella picked up on that, but still they still continued the charade.


    "Other than protection, the presence of the veil also allows anybody affected by it to use some of that energy, in the form of magical skills or spells. Leray magic can even be used in the form of attacks."


    Finally fluent in the conversation, Taylor asked Bella more questions. "So you''re saying, that a magical force in the country protects people from death, mostly, and allows anybody to use Leray magic as attack spells?"


    Kain answered, "In a nut shell, yes."


    Danny defused his suspicions quickly with Kain and Bella. "I have to call some major bull crap here. If magic really does exist in the way that you say it does, we would have seen it used before, right?"


    Danny was looking at Taylor, expecting her to agree with him. Taylor took an extra moment to realize what Danny was looking at her for, and she responded appropriately. "Yeah, he''s right. We should have at least heard of this before, or seen some of that magic back home."


    "I wouldn''t bet on it," Kain argued. "You see, the veil protection zone is also what supplies the people with the ability to invoke that magic in the first place, and the aura of that field only expands as far as our boarders. It barely shields this nation past the natural obstacles blocking entry and exit points. Anybody outside of Sprawn Valley will not be able to invoke Leray magic, and thus, are not protected from death in the same way that Leray magic grants us. It only affects anyone who is in Sprawn Valley, within the physical boundaries of our zone."


    "I think we would have heard something about that," Taylor denied. "My parents told me lots of things about places, and Sprawn Valley was not one of them."


    Kain was unbothered by her lack of faith in the Leray magical aura, appearing to be confident in his everlasting argument. "Most parents outside of the zone don''t tell their children about such things. There are still a handful of people outside of Sprawn Valley who hate the very idea of this place because of the magic involved. So why bother the children with entities they don''t think are natural?"Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "You''ve got that right," Danny snapped. "They probably thought you were nut cases too, and didn''t want to bother us with your lies."


    "Naturally," Kain continued without addressing Danny''s comment. "Many people believe that the use of magic, even in the form that saves lives all the time is unorthodox and unnatural to the human body. Even with a better lifespan and incredible magic power, many dislike the very idea of Leray magic, and therefore dislike anything to do with Sprawn Valley. We are not a secret, but only half the world thinks we are popular."


    "I don''t see how you will win a popularity contest by pretending that you can use magic." Danny folded his arms at them, edging even more that they should be more truthful. "Of all the things, you two are wasting our time. If you believe in magic so much then go ahead and show me some proof. Go on! I want to see some interesting stuff happen right now, no tricks, no technology, straight up magical powers."


    After what felt like a long pause of consideration and silence, Kain gave Bella an interesting look. "Shall we?"


    Bella rolled her eyes at Kain, but not in disagreement. "If you must see that evidence, I suppose there is no harm in showing you just what Leray magic looks like when it is being used. Just aim it at the ground this time Kain. You two want to see some proof, well here it is. Pay attention."


    Danny winced by the response. They''re serious about this! Normally in this situation, somebody would simply give an excuse of why they can''t show proof of something, or make the people wait longer and longer to think of a way out of their lie. But that''s not what''s happening here. Kain just agreed to show him magic right here and now. What about the other few people walking around? Won''t they see...? Oh right, it''s supposedly not a secret here.


    Bella stood back a little from Kain, and Kain closed his eyes for a second, concentrating on something only he could so far detect. Danny and Taylor took two steps back as well, waiting for their demonstration of what could possibly be a simple magic trick. With a single doubt already in his mind, Danny immediately assumed it would be something lame. He''ll probably shuffle a deck of cards without touching them, or levitate partially off the ground for half a second.


    Kain extended his arm at a negative 25-degree angle, barely aiming at the grass in the close distance. He then opened his hand all the way at the same time, and began controlling his energy. It took a moment, but in just another second before their very eyes, an incredible ring made out of bright neon colors appeared out of nowhere, wrapping around Kain''s wrist slowly but surely. The strange ring took on the form of a holographic transparent disk based on having a two dimensional form with multiple radii, and it formed from phase into a more solidified section of pure light. The ring seemed tangible now, as if anyone could touch it. Then it began to glow brightly while spinning slowly in place, as additional patterns and symbols formed within the section of the disk. Basically, Kain had a red colored disk around his wrist, with an open hole down the center preventing that ring from actually touching his body, but it still hovered and levitated in place while rotating too in its brilliant light. Now there were unusual patterns such as holographic drawings forming within the ring section, symbols all encased in smaller circles on the flat part that did show. It seemed like some kind of holographic device he was controlling, and the spinning got a little faster in response to the wait time.


    There was more. A soft yet noticeable noise of low frequencies getting slightly higher in the form of a whooshing wind similarity followed that same ring, getting slightly louder and higher with time. Still with the same stance and focus, Kain waited while charging his energy into the strange glowing ring. In just a few more seconds, a strange low pitch noise emitted from that ring, causing an additional glow to form at the edge of Kain''s hand. Just before unleashing his trick, he yelled, "Fire Bolt!"


    With a quick flash of light, a bright ball of fire about the size of Kain''s entire face in the shape of a sphere shot out of the end of the ring. The incredible hot bolt of fire then flew as a projectile, straight in the same direction that Kain was aiming his hand towards. In just another split second, the same fireball sparked when it hit the ground he aimed it at, causing it to compress and then explode on impact. A burst of hot yellow dust followed the explosion that was not very large in size or power, but it was still just as remarkable. As if to further prove to Danny once and for all that the fire itself wasn''t a lie, the heat from the previous existing bolt managed to ignite a tiny fire in the blades of grass which somehow extinguished itself in short of a few seconds, the smoke and radiant heat making it all the way back to his widened eyes.


    Taylor watched the entire thing, speechless as Kain''s spell shot a real fireball out of his hand and into the ground. The strange ring around his hand slowly became transparent until it disappeared completely. Kain retracted his arm back to his side, opening his eyes and waiting for their reaction. "Wha- How?"


    Danny''s jaw dropped as well, unable to comprehend that Kain had actually used magic to shoot a ball of fire from his hand. "What was that?" Though he still considered the remote possibility that such magic was just a show-and-tell kind of trick, that it was still faked. It had to be. Magical powers aren''t real! Danny came to an alternative possible conclusion already that he might just be dreaming. Despite all that has already happened, and despite how real this world feels, this simply can''t be. But then what the hell was that thing Kain just drew?


    "That was so cool! What was that?! Do it again!" Taylor had finally made up her mind, jumping for joy in excitement of the one used ability from Kain. She had absolutely no idea what just happened, but now she was beginning to trust that something magical was really happening here. "How did you do that? What was that cool ring thing?"


    Danny sighed silently by how quickly Taylor was drawn to the beautiful effects of Kain''s Leray magic thing he just did. It seemed a bit typical for Taylor to immediately be so understanding unlike himself in light of such excitement, acting a bit childlike if he dared to conclude. Then again, is Taylor really that gullible from one explanation and demonstration? This could yet still be a dream after all...


    Bella decided to explain the effects of Leray magic including the terminology used in it. "That ring you saw before you is called a Glyphring. Glyphrings are those spinning rings that help us create a short-term link between the dimensions involved in pure Leray energy and the physical world. Through the use of glyphrings, people can invoke powerful magical attacks and spells that allow specific powers, and Glyphrings can appear in an infinite form of symbols and power types. What you just saw was a basic level fire type glyphring, used to invoke lower level fire abilities. As several kinds of elements exist, this is just the tip of the iceberg."


    Kain continued with his own separate explanation. "And that is just using the glyphrings. Magical auras can also serve a purpose in support spells and magic without the use of the glyphrings, by storing energy into yourself and releasing that same energy."


    Danny was still in shock. Now Taylor had already been won over by the demonstration, and he had no way to disprove any of this anymore. "This can''t be happening. That could have been faked you know."


    Bella smiled, knowing her own cue to try again. "Perhaps a different demonstration may help loosen up your suspicions."


    "Yes please, do it again!" Taylor pleaded. Danny had not seen her this excited since her eleventh birthday, when she received some expensive jewelry from her family. Why was she suddenly so packed into this? It could just be a highly sophisticated light show.


    Bella pushed Kain aside gently, and prepared her own attack spell. She began by charging up the Leray energy around her, and thankfully, Kain was there to explain the entire process.


    "To use spells, one must have a lot of training and experience. Right now, Bella is storing Leray energy, which can be done anywhere so long as you are in Sprawn Valley. Once her energy is charged, she will begin to release that energy into the creation of a glyphring. Once that glyphring forms the connection between Leray energy and physical space, she can then invoke any kind of related spell she wants to. Shouting out the names of the spells is not a requirement, but it does help us focus at the right timing."


    Bella finally managed to create another glyphring around her wrist, aiming her arm at the same spot where Kain had previously aimed at. The ring that formed around her wrist this time was slightly different in color - jade blue to be more exact, and the symbols forming at the edges of the ring were also much different in shape and design patterns. The glyphring started spinning faster and faster, until a bright surge of light formed right at the palm of Bella''s open hand. At the same time she was releasing her energy, Bella opened her eyes and prepared to release her attack spell. This time, Danny and Taylor noticed something highly unusual that they did not notice before. Bella''s eyes were suddenly glowing almost as brightly as the magical light forming around her hand. With the bright color of cyan blue shinning from her eyes in the most unusual form they had ever seen, Bella finally released her version of an attack spell. "Lightning Strike!"


    Just after shouting the name of her attack spell, a bright beam of scattering electrical bolts formed in a straight line, in the same direction Bella was aiming her hand towards. This time, the electricity was bright and visible, appearing to be a very long lasting and flexible lightning bolt, connected to the ground target and Bella''s hand. The bolt also managed to last for an entire time of three seconds, showing off the incredible colors of the blue electricity and the arcs coming from the narrow beam. Danny was also focusing on Bella''s eye color, which still had been glowing brightly blue. That was something he had never expected to see in all of his life. At long last, the lightning bolt that connected from Bella''s hand to the ground she aimed it at stopped, and the glyphring faded almost as instantly. Bella retracted her arm, and at the exact same time she had finished using her power, her glowing eyes returned to their original state of color and darkness.


    Danny had nothing to say this time. His mouth was frozen shut, and he was thinking in a loop, trying to figure out what just happened.


    "Now, I could sit here and do this all day," Kain confessed. "But I cannot continue, or else I will deplete all of my MP energy."


    "MP energy?" Danny was still in a trance, but he was not stopping himself from learning even more.


    Taylor looked like she was ready to bounce up and down all the way to the sky. For whatever reason, she was overly excited by this. Perhaps too many books of fairy tales? That was Danny''s first external thought for her.


    Bella answered the next question with another long speech. "MP energy; stands for Magical Potential. Leray energy is automatically absorbed by anyone in the radius of its effective protection zone, but just how much energy that is can be defined in a point of conservation capacity."


    Taylor had calmed down, tilting her head at the sudden increase of heavy vocabulary. With a blank face, Danny was staring at them as well, just as clueless. He seemed a little more annoyed and tensed up, perhaps still unable to buy into all of this.


    Bella quickly corrected her mistake. "Uh, here''s what I mean. Everybody can use Leray energy, but that energy has to be stored up a bit first. There is a certain capacity that everybody can hold individually, known as Magical Essence, and it is never the same amount per person. It can even change over time. MP represents the capacity in relationship with a person''s essence that remains for them in short term. Charging MP energy means using what is already stored from ME reserves to use a spell."


    Kain continued Bella''s explanation on the spot. "For example, I may have exactly six hundred magical power points in capacity. Every time I use an ability however, I expend some of that stored energy until it regenerates later. But you and your friend Taylor probably have about fifty magical points stored up and unused."


    Danny did not even know what to ask anymore. So he let them both continue, as did Taylor.


    "We can define our own capacity in the form of levels as a percentage of our MP capacity as it remains. Meaning, I can check at any time just how much I have left."


    "What happens if that level is completely depleted?" Taylor questioned.


    Bella answered, "Once one gets used to being infused with stored Leray magic, their total parameters get adjusted, physically speaking. You both are used to getting your energy from a good night''s sleep until you tire yourselves out eventually. But now that you''ve been in Sprawn Valley long enough, that MP energy that you have stored up is now a fraction of your own energy. Exhaust all of it using magic or whatever else, and you will find yourselves out of breath, tired, and perhaps even dizzy from fatigue."


    "However," Kain interjected. "That tiredness thing only happens more often if your HP levels are also low as well. And I must point out that having zero MP energy reserves can become dangerous."


    "Why is that?" Taylor asked.


    Danny''s head was spinning already, confused about what all of this was about, but he tried to keep up with it.


    Bella answered the question that Kain was supposed to. "In order for the protection zone to actually protect you passively, your MP capacity must at least be higher than one percent of the max capacity. If you end up exhausting every ounce of Leray energy you have stored, then in the moment of which you have completely drained yourselves, you are no longer subject to such protection from injury or death, until that energy regenerates just slightly. That is because protection like that actually requires just a tiny amount of stored energy to work as such. Everybody here is technically expending a tiny bit of magical points passively over a period of time to remain protected, but passive regeneration happens at a much faster rate as this rule goes unnoticed in fights."


    "That is why battles can sometimes be dangerous," Kain continued. "If a person is in a fight, and they end up losing all of their MP and HP at the same time, a real injury can occur where it would not otherwise, rare as it might be."


    "Battle?" Taylor repeated.


    "HP?" Danny followed. Even if this was somehow a sham, there was too much creativity poured into their explanations. At the very least, they certainly believed in this themselves.


    "Looks like we''re still getting ahead of ourselves," Kain apologized. "I suppose the first thing to point out is that the magic Bella and I have demonstrated to you may look and sound dangerous, but it really is not harmful."


    I''m supposed to just take your word for it? How would you know what''s dangerous and what isn''t? That fire thing looked like it could have killed anybody it hit outright! Danny was still just about in the same mood as before regarding the concept and situation, but he didn''t let on to Kain about it.


    Kain continued his obligated response. "Just like there are MP levels in everyone, there are also HP levels. HP stands for health points, literally the capacity of one''s physical health and remaining power based on their connective life essence energy. But in the Leray world, aside from having MP energy, your HP levels act as your real stamina. You must not think of that as a level of your actual physical health. In the Leray protection zone, your HP becomes your stamina. Damage is converted into pain and a loss of bodily energy."


    Bella continued the dialogue from Kain. "In the protection zone, a rather fatal injury that would normally cause death would be converted into something just short of a scratch. People heal faster than they normally would. And when someone takes fatal damage here, thanks to the Leray magic and protective zone, real physical damage is thus converted into something more manageable, such as the intense loss of stamina and energy in the form of HP. A person''s HP levels drops in response to damage, either from an accident, or from an attack such as the abilities we have just demonstrated to you. Should a person''s health point levels drop all the way down while in Sprawn Valley, death will not follow."


    Danny''s eyes opened wide. The explanation about the HP energy as stamina, and the fatal injuries becoming a loss in HP converted to a loss in life essence energy... Even the bit where injuries heal in minutes, it was all strikingly familiar. The memory played over once more in his head, when Taylor fell off that cliff, and then the back of her skull healed itself before his very eyes. It wasn''t really that instant, but the time frame was still far from normal. Taylor was fine shortly after, with no lingering damage. The scar was gone, her consciousness brought back to her. "That''s it!" Danny shouted excitingly.


    Taylor and the others stared at him with confusion, but he managed to explain himself afterwards.


    "Taylor''s injury! That fall!"


    Kain winced in response to the sudden news. "Taylor was injured?! When was this?"


    "It was back when we were trying to scale that large wall," Danny admitted. "We were trying to climb to get to this forest, and Taylor fell all the way down. I thought she had died, but she only went unconscious."


    Bella covered her cheeks in the surprising news. "Oh my."


    Danny was not done with his rather quick explanation. After what he just pieced together, he had to let it all out. "Then I carried her here, and then her scar healed, on the back of her head! It was there and then it was gone, and now Taylor is fine! Are you saying that Leray magic did that?!" His voice had intensified with a new level of understanding; it was so aggravating to him just a minute ago, but this explains exactly the only way Taylor''s wound could have healed. Still, this could have all been a dream explaining one thing after another, but the odds seemed somewhat less likely than before. And if these two clowns were faking their magic, why weren''t they around before their arrival to Fronas?


    Bella was restraining her response, surprised by Danny''s sudden shift in his emotion. "Well, yes. That had to be the case. Taylor''s fall to the ground must have caused all of her health points to drop all the way down to zero. Once that happens in Sprawn Valley, the stamina within a person is completely and instantaneously drained, leaving them unconscious but still alive. And if the back of her head managed to have a scar big enough to bruise, then the Leray magic must have reduced some of the physical damage, which later allowed Taylor to heal. Leray magic can heal physical damage much faster than normal, compared to injuries occurring and healing in the outside world, but it can still take a while here depending on the extent of the real time damage."


    "So Taylor was saved because of Leray magic?" Danny no longer looked at Kain or Bella. His eyes were aimed at the ground, in deep thought. This behavior now had Taylor worried about what was going through his head.


    "It''s a very lucky thing for you two that Taylor decided to have her injury in Sprawn Valley." Bella had obtained the full attention of Taylor and Danny again. "Had she fallen off a wall that high outside of the Leray Veil protection zone, your friend would not have been as fortunate."


    "Unbelievable." Taylor felt her breath escape her mouth cold. Danny really was telling the truth all along, about how quickly she healed from an otherwise fatal death.


    "The zone is barely effective at all at the edge of the borders, completely useless once you get to the Atlantic Ocean," Kain intervened. "If a person loses all of their HP outside of Sprawn Valley, it means permanent death, because HP in the outside world is a person''s physical health in every which way. But in this world, HP simply means the amount of stamina we have. Losing it here simply causes you to pass out unconscious, which is rather safe for the body in all case scenarios considering the cause. Even if someone here faints and is left unattended, the veil of protection will provide them plenty of recovery time to find any food and water should they need it."


    "That''s incredible!" Danny had finally stopped mocking the abilities of Leray magic, perhaps convinced by the evidence proved by Taylor''s fast healing abilities that otherwise make no sense whatsoever. "That''s just... Taylor was saved by magic!"


    "Of course," Kain cautioned. "In the outside world, nobody can actually measure their HP levels like we can, and there is no such thing as MP energy outside of Sprawn Valley. Normally, Taylor would not have even sustained any injuries, but the veil is only partially effective right at its borders. Plus, falling from great heights is not exactly injury proof even with the full effects of the veil, so I¡¯ve heard."


    "Measure?" Taylor pondered. "How can you measure anything like that?"


    Kain prepared his next demonstration. "Because of the presence of Leray magic, we have found a way to measure our own stats as they are by using less than one single point of MP energy. MP energy is the exact same thing as Leray magic, built up in our bodies, but it is measured in how much capacity we hold, and how much remains. By expending no more than one single point of this magic, just about anyone can project this..."


    Kain held out his hands, which immediately began glowing a cyan blue color, but that glow only lasted for a split second. Then, something was appearing out of phase in midair, right in front of Kain. It was some kind of message, more like a decoration created out of magic. It was also holographic and made out of pure light. The shape and pattern formed a large rectangle, slowly floating up a little bit above Kain''s head. Then the empty box become full of smaller shapes and symbols that eventually turned into an English form of writing and digital text. Just like that, Kain had summoned a real life status box above his head, filling up with readable data made out of neon lights that were not even physical. Kain quickly waved his hand right through the phased box, and was unable to actually touch the thing. It was like a real holo-projection. Kain''s hand moved right through the thing, even though the text and the design of the box remained the same. With little delay, the box was now reporting Kain''s full name and status in the writing.


    Kain''s stats were displayed beautifully in a neon colored box that reported his data while floating above his head. The box full of information did not fade away just yet either. He was somehow keeping it there. "Formed by a little bit of magic and practice, this bar I have pulled from phase uses that Leray magic to present what is known as an energy scan. Its official name is an energy scope. Leray magic can be used to determine how much energy and health any person has. This of course only works inside of Sprawn Valley, but this status bar is very useful especially in Leray battles."


    "That''s so cool!" Taylor progressed.


    Danny watched the box just float there in front of Kain''s head. It was truly impressive, but Danny was also curious about the other detail. "Leray battles?"


    This time, Bella was ready to answer the question. Kain took it upon himself to intentionally make the status bar disappear completely. It faded into nothingness just like that, gone from everyone''s eyes. The transparency did not go from zero to invisible as instantly, but it still happened so fast. "A Leray battle is a very popular practice here in Sprawn Valley. Not everybody participates in such things, but people who like Leray magic often train themselves how to get better and better at invoking some powerful attack abilities. They then find other people with the same passion, and fight each other using their very own unique creative skills to see which one is the better opponent."


    "Whoa!" Danny liked the sound of that, fighting magic with magic directly just for fun. No matter how fake or unrealistic this was, pitting one person against another both outfitted with experience and magical powers is like something you would see in a comic book, though in this format of the real world, much more intense. "Sounds intense."


    "Well that is what we are popular for," Kain spoke. "At least, for those who do not see Leray magic as a big bad and evil force. People battle others all of the time, getting stronger every day."


    Taylor challenged, "Does fighting like that actually make one stronger with Leray magic?"


    "You bet it does," Bella encouraged. "Continuously using Leray magic in battles increases the connective force you have with Leray energy at all times, plus all of the experiences you gain from battling. With a lot of practice, Leray wielders as they are commonly called, learn to develop new skills and magical powers with increased strength, support, and effectiveness. When used over and over again, a magical spell becomes a little bit stronger each time. And when you really practice a lot, your overall MP and HP capacity rises dramatically."


    Danny and Taylor were both impressed with the explanation, their mouths barely open, hanging on every word.


    Bella continued the lesson uninterrupted. "That is why everybody''s MP and HP capacity are different, they can constantly change, more so from experience. The citizens that do not participate in battles don''t know how to invoke spells like we do, but they still have just enough MP capacity to protect themselves from injuries automatically. And of course, beating someone up only depletes their HP, not their MP. Therefore, everybody is essentially safe here."


    "Are you saying that you two are Leray fighters, or wielders?" Danny had a totally renewed respect for both Kain and Bella for their powers and abilities. Even if everybody here could use magic, it was becoming obvious that practice is first required, or so it sounded. It is still possible that this could be some kind of trick, that Kain could be using powerful and invisible technology to only make it seem real, but now it was less likely to be the case. If it were, there wouldn''t be any detectable motive. And if this is a dream, it''s actually a rather cool one to think about should virtually anybody be able to use powerful magic.


    "Well, no." Kain cleared his throat in the expression. He was not taking credit for Danny''s claim. "We are Leray agents. Though we know a small variety of attack spells and support spells, we don''t actually go around battling people. Leray agents are almost like the police force of any given town. We make sure newcomers like you do not cause any trouble, even if that trouble happens to be trouble for yourselves. Additionally, we take care of a lot of the official town''s business."


    Bella took over explaining her own role. "And just like there are Leray agents, there are also Leray wielders. Wielders are also known as the fighting force of our people. Wielders are the ones who conduct Leray battles with other Leray wielders just for fun, and there are even Leray trainers from which to learn such magic."


    "Trainers?" Taylor was still in awe by the incredible demonstrations they have both made, but she knew there must be more cool stuff about this.


    "Leray trainers, also called Leray teachers," Bella implied, "are the same people who teach youngsters how to use Leray magic in battles. It is like a school just for learning everything there is to know about Leray magic. The Dakota training facility in our town, the one you asked about earlier, that would be one of the schools we have here."


    "You have a school just for learning Leray spells?" Taylor quizzed.


    Bella answered, "That and more." She unfolded her arms, satisfied with every bit of details she could possibly provide. After her change in stance, Danny suddenly noticed how darker it had gotten outside. This conversation must have been lengthy, because a full sunset was already in effect behind them.


    Danny seemed like he wanted to say something, but he didn''t know where to even begin. Kain appeared to have one more detail to imply. "Of course, nobody here has to worry about a Leray wielder challenging a random person to a Leray battle. Only those with official Leray licenses are allowed to invoke Leray magic at all, for any reason. That is our national law around here."


    "How does one even get a Leray license?" Taylor tested.


    Kain answered willingly, "One must successfully graduate from any approved training facility that they have applied for. By passing a grueling series of tests and learning techniques, a Leray teacher will show you how to invoke magical powers responsibly. Once you graduate from that facility at least at a basic learning level, a Leray license will be offered to you."


    "Hold on a sec," Danny interrupted. He addressed Taylor by facing her in his stance. "Don''t get any ideas about all of this Taylor. I can hardly believe that this magic exists in the first place, but trying to learn how to use it isn''t something we should concern ourselves with. I still think it is dangerous no matter how you look at it. It did save your life, and the abilities available per person are probably cool, but we aren''t here to learn how to use magic like that."


    "I didn''t say I was interested." Taylor practically yelled at Danny for coming down on her with such a harsh conclusion, and she was just figuring out now that he had a disposition towards the concept itself. It does seem dangerous in foresight, and perhaps that is the only reason why he was getting upset about it... Or maybe he was still focused on how to get off this island.


    After Taylor''s question was answered, a long silence followed within everyone. The noise level from the random people walking around had amplified into focus, but Bella decided to try and break up the awkward silence. "Well, it does seem to be getting late."


    "I have to admit," Taylor yawned. "I am still a little tired from before."


    Kain reasoned, "I can only guess, since neither of you know how to use an energy scope. But it would appear to me that Taylor''s previous injury has still left her HP levels not fully recovered."


    "Do people get tired only because of their HP levels?" Danny asked.


    "Well, yes and no," Bella began. "It is true that exhaustion follows with the loss in MP, much more with the loss in HP. But aside from all that, anybody including Leray fighters gets tired and fatigued just like normal, even though that sort of exhaustion happens here at a much slower pace. Anyone who is assimilated with Leray magic will get tired at a slower rate, hungry at a slower rate. Even pain from any kind of damage that will follow is cut in half as far as what our pain receptors can pick up. But even with no stat changes, moving around, running and jumping, the normal stuff can still make you need to catch your breath."


    "Then why am I still tired?" Danny could feel his eyes getting heavy quickly. He knew he should be exhausted still from yesterday''s events, but according to what Bella was just explaining, that should not be so.


    "The Leray energy around here must still be trying to assimilate with you Danny," Kain assumed. "For any newcomers to this place, it can take a little bit of time for them to completely become connected to the Leray energy in our atmosphere. I would have to assume that it happened faster for Taylor because of her increased need for it following that injury she took. First come tomorrow, you will all wake up hungry for breakfast, but then realize you''ve skipped lunch without realizing it, and you will probably be able to stay up for an entire night or two, so be careful with how you sleep the next day."


    Danny lifted his face instantly, remembering an important task. "Kain, I need to use a communication device."


    "I have a phone that connects to a local satellite."


    Perfect! "That will work."


    "Come with me to our house. Sometimes we use it to house additional guests, but I have a phone set up there." Kain was nice enough to show Danny and Taylor around to his house for the phone, and Bella had no objections thus far.


    "Thank you," Danny replied.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Chandelier Night ~ Resonance of Fate / End of Eternity OST</a>


    <hr>


    It took several minutes for Kain to help Danny set up the phone. Though it was not hooked into a telephone line, it was stilled wired into the wall, and hooked up to a sizable machine on the floor. The big box was probably the entire computer makeup for the semi-cellular device. After setting up the connection with the satellite, Kain finally gave Danny the go ahead to make an international call.


    "It should work now. Just dial the number you would normally key in for your guardian. Let him know all that has happened."


    "Right." Danny picked up the telephone from the line it was hooked into, and turned it over to reveal the buttons. Only containing numbers zero to nine with a star and a pound, Danny could only use it for calling, which was as advanced as the technology was going to get so far. He dialed in the number for Uncle Nyar in New York, praying he was still going to be awake and home to get the call.


    Danny stood up with the device to his ear, noticing that Kain and Taylor were both hovering from a distance, chatting about something every so often.


    With a combination of pressed numbers of 954-82-720-8484, the phone began dialing the number over the satellite. Danny remained patient, as it took a rather long time for anybody on the other line to pick up. He heard the familiar sound of a clack when one picks up the phone on the other line, and he greeted his uncle. "Is this Uncle Nyar?"


    "My name is Nyar, but why uncle? Wait. Danny?!"


    "That''s right," Danny claimed. Finally, he got in touch with the man who was supposed to take care of them in New York. "Taylor is with me too, but... We''ve run into a small problem."


    "How small?"


    "Well, it''s kind of big small. We won''t be arriving at the port in New York."


    "Did you get called back?"


    "Actually..." Danny knew it was more bizarre than getting called back. "We kind of ended up getting stranded on a place called Sprawn Valley." With mentioning that name, Danny had to wait at least six entire seconds of silence before Nyar replied. Perhaps he didn''t understand where they were, or maybe he''d never heard of the place before. Getting stranded seemed kind of vague too the way he put it.


    "... Am I talking to the right kids?"


    Come on old man! "Nyar? Taylor and I fell off the damn cruise. We got stranded here. And we are many miles away from the airport in Junon."


    "Well holly mother of shit! You''re really stranded there huh? Is Taylor with you?"


    "Yes," Danny replied. "We''re all safe, thankfully. But..." Danny hoped Nyar wouldn''t say anything too rash, since the speaker on the phone was loud enough for people around him to hear.


    "Sprawn Valley... Humph! I guess you know by now what that entails."


    Danny pressured, "Wait a sec... You knew?!" It can''t be. Not just Taylor''s parents, but his own blood line as well? People knew about Sprawn Valley with Leray magic and never told them?! How many people around the world are kept from this information?


    "Well of course I knew. Lots of people know. But the decision to keep you kids in the dark? That''s on your mothers and fathers. I had no say in that fight... But I suppose now the cat is out of the bag."


    "But..." Danny stumbled forward, uncertain of what to say. He still didn''t want to believe such a farfetched idea like this one. "This can''t be real. There''s no such thing as magic, Nyar."


    "Oh, but there is. At least in Sprawn Valley there is... Now listen. You might be frightened by this sudden occurrence of magical powers and all of their fancy skills and their traditions, and you have reason to be. They''ll make magic appear to be this cool miracle force of nature, but don''t buy into any of it, okay. I can guarantee you that Leray magic is a real occurrence in that nation, but that doesn''t make any of it safe to get involved with."


    "Uh-so you think its bad news too huh?" Danny squinted his eyes in response, wondering just how long this insane dream could drag on. The sensation in his gut telling him to keep away from the magic concept had now been reinforced by those words. Taylor behind him had to have heard it even without speakerphone functionality.


    "Ain''t nothing good ever come out of that mumbo-jumbo. Look. I''ll arrange for your parents to come and get you directly. I don''t have the money it would take to fly to Sprawn Valley and back myself. Don''t forget that I spent all I could on that expensive cruise."


    Danny sighed from that lost cause. "Sorry Nyar."


    "It''s okay, just hang in there. I have no idea how long this is going to take us. You and Taylor need to rest up and make way to that airport. But do so slowly. Nothing good will come of rushing things. It could take two to four weeks before anyone can come to get you."


    "Two to four weeks?!" Danny did not mean to holler that loudly, indicating to everyone around him how trapped they were. With that much time, he and Taylor might as well just live here. "How do we last for that much time? We don''t have any supplies!"


    "Relax son. The people there may be twisted and weird, but from what I hear, there is a lot of free food simply offered to outsiders even in the condition you are in. Just stay put for now, and only make your way to that airport if you think you can trek it there."


    "Will do Nyar. I guess we''ll just have to make the most of it."


    "Well don''t get too crazy. If you get involved with that Leray magical stuff, you will regret it much later. Oh, and you probably know this by now. If you plan on getting hurt, don''t get sick there. You''re protected from dying now, but only in certain ways. Heh! I can''t believe I''m even saying such nonsense, but it''s true. If you get sick there, no doctor can do anything for you."


    "Okay. We''ll fend for ourselves until then Nyar."


    "Good. I know this is unusual, but you and Taylor both are old enough now to look after yourselves in your situation. You''re smart, and that''s what''s important."


    "Got it," Danny determined. What a relief. At least now he had a goal.


    "Good. Now, I''ll make some calls on my end, but it is already two thirty A.M. back in Kalamo. So that could take some time as well. You two take care and rest up. And I meant what I said about Leray magic. It''s not some fantastic force worth learning. Don''t get involved!" His last words were yelled with such passion, it outright freaked Danny out momentarily, but he soon recovered just enough to hang up the phone in good faith.


    "Will do... Good night Nyar."


    Danny heard the clunk sound of Nyar hanging up the phone on his end. At that moment, Danny placed his phone back on the hook, and the others drew themselves much closer to him for the update.


    "What did he say?" Taylor pleaded. "Are they coming to get us?"


    Danny responded, "Seems that only our parents will have to come here. I''m not sure how they will pay for it themselves, but anyway, it will take them from two to four weeks."


    "Oh no!" Taylor cried.


    "Calm down!" Kain had interrupted the both of them to get his own word out. "It''s alright if you are broke on cash and food supplies. I would like to make you an offer."


    "Um, an offer?" Danny questioned.


    "That''s right. It''s time once again for our routine resupply of food and supplies. And as you may recall, the Blue Port store is the only nearest store we have for that."


    "You want us to shop for you?" Taylor assumed.


    "No," Kain denied. "Sending two new unknowns into unknown territory to do something they are not familiar with is a disaster waiting to happen. I want you to give the shopping list and manifest to Lisa. She is one of the teachers over at the Dakota training facility. Of course, now it is not open, so this task will have to be completed tomorrow. In return, we will bring you breakfast from the same medical facility, only this time it will be fresh baked sweet rolls. After that, we will also supply you with two small backpacks to carry more stuff around, pre-supplied with two weeks'' worth of MREs. Think you can handle that?"


    What''s the motive here? Danny pondered whether this was one of those good deeds Nyar just spoke of. All he had to do was a simple chore, right?


    "Yes sir," Taylor agreed. Danny gave her a look for being such as spaz about it, but shook it off anyway.


    "I will tell Francine to prepare your rooms for another night stay. And next morning, Lisa will be on call at Dakota, so the task will be easy enough."


    "Danny?"


    Danny eyed Taylor with much attention. He had not heard her speak directly to him with much focus in a while. "Yes Taylor?"


    "Let''s go sleep this off again. We should feel better in the morning, okay?"


    "Yeah." He replied with little emotion available left in him. Most of his brainpower was devoted to thinking on everything he had just learned today about how crazy this nation really is. Even Nyar was confirming the existence of Leray magic and partial immortality, so it couldn''t be magic just for show.


    Danny and Taylor slowly made their way out of Kain''s personal house back to the Fronas medical facility. It took much time for them to talk to Francine and get settled into their own rooms. Set up just like last time, Danny and Taylor both went to their own separate places. This time, the new doors made of saw wood were attached and functional, but after getting settled with the lights out, both of them had so much more to think about.


    Danny felt restless in his own exhaustion after all he had to hear about today. Everything about the Leray magic sunk in deep. It explains everything that happened back there when he and Taylor fell off of that wall and healed so quickly. Even his legs were perfectly fine. To think that a magical force of energy protected them, saved Taylor''s life, and now controls fractions of their own life energy.


    And that was just the tip of the sand. Those spells Kain and Bella used in front of them; Glyphrings! Glyphrings formed a connection between Leray energy and the real world? Or something about dimensions connecting? Danny could not remember exactly what it meant, but he did not miss the fire ball and the lightning bolt fly out of each their own hands. Additionally Bella''s eyes lit up with a powerful blue glow when she was using that energy. Was that just her own thing, or was it a natural response to a person storing all of that magic energy? What do Leray battles look like?


    There were of course many other things to consider, such as the type of atmosphere in other places within Sprawn Valley. With so many towns, cities, and islands inside of a country where magic is everyone''s life, how many more cool secrets were there to all of this? Danny figured that even he could be able to use Leray magic for cool stuff, Taylor too if she wanted to. Everybody does not even get killed here. They only die of old age or illnesses. Anything else just puts them to sleep instead of causing harm...


    Danny immediately remembered what Nyar said. He had a strong disposition towards Leray magic in general. Even Kain and Bella admitted that about half the entire world felt that way. But why? Danny thought at first that Leray magic could be dangerous, even in a Leray battle, but that protective field saved Taylor''s life. Leray magic protected her from that fall, and healed her flesh wound. Why would something that saves lives be so hated by the world?


    He remembered his earlier thoughts about Taylor, who woke up with little memory of the event. The way he ended up lashing out at her for healing so instantly. She must have been just as freaked out without showing it. Who knew that a magical aura was responsible for superhuman abilities?


    Taylor was in her own trance of deep thoughts. Though she was tired, her mind was racing all over. How could this happen? I fell to my death, and my health was converted to stamina damage? It made little sense to Taylor even after the long explanation from those two robed crazies. How could health damage turn into energy damage? Did I really survive because of magic?


    But there were other things on her mind too. Taylor remembered waking up in front of Danny, who was very upset by the force affecting her he did not understand. Taylor did not understand either, but something kept her alive past the normal limits, so it had to be the magic.


    The electric bolt of energy Bella shot out of her hand, and the flaming fireball that exploded from Kain''s glyphring was beyond awesome. Taylor tried to imagine just how many more incredible abilities and magical powers existed out there. What if she could learn some herself?


    In all thought, this information was kept from her. Mom? Dad? Why did you lie to me? Why would you cover this up, regardless of the dangers? Taylor felt herself become a little more enraged at the thought, and clenched up in response. If I see them again, I''m going to have a lot of things to say to them. Those liars!


    Danny finally felt lightheaded, losing track of the counted time that had passed him by. It was defiantly dark outside now, past nighttime. With much less thought, he allowed himself to fall under into the sleep that he craved earlier.

 Sprawn Valley Map

<Here is the reference page to view the official Sprawn Valley Map at any time>


    MAP</a>Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Additional Details</a>: <Go here for additional details about Sprawn Valley itself>

 Chapter 6: Welcome to Dakota

    <hr>


    <12/19/1971 ~ 08:40 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Danny could feel himself shifting around in his bed, slightly colder from the drop in temperature overnight. Despite wanting to stay asleep, his senses were overwhelmed by the strong smell of steaming food. Whatever it was - motivated him to open his eyes and completely wake up on the spot. The scent was sweet and delightful, most likely something made out of bread.


    He threw the covers off of him and slid to his feet, standing up carefully. After getting dressed in the same old clothes, Danny attempted to fixed his bed hair before making his way through the door. Following the scent of something fresh out of the oven, he navigated to the center desk of the medical facility in which he and Taylor slept in again. Though this time, Taylor was already there by the desk.


    Kain, Francine, and Taylor were together, eating what seemed to be a basket of fresh buttered sweet rolls. Feeling left out, Danny sped up to the basket to claim his own meal. There were plenty of them left, all of which were still warm. Still, why didn''t anyone wake him for this?


    "I was wondering when you would wake," Kain spoke halfway before chewing his bite.


    Taylor eyed Danny''s expression. He still seemed to be in a half-asleep phase while beginning to eat his breakfast. "Yeah, Danny''s always been like that. Always late to everything."


    "Hey!" Danny retorted. "Not always." He took another long bite into a roll, failing to defend himself against Taylor''s teasing. She did unfortunately have a point, but Danny always figured that he was more careful than Taylor; well, not including the events from her accident a few days ago. Still, nobody bothered to wake him up. Did Taylor just expect him to smell the sweet rolls and drift here on fumes?


    "These rolls are really good," Taylor complimented.


    Francine appreciated the remark. "Why thank you. We don''t always get to make such great food."


    Kain reassured them that nobody would need to resort down anything of lower quality. "Well it''s no worry. We''ll be down to our MREs soon, but Taylor and Danny have volunteered to help out a little with the shopping manifest."


    "Oh, that''s excellent news," Francine replied. Her voice naturally seemed higher and more cheerful than average, which in this moment was just weird.


    Danny suddenly remembered everything from yesterday. There was an incredible lesson on Leray magic that these knuckleheads put together, plus that phone-call he made to Nyar, and the chores he promised to fulfill for Kain. In return, they were getting their own supply of MREs in order to travel to Junon''s sector near the airport. That''s the plan.


    Kain tested the two teens he was beginning to know better. "Did you two have enough time to think more about all of the stuff we talked about yesterday?"


    Taylor swallowed her own answer with the bite she took. What was the man really asking? "I don''t know what you mean by that."


    "If you think we''re just going to stay here and learn how to use Leray magic," Danny assumed, "then you have another thing coming. Our focus will soon be travel."


    "No, no." Kain nodded the reply. "That is not even an expectation of any resident of Sprawn Valley." Kain misread his own intentions about the two, and tried again. "I just don''t want you to hate us for this. There are a lot of people that despise Leray magic so much, that they forget we are just people in a valley."


    "Oh no," Taylor denied. "We don''t hate you. And I can''t really say I hate Leray magic either. It''s just..."


    "It''s weird," Danny confessed. He had already finished eating two rolls, and was ready to put in some work. "I still know so little about it... Is it possible to tell us more?"


    Kain had an idea. He turned around to where the television set was, hanging from the wall behind the counter. There was a VCR device there, and he had a demo tape to insert inside of it. "Perhaps this demo will help. Sometimes we record battles between Leray fighters for instructional purposes. Maybe you would like to see what one looks like?"


    "Yes!" Taylor and Danny both replied together, equally excited to see some of the action they were told of.


    Kain plugged everything in quickly, and waited for the TV to turn on. The tape was already fast-forwarded to the middle section of the recorded film, showing the battle as it had long since started. On the screen, there were two male adults, one older than the other. Both of them were using magic at the same time, invoking special types of glyphrings. One of them had a sword, and fought using magic attacks with that blade, but the other guy was incredibly quick in dodging those attacks. The bladed warrior launched some sort of spell that sent six large Fire Balls flying at different angles towards his opponent. The opponent jumped out of the way and ducked below the Fire Balls until he was in range to strike back. His version of a retaliation was some kind of electrical attack that was invoked in just a split-second, getting the upper hand on the person who used the Fire Ball attack.


    As this was happening on screen, Danny was barely able to keep up at all. It happens so fast in a battle, everybody invoking special abilities on the fly as if it is second nature. Apparently, physical weapons can be used in battles too. The guy that took the electrical damage punched the other guy quickly, as if that electrical shock did not even scratch him. Was it always so intense like this?


    Just when things were getting good, the screen blacked out, and a red light on the VCR player began blinking. Taylor gasped, hoping to see more. That battle on screen was only visible for about fifteen seconds total, and yet so much happened, but now nothing was playing. Something was wrong with the playback on the device.


    "What happened," Francine copied. She took a closer look at the VCR player.


    Kain stepped ahead and pressed the eject button. When he pulled the tape out of the player, there appeared to be nothing wrong with it physically. The red light on the device was still blinking every second. With a defeated expression, Kain gasped. "It looks like the VCR is broken."


    "Broken VCR," Francine whined. "Well that figures. We''ll always have something here that isn''t usable."


    How often do things break so quick and easy in this town? Danny figured the rate was higher than it seemed at a glance. After all, Fronas has about thirty people in total. Who decides who fixes what? Maybe there just isn''t enough people to support better funding for things in Fronas. Still, now that he had more time to think about it, Danny wondered to himself why Kain had this little demo tape ready and available in the first place. Newcomers don''t arrive that often by what he was able to gather earlier, so did Kain plan showing them this whether he asked about Leray magic or not? Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. "Well that''s no good... But what I saw was pretty cool. And anybody can do that?"


    Kain nodded left and right. "It''s not that simple. If you want to become a Leray wielder like that, you would have to put in years or even decades of training with magic. Anyway, that reminds me. Are you two ready for your task? I hope you didn''t forget."


    Taylor answered, "Of course we didn''t forget. We just find Lisa and give her that list."


    Satisfied, Kain pulled a sheet of paper out of his shirt pocket. "Here you go then. Simply walk over to the Dakota training facility, and give this to Lisa. Tell her I sent you if she gets confused. The building is not hard to miss. Its outer design is larger than this one, and the building in question is made of metal material painted in black."


    Danny collected some of his thoughts while Taylor was taking the sheet from Kain. It was about what uncle Nyar said earlier. He never specified exactly how, but he totally thrashed the very ideal of Leray magic. Something about it must really be horrible if half the entire world population finds it to be despicable, and this guy isn''t telling him any of those details. If Kain knows something, he shouldn''t just keep it in like that!


    Taylor accepted the note into her hand, and promised Kain she and Danny would deliver it. "We''ll be back." Taylor latched Danny''s wrist as she began walking towards the exit door, making sure Danny was in tow.


    Hold on Taylor! Danny was basically forced outside by the embrace of Taylor''s hand. She is getting too excited! Why is she so happy all the sudden, and where is she getting that energy from? Doesn''t she realize that you can''t just go barging into a school or facility to find someone? What if they throw himself and Taylor out for trespassing? They''re not students there!


    Exiting from the Fronas medical center, Taylor walked outside to the brightness of the morning sunlight just before letting Danny''s arm go. This time it was early, just after the orange glow became more yellow in color. It must have been around 8:30 AM from the looks of it, but neither one of them had the actual date anymore.


    As usual, the people in the town were moving about. Some of them were traveling to and from the northern path through the forest, and one more was coming from the western side, where the Dakota facility is supposed to be. The building was somewhat visible in the distance, but a lot of random foliage and tree branches blocked its view. Danny had no idea what all of these people get up to do anyway, but it must not be to have a Leray battle. Nobody in here was even using Leray magic, so they must have business doing something outside of the town.


    Taylor swept past Danny, who had slowed down to take in the view again. She seemed eager to get to the Dakota facility, more so than he did. Whoever Lisa is, they were supposed to meet her, but neither one of them had a clue what she looks like. Kain never really explained that bit of info either. Following his friend in reluctance, Danny sped up his pace to match Taylor''s.


    The walk over to the path was no longer than two minutes. Once they arrived, the narrowness of the gravel coated floor widened out more. Though from this view, the forest ahead seemed endless; the Dakota building was much closer by now. It had to be about the size of ten houses wide, but only as tall as one level. Made out of some unknown metal material, the paint job left much of the structure completely black with a shiny finish. There were also design patterns and symbols in random areas also painted on, much like the symbols on the posters inside of the rooms where Danny and Taylor had slept in earlier.


    The building''s exterior seemed vacant of anybody. The front doors were shut and sealed tightly. Taylor moved in closer to check it out, going slowly through the cut in path, until she discovered someone else, standing by a secondary well tap on the right side of the facility. The woman looked about twice Taylor''s age, blond and tall, wearing some strange denim outfit. "Hello?" Taylor hollered.


    Danny wanted to just walk back already. Taylor has no regard for their own business butting into others. The school is obviously closed. Why did Kain even send them both here anyway? Couldn''t he just have handed the piece of paper to Lisa himself?


    The strange woman looked up from whatever she was doing with the well. It looked like she was using the water to wash something. With her face clearly visible, she studied the faces of the other two youngsters. "Who''s there?"


    Danny caught up to Taylor, and cut right to the chase before she could do any more accidental damage. "We''re looking for Lisa. Have you seen her?"


    The woman put her things down and took a few more steps closer to the teens, stopping within normal speaking distance. "You''re speaking to her."


    "Great!" Taylor declared. "He asked me to give you this list to take care of, said you''d know a bit about it." Taylor pulled out that sheet of paper from earlier, containing a long list of materials and supplies needed set specific orders. "Kain is the one who sent us."


    "I see." Lisa took the list into her hands, pocketing the sheet of paper without any hesitation, but her reaction to seeing the two of them made it clear that she wasn''t absent for confusion. "You seem new in town?" Lisa studied the two teens with a puzzled expression in her face, realizing how unfamiliar they are around here.


    Danny expected this coming from Lisa. She was a stranger to him as well, but in this situation, they were practically aliens to Sprawn Valley. In a town as small as Fronas, the low population makes it easy to detect anyone new to the area. And why wouldn''t it? With such little people, you would quickly learn who everyone is. Any outliers are automatically highlighted in a place like this, so it was natural that this chick would see them as strangers. It even made sense as to how quickly Kain and Bella found Taylor at the edge of the woods. In order to seem natural, Danny introduced himself first, allowing Taylor to follow his idea. "My name is Danny."


    "I''m Taylor," she waved.


    Lisa put her hands on her hips, indicating that she was welcoming of the two newcomers. "Well anyone is welcome in Fronas. Should I be expecting to see you in class tomorrow?"


    Taylor and Danny exchanged looks. With Danny silent from the misunderstanding, Taylor probed for more information. "Class? Wait. You''re a teacher here?"


    "Sure am. It would be a little late for entry now, but it won''t stop hard working graduates."


    Danny pondered Lisa''s words carefully. "You mean, you teach people how to use Leray magic? Right here in Dakota?"


    "What did ya, come out of the ocean? Of course we teach Leray magic. That''s what training facilities do."


    "Oh," Taylor finished subtlety.


    "But of course," Lisa continued, "Dakota is not just any training facility. So we don''t get enough funding from the city state official. That never stopped us before from turning regular people into excellent fighting spirited Leray wielders."


    Danny spun his head slightly, taking in the words twice since Lisa was talking so quickly. It''s like someone sped up her voice at the end of every sentence. She seemed to be interested in them both, but this was just another problem. Lisa is a teacher for magic, and this is a magic school. Being that, Lisa didn''t actually know of himself or Taylor, which means that Kain must not have told her about this little exchange. It soon became clear that such action was intentional; it would give Lisa plenty of room to explain the wonders of magic to them both. Kain knew this question would come up! He''s been straggling them both to learn more about magic from day one, but they already knew what there was to tell.


    It was obvious to Lisa by now that Danny and Taylor are true outsiders, not even entirely comfortable with the Leray business yet, but she also had an idea. "How much you know about Leray magic?"


    Taylor took time to answer the question, too much time perhaps. Danny ended up getting his turn before her. "We don''t actually have much experience with it... And we don''t have the cash to pay for an admission even if we wanted to." Danny felt his answer become intelligent after speaking it. This is good! This way, no matter what Kain says, they cannot take part in learning a thing about Leray magic. That guy has some sort of agenda, but whatever it was isn''t going to work. If Danny had to guess, Kain wants both of them to get involved in magic, the exact opposite of what Nyar said. But Kain''s method of doing all of this without asking is beyond infuriating!


    "Oh. Well that''s too bad," Lisa responded. "Admissions here are cheaper than the standard at any other facility, but not everybody can afford everything here."


    Taylor wanted to know more about it anyway, and pressured Lisa for more answers. "Wh-What do you actually train people to do?"


    Shut up Taylor! Danny wanted to scream his thoughts into her head as to not be rude to Lisa, but she just ruined their only chance to escape from this unscathed. Since she is so excited about magic, Kain has her playing right into his hands.


    "It''s simple really." Lisa had implied just how easy it is for anybody to learn the ways of magic usage. "After just a bit of studies and understanding, we train all our students how to actually invoke abilities, skills, attacks spells, and other forms of magic."


    "S-so..." Danny appeared to be picking up where Taylor left off. "You can teach anybody how to use glyphrings too?" It wasn''t going to look good if he let Lisa have it here, but this way he would still learn a little more about magic without having to learn to use it.


    "Yep." Lisa seemed so sure of her answer. "But I''m not the only teacher here. No, I couldn''t possible demand that many kids at one time. Classes are split up a bit, and there are more teachers than just me."


    In a town of twenty plus people, how many teachers are needed in a school? Her logic makes no sense. Wait, what about those who come from the other towns? "Hold on," Danny pressured. "I thought Fronas is too small to have enough students for a school this size."


    "Most of our class comes from Blue Port Town," Lisa answered. "There is no facility in Blue Port, so they all flood down here during our regular hours."


    Taylor nodded, "I get it."


    "You do seem more interested in this than you are letting on," Lisa decided. "But I have an idea."


    This can''t be good! Danny questioned, "What might that be?"


    With a swift and enthusiastic reply, Lisa shared her insight. "Since you are both friends of Kain''s, I''ll allow you a free tour of Dakota."


    No! No! No! No! No! "Brilliant," Danny muttered, unable to think of means to get himself out of it. He wanted to ask Taylor a rhetorical question, but instead kept it to himself in his thoughts. See what you''ve gone and started?


    "Cool! We get to see inside the training stuff!" Taylor had suddenly become overly excited again, just like yesterday. Danny saw this coming, just not so soon. "I bet they train by battling each other. Pew! Pow!"


    What are you, six? With a regretful nod, Danny followed Taylor, who was following Lisa towards the entrance of the building. At least it''s only a tour. Once it''s over, that''s that. Kain knows damn well he can''t enroll students who can''t pay.


    "Follow me inside, and I will show you around," Lisa explained.


    Danny and Taylor silently trailed Lisa towards the front end of the building. It seemed that the double doors were not exactly locked, since Lisa did not even have to use a key to open them. The building looked pretty cool, but it was also deceptively easy to navigate to.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Following Lisa''s entry, Danny and Taylor got a look at the very front room of the inside of the building. There was a front desk as usual, currently abandoned since it must not have been a school day. If Lisa said something about seeing her in class tomorrow, and today school is out, that must mean that today is actually Sunday. So far, it looked like any ordinary facility. Nothing special about magical training thus far.


    "This is the admissions room," Lisa claimed.


    That made sense. Taylor noticed how unimpressive it was. The people who run the counter here must be in charge of admissions, phone calls, and attendance, but that was pushing the assumption very far that the place was funded enough to handle all of that for a small staff. All of the florescent lighting was turned on with white beaming light. They must run power through the building even on weekends somehow.


    "I''ve got no volunteers for today." Lisa seemed to randomly rant on about things without explaining it all too well. Taylor had to ask about the volunteers.


    "Volunteers for what?"


    Lisa glanced back at Taylor, suddenly realizing she forgot to explain how this facility like many others operates. "Oh right. You''re unfamiliar with our policies. We often get people coming in on weekends even though they don''t have to. They do it to train harder and for a longer period of time, but they also help other students falling behind who need that training even more."


    "I''m guessing you cannot just train anywhere," Danny assumed.


    After a walk through the hallways, which were also uninteresting compared to normal schools, Lisa turned a corner, leading up to a secure metal door with a lock system involved on the outside. "Well you can, but there are some risks involved when one uses their abilities outside of battle in the wild, most often involved in accidental friendly fire with locals or civilians. The training rooms up ahead are specifically designed with special polymer patting that absorbs Leray energy."


    "What happens if someone random is hit by friendly fire? Do they make it out okay?" Danny had believed from earlier claims that it would be true. After all, Bella said that one cannot die in Sprawn Valley, not even from Leray magic.


    Lisa addressed Danny''s odd question with her own thoughts in mind. It was so unusual to teach this stuff to a real outsider. "No physical harm can come of it. Of course, if the spell is powerful enough, anybody hit by it who is not used to taking magical damage - could in such a case pass out cold, a one hit knock out. When people get knocked out, it can last from either ten to twenty minutes without assistance."


    Danny phrased his own question to something off topic to friendly fire. "What about the training rooms? You mean people can just go in there and shoot magic everywhere?"


    "The training rooms are only designed for two purposes," Lisa announced. "The first is to prevent any ricochet magic from landing on someone it is not intended for. In official Leray matches, this is taken care of by a dome shield that functions in the same way as the walls in this room. The second purpose is to automatically absorb any magical effects that would otherwise cause some severe structural damage to this building, such as high level area attacks."


    Taylor hunched a little closer to Danny, and whispered something in his ear. "What is she talking about now?"


    Danny returned her question by whispering too, but he made his response short and quick since they were almost at the end of the hallway towards the secure door. "I''m not sure. Maybe we have to learn it in class to understand it?"


    "Here we are," Lisa introduced. She only had to fiddle with the digital door controls for a moment before the door automatically slid open.


    Danny was immediately impressed, not with the door, but by how a financially suffering town like Fronas could afford so little. Yet the Dakota facility has automatic digital security doors installed just for a training room? The side panel appeared to be twice as sophisticated as the electronic panel he worked with for the bulkhead door on the Tidal Max that night. After the door opened and the room was revealed, the lighting coming from it was a magnificent sight to behold.


    Danny, Taylor, and Lisa all walked in after each other. Predictably, Lisa watched as Danny and Taylor were looking all around the room. There were training materials, mirrors, training dummies, and an arsenal of swords and other blades stacked in a weapons holder nearby, though the most alluring thing about the room was the incredible lighting effect it was giving off. There were no electrical light bulbs in this room or LEDs of any kind. Despite that, ocean blue colored pulsating lights were lit up in any dark corner. The room was all giving off a blue reflective glow from above, and the lights in here seemed magical. It best resembled a thick fog at the top of the area, which provided its own dark blue haze of light downward at a higher intensity. In other words, a colored fog that lit the area below well without reducing visibility as much as a normal fog would.


    Lisa gave her next short lesson involved in the tour of the training room. "Our training room is outfitted with magically induced lighting that never fades or needs recharging. The walls, floor, and ceilings can withstand the most powerful of all attacks. The only thing that is lacking perhaps is the total size." Though the size of the room was about that of 30 square living rooms, Lisa considered that to be small. But there were also a lot of walls dividing the room into several random cut off sections, creating obstacles in the most interesting locations. Nothing about this place was actually parallel or built in a pattern. "This is where Leray wielders do their training before they ever become an official Leray wielder who are allowed to battle."


    "Allowed?" Taylor was very busy eying the entire room from corner to corner, but she was still capable of paying attention to Lisa''s conversation. While waiting on a response, Taylor checked out the weapons cache; more swords and small blades.


    "Yes," Lisa replied. "Even with extensive unofficial training, everyone must officially graduate from one of any Leray training facilities in order to obtain their Leray wielder''s license. With a license, any Leray wielder will be allowed to battle off site of the facility. It is a nationally established law, in order to weave out the weak in random battles, and to make sure people use magic responsibly."


    "Well that''s entertaining." Danny''s voice echoed in the room, due to the low amount of people and existing noise inside. Anyway, at least it means no moron can just walk up to someone and use magic. They need a license to do so. Still, who actually enforces that law? Wouldn''t people without a license still be capable of using magic?


    "Of course, no general school is anything like this facility," Lisa admitted. "Though we have classrooms, desks, admissions, and weekend breaks, our objective is to prepare everyone to become Leray fighters, at least on a basic level. That is why we do not just use textbook assignments and make everybody do pointless homework. Almost everything learned is firsthand."


    Danny replied, "I think I''m starting to like this place after all." He would have sneezed if he explained why. It was more important to Danny right now that the only reason he thought the school was cool is because of the difference in work. He remembered all too well that the material learned back in Kalamo was quite useless in the real world. Despite being told how dangerous Leray magic can possibly be, he would still much prefer to learn this than boring quadratic equations and Kalamo''s glorious history.


    Taylor backed away from the corner, heading back towards Lisa at the entrance to the room. "So what are the classrooms like?"


    Lisa prepared to move on from this section of the building. "If you will follow me, I will show you." Lisa turned around, leaving the room without actually closing the door behind her. To be on the safe side, Danny and Taylor rushed themselves out of the room with haste. It was not that long ago since Danny had locked them both out of an important door. Better safe than sorry.


    With another lengthy walk around a couple of turns, Lisa led them both to another room. The door here seemed old and ordinary, complete with its own doorknob unlike that automated vault hold. After opening the door and walking into the room, Lisa waited for the others to follow. "This is my classroom of the day, room 505. It has the standard capacity of 20 students so that it is not overwhelming."


    Taylor looked around everywhere. There was a white board and markers at the end of the room on the other side, and a little over twenty desks organized for space around the room. The desks were so cheap that the chairs were attached to them as well, making them unstackable at the end of the day, but the walls inside of the room were decorated with interesting posters. Each poster had some neat, graphical artwork of magical abilities, with the names of each ability plastered as a title above it.


    "This is where the lesson plans begin each day. Many people underestimate how much knowledge is involved in any single Leray battle. There is much to learn, and not much time to learn it in."


    "How much time?" Danny asked.


    "Well that depends," Lisa added. "You see, certain training facilities have different specifications than others. Some classes take years to finish, while others take months, but it all depends on which course level you take. Basic can take months, but there are some facilities that don''t teach that as fast. This particular facility runs through level one courses within a three-month period, but that does not mean that three months is the minimum requirement. It all depends on the pace of the class as a whole. If we were to receive any new students, it would force us by policy to slow down a little and rerun some of the lesson plans to ensure that everybody is on the same track."


    "Bummer," Danny implied. "If anybody joins, the entire class suffers."


    "Not entirely. Sessions tend to run all year long all the time, bringing in tow those who are getting left behind. Some people graduate at faster paces than others, through a series of evaluative tests."


    "Oh, I get it now." Taylor folded her shoulders, showing off what she understood. "Every classmate is not impeded by others because their training is what counts. They don''t really have to stop and wait for others to pick up, because if they are ahead, then they stay ahead by training some more."


    "Exactly." Lisa had to at least congratulate Taylor for having some common sense. "My class is a month or two overall from graduation, but some other classes are closer, like Eliza in room 706. She runs a tough course, barely slowing down for anyone."


    Danny respected that. Even if one is late or unfortunate, others shouldn''t suffer in speed due to dead weight. Eliza must be a serious kind of teacher. 706 she said?


    Taylor distracted herself again with all of the pretty posters all over the wall, reading each one to herself silently while admiring their visuals. There was one called Fire Bolt, showing the image of a flaming ball of fire that has been slightly squeezed down like an elliptical torpedo due to its high speed of travel. The artist captured the realism and perspective perfectly. Then she saw the one known as Lightning Strike, showing off in the form of a bolt of electricity with several branching off beams from the single bolt. The color was a bright blue, just like the one she saw Bella demonstrate earlier. Taylor then saw another interesting image, one with sharp orange glowing stars shooting out of an orange glyphring. All in one poster, it looked incredible, though implausible to real life visuals. It was called Radial Stars.


    "Anyway," Lisa continued. "To know any more about Dakota, you would have to actually join us. I''m not certain if Kain would help you out with that, being that admission does have a price to pay. It''s not steep, but it is also not just worth goat''s milk either."


    Danny was mildly surprised yet again, not by what Lisa said, but to think they have real goats hidden away somewhere.


    "Are other facilities sort of like this one?"


    Reluctant to answer Taylor''s question, Lisa reported the sad truth about this one. "Not really. Lots of training facilities are different from each other, in either methods of teaching, or the money and advanced technology that is involved. As you may already know, people graduate with basic training all the time, but there are more than one levels of training, such as advanced training mark one through five. Anything above that is just personal mentoring."


    "So how many levels does this one have?" Danny asked.


    "Advanced training mark one is the highest. Unfortunately, Dakota is not well known for being the best. Official facilities like these are all ranked on a system by the local region commissioners. They rank all schools based on graduation rates and income alone. We have to make monthly payments to them to keep the place going, but in a poor town with a small population, you can imagine how low our budget and payments are. So the commissioner has ranked us with a two out of ten. Of course it''s not our fault. Graduation rates and our allowed budget are directly related. If we can''t put in the bare minimum to teach, then we have to get payment reductions we owe to the regions, which are allowed without interest. The cost there is the rank. And with a low rank, we don''t receive as much income in return. It''s a full circle of issues."


    Danny and Taylor were both staring at Lisa for her long discontinued speech. She seemed really depressed about having to admit how poor the school''s budget is, and how bad the rating was. There must be facilities out there that cost people an arm and a leg every single day, rich with outdoor ornaments, top notch training, and perhaps even snotty rich kids who bully the poor.


    But there was something about this place in particular. It may very well be the first time Danny and Taylor entered a training facility for wielding magic, but even so, it was impressive for what it was. At least Lisa was nice to them both, giving them a free tour and talking to them firsthand. Maybe she was just lonely in Fronas, but on the other hand, Danny felt tempted to join a class here. He still had his doubts about whether Leray magic was the best thing or not, but after a full run conclusion, the magic here did save Taylor''s life. It doesn''t matter who you are. Nobody can''t say that was ever a bad thing.


    Lisa continued after the awkward pause between them. "I should get going with this list you two gave me. I''ve got things to buy in Blue Port Town."


    "Okay," Danny allowed. "I really enjoyed the tour though. I don''t think any school could do better than this one as far as being classy." No matter how strange it was, the layout of the school here reminded him a little of home. Leray magic or not, Lisa isn''t such a bad person. Kain on the other hand...


    "I like it too," Taylor added. "It''s really the thought that counts anyway. As long as your teaching is great, you should be proud."


    "Thank you," Lisa bowed. "You''ll have to leave with me though. I can''t allow non-members in the building all by themselves. That would be considered trespassing."


    Taylor agreed, "Alright. We''ll report back to Kain, and tell him we did as he asked."


    "I think he''ll be happy to know that you two are interested in our school. He used to teach here himself before becoming a Leray agent."


    "Awesome," he sarcastically replied. As long as he can beat Lisa and Taylor to Kain, he could stop any more disasters coming from that untrustworthy worm. Danny had more issues with the vocabulary all the sudden. "Are agents like cops to a town?"


    "Pretty much, but we don''t have a jail to put anyone in. So if anyone were to cause trouble, it would turn into a heated battle quickly under dangerous circumstances. Then again, they could just send them to Verlith prison on the north island..." Lisa had nothing else to say now that Danny was considering all she said. After turning to leave the room, she could immediately feel the other two respond and follow her on the way out.


    There certainly was a lot to consider about a Leray training facility, and Taylor was still a little undecided about whether this was something she wanted to do. They were after all supposed to be heading to Junon to meet Nyar at the airport. First, they have to go back to Kain so that they could stock up on clothes, MREs, and other travel supplies to get there. This would mean the end of Fronas Town should they leave tonight.


    Lisa led them outside of the building, closing the double doors after the teens made it outside with her. Then she turned around, adjusted her hair, and prepared herself to go to the store. "I''ll be back later, but I don''t want you two to meet me here. Come see me after tomorrow''s class if you find some way to pay for admissions."


    "Okay." So not happening. Danny knew this would be the last time seeing Lisa today.


    "I''ll think about it," Taylor added after Danny''s less detailed response. They both watched as Lisa trailed off in the distance, heading on the northern path from Fronas towards Blue Port. Blue Port was not very visible from here anyway, but Taylor wondered what the path there and the town were like.


    First, they had to go and talk to Kain again. Taylor followed Danny, who claimed to have seen where he was standing. It was way too late for Taylor to get an eye on Kain well before they got close to him. Predictably, he was just standing on the outside of his house. Technically, it was his back yard, but the short grass here was the same as the rest in the whole field.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Reflected Moon ~ Star Ocean 3 OST</a>


    <hr>


    "There you are," Kain greeted. "So how was it?"


    "How was... what?" Danny did not understand his question. Did he mean how was Lisa?


    "Don''t think I don''t know about your visit in Dakota. I know you still may be iffy on the Leray magical business, but nobody can resist a proud practice like that."


    He knew about the tour? That bastard! You planned this! Danny knew he should have expected that. Only Kain would set up something deviously. Even if Lisa didn''t know about being asked to give them a tour, it''s probably something she would normally have done to people new in town, and Kain went to use that to his advantage. Why is he flexing an agenda to get them involved in Leray magic? It was worse than sneaky.


    "It was great!" Taylor exclaimed. "They had a training room, weapons, and you can really learn a lot of stuff there."


    Danny did not remember to consider how Taylor''s exciting mood could often come out in situations like these. He simply gave a normal toned report. "It looks like a lot of stuff to learn. Oh, and Lisa already left to the store by now."


    "I know son. Good job." Kain pulled in the two backpacks he was hiding on the floor behind him, and threw each one to Danny and Taylor.


    Danny caught his bag perfectly, but was amazed at how he did not notice two large backpacks behind the man until they were pointed out. After catching the bag, the weight fell on his arms quickly. There was something a bit heavy in there, and he instinctively pulled the bag further up to unzip it.


    "As promised, a week''s supply of food and MREs, and two days'' worth of water. I can give you some going money to buy more water, but the problem is storing a week''s supply in there without smashing your food."


    "Thank you," Danny supported. He canceled unzipping the bag, trusting that it was all inside of there. Taylor was a little more curious and opened it up anyway, but Danny decided to hold onto his bag with one strap, just like he did in the good old days.


    "Dakota is a nice place to learn some basic Leray magic skills," Kain reported. "I think if you are interested, you two could really do great things here, learning how to fight."


    "I would love to," Taylor agreed. She sounded so passionate about the call to go there and learn magic. Maybe she really likes the idea of it all.


    "But we don''t have the money for admission," Danny warned. He came close to smirking, defeating Kain''s quest right then and there. Kain must have forgotten that school isn''t free. Neither one of them are supposed to learn about magic anyway. Even though Kain knew this from the call he made to Nyar, he was still pushing for it purposefully.


    Kain gave a short laugh. "That''s okay. For helping out a little, I''ll take care of admission fees for you. Then you can both enroll."


    Taylor jumped and shouted, "Really? Hooray!" She attracted a lot of attention from the people walking around, including Danny.


    What is she nuts?! She''s acting like a child! Danny had regretful thoughts emanating from his mind right about now. Taylor of course isn''t going to fight back against this offer, and for whatever reason, Kain had no problem putting himself in debt to make his mission come true. Why does he want to push them into dangerous magic? Why is Kain trying to keep them anchored in town? Something is very wrong here. Danny knew he had to put a stop to this before things get worse. "No! Really. I don''t think all that Leray stuff is for us. And we don''t want to owe you anything."


    Taylor stopped bouncing, instead glaring at Danny with an evil look. "What''s your problem? Leray magic is the coolest thing ever! You should be more like this instead of this." Taylor made hand gestures to simplify the height of her own mood in comparison to his, since he was recently without much emotion lately. Already excited again just by the thought of participating in the Dakota training facility, Taylor''s energy and spirit rejuvenated on the spot, allowing her to ignore Danny''s protest. "I''ll take your offer, Kain."


    "Hold on!" Danny protested loudly. "We don''t know what kind of other effects this magic can have on us Taylor. Leray magic does sound awesome now, but it could end up more trouble than it''s worth."


    "You''re just trying to get out of it cause you''re a big chicken," Taylor argued.


    "Am not!"


    Taylor emphasized her point further. "Scared of a little Leray magic, even though we''re both immune to death, by Leray magic."


    Danny felt his edge slipping away from him, and he tried harder to convince her this was a bad idea. "This just isn''t the right thing to get involved with, at least not right now. We have to be leaving soon anyway."


    "You heard Nyar," Taylor reminded. "Two to four weeks is a long time, and isn''t that only just a rough estimate? What if it takes longer?"


    "I don''t care; I''m not going through with it."


    "Bock! Bo-Bockoca!" Taylor began imitating a chicken noise as loud as she could, making Kain laugh quietly.


    Danny''s head was already swerving, probably about to pop off on a lid. Kain! You did this; now fix it! He lifted his voice further, but only addressed Taylor. "Stop it Taylor. We''re leaving! No school, no offer, no debt! We''re going straight to Junon!"


    What''s wrong with him right now? Taylor had seen Danny lash out in anger at people before, but this was totally different. He was being completely unreasonable right now, even making decisions for her. "I can''t believe you." Her voice was sunken in full upset. "You want to avoid having fun that badly? All I wanted to do here was relax a little after all we just went through."


    Danny studied that expression on Taylor''s face. She seemed so defeated and down now. Even though he expected this, watching Taylor''s spirits get destroyed was less bearable than he predicted. And then there was Kain, holding back his argument verbally, since he seems to already be winning. Kain used Taylor''s excitement to try and put a wall between Danny and Taylor, all for the sake of this. If Danny leaves now, it could push Taylor further away, possibly convincing her to stay here by herself. But if he stays behind and helps her directly, it could provide a way of protecting her from the danger Kain is throwing them both into. Nyar said not to get involved, but... This is a bad idea no matter what. Still... "Alright! Alright! Fine!" Danny turned and pointed directly at Kain. "I accept your offer Kain. Sign us both up for Dakota immediately tomorrow. That way I can show this turd just how great I am at learning Leray magic."


    Taylor retorted simply by sticking her tongue out at Danny for his turd remark, who did not even want to keep this going on any longer. To think, both fifteen years old, and somehow they''ve both gone back to acting childish, Taylor mostly. But it was also interesting at least for Taylor, to see a total shift in personalities between her and Danny. She is usually the one who backs down from challenges, not even for good excuses either, yet this time, Danny was acting like the less confident one.


    "Then," Danny elaborated. "Once we fail to arrive at Junon airport to meet up with our own families, they''ll come find us in a nervous wreck thinking we''ve been killed. And I''ll be the one to explain on our behalf that you are the one who kept us from getting there."


    "Uh," Kain wasn''t able to respond quickly enough now that Danny was focusing his tensions on him. The consequence he just spoke of was one he failed to consider.


    Danny continued swiftly before anyone could reply. "Anything bad that happens to our parties will be on your shoulders. And if this magic really does have some dangerous drawbacks that ends up getting us hurt in the process later on, we''ll all hold you personally responsible!"


    "Oh?" Kain interestingly perked up. "I was not made aware that you two had business in Junon so suddenly. I feel bad for making arrangements you shouldn''t have gotten involved in since you have important things to attend to." It was a bad attempt to evade taking blame, since he knew beforehand that Danny and Taylor had business in Junon.


    Danny''s voice tightened quickly, his aggression shooting itself at Kain. "Yeah. What did you think was going to happen here Kain? Two people show up here under impossible circumstances. You know we''re new to this hellhole, you know we''re trying to get back home, yet you only want to keep us here to learn about evil magic, and ever since this morning, you''ve been plotting for us to learn it firsthand. You don''t think I knew about your video tape, your plan to get us a tour? How else would you have known about it if it wasn''t a setup?" Danny slingshot his arm in front of him to gesture how serious he was to Kain. "What''s wrong with you?!"


    "Hey, Danny?" Taylor called. "It''s fine. I don''t have to stay here. We can just go like you said." Why is he acting this way? And what was he talking about with Kain?


    Kain put his arms out a little in gesture. "Please stop fighting. This is my fault after all. I''ll make sure not to pay for your admissions, and give you the info you need to make it out of Sprawn Valley through the airport." Kain had never expected this. Despite the other being excited by magic, Danny was the opposite. In an understandable way, Kain did actually push for them both to learn about magic more than he should have.


    But this is a problem now. It''s too late for Kain to take back his offer, since Danny is the one who just talked him out of it. Taylor will wind up lashing out at him for this later despite what she just said, and then, she''ll just leave and end up back in Fronas without him. "You know what Kain, screw that." Danny dropped his bag as if it made him appear more serious. Only now was he was being cynical. "We''ll just sit here learning magic like you want us to, twiddling our thumbs and waiting for our parents to make it all the way down here instead. That way when they all get angry, you''ll be the one responsible. Or maybe I''ll learn a thing or two while I''m here, magic I can use to kick your ass for trying to disobey our wishes. You want us in school that badly, so be it! We start tomorrow!"


    Taylor couldn''t possibly understand what was going on inside of Danny''s head. He had somehow gone from reluctant to learn magic - to ultra-passionate about it. The motive couldn''t be the same though. The worst part is that he did actually have a decent argument this time, which never happens. Kain did keep them here even if it was by mistake, but now Danny wants to stay here too? It doesn''t make any sense. Taylor wanted to argue a little more in hopes to figure him out, but she couldn''t think of what else to say in time.


    Kain''s expression changed to a serious and worried look quickly, but despite that, he kept his tone the same. "I see... It''s decided then," Kain announced. "If this is really what you want after all, I''ll be covering costs to the both of you. The money really is no big deal to me by the way. We might look poor, but this is something I can handle... Now, covering an entire class worth of admissions would be impossible, but you are only two people." Kain spoke so slowly, treading carefully to figure a way out of his own mess.


    "Great," Danny muttered sarcastically. "Happy now Taylor?"


    "Stop being such a sour puss! I just wanted to give it a try, not stay here forever. You act like I was trying to abandon the idea of getting out of Sprawn valley. If you don''t want to let me learn anything though, I won''t force you to." With that, Taylor faced away from her friend in a saddened expression, unsure what to expect of him next.


    Danny felt somewhat defeated, but resented being called a sour puss, whatever that is even supposed to mean. Taylor seemed so down too. Was it true what she just said, or did Taylor act like that to cover her own intentions of really wanting to dwell forever and learn magic they should both stay away from in the first place? Whichever it was, that look she gave him just before turning away, it was too much! "I''m sorry." His words sent a brief shock down her spine; Danny saw it from his position. "I''m not myself when people make plans for me like that. If you wanted to learn magic that badly, then just talk to me about it next time, okay?" Danny didn''t let a short pause take away his point. "Look, I was being serious about the offer. If you want to learn even a spec of magic to see how it feels, I''m not going to stop you. In fact, I may just join you." I really shouldn''t though. Nyar specifically said not to get involved. However... Danny turned a quick evil glare towards Kain, making him wince in silence with his arms slightly up. The moment I do learn how to use magic, you''ll be the first target practice assignment!


    She turned around carefully, addressing Danny''s hazel eyes with uncertainty. "You''ll learn it with me?"


    Danny put a hand on the top of his head, further putting more thought into whether this was a bad idea or not. But the way Taylor was looking at him now with so much promise... "Y-Yeah." For a reason unknown to him, Danny didn''t refuse. He should have, but the task of trying was in itself impossible. A moment ago, he knew he could refuse despite what Taylor said, but now...


    "Very well then," Kain sighed. "I''ll sign you up today for a class tomorrow. Though I can''t promise what room numbers you will get."


    Taylor figured, "Maybe we''ll get Lisa for a teacher."


    "Maybe," Danny emphasized. After that had ended, Danny decided to pack it in for today. It was far from the end of a day, and he was nowhere near sleepy. But what else was there to do around here anyway?


    After Danny picked up his bag he threw to the floor earlier, Taylor walked off with him, but her plan was more thought out. Since it has not been done yet, she decided to ask around for the showers so that she could wash up and change into something more fashionable. Kain''s offerings had some clothes in the bags he gave them, so at least now they could quit wearing mushy worn out cloth.


    Danny went back into the medical facility again. He wanted to study up on that map, as well as talk more with Francine about how medical facilities work in general. He also ended up going back outside to try and talk to some of the residents there, but that only went half as well as it did with Bella and Kain. None of it worked as well to calm the storm building in his head. Learning about Leray magic must be very bad if half the world thinks so, and Kain still isn''t telling them what it is. Of course, Kain will end up in terrible conditions if this happens to somehow bring any harm to Taylor. But there isn''t any way of knowing what will happen now, nor could he learn anything new from today''s efforts. It would have to wait until tomorrow, which was still a long way off. The only other way to kill time was to do a bunch of chores. Might as well tire out tonight anyway. There was going to be a different day tomorrow.

 Chapter 7: Unbeatable Student

    <hr>


    <12/20/1971 ~ 08:45 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    An entire day passed into Monday, where Danny and Taylor both took themselves into the Dakota training facility again for a more intense purpose. The walk towards the facility was short lived since it wasn''t far, and Kain never made his appearance around them after what happened yesterday. Arriving at the facility again, Taylor noticed how many more people arrived here. There were only a couple students visible entering the front of the building, but she could sense many more inside. People must gather from other towns in the Gulop region all the way to Fronas just for this kind of eventful training.


    Danny was with her, planning on entering the class together and fulfilling his promise to at least try out Leray training. He was still in disbelief that he was even allowing himself to set foot into this for a day, but if there was any hope of protecting Taylor, this was it. Besides, after all said and done, Kain only offered to initially spend money on a two-day admission session, meaning it was still technically temporary. Upon entering the building in the first front room, they both came across the admissions counter at the front desk. Only one adult was running the place there, but he did not seem very busy at the moment. Checking to see the status of both their class registrations, Danny and Taylor walked up to the counter to get their info.


    "We''re here for our first day of admissions," Danny explained. The man at the counter in front of him appeared to be on track of anything that was going on, and he opened a small notebook to check for new recruits.


    The man cleared his throat, reading the names on the list at the bottom of the most recent page. "Are you Danny and Taylor?"


    "That''s right," Taylor answered.


    "Kain came by yesterday and set you two up." It quickly made sense to them now how the admissions works. It''s really not a pain at all, short and simple. "You are both registered for room 706 today. The class there will be your permanent one until you graduate."


    706? Danny knew that number sounded familiar, but couldn''t determine why right now. It didn''t matter though. After today''s session is over, they can freely leave Fronas to Junon. Despite not wanting to see Taylor suffer, she would likely agree to leave too knowing his disposition.


    "Thank you," Taylor complimented. "Come on, let''s go check it out." Taylor was now talking to Danny, who was paying attention enough to know what she meant. He wasn''t spacing out today, his perusal attention active for the school. Danny nodded his head and began to follow her walking down the hallway. It seemed that admissions was easier than most made it out to be. Payment, registration, name, rank, and room number. After that, everything is set.


    It took a few minutes to find the right room. They passed by several other students on the way who seemed focused on something internally. By the time Danny and Taylor found it, they heard muffled voices talking from inside of the classroom. There were already people in there, a current class session already going on. Danny was not the person who liked to interrupt and make a scene, but Taylor eventually opened the door anyway, forcing him to continue in this situation.


    Just as the door opened, Taylor noticed that the teacher at the front of the room stopped talking. Now suddenly all eyes and ears were on the both of them. New students, the mark of new and interesting ways to learn more about people; this already seemed like a tough crowd. Everybody was staring at them both in silence thanks to their late disruption. Taylor heard some soft, unclear murmurs between some of the other students. Most of them were about the same age as she was, with a few exceptions up and down in age groups.


    Danny felt uncomfortable immediately, attracting so much attention before even introducing himself. They had interrupted class because they were apparently a little late, and now the teacher would have to do a lot of the talking off topic. It was the whole reason he didn''t want to open this door. Oh well, it''s not like these people will matter in a few more days.


    "Well this is a surprise. New students?" the teacher asked.


    "That''s right." Taylor was already very nervous, but she hid that in her voice and response. Nobody could tell for sure what she was thinking or feeling.


    "From a rumor I heard, I was expecting two new arrivals. Though I never guessed they''d show up here. Anyway, glad to have you both join our class. Please." The teacher pointed to three empty desks in the center of the room, indicating that the class quota of twenty-four kids had not yet been met. There were a lot of them filled so far, thus, this probably filled the room up right there. "Take a seat and feel free to introduce yourselves. My name is Eliza."


    Danny twitched from the resurgence in memory. He had heard about her from the other teacher Lisa yesterday during the tour. Eliza was said to have the very next graduation day sometime soon. That means she probably won''t slow down her lessons very much. Room 706! That is what was familiar about it. Lisa said that Ms. Eliza is in this classroom, but the rest of the details feels hazy. Danny was walking carefully to his empty seat in the left side of the center of the room, but he could not shake the sensation of being watched. Since he was new, he was being probed by every single student in here. They were evaluating everything about him. His looks, his stance, his age, knowledge, everything.


    Just like a new student in a tough competition for popularity, Taylor could feel herself sinking to the bottom before even saying anything. Worse than that, she and Danny both were expected to introduce themselves, their names and anything else. The teacher was silent, simply waiting for them to sit down before having them tell the whole class anything about themselves. Taylor knew that the truth about their past would not be a great idea to start with, and she thought of what else to say quickly.


    Danny finally made it to his seat, and he waited there for a short moment. After eying Eliza''s expression towards him, it became frighteningly clear that she really was waiting on him right now, waiting for him to tell everyone about himself. With a short pause and the clearing of his throat, he braced himself to be ready for anything. "My name is Danny Mason. I''m new here to Fronas, but I''m ready to learn Leray magic."


    Taylor thought about what he said. His response was short and simple, so mundane that it left no lingering questions. Taylor also studied the population of the class. There were about 19 students other than Danny and herself. Half of them were girls, and half of them were boys; an even split in gender proportions. One group over in the corner were whispering to each other, likely unrelated to anything so far. Taylor then noticed that the eyes in the room were now stating at her, which was her cue. "I''m Taylor. Taylor Feer. I''m also from out of town, and new to this magic stuff."


    "Taylor. Danny," Eliza repeated. "Nice to have you both in class. Now students, we all know the drill with new recruits. We will have to slow the pace just slightly. But I promise, it will only be for one day." Several of the other kids were already moaning and grumbling to the news they were expecting. The silence in the room had long since passed already. Taylor and Danny were already blending in, despite being the cause for some of the distress.


    "Now, now," Eliza announced. "We will make this quick and painless. Anything learned again is simply a refresher, and we can all use refreshers from time to time. Danny? Taylor? We all have yet to demonstrate any official magic skills or glyphrings, so don''t worry about slowing us down. We''ve barely begun."


    Danny nodded in response, after which Eliza immediately continued with her lesson as if the interruption had not even happened. Danny felt like he was supposed to be taking down notes, but the things she was already saying were interesting enough to remember.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Cremona ~ Paul Dinletir (ASCAP)</a>


    <hr>


    "Before one can learn to use Leray magic, one must first understand what Leray magic is. Where is it from? What else does it do? And what is the history of all Leray magic? Take notes if you need to, because we will be starting with history first. As you should already expect, Leray magic did not used to exist in the past."


    It didn''t? Danny figured this was a constant for Sprawn Valley. But if it used to be like any other ordinary place, then why was the location so specially designed for the art?


    Taylor was hearing every word echo in her mind. Though she had no writing utensils, she did not need them at the moment. Every sentence Eliza was speaking was precious to her, in that it was both interesting knowledge, and things Taylor had not already known. This allowed her to get over her shyness to the class very quickly, and she could only assume that Danny was feeling the same way about all of this.


    Eliza continued the long lesson since she heard of no subtle interruptions. "Though only known in the scriptures of the legends, the magical aura that first came to exist originates from the power of the moon. More specifically, the light reflected down here from the moon."


    Danny was already intrigued, unable to think about anything else. Moonlight is responsible for the source of Leray magic? If that were true, then why is it only affecting this country? And do the phases of the moon affect people who do use magic as well?


    "But moonlight alone is not magical, despite the energy signals sent down to us. The mages of the past, as they were known to be - were persistent in experimentation with the glows of the moonlight. They worked year after year without much impediment, and one day, the scientist known as Agies Fardran was suspected to be the one who created the first of many natural moonlight amplification devices. Making use of naturally built inactive volcanic structures in Sprawn Valley, he made the experiments work towards his manmade scopes and mirrors. This inventor found a way to amplify the energy from the moonlight at specific times at night using such machinery. Then to contain that energy, he compressed its essence using a light breaking barrier to infuse that energy into our commonly known lunar crystals."


    Taylor still had little idea as to what some of these references were, but she never would have guessed that Leray magic comes from moonlight.


    "Known to store tons of pure lunar energy, these types of fluctuation fields were studied deeply by the mages. Magic was always attempted, but never successful. Any who attempted to use lunar magic in its purest form were always unable to. That was until a form of conversion therapy was invented; a method of skills and concentration fields that could virtually convert pure lunar energy into separate types and forms of magical auras. Known to us as Leray energy, such fields were harnessed and projected back into tested magical skills, thus proving to be more successful than the purest form of lunar power. Since Leray magic is an impure form of lunar energy converted from the source to be used by the mages, the crystals were still just as valuable and scarce. Many mining expeditions scavenged crystal shards from all over the world until enough of them were pieced together to contain additional lunar power and capacity."


    Danny was impressed by the history of this place, more so that this was just the short summarized version of it. Some people around him were taking notes, even though they probably have heard of this all before. He studied the expressions of everyone else. He and Taylor appeared to be the most impressed by the knowledge so far, indicating that this lesson is a repeat.


    "Though it was very unpopular at the time, the Leray mages wanted to share their magic with the rest of the world, and devised a very special tower to project the Leray energy fields from very far distances. The near immortal properties of being engulfed in a Leray energy field were discovered before the great veil projection and the Leray barrier field. But that discovery was the most likely cause to push the veil over the entire valley of this continent."


    While his teacher was spraying the most incredible story Danny had ever heard, his eyes were still wandering around the room. They stopped instantly to his left shoulder, just over which was an interesting girl. Appearing to be slightly older than Taylor, she sat in her desk staring straight forward with her eyes shut, and she was wearing an interesting two-layered dress with a skirt top covered in symbolic designs. It was not unfashionable, but it was still unusual clothing colored in the darkest black shade of Goth aside from the symbols. Her long jet-black hair that matched her gloomy outfit worked wonders entrancing his focus onto her further. Yet despite that, she looked like she was fazed off in her own little world. That was until she woke up and glanced over at Danny.


    Danny quickly turned his head forward, trying not to attract unwanted attention to himself. Apparently, she wasn''t that far out of it. Danny counted in seconds while drowning out the lesson Eliza was giving about Leray history.


    Taylor did not stop listening to the information. She tried closing her eyes, trying to imagine the entire scenario as if she were there to see it herself.


    "Despite what people think, and despite the benefits of the protection field, the population of people who wanted to use Leray magic spells for their own purposes grew," Eliza progressed. "Other than its practical uses for traveling the valley and defending one''s self, there were, and still remain several undiscovered mysteries and properties to Leray magic."


    Danny figured that enough time had passed by for the other teen girl to grow less suspicious of him. He turned his head a shoulder again, finding the same girl folding her arms in her chair, but only glancing forward. Based on her facial expression, she seemed angry or upset, maybe just bored? Perhaps she was just a mean person. She could not be bothered at all by this lesson, and that''s what made her so curious. Does she dislike Leray magic more than he does? Is there something about this that is just wrong? Before Danny knew it, the girl was staring directly into his eyes. Danny pretended to veer his head away, but returned it swiftly again. Without any breaks, the female student was glaring at Danny intensely. Her bright green eyes were intense on him, contrasting with her hair beautifully. Danny couldn''t deny how attractive this chick was. Still, he had just been caught staring a second ago, and that can''t be good. From the corner of his peripheral, he could see her staring back at him non-stopped, as if to wait on him to return his gaze again before calling him out. Feeling little other options, Danny stared back at her on purpose, hoping she would be the next one to stop this and look away. Having to leave Fronas soon anyway, it won''t matter if anyone thinks he''s strange.


    Danny''s plan however failed to follow his imagination. She must know that Danny was giving her looks, and must now be trying to intimidate him for his mistakes. Or she simply didn''t care about any of this. Danny was not certain what was going through her head right now, but he did not stop staring at her either. Who can she be anyway but to engage in making things more awkward? Those deep green eyes of hers sent his heart rate up quickly though, her glare was a bit scary with how intense she was making it. Does she even realize what she is doing herself? For as long as he thought he could go on, Danny realized that he was missing out on the lesson Eliza was giving him, which must be important. Danny decided quickly to look away, blushing from the thought of being caught staring at a pretty woman like that. He told himself over and over to not look back.


    Eliza gave her voice a tiny break, and it seemed to her like the current lesson was over with. "Now that we''re up to speed, I would like to discuss the importance of our next major lesson tomorrow. New or not, you will want to study the information that comes next in order to become a successful Leray fighter. It''s not as simple as it sounds, and training is constant around here." In the middle of a new lecture, Eliza turned her head to one of the students in the crowd, shortly distracted by their needs. "Yes Jane?"


    Danny glanced around, trying to learn the names of people here. He had a rocky time making friends back in middle school, and he did not want to mess this one up. Though learning more about Leray magic would be more interesting, and the teachers here might not tell him everything by asking. To his surprise, the one designated as Jane was the same person he just had an embarrassing staring contest with. She was now standing up with her hand raised for the teacher. Please don''t make a scene!


    "May I exit the room and engage more in my training?" Jane asked the question as if it was not her first time trying to escape. The pitch in her voice was slightly a tone level below Taylor''s, but she spoke with an unseen confidence.


    "Yes," Eliza responded. "Class will be out in just twenty minutes more."Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    With that status update, Taylor thought about the comparison. The time difference with a regular school compared to this facility was much different. Despite all there is to learn about Leray magic, this sure was one short day.


    Danny watched in awe as Jane casually began walking out of the room. She did not look anybody in the eye, nor did her head wander around aimlessly. She seemed very determined to get out of here and train, if that was her real intention. Danny couldn''t help but wonder if it were his gaze that simply scared her off. The way she stares at him makes Danny tremble like he''s about to die. Then again, something else seemed off. Danny returned his face towards the front of the classroom again, but he still had Jane in his head. She was strange, but somehow just as interesting as this lesson is.


    Danny found it a little odd too. He was suddenly aggravated by the fact that Jane was leaving. Did he have some crush on her? No. That can''t be it. It didn''t feel like that is what bothered him. But who is she anyway? This Jane was simply allowed to walk up and leave just like that? Doesn''t class matter to her at all? What is it that people do around here? What kind of stuff is everyone into if not magic training? And if she really is into that, what does she know that merits her the discretion of coming or going whenever she pleases?


    Taylor took notice to Jane, who only sat two seats away from her. She found it a bit odd that she would just happily get up and leave like that, as if she was too good for the class or something. Only a minute passed before Taylor was distracted again. Even though the class was a bit interesting to her, she could not help but look around and get to know the faces of her classmates better, but Danny was about to cause a scene, trying to signal something directly to her.


    Taylor did not read lips, nor was she good at improvising the meaning behind hand signals. Danny pointed behind his head, towards the door, and then put his fist into the palm of his other hand. Believing to finally get an idea of what he wanted, Taylor raised her hand next, hoping her guess was accurate. "Miss?"


    "Yes Taylor?" Eliza was addressing Taylor now, distracted once again. "What is it?"


    Taylor immediately replied just as Danny had also stood up in sync. "Danny and I would like to leave a little early if that''s okay. We would like to try some training as well."


    "Very well," Eliza granted. "Just remember that our dark room is off limits after five."


    Danny''s eyes opened wider in surprise. That was a lot easier than it would have been back home. Eliza must be used to letting kids leave whenever they want, or she just doesn''t care. She was probably being paid either way no matter how the learning time was spent. And what was this about a dark room? Never mind that! Danny had something he wanted to do outside of the class. Sorry about this Eliza.


    Taylor got up and slowly headed for the door with Danny. So far, he did not appear to be upset, nor was he sending any signals after which. She walked out of the classroom right after Danny did, closing the door behind them as it was before. Once they were clear of the area, Taylor found herself and Danny back in the hallway, but she was more focused on Danny''s reason for leaving. Wanting to keep it between them, she kept her voice to a whisper. "So what was that for?"


    "Follow me and find out," Danny responded.


    Taylor did not want to find out, but there was little choice now since Danny had already brushed passed her in a bit of a rush. He seemed to be searching around in the hallway for something, also in a desperate manner of haste to figure it out. "What is this about?" Why promise to take a whole class on Leray magic and duck out just as Jane did?


    "You know that strange black hair girl? The one who left class before we did?"


    Taylor wept herself backwards with a grin. "Aw! You have crush already? That was really fast!"


    The accusation mixed with Taylor''s change in her voice really annoyed Danny far, but he was not giving up the search for Jane. After all, Taylor wasn''t correct in her reasoning. "No, I just want to know what her deal is. She didn''t look like she cared about the lessons at all." And why stare at me so intensely, like she was about to scream into my face at any second? Who the hell are you Jane? What do you know?


    "But then why do you care about what she doesn''t care about?" Taylor''s question sounded more like a parabola making little sense. Danny simply shook his head to ignore it completely, but still answered the question in his own mind. It didn''t matter what Jane cares about, but something was far off about that girl. She defiantly dismisses all subtleties wherever she is. However, her potential knowledge on the secrets of Leray magic are more important. She might know something that would make her hate magic, just as others do. If she is someone who doesn''t involve herself in magic, learning why would certainly be worth skipping class for.


    Before long, Danny and Taylor found Jane together. She was standing in a hallway, holding her hand out in front of her. Jane immediately noticed the presence of Danny and Taylor, but disregarded them entirely.


    Taylor watched Danny''s expression change as he loosened up watching what Jane was up to. Taylor decided to join him, folding her arms and studying why Jane said she was training when she was really just standing around with her right arm holding itself in front of her.


    Then out of nowhere, Jane''s concentration began to form a large and bright glowing glyphring blue in color like the one Danny had seen before. She formed the glyphring around her wrist, making it rotate in place, and then she just held it there for as long as she could. Danny did not see, hear, nor detect any magic coming out of Jane''s glyphring, but he would be standing in its path if there were an imminent spell. Still - he was frozen at the incredible sight of magical build-up in front of him. Jane was literally using magic right now, despite being enrolled in basic training.


    Jane was not just lying about leaving the class to train. She was training on Leray magic right now, in the middle of an empty hallway. Maybe she knew what she was doing after all. So much for secretly disregarding the use of magic. Her attempt to create and hold a glyphring indicated that nothing was supposed to emerge from the magical glowing ring. Why was she training in the hallway of all places? Isn''t that what the dark room was for? Wait, Danny pondered. Why do they call it a dark room?


    After keeping the glyphring alive for seconds on end, Jane opened her eyes and gently allowed the spinning ring to fade away into nothingness. She then saw that Danny and Taylor were both standing in front of her at the end of the corridor, but she did not talk to them or acknowledge their presence. Instead, she shifted 90 degrees and pulled something out from her belt. The belt she was wearing looked a lot more like a very thin supply attachment around her waist, hiding under the hem of her over-skirt. After reaching down, Jane pulled out two small blades with both her hands. At first they appeared to be knives, but studied more closely from the shape and size of each blade, they were actually combat daggers. Jane had no regard for the reactions of the two watching her. She took her daggers, slanted down into a fighting stance, and practiced swinging her blades into the empty air in front of her.


    Taylor watched in amazement as Jane was now practicing some kind of combat technique in front of them. She slashed the open air a couple of times with her hand-sized daggers, then she shifted around, kicking and punching in different directions. It was as if she was fighting off people who are not really there, and she was incredibly focused on her style, putting traditional martial artists to shame.


    Danny was just as impressed, and he slowly crept his feet closer for a better look. There was some discomfort in the unexplained fact that students here were allowed to carry their own weapons. Talk about safety procedure... Danny felt Taylor inching closer behind him, keeping an eye on his moves. Obviously, it was dangerous to get close to Jane while she was practicing fighting like this, but Danny wanted to see what this was all about. He always figured that Leray fighters only use magic, but apparently, the use of physical weapons and close combat styles are just as important, at least to Jane they are.


    After a few seconds of inching ever closer to the training teen, Jane performed a cartwheel, spinning straight in the same direction where Danny was standing. Taylor was a bit further behind him, but not totally out of range either. Jane''s move seemed intentional based on her quick speed and direction as the back-flipping cartwheel continued. Just when it seemed like she was going to crash into him, Danny shifted his face backwards in the nick of time. Jane came back to her feet, and shoved both of her daggers as close to Danny''s throat as possible without hitting him, the humming echo of vibrating metal singing throughout the halls.


    Keeping that stance, Jane was now at a knife lock with Danny, but she was not attacking him yet. It was intimidating, watching Danny be teased into fear like that while metal blades were too close to his throat. Taylor could not believe how crazy this person was right now.


    "So?" she spoke up to his face. "Are you two here to stalk me, or are you just so impudent for our honor?"


    Danny didn''t dare move a muscle. He was leaning back with the knives at his throat, just an inch away from Jane''s face. Her deep green eyes seemed to be fired up with her temper. She studied his expression carefully, making him feel much less comfortable about it earlier. "We''re not stalkers! Put those things down!" Is she crazy, threatening his life in the hallway like this? Does Jane not realize that Taylor could simply scream for help right now? Jane would be expelled!


    "Honest! He''s telling the truth!" Taylor defended. "We just came out here to see what you were up to." Taylor was very close to screaming with how nervous she sounded. If she did scream however, Jane might really do it!


    "What a shame," Jane replied. She looked away from Danny with a soft long blink of her eyes, and she drew her dagger blades away from Danny''s face. Her calmer manner immediately had Danny and Taylor sighing in their loss of tension. "I meant what I said about leaving class to train. Did you really doubt my intentions?"


    "Well, no." Danny eased up his muscles and his breathing. In just one short second, Jane scared him half to death with those blades. Was she trying to do that on purpose just to be intimidating, or did she actually mean to cut his throat? "We just... We wanted to see if you wanted any help. You know, help training." That should work. Danny forgot the real reason he wanted to track her down here. He thought it amazing to even get a full sentence out. But contrary to his thoughts, Danny''s shaken voice made it easy to detect that he was just making up an excuse for following her around. There won''t be a need to develop a new excuse ever again. Can I go home now?


    Taylor nodded with Danny, agreeing with his idea since it was better than any alternative that would have likely made Jane more upset.


    "If by help - you mean, lower my skill level ultimately to nothing, then no thanks." Jane folded her arms, and she seemed disappointed with them both. "I couldn''t possibly benefit from target practice with a wimp like you." Jane was aiming her body towards Danny to show whom she meant the insult for.


    "What?!" Danny''s body expression changed quickly. Being called wimp by an older girl on the first day was not his idea of getting acquainted with the others or learning about magic. While she was the one wielding knives like a maniac, nothing gave her the right to insult him.


    Jane however was not done talking yet, turning towards Taylor to give her a piece of her mind as well. "And a rookie such as yourself is in need of a lot more help than I am. You should both go back to class and learn the basics, if you have the skill level for that anyway."


    Taylor backed up a step, in shock at Jane''s attitude towards them both. She noticed that Danny was even more frozen by the insult than she was. "Hey! We''re not even deep into this school yet. We''re new to this Leray magic stuff."


    "Yeah, ease off will ya?" Danny joined. He didn''t want to push it too far, not with those knife things in her hands. Being in Fronas might mean being immune to getting stabbed to death, but Danny still couldn''t take anyone''s word for it just yet.


    Danny''s reaction to her threat seemed a bit unnatural. He really seemed to be in fear of his life, instead of trying to fight back or stay calm. Jane gave them both the edge of her quick loud breath, silencing them both before saying a word. "Hmph! Who are you anyway?"


    "I''m Danny, Danny Mason."


    "And I''m Taylor Feer. What about you?"


    Jane studied their faces intensely, but she did not change her stance. Folding her arms like that only revealed that she was still annoyed with the both of them. "Jane Venn. And I wouldn''t consider yourselves in anything, unless you mean trouble. You two love brains may be new to this school, but that does not mean you should take training as a joke. The last thing I need here is some frail peach accompanied by an arrogant whinny boy too ostentatious to simply stay out of important subjects."


    Danny and Taylor both glanced at each other, disturbed slightly by Jane''s match making of them both. Taylor did not even address that part; she was already furious with the attitude. And what is with the big words? Jane really thinks she is so smart? Danny is twice the person she is. "You''ve had more time to get good. We don''t even know how to invoke magic yet. Some argument you have."


    "Yeah, well that doesn''t matter." Danny was beginning to raise his voice at the new girl, finally deciding that she just needs some discipline. "Magic or no magic, I can probably whip your butt in a battle any day." Danny couldn''t understand what inside of him made him this determined to fight a crazy girl with a pair of knives, but Jane did insult the both of them. Calling him a whinny boy and Taylor a frail girl? Who does she thinks she is anyway? It makes sense that two new people have more to learn than a person like herself. Is that so hard to accept? She doesn''t know either one of them!


    "Haha-ha!" Jane laughed at his remark, and briefly waited for him to continue.


    Taylor could feel her anger building even more. Jane thought that she was funny. "You think you''re so tough? Then how about I challenge you to a battle right now!"


    "Ahaha!" Jane''s laughter amplified and continued from Taylor''s determination to fight her. Jane''s voice pitch had increased since her laughter was lingering right on the back of her throat. "That''s rich! I won''t fight you though." Jane waited for the both of them to flinch at her unexpected response. She already knew how they were going to react; two young newbies who know nothing except for how to get into trouble. "Leray battles are supposed to be fun anyway. There''s no fun in it for me trouncing weaklings. Maybe if you somehow get better though, I''ll give you the humiliation of defeat you desire so much."


    That does it! Danny clenched his fists and teeth up tightly. He felt like he was about to explode from the arrogant behavior in front of him. But before he could let out another word, the bells inside of the entire school tolled everywhere, indicating the end of a school day.


    Jane appeared to be smug after making all of those remarks, and now she would just be able to leave with her verbal victory for antagonizing Danny and Taylor. "Well, I''ve got to go home and do even more training. See you novices tomorrow, if you think you can handle it." Keeping her smug expression, Jane put her daggers back in their slots under her multilayered skirt. She soon walked off into the growing crowd of kids pouring into the hallway from the earlier chime of the bells.


    Danny and Taylor both felt hopelessly tense, with no comebacks to say to her or anything they could do about it. School was already over for today, and neither one of them got to pitch in any kind of training. Taylor felt unaccomplished for a moment, but her anger of meeting Jane returned with her quickly, staying inside of her boiling blood.


    Danny and Taylor walked casually towards the entrance of the building, which was also the main exit as well. Though blended in with the large crowd of people here, both of them (especially Taylor) were silent, hiding their feeling deep until the right moment. Jane had disappeared already, probably gone towards her home. Taylor was interested in knowing where she lived. Nobody makes fun of her like that and gets away with it. Though it was unlike Taylor to actually do anything about helping herself, she still used to get mixed in with school drama back in her home country.


    Danny was feeling a little bit helpless, as if he would never be able to learn as much Leray magic as Jane could learn. But in retrospect, he never did see Jane shoot anything out of that glyphring like the people on the VCR video did. Still, Taylor didn''t have to get that angry at Jane. Now she''ll always seem like the tougher one of them both. Jane''s type is obvious - she''s a bully. Danny regretted going to find her himself. He really shouldn''t have said anything to her like that, and neither should Taylor, but even now, he felt it in himself and in Taylor that some kind of revenge would have been sweet. People who talk down to others like that deserve to be smacked around a little. If there was ever anything wrong with magic, it might not be the process at all, but rather the people who chose to flex their power over others as if it''s a god given right. While pondering what all of this Leray magic fighting stuff meant, he and Taylor made it back outside. It was a heavy reminder of how bright outside the daylight was at this hour.


    There were hundreds of other students walking on their own path; many of them were all heading towards the northern path in Fronas towards Blue Port Town. Danny seemed to have forgotten just how many people were enrolled here. The crowd thinned out swiftly, and Kain was spotted standing a bit further away on the path just outside of the Dakota training facility. Taylor seemed to have spotted him as well, and she sped up to try and talk to him. Danny hesitated however, wondering why Kain would even be waiting on them. Doesn''t Kain realize this makes him an official creep?


    Kain saw that Taylor and Danny were finally out, and approaching them on purpose. As expected, he was going to get his first status report about whether Danny and Taylor were fond of this magic after all. "Hey you two. I bet you didn''t know that today''s class would be this short."


    Taylor disregarded Kain''s greeting, and cut right to the chase. "When you paid for our enrollment, did you pay for a full term?"


    "Why, I most certainly did," Kain remarked.


    He did? Danny didn''t recall that being the same thing Kain told him this morning... Yet another lie.


    "Don''t worry about my funds though. If you drop out, I get a full refund for all future dates you don''t attend. The both of you can either choose to stay there and learn Leray magic, or turn tail towards the airport and get out of here as soon as you can. After what you have seen firsthand today, perhaps you''ve made up your mind?"


    Danny was already here as well, considering every word Kain had to throw at them. He wanted to stay and learn the magic after all, but was uncertain if he really could. How many differences exist in people with their learning level? Was he really that hopeless? Wait a second. Before today, he didn''t want to stay here at all. How did this happen? Is Leray magic really this interesting? Danny wanted to reflect more on it, but that Jane girl was still looping in his thoughts moreover.


    "Good!" Taylor pranced. "I''m staying here to learn as much Leray magic as I can." The tone in her voice proved to Danny and Kain that she was still upset and angered.


    Kain however saw this as major news opposed to Danny''s reaction. "My word. What has gotten into you?"


    Danny knew exactly what''s gotten into her, as the same got to him as well. Consciously aware of the need to get back at that black hair coot, Danny realized the difference between staying behind just a bit longer to destroy Jane just for a week, and leaving now. There would still technically be enough time to make it to the airport if one week goes by. Even if he couldn''t use magic, Jane is going to pay for the things she just said today. Kain''s punishment will have to come second. "I''ll ask you once more," Danny stiffened. "Is Leray magic dangerous in any regard when it is used?"


    "As long as people use magic responsibly, no harm should come from it."


    It figures Kain would give a slightly loaded answer back about it, but something about his testimony seemed genuine this time, as deceptive as the man clearly was. It went against everything Nyar has told him so far, against his own nature of what he felt was right. But Danny knew that his enrollment status also holds the fate of seeing that girl again, which was defiantly going to happen tomorrow since her house location would be a mystery. Maybe with Taylor''s help it will be more plausible. Danny couldn''t figure out the motivation in himself to continue this action right now, but he decided it was good enough so long as he could protect Taylor at the same time. "It appears Taylor has a rival to deal with."


    "Taylor? A rival? Already?" Kain seemed surprised by something Danny had announced. "That was rather quick."


    And there is was; Kain was only impressed by the speed. Obviously in Danny''s perspective, rivalry of Leray wielder vs. Leray wielder was to be expected, but Jane had to be the nosiest, most bratty one at the entire facility. "Anyway," Danny proposed, "You can sign me up too. I''ve got a bone to pick with the same person." Danny smashed his right fist into his left open palm to gesture that he means business.


    Kain didn''t expect this at all. With the way things were going, Danny had been transforming into another person who simply hated all magic in its forms. He was sharp enough even as a fifteen year old to see Kain''s own intentions to try and expose him to the material, but now it''s like he''s a totally different person! What bully could have triggered all of this?


    Danny''s aggression deteriorated quickly by a realization. "Kain? I''m not so sure if I can learn Leray magic as good as anyone else can. I''m just too new to all of this stuff."


    "Don''t be so quick to give up," Kain warned. "It may look difficult, but all you need to do is concentrate. Focus, and believe in your own capabilities. The history stuff might be boring, so instead focus on the strategic matters of an official Leray battle. Once you know how to battle, I think you will be more than inclined to try harder."


    "If you say so." Danny waited for Taylor to say something, anything else at all, but she sure took her time.


    "Good," she spoke. "Danny, if you''re in this with me, then we will both become great Leray fighters. Once that happens, we''ll knock that Jane down to size."


    "Wha¡ª" Kain croaked. "You''re rival is Jane?!"


    Taylor''s focus was immediately sent to Kain''s reaction. He must know her. "You know that woman?!"


    Kain cleared his throat nervously. Even he had trouble just talking about her. "Typically, she is no bully, but she is a very proud Leray wielder in training. Her session is just as incomplete as yours is, but she is a bit more popular around these parts. It''s because she trains almost harder than anybody around."


    "Great," Danny whined. So she really wasn''t bluffing her strength back there. If Jane can use magic and trains all day long, she''ll be tough to get back at in any regard. Then again, her popularity didn''t seem all that noticeable back in class.


    "It goes without saying that if the two of you want to beat Jane in a battle after graduation," Kain suggested, "then you might want to put one hundred and ten percent into your efforts. Train harder than she does, and try your very best every moment that counts. She is no push over when it comes to her learning capabilities. Jane is by far the most determined teenage girl around these parts, and is very passionate about Leray magic."


    "I don''t care," Taylor swung her arm. "I''m going to show her that I''m not just some wimp." Taylor knew she wasn''t going to let this go. In previous situations, it was as easy as wrecking someone''s reputation or credibility, but to give a hit to Jane, she would need to use magic against magic.


    Danny nodded in agreement. After all, Jane made fools of them both, and threatened to take his life... Or essence energy? However that works around here, she shouldn''t be flipping her blades at people like that. Even if he could just deliver a cleaver rebuttal, that may be enough. Graduating may not be necessary nor is that an affordable commodity, but the less Kain knows about that, the better.


    Kain nodded his head with a smile, but he did not say anything else. Danny figured that this behavior from Jane was quite common on other people as well. If you are as great of a Leray wielder as advertised, then one could afford to be arrogant and pick on the lower ones. Danny had made up his mind in sync with Taylor. He was not going to be a rookie forever. After all, if he could learn a thing or two about magic, then he could give Jane a run for her money as well.

 Chapter 8: Plan of Assist

    <hr>


    <12/21/1971 ~ 09:10 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    An entire day passed by as normally as ever. Danny simmered his emotions down much more proficiently than Taylor did. Yesterday also felt shortened based on the experience the day before. Danny and Taylor were no longer being fed the luxury food at the medical facility, and they both had to dip into their rations for the first time. Down another day, Danny and Taylor could not think about anything else other than the Dakota training facility, specifically Jane.


    Taylor had to ask a second time to Danny, for why he bothered to leave the classroom and track her down. What she got was anything but a straight answer. But in his defense, Danny eventually beseeched the theories he held earlier; that Leray magic might not be what Kain and Bella claimed it to be. His temper became a little tense each time Taylor would ask him.


    Danny and Taylor were to go back to Dakota again today. Whatever was going on in class this time, Taylor was ready to face Jane once again. Last time, Taylor was humiliated. But today, she would study Jane''s actions and character with caution. Since nothing else was going on right now, Danny and Taylor went straight for the facility since there was nothing else to do.


    So today was another day for Dakota''s class. Set just like yesterday with another continuation from the history of Leray magic, Danny and Taylor found their same seats as before. Predictably, Jane was in the same room as well, quietly content as though yesterday never happened.


    Danny knew he was supposed to be better at studying, but he also remembered what Kain told him earlier; that the rules of Leray battles fair higher on a priority scale than the history for now, and he too used such an excuse to study Jane''s actions. For now, she seemed to sit still, paying attention to the lesson. In minutes following the start of Eliza''s lectures, Danny felt her occasional stares from across the room without even witnessing them firsthand. Jane was using those intense eyes of hers; she displayed such pedantic care to Eliza''s lesson. She didn''t appear to be as focused as yesterday, but Danny couldn''t reassure himself yet. He dared not to stare at her like last time.


    Taylor had a lot on her mind too. Jane was not doing anything out of the ordinary yet, but only five minutes passed since Eliza began her next lecture, and five minutes was suddenly all it took for something new to happen. Jane stood up out of her desk again, her very motion detected by the teacher. Though no words were needed to request the same privileges be brought onto her again.


    "Go ahead Jane," Eliza deflected. "Anyway, the Salem witch trials appeared to be totally unrelated to the practice of Leray magic. The events occurred in the United States, precolonial era. The cause of that tragedy ended up being something totally benign, raised from deep corners and fear of any unordinary behavior. Distrust and feuds boiled into religious misconceptions and inferred the injustices that followed. But in Sprawn Valley, the fear of magic has always been far off a different scale."


    Taylor watched carefully. Jane was now creeping her way through the narrow fit of the desks, edging herself ever closer to the exit of the room. Then Jane left the classroom far out of sight, going wherever she pleased. Taylor was not sure what good it would do her now, or what she could do after confronting Jane alone again, but Taylor was at least determined to get out of here and follow Jane around. Right now, Jane would be by herself.


    Danny saw that Taylor was very eager to leave the room, more so than he was. He waited for the right moment, when Eliza had her back turned towards her white board to write something down. With little time to wait, Eliza gave them their only chance to escape. Without even asking to leave, in fear of being denied their access to exit from the room, Danny kept his footsteps silent while walking towards the door. All of the students could of course see what he was doing; he only hoped they were cool enough not to raise alarm.


    Taylor was in front of Danny, but she had the same exact idea in mind for escaping the class. Many eyes and heads turned to them both, some in surprise that they were going to just sneak out, and others who did not seem to care nonetheless. Nobody else alerted the teacher of their actions, instead sat still to observe. Before the door had shut all the way, Jane left it open only a crack, allowing for Taylor to pull it open without handling the noisy nob, and Danny was in slow pursuit behind.


    Finally, Taylor made it, and Danny was right behind her jumping out of the room just in time to escape having to explain himself to the teacher. Both of them slowly eased the door back to the crack, not completely shut. Then Taylor looked around in all directions, searching for Jane, but she was not clearly in sight around here.


    Danny followed Taylor''s instincts as she led him around the corner of the main hallway. After which, Taylor stopped in her tracks, making Danny speed up to see what she found. There she was, standing right in the hallway with her back to the wall and one foot slightly balanced on her toes. Jane was simply waiting for the both of them to get out of class and find her.


    "So what this time? Training with me like before?"


    Taylor thought back to what Jane was talking about. She must have been referring to their excuse for leaving class to follow her yesterday. Jane was now asking for their method of escaping class a minute ago, what trick they might have used on Eliza.


    "Well, we didn''t ask," Danny admitted. He had the gut feeling that Jane couldn''t really care less about the class rules or respect for others. If anything, fitting in just a little could help him get some more respect from Jane''s enemies. It''s assumed she has one or two other than himself and Taylor.


    With a snippy reply, Jane told Taylor, "Now, now... Leaving class without permission? Shows that you two have no honor at all."


    "Oh stop," Danny sarcastically remarked. "I''m getting all teary eyed."


    Who is she to talk about their honor? This vixen doesn''t seem to have any! "We came here to give you a piece of our minds. Who do you think you are to act all high and mighty?"


    "The beauty of that Taylor," Jane started, "is that I''m not acting. And I don''t have to be afraid to whip up an excuse to get out of class, because when I leave to train, I actually leave to practice my skills, as I say I would."


    Ego much? Danny was certain that this was the same Jane from before, her attitude matched perfectly. Only she was less hostile, in the sense that she wasn''t waving around knives.


    "I''m hearing a lot of talk, but I don''t see a lot of walk." Taylor didn''t know much else to say to Jane, but there had to be some way of wearing her down eventually, just enough to reveal a weakness.


    "Wow! Bravely said for one who can''t even invoke magic."


    Taylor felt all of that anger from before return to her side immediately. She had no perfect idea why Jane infuriated her so much, but the massive arrogance in her certainly did not make her a likable person. "I bet I could learn more than you in less the amount of time you''ve been training Jane."


    "What are you suggesting?" Jane pondered.


    Danny felt that now would be the best time to step in, and he sidestepped a little forward to say it to her face. "Not sure Jane, but I will tell you one thing. I''ve been itching for a fight ever since you''ve decided to make a mockery of us. So just show us where you want to take this. I''ll get the hang of Leray magic as soon as I start beating you in a fight." Forget the rules of hitting a girl. This place is so crazy, one would probably be rewarded for trying it.


    Jane fell silent for just a second, but her expression did not show any signs of fear or regret. She seemed to be assessing something about Danny and Taylor both, with the looks she was giving them. "So... It worked then?"


    "What worked?" Taylor demanded.


    "What I said," Jane replied. "To you two... Let me guess."


    Danny lost track already at what Jane was going on about. She seemed to be talking about something totally different than before. Did he miss an entire conversation? Or did Jane make one up in her mind?


    Jane contained her explanation. "The both of you are wanting to put in some useful training for Leray magic. And you want to become stronger and better, all because you don''t like me, is that right?"


    "That''s one way of putting it." Danny was almost speaking through his teeth, but he kept himself as calm as he could, making sure not to say anything he would regret. It made less sense as to why Jane had to spell out details for herself.


    "Then it worked," Jane repeated. "Everything I''ve said to intentionally make you two angry towards me has given you a renewed determination to learn everything regarding magic."


    "I don''t understand," Taylor reviewed. "You''ve made us angry on purpose, just so that you can inspire us to learn magic? Are you crazy? I don''t buy that lame story one bit."


    Danny was momentarily stunned, not by how terrible she is at making excuses for her aggressive behavior before, but by the results of technicality should he examine himself and how this moment feels. If she really were telling the truth, for Taylor specifically, it would only drive her to learn magic even more. But why? Why are people like this? No, that can''t be right. Jane must simply be too afraid that she''s gone too far, too afraid to actually fight him. It was right after his offer that she changed the direction of her words. This is a facade!


    "Then it seems that you do understand," Jane proclaimed. Her voice had become less tense towards the both of them. "I do this with new kids all the time now, if they feel like bothering me. I don''t have a problem with rookies and new learners, so long as they actually care."


    "That''s not the intention that I got out of this," Danny denied.


    Jane continued, "I only have a problem with some of the people who come in here, and don''t care about becoming a great Leray fighter. If you don''t care about Leray magic, then why come to school at all?"


    Okay, Jane has a point there. Danny still had trouble answering the same question he asked himself yesterday morning, but that''s not important right now. Danny readily replied, "Unlike others, you seem to think that Leray magic is the most important thing."


    Jane turned to face Danny closely, her intense stare strong enough to petrify him. "It is to me," Jane admitted. She noticed that her reply wasn''t expected by the two of them, given their sudden facial expression. "You can make a whole career out of Leray battling, and I intend to do just that. So I talk down to new people, make them angry, get them to despise me or lash out. It''s the perfect test." An ensuing silence quickly instructed Jane to elaborate. "If you two would have given up on trying to give me a piece of your minds, or simply ignored what I said earlier, then that would just confirm that you don''t care enough about Leray magic to do anything about it. But since you keep following me around, that proves that you both actually give a shit about getting stronger through Leray challenges. Even if you still hate me for this later, I may end up with really strong rivals to help test my skills. Either way, I win."


    "That doesn''t make any sense," Taylor concluded. "On what level do you get anything out of that?"


    "Simple," Jane smiled. "The better the graduates become at Leray fighting, the more fun I can have challenging people closer to my own level. I might make friends, but if I don''t, I can still have a few enemies to test my powers on later."


    "What?" Danny didn''t even know what to say now. This was confusing beyond his own comprehension. Was Jane playing them now, or was she making up? No wait! That''s it; she''s insane!


    "Come on." Jane got herself off the wall, and began walking slowly down hall in a particular direction. "If you want some expert help on using Leray magic, you could have asked me."


    "We don''t need you help!" Predictably, Taylor denied any apology from Jane. Jane stopped in her tracks, and turned around at Taylor to convey her own concern.


    "Maybe not. But if you want to become great Leray fighters, the best way is not back in that classroom. At least not today. They''ve slowed down the pace of progress again, thanks to you two showing up. The only reason that I am ahead of the group here is because I train hard every day and every night, inside and outside of the facility. That''s why I can invoke Leray magic at all. You both might not think it, but the kids in Eliza''s class are still too rusty to use a single spell right now. If you both follow me to the dark room, I can show you some tricks."


    Danny didn''t understand Jane''s sudden compassion for wanting to help them, but he had to find out. There is no way Jane would suddenly want to help them learn magic. There isn''t a reason for her to do this! "Hold on. Jane? I don''t understand why you want to help us. Better yet, why do you train so much ahead of the group? Don''t you still graduate on track of everyone else anyway?"


    Jane answered, "Though it is true that nobody can graduate early from a session easily, I have an incredible goal to meet, and I won''t get there by slacking off or taking it easy. While you may be training to become Leray fighters, I plan on making a living on it. That means I have to become the very best out of everyone. That is why my heart and soul are determined on one position. I''m training to become a Leray master!"


    Taylor stood there puzzled. She was also a little surprised by how much energy Jane used in that last sentence to announce her own goal. "Leray... Master?"


    "Come on." Jane waved her arm in the direction she wanted them to follow. "I''ll explain more in the dark room."


    Danny and Taylor both looked at each other for a moment. Then they sped up to where Jane was standing. Presently, Jane, Danny, and Taylor were all walking together to this dark room. This certainly wasn''t the typical way to spend a day of class.


    Danny had some time to clear his head on the way there. Most of the clutter involved Jane''s mysterious behavior. Not a moment ago, she was the enemy, and now she''s pretending to be best buds with them? For a single moment before, Danny believed she might have held secret knowledge about some kind of horrible standard regarding such magic. But she practices every single day? Jane... She''s intense, rude, and determined, but at the same time, she''s still so unreadable. Beyond that, she''s the strangest person here. Why is he following her again? "What is a dark room?" Danny phrased.


    Jane really did let off on the constant teasing, proving her innocence further every second. She seemed unbothered to explain anything to either of them. "A dark room is simply another name for the training room."


    Taylor''s head pulsed with the memory of the training room in her imagination. She remembered exactly the way it looked, when Lisa was showing them around the other day. The room was impressive, and lit up with a dark blue glow from magical energy that did not hinder visibility. Quite an amazing stunt for a training facility, and Jane was leading them right to that area.


    "There are more than one dark rooms here, but not much more. The one I''m leading you towards is the one designated for Eliza''s class."


    Danny considered every explanation Jane was giving out. If this training room was for Eliza''s class, then that must mean the class is planning to train right through that door in front of them. Once again, the door was sealed with a solid security lock. The terminal to open the door was however small, and a little cheap looking due to its size on the wall beside it, though Danny knew better after witnessing its function two days ago. Jane pulled out some kind of card, and slipped it into the key slot section of the terminal.


    The metal door then slid open automatically with a faint sound of a whoosh. The room revealed itself to all three of them, and Jane appeared to have been too used to it to just stand there and admire the design. She walked in first, but Taylor and Danny were much slower to do so. They had entered a dark room the other day, but it was still impressive to look around it a second time.


    Jane stopped walking in the center of the room layout, and turned around to see their faces. Danny and Taylor were both glancing around, as if this was their first visit, and it probably fooled Jane a bit. "Here we are. The dark room."


    "It''s incredible!" Danny walked around randomly changing his pace and direction, checking out all of the test dummies and extra items in the room involved with Leray battles. All in all, this was specifically what Danny found interesting about Leray magic, not that old boring history lesson. Though Danny thought it wasn''t as cool before, this still could not compare to his amazement now that he had time to see it through. Jane got the idea naturally that this was their first time in a dark room, ironically since Lisa showed them to a different one two days ago. Since he never got used to how it looked, that''s what allowed her to take that detail into thought.


    "So Jane?" Taylor addressed. "What do you mean by a Leray master?"


    Jane answered clearly, "The job of a Leray master is to constantly train with Leray magic, becoming better and better in fights. The perk to that is - a Leray master has to be the best, which means I can never-ever stop that training. I would be battling for the rest of my life, infinitely getting better until I''m dead of old age."


    Taylor felt such a dream got so carried away, but she did not argue with such passion. Jane spoke of her wishes like they were destined to come true. She could see the flaming ambition in Jane''s eyes whenever she spoke about being a Leray master. For once, Taylor decided to believe that Jane was sincere about this one thing. "Sounds like a never-ending difficult job."


    "Well," Jane led on, "Leray battles are also just about having fun. Winning and losing are irrelevant when compared to testing each other''s strength by directly opposing their own levels of magical powers and training strategies. If you''re going to become a Leray fighter for any reason, you better be into it all the way."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    "What about a Leray agent?" Danny had heard of the difference before, but what does Jane have to say about it?


    Without even having to think about it much, Jane educated Danny''s desires without doubt. "Leray agents just act as the security of the towns they apply for. There is a bit less income involved in that, but I don''t ever see any of them training to become the best. So it''s a little counterproductive when you have a security agent who can''t fight as well as any trouble maker can."


    "Hm," Taylor hummed. "And what about Leray Elites?" Taylor knew Danny had not heard of it. Taylor only heard that name used once from overhearing some partial conversation yesterday from one of the residents of Fronas.


    Jane''s reply was a bit delayed this time, perhaps to remember the more difficultly obtained data from her memory. "Leray Elites are something special. I can only test my own readiness by battling with those folk. Elites are classified either by those who guard Eldora Tower, are employed by the League of Elites, or are members of the League of Elites by other means. It''s like a royal class of a few who are incredibly trained for the defense of this entire nation. Even after years, I wouldn''t stand a chance against just one."


    "The nation?" Danny could not believe his ears. So that is how the country runs? Everybody just lives freely, and the government protects everybody from national threats? "So that must make them, the FBI of Sprawn Valley, magic version of course."


    "FBI?" Jane''s voice indicated that she had no idea what that stood for, and the information from Danny was not obtained easily either. Kalamo was in a bit of a tension streak with the United States of America, and the FBI unit of that country often gets involved with national affairs now, without public opinion of course.


    Danny realized that Jane would never understand the reference. The FBI is the special national investigation group that deals with potential threats from inside or outside of the country with the CIA working on the sidelines of that organization. Danny learned about it from what available time he had with an internet connection in the local library in Slatetown, but he only had limited data. If one spends too much time online at all, agents in Kalamo come searching for the individual at that terminal. "It''s..." Danny thought about how relevant that was in this conversation, and wanted to just move on. "Never mind."


    Jane shook the idea away quickly, and returned to what she was going to say next. "Anyway, I''ll have to train you both for the next few days, until Eliza comes back to her senses and picks up where she left off."


    "Can you really teach us anything?" Danny tested. "I mean, you''re a student too. Ahead or not, we should probably take it from someone who knows even more than you, such as Eliza or Lisa."


    Taylor agreed, in the sense that Jane was still probably a little too confident in her own abilities. "Yeah. No offense Jane, but what makes you so great and cool?" Taylor immediately sensed that that came out wrong. She meant to ask Jane what made her skill level more adequate than that of an actually certified teacher.


    Jane eyed Taylor after being doubted again. Instead of using any words, Jane decided it was better to demonstrate what she meant by ahead. A silent moment passed before anybody suspected anything was happening. To Taylor, it appeared that Jane did not have a witty reply like she usually did.


    But Danny was watching even closer than Taylor was. Jane''s hands were both glowing a faint blue color, just like before when Kain and Bella were using magic. Only this time, after her hands changed color from the usage of Leray magic, there was no bright spinning glyphring to surround her wrists. Come to think of it, Jane did not even move her hands much at all, and she did not throw them in front of her body, not yet at least.


    After just another short wait, Jane decided to strike. With her hands glowing a bit brighter now, she yelled, "Shadow Wave!" and threw both her hands out in front of her. Taking an aim at Taylor and releasing her MP energy in the format that she planned on, Jane ended up sending an attack spell towards Taylor, who had no time to get out of the way. Instead of a magical projectile however, the floor below Jane became shrouded in a dark misty color, only about two feet in diameter. This strange mist of magical aura was brightening up a bit, and flying across the room at Taylor''s feet with a very high velocity. Though it was sliding through the ground, the dark wave of visible energy quickly made its way towards Jane''s target, picking up speed and some interesting sound neither of them had ever heard of before.


    Before Taylor could even react, the dark wave of energy crashed into Taylor''s feet, engulfing her legs in the wave as well. As soon as that wave hit her, Taylor felt the sharp shooting pains of some stabbing sensation take over where her bottom legs were. Before even getting the chance to yell out, the force of the wave came into effect knocking Taylor down on her back. The wave of energy faded shortly after Taylor fell, but for her, the pain that struck in multiple locations on her legs and feet remained, even though her clothes were supposed to protect them. Despite no damage appearing on Taylor''s dress or her shoes, she had taken a direct hit from Jane''s unpredicted magical attack.


    Danny''s eye brows lifted up, impressed by that kind of display. He was not sure what just happened, but somehow, Jane attacked Taylor with magic just now, and it was impressive enough to knock his friend on her back. Compared to what Bella and Kain demonstrated before, this spell was much more unusual, but it looked incredible.


    "Ow! What was that for?!"


    Sensing Taylor''s pain, Danny realized that the magical attack must have actually hurt Taylor. "Hey! Jane! Stop it!" He thought at first that Taylor was fine with being a test subject, but neither of them would be if those spells could actually harm people.


    "She''s fine." Jane showed little regard for Taylor''s injury just now, but perhaps that had something to do with the protection Leray fields provided. "All I did was demonstrate a single attack. Taylor can''t take any physical damage, remember?"


    "That''s not what it looked like from what I just saw." He was reminded about the Leray protection veil and how it prevents death. But if Taylor took enough damage to feel pain...


    Taylor pushed herself back to her feet after losing some balance. Her legs still hurt a little, and she felt like pounding on Jane just for trying that. "How dare you! That actually hurt!"


    "Well yeah," Jane emphasized. "Leray magic protection does not protect you from the pain of attacks. To make the battles fun, you still get to feel the hurt from any attack thrown at you, but even so, you are completely safe."


    That''s right. Bella or Kain said as much. Danny wondered what battling would be like feeling every type of spell. If you can feel the pain of an attack, that makes it much harder to conduct a real battle using magic. Strategically, you would be willed into evading as many spells as possible.


    "I''ll get you back for that," Taylor promised.


    Jane was focused more on Danny right now, who found the entire display incredible. That wave of the shadow she used moved across the floor like a visible shock wave of dark energy, and crashed into Taylor to inflict Leray damage. "That''s so cool... Alright, my turn."


    Jane smiled at Danny''s impatience. "You''re not that far just yet. I would say that you first need to master Radial Stars, but since you''ve never invoked Leray magic before, the both of you should learn how to control your energy scopes."


    "Energy Scopes?" Danny had some faint memory from Kain''s explanation the first night he and Taylor arrived in Fronas. Energy scopes were some kind of magical neon display bar that reports the health and stamina of a person''s current status. Kain demonstrated one so perfectly and clearly, but Danny never thought one could just pull one up so easily.


    "They display your stats inside or outside of a battle, but it is important to keep your eye on your display, and the status of the opponent''s energy scope as well. That way, you can determine who is winning, or if your attack did any damage."


    Taylor began to get over the pain in her legs. It felt like somebody tried to slice a knife on her skin, but only cut through just enough layers of skin to draw little blood. Better said, it felt like several giant paper cuts everywhere. "How do I use it?"


    "Easy," Jane confessed. "You''ve probably not done this yet, but the Leray magic that all of us can invoke constantly surrounds us. It does not run out simply where we use it, and invoking a scope requires less than a fraction of your MP capacity, so anybody can do it." Knowing this was easier said than done, Jane took a breath and some seconds of silence. "First, you have to relax your body and mind. Feel the energy of the Leray magic around you. You can only feel it with a calm and focused mind searching for it. Once you find it, that energy will feel like a buzzing charge on your body, making it go numb for a second or two. More importantly, you will start to feel as if you are getting stronger, faster, and more energetic. The energy flows into you as soon as you call it."


    Danny and Taylor both closed their eyes, but they did not understand much of what Jane was going on about. Danny hoped that nobody here was just doing some kind of drug, but after Jane''s painful demonstration of a magic spell Danny had never seen before, it was more evident that everybody here was sane... within the reasonably accepted standard deviation or two.


    "It will be stranger to you now, but the more you begin to invoke that energy over and over again, the feeling and sensation of Leray energy becomes automatically recognizable to you. So it can be hard to explain to someone who is a novice."


    "Well keep trying," Taylor commanded, "Because nothing is happening."


    Jane corrected Taylor''s misguided thoughts. "No, I said focus. Shut out any residual thought about anything else."


    "What happens when we do feel that energy?" Danny questioned.


    "Once it finally builds up inside of you," Jane taught, "you must then release that energy, and simultaneously do so with one single purpose. That is - to invoke the skill you are trying to use. For an energy scope, think only about who you are, and how you feel physically..." Jane quickly realized that this would take another demonstration. "Watch me."


    Jane closed her hands together in front of her, attracting Taylor and Danny''s attention. That of course broke their current concentration, but Jane was about to prove that it could be done with ease. Jane stood there for only one brief second. Her body did not glow, her eyes did not change color, and there was no sound of a noise anywhere. Jane must have been using such a small amount of magic; it just did not really show up. But after that one second had ended, a familiar looking bright neon colored status box appeared over Jane''s head, displaying both her name and her stats in a bright orange color of holographic magical display halfway transparent.


    Danny was impressed once again. He''d seen this kind of box appear out of nowhere before, but now that another one was hovering over Jane''s head, it was impressive to see how easy she had created it. The box however quickly became transparent, almost to the point where neither of them could see it at all.


    Jane began describing what was happening without answering any questions. "Since in battle situations - people need to see everything, the energy scope displays become transparent to prevent distractions. But as you can see..." Jane glared at her own display box above her to determine her status. "My MP levels went down just a bit when I used that Shadow Wave spell." Jane thought about any other useful tips related to this. "Though MP slowly regenerates inside and outside of battle, HP does not regenerate at all in a battle, and much too slow for comfort outside of one. Only med kit items, healing orbs, and rest can restore a person''s HP."


    "That''s actually cool," Danny congratulated. There was much hesitation in his sentence. Everything about Leray magic was cool and all, but isn''t it still dangerous? And how does some young girl who is still probably older than Taylor by a year become so fluent in the language of Leray magic? How did Taylor not get destroyed over that spell that just hit her? Taylor probably thought the thing was cool too, but if she did, she wasn''t saying anything about it.


    "Now," Jane called. "You both try it. Focus your energy, feel its presence. And when you do, release it." Jane stopped saying anything, allowing silence to boost their focus.


    Taylor was already trying it, trying to feel for the sensations around her, anything that felt like pure energy, but Taylor was not so familiar with what ''energy'' feels like. She just remained calm and waited.


    Danny closed his eyes as well, trying to feel any forms of sensations he had not felt before. So far, there was nothing new to him, but he figured it could take some time.


    After an entire minute or so passed by, Danny felt as though he did something. His head and his hands were both tingling a little, and he could feel oddly energized by some invisible sensational force. There was no use describing it at all, but Danny tried to invoke the energy scope...


    Sadly, nothing at all happened. Either his attempts to release that energy failed, or he was just going crazy already. Taylor was trying just as hard to build up her energy beside him. The way she figured it, Taylor should already have some MP energy built up from existing in a place like this. So all she had to do was feel for energy she already knew she had, but that was easier said than done. Before much longer, Taylor felt a strange sensation, one that made her more alive than anything else before. Without hesitation, Taylor tried to let it loose, thinking only of the energy, and the energy scope.


    Jane watched their progress. Taylor tried it again, and her entire body had a very faint, almost unnoticeable dark green glow around it. Taylor had somehow created a slight magical aura around herself, but in failing to use the energy scope correctly, that energy faded away quickly as well as the aura. Taylor however did not even notice the color change. Jane had to tell her about it. "Keep it up Taylor. You''re going to get it soon. You too Danny."


    Despite being blown down from a magical attack, Taylor felt calmer around Jane, now that she was actually cheering her on for something useful. Taylor eased her thoughts again, making room for nothing else at all except for the thought of displaying her energy scope. Taylor repeated in her mind, my status, my health, my energy... The invocation process was time consuming, even though Jane did hers in just a second of time. Perhaps it just gets laughably easy after doing it once. Taylor focused this time on herself. She felt for that same glint feeling of energy like before.


    After finding that energy again, Taylor felt most of her body tingling, but mainly it was her head. The sensation was not dizziness or similar to being lightheaded. It felt a lot more like being buzzed for a split second. Before failing again, Taylor directed all of her thoughts like before, only on her status, and then released her own energy.


    Unexpectedly, Jane finally saw progress at the first sign of the neon glow above Taylor''s head. The energy scope formed itself on Taylor''s command before she even knew it, and Taylor stopped focusing in order to see if she succeeded. But as soon as Taylor opened her eyes to look at the glowing translucent box, it faded away quickly. "Good job Taylor."


    "It failed," Taylor complained.


    "That''s because as soon as you are done with invocation, that energy you are releasing will stop itself. You only have to direct the flow in and out, but you don''t stop releasing your energy until you are forced to stop. That happens automatically."


    "Taylor almost got it," Danny remarked. "I''ve got to try harder."


    Jane silenced herself again, giving Taylor another practice run. Taylor tried again, closing her eyes and calming her mind like before. She repeated the steps as performed last time, but it all happened a little faster than before. Taylor regained that energy she kept on calling up, and this time she managed to release it with ease. Without finding a way to explain exactly what happens in the process, Taylor realized just how simple it gets after succession. After releasing the existence of the energy surrounding her and that energy that is stored up inside of her, Taylor simply waited in the process, waiting for what Jane claimed to happen to take effect. In a few more seconds, it finally did. When Taylor was releasing her energy, something seemed to just stop her, other than her own free will. It was like the energy she was sending out had suddenly drained from the amount she stored up.


    At long last, a second energy scope in the form of a bright nearly opaque neon box joined the dark room, floating calmly above Taylor''s head. This time, when Taylor opened her eyes and stepped back a bit to see her own status box, it did not disappear on her.


    Danny''s concentration was broken with the display Taylor had given them. Clearly, she has mastered what Jane told them to, and Taylor''s stats were beautifully displayed over her using magic. Taylor just used magic, right here in front of him!


    "I did it!" Taylor screeched. "I actually did it!" This is so unbelievable!


    Jane chimed in on Taylor''s brilliant parade. "Congratulations Taylor. That - is your energy scope."


    Danny noticed something slightly different from Jane''s energy scope. "It looks like Taylor''s HP is below the full level."


    Jane of course had a way of explaining why. "That''s because I hit her with a Shadow Wave. Taking attacks like that will reduce overall health in a battle. If I were to attack Taylor until her health reached zero percent, she would faint and lose the fight."


    Taylor was beside herself in amazement. Her own magical usage, right in front of Jane and Danny. They sure were not teaching this in class, but Jane did say something about them slowing down.


    "It gets even easier the next time, and the time after that," Jane explained. "As do any and all other forms of magical invocations, attacks, training stances, evasion, everything."


    "Amazing!" Taylor reported. The idea was simply incredible! Taylor''s previous anger towards Jane was replaced by the excitement that she had for this stuff the day before meeting Jane. And right now, the level of awesomeness this felt like doubled since she first heard about it.


    "Leray magic is like a muscle," Jane simplified. "The more you practice, the better you get, and that rule never changes even if you are the best Leray wielder in the world."


    "So," Danny hypothesized, "you plan to make a living on battling people in Sprawn Valley, and have fun doing such all at the same time? That''s an interesting way to live."


    "And well worth it," Jane replied. "I''ve been working hard. As soon as I graduate from Dakota, I can begin that journey. I want to travel around too. I want to see the entire world."


    "Where are you from," Taylor pried.


    "I live here, in Fronas."


    Danny stopped his focus intentionally, all just to ponder that unexpected detail. He did not see Jane walking around in town before. He knew he would have noticed her walking around if she had been.


    "What?" Taylor was just as surprised. "Amazing, so do we! Well... Sort of..."


    Don''t give Jane any details... Danny let it go, allowing Taylor to do as she wanted to. Now that she used magic like that, she will never calm down about it.


    Taylor was suddenly reluctant to disclose their own private situation with a stranger, let alone Jane. Even Danny was giving her facial signals to keep her mouth shut, but Jane was a little less than interested about it.


    "Anyway," Jane continued. "You still have to do a little bit of extra work in order to decay your energy scope. If you''re just walking around places, it''s embarrassing if people think you can''t even control your own magic. It''s only right to use if you want to check damage, or if you are in a fight."


    "Okay, so how do I shut it off?" Taylor made a good point asking that question. Jane seemed more than capable of getting that one correct as well. Without even trying, her energy scope faded away again into nothingness. She didn''t even close her eyes in order to concentrate on it. "All you have to do from here is think about your energy scope disappearing. Imagine it as if it really is happening."


    "That''s it?" Taylor tried closing her eyes, imagining the same scenario happening with Jane''s energy scope. Without much effort, Taylor''s energy scope faded away as well. When Taylor opened her eyes, there was no neon glow. The status box was gone.


    "That''s all there is to it."


    Danny glanced at the floor, in disappointment that he of all people could not correctly focus his own energy, but there will be plenty of time to practice it further tonight.


    "Keep trying it Danny." Jane had shown encouragement full round, even towards Danny. "You don''t have to prove yourself here and now. We all know that you can do this too. Take your time and focus."


    "I will... After class ends today."


    "Very well," Jane conceded. "So, are you two interested?"


    "In..." Danny tilted his head, unsuccessfully catching Jane''s implied drift.


    "In sticking with me? Even in class sessions, I don''t mind at all if you wish to train with me. I have no reputation to uphold here."


    "That''s very nice coming from you," Taylor worded.


    Danny knew Jane must have been lying in one way or another. No reputation to uphold? Even Kain winces at her name!


    Jane remembered how she was acting towards them yesterday, and smirked. "I really was joking around earlier. You two are still novices, but I''ll help you come out better than the rest of the class."


    "Better than you?" Danny phrased.


    "Don''t push it, kid." Jane was kidding that time too, but Taylor had a rushing surprise about how it felt around Jane. She remembered being so angry at her just moments ago, and now all is forgiven? It happened so fast, but Jane just isn''t as bad as she thought she was.


    "And I''m very sorry for the rude things I said earlier." Jane''s tone wasn''t without sustenance either, she really sounded apologetic. "I really do despise when people don''t take this stuff seriously despite being enrolled. However, this time was going a bit too far, and I shouldn''t have treated you that way even with my intentions. That wasn''t right."


    Danny couldn''t believe his ears. Of all people, Jane is the one apologizing for her own behavior. She really must have been testing them in her own demented way. Or maybe she had a secret friend who didn''t approve of bullying? Wait, she was asking him and Taylor to train with her too now. Man, what did he just get himself into? "Well," Danny thought. "You do seem cool, and you are ahead of the group, so I guess we have a deal." It was too late to bite his words now.


    Taylor almost tripped over her own feet realizing something important. "But Danny?! Wait! What about our business in Junon?"


    You''re just now worrying about that?! Danny wanted to bonk Taylor upside the head for being so stupid. She knew about this situation to begin with, so why bring it up after telling Kain we''re staying here? With a short pause of infuriating thought, Danny simmered down in his head, rationalizing the situation again... Jane isn''t threatening anymore, and that means there is still no reason to hang out in this school. Danny already regretted everything he told Kain yesterday. The damage is even worse now that he just agreed to partner with Jane. Now he would have to undo this somehow.


    "You need to get to Junon?" Jane was suddenly less shy about prying into their business. It was obvious even to her that Taylor and Danny did not want to share, but Jane knew they would have to eventually.


    "Well, sort of." Danny didn''t want Jane to know what happened to Taylor back at the rocks, and learning that they had to leave soon would only make them fit in less than before. "We''re kind of on borrowed time to get there."


    "Well don''t worry about it," Jane calmed. "As soon as we all graduate, which won''t be long with Eliza''s teaching here at Dakota, I''m going to travel around for part of my career. I can take you to Junon if you want me to. Never been before, but I still know the way."


    Taylor almost found herself speechless at Jane''s kindness. Though it was a long shot stretch, Taylor knew just as well as Danny did that traveling around with a person who knows their stuff would be much better than traveling around alone, lost, clueless, and powerless. Not everybody can afford to be that nice. "Thank you! I can hardly believe you would do that for us."


    "Well whatever you have going on in Junon could be interesting," Jane tested. "Besides, you don''t have to tell me what that business is. I would rather find out close hand. It''s more fun that way."


    Danny exchanged a brief look with Taylor. Jane sometimes doesn''t make any sense, or she is just a strange person, but she really knew a lot more than she let on to knowing. Oddly enough, her arrogance was ironically well founded. Still... "Hold on a second Jane," Danny summoned. "I don''t know if we have enough time to wait for that. How long does it take to graduate here?"


    "Well," Jane had to think harder to come up with a bitter answer. "Since we''re in Eliza''s group, I would estimate a month at most, and hopefully nobody else joins in to slow it down further."


    A month really isn''t that far insane. Danny knew that there''s still a difference between 28 days and 31 days, but Nyar may not criticize them for being only three days late, and he could simply call him for updates later on. If Jane was serious about taking them to Junon using her own specific resources, and she could get them there in a three-day period, it may actually be better to join her position in this case. After all, there''s just something about Jane that Danny was unsure he wanted to leave behind. "I guess it''s okay then."


    "Great!" Jane yelled loudly. "Two more allies that can help me in a fight. You two can become my personal bodyguards."


    Danny slumped down from Jane''s jesting. If she really was serious this time, he would soon question the sanity of the people here. "Uh, don''t make me regret it."


    "Come on," Jane tried. "Wouldn''t it be better if people respected me more, seeing you as my own personal servants? The class could respect you too for being so brave."


    "Talk about a mood swing," Taylor figured. "How old are you anyway?"


    Jane didn''t take long to answer, as she had no problem giving away her personal information. "Sixteen."


    "What?!" Danny cried.


    Taylor docked the idea completely. "No way." Jane did look just barely older than Taylor, but only by six months. Still, Jane defiantly didn''t act... Actually, she doesn''t even fit in that category. Jane is something of herself and only that. Still, an entire year older than herself, Taylor couldn''t help but feel a bit jealous.


    Unresponsive to their exaggerated reactions, Jane probed the two of them. "You?"


    "Fifteen," Taylor answered. "Danny is fifteen too." Taylor''s expression in her last sentence was made to sound annoyed at something.


    "Taylor?! I thought we agreed I can be sixteen just this once!"


    And there it is. Taylor didn''t really miss that one coming. Danny would always try to be just a bit older when it comes to introductions for other women. Just who is he fooling with that frizzed hairstyle?


    "Hehe," Jane briefly giggled. "Alright then. You two better get into shape if you want to hang around me. I want to see more training than you''ve ever done before. Taylor!"


    Taylor jumped when Jane pointed to her while shouting her name so loudly. "What?" Did she have to shout my name like that?


    "You practice more on that energy scope. Use it over and over and over again until it gets old. Danny!"


    "Huh?" He already expected Jane to get bossy. At least she was readable sometimes. Danny did his best to mask any feeling in his voice, hoping Jane would just leave him alone.


    Jane was issuing commands person by person, establishing her dominance in a group that was not even beyond imaginary. "I want to see that energy scope tomorrow, no mistakes!"


    "Okay." Danny replied casually, but he could sense so much natural energy coming from Jane alone. It could not just be the excitement over magic, or her confidence to fulfill her dream. When all said and done, Jane is just a really hyper person, but you wouldn''t know it every moment of the day. It happens like a storm, coming and going. Now what have we got into? Danny couldn''t help but wonder what was happening to them. First falling off a cruise, then crashing off a rock wall, then supernatural healing, then magical powers, and now Jane, who is her own mysterious package. Things back at home sure did not turn out like this every day.


    Taylor was proud of herself for being able to invoke her first magical ability, even if it was a beginner''s thing. Jane was the one who helped her, and was keen on continuing that support. Taylor was not seen as dead weight; she was seen as untapped potential, and that spoke volumes about what Jane was really like. Taylor only knew little about Jane for now, but she is beginning to like what she could feel for the moment, and there seemed to be an uncalled for amount of kid''s energy running through Jane. She apparently becomes overly excited about things easily, but was she like this in class? Wait. What did I just agree to?

 Chapter 9: Its Official

    <hr>


    <12/22/1971 ~ 09:45 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Another day passed by as it normally would for Danny and Taylor. They both went back to the medical facility in order to rest at day''s end, and neither of them saw which residential house belonged to Jane. After leaving the school, Jane split up from her new friends for a while, but tomorrow was expected to be a different kind of day.


    When Danny and Taylor came to class Wednesday morning, Jane was in there before them, as well as half the other students here. This time they came a little earlier than previously, so class had not officially started just yet.


    As before, the students entering the class all took their seats. Nobody else seemed to carry any backpacks, though a few notebooks and pens were passed around. Danny and Taylor sat closer together today than before, and from what attracted a lot of attention from the other students, Jane decided to move seats as well. Sitting right in front of the desk Taylor was sitting in, Jane moved in to steal the seat of whomever that one used to belong. Not everyone was here yet, so first-come first-serve must have been the deal for today. For whatever reason there was to it, Jane moving seats was apparently a big enough deal for people to turn heads her way and stare for a moment, generating a few whispers. Jane sat in front of Taylor intentionally. After what they practiced and discussed yesterday, Jane must have felt much more comfortable being around Taylor and Danny than before.


    This feeling was mutual. In many ways by which Danny could not even help explain to himself, he felt a strange positive sensational attitude around Jane, as if today she was going to be better than before. Then again, being that energetic is probably what made him feel more at home anyway. There is something unusual about hanging around with really hyper or happy people, contagious enough to spread that energy to others automatically. Then again, that type of constant excitement can be a royal pain at the worst times too. It was morning, and Danny was still just a little tired from the long sleep, though he was focused today on what was about to happen next.


    Jane was not trying to escape the classroom this time, and that spoke volumes about whether today''s class discussion was going to be mandatory or interesting. Sifting around in her seat, Jane turned around some more to face Taylor who was sitting behind her one desk. "I think you all get your licenses today."


    Taylor gave Jane a puzzling look. "Licenses?"


    "Ah, just wait," Jane ordered. "The teacher will explain everything there is to know." Jane turned around in her seat again to face the front.


    Danny heard that very short-lived conversation as well. Licenses? Licenses for what? In just a little more time, the morning bells tolled before he could think it over more, and the classroom door shut behind him. After looking around, Danny noticed that the whole class was filled up once again, except for one guy who was a little late getting to his seat. Eliza however did not appear to be heavy on attendance discipline right now. She was ready for something though, waiting for everyone to silence, just standing there expecting that response from everyone.


    After the class calmed down, the teacher picked up the small closed box on the table, and explained this purpose. "Students. You have all come a long way to learn Leray magic. You want to learn the attacks, the battle rules, the spells, and even the strategies. And all I''ve given you so far is the history." Almost every student in the class were exchanging looks at each other. Eliza knew that it was true, that people care less about history when they are more interested in the technical details instead. Danny and Taylor were living proof of that. Eliza remembered yesterday''s session as the two snuck out of class with her back turned. "History is important," she continued. "And after today, we will be done with that unit."


    On cue, several of the boys and a few of the girls all stood up, shouting and cheering as if this was the best news in the world. 80% of the class jumped up to joined them, but Danny and Taylor were a little confused at their reactions. Jane was simply smiling at their confusion, as she was sitting down less proactive as well, as if she had heard this before. "You see? Everybody here is relaxed. You should feel that way too."


    Taylor didn''t know that this is what the class was like on the inside. They weren''t petty losers trying to be at the top of a popularity contest. They were just bored, and the first day that Taylor arrived, after remembering how she felt, all of it was redundant after seeing this. Eliza seemed satisfied too, totally unbothered by the high and free spirits running around in her class like it was the end of school altogether. As a result, Taylor felt every nerve and muscle inside of her body relax as well. The tension of acting a certain way all the time wasn''t expected here.


    Eliza continued talking despite the increased noise level, which reduced on its own with her words. "Tomorrow, we will begin our first joint lesson on Leray battling parameters, which is another word for saying - the fun stuff. It may feel long coming now, but all of you will get the chance to graduate sooner than you think. All you have to do is learn how to invoke Leray magical attack spells."


    Danny felt some kind of cheer trapped inside of him, building to higher levels. It was almost that same feeling on Christmas Eve when he just can''t wait to open all of his gifts and presents, but this time, he couldn''t wait to learn magical spells. The short idea also ended up reminding him about his brief training yesterday. Though Taylor was not around to see it, Danny finally managed to invoke his own energy scope twice in a row. Jane would be proud.


    Danny knew he shouldn''t be happy to use magic. Uncle Nyar would defiantly not be proud, but there was so far no evidence that magic was actually harmful in any way. If anything, all it does is make things more interesting while improving people''s life spans. If there were such a hidden danger, wouldn''t that have been made public here? Either way, learning how to successfully invoke magical powers seems to be the best way for Danny to use up an entire month''s of time to travel alongside of Jane towards Junon. Technically, he is still planning to get to the airport; this is just a detour.


    "However!" Eliza interrupted. The entire classroom chilled out quickly based on that one word. "Without a Leray wielder''s license, it is illegal to use Leray magic for any purpose whatsoever, except in the name of self-defense. That is why I have a special treat for you today. I will be passing out your Leray training licenses."


    This time, Danny was nearly mesmerized. Today it was happening! He was going to get a training license on day three of school, and that means he can be shooting fireballs in no time. This was nowhere near day three for everybody else, but it was clear enough that this part of the class has not yet come to anybody.


    "Training licenses do not give you permission to walk around and battle other people, regardless of your skill level. With these licenses, Leray magic is to be used only for the purpose of training and practice. Training outside of this facility is also legal, so long as you don''t lose these." Eliza began her walk around each desk with the box in her hand open. Contained inside were rectangular cards made out of a fine material that wasn''t paper nor plastic, each with the names and faces of each person on them. Eliza was handing them out while the kids all sat down. One by one, she briefly read the names in order, to make sure each person got the right one. Their names and faces were attached to the magnetic cards, obtained on the first day of their admissions here.


    The teacher traveled around, handing licenses to everyone, including Danny and Taylor. But as an interesting development, Taylor noticed that Jane was skipped, rather intentionally. Believing this to be an honest mistake, she ended up making another scene by raising her hand and crying out, "Ms. Eliza? I think you skipped Jane."


    "Well ya thought wrong," Jane answered.


    Taylor didn''t understand what that even meant, but Eliza filled in the details for her. "Jane already has her Leray training license. You''re new here, so I should have spoken up sooner to say that Jane Venn is ahead of the group."


    "Oh." Taylor could not help but feel that one coming at her. She already knew that Jane was at the top of her own class, but she was not expecting her to have her own license already. After raising that little alarm, she attracted the attention of everyone else all towards Jane. They must be jealous of her tenacity, getting a card so early.


    Eliza handed Danny and Taylor their training cards with much hesitation. The confusion was obvious to her though. Danny and Taylor didn''t have facial recognition on these cards, meaning there were no pictures besides their names. "Have you two had your pictures made during admission here?"


    Following their response of a "no," and a nod, Eliza''s questions were put to rest easily. I mean, the guy there has one simple job. Pictures are taken upon new admissions into the school per grade level, but that obviously wasn''t even made aware for these too, so now they have licenses with no images on them. That''s okay though, as it''s only a requirement for the official Leray wielder''s license. "In that case, don''t be surprised to know that your pictures are not on these cards."


    Danny examined his own license, outfitted with almost the same information as his energy scope. Only these things were not capable of reporting their physical statuses. At the bottom of the card, Danny noticed something here that read, 0 Cr, in a digital ink. There was also a slight black strip on the very bottom of the card in pure bold.


    Eliza continued explaining some more as she got closer to the end. "These cards are also magnetic, and that is because they allow any wielder to have their own exclusive access to our dark rooms. Just so that there is no confusion, we are in dark room number three."


    Danny remembered the thing bothering his subconscious. It was yesterday when Jane showed them to that same dark room. Jane used a key card to get in that door, but as it turns out, that key card was really Jane''s personal training license. She used one right in front of them, and he did not even have a clue until now.


    Taylor remembered when Jane escorted them to that dark room, also known as an impressive training room. If that one was the same number three, then she already knew the way there. The strange fog of light at the top of the room was unforgettable though. And they use magic for that light?


    Jane sat still proudly. She had already heard this information before from the announcement made previously, and the whole class knew this day was coming already, but Danny and Taylor were put into the system on that same night, so the day they were supposed to obtain these licenses was delayed. Jane got hers early by impressing Eliza with her current skill level in a demonstration. She kept her license tucked away safely where she keeps her hidden daggers. Normally, schools are not fond of outside carry weapons, but Jane''s daggers are spoken for, and there were plenty more in the dark room waiting to be used.


    "Hang on to those, because we will be using them soon enough," Eliza promised. "Now everyone get ready, as I am going to finish up the last of our history unit."


    This time, the class was quieter, but their excitement was not subtle. Everybody was in love with this very moment, the training licenses. This marks the real beginning of becoming a Leray master, even Jane would agree.


    Danny inched his desk closer to Taylor so that he could hear Jane speaking to her more clearly. Jane was really trying to talk to both of them without being too much of a distraction to Eliza''s teaching. They had about a minute of grace period before another long history lecture is initiated.


    Today is going so well! And now these two can really get started. "So," Jane inflected. "You never told me where you two are from. Which town or city did you come from?" Jane knew this wasn''t the one thing she wanted to ask, but found it difficult to make any small talk. Danny and Taylor were still not well known to Jane after all.


    Taylor and Danny exchanged that same worried look again, but this time, Taylor exhaled in a defeated breath. Jane deserves to know a little more by now. Hopefully, Danny felt the same, because Taylor decided to blow that secret out of the water here and now. "Well, we''re from Kalamo."


    "Kalamo?" Jane puzzled. "Never heard of that town before."


    "That''s because it''s not a town," Taylor repeated.


    Danny placed a hand over his face, regretting such a decision. "Here we go." It was her decision to blab this, but it was just horrible to have to explain it. Much of the embarrassment belong to him anyway, one for running out on the deck of the Tidal Max when forbidden, and two for dragging Taylor 250 feet into the air, nearly causing her death if not for the veil.


    Jane was watching them both carefully. They seemed a little ashamed of reporting where they were really from, but it did not make much sense to her as of why.


    "Kalamo is a far off country." Taylor was not about to stop now. The words were just oozing out of her mouth automatically. "We pretty much live there, but on a trip somewhere else, we got forced here, to Sprawn Valley... We''re new to Leray magic, entirely so."


    Jane was not believing her ears. Danny and Taylor? Illegal immigrants? Well, that was not true. Sprawn Valley has very loose laws about some things. Origin of birth places are not one of the strict ones. Danny and Taylor may have come here by mistake, but that does not make them illegal in anyway, Jane thought. Still...


    Danny was a bit impressed by how filtered Taylor was in wording the summarized story. She managed to tell the truth without getting into the ugly details, and Jane was taking every bit of it as if it were normal. He had already forgotten that Taylor can be a really smooth talker in awkward situations. "We didn''t even know this place existed until a few days ago, let alone that magic was a real thing." Danny was finally filling in for Taylor, but there was a bit of grief in his voice. Danny did not like to even think about it; that moment where Taylor fell off of that rock face, 250 feet from air to ground. She should have died, and it would have been his own fault if she did perish.


    Taylor could feel Danny''s discomfort building in his silence. Coming back from death like that must be difficult to see even if luck is the verdict. Taylor decided to spare him any more of that old nonsense. "Jane? We really don''t want to talk about how we got here. But, now that we are kind of stuck in Fronas, I want to make the most of this facility. I want to learn Leray magic at its fullest, and I think Danny does too."


    "That''s one thing we can agree on." Not really though. While it is interesting, Danny knew his real motive was preparing to leave when the time is right.


    Jane felt a bit tense, sensing that the two of them have endured something very harsh getting to Sprawn Valley, but she could not be too sure of it anyway. If something did happen to them, it wouldn''t be polite to dig further into it. "That''s okay."


    "Is it?" Danny tested.


    "Of course," Jane assured. "You two want to learn to love Leray magic, just like I do. And you both don''t look like morons, so..."


    "Um, thanks?" Danny was not sure if that was an insult to his physical strength, or a compliment that he meant no real harm.


    Jane focused on both of them. "What I mean is, you two are my friends now, and that means nothing sad or dark is ever going to change that."


    Taylor felt somewhat surprised again. Jane already considered the both of them to be her friends. She thought that Jane was sort of the type who does not do all of that friendly stuff in front of her peers, but obviously, she was wrong. Did Jane ever even have any real friends before her? If not, then why not?


    "Thanks Jane," Danny approved. He saw Taylor nodding in agreement. It felt good to hear Jane say that to him, even though he already knew it before today. Who would have thought someone as threatening to slash people''s throats could be so docile? It sounds crazy, but just sitting here with Taylor and Jane is kind of fun.


    "Therefore," Jane implied. "Let''s train with Leray magic together." Jane already made this offer yesterday. Perhaps she was just reminding them both what they agreed to help her with. Really, Jane was helping them, not the other way around. Then again, Taylor did not shake the feeling that Jane was really just an advanced student who is lonely because of what other people assume her to be; that type that is looked at as out of my league just to talk to. All Jane does is try her hardest at all time. Anybody can do that, but it can''t be easy to maintain that persistence.


    Taylor responded, "Let''s!" After waiting for Eliza to start her lesson, Taylor began to pay more attention to the teacher, since Jane turned around to do the same. Today, she was willing to stay in class and put off some of her hard work for a change. Maybe she just likes hearing the history more than once?


    "As I said before," Eliza began. "This world would be dull without Leray magic, and in the walls of Sprawn Valley, life here would be very difficult. That is why the mages get a lot of credit, because even today do they help the magical aura spread and cover the entire continent each year. This is also the interesting part. The magical veil only covers the continent, not the world."


    Danny detected where the teacher was going with this, but he did not stop listening to what it meant. If he''s lucky, he may actually learn why outsiders hate Leray magic so much.


    "The spread of the veil has an effective radius, only going about that far on. No matter how we configure the process at Eldora Tower, the radius of the magical veil does not really change, and that means that the outside world remains dangerous."


    Danny never really realized this before. After all those years living at home in Kalamo, he and Taylor could have easily been killed by... Well, take your pick. There are infinite ways to die in another country, and he was planning to go to North America, not here. All of those dangerous stunts he pulled earlier for impressions could have backfired at any time. Falling off the Tidal Max could have killed them both, or he could have simply been ran over by a bicycle back home.


    "But dangerous does not mean the opposite of interesting. It''s a big world out there beyond this veil, and I would never discourage anybody from exploring new places." Eliza''s words echoed into the room, striking everyone with an effect that they did not previously have before. "Just know that if you travel outside of Sprawn Valley for any reason at all, you cannot invoke Leray magic. This does not mean that all of your training and hard work disappears. It just means that by the laws and rules of nature, magic cannot be used outside of Sprawn Valley."


    Taylor thought about what that means. Why go through all of this hard training if she is just going to head over to Junon and leave anyway? What would be the point?


    "Leaving the valley does not destroy your training, knowledge, or ability to use the same magical skills you''ve learned if you were to return to Sprawn Valley in time. But the longer you stay away from here, the rustier you will get on your journey back."


    Well that was relieving. If Taylor learned all of these things, and then left, she could simply come back and not have to relearn them all over again. Danny also agreed in silence that it was a good design. It allows people to travel without starting over.


    Eliza continued on and on. "Each of you in this room still have choices to make, depending on what you want to do, and where you want to go. Becoming a great Leray fighter means you have to work on it within this continent, but traveling has more loose ends attached. For some of you," Eliza was now staring directly at Jane. "Becoming a Leray master comes with many more perks and requirements attached, but your life is your life. Leray protection will not shield you from aging. So choose the life style you want to live, and give it everything you''ve got. You only live once."


    Danny could hear the phrasing echo in his mind. That could mean a lot of things, and he got the feeling that this particular section was not in the lesson plan. It was also very strange hearing something like this from a schoolteacher. But he carefully hung that saying in his mind, thinking about everything he has been through, and what it could turn into right now. Danny began to imagine himself on that television image, fighting successively in Leray battles against strong opponents. He could make an entire life here, not in Fronas, but somewhere within Sprawn Valley. Uncle Nyar was waiting for him, and so were his parents who must be worried sick, but they can''t really control his every action, especially not now. Even though his plans remained unchanged, it''s true that he currently has total freedom of what to do here, that is, if Sprawn Valley has loose immigration laws.


    "The Leray mages," Eliza continued, "never decided to grant us magical powers just because it was fun for them. They did this to give us a chance to use this magic as a privilege instead of a necessity. There are people living everywhere, all over Sprawn Valley who are protected by the veil, yet know so little about the magical powers. They don''t rely on magic to live, because that is their choice, and using Leray magic is a privilege. It is up to us how to proceed next."


    Taylor whispered to Jane, "What is this Eldora Tower stuff she keeps going on about?"


    With a quick answer, Jane turned her head around slightly and replied with the same voice level. "Eldora Tower is in Eldora City, and it''s very, very big. It''s where they keep the mage masters who control the veil."


    Well, Taylor was not expecting a short answer that was supposed to make sense either, but it was likely not a big deal anyway.


    Eliza was circling around on her history lesson, going in and out of technical details. Danny and Taylor were listening to the whole thing with much consideration. It sounds a lot like with Leray magic, you are either in or out, and you can''t be in between. Danny however did not truly make up his mind yet. If he were to stay here, graduate, and train some more with Jane, he would be more than just late to the rendezvous. He had already told Taylor he was willing to try and stay for a month, but that was just a gesture of good faith. Is it right to learn Leray magic? He would be totally non-compliant to leave the country if he did go that route, but there was a stable argument for that. With the kind of stuff Leray magic can do, who would want to leave that behind? Why do some people despise the Leray magic so much?


    The minutes passed and passed until the bell tolls interrupted Eliza mid-sentence. "Alright class. Get some good rest for tomorrow. Our next lesson won''t be optional. Anyone who is absent will fall behind for sure. For now, try to focus on generating energy scopes."


    "That''s code for absolutely amazing," Jane paraphrased. Danny and Taylor were still sitting by Jane, who had decided to remain sitting down to talk to them some more.


    "Looks like you two figured it out already," Eliza projected. She was speaking about Danny and Taylor, but it took those two a second to figure out what she meant by that. "You figured out that since Jane is our top student here, you can learn a lot from her as well. Jane?"


    "I know," Jane replied mysteriously. "This time I''m serious about this."


    What was she talking about now? Danny thought about it over twice and failed to contemplate what this translated into. ''This time'' was another time, and the previous time was something else...


    "Very well. Don''t push them too hard."


    Taylor waited for Eliza to leave the classroom, filling the space with some silence before asking Jane, "What did she mean by push too hard? What was that about?"


    Jane did not look like she was thrilled to answer that question for Taylor. "Well... You see... I kind of had a time helping two kids like you, new and all. But they weren''t really my friends, and they were much lazier. They quit trying and I got the blame somehow."


    Wow! With that, his question was answered immediately. Jane drove two other new students straight into the ground, making them quit. Does taking a little break from training really classify as lazy? "So..." Danny interjected. "When you say you are going to help us..."


    Jane replied with a sadistic smile, "I''m going to train you until you drop."


    "Great." Danny obviously did not mean that. He looked a little sick from the thought, already regretting the decision to learn even a little of the magic here. It was a while since he had any proper exercise anyway. Then again, using magic was a little different from physical exercise. Jane was capable of a wide variety of magical attacks; at least that is what she led us on to believe. But she also knew how to dance around with those knives in her hands. I wonder if we get weapons like that too in battles.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "But besides that," Jane steered, "How would you two like to come to my house for dinner tonight?"


    "That sounds great!" Taylor was enthusiastic about making up her mind for that idea. Danny did not even get a chance to think about it, so he just nodded in sympathy.


    To which, Jane literally jumped out of her seat, sliding her desk back a few inches. "Excellent! My mom''s cooking is great by the way, and I can show you around and stuff."


    There she goes with all that energy again. Danny however did not oppose of the idea completely. If Jane is excited about having friends over, there isn''t anything wrong with that. It defiantly beats going back to medical to live in a place where homeless people live just because they are not even supposed to be here, living on a limited supply of MREs and water. He would have to fill up from well taps later today, but at least this stay-over would be something new.


    <hr>


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    Chapter Theme Shift: ¦ª?¦Ð¦Ï¦Ó¦Å ~ Adrian Von Ziegler</a>


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    <18:00>


    Taylor went back outside from the medical facility as she planned to. The sunset had not completely begun yet, since this hour marked the beginning of six pm. That was the time Jane told them both to meet her, somewhere out in the field of Fronas. When Danny went outside, he saw less of an abundance of people than before, though Danny was waiting on Jane just in front of the medical facility, failing to spot the new friend.


    Jane must have lived in any one of these houses, but there was no telling which one it was. They all had their own unique outer layer designs, though averaging to about the same size. This neighborhood roughly has about fifteen of these homes, so it''s amazing that he couldn''t detect Jane''s presence earlier for any one of the structures. After waiting outside for only two minutes, Jane ended up right in Taylor''s sights, standing almost in front of her, but Jane was not standing by any particular house. She was on her way to where Taylor was waiting instead. Perhaps she meant to show them the way there.


    The brisk of the cold was beginning to set in. Today felt like winter was holding around the corner, eager to throw the air into a freezing cold state. With the slow winds, it was not that chilly, not yet anyway. Jane saw Taylor and Danny, continuing to walk up to them while they brushed their arms gently from the soft breezes of the wind. "Alright you two," she alerted. "Follow me." Jane waved her arm around her head in the direction she was about to begin heading in.


    That''s it? Just walk up and walk back? It was too obvious now that Jane was simply letting them both follow her to her house and meet her family. Danny has not been in many of these situations before. He visited the houses of his old friends in the past, but never with this many formalities. Despite what he believed he knew, table manners could be different in this country compared to where he lives back home. The only best way to handle this was to follow Taylor''s lead.


    Taylor appeared to be a little excited, but not jumpy. She followed Jane without a hitch, over to the house at the end of the field on the opposite side of the medical facility. Brilliantly maintained, Jane''s house, the one she stopped in front of was nicer up close than it appeared to be from a distance. Taylor failed to notice it before, but this was a rather well built home, even compared to the home she was living at back in Kalamo. Though her family did not have much money these days. Back when Taylor was a lot younger, they used to live in an apartment at one point in time, which was almost heart crushing because of the incredibly rude and dangerous neighbors.


    "Here we are," Jane announced. She introduced her house as if it was her most favorite place in the world. After just two seconds of silent admiration, Jane opened the front of the door leading the others inside.


    Even Taylor seemed a little reluctant to just walk right in, but keeping it in mind, Jane''s family was expecting them. Danny followed behind Taylor, immediately getting a visual sense for his surroundings while entering the house. Even the interior was well maintained and roomy. The floors were made out of polished wood, but the rest of the structure was made out of the same material one would find in any other community home. With walls painted a jade color everywhere, it was really a lot to take in for just the few seconds they had.


    Jane got closer to the dining room, which connected directly into their kitchen where her parents were standing. Both her mother and father were here to greet them, but Jane''s mom was still in the middle of setting things up. There was no food on the table yet, so she must still be working on the meal.


    Even Taylor was impressed. She figured that Jane was not a clean freak, but the house was vacuumed and dusted, giving the portraits and other objects a faint bloom effect. They clearly had electricity, because the small set of chandelier lights above the dining table was well lit with bulbs, and so was the kitchen with its fluorescent lighting system.


    "Mom? I brought home some visitors." Jane was calmly talking to her mother, who was half-way in the kitchen and dining room. Danny did not detect any kind of tension between anybody so far. Still, this was a bit soon. Doesn''t this count as intrusion? Oh, right. This is Jane.


    "Well, good to meet you," Jane''s father shifted. He was not much older looking than Jane''s mother, in his mid-forties. His voice was only half-deep, about as much as anybody else. Danny felt a little more tense than usual, since fathers are often protective of their daughters when it comes to teenage males like himself. But Taylor was with him too, so that probably helped a little bit. Besides, he never actually admitted to liking Jane yet. In fact, Danny was not entirely certain if the mere possibility existed. She is a beautiful person though; perfect height, awesome eyes that complimented her dark hair, and twice as interesting.


    Jane''s mother told the few what she was up to currently. "Dinner is not quite ready yet, but it will be in a few minutes. Why don''t you both have a seat? We have plenty of room at the table."


    "Yes miss," Taylor replied. After making sure Danny was not panicking or ruining anything, she sat down eye level to the kitchen. Taylor was not expecting Danny to mess anything up, but she had been to a few homes in Kalamo, in situations somewhat similar to this moment. For unknown reasons, Danny has been cursed with saying the worst things during the most awkward situations and moments, which tends to happen more often in formal settings when he isn''t relaxed. Out of all the families, this one seemed like they were really proper, or just plain rich.


    Danny sat right next to Taylor, getting the same view. The kitchen had several running appliances inside that were not of poor quality machines. Complete with a refrigerator, an oven, coffee maker, dishwasher, and everything else a kitchen was supposed to have, it became even more evident that Jane''s entire family was not poor. It might even be possible that everyone in Fronas was like this, despite the slight food shortages he had heard about. Electricity is not cheap though, so it was still a mystery as to how they siphon it.


    Jane and her dad had a seat on the other side of the table, leaving one more chair for her mother on the short end of the flat surface. There were plates and napkins already set out. The food just needed to keep cooking. With a short moment passing, Jane''s mom entered the dining room again, leaving the kitchen completely alone.


    Jane''s father was the first person to try and introduce himself. "So you two are the new friends Jane was talking about. My name is Smith, and my wife here is Tiffany."


    "Mister and Misses Venn are acceptable for now," Tiffany declared. "I''m glad you''ve decided to show up. You''re welcome to stay with us for dinner. Jane asked us for your permission in advance."


    Taylor could sense that now was the correct moment to be grateful and give her own introduction, knowing that Danny was at least ready to follow her lead. "I''m Taylor Feer. We''re also enrolled at Dakota, and we''re kind of new here."


    "I''m Danny. Danny Mason. Taylor and I are friends as well, and we''re a bit of ways from home."


    "Auh. So you''re travelers?" Smith guessed.


    Taylor came up with her best response while uncertain how to keep their real records out of their business. "You could say that."


    "We stopped here to learn a lot more about Leray magic," Danny proposed. "I keep getting into it the more I study."


    Tiffany seemed to like his answer with a brief smile of a reply. "That''s wonderful," Tiffany encouraged. "And training with Jane is a great way to start. I''m sure you''ve detected how excellent she is with the spells." Smith did not show much of his emotions just yet about either of them.


    "Mooom?" Jane groaned. "You give me way too much credit."


    Tiffany argued, "Not at all dear. You''ve done wonderfully in your studies, and I''m very proud of your progress." Jane always gets embarrassed when talking about her achievements, even in a positive manner.


    "Don''t sell yourself too short," Smith added. "You''ve gone above and beyond in that class of yours, and I can''t wait to see more improvement from you."


    Danny couldn''t deny that. Jane certainly was impressive with magic on her own. "I would like to see more of Jane too," Danny phrased. For a short moment, everyone was staring at him, but not in a way that looked rewarding. Danny suspected that me might have said the wrong thing, and quickly refined his answer to make more sense of it while his heart began to skip. "I know Jane can do a lot of cool stuff, but I have yet to see some demonstrations." With his heartbeat now rapid, Danny worried about this new expression Mr. Venn was forming.


    Jane chimed in to lay even more claim to the truth Danny was aiming for, amazed that her mom had not spit out the tea she drank from the mug just now. "A great Leray master never reveals all of her powers in one night." Why''d you have to word it like that? You idiot!


    Taylor wanted to cover her face already, but resisted the urge since it would only remind everyone what Danny just said. It wasn''t as bad as she thought considering previous screw-ups, but the timing of that couldn''t have been any worse. Who knows what her parents are implying right now? It figures he''d slip up sooner or later. He must have had a new thing for Jane too.


    With Danny''s correction, he may have just forgotten to filter what to say properly. Satisfied in the overall response, Jane''s mother picked back up on the conversation at whole. "Aw! You keep working hard Jane, and you''ll even surpass me."


    Taylor almost fell out of her seat just as Danny did. Her shock was well visible to them both. "You used to be a Leray master?!"


    "Heavens no," Tiffany denied. "But I''m not a novice. Back when I was younger, I used to be a great Leray challenger, winning as many fights as I could and becoming better every day, but I never actually made a career out of it. Battles don''t pay the bills if you don''t win enough of them."


    "How does that actually work?" Danny requested. "I mean, do you get paid for winning an official battle?"


    Smith looked at Danny, confused that he would not know such a thing. But Danny did not even understand his puzzlement until Jane pointed out the reasoning.


    "Dad? When I said these two were new to Leray stuff, I mean they really are new."


    "That''s great," Smith cheered. "That means you two get to learn everything all over again. You might be new to all of this stuff, even to Sprawn Valley if I dare say, but traveling here to learn Leray magic from scratch is the best way to get in experience from such a journey."


    Danny and Taylor both sighed silently amongst themselves, seeing as Smith wasn''t showing or sounding aggressive towards Danny. Jane''s quick paraphrasing saved him from that.


    Jane chimed in to answer Danny''s last question. "In every Leray battle that is an official match, bets on both sides are set as rewards for the victor in each fight. You earn your credits by winning enough battles, but you also lose money if you fail that fight."


    "So credits are your currency here?"


    Danny finally understood the anomaly he noticed earlier, after Taylor asked a more obvious question. It was true; credits are the used currency here, and not just any credits. Leray magic must be used to monitor registered statuses of people''s credit from those licenses. That is why his card said 0 Cr at the bottom; that stood for zero credits!


    "That''s right." Smith became more humble in his seat, eager to talk about this to Jane''s friends. "Unless you win each fight, hard work pays the bills around here. But I''m no expert fighter, and even my wife could not make use out of every single credit earned from fighting in the field."


    "I retired shortly before having Jane, and Smith got a better job," Tiffany reported.


    Smith explained his role right on cue. "I work as a store manager from home, managing both the major shops in Blue Port Town and all the way down to Tilsit Port, but I do most of that work electronically. Much of my job is just problematic decision making. I often travel once a month down to Tilsit Port to make sure everything is running smoothly, and I get paid in enough credits to get by."


    Jane added her summarized version of the subject to Danny and Taylor. "So I fair to say that we aren''t really that rich or that poor."


    "But look at this set up," Danny pointed out. "You''ve got running electricity, and a television set in the living room. I was led to believe that Fronas had a bit of a food shortage or something like that."


    Taylor did not believe she would regret what Danny was implying so far, and neither did Jane''s parents. Something about Fronas was off from the normal statures they were used to seeing in nature.


    Smith ended up explaining more about that subject, while Tiffany went to check on the food. "You must not fully understand how electricity works here. Instead of taking in feeds from the power grid, which most small towns do not have, we make our own electricity. Only the large cities use power grids, and the use of which is still optional."


    "How can you make your own electricity?" Taylor questioned.


    "Simple. We have an underground generator system, networked into Fronas like many other towns, which feeds our house with power. And in order to feed those generators, we all pitch in and charge up the engines made of the thermoelectric cells using Leray magic."


    "You mean you can use electrically generated Leray magic for power?!" What a way to cut spending!


    Answering Taylor''s unexpected surprises, Smith continued the statement. "Using a wide variety of strong electric attacks on the transformer, we can capture the voltage and electrically generated energy into the generators for a period of time. Tiffany and I do that almost every day. And it''s not just us. That''s how all the town''s people live here."


    "So that means," Danny concluded, "You don''t have to pay for that electrical power, and probably not even to keep your house property."


    "That is correct. All we use the money for is to supply our house with fresh water and food. But my job does not allow us to swim in credits either, so we still have budgets to follow."


    "Well that makes sense now," Danny cleared. "The food shortage is not a shortage. It''s just that everything does not come cheap or quick out this far, even without an electric bill. And since there is no town council, everyone here is self-reliant on picking up supplies."


    "Everyone has to make a living somehow," Jane added. "And I''m going to train so hard that I win enough money to never go broke again."


    "Haha! That''s the spirit Jane." Smith seemed to be as confident in her skills as Jane was, so the general atmosphere was evermore calming.


    "Alright," Tiffany hollered. "Dinner is ready. I made entrees of a Kunasolv roast, and some salads as a side." Jane''s mom was setting down the bowls and cooking plates carefully. The steam rising from the center of the table filled the air with a most appetizing scent.


    Danny''s eyes lit up just from the looks of it. Though he had never heard of Kunasolv roast before, it appeared to be some kind of medium-rare meat seasoned well with many different ingredients. The salad looked like it could feed a hungry family of four for days, and the steam rising up from the food created a smell so intense, Danny thought he was dreaming to be allowed to eat this.


    Taylor had just as much intent to eat the well-cooked meal as Danny did. It looked excellent, and the smell was melting all of her senses away. Even Jane was going gaga over the meal, sitting back down quickly before anybody inhales it all.


    Tiffany sat down too, changing the subject a bit after receiving several visual compliments from everybody. Danny soon changed his mind about Jane''s family. They were really nice people to be feeding them a meal this good, and he had a feeling that there was more of that to be expected here. He could not speak for all of Sprawn Valley yet, but the inhabitants of Fronas never seemed to show any signs of criminal activity or severe aggressions. Kalamo was not that bad, but hooligans and organized crime was not rare back home. This place was the exact opposite. First serenity, magic, and now top quality food!


    "The entrees at the store don''t just come like this ya know," Jane detailed. It was obvious that she liked hearing her mom obtain many compliments for their cooking.


    "By the way," Smith interrupted. "It''s about that time again. Where is Iona at?"


    Tiffany paused to give news to her husband. "Oh, she''s still out of the house. I don''t think she will be joining us."


    Smith suddenly seemed upset, or a bit aggravated. Danny and Taylor had no idea what was going on or what this was even about. "Um," Taylor attempted. "Who''s Iona?"


    "Oh!" Jane remembered. "I haven''t got around to telling them yet dad. Iona is my older sister, but I emphasize the fact that she is only older by two years, thank you."


    Jane seemed keen on making sure she was still the dominate character in her family. But if Iona was her sister, why was she not here?


    Before Danny or Taylor could even ask, Smith filled in the disturbing details. "That one''s just gone out of control lately. Sneaking out at night, hiding at her friend''s house, but she never comes by here anymore, and always starts ridiculous fights when she does."


    Smith was obviously not proud of Iona lately, but Danny was not even sure what it was Iona did for a living. Is she just the trouble making kind of person? For her dad, it had to be true. Looking at his expression, the man was tense again, encouraged only to put his arm through the wall.


    "Well," Tiffany subjected. "She is just a teenager. You know how kids are at that age. She isn''t even that interested in Dakota either."


    "She''ll end up being a failure if she does not turn herself around." Smith began raising his voice, indicating even more stress than before. Iona must be one of those rebellious types that always broke house rules and hung around the wrong crowd.


    Danny was a little shocked. After meeting Jane, he never would have guessed how different her sister would be. And yet, Iona sounded a lot more normal of a person compared to the kids back in Kalamo. Tiffany''s logic didn''t apply to all teenagers with Jane around. Screw that! It wasn''t even valid considering how he is and how Taylor behaves. Still, he was suddenly eager to meet this Iona chick.


    Taylor was just as dumbstruck. Jane was younger than her sister, but she was a more successful version who was proudly pursuing her dreams. And Iona was just a cringe worthy teenager who gets into trouble? Who the hell is not interested in Leray magic?


    "We''ll talk about it later," Tiffany demanded. She seemed pretty keen on ending that feud long before it got any worse. "Preferably with her in the house again."


    "Damn straight." Smith continued eating his meal, but his expression did not change. It was pretty obvious by now what kind of a person Iona was, and what she might be involved in. At least one in the family was blooming. Jane however was just ignoring the entire conversation like it never even happened. She must get used to this conflict a lot while at home. Danny got a sudden signal not to bring it up again either.


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Stellamara ~ (Kyrie Eleison)</a>


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    After dinner had ended, Jane''s parents both volunteered to do the dish work together, allowing Jane to have more time with Danny and Taylor. Jane decided then to show the both of them to her room upstairs.


    The house was not that tall, so the stairs were hardly an obstacle to walk past. Jane navigated to her room while keeping the others in tow, and after she opened her room showing the others in, their amazement was to be expected.


    Danny looked around, spotting a number of interesting posters containing more symbols and glyphrings. Even Jane worshiped this Leray magic stuff deeply. While the room was barely adequate for a size of two people (of which Danny assumed Jane was sharing with Iona), it was neat with its own custom carpet color. The smell was new too, an interesting mix that was inexplicably delightful and easy on the nose.


    Taylor noticed the posters of symbols in the room as well, and some of them were of other unidentified structures to her. Looking past the decorations, there was not very much to the room. Much of the carpet floor was clean, with the exception of a few random items on the floor. Most of them were old books and a few school supplies. With two separate small beds on opposite sides of the room, two small shelves stood beside each bed, giving the space some balance. A lamp was only on one of the shelves, but Jane had turned on the other light bulb on the ceiling to brighten the place up. On the other side of the shelves was just one window that she could open or close. Then there was a separate television set with its own VCR as well, sitting right beside the window, plugged into an outlet.


    Taylor made her deductions. Much of this looked exactly like a room that would belong to an ordinary teenage girl once you discourage the posters and the symbols around the place. But from the small mess around Jane''s bed - to the glow-in-the-dark stars on the roof of the ceiling, it all reflected some of her character with the space involved. Though it seemed usual to her, Taylor was a bit impressed. Despite this not being her place, she felt comfortable here in a way she could not explain on the fly.


    "This is my room," Jane tagged. "But I have to share it with my sister." Her voice had become deeper from her need to grumble her least favorite part of the room. That explained why there were two beds here.


    Danny wanted to ask about something else, ignoring Taylor since she was only fiddling with one of the books on the ground. "You have two television sets here?"


    Jane glanced to the television that she believed Danny was asking about, and then briefly explained, "Yeah. We use it to watch movies over and over again, since they don''t make that many of them that are good."


    "Are they..." Danny paused, uncertain of how to phrase what he wanted to find out. "Magic related?"


    Jane huffed as a pretense to laughter. "Of course they are. Some of them are recordings of real battles. I mean, the ones I don''t really own. Selling Leray related things once became a tourist attraction, but everybody here is so used to that way of life now that the business is kind of slow."


    "Bummer," Danny answered sarcastically.


    "That''s why they try moving their business closer to the airport and docking ports."


    "Tourists," Danny finished. It was a good idea though from a business perspective. Newcomers won''t be expecting the culture here. If he and Taylor came here by choice and will power, he would have fallen deeply for this kind of thing, maybe.


    Taylor closed the book she was attempting to skim, and repeating the cover title aloud. "The Dawn of a Sage?"


    Jane focused on Taylor now, realizing that she had taken an interest in some of the reading. "That''s one of the novels I own. I''m still reading it though."


    "Is that stuff also magic related," Taylor asked.


    Jane muttered, "More or less." Taylor glanced at the book again, thinking of what it could possibly be about. "It''s supposedly about a man who keeps trying everything he can to help his sick wife, using alchemy styled Leray magic as a potential cure. But as everybody knows, you can''t cure illnesses with magic, and he has to learn to let go if it comes to that."


    "That''s, um... Kind of..." Danny didn''t know if it would be right to discourage one of Jane''s sources of culture, nor did he have an adjective for that on the top of his tongue.


    "Dark," Taylor helped.


    Jane knew what they were talking about. The book was not in any way a happy fairy tale. Instead, it tells a tale of life here as it really could be. "Yep. It''s technically a work of fiction, but its realistic fiction too."


    "But that''s so sad," Taylor whimpered.


    Jane detected a hint that Taylor really did not feel that terrible about it, and was just kidding around, but she reminded her anyway of the theme behind it. "Well that''s what can really happen. It''s really important not to catch a cold or anything around here. There are plenty of people in Sprawn Valley who work as real doctors at higher-level medical facilities, doing physical surgery and everything else without any magical assistance. But that does not mean that medicine here is better than medicine elsewhere."


    Note to self: do not get sick! "It certainly is not your average fairy tale," Danny admitted. "You know, I''ve always imagined that magic in any situation was like a big fairy tale, or something really fake with a happy ending."


    "Me too!" Taylor projected. "Uh, it''s not like that though, is it?"


    "Nope," Jane confessed. "Leray magic can make life easier, and the battles are really cool, but the magic we''re talking about is not like something you two have obviously imagined before coming here. It''s a lot more oriented to attacks and some cases of defensive spells, and those powers are only designed for battling, not for outside usage."


    "I get the point," Danny conveyed. "If you get sick, you get dead. I''ll always wash my hands here, promise."


    Taylor turned her back slightly, folding her arms and tilting her head downwards a tad. "You should always wash your hands everywhere Danny. Not just here."


    "Agh, that''s what I meant!" Thanks a lot! Now I look like a pile of germs in front of Jane. When has Taylor ever seen Danny forgetting to wash his hands? She seriously had to point out a technical flaw in something so small he said!


    Danny got so defensive quickly, even though Taylor was just teasing. Or maybe she wasn''t? Jane was still certain that she barely knew these two. Were they supposed to be an unannounced couple? Or were they just like brother and sister? "Simmer down," Jane directed. "You can both stay up as long as you''d like, but it is getting late, and you won''t want to miss out on tomorrow''s lesson."


    "How long is it?"


    Jane knew that Taylor would ask that. She can be predicable, that''s for sure. "Long." Jane gave the simplest answer yet.


    Danny suspected that Jane had less of a care about this than he or Taylor did. "You''ve already been in that lesson, haven''t you?"


    "Of course." Jane managed to rub her intelligence into their faces yet again, bringing a slight look of defeat. "Our class has learned about it before, but we never really got into the training of it afterwards, and we had to backtrack it for two weeks."


    "Because of new kids?" Taylor was certain that the policy was harsh at some level.


    "Well," Jane improvised. "That, and the fact that our class was just too far ahead as a group. There are training exercises that the entire facility takes part in as a whole unit, but if one group is too far ahead instead of too far behind, it can''t be administered properly. So at least this time, it''s not your fault. But since you are new, it will be the most important lecture you will want to hear. Otherwise, you will never become a Leray fighter."


    Danny found himself nearly frozen from how amazing it sounded. All of it was directly related to fighting, spells, and strategy tips on Leray battling. That means everything there is to know about the effectiveness and potential of Leray magical spells as a whole will be part of tomorrow''s lesson. It didn''t matter how much he didn''t synchronize with magic. That was worth waiting for.


    "Where are we even to sleep?" Taylor looked around, noticing only two beds. One of them had to belong to Jane''s sister, Iona, but even with her not home right now, it seemed impolite to just rest in somebody else''s room.


    "Well I wasn''t planning to have you sleep over when I offered before, but I already talked it over with mom and dad. My dad said that both of you can have the couch," Jane planned. "We''re not that rich, as I was saying before, and the couch is barely big enough for two people. So you will have to share."


    Danny and Taylor exchanged looks. Taylor was the first to raise a concern. "That might be impossible for a number of reasons¡ª"


    "What about your sister''s bed?" Danny had to interrupt to make the concern. "If she is never here, can''t Taylor sleep there?"


    Jane flattened her expression and lowered her voice. "You probably don''t want to sleep there. I don''t think she''s cleaned the sheets for an entire month."


    That''s disgusting! Taylor figured it was somewhat normal for Iona not to do chores around the house if she isn''t there to do them. But how is she supposed to sleep on the couch if it only holds one person? Jane said two people, but she was just estimating to make it appear bigger in foresight. They still have the medical facility, but it may be impossible to just leave abruptly without upsetting Jane.


    "Well, two people can''t sleep on one little couch." Danny disagreed in unison. It would just be better to sleep at the medical facility, but something felt eerie about that place right now. Staying under Jane''s roof seemed so comforting. Since he wasn''t going to get too far from Taylor, Danny let her decide on it.


    "If you can''t make it work, that''s fine."


    "Its fine, we''ll make it work somehow." Danny accidently accepted Jane''s offer to spend the night sleeping here just by trying to be polite, but his words also kept her silent. "I don''t mind Taylor. I''ll just sleep on the floor if you want me to."


    Taylor didn''t know how to answer properly to his request, she opened her mouth to talk with nothing verbally coming out.


    "Awh! That''s so sweet!"


    Taylor gave Jane a nasty look. She must have thought that they were dating now... But Danny rarely ever went out of his way to make Taylor more comfortable. Sure they were friends, but as Taylor always remembered it, they really did fight like brother and sister over little disputes. Of course, Danny usually starts it anyway, trying to act all dominant. So where is this random kindness coming from? "You... You will?"


    Danny nodded, but he had a mild look on his face from something else he had on his mind. "Of course. Even take all of the covers if you want."


    Taylor squinted her eyes and frowned aggressively. "Alright. What is it you want?"


    Danny raised his eyebrows. Taylor actually thought that he was bargaining for something, and raised his hands in front of him to deny the claim. "No-no! I''m serious! I''m not holding anything against you. You don''t owe me."


    Jane had her assumption incorrect. At first, it seemed like they were just secretly in love, but the buzzing glares they were giving each other now said something different. In a few more seconds, both of them were beginning to argue back and forth, but neither side was readable. Jane was trying to figure this out, but she was being completely ignored for the moment.


    Taylor thought it was possible for Danny to develop some common sense, even a soft spot for her, but this was just a blind gesture that didn''t make any real sense. "What''s up with you...?" Taylor thought back, back to anything or any moment recently that would have made him act this way towards her. It''s not that him being caring was against his nature, but this is Danny for crying out loud! For years, he never actually made any gentlemen like gestures to anybody, not even her. With a flashback that only needed a microsecond to remind Taylor exactly what happened, she drilled into the probable reason. "Is this about that fall from the cliff? It is, isn''t it? Not this again!"


    Danny held his arms out, gesturing while he spoke. "But it was my fault."


    "Why can''t you just be satisfied that I''m okay?"


    "I am satisfied!" Danny attempted to lower his voice. He meant that as a blessing, not as an argument. Does Taylor seriously believe he was upset about her being alive? "Taylor, you could have died. I know this is not the first time I''ve been bugging you about it."


    "Well no shit!" Taylor returned. "I don''t want you to think that you owe me anything."


    Danny looked down with an angry sigh, closing his hands over his hips. He then looked at Taylor again, trying to understand her. "I don''t. I don''t owe you anything, Taylor. But I''m not going to let anything happen to you," he promised. "Regardless of my failure of that earlier."


    Taylor was not sure if he was blaming himself anymore, or if he was doubtful that she had forgiven him already, but she also found herself suddenly incapable of expressing another word. Despite the responsibilities she did not even ask for, he is still so protective. Why? Why is he doing this? Of all times he should just be himself!


    Danny could tell that Taylor was at a loss for words, though uncertain as to what she was even pondering right now. "I''ll hog all the sheets then. There, happy now?"


    Taylor couldn''t say anything now. It''s not what Taylor had in mind earlier anyway. Danny couldn''t deal with it, and he turned around, trying to forget the whole conversation. Or was that a fight? Sure didn''t feel like a normal one. He has been beating himself up over this issue ever since it started, and all she wanted in return was for him to drop it. Taylor noticed Jane eying both of them intensely in her silence, suddenly realizing that she had no idea what on earth that was about in the slightest.


    Danny began walking out of the room calmly. At least he wasn''t upset enough to slam anything on his way out. "I''ll try to rest now, save my strength for tomorrow."


    After Danny walked out and down the stairs, Jane pondered what all of that was supposed to be about. It was obviously not part of her, and something must have happened on their way to Sprawn Valley she was unaware of. "I don''t suppose..." Jane had to think harder about what to say, after trying to unravel that long mystery in her head. "You might want to share what was going on just now?"


    Taylor sighed with expressive stress on her face. She appeared to be upset, but not enough to let it get the best of her. "I''m sorry Jane. I didn''t mean for you to hear any of that."


    Jane figured that neither one of them wanted to share, even to her, but that bit of mistrust didn''t bother Jane at all. Truly, it was none of her business. "Well... If you ever need to talk about it... I''m right here."


    Taylor took a moment to think, most likely about what Jane was offering. "N-no thanks. I just don''t understand why? Why does he suddenly think he has to take great care of me? That idiot should know that I can fend for myself!" Taylor nearly yelled her last sentence, intending for Danny to hear it should the door and walls be as thin as she thought they were.


    Jane was wondering what about Danny''s words were making Taylor so upset. Apparently, Taylor must hate nice boys, but Jane kept this to herself, drawing in ever more of the silence in the room, and accepting that she might just be wrong. She knew her parents would be up a while longer, in their own master bedroom.


    Without much time left before daybreak, Taylor gave up trying to figure anything out anymore, and decided to retire. "I''m going to go wash up and then go to bed. Night Jane."


    "Good night..." Jane watched Taylor walk out of the room with frustration written all over her body. Jane was totally focused on that scene just a second ago, since there was nothing else she could do. What was the problem between the two of them? Did Danny say something about a cliff? Jane gave it another few seconds or two before closing her door to confirm that tonight would be over. Jane never used to have a lack of friends in the past, only a few she spoke to, but they were never this intense. Either that, or those two had some weird problems with each other...


    Jane almost gasped in having at least one chain of thought complete. Taylor was upset about Danny simply expressing a lick of concern for her. It''s so simple and obvious! Danny likes Taylor! That''s it! Jane knew she sensed a bonding force between those lovebirds. Taylor is the one who can''t see it. Whatever happened to them recently, Danny has a thing for Taylor now. That has to be it! Why else would he be so concerned about her in every way? They must have fought a lot back then though. Taylor was oblivious to that for a reason, and this has to be it. It may even be a recent development for Danny too.


    With a slight victory in her investigation, Jane decided to get to bed herself. It was quite satisfying to hear, more so that Danny truly wasn''t serious about seeing more of her. Though Jane yawned and prepared for bed, it was still early in the evening, but she could always just put on one of her movies to repeat again in order to help her sleep as always. Even if Taylor or Danny didn''t realize it, Jane did, and that counts for something. It''s better if somebody knows it; otherwise, those two are hopeless.


    Jane always had a thing at times for lover''s quarrel, as long as it was a real life situation, and as long as she wasn''t in that situation herself. She remembered in the past when she used to try and get involved just a little bit, mainly just to observe. There was one couple a year back she knew, who would always fight over every little thing, and they denied every hint of liking each other to any degree.


    But there were other situations as well in the past that Jane was fond of. Like that one where a girl tried to give a boy a letter in school. Jane was not even enrolled at the time, but she had heard of the situation from popular rumor. The letter was sent to him, but the boy got mixed up, thinking it came from some other girl. Then he had two of them fighting over him just like that, confusing all three for months to come. At the time, Jane thought it was really funny, but she couldn''t help but imagine how that turned out today.


    The chains of thoughts continued in her mind, making her feel more awake than before. Jane wasn''t even aware that this was going to make it harder for her to sleep, but instead embraced her memories as if it was her own story. That would be her movie for tonight.

 Chapter 10: Real Life Strategy

    <hr>


    <12/23/1971 ~ 13:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Today was a new day, and the morning was as fresh and clear as any other, but there was a larger excitement coming into play, lingering in wait from yesterday. Thursday, a remarkable lecture on all of the parameters involved in Leray battle and strategy. That was the planned lesson for today''s class. Even though Jane attended it before, she managed to show up just to hear it all over again. Nobody was missing this, even if they were afflicted with an incurable disease.


    It was a long time coming for the other kids, after enduring all of that history and information retainment. Now was as good of a time as any to shift directly into the physical forms of training. Well, after the lesson of course. This would be another memory retainment challenge, but it was said to be super important and incredibly interesting. Danny and Taylor were nearly bouncing in place at their desks, waiting impatiently to be learning as much of the awesome nature of magic battles as they could. They weren''t alone in that either, from the looks and sound of things.


    After their disputes yesterday, the upsetting feelings Danny and Taylor had for each other simply faded into dust. This was one of the concepts they could focus on together, as could the rest of the class. In fact, nobody was upset or disappointed to go through this as a refresher. The suspense was already growing evidence to this moment.


    Eliza wanted to prepare the class to make sure everybody was ready today. After assuring that everybody was properly seated and paying attention, she finally began the lesson, shortly after a bell toll from the school. "Alright class. The moment we''ve been waiting for. Is everybody ready?"


    Over half the class hollered or roared the word "Yes!" in synchronized agreement. It felt like she was giving a speech at a big rally, but this was easy material to get excited about for those who are untrained. "To put things into better perspective, we will begin real combat training as soon as this lesson is over, which should finish before today''s total session, but that only makes this all the more important. So if you feel you may forget these things, write them down." Her tone in the last part of her sentence turned into a direct command rather than some optional piece of advice.


    The room was silent for a moment, only to show that everybody was ready and sitting at attention. Jane still had some lingering thoughts about things yesterday. It was great that she knew how Danny felt about Taylor, and neither one of them knew it, but now was not the time to break out that kind of stuff. Jane even decided on keeping it a full secret to herself, until one of them asks for her advice about it.


    As for now, Jane needed this refresher. It is important for a future Leray master to remember every single rule of thumb on how to fight, and also which elemental properties cancel each other out. Leray matches are not as simple as they seem on television or even in the field. There are so many rules to follow, including virtues to remember while fighting. If violated, that is - the basic strategies of an actual fight, it would lead to immediate failure for that match. Jane knew this much, and she hung on every word while Eliza got started.


    Eliza knew that now was the time to totally and officially begin her lesson. She knew that this would end up being a very long thing to get into, but remembered every piece of it by heart. "The first rule of order we will start with, are the rules to an official Leray match." Walking around the classroom, Eliza wanted to give them all sense that she was as into this as the students were, gesturing her body around for extra language.


    "In a Leray battle between two registered Leray wielders, before the battle initially can begin, a bet is set between each competitor in order to agree on the reward spoil outcome." Eliza had only begun, but she already stole the entire attention of her class. "Most often, the reward output is decided in a sum of credits. So when you fight in the field, you have something to gain, and something to lose."


    "What if you don''t have enough to lose," Jane wondered.


    Eliza respected the first great question coming from her own top student, even after she had this session before. "Then the losing side is not further penalized, but it is always polite to point out to the other person that you are without the minimum betting funds to begin with. There may be a very new update coming soon that forces 250 credits to be the minimum betting option, even if those credits have yet to exist on a person. Either way, credits are not the only spoils one can win in a battle. Battle related items could be offered up as well, even with a mixture of credits, making for a compound reward. We will get into the items part of the discussion later today. The important thing to remember is that the automatic digital reward-spoil system will reject any bet that is made if one side disagrees with the other. This prevents people from making such high bets for credits they don''t simply have, which would be unfair. This digital system follows us through the veil and monitors specific violations during a battle."


    Eliza cleared her throat, moving on just a hair. "For now, we will go over the general Leray rules of battling. Just as there are official and technical rules that must be followed for battling, there are also important tips and essential guidelines, ones that really act only as tips everybody needs to remember during a fight, if they want victory.


    "Technical rule number one!" Eliza raised her voice so suddenly, making sure nobody falls asleep. "The match only begins when it begins. Fighting in a Leray match is not as simple as agreeing to fight. You can''t just ask for a battle and then immediately open fire between each other. Because of the potential spectators that want to watch, and delicate environments around your area of the chosen battlefield, a Siriean Dome must first be established. Siriean domes are the names given to a high-energy protective field, a dome shield that surrounds a particular area around both contestants while allowing them plenty of room for fighting. The dome itself has incredible properties, and reaches nearly between three hundred to five hundred meters in height to give us more room. But it is almost completely invisible to the naked eye."


    Danny and Taylor wished they had something to take notes with, but for now, they continued listening to Eliza''s lectures. The new terms they were hearing weren''t too difficult to pronounce either; Siriean rolls off the tongue as "see-ree-an."


    "The shield will completely absorb any kind of damage, any spell, and any attack - no matter how high the power level. It also prevents physical entry or exit inside or outside of the dome until the battle is finished. Without the shield, spectators are all susceptible to damage from stay attacks that get avoided, or large area attacks. Even buildings and structures can be caught in the crossfire. That is why, even without an official judge to determine the turn out of the match, the battle is only to be initiated after the Siriean dome has been established. Otherwise, the battle itself is not counted as an official match, and neither is the spoil system to be engaged."


    Walking slowly around the rest of the room, Eliza was giving everybody something to think about. "Before the battle starts, your stats might not be at the levels you want them to be. After you have taken damage from any particular source, your HP damage will not regenerate as quickly as your MP points. HP hardly regenerates at all even after waking up from a direct knock out. But during a match, subtle HP regeneration is cut down further. That is why before agreeing to a battle, you should make sure your health is up to par. Use a med kit or healing orb if you have to - in order to restore HP levels prior to a fight. Because if you get into trouble that way, no side is technically breaking the rules."


    Finally finding a black notebook, Danny ripped a sheet out just for Taylor, using pens to write the material he heard onto the paper in summarized versions. The details he was hearing now were priceless to his ears; it explains everything there is to know about how Leray magic is actually used in the field.


    "Technical Rule Number two! When one victor is chosen for a battle, the reward system automatically links all afflicted Leray license chips into a digital network. That way, the rewards are immediately transferred to the winner, including all items and other related spoils via transfer through your supply spheres. So you won''t have to worry about somebody not paying up; they cannot stop that process. However, if you have won a Leray match, and the other person is either down or has given up, you may not continue to attack them for any reason afterwards. Doing so will result in penalties if reported by the spectators."


    "Technical Rule number three! Wild Battles!" She worded. "You may not always get into a fight with a human, or a Leray wielder. Sometimes, as you should know, there will be magic wielding creatures in various areas that are not teeming ordinarily with human activity. These creatures may decide to fight you, Siriean shield or not. In that event, reward systems will not trigger, which would make sense. In these kinds of battles, refusal or running away from such a fight is not an action that will penalize your status as a Leray wielder unless a lawful official deems so and reports you. Such an event may present itself in a contest event, which I don''t think we have around here. Even against humans and official Leray wielders, it is semi-rare for anybody to take the role as an official judge. Most often they are not needed, as fairness is usually decided by the laws of nature and automatic detection system monitoring within the Siriean dome, not by someone''s greed. But there may be higher-level matches against people who have official referees, and in that event, specific rules are to be followed. That judge determines the victor, even if they happen to be the person who got knocked out."


    What did she mean about magic wielding creatures? Danny didn''t think about it before, but it may be possible for Leray magic to affect the animal population here as well. Though in his memory by the cliffs, he never saw any birds breathing fire. So what was this about magical wielding creatures?


    "The chances of running into wild animals with the ability to use magic isn''t common," Eliza stated. "The Outback is better known to house such creatures, but they aren''t limited to those areas. You''ll notice that summons are the better studied animals with the power to invoke Leray spells, but that''s a whole other subject to get into for advanced wielders."


    Unbelievable! Taylor knew the land here was not ordinary, but the more she heard about Leray magic, the crazier it got. And this is the summarized lesson?


    "Technical Rule number four! Unofficial battles..." Eliza''s motivational expression shifted a little. "You may often get yourselves into crazy or unusual situations. What I mean by that, is that there are times to battle, and there are times to fight. As unfortunate as it may sound to all of us, not everybody out in the world is going to use Leray magic responsibly. They may decide to break the law, and if they get away with it, will continue to do so. People may try to knock you out in an unofficial, uncalled for match to steal your items. Whatever the case may be, as soon as you have your real licenses and are declared Leray wielders by graduating this facility, please! Protect yourselves and those you love. Protect your belongings, your valuables, and your ideas. You don''t have to follow any of the usual rules if you find yourself in a tight spot, against a criminal or a bloodthirsty maniac who will spare you no sympathy. That means no Siriean dome, no reward systems; just fight for the right things."


    Danny heard that crime wasn''t common around here, but his own teacher went out of her way just now to ensure us wielders defend ourselves. That means it can be used for the wrong reasons... But if it can''t actually kill, there wouldn''t be much of a point for crime here anyway.


    Eliza seemed to shut herself up for a long pause. She was thinking about something, edging on the class to guess what it could be about, but she quickly got over her distractions and moved on. "Now for the easier stuff. Though they are not technical rules of battle, consider them tips you always need to remember when fighting. Number one; focus. You must always focus in a battle no matter what may be happening. If you get overconfident or underestimate your opponent, you will fail. Also, every time you battle someone, despite the number of losses you might encounter, you will get tougher and stronger. By fighting people over and over again, your maximum MP and HP levels will slowly rise higher and higher, making your defense and power that much stronger. You have to learn to develop all of your attributes, and triumph over all of your weaknesses. One cannot expect to win with just speed alone, or sheer power, or an amazing defense. Adaptability is the key to success."


    Jane heard Eliza speak about a lot of things, but this last bit was a first. Adaptability is the key to success. This one is going in the notebook.


    "Those are a lot of rules," Taylor inputted. Her mild interruption was not looked down on, and Eliza seemed to be able to give the instructions while talking to the class about it as well. This turned out to be more of a big discussion than a formal lesson.


    "Officially or not, there are also a lot of elements that must be learned as well, such as specific types of magical attacks, spells, defenses, and evasion therapies. I think first I shall start with damage types."


    Eliza let the very word sink into their minds before continuing. "During a Leray match, magical attacks are not the only thing used against opponents to cause damage, and sometimes there are spells that don''t damage anybody at all. With the use of personalized weapons, certain physical attacks can be administered to deal some standard physical damage to a person''s HP. Though one cannot only rely on those kinds of attacks alone to win, they can be highly effective at varying ranges to interrupt your opponent, deliver speedy combos, and reduce HP at mild levels."


    "Wouldn''t a gun be incredibly useful?" Danny did not understand yet how all of this immortality stuff fixed in with HP damage. Wouldn''t a bullet to the head at least be a clear knockout? Wait, what if that were considered a lethal weapon? Danny swallowed nervously believing he said the wrong thing again.


    "No Danny. The use of bullets convert to a specific damage type known as piercing damage, and hardly knock down any HP at all, despite how they are administered. There are various weapons; knives, swords, guns, laser blasters, even an unarmed combination of kicks and punches can be effective to a degree, but they all must be used correctly and with great restraint. Physical damage simply means damage without the specific aid of Leray magic or their associated spells. Because most physical attacks and combinations used with weapons consume no MP levels at all, they are best suited when your MP levels are drained, or if you wish to conserve such levels."


    "But," Danny knew he was cutting in to the lesson, but the understanding wasn''t matching up. "Wouldn''t driving a blade through someone''s body be lethal?"


    "Not at all." Eliza didn''t sound disappointed to answer his question. "If you''ve ever seen how people absorb Leray damage under this veil, you would notice any physical damaging strike that pierces skin effectively phasing through the body, causing only a fraction of the pain and a reduction of HP at the same time."


    Amazing! Danny knew a small bit about handguns from back home, but the fact that bullets to the head have such little effect here was the next most incredible thing he''s heard of so far. Why would magic be so bad in a place where you simply can''t die?


    Eliza was far from finished, and she took a short second in order to breathe. "But there are even certain types of physical damage that vary on specific scales, designed for different levels of defensive parameters. As you know, the use of certain kinds of armor are allowed in battle as well."


    "Armor?!" Taylor didn''t know they were allowed to wear armor.


    "Armor. Any participant may always wear what armor suits them in battle, and there are many types of armor designed for reducing specific types of damage. Some armors just reduce all kinds of damage, at the cost for less effective protection protocols. For example, metallic armor would be completely resistant to slashing damage, however, ineffective and weak against blunt damage."


    "What is blunt and slash damage?" Danny asked Eliza what all of that meant, but this time, there was a clear indication that he was not supposed to interrupt yet.


    "I''m getting to that part," Eliza nudged. "There are special leather suits designed to withstand fire elemental attacks of all kinds, and even cloaks that shield one from specific magical attacks. It''s all very complicated, and there are a lot of combinations of ways to defend yourself using certain suits. Even the most protective suits of all often reduce your mobility significantly. Where you upgrade a weakness, you usually create one that did not exist before. That is why it is critical to understand how to effectively invoke attacks, including physical attacks that are different types."


    Eliza reminded, "Now that I''m getting there... Slashing damage. This form of a physical attack can be defined as damage inflicted from any sharp object that slashes through the opponent with any weapon or attack. You may literally cut through a person with a sharp blade, and their body would not dare separate or take any real time damage. But as far as a Leray match is concerned, you have just dealt them a blow of slashing type damage, reducing their HP down by a few points."


    Danny''s head was spinning. You can really cut someone in half here, and they wouldn''t even split in two. It would just feel like a cut to them, on the outside of the impact point. This was more intense than a dream. Danny knew this was a whole new world.


    "Depending on the attack power, that is what determines the loss in their HP points. Magical spells can often cause slashing damage as well. There are several ways to administer these kind of attack types. Just remember that slashing damage will do nothing to a person if their armor blocks out those kinds of attacks. Armor made out of metallic materials, or special suits that can deflect physical damage will block out slashing damage completely."


    "Next," Eliza continued. "We have piercing damage. Piercing damage is known for its special physical properties dependent on the type of attack used on an opponent. They are effectively known for causing only a slight loss in HP levels, and piercing through most armors to take down that HP. The damage levels are usually incredibly low in battle."


    "Then why use them at all?" Danny had a good point. If bullets and piercing damage attacks hardly do any damage, why go with that to win? Hard to believe a sword would work better than a speeding bullet.


    "Because," Eliza answered. "Despite the amount of damage we take in a Leray match, our pain receptors still work as well. Take a cut to the arm, and it will literally feel as if one was trying to slice through your own skin. However, this kind of pain is reduced by 50% due to an effect of the protection veil, known as the pain absorber. Any actual pain you feel from an attack is half of what it should be without the veil, so most damage can be taken like champ from any resilient player. This is where piercing damage comes in."


    Danny didn''t interrupt, but he was paying attention to what Eliza had meant by that.


    "Piercing damage isn''t designed to reduce HP levels at a high amount. It is instead designed to break through most defensive armors to inflict their damage type, and most importantly, most of that damage is in the form of physical pain. Piercing damage inflicts the same pain level that is only reduced from Leray protection by 20% instead of fifty. It ignores this aspect of the Leray protection veil more than other ordinary attacks, allowing us to feel the damage from it at a higher intensity as pain absorption is reduced. That means that using a piercing attack will hurt your target a lot more than any other attack type, even though their HP levels will not reflect it. You can feel an incredible amount of pain in a battle, and still keep going fully conscious. That is why piercing damage is often used on purpose to break focus and concentration of their opponent, by making them suffer physical damage by projectile objects. However, piercing damage can only be inflicted by certain projectiles, spells, and weapons. Weapons like guns and bullets as Danny suggested would be an example, inflicting an incredible amount of pain on a target. Their HP would hardly drop down at all, but as a result of taking the hit, the opponent would also feel like metal pellets are bouncing off their flesh and skin. It would momentarily disable and cripple the person in seconds if such attacks hit, making it an effective method and battle tactic."


    "Cool," Taylor replied.


    Danny folded his arms, thinking about it longer. It was beginning to make more sense to him now, even though there were still a lot of unanswered anomalies in his mind. At least the attack parts made sense in relations to this veil. It wouldn''t be possible to cut someone open with a blade, or kill them with a gun in Sprawn Valley. The damage is converted into energy damage instead, though how he couldn''t even imagine. That''s why Jane wasn''t afraid to shove knives so close to his throat. She couldn''t really have harmed him much. Then again, feeling a blade entering your throat at just half the intensity didn''t sound like a lot of fun. If you can feel physical pain from every attack, then why are people so eager still to take part in battles?


    "Shooting a sharp pointy arrow or a barrage of needles at someone, often in the form of a projectile attack is just another example. Piercing damage is effective at delivering pain to disrupt your target''s focus. But remember! If their HP levels are high when you attack them with this kind of damage, it might be a useless effort. It is better to use piercing damage when HP is lower, because at that point, your opponent will already be low on stamina, and therefore would be more inclined on giving up in response to added pain."


    Jane felt happy that Eliza was giving them the full deal and not any sugar coding of the details. That''s showing them.


    "So what do we do if we want to bypass heavy metal armor and inflict high HP damage in the process?" Eliza quizzed. After hearing no response, she continued the total lecture. "Blunt damage. Blunt damage can be classified as any damage that forms from striking your opponent with any attack that inflicts a ton of force. In this scenario, that kinetic force is turned into damage, because of the ability to bruise your opponent and wreck their armor to bits. By using weapons such as a heavy mace, or an attack such as Hammer of Might, the damage type is converted from the velocity and weight of the object. If your opponent is wearing slashing resistant armor, then the blunt damage will be amplified against them, but if they are unprotected from slashing damage, then your attack power will be reduced by a fair amount. Luckily, in either scenario, it is also very painful to get hit with a hammer or take a few bruises from attacks like that; very painful. So against unprotected opponents, you can mix pain with damage more often."


    "Is it possible to be protected from blunt damage?" Taylor wondered.


    "If your opponent is planning to block such an attack, and excels in stats such as evasion or dodging with their speed and responses to such threats, then blunt damage is ineffective for the most part," Eliza detailed. "But there is even such tactics such as unarmed combat attacks. If you are well trained in any form of martial arts or other combination styles, you can effectively deal physical damage to an opponent by simply punching and kicking them around. The beauty of such style is that while the HP damage from that is low overall, it deals physical damage that is in neither slashing, piercing, nor blunting form. That means that despite what armor a person might be wearing, the damage from a regular physical attack without ever using any weapons involved will go through to the opponent''s health no matter what. So all you would have to do is get it right, and be too fast for them to dodge your attacks."


    "I bet all of that dodging can make it tough." This time, one of Eliza''s older students gave their feedback. By that, it meant that Danny, Taylor, and even Jane were not acquainted with him, nor was his name well known.


    But Eliza was talking to everyone, not just to a select few. It brought joy to her heart that everybody here was paying such attention. "It certainly can. As far as a good defense goes, there are three ways to effectively make an attack used against you worthless."


    Taylor was remembering every single detail, every word. She would be sure to repeat the lesson to herself later today.


    "The first method is evasion. Evasion simply means that you plan to dodge an incoming attack, and execute an action that allows you to do that. Sometimes, it is less simple than jumping out of the way, or spinning around with a twist to avoid an incoming projectile attack. There are lots of ways to dodge spells, and it is important to occasionally dodge certain abilities to avoid taking their damage. By dodging an attack from your opponent, the damage is not inflicted on you in any way. You avoid the spell, the attack, the damage, and the pain. But sometimes, this makes you even more vulnerable to either a secondary attack, or a Dualcasting spell, and your opponent will know how to evade some spells as well. The second way to get by an attack against you is blocking techniques."


    "How can you just block an attack?" Taylor predictably asked an obvious question, further proving to her own class how new she was to this material.


    "Like this." Eliza stood in front of the class, changing her stance by slouching down, bending her knees slightly, and holding her arms in front of her while they bent and pointed in a crisscross direction. Eliza was literally showing them her own stance of how she would try to block an attack. "Using this common stance of blocking methods while tensing up, you can end up taking a direct hit from any attack, and reduce the damage - even the pain level dealt to you. When dodging becomes less convenient, blocking like this is an effective way to get by."


    Eliza dropped her stance, getting comfortable again. "In a battle, blocking is not always preferred, but seems to work best for damage reduction from any physical attacks that are not slashing or piercing damage. Slashing damage, if your armor can''t protect you, can totally disregard your attempt to block an attack. In some cases, magical damage can do the same."


    "So you can actually reduce the damage you take from HP and pain by standing up to an attack like that?" Danny was asking for confirmation again, but this time, he had somehow acquired a second notebook and a pen, likely from someone else behind him since he ran out of the two sheets of paper he already had.


    "Correct," Eliza confirmed. She watched Danny as he immediately wrote down more notes related to the situation. "But what I just demonstrated to you was the stance. You still have to tense your muscles and brace your own body to take the attack, or you will fail to reduce the damage you take from such spells anyway."


    "What''s the third method?" Jane asked.


    Eliza noticed some sort of surprised looks. It was clear that Jane''s question was a lot more sincere than a teasing gesture. She actually did not know the answer to something this time, nor did she recall hearing about this the first time. It surprised Eliza the least, knowing that everybody has to learn the same things, but the other students didn''t know that Jane was missing that much information. "A counterattack," she reported. "Of course, you have to be very smart and quick about exactly what way you intend to negate your enemy''s attacks. For example, if your opponent launched a narrow field of concentrated ice beams at you, the best defense would be to counterattack with a fire type spell before that beam ends up hitting you. The fire attack would both disrupt their ice beam, and make it through to attacking them as well, if your fire spell is strong enough anyway. Consecutive of making their spell useless, you would also inflict damage on them in the same instance. As another example, you could find a creative way to use their own attack against them."


    Jane replied with a pondering sigh. "Hm. I never thought of using that method to get around tight spots."


    Danny was again impressed at the sheer thought of Jane''s reaction. You didn''t know something?! Danny didn''t appear to be alone in his assumption. From the reactions and stares others were now giving Jane, it was clear that she didn''t usually ask questions that made her look less experienced. Was she that skilled as a Leray fighter already?


    "As you may have heard something of it before, there are damage types besides physical attacks. Magical damage provides a tide turner in battles against those who specialize in close combat tactics."


    Jane already knew where this was going, but she listened anyway, realizing that she was a close combat specialist herself after all of that training with Mr. Mire for self-defense.


    "Magical damage is difficult to explain, because it can take many different forms upon itself, or stay as pure as the MP provided in a magical attack. No matter how great a person''s defense is, magical damage has a lot of difficult properties to avoid. In its purist element, magical damage can be highly effective even in the form of projectile attacks. Hardly anybody can defend against it even when blocking that kind of damage out. The reason it is more powerful is because magical damage comes from the use of MP energy invoked into magical spells, which means that power is increased and formatted into various special attacks that have their own characteristics before inflicting damage on the target, and because they use up MP levels, strategy when using them in fights is important."


    "Remember," Eliza reminded, "that MP energy is linked to your HP levels. Both provide two different types of stamina. A loss in HP reduces your overall chance to remain conscious after direct attacks. You''ll feel lightheaded and faint, but that does not mean you are less energized than before. Your MP capacity without even using it in fights acts as your vital energy to move around, attack, and keep focused on your toes. If you lose your MP without any HP, it puts you at a disadvantage of being tired, worn out, and exhausted. This does not indicate any immediate danger, but could result in slower reflexes, slower reaction time, and more pain induction from taking HP damage. Conversely, if your HP gets down to lower levels while you have a high amount of MP remaining, you will still clearly have an edge to fight, despite how low your health may be. Your energy and stamina reduction is clearly only felt if your MP levels are significantly drained. Once your MP levels and HP levels are both close to zero, you will become very easy to defeat by any opponent. You will feel incredibly tired and unwilling to continue. You will become dizzy, and a little sick to your stomach, aching more all over as if you were beaten up to the point where you are no longer a threat. When this happens, the situation becomes problematic for that victim. Using magical spells is impossible since their MP is drained. Physical attacks require a quick and demanding response on the body, which at this point is already slow and weakened. And of course, many people give up at such a point to avoid being knocked out, which would last for fifteen to thirty minutes of unconsciousness."If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    "So what do we do if that happens?" Another random student tested.


    Eliza thought for a moment, the best strategy to pull when in that situation. "Well... The best thing to do is not to allow both levels to get that low in the first place. But if they do, and you still wish to win and continue the fight to the finish, you must come up with a solid plan of action what will be so creative, nobody would predict it. Even I must advise extreme caution in that situation. Once your HP levels are critical, if your MP levels are also low enough, there is a possibility for what is known as a vital drain. When your MP points run down all the way to zero, and your HP happens to be at around five percent or lower on scale, your body is no longer able to be fully protected by the Leray veil protection aura. This means that your body suddenly becomes subject to real life physical damage until that MP can regenerate at least up to one percent again. This can be dangerous, especially since your depleted energy becomes more of a physical issue than a Leray property. People have been known with MP levels at absolute zero, and HP levels below five percent, to pass out or faint randomly without even taking another attack. They pass out because their bodies recognize now that without the Leray protection aura affecting them, their energy drain becomes more significant and dangerous to their health. Your state of vital drain leaves you with the inability to remain protected from real time damage and pain of any kind, and prevents rapid stamina recovery; at the very least, the protection is partial and incomplete. It is also known that if damage is inflicted while MP levels are at zero percent, and HP levels are below five percent, that damage will become what is known as real time damage. Rarely does anyone refer this as dark damage. The physical body suffers a real injury, ones that Leray magic cannot just kick in to recover. It is possible for Leray magic to automatically heal damaged areas such as this, but the process can take a lot more time. Additionally, the use of healing items, which are really just power orbs that fully restore HP and MP levels, becomes ineffective at repairing the real time damaged areas, no matter how much time has passed. As a result in Leray terms, your HP and possibly your MP levels are permanently reduced until the real time damage is restored."


    Danny understood what that meant after thinking about it further in comparison to events from before. Real time damage just means real damage, like if he were to fall off a skateboard and roll down a hill, scraping up his skin, and possibly breaking a bone. Leray magic won''t just up and heal that if it occurs during this vital drain process, or if the injury occurs first while outside of the protection zone. The veil healed Taylor''s injury, but then again, she must have had MP energy to begin with right before she fell, and that is why she healed like that. But if what Eliza is saying is true, it means that death could technically occur from battling... Right?


    "Therefore, if anybody takes real time damage, they are advised to report themselves to the nearest Leray medical facility. From there, we have real doctors trained to heal real time damages. There are effective drugs known as Starlov Boosters. Starlov Booster injections act the same as a med kit orb, but they specialize in healing real time damage at a more effective rate of time, and in such an event, you could legally claim the need to get to a facility for a medical emergency."


    "So..." Danny asserted. "I''m guessing that if one were to lose all of their HP in the specific format of real time damage, they would die? Even with the veil?"


    "As scary as it may sound," Eliza implied, "yes. Cases of that are extremely rare, but the possibility remains. With real time damage inflicted on you, the chances of a real death become greater than zero. That is why it is important to take good care of yourselves, and recognize the difference between simple Leray damage, and real time damage. Naturally, anyone with vital drain status is not allowed to battle anymore, but the digital detection system has yet to be capable of stopping an ongoing fight from this."


    Danny felt his breath escape him. This was it! This was the evidence he had been searching for all this time. Leray magic can be used to kill people... Then again, if taking damage doesn''t deplete that victim''s MP reserves, then entering vital drain must be difficult to do even if done so on purpose. So it really is something that can only happen by accident. Now that Eliza mentioned it, it would have to be a rare occurrence.


    "I know it''s important," Jane impeded. "But weren''t we skipping the elemental factors?"


    "Ah, yes," Eliza agreed. "I never explained that magical damage can change sub-sation forms. Magical damage can be dealt purely in that form, defaulted as non-elemental magic, or it may be used in what is known as elemental forms. Attacks can become elemental for the purpose of exploiting a weakness, or to reduce the cost of MP consumption. There are a lot of magical attacks out there with several different levels and types, but one constant remains. If you were to compare an elemental magical attack, to a magical attack in a pure, non-elemental form, the pure form magical attack would end up costing you a ton of MP compared to elemental factors. This is because pure magical damage disregards the elemental factors involved in offense and defense parameters. If a person is resistant to ice elemental damage, then it is much better to use a fire elemental attack on them, which also consumes less MP overall, than to use pure magical damage against them. However, non-elemental magical damage does not care about which element that a person is resistant to, which explains the increase in MP power used in such attacks."


    "Elemental damage?" Taylor repeated, clueless to what it all meant. There was already so much being crammed into her mind, Taylor wanted a break just to have time to process it all.


    "To start," Eliza continued. "We have a fire elemental attack. Using an attack such as Fire Bolt or Flamethrower invokes magical damage, but also only carries properties of flame-based elements. This means that the damage type has an assigned property to it, making it risky to try against unpredictable opponents. Either by the use of special armors, or by the use of effective defensive techniques, your opponent might not take any damage against fire based elemental attacks. Or, they simply might know of ways to use such attacks for their own benefit. That is why there exists more than one type of element," Eliza assured.


    "Ice elemental magic is another kind of sub-element. When one element fails to work properly for almost any reason, you need to learn to switch from that element to another, being less predictable in a fighting scenario. Ice elemental damage has unique properties, because despite having an ice elemental attribute, direct hits from ice attacks on most opponents generally lower their speed. By making your enemy freezing cold where they stand, they will be slower to react, and caught off guard from the loss in body temperature. The down side is that all elemental types of spells are effective against certain elements, and weak against others. Using an ice attack against an opponent who specializes in fire attacks is very unwise, since they can use such spells to melt your own, but if your opponent specializes in ice attacks or ice like defenses, fire damage will double in your favor."


    "Cool," Danny awarded.


    "Water magic is another kind of element, but no known spell can do very much harm to anybody''s HP. Humans in general can withstand water generously, which means that water attacks in theory are not helpful, unless used to put out a fire based spell, or to put out any fire. Many of our firefighters in Sprawn Valley are famous for using high-level Water Blasts to put out flames instead of relying on old technology. There are other standard uses for water attacks in a battle that might give you creative ideas about how to proceed."


    "Next, we have electrical properties. There are a number of magic attacks with electrical elemental properties, such as the famous Lightning Strike. Electrical damage in general is not best known to deal a ton of damage on HP, no matter how long it lasts. The beauty of an electrical attack is that they have surprising accuracy against opponents, making them impossible to dodge or block. Additionally, Lightning Strike is an attack spell that deals damage over a period of time, instead of something instantaneous. Though any Lightning Strike will only last about one to two seconds at best, the damage done is about the same as the pain level involved. With Leray protection, you stay conscious no matter how many electrical attacks you endure, and they are quite painful to endure. Administered, you will feel like you are getting burned and electrocuted in place for the entire duration of the spell. After the attack is over, your muscles stop tensing, but you still feel the residual effects; tingling all over, jitteriness, and a jolting heart rate accompanied by the rising temperature of all your muscles. Used against an opponent, it forces them to be more on edge, which is not a comfortable feeling. But as a result, they also become a little more responsive each time. Then again, sometimes the victim of an electrical attack can have the opposite reaction and feel drained, depending on the person."


    Eliza was having fun talking about all of this stuff. There was so much to explain, all of the information wonderful to their minds! "Wind elemental attacks are self-explanatory, usually developing properties of slashing damage in the form of a speedy wind, or mostly used to push your opponent away from you when close up. It is always important to keep your distance from the opponent in a fight, unless you are willing to take the chance that they are not prepared to deal with a close combat tactic. Wind based damage is simply not something to rely on, unless you wish to turn its effects to help a physical kind of attack. Additionally, electrical elemental damage appears to be weak against wind based attacks, since the fast moving air displaces many electrons in the process to disrupt the aim or conductivity of moving arcs." Eliza took a long breath to support the weight of her own lesson. "Then we have Earth elemental damage."


    "There are a ton of damage types," Danny pointed out.


    "Which is why taking notes is a virtue. Earth elemental damage is also very unique, using the ground below you as a special kind of free form obstacle. You can manipulate the ground in many ways, and use such methods as an advantage defense against other electrical attacks. An attack spell called Earth Glave shoots mountain-like pillars from the ground at your opponent, which smacks them with the power of the earth at an erratic force. Such attacks most often deal damage in the form of blunt damage in such a response. But Earth Glave has also been used as a defensive technique as well. One may use Earth Glave to create the same large boulder chunks to form right in front of them. The idea is to use the field they have altered as a natural barrier for attacks that are not aerial, like a Shadow Wave, which sticks closely to the ground. Earth damage can do a lot to an opponent, but there even exist special support skills that uses the earth power to disrupt enemy attacks without even causing damage in return. The possibilities with such spells are high with this one."


    "And lastly, there is something called spirit damage, sometimes referred to as ethereal damage. Spirit damage is very rarely known, hardly ever used for any purpose. In a Leray battle between two people, spirit damage serves very little purpose at all, since it was not designed to be an attack used against humans. It''s super effective against other creatures that use Leray magic, or against summons called into battle specifically. However, if used on humans, there may be some confusing effects to the intended target involved, making the fight easier on the attacker. Those effects are still understudied however."


    "Sounds like a lot to consider," a male teen announced.


    "Oh, but we''re just getting started." Eliza saw the reaction of many surprised faces. Even the ones who have heard it before likely forget how much went into the design of a Leray battle. "All I''ve done was list the different types of damages. Now we need to review the different attack formations."


    Taylor felt that her head would explode any minute now, and realized that Danny was about to snap his wrist off writing all of it down. He even made tables and charts to try and organize the properties, but now she needed a note taking ability. He only gave her one sheet of paper that was now blacker with ink than it was blank.


    Eliza continued with the start of another mini-lesson. "Not all attacks are the same in style, or execute in the same manner. First we will review the most common magical attack spells, known as projectile attacks. Projectile attacks are any sort of spell or an attack that sends some kind of damage inflicting entity towards the target in the form of a projectile. I''m not just talking about projectiles that shoot into the air and fall down on someone. Projectiles take many forms. Even certain weapons such as a machine gun or a cross bow would qualify in the category. Projectile attacks are special for inflicting damage once that projectile or projectiles impacts the opponent in order to inflict damage. However, the obvious downside of this property is that projectile attacks can easily be avoided or evaded by the target. Even the special attacks such as Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and even an Electro-Ball, all classify as projectile types of attacks. They start from Point A and end up at Point B with a very small radius of accuracy. That means that you must be accurate and quick to hit the target during the magic execution. The specific attacks that I have just mentioned, particularly with elemental bolt attacks have a special property that has homing capabilities. Shooting a Fire Ball attack just launches a blind projectile at a target, laughably easy to avoid, and much lower in damage power. A Fire Bolt on the other hand has increased attack power, travels a little faster in speed, and is attracted to the intended target with homing properties. So running to the left or right will not protect one from such a spell. However, bolt attacks use a little more MP since they are higher level, and they can still be dodged despite their homing capabilities. Of course, additional practice with elemental bolts makes them travel in the air faster and more forceful with mastered usage and success, making it harder to evade each time, but the possibility remains. Any kind of projectile attack can be dodged in some way. That is their overall weakness."


    Eliza took another breath, glancing over the room of still eager students. Taylor was now into the note taking as much as Danny was, but she had some catching up to do being rushed like this. "Lightning Strike is an exception to such an attack. It isn''t classified as any particular property of spell, because its speed is completely unavoidable. A Lightning Bolt travels at the speed of light during the payload, and with frightening accuracy, will land a target every single time without fail. Besides projectile attacks, there are better ways to inflict even higher damage while making sure that your opponent cannot dodge your next attack. I''m talking of course about area attacks. Area attacks are just as special. They often contain a ton of power, consume massive loads of one''s MP levels, and are designed to be unavoidable due to a different property of attack angles. Such a spell specializes in grazing the entire field with a large radius magical spell, invoked in order to trap the opponent in the damage long before they can effectively escape the attack radius. Some area attacks are aerial based, meaning they strike from above, and some area attacks are not aerial based, but still carry the same incredible effectiveness with them. Some area attacks wind up affecting every single millimeter inside of the battle area, Siriean dome or not."


    "These are very high level spells, meaning it takes expert practice to master them just one time. Spells such as Photon Blast make use of an unavoidable, ultra-speedy energy barrage that deals high damage, and in the form of non-elemental magical damage, thus disregarding all armor dependencies too. The downside of course is that its high power level takes a large chunk out of your MP each time one is used. Not only that, but the higher-level area attacks also have lower invocation speeds; that is ¨C it takes much longer to charge and invoke the spell than to invoke an ordinary attack spell. Attacks from the sky such as Air Strike bombard the field around where your opponent is standing, dealing major damage even if no direct hits are scored, due to the properties of explosion blasts. There are even some simple less effective projectile-like attacks that are reformed in a way to strike a large radius, becoming an area attack with lower costs and damage levels. And the best part," Eliza reckoned, "is that Leray magical properties prevent the user of their own area attacks from affecting them in anyway, including damages. Some area attacks might be big enough to raze an entire field in a Siriean dome, while still leaving the user unaffected, but they are only unaffected after mastering their used skill enough times. Area attacks have been known to backfire on their own original users, but that is only because those same people have not put in enough practice with mastering the properties of their spell. Invocation itself is not everything."


    It was difficult to summarize what her teacher was talking about. Taylor picked up on some of the details, but knew they were easy to forget.


    "You will also notice while battling in the field," Eliza added, "that most projectile magical based attacks rely on magical glyphrings to work. Area attacks and support spells do not normally use glyphrings."


    Danny was still learning so much stuff, despite what Bella and Kain tried to explain earlier. He didn''t know until now that glyphrings only appear with specific magical spells.


    "Mastering a glyphring can be as difficult as the spell itself, but area attacks are even harder, since you suddenly rely on a summoning aura instead. A summoning aura is another way of saying that you must focus on making magical entities appear out of nothingness, using your own MP energy. Instead of obtaining a glyphring, you have to use your own physical body as the node of the connective force. That is why your hands and eyes glow when using different spells. I would take this time to get into a summoning glyphring, but it''s just too advanced for you all. Even I can''t call a full summon just yet."


    "But, what is a summon?" Taylor asked. Summons and summon auras were obviously not the same, but it wasn''t easy to understand the difference. It was also strange to hear someone speak of a summon in the form of a noun.


    Eliza answered willingly, "It is a special creature, made entirely out of Leray magic that is used in battle to fight alongside with you, based on some default HP and MP status parameters. Your own summon is like an attack dog, only the creature and its abilities are highly dependent on exactly what kind of summon you create. There is some process first of procuring one or attaching one to your personal aura. Summons come out of special yellow glyphrings that are incredibly powerful for anyone to invoke. Such glyphrings take on special properties, one of being massive in size, and always the color of bright yellow. Calling summons are not always the best way to fight. They consume a ton of energy to spawn, incredible practice to master, and your summon is subject to termination during a battle."


    "Whoa!" Taylor never thought there could be so many secrets hidden away like this. She immediately returned to her notebook. Summons can be called into battle. This was deeper than she ever could have imagined.


    "And finally, there are a number of support spells, which are not actual attacks used in battles, but rather effective methods of raising your defense somehow. Support spells do not use glyphrings either, and are invoked much like the way area attacks are. However, support spells are harder to learn than area attack spells, even though they tend to use up less MP energy and less time for invocation. There are spells that can raise your speed of movement, spells that can temporarily render you invisible, spells that can trick your opponent, spells that can cause you to teleport in a specific radius, and even spells that are designed to help restore your MP and HP levels under the right circumstances. Sometimes, support spells and special attacks take more time than usual to use effectively, and so you would first need to buy yourself much time before using it in the right way. In order to use them, one must build up their MP energy, and then release that energy back into themselves. It sounds simple, but practice with them could be impossible to perform correctly during beginning stages."


    Taylor noticed a short pause, giving Eliza much needed time to rest her voice. "I never knew there was so much involved in just one single Leray battle."


    Eliza promoted, "But that is what makes Leray magic so fun to get into. Becoming a Leray master is a real challenge, and perhaps if it was not, it would prove to be much less interesting."


    "You have a point there," Jane awarded. She knew there was a lot of work ahead of her in the attempt to become a Leray master. Whoever though thought of all these different entities and types of Leray magic was a genius.


    Eliza took her time to claim the importance of the purpose too. "But such things like this inspire so many people. Leray battling is a real life strategy kind of deal. You have to be adaptable while learning many new abilities on the sidelines. You learn more abilities by further practicing your skills. Once you become more powerful and used to invoking Leray magic, your capacity for learning more powers becomes higher, and this is important, since you will all only be graduating with low-level attacks. Second year people will practice higher level spells, but most first year graduates prefer the real life world as a training course, due to the experience it gives off that we cannot."


    "Eliza?" Danny pleaded. "What did you mean by the level of attacks earlier?"


    "Great question. As you know, there exists infinite combinations of Leray spells and styles that can be used in battle, and each spell has its own designated power level. A power level of a spell determines how effective it will be at its capability to knock down an opponent''s HP points. I''m talking about points, not about capacity. A Fire Bolt used against a rookie can do some good damage, but against an expertly trained wielder, it would just reflect off their body, making them laugh. The reason for this is the difference in their levels of endurance built up while training. With power levels that are associated with attacks, you also have power levels for defense, referred to as endurance level. General defense gets higher when one gets stronger, and that is because experience slowly increases your total HP and MP points. Fire Ball for example is considered a power level two attack, which is essentially low against any tough opponent. Area attacks usually tend to have higher power levels, which explains their difficulty to learn and master. But in retrospect, even against tough enemies, they deal a lot more damage in HP points. The thing is, every Leray wielder who has ever lived including those not yet trained, always starts with learning low level attacks first in order to get the hang of it. High-level spells take longer to learn and invoke, and are much more difficult to train with. That is why you must start small and slowly grow to get better and better. Nobody starts out trying to learn the most difficult spells; it simply won''t work."


    "Oh," Danny exhaled. It seemed simple enough after that explanation. None of this was hard to understand, it was just a lot to take in at once.


    "For example, an attack such as Meteor Strike, which is considered a power level six spell, can do some serious damage, but it can also take forever to learn while constituting a much higher MP cost requirement. Even if your high powered attack is not an area attack, it will still consume a ton of your MP, which is why it works better to train more, increase your total MP capacity, and then aim higher on new skills you could be learning."


    "Sounds difficult," Taylor implied.


    "It can be." Eliza sounded like she was far from done with the lecture in general. "I almost forgot to include damage mixing as well, but the power levels being explained draw into the same category..." Eliza gave them a moment to get ready for another long write. "Here''s what I mean by this. Say you want to inflict more than one type of damage on an opponent with a simultaneous moment. This is clearly possible. Using a low attack power level example, you could use a sword as a weapon, and infuse that blade with a flaming element using some MP power and the appropriate spell. You would then have a sword that if used correctly, can deal both slashing damage and fire elemental damage in the same go. As a result, you end up making your opponent lose more HP points than originally intended with slashes of a sword, and it all happens by mixing magical powers with a physical attack. Shadow Wave for another example, classified as a power level four magical strike, sticks to the ground while moving at the target, but it is a force of non-elemental magical damage that also deals a lot of random slashing damage upon impact. Despite having a low power level, the Shadow Wave attack is therefore more effective in damage than a simple magical spell or a slashing physical attack alone. By combining magical damage with physical damage, you will learn to increase the total damage of your attacks without increasing the proportional power level of the attack, or without increasing your MP consumption in most scenarios."


    "What about getting the chance to attack?" another student asked.


    "Oh right," Eliza remembered. "In official Leray matches, though it is not a rule or a requirement, both opponents often attack each other by taking turns. They literally agree to give the other person some time to get back up after an attack against them before attacking again. This is done on purpose, in order to help both parties learn how to attack and defend themselves in a fair fight. Turns however are only classified as time, time measured by how long one person is not taking any damage. If I were to be in a match against Jane Venn, and I became stupid enough to invoke a very high power level attack that also happens to take a ton of time charging up, Jane would clearly have the opportunity to attack me in the middle of my invocation, interrupting me and ruining the whole chain I built up. Interrupting a person''s powerful attack works against them double, because even if their attack is not used, the MP it cost to try and charge that spell is also lost in the process. So timing is still critical. But if my attack happened to land on Jane for a major direct hit, knocking her to the ground without knocking her out, I could technically attack her again before she is able to recover and get back up. Most times, I would wait in order to prepare myself for a defensive tactic, but if I can tell that Jane is going to take a long time getting back up, then I can push in another spell."


    Eliza stopped to breathe, and she could see that Jane had no objections to being used in a fine example. "However, once you all get really tough, to the point where we can consider you experts, then the time for taking turns will be over. You will have to rely on reflexes, changing and choosing tactics, and your knowledge of opponent''s movements in order to know when to attack or defend. Taking turns is not really an expectation at any given moment, and is something that only rookies are expected to do before learning how to properly conduct battles. The really tough Leray wielders battle each other vigorously and randomly, showing no mercy by using attack after attack even if their opponent is down or unable to get back up quickly. Know that there is no actual rule for or against such courses of action. It''s simply a learning experience."


    "As another example may fit," Jane offered. "You could end up getting interrupted while attacking another person if they can shake it off, disrupting your next chance to defend." Jane knew Eliza had no problem helping explain the fine details. She already knew much about this unit, and Eliza always taught the material in the form of discussions anyway.


    "Exactly right," Eliza agreed. "That is why combination attacks are incredibly effective. They consist of any type of attack spell at any particular level that strikes the enemy one after the next amount of hits. If you hit your opponent with just one strike, you will lose a few future battles. By developing combination attacks, even if they exist in the most non-magical physical form, your opponent will be unable to counter your move after hitting him over and over again, making it less possible to break free of the combo, and less possible to evade each hit."


    Taylor raised her hand high, wishing to know the next great secret. "What''s the first spell we get to learn? Is it cool?"


    "The first Leray spell you will all learn, if you have not already, is Radial Stars." Eliza remembered the effects of Radial Stars greatly. "Radial Stars is classified as a power level one attack, which is the least powerful skill out of any spell."


    "What?" Danny was disappointed. "Why are we learning some kiddy spell then? Shouldn''t we aim a little higher for ourselves?"


    Eliza huffed at the predicted response of Danny''s impatience. "We will all be starting with Radial Stars. Everybody learns that spell as their first one. The reason is simple. Because its power level is so low, and the MP requirement is miniscule, the difficulty of mastering the Radial Stars spell will be effectively manageable for all of you. Radial Stars is the number one stepping stone for all Leray wielders. After you learn Radial Stars, then you will be capable of learning so much more."


    Jane added, "It''s all because learning any one spell gets you oriented into Leray concentration auras properly, and it makes you much more used to invoking any other spells in general too."


    "Since you are all not used to invoking any spells at this time, except Jane, Radial Stars is the starting point."


    Taylor knew that Danny was a little disappointed, but she was beyond excited. She had never seen a Radial Stars spell before, but after today, she was going to learn one!


    "Danny?" Eliza pointed. "There is something you must also understand, something that applies to all Leray spells of any kind and form."


    "What''s that," he asked. Why is she picking on me?


    "It has been tested and scientifically proven, that when any skill of any power level of a spell is used over and over in succession, whether it be in battle or outside practice, that same spell gets stronger and stronger for the one who continues to use it."


    "Really?"


    "Yes," Eliza answered. "It is ill advice to always seek new skills while failing to focus on the less powerful ones before it, and here is why. When a person uses any spell at all, one that at least requires a hint of MP usage, their entire body and even their consciousness momentarily connects to what is known as the Leray field; better known as a special dimensional space we can''t normally see or feel. Using abilities, especially the same exact one over and over tightens our total connective force with that Leray energy field. Radial Stars is nationally known as the weakest attack ever, but it is so popular because that is what allows new people to step up and learn how to become better themselves. However, this also leaves room for unexpected error. There have been moments where a tough Leray battler would be unpredictable and underestimated. I have heard of Leray Elites winning fights with just two or three Radial Star attacks, and the reason is obvious. They''ve been using it constantly ever since they started their journey. After invoking it every day for years, the power level of Radial Stars for their connective force is jumped up much higher than it would be for anyone else."


    "Amazing!" Taylor and Danny replied. So even if one fails to learn super powerful attack spells, current over-used lower spells get stronger in the process, and the balance is the same between a person''s HP stat going up as well.


    "Power levels become less relevant when you keep practicing skills you think you have already mastered. The proportional damage of the attack increases slowly over time. If one were to shoot a Fire Bolt for their first time, compared to a person who has successfully shot about four thousand Fire Bolts, it is pretty clear who the winner will be in force, power, and even the speed of the Fire Bolt in action."


    Jane felt like giving Eliza a bit of a break here. "Attack power isn''t the only thing that improves when you keep practicing a learned skill in succession." The class attention was now on her, including that of Taylor and Danny. It was only natural for them to assume Jane knew almost as much as her own teacher at this rate. "Every single spell has what is called an invocation time; the time it takes to charge up your energy, and release it to trigger the effects of that spell. No one spell shares the same invocation period. Practicing with spells also makes invocation of that very spell happen faster than the time before it. So if I wanted to use an area attack that takes forever to invoke, I can easily be interrupted, or at the very least, my opponent would have plenty of time to figure out how to block the attack or evade it all together. However, if I were to practice with that one single area attack for a very long time, they would not expect that the charging time of my spell would then be significantly reduced, giving them no chance to evade it."


    Eliza continued right where Jane left off. "Even a simple Fire Bolt, which is already speedy, homing, and quick to hurl towards an enemy, can be refined moreover until the invocation time is so quick, your opponent would never see it coming. Additionally, that Fire Bolt attack would do more damage than it normally would, and the speed of the bolt in action could become as quick as the speed of light too."


    The class remained silent, in total awe of the strategic mess they had to absorb. "Patience is a virtue with this, and so is hard work. That is why starting today and tomorrow, we will be trying to learn the spell of Radial Stars."


    Danny couldn''t believe his luck. Already he was given an assignment to not only learn, but also use and invoke a magical spell. Was he really so capable?


    "You missed one." The class and Eliza fell silent, trying to pinpoint the origin of the person who spoke. All eyes fell on Jane, who was calmly sitting where she was.


    "I''m sorry?" Eliza requested. She didn''t know what Jane meant.


    "A damage type," Jane replied. "You missed one. You listed all of the elements and types of attacks, but you forgot to mention the element of dark magic."


    "That''s because it''s not to be discussed any further than rumor. I won''t have people raising this discussion in class."


    Jane knew Eliza would act like this, but it was related to the topic right now. "I think it''s important for us to know what to stay away from¡ª"


    Eliza cut Jane off mid-sentence, her voice filling with anger. "Jane! That is not an appropriate topic. You know that dark magic is forbidden."


    What? What is this about dark magic? Danny didn''t write it down in front of Eliza, but he paid direct attention. Was dark magic its own side element? Why was it forbidden?


    "I never said it wasn''t," Jane implied. The classroom of kids looked quite confused. "It''s dangerous, and it''s scary." Jane was only talking directly to Eliza, who was already upset that she would bring the subject up. "But it''s necessary to stay informed, at least as much as to stay away from the concept."


    Eliza grumbled, but gave in to the logic behind what Jane was saying. She did have a good point. If her students ever learned the very name of dark magic form anybody else, their curiosity could drive them to criminal activities, or worse. Still, how dare Jane bring it up so suddenly! "Class?" Eliza paused, taking her time with great caution. "There is one more type of magic I did not mention. It is a highly dangerous and volatile form of energy that is forbidden to use no matter what."


    "Forbidden magic?" Taylor questioned. "I had no idea¡ª"


    "That such evil forces could exist?" Eliza finished. "I''ll only summarize. Dark magic is known for being a special derivative of unfiltered lunar magic of a different format. It is not in any form the same as Leray magic. If anything, it opposes such a force directly. Increased attack power, aggressive behaviors... There are people in this world, though most of them have already been dealt with, that use forbidden magic to do great harm."


    "It is really that dangerous?" Danny wanted every detail, but he was already not liking the sound of this. He already learned that Leray magic wasn''t dangerous with the exception of vital drain status, but this news put a new record to his claim.


    "Highly. You see... Dark magic is a form of energy that can be applied to any kind of attack, even spells that derive of Leray magic, but the properties are different. Dark magic inflicts real time damage on anybody it strikes, regardless of the Leray protection veil and regardless of everything else. The energy signature itself forcefully declines the properties of the veil when striking people or protected objects, which naturally rejects your protection from death or injury during that moment. If you lose your HP to zero by taking enough hits of dark magical attacks, you will not live to survive it. Such an evil practice is popular among the worst criminals who wish to use it to get whatever they want, and any person who dares try and practice it will be prosecuted by law and tried as an adult under maximum penalty - with no exceptions."


    Forget vital drain! Danny had just discovered the true force behind everyone''s fears. If dark magic can be used to reject Leray protection and kill anybody it strikes, doesn''t that make the Leray veil irrelevant among criminals? If magic can be used to kill after all, it proves his theory all along - that magic is in itself dangerous! Still, there was another problem on its own...


    Eliza was obviously uncomfortable with the total subject. "Our country is in a time of peace. I want none of you to worry. There has not been a confirmed report of a dark magical user in Sprawn Valley for years. The ones before have already been locked away or killed by their own experiments. But it''s a force that totally defies and ignores any Leray magical effects, period! Which is why, if any of you have the rare misfortune to come into contact with someone who uses dark magic, I want you to run away and report it. Whatever you do, do not fight them..." Eliza gave Jane a strange look. "I mean it Jane!"


    "Okay! Okay." Jane knew it would never work out for her anyway, but Eliza must have gotten the wrong idea.


    Who does she think she is, bringing up a dark topic like that? Eliza shook her head, continuing her warnings. "And if I ever, ever find out that any one of you ends up using dark magic, even by accident, I''ll lock you up and torture you myself!" Despite being rash, everybody else sunk down in their desks, suddenly afraid of the teacher. She made things very clear about what not to do. Why wouldn''t she? Eliza remembered seeing once upon a time how the concept of dark magic twisted the mind of a student people used to know, and much others that followed him.


    "I''m not in any disagreement," Jane handled. "None of you should even think about getting involved with that stuff. It''s wrong and evil, just like Eliza said."


    "And," Eliza added, "clearly against one of the technical Leray rules of battling, but that''s less important. Anybody who is known to have the skill of dark magic learned is subject to being arrested and tried as an adult. It''s one of our few yet very strict laws in Sprawn Valley."


    At least it means it was less likely to occur, but Danny had an eerie feeling in the back of his throat now. Whether he decided to get involved with Leray magic or not, others who use dark magic to kill could easily threaten him or Taylor on their way to Junon. In fact, it made a little more sense now to practice just a little portion of magic, for self-protection and self-defense before departing. Is this the topic that Nyar was afraid of?


    With the end of her warning, the bell rang in the school indicating that they had run out of time. It felt like over an hour had passed, probably much longer since the lesson was just so long.


    Eliza spoke over the increasing volume level of the kids trapped inside of the room, already packing their things. "Remember! Your assignment for tonight and tomorrow is learning how to invoke Radial Stars. Use the text book page 343 as the guide mark!"


    Eliza waited for the students to walk out, but a few of them were trapped in their seats, unable to move due to how much information they had learned in such little time. They probably felt like their brains were beginning to overload. Among the few who were taking forever just to get up, Danny, Taylor, and Jane were part of them. Jane was only slow because she was waiting on Danny and Taylor, but now they were beginning to get their things together. Jane moved in to try and talk to them, but Eliza wanted a word first. "Danny! Taylor! Let''s have a talk. You too Jane!"


    Danny lowered his head a bit, feeling like this was some kind of trouble based on how aggressive his teacher''s tone became. Was this about what Jane just said? Were they actually in trouble because of it? And why involve him and Taylor if Jane''s mouth was the one involved?


    Jane stopped in her tracks, turning to glance at Eliza. She was serious about wanting to speak to each of them. She was not certain if what she just said was the cause, but it was clear that her teacher had something specific on her mind. Jane didn''t expect Eliza to get so upset just by raising the topic.


    While waiting for some kind of punishment, Danny couldn''t shake the darkening thoughts from his mind. Leray magic, and dark magic. There are two formats that exist side-by-side. Dark magic must be the reason so many people hate Sprawn Valley. As peaceful as this place seems, it couldn''t have always been that way. What happens if more people try to take up the dark arts? What happens if some crazy conspiracy breaks out? Dark magic can''t be opposed with protective effects of the veil. Eliza just said so herself.


    This sensation of darkness, of mystery, it could swallow their plans whole. Magic must be more dangerous than others are making it to be. Nyar has to be right! He has to know all about dark magic, enough to realize how terrible this place is. Clearly, some of the people here are hiding things. The next question to answer is, what does it take to learn or use dark magic? If anyone could learn it, none are safe from the grips of doom. Eliza, Kain... Somebody is going to give the answers everyone deserves!


    <hr>


    To be continued...


    <hr>


    > Liking the series so far? Click >here</a>< to continue to the next book. Don''t forget to like, bookmark, and support</a>.

 Chapter 11: Anchorage

    <hr>


    <12/23/1971 ~ 14:15 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Punishment of some sort was to be expected with the tone Eliza had given them earlier. Instead, she was silent for about twelve long seconds with Jane and her friends standing patiently in front of her. Other students lagging behind were finally leaving the room to go to their homes. By then, the teacher finally calmed her nerves, and decided to pry into their business a little more. "Danny and Taylor..."


    Danny and Taylor each exchanged looks, but Jane was directly facing Eliza, trying to figure out the big fuss. With Eliza''s tone level normalized, she assumed nobody was at fault after all.


    "You two are still new students here. And as such, I am naturally inclined to expect a little less from you both as far as the training for Radial Stars is going. However," Eliza swayed, "I can sense that Jane has chosen to trust the two of you. You appear to be friends of hers, and that means you both have the great fortune to learn a lot from Jane."


    Jane backed up a step. Even she was surprised that Eliza was complimenting all of them. Jane thought her teacher was angry about bringing up the dark magic subject on the spot. But as far as this promise Eliza was referring to, Jane remembered saying no such thing towards her. How would Eliza know about this anyway? "You-You''re not mad?"


    Eliza nodded left and right. "No, I''m not... Jane, you have been showcasing an incredible amount of vigilance in my class, always exceeding far beyond my own expectations. You are clearly driven to become a Leray master."


    Jane avoided eye contact from Danny and Taylor, clearly blushing from the modest response of a maximum grade compliment. "Thanks... Um... That might be overstating it a little."


    Unbelievable! Jane is all melted over a simple compliment? Danny remembered similar behavior in her during the dinner they had last night, but it was wondrous to see it happen to Jane again.


    "Nonsense!" Eliza corrected. "You two should know. Jane isn''t just top of the class for no reason. She''s always sneaking off to train hard every day, sometimes even every night in the fields."


    "Well..." Jane was covering her shoulder with the other arm, unable to deny the true statement. It wasn''t that she hated training hard, but being put in the spotlight wasn''t something she was used to, even when being praised.


    "She even trains outside of the facility, all the time, rarely ever using the dark room for our studies. And Jane? I''m not mad that you brought that subject up. It just caught me off guard. Most people that end up getting involved in dark magic are older and more trained, much more than you. I don''t want to bring that kind of gloom to a class of such young talents."


    "I see." Jane became more serious again with the thought of the forbidden magic subject.


    "It''s important that we all learn to stay away from any of its influence, or any kind of attacks used in that manner. You know that as much as I do."


    "I had no idea such a dark art existed here," Taylor pleaded. Maybe Danny and Nyar were right to distrust the culture of Sprawn Valley. If magic can be transformed into a dangerous format, they have no business learning any of it. Still...


    Danny kept quiet, unable to dismiss the issue as quickly as Taylor. Knowing Eliza wasn''t so upset after all is refreshing, but it doesn''t clear the other weirdoes of suspicion. Even if its existence isn''t well known, the mere possibility that others can use dark magic in such a dangerous way proves that Nyar was right to warn him not to get involved. Or rather, he probably feared that dark magic and Leray magic look too similar. Whatever is going on here, there is something sinister behind the life style people choose to live. Except... Leray magic is only allowed to be used in the confines of Sprawn Valley and the protective veil. So then, what enables the use of dark magic? Danny held his tongue in the question, for he knew that if he were to ask anyone around here, possibly even Jane, he would never get a realistic answer.


    Eliza was not shy talking to Taylor or to Danny. In just some very short time, they were well known, and it was probably Jane''s fault for being so unusually popular. "It''s a disgrace to everything we live and stand for. It''s magic that was designed specifically to oppose the properties of Leray magic and the veil, and it seems to be highly effective too. People have died before from dark magic in our nation''s long history, but as far as things go today, we haven''t seen much of that. Crime in Sprawn Valley is at an all-time low, and it''s been this way for a couple of centuries now."


    "That''s good," Danny gestured with a sigh of relief. There really isn''t anything to worry about then. If this really is the thing people are afraid of, then it''s simply the dark potential of magic that others hate, not the practice of Leray magic entirely. If dark magic isn''t a dominant force in Sprawn Valley, then this shouldn''t be a problem... No, wait! That''s not a proven fact yet. Who determines how dark magic is learned? If anyone can just get into using it, that means the possibility of disasters still exist here. Magic isn''t safe after all!


    "Oh, right!" Eliza stuttered. "I almost forgot. I want to let you know that any time you want some assistance from Jane to help your training, you can both trust her."


    Taylor turned her head towards Jane, but felt confused by the blunt statement. Is there something to lead Eliza to believe they couldn''t trust her earlier? "Seems like you and the teacher are best buddies, huh?"


    Perhaps it was because Jane did not like people to see her as a teacher''s pet or magnet, but for whichever reason, she turned out to be a little shy given Eliza''s testimonies when they regarded her. "Come on. You know me."


    Taylor figured that she did know Jane better than she did yesterday. It seemed a lot to her like Jane was accepted by enough people too often for her to be some dark, hardcore fighting machine. In truth, she is just as human as anyone else.


    Eliza suggested, "Anyway, it''s still up to her whether she wants to help you out. But since you are helping around with Jane, I figure that the both of you really can be expected to learn one attack or two. Jane? I know that with your help, they''ll be shooting stars in their sleep."


    Jane nodded in agreement, appearing much more confident this time. "They''ll need to for tomorrow''s advancement. Friday is elemental training day, right?"


    "How are you always on top of my own lesson plans before I can even read them out?" Eliza never got this far even with Jane''s session. The only other time she ever got to train outside of her own classroom was with the other male teacher known here as Brauna, who is expertly skilled in close combat craftsmanship and basic spells. That is where Jane learned her physical fighting style with the additional help of Mr. Mire, and for whatever reason, she appears to love her choice of hidden daggers as the main weapons here.


    "When I want to speed up," Jane explained, "I like to peak ahead."


    "Well you''re in luck Jane. Once we begin actual training, which we have today, we don''t slow down even for more students. We will be reaching our mark in just a month of time or less. Anyone who doesn''t pass will have to try again next time."


    "So that means," Jane conceded. "In just a month, I get my license!" Before Eliza could agree to her claim, Jane jumped up with her real stamina returned to her. "Whoo-hoo! I''m gonna graduate! I''ll get my license for sure!"


    Danny felt like Jane could use a time out, getting so psyched so fast like that. She was not nearly this excited one second ago, and in just a few more seconds, she was a whole new person. Jane must really want to win. "Radial Stars, is it?"


    "Oh, it''ll be easy. Even a pipsqueak like you can pull it off."


    Once again, Danny took another insult from Jane, and it turned out to be the same one from before. "Hey! I''m no pipsqueak."


    "We''re just kidding," Jane and Taylor replied together.


    Danny noticed that Taylor was part of Jane''s response, which didn''t exactly add up to a degree of honesty. "What do ya mean we''re?! Taylor?!" Danny felt defeated already. Jane and Taylor were already the clich¨¦ team of girls who stick together against him in their silly parade of bullying or teasing, but even he realized it was just a joke in the end.


    Eliza got off the desk she was leaning on before, and began walking out of the room. "Alright you three. Remember that should you decide to use the dark room, we still have to lock it up at five pm, so mind the time of day."


    "It''s okay," Jane directed. "We won''t be using the dark room this time." Danny and Taylor were predictably looking at her, waiting for the next answer to a question they didn''t really have to ask. "We''ll be training outside of my house. It''s better to get fresh air than to be trapped in a stuffy old room. That way, I can keep an eye on you."


    "You really think I can learn Radial Stars in just a few hours?" Taylor doubted.


    "I know so." Jane was very confident even in her abilities to teach her friends. "You''ve both been able to invoke an energy scope already, and using a magical attack spell is sort of the same deal. That''s how I know it won''t be impossible."


    Danny wanted to raise another concern, but knew Jane would just ignore it. Why fight in the open fields of Fronas, so close to her own house no less? Isn''t the dark room specifically designed for negating stray magical damage to other physical objects? Danny forgot how and why the veil doesn''t protect physical objects, but it''s significant, because any one of his magical attacks could end up damaging her home structure if the aim was off. On second thought, she better know that it will be her responsibility should anything happen there. "What about stray fire? What if we hit someone else by mistake, or break one of the windows to your room?"


    Jane ignored the specific detail in which Jane''s room was on the backside of the house, not the front, but he had a fair point. Still, a power level one attack shouldn''t be of any concern in this regard. "Don''t worry about it. I won''t let that happen."


    Danny warned, "Okay. But I''m not responsible for damage if it does happen."


    "I said it''ll be fine. Now let''s say we go fire up our magic!"


    In a most monotone voice, Danny let Jane and Taylor be themselves. "Cool. What are we waiting for?" Danny''s impatience was well-founded. None of the others argued with his idea to go and train right now. Jane plans to take this outside where the view would be better.


    "Lunch first," she stopped. Even as Jane became fired up to show them both Radial Stars, she reminded Danny and Taylor that eating was an important factor in using Leray skills. "I''m hungry, and I''m buying."


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Deep Strike ~ Ace Combat 4 OST</a>


    <hr>


    The day passed by quicker than it normally would. That last class session full of Leray battling information got the sun sinking down much faster than anybody expected it to. Perhaps that class session was more like three hours as it felt like one. The class day did not start out as earlier as it did before either. One P.M. was the set time for the session to begin.


    Aside from that, Jane got her friends some grub as they ate outside together. Jane didn''t really say much about the spell for Radial Stars, even though Taylor and Danny would not stop asking about it. It was eventually obvious that Jane was waiting for that direct moment to defer their concentration to the right idea. After what seemed in available daylight as five P.M., Danny and Taylor both spread out facing the same direction in front of Jane''s house, with Jane further away facing both of them for observations.


    Danny and Taylor were now in a position to begin their practice, and Jane was ready to give them their first general instructions. "Alright you two. You''re going to create a glyphring in order to fire the spell known as Radial Stars. Watch me."


    She''s doing this now? Danny wondered why Jane was a bit quiet for the past few seconds, but this setup was the grounds Jane planned on using for them both. They were in front of her house in the short cut field of grass, and on the other side of Jane in the distance, there were three spread out scarecrows facing them.


    Jane volunteered to demonstrate the entire effect of the spell, while Danny and Taylor watched carefully. With their attention on her, Jane turned her body to face the target dummies set outside. They were really scarecrows with targets painted on the front and back, made mostly out of sandbags and hay. Before long, Jane shut her eyes only momentarily, drawing in the energy she had stored up. From any other perspective, it would have just looked like Jane was concentrating, trying to focus on something she could sense. At that moment, a bright orange colored glyphring, with the diameter set of two feet wide and the neon glow styled with symbols located on the glyphring, formed out from phase in front of her. The glyphring''s center was facing the target dummy, as if it was some kind of eye, and the large disk began to rotate in place slowly. At the exact same time, Jane''s hands were glowing a different color too, the color of aqua blue, but only at a low level of intensity.


    Jane then performed her next move, throwing her entire arm into the glyphring, and allowing that limb to line up straight through the center of the rotating disk. Now Jane''s open palm and the center of the glyphring itself were aimed at the target dummy. Next, Jane hollered the phrase, "Radial Stars!" At the same time she shouted this, several mid-sized star shaped objects began shooting, formed from phase right at the center of the glyphring. Each star appeared to be a solid orange glowing object with five sharp pointed ends, spinning in place as they shot straight through the air like arrows. One after another, creating an entire barrage of stars, each and every one of them had the same bright orange glow that the glyphring had, as they headed straight for the target dummy with intense speed. The speed of each projectile felt as quick as 145 miles per hour. After every single star was shot from the magic in the glyphring, they had all impacted on or around the target. Several of these stars happened to miss the target dummy, but that was because they were not shot out in a perfectly straight line. Creating a mixed barrage of shooting magical stars, the impacts caused the standup dummy target to sway far backwards from the force of the magical attack. However, the bag did not rip open, and each of the stars disappeared into nothingness shortly after individual impact.


    All of this happened in a matter of two seconds. Only one for Jane to create the glyphring, unleash her energy, and shoot every single star; there had to have been about 35 small objects in the shape of a star. After that first second passed, the rest of the time was devoted to the target taking the hit from the attack. It may feel natural to Jane, and appear to happen in slow motion when imagining it, but to Danny and Taylor, Jane unleashed that entire spell so fast it made their heads spin.


    Shortly after all of the stars had disappeared, Jane lowered her arm back down to her side, which traveled through the glyphring as if it were just a hologram projection. The glyphring was phased entirely, unable to be touched by real world objects. Just as Jane lowered her arm, the entire glyphring faded away as well. Jane didn''t even seem like she was breaking a sweat. With a confident look, Jane addressed the two of her friends. "That is how a Radial Star attack should look like."


    Taylor felt a bit winded in her mind. How was she supposed to do that? The demonstration was great, but there was no guidebook for this. "How did you do that?"


    Jane knew exactly how to explain the method of channeling her MP energy into a spell, whether it has been learned or not. "You have to channel your energy into an attack spell to make it form. With Radial Stars, you have to start off with a glyphring, specific to that ability. That''s when you unleash the energy."


    "Yeah," Danny backed down. "I''m not so good with channeling my energy."


    "It''s just like I showed you before," Jane reminded. "Think back to when I made the two of you use those energy scopes for yourselves. This is the exact same thing, only you have to chant a different name and focus on that particular spell. Imagine while you are using and releasing energy that allows you to use the spell happening in real life, and it will."


    Taylor almost gasped, forgetting that she successfully made an energy scope. Were the two really related? "So, if I bring out my energy scope, is that sort of practice for Radial Stars?"


    "It will help you get a feel for how to execute magical attacks," Jane reworded.


    Taylor thought back to before, with her memories still completely fresh on how she was able to pull her energy scope up. After the first time she tried it, Taylor copied that move down again and again. With another attempt, Taylor began to get a feel for that energy, the same sensation she had from before. Without being in Sprawn Valley, this would have been impossible in every way. But when Taylor tried to get a sense of her own physical and magical energy, she really did feel a powerful essence emanate and vibrate inside of her. That is when she began to store a small amount of it.


    Danny was a little quiet and confused, trying to figure out what Taylor was up to. When she finally felt that now was the time, she imagined her own status box appearing above her head, at the same time she was quickly releasing that energy. To her, this felt like an entire time of three seconds had passed in order to make it happen the right way. It was probably longer. With an easy success, Taylor managed to actually make her energy scope appear right above her head, partially translucent, but still readable with the strong orange glow it provided.


    "Whoa!" Danny had seen it before, even pulled it off himself, but it was going to take a while to get used to having the capacity to use magic this way. Taylor intentionally created her own energy scope, pulling up her stats in order to see if she could again. Danny studied the box, watching how the MP level on Taylor''s stats rose from 99% to 100% on its own. So it does regenerate!


    "I get what you''re doing," Jane inquired. "By getting the exact same feel for using magic in your mind with your energy scope, you can have an easier time using Radial Stars."


    "That''s exactly right," Taylor approved. She then turned to face that target dummy again, thinking it over and over in her head, what it would have to look like if Taylor shot a Radial Stars attack in that direction.


    Danny realized that he would have the same luck if he gets himself familiar with the sense. That''s why it is so hard to explain Leray magic; it''s something that can only be felt. Remembering his practices from the other day, Danny tried once again to focus his energy, trying to imagine using the energy scope assigned to himself.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Jane saw Danny''s energy scope appear above his head, right as he was trying to create it on purpose. He seemed highly concentrated, but only for less than a second of time, since making an energy scope is not that difficult.


    "Awesome!" Danny coaxed. "Now for Radial Stars."


    Jane smiled while watching the two of them attempt their first try of the easy attack spell. Both of them didn''t shut their eyes, not that they really had to, but only Taylor had her arm already pointed out in front, taking aim. She seemed to be concentrating very hard, trying to imagine the glyphring form around her wrist in mid-air, though some time passed. Taylor seemed like she was really pouring her heart into it, but nothing was happening. Taylor didn''t know it since she was focused on trying to use the spell, but her MP energy stats were not even budging. Even though she imagined it happening over and over, there was no success.


    "Taylor, you have to focus your energy at the same time. And don''t forget to chant the spell name when you are ready to use it."


    Danny was trying to concentrate as much as Taylor was, but was immediately distracted by the new information. "Chant the name? Why would we do that?"


    "It helps focus your mind on the spell you are trying to use. Imagine yourself using Radial Stars. At the same time, store and release your energy at the correct moment. Chant Radial Stars just before you release that energy."


    Danny heard what Jane was saying. It did make sense, but that left behind another strange issue. "Wait a minute." He turned towards Jane, confused by a conclusion this allowed him to draw. "If we always have to chant the name of each attack we use, won''t our future opponents see every attack coming their way?"


    "Not always," Jane replied. "Besides, chanting the name in real combat is not for or against any rules, but people do it anyway because it helps assign a focus name to your spell cast. Once you master one spell, it becomes quick and automatic to your mind. After mastering more than ten spells, it gets really confusing and mixed up if you only rely on feeling alone. That is why keeping track of each spell name and chanting it each time helps the wielder focus their energy without forgetting exactly how the attack pattern is executed in Leray magic."


    It was a mouth full, so Danny simply nodded pretending to understand the full intake. After shaking off that short lesson in his head, he tried once again to focus. First, he felt the energy around him, just like he did before when creating the energy scope. He let that energy fill up inside of him, through his arms, legs, his veins too. At the same time, he tried to imagine Jane using her Radial Stars, knowing exactly what stance to use and how to execute it. The sensation was something else. Though as indescribable as it was, Danny could tell that the Leray energy channeled inside of him had to be concentrated, which did feel like a less intense electrical buzz to that section.


    Taylor lowered her arm, sighing from a stressful mistake again. She managed to get nothing done so far, and glanced over at Danny, who was also trying hard to concentrate.


    Danny lifted his arm really quickly, aiming at the dummy with his palm now open. "Radial Stars!" he shouted. After expecting some kind of magical energy to be released, there was nothing. Danny''s hands did not glow in the slightest. His palm did not shoot beautiful stars out of it. The buzzing ceased immediately, and there was absolutely no sign of a glyphring in place around his arm. Danny sunk down a little in his stance realizing his failure.


    From no less than a holler, Jane commanded, "Keep trying you two," from both Danny and Taylor. "Charge and release your energy carefully. Radial Stars takes an average of two percent to draw."


    Taylor exhaled calmly again, trying to get her sense of focus back again. This was not as easy as it looked anyway. How does Jane do it? Taylor checked her status box from before. She didn''t decide to make it fade. There wouldn''t be a point in dismissing the energy scan with the constant need to glance back at it. Her MP energy did go down slightly from before, but she watched as it recovered quickly towards 100%. If Radial Stars only takes about 2% MP, than there should be no reason that it can''t be used. The failure had to be her own.


    Danny decided not to give up yet, but his sight was taken back to Taylor, who looked incredibly still, more than what he thought she could pull off. She was focusing like before, but even better this time. In just another second of time, Taylor drew her arm out. She calmly held her arm straight with her left hand opened. Contrary to what happened last time, an orange glyphring formed right in front of her left hand at the same time.


    "Radial Stars!" Taylor shouted the name, hoping that it would help, but it didn''t exactly work. The stars were not there, nothing was firing from Taylor''s open palm of her left hand. She did happen to notice the faint glow of a glyphring right in front of her eyes. However, it was not entirely there, much less opaque than when Jane launched her attack. The glyphring immediately flickered and faded away before Taylor even realized that she got slightly better results this time than she did before.


    "Keep trying!" Jane encouraged. "I almost saw a fully active glyphring Taylor."


    "I know." Taylor was surprised at herself. Even though it did not completely form, and she failed again, the physical proof was right there. She did that! A glyphring with the same orange glow as Jane formed just specifically for her, under Taylor''s own command. All she had to do was try over and over until it works.


    Danny''s jaw almost dropped. How did she get so good? There has to be something I missed. Danny closed his eyes briefly, trying to concentrate on his MP energy again. The feeling was actually more familiar each time, and because of that, it allowed him to charge that energy into himself even faster than before. When he felt that the timing was right, he threw his arm up again, shouting, "Radial Stars!" Despite what he wanted to happen, he could not even create a glyphring as good as Taylor''s. In his failed attempt, he felt that charged energy had been completely released, and lowered his arm again to rethink it.


    Once again, Taylor drew in her focus, feeling for the familiar sensation of Leray energy inside of her. After realizing that stored MP simply means it already lives in her essence, Taylor knew exactly where to pull it from, but this time, instead of storing that energy all around every part of her body that she could feel, Taylor tried directing it all into her hands. At the same time, even with her eyes wide open, she imagined the entire attack. First, the glyphring is created using some of the stored energy. Then, all of the remaining MP stored into her hand is released, and a barrage of shooting stars will fly out of her left palm. This is only what Taylor imagined happening just before trying it again.


    This time, Taylor waited a short moment before lifting her arm, releasing only some of her energy from her body to try and make a glyphring. Without a better way to explain the process, Taylor simply imagined that the glyphring would form during her attempt. Whether she was suddenly seeing one appear in front of her now was either a mind trick of her own or the real deal. Proceeding the formation of the more solid orange rotating glyphring, Taylor held her left arm higher, aligning that part of her body into the center of the holographic disk. At the same time, she took aim at the dummy targets and released the energy stored directly from her left hand. While this was happening, during the release - Taylor automatically ended up chanting the name, "Radial Stars!" while imagining that the barrage of stars was shooting from her left hand.


    Jane was tapping her foot, evaluating how it was all going, when suddenly, she saw Taylor''s next attempt create a perfect glyphring connected to the Radial Stars spell. Jane watched Taylor execute her move perfectly, pulling up her arm into her own glyphring, and shouting the name of the spell once more. This time, a short burst of the real spell ended up shooting out of Taylor''s hand. With only a smaller burst of about ten Radial Star projectiles flying fast through the air, they ended up missing the target except for three small stars. Upon realizing her succession, Taylor ended up lowering her arm and the glyphring too soon. But this was progress!


    "I did it!" Taylor screamed. "You see that Danny? I shot some stars!"


    Danny indeed saw the event happen, but he felt a little disappointed in comparison. It made him a little angry for a short moment, but he also noticed that Taylor''s Radial Stars, though successful was not perfect.


    "Good Job," Jane clapped. "Now keep doing it over and over Taylor. You need to work on the spell''s execution, accuracy, and even making sure you launch the entire arsenal of magical shooting stars this time."


    Taylor didn''t even realize she failed to complete the full spell until Jane pointed it out. For a moment, Taylor really did believe that her successful attack was just part of her mind, until she saw the stars shooting out of her hand unexpectedly like that. It forced her to draw her hand back early since the scene startled her. It was surprising even when expecting to see magical sharp star things flying out of her own hand. I did that! Taylor told herself, and could hardly believe it. This is so awesome!


    Danny released his energy trying once again to get it right. Without even forming the glyphring, he yelled Radial Stars again, causing nothing to happen afterwards. Even he felt that his execution was quick and rushed, even after trying so hard...


    "You''re trying too hard Danny," Jane suggested.


    Danny didn''t feel like taking advice from Jane right now, at least not until he can get this glyphring right. He tried once more, starting with storing up his energy.


    Taylor also tried to feel for more energy, charging the spell all over again. Jane watched her carefully, hoping to see Taylor execute Radial Stars as perfectly as ever. This time, after Taylor hollered the name of Radial Stars while trying to shoot the pulse of energy from her hands, nothing came out. Before that, the glyphring was once again a no-show, and after realizing how bad it went, Taylor was obviously frustrated. It looked to Jane like Taylor was about to rip into the dirt, but Taylor just turned around with her fists clenched into balls.


    After that failure, Danny and Taylor both tried again extensively for as long as it would take. Despite her positive results before, Taylor was barely capable of generating a glyphring, never having it fully formed.


    Jane couldn''t help but smile in sympathy. After trying in the past to perform some tough abilities and failing miserably, Jane could relate to either of them in this moment. It was just like before when she had to learn Radial Stars. Jane failed miserably because she was too impatient to get it right on the first day, even though she had trained with it weeks in advance. Jane could even think of a few moves off the top of her head that she still could not count on today. She really wasn''t that far ahead of her class. Otherwise, they would have let her graduate early. Jane walked up towards Taylor, hoping to comfort her and restore her pride before it sinks down too far. "You''ll get it Taylor. It just takes time."


    Danny saw Jane walking towards Taylor, and he got closer as well. "True. Even I can''t get it yet. We''ll just try again some other time." Danny had a sense of temporary defeat in him. He was obviously done for today, but Taylor was another story.


    "I wanted to learn it right now!" Taylor argued. She now confronted Jane, who was very calm about the situation.


    "You will," Jane promised. "You just have to learn how to focus."


    "I am focusing!" Doesn''t Jane understand that? Taylor was trying her hardest! All of that buzzing energy feels great! But controlling it is something else.


    "Not good enough," Jane reported. After getting Taylor''s complete attention, Jane gave her one of the hard-learned virtues that would help. "You need to stop getting frustrated at mastering the skill, and keep on trying. When you try to invoke a magical skill, you have to block out everything else. Quiet your mind of all passive thoughts. Act like there is nothing else in the entire world, except for your imagination of how the move is correctly used, and learn to block out every single residual thought and emotion during the process."


    Taylor sighed, unable to argue about the strategy shift. She wanted to try again, so much that her display put her on the edge of tears.


    Jane glanced around, noticing how darker the sky has become since their training. It takes only seconds to invoke a magical ability, but training extensively makes you lose track of time quickly. It must have already been around 7:30 P.M., which is around when the sun goes down over the hills. A faint orange glow still illuminated in the sky, making some of the small clouds purple in color. If it gets any later, they might have to try again tomorrow, but Jane knew that Taylor was close. They must have been practicing for almost a full hour now. "Taylor. I want you to concentrate this time, and try again over and over for a total of ten attempts. I''ll call it a victory if you can pull off Radial Stars before ten tries perfectly."


    With another long sigh to relieve stress, Taylor agreed. "Okay." Watching the target dummy in the distance carefully, Taylor knew what to do, and psyched herself up first.


    Realizing that she was going to need some room, Jane backed away slowly, revealing Danny in her peripheral, who was also standing back to chill out while watching Taylor. It seemed pretty clear that Danny was going to call it a day already, though Jane''s psychological encouragement worked for Taylor. By turning it into a challenge of ten tries, Taylor will take all ten of them before giving it up, and that many tries was more than enough.


    Taylor closed her eyes, only to allow herself to feel that familiar sensation with her MP energy. Once she finally picked up the sensation that her body was physically ready, she opened her eyes once more. Because of how dark it was getting, she could barely see the dummy, becoming more of a shadowy figure than anything else. But that was soon about to change.


    Taylor forced that MP energy to charge up directly into her entire body, and channeled most of it into her hands. As soon as she did, Taylor imagined herself using the spell like before, and choose the timing of when to release her energy carefully. "Radial Stars!" Taylor thought something would happen. She could even see her left hand contain a slight glow when she drew her arm to aim, but not even a glyphring formed in front of her.


    Aaaaagh! Taylor wanted to scream at the world for preventing this moment, but she quickly calmed her nerves, remembering what Jane told her. It''s okay. Nine tries left. Taylor took a long deep breath. I can do this.


    Taylor took another attempt to create a Radial Star spell, allowing Danny and Jane to just sit back and watch. Taylor was not sure what Danny thought, but it was obvious to her that Jane had complete and total faith in her. With that reminder, she immediately went into charging her energy up like before. This time, Taylor thought of nothing else except for the glyphring she was supposed to create. First, she expended some of the energy she had stored up from her body. In just a few seconds, the orange glyphring returned in front of her. So that''s it! In order to create a glyphring, some energy needs to expel early to support it. The rest is going to emit directly from her left hand while connected to the active glyphring. Taylor tried again with a newfound realization; lifting her arm up in the same instance, she began to spend her stored energy. "Radial Stars!" This time, even though the glyphring was perfectly cast in front of her, ready to support the magical spell, Taylor still wasn''t able to generate those stars.


    With a quick reaction to the failed attempt, Taylor''s glyphring quickly disintegrated into nothingness. Jane of course could not just help Taylor get it right physically. Even if she knew she could, this is something Taylor has to do on her own.


    It was a sight to behold. Despite several additional failed attempts, Taylor continued each time after creating glyphring after glyphring, shouting Radial Stars at enough volume to wake up the whole neighborhood. She took on several more attempts, now failing from the sixth try. Taylor almost had it too, making the glyphring appear at exactly the right time before invoking her move. As soon as she was about to shoot, the glyphring disappeared again, making her power useless. Jane also saw that since Taylor''s energy scope had not gone down yet, her stats were constantly readable, even though it was translucent text she was reading from a distance.


    The focus of course was the noticeable drain in her MP energy. Jane realized that even for rookies, 86% was not bad, but now consider that Radial Stars only expends 2% each time with passive regeneration in the background, and this spell has the lowest attack power ever. It was almost insane seeing a person use so much energy just to make one successful show of Radial Stars, but it was clear that Taylor was not giving up yet.


    Danny was watching for the same reasons too. After having to try so hard every single time without giving it up, it was clear how determined Taylor was to keep learning Leray magic. In the meantime, he wanted to ask Jane a few questions. "Hey Jane? How do we all know what power levels are for any ability? It''s not like we can record their actual damage before we know it."


    "Actually, that''s how it was done," Jane educated. "There are so many skills, abilities, and magical attacks, that there are entire books that list and describe the specific ones, from A through Z. And that''s just for one volume."


    "Wow." Danny didn''t sound too enthusiastic about it, but he was too surprised to believe that anyone can record that much information so easily. "But still, how do the authors know?"


    Jane knew this much from a history lesson. "The authors obtain and pay human test subjects with recording equipment on them that measures their response to magical damage taken as well as the level of pain felt. They then use all of that data to create a scale, which goes from one to ten."


    People just stand still and take damage to help another person write a book? That''s dedication if he ever knew any.


    "Radial Stars," Jane whispered to Danny. "Power level, 1. Attack type, non-elemental magical piercing damage. Attack form, unguided projectile barrage."


    Danny stopped Jane halfway, "Wait, wait. You know all of that for just one attack? How did you even learn that stuff, and what does it all mean exactly?"


    Jane answered, "This kind of information can be found in many guide books, and also our textbook I know you two never read, but they don''t tell you much about how to actually invoke such a spell. I simply know it from using it so many times. For example," Jane provided. "Attack type describes what exact kinds of damages can be done with the attack that is generated. And the attack form describes in what way that spell is launched against the enemy or target. Radial Stars is non-elemental magic, so it deals most of its damage from magic that retains zero elemental factors. It''s a barrage of stars as I''ve already shown you, and each star that hits the target deals a small amount of damage, but you can only aim the stars from start, so they are unguided. They fly through the air from point A to point B, so it is considered a projectile attack, and the damage type also has piercing properties in it, because the stars are small with sharp edges. It would be like throwing ninja stars, only these ones use a glyphring and are magically enhanced."


    "And you know all of that from experience?" Danny didn''t know that even for the most simple and easy attack, there was still so much to learn about it for battling purposes, let alone having to remember it all. How does Jane remember all of that for every single ability?


    "Yep." Jane seemed pretty proud of herself, or at least she was pretending to be for show. "It is a lot of information to retain, but a Leray master can''t stop when something gets hard."


    "You do realize that you''re not a master just yet, right?"


    Jane noticed that Danny was going to be a buzz kill already. "I meant future Leray master, of course.


    Danny deferred the conversation to try and poke around another subject, but he wasn''t sure how Jane would handle this. "And what was this I heard about dark magic or forbidden magic? I know it''s supposed to be bad, but what actually prevents somebody else from using it? Couldn''t anyone just chose to do harm if they want to?"


    Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, Jane still swallowed her pride, remembering that not every person in the world loves Leray magic. "Dark magic works specifically in negation to Leray magic, which is why it is so powerful and forbidden. I think it was invented during a distant war specifically to try and erase the concept of Leray magic. But then, that''s what we have Leray agents for. Their actual job takes highest priority stopping criminals like that. If somebody were to use dark magic in front of a crowd, and another person stole important public property, everyone would ignore the thief and search directly for the dark magical user. Remember, the cops we have here are technically watching out for these things all the time, even though it never-ever happens anymore."


    The sound of the details are comforting, but, "So it used to happen before?"


    "I suppose it did," Jane replied with little certainty. "I know that nothing like that has ever happened in my lifetime, and I''ve never actually seen dark magic before... Maybe we should change the subject, and see if Taylor has made any progress."


    She was only another deep breath away from taking action. Taylor charged the energy into her body and into her hands. After creating the glyphring responsible for allowing Radial Stars to work, Taylor focused on the next part. Even in failure, Taylor had been invoking this ability so many times now that she could already create the glyphring in front of her without much effort. She raised her arm, sliding her wrist right through the center of the holographic glyphring, and took her aim before acting. I can do this... I will do this!


    Taylor didn''t care about trying anymore. She knew that even with the capacity, skill, and training on how to use Leray magic, there should not be anything that can stop her this time. She negated any other outside thought and emotion, except for the obvious determination that drilled its way into her skull. Taylor felt like this was defiantly going to happen, and it will happen on her own watch. This time, instead of just imagining herself using Radial Stars, she sent the word to herself as a direct command. Ordering herself to execute the magical attack, she released her energy from her hand again, shouting Radial Stars at a mid-based sound level. This time, yelling Radial Stars had a new meaning for her.


    In the eighth attempt to use the magical ability, Taylor forced it through, knowing it was going to happen this time or else. In a total time of two long lived seconds, over 30 stars shot out from Taylor''s hand in a wide stream. Each and every one flew through the air proudly, emanating from the palm of her hand and the glyphring one after the next after the next. It was like firing a machine gun that only shoots sharp magical spinning stars. Each of the projectiles were glowing orange with more saturation, causing them to light up the area more as they traveled beneath the darkened sky. After Taylor finally felt all of the energy she was using dry up, her glyphring faded away, but it happened right as the heavy barrage of Radial Stars impaled the target dummy everywhere.


    Jane began clapping loudly with her mood lightened, impressed with a performance that could not have been done better herself. "You did it Taylor! That one was perfect!"


    Taylor was in a short moment of shock. She couldn''t believe it, even though she was aware that she did believe it just seconds ago. That time it worked. After forcing her mind to believe in herself for once, it actually worked. "I-... I did it! Yes!"


    Danny had not seen Taylor this excited since she successfully used an energy scope for the first time, but even he felt a little left out. She performed Radial Stars so perfectly, so elegantly, and now she was being rewarded for praise; not him. Danny couldn''t even get the glyphring out to try. He closed in on Jane and Taylor, but took his time calmly waking over there.


    "Let''s go see how many hit the target," Jane plotted. True it was that despite Taylor''s efforts, the actual projectiles of stars disappeared after hitting the target or passing it up; this was done by design. The stars disappear a little after impact even in battle. That way, the damage carries and stays while leaving no mess to clean up. Jane imagined how hard life would be after learning Radial Stars in class, shooting them everywhere in success, and then being told to pick them all up.


    Taylor followed Jane to the target dummy. That thing stuck in the ground really did look like a scarecrow. Jane planted these things into the ground knowing full well how awkward it was to the scenery of her property. Now at the scene of the sight, Jane picked up the attached cloth at the front end, attached to the chest of the dummy. She was examining it for cuts, holes, anything that would have resembled that something pierced through.


    "Let''s see." Jane began counting the holes in various areas. "Twenty hits!" The tone in her voice showcased how impressed she was. "And it looks like a few strays hit elsewhere. One in the head, and one that grazed the neck. Out of thirty five total projectiles, that''s almost better than me."


    Great! This was so awesome. Taylor not only managed to invoke her very first Radial Stars ability, but she also developed a clean aim as well. "I did great!"


    "She really did," Danny supported. "I just wish I could do that good too."


    Jane turned and gave Danny a disappointed look. "You really could if you practiced more. You didn''t give it as many goes as Taylor did."


    "Yeah, but I''m saving that energy for tomorrow." Danny had some comfort in knowing that it was not a clear requirement to master Radial Stars in one night today, since he had already lost the motivation.


    "And that''s why I''ll be better than you at this in no time," Taylor implied.


    Danny snapped, "What?!"


    Jane caught on to how Taylor was teasing Danny, and chimed in herself. "She has a point. With that attitude, you''ll show up in last place, Danny boy. Or should I say lazy boy?"


    "Oh, stop. I''m not lazy!"


    Despite Danny''s weak defense, Taylor kept going at it. "Then train with me some more."


    "I don''t need to," he claimed.


    Taylor repeated what he said in the form of a question. "You don''t need to? Or you don''t want to?"


    What was she even saying? Taylor really needs to learn when to actually speak sensible words at a time like this. "That doesn''t even make any sense."


    Jane joined again. "Or, he could just be jealous that you got it down first?"


    "No way!" Danny denied, throwing his arm behind him to further the claim. "I''m not jealous! I can do ten more Radial Stars than you any day."


    "We''re waiting," Jane and Taylor both replied.


    Danny realized that Jane had gotten Taylor to join in the selfish idea that they were better than everyone else, him included. "Alright, I will! I''ll show you who''s better!" Danny walked off, back to where Taylor was standing a moment before. He was obviously in the mood to keep on training harder. "You may have gotten it down first, but I''ll make my spell stronger than you both!"


    Taylor knew better. She was only forming a rivalry to get him out of that lazy habit. He would do this all the time, confident he could complete homework at the last minute, and failing each problem by the time he attempts them after so long of procrastination. Even with the equation totally changed all into something incredible, he''s still the same in that regard.


    Jane noticed how observant Taylor was towards Danny, reminding her about what happened between the two of them last night. She just knew there was something between them, but now was just not the best time to show it. Besides, with them arguing all the time like this, it might get more stuff done.


    Taylor was hoping that her success rate would be better than this every time afterwards. She knew Radial Stars, and that means according to what Eliza said before, any ability she tries to learn from now on should be a breeze. Danny was obviously in the mood to practice more privately, since he ignored most of what Jane said to him after. The day may have already been over with, but the night is just beginning.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Theme of Jupiter Night ~ S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat OST</a>


    <hr>


    During the thirty long minutes that passed further into the night, Danny still didn''t give up his attempts to invoke the magical spell. Jane however noticed after so many failed attempts that he probably wouldn''t master this while she is awake, and directed herself back inside for rest. Jane didn''t invite them in her house this time, but bid them both a good night before departing.


    Taylor stayed to watch just a little longer, but after Danny gave it a few more empty tries, she convinced him to head back to the medical facility to eat dinner, which this time would be another dip into their MREs. In truth, the experience had tired both of them out for half an hour, but Danny wasn''t upset or worried about failing to learn the skill, especially not in front of Taylor. There would be plenty of time to get it right tomorrow anyway.


    Taylor had to further think on how all of the magic information went into her physical training. To a degree, some of Eliza''s lessons made sense, but Jane''s lessons were easier to go by since she got so detailed in how to use attacks. There will eventually come a day where Taylor would be able to challenge Jane to a battle and then defeat her. That moment shall be priceless.


    Danny quietly mulled things over on his way back in the growing night of Fronas. It was questionable whether learning all of these incredible spells was really worth it. After what he just learned today, there is plenty for people to be afraid of, when considering this mysterious dark magic element. Rare as it might be, the thought, combined with Kain''s intentional dismissal of that knowledge generated an eerie atmosphere Danny wished he could ignore. This feeling instead threatened to swallow him, leaving all thoughts onto the principle of whether magic would be worth learning in the first place. It may be good to master enough of it for self-defense. At the same time, there doesn''t seem to be any rule stating that he must use magic after it is learned.


    Jane is a good person, Danny thought. Eliza also seems to have her head on straight. That just leaves the agents. The Leray Agents of Sprawn Valley must be hiding something. No matter how insignificant it may seem to others, it has to matter to somebody. So, what are they hiding?

 Chapter 12: Sleepover

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    <12/24/1971 ~ 12:01 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Excitement filled the classroom of 706 that next day. Because the day of the week finally turned over to a Friday, many of the students were excited about having the time and capacity to practice skills of their choice over the weekend. Eliza had already explained to them that even though weekends are technically days out of school, that most training facilities (including Dakota) remain open to help those who wish for further experience. This gesture includes zones such as the dark room and personal tutoring sessions from the staff, all of which is free of additional charges from tuition.


    Danny was absolutely certain that Jane was no stranger to such opportunities, being at a more advanced level and all. He stood beside his desk alongside everybody else. Today, Eliza was not very strict on everybody paying close attention or remaining seated. It would be ludicrous to even try to control this many people on a Friday morning. There had to be several other people by now that have already learned Radial Stars too. This means that the class of peers may soon become the competition of each other.


    Taylor was waiting proudly beside Jane for the teacher''s report check. Any moment now, somebody will ask her about the progress she made last night. Taylor didn''t have any troubles remembering how it all went down, and her pride from the accomplishment resonated with her expression this whole time.


    "Alright class. Would you please settle down and listen up?" Eliza had to wait an entire twenty seconds for everybody to lower their volume and pay attention. Still, not everyone was able to keep quiet about their day last night, whispering into each other''s personal space to remain uninterrupted. "I know we all had fun last night with the training and practice of Radial Stars. This is only one of thousands of spells and skills that can be learned, and in a Leray match, one must obtain a large variety of skills that can be used against an opponent to triumph. So today, we will begin our next course of training on the basics of elemental magical attacks."


    Taylor felt a little flushed. Even though some people have yet to master Radial Stars, her teacher was moving on anyway to more advanced skills.


    "Today, instead of a class session or a lesson, we will jump right into learning the skills of either Fire Ball, Ice Ball, or Electro-Ball. You may pick and choose which elements to work with first, and the textbooks may help you with invoking such skills. Think of today as a free for all training session in our dark room." Just like that, the kids were packing up a little, preparing to move to the official dark room. It was clear they were truly unwilling to be patient about learning new spells.


    "Now I know that some of you have not yet learned Radial Stars. That will severely impact your ability to learn any elemental type of spell today. So for those of you who have not already, practice Radial Stars first, and then move on to the next set of spells. You will have plenty of time to execute this training, because as a weekend assignment, I expect all of you to learn and be ready to demonstrate at least two spells of your choice."


    "Two spells?" Taylor repeated softly.


    "Piece of cake," Jane eased. She was of course talking to Taylor, building her confidence. Yet the entire class heard her and took it out of context. Jane was immediately getting judged behind her back, the others believing she was being arrogant for already knowing more than four spells.


    "It very well could be," Eliza allowed. "But remember this. Even with Radial Stars learned and mastered, nobody has ever been able to learn their first elemental spell on the first day of attempts. Not even you, Jane."


    Jane put her arm behind her head, not knowing how to respond to her teacher''s demotion. Jane was obviously very competitive, and could get embarrassed easily at the thought of performing below the average of her classmates, but after the last remark that she failed to properly direct, it was defiantly called for. Eliza wasn''t lying either. Jane remembered the moment when she practiced all day and night for Fire Ball. It took two days to learn it, not one.


    "Let''s get moving class. You know we can''t go shooting off fire in the classroom."


    Danny prepared to follow the rest of the class and Eliza too. There was something about the official training room that must protect the structure from all magical attacks, and the lecture returned to his memory. It was when Lisa was showing them around the school on Sunday, when they entered the dark room for the first time. Despite how amazing it looked, it was specifically designed for all walls, floors, and ceilings to absorb any powerful magic attack. That way, nothing would cause any structural damage to the building, like catching the place on fire with a Fire Ball.


    The walk to the dark room was kept brief, with Eliza opening the entrance with her card. The metal door slide open sideways, revealing the strong blue glow of transparent haze in the room from magical lighting. "Remember kids, any one of you with a Leray license or training license may enter the training room just as I did, but only before five P.M. every day."


    Danny pondered that same rule again. Always closed at five P.M.? They must try to keep the building empty at that time after for some reason. It must be enough stress having them here so long after each class gets out, and obviously they weren''t expected to train in school during night fall. He figured it was probably for the janitors to do the cleaning jobs and fix the place up again for the next morning. Or it could be that the usual thirty minute class sessions is comparable to what the teachers get paid to stay in the dark rooms afterwards to monitor training progress... The assumption carried over an interesting concept however. Do janitors use some kind of cleaning spells?


    Jane proudly stepped into the room with everyone else, taking her place near a specific corner. The room was large, but not in a way that was completely open. There were several corners and dead-end corridors designed to let students use projectile attacks against the walls in specific areas while keeping their sides covered against other stray hits. Jane remembered all how it works. The room was expertly designed in certain places for people to practice alone, or other sections with more than one person. Nobody however is protected from an attack in general if one ends up striking them, even by accident. Therefore, area attacks are exercised with more caution than normal attacks are. Jane remembered back a few weeks ago clearly. She would always stand in here, often alone to practice her close combat fighting styles. She always carried her two special daggers on her, prepared to fight anybody without even needing to rely on an attack. That was one of her specialties. Jane pitied anybody that thought about challenging her to a battle any day.


    Of course, battling people even between classmates was widely forbidden, unless special permission was applied. Until the training licenses are upgraded to full licenses, nobody can battle in an official match with another person until then. It sure kept things more difficult for Jane without a sparring partner.


    Danny walked up to the weapons storage area again, checking out all of the choices he could have with weaponry. After remembering that the use of weapons is both allowed in matches and non-lethal to opponents in Sprawn Valley, he really could choose to go with one particular style.


    Taylor and the others dispersed, all towards different stations except for her. Jane quickly caught on that Taylor did not know exactly what to do, and approached her to assist.


    Danny could not immediately decide. Daggers, knives, swords, clubs, maces, sharp edged gauntlets, even a pistol. There was no end to the types of weapons he was able to use, but the supply in this room was still limited more than he thought for each specific machine. They probably only let you borrow weapons from this place anyway. Danny focused on one in particular. It looked like some sort of advanced handgun, but not one he had ever seen before. The design was totally different, and the barrel was much too wide to fire any bullets. He could squeeze his entire fist inside if he wanted to. With a curious gesture, Danny held the grip with both hands, aiming the device at the wall in front of him. Nobody was standing near him to take any hits from whatever kind of ammunition this thing fires.


    After bracing himself for any potential recoil, Danny pulled the trigger. The blast that fired from the gun nearly knocked him backwards and off balance, but not enough for him to mistake what just happened as the result. From the interesting charge up chain inside of the gun, the blaster shot out a strong pulse of blue glowing energy in the form of a small photon sphere, which disintegrated itself into the wall he aimed for.


    "Interesting choice," Eliza projected.


    Danny bounced up in place slightly from the surprise he got from someone sneaking up on him. Though he quickly assumed it was just his teacher evaluating what he was up to. After turning around, it was confirmed. "What is this thing?" Danny held up the blaster weapon closer to Eliza, hoping she could identify it.


    "That would be a mark-two training blaster," Eliza claimed. Though it was not very descriptive for Danny''s question, she still offered to expand on the full description she was giving for it. "The blaster is used for long range combat, firing a short pulse of energy at the target, and it does so without ever needing to cool off, recharge, or without expending any personal MP energy."


    "Cool!" Danny liked the sound of that. A full burst of energy in the form of a projectile, free of his own magic? This was a dreamer''s weapon. It must siphon its energy from the veil without the assistance of a person.


    "However," Eliza continued. "The blaster shot does not do much damage at all. Its power level for one shot is about the same as Radial Stars, and it only fires one burst of energy at a time with a short charge up rate of one second. So if you want to rely on that thing in combat, you need tactics and strategy. Otherwise, you''ll have to learn which skills are involved in powering the gun further."


    Danny felt the air become more dense above him, or perhaps it was the crushed spirit of a lucky break combined with the pressuring idea that there are spells that change how the very physics of the blaster are used. His weapon was barely effective in a Leray match, but at least it was still something to rely on in a backup situation.


    "But I will let you keep it if you''d like."


    "Really?" Was Eliza serious? She was just going to let Danny have an energy blaster for free? "I don''t have to pay?" She''s only supposed to let him barrow the thing. What did he do right?


    Eliza answered, "No problem. Though importation of weapons is costly, not enough people want to take the training weapons with them in the field anyway. If you want a blaster weapon that does real damage, you''ll have to find the right store, and pay out of pocket for one."


    "I get it." Danny felt a little less fortunate now that his blaster could barely do anything, but after a few imaginative scenarios about using it with combinations of magical spells, he felt more confident that this could very well be the support he was hoping for. In fact, if this thing could be used for self-defense without the assistance of his own magic, that could be better.


    Meanwhile, Jane has been explaining things to Taylor regarding her training. "So don''t forget that despite the damage and power increase from elemental attacks," Jane educated, "it will not be an easy thing to learn."


    "But it is the same style as before, right?" Taylor thought that all skills and attacks of any power are learned in the same manner that she learned Radial Stars. At least that is what Jane told her earlier.


    "For the most part," Jane corrected. "We''re still only working on projectile attacks. Don''t forget that there are plenty of support spells and area attacks as well, which are a totally different story to master. But as far as Fire Ball and the others go, it should still be your next focus." Jane waited for Taylor to take it all in and remember it in her head. "And don''t forget that elemental attacks have strengths and weaknesses against other elemental attacks and defensive parameters. So in a fight, you have to choose carefully."


    "I don''t know if I can get that far," Taylor doubted.


    Jane snapped, "Don''t do that! Of course you can learn everything about this. But you need to practice on it, and don''t ever give up." Jane paused for a moment, reluctant to admit something to Taylor. "Even I have trouble getting some basic level attacks in... Well, they''re basic to me anyway. Did you know that I don''t always invoke Electro-Ball correctly?"


    "Wh-What?" Taylor winced. "But... Electro-Ball is just a simple elemental attack. You should have mastered that one weeks ago."


    "I know," Jane admitted. "I have been focusing on other non-elemental attacks more than I should in comparison, but don''t forget that compared to Fire Ball and Ice Ball, Electro-Ball has a slightly elevated power level. It does even more damage than the other two."


    "It does?"


    Jane continued the reasoning, ignoring Taylor''s predictable surprise. "Electro-Ball is like any other unguided projectile attack, but electrical damage ranges a little higher since that damage is inflicted over a short period of time, not just immediate. It''s called a jolt hold attack form. The person hit by any electrical attack is dealt damage over a short period time, which lowers their HP in that manner. But on top of being harder to control and master, electrical attacks also cause the opponent to feel a ton of different kinds of pains. Even with Leray protection involved, an electric attack can be nasty."


    "I think I get it now," Taylor assembled. It''s more difficult than it sounds, especially since Jane can''t get it right. "So when do I get started?"


    Jane held Taylor by the side, showing her and pointing to the area she was going to be practicing at. There was just a wall right there with nothing painted or attached to it. This was the area Jane wanted Taylor to focus on. "Use this wall to aim your attacks at. I want you to keep on trying to focus on shooting a Fire Ball from your hands, just like you did with Radial Stars yesterday."


    "Um..." Taylor was still unsure that she could do this with ease. "How about another demonstration?"


    "No," she denied. "I''m holding that one off for now, to teach you another short lesson." Disappointment painted Taylor expression, but she was at least listening to Jane''s words. "I don''t want you to think that you have to see an attack in order to invoke it successfully. Even if you have no idea what a particular skill looks like, all you need to know is its general description, and imagine it working for your benefit. The spell will happen the same normal way if you practice with it hard enough, but it''s really as simple as shooting a ball of fire from your hands. You can do it Taylor, without even seeing one in action first. And once you can do that, you''ll realize that some stronger attacks cannot be learned just by watching."


    Taylor was still a little unsure about that, but Jane was right about one thing. I can do this. I did Radial Stars, which means I can do more. "Okay," Taylor prepared. "What do I have to do for a Fire Ball?"


    Jane exhaled, relived that she was taking this better than Jane used to in the past. "Like before, focus your energy. Fire Ball, Ice Ball, and Electro-Ball are all magical projectile attacks, which means they are going to rely on special glyphrings. The Fire Ball glyphring is made from a fire symbol, but all you need to know it that you are making a fire elemental attack, and the glyphring will auto-adjust to match. Ice attacks use bright blue glyphrings, Electro-Balls use dark jade glyphrings, and fire attacks make red-hot colored glyphrings. Once you store that energy, make enough room for the glyphring around your wrist, and enough room for the fire attack. Once you release that energy, imagine that this time you are shooting a flying ball of fire from your hands instead of glowing stars. And make sure you maintain focus as well."


    Taylor understood exactly what kind of strategy this would be. She has already done this before with the Radial Stars attack spell. This time, the attack type would be different with slightly similar variations.


    "Ms. Eliza?" Danny asked. "How can I use magical spells when I can''t even get a glyphring for them?"


    "What''s this about not producing a glyphring?" Eliza repeated.


    Danny was ashamed of not even learning a single attack spell so far. "Yesterday, when I was training on Radial Stars, I couldn''t get anything to happen. And now that we''re supposed to learn elemental attacks..."


    Eliza finished the sentence before Danny could. "Then you keep on trying." After receiving his attention to her serious face, Eliza explained rule number one to training. "You won''t master anything by giving up so quickly, but you also need to have faith in yourself, enough to know that you can actually use a spell such as that. Don''t worry about falling a little behind. Like I said before Danny, nobody learns an elemental skill on the first day of training to use one. They''re spells with higher power levels, so you must train even harder to make those work. But for now, focus again on Radial Stars. Learn to focus your energy. Imagine yourself using Radial Stars at full power."


    "But¡ª"


    "And most importantly, know that the only thing stopping you from success in this case is yourself, if you stop believing you are capable that is."


    Danny had no further argument he could come up with. Eliza was right about this. Danny practiced hard last night, after trying to prove that he was as good as or better than Taylor at this magical stuff, but even then, he never got to make one use of Radial Stars. Maybe Taylor wasn''t using some lucky break after all.


    Eliza offered him more options. "There are plenty of more stations available for you to practice Radial Stars, and you aren''t the only one training on that ability."


    Danny looked around, hearing some of the cries and shouts of the names of battle skills. Most of them were people shouting, "Fire Ball!" But there were more who were shouting, "Radial Stars!" along with them. Nobody, even the users of Radial Stars managed to get anything out. That proves it. It proves that he is not the only one struggling. It must really take a ton of time and effort.


    "And Danny? Don''t be shy about thinking of excellent ways to make use of combination attacks with your blaster. It''s more effective when used creatively in battle. Think on that once you''ve learned at least three spells or so."


    "Thanks." Danny didn''t know what else to say. His teacher had complete faith that he could do it, and she was not the only one either. Glancing over at Jane and Taylor who were busy practicing together, Danny remembered from before that Taylor was never one to give up on him with challenges. Jane had her own reasons for believing in him as well. With a solid state of renewed confidence, Danny chose an empty station, made up of two short vertical walls and a dead end. That is where he will practice again today.


    "Fire Ball!" Taylor hollered, trying to shoot the stored energy out of her hands. Upon opening her eyes however, it was clear to her that not even the glyphring for a fire attack managed to show up in front of her. The attack failed completely.


    "Good job," Jane coaxed. "You remembered to chant the names of different attacks, which will help you focus more on them after you''ve learned their abilities. Now just keep trying."


    "But it''s not coming close to working," Taylor complained.


    Jane seemed smug, or just plain determined that Taylor had this in the bag. "Taylor? Please demonstrate to me a Radial Star attack."


    "Huh? But..."


    "Just do it."


    Taylor wasn''t sure of where Jane was going with this. She was staring at her intensely, waiting on her to comply. Taylor glared at the wall again, her own target destination for attacks. Once decided, Taylor remembered what it was like to use Radial Stars, and began charging her energy like before. This time, she kept her eyes open, not needing much focus for it. Radial Stars was practiced by her so much that it was all coming to her naturally. She barely needed to try and concentrate, but Taylor did not fool herself. She kept her cool and determination into charging the energy in the right places. Just shortly after releasing the energy all at once, Taylor raised her left arm. At the exact same time, that orange glyphring appeared on its own, much faster than it did the last time Taylor tried to invoke the ability. With a quick last minute push of the force stored up in her hand, Taylor chanted, "Radial Stars!" and immediately shot out a steady barrage of spinning orange stars towards the metal structure. It took two seconds for the entire barrage of glowing orange stars to bounce off the wall, falling to the floor before fading away shortly after.


    Once the attack was over in a flash, Taylor winced in surprise at how easy that happened. Her glyphring faded away quickly before she retracted her arm, but it was done and over in just one try.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Seeing the surprise in Taylor''s eyes, Jane continued her chain of thought aloud. "You see, because you have already used Radial Stars correctly through constant practice and invocation, your mind has already gotten used to that ability, enough to invoke Radial Stars with ease. And because you''ve assigned the chant to Radial Stars, it triggers the rest of the process almost automatically. Some people call it muscle memory or nerve memory, but that''s just how it works. That''s why we chant the name of our skills out loud, even in battle."


    "I only did in in one try," Taylor added. For over two hours, Taylor exhausted herself last night in front of Jane''s house shouting the name and trying to use the skill. Now, even after going to sleep and waking up, she had no troubles with the new spell whatsoever.


    "Fire Ball is not the same exact type of attack, and even the glyphring type is a little different. That is why it will take you some time to learn, just like it did for Radial Stars yesterday." Jane paused, preparing her next detailed portion of the lecture. "But once you finally get it down Taylor, using Fire Balls will be as natural to you as sucking in oxygen."


    "Let''s hope so," Taylor decided. She prepared herself again, calming her every nerve. "I just have to keep trying over and over."


    "It can be frustrating at times, but always remember that no matter how many times you fail, you can invoke this spell."


    "Okay." Taylor hollowed out her senses, focusing once again to try and invoke a perfect Fire Ball. In her mind, she imagined that a flaming ball of fire shoots through her hands, right through the formation of a red glyphring.


    Jane wasn''t sure how physically far Taylor was from perfecting her first Fire Ball, but by studying her body language and stance, it became clear that Taylor was just as determined now to get her Fire Ball down, much sooner than anybody else was going to.


    Taylor ended up at the same road again, trying to invoke her move with her arm aimed at the wall. Even after chanting the name of the spell, nothing appeared to happen. That red glyphring, whatever it was supposed to look like was a no show despite her renewed faith.


    Danny was having almost the same kind of luck with Radial Stars. Training today lasted for a long session of eighty minutes, for the full class session anyway. Even in all of that time, the best he could get was the glyphring that belonged to Radial Stars. In its best self-rotating form, he constantly found himself unable to shoot the stars out from the center like Jane and Taylor did last night. Even though today''s training session had nearly ended, he knew he was not done yet. If the orange glyphring can generate itself around his right wrist from the command of his own mind, so can he shoot stars the same way.


    "Time is near its end class," Eliza announced. She had been keeping a good sense for the time. They had minutes remaining. "Once the bell rings, you should all take a well-deserved break. After that, you may return here for additional practice before five. Or, you can train outdoors too. But watch your aim in the field!" The last thing she would need is another incident involving poorly aimed magic. Eliza remembered having to take some heat for an incident a while ago from a different class when a stray magic attack destroyed a neighbor''s front door. The school got in so much trouble from that.


    Danny had quickly forgotten that class began today at twelve P.M., much later than the standard class time. Dakota changed up the start time on certain days in order to fence in concentrations with breaks in a perfect balance. Though class sessions seem short, it''s expected that students return to the school before five P.M. to brush up on studies or come here to the dark room for additional training, at least that''s what Eliza told the class. This means that by now it must be one forty P.M., making it a little later in the day than he was used to getting out at. Still, there was going to be plenty of more time, since the sun level does not fall until six thirty. It must be inching closer to winter, even though it was not that cold outside at night. He took that hint by the time of the sun dropping.


    Eliza injected the final act of her lesson plan for today. "But first... Jane? I bet you would like to demonstrate for us what an elemental attack looks like. The popular choice is Fire Ball, but I''ll take one of the other two as well. Class? Watch closely."


    Jane didn''t expect to be put on the spot today like this, and she had just finished explaining to Taylor that demonstrations are not always helpful. Has Eliza forgotten that? "R-Right." The class was already focused on her, and it was too late to refuse. Seeing no choice but to perform an elemental attack, Jane took aim at the wall Taylor was trying to before, and she began to concentrate her energy.


    For Jane, this was like a walk in-the-park-level attack spell, but there were people watching her, figuring out what an elemental spell invocation should look like. Nobody had forgotten that Jane was an advanced level student, and that naturally gave her an advantage over the other kids. However, this could also make everyone resent her more, since it takes a whole day or two to learn such spells, while Jane was about to perfect one on her first try. Well, first try for today anyway. Others didn''t know how long it really took her to learn Fire Ball and Ice Ball, but that''s because it happened outside of school.


    After calming her nerves, Jane tried to block out all thoughts about her surroundings. From that moment on, it was relativity quick and easy for her to collect her MP energy, charging it into her body and her hands. A Fire Ball would be easy, and came naturally to Jane. Since she has shot several of these before in practice, failure was not expected nor was it an option. In just little time of two speedy seconds, Jane had created a perfect red colored glyphring in front of her, rotating in place on its own while the center section faced the wall. Like all glyphrings, the strange phasic noise it projected picked up in pitch as the charging magic became stronger. This glyphring however was different than the one from Radial Stars, so everybody picked up on the detail. The glyphring in size was smaller, much smaller. It was just a short holographic disk that was barely larger than the size of Jane''s head, but perfectly wrapped around her right wrist. In the same moment she lifted and positioned her arm naturally, Jane opened her hand and chanted, "Fire Ball!"


    With a short burst of magical energy being released by Jane, she successfully created a ball of flaming essence, pure fire that swept through the air of the room until it impacted against the wall. The Fire Ball quickly disappeared without any particular effect on the structure, but that is because the walls were designed to absorb all attack types. Regardless of how the Fire Ball looked or impacted, Jane perfectly demonstrated the full effects of the Fire Ball spell to the entire class, after which her red glyphring disappeared on its own, but not before Jane lowered her arm, dragging the glyphring with it. The others must not have known it from before, but the glyphring''s center actually followed Jane''s right wrist the entire time it was there, staying attached to help her change aim at any time.


    "Great job Jane." Eliza was proud. An excellent work of training paid off in full.


    Jane was able to shoot a Fire Ball for a while now, but it has been some time since she showed off any of her skills to the class. Hopefully, she was inspiring them to do better, not just making them become intimidated by her. Eliza took risks like that all the time, and now, Taylor would likely learn it from visualizing the event. It still went against what Jane had to do for some of her other spells.


    "In just a day or more, all of you will be fully capable of pulling off that attack. Remember, I want to see at least two spells by Monday." Eliza had a wonderful sense of the time, because the bells tolled just on cue after finishing her assignment orders.


    The class began to walk out of the room in a straight line, and Eliza was satisfied that her session was a success today, in her eyes. Jane however stayed behind, waiting for Danny and Taylor to show up in front of her. Taylor however was already by her side as it was. Danny came closer, wondering what to do next. "I have plans for you two to come over tonight."


    "You made us plans again?" Danny pondered. What is it about Jane wanting to have them over all the time? It wasn''t a rude invitation, but still...


    "Will it be like yesterday?" Taylor inquired.


    Jane seemed happy about announcing her next idea to the two of them, after having a long absence in her choice of friends. "Better. This time, we''ll all have a sleep over!"


    "Yay!" Taylor felt her cheer couldn''t be entirely conveyed, despite her gesture of jumping her arms above her head high.


    "Uh, What?" Danny already lost track of what happened. A sleep over? At Jane''s?! He had been to other people''s houses before in the past. Taylor was the sleep over girl, and he was the cool kid that hung out, if he had enough earned respect anyway. Jane was obviously not shy about having her friends over at her place at all. Still, no matter how she made it sound, Jane already had them stay a night this week. Danny distinctively remembered waking up in an uncomfortable position on the living room floor.


    "Sleep over at Jane''s!" Taylor cheered. She remembered being invited to some back in Kalamo, but after turning fourteen, her group of friends inched away from those sort of things. Even she believed it was kind of childish, but when you''re this far away from home, there can be room for some better days. Jane was sixteen years old, and she was the one offering, so it can''t be that awkward or strange.


    "Well..." Danny was reluctant to even come up with any answer. "Okay, I guess."


    "Aw don''t worry about it," Jane eased. "Just do what you did last time, but know that we''re watching at least one movie tonight."


    "Sounds interesting enough." A Leray based movie was certainly something in itself. Danny knew that it was far from nighttime anyway, but he followed Jane and Taylor around closely, making himself part of the group as they both went out for lunch at the medical facility. That place seemed a lot more like a one story hotel than a hospital. They even had a place in the back for eating like this. Jane offered to pay for the meal, since the staff there can''t always offer free food to anybody.


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Morning Mirage ~ Yarn (Downtempo)</a>


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    For the remainder of the afternoon, Danny, Taylor, and Jane traveled around together for a while in the fields of Fronas, occasionally stopping for ten minutes to try and learn any spells they have not already. This of course didn''t work, but there were plenty of other students around as well, trying the same thing in the middle of the field Fronas provided. They ended up bumping into Kain and Bella as well, getting better acquainted with all three of them.


    For Danny, it was quite a nightmare though. He had not spoken or seen Kain ever since he agreed to get signed up, but as far as the guy knew, Danny and Taylor were supposed to knock some sense into a girl called Jane Venn. After bumping into them with Jane in tow acting all nice and normal, it had to be the most awkward situation he had faced yet. It could have been worse though. Kain could have told Jane what he and Taylor said behind her back before, yet he restrained himself enough not to. Still, aside from Bella, Kain is a total creep in everything he does. He just has that unfortunate vibe, even when Kain isn''t doing anything. Yet somehow, Jane knows the guy to some light level. Oh well. Now Kain will probably continue to expect him to stay in school forever. This doesn''t mean he has to though.


    The rest of the day was really a drag, with everybody just being themselves until the sun came down. After Jane finally decided to show them into her house, that''s where things got a little more exciting.


    Danny was the only one so far sitting alone, staring off in the distance. Though he was obviously not interested in what was happening around him, Taylor and Jane were the opposite. After finishing another excellent meal made by Jane''s mom, the four of them got into a discussion at the table. Danny had eaten as well, talking a few things over. But his excitement was the one thing now missing, his thoughts entranced.


    "That''s great to hear," Smith congratulated. "Jane, you may as well become a teacher someday."


    Jane nodded at the very idea. "No dad. I''m becoming a Leray master, remember?"


    Taylor was happy to see how involved they were with her. Jane''s dad just got done hearing Jane''s accomplishments from her. It was because of Jane that Taylor learned to use Radial Stars, and in just some more time, Fire Ball.


    Tiffany chimed in, no longer busy with clean up detail. "I like the idea. We''re very proud of your progress Jane."


    Jane exhaled softly. She heard of this compliment before, even before getting any better at her own studies. Come to think of it, Jane has been slowing herself down this whole time in order to help her new friends. If anything, she has not really improved at all, but they didn''t need to know that.


    Tiffany continued, obviously proud to be ranting on about her daughter. "Come to think of it, you''re practically old enough and skilled enough now to travel around Sprawn Valley, right?"


    Smith exchanged disapproving glance with Tiffany. He seemed uncertain whether that was the best idea, but before Jane could pick up on it, the excitement already sank in. Jane knew it was her duty to travel around as soon as her graduation from Dakota is complete, but getting parental approval when under the age of eighteen is also one of the other requirements. Her dad always opposed the idea that she was ready as of yet.


    It was true that the legal age to become a Leray wielder is eleven, but to travel without physical parental guidance requires the minimum age of fifteen, which still imposes getting permission to travel alone on top of that rule. Between fifteen and eighteen is the age in which you simply need general consent to start a Leray journey. "Really?! I can go wherever I want?"


    Tiffany grinned, knowing that Jane was already getting just a little ahead of herself. "Well, you should train hard first, so that you don''t get run down by experienced fighters. But..." Tiffany paused, looking at Taylor, and then towards Danny. "With your friends helping you, I can''t see a downside."


    "Yes! Thanks mom! I''ll do my best, I promise."


    Smith couldn''t even breathe faster than Jane was talking. It was already happening. The day was already around the corner from where Jane will embark on some journey many wielders begin, and perform in several Leray battles against other people. It wasn''t something that was uncommon even around here, but that also means she won''t be home as often. "But you better check in every once in a while Jane."


    "I promise to dad."


    Taylor was enjoying the whole moment. Most people would never put up with showing any affection for their parents. Then again, Kalamo was not the sort of place where most families get along this well either. Several who weren''t well off got involved with bad crowds, mostly by running off and disobeying their guardians. The general Kalamonian teenager was at least slightly rebellious by default, but the people of Fronas, perhaps all of Sprawn Valley were really nice to others. It really is like they''ve traveled into a whole other world.


    Still in the same mood, Tiffany noticed that Danny was distracted with something on his mind. "What are your thoughts of having that journey Danny?"


    "Wha?" Danny snapped out of it, realizing he must have missed an entire question about him. He didn''t even remember hearing what it was, and now they were all staring at him... Guess the jig is up. How could he pretend to be as hyper as the rest of them? There was still the matter of training he did not exceed in yet. Though it was harmless, Jane and Taylor would be running around doing all kinds of things today, but he had other plans. "What was the question?"


    Noticing the same thing the others had, Taylor took two steps closer to Danny, studying his expression for something significant. "What''s wrong? Did something heavy get on your mind again?"


    "Did he swallow a bug?"


    Taylor managed to prevent herself from laughing just this once at Jane''s totally random jests, elbowing her from behind to knock it off.


    It was obvious enough he won''t be able to keep this going forever it seemed, but was there even such a thing as the correct time or moment? Why can''t things just go back to the way they were before? He survived the horrors of Sprawn Valley, almost learned to use Leray magic, and made a good friend here in the same process. But this just isn''t right! Danny looked up towards Jane, trying to analyze what the bug thing was about, but quickly forgot about it since her randomness was to be expected. "Nothing''s wrong... I just, I want to go back outside and train some more."


    Tiffany seemed excited at the response, but not in an unexpected way. "It''s only a matter of time before Jane has that effect on people. Go and train as hard as you need to, but not too much."


    "Are you sure?" Taylor pursued. Danny was hardly a deep thinker, and it seemed obvious in the tone of his voice that he was not so excited about training at all. This deflection to get outside and train was defiantly a lie! Come to think of it, Danny had shown such little excitement in Leray magic for a long time, much less since that night he failed to learn Radial Stars. Does he really hate magic that much? What''s going through your head, Danny?


    Danny thrusted his arm back with a clenched fist as a determined gesture. "Positive! I''ll only be right outside, and not for too long. I need to get that Radial Stars mastered." Finally finding the correct attitude and excited tone, Danny projected it to them perfectly while getting out of his seat.


    "That''s the spirit!" Jane encouraged. It took her a moment of silence to realize that the person next to her had mixed thoughts about it, after she said nothing back as well. "But don''t be too long. It is late, and there are bats here."


    Danny''s expression quickly became worrisome. "Magic bats?" It wasn''t much of a stretch. Danny heard of magical creatures in Sprawn Valley, but was Jane trying to warn him about bats that can fly around and breathe electricity magic?


    Instead of any particular reply, Jane just burst into laughter for several long moments while her parents kept that annoying smile on their faces. Taylor could only stand back and watch. It wasn''t that funny...


    Danny shrugged, letting Jane laugh vigorously as seconds ticked by. She really behaves like a little kid once she has her energy, and Taylor was not too far away from this either. It figures she would imply something without meaning it at all. Oh well. Danny headed towards the door of the house, preparing to walk outside and practice a lot more on his skills.


    Meanwhile, Jane and Taylor wished him luck. "See you around Danny," Jane waved.


    "Don''t take too long," Taylor concerned. Danny continued to walk forward, as if he couldn''t wait to get to that door in hopes of avoiding being stuck inside any further.


    Jane stopped Danny just before he left through the door, "Oh, Danny!"


    After turning around, he waited to see what the fuss was about. "What is it?"


    Jane answered swiftly, "Don''t forget that Taylor and I only have two beds up in my room. So you''ll have to get the couch again."


    Danny remembered hearing those rules from Jane''s parents. That wasn''t the concern for him. Much for Taylor though, didn''t Jane say something about her sister''s bed being a biohazard? "Yeah, I got it."


    "But we won''t be asleep for some time, so join us too when you get back."


    Before Danny could even agree, Smith nearly paralyzed him with a sinister stare that Danny''s eyes detected. Danny shivered just a little, uncertain if from the lower temperature outside, or the serious look he had seen from Jane''s father. Danny didn''t feel that strongly about Jane. It''s not like he asked her out anyway, but there wasn''t an easy way to explain that to her father. If he tried to, he would probably say something stupid again without Taylor being there to help him out with that.


    He briefly took his own time to imagine what dating Jane could even go like. Since this isn''t a normal town, Jane might end up shooting Fire Balls and electrical attacks at him for even considering it. Jane was a lot of things, and that made her unpredictable. No thanks. I''ll just have some night air. He gave them all a single nod that he understood, and closed the door behind him.


    Jane noticed that Taylor was two steps more from being in a total trance. I wonder if she knows about her own feelings herself... "Come on," Jane hovered. "Let''s go raid my sister''s stash."


    Taylor was brought to her attention after hearing about her sister, and then processed what Jane was doing. Edging for her to follow Jane up the stairs, Taylor noticed no reaction from her parents. Either she heard her wrong, or it was just another one of her jokes. If Jane''s sister keeps a stash around, then made of what? And how is she supposed to sleep in Iona''s bed? Jane didn''t say anything earlier about cleaning the sheets.


    It was a short distance to get to Jane''s room. Taylor remembered it exactly the same as it was. A few items around Jane''s bed were moved around, and some more appeared as well, but overall, the room was still exactly the same. She figured that Jane was going to make her sleep in Iona''s bed, but after a quick inspection with her eyes, the mattress was actually cleaned off.


    Jane hunched down towards the stack of VCR tapes lying on the floor, collecting all of them while heading for her bed. She sat down while sorting through them, calling out their names. "I''ve got the Dark Age series, Hallow One, Energy Crusades, Falling Star..."


    Taylor believed all of these were fictional movies related to Leray magic. Whatever culture passes for them here, she was completely unfamiliar to any of it. She could already sense that this all really wasn''t about the movie. Jane was going to do other things too, like braid her hair, polish her nails, and perhaps even talk about the boys she knows or used to know. Taylor was at least prepared for that, but she couldn''t help shake away other things from her mind. "Surprise me," she ordered.


    Jane remembered that neither Danny nor Taylor has heard of these things, being from out of the country, but there wasn''t much else they told her regarding exactly from where they were from, or what their lives are like. It must be strange growing up in a place without magic, not even hearing of such things. The culture there must be very different. Taking Taylor''s random idea into consideration, Jane decided on Agent Terria, which was a movie series about a particular Leray agent in the setting of a large city devoted to stopping crime. At least it was better than most of the other choices. Jane quickly turned on her television set and popped the tape into the VCR player.


    Taylor sat in the middle of the floor with Iona''s pillow, making herself as comfortable as possible, but she still couldn''t stop thinking about everything. Most of those thoughts were now centered on whatever Danny was going through. The way Danny reacted to Leray magic was different this morning than it was last morning. Even before that time, his reactions to the concept were indescribably distant. It felt like he was just getting worse. Danny must really hate Leray magic.


    Jane began preparing the movie, but noticed the look on Taylor''s face. She had to be thinking something about Danny. Maybe he was putting her off or something. "So..." Jane wanted to ask Taylor about it direct, but it wasn''t easy to find the right words to even ask.


    "What?" Taylor was at least paying attention to Jane. That had to count for something. Jane appeared as if she was trying to get something out to her. Time for secret telling already?


    "What are your thoughts on... Danny?" Jane tried to be as casual as possible, as the question could have had multiple meanings.


    Taylor acted surprised, but took her time to answer as well. "Well... What do ya mean?" It was a hard question, being too broad.


    Jane knew Taylor was going to try and be difficult. "Well he is a guy. You tell me."


    Taylor still wasn''t certain, but Jane might actually be into him. It wasn''t too surprising. Danny is not bad looking for his age, and there have been times when he went out on dates with other girls back in Kalamo. The dates mostly ended horribly for both sides, but the reason had nothing to do with him cleaning up nicely. "I c-can''t say for sure." Taylor could feel her voice getting a little shaky, and cleared her throat to fix it.


    "Come on," Jane tensed. "Aren''t you two..." Jane held up her hand and crossed her two first right fingers together for the shape of a heart to signify what she meant.


    "N-no! We''re not dating!" Taylor responded seriously to the question before it was even asked, turning her head and crossing her arms. "He''s all yours."


    Jane flinched; embarrassed that Taylor would even think that. It''s not what she meant. "No, no, no!" She noted. Jane regretted not being more specific. "I''m not into him. Danny isn''t my type. But I wanted to know if you were."


    "Why would you want to know that if you''re not into him?" Taylor knew of ways to throw out trick questions, but she meant to use it in a valid scenario like this one. Jane was either trying to hook up with Danny, or she was trying to match make him with Taylor.


    "Come on girl," Jane teased. "I''ve seen the way you too look at each other. I''m surprised you two aren''t boyfriend and girlfriend yet."


    Taylor''s jaw dropped. Me and Danny?! "Are you out of your mind?!" Taylor felt a little flush. She had not been approached like this before, especially not when it was about Danny. At best, she and Danny were like brother and sisters to each other, though technically not related by family in any way. But that wasn''t important right now!


    "It''s just a thought," Jane admitted. "You both care about each other to some degree..."


    "Yeah, but that doesn''t mean we go out with each other," Taylor denied. "We''re just good friends. We have been for a long time. And Danny''s never made a move on me, so you thought wrong." What''s with her and that crazy idea? Danny is just...


    "I''m talking about how you feel about him," Jane renewed. "Not how he feels about you."


    Taylor almost lost her entire chain of thought and selection for words. It took two entire seconds for her to say anything at all. "I don''t fit in that category Jane."


    Jane was smiling at Taylor, like she had happily won some sort of prize. "If that''s the case, then why are you blushing?" She made things worse with how excited she sounded by saying that. Taylor''s face was darkening with the saturation of her blood, and it had little to do with the temperature in the room. To her response, Taylor looked even more embarrassed, like someone had roasted her in a dilemma.


    "I''m not blushing!" Jane was enjoying this, Taylor could clearly see it on her face. But if she was blushing, that could have meant anything. "I just... wasn''t expecting that is all."


    "Uh-huh. Sure. Okay."


    Taylor knew what Jane was doing now, pretending to agree, and she was a poor actress for hiding any hint of sarcasm she had. "I''m serious. There is nothing between us!"


    Jane gave it up for now, knowing there will be a next time some time. "We will soon see about that."


    "What does that mean?" Taylor could not bear to take much more of this. When was Jane just going to give up and talk about her own love life? Wait, Jane isn''t planning to do anything, right? She better not say anything to him!


    "I mean one of you is going to fall for the other eventually. And I''m going to be all over it once it happens."


    "It won''t happen," Taylor calmly assured. She could only pray that Jane was not even serious about planning something to get Danny''s attention either. If he knew even so much about this very conversation, Taylor would just die. No way! "Don''t even think about talking to him about this."


    Taylor is so adorable right now! But Jane knew it wasn''t polite to mess with her emotions too much. "I wasn''t planning to do anything," Jane promised. "Except..."


    Taylor shot Jane a warning glance. "Except what?"


    Jane continued, still sounding as happy and proud as ever. "Except, I plan to give myself a makeover. You should think about having one too."


    "Uh..." Taylor was hung up on one particular detail. Jane was either completely insane, or just plain rude. Playing with people''s emotions like that! Did she get some kind of kick out of this?


    Back outside in the darkest of the night, Danny decided that he had trained enough. It wasn''t actually that cold outside. Probably about fifty-nine degrees in Fahrenheit, but the wind that was picking up was just making things feel colder to him. The humidity was not very high either, despite the massive storm they had last week. Though he had time to think things over while practicing more magic, Danny still felt as though the entire group was just stuck in stasis. Yet feeling more accomplished, Danny took it inside assuming Taylor and Jane to already be tired out. He was out here for over an hour or so without interruptions.


    Upon entering the house, Jane''s dad was downstairs in the kitchen when he noticed his return. "Hey Danny. Got in more practice?"


    "Yes sir." Danny was formal to Jane''s father, uncertain about what he thought of himself. "Finally got Radial Stars to work."


    "Well that''s good," he replied. "We have enough food in the fridge to make several peanut butter jelly sandwiches, so if you get hungry again, you''re okay to eat that."


    Danny nodded, now returning his thoughts to what to do next.


    Smith caught on to his uncertain decision of whether to go upstairs or stay down here. Even if Taylor and Jane are still awake, Danny might not fit in with getting a makeover, or polishing his nails. But he could have other motives for going upstairs. It was something Smith would not allow. Still, he was told to be nice, since Jane is supposedly his new friend. "I''ve set up the living room for you already if you feel sleepy. And the TV is set up too, so there is plenty to watch."


    Danny was suddenly curious about that. Television sets were not just designed to play back VCR. They also had broadcast stations for movies and shows on live streams as well. Even if all they have here is Leray world news, it was better to go with that than some old movie he wasn''t even comfortable with. "Smith? Does that TV... Do we get any stations here, like news?"


    "Of course we do." Smith had sounded a lot calmer in response to Danny''s question. With Danny''s sudden interesting in hanging out downstairs and watching news, there was little to worry about. "We have shows and ProCom news. Might be a better way for you to learn what Sprawn Valley has to offer."


    He has a good point. The news could show a ton about an area firsthand without him having to visit the zone. Danny decided to stay down here at least for now, and he started watching whatever was going to be on. Lucky these devices were more familiar to him than trying to shoot magical bursts of energy from his bare hands, and it''s not like Taylor will be more than a room away if she needed anything.


    Comfortable with his choice, Danny walked into the living room, realizing that the couch had its own cleaned sheet and comforter just waiting for him. But while he was preparing to set up the channels, he began thinking over other things, like the reason that he and Taylor are still here in Fronas. He and Taylor were supposed to head out days ago, trying to get deep into Junon''s sector of Sprawn Valley. If Nyar lands here from the airport, and cannot find him or Taylor, what could happen then? Would his parents try to come and save him as well? That was a little harder to figure out. Most of the time, it seemed to him like uncle Nyar cared a lot more about him than mom and dad did. At the same time, the guy was tough as nails when it came to parenting, that being he did little to provide at all with such intentions.


    Danny''s father worked a lot of shifts; much of it had something to do with an archiving company, whatever that was about, though he was rarely home for any occasion, and that really just left his mother to do housework and maintenance. He then recalled hanging out with friends, exploring their houses as well. Most of the kids he hung out with were always older than him, trying to be cool. It was either some kind of an unofficial gang, or a group of deviants, or sometimes drug users. Even though he never got too involved with any of that stuff, this was often the status quo.


    Now look what happened. Nyar came from New York to visit Kalamo in the past. For the most part, this reunion would not have been too different if they would have made it to America, but after falling off the Tidal Max and washing up here, everything was out of whack. Nothing was making sense anymore, and he didn''t know how to think straight with everything that has happened. All of this Leray magic stuff is cool, but why is it more important to learn than reuniting with their own families? It''s already been an entire week, which gives them less time to travel all the way down to Junon''s airport zone. Instead, Taylor wants to stay and graduate with Leray magic training. Doesn''t Taylor realize they are trapped here until they take action?


    Danny knew there were ways out of this and reasons for leaving Fronas. Even if he has already disobeyed one of Nyar''s rules, (staying out of Leray magic entirely), it didn''t mean he had to disobey the rally orders as well. Next morning, he would be sure of what to do.

 Chapter 13: Morning Mirage

    <hr>


    <12/25/1971 ~ 06:55 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The following morning was a Saturday, which meant there was no class at Dakota. That didn''t stop a few of the students from training, whether it was inside of the facility''s many dark rooms, or standing out in the field. After Danny and Taylor woke up from a good night''s sleep and took care of breakfast with Jane, the plan to hang out and do as little as possible was replaced by the usual excitement.


    Danny and Taylor used to have little else to do after school at their home in Kalamo, and normally, there would not have been a difference here either. Danny sure didn''t try to train as hard as Jane normally would, but since they were also with Jane in person, this was already going to change. Despite her willingness to slow down her own training to help her friends, Jane wanted to get back on track again, dragging the two of them with her all the way to the edge of the forest.


    In some reluctant agreement to practice so early in the morning, Jane led the way to a particular spot just shallow''s deep into the woods due west. The density of vegetation there isn''t normally high anyway, so it works best to keep an eye on the town at the same time. Danny simply followed Taylor, who was following Jane. At the same time, Jane was already explaining that she wanted to pitch in more training right here and now. It wasn''t the worst of ideas, but Danny at least needed another few minutes to wake up. The sunlight was barely shining overhead the peaks of the hills; it must have been slightly earlier than seven A.M. He still had an entire hour of being awake before now since breakfast, but it just felt too early to pitch in any physical exercise.


    Jane stopped only thirty meters deep into the woods, making it easy to see the way back into the field of Fronas. There was damp wild life everywhere, grass and trees teeming with broken branches and random variations of flowers, but the only animals around were a few birds nesting in the trees. Danny thought back to yesterday, when Jane told him about bats. He remembered seeing birds earlier, just when he and Taylor washed up here on what he believed was a small island. If birds and bats live here and aren''t affected by Leray magic, then what else can live here under the same pretext? Does Leray magic only affect specific types of animals? And if it does, what''s the incubation period per specimen?


    "Here we are," Jane claimed. She stopped where she decided to remain, likely for their next training session.


    Taylor wanted to be certain. "This is where we''re training?" It sure wasn''t much. Jane had no use of target dummies in the area this time. A single Fire Ball could potentially light the entire forest on fire. Wasn''t Jane worried about that in the slightest?


    Jane answered, "Correct. You, Danny, and me as well. We''re going to continue training right here."


    "Um..." Danny still had a hard time thinking of anything yet, but it was quickly coming back to him. After retaining the memories of last night, he successfully invoked Radial Stars just outside of Jane''s house. It happened thirty minutes into watching the ProCom news, and he managed to get Radial Stars to work on a calm mind. After all, Danny only needed one spell to use for protection. Of course, Jane didn''t know any of that, which means his next thing to learn is whatever Taylor was currently aiming for. But what about Jane? "What do you have to train for?"


    "Silly," Jane judged, getting up in Danny''s face. She was still somehow full of that same energy as she was yesterday. Danny wondered if this was a side effect of Leray magic. With all of its amazing properties, anything was possible. "Even the best can get better... And I''m not really that good yet anyway."


    "I understand," Taylor remembered. "You want to get that Electro-Ball down, don''t you?"


    "Someone''s been paying attention," Jane accommodated. "I''m not far off, so this is where we will try things."


    "Electro-Ball?" Danny repeated. It must have been some kind of spell Jane was rusty with. At least he now knew that even people like her have issues. After how difficult it was for him to master so much as a single invocation of Radial Stars, hearing Jane having trouble with a small elemental ability actually made Leray magic as a whole appear impossible to learn. It would take an entire lifetime. Wait a minute! What about the veil? "Hey Jane? What happens if we end up lighting the forest on fire? We should really go back to the dark room instead."


    Jane almost appeared to be caught by the surprise question. She hadn''t thought of that before. The veil of protection only affects people and the creatures affected by magic, not physical objects, and defiantly not vegetation. Then again, there were plenty of workarounds for such situations. "Not to worry," Jane reassured. "I took the liberty of learning Water Blast. It''s not a good attack skill, but it works wonders putting out any fires."


    That''s just irresponsible. Danny wanted to simply shrug this off his shoulders, knowing it would be disastrous to try and argue with such a moron. Still, if the forest does catch on fire, it will be entirely Jane''s responsibility to fix it. He hadn''t learned about this Water Blast skill, and to his knowledge, neither has Taylor. So she''ll have to do it all by herself if anyone''s Fire Ball does cause issues. In that case, Danny had already stopped worrying about it. Now that he remembered everything before, his concerns regarding yesterday''s thoughts returned to him too, but he decided to save it for now. "I''ll be learning Fire Ball then."


    "Me too," Taylor compared. "I''ll probably get it faster than you though."


    "Don''t be too sure," Danny retorted. "I did manage to invoke Radial Stars last night."


    "So you were practicing!" Taylor concluded. She had some doubts whether his idea before was just an excuse for something else, but if Danny learned Radial Stars, the notion that he was slacking off was hardly the case at all. Oh no! Taylor just now realized that she spoke of this aloud, making it clear that she didn''t believe his testimony before!


    "Of course I''ve been practicing!" Danny issued. "What do ya think I did outside last night? Hang out in the cold with a thumb up my ass?"


    "Testy..." He obviously didn''t want to talk about it either. Taylor didn''t mean to make him any grouchier than he already was, so she didn''t say much else.


    Jane on the other hand gave both of them several looks, and for a brief moment, it made Taylor a little nervous. After Jane continued to tease Taylor about Danny again while he was away, this only brought up the memory of that moment. Danny was not able to pick up on the inaudible notations. The awkward silence was only short lived once Jane picked up the pieces again. "It''s settled then. I''ll practice my Electro-Ball, Taylor will practice Fire Ball, and Danny will practice... Fire Ball?"


    Taylor folded her arms in confidence while making sure Danny was all ears. "I''ll be sure to add to the list shortly after."


    "You think you''re alone in that?" Danny challenged. "I''ll be ahead of one Fire Ball too ya know."


    "You''re on!"


    Jane thought back to a few weeks before, when she had other acquaintances that were as competitive, if not more than these two. But for whatever reason there was, neither one of them ended up graduating. Jane knew what it was all about back then, but refused to think about it any further now. Those days were already gone and done with. At least now, a real training session was on between the three of them.


    Before Jane''s wishes could be granted, Taylor turned out to be a buzz kill with the constant need for information. "Hey Jane? Why do we have to learn every single elemental attack?"


    "Well..." Jane actually didn''t consider before that Eliza skipped out on explaining how balls and bolts were an evolutionary stage of elemental magic. Luckily for them both, Jane was an expert herself to this degree. "You see, Fire Ball, Ice Ball, and Electro-Ball are all unguided projectiles, and they don''t do any damage if your opponent dodges the attack. But those skills are all necessary preludes to learning the skills of Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and Lightning Strike."


    "So..." Danny tried to understand a little too quickly, and needed to reconfirm what she just said. "Are you saying that balls and bolts are different?"


    "Yes," Jane continued. "Compare a Fire Ball to a Fire Bolt. The Fire Bolt has several advantages, being faster to travel, impacting the target with more speed and force. The power level increases, and the projectile homes in on the opponent. There is almost no downside to the upgrade in any way. It just takes much longer to learn, and using it in battle costs a little more MP energy than the unguided types do."


    "I get it," Taylor confirmed. "You have to learn Ice Ball before learning Ice Bolt, and once you do, you''ve upgraded almost everything about that skill, and so on and so forth."


    "That''s how it works." Jane realized that the matter was much easier to explain than she thought. Danny and Taylor both exchanged looks, and prepared themselves to begin training immediately, but perhaps a further explanation wouldn''t hurt. "All skills are like that though. Some magical spells are standalone, but others have upgradable forms. Of course, since they cost more magical energy, you have to train a lot on their lower versions before mastering any of them. And when you do, you''ll be spending more MP for each time you use it."


    Danny knew there must be over a thousand different spells, but disregarded the wonder for now. Fire Ball would have to be learned first, a much better skill for defending one''s self.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Back To The Lab ~ Jeff Broadbent (Planetside 2 OST)</a>


    <hr>


    Only several minutes passed before all three of them were trying to fire off skills they have not even mastered yet. Taylor and Danny stuck to Fire Ball, while Jane was testing all of her skills and abilities. After giving each other enough space and taking aim in directions that would not be too volatile to ignite, the three of them began to practice charging and releasing their energy towards the targeted spells.


    "Fire Ball!" Jane hollered the name of the attack spell she was casting in progress, aiming her open hand towards the ground. In no difficulty whatsoever, Jane formed the same small red glyphring around her wrist, and shot a Fire Ball from her hand without any delay. The Fire Ball instantly traveled to and collided with the ground of the earth, proving how fast the attack is. It would be hard to dodge a normal Fire Ball attack, let alone whatever a Fire Bolt spell proves to be like.


    Jane''s Fire Ball caused some of the twigs it came into contact with to catch smoke. There was no visual of any open flames yet, but it seemed pretty close that Jane''s Fire Ball was hot enough to cause some major damage if used against a person, or at least a burning sensation of pain. Jane immediately lowered her hand again, allowing for the small rotating red glyphring to follow as if that glyphring were a bracelet she was wearing bound to her skin. It faded away shortly after, and Jane gave herself a few seconds of a break.


    Though there was no real need to look at anyone''s energy scopes, Taylor was certain that Jane''s training and usage of these abilities were causing her MP capacity to drain slowly over time after each magical ability is invoked. It would have to since that was the rule of using Leray magic. Eventually, if you use a lot of spells over little time, the MP reserves for that person deplete to zero percent, requiring passive regeneration before it can be used again. Taylor never felt what is was like to have zero MP and full HP levels. According to what her teacher explained earlier, that stage would not nullify the Leray magical protection effects due to the high HP remaining on top of it.


    Taylor shook the thought away, taking her turn to try a Fire Ball attack. She knew what the glyphring looked like this time, and imagined the entire scenario happening in her mind like before with Radial Stars. After storing the energy into her hands and her idea of a glyphring, Taylor focused on what was to come next. First, there is the buzz of energy humming inside of her body as it is focused to her left hand. Then the glyphring needs to be created before releasing the rest of the energy through the ring.


    Danny remained calm, watching how far from a Fire Ball Taylor was than before. This time, when Taylor raised her left arm, the same red glyphring formed around her wrist like it did with Jane''s. Taylor finally chanted, "Fire Ball!" with full determination, but nothing came out, and the glyphring faded rather quickly. She was at least close to a successful invocation by the looks of it.


    Jane disregarded how close Taylor was to her success. She had other things to focus on as well. Jane knew that she could perform an Ice Ball without fail, but she needed that same reminder in order to recall how to swap from one element to the next. In just short of time, she began charging another attack. Jane took very little time in order to charge up her MP energy. She did not even have to try and feel for it at this point, after being so used to invoking multiple magical attack spells. All of that stored energy was right in reach from her MP levels; she knew that without them, there would be nothing to help charge her MP energy. With little time to spare, Jane did the same thing as last time with Fire Ball, only she began thinking about the temperature difference and how to use an Ice Ball attack. With ice elemental magic involved, she had to imagine that her projectile was made of frozen icy cold water, and that her glyphring was an ice type as well. Glyphrings change in color and in symbols when elements used from it are changed. Jane knew this just as well as what all of the elemental glyphrings looked like without firsthand experience.


    After it was time to release her energy, Jane formed the bright sky blue colored glyphring around her wrist, at the same size as the Fire Ball one took up. It was much smaller than the glyphring for Radial Stars, but that was not stopping her at all. Jane lifted her hand after the glyphring formed, once again proving that the glyphrings follow one''s aim even after they are created. Jane pointed her open hand towards the same exact impact site she used before, planning to cool down that hot bush using an ice attack. Without ever needing to shut her eyes once, Jane knew exactly how to concentrate for any kind of spell. She disregarded everyone and everything else from her mind while trying to launch her attack with another loud chant. "Ice Ball!"


    Since the Ice Ball projectile was only visible for a short second, Danny and Taylor could barely tell how it looked with their eyes. The ball itself was flying like a projectile, but it looked a lot more like a frozen collection of mist from the air collapsed into a single brightly colored sphere shooting quickly through the air. Once it impacted into the ground, the ball of ice exploded, spreading around an amazing white colored icy mist with it. The foliage at the impact point was thus covered in frost and dew. Jane''s glyphring faded shortly after the ball of ice hit its mark, immediately cooling off the same part of the ground where Jane launched her Fire Ball attack seconds ago. It was rather impressive that she could use all of these additional attack spells on top of Eliza''s initial expectations of other students.


    With the thought in mind, Danny decided that he would try once again for a Fire Ball attack. He failed to come near invoking it yesterday, but this time, he knew something he did not before. Thanks to Eliza''s pep talk with him earlier, Danny now understood that he will only succeed with any moment he realizes he is more than capable. By understanding that you can invoke a spell with utmost certainty, such determination affects the mind in a positive way. And what better time than right before Taylor beats him to it?


    Danny concentrated like before after planting his feet steady into the dirt, and he could sense that Taylor was watching him on the side, trying to make sure she wins Fire Ball first. After remembering how Radial Stars worked like before, it was relatively easy to find the source of his MP energy using just sheer thought. All he had to do was sense the field around him and the energy affecting him inside and around his own essence, after which channeling that energy to a more specific area. After raising the buzz to his right hand, Danny knew that it was partial imagination and focus from then on.


    Jane watched the two of them. Both Danny and Taylor were giving it another go at exactly the same time. Neither one of them were shutting their eyes either, proving how used they both are to open imaginative thinking by now. Both of them were at this point equally determined, but Jane knew that Taylor put in more practice hours than Danny had, and easily made her own predictions.


    When they both tried to unleash their attacks together, both Danny and Taylor formed the correct small red glyphring around their wrists. Jane took little time to notice that Taylor was using her left hand, while Danny stuck with his right hand. Taylor was obviously left handed, but it didn''t seem to bother her ability to concentrate one bit. It was actually surprising to notice that Danny was capable of creating a fire-based glyphring as well. Waiting to see which one of them will succeed in a Fire Ball attack, and which one will not, Jane was immediately taken for a further surprise. After hearing the both of them yell the words Fire Ball in succession, Danny and Taylor both ended up creating the perfect flaming projectile attack aimed straight forwards. This time, two Fire Balls traveled through in the distance instead of one, oozing through the air like a thick beam of light if it were to be sped up. The spheres of flames impacted separately on the barks of other trees. The attacks were not hot enough to spark any flames, but Jane had seen the result of the entire event come forward.


    "Ha! I did it!" Taylor congratulated herself, feeling the amazing sensational excitement Jane mentioned earlier every time she could complete a new spell. It emphasized the feeling of self-improvement.


    "So did I," Danny gloated.


    "Huh?!" Taylor was glaring at Danny. Both his and her glyphring faded too quickly for her to be sure if he was telling the truth. She did notice two Fire Balls at once, but that second one could have come from Jane...


    Jane took no time in explaining how good they both were getting. "You both did it, together, and at the exact same time." She noticed that Taylor and Danny were not happy to be on a stalemate with each other. "You''re now tied neck and neck with how many abilities you can use at once. And," she added with much enthusiasm. "You both have already completed the weekend assignment''s general requirements."


    Taylor smiled, hatching another plan for the rest of this morning. "Who cares about that?" She continued the argument after giving Danny a sinister snide. "I''m going for three abilities now, and I''ll be the first one there." When did Danny get so good at using Fire Ball? It doesn''t matter. He''s still slower to learn new skills!


    "In your dreams," Danny denied.


    Taylor immediately announced the next part of her skill plan. "I''m going for Ice Ball next."


    Danny realized that she was as determined as he was to continue this hot streak of successful training. He also realized that with two attacks learned, the third could be learned even faster now. Being familiar with two spells would make it easier to learn the third, but not as easy as it would be to learn four spells having already learned three. That''s how Eliza put it anyway. "I''m going for Electro-Ball."


    Both Taylor and Jane gasped at his change in mind. Jane was the first to raise the simple concern. "I would only advise that if you''re sure. Electro-Ball is harder to learn than Ice Ball or Fire Ball combined."


    Taylor seemed excited suddenly. "That means I''ll learn three first, and then I''ll be better at magic than you." Taylor was pointing to Danny. Jane was in her own league right now, so that would take much more time and effort.


    Jane wagged her finger at Taylor in denial. "Augh-awh-awh! You''re forgetting that despite how much longer Danny''s Electro-Ball will take him to learn, such a spell would retain a higher power level. So once he learns this third spell after you learn your Ice Ball, he''ll technically be a little bit stronger than you."


    "That''s called thinking ahead," Danny added. He could see some of the defeat on Taylor''s face, and immediately began to enjoy this short competition. Learning how to use Leray magic was much more fun than he ever could have imagined it to be, and this was still just the training phases of the life style here. Jane was obviously not done training either. He was just getting warmed up.


    Jane wanted to confirm something before continuing her own Electro-Ball attack. "Now Danny, I''ll probably learn Electro-Ball first, but I''ve been trying that one for a while now, so don''t feel intimidated when I do get it mastered."


    "That''s okay," he allowed. "As long as I do better than Taylor, I''ve got nothing else to prove."


    Taylor gritted her teeth together, realizing the challenge that had been cut out for her. She needed to learn Ice Ball, and fast. Then she could go with a separate attack all together, or learn Electro-Ball after Danny does for four spells.


    Jane let the two of them continue their rigorous training tactics. She was far from done just yet, and returned her focus to her potential target locations. It was not going to be easy to use Electro-Ball. Jane remembered the glyphring for the attack skill. She had invoked it several times without actually launching the electrical projectile anywhere, but now was her chance to get it right again. She began to calm her nerves again, focusing on her MP energy like before. An electrical attack took slightly more MP than the other elements did, so she charged it up accordingly. When she imagined how the attack looked and released her energy like before, Jane ended up creating another small glyphring around her wrist. The glyphring this time was the strange color of a dark jade, right in between dark green and dark blue. The symbols on it were different as well, though Jane was more focused on the last part she had trouble with. After yelling, "Electro-Ball!" in high hopes that it would work, Jane''s attack became anti-climactic when nothing shot from the center of the glyphring.


    Danny and Taylor were briefly distracted. They knew Jane had troubles before, but it was an entirely different thing to see her fail in person at invoking a spell. Jane?! Failing an attack spell?! Danny exhaled with much pressure, realizing that an Electro-Ball will be difficult to achieve, but that was not about to stop him today.


    Jane lowered her hand, trying to calm herself down for another attempt. From the corner of her eye, she could spot Taylor trying to invoke her next spell. It went about as well as Jane''s attempt went. Nobody was going to just go from Fire Ball to Ice Ball on their first iteration. Luckily, it seemed as if she had gotten less upset after each failed attempt. Taylor was already adapting to the situation of the magical invocation protocols as professionally as she should for a student at Dakota academy.


    For several more attempts of magical spells coming from each person, it all turned out to be failures while the dozens of minutes passed. Jane felt that this time would finally work out in her favor, and charged her MP energy again. Even after failing to get it right so many times, Jane became so used to this that the time it took to charge her energy, release it into an electrical glyphring, and channeling the rest of the charged energy to her hands - was cut into a third of what it once was. It took less than one small second of time for Jane to make the glyphring appear, aim her and hand at the target of her choice to try and make something happen. Even after several failed attempts, training with the same skills makes one get used to it rather quickly. Jane knew that a ball of electricity is exactly what she wanted. It would still be her very first electrical type attack ever invoked by her, but that did not change the fact that she knew her next attempt would be more than just an attempt. There comes a time when the state of mind of trying an attack over and over shifts to pure certainty, that the next time will yield an actual result instead of anything less. Jane was so focused on that way of thinking, that after she shot the ball of electricity from her hand, she was not even aware that she truly succeeded until much after it impacted on the bark of a tree in front of her.


    The sphere of electricity was pretty while traveling at such a high speed. Despite being visible for less than a second before impact, Danny and Taylor got to study what one looked like. The ball of energy was about the same color as Jane''s electrical glyphring was, but the sphere itself was sparking and arcing with electrical energy that gave it a dynamic work of art in midair. Just getting close to the trajectory of this thing could zap anyone in range without a direct hit. The collision into the tree was even more graphical than what was to be expected. After the tree took that hit, small faint blue strings of electrical arcs zoomed outward from the impact site for another second of time. The entire event was unbelievable.


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    Jane was impressed in her own abilities. She even forgot to yell out the chant of Electro-Ball. Jane knew that she could replicate that result again after learning how to use it for the first time. She glanced back at the others with a proud happy smile in her own accomplishment.


    Danny seemed slightly nervous, now that the skill he wanted to get in touch with was going to be a difficult one to get by on. Taylor would surely master Ice Ball before he can learn Electro-Ball just like Jane already has done. On the other hand, Electro-Ball is more powerful than Ice Ball, even if the power level difference is by a hair. Now was not the time to stop and admit defeat.


    With little said, Jane realized that neither Danny nor Taylor were ready to call it a day. Now that she learned all three of her elemental ball attacks, she decided to change pace with her other style of training.


    Taylor was still studying how to shoot an Ice Ball such as before, but she took some notice to Jane''s sudden change in style and tactics for her method of training. Jane pulled out her hidden daggers, which this time she hid behind her boots somehow. After drawing both small blades into both her hands, Jane totally changed her stance. Jane was now standing differently with her knees half bent. What she did next brought back a certain memory.


    It was the same thing as before, in the hallway of Dakota when Taylor first met Jane in person. Jane didn''t flail around mistakenly. Her movements and transitions were expertly timed and well-coordinated. Where did she even learn how to wield those things anyway? Taylor became much more impressed with what came next. Jane began slashing into the air in front of her, like she was pretending to attack someone at close range. After a quick slice, Jane then suddenly performed a back-flip somersault out of the blue, making her other dagger slash her imaginary target at the same time. Jane managed to attain distance backwards from where she was standing, and landed her flip perfectly, ready to keep going at it. Jane then kicked her foot high into the air twice, in the form of a double kick, after which she ducked down on both feet, sliding around on her hands while spinning in place with one leg out. Taylor recognized what it looked like, that Jane had just went from a high kick into a low spinning sweep to make the imaginary opponent trip and fall down. But she was performing all of these random combinations as if they were at the back of her head. There was no way Jane could have just learned that. It seemed awkward to see Jane doing these things before imagining her invisible targets, though it sure didn''t bother her to think about it.


    The attention Jane was drawing from Taylor eventually went noticed by Danny as well. She became her own performance show of close combat tactics, making clean low sweeps, strikes mixed in with punches, and a few special spins that allowed her to back away in the form of a dodge. Jane paused in the middle, realizing that Danny and Taylor were both staring at her again with their prying eyes. "What?"


    Taylor looked at the floor for a brief moment before admitting how intense Jane was being right now. "We''ve never seen anyone move like that, not outside of an action movie anyway."


    "Any weapon can be used in battle, right?" Danny was the one asking a question that he already knew the answer too, but he wanted to hear what Jane had to add to one of Eliza''s lectures. Jane couldn''t possibly know more than her own teacher, but she sure didn''t pick up those moves from her either. Jane must have taken some sort of outside class on top of her current one.


    "That''s right," Jane agreed. "Daggers alone don''t inflict high amounts of damage, so I''ve learned to mix in combination strikes and styles with it. I learned how to move around like that from Mr. Mire. He left Dakota, though it was before we officially finished."


    "Well you seem to have it down well," Taylor complimented.


    Jane accepted, "Thank you. It''s what I need to do in future battles, once my long-range tactics fail. You have to be prepared for anything in the field."


    "I think I would be comfortable with a blaster."


    Jane gave Danny a quick study. He was serious about what he meant, indicating he already had a look at the dark room cache of weapons. "In that case, Blast Shot is the name of your official skill when using a blaster weapon. You can''t just randomly aim and shoot expecting it to work. It will still fire magical energy without using your own, but it has less of an effect than Radial Stars if you don''t let the weapon siphon your own energy. And to do that, the skill name is called Blast Shot. You have to learn to invoke magical properties into projectile attacks even when they come from weapons."


    "I, didn''t know that," Danny hinged. Why didn''t Eliza explain that when she was confronting him about it before? Maybe she did, and only Jane made sense in talking about it. But that means the blaster weapon is useful!


    "It''s okay," Jane tolerated. "Even my own combination that you two were just watching, it''s only as effective as it can get. I should be able to infuse magical properties into my daggers when using them. It costs MP while I use them to strike a target like that, but infusing your weapons with non-elemental magical energy increases the damage level significantly."


    "How do you do that?" Taylor quizzed.


    Jane softly answered, "It''s not used in the form of a glyphring. To infuse a weapon, you have to create what is known as a magical attack aura around the part of the weapon you use to deal damage with, and you must attack your enemy before that aura runs out of power on its own. I could even go as far as creating an attack aura around my foot or my fist, increasing the damage from a simple punch or kick, but I haven''t been able to successfully do that yet. So I wouldn''t expect anyone else to be too familiar with it, unless that is what they choose to start with."


    "Blast Shot?" Danny repeated.


    Jane was remembering a little more about the blaster weapon. "Blast Shot is a low power level attack that allows you to shoot magical energy from the blaster itself, and once you get the hang of it, the attack aura from the energy ball it shoots costs practically little MP energy. But if you try to fire a training blaster without your energy, it will only have the same effect visually. If you don''t siphon energy from your own aura, you will have less luck dealing damage than using Water Blast." The reference there was simple. Water Blast doesn''t do anything except blast a person with water. It just gets them wet without any damage. "The next evolutionary skill from there is Scatter Beam. With a power level of three, Scatter Beam fires a barrage of energy shots from the blaster, as if you were shooting from a shot gun, dealing much more damage at less accuracy from a distance."


    "How do you know all of this stuff?" Danny requested. "Is there some simplified guide book for all of these different attacks?"


    "Actually," Jane shifted. "There is. I''ll get one for you once we all graduate from Dakota."


    "... Right." Danny swept his foot back slightly and kept his voice calm. He had a feeling that graduations would have to wait, for him and Taylor, but Jane didn''t need to hear about that yet. "I''m going to focus on Electro-Ball again."


    "Take your time," Jane allowed. "I''ve still got some ways to go myself. I don''t know how to use any of the bolt attacks."


    "You''re kidding," Taylor stopped. "Fire Bolt? Ice Bolt? Even Thunderbolt? You can''t use any of them?"


    "I thought it was Lightning Strike," Danny derailed.


    Jane nodded at their behavior. "I can''t know everything all at the same time you know. I am still just a first year student like you two are. And Lightning Strike is the same thing as Thunderbolt. They just have multiple names is all."


    Danny figured it was that simple, but it sure was confusing. Why give one ability more than one name to chant? Isn''t the point to correctly remember which attacks do what? Lightning Strike and Thunderbolt are exactly the same then. Before it hurt his head anymore, Danny got back to training using the same directional targets of trees he had before. Taylor did the same, making some room for Jane to follow in the same footsteps. She however wanted to continue with her close combat stances instead of her magical abilities. Learning magic was left to Danny and Taylor.


    Much more time passed, nearly an hour to be exact before Taylor finally did it. "Ice Ball!" was the last thing she yelled before her icy colored glyphring lit up and shot a ball of ice from the palm of her hand. Before the ball even hit the bulk of some random tree, Taylor was already celebrating, jumping up and down in succession. "Yes! I got it!"


    "Good job Taylor," Jane congratulated. She really is getting faster, but that was to be expected with all Jane taught the two of them.


    Danny glanced back at Taylor and Jane, remembering his earlier concerns. After being reminded about the issue of timing and priorities, his thoughts only haunted his ability to focus on magic. On second thought, Electro-Ball can wait. This is more important. After noticing how well Taylor was fitting in with the town of Fronas, Dakota, and even with Jane, Danny knew this was not going to be easy... But this has to be done. If he just keeps stalling this any further, it will be even harder to let go of any attachments formed here. Danny steadily approached Taylor, pecking his finger on her shoulder.


    It was a bit unexpected for Danny to halfway sneak up like that, but Taylor wasn''t frightened by it at all. After having learned a new ability a few seconds ago, she was still in a very forgiving mood. "Hey Danny. Like my Ice Ball?"


    Danny quickly shot a glance at Jane without saying a word. It took him a moment to decide something, and even Taylor could read that some kind of heavy thought was bothering him already. "Jane? Taylor and I need to have a talk."


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Into The Mist ~ Two Worlds 2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    "Oh..." Jane didn''t see this coming, but to see it happening before her sparkled her entire chain of thought. Finally! Danny was going to have a private chat with Taylor. Jane could tell what this was going to be about, and remembered back to last night when she was teasing Taylor about it. "Sure. Go ahead." Jane didn''t want to be the awkward thorn in this cute mix up. "I''ll be right over here." Jane slowly sunk backwards a little deeper behind some of the trees, intentionally giving the two of them their well-deserved privacy.


    "What''s this about," Taylor asked. Danny was looking straight into her eyes as she was to his, but he had a rather serious and demanding look about something. Before Danny said much else, he grabbed her by the hand, leading her away from Jane, marching deeper into the woods. Though his actions totally surprised Taylor, he didn''t stop himself for anything. It was a short walk over a few stumps and fallen twigs, but Danny made certain to put distance between him and Jane, making Taylor more nervous.


    Taylor felt like she was going to collapse at any moment. Just last night, Jane was bugging her on about liking Danny, and here he was, leading her away to privacy, holding her hand. It couldn''t be true! Did Danny really have a crush on Taylor this entire time? Oh, what to say to him... The nervous warm pulse from Danny''s firm grip had Taylor''s heart racing already, her thoughts going everywhere at once. This had to be a coincidence!


    Finally, Danny decided that this was far enough, and let go of Taylor''s hand, preparing to explain to her most curious expression, but the words didn''t come to him so quickly. This was harder to admit openly than it was to himself. After all, Taylor was the last person he would want to let down if this went the other way.


    "Wh¡ª what is this about?" Taylor pleaded. She could only hope it was unrelated to anything Jane was going on about before, or anything unrelated to her falling off that cliff. Danny was never the type to ask a girl out like this before though. Just calm down!


    "It''s about our mission, remember?" Danny was pressuring Taylor to recall the real reason they are here, and what needs to be done. His tone became firm so quickly, allowing his frustration to easily be shared aloud. "I don''t hate any of this Leray stuff okay, but it''s time we got moving to the airport. I''m done stalling."


    "What?" This was the last thing Taylor expected from him. Actually, asking her out was the last expected scenario, but now that it was already in her head, Danny went to an entirely different direction than she was anticipating. While it was relieving to hear that he was going on about something different, the words he was saying now weren''t all that calming either. "But we both agreed to enroll in Dakota. Remember what we discussed with Kain?" Danny was supposed to wait for Jane to graduate before even making a move.


    "What little money Kain loses won''t hurt him," Danny argued. "Even if graduation is close, we don''t have the time and luxury to hang around here, playing with fire magic."


    Unbelievable! This wasn''t what she agreed to at all. Taylor snapped, "What''s wrong with you?" Her expression had quickly transformed in to an intermediate form of anger and being upset about the thought of leaving.


    "What''s wrong with me?!" Danny reversed. "I''m the one trying to figure out how to get to Junon''s airport. And from what I''ve learned, it''s illegal for any Leray wielder to challenge us to a battle if we don''t have official Leray licenses. As long as we don''t graduate, we won''t have to worry about that problem at all. We''ve been approaching this problem in reverse."


    "But what about Jane? We promised to travel together with her to Junon." Taylor knew she was just looking for every excuse she could, but this one sounded valid after saying it aloud. Though she had only met Jane Venn just recently, she wasn''t a person she could just walk away from like that.


    Danny understood Taylor''s desire to stay with her new energetic friend, but this was hardly the time to wait on Jane. "But that course of action will take us months to get to Junon. Jane might want to travel all over Sprawn Valley since she is going on some sort of magical quest of magic land, but we won''t make it in time if we don''t pick up our pace right now." Danny knew he sounded harsh by rushing this, but he knew what kind of wall he was up against here. Taylor looked away, denying his own flawless logic. "I got in touch with Nyar two days ago again, with a slight change of plans. I was told that our parents were going to pay Nyar to come here since he is closer, so he''ll be the first to expect us there. But what do you think happens when Nyar lands here and doesn''t find us? You want to let him down?"


    "I don''t want to leave," Taylor admitted. Though she was still eying him only from her peripheral sight, she could see Danny''s hazel eyes come into focus on her expression, trying to read her very thoughts.


    Surely, she was kidding. He knew from the beginning that Leray magic always excited Taylor to the fullest, and he let himself accept that even after all said and done. But this isn''t about having fun anymore. "Taylor, we don''t belong here. Learning how to use magic isn''t going to change that either. If we don''t make it in time, our parents are going to wonder where the hell we are."


    "But I''d rather stay here." Taylor simply repeated the statement she made earlier, but her tone sounded much more firm and constrained.


    Danny tilted his head in confusion. "You''d rather stay here in crazy land, instead of going back home? Be with your family, the ones who raised you?! You''re telling me that your family reunion is just not important anymore?"


    How dare he get into her personal business like that! Stupid Danny always has to wreck everything she builds for herself. "I thought you were into this magic stuff," Taylor stiffened. "I guess that was just a lie too."


    "I''ve had enough of this! You''re acting like a child!" Danny yelled. He didn''t like being this difficult with Taylor, especially since they never had an argument like this in the past. Why the hell is she so keen on being left behind? None of this makes any sense. Nobody could possibly like magic that much to abandon their own family!


    "I''m not the one planning on leaving other people behind like that."


    Danny realized what Taylor meant with her analogy; that Jane would wake up one day, surprised that he and Taylor left without even saying goodbye. But it was necessary for the purpose! "Jane isn''t your only friend," he pressured. "You have more back home. I know that Kalamo is not the magical world you want it to be, but you can''t just abandon your family."


    "I am not leaving!" Taylor promised while turning to face her soon to be former friend, glaring back into his eyes to establish her confidence for her independent decision. "And that''s that." She turned around, folding in her arms. It was practically close enough to pouting, but it was also clear that Taylor was not just going to leave with Danny.


    In all his life, Danny had never seen her behave this way before. Taylor would not give into any of his words, and trying to force her after her remark was something out of his moral boundaries too. "Why are you making this difficult?!" Danny demand. "Don''t you miss your mom or dad one bit?"


    "No! I don''t!" Taylor just then turned around to face him again after what she had just admitted aloud, but she nearly shuttered at what she just did, realizing her own words spoken aloud sent a shiver down her spine. Danny wasn''t supposed to know anything about that.


    "Wha..." Danny didn''t even know how to respond. Taylor didn''t miss her home? He never noticed anything bad about her family before. They weren''t abusive, or drug dealing morons, or anything of the sort. He had been to her house before in more or less the same circumstances of visiting Jane''s family. "I-I don''t understand." Danny had to let her speak on her own, unable to comprehend so much as a way of figuring this out.


    Taylor puffed and exhaled, realizing that she was now at a disadvantage. Danny now knew her small secret she never wanted to share with anybody. It''s pointless trying to hold it all in now. "Danny? I can''t go back." She eyed him so direct and precise, hoping he would hear him promise to let her stay.


    "Mind telling me why?"


    As predicted, Taylor had no choice but to explain the entire situation. It was hard to even think about it, but she did her best. "It''s a long story..." Taylor didn''t want to continue.


    Danny saw a total change in Taylor''s mood. It went from aggressive to miserable in just seconds, and he immediately grew more curious to what this was about. "Please," he whispered. "Just tell me."


    Taylor didn''t expect Danny to be so calm about this. He''s often terrible at talking to people or listening to girls, but he seemed more than interested and focused in her current mood. Still, this is not his business to know! Taylor thought of something else to say, some sort of dismissive phrase or clause, but nothing helpful came to mind. She could only struggle, mentally choking over her own scattered thoughts and fears.


    "Taylor..." Danny had to remain calm, even if this was freaking him out inside. There is obviously something heavy bothering her. It must be something unrelated to Sprawn Valley if home is the source of this terrible look on her face. "We''re friends no matter what. You can tell me anything."


    Having no more available options in her to fight this, Taylor simply accepted the gravity of the situation, and dumped the weight of her troubles onto Danny so direct. "Have you ever heard of the Banshee unit?"


    "Uh-no." Danny had never recalled hearing about that at all. "What does that have to do with you?"


    Taylor was nodding, sad just having to explain this story to anybody. At least Danny was not a stranger to her. Whether this made it more or less difficult couldn''t be determined right now. Everything just hurts! Everything before, it''s all coming back again! "Kalamo has a long history about supporting a dictatorship, a communist government."


    "I''m aware of that..." Danny recalled several political events back home, but things had recently changed a bit. Someone new took charge less than four years ago, and nobody has said anything about the rumored continued slavery runs. The last dictator would steal people from their homes and force them to work in the mines, but it was far less intense than one hundred years ago, with similar people doing the same things with more invasive methods. Now, Kalamo was practically sucked dry of their own resources, so forced labor was not really in demand right now. That''s about the gist of it.


    Taylor continued on, regretting every detail. "Well now it''s being transformed into a kingdom, a full monarch."


    "What? I didn''t hear anything about that." Danny had not paid much attention to the political news in Kalamo for the past few months, since he was preparing for the cruise. But this was rather big for their home nation; it changes everything!


    She replied, "That''s because you don''t keep up with world events and the news. The changes to the political system are already made for the most part."


    "I don''t trust our own media to tell us the truth," he defended. Even the internet there is strictly monitored and filtered. It''s impossible to get information in the most normal sense.


    "Yeah," Taylor agreed. "Neither do I. I got my information from my parents, about three months ago."


    Three months? How did this happen under everyone''s eyes for so long? Danny wanted to know every detail, but he couldn''t even come up with anything to ask. There was already too much more to figure out. He simply waited for Taylor to continue.


    She had to take her time, since every word she brought up held heavy on her breath. "In light of the new monarch, a new unit was created to support the king after he took full office. That unit is called the Banshee Empire. Their jobs are all related to personal security, cooking, cleaning, anything that was specifically for the king. There are hundreds of jobs for hundreds of reasons. Being a Banshee would be like living in a castle, doing whatever someone tells you to. But you would also become rich from those jobs, earning loads of cash while being close to the personal chain of command. It''s essentially like the royal caste."


    "Okay..." Danny still didn''t know what this had to do with her. If being a Banshee means all of that...


    "But not anybody just becomes a Banshee by asking. It''s supposed to be an honorary request. It''s more like a list of names and families that are supposedly in line to become Banshees for any random particular job there. And my family is somehow on that list."


    "What?!"


    "They don''t let people over a certain age participate, and I''m an only child. By lottery, I''m supposed to be the next in line Banshee along with many others. My parents plan to send me off to the new castle and be an honorary member."


    "That''s..." Danny wanted to congratulate her, but she was refusing to return home. If this really was as glorious as it sounded, she should be begging to go home. Knowing the state Kalamo is always in, luck was never on the side of the people. There has to be a catch to all of this.


    Taylor continued, despite Danny''s barrage of questions he had not even asked yet. "I''ve recently learned from true sources, even people I used to know who were branded Banshees before me. I''ve met mothers who sent their daughters away there, and fathers who send their sons."


    "And?"


    "And what nobody talks about is the role of young Banshees. The men often perform hard labor as you would expect, but it''s often dangerous and results in many casualties. But the role of women there is unspeakable in that land. I would be required and expected to fulfill the roles of a royal entertainer. That can naturally mean a lot of things. Cooking, cleaning like a maid, talent performances, and more. But they don''t just keep you with one job the entire time either."


    Danny looked at the grass below him. It wasn''t making any sense. The things she was saying were easy to imagine given the situation, so what was she so afraid of? Something seemed a little strange about this though. There is no way their media would want to cover something like that, not if there is a secret understanding about something else.


    "Think about that. Women''s duties!" Taylor knew what she was talking about, but hopefully she didn''t have to spell it out to Danny''s hard head.


    "Duties such as..."


    Taylor slapped her face with the palm of her hand, showing him how stupid he was being. Perhaps he just never paid much attention. "You know what I''m talking about! Entertainment jobs, pleasing men, even the king if he so requests. Those are only half of the unspeakable things we would be expected to do."


    Danny''s jaw dropped while his body froze. He couldn''t believe what Taylor was saying just now, but she wasn''t kidding either. After admitting what she didn''t want to continue talking about, he could see her eyes watering up. "N¡ª no! That can''t be right!" Say again Taylor. Correct those words, as they can''t be true!


    "It is," Taylor promised. "I checked every way I could. Plenty of maidens who become Banshees don''t return and communicate back with their families. Some of them are killed by selfish greedy men of the castle, but almost all of them are turned into slaves themselves, abused and rapped if their unlucky enough. I''d have to guess that all of them fall into such an unlucky category, since nobody is allowed to leave the royal service whenever they want." Her additional context brought it all out into the open, the reason it was so unspeakable. By some hellish tragedy, the castle was trying to start up an underage sex-trading system, under the guise of ''honorary work.''


    Danny could feel all of his muscles shaking. This was not possible. The Banshee kingdom doesn''t have any right to do this to people. And even if they don''t care, wouldn''t this still somehow become a popular rumor, such a negative affiliation that would drive the entire nation to direct rebellion? Taylor never had to worry about things like this before. Why would she keep something like this from him? What the hell is going on in this world?! Frozen by choice of language and the stabbing pain of the truth, it was too difficult to imagine Taylor getting involved with something like that. She was already tearing up, unable to completely wipe away her eyes. Danny wanted to stop her from saying more, but he just couldn''t move.


    Taylor, a sex slave to the new kingdom of Kalamo? What are people like that doing in office? And why are they trying to recruit people like her? From the sounds of it, being honored as a potential member must be more like a warning, a sheet of paper that forces you to go and live the rest of life by somebody else''s directive.


    "I''ve already tried talking to my parents!" she fussed. "They don''t care, they don''t even believe me. They want me to become a Banshee only to make more money, help pay off their debts!"


    "Stop!" he finally screamed. He couldn''t hide his own upset expression. He didn''t know what to do or what to think, and now his eyes glazing over a thin gloss of remorse linked only in sympathy. How could this be happening? All this time, Taylor had all of this bullshit to deal with?


    Taylor was not done. She felt a little more serious, after realizing that Danny finally understood how dangerous it was for her in Kalamo. "My own parents would rather sell me out as a harlot to help their finances, than to just stay poor and raise me like your family raises you. They don''t even have to comply with that Banshee contract, but they''re more stubborn than you can be."


    So it is a family choice?! "I don''t believe this!" Danny''s emotions were swirling around, holding his hands to his head in disarray. It felt like anger, but he wasn''t too sure anymore. Taylor had to be wrong about this somewhere. She is only fifteen years old! They can''t just take her for their own selfish desires! It''s wrong on so many levels!


    "Why do you think I went on this stupid trip with you?!"


    Danny once again became dumbstruck. What the hell was she saying? Taylor thought the trip to America was meaningless? Why even go?


    "I don''t care about New York, or North America, or even Nyar. I wasn''t going to mind his company anyway, since he wouldn''t have anything to do with sending me away like that, but I got my parents'' permission to take vacation in New York with you. It was my only opportunity to help myself. I only left to get the hell away from them." Taylor was breathing a lot faster, after all that she kept inside of her came bursting through, and Danny was being forced to hear every word of it. Still, the feeling and thought of her family stung like a razor. "I never want to see my family again!" Taylor''s voice was messed up from the tears, but it didn''t stop her from yelling at the top of her lungs either. Jane must have heard some of it after she screamed it so violently, but it didn''t matter now.


    Danny couldn''t think of anything to say anymore. Taylor was beginning to collapse, putting her entire face into both her hands while sobbing. As unbelievable as it was, Taylor would never lie about something like this. She wants to stay away from her home that badly! Instinctively, Danny moved in, hugging Taylor and grasping her tightly. Taylor stiffened for just a second by the surprise, and quickly swapped the position of her arms. Danny let her head sink in below his neck, since he was naturally taller than her by two inches.


    Taylor didn''t care about Danny''s need to get out of here anymore, but with him here right now, she let it all out, crying for as long as she needed to. She could feel herself trembling, as if she''d melt if she let go of him right now.


    Danny and Taylor were locked in this stance for over a silent minute. Once Danny finally got his mind back into reality, it allowed him to make several connections he never made before. Taylor tagged on the vacation to get away from Kalamo forever; it had nothing to do with having fun in New York. She probably planned on running away in the other country the first chance she got, and getting stuck here instead was not the end of the line for her either. If Nyar and her parents can''t find her, than she obviously can''t become a Banshee slave. That''s of course assuming she could remain hidden in the first place.


    Danny suddenly thought back to their last conversation with Kain. Danny was the reluctant one to get into Leray magic at all, since it was already decided they would leave from Fronas and head back to the airport. Taylor wanted to join the Dakota academy to get her mind off of home. Maybe she was interested in that magic stuff too, but it explained her unusual excitement regarding it. Her every reaction from learning Leray magic was just a partial facade the whole time! It worked well to hide her real intentions. They have already stayed here for a week longer than expected too, nowhere closer to Junon than they were since they arrived in Fronas to begin with.


    Danny then got hung up on the intense details. How would you like it if your parents decided to sell out your body, and risk your life every day just to get out of an economic slump? It was only three months ago, so it''s not like Taylor was expecting this either. In spite of everything that happened since their arrival here, he once believed life doesn''t get crazier than invoking magical spells. Apparently, it could get much worse. Kalamo was not a great country, nor was it known for its liberties. Danny knew this by heart since he had to live there forever, but this place by comparison is beyond freedom.


    The inhabitants of Sprawn Valley, or at least the ones in Fronas have established their own way of life, and nobody disturbs others until the law is broken. What better way to resolve national conflict than to let things happen as they would? But that wasn''t helping right now. Danny had never-ever seen Taylor this messed up before, and there was no immediate cure to the problem either. Right now, she''s trembling and crying her heart out in total fear of ever returning back home. For once she returns, she''ll officially be sent off to the Banshee Empire and turned into a slave. How could her parents not know about it? Ugh! That doesn''t matter right now! If Taylor returns home, her life will be ruined. If she stays here, Nyar will track them down eventually. However...


    Taylor felt Danny hold her arms, pushing back just enough to face her again. Danny looked into Taylor''s blue eyes, making certain that she knows what to do. "Listen to me closely Taylor. You''re not becoming a Banshee slave." He saw the mood in her expression lift immediately, mostly full of curiosity for the moment. "We''ll stay here, travel around with Jane when she is ready."


    "Ah¡ª but..." Taylor could see the seriousness in Danny''s eyes. He was going to stay, just for her? No, it was even more than that. He''s trying to protect her!


    Danny filled in the details before Taylor got them messed up. "I know that I can''t hide forever. And I do have a family I should be getting back to... I think at some point in time, we''ll be too close to Junon''s airport to avoid it. So in the meantime, I''ll think of something else to fix this."


    "It''s not something I can just get out of." Taylor began to sink her head down again. "What''s the point? When Nyar finds us, he''ll just send me back. My parents might even come here themselves. My life is already over."


    Danny shook his head at Taylor''s excuse. "No! I''m not letting anyone take you to become a Banshee!" Screw that! It''s her own damn life! Nobody has the right to take that away from her. "Even if all that body slaving stuff isn''t true, you still resent the very idea of that title and position, with all your heart and breath. So I''ll make sure that nothing like that ever happens to you."


    Taylor felt her body go numb. It felt more as if she was filling up like a balloon, becoming light enough to float off the dirt of the forest. The way he made such promise was unlike anything she had heard come out of his mouth before. Taylor didn''t even have the words to give him any gratitude, and she could already feel her face getting hot.


    Danny was expecting something out of Taylor by now, even if it wasn''t a big thank you. Instead, she hugged him back, just like before. He exhaled slowly, making sure she was okay. No way! His mind repeated. "I promise you won''t have that kind of fate." You deserve better than that Taylor... Just stay with me.


    Jane couldn''t stop tapping her foot. It has been several minutes since Danny pulled Taylor away. Either they ditched her to get a room, or something else was going on. Seeing it pointless to wait around for any more than a dozen minutes, Jane began to take off, walking towards the path they traveled on. Only after taking four steps did she suddenly notice Danny and Taylor in the distance, partially hidden by the foliage. She stopped, wondering if she didn''t even have to go far to find them. The real reason was that they were both finding their way back to her, finished with whatever they were really up to. They had been a distance off for some time, but were closer now because they must have gotten as bored as she did.


    Danny walked closely beside Taylor, who was staring at the ground mostly to avoid tripping over any of the tree stumps poking from the soil. Jane was already in front of his view, waiting for the both of them. Danny already knew what was about to happen here. Taylor''s face was dark red around her eyes. It was strikingly obvious that she had been crying her eyes out earlier, and Jane was bound to pick up on that any second now even at this distance.


    Taylor felt a little colder than she did before. Even for the morning breeze, it was still near the lower sixties, and she was without a jacket of any kind. Despite having to choose between three sets of outfits that Kain gave the both of them, she didn''t have much to wear for breezy weather. Now that Jane was here, she would know by now that Taylor was not feeling great anymore, and naturally jump in to figure it out, but this was not something she could repeat again in the same day.


    Jane watched as the two of them got even closer. Danny was sort of hugging towards Taylor''s side, but something was wrong. They weren''t moving with the same energy as before, and Taylor was avoiding as much eye contact with her as possible. Jane took a step closer, forcing Danny and Taylor to stop. Just then, Taylor looked up at Jane, but only for a second. It was more than enough time to notice the stain of heavy tears. "Taylor? Wh¡ª what happened?! Hey! What did you do?"


    Danny responded to Jane''s natural sympathy for Taylor, but while keeping in mind that she didn''t need this right now. "Training''s over. We''re going home now."


    Taylor shivered for a split second, realizing that Danny of course meant home to the Fronas medical facility. With no desire to hang around here any longer, she already began taking steps, causing Danny to follow along.


    "But..." Jane was at a loss for words. That obviously didn''t go well. What was that even about? "What about¡ª" Jane couldn''t continue, since Danny and Taylor were just walking away towards Fronas without her. Whatever her peril was about, Jane was obviously not part of it. Jane couldn''t help but feel left out. It had to be something that was far from her own business, for Taylor to ignore her as well? Whatever was going on between them, it has to be more serious than considering a relationship with each other. Would either of them trust Jane after today, for anything?


    Danny and Taylor both walked with lost desires back to the medical facility to get some rest. Obviously, Taylor was the one who needed it, but Danny was still going to be wide-awake after this morning, after hearing all of that. It was too early in the day to give up on everything else. Right now, Taylor was the priority. Leaving Sprawn Valley is not going to be an option until Taylor can be completely protected from what threatens her future from the outside. She would never walk back into her family''s arms after they''ve been pulling a stunt like that. It sure was not a vacation for either of them, but it might as well be a way to hide out for now.

 Chapter 14: The Mission

    <hr>


    <12/27/1971 ~ 11:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The weekend passed by with little grace. Monday called into the session of another class at Dakota, beginning at eleven A.M. There was a lot more time in the morning because of this, but today, Dakota was planning something big. That was the supposed cause of the delay regarding the class start time. Though nothing noticeably changed visually within the classroom; Jane''s behavior was the warning sign whenever anything unusual was in lurk.


    Danny had decided with Taylor to finish their graduation of Leray training to the end at Dakota academy. It put a massive dent in the plan to travel out from Fronas, but at least this way they could stay here, learn cool magic, and keep Jane as their new friend. It was only a temporary solution that bought more time; Danny knew this much, but this way, he could continue learning Leray magic, thus making Taylor happy. At the same time, he could keep her away from the airport, putting all of that stress into a void. Danny might was well learn magic too at this point. After everything that has happened, there isn''t anything he can do right now. Taylor didn''t really speak about her past again, as if she had forgotten about it completely, but her mood and state of mind said otherwise. Danny rarely got to see Taylor like this at all; it was as if she was in a spiral of depression. Her spirits barely lifted at all over the weekend, even with the encouragement to train further on magical capabilities.


    Jane was not oblivious to the situation either. She knew that something was going on with Taylor, but even after trying to visit and talk to Taylor this morning, she never opened up to Jane. Jane decided not to pursue the conflict, in all out respect for their privacy, but she kept a sharp eye on them both. Danny, (since he knew as well as Taylor what this was about) was her next focus, and Taylor too, since she was at the center of the conflict in some way. The context of their current peril was anyone''s guess.


    After they settled into to Eliza''s classroom again, Danny and Taylor took their seats, remaining almost as lifeless as before. Danny knew exactly how he and Taylor were both feeling; it was a messed up situation right now, with little opening to resolve. Where could they go? What could they do?


    Taylor was feeling slightly better than the day before, and she had Danny to thank for that. It was all because of his willingness to help her out no matter what he would be getting into, that she had some hope that all of this might work itself out somehow. She couldn''t explain it easily, and it was a little confusing sometimes as to why Danny''s support made her feel this way. She couldn''t even sum up what this sensation was exactly. Despite being in a better mood, Taylor returned to her thoughts regarding her subtle notices that Danny was just a different person, long before he even discovered Taylor''s past. He wasn''t being arrogant or competitive like he used to be in Kalamo.


    Back then, Danny was stubborn as an ox, over the least significant arguments. Taylor and Danny remained friends despite this, but such a detail wasn''t the point of significance. Something about him changed ever since they reached Sprawn Valley, and Taylor knew of it. Particularly, he was different towards her too in the way he would normally treat her or talk to her. She would remember the countless times they used to argue, even if it was over a small bit of cash neither of them needed. Other moments also clung to her memory for comparison, often were their saucily disputes gateways to their communication. Never were one of them enemies to each other even in thought; the perpetual sarcasm so integrated into their friendship. But to see Danny so caring and sympathetic to her now made it feel like the entire world has been flipped upside down, as if she were slipping into a parallel dimension.


    That''s why Taylor couldn''t get him off her mind. Just two days ago, she was sick with her own family problems, unable to find real relief except for some moments of Leray magical training. Yet now, Danny had somehow blocked it all out. Danny, the guy who has been rejecting magic from the start and trying to move them both out of the only free area she has ever been to in all her life. He was giving up so much right now by staying here to help her. Taylor let her thoughts trail on while sitting in the desk.


    The teacher was not exactly ready to begin the next lesson yet, but it didn''t bother Danny. Sitting just behind Taylor, he occasionally noticed that she was constantly looking back at him without much reason. It was kind of strange, but not really atypical behavior for Taylor. Danny however was also exchanging looks with Jane, who probably grew very suspicious of what really happened between himself and Taylor since their arrival to this continent. Taylor''s secret is only for her to tell, and that''s that. Danny didn''t care how badly his friend Jane wanted to know about it; it is none of her business. That curious look in her eye was trying to defy his mentality, but it wasn''t going to work.


    "Alright kids," Eliza began. "Today will only be a short lesson on item usage. After that, we will all participate in a special exercise that will test your readiness to advance your training further."


    The entire class lit up from the news. Something special was going on today, followed by a short and almost meaningless session. Even Danny, Taylor, and Jane turned their heads to the front. Jane was the only one who was still paying only half attention, since she already knew everything there was to know about item usage. This would be a very short lesson indeed.


    Eliza started her lesson by jumping straight into the topic. "In any Leray battle, official or not, it is important to understand how and when to use items specific to Leray recovery. I''m not talking about armor and weapons by the way."


    Taylor realized that this really was a nice distraction from all of the heavy stuff, which naturally eased her straight into the lesson full throttle. "Which items then?"


    Eliza replied, "The standard ones. Med kit orbs, boosters, and even spell bombs."


    "What''s a spell bomb," Danny asked.


    "A spell bomb is an item used [only during a battle] that can cause many different affects for either character, depending on which spell bomb is activated. There are also spell orbs, which serve the same purpose, only you need to invoke a tiny bit of magic to activate them. A spell bomb might for instance raise your resistance to fire elemental damage where nothing else in your supply would."


    "Cool," Danny stamped.


    "You can always carry items around with you related to Leray wielding, and there are several different classes you can use as well. Healing orbs for example are out of battle items, which means you are not allowed to use a healing orb during a Leray match."


    "So, you can only heal after or before a battle?" Jane summarized.


    "Correct," Eliza granted. "Even in unofficial battles, healing orbs can lose their effectiveness, because sitting still to wait on their activation leaves you dangerously vulnerable to attacks and interruption. After taking on some damage, your HP levels will not recover quickly. It could take days or even more than a week of rest to restore HP that was lost in a fight. Not to mention that waking up from a direct knock out also only recovers five to ten percent of your overall health levels. So the only effective way to restore HP after losing much of it is to use a med kit item or a healing orb item."


    Danny wasn''t making sense of how that would look. "Wouldn''t that imply that we need a lot of time and knowledge to know how to use the med kit utensils?"


    "Negative," Eliza answered. "Med kit items are physically in the form of an orb, which is also consumed the same way a spell orb is used. Almost all Leray items are in the form of orbs, but their energy signatures only belong to Leray wielders. Med kit orbs and healing orbs are essentially the same exact thing, only differing by their developer corporation and effectiveness."


    "Got it." Why would companies confuse orbs with utensils like that? Danny figured it made much more sense to just call them healing orbs, and buy only that brand to prove such a point. He had a clear sense that such thought was unified with others in this room.


    "Other items can restore MP levels right when you need it for a battle, but with as little time as an hour or two, zero percent MP in any person can rejuvenate to 100% on the fly. Most items you can use are only outside battle items, meaning they don''t work in a fight. Such technology decides it awareness of battles by restricting themselves or locking themselves in the presence of a Siriean dome. Next, you have your booster items. These may come in different forms, one that can be used in a fight, and one that cannot. Booster items such as an MP Up Spell Bomb will permanently increase the amount of MP points you can store, meaning you will permanently gain MP capacity. But such an item can either be an inside or outside battle item depending on its advancement."


    Taylor raised her hand in confusion. "Wouldn''t it just make sense to keep using millions of those on yourself until you''re unstoppable?" If someone were to permanently increase their maximum MP points over and over since the items are assumed to be mass produced, such a user could become invulnerable with their MP stats.


    "Such things have been attempted," Eliza nodded. "But the permanent boosters only work correctly once a Leray wielder reaches a high enough capacity in the first place. MP boosters come at different levels, and only work once a person possesses the minimum amount of MP energy there is to trigger its effect. Plus, there is a maximum threshold of which an MP booster can boost your MP capacity, after which, the orb becomes less effective. The same can be said for endurance boosters too. This prevents someone who wishes to level incorrectly from cheating the idea of fair battles, even though it was never an intentional goal put into the Leray veil. That said, old fashioned training and battling will always boost your levels higher regardless of that threshold."


    Eliza waited to see if their questions were answered, and there were no more responses. "You also have HP boosters also known as endurance boosters, which permanently increase your endurance and defense against attacks by leveling the HP point capacity. However, the boosters that work during a battle only increase these stats and parameters for as long as that single battle persists. Their effects are therefore not permanent; only HP Up Spell Bombs are permanent. Then you have spell orbs or spell bombs, which are only used in battle. Depending on whichever one of many you try, their effects may either become permanent or temporary. Or... The spell bomb could end up turning into a summon of some kind, perhaps even a strong attack spell on its own. But all items can only be used once. When you consume a healing orb, or an MP booster, whatever item it may be, they disappear and disintegrate upon use. You don''t get to keep it and use it over and over again. That''s why, out in the real world, you need to have enough credits to buy healing orbs for yourself, to keep battling for more credits until you can sustain a budget."


    There is all that career stuff again. Taylor glanced at Jane, who was only paying partial attention to the lesson. If winning so many times only makes you balanced on a budget, how is a person like Jane going to get even richer off of that? Surely, she can''t hope to win every single battle there is to try.


    "And since it needs to be mentioned at least once," Eliza added, "the items known as Starlov boosters are specially designed stimpaks, which are in the form of a needle injection that integrate special medicines into the body to quickly heal real time damage. If for any reason anybody takes real time damage, they need to reach a medical facility. The takeaway is that medical facilities use Starlov boosters to heal such wounds, and the recovery rate is only improved by a factor of two. Without them, you will take months to heal. It''s best not to get regular healing orbs and Starlov boosters mixed around, since they heal different damage types."


    Danny remembered back to Taylor falling off the cliff again. He hated that memory, and couldn''t stop it from showing up at the reminder of real time damage. Leray damage and real time damage are different from each other. Real time damage is supposed to be specific to critical injury like in the world outside the veil. That''s what Taylor suffered, wasn''t it?


    "Item usage doesn''t have as many work-around strategies, right?" Jane was checking in with her teacher, confirming something she already expected.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Correct. If you rely too much on items, you miss out on everything else while opening vulnerabilities to yourself. On top of that, items don''t come cheap. Their only best-known benefit is that the use of items, especially those for battling purposes will not consume MP from the user, except for a negligible amount unregistered to the energy scope, and that means you save usable energy; but once learned, the rest is simple." Eliza knew that the class would be thrilled to have such a short lesson like this. Item usage was important, but there really was not much to it at all. "And now, it''s time for our school''s mission day."


    "Mission day?" The response was coming from multiple students at once. Jane heard about this before, where facilities occasionally give their students missions out in the field, big assignments that literally test one''s Leray capacity as it is. Most of the time, it simply involves damage scoring, live fire testing, or other interesting adventures.


    "That''s right. Consider it a large portion of a test. As long as you have learned at least two magical abilities and physical attacks, it should be doable." Eliza was confident about the idea that everybody could end up passing this with flying colors. There may be one or two who are behind, but even then, there is still a chance. "The entire school will be participating in this assignment. I will now ask for all students to head outside to the front of the building and line up in wall formation. Instructor Harris will guide you through the test details."


    Heads turned for a duration, echoing confusion whether Eliza was seriously allowing them all to participate in a training exercise without her. Danny and Taylor both looked to Jane, who would likely know what to do from here.


    None of them exchanged much words, but Jane basically gave them signals to follow her to the front of the building on the outside. Danny and Taylor followed her carefully, wandering until they discovered the wall formation growing in front of the Dakota facility. Students of the entire school were all gathering here, lining up into segments of rows and columns as if it were a military operation. From the right angle, it created a wall of people with a certain length and width, and there was plenty more room to fill.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Brooding Lands ~ Two Worlds 2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Instructor Harris stood tall, strutting around in front of the wall of kids at the front of the school. He was still waiting on the rest of them to all become present to hear the mission details all of them would be receiving.


    Danny and Taylor stopped at the very edge of the right side, lining up while keeping their new instructor in solid view. Jane was right in front of them both, but she didn''t seem all that excited like before. She must still be mad that neither of her friends were trusting her with this new secret, but it mattered less to them to tell her than she previously reckoned.


    Once everyone was accounted for, Harris cleared his throat and gave the same speech he used to give before. "Good morning boys and girls of Dakota. I am instructor Harris, the overseer of this particular training exercise. Today, we will be sending you off to a nearby location to test your current skill levels and abilities with integrated Leray magic. But first, we need to go over a few things." Though their morning faces dampened with the variety of excitement and confusion, Harris could tell that this would affect everyone here.


    There were so many people out here, all right around Danny. The crowd too easily stood out in the field of Fronas given most do not live here. He felt a little uncomfortable and claustrophobic, but at least the others were remaining mostly quiet. Since Harris didn''t have any way to project his voice any louder than he was already, everyone had to remain silent enough to understand what was going to happen to them.


    Harris ducked right into a side lesson that any teacher could have told them about, but it was certainly important to know for today. This only proved how often it might occur during the so-called mission. "Whether you''ve heard of it enough or not, we need to review what it means to be knocked out in a Leray fight."


    Taylor clenched her fists tighter. Talking about knockouts must mean everyone here is a risk for that in the mission. She only mastered a few spells, and they want to put everyone in a full battle situation? How are people supposed to be ready for this? Taylor exhaled softly. It''s either this, or travel all the way to the Junon region to meet her fate.


    "You all know what happens when HP drops to zero in a fight. You pass out getting kayoed. But afterwards, you are physically fine, despite being under for a matter of minutes, maybe even half a whole hour for the weaker ones."


    Wow! Taylor thought. This guy sure wasn''t shy about calling certain people out. Jane was probably getting psyched by now.


    "On this very assignment, you will be at risk for incapacitation during your test battle with our designated targets. Nobody needs to worry about the effects of incapacitation, as they are totally harmless."


    Jane''s spirits suddenly lifted like the top of her face! She gets to fight against live targets? In real battles?! This had to be the biggest let up of all her patience yet. She heard of something like this happening occasionally, but never expected to get this lucky of an assignment. It should be the most difficult one yet!


    "The test is simple. You must emerge victorious in one battle against the target where you are sent. If you lose the fight and become incapacitated, then you would have failed the assignment. While I not need remind you that failing this test does not mean you have to wait for next year to obtain your Leray license, it would still be a major setback. So I want to see all of you doing your best out here."


    "I expect the best from all of you out there as well," Eliza added. She had plenty of time to meet the classes outside and give them a push forward. Even though she remained attached to her specific class, she still had to address all of them equally.


    Harris had no problem with Eliza helping explain the importance of this task, but he was still determined to continue most of the explanations himself. "This will be an individual assignment. All of you will be in this alone. No groups, no pairs, and no outside assistance will be allowed. Certain stats will be monitored by the use of special Siriean domes. Unlike ordinary Siriean domes, these domes will not form a defensive barrier in or out of the battle, but will provide logistical data based on your targets and how well you respond to real dangers."


    Harris walked back and forth slowly, studying all of their faces. Most of the kids here were already excited, but not all of them. Fear set into some of the smaller and younger ones, but they still had no choice but to participate, otherwise forfeit their efforts. "You will all start by heading to the target destination individually. The Hix Ruins." He paused upon declaring the location, perhaps to seem more dramatic than Harris needed to be. "The Hix Ruins is accessible through the small Hix Forest directly one mile east of Fronas. You must all travel through the woods, and reach the ruins to land in the correct location."


    "For those of you who don''t know," Eliza translated, "Hix is the town that was burnt down twenty years ago. There are no inhabitants living there, only your targets."


    Taylor found it a bit odd that they would eagerly send an entire class of people to a town that had been burnt to ruins so many years ago. Shouldn''t that remain a resting ground for the people who died there?


    "The targets that inhabit the Hix Ruins are not people. They are creatures that have been transformed by the Leray veil of energy. Spawns like these are uncommon, but these ones are specifically weak creatures by comparison. Formed from affected small sized trees and stumps, the Cran are interesting, yet powerless beings. They''re attracted to the sight of the ruins, so they don''t normally leave their territory." Harris paused, in alert that Eliza wanted to help give the explanation a shot as well.


    "They''re called Cran. Cran are the magical beings there formed into small stumps from trees. These stumps are equipped with arms and legs that are also made of wood as though the creatures have full life. They walk around with the ability to invoke attacks, being of course that they are affected fully by the veil."


    Danny didn''t believe it could happen again, but the world just got even weirder. Walking tree stumps that move and attack people? What is with this place?


    Jane understood what Eliza was talking about even though it had been summarized so severely. The Cran were created by abnormal transformations in the life essence energy from the trees, and afterwards, the Cran were protected from a natural death like people here were. Of course, that means they can use magic too. It isn''t unusual for creatures to have magical capabilities like this, but such things like Cran are incredibly rare, and only inhabit this tiny part of the zone. Not all animals are affected by magic however.


    "Your mission might sound simple, but this will test everything you''ve learned," Harris assured. "The Cran are simply territorial, and defeating them in battle knocks them out for a long time. You''re mission is to travel to the Hix Ruins, pick any one of your targets, which will be the Cran of your choice, and defeat this Cran in an official one-on-one Leray battle."


    "Yes!" Jane whispered through her teeth. The thought of secrets and mistrust sank away quickly with this new development. This is the kind of action-packed adventure she has been waiting for. Sure it was easy, and would only be for today, but this was certainly going to be awesome!


    Taylor saw how pumped up Jane was getting from this, and some of that exciting energy was spreading to her somehow. Taylor of course has never done anything like this before, but now was as good of a time as any to see what she could do with all of her current training.


    Harris continued where he left off. "You only need to defeat one Cran in battle to be determined successful at passing this mission. Once you are done, you are then required to use the standard healing orbs you receive prior to heading out, and return back to the front of this facility for a full evaluation. Attempting to return without using a healing orb to heal Leray damage is ill advised, but not punishable by disqualification. You are also going to be given a time limit to complete this task. Everybody will have until five o clock this afternoon to slay their first Cran and return to the facility. Any person who breaks the rules of battle for any non-emergency related reason will be disqualified. Anybody who returns here after five, whether they have slain a Cran or not will be disqualified. Any person who receives help or physical support from another during their battle will be disqualified. Your kill limit however is not limited to one Cran."


    It was a lot to take in on such short notice, but Eliza took over to describe the toughness of their jobs. "Running or fleeing from a current battle does not automatically mean that you fail in the mission, but getting knocked out will result in failure, and you only get one healing orb once this mission starts."


    Danny could feel the rushing wave of excitement between himself and the entire crowd of other students around him. Such energy managed to find its way to him as well. It has been a long while since he and Taylor actually did anything that was related to Leray training after Saturday evening with one exception. He remembered that he at least managed to invoke an Electro-Ball Sunday night, so now he learned three magical skills, plus the use of items was allowed too for this exercise. He was carrying the training blaster in his back pocket, certain to take it with him on the task to make things even easier. This was fine. Danny knew that Nyar warned him about Leray magic, but nothing about it seems all that bad. Besides, there is a new problem getting to the airport. Might as well enjoy this while time allows.


    Eliza continued the short educational lesson about Cran. "Cran creatures will be able to invoke physical and magical attacks against you in battle, and are not shy about fighting anybody who asks for a challenge. Outfitted with natural blunt resistant armor, the Cran also have their own HP and MP levels, which technically varies from creature to creature. But each and every one of them is susceptible to the same amount of pain and punishment each of you are capable of dishing out. In addition to their styles, Cran also have strengths and weaknesses."


    Harris waited for Eliza to glance at him, and he nodded down for confirmation. It wasn''t totally unlike her to mix in her own lessons into his time, not that it was forbidden. Seeing as the other teachers aren''t close by, it must show how much she cares about her own class. This year will be interesting after all. "Cran are known to take much time to attack. They are not known for their speed, which will give each of you an advantage in attacking, or using your heads to come up with more effective methods to fight, but Cran are also known to be fire elemental users. This means that while remaining seventy percent resistant to fire elemental magical damage, they can also attack with fire elemental spells as well. So you can expect quite a blaze while out in the field. However you decide to defeat your opponent in the field will be entirely up to you."


    Harris took the rest to the finish. "There will be plenty of Cran for everybody to challenge. They won''t try to double or triple team you in a fight either, despite being territorial beings. With everything revealed, your mission begins at the sound of my air horn. Eliza? Pass out one med kit orb to all participants."


    "Yes sir," Eliza asserted. She had an everlasting respect for instructor Harris. The atmosphere changed a little when Eliza opened a large pouch full of medical healing orbs. She began passing them out, piece by piece and line by line. There was just enough room to travel between the lines of people in formation, but nobody was allowed to leave with their orb until everybody had one.


    Jane picked up the med kit orb from Eliza, and began slightly bouncing up and down, irritable for her challenge. She finally threw out whatever happened two days ago, and turned around to chat with Taylor and Danny. "You two ready for this?"


    Danny was surprised that Jane was already speaking to them again. It felt good to be forgiven, even if it was just for this little event. He was feeling confident in his skills to fight whatever a Cran is supposed to be. With his new ability to use Electro-Ball, he can score in some big damage points to the Cran, remembering that they are supposed to be resistant to fire damage. It was easy now to pity the other students, who were told to learn Fire Ball, a spell that is supposed to be ineffective against these new creatures.


    Taylor was even more psyched than Danny, but not as much as Jane was. With her ability to use Ice Ball, a target made out of organic based material should crumble easily from the elemental factor involved. Not only that, but this would be her very first battle! Even if it was just a training exercise, those Cran probably didn''t know that, nor could they care. Although, Taylor had never seen or studied a Cran. It could be more or less intelligent for what it is. It would be nice to have a live target to spar with this time.


    "Don''t forget," Jane reminded them. "You both need to remember to spool up your energy scopes at the start of the battle. The Cran will naturally have their own so that you can monitor your health and your opponent''s health as well."


    "Thanks Jane," Taylor granted. "That was nice of you to remind us." She felt very little guilt keeping things from her. It wasn''t Jane''s business to know about any of her life. It wasn''t Danny''s either, but that was different. She couldn''t control herself in that forest, all of the painful reminders flooding her mind at the thought of going back home...


    "Let''s see which one of us can slay our Cran first," Jane offered. "And if we tie, best two out of three."


    Typical Jane behavior. Danny liked the challenge that Jane was turning this into, and apparently, Taylor was too. Maybe this is the thing they needed after all, a nice break to dilute all of that heavy stuff. Danny had almost completely forgotten about Kalamo and New York, and hopefully, Taylor''s excitement for this was not a facade anymore either. Danny looked to Jane with a confident grin. "You''re on. I''ll beat you and Taylor both."


    Taylor turned around to face Danny after receiving her medical orb. "What are you talking about," she confronted. "I''m going to be the one who beats you." She was clearly talking about winning against Danny. Jane was another story, with her extra abilities that they probably didn''t even know about yet. "And Jane? Hopefully I can be done before you as well."


    "Alright!" Harris hollered, shortly before blowing the air horn. After Eliza confirmed handing everyone an orb, he blasted the device in his hand high in the air, and the race was on. Every single student took off in a rush, only a few of them jogging towards the other end of the forest on the east side of Fronas. It was going to be about a mile in distance to get there, so running and expending all of that natural stamina was not necessary, but this was pretty much a test of time as well. Anybody who comes back late will be judged as less worthy by their peers. The natural setting of dominance would play its part once again.


    Eliza seemed satisfied, finally giving them the chance to prove their acceleration in Leray training in the Dakota academy. Since Jane became a top student at the academy, things have been livelier around the school, even more so with the two new arrivals Jane decided to befriend. It won''t be long now until they''re ready too.


    Danny and Taylor initially traveled together towards the woods, trying to get a sense for this incredible event before wanting to split up. They both knew not to actually help each other out since it was forbidden. The town''s people of Fronas watched the massive gathering and spread-out stampede of children and teens flood the field while heading for the Hix forest. Nobody got in their way either, despite how unsettling the scene was for the quiet town. As soon as they reach the Hix Ruins, the mission is on!

 Chapter 15: Live Fight

    <hr>


    <12/27/1971 ~ 12:55 | Hix Ruins, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Each and every student of Dakota was just as determined to enter the ruins, slay one Cran, and head on back, and all of them split up before reaching the depths of the forest. Even for Jane and those who had to run, it was about a fifteen-minute jog distance from the edge of Fronas to the Hix Ruins. Jane didn''t know it yet, but she was already at the edge of the forest connecting to such ruins.


    With her spirits high, Jane wanted to get into a fight with a Cran more than anything. She had been training so hard for the moment when she graduates and participates in fights, but this would be a real battle with live fire attacks used against her. Jane knew exactly what to do when that time comes, and she hoped to face the strongest Cran there.


    A little after her fifteen minute mark, Jane ended up spotting strange structures in the distance, mostly under-detailed from all of the branches and leaves still in the way. She slowed her pace, carefully stepping over and around stumps while ducking below branches to get in closer. Once Jane finally reached her destination, her mind was filled with distant memory. The place was full of broken down stone rubble that used to populate the houses and structures here, all of which burnt down in the great fire twenty years ago. There was a pile of broken stone for each house, populated randomly over a very large open field. This was not forest territory anymore. Instead, the area known as the Hix Ruins was filled with the physical damage and danger of the tragedy that the Cran now populated.


    Jane remembered much of this town''s history, but only from reading popular textbooks and published articles to the matter. Though it was a twenty-year-old event, the town was twice or three times the size of Fronas, at least by population and depth. However, these houses were not fire proof, and people died here in that massive blaze that spread rampantly through the town.


    The short thought became extended in her mind by itself, giving her the best-guessed imagination of how bad it must have been. All of those houses were burnt to the ground as the fire spread through the forest. Fire fighters got to the scene to put it out, but not before fatalities were reported. Jane still knew it was unusual at the time. How can people die of a simple fire under the Leray protection veil? That question was also on the minds of the investigation teams.


    Jane remembered everything she read. At the time, it was just a quick skim of what happened here, but now that she was seeing the remnants of a dead town up close, it gave her the creeps, and reminded her even more about every single letter and word she managed to scan. The investigation team 20 years ago could not determine the cause of the fire, or the reason it was dealing real time damage in the process. To this day, it remains a cold case. It was disproven that the Cran had anything to do with it, since the creatures didn''t supposedly exist there at that time. So whatever was responsible must have gotten away from the mess free of charge.


    Jane stopped moving with a new set of imaginary driven memories on her mind. Despite not being there to see it, the layout of the ruins gave her plenty of detail to imagine just how horrible it must have been. Though so much crumbled rubble remained here, the slight outlines of houses broke down in such specific patterns; no personal belongings remained. It feels wrong to use the graves of many innocent people and their homes to perform Leray combat training. Did the teachers really expect everybody to be okay with this? Just glaring at the piles of rubble spread out was not really enough respect for her. Jane knew she had to honor the dead here, even though there wasn''t a real way of doing that. Is this some attempt to reduce the population of Cran trampling the ruins? No, Cran don''t do anything with the remnants of eroded material, and slaying them in the field this way doesn''t actually kill them either. Defeating a Cran knocks them out for half an hour just like it would to an ordinary human.


    Jane exited from the forest she came from, approaching on one of the piles of rubble. There was nothing there but degrading stone and a weathered spread of ashes, long since burned out. Even after twenty years, all of this damage still remains. While directly facing the pile up close, Jane continued trying to imagine what life was before here in this very spot, the sympathetic despair growing inside. It could have been a whole family of four, living their days until the flames numbered them. Did they get out with the survivors? Why couldn''t the veil save them from simple fire-elemental magic? The thoughts overwhelmed her entire concentration, soon to fill her void of boredom.


    Rustling noises in a nearby bush on the opposite side snapped Jane right out of her trance. Something was watching her from afar, likely one of those Cran creatures. Jane realized that she was already letting her emotions get the best of her. It was tragic; terrible to say the least, but it was in the past, before she was even born. Nothing I can do about that now...


    The moving bush soon revealed a creature, already locked on and approaching Jane''s position. Jane had no real cover since the density of the trees here were essentially zero. The fire that burned through this village must have ruined the top soil for many more decades to come, and there was nothing to hide behind, though hiding was Jane''s last intentions. After seeing the creature that carefully began walking towards her, she was absolutely certain it was a Cran.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Toward Revival ~ Ace Combat 6</a>


    <hr>


    The description Eliza gave earlier highlighted little details, and so Jane stood still to take a closer look. Like a three-foot child made entirely out of birch wood, the Cran only had connected stumps for arms and legs, making it walk in a strange shifty pattern, but it obviously had eyes in order to see Jane, though they weren''t very big or colorful. The Cran''s stumps were covered with small cracks, some leaves, and only a few miniature branches spewing out from the body section. The head was basically the same thing as the body stump, only separate and smaller. How the thing was living was a total mystery to science and to Jane, but Leray magical fields can do this sometimes. Not every animal becomes affected by the magical infusion. Though it is said that sea creatures are more susceptible to the changes here, Cran were one of the exceptions to that idea. They populate many places all over Sprawn Valley, but stay far away from civilization areas as well. This specific location is the only section where the density of Cran is high for any regard.


    This was her first time seeing a Cran in real life. Jane studied the movements of the Cran as it was now only twenty meters away from her. A small clover on the top of its head marked which side was right up. Despite its cute intentions, Jane almost didn''t see the tackle coming her way. With little warning at all, the Cran picked up speed fast, running on its two stumps it used as legs, leaving the other two forearms in the back. Jane only had a second to throw herself out of its path before it slammed into her at full force.


    Jane veered quickly to her right, almost losing her balance in the dodge. She was taken by surprise in its ability to use its arms and legs with such great speed being a small stumped tree. After evading the Cran''s tackle, it quickly turned back around, staring Jane down like it wanted to attack her again. Jane was still prepared for anything, but this appeared to be her big chance. Right here in this open field, a wild Cran appeared to challenge her directly.


    Jane got over all those other feelings quickly, since they were being replaced with her sheer eagerness to fight in a real battle. This is the moment she has been waiting for. After knowing how to use all of these abilities, tactics, and Leray magical skills, Jane knew that this would be her chance to test her own capabilities. The Cran was standing tall, but remained motionless. It must have been waiting for Jane to fight back or run the other way.


    "Ha!" Jane coaxed. You''re not getting off that easy. A smile synchronized with a determined glint in her eyes. Jane wanted this more than anything, feeling her blood aching for a Leray fight. After staring the Cran down long enough, she prepared her fighting stance, and hollered, "You want a battle? I accept your challenge!"


    <hr>


    <Reward Spoil: N/A | Battle Mode>


    <hr>


    Suddenly formed out of nowhere, Jane spotted holographic text appearing in the similar manner of which energy scopes appear. This was a simple set of words enclosed in brackets; the reward/spoil system as it was called. In official Leray battles, this message appears all the time, for one to initiate a real and legitimate battle to be recorded to the cards, and two, to set up the system of rewards based on the bets between two parties. This was Jane''s first time seeing it. Such text in the center of the field faded away quickly after she was able to read it, but it told her much already that this battle has already been declared, most likely by her intent to fight.


    Jane was at first expecting the creature to attack her immediately, but because she had openly accepted the challenge, a strong Leray force surrounded her all the way up to the Cran. The mystical power of a domical force field (slightly blue in color with hexagonal patterns) suddenly covered Jane and the Cran inside while spreading to include most of the open field, allowing for plenty of room to move around in. Jane remembered this domical formation. It was the same as a Siriean dome, at least at first glance. Eliza said something about it being slightly different this time, allowing stray magic to exit from the field regardless of appearances. The dome was just a way of actively monitoring Jane''s every move. If it were a real Siriean dome, the force field would block her physical body from escaping as well as stray magical energy. But even with the visual effects of the force field, this one is only for this exercise, monitoring her progress in battle, thus making it dangerous should anyone walk by and watch.


    The Cran obviously didn''t mind the formation of the Siriean dome around it. Instead, it was mainly focused on Jane, a standing target proud to be challenging itself. One of the things Jane was not initially expecting was the additional formation of an energy scope, right above the head of the Cran creature. Whether the Cran was actually controlling this energy scope was a question that couldn''t be answered, but the stats of the Cran displayed above its head formed in a transparent holographic display of a status box, similar to any other energy scope she had seen before.


    Jane didn''t know what to expect, but with the idea now on her mind, she might as well get to learn how to use her own energy scope in a fight. With little concentration needed at all, Jane expended less than a fraction of her stored MP energy within her. Without really needing to search for the energy she knew she already stored inside of her body, making the energy scope, as well as performing several levels of attacks would come easy to her. In just short of a second, Jane formed the same type of status box displayed above her, allowing the Cran to realize that this was going to be a battle Jane was refusing to back down from.


    The Cran seemed just as determined to stay and fight. Jane found it to be unusual that a wild creature would have such passion for testing its own skills. Cran probably don''t get a lot of down time to practice like Jane did, and this fight was already in the bag. With a sure magnitude of her own strategy analyzed by herself, Jane knew exactly when to start. The Cran was waiting for her to do something, waiting for her to strike the first blow in order to try and read her own tactics, which was fine by Jane.


    "Knife Toss!" Jane didn''t have to use any of her MP energy for this simple attack. She drew both of her daggers into each hand, jumped a little into the air to obtain more physical potential energy, and then threw both of the daggers towards her target. The daggers were spinning and drilling through the air, traveling at a high speed towards the Cran with amazing accuracy. Jane''s aim was obviously perfected for throwing her daggers in practice up to now. Before the Cran even realized it, the daggers finally reached their mark, each of them slashing and cutting into the bark of its wooden body. With two deep slashes indented into the Cran, it was sure to cause immediate damage to the creature.


    Jane expelled another small amount of energy, causing her daggers (which now remained motionless on the ground below the hurting Cran) to teleport back into her possession. This was not even an official skill, but one learned in order to recover one''s weapons mid-battle without having to run up and obtain them again. Personal weapons automatically teleport back into the user''s possession by design, though the process can take time without additional user interaction. While they teleported into Jane''s two hands, she studied the drop in HP levels of the Cran, specifically by watching the energy scope above belonging to the Cran.


    The Cran had to be capable of feeling pain from taking in attacks, and it was just as affected by the protective veil as Jane was. Regardless of that, the Cran decided to jump in towards Jane, running quickly at her to obtain a much closer range. It was a fast runner, but stopped when it was about twelve meters away from Jane. The Cran must have wanted to make things more interesting by reducing her chances to dodge any attack it wanted to dish out.


    Jane could sense that a specific attack skill was coming, but how would she know which one? In a battle between two people, each person yells their spells while invoking them, giving a tiny window that tells one what to at least expect, assuming that skill is familiar with them, but Cran can''t speak. It was wondrous to see if there would be any indication that it could tell her which move she was going to be hit by.


    Before long, the Cran spread out its two stumps it held as arms, and began spinning them around in circles like it was exercising. The rapid speed of the spinning of its trunks became much faster, picking up velocity every millisecond. Jane didn''t even know what to expect, and instead of trying to dodge the attack, she covered her face with her arms, ducking down in the same stance Eliza had shown her in the formation to block an attack.


    Jane was peeking in front, wanting to see what attack it was trying to use before it is launched. Surprising to Jane, she had seen something that was forgotten about much earlier on. Just above the energy scope belonging to the Cran, another holographic box appeared, though much smaller and also transparent to a strong extent. Jane recognized this as the Action Display Center; a holographic text box that only appears above non-human creatures capable of wielding magic. The Action Display Center box specifically annotates the name of an imminent spell that such a creature is about to use, specifically because they cannot speak the name aloud. The design is from the veil of protection to assist Leray wielders in battle, since they won''t know what attacks are coming their way otherwise. Then again, by the time it normally takes one to read the spell on the ADC, it''s usually too late. Jane completely forgot about this detail of battle until it was thrown in her face. In plain holographic text within the action display center, the attack read, Aero Strike!


    Jane knew how to use Aero Blast, which hardly does any damage on its own. But Aero Strike? It has to be a bit different. The Cran was far from canceling its own attack, spinning its stumps around in circles as quick as the blades of an electric fan could fly. As soon as the spell name was announced in holographic text, the Cran unleashed its attack, sending a massive wave of high-speed wind, spinning in circles while darker and visible as it traveled. Wind elemental magic generates a visual field for the air used as attack damage, even though this is still difficult to visualize afterwards.


    Jane recognized the magnitude and type of this attack. It was a wind elemental magical attack, using the special Leray type of air elements to cause damage to Jane using its high-speed force. Wind damage often carries characteristics of slashing damage too, but not every time. Jane saw the visible wave of wind rushing towards her, made very wide and impossible to dodge if she wanted to. Luckily for her, she at least had the decency to block half of the damage coming in from the attack, closing her eyes until it was over.


    Jane had been attacked by spells before, wondering how it felt to take live Leray damage in a battle, so the pain was something she got more used to, but she has never taken a wind type attack like this before. The blasting gust of air almost forced her feet to slide through the dirt, pushing her with potent directional force. At the same time, she felt a little more drained than before. It was only with slight intensity, but Jane could tell she was taking damage right now, even while blocking. The wind damage isn''t necessarily as painful as it is draining to the senses and one''s HP level, unless of course slashing damage gets involved. Luckily this time, it wasn''t.


    After the wind finally let up two seconds later, Jane uncovered her stance, standing tall and proud again to face the Cran after taking a direct magical attack. Jane examined herself swiftly; there were no cuts or any indication of real damage. Her short black dress was also just fine. Jane did not expect anything to mess up her wardrobe, since this was a powerful dress sphere designed for Leray fights. After examining her body, Jane glanced at her energy scope, which was still translucent, but not inactive.


    Jane knew that she blocked the attack instinctively, but it was a little surprising to see a wind type spell that was so powerful on its own. Instead of cringing at the fact that she just lost some HP, Jane smiled with the honor of this direction, enjoying the fact that this Cran was not going down without a real fight. Jane''s confidence immediately restored, she prepared herself to dish out another attack.


    This one would be simple, a magical spell she learned long ago, which is also easy to invoke. Jane knew it wasn''t her most powerful attack, but this would test just how much potential her skill level has grown, to determine how much damage she can dump into the Cran. Not only that, but a non-elemental attack would ignore any effects of a fire resistant body such as her opponent''s. After quickly charging and releasing the small amount of MP energy within herself, Jane created a magical glyphring in front of her, about the size of half her entire body with a powerful orange glow. Then she lifted her right arm, also glowing with a slight orange aura from withholding magical MP energy inside of it. Jane took aim at the Cran quickly before she unleashed her attack.


    "Radial Stars!" Jane shot a barrage of spinning glowing magical stars, all of which zoomed through the air with incredible speed while impaling the Cran without mercy. The Cran was being pushed back a little, just as Jane was before. It was obviously taking damage, and since piercing damage was involved with the Radial Stars, it had to hurt more than Jane''s first attack skill of Knife Toss. Deciding not to pay any attention to the slightest drop in her MP capacity, Jane only focused on the Cran. Radial Stars hardly uses enough MP energy to cause concern to herself, and the Cran''s reaction at the end of this attack was what Jane wanted to see. After her hand stopped shooting the magical stars, she lowered her arm in response, and the glyphring she created faded away as well.


    The Cran was trying to cover itself with its own stumps, unsuccessfully since they are not very flexible for the strange creature. It eventually stopped trying to move around, and faced Jane again. Jane studied everything about the Cran once more, beginning with the status bar above the creature.


    It wasn''t her best work, but Jane knew that Radial Stars is still only a spell yielding a power level of one. Even so, her own knife toss did less damage than her magical spell did to it. The Cran was eying Jane with a raging vengeance, determined in its stance and body language to strike her back.


    Jane was ready for anything, when she suddenly noticed a glyphring forming in front of the Cran. The Cran lifted one of its arm stumps aiming at Jane as it also formed a moderately sized red glyphring. Jane was not entirely certain what spell was about to be thrown her way, since the text did not yet appear to tell her which attack it was about to launch, but the glyphring''s center was aimed at her position. The Cran was obviously invoking magical energy into an attack spell. Jane remained motionless for the moment, keeping her reflexes up and her focus on the glyphring of her opponent.


    Just before the attack spell was launched, the text finally appeared in the action display center of the Cran, but Jane didn''t read it at all. Ignoring the time and energy it took away from her focus, Jane waited for the attack to come right out of that glyphring, which it finally had. A short burst of a Fire Ball was shot, as if from a cannon, and Jane had little time at all to react. Seeing the flaming ball of fire flying her way, she ducked down to the ground, flat on her hands and knees. In high hopes that the Cran''s Fire Ball projectile was no longer on a collision course to her face, Jane braced herself in case she was still going to take a hit. After all, it could have been a Fire Bolt. If it was, she would be done for.


    With her entire body as low as a snake, Jane eventually heard the rushing sound of something swept overcast her head. Its crushing speed forced some of the wind to play its sound into her ears, but Jane ended up taking no damage after the noise faded. After opening her eyes, she saw that the glyphring of the Cran faded, and that meant that the attack spell was over. Jane had successfully dodged the Fire Ball thrown her way, and used that reality to try and stand back up. Her dress was getting just a little dirty already from playing down in the soil, but she didn''t mind this at all. It was an excellent attempt to dodge a Fire Ball, which cannot be controlled once it is launched anyway. Seeing defeat in the Cran''s eyes as it missed its magical attack, Jane drew her daggers into her hands, prepared to take her turn to attack again.


    Since neither side took any damage from the last turn yet, Jane didn''t need to update either status by checking on the energy scopes. Doing so would have wasted a lot of time, and she knew exactly what to do next. With a confident vote of style in her mind, Jane charged at the Cran at top speed, forcing it to tighten in response to her unexpected action. Jane stopped just short of smashing into the Cran, now at close combat range of the animal.


    Knowing that this was dangerous for her as well, Jane was still confident that the Cran here did not know how to move like she did at this range. With her daggers already in her hands, Jane started by slashing at the Cran twice with each dagger. Then she swept into a backwards bend, immediately dodging the Cran''s stump that it tried to use in order to smack her in the face. With a rushing swing, the Cran''s arm missed Jane by a hair, since she instinctively knew to avoid it. Jane then returned to her attack just as swiftly, punching the bark right in the face. Jane then spun around in a full circle, allowing her to pick up speed for a flying kick. Jane landed her kick excellently, causing even more damage to rack up in the combo. Jane then slashed the bark with her dagger again, following that combo up with another punch. Jane then ducked, in case the Cran was about to try and hit her again, and she also performed a low sweeping kick while she was down there.


    Jane didn''t even have to think about how to fight like this. Her movement, slashes, and style of attacking while dodging at the same time was natural to her after training with her older instructor before in this exact type of fighting style. Her low kick caused the Cran to fall backwards, but it didn''t really land on its back either. Knowing that her streak had ended, Jane performed a major backflip to put a little more distance between her and the Cran. While the creature was recovering, and while Jane was still in mid-air from her backflip, she was charging up more MP energy to use. She thought about making her hands incredibly cold while forming the glyphring of her choice around her wrist. The glyphring materialized after Jane landed back on the ground, and she quickly took aim at the Cran while it was trying to get its bearings after Jane landed attack after attack against the creature.


    Jane''s glyphring was rather small, though rotating with a bright blue colored glow of Jane''s decision. It was the glyphring that responded to charging an ice elemental magical attack, and she knew that now was the time to launch it. "Ice Ball!" Jane aimed and shot a ball of ice at the Cran, still while it was getting reoriented from taking all of those hits like that. The ball of ice traveled quickly through the air, and landed a perfect direct hit on the target, knocking the Cran off its feet completely this time. Jane diffused her glyphring, and instead used her arms and fists to pull them back in a congratulating body gesture. Yes! Jane took that moment to realize the elegance in her attack streak. By beginning with a nicely performed close combat combination attack, she did a backflip that put at least three meters more distance between her and the Cran. Then she shot a ball of ice against the Cran just after landing, making for two types of attacks. Going close combat like that was not officially a move or type of skill, but it did manage to score high on physical damage. Since Jane got in an additional Ice Ball, it was equivalent to taking two turns worth of damage in one go. That wasn''t against the rules either. If the Cran somehow managed to shoot Fire Ball after Fire Ball at Jane in just one turn, it would be legal. But this Cran had its work cut out for it, taking all of that damage while being knocked down and bruised up. It was only now when Jane took the time to study the outcome effect of her damage on the target.


    Other than realizing the major victory in Jane''s score of damage, she also noticed just how slowly MP energy regenerates mid-battle. The Cran must have used 7% of its MP energy to fire that single Fire Ball attack. It wasn''t surprising that it took that much when it usually takes one to three percent, seeing as Cran have naturally lower ME points than humans do, including HP stats as well for the most part. The Cran finally managed to get back on its feet, but its stance was proving to Jane that the drop in HP did not go unnoticed. After taking all of that damage, it had to be in pain now, or at the very least, drained of its own stamina.


    Unfortunately for her, this dropped Jane''s guard slightly, while the Cran suddenly decided to charge back into action. Identifying where Jane was standing, the Cran began its next attack by sprinting. Jane could see this coming by now, and the attack type above the energy scope in the action display bar read Slam. It must be trying to charge into her, mostly to inflict blunt physical damage. Jane prepared herself to dodge at the last second, but she didn''t realize exactly how fast this Cran could run until it was too late. Heading up to a speed at about forty-five miles per hour, the Cran let Jane have it, smashing its body into hers just as she tried to jump out of the way. Jane was not nearly quick enough to evade the attack that time, and the massive forceful body slam knocked Jane off her feet while flying backwards.


    Even as Jane was about to fall on her back from the forceful attack in mid-air, the Cran had more ideas to its own attack. Swinging its stumps left and right, the Cran punched Jane twice, and then kicked her higher off the air before she landed into the dirt. Jane ended up getting punched, kicked, and then kicked again in a strange combination attack invoked by the Cran. For having stumps as arms and legs, it seemed to pay to its own advantage to inflict damage on Jane when attacking at close range like that, not to mention the unrealistic kinetic force placed into its skinny limbs. As soon as Jane finally hit the ground after taking so many attacks in mid-air, she took her time getting back up. The Cran was already running backwards, regaining its distance from Jane to avoid making any mistakes. For a little feisty creature, this thing sure was smart. Jane naturally checked her stats, after feeling the plowing pain to her face and her stomach. Jane''s arms hurt as well as the Cran nearly knocked the wind out of her.


    At least her HP was still above 80%. To Jane, that was still good for her first real fight. This Cran sure was not about to just let her have her way though, and this meant her next attack needed to be either high on damage or unexpected. The Cran must have given Jane payback in the form of a close combat attack. That means it might be expecting Jane to try it again.


    With her mind made up anyway, Jane drew her daggers again, and began charging at the Cran with top running speed. "Dagger Strike!" Jane wanted to make sure to remember exactly how to execute her plan. Dagger strike is not an official Leray skill, but she did learn that her freeform skill has its benefits if done correctly. Instead of tossing her knives like last time, Jane ran as fast as she could towards the Cran, who was making no attempt to dodge. The thing might be ready to reflect Jane''s attack, but she was not stopping one bit. Determined to have her way, Jane finally came close to the Cran. She then gave her legs one final push, making her leap forward with all her might. Jane had her daggers aiming outwards in her hand, and stuck both of them deep into the bark of the Cran''s body just before landing her feet into the dirt again.


    Jane was not finished yet; despite having scored a nice Dagger Strike right into the Cran, causing massive piercing damage instead of slashing damage from the way she inflicted the attack, Jane regained her distance by running backwards, charging up her MP energy in response as well. Jane didn''t take long this time to make her next magical attack take full form. She created the glyphring around her wrist again, as small as the ones used from her earlier Ice Ball, though this time, the glyphring was a darker blue color, with a hint of green mixed into the glow. Jane lifted her hand, carrying the glyphring with it attached to her wrist. After taking aim, she chanted the name of her next attack, and unleashed all of her stored MP energy into the magical skill.


    "Electro-Ball!" Jane shot the fast flying projectile of the ball of electricity. The magical projectile slammed into the Cran immediately after it was launched, proving how fast it travels through the air. Jane watched as the Cran took minor damage from the initial impact and force it took on from the electrical projectile. As soon as the impact happened, electrical sparks and zaps of blue color surrounded the Cran''s body everywhere, causing further damage and zapping where it stood for several moments to come. While being electrocuted in place for two long seconds, the Cran finally got out of the damage hold, only one and a half-seconds later. Though to Jane while in battle, this was all happening close to slow motion in her perspective. With this much focus, almost everything can be seen coming or going, and the Cran being zapped like that was amazing. Jane did not really have the chance to use an electrical attack against a target before, but now that she had, it felt incredible to perform it with such success.


    The Cran, though over the electrocution and recovered enough to face Jane again, had to be surging with pain and humiliation. After taking an electrical attack like that, who knows if the creature was able to sense the same aftereffects that humans do, having its entire body tingling and burning up from electrical damage intake? Jane checked out just how effective her second combination attack became.


    It wasn''t much, but with her opponent''s HP below half with hers above grade-A range, Jane knew that even after taking any more attacks, the winner of this match was already decided. The Cran was obviously planning to attack her again.


    Shoot! The word appeared right inside of the Cran''s action display box, and Jane braced herself for what was next to come. If this was about to become anything Jane thought it might, there would be no effective way to avoid or block out the damage from this attack.


    In just short charge time, the Cran lifted both of its arms and aimed them at Jane. It then formed small barrels at the tips of the center of each stump, which turned the end of its arms into live guns. The scene of its action was much like something out of the North American film of the Transformers movie. Jane was powerless to do anything about this, and the Cran let her have it. Firing a rapid burst of seven bullets from each slot, Jane was immediately pelleted with a barrage of bullets, which did not travel any slower from the Leray veil''s protective effects on the world here. They hurt her more than initially expected, almost bad enough to send her down the ground doubled over in pain. Jane felt like a bunch of needles had poked through her skin with enough force to cause bruising as well, but she held her ground despite the damage she took.


    Jane knew it could not have been that bad, since it was mostly piercing damage that was done to her. Piercing damage is not designed to be high yield on HP reduction, but it was sure something for pain. Jane had to get over it quickly in order to perform her next attack, but she first needed to hold her breath in order to do just that.


    As soon as Jane was ready, she began charging some MP energy directly into both of her hands, and unleashed her attack almost immediately with a rapid invocation trick. "Aero Blast!" Jane swung her hand sideways a little while aiming at the Cran as well. The force caused Jane to throw a confined ball of forceful air, much like the Aero Strike used against her before. It wasn''t as wide and massive, nor as damaging in potential, but Jane was not done yet. Though it cost more MP to use attacks like this anyway, Jane threw another Aero Blast towards the Cran, leaving her other hand before the first Aero Blast managed to hit her target. Jane could tell the Cran was powerless to dodge the wind-based attack, and she threw in one final Aero Blast from her hand again, making for three Aero Blasts in one single turn. There was no glyphring involved in the attack, but the Cran was being blasted intensely with high-speed winds. Because it was hit with three consecutively, Jane waited and watched as the damage and struggle counted towards the Cran''s HP levels.


    The wind surrounded the Cran long after it was hit by the blast, making it hard for the creature to recover, but the winds didn''t last forever, and it eventually was freed of the slashes of wind used against it. As soon as the Cran finally regained its normal stance, Jane checked to see its remaining health.


    Okay, that didn''t work out for the best. Jane should have known that wind elemental magic normally has such low power levels, particularly with Aero Blast. That must be why the spell is so easy to use and invoke. So now, the Cran will have its next chance to attack. What is it planning to use this time? Jane didn''t ponder the question for too long. It would just be better to dodge whatever is thrown her way. From the sight above the energy scope, Jane saw the text appear for the next Cran attack. Flame Charge. Whatever Flame Charge meant, it must take a while to invoke. The Cran was literally just standing there, doing nothing but standing tall...


    Jane then realized that there was a faint glowing aura around the entire body of the Cran. Flame Charge isn''t an attack; it''s a support aura. The Cran must be charging fire type energy to use against her. This is bad, but that also means it will take time before Jane can be affected. That gives Jane the perfect chance to strike before this is over, and what better move than her strongest learned spell?


    "Shadow Wave!" Jane had no trouble at all pulling the energy out of her MP levels. It took an entire amount of fifteen percent of her MP to invoke the spell that quickly, but it was worth it. Jane released that energy from her right arm flushing downward, and it ended up creating a rushing wave as dark as a black sky, traveling quickly through the ground. Shadow Wave was the same attack she demonstrated to Taylor the first time they met up in the dark room, and it was a power level four attack. Shadow Wave is bound to the ground, so it doesn''t fly through the air like a projectile attack would. However, it has the unique properties of dealing heavy magical damage as well as slashing damage in the same ordinance. The wave initially acts as a force traveling in the ground, but upon impact...


    Jane watched just to see it happen again. The Cran had no real way to dodge the attack. The wave slammed into the Cran, almost knocking it backwards. It was defiantly enough force to make its stumpy feet slide in the ground. Shortly after the force of the Shadow Wave hit its mark, the height of the wave grew taller, and began attacking the Cran with magical slashing damage, holding it in place for two more seconds to come. Much like an electrical attack, Shadow Wave holds the target in place while they take the damage over time, as long as they are hit in the first place. Jane''s Shadow Wave spell was no pushover.


    The Cran took on a lot of damage, getting slashed bit by bit with the magical damage being injected into the same exact ordinance. It was rather painful, but not as bad as the drop in its HP levels. The Cran immediately lost a lot of the strength and energy it once had.


    Jane noticed how effective the attack was, and gave herself some praise for being the only one in her class so far to master that spell down. She shook it off after getting shortly distracted; this Cran was not through with her just yet. Its red aura was still blazing and glowing over its entire body, getting brighter and more visible. It must have finished Flame Charge despite being attacked, and Jane had to be quick on her feet now.


    Shortly after Jane braced herself, the ADC lit up with new text synchronized with the intent of the Cran. Flamethrower! It did sound like a nasty spell with a higher power level, especially after boosting the power of its fire elemental damage. Jane knew exactly how important it was to dodge this time, and she changed her stance preparing to jump on the fly.


    The Cran created another barrel at the tip of its stump, aimed right at Jane. Jane sensed something heading her way before her eyes even caught it, and jumped anyway to try and avoid it early. Just after she jumped in the air, the Cran fired an incredibly long narrow beam of fire, heading right below Jane where she was a second ago. The beam of concentrated flames then swung around to the right and traveled upwards, missing Jane by a hair. The Cran must be trying to scorch the entire area to make it harder for Jane to dodge it. After landing on the ground again, Jane realized she didn''t get hit just yet. The beam of fire then swung to the left, threatening to engulf Jane along with it. Jane immediately performed another dodge by rolling right under the stream as it headed her way. Jane rolled just under the blaze as it passed above her too close for comfort.


    For the second time now, Jane evaded the same stream of fire used against the whole damn field. As soon as she recovered to her feet again, Jane saw the beam of fire disappear, finally out of fuel to keep the torch going. Jane smiled in her own success, and the barrel that was used to ignite the flamethrower retracted into the stump again. Jane was happy managing to dodge a difficult and accurate attack such as that one. The area around her became much hotter, grass and leaves smoking from the wide ranged attack. But it wasn''t over yet.


    Jane thought that after the Flamethrower attack, the Cran might at least want to take a short breath, but the massive red glyphring formed right in front of the Cran indicated otherwise. Jane prepared herself to dodge this again, but she wasn''t expecting a second spell so soon. And much to her surprise, she forgot to read the text for which spell was coming out on the action display center of the Cran. Triple Fire! Jane was instead expecting a simple Fire Ball attack.


    Confusion filled her mind as soon as three large Fire Bolts all rushed out of the glyphring at once, each of them consecutively slamming into Jane with a hot and fiery burst of flame. Jane was forced onto her back, trying to get up when the third Fire Bolt slammed into her again, immediately causing her to feel like she was on fire. The effects of Fire Bolt heat the skin rapidly, creating the sensation of burning everywhere. Luckily, that doesn''t happen with as much intensity with Leray protection. It didn''t stop Jane''s HP from diving down, or her from yelling out in the agony of first-degree burning sensations.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Just like that, Jane took a severe hit, obviously overpowered when the Cran tricked her into thinking that its Flame Charge was used up completely, and talk about attack spells! Triple Fire is specially designed to be severe on a damaging scale. Not only were there three homing projectiles that all hit Jane together, but since they were Fire Bolts instead of Fire Balls, the damage was higher, not to mention the increased power from the earlier Flame Charge doubling the effect. Jane felt so stupid from being tricked like that, and got back up quickly to reclaim her future victory. Her reaction was interrupted somewhat by the painful first-degree burns all over her arms and legs, though the dress protected the rest of her body just fine afterwards. She still had more health than the Cran, but it was already hitting her senses that she felt a little drained, more than before.


    Jane then noticed that the Cran was charging at Jane again, for the third attack in a row; it must really want to win against her! Jane however was expecting anything at this point. As soon as the Cran came close to body slamming Jane once again, she managed to dive out of the way this time, making the Cran miss miserably. Jane chose that moment to land back on her feet, and charge attack the Cran instead. Using a similar combination series such as the one before, Jane ran towards the confused Cran with her daggers out and ready.


    Once at range, the Cran tried to hit Jane to stop her, but Jane was even faster, dodging the hit and digging the blade into the bulk of the Cran''s wooden body. Jane hardly stopped there. She continued by mixing it in with kick after punch after kick, dodging any attempt of close range resistance. Jane used her daggers in the combo sweep as well; scoring several types of damage points the more hits she got in. At the last second, Jane jumped far back from the Cran, an immediately charged up a spell, unleashing it while only a few meters away from the Cran. "Shadow Wave!"


    It was another Shadow Wave that Jane unleashed in front of her, this time bound to hit the Cran even harder from taking the hit at a closer range than before. The wave didn''t have to go very far before slamming into the Cran again, forcing it to stay in place while slashing it up with slashing and magic damage. Jane simply waited, watching the Cran''s HP stats drop dramatically, and just as the Shadow Wave attack was over, the stats for its HP landed down to zero.


    With no choice of refusal, the Cran slowly fell over on its frontal face, sinking down into the ground in absolute total defeat. The Cran was knocked out and unconscious, and that means that Jane did it.


    <hr>


    <Reward: Jane | Real Time Mode>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Take Off From Home ~ Star Ocean 3 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Following the defeat of the creature in front of her, Jane noticed the holographic text of the reward/spoil system return to the center of the field, specifically to announce to her the winner of the battle as well as the end of the official match. Jane however never really understood how the automatic digitally based system of magic could properly keep track of such things in the first place, and ignored it while the text soon faded away. She took her own moment to try and catch her breath, going over everything in her mind once more. It only hit her now after all she had done that her breathing rate tripled in speed and doubled in intensity. Jane nearly ran herself out of breath from the exercise.


    It took several long moments of just standing there in awe for Jane to finally realize that she had won. Without taking too many close calls, it was over with. Jane had slain her first Cran. Though it was possible for her to get a second kill and show off, Jane was much more interested in something else instead. The Siriean dome around them disappeared in a swelling glint of sparkles, collapsing due to the end of the official battle sequence, and so did the Cran''s energy scope. Jane knew that her HP damage was not completely cured yet, but she wanted to take this long moment and make it last forever. The feeling of victory; it was ever so sweet!


    Jane quickly took her visual surroundings again. She was still in the middle of the field in the Hix Ruins, but this was just one tiny section of the entire area, which explained why nobody was really around her right now. The day was still very young. Though it was probably only as long as five to ten minutes of battle time, Jane felt like the duration took up a full hour or so. The sunlight overhead was not even indicating that it was far past noon, so there was still plenty of time to locate Danny and Taylor in order to watch how they fight their first fight.


    Jane first took out the orb she was carrying in her dress, the med kit orb. It was small, simple, and green in color, and Jane knew already how to use one. It was as simple as it seemed. Jane held the orb in her hands, while she sent a small surge of her own Leray magic into the device. The device was very quick to begin glowing, emanating a powerful essence that lit up her entire body in a bright uncolored aura for several seconds. As soon as it was complete, Jane''s stats returned to normal.


    Jane felt immediately rejuvenated, as if someone used a refresh spell on her. Her MP did not recover, but healing orbs aren''t designed for that anyway. The orbs only restore HP immediately, and speed up the recovery rate for MP while outside of battle. Jane made her energy scope fade on its own, no longer needing the scan for the rest of the day. Now all she had to do was walk around the ruins some more until she could locate Danny and Taylor. They have to be having a blast with this awesome training exercise.


    <hr>


    <13:11>


    It didn''t take very long at all for Taylor to finally get wrapped up in a battle against the Cran of her choice. In the middle of traveling into the Hix Ruins, there were several people nearby her, all trying to achieve their mission first. There appeared to be a shortage of the creatures in the general vicinity, but after everyone dispersed their location more, Taylor found the perfect standalone target, and began to battle it.


    Danny set off on his own as well, which meant that Taylor was technically alone in this fight, but she was confident in her capabilities to challenge the tough enemy at hand. Though this was also her first time seeing a Cran capable of walking, fighting, and thinking, Taylor didn''t just stop to observe for too long. This was the most unusual thing she had ever faced before in her entire life, but after identifying the creature as a Cran and confirming that this was the assignment, Taylor was quick to focus. The first thing she did was initialize her own energy scope, forcing the Cran in front of her to do the very same thing. Once that happened, the Siriean dome formed around the both of them on its own. The dome and the reward/spoil system of text was also an unusual sight for Taylor''s eyes. She didn''t understand much about such systems, but maintained her focus on the new enemy in front of her, as other students were waning away from the location. She prepared her nerves as best she could. For Taylor, this would be her first real battle.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Through The Heart Of a Nation ~ Ace Combat 6</a>


    <hr>


    <hr>


    <Reward Spoil: N/A | Battle Mode>


    <hr>


    Evenly matched at the start of the battle, Taylor decided to wait for the first move of the Cran to try and attack her. Dodging could be an option here, but Taylor had no real practice trying to avoid attacks like this, and there was no telling what might come out of that creature. It had some kind of passion to fight against her, evident after she chased it all the way over here.


    A strange appearance of additional holographic text formed under the Cran''s energy scope, an unfamiliar box to Taylor known as an action display center. In pure English, Taylor read the line that formed inside of the additional box. Flame Charge! Though she was unaware of what was going on, Taylor didn''t really see the Cran do anything for attacking. There was a faint red glowing aura surrounding its body, but that could mean anything.


    Finally taking her own turn to attack out of impatience, Taylor began to charge MP energy into an attack spell that she knew well. It wasn''t too easy calling up her MP energy so quickly, but after performing it correctly before, Taylor successfully formed the small red glyphring around her wrist. With further concentration coming from her memory and training of magical spell invocations, Taylor unleashed the energy in the form that she needed to. "Fire Ball!" Calling in a Fire Ball to shoot out of her red glyphring was Taylor''s first choice of attack. Fire Ball is supposed to be more powerful than Radial Stars, being up by one unit in the official power level matrix, and one that she knew better than her other skills. Without any close combat training or even a physical weapon, she would have to rely on magical abilities at a long range for now.


    The Fire Ball that Taylor shot out of her hand slammed right into the Cran, failing to attempt much of a dodge. The thing must have been a bit slow. But something was wrong! Once the Fire Ball hit the Cran, the impact barely managed to move it an inch. As far as body language and stance was concerned, the creature seemed the least bit bothered by that nice attack.


    After studying the change in the status of the Cran''s health, Taylor realized that her own Fire Ball barely had an effect, and then winced at a memory she just recalled. Cran are greatly resistant to fire based damage, and are capable of dealing the same type of damage in return. That might not have been the exact choice of words, but that is what Eliza said to all of the students back there, and Taylor just screwed up by choosing the wrong type of spell. She smacked herself in the face with a defeating groan for being so stupid!


    Now the Cran was doing something else unusual. A large red glyphring formed at the front of the Cran, shortly before another glint of holographic text appeared above in the ADC. Fire Ball! Either that text represents Taylor''s attack used against the Cran, or it represented what attack the Cran was about to use. Taylor didn''t understand what all of these rules and entities were about. She has never been in a real battle before. Without being prepared, there was nothing more she could do but flinch in response to a Fire Ball getting launched from the Cran''s glyphring.


    At least by now, Taylor noticed that her second version of the theory was true. The Cran don''t speak at all, so their stats report what skill they are thinking about invoking in that odd neon display above the energy scope. It was too late to do anything either. Fire Balls move incredibly fast, and Taylor was only now realizing it. The blast of fire slammed into her face, knocking Taylor backwards for a ride. Despite feeling a hot burning sensation in her face, which almost caused a bruise, Taylor held on tightly with her balance. Her shoes slightly slid back in the ground, but not enough to cause her to trip and fall backwards. After that short recovery, Taylor checked her own status on the energy scope.


    She was far from done, but it did more damage to her than she did to the enemy. It was surprisingly humiliating, and Taylor finally understood that one spell could counter another with different effects on different people. Being blasted with a Fire Ball outside of the protection zone would have probably killed her, or at least caught her hair on fire. It was a bit of a shock to see and feel fine afterwards.


    Cutting through a thick bush using the dagger she was carrying in her right hand, Jane stumbled through to find another battle happening on the other side. Much to her surprise however, the person who was on the inside of the Siriean dome was none other than Taylor, who was not even using a weapon to battle her first and only Cran.


    Taylor became shortly distracted by the person to her left who nearly reached the edge of the dome. There''s no time to find out who it is; she has to focus.


    "Hey Taylor! Keep it up!"


    It was Jane''s voice! Taylor couldn''t help but take a peak, hoping to keep her Cran in the sights at the same time. It was defiantly Jane, who must have shown up to watch her, and that means she must have already defeated the Cran of her choice. That''s not very surprising though. This is Jane after all. Oh! The Cran!


    Taylor immediately diverted her focus to the target again, who was still standing there, waiting for her to attack. Little guy must be confident in its own victory to not attack twice in one go.


    Jane watched the battle, which obviously had only begun by the looks of things. After reading both energy scopes, it was clear to Jane that Taylor was currently losing the lead. Then again, she had an open opportunity to attack. Jane hollered towards Taylor, "Remember! Cran are strong against fire attacks." Jane was not sure if Taylor already tried one before, but it never hurts to send out reminders.


    Taylor had her stance strong, almost like Jane''s voice didn''t even reach her, but it certainly did. Taylor already tried a Fire Ball and miserably failed to land any good damage, but now was her chance to prove herself after that training she did with Jane Saturday. "Ice Ball!" Taylor charged up the magical energy and the blue glyphring around her left wrist with lightning speed, her fastest invocation yet. A ball of ice was chosen this time to shoot out of Taylor''s hand, flying at high speed in the air towards the Cran. The Cran had little intentions to dodge the attack at all, and took the hard hit from the ball of ice. Taylor already felt more confidence than before. After all, Jane showed up to cheer her on.


    The Cran was forced back a bit just like Taylor was after being hit with its Fire Ball. Now that the creature took on some more damage, Taylor and the Cran were evenly tied neck and neck. This time, it was Taylor''s turn to receive an incoming attack. Aero Strike! That''s what read on the action display center above the Cran''s status bar. Taylor still didn''t know what to expect, and Jane didn''t want to watch this. After receiving the attack herself, she knew it could not be dodged.


    The Cran expended just a little more of its own energy, and began whipping up a powerful wind by spinning both of its arm stumps around at an unforeseeable speed. Taylor was already taken by surprise with a rushing wave of wind like that now heading her way. It was also a bit of a shock for her to see wind become visible like that, due to the effects of Leray magical involvement. Taylor wanted to try and dodge the attack, or at least block it out, but there was nothing she knew that would help her with this. The crushing wave of wind blew every part of her back. Despite keeping her stance and balance, the wind began to drain some of her stamina. There was a bit of pain involved too, but she couldn''t really describe how it felt. It was happening all over her body, causing certain areas to tingle. Once the powerful burst of wind stopped, Taylor was free, but not without a cost.


    Jane saw that coming, and unfortunately had no advice about how to get over that kind of attack. Now that it was Taylor''s turn, she needed to fight back. "Come on Taylor! You can do it!"


    Taylor heard Jane loud and clear, and there was plenty of encouragement. The problem of course was that Taylor only knew of two other types of magic attacks left at her disposal she didn''t try yet, and they might not be effective against the Cran, at least no more effective than that Ice Ball attack. But something has to be done...


    Taylor decided on her next move, charging her MP energy up like before. This time, the invocation was not as rapid, but she didn''t have much trouble getting it right anyway. The large orange glyphring formed right in front of her body with her arm firmly placed through the center of the rotating glyphring. After taking aim at the Cran, Taylor unleashed her next spell. "Radial Stars!" Shooting a massive burst of over thirty magical glowing stars one after the next, Taylor''s attack was a grand slam into the Cran''s body, knocking it for a ride with an added hint of piercing pain as well. The attack lasted for about two long seconds, at least they seemed long in Taylor''s perspective. It looked as if almost all of those stars managed to hit the Cran, and its HP dropped again like before.


    The match was far from over, and Taylor braced herself for the next oncoming attack. It was already clear to her that she was not good at dodging. Her reflexes were not trained for this sort of thing, and that meant another mean attack was on its way. Slam! That''s the only thing that appeared in text for the action display center, making Taylor anxious about what was about to happen next.


    Unfortunately, Jane knew exactly what the problem was. Even a better-trained Leray fighter like herself had a rough time dodging the speed of that skill. If attempted to evade too early, the attack redirects to hit you anyway, and at the last second, the speed of the Cran''s fast charge is increased even more. Now it was happening to Taylor. The Cran showed no mercy for her when it charged into her body like that, giving slam a good name for the attack. Taylor was taken off the ground rather quickly, not expecting that kind of malevolence.


    Worse than that, Taylor was now able to sense an incredible surge of pain all over her body, multiplied near her waist. It felt like the wind was knocked out of her, and she could not feel the ground under her feet anymore, but it was not over yet. The Cran was just getting warmed up, following its own attack up with a combination strike of close combat punches and kicks using its multiple stumps to hit her. Taylor was hit while already lifted off the ground, kick after punch after kick and so on. The Cran waited until it tired out too much before letting Taylor finally crash into the ground with a hard hit. Backing away from its target, the Cran made its way to a bit of a distance, giving both of them time to recover.


    Jane couldn''t believe it! Taylor did take that attack hard, but if that were Jane taking her place, she would not have lost that much health at one time. Taylor really must not be used to taking hits... This isn''t looking so good. Taylor is obviously in excruciating pain from being beat up like that in mid-air, hunched over and holding her sides in response. She was still on her hands and knees, trying to recover from that massive attack. "Come on Taylor! Don''t give up just yet."


    Hearing Jane cheering for her like this was only helpful to a certain degree. The brutal force of those hits to her face and to her sides was just as painful as they would have been back home. Before long, Taylor found the strength to tough it out and stand tall again. The pain only subsided partially, and there was a noticeable loss in her HP. Time to try something new...


    "Aero Blast!" Taylor learned this last weekend with ease, since it requires no glyphring to invoke. The magic was sent and released straight from her hand, after throwing the blast of air towards her target. Again, the Cran didn''t even try to dodge it. Perhaps it really was just a little slow when it wasn''t its turn to attack, but Taylor soon regretted her decision. The quick blast of air surrounded and attacked the Cran, but it was only short lived for just one second of time. The air was then pushed back by the Cran''s stumps, breaking out of the attack with minimal damage taken.


    It was even more resistant to wind attacks than it was to fire based attacks. Taylor wasn''t expecting that, and she knew that Jane was already a bit disappointed. But with all of her options exhausted, what else was there to do but spam Radial Stars or Ice Ball? The Cran was now on the offensive too given its stance. Taylor knew she had to expect something.


    Flamethrower! "Oh no!" Jane responded. She didn''t see the Cran use Flame Charge, which would have been required to be able to use a flamethrower attack. Though Jane managed to dodge it in her battle, that didn''t discourage the fact that it was a powerful move on itself. Taylor had no idea! It must have been charged up since the beginning of the fight, before Jane got to see much of it.


    Taylor was expecting to take another fire attack, but not one like this. The Cran turned the tip of its stump into a barrel, and then shot a steady stream of fire though it. Without having the brains or the reflexes to dodge it, Taylor was a sitting duck taking the attack head on. She screeched in response to the immediate burning pain all over her skin, like her entire body had been trapped inside of an oven and boiling water was splashed on her as well. To make matters worse, the stream of fire was ongoing, spraying heat on her for as long as it lasted.


    Jane tensed in response to the change in situation. Taylor was bound to lose her first battle like this. She was taking on way too much fire damage in just one attack, standing there while taking all of the pain of Leray magic. Finally, the stream of fire ended, and Taylor felt her head spinning to the response that that actually just happened.


    Taylor didn''t know that one could take this much heat and pain mid-battle and still keep on ticking, but that was the least of her concern now. Just as her vision was restored in the absence of the stream of fire that blinded her seconds ago, she then caught on to the fact that her entire dress was on fire! Taylor didn''t care about the match anymore. Leray protection or not, there were active burning flames all over her velvet purple dress, putting holes through the lining and stitches where there shouldn''t be any. Taylor''s entire wardrobe was creating a bit of a smokescreen from this as well.


    Jane didn''t believe what was happening in front of her eyes. Taylor''s dress had caught flame from several embers, and she was trying desperately to put them out by patting her clothes all over where she could. But that''s not supposed to happen, not even from the most powerful fire based attacks in all of Sprawn Valley. How was this possible?


    Taylor finished patting down her clothes, but not before realizing that some permanent damage had already been done. Several holes and rips of varying size populated areas all over her dress, with black colored burnt borders around each hole. Even after putting down the fire, random spots and patches of her camisole became visible without the protection of her over-dress. At least in this case, there was no actual threat or hint of indecency for Taylor. The long skirt Taylor chose to wear luckily had several additional layers used for warmth, few of which were also undamaged. From the frontal region where Taylor could examine her clothes, there was almost tiny sections of damage only visible from the angle she was staring down at, further concealed by a final layer left unscathed.


    This situation however was unbelievable! Taylor didn''t know if this was supposed to happen, but her brand new dress was ruined, and if it took any more damage, it would land her in a terrible situation. Jane was watching as well, at least taking notice of what was happening. Taylor only hoped that Jane would be able to help her if she needed it. Thank god - the other students including Danny were far from this visual range. There was nobody else in sight except for Jane and the Cran in front of her. Quickly getting over the close call, Taylor charged for her next attack, trying to bring down her enemy in one blow before anything worse could happen.


    After using some MP energy, Taylor created another big orange glyphring in front of her, aiming her arm through the center to target the Cran. "Radial Stars!" she screamed. Another familiar barrage of orange glowing stars impaled the Cran right where it stood, causing considerable pain and damage at the same time. Jane watched the stats of the Cran decrease in response to Taylor''s magical attack, which was brilliant since it was easy to invoke and non-elemental.


    Taylor was glad to see her target take the hard hit again, and she diffused her glyphring when every last star finished shooting from her left hand. Now it would be up to her to dodge the next attack. She still risked a glance down again, examining the front and back of her dress carefully to make sure that not too much was exposed. There were small sections and glints of the white undergarments showing through the holes created by that fire, and it caused Taylor to shiver at the sheer thought of how worse this could have been.


    Jane was stuck pondering the odd situation as well. She could not really understand why this was allowed to happen. Attacks and spells don''t damage clothes and armor, unless...


    Slam! Taylor exhaled nervously upon reading the next line in the action display center as the Cran prepared to use a familiar skill. Though she was afraid of taking any other fire based attack that would have possibly worsened the condition to her dress, she remembered taking a hit from this attack before. It was incredibly painful, and devastating to her own health in battle. But what could she do against that kind of power and speed?


    Jane was taken off guard by watching the Cran fly towards Taylor, almost at light speed as it charged into her at full force. Even while Taylor was attempting to block the attack, it didn''t work against the force put into it. Once again, her entire body was lifted off the ground. The Cran used that very moment afterwards to pitch in several more punches and kicks, exactly like its last performance of the slam attack. Taking a brutal beating in mid-air, Taylor felt the incredible, most painful force of the powerful attack used against her. After being knocked around like that, hitting the ground at the end was hardly the thing of her worries. That time, it was even more painful than the first, despite having experienced it before.


    This is bad! Jane saw the whole situation up front, and was unable to help her. It would be against the rules to interfere, but Taylor was losing this fight with little hope of winning, and her only effective attacks were Ice Ball and Radial Stars. Worse than that, her HP levels have dropped into dangerous areas. Even if she did manage to get back up, Taylor had to be wiped by now.


    Taylor fought her way through every ounce of residual pain, pushing her body up slowly with the muscles of her arms, her will to win passing the test showing. She also wanted some payback for its last fire attack. Every part of her body was beginning to hurt badly, and a new sensation was beginning to take over. Taylor felt weaker, slower, and even a little lightheaded. It felt like she had the entire life force drained out of her, not in the same sense of feeling exhaustion from working hard on something without end. Taylor in all summary felt faint, like she was prone to collapsing cold any minute now. It has to be from her dropping HP levels, and that stupid Cran still has so much energy left in it.


    It was a long way there, but Taylor eventually managed to pump her way back on her legs, hoping not to lose her balance and fall. It was still her turn to attack, and the fight was not over yet. Taylor charged in some more energy for the next attack, making it a little different this time. "Ice Ball!" With her voice not as loud as before, Taylor still managed to begin invocation on the correct skill. After charging up the small glyphring around her wrist, it was the only effective attack spell that she could invoke quickly, even after feeling as weak as she did. The ball of ice that swept out of her hand had no problems slamming into the Cran, knocking it backwards again. The creature almost lost its own balance from that attack, nearly falling down on its back. In all fairness, Taylor could see that she at least did it some damage.


    It sure was not very refreshing to see that the Cran was still high alert and kicking. Taylor knew she was losing, but what could she do?


    Fire Ball! This was the text appearing again on the action display center. Another large red glyphring formed in front of the Cran. Even without the visual aid of the text near the creature''s status bar, Taylor and Jane both recognized exactly what this spell looked like. Another fire attack, the thing Taylor feared most at this point. Would her dress ignite like last time?


    Too late to worry about it now, because the Fire Ball launched from the Cran''s glyphring almost immediately. Taylor was already weakened as well, and there was nothing she could do against a spell like that. Jane could only watch hopelessly, as Taylor was knocked down on her back after taking the Fire Ball projectile straight to her chest. It hit her hard and ended with a pulse of heat, forcing her backwards and pushing her off balance completely.


    Taylor recognized the sensation that was becoming overwhelming for her, the same sensation of being physically drained of all her energy. It didn''t feel like she needed a nap. Instead, it was a lot more like she was about to just fade away, pass out right here and now. The stats didn''t report a total loss in her health, and that inspired Taylor to get back up again. Her dress was perfectly unharmed from that last hit, and the pain from that Fire Ball was not nearly as bad as the slam attack she had to endure earlier.


    Jane was happy to see Taylor standing back up again. Now it was her turn to attack. Taylor charged another bit of energy into herself and her hands. This time, the glyphring around her wrist was of the smaller kind, and completely red in color as it rotated in place. "Fire Ball!" Being unshy about the obvious indication that it wasn''t the best idea, Taylor decided to fight fire with fire, blasting the ball of flaming heat towards the foe. The Cran could only stand there as it took the Fire Ball attack. But this time, it still was only as effective as it was the first time Taylor tried it.


    "What are you doing?!" Jane yelled. "You can''t use fire attacks against Cran!" Jane was furious that Taylor didn''t know that, even after the reminder Jane had given her at the beginning of her battle. Was she trying to lose?


    Taylor tensed her muscles, stressed that her plan didn''t even hope to work. The Cran was made out of firewood, and it didn''t catch fire? As if the fates were again teasing her on, the Cran created another red glyphring in front of itself, as large as its own body size. The soon to follow Fire Ball came out of the rotating disk shortly after, heading straight for Taylor. This time, Taylor tried to brace herself for the attack, trying not to get knocked over again from the thing. That''s when she realized that it would be better to dodge. Even though her reflexes were getting a little better at calculating moments of grace periods mid-battle, her logic was flawed. Right after trying to block the attack by bracing herself, Taylor turned her body around at the last second, trying to get out of the way of the Fire Ball by spinning towards her right. Instead, the Fire Ball slammed into the backside of Taylor''s left leg, immediately burning her skin on contact, and once again igniting the bottom section of her dress from the burst.


    Jane winced in sympathy to Taylor, but much more with additional surprise. It happened again! Despite Taylor''s bad timing and flawed attempt to dodge the Fire Ball, the back of her dress right above her behind caught on fire again, forming a great big flame that she was not even aware of yet. Taylor at least managed to prevent herself from getting knocked down like before, but the fire at the back of her dress quickly spread a little more to the side and frontal area as well. This isn''t supposed to happen!


    Taylor felt incredibly weak, as if passing out was only imminent, but she soon snapped out of it momentarily to notice that her dress caught fire again! Even though it was not burning her skin badly due to Leray protection effects, it wasn''t stopping the fire from putting bigger holes in her clothes. Taylor immediately rushed in to pat the fire out place by place. She started in the front, and after realizing it was in the back as well on a much larger scale, Taylor intentionally dropped on her back to smother the fire with the ground, followed by rolling around in the dirty field. It was a reaction that worked out faster than expected given a quick roll in the grass.


    After standing back up moments later, the sight of the damage was absolutely horrible! The underclothes of her camisole were now showing more through the new holes in the back of her dress, and a little more in the front as well. The left side of her dress was in bad condition as it was, and in total, it was a complete mess. From a distance, anyone passing by may not notice, but as close as Jane was, it would be devastatingly obvious that Taylor was in trouble with an unexpected wardrobe malfunction. Did this always happen in battles?


    What Jane saw was both unbelievable and impossible. Taylor''s wardrobe was not protecting itself or Taylor from damage, and that could only mean one thing. Sections of skin on Taylor''s arms and lower legs as well as more of the white fabric underneath were now visible through the holes burnt into the dress, a situation that would make Taylor lose all of her health from sheer embarrassment if anybody else saw her like this, and there was still a battle going on as well. Have to fix both problems, but how?


    Taylor felt the heat of blood rushing to her face. She knew her cheeks were glowing more from the fear of being seen having clothing damage like this. It wasn''t as if her dress damage was obviously revealing, though the thought of how worse it could get from here is what bothered her the most. Taylor never expected this problem to become a possibility in a battle, and now she didn''t know what to do.


    "Taylor?!" Jane hollered. "You have to use combination attacks!" If Taylor can just win this battle right here and now while getting over her ruined dress just for a moment, she would be able to help her with the other problem. Jane can''t directly interfere, or else this would all be for nothing. If Taylor ends up passing out like that, it would cause a massive scene. In fact, if any other student happens to be crossing by here, they would see more than what Taylor would be okay with. Jane promised herself she would ensure that doesn¡¯t happen, though she currently lacked the imagination that Taylor could lose this battle.


    Taylor managed to focus, assuming Jane would be the lookout for anyone potentially passing by. Luckily, she and Jane were the only ones in visual sight with how large the ruins were. Taylor then got an idea to use a combination of attacks from Jane just now, but what combination would actually work? "I got it!" It didn''t take long since she only knew four skills. Taylor began charging a lot of energy in a different pattern. She would need to use one spell after the other very quickly, and imagined using each attack right as she began to invoke them. Releasing some small amounts of MP, Taylor yelled, "Aero Blast!" and shot the blast of air from her hand towards the Cran. Before even waiting for the blast to hit the target, Taylor unleashed the rest of her energy, using another attack in sync and immediately shifting the glyphring into full effect. "Ice Ball!" Taylor formed a glyphring around her wrist, and immediately shot an Ice Ball from her hand shortly after.


    At that moment, the blast of wind surrounded the Cran while dealing minor amounts of damage. That''s when the Ice Ball slammed into Taylor''s target at the same time. As soon as the ball of ice hit and caused a rushing wave of cold air to explode from the impact site on the Cran''s body, the rushing wave of wind surrounding the Cran stopped still. In the most amazing thing Jane had ever seen before, the Aero Blast spell became a solid pillar of ice partially entombing the Cran. Taylor''s Ice Ball literally froze the Aero Blast mid-attack, just as it surrounded the Cran at close range. A large tomb of ice now encased the Cran, freezing it in place along with the frozen air, and the stats of the Cran took a huge dive.


    Jane decided to take this opportunity to help Taylor out. "Now Taylor! You have to finish it with a physical attack!"


    Taylor heard every word. Though she had no weapons on her, and she was still incredibly weak from taking all of the damage she had, there was still another way left. The Cran was frozen solid from that attack, and likely hurting bad from Taylor''s amazing combination. She didn''t even expect that to happen in the way that it did, but a new opportunity presented itself. Instead of charging any energy, Taylor just took off on her feet and ran for it. Charging at the frozen Cran at top speed, Taylor ran as fast as she could towards the target. When only one meter away in distance, Taylor jumped into the air, and rearranged her left foot in position for an excellent jump kick.


    Jane saw Taylor run for it, charging at the Cran with a last second jump kick attack. Taylor''s shoe impacted the ice, and cracked all the way through to the frozen Cran at full force. Taylor landed on the ground just after kicking the Cran with as much force as possible. At the same time it took damage, the ice around the creature broke into tiny little fragments, immediately defrosting the thing. The Cran was far from making a recovery. After taking an ice attack with that much power, by which Taylor kicked the ice to shatter as it was integrated into the bark of the Cran, the physical damage was made super effective. The Cran immediately fell to the ground unconscious before it could fully defrost, declaring this status on its energy scope.


    <hr>


    <Reward: Taylor | Real Time Mode>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Take Off From Home ~ Star Ocean 3 OST</a>


    <hr>


    "You did it!" Jane cheered. The dome around Taylor and the Cran immediately collapsed into nothingness, though it was an amazing display on its own. The reward system only showed up momentarily to declare Taylor as the legal victor of the match, and Jane ran up to Taylor, helping her immediately with the dangerous wardrobe malfunction.


    Taylor never felt this excited before. "I won!" Taylor actually beat the enemy, and not just by using normal attack styles either. This was a victorious method of outsmarting the opponent. Oh no! "What do I do about this?" Taylor came back to the haunting realization that her dress was ruined. Still with the damage already there, it wasn''t as bad as it seemed if a person were to stand directly in front of her from several yards away, which provided some minor comfort for Taylor. But she can''t go back to the facility like this!


    Jane was unexpectedly prepared to help Taylor with the dress issue. First, she needed to figure out what happened to begin with. Jane fiddled with her supply sphere while getting the details. The damage to Taylor''s clothes wasn''t as bad as she initially thought, but still more than enough for concern. "Taylor? Did you use a dress sphere before this battle?"


    "Wh¡ª what''s a dress sphere?" Taylor shrieked.


    Jane replied with a sad grunt. "Well that answers that question. I''ll take that as a big no." After looking around in all directions, Jane offered real assistance to Taylor. "Okay. Take this." Jane handed Taylor a strange looking orb. "It''s the orb that contains my backup dress sphere. You can borrow it this once. Put it on now and I''ll help repair the original set later."


    "How do I use this?" Taylor looked at the orb in confusion. She had never seen or used anything like this before, but she did recognize the design from the healing orb that was given to her before. This one had a different color and luster to the device.


    Jane saw Taylor''s expression turn desperate, praying not to be seen before it is too late. She brushed her hand over the orb Taylor was holding to activate it. "Like this." Jane activated the orb by using less than a percentage of her own MP magic, and the orb lit up. Shortly after that, the glowing aura around the device triggered and died out, the small sphere of energy completely transformed into a long dark dress with an over-skirt right into Taylor''s outstretched arms. It had a nice sparkly glow of fine glitter, and was neatly colored with an onyx tint, obviously expensive. Just like that, Jane handed Taylor a dress to change into - in the most unusual way yet.


    But Taylor felt like passing out even more now that she realized what Jane meant by putting it on. "Wait! Now?! You want me to change right here?"


    "Relax," Jane assured with her hand on Taylor''s shoulder. "I''ll be your look-out and make sure nobody comes near us. Just change into that outfit quickly before somebody does come by."


    "Okay." Taylor immediately felt so much calmer already. With a good and dependable friend like Jane helping her out in a situation, it was like everything was destined to work out. Taylor took now as her only opportunity to change out of her damaged clothes into the new ones Jane was letting her borrow.


    Jane looked around in all directions, making sure nobody was close by at all. If anyone did try to come now, she would be prepared to use her own force to make sure they don''t barge into this opportunity caused by Taylor''s own mistake. Still, Jane somehow felt that Taylor was overreacting just a little to the situation. She''s the one who didn''t use a dress sphere, and it''s not like the damages to her outfit were as brutally intense as she thought. It only took less than twenty seconds for Taylor to change, obviously in a rush not to be caught out in the open like this.


    "I''m done." Taylor held her damaged close in her hands, now wearing a most beautiful dress designed for gothic fashion.


    Jane looked back at Taylor, now relaxed that she would be out of any immediately danger of being caught with burnt clothes by any other students. It seemed that Taylor calmed down as well. Jane took the burned dress into her own hands from Taylor, still warm from the commotion a moment ago. Jane immediately saw how well Taylor fit the outfit, particularly the style set on her. "That was a close call," Jane announced, for your dignity and the battle.


    "I know..." Taylor held her head, feeling as dizzy as before.


    Jane noticed Taylor''s sudden fatigue as it caught up to her, and realized that her low HP count was causing issues quickly. "Quick! Use your healing orb."


    "Huh?"


    It was clear to Jane that Taylor knew nothing about using orbs or items despite the situation. Honestly! What is Eliza thinking by having an entire lesson on item usage without demonstrating how they work? "Hold the healing orb in your hand." Jane needed not to explain what that was about, since Taylor and the others were all given the same device by their instructor. She saw Taylor grab for the orb she had stored in the pocket of the burned dress, still perfectly fine. "Good. Now invoke only the slightest bit of energy into the sphere, and feel its response."


    It was almost an instantaneous sensation for Taylor. After activating the healing orb in her hand, the ball of glowing energy suddenly surged a colorless aura around her entire body before disappearing another moment after. In response, Taylor immediately felt like she was recharged and ready to fight again, physically anyway.


    Taylor noticed the change on her energy scope, forgetting it was still active in the first place. Since there was not a need for it anymore, she diffused her status box into nothingness after learning how to since before the battle. Taylor felt immediately refreshed, coaxing Jane to confront her about something.


    "Now," Jane pondered. "How in the hell did you not know about dress spheres?"


    "I''m sorry," Taylor apologized. "I don''t understand what happened." How did I mess up?


    "Well, it''s okay now, but the next time you take damage without wearing a dress sphere, you''ll defiantly regret it. If you want to end up butt naked outside with nowhere to hide and let everybody see, just repeat what you did without having one equipped."


    Taylor shivered at the thought that such a possibility existed for her, but the things Jane was saying weren''t making any sense. What is a dress sphere supposed to do anyway? Is the overdress she''s wearing now one of them?


    "Anyway," Jane calmed herself. "A dress sphere is a type of armor or material of clothing used in Leray matches. Mostly without having any specific damage resistances, dress spheres are infused with a special magical coat of effect from synthesis that lasts forever, protecting that entire wardrobe from ripping, tearing, melting, or burning. Because normal clothing is susceptible to damages even with Leray attacks, you have to wear specially designed outfits in battle to avoid losing your clothes in the fight. It would be really embarrassing if that happened to anybody."


    "A dress sphere does all that?" Taylor looked down, once again feeling so foolish. How was she supposed to know that? None of the other students made any mistake like this before? And why didn''t Kain or Bella mention such things?


    "Well it''s okay," Jane forgave. "You''re brand new to this, so I should have caught onto that a little sooner."


    Don''t blame yourself Jane. You''re hardly the first person to forget mentioning that. "So..." Taylor wondered. "With a dress sphere, nothing can take out the clothes you wear no matter the attack?"


    "That''s right. The Leray veil of protection only works for living creatures, not physical matter. Therefore, magic can damage structures, destroy vegetation, and it can destroy clothing as well. That''s why nobody here wears normal clothing. Dress spheres were specifically made a long time ago to have the veil of protection applied to their essence as well as people, a process called item synthesis. But as you can clearly tell, there isn''t much of a visual difference to determine if one is wearing a dress sphere or normal clothes." Hopefully this was making sense for Taylor. "Dress spheres are specifically designed to withstand all damage without any risk of degradation, and they''re called dress spheres for a reason. Easy to store in activated orbs, they also look fashionable on anybody, especially you."


    "Thanks." Taylor looked around again, examining her own wardrobe. Well, it was Jane''s wardrobe, but it really did look nice on her from this perspective, and it felt so relaxing to suddenly stop worrying about how she looked.


    "But keep in mind," Jane warned. "That while there are other armors you can wear to reduce damage in battle, which by the way are also protected from ripping apart or getting torn up, ordinary dress spheres specifically don''t give you any damage resistances that higher level armors would, like a metal suit or a merc suit. Simply put, there are better dress spheres out there with specific elemental resistant properties."


    "Got it," Taylor agreed.


    "Now all we have to do is find Danny, and hope he doesn''t have the same problem you did." Taylor''s reaction was expected. There was no possible way Danny could have known the same. But of course, if he were having good luck in his match against a Cran, he wouldn''t even come near the same crisis Taylor nearly had. "So let''s head out."


    Taylor thought for a moment, wondering how he would react if he did have such a similar situation. Danny defiantly had no knowledge about this before, but perhaps it would be best if Jane delivered him such info. The problem is, if he isn''t doing well against the Cran, then that must mean...


    "Hey guys!"


    Taylor and Jane both looked around for that deep voice in the distance. Sure enough, Taylor spotted Danny heading her way. Thankfully, he was late, or else that would have been horrifying for Taylor to endure. She quivered at the thought, how close he was to approaching them at the most awkward time. Seems like Danny ended up finding them instead. Taylor simply waited for Danny to catch up to them, and Jane did her best to hide Taylor''s destroyed clothes behind her back.


    Danny was breathing heavily and quickly from running all the way over here. He had no idea where Jane or Taylor were, but wanted to go and find them after his own match. "I did it." Danny huffed and puffed each breath, holding his upper body on the weight of his knees to help him recover. "I beat my Cran. What about you?" Danny was even more breathless upon realizing that Taylor was suddenly wearing a totally different dress than before, not that he wanted to complain. It was a total upgrade to the pack of clothes Kain gave to them both. It had to be something she borrowed for the moment.


    The question was obviously meant for Taylor. Danny would have already expected Jane to conquer the entire battlefield by now. Taylor thought about her entire battle the way it happened, keeping it all in memory. There was no way she would speak the truth to this guy. "I''ve already just defeated mine."


    "Good," Jane interrupted. "Danny? I thought you were going to have some trouble. Yet you made it out okay?"


    "Yup," he replied. "I had to use a lot of Electro-Balls..." He hunched down with his hands to his knees, struggling to recover his breath. "Man! Using all of that MP wore me out."


    Jane smiled at the awesome victory in all of them. Danny apparently had no trouble with his clothes. The denim material he was wearing was perfectly intact. Jane knew it could not have been a dress sphere, though they do make them for guys too, many that look like the clothes he has on now. Danny was instead wearing a long-sleeve shirt with a blue jacket, and black baggy pants. There was a tiny slit cut below his left knee, but that could have happened from tripping over a rock on the side of the hills. "Come on." Jane took point, walking casually back towards the forest to the west after concealing the broken material Taylor gave her. "Let''s be getting back to Dakota. I bet Eliza will be pleased to see our results."


    Taylor felt so nervous, but pondered further what Jane meant. Nobody actually bothered to explain how such results were recorded. Taylor prayed there was no recording equipment transmitting from out here. After another thought, Taylor figured it had to be more of something related to the reward/spoil system Jane mentioned earlier. It must somehow tell if anyone wins or loses, when people cheat, and so on. There shouldn''t be any possible way of knowing that Taylor had to exchange suits due to battling with the wrong gear, and she further had to grasp the reality that this was a virtue for everyone.


    Danny and Taylor reluctantly followed her, trying to imagine what it meant. How would anybody see the results of a battle when they aren''t there for it? It didn''t even fit into logic how anybody would be able to analyze data like that.


    On their way back, Danny and Taylor had a long talk about their overall skills with fighting Cran. Turns out that both Danny and Taylor had a lot of fun today, and that was no facade. Jane was still her usual energetic talkative self as well, making sure to give them both the details of her battle as it went. Jane told them all of the abilities she had to use, including the close combat fighting style, and the use of her Shadow Waves in combination.


    Taylor was proud to reveal her win as well, since she managed to freeze an entire Aero Blast attack in contact with the Cran. Then, after freezing the target in place, Taylor jump kicked the ice until all of it shattered outwards, which destroyed the stats on the Cran. Danny was impressed with the description, and since Jane was confirming it, it had to be true.


    "Still," Taylor pressured. "There''s something you should know from now on when training with magic." Taylor knew what it was about, but had trouble explaining this to Danny without accidentally revealing that she made such a mistake. "It''s about dress spheres."


    "I''ll explain it to him Taylor. Don''t worry about it." Jane saw Taylor glance back to her since she was walking in front, mouthing the words "Thank you" as to not be suspicious. Danny had no idea before and now that he came close to making a similar mistake. He would have to learn from someone that battling without an official dress sphere is a terrible idea. If he hears it from Taylor, he''ll only begin to wonder how she figured it out firsthand. If Jane explains it, it will automatically seem normal.


    After reaching the Dakota facility again, there were still about twelve students that managed to beat them there, getting their wins in before the rest. Jane wondered if they were just impatient, or deceptively powerful like her. Eliza took everyone''s training licenses from them as they returned, scanning the back of them with some kind of digital reader. Jane knew what this was, but Taylor and Danny were still in amazement.


    "It''s a result scanner," Jane explained. After receiving the attention of her friends, it was predictable that they needed to hear the whole thing. "They scan your license card to see the results of your very last official battle. If you win or lose, that is reported on your license until overwritten by the next battle. It can tell if someone cheated, or messed with the dome too, but only in this instance."


    Eliza then finished scanning Danny''s card, and returned it to his hands. Then she took Taylor''s card, scanning it as well. It was a fast scanner to read-out system. With all three reported as official victories, Eliza had what she needed. Satisfied, Eliza handed Taylor her card, after which realizing so far, that was it. "You three did as well as I expected you to."


    "Thank you," Taylor responded. Jane was responsible for most of that anyway. Being back at the Dakota facility was a nice change of scenery from those Hix Ruins. They didn''t look anything less than creepy for all it was worth, and the sun was now completely overhead. An hour or maybe even two could have passed by since they went into the ruins and returned, but Taylor was not certain at this point.


    They all passed the test with flying colors; that is what was important. It made them wonder exactly how many people total would have the same luck. Jane however was already busy with another task, returning home without much of another word. Taylor knew what it was about, after remembering what dress she was wearing. Not many people really cared about how Taylor managed to change into such beautiful clothing, or they just didn''t care to notice. Danny noticed for sure, but he never asked what happened to the old one, which worked out in her favor. With everything all worked out, things could only get better.

 Chapter 16: Push the Limits

    <hr>


    <12/27/1971 ~ 22:00 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The day''s hours passed by while Danny and Taylor got things more sorted out. Much of the day was really a cool down for the both of them. After using so much magic in a single moment against live targets in one of the most interesting tests either of them have seen, it was natural they were exhausted for over two solid hours. Jane of course was in such good shape that it didn''t even faze her after getting back to Dakota. Taylor ended up talking to Kain again about her future as a Leray wielder. He said some more encouraging things about what being a Leray fighter is all about, and in Jane''s case, she has to eventually learn to win 90% of her battles without betting too highly when on a streak.


    Danny figured Kain would say such nonsense about Leray magic. He never really figured out why Kain was so gung-ho on having them learn magic in the first place. After all, it made no sense to try and stop two lost teenagers from getting the hell out of this country, but things were different now from his own perspective. Kain has no idea about Taylor''s situation with the Banshee Empire, and because she does have such a situation, Danny knew he couldn''t just leave as planned. So naturally, he had to play along after Kain found him, pretending to be as excited about magic as Jane was. Danny couldn''t lie to himself though. Leray magic is not so bad, and it is actually quite fun to throw all of his own training against a live opponent, more so than he would have expected. Even now, he felt a little buzzed from before, the sensation left him wanting another battle against a more worthy Cran. Still, even if they graduate using Kain''s money, what happens after?


    Jane took herself home in the afternoon to repair Taylor''s burned dress, making sure not to speak about it to another living soul. Taylor would do one of two things if she did. Jane didn''t know Taylor well enough yet to suppose which options it would be. The students that all returned from the Hix Ruins were all supposed to check in to see whether they passed or failed, and Jane had to constantly travel to and from Dakota''s dark room for some reason.


    In the middle of the travels, she stopped to notice that in an overall anonymous result, only 7% of the school''s children failed the test. This meant that about 18 students ended up being knocked out cold. It was a good statistic overall, but Jane couldn''t help but feel bad for those poor souls who did not train enough like they were supposed to. Then again, despite having Danny and Taylor train under her wing, Taylor nearly failed her battle with the Cran too, but a certain situation may have been partially responsible for that. It wasn''t easy to tell if those two were now at the pace level of the class as it were, or if they were getting better than the average student.


    Taylor and Danny did not do very much for the rest of the day. If anything, Danny became almost inactive again at the medical facility, phased out in deep thought about what Taylor could only guess to be her own situation. How would they stay out of Kalamo for so long? And wouldn''t Danny still need to reunite with his family sometime this year? The options reminded Taylor once again about everything that happened from the Tidal Max, leading up to this moment. The memories alone were a montrum, giving her ultimately everything to think about. This was one of the most unusual and impossible situations either of them could conjure with pure imagination. It could have even been a long dream if Taylor were to wake up at any moment, but this wasn''t a dream. Too much has happened for too long for any of this to be fake, and she knew better.


    Jane caught up with Taylor around six P.M., returning her normal dress, and instructing her not to wear it ever again unless outside of Sprawn Valley. Otherwise, only wear it just for show. Taylor obviously learned her lesson, and she was lucky Jane was there to help her out of what could have turned into a disaster, given more elapsed time. Jane gave Taylor another one of her personal dress spheres, in return that Taylor gives Jane back the black dress sphere she borrowed since Taylor''s victory earlier in the day. The new dress sphere was a gift from Jane, not just a loan. Of course, it seemed a little less flashy and cheaper in design. The entire dress was pale white, almost like a wedding dress. Only the design patterns of blue and jade lines in the various areas proved to anyone passing by that it was a special type of dress sphere. Whatever natural effects it had, Jane didn''t tell, but she spoke earlier about most dress spheres having no natural resistances to damage types. Special armors designed for battle do, yet you''d never expect to see a person wearing such things inside of formal structures or under formal settings.


    Even Danny got curious, asking Taylor about all of the new wardrobes. She explained to him what dress spheres were. Taylor knew Jane must have told him by now, but suggested that her information came from Jane several days ago just to be on the safe side. Taylor also suggested that he get one for himself, since they are needed in battle. He was lucky to have nothing like that happen to him while fighting his first Cran. Luck could soon run out, and Taylor decided to explain that to Danny without revealing the embarrassing incident that happened to her in the battle against her Cran. At the very least, he took the advice and thought about where to get one from. Jane was handing them out to Taylor, but since she is a girl, it would be too strange if Danny wore girl''s fashion for battle. Taylor laughed at the idea, refusing to let Danny in for the inside joke.


    But tonight was much different from all of the others, specifically for one reason. Danny and Taylor both were far from tired or exhausted. The opposite was true a few hours ago, but thanks to their first real fight, their recovery had the adrenaline rush to their system, still dormantly active in a way. Both of them had more natural energy than what they originally started the day with, far more than their prelude to the training exercise. Taylor couldn''t sleep, and Danny was not shy about admitting the same situation he was in. To make matters worse, it was already ten P.M.


    After deciding to go on an evening walk, Danny and Taylor both left the medical facility with their things still in the rooms. The sky was pitch black, filled with millions of visible distant stars to populate the night. The town of Fronas was vacant, with the exception of a few adults near the borders walking around. Most of the entire place was asleep, giving the field a new eerie feeling, but it didn''t bother Taylor one bit, and she knew Danny of all people wouldn''t be afraid of the dark. The brisk air was undecided whether it would be warm or cold later on, providing a perfect breeze as if there were an overcast despite the emptiness in the skies.


    After walking slowly alongside Taylor towards the well in the center of the town, Danny felt more relaxed as expected. "So Taylor?" Danny probed. It was another two long seconds before he continued, drawing her attention in further. "You are okay today, right?"


    "Of course." Taylor knew where the question was coming from. Despite the fact that she was feeling better and showing it off to anyone near her, Taylor still had not gotten over what she told him the other day. But as long as she is here in Fronas, learning all of these awesome battle skills with magical powers, there was nothing else that could possibly distract her. Despite how she pretended to be excited about Leray magic before, her excitement for the same subject now was genuine, but it would be hard to convince Danny of that now.


    "I''ve been thinking..." Danny didn''t really feel the need to elaborate on his thoughts, making Taylor more curious.


    She was staring at him while they were both walking down into the field. "About what?" Taylor couldn''t make out enough of the details on Danny''s face. Despite how close it was to a full moon shinning down on the town below, mixed in with a few of the outdoor lamps from the medical facility, much of everything was still dull in color.


    Danny was waiting for the request of information, but he wasn''t even sure himself what it should regard. All of the events from the Tidal Max replayed in his head over and over again, but instead of focusing on Taylor falling off the cliff for the five hundredth time, Danny kept thinking about his battle, and the glyphrings that form with the use of magical abilities. His answer was delayed long enough to try and put his thoughts into words. "About all of this Leray magic... I''m not saying that I don''t believe in it. I''ve been using it since a week ago. I know that it''s real. But..."


    Taylor knew what this was about too. She had the exact same thing on her mind ten minutes ago. "I know what you mean," she replied while ducking her head down a bit more. "It''s nothing like I would have imagined, even if somebody did tell me about it in the past." The whole world had been turned upside down. Everything is fake, and everything before this is the reality. But in this country, Taylor wished the fake world were the reality. That''s what it feels like.


    "Nope," Danny added. "It''s definitely not like you would imagine in a fairy tale, where people live in a magical happily ever after world. This is different!"


    Even while his thoughts were somewhat synchronized with her own, Taylor didn''t have a way to follow it up. Still, he was certainly correct. "Leray magic... More like the most interesting magic I''ve ever seen. Is it even fair to call it magic? It''s more of a type of energy."


    "Who cares if they call it magic or not? If people like it so much to use that moniker..." Danny thought back to his battle again, and then compared it to the short few seconds of video he got from Kain''s VCR tape. After one more connection, "You know what it reminds me of?" Danny asked. After Taylor looked at him again, asking him to tell only with her body language, Danny concluded what it all compared to. "It''s like one big video game."


    Taylor''s eyebrows rose an entire inch. "What? You and your dumb gaming consoles." Taylor smiled and nodded. At least he wasn''t being a downer today. She was afraid that the subject might be something uncomfortable, but with an analogy like that, he was obviously just kidding around.


    "I''m serious!" Danny promised. His tone became excited so suddenly, as if he adored his analogy to the fullest. "When you think about it from an outside perspective, it looks like Leray magic is all part of one big video game."


    Taylor teased those words, tilting her body forward slightly with her arms behind her to amplify her expression. "And I suppose we''re made out of ones and zeros?"


    "No, I don''t mean like that." Danny was getting frustrated that Taylor was a good mood. It means she won''t take him for any literal meanings or explanations. Taylor was like this all the time actually. She''s mostly serious when down about something, but totally incapable of seeing things as they are when happy. Then again, he realized how odd his own words sounded too, struggling to have her contemplate them the same way. "I''m not saying that we''re in a video game. I''m just making a comparison."


    "You don''t say..."


    "When I was fighting that Cran today..."


    Taylor studied Danny just then. It was amazing how his eyes were all fired up like that, pupils dilated and all. He was incredibly focused and concentrated about what he was talking about, which did not happen often. Come to think of it, Danny has not been this excited about Leray magic at any point in time. But now, he''s totally different. Does he like video games that much?


    Danny continued after a tiny pause to sum up his feelings. "It wasn''t easy, but that battle was the most fun I think I''ve had in all my fifteen years of living."


    "Really?"


    Danny nodded, though Taylor sounded shocked at his response. Danny didn''t mind finally admitting it. Whatever this dark magic is, doesn''t seem to really exist. Since there was still no such evidence that magic was really dangerous or evil, there was only everything great about it left over. And with all of the millions of parameters that go into factorization of Leray magic training and fighting, putting it all together into a real physical activity has to be the most genius thing anybody has ever thought of! "Being in a battle and training is something else, but they''re both directly connected. Trust me; this is the most unusual thing that has ever happened to either of us in the entire world." Danny was certain that even Taylor agree with that statement. "But this place... Sprawn Valley, it''s not so bad after all. The reason people use Leray magic, it''s because it''s fun, even more in battles."


    The Danny from a few days ago would have chastised this behavior. Taylor wondered whether Danny was ever really on board with the idea of learning magic, but with the way he was acting now... This confirmed that he was leveling against the idea days ago, that was until having the first battle. "Sounds like someone is getting fond of this place," Taylor guessed. She couldn''t resist a warm feeling come over her. It was nice that he was finally having fun here.


    "Sounds like someone is right..."


    Danny and Taylor turned their heads left and right. Another woman''s voice was talking to them, different than Taylor''s, and somewhat deeper; just enough to notice a difference, but nobody was around them left or right...


    Jane watched as the two knuckleheads finally turned around completely to find her, the culprit of their interruptions.


    "Oh, it''s Jane. Hey Jane!" Taylor greeted. She was still as excited as ever to see her new best friend, the only one who made her Leray magical skills bloom as much as they have now.


    Jane was happy to see them here as well, but a bit surprised that they have become as restless as she was lately. "You two are up late for a walk. And you best keep your voice a little lower as to not wake the neighborhood."


    Taylor lowered her head in shame and whispered, "Sorry."


    Danny folded his arms, trying to analyze Jane''s sudden appearance. "I could say the same for you Jane. What are you up to at this hour?"


    "Me?" She had to point to herself and wait for Danny to nod before being sure. She would have thought by now that Danny would understand just how much of a hard worker she was. "Danny, I don''t always stop training just to get a long night''s sleep. I''m too alert for rest today anyway."


    "Interesting. So are we..." Danny paused to surmise how unusual it was. Did today''s activity really make him so focused and awake after going for fifteen hours? "Actually, I can''t be certain, but I don''t think I''ve had this much trouble going to sleep before. I could see Taylor having trouble as something usual, but me not so much."


    "Wait..." Jane looked at both their faces. They were actually surprised to see her awake, but more importantly, they were wide and awake as much as she was. Given Danny''s new testimony of this being unusual for them meant, "You''re saying you don''t normally stay up this late?"


    "Nope," Taylor replied casually.


    "Oh, that''s right," Jane confirmed. "You''re both from outside the valley, and are new here."


    Danny asked, "Does that have to do with us being awake longer than usual?"


    "It might." Jane''s answer didn''t come as a full shock to either of them, but she continued what she meant anyway. "People who just arrive in Sprawn Valley need time for the Leray magic to fully assimilate with their organs and other bodily functions. At first, the veil can only protect people on basic levels. But eventually, their symptoms change as well. Your sudden inability to sleep has to do with you getting stronger from that fight you had today."


    Taylor tilted her head as a response. "What? You mean... Leray magic in our body is keeping us awake too?"


    "Don''t fret. It''s only going to make you stay awake every night by a few hours more. It won''t make you any more tired than before. But don''t forget," Jane reminded, "because of that battle you both had today, your stats have dramatically increased. Your maximum capacity for damage resistance, HP points, and MP points have been improved because of that battle. When you train, that happens too, but today, we all received damage just as much as we dealt damage. If these stats go up, you''ll notice a surge in mental energy, much like what you two have right now."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "That''s good to know," Danny accommodated. It was still happening. The longer he stayed in Fronas, the stranger the concept became to him. So now, if he gets stronger, sleep will be evaded. It wasn''t clear as to why that would make any sense, but it figures Jane would know all about it. She seems to know everything somehow. "And I assume you can''t sleep either for the same reasons?"


    Jane nodded left and right. "I just like to train a lot at night. It''s kind of rude if you''re loud though, so I keep my skill chants in my mind, and practice spells silently."


    This was also Jane-like behavior, straining one''s self over the limit by staying up to train, even after a hard day of school. "You sure are brutal to train that much," Danny answered. She probably has twice the muscle that Taylor does.


    "But it pays off in full." Jane wondered if they thought of her as being so much stronger the way she shows it off. Jane knew that she could have tackled three Cran if she wanted too, but after that, it would have been her limit. Still, it didn''t stop the convenience of them meeting up outside at this hour. "You wish to join me?"


    Danny and Taylor looked at each other, then back to Jane. Taylor made the decision for the both of them, assuming it was what Danny wanted as well. "I think we''ll just watch for now. I''ve done a lot this morning."


    Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Danny thought Taylor would drag him into another training situation like before, but after training with Jane enough times, anyone will realize that she pushes others as far as she pushes herself. That''s just too much work, even if he is still sleepless and alert. Jane can train by herself just this once.


    "Very well," Jane replied. Jane turned around, walking just a little further towards the center of the open field in Fronas, right side of the well tap. Danny and Taylor kept her in plain sight, standing there together to watch and learn how a professional gets into deep training.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift & Combo:


    > Breaking Arrows {1} ~ Ace Combat 4 OST</a>


    > Breaking Arrows {2} ~ Ace Combat 4 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Jane didn''t even have to psych herself up. She was ready to try and master some of those new spells she needed to learn lately. Problem is, she never got them right before, and it was going to be difficult to master skills alien to her. Zero learned; ten more to go. That was the amount of skills currently on her wish list, spells she needed to master soon. Jane knew that Danny and Taylor were going to watch her the entire time, but regardless, Jane ignored their presence in order to concentrate on herself a lot more. After storing the MP energy she needed and feeling for the right moment, Jane began practice on a spell she had never been able to invoke yet.


    Though it was really dark outside, the glow of the waxing moon provided enough detail for everyone to see just fine, excluding the lustrous color of the forest during normal daylight hours. Jane''s friends kept quiet so that she could try and focus on invoking her own skills. Jane knew she would need much more concentration this time. After beginning to store the energy into her hands, Jane began to feel the surge of her MP energy float through her body. Jane''s hand were now glowing with a bright blue color. At the same time, her eyes lit up with a glowing essence of bright cyan in the same instance, though Danny and Taylor wouldn''t know it this time with Jane facing away from them. In response to the magical build up, Jane attempted to use the new spell. "Magical Blitz!" Jane ended up throwing both of her hands in front of her, as if to throw something she was holding onto, releasing her grip at the last second. But whatever was supposed to happen simply didn''t. Once again, Jane ended up landing a dud. Her eyes and hands lost their glow quickly after.


    Taylor saw the failure, but had never heard of the attack spell before. "What''s Magical Blitz?" she asked.


    Jane figured Taylor would want to know, too impatient to just see it in action first. "It''s a power-level-four attack spell, just like Shadow Wave, but Magical Blitz is a multi-combo projectile attack that deals heavy magical damage. It''s non-elemental as well."


    "So in other words," Danny paraphrased, "Its kick-ass?" If he followed these spells correctly thus far, power level four is good for only a few weeks of training, probably normal for Jane. Then again, she failed to invoke this one.


    "Yep." Jane approved of the choice of words. It felt a little strange that for outsiders, both Danny and Taylor spoke perfect English, but then they must have thought the same thing about herself as well. "I know I can get this spell down," Jane promised. There was a lot of stress in her voice. She really wanted to master Magical Blitz by tonight. It couldn''t have been easy.


    Taylor watched Jane as she prepared to try the spell once again. There must not be a glyphring for this type of attack, and that is probably what made it so hard. Aero Blast didn''t have a glyphring either, but it was only a power-level-one attack spell. There could be millions upon billions of rules and elements one would need to remember in order to become a Leray master. Jane really has a difficult job on her hands.


    Jane avoided any more interruptions, and concentrated again. She had already been trying this a few minutes before she caught Danny and Taylor walking out on the field, which wore her out from before. Even without the energy scope, Jane knew her MP energy was quickly dropping after each attempt, because she felt a little more exhausted than fared previously. Regardless, another attempt was determined in her mind. Jane had never seen a Magical Blitz used before except for in film. So even while knowing what to imagine, Jane was having a hard time trying to know exactly how to use it.


    After charging up her energy again, Jane waited until it was the right time, allowing her hands to glow blue again. She had her eyes open too of course, but something changed from the last attempts she was doing before. After much more endured patience, a bright glowing ball of hot energy formed in the palm of her closed fist. Jane opened her hand to see it more clearly, and sure enough, the energy sphere was in her hand, just sitting there pulsating with solid power. That''s when it disappeared without warning. Jane''s hands stopped glowing in response, and her move failed again before she could even try it... "So that''s why!" Jane hollered.


    "Calm down," Danny eased. "What''s the deal?" Jane just said she needed to be quiet when chanting spells, though he was certain her sudden float of that verbal deduction was loud enough to break that rule threefold.


    Jane became overly excited again. She finally understood why her attack spell wasn''t working before. "Magical Blitz doesn''t shoot projectiles; it forms them in your hands. You have to throw them after that in order to make use of them." It all made sense now. What looked like shooting balls of blue magic on television was really the user forming the energy into their hands to throw at their enemies, but it happens so fast with the experts that it''s impossible to tell the difference otherwise.


    Jane concentrated again, hoping nobody would ask her another question. Instead, Taylor and Danny were staring at her in full curiosity. Jane was focused on her new attack however, forming the energy to conjure up into her hands again. This time, Jane knew what to expect, and what to imagine. With little time after her hands began glowing, a ball of energy at the same color formed in each of her two hands, illuminating the area further. Jane waited for the right time to throw them and chant her ability. Magical Blitz!


    Trying not to wake the neighbors, Jane chanted it in her mind out loud, carrying the same effect as the energy she felt being released amplified. At the same time, Jane threw her hands outward, one after the other. When she did, the balled up sphere of energy in her hands went flying in the direction she threw them towards. Though there was nothing for the energy balls to impact on, they simply flew forward and collided into the ground after achieving a set distance of fifty meters. The magical projectiles nearly made it all the way to the woods. They traveled at such a high speed, it would be nearly impossible to dodge such an attack.


    Jane''s hands stopped glowing, but her spell was successful for the most part. Jane however only threw two of the projectiles. Magical Blitz is known for forming a three-sphere combo in one invocation. Jane knew of this, but needed to first use the skill once to get a better feel for it. The way that it worked made a lot more sense to her already with regards to energy consumption. The MP that is released from storage is what creates the projectiles in the first place. That means that after making one and throwing the other, she would have to continue releasing some more of her energy to spawn the third sphere of magical essence, before throwing that one as well.


    Danny and Taylor were amazed at how the attack looked. It was much like an Ice Ball attack as far as general appearance was concerned, but Jane had to throw the projectiles instead of having them be launched from a glyphring. It didn''t make a difference for Jane anymore, because she successfully pulled it off right in front of them. "That was awesome!" Taylor cheered.


    Jane tried it once more, disregarding her quick drop on total MP levels. This time, since she had done it once before, her invocation of storing and releasing the MP into the formation of the Magical Blitz balls was almost instantaneous, though she needed to chant it to be sure. "Magical Blitz!" Though her volume was still indoor voice, she still carried as much enthusiasm. Jane formed both energy spheres in her hands, and threw the first one from her right. After throwing the sphere, Jane threw the one in her left hand, while simultaneously releasing the rest of the energy into her right hand again. The projectiles that Jane threw in front of her flew with great distance and speed, but they just didn''t appear to have much power without a test target to hit. They simply glided to the floor far in the distance, dispersing outward on the impact. Because it was so dark out, the glow from Jane''s hands and the projectiles themselves provided a lot of moving light from the glow of the energy involved. Jane formed the third blitz ball into her right hand, throwing it forward with as much physical arm strength as she could. As a result, the last projectile flew even faster and further than before, still without reaching the edge of the field itself.


    Taylor was really impressed. She wanted to learn that kind of attack too. It probably ranks much higher on the damage scale being at a power level 4. All of the attacks she knew only went to a maximum power level of 2. And after the training she had this morning, as Jane said, she had to be even stronger and more capable than before.


    Jane thrusted her arms back in a gesture of success. "Yes! I know how to do that one now."


    "You''ll have to show me how it''s done later," Danny requested. He was hardly able to see their faces now that Jane''s hands have stopped glowing from the diffusion of Magical Blitz, but it was obvious that Jane and Taylor were both really psyched up still, now more than ever. Jane was able to master a new skill this quickly. That means that it would be easy for him to do so as well, but class was tomorrow, and that means he would need rest to speed up to that pace of magical development.


    Jane exhaled slowly with a deep breath, preparing herself for something else. "Now to try for Thunderbolt."


    "What?!" Danny''s upper body flew backwards in response to her craziness. "You want to keep practicing impossible spells? Even after you just did that?!"


    "Chill out!" Jane warned. "Lightning Strike has a slightly lower power level than Magical Blitz, so it can''t be that hard. And I''ll be unstoppable with that spell, since nobody can dodge it no matter what."


    Taylor concluded. "Well that''s that. Once Jane gets going, you can''t stop her."


    "I guess you''re right," Danny muttered, not that he felt surprised after Taylor spoke the truth again. "I just wish she would slow down a little. How am I supposed to catch up to you like that?"


    Jane laughed under her breath. "You''re mistaken to think I would let a couple of tourists pass me by any day."


    Taylor took offense to that, realizing that Jane was really just testing that dominance again. "One day," Taylor began, "I''ll beat you in a battle Jane. Then we''ll see who''s passing who."


    Jane folded her arms, excited about the challenge. "I can''t wait for that day to come."


    "Yeah... Me neither." Danny''s voice remained soft, after realizing that a battle between Jane and Taylor would probably require the entire continent for their battlefield. Those two could end up creating a thunderstorm just by thinking in opposition, and he knew this because he knew Taylor. Even though Jane was currently better, and to which Jane has been training more than Danny and Taylor combined, Taylor has quite a knack for starting rivalries even with her best friends, being competitive herself. If Taylor managed to defeat her Cran the way he did with his, it was certain that she would become better than Jane at some point in time. It was not going to be pretty to say the least.


    "I''ll prove it," Jane offered. "I''ll master Lightning Strike right here and now."


    "Bet you can''t." Taylor knew it wouldn''t be that easy, after hearing it from Jane herself. Elemental balls and elemental bolts are entirely different attacks with different power levels altogether, and the electrical one was supposed to be the most challenging of them all. Jane was not going to get this by tonight.


    "I like those odds," Jane countered. After putting Taylor in her place, Jane turned back towards the edge of the forest way in the distance. She would use that as her target, knowing it would not reach. Lightning Strike may form as bolts of electricity in a long primary arc, but the attack spell has a specific range of one hundred meters max. Most battlefield radii don''t normally exceed about sixty meters anyway, so it was no big deal that it had a range. One hundred is an incredible range for any attack anyway.


    Jane began her usual method of charging up her MP much like before, but this time, she had to imagine something different. Jane has easily seen a demonstrated Lightning Strike before. It wasn''t that uncommon for people to run around using it. Nobody in her class however was close to mastering it yet. This was a skill seen more in adult wielders, which is why it was preferred amongst Leray agents. Lightning Strike looks like a concentrated, horizontal bolt of lightning, which can generate side branches of electrical arcs as well. The beam''s damage potential has the effective radius of the beam itself, which is about a full meter give or take. Once a target is hit with Lightning Strike, the damage is done to them over time instead of instantaneous, holding them in place while they take electrical damage. A powerful glyphring is also involved, similar to the Electro-Ball glyphring that surrounds one''s wrist and follows their hand around, but bigger in size altogether. The symbols on that glyphring are much the same, as is the color. The size and power placed into the spell is the differing factor.


    Jane was seriously determined to get it right, hopefully on the first try. Jane began by imagining the entire event unfold in her mind from start to finish. Then as she took a good breath to focus, Jane began by releasing some of that energy into the electrical glyphring. With Danny and Taylor watching in silence, Jane successfully formed a larger than normal glyphring around her wrist, about half the size of her whole body. Jane lifted her right arm, aiming the glyphring and her hand towards the edge of the field like before. Jane then knew that now was her cue to unleash the rest of her charged MP energy, into the same hand she was using to aim. She did so while imagining a bolt of electricity shooting from her hand, and chanting the name of the ability. "Lightning Strike!"


    There was a delay... It turned into a complete anti-climactic failure all together when nothing came out of Jane''s hand or the glyphring. About two seconds after yelling the ability through the night, Jane''s large glyphring faded away with the wasted magic. "Awh!" Jane complained.


    "Better luck next time," Danny denounced.


    "Thanks," Jane accepted. "Because next time is coming up right now."


    "Don''t you think you''re overdoing it?" Taylor warned.


    Jane ignored Taylor completely, concentrating on the energy buildup to the moment where she creates the glyphring again. It took little time for Jane to create the glyphring from the Lightning Strike, but something was wrong with it. From where Danny stood, the glyphring, which was glowing its pretty blue color, was flickering on and off this time. Somehow, Jane must not have even been paying attention to it, because she was not stopping the charge at all.


    Jane finally unleashed all of the energy at once to try the make electricity fly out. "Lightning Strike!" Almost immediately after chanting the name, Jane''s entire body lit up so brightly, Danny and Taylor had to look away and shield their face a little.


    Jane felt an incredible surge of painful electricity flowing through her veins, and she couldn''t move or think the entire time. Jane''s body became more visible after Taylor''s eyes adjusted to the increased brightness. Much to her surprise, Jane was suffering a magic electrical shock from her own distraught glyphring, zapping her where she stood for about three very long seconds. It looked like Jane''s body was vibrating in place from the attack that backfired on herself, the audible noise from Jane sounded as painful as it appeared, as well as the high pitch buzzing coming from the attack energy. This had to be Jane''s doing, since there was not even a cloud in the sky today.


    Jane''s skin all over was burning up like she had stepped into a microwave, and as soon as the electrical voltage stopped coursing through her body, Jane still felt completely stiff, unable to move with every section of her skin now tingling from the after effects. Jane felt incredibly jittery and hot, trying not to move and make any other mistake, but the moment also weakened her, Jane dragging her weight to her knees. The glyphring was already gone after the flash of blue light faded away in response.


    Taylor couldn''t believe this. Jane''s head hair was sticking straight up, like someone threw hair jell in and spiked it all the way tall. Her skin was smoking a little, and it looked as if her face had a much darker shade in the night than it did before, her make-up damaged as well. Jane was obviously frozen from the unexpected lightning attack. Looked like she managed to use the attack, just on herself instead. The scene looked like something more out of a cartoon surprise than a real electrical shock, thanks to the full effects of the Leray veil and Leray magic infusion.


    "Oh my god! Are you okay?" Danny instinctively got closer to Jane to ensure she was safe, having no idea the difference between real time damage and Leray damage. As he got closer, Jane was clearly still alive and awake, mostly a bit shaken up.


    "Ow!" It was all Jane bothered to relay, since the experience was most painful and unexpected.


    Taylor, after realizing the irony in Jane''s mistake and that Jane was still okay - held her hand to her mouth, trying her best not to laugh at her. But after another second, she couldn''t stop a bit of air from escaping her throat in response. Finally, she let her hand off and let it all out.


    Jane finally managed to recover just enough to move her limbs around more, but now Taylor was pointing and laughing hysterically at her. It still came as a surprise to Jane that she ended up zapping herself in place right here in the field. "I¡ª I think that might be enough for tonight."


    Jane''s voice was a little hoarse from taking that attack so severely. Danny was laughing in response too, but not nearly as hard as Taylor, who both looked and sounded like she was about to have a heart attack in place. Danny was impressed at how much of a video game like world this has become. Jane may have gotten hit by lightning, but the effects in Sprawn Valley made everything much like a cartoon instead of reality. Jane''s hair was sticking straight up, and she was still a little shaken from the high voltage. The Leray protection zone obviously protected Jane from certain death, because lightning does a lot more than that outside of the protection zone. The shock probably doesn''t look much like this either. "You think?"


    Taylor finally sucked in enough air to tell Jane something she needed to know, but she couldn''t quit her laughter even in mid-sentence. "Jane?! You''re hair looks awesome! Aaaaaah hahahahaha!"


    Jane rushed her hands to the top of her head, realizing from the touch that it was all frizzed and messed up. Jane immediately felt angry, embarrassed, and ashamed all at the same time. Taylor was laughing at her hair crisis! "That¡ª That''s not funny."


    Danny chuckled in response, turning around to try and hide it from Jane, but it failed to work. "It''s kind of funny." Seeing such humility from Jane was too much to get used to.


    Jane was glad it was at least too dark to see her face clearly. Even she knew from the feel of it that the blood rushing to her cheeks was causing her to blush in this situation. "Great. I''m gonna go fix my hair and go to bed. See you two later!" Jane turned around and sped walked towards her home, leaving the other two without looking back, in an obvious hurry not to be recognized by anyone else who may be walking through the night.


    Danny watched Jane run away in humiliation, but she wasn''t that fast. He yelled through the silent night, disregarding those who might still be asleep to tease Jane one last time. "Same time next week Jane!" Jane did not reply; she just kept running back home. Taylor still could not stop laughing, though she did tone down her own volume some. "Well..." Danny took a second to reflect on the entire moment of Jane''s failed attempt to get better. It really was funny the way it worked out. Pretending to be all tough talk, training too hard, and then sending a Thunderbolt on your own self as a mistake. She needed to turn down her ego just a little bit, and that probably did a lot to help.


    Danny looked to Taylor, realizing that now was a good time to head back in, since Jane was already gone. "Come on Taylor. We should head back and get some sleep for tomorrow."


    "Okay." While Taylor finally managed to hold the rest in, she thought more on Jane while walking back with Danny. She''s an awesome friend to have, even after that failed experiment. How can one even mess up a lightning bolt so badly?


    Danny kept both his eyes on Taylor on the way back. It was amazing how good of a mood she was in right now. Of course, Jane did just fry herself trying to prove she was all this and that. Clearly understandable why Taylor didn''t lose that mesmerizing smirk. Danny smiled after summarizing it all in his head, the beginning of today to the moment right now. Leray magic really was fun this time. Even though they both were strangers to Fronas, they have been fitting in well lately. Danny knew it from deep inside. The longer he stayed here, the less he wanted to leave.


    Taylor retired back to her room in the medical facility just as Danny did. The nurse there, Francine, had her own sleeping quarters to attend to, but greeted them both on their way in. It was amazing how nice the people here are, allowing them to sleep in a place they couldn''t even call home. Taylor waited to get into her bed before going over everything since today in her head again, letting her mind help her drift easily to sleep.


    Danny initially believed he would have trouble sleeping again, but his mood had changed from before, making his eyes surprisingly heavy. If today was this good, then tomorrow should be better. It was much easier to rest with the desire to fast-forward time to the next morning. With Jane involved in this, as well as having more time at magic school, there probably won''t be a dull moment.

 Chapter 17: Bypass

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    <12/28/1971 ~ 10:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The next morning landed into Tuesday, with class beginning at ten A.M. this time. For whatever reason there was, Dakota had a very fluid class schedule that spiraled from early to late in the week, but this wasn''t unexpected after how many days Danny and Taylor have been enrolled. After arriving in class once again, the excitement from yesterday was diminished within most of the students. Taylor already took her seat, waiting for the rest of the class to turn up. Whatever lesson plan was supposed to be set for today was currently unknown, and this was one of those times Jane was not early to class.


    Danny took his seat too, just as Jane entered the classroom blending in with the other ones. Today, she was wearing her favorite dress sphere, the black and blue material designed in excellent fashion and unity. The outfit went down a long way with another suit underneath to shadow her legs and give further originality to the style. It was both cool and attractive at the same time, which was just enough to make it easy for Taylor to spot her entrance.


    Jane noticed that Taylor was still wearing the new white dress sphere she received from her yesterday. After deciding to sit in the desk right next to Taylor, Jane finally let her mind roam more freely. There was a lot that happened yesterday, as well as last night that stuck in her head most often. But with the excitement from a new mystery lesson today, Jane was also thinking about attack types and magical training sequences.


    Taylor waited for Jane to sit down next to her and get comfortable before greeting her in this morning. Last night however was too unforgettable. "Hey Jane. I see you decided not to keep your new hair style."


    Jane was immediately reminded of the in depth moment when she struck herself with a lightning attack that backfired, shocking her in place and messing up her hair terribly. And Taylor still wasn''t letting up on that. To think she could be so rude! Jane couldn''t stand the mistake being brought up again, and it made her wary of those who might be listening around her. As bad as it was however, Jane knew Taylor couldn''t really have her on anything with her own mistake as well. "Bring it up again, and you''ll lose a secret too Taylor. Did you forget about that Cran?"


    Taylor trembled discretely. Jane was fair game when it came to this contention. Jane might be serious about telling others about that, even though she was just joking around, and Danny has turned too much into a gentlemen lately to blab Jane''s mistake to the school as well. Considering the difference in gravity for both situations, Taylor decided to let it go, even if it did make Jane feel more powerful as a result. It would seem that both of them would be keeping their own secrets, but if Jane so much inches to another word, there will be more than a witty response. Taylor knew how to use magic attacks after all. "On second thought, never mind."


    Jane sighed in relief after Taylor didn''t say anything back. That''s what I thought. Jane was sure that even without promising her anything, Taylor wasn''t going to tell anyone else about that Thunderbolt accident, and it went without saying that Danny didn''t care enough about it to share it with his peers. He hasn''t really connected with anybody else in the class. Jane felt incredibly lucky, having Danny and Taylor as her friends, who could keep secrets for her and support her, and the deal worked both ways as well. There was still no denying the fact that neither one of them were ready to talk to Jane about whatever happened in the woods on Saturday. Whatever it was about must have been sad enough to make Taylor break down in tears, because that''s the condition she returned in. If they aren''t ready to talk about it, then Jane knew there was no use prying into the touchy subject.


    Eliza counted heads, making sure that everybody was here today as usual. Absences within students for Leray training wasn''t impossible, but they were still rare considering what there is to miss out on, and naturally, there was no direct penalty for missing class either. The consequences of missing lessons and training is simply automatic. "Yesterday," Eliza backtracked, "we had our fun assessment of the first official Leray training battle between person and creature. And as I am happy to report, more than 93 percent of you passed the test." Eliza wondered how ironic it was that the same proportion of those who passed and failed applied to her class as well as the school as a whole.


    One of the other students raised their hand, wanting to know more about those results. He only spoke once called on by his teacher with the pointing of a finger. "Are we allowed to know who else passed and failed?"


    Eliza winced at the unintelligent question. Everybody should have known by now how confidentiality on scores plays into teaching protocol. "No Elisha. Only you may know about your own scores, which were determined since yesterday afternoon. It''s beyond our control if students voluntarily share their own results among others, but I don''t want anybody who failed the test to remain discouraged. That combat situation is much more of a benchmark assessment than a requirement of unit fulfillment."


    "Oh," Elisha responded. "So, it''s not the biggest one?" Elisha knew that by asking this, almost everyone here would assume that he was one of the 7% population who failed the test. Elisha knew already that such an assumption wasn''t true, but ignored the soon to be born rumors that will spread about him anyway. He only wanted to see who exactly passed or failed, but Eliza just wouldn''t have it. Still, the fact that the Cran battle isn''t the most important assessment brought music to his ears.


    "Negative," Eliza answered. "Though it''s still many days off, you all will have to pass what is known as the evaluation test at the very end of this semester. Failing that will have severe consequences on a person''s readiness, as this test from yesterday will not."


    Though Eliza finally saw that her class had become calm, it was a little upsetting to see how much the atmosphere could change just with a night of sleep. Nobody was excited anymore after realizing that they were no longer going to have battles like this until after graduation. It dragged everyone''s spirits to the bottom. "Today, we will be having a very short session about the proper ways to channel MP energy. You all know by now what that means when you invoke skills such as Fire Ball or Radial Stars, but I''m talking about spells that have never been demonstrated to you before. It is both possible and essential that we all learn how to train and master skills that we have not ever actually seen before, or skills we know little about otherwise."


    Jane was slightly nodding silently, already aware that this is how one must learn newer abilities. She could think of several abilities off the top of her head that she still did not know how to invoke yet, nor did she have any idea what sensory effects it would have in the process. Not knowing doesn''t make it impossible, once the energy is channeled just right in succession.


    "Some attacks spells use glyphrings," Eliza continued. "Some attacks don''t. And some spells are aura based, meaning they are entirely different in waveform patterns within Leray energy. Dispersion is the key to mastering unlearned spells. As long as you have the general description of the spell you want to learn, the proper practice can allow you to master anything."


    Danny had opened his textbook to a random page, realizing that there are many deep descriptions about specific attack spells, mostly illustrated as well. The current page was opened to Fire Blast, which was considered a power-level-eight skill. Danny remembered that his attack spells at the most went up to 2.5 on power levels, particularly with Electro-Ball. It was obvious that learning the skill Fire Blast would be too difficult to start with, and he continued turning back more pages while listening to Eliza''s lecture.


    "It can be rather hard to describe exactly how it feels to focus energy in particular methods related to the multitude of magical attacks," Eliza admitted. "And that is why today''s training session will be focused on overcoming new challenges." Eliza already left off on the short lesson, literally just two minutes long, and was getting into the assignment for today. "Using whatever reference material you may, today will be a free-for-all training exercise. The objective is to learn a new spell of any kind and caliber, as long as that skill is not purely physical in type. One magical skill, and one that is new to you. We will be heading to our dark room for two hours today. Anyone may stay after to continue training until five P.M. as usual."


    Jane looked around as everybody else was. Eliza sure was speeding things up already. Right from their first battle ever, into direct intense training with new abilities. Her teacher was known for going this quick with everyone, but evaluations would be coming up sooner or later. Jane then gave a quick glance back to Danny and Taylor, who didn''t seem as shocked as they were excited to try mastering more spells. The situation already made her feel the same way, just as usual. Jane was always trying to learn newer and more powerful spells outside of class, but being in or out of school doesn''t change how much success she may have. The same must be true for Danny and Taylor as well. They''ve proven to Eliza that they can learn quickly, and that must be why the sessions are speeding up again.


    Danny raised his hand to the teacher, before everybody started standing out of their desks. Eliza called on him briefly. "Um, do you have a book like this that''s a little more simplified? Like a list of attacks with summarized descriptions?"


    Eliza tilted her head while answering, "Trying to make life more complicated, eh? While guidebooks are the thing you are looking for, it''s harder to learn new spells with a simple guide book since the description of spells is much less of that in a textbook." Danny seemed unchanged, determined to get a guidebook from her. Nobody ever wants to use ordinary texts books because of how big and bulky they are. Never mind that supply spheres can hold anything! "But I do have one to satisfy your needs." Eliza turned around, heading for her desk drawer to slide open the container full of junk. She must keep a few Leray guidebooks in there for these moments.


    After waiting on Eliza to walk over to his desk and find the right material, he felt more stressed for having taken on the responsibility. Danny accepted the small flipbook from Eliza''s hands while everybody else was heading for the dark room. The cover of the book was neat, impressive with artwork, but after opening up to the pages, there were no pictures to go off of. All there is here are spells and skills with very short descriptions, power level comparisons, and consumption levels. It was still the very thing he wanted to see, so there were no complaints.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Red Hot Choi Polis ~ Motoi Sakuraba (End of Eternity OST)</a>


    <hr>


    Danny and the others got moving to the dark room for Eliza''s group of students, with Eliza hanging in the back. With everybody now having training licenses, anybody could now just walk in there and leave the door open. Even with everybody inside of the dark room, people have to get settled into their training areas, and then decide what new spells to try and learn. Free-for-all training means that there is no real limit to what anybody may pull out, igniting creativity.


    Taylor had an extra task on her hands this time. After remembering that she had no physical weapon for her to hold on to in her last battle against the Cran, she needed to procure one, even if it was a lower level training weapon. According to what Eliza announced earlier the other week, anybody is free to take and keep one of any weapon from the storage in the dark room, which gets resupplied every month as needed. But there were still so many. What style could she be comfortable with?


    While the others began to spread out through the dark room stations, Danny opened the pocket-sized book and flipped through the first few pages. After several abilities he had never heard of before were skipped, he eventually found the ones in particular he was searching for. Right after Fire Ball, Ice Ball, and Electro-Ball, where the evolved spell forms known as Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and Lightning Strike. Jane described to him earlier that bolts are stronger than balls, as they home in on their target without the need for complete aiming assistance. So there are also lots of spells that have a prerequisite learning requirement from other spells.


    "You can keep that thing if you want to."


    Danny shivered again, assuming Eliza to constantly have a thing about sneaking up behind people. He turned around to look up to Eliza, who was defiantly the only person nearby speaking directly to him. But processing what she just said, it came to a small surprise that she would just let him have the guidebook. After offering one of her guidebooks to him, Danny held the book tightly, needing a moment to show his gratefulness. "Thank you," he replied. "I think I''ll try Fire Bolt today."


    Eliza nodded in response, proving that it was a more expected level of learning at his current capacity. "That''s good. It shouldn''t take you long to master. Just remember what I said about focusing your MP levels into something new and usable."


    "I will." After waiting for Eliza to leave and attend to others, it became clear to Danny that she does this to everyone, walking around to oversee the entire class work operation.


    Taylor picked up the bow from the back. Though the design of wooden based material mixed with metallic hinges made the bow seem to be an original weapon, Taylor could sense that it was used for much more since MP energy could be infused into it. A bow and arrow... It seems effective alone in thought, then add magic to it somehow...


    Taylor had to think long and hard on the decision she would go with. Eliza only said they could choose one weapon from the dark room for training only. Seems like one of those guidebooks would be useful for Taylor right about now, but she already made up her mind right before coming into the room, after hearing about the next skill that would be perfect for this situation.


    Jane took in all of her surroundings. The noise, the sights, and the sensation of everybody training hard on magic. Even her friends were at their stations, able to aim anything at the walls in front of them. Jane could already hear so many random chants; it was too much to make out on the dime. The feeling of being in this room with the rest of her class, it was calming, much more relaxing than training all by herself. It''s perfect! This will defiantly work for her training session today!


    Jane was already standing at her station as well, the same one Taylor used before when trying to learn Fire Ball. There were a lot of abilities already on her mind. She could count more than ten at a time that she had previously tried to learn, but even after all this time, not a single one of them could have been mastered before, other than Magical Blitz. There was Thunderbolt, which Jane was certain she was close to mastering by now. After what happened last night, it would only attract attention from Danny and Taylor to try and practice it again.


    No. After last night, it''s just too embarrassing to mess that one up again. She cared less about her hair if training by herself, but the dark room is at full capacity now. It was however a bit unusual as to why the spell would totally backfire instead of having no action. Jane also attempted Ice Needles before, but also without success. Backfiring spells however never usually happens to anybody, and with Ice Needles, that rules was the same as it was true. I''ve got it!


    Jane''s mood immediately lifted with the handles on her daggers rubbing her hands, reminding her of the most recently attempted attack skill she had not learned yet. Jane figured now would be a great time to try it. She pulled the daggers out from under her dress again, holding them carefully while taking the correct stance. Jane remembered using Knife Toss against her Cran yesterday, but tried not to get the two skills confused. Flying Guillotine may look like Knife Toss, but it''s much more complicated than that, and she would have to correctly infuse her daggers with magical attack energy before throwing them towards the wall.


    Jane took some time to try and block out everything else, only focusing on the spell she wanted to learn. Even though she has never seen Flying Guillotine in action before, she knew what it looked like in a way from its obvious description. By infusing magical energy into throwing both daggers at specific angles, the attack turns into a flying circular disk of spinning aura damage, one that also returns to the user like a boomerang. Jane wasn''t sure what it looked like in style, color, or intensity, so it wasn''t going to be enough this time to try and imagine the skill working in her mind. This was something that had to be achieved with focus and MP channeling, just as Eliza lectured. Jane knew exactly what that meant and how to properly channel her energy, but talking about it was still not the same as performing the ability. Knowing this wasn''t going to be easy anyway, Jane decided to give it several shots.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    After infusing a certain amount of magical energy straight into the daggers she was holding, Jane chanted the name of her spell, throwing her daggers into the air while jumping up slightly to give them more of an edge in speed. "Flying Guillotine!" Upon letting the blades go, the daggers flew towards the wall, even while carrying the energy inside of them. The magical auras around the daggers gave each of them a unique white glow that surrounded the blade and the hilt as well. Because the blades were each spinning with their flight, the added effects of the glow was cool in appearance. But even though they were spinning brilliantly through the air, Jane already could tell that the attack was a complete failure. No spinning disk formed from the two daggers while they traveled. Perhaps they were thrown at incorrect angles again, or perhaps something else was messing the attack up. Jane''s daggers ended up crashing into the wall, bouncing off with the clinging sound of metal contact before falling straight down to the ground motionless. Flying Guillotine is also supposed to bounce right off any non-human obstacle and return back to the user, and that is why the wall was not the reason to blame for the attack failing. Jane huffed in the stress, walking over to the wall to reclaim her daggers and try again.


    Taylor glanced behind her, realizing that she just heard Jane''s voice screaming that attack name. It was something called Flying Guillotine, and Jane was walking towards the wall with her daggers on the floor, obviously unsuccessful by the look of Jane''s resentful body language. Taylor returned facing the wall in front of her, but kept more of her thoughts about Jane. Though Jane really never quits training, there must be over a million different attacks and spells that are all very difficult to learn, even for a top student.


    Taylor didn''t let that discourage her. She needed to believe in herself in order to get anything right today, no matter how hard it gets. Taylor thought of the attack she wanted to use. Even though she''d never seen it in action either, it was much easier to imagine in a scenario just based off the description. Whirlwind; a magical wind based attack that blasts air in every direction from the user, surrounding them in a vortex of wind elemental magic which can also act as a defensive barrier by using the damage aura it creates. Taylor knew she was still no good at dodging attacks just yet, but with Whirlwind on her side, it would be much harder for anybody to damage her at all.


    Taylor closed her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine the attack as well as focusing her MP energy to her side. Not certain how much she would need, Taylor simply charged a little more than what was required for Whirlwind. Then, Taylor threw up her arms high, trying to send the energy flying through her hands, spreading that wind all around her. Whirlwind doesn''t use a glyphring, so she would have to send the magic outward like Jane did last night with her Magical Blitz attack. In this instance, the energy had to be omnidirectional during the invocation energy release.


    "Whirlwind!" Taylor yelled the name of her next spell, certain that something would happen a microsecond later, but there was not even the hint of a draft, or the sound of a breeze anywhere near Taylor. Despite expending MP energy into nothingness, Taylor felt disappointed and lowered her arms in defeat. This sure was going to take some time.


    Danny watched Taylor''s failed attempt of a Whirlwind attack, which he also never even heard of before. He consulted the guidebook again, checking into the wind-elemental section for the possible match-up. It took a few pages of seeking before he could find anything related. There it was! Whirlwind. Attack power registers as a power level 3 attack, same as the Fire Bolt he just finished reading up on. Whirlwind is best in delivering damage in an omnidirectional area, which also integrates slashing damage into the wind that slams into the target over time, and during that close-ranged spell, the user would obviously be protected from projectile magical attacks in the same process, since the wind surrounding them would mess up the direction and velocity of oncoming spells. It sounded much more impressive than a messily little Fire Bolt attack, but also harder to master overall. Danny''s Fire Bolt would require a glyphring, but it was not something he was unfamiliar with. After seeing a Fire Bolt in action up close, it couldn''t be too difficult.


    Danny closed his pocket book and put it away. After taking an aim at the wall, he concentrated on imagining himself shooting a Fire Bolt from his hands. It was supposedly larger in size and in power to a normal Fire Ball, so he simply imagined it being bigger. The glyphring was also bigger, despite being the same color and type. Danny charged up his energy, and immediately released it into the proper forms of spells he wanted to unleash. After lifting his arm up and opening his eyes, Danny noticed the red glyphring form around his wrist, already proving to be halfway successful in his attempt. Danny released the rest of it, hoping to shoot a large ball of fire from his hand better than before. "Fire Bolt!"


    Just as the luck would have it, nothing came forth from the glyphring, causing it to fade away shortly after Danny realized that it didn''t work that time. It sure wasn''t the best thing to see an attack fail miserably, even after knowing how it works and looks, but Danny didn''t let it get the best of him. He already managed to correct the glyphring on the first try, and it''s not like the Fire Bolt came rushing out to turn around and hit him in the face. That would be Jane''s specialty from now on.


    Thirty minutes passed, with virtually everybody having similar luck. A few of the other students were only trying to master spells such as Ice Ball or Needle Barrage. They were very easy low-level skills, and learning them would fulfill the minimum requirements for the assignment Eliza set out for them. But for Danny, Taylor, and Jane, that was not going to be good enough. Jane continuously shouted Flying Guillotine, trying to cast a most beautiful magical skill. Taylor was constantly trying to blast a Whirlwind around her, and Danny was hollering Fire Bolt with similar results. The only difference was that Jane''s unlearned skill had a slightly higher power level than the other two did. It didn''t make things any easier.


    Jane turned around after the twenty-sixth failed attempt to use the skill correctly. She noticed that her ears were not deceiving her as much as she thought they were. Danny and Taylor were going at their own pace, trying to learn new skills that were as difficult to learn as the one Jane had trouble with. Only they now slumped over with more depression than Jane was feeling. Everyone is having problems today, not just her. Satisfied with her current efforts for a few minutes, Jane decided to visit her friends, see if they were on the same page in mind as well.


    "Hey you two."


    Danny and Taylor both looked a little behind them from where Jane was approaching them. Though they were still separate in their stations, the sections were not far away from each other, making it easy to hear them with indoor voices. After turning around to face her, Danny realized this might be a quick pep talk.


    "Which abilities are you both going for?"


    Taylor cleared her throat after pausing her last attempt for so long. Her voice became a little more hoarse than it was earlier from all the chanting. "I''m learning Whirlwind."


    "And I, Fire Bolt." Danny folded his arms again, trying to think of a better way to master the spell than to just stand here shouting something for nothing all day.


    "I see..." Jane didn''t really have much to say to either of them. It''s not like she thought they were doing anything all wrong. It was also harder to focus after having spent so much MP energy post regeneration just learning the skills, thus did this only tire out her mind as well.


    Danny noticed that Jane seemed as disappointed as he was for this difficult challenge, perhaps a bit exhausted too. Normally, you wouldn''t know it if you saw her first glance, but after spending a week around Jane, it was getting easier to read her emotions as time goes by. It was still a bit surprising to see someone like Jane struggle. "You having trouble too? I''ve never heard of Flying Guillotine..." He didn''t feel like going for the pocket guide again.


    Jane was quick to reply, as if she wanted to explain everything about her next skill. Even without getting it right just yet, Jane was still prideful in her own investments. It boarders right between arrogance and confidence, but this was also Jane''s thing all of the time. "Flying Guillotine has a nice power level, and I can tell I''m close to getting it right. But it''s just so hard! You have to somehow make the daggers spin and create a magical flat circle of aura damage with two elements involved at once. It''s actually much like Whirlwind, but with a projectile approach to it as well."


    "And here I thought Whirlwind was hard," Taylor sighed. "I don''t think I''m close at all."


    Jane knew they could at least use advice, reminders involved or not. "You know, channeling your energy just the right way has a lot to do with learning new attacks. If you don''t release it in exactly the right method or without the correct applied physical force, it won''t work. Even I have trouble with it sometimes."


    Taylor couldn''t help but let her mind trail off while staring at Jane. A few days ago, she would have been surprised at the thought that Jane could have any trouble learning a new spell. It was as if Jane was the prodigy of Leray magic, incapable of being anything except for a badass. But after yesterday, it''s already becoming clear to her that this Leray stuff is not easy to get down, no matter who you are. There are no helpful cheat codes for abilities and learning. Despite what Danny says, this stuff is not out of a video game, else it would be easy.


    "But don''t give up," Jane chanted. Her sudden change in tone stole the attention from Taylor and Danny. Jane felt a little childish giving them a quick cheer of encouragement, but even she has felt the same way they currently felt before, useless. "I''ve only been able to do great things with sheer determination. You can''t stop trying to use the abilities, no matter how many times it fails on you. I know you are both capable of what you are trying to do, otherwise, you would not have lasted a minute against those Cran yesterday."


    As expected, Danny knew exactly what Jane came here to do, and once again, she was hiding one emotion behind another. It was obvious that Jane was giving herself the same, perhaps even more encouragement than she was giving to him and Taylor. There is no way that Jane can simply sit back and feel as great as before after failing a spell over and over again. She takes Leray magic more seriously than anybody! But she would never-ever admit it, not with that hardhead of hers screwed on too tight.


    "So Taylor?" Jane directed. "You keep trying Whirlwind. Danny? You keep trying Fire Bolt. Before you know it, you''ll be ready for a real fight in the field. Just don''t forget to give your ability as much focus as you have to offer."


    "Now that''s something I can get behind!" Taylor''s mood was obviously affected by Jane''s faith in her. Already appearing pumped up and psyched, Taylor looked as if Jane totally renewed her energy. "I''ll try it again and again. And once I''m better than Danny, you and I will have a go someday."


    Danny couldn''t deny that he too felt more inspired than before, after somebody showed him that there was nothing stopping him from success. But unlike Taylor, he wasn''t so easily bought on the whole keep-trying trick. It simply wasn''t going to work.


    Jane could see defeat still stuck in Danny''s eyes, unswayed by the encouragement. "The more we practice our skills, the better we get at mastering their first use and the next ones after. Eliza would say something clich¨¦ like - believe in yourself first! But everybody knows that already. It''s not going to be easy no matter what."


    Jane did have a point though. Danny figured she would keep talking until he caved into the same mentality Taylor was already set on. Does that whole believing in yourself thing really work? It could probably help, but Jane didn''t seem to buy that virtue as much as physical persistence showed. Or maybe she meant to use them both at once? Either way, Danny realized something else, which soon became motivation enough. Taylor!


    If Taylor gets too good before he does, it will be hard to make enough of an impression on Jane to get to battle her first, or at all. He couldn''t deny the bubbling passion simmering inside his stomach. As much of an ego as Jane had, it would be so much more satisfying to defeat her in a real Leray match. After all, who is Taylor to believe she can become the better Leray wielder? "If it''ll impress the pants off you, then I''ll give it my all. Challenge accepted Taylor."


    Jane smirked at Danny''s remark. "I''ll be impressed when you realize you can''t get better than me. Only then will ye grow up." Who do Danny and Taylor think they are, that they can even hope to match her own skill level?


    Danny shot Jane a playful glance. "And why wouldn''t I?"


    "Because." Jane meant to say more, but she already sounded so confident, it was giving Danny a noticeable look of disbelief. "While you might be training right now and getting better, I''ll be getting better with my own training as well. So we''ll always be unevenly matched, with you being below me."


    "You just love tormenting Danny, don''t you?"


    Jane didn''t know whether to answer Taylor''s question, or to listen to Danny''s upcoming response. After remaining silent for three seconds, it seemed like a lost cause already.


    Though it was making him angrier, Danny knew that he would one day get better than Jane at this stuff. He had to, with this much practice involved. Jane thinks she knows everything, but people like that can''t stay on top forever. "One day Jane, you''ll see who''s the smarter and more powerful Leray warrior. You''ll be put in your place."


    "Okay, I''ll be waiting." Jane turned around, heading back to her training spot. Predictably, her uncaring tone seemed to get to Danny even more, with his muscles tensing up like that.


    Taylor saw that Danny was about to twist into a knot, beside himself at Jane. "Hey Danny? Let''s get back to training, okay?" Jane was usually the more explosive one, but even Danny was capable of getting fired up to the maximum settings when trying to prove someone else wrong about anything. It happened quite often back in their normal school in Kalamo.


    Danny shot Taylor a quick look, determined to successfully train better than Jane this time. "Good! Let''s!" Danny immediately returned his focus to the wall, building up MP energy to master the spell he needed to learn. Though it still took some time to begin invoking the spell, Danny had the skill in his mind down as a solid set of steps he was already following.


    Taylor watched as Danny''s next attempt at a Fire Bolt failed completely, only creating a phased glyphring that was short lived. He then got angrier, which only lasted for a few seconds before he suddenly grew calm. At least that is what it looked like. I guess wanting to master something even more doesn''t make it literally easier to get right...


    Taylor gave her skill-cast some focus this time, trying to channel her MP energy into her hands while imagining its release to be all around her. This time however, Taylor was thinking more about the twister that should surround her - spinning in a circular direction, not just the energy itself. It took some time to even think about how she should release it from her hands, but once she did, Taylor gave it another loud chant. "Whirlwind!"


    "Fire Bolt!" Danny was too focused on his skill to hear Taylor yell Whirlwind. He had to be even more focused on channeling his energy, meaning he had to stay concentrated as well. This time, like a few of the others, Danny released his energy from his hand at the end of the glyphring spinning around his wrist with the solid belief that the attack will fire itself out this time. Whether it was his lucky break, or his increased determination levels, Danny managed to launch a massive sphere of fire, which traveled from his hand so quickly, it was over at the wall with an outward burst of flames in less than half a second.


    When Taylor released her energy to try Whirlwind, it actually worked! The attack form was even more beautiful than Taylor ever imagined it to be. The rapid movement of air in her ability was translucently visible, while the gushing wind sounds drained out the rest of the noise from the room. Taylor''s body became trapped inside of the eye of a massive vortex of a spinning twister rushing around counter-clockwise direction. Because it was not a projectile like attack, the windy slashes of air spanned out in a circular direction from Taylor''s body, just as her hands lifted into the air with a powerful gray glowing aura around each hand.


    Though the miniature twister was visible and fast, it managed to spread out as far as nine meters in all directions. The massive area like attack managed to engulf Danny and another student in the middle of the Whirlwind spell, just a quick moment after he succeeded in shooting off a Fire Bolt attack. Though it was accidental, Taylor was totally unaware that this was even happening. Danny was taking on damage over time with the air slashes affecting him right in the middle of his spot, clouding all of his senses with nothing but ultra-speed gusts of wind. The gusts of wind almost managed to be in range to damage other students as well, but Taylor was too amazed in her own ability to realize how wide-ranged it was, and she couldn''t really see much through the visible air once it grew to full power anyway. Her own hair was blowing heavily in the winds surrounding her, but she was unaffected by the Whirlwind as far as Leray damage was concerned.


    Danny could only stand there, helpless against the crushing wind that began cutting him in various places again and again for as long as it lasted. It felt like sharp knives slit the edge of his skin in various sections, though they weren''t deep cuts, nor did they draw any blood. Taylor''s Whirlwind was deceptively powerful for a lower level of attack. The long twister lasted for about four and a half seconds since she started it before it finally subsided.


    Taylor felt amazing during the entire event, slowly depleting her charged MP energy to keep the twister going. It was easy to keep it alive after first invoked, but the rushing waves of wind on her face felt so incredible and powerful; it was nearly breath taking. Once it was finally over, Taylor noticed that more than half of the entire class were stopped, staring directly at her. One of the girls behind her was folding her arms with a scowl and tapping her foot.


    Fearing that she might have hurt everybody by mistake, Taylor''s face immediately began mixing towards the color of her blood while she tried to see if anybody took damage from it. A few of the girls around her got their hair styles totally messed up, as they top were tapping their feet and folding in their arms at her too. Then there was Danny, who still had that look, like he was trying to hold on for dear life to the ground using only his shoes. He was bracing himself as if Taylor''s Whirlwind was still affecting him.


    After realizing that it was all over, Danny let go of his shoes and stood up, dazed from the entire incident. Danny didn''t say much else, realizing that Taylor was only trying to get something right. He only needed to say one thing to Taylor to let her know. "Ow!"


    "I''m sorry Danny! I didn''t mean to do that!" Taylor rushed to his side, already trying to help him get over that friendly-fire damage. He didn''t really appear to be hurt physically, so it must not have been a real big deal to his lowered HP levels. But Taylor wasn''t certain, and she felt so sorry for using such a wide ranged attack on nearly the whole field. Whirlwind has a much higher range of effect than it seemed in the description, and this dark room wasn''t really all that large compared to the range of a Siriean dome. Really makes one wonder how to practice area attacks in a cramped dark room with others present.


    "It..." Danny''s voice was slow to the response. He was surprised to have taken an attack like that from Taylor. Compared to his Fire Bolt, Whirlwind seemed like it could cause much more of a problem for him if he couldn''t come up with anything better afterwards. "It''s okay. Really!"


    "No, I shouldn''t have done that. Don''t be passive about it!" Danny seemed a bit fazed by the entire incident, more so than the other students around her, who were still totally silent and staring at her in scrutiny.


    Danny didn''t expect Taylor to be more caught up than he was with magic spells, but he really was okay with the friendly-fire incident. If he had known, Danny would have just practiced in a different location. It was still an accident after all. "I just learned Fire Bolt... So I''m great."


    "Tisk!" Jane chuckled. Of course, she knew from the start that Danny was fine. An embarrassing friendly-fire like that may have looked and felt powerful, but Whirlwind only has a power level of three, with wind elements added. It can''t hurt that bad anyway; the sensations of high-speed wind can only confuse or whiplash the weak ones. But it was Danny''s response that was typical. He didn''t care about taking an attack in the middle of training. As long as he mastered his Fire Bolt attack, it was all good. Jane saw the whole thing too. He shot a bolt of fire just before Taylor''s Whirlwind took effect, even though both of them shouted their moves at exactly the same time. Too bad for Danny, a Fire Bolt would be swallowed and thrown off course against a Whirlwind spell, even if the aim were perfect.


    Anyway, Taylor seemed to realize that certain area attacks are not best used in cramped up rooms like this one, proving the ineffectiveness of a dark room on many occasions. Now that the situation was out of the way, it was time that she get in some more practice. Jane was happy for Danny and Taylor for learning their new attacks like that, but it was also a bit humorous the way Taylor went about it. Now that the whole class was giving her mean looks, Taylor would stop teasing Jane about the lightning bolt incident for sure. Using Whirlwind on your peers has to be equally as embarrassing to yourself. And if she didn''t let it go, Jane still had her on the Cran incident.


    Jane faced the wall again, daggers in her hands and ready to toss them. She charged the energy into her daggers very quickly. After trying to get it right so many times before, her magical infusion into the blades was almost immediate now. "Flying Guillotine!" Jane threw her daggers with all her might, trying to make the supposed guillotine effect show up. But once again, it failed. The white glowing daggers simply traveled through the air as if she used knife toss instead, bouncing right off the metal wall on impact and crashing to the ground with such a loud cling that echoed through the entire room.


    "Jane?" Jane looked back at her teacher, who was trying to get her attention for something. "Flying Guillotine is an advanced level skill even for where we are now. Since that is the one you are trying to go with, I''ll let you have an extra day to complete the assignment."


    "Thanks," Jane replied casually. She didn''t sound grateful, but that was only coming from the disappointment in herself for not getting it right sooner. It seems that her talk with Danny and Taylor paid off in full, but not for her, not yet anyway. It didn''t surprise her at all that Eliza was making this exception. It wouldn''t be the first time, and defiantly not only for her either. Any person who tries to go above and beyond the policy requirements is a person Eliza develops a soft spot for. Giving a person an extra day to learn a super-advanced skill was totally like her own teacher. Still, Jane returned to her normal stance, ready to try it again. First, she would have to recover her daggers from the ground again, but after that, it''s back to the additional training time.

 Chapter 18: Ruined Robbery

    <hr>


    <12/28/1971 ~ 12:19 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    After the bells tolled for the class to exit from Dakota academy, the students packed their things to head on home for lunch, but it was still early, and Jane didn''t want to leave just yet. Taylor and Danny continued watching her try the same attempt of a skill over and over without any success, and it had been going on for more than an hour now! It was as if Jane didn''t know the meaning of putting her practice on hold. Her MP levels had to be depleted by now.


    "Flying Guillotine!" Jane threw her daggers again, only to have them cling against the wall with no additional visual effects. Her voice somehow remained high strong in her chants after repeating them over the short period, though the constant magic invocations left her breathing quickly, her limbs heavy from fatigue. She was beginning to reek of sweat. Just after realizing for the sixtieth time in a row within minutes that it did not work, her friends had to step in.


    "Jane?" Taylor distracted, walking up behind her. "Come on. It''s time to get some lunch."


    "Yeah," Danny agreed. "Take a break every now and then, okay?" If he and Taylor weren''t here to remind her, Danny was certain that Jane would have practiced until collapsing from normal exhaustion. Or is a full loss in MP the same thing?


    Jane felt her muscles tense from the stress put on her, and her hair was getting damp from the sweat running down from her scalp. She did everything in her power to master this one single spell, and still nothing! Jane knew that Taylor and Danny were satisfied at mastering their shiny new skills, probably ready to move on by now. "I''m not done yet," she snapped. Jane didn''t bother turning around. Her body faced the same metal material, there to absorb the power of her spell if ever done correctly.


    Taylor could sense the pride in Jane slipping into frustration. It was written all over her body language, but this just isn''t like Jane... Or is it? "Come on. Everybody needs a break. You can''t use a new spell getting all mad like that."


    Jane shot Taylor a glaring look. "I''m not mad!" Though the tone in her voice had an opposite adjective. Jane took it upon herself to inhale and exhale deep and calmly. As soon as she did, she felt relieved, ready to try it again. "I''ll get lunch when I''m done."


    What''s left to do? Danny admired Jane''s inability to give up on her personal challenges. It was true that she wanted to be a Leray master, and naturally, that would make anyone try their hardest, but even she was pushing it over the line. Everyone has their limits. Has she forgotten that? Danny cleared his throat to try it once more, turning his request into a full demand. "I think you''ve practiced enough for now Jane. You can return to it after we eat lunch together." Jane gave him a sharp unnerving glare, which only calmed Danny''s expression slightly. "You really want to run out of MP now?"


    Wrapping her hands around her sides, Jane let him have it. "Such talk from a rook. You wouldn''t have any idea how hard this spell is."


    "That''s not my point," Danny protested. "You''re the one who said patience and moderation is needed when training. But right now, you''re just going crazy." He saw Jane open her mouth again to try and argue, but Danny got himself another line before then. "You really don''t think I understand what you''re trying to do? After I have done the same to myself with Radial Stars that one night?"


    Jane was silent, mostly upon the memory that spell constantly brought back. No matter what anyone thought, Jane knew how long and hard she fought just to be able to use her first magical spell, the Radial Stars skill. She didn''t recall Danny training that hard on it before, but even if he didn''t, Jane certainly knew she had done so. And all of this fuss was over Jane trying too hard? Why do either one of them care about it?


    "I''m just saying that you''re overdoing it. You have a tendency to push yourself too hard."


    Another reminder! Somehow, Danny had turned into her teacher Eliza in this moment, saying the same exact words. Jane had to hear the same lecture personally from Ms. Eliza a couple times in the past, not that it helped the frustration very much.


    "Don''t worry," Danny reassured. "I may have learned Fire Bolt, but that doesn''t really put me ahead of you or Taylor."


    What? When did Jane ever suggest she was worried about that? "I never said that it did."


    There it was again; Jane''s confident sense of dominance. Even when Danny was getting better compared to her, Jane protested otherwise. But Jane also probably believed that Danny was right to the letter. "Agh, never mind." Danny finally began walking towards the exit, waving his arm and expecting them to follow. "If you skip lunch, you''ll owe me one."


    Letting out a most distressful exhale, Jane got over herself just enough to take the stupid break. "Fine! But I don''t want to sit still for too long."


    You never do. Taylor found it impressive that Danny''s argument didn''t branch too far into an illogical spiral of immature responses during his debate. His certainly used to back then, but this was Jane he just handled. Taylor would have argued the same way, but feared she wouldn''t have succeeded with the same choice of words. Still, before she turns invisible, Taylor knew she needed to say something important. "I was able to learn Whirlwind by being patient."


    "You still have a lot to learn yourself you know." Jane didn''t mean that as a torment, though Taylor took it harshly while catching up to the group of lingering students by the hallway exit from the dark room.


    Danny and the others took the talk with them outside of the dark room. It was time to leave the school for now, while Jane and Taylor stay close to continue the conversation. "True," Taylor remarked. "But that Fire Bolt Danny used is so cool! It''s homing projectile form, which means it can''t be dodged."


    "Incorrect!" Jane challenged. "Though Fire Bolt has all of those many advantages of increased damage, increased speed, and increased homing capabilities, you still have to remember two things. Fire Bolt naturally has a slightly longer invocation time than Fire Ball until you train hard enough to master that even more. And," Jane emphasized, "Just because it can follow people around doesn''t mean it''s too quick to dodge. Anybody who can move fast enough and time it right can get past a Fire Bolt attack."


    Taylor watched as Danny''s expression seemed to take Jane''s advice seriously, but Jane held that tone again, as if she knew everything there was to know about magic. Of course, this time she would have to take her word for it. Taylor knew that her new skill was much of something else. After thinking about it more, she realized it could be used to attack and defend at the same time. Jane can''t really do much against that, right? "But what about my Whirlwind? Pretty awesome, right?"


    Jane nodded and smiled. "Though I am impressed to see you learn Whirlwind so quickly, everything has a disadvantage."


    "Like what?!" Taylor demanded. What could possibly overcome such a powerful vortex of wind, especially when combined with wind-elemental magical slashing damage types that accumulate over time?


    "Well, let''s start with the fact that your attack does wind elemental damage. Even with slashing damage mixed in, the damage level in question is not high for that spell, and you still need to be close to your target in order to use it. Nine meter radius might seem big, but on a real battlefield against another person, that''s considered close range."


    "I see what you''re saying," Danny interjected. "If someone''s endurance is high enough, Whirlwind is a bad skill to go with in the long run even if it takes them for a ride."


    Jane admitted, "In some cases, yes. But it has cool advantages too. You know that if Whirlwind''s power is strong enough with enough training and multiple invocations, it can be used as a defense to disrupt the path of projectile attacks. Even a nice Fire Bolt would be swept away and off track by surrounding yourself with a powerful wind. Needless to say, electrical attacks would be rendered useless if they have to travel through the air, since it would displace too many electrons before reaching point B." Jane didn''t know why, but explaining all of this was more relaxing than it was annoying. After having the chance to unwind a little while in the hallway, she began to wonder if her success with Flying Guillotine would change after having a meal after all.


    Danny tried to hide his smirk as he came to the same conclusion he did before. Even if Jane is a know it all, she has somehow learned as much as a licensed magic teacher would have in such a short time. In fact, the reason she might be so good may very well be linked to how much she studied the properties of magic in itself before participating in physical training. Jane said something days ago to him about having fun learning about magic before ever being in school, something that would have been considered self-research.


    "Wait a minute," Taylor stopped. "Are you saying that by practicing my Whirlwind over and over in succession, its power and wind speeds get stronger?"


    "As with every other type of spell." Jane was certain of herself, being advice given to her from Eliza and Mr. Mire. "But Taylor? You really want to be careful where you practice an omnidirectional ranged attack like that."


    Taylor was immediately reminded of the moment where she nearly swept the entire class into her own stationary tornado, and messed up everybody''s hair except for her own. The event in memory made her blush again, and she felt bad about it like before. "R¡ª right. Sorry about that."


    Jane was already feeling much better. After failing to invoke Flying Guillotine so many times, this little walk and talk had immediately restored her faith in herself. There were plenty of other situations and times before this where Jane failed to learn certain skills, skills of which she still to this day cannot use properly. She waited until they were all at the entrance to relax more with her friends. "Let''s say we get a good bite to eat, okay?"


    "What''s that?" "What''s going on?!"


    The worried voices of other random teenagers right outside stole the attention of Danny, Taylor, and Jane where they stood. Though it was not everybody from the entire school, there was quite a crowd just outside at the front. It looked like some sort of commotion was taking place at the front entrance. Jane immediately came to her senses and rushed to the front of the building. It was unclear whether Taylor and Danny were going to stay close and follow her, but random or interesting things don''t just happen in Fronas, being such a small community.


    After getting outside, Jane realized that the crowd of people were not circling around anybody. They were all standing apart, watching something further ahead in the less dense forest in front of them. After Jane got a more comfortable and broad view of the area lit by the sunlight, she noticed that Eliza was right next to her, as keen to figure out who was making the noise up there. It sounded like somebody was yelling at another person, but from the pitch and voice type, it had to be an eleven year old boy.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Enemy Attack ~ Ace Combat 4 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Taylor and Danny caught up to Jane, eager to figure out what was going on. The scene soon caught their eyes. Coming far from the right bend, there was some other man in a puffy dark red jacket, running through the woods and twigs, jumping over the jagged rocks. He seemed to be rushing on his feet in a hurry, but there was a smaller boy following him. It looked a lot more like he was chasing the older man as quickly as possible, without the speed needed to gain on the guy.


    "You two! Stop!" Eliza''s voice echoed through the entire area of Fronas, but it had no effect on either of them. The younger kid was defiantly chasing the older male for an unknown reason, and they both were getting pretty close to the frontal area of Dakota, much too far away however to make out any of their faces.


    Taylor and Danny heard one of them yelling back in the distance. Based on his higher pitched voice, it had to be the younger kid. "Give it back! That man stole my credits! I won that money fair and square!" Because he was exhaling to try and pick up attention to himself, it caused the kid to slow down a little, thus allowing the man to gain more ground. Both of them were now heading to the open field of Fronas, but the older male was now further ahead. Did he say something about stealing?


    Eliza took off and began running down towards the man, using her hands to holler her breath towards the village. "Someone stop that thief!"


    Jane winced at what now finally made more sense, but it was a shock on its own. Fronas never had a problem like this before. A thief?! Here?! What sicko on the world would steal somebody''s credits? And how could he be able to bypass the Leray license of security in order to steal credits in the first place? It must have been taken from a source other than battling, but the point was clear. The older male who was running away towards town had to be guilty of something. Jane couldn''t be certain what it was about, but she decided to trust Eliza''s instincts. "Wait up!" Jane took off in a full sprint to catch up to Eliza, and ultimately the accused adult running away.


    Taylor and Danny had no idea what was going on, but they decided to chase down Jane in response. Unfortunately for the both of them, she had to have been practicing her speed as well to go so fast into the woods. Eliza was even faster than Jane by a hair, but Taylor and Danny would not be able to keep up unless everybody stops to wait.


    Danny couldn''t believe what was happening right in front of him. He heard before the potential of people committing crimes using Leray magic, but with the agents running around, it made such activities seem futile. Why would someone try to get away with stealing credits from some kid, and continue trying to evade? He wasn''t sure yet if that is what was really happening, but the guy sure seemed guilty of stealing. Was this the dangers of magic Nyar warned about? Regardless of such, if the suspect runs into Fronas, that means he''ll end up encountering the Leray agents there too, right?


    Jane was already breathing a little quicker than before in her sprint, trying to catch up to assist Eliza, but the rugged terrain was harder to dash through without stumbling over the small rocks or roots in the ground. From the distance in front of her, the man was now completely out of the woods, rushing towards one of the other exits in Fronas. Eliza was still not close enough to the man yet to get him, but things suddenly changed when Kain and Bella popped out in front of the thief. It surprised him too much for comfort, and he stopped dead in his tracks while preparing to be surrounded. From here, Jane could not entirely make out the voices of Kain and Bella, but it was obvious that they wanted to stop and interrogate the guilty man.


    "Stop running!" Kain demanded. The guy in the coat didn''t want to run into him, and nearly tripped in the dirt as a result.


    Bella reaffirmed the demand of her partner, "If you stole something, you better give it back right now!" Bella seemed prepared to fight this guy, but the situation was soon to go both directions.


    The adult finally let his concealing hood fall down, revealing crazy orange hair that stood out especially in bright daylight. Whomever he was, nobody seemed to recognize him. "Out of my way!" he screamed. "It''s only three hundred!"


    Eliza gasped loudly, now only seventy more meters from the suspect. "So he is a thief," she muttered. He must have taken three hundred credits from that poor child and tried to run away with it by the time he was founded out. Didn''t he realize that the Leray agents would capture and arrest him by running into town? What kind of idiot would dare try this?


    The orange haired adult began walking in a sideways direction, trying to outflank Kain and Bella. This only caused Kain and Bella to spread out in opposite directions as a result, both of them further surrounding his position. It was clear that he had no intention of surrendering to either one of them.


    "That''s it!" Kain whisked his arm as a threatening gesture. "You asked for it!" Though he noticed Eliza, Jane, and half the other school kids approaching from Dakota to watch, he focused on the issue at hand. Since he has been in battles many times before, the first thing Kain did was spool up his energy scope. There was really no effort to making one appear after so many times before. Kain''s status box hovered over his head at half transparency, giving everybody the serious idea that he was about to attack the thief. Bella had the same intentions in mind.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    As a natural response to the danger, the orange haired man spooled up his energy scope as well. Though energy scopes are designed to show name and stats, the identity can intentionally be blocked by the same person using it, proven at this very moment. So when the thief made his energy scope appear in the phased light, it didn''t really help to identify himself. The guy simply opposed every move the agents tried to make against him, and by using his energy scope, it proved he was a possible magic user too.


    It should have named him thief, because at this point, fighting back like this was going to prove that he was as guilty as he was charged. Jane and Eliza nearly caught up now, but this effort wasn''t quick enough to do anything about the unofficial battle about to happen. Normally, in a Leray match between people, reward systems are established, and then the Siriean dome forms around them, but this wasn''t that kind of situation. It was two Leray agents trying to fight a criminal suspect, and that just means none of the normal rules are followed. None of the automatic digital based systems integrated into the magical field trigger. That included the absence of the Siriean dome, which only added to the level of danger for anyone watching.


    Kain charged his energy in hand, preparing the attack he used to target at the thief. Though the target seemed ready to dodge the attack, Kain was not holding back any longer. "Fire Bolt!" In little effort, the bolt of fire blasted from the center of the red glyphring formed with a spinning red holographic disk around his wrist. It was amazing how quick his invocation time and speed was, as well as the quick pace of the airborne Fire Bolt. In literally a matter of 0.4 seconds, that Fire Bolt made it halfway towards the thief.


    But something was not right. The guy who was about to be hit with an obvious Fire Bolt spell made no attempt to block the attack or to dodge it. He just stood there, like he wanted to get hit by the attack.


    While Eliza and Jane finally got much closer to the scene of the event, they both saw the guy take a direct Fire Bolt attack, slamming right into his chest and lighting up his body with a quick radial release of outbursts of fire, though the shock to his body was nonexistent. He wasn''t even pushed backwards an inch, and he showed no signs or indication that he was damaged. Even the energy scope above him did not change in any stats of his MP or his HP. He just stood there, completely undamaged and unharmed by the spell.


    "You sure you wanna try that again?" The thief now seemed confident in himself, yet his stance was still retained the same threatening mode of obliteration. He was not backing down from an outnumbered fight, something even more unusual. Most criminals would run at a time like this.


    Eliza decided that even at this range, it should be possible to attack him from here using ranged spells. After taking aim at the guy who only had his eyes on Bella and Kain, she made her move, despite Jane being danger close for potential friendly fire. "Wind Slash!" Eliza immediately invoked a spell in such speed and beauty; it looked as if she didn''t even charge energy into the spell. Eliza simply rushed her hand upward while aiming at the thief, which forced out a visible flat wave of air, now rushing its way towards the guy. With incredible speed, cutting right through the little foliage in the way, Eliza''s wind based attack was on a crash course towards the thief, who now turned his head to realize that he was being targeted from all sides now. Just before the visible slash attack of air nearly slammed into the guy, he side-kicked himself out of the way without losing his balance or orientation, dodging the spell right before it impacted on him. The rushing wave of air drilled on past him, not stopping for anything.


    With Eliza''s attack missed leaving his stats totally unchanged, Bella watched his next move. The thief suddenly shifted in his feet, fleeing to his right, which led down the north exit of town. Bella unleashed her power to stop him where he was. After releasing some of her energy with an incredible speed and practically no invocation time, Bella threw her fists into the air, aimed in the thief''s direction again. "Tri-Fire!" Bella''s glowing red hand immediately shot out a burst round of three separated Fire Bolts through a barely visible glyphring. All three blazing Fire Bolts were rushing in towards the thief with their own homing capabilities, locked-on to the target.


    With incredible speed, the Fire Bolts all smashed into the guy from behind at the same time, creating a fiery blast that nearly engulfed his whole body. Soon after the fire cleared, he was still on the run, sprinting away towards the north exit of Fronas at the other end of the field, and his stats were once again unchanged.


    Bella stomped her foot down into the grass in frustration, soon figuring out one of his strategies. "He has a fireproof cloak on!" Bella''s warning chimed towards Kain and the others behind them. Eliza and Jane noticed that the crowd of students were now behind them as well, caught up to the commotion while still at the edge of the forest, but the fireproof thief was now getting away!


    This time, it was Jane who rushed in at full speed, passing Eliza quick on her feet. Eliza saw Jane rush past her with incredible speed. Eliza didn''t want Jane to get involved since it would be putting her in real danger. "Jane!" She reached out, already far out of range to tug her dress and catch her, but with Jane''s determination, there was no stopping her at this point, regardless of what she could do or say.


    Jane rushed in following the thief in the field, and simultaneously, she triggered her energy scope to activate as well. While the status box followed Jane floating above her head, it showed everyone behind her that she was just as serious about catching that crook before he got away.


    Nobody including Jane was sure what she was going to do, but she slowly gained ground, inching ever closer toward the man with her legs shifting so fast through the flat field. It was easier to run on this terrain anyway, and Jane was still catching up to the thief since he was just a tad bit slower. Jane couldn''t deny how tired out she already was though. While physical exercise doesn''t use up MP, it still tires one out in the same way, and she had already used up MP from practicing guillotine so much today. Jane began to think of what attacks would get the guy from this range. He was immune to fire elemental damage with that cloak on, and perhaps even more. Plus, he wasn''t some rookie. He managed to dodge attacks even while on the run. Whether or not he could use magical attack spells, Jane was certain he was hiding that talent.


    Jane looked up more, overhead the thief she was chasing. There was a jeep parked right in the middle of the northern path just waiting there. That was where the thief was directly running to. Jane had never seen a jeep before with her own two eyes, since it was more than just rare to own one inside of Sprawn Valley, though she never considered this situation impossible. The thought of motorized electronics rushed into Jane''s mind. She still knew a thing or two about electronic equipment from what she heard outside of the valley, and she had seen plenty of pictures of such vehicles from that research, allowing her to identify the current intent and escape plan for the criminal. Any automobile has to use some sort of electrical energy, and that means it might be possible to overload the machine''s power capacity in that same way. If not, then perhaps she could wreck the internal components in the same process.


    Jane forced herself to stop right in her tracks, catching her breath. She already had an idea, and decided to go with it after confirming that the thief was indeed trying to use his jeep to escape. Jane calculated the angle and range of where the jeep stood. It was quite a distance away from her on foot, and in just twenty more seconds, the thief would be inside of that car of his as well. Luckily, the jeep was still in range of one specific attack spell.


    Jane began charging an enormous amount of energy while she stood stationary. It was a spell she never successfully used before, but with this much energy prepared, and with the knowledge already in her head, Jane figured it was an all or nothing attempt. She has to get this right just one time, or else the thief will escape with stolen funds. In retrospect, 300 credits is not that much, but it could have been a lot to that kid back there. Jane was sure of herself this time, still charging up her MP energy into both her hands and into the glyphring now forming on her right wrist. It was a large glyphring, with slightly darker color than jade blue with small circular symbols going around from the inside shape of the ring. After lifting her arm, charging even more energy, and then releasing it all at once, Jane chanted the spell to invoke it with all her might. "Lightning Strike!"


    Jane unleashed her attack, forming a massive horizontal beam of electricity that traveled at the speed of light from her hand towards the jeep. The bolt of lightning swept right passed the thief''s head and struck the automobile even from this distance. While Jane''s energy was being sucked up big time, she focused on keeping that beam of electricity alive and locked onto the car, sending high amounts of voltage into the conductive metals. It was only two short seconds afterwards when the front of the car literally exploded into bursts of smoke and flying shrapnel. Jane let off on the attack spell, immediately feeling lightheaded and dizzy. The explosion on the jeep was not fairly large, nor was there any combustion of fire involved.


    The orange haired thief stopped in shock. With his jeep suddenly out of order, there wasn''t much point in running towards Blue Port Town. Jane was smart to electrocute the car, overvolting the capacitor and alternator to make it inoperable. Now he could only escape on foot. After a short glance behind him, he saw some girl, the only one close enough to be the person who used that ranged attack, and then there were the other two he took hits from earlier now catching up.


    "Stop right there!" Bella warned. As she passed Jane, Kain stopped where he was to help attend to Jane''s new problem.


    Jane used up a ton of her energy invoking that powerful attack, which was way above her normal skill level. The MP stats on her status box dropped so fast after using that spell, her breathing became much more rapid, and she was already tired out. Jane slowly sank to her hands and knees from how intense the rapid drain became to her, but Kain was suddenly there to keep watch.


    While Kain was helping Jane, Eliza and Bella took over, rushing in towards the thief, but after realizing that his jeep was destroyed, the guy finally stopped running. It looked like he was now giving up.


    Bella held her hand aimed at the guy, who now had his hands holding the back of his neck. "Hold it right there. You''re under arrest for thievery and attempted escape from Leray agents stationed in Fronas."


    The guy finally seemed to be complying. After kneeling down to his knees, he was still holding the back of his head to prove he was no longer a threat. Bella kept his hand aimed at the guy, prepared to use an attack that had no fire elements involved. The thief must have figured out there was no longer an escape for him this time. Eliza had her hands aimed at him too, just as prepared to attack. Bella then pulled out a pair of handcuffs pulsing bright with unusual lighting, and strapped them onto his arms to procure and capture the prisoner.


    Kain was hunched down over at Jane, since she was having a rough time recovering. "Take it easy Jane. That Lightning Strike of yours drained over sixty percent of your MP in one go. That proves you weren''t ready to use it yet."


    "But¡ª it worked," Jane puffed, barely able to breathe while her entire body tingled and buzzed with confusing signals of mixed pain. "He can''t use¡ª his car thing now."


    Despite how reckless it was, the result did end in a favorable capture. Still, Jane didn''t need to do that much over a few credits. "Yes. That was very brilliant of you. And now we''ve got him. You can relax now." Kain checked on Bella, who was already taking the man into custody. From the other side, all of the other kids finally caught up with him and Jane, making immediate concerns for their favorite idol struggling on the grassy field, coughing in rapid breaths as though she just finished running one of the longest marathons in the world.


    Bella finished the cuffs, and got Eliza''s help hauling him off to the processing center in Blue Port Town. It was a ways to walk to, but he wasn''t going to be able to get out of this one. Especially with the Light Lock cuffs on his wrists now, the thief cannot use any Leray magic, so running away now would be pointless for him.


    Taylor caught up to Jane with Danny by her side, and she watched Bella and Eliza walking north towards Blue Port, where the thief was heading towards anyway. That must be where their prison facility is located, since Fronas is just too small a place to have one here. But Jane... "Jane! She''s okay right?"


    Jane was still panting quickly, still out of breath from all of that running around, all from the sign that her last attack threw her MP down into critical levels. Jane felt the sensation of low MP before, even low HP just as a test. But following up an exercise like that with a powerful spell was beyond a sense of exhaustion she had ever felt before. Despite her voice barely letting out hints of air at a time, Jane replied, "I''m fine."


    "Here." Kain reached in his back pocket, pulling out some strange looking bottle shaped object. He then handed it to Jane. "It''s a restoration drink. Have a chug of this."


    Jane took the drink from Kain, trusting what he was saying. Not all battle items are in the form of magical orbs. Sometimes, certain types of food and even processed drinks are made to instantly restore health or energy. Jane took several sips, feeling thirsty from the running she did. The drink had a unique flavor that involved a lot of sugar and blue berry surprises. As soon as Jane finished the drink, her MP stats on her energy scope automatically began climbing. It was not instantaneous, but that one drink almost fully restored her MP energy over the course of a full minute.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Bleak Worlds ~ (Christian Telford & Matthew St. Laurent & Galileo Seven & Koichi Sanchez-Imahashi & Nigel William Graham)</a>


    <hr>


    Jane felt a lot better, like she had recovered from all of the hard work on the spot, but she was still breathing fast and panting for air, her pulse elevated. Jane still felt the tingling sensation all over her body, though now less intense still had her struggling with physical movement. Taylor and Danny were hovering close to Jane, along with the rest of their classmates, who only wanted to find out what happened next in the commotion.


    That''s when Francine, the Fronas nurse showed up too, also concerned for Jane''s health. "Is this the one?"


    "Yes," Kain responded. He stood up to greet the nurse again, explaining the whole situation. "We had a tough time chasing the thief down, but Jane stopped him in his tracks, using an over-charged Lightning Strike." Kain paused, giving Francine plenty of time to study Jane, make sure she was fine. "Since Jane didn''t officially learn Lightning Strike yet, it was quite a shock to her body. But she''ll be alright."


    Danny heard it himself, but couldn''t properly process all of this. Jane had trouble using that spell before, but Kain was talking about over-charging the spell, which he had not understood or heard of before. And for some reason, Jane''s condition seemed less stable after destroying that vehicle in the distance. As impressive as it was, there was defiantly something he missed earlier about how dangerous it is to use Leray magic. If it were safe, then how could this happen to Jane of all people?!


    "That''s good to hear," Francine concluded. "Jane? Good job! You''ve just helped us arrest that man. He''s being taken in now. You will also be fine."


    "What about the stolen credits?" Jane pondered.


    The kid who was chasing the thief to begin with was there in the crowd, now drawing attention to himself to ask the same thing. Not to their surprise, it was the same boy who had his money taken. "Yeah! I''m now three hundred short. Didn''t you get it from that guy?"


    Kain hovered down to the young boy, still too young to understand how money transfers work in these situations. "Don''t worry son. We know what happened. We''ll transfer the credits back on your card before we even get them back from the crook. We pay you, and the bad guy will pay us back."


    "Awesome!" The kid was excited and grateful from Kain''s calming explanation, though he had little regard for the situation around the girl halfway collapsed on the ground. He was only ten or eleven years old, so Kain found it normal behavior coming from the boy. As for everything else, the tension in the entire area diluted fast.


    Taylor was able to see the entire thing once Jane got going after the guy, but it was so unexpected. Jane wasn''t a Leray agent, but she sure acted like one a few minutes ago, and that Thunderbolt attack was something else. Not only did Jane get it right, she also used her brain by disabling the car like that. Taylor never thought she would see a car in Sprawn Valley after the things she heard about them, but watching a Leray attack disable the car''s engine and battery was impressive. "That was so cool!"


    Danny was beside Taylor, in as much amazement as she was, but he was much more speechless. What Jane did; he never got to see that side of her before. Jane was so determined to stop the thief, it was like her own life didn''t count for concern. All this trouble for 300 credits? If he remembered correctly, three hundred isn''t much in this country, barely enough to buy a decent meal. Regarding the thief, where the hell did he get an automobile from? Forget that. How did he even smuggle it into the country? Danny knew what automobiles look like along with their general function from reading a small summary of them with online articles. On top of that, the rich untouchables in Kalamo drove around in them from time to time, though he only ever saw just one in real life. This makes two, not that it was functional now, but none of this explains why Jane was damaged by what she had just done.


    Jane finally slowed her breathing, relieved that this was all over. The restoration of MP energy Kain supported did help her recovery, though it was a very slow process. Whoever that guy was, he wasn''t going to bother anybody now. It may have only been three hundred lousy credits, but it was the thought that counted. Jane hated people like that, anybody who would dare use Leray magic to do bad things, and then have the audacity to rush into her hometown. Jane could already feel her blood boiling like before, angry once again that he even existed to steal money from anyone. If it were not for Kain, Bella, and Eliza taking care of him as well, Jane would rush in right now and number his days.


    After getting a hold of herself, Kain helped Jane up on her feet again. Kain knew Jane needed to take it easy after doing something as stupid as that. Jane never once before used an ability above her skill level from the looks of it, even if she did know how to. She only heard of rumors that such rules could only become bypassed under extreme conditions or emergency settings, but even then, it was a rare thing to do.


    Danny tilted his head towards Taylor''s, whispering over the crowd. "What do they mean by, above her level?"


    Kain was much louder than Danny was, but he still didn''t speak loudly enough for Jane to hear what she learned earlier. "It has something to do with the point capacity in our MP and HP. Having too low of a level means that you''re maximum ME points are so low, that you just don''t have the capacity to learn a specific new skill with a very high power level, no matter how much you train for it. All Leray spells have specific power levels that sort of define a minimum amount of ME energy needed for its activation. And if you lack that amount of ME due to insufficient stats of growth, learning that skill with practice is not possible. Jane probably couldn''t learn Thunderbolt or Flying Guillotine before for the same reasons. She hasn''t trained under general settings enough for those spells to become successful."


    "Then how did she do that? How could she use Thunderbolt just because she knew she needed to badly enough?"


    Taylor chanced what she knew from Kain, who only explained it to her before while Danny wasn''t around. "Just because Thunderbolt is a higher power level attack, Jane''s MP must still be capable of taking it only under extreme conditions... But even now, using that Thunderbolt spell has probably made her skill level exponentially higher. She should have no problem using it again with much less MP consumption after another day or two. The same might even go for Flying Guillotine."


    Danny was having a hard time following this on. It''s somewhat daunting that Taylor understood this so easily. "So you''re saying, that no matter how much I train, I couldn''t learn a power level seven attack if my MP is just not generally high enough?"


    "That''s the idea." Taylor''s knowledge became a bit fettered after what Jane just did. Overcoming an obstacle like that, it wasn''t an established rule of fact. Leray magic has all sorts of natural effects that cannot be bypassed, such as causing enough physical damage to a human in the protection zone to cause death. But then there was that whole thing with dark magic, which also has a way of bypassing that very same process. And then to overcome enough energy and focus to bypass the energy rule? Jane sure is strong when it comes to Leray magic. There is just no denying it. She shouldn''t have tried it though!


    "I''m glad that''s over with," Jane told to Taylor. "I think that''s enough for me today anyway." Jane was at least sitting up on her own, but she was still clearly too exhausted to move.


    Taylor nodded, glad that Jane was feeling better and safe from that. People who use Leray magic for bad things, it must not be common, but it did remind Taylor a lot of the stuff Eliza said to them earlier. It was all of that talk about learning to protect yourself in real world situations, and more about the role of Leray agents and their job as security officers in Leray magic styles. She had not seen what Leray agents actually do until today, but this proves that crime can exist anywhere, in any form. "Hey Jane? You can use Lightning Strike now! That''s so cool."


    "True," Danny added. Jane''s ME levels must have barely been high enough to support that spell, according to Kain''s testimony of the situation. "And now you don''t have to worry about officially completing your end of the assignment." Even though you nearly killed yourself trying to complete it.


    Jane was still caught exhaling faster than usual, still winded from the use of her first Thunderbolt, but she finally managed to stand up on her own power, while Francine was hovering over to monitor her every move. "Lightning Strike isn''t the skill I want to learn," she admitted. "My assignment isn''t complete. I''m still only going to focus on learning Flying Guillotine. Thunderbolt is just an added bonus."


    Taylor blinked in surprise. That sure was Jane''s personality to the letter. Even in complete exhaustion and in need of a long rest, she''s still trying to act tough.


    "If you aren''t going to the medical facility, then I''ll have to escort you home and inform your family. And you''ll have to rest without using any magic for the remainder of today."


    Jane glanced back towards the official Fronas nurse, who seemed overly concerned by Jane''s standards. "That won''t be a problem," she agreed. Jane knew her parents were fairly understanding. Besides, it wasn''t every day that she had to try and stop a thief from escaping. But the words of Francine''s warning were not to be taken lightly. Now that the commotion was over with, the rest of the audience began to disperse and retire for the evening. This gave the others plenty of space.


    "Hey Jane," Danny called. "You sure you''ll be alright?"


    "Of course. I''ll just sit this one out for today." With the personal assistance of Francine by her side, Jane walked carefully all the way to her house. The tingling sensation in her body finally subsided, and she was given a large container of water to drink from Francine, who already assumed that this particular symptom was a possibility of rapid dehydration. From the feel of things, Jane would be just fine in several hours.


    Danny and Taylor followed her just to chat on her way back, mostly about what happens tomorrow. From the view behind them, Kain went over to the destroyed jeep to move it off the path, since it is probably a stolen vehicle anyway. The crowd of students that already dispersed went back to their own activities in the town, though it was now certain that Jane was going to be the talk of the class tonight. Nobody has ever shown so much courage and tenacity before - just to stop someone. It wasn''t apparent in Fronas anyway. It was clear enough to Danny and Taylor that Jane must feel the same way to some extent. Today is still early, but everybody probably had enough after that excitement. There was still plenty of hours left until tomorrow, which would likely reset the atmosphere for everybody in this current setting anyway.

 Chapter 19: Counter Skill

    <hr>


    <12/29/1971 ~ 10:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    With Wednesday now in tow, silence among several groups of the students persisted following the crazy events of yesterday. Though Jane took a jam to her energy, it did not stop her from attempted training further that night. She did so alone, hiding anything that she learned over that time, and remaining hidden in the night to avoid criticism.


    Today was not a usual day either. With class starting at ten A.M. again, a sign was posted out on front of Dakota''s territory. All students designated for Eliza''s class of room 706 were to report to the dark room first thing. All of the other students were set to go to their dark rooms as well, but only after specific times later in the day, as to make sure everyone could use them. Dakota only had three dark rooms in total with specific shifts during school hours, and that left problems for the other classes claiming their use in times such as now.


    Jane met up with Danny and Taylor on the way to school, but she lost her luster since this morning. Jane could only admit to herself that her attempted training session last night ended in failure. Though she recovered quickly after her return home after whatever caused her collapse yesterday afternoon, she felt weaker and more exhausted as the sun went down last night, without the proceeding symptoms. She felt drained out of her wits when trying to train outside by invoking magical skills in secret. Just from the attempted use of even the most basic spells, Jane depleted more of her stamina per spell invocation than what was essentially normal for a human being. Thus, she had no choice but to call it a failure and retire to bed.


    While Jane didn''t understand what any of it meant, that level of exhaustion carried through partially onto her this morning. Even now, she felt drained and sleepy, like she had just gotten out of bed from a long slumber. Jane did wake only 90 minutes ago, but her usual recovery rate was much quicker, and she knew of it. Yet Jane didn''t say anything about it to her friends, since she wasn''t supposed to train anymore in the first place. Besides, what''s one secret to another, right? Taylor still has not confided to her about whatever brought her to tears last weekend, so this makes them even.


    Taylor noticed Jane''s exhaustion and naturally asked if it was okay for her to return to school, but even with such regards, Jane didn''t appear to be in the same shape as before. She came here on her own power, having no such symptoms like sniffling. She just looked a bit tired, the usual morning exhaustion following her bones. Jane of course reported she would be fine in minutes after having more time to wake up, and that was the end of the conversation.


    Danny on the other hand readied more practical questions for Jane, all of which regarded the mysterious reward and credit system, and how the currency here all works. Jane only summarized, even though it took over five minutes then to explain it to him and Taylor. As far as Danny understood it, credits in Sprawn Valley is a rarely exchangeable currency between other nations, which wasn''t surprising given the reputation of magic. Supposedly, Leray wielders going into battle obtain or pay credits to or from each other by betting a fair amount prelude to battle. Then some strange automated digitally based program running in synch with the Leray veil works with the chips inside of the Leray license cards to make sure everything goes correctly. Drawbacks to such a system? Jane didn''t say there were any, and the only other way to obtain credits is with a salary straight out of a job position. Personal transfers of funds were doable, but required the consent of both parties.


    As soon as Danny and Taylor entered the dark room with Jane, after a long conversation about how the credit system works in Sprawn Valley, they were met with several teachers, including a few unfamiliar faces of adults. Jane however recognized most of them on the spot.


    "Ms. Akura and Mr. Donvan?" Jane started. "What brings you out to Dakota?" Ms. Akura and Mr. Donvan used to be teachers at Dakota, but transferred out of the school to train people with private sessions in an undisclosed location. It really has been several months since she has seen their faces. What are they doing here?


    "Look," Taylor pointed. "Eliza''s here too." Their primary teacher was previously speaking amongst the other adults, but Taylor drew their attention with the assistance of Jane.


    The man Jane designated as Mr. Donvan, who wore a specific uniform hunched over a little and explained all they needed to know. "Come on now Jane. Is that a way to treat your mentors? And I thought you of all people would be aware of today''s exercise."


    "Exercise?" Jane looked around the room more, as did her friends. There were at least three other in-staff teachers that Jane did not really talk too often. It appeared as if the entire staff gathered here just for Eliza''s small class. None of the students changed in numbers or identity though; it was only every student from room 706. Eliza never spoke of additional lesson plans from yesterday; Jane was sure of it. Perhaps it was supposed to be a surprise, the usual thing Jane was normally ahead of on most days.


    Standing just behind them, Eliza summarized the commotion from last night on her top student''s behalf. "Jane is normally the one to stay ahead of the lesson plans, but yesterday was a bit exceptional. I''m sure you heard all about the situation in Fronas recently."


    Mr. Donvan nodded in agreement, as he should know. "Yes. I heard it caused quite a stir. I''m glad that a person who would result to thievery was caught in the act. It brings music to my ears to know that the agents in Fronas are properly trained."


    Eliza held her tongue with restraint. It defiantly wasn''t their obligated business to know whether or not Jane was injured or negatively affected by the same events. It would have to be up to Jane to tell her own story if she wanted to, but now there was even more reason to keep it from these officials, for the sake of Dakota''s reputation. Jane was the one affected, but she was also the one who stopped the criminal. If it weren''t for her crazy blasting of magic in such reckless and extreme measures, the guy would have gotten away. How would the agents of Fronas appear then?


    Danny was reminded again by that terrible moment. Though it wasn''t as scary as it seemed in hindsight given the things that go on in Kalamo, it was surprising to see a slightly sophisticated crook hiding out in such a small town, especially where everyone can use magic to cause harm to others. Though conflicting details flooded his thoughts too, such as the fact that the unidentified thief was wearing a fireproof suit. He had never heard of such a thing, but it appeared to have been negating all fire elemental magical damage and force from those attacks. Still, even if it only worked for fire, why would he go with just one choice of elemental resistance? Couldn''t the guy have worn like five cloaks over each other and make himself invincible? Maybe Leray agents prefer fire-based spells for some reason, and that guy must have known as much. Still...


    "Anyways," Ms. Akura insisted. "Feel free to work with us today for as long as you like. If you will, prepare yourselves a good station as soon as we begin."


    "O-okay..." Jane reluctantly agreed to something that she still didn''t know about, waiting on Eliza to explain it to her, and she kept her friends close by as they awaited instruction as well. Now that Jane thought about it for a second, ever since last week, Danny, Taylor, and Jane all stayed together as close as possible. Despite what may have happened last Saturday, Danny and Taylor were still keeping close enough by her side everywhere they went, so it must not have had anything to do with her in particular. Jane figured that at this pace, she would only figure out their distress by accident. Anyway, back to the exercise, Jane did not recognize this event from before. Have they reached another topic she was yet to learn? Though this was all really a preparation for some exercise, Jane was sure this was something unfamiliar to her.


    While Ms. Akura and Mr. Donvan took their places along with the other adults, the students all began to cluster themselves in the center of the dark room. Eliza knew this was her cue, but Jane was just as eager. "If you will Jane, please wait while I announce today''s training exercise to the class. They don''t know what''s going on either."


    Jane believed it, the way everyone was just glancing around. She thought it was strange that her classmates were twiddling their thumbs instead of firing magic at the walls, but she had only until now to finally begin waking up completely. Jane stood a little away from her usual training spot in order to stay closer to Ms. Eliza while she prepared to deliver the news. Because of little delay, the class reorganized themselves in separated groups, likely because they wanted to continue chattering about the stuff that went on yesterday. To Jane, that memory felt a lot like a dream than real life. It was just a hazy memory right now. Despite how tired she was a few moments ago, she could finally feel her normal energy and stamina beginning to return to her.


    Eliza looked up and stood firmly. After preparing to make the announcement, Eliza was only going to answer to everyone''s curiosity once. "Class? Listen up please." Though it was already a bit quiet in the room, the echoing of whispers cascaded everywhere, and Eliza used that to judge when the correct time to speak would arrive. "Today''s session will be a bit lengthy, but now is the time to begin practice on evasion therapy."


    Just from that bit of info, the class around her started getting pumped and excited. A few of them were already cheering, but Taylor felt like the odd ball already. She had never heard of evasion therapy before, so she gave Jane that curious glance for answers.


    Jane needed a moment first to clarify Eliza''s strategy. Having all of these teachers here finally made some sense, and Jane couldn''t help but feel just as excited as the rest of the crew. With evasion therapy, they''ll need a higher teacher-to-student ratio. Ms. Akura and Mr. Donvan must be getting paid to participate as well, their appearance unsurprising with Dakota''s low staffing. Jane already knows how to dodge, so this could be a moment to show off everything she''s learned. Taylor''s fretting expression poked at Jane covertly, and she only barely noticed, but after piecing together what she already knew, it was not surprising for outsiders such as Taylor and Danny not to be familiar with terminology here. Jane kept her voice to a near whisper, as to not disrupt Eliza''s announcement any further. "Evasion therapy teaches us how to dodge by using real attacks and experience against us. You two get to learn evasion firsthand!"


    Taylor almost gasped noticeably, and returned her attention to the teacher. Eliza already knew the game plan for today, but as for the rest of the group... "Each of you will be divided into small groups, and each assigned to random teachers. These teachers will then launch a series of attacks at each one of you, and your chance to dodge will be proven and evaluated. This however is not an official test. If you have trouble dodging, we will mark you down for an extra (in school) assignment on Friday evening. There, we will teach you how to dodge spells firsthand. Anyone wishing to train with this early should partner up after class outside for practice."


    Jane''s newfound excitement also brought all of the remaining energy back from before. With so much experience, Jane was sure to make a great impression. She also glanced behind her, suspecting that Danny and Taylor both will not be great at this. Taylor never dodged a single attack from the Cran, obviously because she wasn''t trained to. Even so, it was unquestionable that after today, Jane''s friends will be asking her for personal training.


    "The rosters of your opponents today are up on the wall, near the entrance of this room." Eliza simply waited for all of the students to eagerly begin pushing and shoving their way into that small cramped space where the roster was held, but Jane and both of her friends were not really moving. "Danny? Taylor? I have you both set up for a session with Mr. Donvan. Please line up where he stands and wait for your turns."


    "Okay," Danny and Taylor replied. They were both on the same page, totally in sync with the lesson plan. Mr. Donvan was already taking his position at one of the special posts that has a larger space, as there were several sections of the room designated for much more than singular training sessions. Eliza watched the lines already forming, despite the ever-large crowd smudged into the door. Jane watched them both go, getting curious about who would be her sparring partner. "Jane?"


    Jane gave Eliza full attention, but not without those curious and fight-ready eyes of hers. She didn''t mind if Ms. Akura and Mr. Donvan were not going to be her evaluators. Anybody would do today.


    "Today, you will be dodging attacks from me."


    Jane instinctively took a step back in response, shocked at the decision. Eliza wasn''t rostered to do her part today, but that was because it was her class, her responsibility to look after everyone. It''s not that Eliza wasn''t allowed to spar with her own classmates, but it was highly unusual to say the least. Eliza never did this with anyone during this type of session before, at least not to Jane''s knowledge.


    Predictable. Did Jane really think she was going to get off that easy? "Oh, don''t give me that look. I know that you''re more advanced and further along than the rest of the entire class put together. That is why I want you and I to have a go. I''ll be able to account for a more challenging target." Eliza sounded certain of herself. If Jane were left to any of the official evaluators today, they would only throw the most simple of projectile attacks at her, and Jane would laughably make short work of it. But Eliza knew this particular student well, and what she was capable of. Jane needs to grow, even if she is ahead of the group, and it is high time to wipe that confident look off her face once and for all.


    Jane was almost speechless, and felt like she could fly right off her feet. "Really?! That''s¡ª" Jane didn''t want to sound too childish in her excitement, but this was such an honor! Eliza told Jane many times how well she was doing, but now she was offering Jane the chance to try an increased difficulty challenge. Eliza rarely did anything like this for anyone; though to be fair, Jane never got this far in her class sessions this year. She had to learn to dodge all by herself since they took too long to reach this unit. "Now we''re talking!"


    "I''m glad you''re ready," Eliza prepared. At last, the class can finally learn that not every single ability can be dodged regardless of training and experience. That is important to know, but not by spouting it into a lecture that would, on most days - put people to sleep. "Now let''s go to the station where there is much more room."


    Jane happily followed her teacher to the spot she spoke of; sector A-9. It was still just a boxed off cubic area with lots of walls on the sides, but they were spread far apart, giving Jane and Eliza plenty of room to run around in.


    A few more minutes passed before everything was in place, and now it was Taylor''s turn, going up against Donvan. After watching the demonstration in front of her, it became clear what this was going to be about. Though Taylor knew not the identity of the student who just went, she saw the entire exchange of action. Donvan launched several magical attacks in a row at the kid, but the student never returned fire at all. That was probably the entire point of this; not to fight back, but to learn how to evade attacks coming your way, even at rapid-fire pace. The boy who went before Taylor didn''t do well at all. He only dodged the first Fire Bolt attack, and then took on the damage from five more attacks spells in a row.


    Now that it was Taylor''s turn, she could already feel her entire body shaking. She couldn''t believe that this was making her nervous, but the thoughts going back to fighting that Cran made things worse. That battle before reminded Taylor what happened when she wasn''t able to dodge attacks from the Cran, and worse when equipped with the wrong fighting gear, which made her own dress take physical battle damage.


    Today as well as before, Taylor was still equipped with the white dress sphere Jane gave to her, but she was still not any better at dodging an attack, even if she could see it coming. During fights, time tends to slow down a bit when you''re pumped up and ready, but that wasn''t going to slow down the impossible speed of those spells and bolts. For a Fire Bolt attack, Donvan sure can send one flying at such a high velocity, and to stand there and take one to the face would be nothing less than humiliating.


    Though there was a line behind Taylor, she put some distance between them and her, as well as putting distance between Donvan and Taylor. They were going to need a lot of room after all. The station provided much of that available room, but the sidewalls on all stations only prevented too much distance in one direction, while allowing total openings for the rest to watch. The usual magic dome that protects the bystanders was also absent for this practice. That means anybody could end up getting hurt here. Even so, damage in Sprawn Valley only decreases one''s battle HP by a little. Taylor thus paid attention to the task at hand, knowing that the first thing to do is to engage the energy scope.


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    Chapter Theme Shift: Kronor/Hugo ~ Serious Sam 2 OST</a>


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    The big status box of beauty floated above Taylor''s head in phase. Donvan didn''t need his scope running, since he would not be the one to get attacked. Taylor''s mind began filling with so many random memories about battle tactics, types of attacks, power levels, attack patterns... It was clouding her mind with mesh she couldn''t really pay attention to right now. Taylor just took her stance and got ready to dodge.


    Donvan only moved up one step, making his voice project to Taylor with ease. "All right Taylor. It''s time to see how good you fair in evasion so far. It''s okay if you aren''t that good yet, because we''re only evaluating current skills per student based on elapsed time with semesters. That said; do try your very best."


    Taylor couldn''t stand how she was being talked down to like that. Sure, she might not be good, but Donvan was expecting her to be so basic. What gave it away? Was it her stance? Did she not need the energy scope?


    Taylor could now feel it coming, the increased tension in herself and Donvan''s current stance. He was ready to throw something her way, and it could have been anything unknown to her. The fact that nothing was coming her way already was only making Taylor sweat. She had never been in this kind of situation before. Well, there was the battle with the Cran, but this time it was different. She was expected to dodge an imminent attack. Nobody taught her this before, and Eliza only got to talking about it in class. Calm down! Deep breaths. He''ll probably try a Fire Bolt like always.


    Donvan finally decided to try an easy, yet quick kind of attack. Taylor looked as ready as she was ever going to be, and now was the time. Without first saying anything, he charged up his MP energy, forming the familiar red glyphring around his left wrist. Then, only after lifting his arm and launching his spell did he add the chant of the spell''s name. "Fire Bolt!"


    Taylor was frozen, watching a big ball of fire heading her way at top speed. What was she supposed to do? Donvan invoked the spell so quickly, it was a surprise to see even after watching the last kid go. Taylor just wanted to close her eyes and block, but that would mean that she would fail. At the last second, Taylor spun to the left, creating a swerve effect on her body. It was an attempt to dodge the Fire Bolt at the last second. Taylor must have forgotten that it was a homing projectile, and so simply swirling in one direction was not going to be enough.


    Before she even knew it, Taylor was hit hard in her side with the ball of fire. A quick and intense burning sensation filled that side of her body, even though it did not burn any holes through the dress sphere or damage the suit in anyway. The pain level was quite high especially given that it somehow traveled through the dress itself without damaging any of the material, but Taylor simply hung on, doing her best to remain standing and stay strong. She remembered getting hit with a Fire Ball attack before, specifically by the Cran she defeated, though the force from it was nothing compared to this. The bolt of fire had a strong force attached to it, making it hard for Taylor to keep her balance when it slammed into her. Despite remaining tall and strong, she must have failed in her attempts to dodge the attack.


    Taylor didn''t even want to check her energy scope after realizing that another attack could be heading her way. It must have been a shock for the others to see how far of an effect one simple bolt of fire had against Taylor. Usually in battles on television, they barely do any damage at all, but that has a lot to do with endurance levels, and Jane was the only person who knew more about that than Taylor ever dreamed of knowing.


    Donvan exhaled, slightly disappointed that she failed to dodge the very first attack. It was usually easy to dodge the first one no matter what it was, but there is no stopping now. Donvan charged up his energy once again, preparing to unleash a different kind of spell. This time, he began charging at Taylor beforehand. Running on his feet was something people would not normally expect, but this would be something close range for her. That should give fair enough warning. "Hammer of Might!"


    Taylor twitched, unable to move while Donvan was now chasing after her. Whatever he was about to do, he was getting in much closer than before to use the attack. After noticing a small yellow glyphring forming around both his hands though aimed vertically instead of horizontally, Taylor decided to move after realizing that it was in fact a close range skill. Instead of even pretending to dodge, Taylor ran in the direction away from Donvan, right from the line''s perspective. Instead of dodging anything, Taylor was trying to escape the attack in fear.


    Donvan''s magical spell ended up spawning a very large and colorful glowing hammer in his hands from the small summoning glyphring. It was so large and bulky that he had to lift it up using both of his arms, but this only made Taylor want to avoid the attack even more. Donvan changed course and running speed to intercept where Taylor was trying to escape to. Now on a collision course and already in range, Donvan swung his hammer at Taylor''s moving feet, tripping her onto the floor while dealing some heavy damage to her as well. Unfortunately, Taylor didn''t have a backup plan after all. She was just cowering in fear because she hadn''t the first idea how to dodge. That was all he needed to know.


    Taylor found herself on the ground, helpless on her back while Donvan stood over her. The large magical hammer in his hands dissolved into some strange glitters of lights quickly with a cool pixilation effect. Then, he kneeled over offering his hand to help Taylor get up.


    While Taylor was being brought back to her feet after that humiliating performance, Donvan decided to give the status of her abilities early. "That''s all I need to see for today Tay. You''ll be rostered for some additional training Friday."


    Taylor could feel nothing more than frustration, burning brightly in her cheeks as others waiting their turn were watching. "I did try..." Taylor''s face sunk in defeat. She couldn''t even hold her ground in a test battle, let alone perform at the average pace of the other students here.


    Donvan patted Taylor on the shoulder. "Don''t sweat it. This is everyone''s first official evasion therapy. You think you''re the only one who isn''t trained to dodge? You''ll get the hang of it this Friday. Now please wait while the others finish on our roster." Donvan left to get back to the next student, while Taylor stood alone, mourning her own failure. "Next!"


    Taylor thought about that question again. He was right for the most part. Almost nobody here was even as good as dodging as Taylor was; even still, she was probably the only one afraid of taking a blunt hit to the body, running away to avoid an attack. She could bet that Jane didn''t have this problem, even before she could use her first spell. Why would anyone run away from an attack in training? Nothing can physically harm anyone, even though it can inflict great pain.


    Speaking of Jane, Taylor looked around for her after remembering that she wasn''t to be sparing with Donvan. That could have put Jane against any other person in line, but much to Taylor''s surprise, she spotted Jane with Eliza, getting prepared in one of the larger cubical stations on the far side of the room. Eliza wasn''t supposed to be one of the teachers attacking, was she? Why was Jane and Eliza alone without a line just outside?


    Taylor''s eyes opened wide, realizing that Jane must be getting a fair fight with someone who must know her skills better. Who else was more qualified than Jane''s own personal teacher? Since nobody else was there to watch, Taylor decided to get in much closer. There was no way she was missing this! Maybe there was a trick to this session that Jane was aware of.


    Jane took care of her stance, standing up straight and tall with her arms unfolded down towards her knees. Her hands were balled into fists, and without even drawing her daggers like before, Jane declared her readiness by engaging her energy scope above her as usual.


    Eliza was ready too, taking to her official battle stance, which she''d never shown off before. Jane already knew this stance by her memory, which was not a surprise to Eliza. Jane was a formidable student, always ready to take on tougher challenges, and being confident enough to stand up to adults above her own age. After what Jane has proven to Eliza yesterday, she could already be good enough to pass the evaluations for graduation in her own style. But Eliza had a trick or two up her sleeve for making Jane''s dodging techniques take a run for their money. She engaged her energy scope just to show Jane that she was ready as well. Of course, Eliza would not be on the receiving end of attacks, but with Jane, anything was possible.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    With Jane now ready to take on random attacks, Eliza began to charge up her MP energy into the first wave of magical spells. It was easy for her to charge up and invoke this first attack, in just one second of time. "Fire Bolt!" Eliza shifted both of her hands towards Jane''s direction, using the force of both of her limbs to amplify the damage slightly. The sphere of fire formed shot forward through the red glyphring Eliza controlled.


    Now that a bolt of fire was on Jane''s approach, this was her first chance to dodge the attack. Jane let herself smile showing her white teeth, overconfident that it was a feeble attempt to try and get the best of her. Jane waited on the Fire Bolt, allowing it to get really close to her. At the last second, Jane jumped off of her right foot only, shifting all of her body weight to the left into a very quick jump. Jane managed to leap out of the path of the Fire Bolt, despite the projectile having homing capabilities.


    Jane landed on the floor with her hands and legs shifted to catch her with a slide. She then sprung up quickly using her squatted stance. It was a nice tactic to jump out of the way and land on her hands and feet. It allowed Jane to not crash into the ground, and instead jump back up for a rapid recovery. Jane didn''t even have to turn around to confirm that the Fire Bolt slammed into one of the walls behind her. With newfound confidence, she just stood there in front of Eliza, taunting her before anything else began. "That the best you''ve got?"


    Eliza knew that first spell wasn''t going to work, but in the event that it did, Jane would have been way off her game. Of course she would be able to dodge a simple Fire Bolt attack. Though the projectile has homing characteristics, it can only track a target with a certain amount of calculation speed. Jane moves too quickly for a guided projectile to get the best of her. But Eliza was far from finished.


    Eliza charged up her energy, releasing it almost as quickly as she charged it. For her, it was done and over with in just under a full second, since Eliza was well trained in the ability to invoke simple spells. She was a teacher in this after all. "Electro-Ball!" Eliza shot a ball of electricity from her jade glyphring surrounding her hand like she did with Fire Bolt. Unlike the characteristics of holding onto an elemental bolt attack, Eliza went with an unguided projectile instead this time.


    Jane was prepared for this. She already figured out Eliza''s next strategy long before it was time to dodge the first round. This was a simple yet effective tactic, getting your opponent to dodge an easy magic projectile while making them vulnerable to a much more effective spell. Jane quickly jumped out of the way from the path of the Electro-Ball. Even though it was unguided, the ball of electricity traveled with such fast speed that it probably already hit the wall behind Jane, which was still seventeen meters behind her in perspective.


    Eliza launched another magic spell before that first Electro-Ball ever came close to hitting Jane. It would take time for both skills to reach the target, but Eliza knew that if Jane dodges Electro-Ball, she will be a little less prepared to deal with a second wave oncoming attack, especially one with such power packed inside. It took little time at all for Eliza to charge up and release her energy again just like before. But this spell had a different kind of glyphring in front of her that resembled an ice elemental magical spell. "Ice Needles!" Eliza shot a barrage of frozen needles through the air, all forming right in front of the large glyphring while accelerating spread out and heading in Jane''s direction.


    Ice Needles was a lot like Radial Stars in the attack form it was designed for, but it is much less narrow than Radial Stars too. This gives the target a challenging time dodging the attack. One needle is never aligned with another one, which means getting out of the way for a wide ranged directional attack would be impossible. Jane saw a large barrage of ice needles heading her way quickly, just after dodging that Electro-Ball. While Jane was expecting this course of action, she also knew dodging this attack is not going to be possible. Blocking would disqualify her own skill name. So there is no choice now but to go with option three.


    In a quick well-coordinated combination of fighting stances, Jane quickly drew her daggers and started performing kicks, slashes, and flips along with several dodging maneuvers randomly integrated into her combination. This technique looked exactly similar to the one Jane was practicing before in front of Danny and Taylor last Saturday, and much like the way Jane would attack the Cran at close range. Jane was giving it everything she had, facing the barrage of Ice Needles head on. She wasn''t dodging or taking the attack. Instead, her combination was simply destroying the needles mid-air one by one. Jane''s kicks were striking the needles that came close enough to her for a collision, causing the needles to snap in half and drop straight down to the floor useless. Jane was doing a lot with her daggers as well, giving some of the needles occasional slashes to cut them up in the air instead, and she was only targeting needles that threatened to harm her starting at the closest range. Jane knew it wasn''t as overwhelming as it looked when she didn''t need to shoot the ones down that were not on a collision course. Jane also naturally performed random flips in various directions, along with some ducks and even a few rolls. Near the end of the sequence of Eliza''s long barrage of frozen ice sticks, she was given more room to relax.


    Taylor watched the entire thing, Jane moving with lightning fast speed and reflex. In her perspective, this all happened since Jane first began her stunt just four seconds ago, and by that time, the barrage had already passed by Jane. The needles that she didn''t have to worry about just kept going until they collided into that wall again. Jane moved so quickly that Taylor couldn''t even keep up with her. How did that even happen?!


    Jane finally stood still, slanted down on just one knee while checking to see if anything else was heading her way... There wasn''t. Eliza was just standing there, probably too shocked to think of what to come up with next.


    This was only the half of it. Jane and Eliza both immediately noticed that the entire crowd of their class, even the teachers who had not finished their session yet were all approaching and stopping here just to watch. Jane was so good that it was drawing in a crowd of spectators, all to see what Eliza tries next. Nobody was protesting this mild interruption either. Eliza certainly wasn''t too surprised. The things they can both do are too impressive; they distract everyone from what they''re doing.


    Eliza ignored the crowd of watchers though. It was okay if they wanted to stop and watch for inspiration, as long as they don''t get too close. She had initially wanted to show this off to her class in order to make an example out of Jane, but only after proving to herself that it was more than possible to trip this girl up. Jane was in her normal stance once again, ready to dodge the next attack. "I have to hand it to you Jane. You''re doing exceptionally well for dodging attacks. But not everything can be evaded." Eliza knew her own words were true; she still never expected Jane''s reflexes to be so fast. It seemed so inhumane and impossible, yet Jane totally deflected and evaded a full area barrage attack. Mr. Mire must have been in a league of his own... Perhaps Ice Needles isn''t fast enough. There were plenty of other types of attack forms designed to make dodging physically impossible. It doesn''t matter how good Jane thinks she is; nobody is immune to everything, and she needs to learn that now with the rest of her spectators.


    Eliza watched Jane''s expression change for a moment. It was clear to Jane now that Eliza was planning to hit her with something no matter what, but she needed to test Jane''s other reactions first. It would be stupid to use Thunderbolt. Everybody knows it can''t be dodged, and that was not the purpose of this test. Jane thinks she is so great at dodging, but she can''t grow up learning that she can just side step anything. Eliza charged her energy again, this time unleashing her attack quickly, and without a glyphring formation. "Sphere of Might!"


    Upon hearing the name of the spell, Jane quickly rolled down to the ground, making her body become a ball to roll around and quickly evade the attack. Though nobody else except for her and Eliza knew what that was about, it became clear right after Jane dodged the still invisible spell. A red magical sphere with a 1-meter diameter appeared floating up, right where Jane was standing a split second ago. Sphere of Might sends a damaging aura sphere at the target by spawning it right where they stand. With a bit of trickery, anyone who goes against a Sphere of Might can be in for quite a surprise since it doesn''t form from point A; it starts at point B and immediately causes damage. Jane knew the spell by heart, and was quick enough to evade it before Eliza''s attack ever became invoked. This only served to prove the downside of chanting spells aloud.


    The crowd was still watching closely, excited to have such a show put on like this. Jane was so good that Eliza really had to make it a stretch of spells that nobody had ever seen before just to get Jane. Now that Jane was rolling to dodge the first attack, she might have more trouble against the next one. "Magical Blitz!" Eliza''s hands both began glowing bright blue, after which she threw the magical blue projectiles at Jane with incredible speed and power. She threw them consecutively, making sure that one dodge would not interfere with the next blitz ball, and Eliza threw the third one beautifully by spinning around. She did this to give the last projectile an incredible boost of speed.


    Jane was back on her feet before the first Magical Blitz ball came her way. Heading right for her at incredible velocity zooming through the air, Jane had no choice but to swerve out of its way again to the right. Jane even gave herself a spin around to help her move that way, but it worked out perfectly. In the middle of dodging, the blitz ball flew right past Jane, quickly enough to make the sound of a buzz overtake her ear. It almost hit her right in the face.


    Jane then performed another dodging spin, but in the opposite direction. Since Eliza was smart, she was going to use Jane''s next dodging point to try and get the second blitz ball to hit her. From the looks of it, the second one was on a direct collision course for Jane''s new position. After spinning around again, Jane dodged the second energy ball just by a slight moment. She moved elegantly to avoid being hit by any and every attack, as if she had special training beyond what a Sunday afternoon could offer anyone.


    Jane then noticed the third blitz ball, coming in much faster than the other two. Seeing no way to dodge it directionally as it were heading right for her waist, Jane immediately put her streak on the line by jumping up into the air as high as she could go. It was dangerous, since the blitz ball was not that low to the ground to begin with, but Jane used her special timing while lifting both her legs high into the air after her leap off the ground to allow the sphere to soar right beneath her at the same time.


    Taylor and the crowd behind her watched as Jane perfectly executed an evasive jump into the air, heading right over that oncoming blitz ball just before impact. It noticeably moved much faster than the last two, but ended up striking against the wall yet again. How was Jane so capable of dodging everything?


    Jane landed on her feet again with Eliza already whipping out something else. She could tell from this distance, but it must have been a weapon, because she wasn''t shooting anything back at her just yet.


    I won''t let you make a mockery of my spell ordinance in front of the class! Eliza pulled up the blaster weapon from her pocket, charging MP energy into the device. She only lifted her arm to take aim at Jane just before unleashing that energy and chanting her attack for effectiveness. "Scatter Beam!" Eliza''s blaster made the loud low pitch sound that was unique to shooting off blasts of energy from the big gun barrel.


    Jane was in hot water now. With a Scatter Beam attack coming from a blaster, the Blast Shots are multiplied and spread out at once. The attack was similar to shooting a shotgun shell in the form of energy blasts, and Jane was going to get slammed with all of them unless she can dodge correctly. Since it was coming from a gun, Jane had less than a flash of light to do anything. Already on her knees from landing that last jump into the air, Jane instinctively hit the deck. Her body became flat on her stomach as she crouched as low as possible to the ground.


    Jane could not see it, which is why she had to count a bit of time before lifting her head and getting back up on her feet. While she dove for the floor, the Scatter Beam shots all missed her, mostly hanging high in the air with a few of them low to the ground. Jane was even lower, and ducked below every single one of them in one short instance. Eliza''s Scatter Beam attack failed as well, and from the looks of her energy scope, she would run out of MP soon.


    Eliza gave Jane the moment to get back up to her feet, cursing at herself for not being able to hit her. This method she had in mind was harder to execute than she once thought. Eliza knew Jane well, more so about her expected reflexes and her predictable evasions from attacks, and since she had been shouting the names of the spells aloud, it gave Jane too much time to predict Eliza''s battle pattern. Jane is simply too fast for all of this. There has to be something Jane wouldn''t be able to dodge regardless of speed... What about a multi-projectile homing attack?


    Jane watched Eliza''s expression and body language change fast. She was just standing there, but her hands were beginning to glow as well... It''s an attack spell! And with that much time to charge up, it was going to be something big. Eliza must be muting herself to make it less predictable! Jane thought quickly about her surroundings. From where she stood now, she was already out in the open. The only closest thing to her other than the crowd of kids on the side was the wall right behind her, sixteen meters away. With a quick gulp, Jane took off in a full sprint, in the other direction away from Eliza.


    From Taylor and the crowd''s perspective, it looked as if Jane was running away from the attack before her teacher even tried to do anything. But with how well she was doing with an undamaged streak, why would she run now?


    Eliza could only watch as Jane was running from Eliza in the opposite direction. She struggled to charge up this higher-level spell since it takes away much more energy, but releasing and invoking the skill would easily be quick from here on. With the glyphring in front of her now hot and ready, Eliza threw her hands through the large red disk, firing her magic into the glyphring. "Tri-Fire!" Eliza''s hands shot off a triple burst of flaming bolts, all separated and moving individually; all three of them only shifted angles for a brief moment to prevent collision with each other.


    Now with three separate Fire Bolts heading towards Jane at incredible speed to slam into her all at the same time, Jane knew she had less than three seconds left. While heading for the tall metal wall in front of her, Jane finally got close enough. Before stopping or turning around, Jane jumped in the air, towards the direction of the same wall, but she only used both of her feet to impact off the metal. She didn''t kick anything immediately. Jane simply used her feet to stop moving while the Fire Bolts were about three feet from the floor on the wall. Jane then twisted her body, while using her feet to kick off of the metallic structure at the same time in a full transition. Jane ended up kicking her entire body high into the air with a different angle setting than she was at before, and right as her body turned around enough to see the three Fire Bolts right below her, it was clear to the others what the plan was.


    Taylor watched the entire moment in disbelief. Jane literally jump-kicked off of the wall that she was running towards, and jumped right over the three Fire Bolts just milliseconds before they impacted on her body. Since Jane changed direction so severely, the Fire Bolts just kept going towards the cold metal instead, all bursting off against the wall instead of trying to track Jane''s movements. It was an impressive sight to behold. Though it happened so fast, Taylor caught the entire moment with her eyes this time. Incredible!


    Eliza couldn''t believe how well Jane was doing so far. Now she was much further in distance as well. That would give her more time to keep on dodging, but Eliza didn''t have to get close. There was one more thing to try. After charging enough energy, Eliza released another big attack. "Magical Burst!" Eliza sent an incredible barrage of large energy balls dark in color towards Jane. This time, the field of the area attack was almost as narrow as Ice Needles gets to. Since it was such a fast flying and powerful ordinance with homing capabilities packed with too many projectiles to dodge, Jane wouldn''t be able to jump kick again, not this time. Trying to shoot down magical bursts of energy was different than attacking a lower power level ice needle.


    Jane watched the attack quickly coming her way, frozen in uncertainty. Magical Burst is a powerful area spell, designed to prevent evasion. Though it might look evadable at first glance, that''s what gets the best of everyone who tries it every time. The barrage of energy balls was wide spread, and there were so many of them, with high damage dealing potential involved. Though the field of the barrage was quite narrow, it was wide spread in a horizontal fashion closer to the ground with a few high exceptions. Though that made it impossible to try jumping or ducking out of the way, the fact that it was that closer to the floor gave Jane another idea.


    Taylor was watching closely, unable to unglue her eyes to the amazing scene. It was like she was watching one of those movies Jane had in real life, and with Jane as the big hero. Just watching her dodge attacks was beyond inspiring. It was the most amazing thing she had ever seen before!


    Jane unleashed her charged energy, preparing the speed and direction for the perfect timing of the collision. "Shadow Wave!" Jane threw the dark shadow towards the oncoming Magical Burst attack heading her way. Though the Shadow Wave moved just as fast, it was bound to the ground, only to expand once it impacts on something. Jane only stood still afterwards. If this doesn''t work, than nothing else will either. Eliza could have done worse and used Photon Blast, but Jane didn''t see it very possible since that spell is said to be a power level nine skill.


    Eliza watched in a high building moment of suspense. Jane attacked back?! Before she could even figure out what the reason was for that, the Magical Burst attack came into contact near the floor with Jane''s Shadow Wave, forcing them both together to expand and then explode into a force of wind and light.


    The crowd watched in awe as the Shadow Wave then expanded high into the air vertically just after hitting one of the bottom energy balls from Eliza''s attack. Shadow Wave is designed to hold an opponent where they stand while they take additional damage. Despite initially being bound to the ground, the attack aura expands upwards once it finally collides into something, attacking in all forward directions at the same time in a burst method, but Jane just used it to attack the magical spell Eliza had sent her way. The Shadow Wave quickly grew as tall as Eliza''s entire spell ordinance at an untraceable speed. Once that happened, all of these black sparks shot outwards from the massive dark shadowy aura that Jane created. Once those energy spheres had nowhere to go, the entire center of the field exploded into a large cloud of shiny mist and smoke.


    Taylor''s jaw dropped in amazement. Once the smoke cleared, it revealed that Jane and Eliza were both unharmed from either attack, and that Jane successfully avoided damage from a massive attack without even dodging it.


    With her breathing rapid and her stamina gone, Eliza knew when she was finished, but she never expected Jane to actually try for option three. Kicking down a needle barrage was one thing, but deflecting a barrage attack with just one Shadow Wave? This was beyond advanced level training! Eliza didn''t have anything to get Jane with anymore. That was her best choice of attack skills, and now she was all tired out. Thanks to her MP getting so low, Eliza was holding her knees with her face hunched over, breathing quickly and panting as if she ran a marathon. It was a great exercise to use so much energy into random spells like that, but Jane is the one who just proved herself worthy today. It went totally against what Eliza wanted to prove, but she had no choice but to give this girl some praise. "Good job Jane!"


    Jane finally realized that it was already over. Eliza looked much too wiped to try any more attacks against her. This was so great! Jane managed to evade or deflect every single attack, and that had to give her a perfect score. Eliza wasn''t even giving Jane the usual ordinary test of evasion therapy. She specifically designed this exercise just for Jane, and Jane managed to hold her own the entire time. She stepped in much closer to Eliza, while the crowd of students to the right began clapping and cheering, as if they just finished watching some wonderful play.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Under Cover Of Night ~ Halo 1 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Danny found Taylor standing right in front of him, but he also watched the whole event while Jane jumped over everything. "That was amazing," he projected towards Taylor. "Jane really did all of that?!"


    Taylor turned around a little so that Danny could hear her through the increased noise level. "I know! She''s better than anyone with evasion."


    Eliza waited for Jane to come by much closer, now realizing that since everyone was watching, it could become a wonderful learning experience after all. First, she had to talk to Jane. "Jane? You''ve just set a new, unbeatable record." Eliza extended her right arm to Jane, edging her to shake it for such an excellent performance. Ms. Akura would surely realize by now that the potential of her own class was totally higher than it seemed.


    Jane paused for a quick moment, taken by surprise that her own teacher was giving her this much of a spotlight, even in front of the other students. Jane was bobbing up and down with her breathing as well from all of the dodging, but her excitement returned to her just as well. Jane shook Eliza''s hand firmly, smiling at Eliza in her own victory. "Thanks."


    Eliza saw that the other students were still clapping and shouting all kinds of nice things their way, but she quickly waved her hands downwards to try and get them to be silent. "Thank you. Thank you students. Please. If you will..."


    It took a lot more time than Eliza expected for them to all calm down to a near silent setting, though it wasn''t surprising. Jane went way beyond her own expectations of her. Jane must have been practicing a lot more than what she credited for herself, and that close combat training Jane got helped a lot as well. Such an option should become the prerequisite from now on for all entry-level students. Now with the crowd quiet, Eliza was able to explain how Jane was so successful. "What you all just witnessed was a modified evasion therapy specifically designed for Jane, and let me tell you that none of this was fixed or acted out."


    Taylor, Danny, and everyone else was listening and watching carefully while Eliza continued.


    "Particularly with that last moment Shadow Wave Jane just used on my own spell, I want you all to know that such action is what I meant earlier about deflecting your opponent''s attack. The important thing to get out of this lesson is that not everything can be dodged." Eliza held a short pause to let that important fact sink in, which was the point of this after all. "But a wise Leray wielder looks past that. Dodging and blocking attacks are not the only way to cancel damage done to you. Counterattacks, deflective moves, and even some of the most unusual methods of canceling an oncoming spell exist in the field. And it is up to all of you to discover and figure out exactly what those methods are. Yes, Jane is a more experienced and better-trained student. But time has only one of many to do with mastering everything there is to know about Leray mastery. Hard training and determination to get better is a constant requirement for everyone. The same goes for myself as well."


    Jane didn''t realize that a full educational speech was on its way here. How far was Eliza taking this? There didn''t seem to be a concise value overall; it''s as if Eliza was struggling to quickly summarize what happened. The exhaustion might unfortunately be getting to her.


    "No matter how excellent Jane may have looked to you just now, and no matter what position I am in as well as others, training and learning never stops. Despite what you have just seen, even Jane will come across an attack one day that she won''t be able to jump away from. You all know about attacks like Thunderbolt and Meteor Strike. Unavoidable in battle no matter what those spells are. But so what? With further training, Jane can get even stronger and faster, and so can I. So can everybody here standing in this room."


    Jane finally understood why it was a speech. Eliza was immediately going from congratulating her to demoralizing the rest of them... Well, not exactly, but she was really hitting everyone hard with one fact. No matter how good Jane gets, somebody else out there will eventually become better than her, at least for a while. Even the Leray champion is subject to this rule...


    "So don''t worry about whether or not you can move like that just yet. You will eventually if you try, and only by your continued support in yourselves and the thought of never giving up." Eliza had finally gotten off what she needed to say, and let it go towards the assignment at hand. "Now I expect all of you to return to your evasion therapy if you have not already completed your runs, and when you come in on Friday to further advance your ability in this one category, give it your very best shot every single time no matter what." It''s what Jane does every time, the reason she is the best. Eliza wanted to speak that last part on her mind, but it would only put her back into the spotlight again. Jane is a great role model, but nobody is perfect. What Jane makes up in her own determination, she often lacks in patience. "That will be all."


    With that, everybody began moving around again randomly. Most of the students were going to continue their evasion therapy sessions, while the ones who already have are free to do as they like. The other teachers including the outsourced tutors had to take the moment in. They were certainly not expecting such a display of force, but Eliza wasn''t supposed to give students special treatment either. Fearing that she just set herself up for a double-edged sword, Eliza had to take another long breather. Danny and Taylor were both standing there however, unable to get all of what Eliza just said out of their minds. While their teacher finally let everyone get back to their things, she was now conversing with Jane privately again. This caused Danny and Taylor to approach them, eager about what was to happen now.


    "I can''t believe you gave me that much a score," Jane complained.


    "Not me dear," Eliza corrected. "Your peers did so, as did your evidence in your capabilities." Jane was lashing out as quietly as she could, as Eliza already knew how she hated being a public example of anything positive or negative, attention in general. But that wasn''t what this was about, and she would need to get over this pet peeve of hers as well. "Remember that when fighting in the field, lots of spectators come to watch the battle from a safe distance. They do this not only because it can be fun to watch, but also to absorb a chance to learn something new. Jane? If you keep at it, you will become a Leray master before you know it."


    Jane couldn''t stop herself from blushing. Her own teacher was giving her that much credit already? It was only two weeks ago when Jane was just considered the hot shot by her class, and two weeks before that when she failed in training an unmotivated couple. Come to think of it, only less than two months passed before Jane first learned her Radial Stars spell. And now her favorite teacher was in belief that she was about to be a Leray master already?!


    Eliza could tell the words and inspiration left Jane totally speechless. It wasn''t clear whether that have just inspired Jane or mortified her, since Danny and Taylor were now standing next to her again. "And when you do, I want you to come back here and battle me, one on one."


    "Really?! You mean it?!" A battle with Eliza! Jane''s entire field of view was suddenly replaced by the imagination of such a wondrous battle. Jane could already have what it takes to beat her, but this was just too sudden!


    Taylor and Danny walked in on some sort of personal moment for Jane. It looked like she was about to have tears of joy brought to her eyes in no time, and there was still that excited look on her face that was too familiar for comfort.


    "Of course..." Eliza replied. "I''ll have grown much stronger too ya know. So don''t expect it to be easy."


    Jane was now in automatic response mode. She already could see the future Eliza was telling her about, imagining the moment where Jane would return to Fronas from as great journey, looking all excellent and powerful, and Eliza would be at the top of the challenge as well. A match with Eliza was sounding fun even if it were to be held right now. "Excellent! I won''t let you down." The excitement burning through her sharp green eyes had satisfied her teacher thus far, and whatever bothered Jane seconds ago was no longer a priority.


    Eliza turned her head over to a curious looking couple, the same ones that constantly hang out with Jane. "And I''m expecting great things out of you two as well."


    Taylor and Danny both twitched. Already, their teacher was prepared to put the weight of Jane''s entire journey on their shoulders. "Thanks..." They both replied in an awkward manner, since that was their only option.


    "After hanging out with Jane all the time, you might not realize it, but you both have gotten much better in a shorter time than standard, but you joined our class late, so it may not feel that way just yet, especially by immediate comparison. Trust me when I say that the proportions for your growth are much faster."


    "I don''t know if that''s really true," Taylor bargained.


    Eliza wagged her finger to deny Taylor''s uncertainty. "If it wasn''t true, then neither one of you two would have passed the test with your Cran battles. You might not feel it now, but just by following Jane around in her journey to come, you will both eventually turn into formidable Leray fighters, and you will get to see the rest of this world as well. I am told that you are both new to Sprawn Valley. I should have kept the possibility in mind, though I see your new friend has helped you adjust well enough. Jane? Excellent work keeping this cycle going this time."


    "This time...?" Danny caught on to the words Jane didn''t want to get out, but there was more to it than that. What business did Jane have telling their own teacher how they got here? Oh well, it''s not as if Jane knew the truth about the cliffs or the Banshee slave thing that was beyond even his own business. Still, what''s this about a different cycle of friends?


    It was a little embarrassing in her perspective to talk about that, after Jane was technically looked down on by the teacher, who gave her that miserable assignment in the first place. How do you train people who don''t care about Leray magic? At least Danny and Taylor weren''t that crazy or stupid. "Ahaha. She means this one... Only time."


    Yeah right! Taylor could tell how easy it was to read Jane today, which was often not possible. Eliza''s talk with her must have put Jane in one of the most wonderful moods, and after that performance, Jane deserved every bit of praise. But what was this about keeping a cycle going?


    "You haven''t told either of them it would seem." Eliza saw Jane give her that stare that screamed at her to shut up, but it was too late for that now, not that it was much of a secret here at Dakota. "Jane once tried to train two newcomers much like yourselves, but they weren''t that interested in learning magic. They just wanted that higher school social status. So Jane cut that training short, and she wasn''t the most polite about it." Eliza knew it was more intense than that. The way Jane let those students have it practically made them quit the school while giving Jane that cold intense reputation. It may have been the reason Jane has trouble making friends.


    It was a less, raw summarized version of the story, but Jane knew it was true. At least nobody was making a big deal about it like before. After all, she got in trouble for it too at the time. Jane eventually refused to have anything to do with those idiots! How dare they waste her time when they don''t have any intention of learning anything! But Danny and Taylor are totally different.


    "Yeah," Danny surmised. "I feel a type of pressure on our shoulders every day." A lame attempt of using Jane as a meme to his own stress, but he knew it was true. Every time Jane gets involved with his own training, it''s never ending because of how serious she is about it. It was clear already that Leray magic and battling was one of the coolest things here, but to pour your every ounce of heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears into the practice at all times just seemed like too much. Even if Jane is trying to become a Leray master, it doesn''t have to be done today!


    Taylor changed the subject quickly. After all, she already heard about that story before, even though it was easy to forget about it. Eliza must not have known that Jane already hinted some of that to them, and it didn''t matter anyway since the three of them are friends. "Well Jane? I wouldn''t mind at all if you could give us some lessons on dodging as well. Preferably before Friday''s exercise."


    Danny gave Taylor a worried glance. "Wait a minute! I didn''t even get to go yet."


    "So what?" Jane retorted. "The session''s not over for another hour. We can meet up after you go through it."


    Taylor knew her thoughts exactly. There was a good reason why it didn''t matter that Danny didn''t go yet. "You don''t have to embarrass yourself Danny. I already know that you can''t dodge anything just yet."


    "Gee¡ª Thanks a lot." Danny sounded depressed with his sarcastic response, but he was really just joking around about it. Might as well let them be themselves today.


    "Anyway," Eliza interrupted. "You should both know by now that we don''t have any sessions planned on Thursday, which is tomorrow."


    "No school?" If this news were made back in Kalamo, the students would have a field day. But since it is happening in one of the coolest zones on Earth, it was mildly disappointing. "What''s the occasion?" Taylor quizzed.


    Jane seemed happy to let Eliza answer this one, since it wasn''t that important anyway. "None really. Sometimes we just give you all breaks. You can choose to celebrate or train your hearts out. Jane? I know that it would be in your best interest to take option B for tomorrow..."


    Jane knew what Eliza was talking about with the training over the breaks. That was usually her thing, but from the choice of her words, it sounded a lot like Eliza had something specially planned for her again. "Buuuuut?"


    "But instead, I want you and your friends to run an errand for me."


    Jane smiled, after realizing Danny''s expression. He had to be lazy back in his old life, because that look of defeat said it all. Somehow, it was just amusing that he would have to do a little charity work, given that he isn''t fond of this much. Most likely, it was going to be for the usual reason. "You want another supply run, right?"


    "That''s right," Eliza replied. "I need you to get the usual monthly supplies on the list for Dakota''s manifest, and I shouldn''t have to remind you that the shop is in Blue Port Town." Eliza was only stating that obvious fact for Danny and Taylor, not for Jane.


    "Why do you want us to go?" Danny managed to make himself sound simply curious to avoid being rude or sounding lazy, but he wondered if that really worked.


    The sound of spells flying on sides of the dark room was of little distraction, but Eliza was already in the mood for fresh air just thinking about a place outside of Fronas. All of this blue haze from the ceiling''s magical lighting system got boring already. "Because," Eliza offered. "You two are new, so I bet you''ve never actually gone to Blue Port Town before. Am I right?"


    Taylor looked at Danny. Eliza did have a point. Blue Port could be totally different from Fronas altogether. And with a shop designed only for Leray stuff... "Sounds great! We get to see what Blue Port is like."


    Danny felt defeated by pure girl power after Taylor had decided for both of them. Only he was the one who didn''t want to walk all the way to a new town, even if he never did see it before... Danny studied Taylor''s reaction carefully afterwards. She didn''t seem to give off any kind of language that it would be a bad idea. A more important thought came to mind. Since Blue Port Town is to the north, it would out them both just an inch closer to Junon''s sector, according to that paper map he studied earlier. On the other hand, they were being expected to head there, and then head back with some kind of load that only Jane would be familiar with.


    "Awesome!" Jane agreed. "I''ll show them around to everything." Jane just knew it was going to be perfect. Even being new, Jane would have accepted the offer without Danny and Taylor''s appearance here. Who wants to be constantly stuck in a tiny town like this? Just perfect! They can both learn so much new stuff, and all just by traveling just short of a mile.


    "Just meet up with me here at nine am tomorrow, and I''ll give you the list." Eliza was referring to herself giving Jane the list, but it was nice to give the new kids places to explore. With Jane helping them out like she has done already, there was no way anything bad was going to happen to either of them on the way there.

 Chapter 20: Unmarked

    <hr>


    <12/30/1971 ~ 08:58 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Today marked the temporary break in school session for the Dakota training facility, as it was declared Thursday. Danny and Taylor met up with Jane outside, right before nine A.M. chimed. Right in the middle of the field of Fronas, the town''s people were rarely active today, as the populous remained mostly inside their cozy homes. Jane had already deduced that everybody else was either asleep in their beds, or out training in the dark room, though there was also plenty of time on her way to Dakota Academy for the three of them to soak up the beautiful breezes of the morning weather.


    Just as promised, Jane led the two over to Eliza''s classroom at Dakota. The conversations were kept light, with Danny''s usual complaints about waking up too early. Jane instead had a lot more on her mind. After what happened yesterday, it once again seemed like a dream. Jane hardly remembered needing to do anything to dodge those attacks; it was mostly automatic for her during that exercise. Seeing it without a first person perspective sure made her memories seem less possible than they really were. But how often would Eliza do something like that with Jane? How often would some random thief enter town and cause trouble? The answer to both of those questions warranted a word stronger than rare.


    Once they found their teacher again in the classroom, only talking while tiding up the place by herself, Eliza handed Jane the sheet of folded paper after the usual greeting. "Rise and shine you three. Here. It''s the list of everything we need for this month. Food, items, everything."


    Jane accepted the note from her teacher''s hand. It wasn''t as quick and easy just to say goodbye and leave. "Thanks. I''ll be sure to get it all." Jane partially regretted the decision to accept the chore, as she remembered now how much to the list there was for Dakota''s supply line. Still, it would be nice to take the day off just this once.


    Eliza bowed to Jane for being such a big help today. "Go ahead and take your time. We only need them by nightfall, and your friends can certainly enjoy Blue Port for the first time."


    "Yeah," Taylor admitted. "We''ve never seen it there before. Is it bigger than this place?" Taylor already heard that Blue Port was bigger than Fronas by rumor, but it would be best to confirm that first.


    "You''ll just have to see it for yourselves," Eliza marked. "Oh! And before you go, remember what happens if you run into any other Leray fighters in town or on the way there."


    "Run into fighters?" Danny repeated. How would that even work? Do Leray fighters just run around to people and force them to have battles? No, it would have to be more intuitive than that, right?


    Eliza clarified the rules quickly, which Jane already knew. "Since you are still not yet graduated with official Leray licenses, nobody can challenge you. You can''t challenge other people to a battle either. It''s against the law to do so. If you run into any crazy goof demanding a Leray match, just show them your training license, and they will understand."


    "That''s disappointing," Jane gloated. "I bet I could win any fight right now."


    Of course you do. Danny knew all about Jane''s tough confidence and tenacity. It''s probably what keeps her going and training so hard all this time. It would be arrogant to think he was already tougher than Jane, but that ego of hers will have its own consequences. Just you wait Jane.


    "We''ll that''s too bad." Eliza sure wasn''t giving anyone a long leash about this, not even to Jane. If she did her best in a real official Leray battle, Jane may actually be the victor hands down, but this isn''t like some video game where anyone can just find inexperienced people all near Fronas and Blue Port. The best of the best are mixed in with the weak fighters, all diluted around the nation. She could get the most difficult fight of her life even if it is the first one. Still, it''s only natural that Jane would want to have a battle already. She demonstrated that she could dodge anything. "Graduation will arrive soon enough. After that, you are free to battle as many wielders as you want to."


    "Right." Jane knew she had to keep that promise. To fight without a real license is one of the more major crimes, but she was certain that Eliza wouldn''t tease her about graduation being so soon. It won''t be long now, and as for Blue Port... "Come on you two. It''s time to show you around some more." Jane turned and headed for the door, forcing her friends to take action.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Echoes in the Glen ~ Art Ceilidh</a>


    <hr>


    Danny and Taylor followed Jane out of the building, waving to Eliza on the way out. A short and simple request, but both of them had a feeling that the day was too young to judge at this time. Danny was being forced to wake up against his own nature. He had not been tired like this since the first time they spent a night in Fronas. At least now, he was finding his natural energy again. Jane had to lead them to the northern path from the field in Fronas. From there, it was nothing but a widened path with forest on the left and on the right. Only dirt and weathered down gravel mixed with tarnished dead grass covered the ground where the trees were absent. There was plenty of room to walk, and it would be impossible to get lost because of how obvious the road was to the eyes, but from this current distance, the next town was just not currently visible.


    Jane had Danny and Taylor follow her on the path as they began the short journey, remaining silent only for five minutes. There was much more time left to pass, so she broke the silence and gave them something to do on the way there. "Since you''re so new to Sprawn Valley, and even Fronas, it''ll be lively to get a peek into Blue Port."


    Danny immediately thought about the name. It sounded like the town was some sort of port for something. "Is it called Blue Port because there is a port to the water there?"


    "There used to be," Jane answered. "And it was really just to a small lake anyway. That lake dried up long before I was born. But lots of people we go to class with live in that town."


    "I wonder what it''s like," Taylor muttered. Blue Port, the lively town without an actual port, though too proud to change their name.


    Jane reflected the general description of the town from her own memory. "It''s like Fronas, but much bigger. It''s got many more private homes there, but the town also has shops, medical facilities, food stops, and even a bar." Even though Jane was still too young to be allowed to drink the hard drinks at the bar, she had been inside with her father on numerous occasions. Not only did the interior have such a wonderful artistic design that would attract anyone walking by, it also served as the town''s many hot spots being the only pub established here. Alcohol wasn''t uncommon in Sprawn Valley either, since it has the usual effects on humans without affecting their magic directly.


    "So..." Danny tried putting it all together in his mind. "It''s like a small city integrated with a village. That sounds nice. How long is this walk?" Danny didn''t mean to sound as lazy as he did in his last question, but he was trying to get a sense for the rest of the path. You might think a dead-grass and gravel dirt road on the ground with surrounding forestry would seem dull if you were only to hear about it, but Danny was paying attention to the scenery on both sides, sparking his imagination. The peace here with the clear sunny weather gave him two powerful sensations at once. One was the amazing serenity around him right now, as if nothing in the entire world could disturb him here, and the second sensation was the excitement of the unknown. That comes with traveling anywhere unfamiliar, but it wasn''t a negative or positive sensation, just one that sharpened his thoughts and senses further.


    "Only twenty-five minutes or so. We''ll be in range to see it soon..." The peace became more resonant here, since nobody else was currently traveling the path right now, though the lower population and day off of school made this a usual thing. Jane closed her eyes momentarily, thinking back to some of the other things on her mind. "I can''t wait!"


    Danny noticed that same usual excitement in Jane''s tone, but it was a little strange to see her get so psyched about a town. "Is Blue Port that incredible?"


    Jane shot Danny an angry look. "No, stupid! I mean about the graduations. Dakota is supposed to have the evaluations soon. I just know it! And once I''ve got my real Leray license in my hand, I''ll be able to challenge the world!"


    Taylor could feel a single sweat drop on her neck, appearing in fear from Jane''s current aura. "The whole world huh? Maybe you should take it one step at a time...?"


    "I know I have to wait," Jane offered. "But I''ve been waiting for so many years to have this moment come soon. And it''s right around the corner."


    Amazing! The fired and sharp look in her green eyes, all of that energy supporting her body, enough to send off powerful waves of excitement to people around her... Jane really loves Leray magic, more specifically Leray battling. Danny knew already that he was far and deep into the training of Leray magic, totally going against what Nyar said before. But there was one thing Nyar failed to recognize about magic. First of all, there was still no evidence of real danger here. Secondly, the fact that the veil saves lives also happens to be responsible for saving Taylor''s life back at the cliffs. How can Leray magic ever be a bad thing if it can do that much for a person? Taylor is still the same Taylor too, so it doesn''t have any effects on who she is as a person. No, Leray magic isn''t so bad after all, and learning how to use it in school was fun in itself. "Hey Jane?" Danny formulated. "What are the evaluations like? I mean, what do they expect you to do in order to pass?"


    Jane thought about everything she had heard, from Dakota''s standards to other training facilities as well. "Most higher ranking training sites actually make the students battle against real Leray warriors to prove themselves worthy, and let me tell you, those are the battles that make Cran look like a harmless bug. But for Dakota, I think this year all we have to do is show off about ten official skills that we''ve learned so far, and demonstrate them correctly to the instructor."


    "So it''s about providing evidence that you''ve been training a lot?"


    Jane answered Taylor''s question casually, feeling more relaxed while walking her own pace beside them. "Pretty much. I''ve learned so many spells already that I''m sure to win it. But you two better step up as well, or you won''t have enough abilities to perform."


    Danny watched as Taylor swallowed the instructions with much thought. He had confidence enough that the teacher would not just sit back and let them all fail. That would just make the rating of the school even worse, but this is also Eliza''s class, and she means business.


    Right now, Blue Port was ringing in Danny''s mind. It wasn''t the name reminding him again. The visual memory of the old map Kain showed him burned back into his retinas, as he remembered exactly where the town was on the map. Particularly, he was paying most attention to the Junon airport, because the next town was closer to Junon than Fronas was. Only by a hair, but getting closer just by a fraction reminded him about the telephone conversation he had with Nyar, and the promise he already made. Any day now, Nyar would arrive in Sprawn Valley to pick the two of them up, and they were not even paying Blue Port a permanent visit. This was just temporary. Tonight, they would be taking another step back, back to Fronas.


    There was a lot more to consider as well. Danny promised Taylor to take care of her most private and most terrible situation back at home. But how? If Nyar picks them up from here, and they leave for home, what could he do? Both his and her parents will be worried sick for their safety. They may even show up with Nyar if it really is as bad as he thought. All Taylor has to do at this point is to hide out in this particular region, that being since Gulop and Junon are sub regions separate from each other though both within the nation''s natural boundaries and the veil. So doesn''t that make Junon a bad place to go? If they took off now, it would still take much time to arrive, and it would require leaving Jane behind completely. But even if they wait long enough, it''s only a matter of time before one of their parents arrives in Fronas and finds them, and they had to be worried by now. The news event of falling off a gigantic cruise ship in the middle of the ocean probably ranks really high on the scale of an emergency situation, and it''s not as if they knew for sure whether he and Taylor were fine right now. Danny never called in since the second time he did when arriving in Fronas. It doesn''t change the fact that Nyar will most likely let everyone know he and Taylor are trapped in Sprawn valley.


    Taylor absorbed all of that silence coming from Danny. Jane was only talking to her anyway, but she could just feel that Danny was not his normal happy self this morning. It may have had something to do with eating a bad tasting MRE, but he could have that other stuff on his mind too. Taylor thought back to last week, when she broke down in tears in front of him, explaining one of the most far out and horrifying situations of all time. Though it seemed inescapable then, all of this crazy stuff happened to them anyway. In fact, arriving at Sprawn Valley only seemed to escalate the weirdness of their situation, ever since they swam to shore. Even if he wasn''t in that realm of thought, she just had to know what the current plan was to fix all of this. "Danny...?"


    Danny looked up from the ground to Taylor, who slowed down just slightly to walk side by side with him. Her expression seemed different, like she wanted to discuss something both serious and personal, but Jane was also walking just in front of him. Even though she couldn''t see and hear as well as Taylor would at this range, it was obvious enough that Jane was listening out of curiosity, probably still in detective mode about last Saturday.


    Taylor continued before confirming whether Danny was paying close attention or not, keeping her footsteps calm and in sync. "What do we do about your uncle?"


    Danny''s eyebrows lowered and twisted. She was serious about this, like her thought patterns just connected directly to his own. She also sounded kind of sad; perhaps she has already lost hope in his ability to protect her. Honestly, he wasn''t sure what there was to do, but there had to be some way... "Good question..." Still thinking in silence about how things might turn out at the airport, Danny made Taylor wait for his response. Jane slowed her pace noticeably to listen in. Thankfully, Taylor knew how to sugar code anything, making it easier to hide as much from the nearby spy. "We can''t stop him from coming to find us. So we either both stay here and wait longer, or we go now and face whatever comes."


    Taylor felt her body sink almost an inch, hating the thought about just facing things as they come. It was not a solid plan at all. "I say we stay clear of Junon at all costs. I don''t want to go just yet."


    Jane couldn''t be sure what on earth they were going on about, but it almost sounded like one of their adult guardians was on their way to come and pick them up. She wanted to ask about it, but seeing as there was more for them to discuss, Jane waited out a little longer.


    Danny shifted his arms in frustration. "We can''t avoid it forever. We have to think about what to do once we get to the airport. Like a sure plan of some kind." Having Nyar find him was unavoidable, so he would need to think of something else instead.


    "Are you two leaving soon?"


    Taylor, as well as Danny glanced over to Jane. She was walking at the same speed in front of them, but her head was facing forward in disbelief. That''s right, Taylor remembered. If she and Danny leave Sprawn Valley, whether it is in the plan or not, that means leaving Jane behind. Adventurous or not, Jane won''t want to leave the place she finds so special. "I..." Taylor couldn''t answer, so she looked at Danny, expecting him to fill in instead.


    Though it was now on him, Danny wasn''t sure if that was the best thing to do. Heading to the airport isn''t exactly the same thing as leaving Sprawn Valley, but Nyar and possibly his family will be there searching for him. "We''re not sure." He had to be honest. What else could Jane expect anyway?


    Jane''s walking speed slowed significantly, as if the news hit her right in the heart. It couldn''t be true! They just got here, and now they are going to leave? Jane could feel too many sensations building up, forcing her to stop in her tracks completely. Taylor and Danny incidentally stopped as well, with their eyes now on her. "Then why?"


    Danny didn''t understand the question, but Jane was just standing there. Her mood totally changed into something he had never seen in her before. Jane became so tense that her hands balled into fists, like she was preparing to fight something nobody else could see. Does Jane want their company that badly?


    Jane asked the question again, rephrasing the meaning. "Why did you two enroll in Dakota, if you knew you had to leave Sprawn Valley? I bet it has to do with last Saturday doesn''t it? Why won''t you tell me what''s going on?!"


    Taylor and Danny winced. Jane surely never acted like this before. Taylor had to think of any of the possible reasons for Jane being upset. She must really not want them to leave. Instead of answering Jane, Taylor looked at Danny again, hoping he would take care of this.


    It made perfect sense to why Jane would finally be upset. It was inevitable anyway, especially given they had to leave eventually. Jane was obviously well aware of their secret keeping last Saturday, and has probably connected several dots by now. She must know they are not from a family of magic. They ended up here by mistake, but how much was there to tell Jane anyway? Danny didn''t know where to begin, so he just finished what he started with Taylor, making up his mind for sure. "Taylor?" he shifted. "We need to go to Junon. It doesn''t have to be now. But... Before we get there, I''ll know what to do. Okay?"


    Taylor didn''t say anything, not for a while. Danny already made the decision in his mind. Go there anyway and face the consequences? No, it wasn''t that. He had to be thinking of some new master plan, but it needs more time to develop. What did he have in mind? And what about Jane? "Okay."


    Danny returned his attention to Jane. All three of them were no longer walking, so he tried to get that started again, while signaling to Jane to keep up. "Jane? Let''s talk."


    Jane caught up to Danny, and Taylor began moving as well. All three of them kept their speed relatively low, as to not bounce their voice around with each footstep. "So you''re going to start telling me what''s going on then?" Jane had never seen this serious side to Danny before. Usually he was just tired, lazy, or less motivated than Taylor was. So this is what he''s really like?


    Danny thought about where to begin with Jane. She still didn''t know about Taylor falling off that cliff, or any of that other business about how they got here to begin with. Jane basically knew nothing about them, and was totally absent minded to what kind of place Kalamo was. "Jane? How much do you know about Kalamo, or North America?"


    "Not much," Jane admitted. "I know a little about America, but nothing on Kalamo."


    "Kalamo is a country separate of Europe," Danny began. "It''s where Taylor and I both live. And before you ask, we didn''t know anything about Leray magic before coming to Sprawn Valley."


    Taylor was listening to all of this as well. She wanted to make sure Danny didn''t say anything too private to Jane, but it was sort of interesting to hear a story about her own self in a different viewpoint.


    Jane interrupted, "But... If you didn''t know about it, why come here? Nobody learns about Sprawn Valley and Leray magic separately."


    Danny continued with the same tone, pecking at Jane to quit interrupting. "Our trip here in Sprawn Valley was an accident; a detour. Our original travel destination was New York in America. But we were traveling by sea and..."


    Jane thought about it even more. They both got here by accident? They couldn''t have swam all the way here, and they couldn''t have used the docking port either. Otherwise, they would have already known about other places, including Blue Port Town. Vanon Port connects to a small shoreline that eventually links a path to Blue Port; it won''t go anywhere else directly.


    Danny''s story paused, as he had trouble believing the event himself. "Our cruise got caught up in a bad storm, and being the moron that I was, I took Taylor with me out onto the deck. It was right in the middle of the night too. Couldn''t see anything, and the rain was coming down too hard."


    Taylor added, "I don''t even remember why he wanted to go outside."


    Danny didn''t forget that small detail. "Remember?" He glanced at Taylor, trying to get her to see the same thing in memory. "I saw some strange green light outside. It was brighter than any normal light I''ve seen before, and it had some strange glow to it as well, all without a normal source. But when I went outside, it disappeared."


    "A green glowing light?" Jane repeated. She seemed distracted deeply by the description, forcing the other two to remain silent. Jane thought about what that meant. There were certain magical spells that made powerful lights far in the sky. But all the way over towards a cruise ship far out in the ocean outside of the country? "That sounds like Leray magic, like a spell that went astray."


    Danny twitched at the thought. "Are you saying that someone was on the deck that night using magic?"


    "No..." Jane didn''t think that was likely. Past the oceanic barrier of the Leray protection zone, even if that cruise got close to the continent, nobody would have been able to use Leray magic on the cruise. The laws of physics would not allow that. "It could have been some effect within the storm, or just a pocket of stray magic shot in the air somewhere. Anyway, you actually fell off the deck?"


    "More like we slipped off," Taylor corrected. "Right into the ocean, both of us together."


    "That''s absolutely crazy!" Even Jane didn''t believe that. Right in the middle of a storm? How would the security team even let anybody that stupid right on the deck? They fell into the ocean? Right off Sprawn Valley? That doesn''t even make any sense!


    Danny continued. "It was right off the outer barrier of Fronas, but we both didn''t know where we were, and it was so dark outside, it took a while to even see the island." Danny thought back to another detail, when the ship''s power went out. That alone was the only thing that allowed him to bypass the control panel connected to the frame unit to get outside. Otherwise, it would have been in full lock-down mode, and the three of them would not be having this conversation at all.


    "Well, we both thought it was an island," Taylor gestured. "All we saw even after arriving were the large cliffs and the natural barriers blocking our way."


    "So you just swam for it?" Jane guessed.


    Danny cleared his throat to continue. "Yes. We both made it to the delta of the place, full of wet sand and all. And seeing as a giant rock wall was blocking our way, we chose to rest a bit since we almost drowned of swimming such a distance and time."


    "I see now!" It did make sense, why Danny and Taylor survived as soon as they hit the land of the enchanted valley, and why they arrived in Fronas when there was no other official entry point. They both made Fronas their very first town to visit, when it should have been impossible otherwise. How the hell did they scale that wall? "You two survived from drowning and exhaustion as soon as you made it to the shore, because of the Leray veil!"


    "Drowning wasn''t the thing we were protected from," Taylor reminded. Jane sounded like an eager detective right now, but she wasn''t doing any of the digging.


    After a short glance was returned from Taylor, Danny knew it was time to admit that embarrassing mistake. Taylor was giving him permission to tell her after all. At least now, even though he could not forget any details about that terrible fall, he came to terms with forgiving himself for letting that happen. "Right. That... Taylor and I knew we needed to find out more about the island we landed on as to not die from hunger, so we knew we needed to get past that wall despite the risks..." He knew what his first mistake was even now, and though it wasn''t an aware fact to him at the time past, people can supposedly die of hunger, dehydration, and illness despite the veil. "I should have scouted around, but at first glance, I couldn''t even see if it was possible. Taylor and I began climbing the wall. No protection, no mercy, and no way back down."


    "I think I see where this is going..."


    Danny rewarded Jane''s guess with a nod. "Yep. I was the moron yet again, and Taylor was the one who fell, not me. The rocks we used to climb were just too slippery after that storm."


    "I fell two hundred or so feet down," Taylor rehearsed. Saying it didn''t make it easier to believe either. After all, Taylor could only remember herself beginning to escalate herself up that wall, and nothing after that. There was a gap between that moment and the moment she woke up with Danny being shocked that she was alive, in the forest south of Fronas.


    Jane''s jaw dropped with her teeth stuck out, at the fact that their story had become even more believable. That''s what made them find this place so weird! Taylor falls to her death, but fails to die right in front of Danny''s eyes. That had to be hard for both of them.


    "I couldn''t believe it," Danny announced. "Taylor should have died. As soon as she fell, I didn''t want to believe that either. I was torn between reality and what I wanted. I was glad that she was still alive, but it was just impossible. Of course, she did pass out down there, took some heavy real time damage to the back of her skull."


    "Oh my gosh." Jane was just going along with this for now. She had no idea that this was all involved in their journey here. Danny spoke about real time damage as if he didn''t fully understand its effects, but based on what he described, Taylor really came so close to death. If it weren''t for the veil, that would have been a total tragedy! Is this what they''ve been struggling with the whole time? Magic must seem freaky to these two!


    "I carried her to a different spot." Danny thought back to every moment he remembered. "Finally and inconveniently too late, I found an opening in the barrier that was weathered down. It led right into the forest south of Fronas. I had a way to jump in, since it wasn''t as inaccessible as it looked. But it was much easier than scaling a five hundred foot wall."


    "So that''s how you got in..." Jane was staring at both of their expressions. Taylor was looking really shy right about now, and Danny was grieving. With that, the guilt of her unwanted curiosity came crashing in.


    "I''m sure anyone could imagine how I reacted when Taylor woke up, right there on our way through the forest. The scar on her neck was completely gone, and Taylor was totally fine."


    "O-oh!" Jane skipped. "The Leray magic protected and then healed Taylor right on the spot."


    Taylor replied, "And I didn''t even learn what happened until later, since I was out cold."This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "We were strangers to Fronas and Leray magic," Danny clenched. "The only reason we joined Dakota was to kill more time I guess. And I was still skeptical of magic for a while, even after two demonstrations."


    Jane exhaled nervously. "I had no idea." Jane didn''t expect to hear all of that. Danny and Taylor sure were not the people she thought they were. "But I''m so sorry I asked about it."


    "No worries." Danny decided to allow this. It was too late for Jane to unlearn it now. Perhaps if she does feel bad, she''ll quit digging into people''s business. "It''s all in the past now."


    "Of course," Taylor started. "Danny can still be a blockhead about it. I already know it was just a series of accidents..."


    "Which were mostly my fault to begin with," he finished.


    Jane saw the two of them glaring at each other, like they were about to start fighting here and now. Were they always this competitive? Did Taylor realize she was mad about letting Danny feel responsibility for her?


    "As I said¡ª"


    "What about the airport?" Jane cut Taylor off, since it wasn''t relevant anyway.


    "Oh, right." Taylor still was frizzy on the details, since Danny was wanting to go along with it. "We''re supposed to go to the airport there to be picked up. Only..."


    Danny finished Taylor sentence before she let too much loose. "Only, we don''t want to leave. Getting picked up from there means going back home in Kalamo. I can''t even begin to tell you how much personal baggage is waiting for us back there."


    "I see," Jane configured. "If you go, you leave. But if you stay, you''ll be separated from your family for too long. You want to stay here because there''s too much to deal with back home." What an interesting situation!


    "Not like they would want to come here." Danny was playing along with where Jane was drawing the line. He promised Taylor earlier not to tell Jane about her situation with the Banshee people, at least not now. With everything said so far, Jane should stop asking questions about it too. "Even my uncle seems to have negative thoughts on Leray magic. I don''t know why that is though."


    "Same here," Taylor added. "Why do so many people hate Leray magic? You know that that''s the reason we didn''t know about it until now?"


    Jane closed her eyes, but with a smirk. It was an obvious answer for the entire situation. "Lots of people just don''t give it a chance, afraid of what they don''t know. People out there always say it''s unnatural, or sometimes evil. I wonder when that will calm down."


    "Well..." Danny thought about Leray battles, and all of the cool spells he has learned. Even with what happened with that robber the other day, it''s not like there was any severe way in which Leray magic could be used for crime. If people can''t die from magic, then criminals can''t use it to kill. And whatever this dark magic was, there wasn''t any evidence that it existed despite Jane being the one to bring it up. It''s like a blessing more than a curse. "I don''t see how it can be that bad."


    Jane folded her arms, continuing the walk with an affirmative attitude about some of the other history lessons that she retained. "It''s a similar situation to the Salem Witch Trials. Many women were killed because they were thought to be users of dangerous magic. While it was happening, the people accused them of using Leray magic, despite the impossibility it would serve by physical location. Remember that it didn''t happen here in Sprawn Valley."


    "Was that actually a thing that happened," Taylor sketched.


    "No," Jane responded. "I mean, the trials and the killings was real, but the so-called witches who were burned alive were just innocent people caught up in some personal business that escalated into a town''s hysteria. It didn''t even happen in Sprawn Valley. None of those people accused even knew about Leray magic, so they were practically killed for nothing. But you can clearly see how people react to things they just don''t understand."


    "I think I get what that means." Danny increased his pace, uncertain how long they have been walking, but it felt oddly great to get all of that stuff out to Jane. His breathing became easier. Jane certainly seemed to be relieved.


    "Well, it''s just like Eliza said," Jane quoted. "If you two do end up leaving Sprawn Valley, remember that you won''t be able to use Leray magic outside of the zone, even after all you''ve learned."


    "Do¡ª does that cause us to lose our abilities that we did learn, like permanently?" Taylor was going to be damned before learning all of this stuff for nothing later on.


    Jane denied, "No! Heck no. It might be different if you leave for many years at a time, but as soon as one returns to Sprawn Valley after leaving, the magic assimilates into their body like before. Using abilities you already know is just as easy at that time as well."


    Taylor sighed relief, thankful that she wouldn''t have to face that problem, but the inability to use magic outside of the country was quite alerting. She can literally not fight back as soon as she leaves, so what could Danny possibly do?


    Danny was in thought again. If he can''t use magic after leaving the zone, how the hell is he supposed to protect Taylor then? Screw seeing his family in reunion! He vowed not to let Taylor get into that Banshee stuff. That means taking all costs as well. There has to be some way out of this...


    "Look," Jane advised. "All you have to do is just remember that you are not invincible, even here. People can still die of diseases or old age, sometimes even dark magic. It''s unlikely, but I don''t want you to bring any reckless habits you learn from here to the outside world. That''s also how people can die quickly."


    "Don''t worry," Danny promised. His tone totally changed from before, sounding much more confident. "I won''t let anything bad happen. We''re also not going to just leave you here either. If we aren''t ready to go, then we won''t make a single move. But whatever happens, I''ll protect us, especially Taylor."


    Jane smirked at his vow, specifically because of how he involved Taylor''s protection significantly into his mind. It was obvious that he had some feelings for her. Jane gave Taylor a quick study, and sure enough, she desperately kept her eyes and face forward. Taylor''s face soon turned that darker aura of color again; so easy to read.


    Taylor couldn''t describe how amazing Danny''s courage felt to her, but for whatever reason, she found herself afraid to even thank him for it, and now Jane was giving her that look she did at the last sleep over. Dear god! Please don''t tell me I''m blushing again!


    "Hey Taylor?" Jane elbowed. "What did I tell you before? I think this one''s a keeper." Jane even added that creepy sexy tone of hers, making it more obvious to what she was talking about.


    "Oh, shut up Jane!" Taylor seethed through her closed teeth. While trying to keep Danny from hearing about it, Jane started laughing. Taylor just continued walking, ignoring anything he might have heard. Though he certainly wasn''t there for the sleep over thing, that didn''t mean he was totally dense.


    Danny saw some strange language exchanged between Jane and Taylor. "What are you two going on about?"


    "Agh¡ª nothing!" Taylor couldn''t pretend to sound normal anymore, and she knew that even right now, Jane was eating this up.


    Danny shook his head a little, continuing to walk straight. Whatever then. "If you say so."


    Taylor waited a moment, and then exhaled with a deep breath. Jane was of course watching her carefully. It was pretty rude of her to bring that up so suddenly. Thank god again that Danny is one of those oblivious types after all.


    Jane thought she was going to blush in sympathy. She just loved messing with people who were helplessly in love. It was one of her favorite time passers. Then, after realizing what was in front of her, Jane squinted her eyes to confirm. "Look ahead!" she pointed. "Blue Port Town, over there."


    Danny looked more closely. Jane was right; it did look like a town was visible up ahead at the end of the path. It had to be just ten more minutes away. Five more if they decide to sprint all the way there... Nobody offered though.


    "We''re finally there. Well, we will be soon," Taylor processed. It was nice to finally see a new place around here. Sprawn Valley really can''t be an island with this much room to run around in. It seemed bigger now that she could compare it to the map she had visually seen before.


    Danny felt excited again, finally getting the chance to visit the new town. Of course, they had to officially enter through the borderlines, but it was going to happen at any moment now. It was just getting weird talking to Jane about all of this stuff, but at least now, he made up his mind about the airport. We go there. Whatever happens, Taylor is promised safety.


    Jane took it all in again, the surroundings of the area. It was the same as before, since the time of day didn''t really change much, but she only noticed it a lot more now that her mind was free of thoughts regarding what secrets those two were hoarding away. The bright yellow glow of the sunlight illuminated every single leaf around them. The path was still just as open with plenty of room cutting the center, making room between the forest on the right and the left. The bird population in the area got denser as they hovered from one side to the other, singing to their families. Nobody could deny that it was a nice day out right now, and still so early - so fresh!


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: MoppySound ~ Nagi („M) {Alt Version}</a>


    <hr>


    The painted wooden sign shoved into the earth was the billboard announcing the border that the trio arrived in Blue Port Town. Though Jane had already been here multiple times in the past, she still took in the sights of the place. People were walking everywhere, still just as lively as ever.


    Danny took it all in. There were houses and structures everywhere. The homes here seemed to be built out of some finer looking wood, or they were simply newer looking, though that was only the half of it. In some distance, near the center of the endless open field, several community built structures stood out. The field was cut flat on purpose, after gravel was placed to make it a person''s walkway in the town. It looked like Fronas, only larger. Essentially, the town was upgraded by size and capacity compared to the last one. There were families walking around everywhere, adults and children. Some looked as if they belonged, while others were in some sort of uniforms going to specific places.


    Taylor studied all of the structures that were not designated as houses. The medical facility in the east corner made the one from Fronas look like a shack in the wilderness. The facility here was made out of similar metals to what would be seen on the outer design of the Dakota training facility. The inside of the facility was probably even more impressive, as would be the staff with what the mayor here could afford.


    A single well tap also populated a random unused space with other decorative structures surrounding it. Some structures of which were like miniature ponds with stone carvings trapping fresh water inside, and there were other stone patches with flowers growing on the top of them. All of it was for show, but it worked exceptionally well to bring out looks and class.


    Then there were three shops all spread out in distance. It was hard to see what they specialize in, from the outer posters or billboards attached to the shops. One of them looked like a shop for clothing and jewelry. Another one looked like a simple grocery store, and the strange one in the center of the field was one Taylor didn''t seem to identify well. This was easily six times the size of Fronas just by the open field involved.


    "Welcome to Blue Port Town," Jane announced.


    Danny''s eyebrows rose. He recognized portions of the layout from similar scenarios back home, minus the natural looks, and the total mixing of house to commerce ratio. "It''s... It''s like they just built houses right next to the businesses. But this is like nothing I''ve ever seen before."


    Jane continued her short description of the town. "Blue Port has a lot of elegance to it, but there is no Leray training facility in the town, just a general school for younger students instead. That''s why most of our students are from here. They have to travel to Dakota to learn, or to Gross City, which would take longer than an hour on foot every day."


    "Gross City?" Taylor echoed.


    Jane pointed to the western path in the distance. It looked like another section of trees were split down a medium to form another narrow section, though much wider than this one. "The exit to the west of town cuts through Arragon Forest. Travel through there takes forever, but it''s the only way from here to Gross City."


    "And by city..." Danny wasn''t sure anymore. A Leray city could be some kind of underwater kingdom if the land really was that magical.


    "I mean tall vertical buildings everywhere with little nature anywhere in sight."


    "Oh." Danny wasn''t expecting it to be that simple. Gross City was like any other large city area he was used to hearing about. It even sounded a lot like New York. But without cars as a common travel method, what takes the place of roads?


    Taylor pointed north, where another path was located well in the distance. Only this time, the gravel path beyond the split by trees was widened out a lot, as if it were designed only for vehicles to travel through instead. "Where does North go?"


    Jane cleared her throat and explained, "North of Blue Port is technically a dead end. Recently though, there have been talks of the idea for a Leray arena being built there."


    "What''s a Leray arena?" Danny questioned.


    Jane automatically answered every question asked with ease. "It''s where people get to fight in Leray battles via contests with rules bent or changed a little in round matches. It''s kind of hard to explain, but it''s a giant arena structure with thousands of people capable of watching each match."


    "That sounds awesome!" Taylor awarded.


    "It''s currently incomplete," Jane finished. After watching Taylor excitement for the arena degrade rapidly, it was obvious why so many people were here instead of there. "The arena is still just an approved idea. They''re three years or more behind the construction time it will take to make it happen."


    Taylor relaxed her muscles, after realizing that it''s not a possibility to have that kind of fun. Though Jane seemed a little disappointed about this as well, it wasn''t as easy to tell. "That''s okay. We only came here to shop, right?"


    "That''s right." Jane pointed first to the fashion shop in the distance that had some flashy logo on the front of the building. "Here we have Starcove. It''s a shop that only deals in fashion and jewelry. They don''t sell any Leray related items, and that includes dress spheres too."


    "I wish I had the money to go there," Taylor dreamed. Though if their merchandise aren''t dress spheres, such clothing wouldn''t be protected from battle damage. That still wouldn''t stop people from wearing them just for show.


    Jane changed the direction of her arm. "Then right in the center is Sentiment Pollox. Sentiment''s the company that specializes in every Leray related item you can imagine. Of course, Blue Port''s ornaments only have a limited amount of imported items. Though it''s the one we need to go to, Danny should head inside as well."


    "Um, I should?"


    Jane knew he was typical enough to sound surprised to be dragged into helping, but this time, he would be helping himself in the process. "Taylor? They sell certain food and drinks there, but also the orbs that are on that list. I''m giving it to you."


    "Wait, you''re not coming in?"


    Jane reassured Taylor that she would be fine. "It''s easy. You just go in, get the items, and checkout. I have some things in town I would like to explore, and I''ll let you stay longer after this to do the same."


    "Thanks." Taylor took the folded piece of paper from Jane, and restored it from its crumpled form. "I won''t let you down."


    Jane finished the talk with Danny after seeing Taylor become ready. "Danny? They also sell other items in there as well. Specific armors, weapons, and possibly an updated guidebook like the one you''ve already been carrying around. It''s the place to be if you want to excel in Leray battling after graduation."


    Jane immediately made it easy for him to have an interest in entering the Leray shop for his own needs. "But..." Danny realized that the currency here being different did not help. His Leray training license still had that familiar number of zero where the mark of Cr was. "I can''t afford anything in there, and Taylor''s borrowed money is being used to buy the things Eliza needs."


    "Silly," Jane remarked. "You can still go in and look around. It''s not illegal to browse what you could be aiming for later you know. And they also don''t require anyone to be a paying customer just to use the bathroom."


    Danny felt as if Jane was referencing something specific about most other stores that wasn''t pleasant, but he couldn''t recall any convenience store that ever had that kind of a rule. If they did, it wouldn''t be very convenient. The offer was very tempting however. All he had was this silly blaster. He could upgrade to anything here, anything at all. Not to mention that his own new weapon was probably at a low rating anyway. There might be no end to what they could sell at that place. "Alright. Taylor? I''m coming with you."


    "But Jane?" Taylor turned around towards Jane. "What are you going to do?"


    "Just enjoy yourselves," she ordered. "We can stay here for a while, and I want you two to get the most of it. I''ll be around as well, just outside. Or I might pay that dress store a visit." Jane quickly realized that normal dresses were not for her, seeing as anything such as those would invalidate her ability to fight in a Leray match. Imagine buying the best looking dress in the world, only to have it torn or burned up inside of a harmless match...


    "Okay," Taylor replied. "We''ll be going then." It figures she would be able to afford a cute outfit from that place.


    Jane lightly waved them on, while Danny followed Taylor towards the store. It''s not like it was that close though. They would have to walk for at least a minute or two just to get to the building, since Blue Port is so much bigger in size. Jane waited until she realized that she was now alone at last. Taylor might take some time since it would be her first moment in a store like that. But then what could she do? It''s not like Jane knew anybody in particular that lived here. She could easily find some people that go to her school, but that didn''t really make her friends with them. Danny and Taylor? They were both something else.


    Taylor arrived at the entrance of Sentiment Pollox. Traffic in and out of the medium sized store was just moderate for now, and the doors there were automatic sliders. They must run their electricity based on the same way Jane''s family provides it for themselves. Using Leray magic to generate long durations of electricity? It''s absolutely brilliant! Taylor really admired how well the people here adapt to the magic they are all able to use.


    Danny was right behind Taylor, but he walked inside first, heading a little ahead of her to see what the interior looked like. As amazing as the differences were, he had to look in all directions just to get his bearings. The interior design was much like a gas station shop mixed in with a cleaned up pawn store. It was however the cleanest and most organized store he had ever seen. With only one small counter for checking out items, the entire right side of the store had a lot of random weapons already in sight. Some of them were hanging from the walls. Axes, swords, short blades, and even a pair of gauntlets populated the walls next to sets of unusual looking orbs.


    Taylor walked in with Danny, allowing the automatic doors to shut behind them. It was certainly a nice looking store, and there was much to look at for what one could buy. The food looked as if it was in the far section in back. There were other items in the middle with many set up shelves too.


    Danny headed in further taking slow and careful steps. He had much to see, starting with all of the orbs on the shelves. There had to be over a hundred of them per isle, all stacked on top of some kind of welded in claw. The orbs were held in, less prone to rolling off the metal shelf. But there were many different sizes and colors, all organized into different sections. Danny moved on, getting closer to the weapons and armor sections.


    Taylor proceeded to the shelf containing all of the orbs. The list in front of her had several healing and MP orbs on the list. Specifically, it called for sixty health orbs that restore HP, and forty MP Booster orbs that restore MP. From where she was standing, despite the obvious signs to mark which ones were which, Taylor also noticed many other orbs as well. The healing orbs had a green top on the inside of it, appearing as a color-designed marble the size of one''s fist. The stamina orbs were of the same size, but had a blue color in the top of their interior, but there were other orbs as well, some to the right with red colored tops, and the much larger sized orbs to the left with purple colored tops.


    Danny studied the many fabrics in front of him. Though the suit designs in front of him were just for show, they stored them in boxes with serial numbers below them. It looked like you had to talk to the clerk and ask for that number just to pick one up from storage. That made sense, seeing as the store wasn''t large enough to hang up all of those suits with everything else, but there were fabrics here he had never seen before, with appropriate names as well. One of them was a black cloak with a hood, marked as an ice proof cloak. Another was a special beige colored leather outfit with red strips here and there, marked as a mercenary scoutfit.


    Scoutfit? Danny felt as if that was some kind of lame pun to go with outfit for scouts, but the quality was not that bad. In the same sign where the names had shown up, there were stats displayed in small printed text. It had red and green bars, indicating levels of protections. He read all of them under the sign for the mercenary scoutfit. "Resist fire +20%. Resist cold -5%. Resist piercing +33%. Resist Slashing +25%." Danny had to think about what that all meant. There must be hundreds of armors and suits out there that change your resistances in battle to specific types of damage. Wearing this had little downsides at all, and though it was not an ordinary dress sphere for show, it was made for magic battles anyway, meaning it was still indestructible to battle damage, so it has to hold up to all kinds of punishment.


    Taylor started bagging as many orbs as she needed to, specifically the ones on the list, but after reading the descriptions to the other orbs, there were all kinds of things she did not know before. A few of these orbs were actually in-battle use spell bombs, which are items that change many factors during a battle, only to be used once. They weren''t cheap either. Each healing orb cost 25 credits, while each MP Booster orb cost 10 credits. Based on how many she had to pick up however, it made more sense why Eliza had sent 2850 credits straight to Taylor''s card. It was originally sent to Jane, but Jane was the one who sent it to Taylor. Jane must have planned on Taylor doing the shopping in the first place.


    Danny saw another interesting sign. There was an empty slot where a suit was supposed to be. The name read mark one chainmail - coming soon. They must not have imported any to this place yet. It has to be expensive. The mercenary scoutfit was priced at 3400 credits, and that was just on clearance for now. One Kalamo coin had to be about two or three credits in this place, if they accepted their currency that is. Now that the weapons were coming up on the left, Danny shifted towards that direction.


    Taylor went for the food next. A lot of it was frozen meats, food packages, and cold drinks. At least that is what was on the list. Milk was sold here too, along with water and other brands of food she did not recognize. Taylor had to open the cold door to access each item, and put them in the large bag she picked up near the entrance. By now, the load was getting very heavy.


    Danny studied each weapon. Every single one was marked with nametags and price tags like the armor was, but even for their so-called small selection, they sure had a lot to choose from. A spiked mace, a large hammer, knives, a long sword, a short sword with a built in hand guard, a bow and arrow, flash gauntlets, a crystal staff, a metal club, hand grenades, gravity deflectors... There seemed to be no end to the variety of Leray weapons in this place. Even though they had to do much less damage than in real life due to the Leray protection zone, they were all better than his training blaster by far. After seeing how little the blaster did for him against the Cran, there was no way he wanted to keep the weapon he had now, but there was so much to choose from.


    Taylor finished packing in all of the food on the list, and immediately felt chilly afterwards. It wasn''t easy to think how one would keep the food and drinks refrigerated on the way back, but that was for Jane to worry about. And now for the weapons...


    Danny really wanted the metal gauntlets. One punch from that would have to hurt no matter what... But the short sword seemed brilliantly designed. Providing agility in battle from its lightweight and small size, the blade itself was still much longer than a knife, less wide to make it more narrow. From what he knew about some of the Leray magical abilities, swords like this could be enchanted to automatically deal magical damage in battle as well. This was like its own multi-tool for slashing damage, useful as he knew he couldn''t move like Jane could. So a sword like this was a must have... "Eight thousand credits?!" What a bummer. Even Jane could not afford that on a good day. Unlike the other items, it didn''t reach clearance levels yet. Still...


    "Hey Danny," Taylor greeted. She finally made it over to the weapons area. A few short bladed weapons as well as a spiked mace was on the list to purchase, so Taylor naturally placed them into her other shopping bag. Danny seemed to be heavily interested in the stuff, but also mysteriously disappointed.


    "Hey Tay. Can you believe how expensive the good stuff is? I''ll never get good without these things."


    "Oh." He was already interested in buying from here. The small blades were cheap, and the basic spiked mace was only 612 credits. Taylor believed that now she had reached her limit, but it was nice to see so many options about Leray related items. "Well, I''ll be done soon. There''s still a lot more cool stuff in the store, but I''ll need to find Jane first."


    "She did say we could look around. It could be hard to find her anyway if she''s gone off to mess around."


    Taylor replied, "I bet she''s out there now, training in front of everyone like it''s no big deal."


    Danny huffed. It sure sounded a lot like Jane, and if that were the case, it would be too easy to find her outside drawing attention to herself. Still, how does one make a career out of this with so much to pay for on top of it all?


    Taylor waved to Danny before heading back to the front of the store. They had three separate lanes available to ring up items using electronic equipment. Blue Port Town sure doesn''t seem to suffer from any kind of poor economy. It was much different from Fronas. Taylor made her way to the front most area, where one of the three clerks were just waiting for someone like her to start buying things at their counter. The lady only looked twenty-two years old, beautiful for her age too. The nametag on her work clothes read as Annmarie, and she was already asking Taylor about her day.


    "Hey there. I haven''t seen you here before."


    "I¡ª uh, yeah." Taylor felt a litter hotter than before. It didn''t make sense to her, but for some reason, she didn''t feel comfortable. Come on, don''t be shy about a shopping trip. "I''ve got a lot to ring up for someone."


    "Oh. You new to town?" Annmarie began ringing up each item while talking to Taylor. She made it seem as if getting to know her customers was a normal thing here.


    Taylor felt a little awkward for some reason. Perhaps since being from the outside world is a little stressing, it was just making her shy? A store like this being so different than ones in Kalamo sure didn''t help. "I''m just a visitor."


    Annmarie continued ringing up the items, but she suddenly fell quiet. Maybe Taylor was supposed to give a better answer? Why wasn''t she talking so much anymore?


    Taylor could already feel sweat between her arm pits, mostly from having to carry such heavy stuff. She began hoping this could just go a little faster. Taylor had to come up with something to talk about, perhaps something Jane already said before. "S¡ª so I hear that the arena''s still long way out of commission."


    "Yeah, they sure are slow to finish it. You a first time Leray wielder?"


    Taylor at least had a question she could answer, but it was a little intimidating. Was Annmarie a Leray wielder herself, or just here to run a store? "Um... Yeah. Actually, I still have to graduate first, but I''m not far off now."


    "I see. That makes sense." Annmarie rang up the heavy mace last. "Okay. That will be 2845 credits please." The clerk made a specific announcement that totally confused Taylor for a moment. Instead of saying the amount as two thousand eight hundred forty-five credits, Annmarie stated the value as two-eight-four-five credits. Was that supposed to be normal around here? The language couldn''t be exactly the same English format from where she was from, right? Or was this just something Annmarie did? Come to think of it, none of the four-digit price tags ever had any commas or punctuation between any of the numbers. That must be how they mark their credits here.


    Aside from that, what ''made sense''? Taylor knew that this woman was judging her somehow. She hated when people did that. Wait... 2845? That was only five credits off from the limit. How did Eliza get that close of an estimate? Taylor pulled out her training license, and read the front of it right before handing it to the woman for transaction. Just to confirm, Taylor read the section where it had the content money on the bottom, 2850 Cr.


    Annmarie took the card, and inserted the license into a slot for the machine. The machine beeped after one second, and she took the card back out. After handing it to Taylor, she said, "Have a nice day."


    "Thanks." Taylor was still looking down at her card as soon as she got it back, where the number now read 5 Cr. It was a metallic like card, but there was no visible screen, unless it was a screen itself. How did they manage to do that? There was no evidence that the card itself was fully an electronic panel, yet it somehow functioned like one. Taylor put her card away and carried back the bag she held before. With everything now in there, it was a complete and heavy collection they would now need to haul back to Fronas. But first, better find Danny.


    <hr>


    Jane sucked up some more of the fresh morning air. The sky was still as clear as it always had been here without a fluff in the sky, and with the sound of the nearby forest giving off its chirps and other mysterious bug noises, Jane felt totally at peace. Instead of running around town like she said she was going to, Jane decided to just take it easy near the east forest entrance. Though there was no real path into the woodlands that direction, Jane knew that it basically leads to a dead end on the other side anyway, with another tall rocky barrier in the way at the edge of the continent.


    After evaluating the usual atmosphere of the town, Jane began thinking more about her near future. She would be a qualified Leray wielder soon. And with much more hard work, she could become a Leray master in no time. It was only weeks or less away from now.


    Jane''s thoughts shifted to Danny and Taylor. After hearing that long and crazy story on the way here, it was almost impossible to believe that they were telling the truth. It still didn''t really account for what made Taylor so upset last Saturday, but maybe she was just homesick. Whatever it was about, Taylor and Danny... There is no way they would lie to her anymore. After all they''ve been through in the small amount of time that''s passed, Jane just knew how awesome their friendship has become. It even sounded like Taylor didn''t want to leave Sprawn Valley at all, not after being here and learning how to use Leray magic for the first time ever.


    Jane immediately snapped out of her trance, and hunched down a bit into her fighting stance. Something nearby just made a noise, coming from the woods to the east. Squirrels break tree branches and step on twigs all the time. So she soon calmed herself down from nearly being triggered off guard.


    Jane tried to zoom in on whatever was making the noise in the distance, especially as it continued over through time again and again. It sounded like something was running through the foliage in the woods up ahead, as the forests here make everything echo louder. It was impossible to see anything through all of the leaves and branches getting in the way though. Jane didn''t want to feel paranoid over nothing, but still...


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: {Deception (track mix)} ~ Freelancer OST</a> (unlisted version)


    <hr>


    Right out from behind a couple of stone boulders, a person emerged, running from their original position. Whoever it was, still too far away to make out any other defining details, the person was running really quickly as to display being in a hurry. The person was wearing a dark blue colored cloak, and holding their arms tucked into their chest. Jane just stood there, clueless as she tried to figure out what was going on in there. It wasn''t uncommon to see someone in the eastern forest here just traveling around or exploring, but this person was obviously running for his or her life, as if currently being hunted or pursued.


    Now the person changed his or her course, heading straight in Jane''s direction. It was likely to try and get out of the forest and into the better safety of town, but it also happened to be right where Jane was standing. This allowed him to get closer, allowing Jane to identify that the character was a male, or so it seemed. He was a little taller than her, grey craggy hair, his cloak wasn''t covering up any part of his head. Whoever this guy was began to identify where Jane was, and he ran even faster in her direction as a result.


    Jane instinctively took two steps back. Whoever this was, whatever the adult male was doing, it was freaking her out quickly. Who the hell is he, and why is he running so recklessly? The man tripped forward step by step until he finally emerged completely from the forest area, stumbling right in speaking range of Jane. Jane jumped back and lifted her arm up to the guy as a threat. "Stop there!"


    The unidentified man followed Jane''s warning to the letter, planting his shoes in the ground as he stiffened. He had to take several quick and deep breaths before he could even begin to try and gasp anything out, exhausted from his high pace movements earlier. The teenage girl in front of him was already getting overly cautions, holding her arm up to him in order to take aim for a magical attack. The man didn''t move an inch except to catch his breath and momentarily check all of his surroundings. "Youthful wielder," he called. "You have to help me..."


    Jane squinted her eyes in confusion. He did look as if he was running for his life, but that didn''t make him trustworthy at all. Why the hell is he holding his stomach like that? Just to be on the safe side, Jane prepared her MP energy ready to fire anything and everything if he tries anything funny, causing her right hand to form a dim aura of light. "What''s going on? Who are you?"


    This is perfect, the man thought silently. A normal looking girl who blends right into town, and in such a less populated area within Blue Port. What better choice for how to break this away? The man had to slow down his breathing before he could say anything else, and he glanced behind his position to confirm that his six was clear for now. "I need you to protect it. They''re trying to take it back, and they won''t let me go either."


    "Who? Protect what?" Jane felt frustrated, and she raised her voice to let the guy know how soon he better start talking in logical sentences. But instead of a direct response, the man in front of her reached in for what was tucked under his coat. Then he carefully pulled out the object. Jane''s heart skipped a beat. Whatever the hell that thing is could be dangerous.


    He held up his prize, a large purple orb, like many others related to Leray battle orbs, but this one was much bigger, much more solid, and it had an identifying symbol on the front of it, in the shape of some kind of crystal engrave mark; an ellipse with two perpendicular rings wrapped around the center of the eye. Jane backed away just a little more, afraid of the special sphere. "Please. I need your help. You have to protect the spell bomb on my behalf."


    "Th¡ª that thing''s a spell bomb?"


    "Yes," he replied. There wouldn''t be any point trying too hard to make this girl understand the situation; there isn''t enough time to explain everything though. How far could they be away after the ticking seconds of time? "They''re very bad men. They''re chasing me through the woods, for hours without rest, but they won''t see you with it. You have to hide and protect the orb." The man twisted his head around, checking to see if it was clear behind him.


    He then offered the large sphere to Jane. She reluctantly opened her arms out to take hold of the device, carefully in the event that this could be a trick. Jane took the orb into her hands, and nearly dropped it as soon as the guy let go. Damn thing is way heavier than it should be. Jane held it closer to her body, intent on not letting it drop to the floor. If it did fall, the glass sphere would certainly shatter, putting an end to his little request. She then looked back up at the guy, who was still looking around everywhere for anybody that he knew in particular. "Who are you? What is this thing? And why are bad people chasing you?"


    "I don''t have time to explain that. They''ll be here soon, and they''ll find you if you don''t put that thing away now!"


    Jane scrambled to her feet, fumbling for her supply sphere to hide the orb inside, but the man stopped her before she could completely open the device.


    "No! Not there. The orb won''t go inside supply spheres." The impatient man waited, while Jane thought to hide the orb under her dress sphere. It wasn''t an ideal look, since the orb was too big, and it made her belly bulge too much, but this was already taking too long. At this rate, he would have to let those people discover his presence again on purpose just to lead them away from town. "That''s good enough. They must not see you with that permanent spell orb, or it''s all over."


    "What''s over? Why won''t you just calm down and talk to me?" Jane tried and tried to figure this guy out, but he was too paranoid to listen and relax. She watched his stance change, surely was he about to take off again.


    "You''re just a teenage girl. They won''t suspect you have it even if you look that way. You have to keep that orb away from everyone else, no matter what! It''s a permanent spell bomb beyond anyone''s wildest dreams, and it is very dangerous."


    "But," Jane had to protest the unusual initiation of this guy''s unknown plight. "How is it dangerous? What is this?"


    The guy got firm and more impatient, assuming Jane not to understand the potential consequences of any mistakes. "Don''t let anyone else touch it! Not your friends, not your family, not a single soul!" With yet another paranoid glance behind him, the guy inched a few steps back, trying to put an end to any misunderstandings. "I''ve got to go and lead them off. Don''t let anyone see that thing, and don''t let it into the wrong hands. I''m warning you now!"


    "Wait!" Jane held one hand out to try and signal him to stop, but the guy was already running away back into the woods, putting the hood over his head to further conceal himself. Jane wanted to follow him, but she couldn''t make any sense of what was going on right now. He left almost as soon as he came.


    Jane hunched over more, trying to feel the orb under her dress. It sure was a solid spell bomb. And did he say permanent? Why would some random guy just give her some random spell bomb and then run off? It all happened too fast to feel normal, or to give any plausibility to his expressive fears. The man finally got further in, but not enough to hide from Jane''s eyes. That''s when she suddenly heard some more manly hollers echo in the distance.


    "Found him... He''s this way!"


    Jane held her breath, after which she saw the same man from before, running as far and as fast as he could further down the southern end of the woods, but there were two other people a little ways behind him. Dressed in some kind of dark looking suits, they chased the blue hooded man with a sheer determination. He really was running for his life. All of that trouble for one orb? Spell bombs aren''t that valuable, Jane thought. However, with a pure crystal marking on the front of the permanent spell bomb, this could be anything. It certainly was not recognizable, and the man left before he could tell Jane what it does.


    Keep it safe, Jane reminded. The man told her to keep it safe and keep it hidden. But if it can''t fit into a supply sphere, how could she hide it? This wasn''t right. All items are supposed to go inside of a supply sphere, no matter the size. Jane immediately lost track of sights and sounds from the people running around in the woods. Just like that, she was left with a responsibility that didn''t even make much sense.


    Jane looked all around her again; making sure nobody was looking. Then, she pulled up her dress a little, just enough to slide the spell bomb orb up from under her shirt. The thing was large for any kind of spell bomb, specifically larger than the size of her own head, and it looked so weird too. Jane knew how to activate spell bombs. Only the red tip ones are thrown on the ground at maximum force. The others with different coloring, probably this one as well would require magical charging just for activation.


    Jane stood alone again in thought. Who was that guy? He didn''t even tell her his name, or the orb''s name. How is she supposed to protect something she doesn''t even know about? People don''t just get chased down in the woods in plain sight, unless something major is going on. Jane certainly wasn''t about to try and figure it out firsthand; that''s what Leray agents are for, but there was nothing northeast or south of Blue Port except for more dead-ends from the rock wall mountains and more trees. It''s not like Jane had any idea what kind of marking this was. Obviously, it looked like a type of crystal for the engraved symbol, but it might as well have been unmarked. There are thousands of different effects that permanent spell bombs can carry. So what does this one do to warrant such an awkward situation?


    <hr>


    To be continued...


    <hr>


    > Liking the series so far? Click >here</a>< to continue to the next book. Don''t forget to like, bookmark, and support</a>.

 Chapter 21: Silent Etude

    <hr>


    <12/30/1971 ~ 10:35 | Blue Port Town, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    "There you are! Hey Jane!"


    Jane turned around, holding the large orb tucked under the shirt of her dress. It was Taylor and Danny together, walking back to report that the shopping was complete. Taylor was holding a large looking bag with her, most likely containing the same items she was supposed to pick up. Didn''t she understand what supply spheres were for?


    Taylor got closer to Jane before telling her about the good news. "I''ve got all of the shopping done. So now all we have to do is head on back."


    "And I got to look at some good weapons I want," Danny added. Just like Jane said, he really did benefit from browsing their Leray items. Blue Port is certainly a livelier town than Fronas is, but who could mock the place where Jane is from? That could be one''s last mistake.


    "That''s great," Jane replied. In an attempt to sound enthusiastic about Taylor''s accomplishment of shopping, Jane failed to hide her disrupted mojo from that scene they just missed in the woods.


    Taylor noticed that Jane didn''t seem very focused on them for the moment, and before coming to any real conclusions, she noticed that Jane was also hiding something large inside of her dress, creating a big budge there. Jane''s expression seemed a little upset or embarrassed. This must have been a weird time, but then what on Earth was she doing for the last few minutes?


    "Um, Jane?" Danny noticed the budge too. It was way too big to try and hide, even with Jane''s arms covering her belly. "What is that thing in your stomach? Don''t tell me you''ve been eating that much since we left?"


    Jane knew that Danny was joking about what he just said, but that was so mean! Jane immediately let as much of that anger out as possible, seeing as he deserved it. "Of course I''m not getting fat! Who do you think I am? You want a black eye or something?!"


    Danny held his arms up as a gesture that he was kidding. Jane had to know that, but instead of producing one of her usual witty comebacks, she just wasn''t in the mood for that right now. Something must have happened. "Soooooorry!"


    Jane watched Taylor step back too, and she had to take a deep breath to explain what happened. Though to be fair, Jane wasn''t even sure what that was all about back there. "Well, I can''t really hide this thing now..." Jane reached under her outfit, thankful that it was a multi-layered dress to prevent prying eyes going too far. The orb was still very heavy, so Jane struggled to hold onto the device as she presented it to Danny and Taylor. Technically, showing it off like this was the opposite of what that blue hooded man told Jane to do, but he was gone now, and Taylor was far from dangerous.


    "Whoa!" Taylor gasped.


    Danny followed in the same surprise, getting in closer to study the orb he had never seen before. "What is that thing?"


    Jane answered, "It''s a spell bomb, I think..."


    Taylor looked at the large orb carefully. After remembering what the spell bomb orbs looked like in the shop back there, this one was still of something highly unusual. Instead of being clear and having a partially colored tip on one side, the orb was all colored in some dark purple gradient design, barely translucent. There was a symbol on one side, as there was with many other orbs of all kinds. Formed in the shape of some kind of crystal, Taylor didn''t recognize the logo for it either. Where did Jane pick this thing up? "How did you afford this? What does it do?"


    Jane shook her head slightly, trying to answer as best she could. "I didn''t buy it. Someone just gave it to me. And I don''t know what it does. This thing''s got more questions than I do for the guy who offered it."


    "Is he someone you know?" Taylor pried.


    "No..." Jane was obviously concerned about why the orb was given to her at all. "No name, no reason, and it''s supposed to be a permanent spell bomb of great import."


    "Maybe he was a secret admirer?" Danny guessed more genuine than before, but Jane still gave him that look as if he was asking for a beat down. His idea of a joke was far from anything genuine or cool. Jane didn''t even answer him back, knowing he had the wrong idea for sure.


    "Well, anyway," Danny shifted. "We''ve got the goods and can go home now, but it''ll be a hassle lugging that much around. Not to mention that cold food like the milk and other stuff will get warm in this weather." It wasn''t warm despite the clear sunny day, though it wasn''t chilly either. Perfect mid-sixties!


    "Humph!" Jane''s huff was more like a muffled laugh, and it got the attention of Danny and Taylor. "You two really don''t understand how supply spheres work." Jane''s lifted mood reflected with the tone in her voice; she thought it was funny!


    Danny snapped, "Hey!" while Taylor simply acknowledged how right Jane was.


    "She is right though. We don''t know how those things work."


    "Let me show you," Jane offered. She set the spell bomb onto the floor gently under her feet, and then took a few steps closer to Taylor. After Jane took the bag out of her hands and set it on the floor, Jane pulled out her personal supply sphere from her pocket, attempting to activate the sphere. The supply sphere was a little different from regular orbs. It was much more like an opaque ball capsule with an invisible button that opens up the capsule. Though since it utilizes a special type of magic, the items are stored inside of inter-dimensional closed space. Only Jane really understood how they work.


    Since she was also the only one who knew what to do with the supply sphere, she held her capsule aimed at the large bag full of items, and then pressed the button. Jane held onto the button without letting go, which eventually caused a subtle dark blue beam to connect between the supply sphere device and the bag itself. Then, the bag turned the color of dark blue with an aura, as well as all of the items inside of the slightly opened bag. Jane just held the sphere out, waiting for the rest to happen automatically. After the entire bag turned a dark glowing blue that was hard on the eyes, it suddenly disappeared, as did the beam of light from the orb.


    Taylor and Danny were both speechless, still able to be amazed by such simple things. Jane thought it was a little funny, since this was completely normal to her. Supply spheres have been around since a long time. Though upgrades to make them even better are still in development. Even the one she was holding was now more than halfway full in capacity of what it can carry.


    Tired of the silence, Jane decided to break it off. "I know what you''re thinking, but nothing in this ball is actually compressed. It''s just sent to a different dimensional plane is all."


    "Oh, is that all?" Danny meant to be sarcastic, but the whole thing, whatever that was only gave him the creeps. What happens if a person steps into that beam?


    Jane finished her explanation, knowing one would be needed. "Look, its common magic okay. We use these all the time to haul around lots of items, which is most useful to Leray wielders who want to shift clothes or weapons right before a fight in the middle of places you couldn''t normally do so. It allows us to carry dozens of weapons, or clothes, or just your simple everyday groceries, like the bag I just beamed."


    "That''s a nifty trick," Taylor commended. "But, won''t the food and drinks still get warm inside that tiny orb?"


    "Nope." Jane was confident about anything she knew for a fact. It had to make Taylor look up to her from time to time. "Supply spheres hold individual thermal energies, so anything that stays cold stays cold. Anything that is warm usually stays warm. Supply spheres can store anything, as long as it belongs to you."


    "It sure makes grocery shopping a lot easier. But I''m not sure why a spiked mace was on the list. Who the hell plans to eat that?"


    "Very funny," Jane replied aggravated. Danny just tries too hard, and it isn''t impressive, but at least this means he isn''t in a bad mood. "Anyway, it''s the way we travel with so many items around. Our fitness still gets improved by training and battling, so it''s a win-win."


    Danny interrupted into what looked like Taylor was about to say something. "What''s to stop you from like, holding multiple supply spheres within supply spheres?"


    "It doesn''t work like that," Jane nodded. "Though it''s been tried before, the laws of inter-dimensional storage don''t allow for that, and with good reason too. Supply spheres do have storage limits, but upgrades are made all the time to try and increase the capacity. You can''t capture an entire dimension within that same dimension. If it were possible, the attempt of such would literally end the world in a split second."


    "Hey Jane?" Taylor finally got her chance to ask. "Since that spell bomb thing of yours looks so big and heavy, why don''t you just beam that up as well?"


    Jane raised her eyebrows in agreement, but that man told her it could not be done. That would make it impossible to hide, and all the more reason to use it here and now. Jane got a great idea! "For some reason, this spell bomb won''t beam up at all. Maybe its energy level is too high, or maybe it just can''t be stored. I don''t really understand why that is or what this thing does."


    "So you have a mysterious orb that does mysterious things in a mysterious way?" Danny knew it sounded stupid, but it was the truth at this level.


    Jane didn''t really have to agree since it was already known. "That''s why I want to go ahead and use it on myself. That way, the orb is consumed, and its permanent effects are infused to me."


    "That''s not a bad idea," Taylor agreed.


    "But..." Danny knew there was something wrong with the plan already. "What if the effects are something bad? Then you''ll be stuck with something that''s permanently useless."


    "Stop worrying so much," Jane ordered. Still, he did have a valid point. Luckily, there was one place in particular designed for such events, a place known as the Den of Purity. Jane didn''t know too much about it, other than its purpose of removing permanent effects that are infused via spell bombs. It''s incredibly rare for any spell bomb to carry bad effects, as long as the effects are permanent anyway. "If I use it now, I don''t have to lug it around everywhere all the time. And since it''s permanent, it lasts forever."


    Danny replied, "Well what''s stopping you? Let''s see how this goes."


    Jane nodded her head again in frustration. She knew it would take them both time to figure things out, but this was getting ridiculous. "Don''t you two keep up with your Leray studies? They don''t activate without the dome shield. You can''t use a spell bomb outside of battle, ever! They''re programmed not to work unless it detects a Siriean dome."


    Taylor winced, realizing what Jane''s plan suddenly had in mind. This meant that healing orbs and other things can be used outside of battles, but all spell bombs can only activate within an official battle perimeter. "But Jane? You can''t just go around town challenging people to battle with you. It''s illegal to do that until we''ve graduated."


    Jane growled under her breath. Of course that would be the one thing that either of them remembers from class. "Stop being so inconvenient. I know it''s not legal, but all I''m trying to do is inflict a self-used spell bomb. There won''t have to be any fighting involved."


    "That may be true, but..."


    Danny glanced at Taylor curiously. When did she ever care that much about the rules? And how would anybody find out anyway? Unless you had a snitch involved in your fake fight...


    "Besides," Jane shifted. "I know you wouldn''t tell on either of us for fake battling."


    "Us?" Taylor pointed the finger to herself, uncertain of what Jane was going on about.


    "That''s right," Jane continued. "If we''re going to have a battle when we shouldn''t, then what better trustworthy partner than you, Taylor?"


    "Wha?! Me?! Battle you?!"


    Danny turned to Taylor again, who wasn''t being very smart right now. Even he had to take Jane''s side on the count that Taylor was making a fool of her own intelligence. "Hey, Tay? She said fake battle. You won''t even have to launch or dodge a single attack."


    "Exactly," Jane clarified. "You and me initiate a battle, which will enable the use of spell bombs by either person. Then, I use my spell bomb, and exit from battle. You don''t have to fight before giving up on the fight."


    "I don''t know..." Taylor didn''t think this was a good idea, but it was Jane who was asking. Usually, it would be normal to trust Jane on an unknown situation, but even Jane doesn''t know what that spell bomb does.


    "Can it really work like that?" Danny questioned. There are tons of rules in Leray battles. Even the dome thing didn''t make full sense to him.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Of course," Jane answered. "For any Leray battle that uses a Siriean dome, either side can give up at any time, which immediately ends the battle. The one who gives up is technically declared the loser, but it''s not like Taylor and I are betting for anything either. So it literally has no other effect."


    Taylor hated this. After remembering what it was like for her back in Kalamo with her old friends, she was always the one who wouldn''t try anything new, and here she was about to do the same thing all over again, disappointing even Jane.


    "Come on Taylor," Jane pleaded. "It will be over before you know it. Since we won''t be using any attack spells, we won''t even attract a crowd. I promise!"


    Taylor saw how serious Jane was, staring into her bright and determined eyes. Jane was not going to let this go if Taylor refused... "Okay," Taylor sighed.


    "Great!" Jane hollered. "This will be awesome! I get to use a spell bomb for real!"


    "For real?" Danny repeated questioningly.


    Jane returned her attention to Danny, who with Taylor, didn''t know about her past. "Oh, right. This will be the first spell bomb I ever use at all. I''ve had training with how to use them, but those were just training orbs with no effect involved. Plus, the real ones often cost money. And this one''s on the house!" Jane''s voice became loud and obnoxious, but Danny and Taylor were used to her excitement, and this time she had good reason for it.


    "That''s what I''m worried about," Danny whispered under his breath. Jane predictably didn''t hear him, since she was already so caught up in her excitement. This was for sure something that was happening no matter what. It was still a while before he would remember every single facial expression and tone that Jane had to offer, but this one was too familiar.


    It took two minutes; both Jane and Taylor got themselves prepared near the south entrance/exit point from Blue Port Town. The area around them was not even populated with anyone else, so there would be no witnesses to see a battle illegally initiated. Jane must know what she is doing though, or she wouldn''t drag Taylor into it. Danny was standing a bit away, unofficially acting as a referee. He wouldn''t be saying much though, since it won''t be a real fight.


    "Okay," Jane yelled. She and Taylor were facing each other, fifty meters apart to make everything work like it was supposed to. Jane was ready for this, and she needed Taylor to try and initiate the battle. "You ready?"


    "Yes!" Taylor and Jane both had to raise their voice a little to hear each other at this distance. Though it was quiet in the bright sunny day and in the forest, some residual noise could be heard to the north of here where the pedestrians were walking around. Taylor waited for Jane to start the battle... But something wasn''t right. Jane was just standing there, like she didn''t know what to do.


    Jane found Taylor just standing there, as if she didn''t know what to do. "Figures," Jane muttered to the ground. I should have known. "Taylor? Do you know how to initiate a battle?"


    "Nope..." Jane was sure to hear that, even though Taylor wasn''t as loud that time. What gave Jane the idea that Taylor knew how to create the Siriean dome? In the battle against the Cran, it happened automatically. It must not be the same with human versus human battles.


    Jane shook off her frustration, and simply explained as best as she knew. "It''s easy!" Jane explained. "Just pretend that your energy is in agreement with you fighting me. Know that this is really happening. You have to create the Siriean dome by confirming in yourself that you want it to appear. You don''t even need to use Leray energy to get it up."


    Jane waited, and still nothing. After realizing that Taylor was going to take some time to figure it out, Jane tried to make the dome herself. It''s supposed to take both persons to create the dome, but in this case, Jane knew that Taylor was willing. After a very quick moment of concentration, Jane made the Siriean dome appear from the center of their battlefield. The dome started out as a dim burst of light, which expanded into a large, mostly transparent bubble around Jane and Taylor. The dome''s perimeter was very large, as Jane naturally made them that wide. Now the battle mode was ready, and Jane knew it.


    <hr>


    <Reward Spoil: N/A | Battle Mode>


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Blade Mountain ~ Pacman World 2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    Taylor saw the dome as it formed around both her and Jane. It was amazing to see how easy that was, since she was trying whatever Jane was going on about. She also noticed additional holographic text form and fade floating in the center of the new area, though it was familiar to her from the Cran battle, the spoil system showing that an official battle had been initiated. It was amazing to see it was even possible without the correct license. Anyway, Taylor was ready now. Taylor brought up her energy scope, since that is supposed to be the first official thing to the start of a battle. Even if this was all for show, Taylor wanted to make sure she could do that again, over and over.


    Jane focused on creating her energy scope too. She would need it certainly, since energy scopes can report what affects spell bombs have upon using them in battle. One of her stats would have to change as soon as she uses that large orb. She kept it by her feet like before, making sure it was ready to be used. That man who gave it to her might not want Jane to protect it this way, but what else was she supposed to do? He could have been pretending to run for his life, since that kind of stuff never happens around here anyway. Jane created her energy scope on the fly, being too used to making it appear for any kind of struggle.


    If anything changes from using that spell bomb, it will show up on that status box above Jane''s head. If somehow it only works on the opponent, than Taylor will be in for a surprise. Hopefully, this was going to be awesome.


    Danny wasn''t supposed to say anything right now. He was just watching. The battle mode that officially registers into the reward/spoil system must have been in play with that large dome there. It almost engulfed him into the battlefield as well, but he stood back just far enough. The Siriean dome was mostly transparent by sight, so he didn''t have a difficult time making out Jane and Taylor despite being on the outside. Danny reached out to touch the shield, actively blocking his attempt to enter the field without hurting him. So this is what it feels like to spectate an official battle. Now that both of them were ready to battle, it was just a matter of time for Jane to use her new spell bomb and then end the fight. "Go ahead Jane!"


    Jane followed her instructions, hunching over to pick up the large orb by her feet. The thing really was heavy, and it looked too fragile to drop as well. Some spell bombs are only activated by smashing them on the floor beneath the user, but if Jane is wrong about this one and smashes it, goodbye unusual spell bomb. It couldn''t have been dangerous either. That guy must have meant dangerous for certain people to use, and Jane sure did not consider her own hands to be the wrong hands. "Okay... So how do you function?" Jane was talking to herself in an indoor voice, holding the sphere up to her eyes to study any particular markings.


    "You ready?" Taylor hollered.


    "Yeah!" Jane saw Taylor, impatiently waiting on Jane to get it over with. Sure, this might be illegal, but using a spell bomb wasn''t illegal period. They say it is illegal to battle, not to start a battle mode. Jane studied the orb a little closer, trying to figure out how this thing works. Perhaps it''s the kind that only works with magical infusion. Jane took a deep breath, and began charging her MP energy straight into the orb she was holding up. At first, nothing happened despite her MP levels dropping rapidly, but after a few more seconds and a lot more energy, the purple sphere began to light up with a powerful glow. It''s working!


    Jane continued powering the orb until it was ready to be consumed. Much to her surprise, the weight of the orb suddenly disappeared. The phenomena was quickly explained with a new one, after the spell bomb orb began floating off from Jane''s hands. The orb was getting higher and higher, levitating against gravity. Jane no longer needed to charge any more energy into the device, but it was continuing to glow brighter and brighter as it slowly gained a little more altitude.


    Taylor watched in amazement as Jane activated the spell bomb. She had never seen anything like this before, and now whatever was going to happen would have to be incredible. Even from this distance, the orb was becoming much more visible.


    Jane watched in amazement after checking her stats real quick. The spell bomb was floating high above her, until the brightness finally overloaded into something amazing. The orb suddenly disappeared in mid-air, and in its place spawned a vertically aimed glyphring. Jane was not really controlling the glyphring from her end, as this was now happening automatically from this moment on. The glyphring however looked a lot more like a symbol with a circle drawn around it, glowing only with the purest neon hint of pink light. Jane studied the symbol as it suddenly continued drawing more light markings around it. In just a short second, that one symbol became surrounded and connected with several other symbols, which were different in shape and design, same in the color and light intensity. Overall, it appeared to be a large oval with a perfect circle inside and lines outcropping from the initial diameter, though more lights and patterns formed afterwards, growing massive in size and bright with intensity.


    Jane had never seen anything like this before. It was sure one awesome and powerful symbol to decompress into something so beautiful high above her head. The large glyph was still constructing itself too, finally finishing into a redesigned multi-layered logo of light. After the symbol completed its construction, the brightness got even more intense, until a massive and loud thick beam of pink light shot out from the very center of the symbol. The beam was incredibly thick and bright, shooting straight up into the sky. Jane didn''t know what to think anymore, and this would surely attract the entire town of Blue Port and Fronas combined. The light was almost blinding, thick enough to be seen for miles away. The thickness of it could have nearly consumed Jane if she had not stepped backwards several paces beforehand. Worse than that, the beam of light was constantly generating a low-pitched sound that was very painful to Jane''s ears. She had to cover them up forcefully.


    Taylor covered her ears in sync, ready to fall on her knees from the pain of the low pitch rumbling. Uncertain of what was going on anymore, she just stood there, hoping this would be over soon. Whatever Jane''s new spell bomb was doing, it was not performing a subtle and quiet trick.


    The beam that shoot into the sky just kept going without end. Jane had to back away a little more, since the magical force being created was causing a high-speed wind to gust everywhere. Jane''s hair was getting ready to jump off of her head from how incredibly powerful the pushing force was growing. Jane didn''t notice it at first, since the light from the constant beam was hard to look at, but high in the sky, centering to where the beam of light was concentrating on, there was suddenly a large formation of dark clouds.


    Danny couldn''t believe his eyes. There were massive hazy clouds forming over the sky, already blocking out the sunlight in an instant. Whatever this spell was doing, it began with changing the weather with little delay in time. The clouds that were forming out of nowhere had a distinct black color to them, giving them a dangerous and creepy appeal. What was even crazier was that the clouds in the sky began spinning into a vortex, right around the beam of light was being concentrated towards. "Jane, what the hell!"


    Jane wasn''t able to hear Danny or Taylor right now. The wind speed continued picking up and diffusing much of the noise, except for the ear piercing low pitch rumble coming from the solid beam of magical light. This madness must have been created by magic, since nothing else could explain this phenomenon. The gusts of wind on her face felt as if they were hitting Jane at eighty miles per hour on speed. The entire sky above them noticeably became much darker, almost to the point of pitch black already. The black clouds blocking out the sunlight and forming a vortex only spread out even more, until it was practically the entire sky that was changing in color from all directions from glowing blue pulses zooming out in all directions. Whatever this was, it was just unbelievable. How did Jane not know of a spell bomb like this before? This has to be something just for show!


    The bright pink beam of light constantly shooting into the sky finally subsided, as did the symbol that it was created from. Taylor looked all around her, as the Siriean dome suddenly disappeared. It was hard to see as it was, but Taylor knew that the battle had somehow disengaged. Did Jane call it off or something?


    <hr>


    <Reward: Canceled | Real Time Mode>


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Biocode ~ Jonathan Mayer (The Battle for Elysium)</a>


    <hr>


    Jane noticed that the battle mode automatically ended as well without her consent. The Siriean dome was just gone, but at the moment, there were bigger things to worry about. The sky above them literally became the near color of darkness, as the clouds continued to spin in their vortex and grow in size and surface area. Even now as the gigantic glyphring was gone, visual effects from above were still active. Was the spell bomb some sort of advanced summon?


    Jane checked her energy scope for changes. So far, nothing was different. As the wind speeds settled down just a little, Jane returned to face the sky again. It was both incredible and impossible. Such power, and for what exactly? The clouds closest to the spinning vortex in the sky suddenly began to disappear, and a new light was shining through. Jane had a hard time believing her eyes a few seconds ago, but what now appeared before everyone had the illusive paradox of an incredible dream.


    The growing glow of a mysterious light began beaming its way through the clouds where the vortex continued to fade from existence. This was not the light from the sun, especially with the sky still being so dark. Jane''s heartbeat pounded in her chest, as she no longer knew what to do or think anymore. Right there in the middle of the sky was the full reflection of the moon, as well as a few faint glowing distant stars around its light. Jane knew of some spells that can change the weather to certain conditions, but absolutely nothing that could have changed the time of day from sunny to nighttime.


    Danny continued backing up more and more from the scene, trying to put some distance between Jane and Taylor, and it didn''t do much to stop what was happening high in the sky. Now that it was nearly pitch darkness outside in all directions, Danny no longer felt that this spell bomb activation was a safe kind of practice.


    Taylor was backing away as well, specifically from Jane. Whatever was about to happen, it was going to have something to do with Jane. But how does a simple spell bomb change the day into night?


    Jane couldn''t think about anything else. Her mind was just as mesmerized by the scene above her as anyone else was. Everybody in Blue Port was sure to be watching the whole thing. Hopefully they didn''t notice that Jane and Taylor were attempting to battle earlier, not that it mattered much now. In all honesty, Jane felt the impending danger just as her friends did.


    Taylor gasped at the next development. The powerful glow from the full moon intensified more and more, and just when it was getting difficult to stare at, the light suddenly spread everywhere in a white-hot glow. Taylor had to shield her eyes to prevent form going blind, but the sight was followed up by a deafening sound of some kind of crash or smash.


    The light was blinding, and the noise was just as loud, but the sounds changed quickly over the short milliseconds that passed by as the earth quaked momentarily. Taylor had to try and see what was going on, which was not easy. The light finally died down just enough for Taylor to see in front of her, but the brightness still stung in her corneas, and it was hard to keep her balance with the sudden seismic activity. Somehow and out from nowhere, a massive bright white beam of light about 25 meters wide in radius smashed down all the way from the sky. The contact to the ground sent shockwaves into the earth everywhere, followed by a sonic boom from the massive force of energy putting damage into the ground and knocking Danny on his back. The light beam specifically covered up any visibility from the moon, and that from where Jane was supposed to be standing.


    Taylor couldn''t believe it, but the bright beam of light was coming from the entire moon itself, slamming down into the earth right where Jane was stationed. "Jane!" Taylor screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to reach Jane over the impossible noise of the magic beam itself.


    Danny knew there were many people standing and watching far behind him, but just like Taylor did, he too noticed that the massive and incredible beam of light was affecting Jane where she stood. Danny struggled back up and shouted towards the light. "Jane! Get out of there!"


    "Jane!" Taylor repeated. It seemed to be no use. She wasn''t even sure if Jane was somehow in the wide area of the light, since it covered anything behind it with an opaque glow. If Jane was being hit, there couldn''t be any way to survive that. "Jane!"


    Taylor wanted to keep trying again and again. The beam of light lasted for more than fifteen seconds long, and the potent force emitted by the magic created a wind too powerful for her to approach it despite her subtle attempt to shift her feet. The air blew her back too much for Taylor to move forward, as it was a struggle just to maintain her balance long enough not to get swept backwards. At long last, the massive aura of light faded quickly, leaving the sky as it was a moment ago with the moon visible in a brilliant glow in the night sky. What was revealed with the absence of that light brought Taylor to her knees. Jane really was caught in the blast, standing in the middle of where the lunar blast used to be a second ago. Jane looked like she was paralyzed in place, until she softly collapsed onto the ground a second later. "Jaaaaane!"


    Danny finally caught on to what was going on. After the blinding light from the sky disappeared, revealing Jane who had collapsed onto her face, Danny rushed forward towards Jane, who seemed to immediately lose all consciousness. Taylor was yelling as loud as she could, rushing in to help Jane. The crushing waves of wind and the painful noise was totally absent with the light, and the vortex in the black clouds seemed to calm down. At the moment, there was nothing to stop Danny from helping either. Jane looked like she was defiantly affected from whatever that was that hit her.


    Taylor sprinted as fast as she could. It would take a moment to catch up to where Jane was laying since she backed up so far to avoid getting caught in that massive blast. When Taylor got closer, she saw that Jane''s energy scope was still somehow active. The stats from here were readable, but the report didn''t make very much sense.


    Danny caught up to Jane just before Taylor did, when he noticed that the MP counter on Jane''s holographic energy scope was glitching out somehow. Instead of giving some kind of report or number, the dial percentage was flickering and changing with the numbers every millisecond. It was impossible to read, and very strange that her own energy scope was getting affected by that blast of... Whatever that was.


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    The color of Jane''s energy scope was shifty between some kind of three dimensional purple glow that was hurtful to look at. The MP levels didn''t make any sense, constantly shifting with unidentifiable markings inside. The energy scope, which is supposed to be holographic and digitally based was somehow affected by that massive blast. The entire holographic display was also glitching on and off, so there was no way Jane could be okay from that hit.


    Taylor hunched over to Jane''s body just as Danny did. Jane wasn''t even moving or making any noise. She couldn''t be dead! No way! Jane is always going on about Leray magic protection. Jane can''t be dead!


    Danny reached his hand onto the back of Jane''s neck, hoping for a pulse. It took a few seconds to register, but his hand felt the steady bump of heartbeats from Jane. It brought relief into his mind immediately. There weren''t any particular markings of injury on Jane, except for a few darker sections of skin on her arms and lower legs. The blast of lunar light must have burned her somehow, and she wasn''t awake for any of this. "Jane''s alive, but she''s unconscious."


    Taylor was relieved to hear what Danny was telling her, but she was already trembling all over from this mess. Whatever the hell happened had obviously hurt Jane enough to place her into a critical condition of health. Eventually, her energy scope disappeared on its own. That made since; she wouldn''t be able to support it any longer, but Jane needs help right now.


    "Come on," Danny commanded. He picked up Jane with his arms, holding onto her body up while her arms and legs dangled down, the style of giving her a piggyback ride. "We have to get her back to Fronas." The look of concern on Danny''s face was as genuine as it was when he had to help Taylor. This would be her first time witnessing his expression, not that it would matter. Jane is in trouble, and she needs help fast!

 Chapter 22: Consequences

    <hr>


    <12/30/1971 ~ 11:50 | Blue Port, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The town of Blue Port was still left in the same state that Jane''s mysterious spell bomb left it in. Though the time on every clock was supposed to be set to 11:50 A.M., the darkness of the sky from the pitch-black electrical storm above them told a different story. Through some of the open patches in the clouds, the dark night sky could be seen, illuminated with stars and the powerful glow of the moonlight from above. Town''s people scattered and ran from the beginning of the scene in fear. Others were too awestruck to move, their gazes towards the stars that shifted before their very eyes.


    And right now, some of those eyes were on Jane, who had taken a powerful blast of some sort of unknown light beam that was shot all the way from the moon. At least this was the visual effect the spell bomb gave off. Whatever Jane did, it must have backfired in some way. Only she might have the answers to what really happened, and Jane was too unconscious to do anything. Danny was holding Jane''s sleeping body up on his back, as if to give her a piggyback ride, but the weight distribution made her feel really heavy to him, since she wasn''t actually trying to hold on. Taylor had to give him a lot of help by making sure Jane was not about to fall backwards onto the grassy floor below them. She had to ignore some of the calls behind her in the distance while Danny pitted towards the south exit. People would be wondering if any of the three of them were affected by that vortex of light.


    Though the high-speed winds and powerful beams of magic stopped, the sky was still left as dark as death, placing the entire crowd of people behind them into a silent and observant state, though only for a few more seconds before leaving speculation to amplify. The people who witnessed enough knew just as well as Taylor that Jane was far from okay after what happened to her. Danny planned on carrying Jane like this all the way back to Fronas, which would take thirty long minutes at this current speed. Danny couldn''t sprint while holding Jane this tight. It could be too long to help Jane at all. "What do we do?"


    Danny acknowledged Taylor after readjusting for the fifth time to hold up Jane. He had to hunch down his entire body, bowing about twenty degrees forward just to keep her from slipping, while also holding on tightly to Jane''s legs under both shoulders. "We have to get her to Fronas now. We can''t leave her here at Blue Port''s medical facility."


    "Why not?" Taylor didn''t understand what the difference was other than the possible quality of service. Danny had to know something that she didn''t. "You know the way back will take a while."


    "It''s the right thing to do!" Danny argued. "The doctors here don''t know Jane. Nurse Francine and Jane''s other friends will be able to help her a lot more than the few strangers in this settlement. Somebody has to know what happened to her just now, but we won''t get those answers outside of Fronas. Besides!" Danny struggled to keep his voice up while shifting his strength. "It will be really bad for Jane, if the people here do find out what really happened. She has no protection in Blue Port."


    Taylor studied Danny''s face past the faint darkness. He looked really concerned about Jane, less willing to argue about anything else. It didn''t make as much sense to walk to the medical facility further away, but since he seems to know what he is doing... "Alright. Let''s hurry!"


    Taylor followed Danny while he tried to speed walk as fast as he could, ignoring the doom and growing chatter behind them. The minutes passed on silently with minor visual changes in the night sky. Taylor assisted Danny all the way back home, keeping her thoughts on nothing else except for Jane''s safety. She felt her chest tighten at the sight of Jane''s state however. Her face was totally shut off, her body lifeless and inactive. If it weren''t for Danny''s check on her heartbeat earlier, she would have thought Jane were really dead.


    Danny''s back felt like it could just slide off with Jane at any moment, and he wanted to collapse after finally seeing the houses in the distance towards Fronas. They seemed to have made it back after that long run. The sky on this side was somehow different. The brightness was much more intense through the thick grey colored clouds. The daytime seemed like it didn''t change at all, and the clouds above them were less intense in color and density. Not only that, but the color of the sky in general was much brighter, giving Fronas that blooming effect as if it were day time while ready to rain from above.


    Taylor supported Danny by staying close, making sure he could keep going to make it further into Jane''s hometown. There was a crowd of people sort of scattered up ahead. Maybe the people here had a similar experience with the insane weather changes over the last few minutes or so. For now, they were a little too far away to make out anyone''s face. They only had to be just a minute away from Fronas''s borderline.


    Danny kept going despite the pains in his shoulders and spine. He caught the view of the crowd of people up ahead, probably concerned for whatever was happening in Blue Port. Even from here, it looked like one person in that group up ahead spotted him and Taylor walking their way. They got the attention of the other people hanging out at the edge of Fronas outside, pointing in their direction. Finally realizing that someone had spotted him and Taylor returning, Danny intentionally fell down to his knees, hoping to let Jane down gently. She still did not recover or revive from whatever attacked her in the sky, but now it would be someone else''s problem to worry about. Danny needed a moment to recover himself, panting and breathing for life.


    Taylor assisted Jane, making sure she didn''t fall down and crack her head on the floor. It may be made of soft dirt and soil, but Danny sure didn''t go down softly either. Now almost everyone over there was rushing and dashing their way all at once, trying to figure out what happened. The first one to verbally reach them was their own teacher, Eliza.


    "You''re back! Jane!" Eliza couldn''t see too well from where she was standing. At first, it just seemed as if Jane was resting on her back from running too fast or something. Eliza needed to keep jogging, catching up to them both to figure out what the commotion up ahead was all about. After finally getting much closer, she realized that Jane was taking more than just a nap. "What happened?! Jane! Is she okay?"


    Taylor needed a moment to think alone, ignoring Eliza''s expression only for a moment. She wasn''t even sure how to answer that question. Danny was too bushed to even try to come up with an explanation. Out of breath, Taylor got right to the point. "Jane, she needs help... Help her!"


    "Jane!"


    Eliza and Taylor looked back at the growing crowd. A lot of the people here were just bystanders who were clueless as to what was going on. That last holler was Jane''s mother calling, Tiffany. Her husband was right by her side, and both of them could already see what sort of state Jane was in. Eliza had to admit quietly to herself; something happened in Blue Port, and whatever it was must have directly involved Jane. After all, it''s what brought the entire town outside to figure out what was going on. "What the hell happened?"


    "Jane," Tiffany called. "Is my baby okay? Jane?" Tiffany was willing to settle for Jane''s angry response of embarrassing her in front of other people, but there was no reply. It was as if Jane was completely asleep, unable to wake up.


    "What''s going on?! What happened to her?!" The angry man''s voice pierced through everybody else''s, causing Danny and Taylor to stare. It was Kain, the town''s Leray agent. He was here too, and by now, everybody must be aware that Jane was in some sort of serious danger.


    "She needs medical help," Danny hollered.


    "I''m getting Nurse Francine right now!" Kain took off just like that, eager to get Jane situated in the medical facility.


    Danny looked all around him. So many people were demanding a real explanation, much more about what happened to Jane. The town of Blue Port, even from the view here had massive dark flashing clouds over it. You could see the major difference in the weather spanning over the sky in all directions. Blue Port''s atmosphere was the darkest yet, but even Fronas was getting darker due to the grey clouds quickly rolling in. Danny had never even thought such a spell could exist, affecting weather for miles to come in such a bizarre way. What the hell did Jane do? Before he could think out a sentence, Taylor helped him out with an answer.


    "Jane was attacked!" she begun. "Some kind of beam from the sky, I don''t know what happened!" Taylor sounded really upset, and she had every right to be. Jane promised her that neither one of them was going to get hurt by battling each other in a fake match, yet here is all the evidence to the contrary.


    Bella was standing beside Ms. Eliza as they exchanged looks of curiosity. "That must have been the same light the townsfolk saw."


    Eliza agreed, "Yes, that flash of light in Blue Port was visible from here. And it lasted for longer than a few seconds. Taylor! You said Jane was hit by it?"


    "Yes," Danny croaked. "I had to carry her all the way back. She won''t wake up!"


    The way Danny worded his concern was beyond painful to Eliza''s own worried heart. He must have seen Jane attacked directly, but he wouldn''t have rushed all the way back to the furthest medical facility if Jane wasn''t still alive. "Alright," Eliza processed. "We''re getting a crash cart now. She should be fine in medical." Eliza turned around to the people surrounding them. "You all need to back up! Give us some space!" It took some time before the people here began to listen and obey. Jane''s family was given the clear pass to stay to kneel over Jane; they needed to make sure she was going to be okay. Eliza focused her attention suddenly to Taylor and Danny. They had to know more than what was just reported. "As soon as they take Jane in, I need you two to answer some questions."


    Danny could only nod, still tired from that run with Jane on his back. Either she was really heavy, or he was really out of shape. Whatever the case was, Danny felt powerless already to do anything about Eliza''s plan to interrogate them. She would soon learn everything, even about the illegal battle they weren''t supposed to have. At least he didn''t have to talk about it right now.


    Francine was pushing by in seconds with equipment on wheels. "Help me with the patient."


    Taylor looked up to the additional sound of some kind of moving object across the floor. The wheels bumping all over the grass were the ones attached to the mobile patient transfer unit, just a simple way to get Jane moving quickly. Nurse Francine was the one pushing the bed over, asking for assistance to get Jane onto the cart.


    Bella and Eliza both had the duty of lifting Jane carefully onto the thing, while Kain just stood confused and watched. At least now, Jane was going to be under medical watch and analysis. After Jane was placed onto the sturdy mat, Francine began pushing the cart back towards the medical facility east only a short distance away. Taylor and Danny began to follow her in the same direction, but it was well known that nobody could see patients during exams like this, unless they are a qualified doctor.


    The crowd of people here didn''t really disperse, not yet anyway. Everybody was in some kind of a near set panic. The event in Blue Port was still unexplained, and so was Jane''s condition. Telling anybody what really happened was now on Jane''s most trusted friends.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Unidentified Track AA ~ (Possibly from X-3)</a>


    <hr>


    Only twenty more minutes passed since the medics took Jane into the facility''s EI room, where they do energy examinations and surgery if necessary. Danny, Taylor, Kain, and Eliza were all sitting in the lobby of the same facility, since they weren''t allowed to just walk in and watch. Eliza was already breaking the silence with her questions, leaving Kain to just sit quietly and learn.


    "So you''re saying," Eliza confirmed, "that you don''t know what happened, and that it was an isolated event? Beams of light do not just crash down from the sky. So you''re going to have to do better than that."


    Taylor slumped back a little in shame. Eliza sure wasn''t a dense character to be reckoned with. Danny was a lot more silent than she was, after Taylor already made up her mind about how much secrecy she will provide for Jane. "It was more than that to say the least. Whatever spell was used on her; it changed the whole weather in Blue Port. No, the time of day as well." Though it was expected for Kain to be the one asking these questions being the official agent, Kain knew that Eliza would be able to get more out of her own students than anybody else ever could, and for Taylor, it was most discomforting.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "I noticed," Eliza replied. "As did everybody else who collected outside to watch. The skies here turned a pitch black as well, only it wasn''t lasting for long. Our weather conditions mostly returned to normal a few minutes after the blast of light was seen from here. But reports from Blue Port still say that it''s night time in that town, where it''s day time everywhere else."


    "That''s impossible," Danny argued. "Even for Leray magic that is beyond what we know, that just can''t be right. It makes no sense."


    "I want to know what spell Jane used," Eliza probed.


    "What are you talking about?"


    Eliza crossed her arms, already suspicious that Taylor might be covering for something Jane wasn''t supposed to be doing. "Are you really telling me, even knowing how dangerous of a state Jane is in, that nobody tried to battle her or the other way around? Because it''s essential for her own life to know what sort of attacks she may have endured, or what exact spells were used by both parties."


    Taylor could still feel the sweat accumulating on the back of her neck. She promised not to tell anybody that she and Jane had battled. Technically, Jane only used a spell bomb on herself, but both Danny and Taylor kept that detail in the dark too, playing totally dumb. If anybody finds out that Jane performed an illegal battle, her career would be over before it ever began. They would probably throw Taylor in the slammers as well.


    Even though it was dangerous, Taylor was not about to rat on her best friend. After everything they have been through; there was just no way it can stop here. But Eliza does have one solid argument. Spells that come from the sky still have an origin from somewhere. She wasn''t stupid in realizing that. If anybody in Blue Port saw a battle happening right before that blast, if even one person witnessed their fake fight, it would all be over. "Nobody battled!" Taylor sounded very defensive, but she needed to protect this one secret.


    Eliza didn''t even try to argue back in the same way. She simply leaned back and relaxed, perhaps confident that she would run down the truth one way or another. "Let''s go back again, to the part where you two separated to do your shopping."


    "That reminds me," Danny interrupted. He reached for his front pocket, pulling out Jane''s personal supply sphere. He handed it to Eliza for safekeeping. "Since we did at least finish the shopping, here''s Jane''s sphere."


    Eliza took the sphere from Danny, replacing it in her pocket. If he was so willing to hand it to her, it must mean nothing else can be learned from the contents inside. Still, Eliza won''t pass up the chance to search them thoroughly. "At least we''re resupplied now. But as I was saying..." Eliza studied both of their faces. Taylor seemed to be less calm than Danny was, so she remained facing her directly. "You and Danny completed the shopping for Jane, while she split up and did what?"


    Taylor took her time to answer, and she had to think something over from memory. As a matter of fact, there was actually something odd about the situation. Jane told them before the battle that she acquired that large spell bomb from some mysterious man. That means he is the one responsible for whatever happened back there, but that didn''t explain much else for anybody''s case. Jane was trying to hide a giant orb obtained through mysterious means. It''s even possible that Jane could have lied to her about how she obtained it. Stick to what you know, Taylor refreshed. Looking right into Eliza''s eyes, she did her best to explain. "Whatever she wanted to. Jane let us do the shopping because she wanted us both to see what it was like in a Leray store, but that allowed her to walk around town, talk to people, and do whatever she felt natural. I had no way of knowing what was going on with her at the time. Danny and I just assumed she would do more training, even if it was in front of everyone else."


    "I see."


    Taylor''s heart was pounding faster than before. Eliza was already on to her about something, but the thought of not knowing still left one possibility open for assumption. "I swear! Jane wouldn''t just battle anybody like that."


    "But she would lead you two away and then sneak off to do something she wouldn''t want you to know about."


    This time, Danny stepped in to defend Jane, even though he knew as well as Taylor that it was a lie to say the least. "Whatever happened to Jane, that flash of light; all of it happened after we got back to her from the store. She was just showing us how the supply sphere systems work."


    "Let me clarify something," Eliza allowed. "From what I received from the reports, nobody witnessed a battle between any of you at the time. However, the flash of light that the reporters did manage to see close hand slammed into Jane from above. But as mysterious as that may be, the beam of magic that affected Jane had to be very large in range. Nobody was able to get anywhere near the site of impact as it was happening, nor was it easy to look at from the intensity of its glow. And seeing as the both of you are perfectly unharmed, that leaves me to conclude that Jane was packing quite some distance from virtually everyone when she was hit by that magic. So what was she doing so far away from you before getting hit from powerful magic of unknown origin, after the fact that you returned from shopping, and after the demonstration she gave you about a supply sphere?"


    Danny was completely shut out silent, as was Taylor. No wonder Kain decided to keep his lips shut. Eliza is ten times more intelligent in her ability to push for details little at a time. If she applied to be an agent, Eliza would get the job with an automatic promotion by sheer skill alone. Taylor cleared her throat, giving Danny fair warning that it was her turn to try and fix the mess they were making deeper already. Taylor needed another second however, since there was no sure way to clear the anomaly up. Eliza had her by the neck for good. "Things got crazy when whichever spell happened - triggered. The sky was getting messed up long before any beam came from anywhere. And the winds generated from it did keep us from reaching Jane. But we don''t always stick together just because..."


    "We were exploring the town on our own terms," Danny applied. Even though he had to interrupt Taylor''s train wreck of an excuse, he knew exactly how to throw Eliza off the scent. "Even when I was in the store, I hardly helped Taylor out. I was too busy looking at all the awesome weapons for sale that I couldn''t afford. Plus, there were other places to head towards after we shopped, after Jane showed us how to use the supply sphere."


    Eliza didn''t figure out what else to say in order to trip either of them up. It''s not like she knew they were guilty, but if they were, this was the only sure way to expose any shred of hidden truth. That magic had to have come from somewhere. "I get what you''re saying, but I don''t buy into coincidences. Nobody suspicious was seen in Blue Port, and so no intruders could have done this..."


    Danny stopped her mid-sentence, raising his voice in anger as he stood up close enough to spit in her face. "Why are you doing this?! You think I''m making something up? Then say it to my face and prove it! Me and Taylor attacked Jane? Is that what you want to hear?!" There was a short silence, likely from the sudden shock factor Eliza was involved in. Danny never had to raise his voice like this before, but mixed in with the thought of Jane''s current condition, the sound of tears coming from the throat were now present. "Jane is hurt. Probably struggling to stay alive! And I would know. I had to carry her unconscious body all the way back here for help, because I knew that only the doctors here would be able to help her. I couldn''t trust her life with those strangers in Blue Port. I came back here to you people for help! I don''t want anything bad to happen to Jane, so how about you stop focusing on us and try helping her?"


    Eliza could only exhale in sympathy. The young lad did have a point. Just because nobody else was reported doesn''t mean that''s how it went down. "Calm down..." Eliza didn''t know where else to go with this, so all there was left to do now is to fix what we all can. "I was only exploring a possibility. I won''t ask again."


    "Good. I don''t take kindly to those kinds of questions," he warned. "And besides..." Danny waited until he had the attention of everyone there. After everything he learned so far about Leray magic, there was that one usual constant. "Leray magic isn''t designed to cause severe injury or death. So whatever happened to Jane couldn''t be the result of some spell. It''s questionable whether that insane spell was even in a Leray format."


    The teacher finally believed what he was saying. It was a bit surprising to see how far along Danny fared with the knowledge, which is perfect evidence that both he and Taylor have indeed been spending a lot of time with Jane. They had to care about her health, and they must already know what consequences could come from hiding any information that would prevent the proper treatment. "I hope Jane will be okay. You''ve certainly learned a lot from her already."


    Taylor relaxed her eyes, noticing that Eliza was suddenly acting a bit different. Maybe she finally got the picture after Danny''s incredible act, and felt sorry for pestering them with those questions. Taylor defiantly believed how he felt though... Danny was right too. Even a normal illegal battle like that couldn''t be used to harm Jane. It all had something to do with that spell bomb. If anyone learns that Jane used a spell bomb on herself, then it would just inevitably lead back to evidence that she was battling illegally. Spell bombs can only be used during official battles, which was why Jane conducted one with Taylor in the first place.


    "Nurse Francine wants to see you. All of you."


    Danny looked up to the deep and unfamiliar voice. There was an adult man wearing a beige business suit. He even had a pair of spectacles, though they were hanging on to his suit instead of his face. Whoever he was, Danny sure didn''t recognize him, and neither did the others, as it seemed.


    "I''m sorry..." Eliza channeled. "I don''t believe we''ve met."


    Kain stood up, showing the whole room that he knew something about this. "I''d like you all to meet Mr. Foster. He''s a Leray agent who''s currently stationed both in Fronas and in Blue Port."


    "Agent Foster," he identified. "I was hanging around Fronas off duty when the events happened in the town to the north, but that isn''t reason for me to take myself off the case. I''m currently investigating what that flash of light was. But as for right now, we need to continue our analysis of Jane''s physical state. Francine has allowed access for visiting privileges while she continues her diagnostics, and I want you all to be there to explain anything that she can''t."


    Taylor looked at everyone else, afraid of what this might mean. What was he even saying? An investigator? How could a Leray agent not be able to identify what kind of magic was used on Jane? Sure, the spell bomb was mysterious to Jane, but it''s not supposed to be unheard of.


    Kain felt uneasy about this. Mr. Foster was defiantly withholding something that he already knew. But even though it was quite bizarre for an agent to perform an intel gathering process this way, Kain didn''t object or say anything. The nurse has already done the critical examinations on Jane Venn, though Foster would want the kids to believe otherwise. Something else is unusual, new information that can lead to more openings. Kain however didn''t know exactly what it was yet, just that this guy has his own interesting method of collecting information.


    "Lead the way then," Eliza ordered. She got the others to follow her and Foster down to the room where Jane was being held. Since they would be allowed in now, perhaps some more answers may present themselves.


    Taylor kept herself as close to Danny as possible, since he is the only friend she has right now. Of course, talking to him with everyone else here wasn''t going to get much accomplished. At least they would get to see Jane to make sure she is okay. It was only a short walk there, and the place where Francine was examining Jane really did look a lot like a surgery room, just without all of that sharp and eerie looking equipment around. Instead, there were small flat panels everywhere hanging from the surrounding walls, bringing a very contradictory stanza to the initial appeal to the funding of Fronas and this specific facility.


    Jane was lying flat on her back, still out cold from whatever afflicted her so badly. Francine was hovering, but also waiting on Mr. Foster and the group to help her out with something. Though the only intention of bringing everyone here is to have them observe and watch. That''s what Foster requested to happen anyway.


    "Nurse Francine?" Foster attended. "What is the current situation?"


    Francine was walking around a lot, trying to prepare for something. It was harder to concentrate with Foster around. The tone in his voice was so sharp and precise; it made Kain look like a normal man. Francine then hovered back to Jane, and waved her hand over her body. In doing so, Jane''s personal energy scope was forced back into view again. The holographic box was smaller than usual, and phased halfway transparent as always. However, the display itself had an unusual color to everything, being that the entire energy scope was red instead of its usual orange. The exception to this was the MP count, flashing a dark blue text that defied the rest of the energy scope. "Her MP levels are critically overloaded. I''ve never seen anything like it, but I need to drain her energy now, or she won''t make it."


    Danny winced at the statement. So Jane really was in danger of death, even in the Leray zone. The energy scope looked a little more normal than before. It was glitching out the last time he seen it, but only now did he just learn that medics can force an energy scope to appear on someone against their assistance. Expecting to see the same MP status as before, Danny and Taylor both were baffled at the new change it was showcasing.


    ??????????????????????????????????????


    HP: 100% Jane Venn  M?????????P?????????:???????? ??????????1??????2??????????0????????????0??????%???????


    Unknown Recovery Error


    ??????????????????????????????????????


    For some reason, the energy scope changed from its usual orange glow to red, and for another reason, nobody else besides Danny or Taylor seemed to think that it was seriously unusual.


    "Twelve hundred percent?!" Eliza read back. "That doesn''t seem physically possible!"


    "Stand back everyone," Francine commanded. "I''m trying a hard spell to drain her overcharged MP levels. I need some space."


    Everyone did as she asked, but Taylor still wanted to know about the color differences. "Why is her scope red instead of orange?"


    "Anything''s possible at this point," Kain disclosed.


    Eliza decided to briefly put Taylor''s fears to rest, although the news wasn''t exactly grand. "A person''s energy scope changes to red to indicate critical health conditions. It only happens this way if real time damage is heavily inflicted, or if a person is getting close to certain death. It carries the meaning being the unknown recovery error message, since she can''t heal with normal Leray veil assistance." Eliza paused in her statement, after which she turned towards Danny. "Which means you were right. A Leray battle didn''t cause this. Leray magic can''t inflict real time damage, let alone change the weather for several hundred kilometers."


    "Whatever hit her somehow overcharged her energy levels, so it might carry properties of a support symbol," Foster concluded.


    Francine''s hands began glowing a bright blue color of magical energy, and a small unusually formed circular glyphring formed above where Jane was laying. She must be trying the spell to drain Jane''s energy capacity, and from the looks of it, it was already working. The MP levels on Jane''s scope were declining quickly, but it was obviously going to take Francine a while to keep it up.


    "Look at that..." Foster murmured. "If this keeps up, patient Jane should still be okay."


    "I just don''t get what spell that was, or what it did to her." For once, Taylor knew she was telling the truth. Never in her life or even in a Leray movie did anything like that happen before. It was so scary too - to be forced around with Jane being zapped helplessly. How did she even survive it? "I don''t think that even Jane knew what the hell was going on either."


    "Well we can''t just interrogate her as soon as she wakes up," Kain protested. "She''s already been through enough as it is. And Mr. Foster?" Kain addressed. "If this does turn out to be an external attack with the attempted support symbol as you''ve suggested a moment ago, I''ll be leaving Fronas to assist you directly."


    "There''s no need for that Mr. Kain." Foster declined the offer politely, though it must have been annoying for the part time agent. "You''re not the only one with a total hatred to such things. I''ll keep you posted however, since that could prove useful to any future developments."


    What the hell are they talking about? Danny figured Kain was referencing something that Foster spoke about earlier, but it was like they were speaking in code now. Do they know each other? It would be a terrible idea to ask the new agent directly...


    Francine stopped her magic as soon as her work was complete, leaving Jane''s energy below the normal threshold to allow recovery. Once it was done, the entire room heated to a temperature around ninety degrees, proving that most of that energy was dispersed in the form of heat. Francine nearly fainted on the spot after stopping, giving Eliza a reason to hold her shoulders after noticing. Using that spell for that long a time drained the life energy out of Francine as well. She hunched over, taking huge and loud breaths from the sudden pain of the drain spell, which put an enormous strain on the nurse. "I''ve done it. Jane will recover from here on."


    "Good," Foster indented. "The investigation will still remain open. Right now, we need to confirm if that magical blast was indeed dark magic. But that will be hard to do from here. I must make a few more travels elsewhere. You lot take care in the meantime." Just like that, Foster walked out of the room, and he sounded both satisfied while still holding so much stress back. It must be his job to get the truth and nothing else.


    Taylor knew that she was keeping vital information from them, but Jane was still going to be okay, and so was her career if she recovers from this. At least when Jane does wake up, she will decide for herself whether she wants the truth out. If Jane tells Taylor it is okay to start talking, then and only then will Taylor break these lips. Still, she wasn''t waking up after all of that?


    Francine finally recovered more than before, sitting in the chair behind her to rest. "She isn''t expected to wake up for a while now. You all should head home and rest. Jane will be moved to the post-treatment room, where visiting will always be allowed. She''ll have to take it easy when she comes to."


    "Thank you Nurse Francine." Eliza bowed to one of her greatest friends. She and Francine didn''t always talk to each other, but after today, even a few cocktails would go a long way; Eliza thought this to be preferable in sorting this all out.

 Chapter 23: Hazy Secrets

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    <12/30/1971 ~ 23:01 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Hours passed in the night while Jane''s family came and went to check on her current condition. According to Nurse Francine, Jane was healing nicely already, but Jane was still unconscious for a long time, still to this moment passed into a deep sleep. Though it was already getting dark outside from the natural order, Danny and Taylor decided to pay their fourth visit to Jane in the Leray medical facility of Fronas. They both managed to use the facility''s showers and change into something nicer for the purpose of just hanging around. Since the medical facility is still currently their home, they had little other places to go.


    Much of the tensions died down in the night, despite all that happened for everyone here. Even Eliza decided to return home and prepare for class again tomorrow. While Taylor and Danny were holding off on dinner, which was really their last supply of MREs, they both prepared to enter the room where Jane was resting comfortably in her bed. There wasn''t anything else to drive them either. With Jane out of commission, Danny and Taylor both realized how little there was to do in this country. This entire time, Jane had essentially been their reason for staying in Fronas, at least that is how it felt to them now.


    Though much to their surprise, Jane opened her eyes and woke up calmly to their presence. "Jane! You''re awake!" Taylor cried for joy.


    Jane felt a pounding headache in her brain, and was taken a little by surprise from Taylor''s embracing hug. She had only waken up five minutes ago, trying not to rush anything. Somehow, she woke up inside of the bed of a medical facility, and now her friends were here, surprised to even see her awake? "What happened?" Jane only now noticed how hoarse her voice was in letting anything escape her tongue.


    Danny exhaled loudly. "We''re relieved that you''re okay, after what happened back there."


    "What exactly happened?" Jane''s headache intensified enough to force her hand there by a natural human response, and she couldn''t remember a thing after arriving in Blue Port Town. The lights in the room were bright too. At least Taylor''s constant shadow helped with that a little.


    "You mean, you don''t remember?" Taylor kept her volume to a minimum, realizing that she needed to talk to Jane about her secret battle. But if Jane can''t even remember what happened...


    Jane closed her eyes, trying to recall anything and everything she could. Some thoughts came back to her automatically; much of it was talking to them earlier about Blue Port Town, but then something near the woods... That''s right! Jane recalled the events completely, despite how vague the details were. Some strange man was running from people, trying to protect a spell bomb; he gave it to Jane, and then Jane remembered trying to use that spell bomb. "I remember... A spell bomb. I tried to use it... And then nothing." Jane felt safe saying such things with nobody else around, now realizing that she must have initiated an illegal battle just for the purpose of using the device. Jane remembered nothing but blackness just after using that special spell bomb in the middle of their battle. It was strange. Did the spell work? How did she get here? Why was she unconscious a moment ago?


    Taylor exchanged worried looks with Danny. It was hard enough explaining what happened to themselves, but now even Jane couldn''t recall everything. "Jane? You were involved in some kind of accident. Your spell bomb backfired. It almost killed you!"


    "We''ll spare you the details for now," Danny allowed. "We need to take that talk outside, where nobody can pry."


    "Is it that bad?" Jane felt very weak all over, like her entire body had suffered from some kind of significant energy drain, and now her friends were acting strange. Though it is true that she initiated an illegal battle. Did anyone find out? "Okay..." Jane tried to push herself up, but for some reason, she just didn''t have the arm strength to push herself.


    "Stop!" Taylor snapped. She had to hold Jane back down to the bed. From the looks of things, Jane didn''t even have the strength to sit up, let alone stand tall. "You''re too weak to move."


    Jane pushed Taylor back a little with her arm, trying once more to lift herself off the bed. It felt like a ton of bricks were holding her down, but she strained even harder in response. The warm blanket over Jane unraveled while she sat up carefully, revealing the same wardrobe she brought with her to Blue Port. "Why am I so weak?" Jane couldn''t figure it out. Something had to happen, she just couldn''t remember...


    "Take it easy," Danny warned. He watched while Jane struggled just to stand up. That''s when Nurse Francine entered the room.


    "Jane! You shouldn''t be up right now. Please rest. You two keep a safe distance."


    Jane finally made it on her feet before her doctor could reach her, standing still to control her balance as the blankets fell to the floor. "No, I need to move around a little."


    Francine hovered around all three of them, but her eyes remained on Jane. "I can''t discharge you just yet. You''re still in recovery."


    "I just want some fresh air."


    Danny looked at Francine, who was not about to let Jane travel outside. Jane was really a stubborn person when it wasn''t the right time. "Don''t worry about it. We''ll take care of her, and she won''t go far. I promise!" Francine looked over to Danny, who seemed sure of himself. In all though, it wasn''t a good idea. But Jane really wanted to know what happened to her, and that meant talking with her friends in private. "I promise."


    Francine was about to protest, but realized that their intentions were likely to speak to Jane in private. This could be the opportunity the agents have been waiting for. Francine sighed, "Fine. I want her back in here though, before twenty minutes pass. And I''m still monitoring the patient directly during that time."


    All in agreement, Jane began to try and walk towards the entrance of the building, but she could barely move one inch at a time. Taylor moved in to help support her own weight, realizing that her balance was distorted as well.


    Once all three of them were just outside of the building, Jane took in her surroundings once more. It was dark outside, and a little chilly as well. How did that happen? It was bright and sunny a moment ago... Oh right! Jane just recalled that she had blacked out after using her orb. Whatever happened must have knocked her out for the entire day. What if she woke up days from then?


    With Francine hovering, Danny knew this was all pointless. "Francine? I think it be best if we get Jane some water. Hydration is very important for her right now."


    Francine tensed. Danny must have had this idea as a backup plan, and cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. He knew from overhearing her conversation that the medical storage tank needed immediate resupply from the well tap of the town, which has to be done manually. Even if she doesn''t perform the operation herself, someone else needed to. No, that will take too long. Kain will already take care of it, but not quick enough. "I''ll be right back." Francine knew there was at least a small portion of unused drinking water somewhere near her desk, only seconds away. Surly it won''t take too much time to let them disclose information between themselves.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Music: Peurs Et Pleurs ~ Electrypnose</a>


    <hr>


    After waiting to be clear of Francine, Taylor made sure she wasn''t being heard, and spoke softly with a firm tone. "Okay..." Taylor wanted to set the terms for Jane to speak, but even she was slightly distracted in deep thought about what she had to figure out. Even if Jane didn''t remember what happened, maybe she remembered why it happened. "We covered your secret about the battle we weren''t supposed to have."


    Jane winced, surprised that they kept a large secret even with as much physical danger she was already in. It was conflicting to think they either respected her more than they cared for her, or it was just a fluke. "Wow! Thanks!"


    Danny nodded and folded his arms with respect. "Yeah. Eliza and the other agents are eager for the truth, but for now, they don''t suspect any one of us has done anything illegal. But now it''s your turn." There will be plenty of time to talk. Danny had it all mapped out. It was obvious that Francine would take under sixty seconds to find some water, but right about now, the teacher Lisa should be inside of the facility conversing with Francine and expressing her sympathy about what actually happened. It buys a few extra minutes, and he knew Lisa was coming to ask Francine what happened with Jane.


    "Wha-me?" Jane pointed to herself, waiting to see if both of her friends were in agreement.


    Taylor replied, "Yes you. I lied my hat off and still have no explanation for what I just saw back there. So it''s time to start talking."


    Taylor''s tone was becoming increasingly demanding. Jane took that as her cue to tell them the whole truth... "But... I don''t remember what happened to me."


    Danny hinted, "You don''t remember that blinding blast of light that struck you like a beam from the moon itself? Not even the severe weather changes?"


    Jane really had no idea what they were talking about. The very last thing she could remember was activating the spell bomb in battle, and then nothing... "Sorry. I wasn''t lying about that."


    Danny wasn''t giving up, and his body language was calm yet open to flashing his emotions to Jane. "Then tell us what you do remember, when we weren''t there. You sent Taylor and me into the shop. So what were you up to?" Eliza had a legitimate question before, and now that he could use it on Jane...


    Taylor looked at Danny briefly, then back to Jane without saying one word. She wanted to know the truth as much as Danny did, and it was obvious enough to Jane. It felt like being put on the stand for some sort of crime, but if they kept her secret from the agents, they still had to be her friends even now. Jane exhaled with a deep breath. She didn''t forget what happened then. "I wasn''t trying to do anything wrong. While you two were away, I went near the forest to the east of Blue Port, but not outside the actual boundary of town. I really didn''t even move much from where you found me..." Jane gave herself a second of silence. Both of them were staring blankly at her, waiting for the entire report. "Anyway, some sort of commotion was going on in there. I can''t tell what it was about, but some guy just dashed out of there into Blue Port, particularly interested in me."


    "Interested how?" Taylor reached. If Francine can just stay back for a little while longer...


    Jane continued, "I''m not sure. He insisted that I was the right one to hold onto the spell bomb. He''s the one who gave that thing to me in the first place. At first I thought he was out to get me, with the way he approached."


    "What made you trust him?" Danny wondered.


    "I don''t know," Jane replied. "He said something about running from dangerous people, who were bad criminals trying to use the orb to do bad things. Then he told me that I could help him out by protecting the spell bomb. The people chasing him were supposed to want the orb more than the guy who approached me, but he wouldn''t let them have it."


    "I have no idea what you are talking about."


    Jane inhaled in response to Danny''s confusion. It made little sense to her as well, but Jane could only explain what she understood. "He wanted me to protect the spell bomb, keep it safe from the wrong hands. And then he just ran off, and I saw that he really was being pursued by more strange men."


    "Let me get this straight," Danny began. "You''re telling me that some crazy dude you don''t even have a name for, gives you a powerful and dangerous unknown spell bomb, tells you to keep it safe and out of the wrong hands. And then, you challenge Tay to a battle, just so that you can test out the orb for yourself?! What was going through your mind Jane?"


    "I don''t know!" Jane snapped. "I thought maybe it would be safer if I used it. Nobody can steal the permanent effects of an orb if it''s already been used. I thought it was a good idea then."


    "You could have died!" Danny continued his harsh tone, not letting up even for Taylor to try and pitch in. Forget worrying about Francine eavesdropping. This has gone on long enough. Jane really let herself slip this time. She had no business field-testing an orb given to her by a dangerous unknown stranger. What an idiot!


    Jane''s face probably never looked as guilty as it had right now. "I take it to mean the spell didn''t work?"


    Taylor shrugged with a nod, and Danny turned around for a second. He had to let himself simmer down, or else the entire town would hear his testimony. Once he turned back to face Jane again, Danny answered the question again. "Oh it worked all right. Worked in bending the damn space-time continuum or whatever bullshit the people have going on here. What the hell is it with you people anyway? Have you lost your already insane mind?"


    "Danny!"


    Danny held his breath, still enraged by Jane''s recklessness. But now Taylor getting upset, at him! Eager to let her speak her peace, Danny shushed himself.


    Taylor waited until it was clear for her to speak. Surely, his voice level rising this high already had Francine coming back towards them, but she wasn''t in plain sight. "All we know Jane, is that the spell bomb thing, whatever you did affected everything. It changed the weather from day to night only in Blue Port. Then a vortex of clouds formed with your spell symbol, and some beam from the moon light zapped you unconscious. You had to be medicalized for god''s sake!"


    "Not to mention all the lifting I had to do to carry you back here." Danny''s tone had significantly calmed down. Perhaps he was growing cynical with what Jane did to herself. "A spell bomb with permanent effects on the user huh? Maybe that one was designed to make you permanently sleep. Whatever it did to you, we''ll sure figure it out soon enough."


    "I''m sorry," Jane apologized.


    "I''m sorry too," Danny retorted. He wasn''t having any of Jane''s worthless apologies. "Sorry that I let you drag both of us into this. Sorry that I put so much trust into your magic spells and delusions. I''m sorry we''ve had the misfortune of meeting you." Danny never felt this frustrated in all his life, and he turned around, walking back towards the medical facility, seeing as how he lives there for the next few weeks. If Taylor had been on the receiving end of that blast of light, Jane would have been fortunate behind the safety of a jail cell.


    Taylor wanted to stop him and keep him here, but Danny looked like he wanted to punch a wall in right now. Taylor knew that this was most unusual. Danny never gets upset like this, ever. What Jane did must have really ruined his trust with her. Still, even Taylor felt a little betrayed by all of this in her own way.


    "Wait!" Jane tried to call Danny back, but he wasn''t even listening to her anymore. Danny just went straight back into the medical facility, forgetting anything about his plan to hold Francine away. Jane of course didn''t have knowledge of that, thus it wasn''t on her mind.


    Taylor decided to wrap this up herself, giving Jane plenty of time to sort it out. "Just let him be." Taylor waited until Jane focused on her again. "You promised no more secrets between us. I think that''s why he''s pissed off."


    "I didn''t mean to keep that stuff from you. I didn''t know it was dangerous."


    "That''s why you should have asked. Strangers are not to be trusted," Taylor claimed. "Jane? I really hope that whatever that light beam did to you failed to affect any of your parameters, because it was really dangerous. You almost died for sure." Taylor waited. Jane looked at the ground, ashamed at herself while speechless. "Just keep yourself monitored for the next few days. We can get back to school tomorrow if you want to keep hanging around with us. But don''t expect sentiment from me or Danny anymore."


    Jane couldn''t be sure, but Taylor seemed much less upset than Danny was. Maybe she was getting another chance? "I didn''t mean to lie."


    "I know," Taylor exclaimed. "Just talk to us next time. Because if you don''t, there won''t be a next time."


    Jane felt her stomach turn and her head spin. In the past, Jane never struggled to initially form friendships. Mostly, they left for another town, or were temporary visitors from other places. Sometimes, Jane made mistakes with her choices of people, but this was beyond different. It sounded a lot right now like Taylor was forgiving her, even after having nothing to offer or say. Danny was much more pissed off, but even he might get over it and hang out with her again. And to think that they lied to the Leray Agency just for her sake... Jane never had these kinds of friends before, and they weren''t exactly together for a long time either. The entire concept had Jane''s mind tangled up in a knot.


    Taylor walked away, heading to the medical facility where she lived as well. She was probably going to go calm down Danny, make him chill out some more. Tomorrow is Friday, and school is still in. All Jane had to do now was check out and go home. She felt drained like before, but much more improved since first waking up. That had to be enough reason to get sent back home. Francine can''t keep her in recovery forever, especially not now.


    But Jane took another long moment to think things over. It was already nighttime from today, which meant she skipped over everything else that happened. Danny and Taylor weren''t very keen on giving her insight to exactly everything that happened to her while she was out, probably because they were worried sick for her own health. One spell bomb really caused all of this chaos.


    Then there is the other fact that Danny and Taylor are both ready to look out for her like that. Jane thought Danny was the type that didn''t give much of a damn about anything, but now there is evidence to the contrary. There had to be more to what was going on, not just about Jane''s friends and the dangerous spell bomb, but about other things too. How did she get so lucky to find people like this?

 Chapter 24: Absence

    <hr>


    <12/31/1971 ~ 09:45 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The night passed on as if it were a normal day, but Danny and Taylor could detect only the atmosphere in Fronas. Whatever may be happening in Blue Port is still yet to be determined. The effects of the weather shift are expected to return to normal in all associated regions, but talk news was all over town. The incident even made national headlines on ProCom news.


    School was never canceled, so that meant another class session was in for the morning of Friday. The sunlight in town was only half as intense as it normally was, accompanied by a thin fog that crept in overnight, and the people walking around were moving cautiously. Everybody must still be shaken up from what they saw. From Fronas, not much could be determined, but the same visual sighting from that blast in the sky was probably viewable from the entire Gulop region.


    Danny and Taylor had to try and get things back to normal. They entered their class like everybody else did, expecting to meet up with Jane on the way to the desks. It was a longer walk with so much still on his mind. Danny slept okay last night, but it didn''t help much with all he had to think about now. Eliza would still probably make them focus on their studies and training, but everything that happened yesterday was everybody''s business. As for Francine''s detour away from the private conversation, she ended up being distracted by more than what Danny planned for, until his return inside of the facility. He couldn''t hide his emotions well last night, but what Francine thinks of it now doesn''t matter anymore.


    Walking alongside Taylor who was also silent, Danny wrapped his head mostly around the way he sounded yesterday. He remembered getting so angry with Jane, without much of a certainty as to why. Sure she lied, and to her, it was probably a tiny white lie as well when it came to the origins of the spell bomb. Jane didn''t know anything herself, so how could she tell the truth? Using an unknown powerful spell bomb on herself in the middle of an illegal battle; that was Jane''s thing now. Taylor only went with it because she trusted Jane. That''s why she was so reluctant to agree to that fake battle yesterday. Taylor still trusted Jane''s facade, so far as he remembered everything so clearly.


    How could he not? Spawning some super powerful magic from the sky... No, the entire moon phased into some kind of auric beam. The very sight of it took his breath away. It somehow intentionally smashed down into Jane, as if done by design. Then Jane''s energy scope was so messed up by the damage, obvious signs that it was no ordinary Leray magic. Even Eliza would agree with that much. And to think that all of this happened while he was looking at Leray weapons for sale...


    "You okay?" Taylor tried to examine Danny''s face for whatever he might be thinking. It was an easy guess as to what it was about, but Danny looked like he had lost his dog. That monotone expressionless face, it gave her the creeps. Though they were both walking to class together, the other students passing by in the hallways were all murmuring gossip about yesterday''s events, particularly about Jane.


    Danny looked up a little, skipping Taylor''s glare. Everything about the hallways here were familiar to him, but he had only been enrolled at Dakota for less than two weeks. Even after learning much about the cool Leray magic he sought to discover, absolutely nothing could dissuade his thoughts away from Jane. The first time they met was in class, with that long and annoying stare down. Jane was strange, and certainly pretty for her age, so he followed her out of class to learn why she didn''t care at all for Leray magic. And what did he find? "Sure..."


    Danny gave his response finally, getting Taylor to be silent. He wasn''t trying to ignore her, but the memories on automatic playback were unstoppable. It felt like Danny needed to revisit every single moment, so he kept on, right from where they really met. Jane left class to go train her skills to peak in the hallway. She could have used a dark room, or the great outdoors, but she must have done it in the wrong place on purpose. Jane knew he and Taylor would try to get to know her better, forcefully if necessary. At first, she was pretending to be the school bully. It''s hard to see without all of the extra stuff in between that which he and Taylor both became such great friends with Jane. But why? Danny and Taylor grew up together by circumstance of placement, and it took years for him and Taylor to get along with each other this well.


    Jane is another story. She''s tough on herself, arrogant as hell, and carries around an energy that stuns everyone. Her anger can make a hardened criminal shy away. Her smile could cure any illness. And all at the same time, she''s the most unusual, most annoying girl he''s ever met! All she wants to do is go on some journey and have good friends? Then why does she have to be such a freaking idiot?!


    "You''re thinking about Jane still, aren''t you?" Taylor could tell that Danny was in a trance, but she didn''t want to be ignored, not today of all days.


    Danny continued his thoughts first. Of course he was still thinking about Jane, but how? He and Taylor have known Jane for less time than they''ve known about Sprawn Valley. In one day, they began practicing together, training together, teaching each other, encouraging each other. It was only three or so nights before Jane had them both stop by her house and Taylor held her own sleepover with Jane. The moment felt so distant now, but for that night, everything was so blissful. It might even be easy to see how Taylor wasn''t mad at Jane for much of a moment at all. Taylor always had trouble keeping the friends she made back home after a year of time. It makes sense to why she wants to hang on for Jane a little longer. "Who isn''t thinking about Jane these days?"


    His remark had evidence all around them. People were either talking about the flash of light, or about how Jane was collapsed after having been rushed here on Danny''s back. It was incredible and relieving at the same time that nobody here was pestering Danny about the details, if they truly remembered everything right for their eyes. "Hm." Taylor faced forward again, realizing they needed to turn here since they were almost at their class already. Danny was right, but that wasn''t really an answer. Taylor tried to remember the same sense of excitement she had so many times in a row before, but it was just diminished right now. Leray magic was a good part of life here, but Jane was the one with an incredible sense of adventure and determination, the only one who actually made Leray magic wonderful and interesting. It made Taylor comfortable in a way she could not describe, but after yesterday, all of those feelings hid away somewhere. Was Jane going to be like the same person in class today as she always was, and what are all of the other students going to say about her? Nobody missed it when Danny came into town, Jane unconscious and in serious health on his back while the medical team had to carry her in. She was okay last night after she woke up, at least she looked healthy enough. Talk about a speedy recovery. Knowing her, Jane could already be fully recovered by now, trying to forget that incident ever happened at all.


    Danny walked through the door, already open from the other students. Class was still settling, even though it starts in only two minutes. At least five more people were not here yet, and the others were still situating, moving around from seat to seat as usual. Eliza was getting herself situated as well, setting up her things on her desk, but even she looked distracted and disenchanting. There was no doubt about it. The atmosphere of normality had been disturbed even today. The students were more quiet and melancholy, just as Danny was. Though they aren''t really Jane''s friends, they must still look up to her for inspiration. After those neat tricks she pulled Wednesday with the evasion therapy, how could anyone not be impacted by Jane''s brilliance?


    Taylor sat down next to Danny as usual. The one empty seat in front of her was reserved for Jane lately, and was still empty while the other late ones snuck in. It''s not like anyone gets penalized for being late, so it made less of an entrance than one would have usually recognized in a normal school. Taylor forgot how lenient the school system is here compared to standard schools back in Kalamo. Just asking the wrong teacher to use the bathroom can become grounds for automatic detention. Wonder if they even have a detention here?


    Danny studied Eliza''s expression steadily. She looked just as messed up by this as he did. What kind of lesson was she about to pull out of her hat this time, now that everyone has all lost their mojo? Why even have school in session today of all days? A national level incident wasn''t enough to call for a break here?


    Eliza finally got herself prepared to speak to the class, just after the initial bells rang through the speaker systems. Eliza first glanced at the clock, making sure it was only ten A.M., and then she noticed that there was one seat empty. After a quick and careful count of heads, forcing her to let the class wait even longer, there was certainly a student missing today. As fate would have it, Jane was totally absent.


    Normally, it may be practical for Jane to skip out on class and train some more instead of learning, but that only happened after checking in with Eliza first. This time, there was nothing of her presence. She had not seen Jane all day, even if it was early in the morning. After a short call yesterday night however, Eliza learned that Jane was discharged from medical. So her earlier condition shouldn''t actually be a physical barrier either. "Does anyone have the whereabouts of Jane?"


    Heads turned everywhere, with her very name super volatile with everyone in the room. Danny and Taylor exchanged glances as well. As far as they knew from this morning, Jane was discharged as healthy, and viable to return to her home as she did. Her parents were supposedly worried about her, but Danny and Taylor only heard of it this morning from Nurse Francine. Neither one of them had actually seen Jane, not even walking with her in school. So where the hell was she?


    Eliza sighed, daring not to think of the number of reasons that would leave Jane out this time. "Very well then. That will have to go on her attendance." Eliza recalled the lesson plans she had for today, which were specifically altered from the original plans. "Today class, we will simply be engaged in free form training. Learn any skill you want, and brush up on the ones you know if need be. But make sure you''re training for something. I don''t want to see anybody wasting time. We''ll head to the dark room as we usually would. Once class ends, you may find Lisa to brush up on your evasion therapy as planned this afternoon."


    Taylor had forgotten about this in the earlier confusion. Evasion therapy class was supposed to be today, but due to the events, Eliza wasn''t even taking part it in, nor was it being made a big deal as it should. Why even host school today if things are this bad? Every word coming from Eliza''s mouth are totally depressing and degraded of all passion.


    Danny couldn''t believe this! No way was that the actual lesson plan in the original form. She changed it, sheared down today''s events on purpose. Even their own teacher was way off from her normal mood. Eliza didn''t even offer half the amount of enthusiasm she normally would with announcing a free-for-all training. The life''s been drained out of everyone! Is Jane''s absence too much to handle, that we all have to resort to free form loose training?


    Taylor couldn''t blame the teacher for the decision. There was no way that was part of the original lesson plan with how things were speeding up from the start of this week. But with Eliza far out of phase from the events yesterday, how the hell is she going to be on top of her own game today? Nobody was capable of being exceptional right now, though the dark room awaited everyone anyway.


    <hr>


    The dark room, just as large and oddly colored as usual. The students each lined up in their chosen workspace, aiming more spells at the walls. Most of them were already chanting them successfully, focusing on the ones that made use of glyphrings, but Danny and Taylor were far from the mood to practice anything. It goes without saying that they first needed to make sure that Jane was okay. Others around them failed to find motivation as well, but they hardly were willing or capable enough to try and find Jane by themselves.


    Eliza was standing alone, performing little to no action at all near the entrance of the dark room. Both Danny and Taylor were in sync to follow her up and ask questions. Though Taylor went first. "Miss Eliza?"


    The teacher turned to face both of them, certain that she was either going to be buying or selling information related to Jane Venn. "I don''t even need to ask what this is about, do I?"


    Danny simply began with the part of Jane''s absence that made little sense. "Is Jane absent frequently?"


    Eliza nodded, with her eyes widening in response that they didn''t already figure that out. "No way in any dimension. It''s rare to have any student absent for reasons other than illnesses or exhaustion. But Jane is the kind of person who wouldn''t even let an attack like yesterday''s get the best of her."


    Taylor looked at Danny again, trying to figure out which one is the right question to ask. "I thought Jane checked out from medical last night, to go home in good health."


    Eliza folded her arms, thinking about what that could really mean. "Though some nurses often overlook a complete recovery protocol, I got the call myself. Jane was in enough health to return home and rest. But her parents did most of the work. She could even be out from the continued need to rest right now... I can''t blame her. If I got hit from a blast in the sky, you think I would show up for work?"


    Danny began to see where this was going. He and Taylor were probably worrying for nothing, but it still isn''t like Jane not to tell them about it, right...? Come again, Danny believed he knew Jane top down bottom up yesterday, until she went and performed a stunt like that. "I guess not..."


    Eliza could sense it with her eyes, the worry on both their faces. She was worried too, but obligated as a teacher not to dwell into their private lives like that. Jane''s parents would not let her stay home if nothing was wrong with her. Even though lots of people were worried for Jane, Taylor and Danny in particular were special. Jane accepts them into everything she does; she had ever since they arrived in Fronas. It''s amazing to see how much she accepted them so quickly since their enrollment into Dakota. With friends like that, it can''t be a bad idea to let them deal with the personal stuff.


    Taylor didn''t know what to say. Sure Jane may be tired, and Eliza also has a point. Still, Taylor was far from sure of herself. She picked up on it immediately, the fact that her own teacher just disclosed confidential medical information on a patient to people not even in Jane''s biological family. It goes to show how much the teacher is aware of the pact they have with Jane, but it also goes to show how much Eliza cares too. With a student who always tries harder than what is physically possible, and takes love for Leray magic to a whole new level, Jane has to be Eliza''s most favorite student. It''s not hard to believe that Jane and Eliza were good friends too behind some scenes. But for this one thing, Taylor just had to be certain.


    Eliza noticed a growing silence of anticipation. It''s like they wanted to ask her for permission, but were too fazed to even talk about it. It would be the best way, and with friends like that, neither one of them were going to do well in basic practice with too much on their mind. "Very well," Eliza permitted. They both looked strangely at her for answering to something that didn''t even leave their lips. "You both have my permission to check up on Jane''s family. But that''s it!"


    Taylor could feel it, every sector of the muscles in her body relaxed more than they had all morning. "Thanks! I promise we''ll be right back." Danny was looking at Taylor in agreement, ready to take off to Jane''s house.


    Eliza warned, "Take your time. Class isn''t officially over today until two." Her two students nodded and left in a haste out the door. It was a little unusual to keep an early class going for so long, but there were grace periods, and the evaluation had to come up sometime. With those two in charge of Jane''s situation, maybe she can come back and everything will return to normal.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Music: Calm ~ Aleksander Randjelovic (Genesis Rising OST)</a>


    <hr>


    A passionate fire; burning so hot, young, and strong. Danny thought of a short poem verse that might describe Jane perfectly... Okay, it wasn''t perfect, but it was still accurate. Jane was not only the center of attention in the entire town, but her very effort reflected in the eyes of her peers, even her friends. And that fire spread from person to person, connecting with Jane, only to burn out if ever she did. Is this the reason everyone is in a deterred mood today? Does Jane really control that much encouragement, that her very health and wellbeing determines that of the school and her friends as well? Danny missed that sensation. It wasn''t long ago before he was watching Jane move so elegantly on Wednesday with her evasion training against her own teacher. Monday, he had his first battle ever against a low-level creature, but he won because of Jane''s determination. It sparked just as much fire into him and Taylor as she had for herself. Sometimes it was even just the desire to outperform Jane at her own game that allowed him to focus so well. Even if Jane is always obnoxious and annoying, there is never a dull moment spent with or around her. She is the center of interest in town because she is so fired up all the time, and Danny could no longer pretend that all of it wasn''t at least just a little bit fun. He missed that feeling around every corner. There is no way he was about to let that go away for good. If Jane is just moping around, we''ll both drag her out of bed together. Whatever the case may be, he''s going to find out right now!


    Taylor was speed walking alongside Danny, noticing how quickly his stance and muscle tensing changed. He looked angry or edgy about something, but they were only a few more feet from Jane''s house already. All they had to do was walk right up to the front door and knock. Even though it was early, and normally it could be a little rude, this was no time at all for over-polite manners.


    Danny went first, giving the wooden door two solid consecutive knocks. Of course, it was going to take a few moments to tell if anybody was planning to open the door. The noises coming from the inside were really muffled out from the soundproof walls and ceiling. Though the house was made out of wood, it was very well built to be so sturdy and elegant.


    Taylor heard the noise level increase closer to the door, indicating that someone did in fact hear the knock, and was going to open the entrance. Expecting to see Jane, Jane''s father poked his head out to meet the knockers. They were immediately recognized, but it was automatically awkward since they were not exactly invited here.


    Smith slightly slid his door open a little more, knowing that Danny and Taylor have been inside twice before and could be trusted thus far. But did Jane invite them here for something earlier? It didn''t make much sense to have them here now. "Can I help you?" he croaked.


    Taylor picked up Danny''s momentum as well, standing strong to indicate that she wanted answers from Jane immediately. "Yes. We were wondering where Jane is?"


    Smith exhaled quickly, "Jane''s sleeping. You''re not to bother her right now."


    Smith was about to shut the door right in their face, but Danny stopped it with his shoe. That interaction seemed to make Smith glare at Danny with a dangerous confusion, while giving him plenty of chance to explain what this was about. "Please. We won''t bother her. We just want to know if she is okay."


    Smith''s expression froze where it was, creating a silence that fell to question on him. The both of Jane''s friends were standing right here. And all they wanted to do was check up on her? Why did they have to do this so personally?


    "Are those Jane''s friends?" Tiffany quizzed. She was currently taking care of their dinner table when she spotted some people at the front door while Smith was conversing with them. "Will you please let them in dear?"


    Smith did as his wife asked him to, since it wouldn''t hurt anything anyway. Danny and Taylor both found their way inside, but took their time to get around. They intentionally waited downstairs until they were given permission to see Jane upstairs, if that is where she really was.


    Tiffany approached both of them first, "What can we do for you?"


    Taylor felt her nerves calm, even though Jane must not have been well. After being in her house though, it almost felt like better days when Jane was showing the both of them around. The feeling of such happiness and wonderful memories flooded her mind just by what she could see here. Tiffany didn''t look worried, but she really seemed to be in charge of Jane today. "I... I want to talk to Jane. I think she might be upset about yesterday."


    Tiffany stood taller, forced to remember that scene. "If you''re wondering about Jane''s absence in school this morning, I''m afraid her mental state has nothing to do with it."


    "Don''t either of you be too pessimistic. Jane is sick," Smith summarized. "But she''ll be fine. And I need the two of you to keep it quiet while she rests."


    "Oh." Taylor felt surprised. When did Jane ever get sick? Was it something serious?


    "It''s probably a flu," Tiffany assumed. "She has a high fever, so we''re keeping her out of school today and tomorrow if necessary."


    Danny tensed to that sort of news. Jane was really sick, and here he was thinking it was just a morale issue with her today. "That''s terrible!" he whispered, trying not to wake Jane up.


    Smith and Tiffany both walked to where the sofa and recliners where. After sitting down there, Danny and Taylor followed the same actions, with Taylor sitting on the recliner, and Danny standing up. It was weird, having a sit down like this in front of Jane''s family while she was upstairs and incapacitated.


    "You two should be in class, yes?" Tiffany wanted to see how they felt about Jane in particular. She already knew they were friends, but Jane is often very selective with the people she wants to hang out with. "You''ll miss training."


    Danny nodded, and though Taylor seemed in agreement as well, he expressed his concerns before she could. "I can''t worry about that right now. Not while Jane is sick like you say."


    "You really worry about her, huh?"


    Taylor studied Smith''s reaction. It was like they were testing the power of the friendship they had with Jane, but Taylor was just fine with the end result. "Of course we do! Jane and us have been through a lot in just a couple of weeks. She''s our training partner, so that makes her health our concern too."


    In most situations, Taylor was being just a little forceful about that concept, but Jane''s family didn''t seem to mind it at all, quite the opposite in fact. "I''m so glad that Jane has such wonderful people looking after her," Tiffany expressed. Jane chose such wonderful people to follow her this time. They''re like a new formed family! "And when she graduates to go on her journey, I''ll feel so comfortable knowing you will be traveling with her."


    Danny sent the same blessing. "For now, that is the current plan."


    Smith seemed to lighten up. It had a lot more to do with chattering around than sitting on his couch. "You two like Leray magic a lot, don''t you?"


    "Well..." Danny took a pause in his answer. That would be hard to agree to. Jane is the one who loves Leray magic... So then why is he here, checking up on Jane? Why is he staying in Fronas to keep Taylor safe? Where does all of this end?


    Taylor cut him off since he wanted time to think about it. There was no need to keep the truth from Jane''s own parents, not right now. "We do, but we''re still kind of new to it all. We''re not originally from Sprawn Valley."


    "How do you like it so far?" Tiffany quizzed


    Taylor took the liberty to answer for Danny again, and her mood seemed to be lifting at the same time, just a little. "It''s great here! We''ve only been in Fronas, and to Blue Port once, but things in Sprawn Valley are so different, as with the magic stuff too."


    "Hm!" Smith exhaled in a confident utter. "Well Jane still wins hands down with her excitement for Leray magic. She was born for the stuff. I bet she''s way ahead of you two put together."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Danny didn''t answer, and Taylor felt a little embarrassed by how high above them Jane was on a skill level. Jane really is so strong with Leray magic, and has the most unique understanding anyone has ever demonstrated before. "Well, when you say it like that..." Taylor could tell she was having just a little more fun than before. She and Danny had been talking and thinking about Jane all day, but with her family here to focus on the good memories, it certainly made her feel better about everything.


    Danny came to a question he didn''t want to, and since it regarded how he felt about Jane, kept it to himself indefinitely. Taylor looked around left and right, suddenly distracted by some certain detail bugging her. "Doesn''t Jane have a sister? Where is she now?"


    Smith felt his blood pressure rising again, but he tried to control his temper as best he could. "It''s like Iona doesn''t even live here anymore. I don''t know what that one has been up to of late, but she won''t come home. Only calling in every two or three days..."


    Taylor felt a bit surprised. Sure, Jane''s sister was the older one, and probably more of the trouble making type... But Iona is still Jane''s family! "How could she? Does she even care about the stuff going on with Jane?!"


    "Only over the phone deer," Tiffany finished. To her, it wasn''t surprising at all. Typical Iona behavior these days was to brush off her own family only to call in every so often. Iona already heard of the news regarding Jane, but still refused to return home for a proper family night. It may still have much to do with the constant arguments Iona and her dad get into. Such a rebellious type for no good reason. It went without saying that Jane and Iona were opposites.


    Danny could tell that Smith hated talking about Iona. It was obvious how tense he became in the last ten seconds, and it was best to leave that subject alone once again. "So, Jane will be okay, right?"


    "Of course," Smith eased. "No need to worry. It could just be a cold."


    "But..." Taylor knew it made little sense, the details from last night. "Why would the medical facility discharge her if she was so sick?"


    Tiffany answered, "Well, the only symptoms of fever and weakness occurred this morning when we tried to wake her up. As far as the doctors are concerned, Jane was fine when they released her. Of course what do they know?" Tiffany worded her tone to make it sound as if the doctors didn''t have the slightest idea what was going on with Jane lately. "But if her fever does not break, we will be taking her back there for treatment."


    Danny ducked his head down slightly, again in deep thought... Sure, they think Jane will be alright. But Leray magic doesn''t protect from illnesses. That''s what everyone keeps saying anyway.


    "You know, don''t you?"


    Danny perked his head back up, realizing that Smith was studying him like a bug. At least it didn''t feel as creepy as it did before. Danny didn''t think he had a crush on Jane anyway after his long thought process, but be damned if he was about to let anything bad befall her. Wait. What do I know? What did Smith just ask? "Huh?"


    Smith continued, "I know you''re both concerned. Jane is ill, bad enough as that may be. Leray magic has zero protection or effect on any aliments of sickness in Sprawn Valley, or anywhere else. But that doesn''t mean that Jane is walking around with a deadly virus. At worse, it has to be a flu."


    Just a simple flu? Don''t certain flu strands kill people? It wasn''t easy to be certain. All he could do right now is trust her father''s judgment. "Yeah, you''re right." Danny still wasn''t sure, but this was their own daughter they were talking about. Not only are they biologically programed to love Jane, taking into account all they''ve been through since her birth, there is no denying the fact that even Jane''s parents could be overlooking something deadly simply because it would be unbearable to consider. But it worked for him too. A flu sounds better than anything else does so far, because that means Jane will recover and be fine within a week or less.


    "She''s asleep for now, so you can''t go upstairs to bother her," Tiffany ordered. "Either way, Jane has the best people looking after her right now, so you should be heading along now with your studies. I imagine class is still in session?"


    Taylor thought about what all of them were saying. Jane probably was going to be fine, and so would Taylor just by hearing Tiffany''s testimony. But she wasn''t okay right now. Jane may be asleep, but Taylor had a flu once, a nasty illness if she ever did have one. Once a fever gets high enough, displeasure skyrockets, and hallucinations can even occur. Jane''s parents had a lot to look after. They were certainly capable, but after all Jane has done for her, there was at least one easy way of returning a favor short hand. "Actually, I want to help out." Smith and Tiffany both looked at Taylor with curiosity. "You know, around the house, or just helping take care of Jane."


    "Now - now, you don''t have to do that..."


    Taylor cut Smith off before he could finish. "I want to though. I know I don''t owe you anything, but I just want to help out for Jane''s sake."


    Tiffany smiled helplessly. "You really care about Jane more than I thought."


    "She helps us out in tight spots," Danny added. "And if it were me sick in bed, I know I would feel better having my friends looking after me from some kind of distance." Danny''s choice of words made it sound like he was referring to any old friends, but in truth, he had none. Most of them back in Kalamo were just acquaintances, and being cool guys, they aren''t the kind of people who watch other dudes recover from illness. Of course, he never could have made that comparison in his mind before coming here and learning as much as he had, but he did consider Taylor to be a good friend, while Jane another. It sounded like a lot of housework had to get done, but if Taylor was in, so was he. "I''ll help out too - with anything you need."


    "That''s good to hear," Smith sounded. "For now we''ll start with a little house cleaning, eh?"


    They began standing up. Danny was already standing, but he felt that same familiar confidence he craved before. It was different this time, because all he needed to do was believe that Jane is going to be okay from this. While helping her family out was not a requirement at all, it was for some odd reason more fun than training with his Leray abilities in class. Helping out with house chores would not be too bad either. Jane''s parents had to be trusting them more from this. Taylor must have also felt the same sense of greatness just by being in this house. Of course, it wasn''t the house that was so special; it was what they were doing for Jane.


    <hr>


    Little time passed while Danny and Taylor began near the kitchen. Jane''s parents already finished eating lunch, being that they are early birds. Little things like counter cleaning, sweeping, and dishes needed to be dealt with. Jane''s mother and father were helping out as well, making small talk with Jane''s friends in the process.


    "So how did you first meet Jane?" Tiffany had asked Taylor about that moment, while she was putting away the dishes that Taylor was scrubbing.


    The running water made it harder to hear, so Taylor spoke up when she answered. "Oh, that..." Taylor didn''t forget, but it was so hard to believe that only several days ago, she hated Jane''s guts. Since she was pretending to be smarter and better than her, (although Jane probably still thinks that today without saying it), it was inevitable to feel she was a rival. "Actually, Jane was bullying us to start." Taylor immediately noticed concern expressed on Tiffany''s face, and realized it was bad paraphrasing on her part. "No, I mean, she was pretend bulling."


    "Why on earth would she pretend to bully you?" Tiffany asked.


    Taylor had to think of how to put that into words, since it made little sense herself. "She was testing us I think. Jane wanted to know how much Danny and I cared about Leray magic before doing anything else. But if you ask me, it''s a strange way to make friends like that."


    "Strange indeed," Tiffany responded. "But all things considered, it does sound like something Jane would do. So in the beginning, you practically hated her."


    "Ah¡ª no! Not that!" Taylor didn''t mean for her story to come out like that. "I mean, I just didn''t like her as much is all."


    Tiffany laughed at Taylor''s embarrassment. "You''re lucky Jane isn''t awake to hear you now."


    Taylor laughed sympathetically with a nervous style. If Jane did know what Taylor was saying, even if she was just joking, a massive Fire Bolt to her face would be Jane''s most lenient punishment. Taylor returned to scrubbing more plates. Her thoughts echoed back to the memories of her and Jane. "Still..." she continued, "It was that very day after when she offered to train us personally. We of course accepted, after seeing how skilled she really was."


    "It''s definitely something to be proud of." Smith''s familiar voice was slightly unexpected. He had just come from outside, helping Danny keep the lawn tidy. Although, everyone''s front and back yard in Fronas was practically the same as the lawn of the entire flat field which makes up the town. Danny was with him, returned from their last duties when he caught Taylor saying great things about Jane''s physical persona.


    Danny saw Taylor again, and waved a simple greeting. "Hey Tay." Taylor lifted her hand up and turned her head slightly in response. Seems like there was still plenty to do, and Jane was still the top subject today. Must be the top gossip lately for the school as well, though for other reasons.


    Tiffany continued helping Taylor with what she meant to say, she already knew it herself. "Jane has always been trying her hardest to learn Leray magic. Ever since she was little, she dreamed of becoming a Leray master. Now it seems she''s taken some of her own classmates under wing. You know Jane once tried to train two teens before?"


    "How did that turn out?" Danny tested. He already knew that Jane mentioned it once before, but not with much detail. Therefore, he was about to learn something interesting, probably something that could embarrass Jane if she were here.


    "They weren''t listening to her because they didn''t care about becoming Leray masters. The students only wanted to fly by on good grades no matter what it took without all the effort. So Jane just left them alone. And when there was no change in their attitude, she sort of exploded on them both."


    From what Tiffany was saying, Taylor knew she heard about this before, most likely from Eliza, except for the explosion part. Now it seemed more appropriate that Tiffany meant Jane exploding with outbursts of rage and fury, but a magical explosion of energy could also live up to Jane''s reputation too. Needless to say, they weren''t very tight after that. Poor Jane. All she wanted were friends who would also spar with her. Now that she has them both...


    Smith looked at Danny, then to Taylor. "How much have you successfully learned from her already?"


    Danny went first, since Taylor was distracted at the sign of almost being done with her work. "Like everyone else, we first had to learn how to use Radial Stars. Jane showed us that. But then she showed us other powers as well. I can now use Fire Bolt because of her, and that''s not something first years are good at learning with only two weeks of experience."


    "Of course," Taylor mentioned, "Jane has several abilities she has yet to learn as well. She really gives it her all. I''m trying to learn Shadow Wave next."


    "Taylor," Tiffany called. "Can you get the rag pack from the closet? It''s getting time to check Jane''s fever again."


    "Of course." Taylor walked out of the kitchen, with the closet being located in the living room''s edge.


    That just left Danny with Smith and Tiffany, triggering another conversation. "So," Smith began. "You and Taylor seem like a tight couple as well. You two best friends?"


    Danny felt like he was getting ready to sweat. Was Smith match making him and Taylor, or was his phrasing just a little off? "Yeah. Me and Taylor are good friends, since a long time ago. And we''re both from the same parts in Kalamo, so it''s hard not to bump into each other back home."


    "Of course we didn''t know anything about Leray magic back then," Taylor echoed. She had been paying attention too, already returned with an opened bag of small rags in her hands. They were meant to handle Jane, but Tiffany needed to wet them down first. "That didn''t stop Danny from being a doof sometimes."


    "Hey, I''m not a doof!" Danny took that insult defensively, but the others were close to chuckling at his reaction. Short tempered and predictable. That''s what they must have thought of him now. "Besides, I''m not the one who would always chicken out of things back home."


    "I didn''t chicken out!" Taylor looked at Jane''s parents in shame, realizing that she just lied to herself. There were hundreds of strange things Danny made her try, whether it was the spiciest food around, or just a simple skateboard ride down a slope. "Much..." Taylor felt the extra much was at least necessary.


    Smith tilted his head in response. "I think I''m starting to get the picture." They were both still young after all. Danny and Taylor must rarely let up on childish teasing and arguing with each other over the stupidest things. One might begin to think they were brother and sister.


    Tiffany folded over the complete rag, after soaking it in icy water from a container. She held it out, trying to make it fresh. "This one''s ready, but first we should check Jane''s temp again."


    "May I?" Taylor held out her hands, offering to help out with this as well. It was obvious that she wanted a chance to see Jane''s condition for herself. It was hard to believe at all that she was sick, and Taylor needed to see it firsthand to believe it so.


    Danny felt comfortable that Taylor is still her old self as usual. She does things like this all the time. While concern for Jane is in the way, it''s also true that Taylor won''t be comfortable with bad news unless she can learn it from a more direct source. Somehow, by checking up on Jane, Taylor might feel better about the whole thing. But if she doesn''t...


    Tiffany hesitated with a pause, picking up on Taylor''s intentions, but as long as she was going to take care of Jane in the process, there wasn''t a problem with it. Tiffany handed the cloth to Taylor, along with the tint thermometer she was hiding in her hand. "Sure. Just keep it quiet and low if she''s asleep."


    Danny felt a little left out, but it was still no big deal. Jane was alive after all, and still somewhat recovering from that light blast yesterday... Come to think of it, Jane''s incident from yesterday and this morning''s illness are really close together in timing. What if the two aliments are related somehow?


    "I will." Taylor took the instruments, and headed upstairs. Her shoes were a bit loud on the wooden built stairs that squeaked slightly with each step, but Jane''s room was a bit of the way up anyway. Danny and the others were left downstairs to continue that chitchat.


    Taylor slowly opened the room to Jane''s door. Well enough she was there, but Jane was deeply wrapped under her comforter. She looked like she was trying to stay warm, but it wasn''t even cold in the house right now. Courtesy of the fever she has?


    The sunlight barely peaked through her window, partially blocked by random puffy clouds in the sky. Jane''s room was still just a little bit messy as usual, but there was plenty of room to walk around in. Jane on the other hand looked like a totally different person. She shifted in her bed, now facing Taylor. Her face was pale, and it looked like she was wearing pajamas under the crack of the blanket. Taylor wondered what Jane was thinking right now, but as she approached Jane, it was as if she never took notice to register Taylor''s entrance. "Hey Jane..."


    Once Taylor got close enough, she could clearly see that Jane was literally sweating everywhere and shivering at the same time. Taylor first took the thermometer, and asked Jane to use it. "Here Jane, fever check."


    Jane was staring off blankly, and her pupils were really small. Jane tried to whisper something out of her mouth, but her lips barely moved at all, making her sentence hard to understand. "I... Trick move. Ugh..."


    "What?" Taylor mumbled.


    "Fire Bolt..."


    Taylor tilted her head. It was like Jane was dreaming with her eyes open, or she was in some kind of trance. Taylor moved her hand in front of Jane''s face. Jane wasn''t even coherent enough to know that Taylor was there. Even more strangely, the size of her pupils were unchanged from Taylor''s hand blocking out more of the light. Confused, Taylor put the thermometer in Jane''s mouth anyway, hoping not to get her saliva on her hand. Taylor then had to keep Jane''s mouth closed with the other hand, since she was still sort of trying to speak. How could Jane be this badly out of whack?


    Only a few seconds passed for the thermometer to report the temperature, and it rung up as 104.9<sup>o </sup>F on scale. Taylor was stunned. 104.9?! That''s really high for a fever of any kind. Not to mention that thermometers are always a little bit off downside when used under the tongue, assuming that rumor is true. Taylor took the device out of Jane''s mouth, and still she wasn''t responding to her presence... Jane is hallucinating!


    Taylor scrambled for that cold rag she brought up with her, placing it firmly on Jane''s head. It took a moment for her to respond at all. Even while she was in a trance, Jane moved her right hand and pressed down on her forehead. It was like she still knew that a nice cold rag was there, but wasn''t she just shivering a moment ago? Damn! The fever must also be giving her one hell of a headache. This is bad. Taylor wasn''t expecting symptoms like this.


    After taking a stress-relieving gulp, Taylor made sure everything around the room and around Jane was perfect. That warming comforter wasn''t helping much, but what else could Jane do in this state? Her parents should know that the fever got higher. Jane wasn''t even responding to anything Taylor did or said to her. She was technically awake, but too far out of it to understand. Taylor turned around, taking only the fever checker with her out of the room.


    After passing back downstairs, Taylor faced all three of them, Danny, Tiffany, and Smith, but it was hard to say anything at first.


    "How is she?" Smith requested.


    Taylor took a short breath, and told them of the news. "Jane''s fever is at one hundred and four point nine. She''s hallucinating already."


    Danny gasped silently, while Smith and Tiffany glanced at each other in synchronicity. Tiffany rushed to the closet on her feet, responding with an upset attitude while Smith thought of what to do next. "I''ll put a cooling blanket over her. If her fever doesn''t go down in the next ten minutes, she''s going back to medical."


    "We''ll take care of her," Smith promised. He was currently talking to Danny and Taylor, but his body language immediately suggested that he and Tiffany wanted to take it over from here. "I think now is a good time for you lads to head home. There''s nothing you can do for her here."


    Taylor opened her mouth to disagree, but she couldn''t. What could she really do to help bring a whole fever down? Even with a Leray Ice Ball, it isn''t going to work on a fever like that. What Jane really needed now was her own caring mother, and the medical facility if her parents choose so. Most importantly, they both need space to take care of this. "Okay." Taylor felt disappointed, but more so worried. She continued down the stairs, dragging Danny along on signal. "Come on."


    Danny knew this wasn''t good. His first clue came when Taylor didn''t come downstairs all carefree like he expected her to, but this was worse than he initially imagined.


    "We appreciate the help." Smith didn''t want them to think their visit here was for nothing. "Now all we can do is wait." Danny and Taylor both nodded in agreement with him, and then left the house through the front entrance. Smith then returned to his thoughts. He wasn''t a doctor himself, but to get such a fever this high and so suddenly, it makes no sense.


    Danny and Taylor shut the door on their way out, and put just a small distance between Jane''s house and themselves on the field. Taylor felt even more depressed now, but what could anyone do anymore? Why was Jane so sick all the sudden? "Agh!"


    Danny immediately noticed Taylor''s frustration. "Want to practice some spells?" Danny''s offer brought Taylor back to attention, but she wasn''t sure why he was asking that now. "It helps me to unwind a little. Take your mind off this just a small bit."


    "Fine," Taylor snapped. It was better than standing here doing nothing. Both Danny and Taylor walked away some more, putting some distance between each other and Jane''s house as to not attract attention from them. This was their new common standard method of practicing old skills. Since they needed to learn how to dodge attacks as well as deliver them, Taylor and Danny would shoot off attacks at each other now, dodging each successful invocation if they could. Since Dakota was no longer taking evasion therapy seriously, this would still work out for them both.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Music: Homeless Life ~ Lorne Balfe (Beyond Two Souls OST)</a>


    <hr>


    Taylor went first, quickly charging her MP energy into her newest learned attack skill. Creating a large red glyphring around her wrist with a flame symbol inside, Taylor cast off her move almost immediately, releasing her energy into a massive ball of fire heading for Danny straight away. "Fire Bolt!"


    Danny jumped to the left out of the way to dodge, but he intentionally waited until the last second, like Jane knew to. Fire Bolt is the upgraded version of Fire Ball, and has homing projectile properties. Dodging at the last second is the only way to move out of its trajectory in time, which is exactly what Danny did. At the same time he was dodging, he was also charging some MP energy for his own attack.


    Danny began forming the same red glyphring around his wrist. He then lifted his arm to aim, and hollered the spell "Fire Bolt!" Danny knew the skill now as well, as a large bolt of fire shot from his open hand without fail. Taylor dodged the Fire Bolt by spinning left to dodge at the last second. It worked equally as well as it did for Danny.


    Danny waited for Taylor to fire off another attack, but while they had the field to themselves, he also tried to figure out Jane''s condition. The strangeness about the timing was still there. "Tay? Do you think it''s weird for Jane to have this mysterious illness only a day after she was hit by that light pulse?"


    Taylor was about to send another attack over, but she stopped immediately, lowering her arms slowly in response to what Danny just said. Jane''s illness and that light pulse, related? "Danny... If they are related, we have to tell someone, or fix it somehow."


    "Yeah, but¡ª"


    "I''m serious!" Taylor hollered. "Jane won''t recover without help if that''s really the case."


    "I hear ya," Danny pleaded. "But we don''t know for sure if they are connected." Danny folded his arms, since it usually helps him think faster. Taylor was relaxed too, unable to continue training with the new thought on her mind. It was a little surprising that she didn''t pick up on that already. Then again, neither did her family. "We don''t even know what that spell bomb did."


    "It doesn''t matter," Taylor realized. "This has gotten too far off now. We have to tell someone what really happened. Only then can we figure out why Jane is sick."


    "But we can''t, remember?" Danny needed not remind Taylor just how serious of an offense it was to illegally use Leray magic. Taylor''s name was attached to that crime as well, and moreover, Jane still wants them both to keep it a secret. "It''s not a secret for us to tell, and Jane wants her name clear."


    Taylor brushed her hair and took a deep breath. "Danny? If Jane''s very life is still on the line, then illegal doesn''t matter anymore. Making her better does. If we keep her secret now, and can''t find out what''s wrong with her, and then she dies, it will all be on us, on you."


    Danny knew Taylor was guilt tripping him about it, but Jane specifically requested him not to tell anybody. And after hearing how sick she was, his anger towards Jane from yesterday had completely diminished. Now she was going to die? "Taylor, we can''t¡ª"


    "We can''t just let her die!" Taylor didn''t want to cry right now. She managed to hold back the tears in her eyes, but she couldn''t hide her croaking voice. It made Danny shudder in shame.


    Taylor was right, but it still doesn''t help Jane to tell everyone, right...? Still, if he really does nothing, and Jane does die, he wouldn''t be able to live with himself. Matter of fact, the thought of Jane dying was out of the question. With a defeated sigh, Danny let Taylor have her way this time. "Okay. So what''s our next step? What do we do, and who do we tell?"


    Taylor took a lot of time first to think about it. The Leray agents would not know what to do. They aren''t knowledgeable with what happened in Blue Port, and their very job is much like the same as the police force or detective agencies. Eliza was already on to them before... But being a teacher, and one so close to Jane already, she has to know a thing or two about the spell bomb that Jane used on herself. In fact, since it''s related to magic, Eliza may be the best candidate to siphon information from, even if Danny went through all the trouble lying the way he did last night... Well, partially lying anyway. Taylor thought about it again; spell bombs. "That''s it!" After immediately receiving Danny''s ears, Taylor shared the plan to him. "We can ask Eliza about spell bombs. We don''t have to tell them anything about what happened to Jane if we can at least learn what type of spell bomb she used."


    Danny looked higher towards Taylor''s face. What brilliance! "That''s right! Nobody knows that Jane used a spell bomb. Because she wasn''t quote, battling, there would be no hint of that. Which means, we can ask about spell bombs all we want without anyone getting suspicious."


    "Well I am smart after all."


    Okay Tay, let''s not get carried away. Danny had to agree though that it was a good idea, and it was still some time away from hour fourteen hundred. Class would still be in session, so Eliza would still be in the dark room. But then, how to approach... "What about the symbol? Every spell bomb has a specific symbol that invokes like a glyphring when it gets activated, right? Do you remember what it looked like before the vortex of clouds got set off?"


    How could she forget? It was stained into her mind, the way that the pink glowing symbol formed and unfolded in mid-air, high above Jane''s head like that. Brimming with powerful energy, it was such a unique shape after all. "Of course I remember. I could even draw it again if that helps, and the secondary symbol on the orb sphere was some small kind of crystal. The two shapes obviously don''t match. The crystal is the logo, and the activated symbol is the mark of the orb."


    "Good," Danny replied. "Let''s head back and see what we can find out."


    Taylor already began moving with Danny, walking all the way back to Dakota. All they had to do was some additional research. Strange as the spell bomb may be, there had to be something about it somewhere. Eliza might even recognize the resemblance.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Music: SF Track 19 ~ Malfador Machinations Space Empires OST</a>


    <hr>


    Just as expected, Eliza was still in the dark room with the others training. Not too much time passed anyway. In their rush to begin learning more about spell bombs, Danny and Taylor almost forgot to let their teacher know how Jane was doing in general.


    "I was wondering when you would both return. So how is she?"


    Taylor realized that the first reason for leaving was to make sure Jane was okay. Sadly, she wasn''t doing all that well. "She''s sick with a fever. So her absence was related to an illness."


    "That''s awful!" Eliza stamped. "Jane better be okay."


    Danny offered Eliza some sentiment. "I think she''ll make it. She is Jane after all."


    Eliza was easy to read when relieved of so much instant pressure. She too worried a lot about Jane, and hearing that she was sick must have been terrible news.


    "Eliza?" Taylor began. "What do you know about spell bombs?"


    "Spell bombs?" It did seem like a random question, but there was still much in general she wasn''t sure about herself. "Mainly what we discussed in class."


    "Is there any way to browse for known spell bombs?" Danny tried.


    "Yes..." Eliza sensed that there was something to this she didn''t realize yet. "What''s the sudden rush to learn about those?"


    Danny quickly looked at Taylor, hoping to be capable of defusing any of Eliza''s continued suspicions. Maybe they weren''t really off the hook just yet. "We just want to keep learning more is all. We already trained a little outside, but now we want to know what kinds of spell bombs there are."


    "I see..." Eliza had to think hard to remember where she kept any information on them. There was perhaps one old book in the library section of the school. "Try room 202. It''s got books there filled with data. You would have to be searching for¡ª"


    "Um," Taylor cleared her throat, not exactly satisfied with the answer. Her interruption cut Eliza off. "I mean in general. Like what types are there and how do they work?"


    "Oh." Eliza still didn''t get what information they were after. Where to even begin? "Well, you all know that every spell bomb comes in all different sizes and color. But each and every one has a unique logo in the orb, helping to identify them. Orb color identifies magic and form type. For example, a spell bomb with a red colored top indicates an attack orb. Those are the only kind you have to literally smash open in the middle of battle, and it initiates an attack without your assistance against an opponent. If that same orb has an electric symbol or logo, then the attack will be electrical type in damage. With me so far?"


    Danny and Taylor nodded down, allowing Eliza to continue. "Some orbs help the user in battle, either by restoring statuses, inflicting support auras, increasing attack power, and etcetera. Sometimes, special logos that aren''t on the orb appear after its activation, right in the air as a neon light. It can look like a glyphring forming out of nowhere, but it''s really just a common spell seal, an identifier."


    "If I drew you an identifier symbol," Taylor went on, "like the ones that aren''t on the orb, plus the brand that is on the orb, you think you could identify one?"


    Eliza felt like she was being put on the spot. "That''s what the book is for. Aeroglyphic orbs, volume six. That''s all we have down there. I suppose I could go get it and search for a match. Do you already have it drawn out?"


    "Not yet." Taylor wondered if she was on to something, but without Eliza knowing that her intentions was specifically for Jane''s research.


    "Tell you what. I''ll go get it for you, and you stay here to draw it for me, if you can."


    Eliza just made her a deal already, and Taylor didn''t hesitate to accept it. "Got it." Eliza turned to leave the room, but she took her time. There was no reason for her to be rushed, though Taylor was trembling inside with anticipation.


    "You think that went well?" Danny never could read Eliza too easily if she wasn''t impressed enough for emotion, but Taylor seemed satisfied with the end result.


    "Yes. I''ll have to get my notebook and pen." Taylor went for her things, which she left behind in this room after leaving to check up on Jane. She was going to draw that same symbol she saw before Jane was hit with the blast of light in the sky. If Eliza could figure it out, it would explain exactly what happened to Jane. The spell bomb had to have worked, and with permanent effects settled into Jane''s body, anything could have changed since then. Most permanent spell bombs were probably designed to enhance the maximum HP or damage tolerance, or boost some of the energy capacity levels. Maybe some even enhance damage at the cost of some defensive parameters. But this one spell bomb in particular, it''s like it was designed to kill Jane, slowly and painfully. So it couldn''t be right. Something had to be up.


    After giving it ten solid minutes, Eliza returned to the room with the old book she spoke up, even though Taylor wasn''t complete with the drawing just yet. She carefully sketched every arc and corner to perfection, knowing that pen cannot be erased. At long last, she had done it, copying the exact symbol she remembered earlier. Technically, it started out differently and then unfolded into the same match Taylor drew onto her page, but since this was the full power unleashed right before a white beam of light shot from the sky, this version had to be the peak of the spell bomb''s power. Taylor left out the beam shooting part, since it would make it too obvious that the symbol was the cause of the light pulse from the sky.


    Eliza finally took the drawing from Taylor patiently, scanning the book up and down for anything related at all. The shape here seemed interesting, and there was enough detail to go by. A large circle with a tiny circle at its center. No, actually the larger circle was a warped ellipse, but just barely by the looks of it. There were curved arcs going from one end of the outer layer back to the same shape in a different location, on both sides of the drawing. It looked like a planetoid with rings and a perfect circle at the core, but a portion of the larger ellipse was shaded inside, just a section of it. "By the way, is there a distinct color? It looks like you''ve seen this activation symbol before."


    "Oh, it was in one of those Leray movies Jane had me watch earlier." Taylor knew she was making the lie up on the spot, but this was getting close to blowing her cover already. Where else could Taylor see a symbol like that and get away with it? Nobody in town would have used that one before, and if she gives any name, Eliza will just go and track that person down. At least this way, Eliza won''t be able to interrogate a movie. Taylor left out the name of the film and the symbol''s color on purpose as well, giving Eliza no chance at all to catch onto her game in the future.


    "Hm..." Eliza flipped through the pages even faster. There was nothing like it so far, though she had not even reached halfway yet. Eliza kept the questions up while searching the book. "Well you sure did pick an interesting one. Why it has to be so specific I suppose I will never know."


    Danny questioned, "What if it''s not in that thing?" That symbol could be one nobody has ever seen before, or just uncharted in Leray studies. Would Eliza get even more suspicious by not figuring it out for them from this book?


    "Well this is volume six," Eliza answered. "It''s a less recent update to the known identifiers from spell bombs. But if I don''t see it here soon..." Eliza paused after reaching hallway in the book, still with no matches. She continued talking while flipping as well. "Then it may be in volume eight, which is the most recent updated book of spell bombs. And if it''s not in there, then the spell bomb just doesn''t exist."


    Danny winced at such confidence. "Doesn''t exist? Can that even happen?"


    "No," Eliza replied. "As far as we''re aware of, spell bombs are only manufactured in Eldora and Gross, and are trademarked items that are impossible for anyone to copy. Though if the spell itself is uncharted or unmarked, then it just means the spell bomb is a prototype with affects left undiscovered as of late."


    Taylor''s head spun to the news. That could mean anything. Jane''s spell bomb could really be unknown forever, and that may be bad. She watched while Eliza finally finished to the end of the book, closing it loudly in frustration.


    "I found nothing," she reported. "This symbol doesn''t come close to matching anything I''ve ever seen, nor has this text book."


    "I see."


    "Is there any particular thing about that spell bomb that''s peaked your interest?" Eliza shifted. "I might be able to track down an eighth volume copy for you to buy later on."


    Taylor shook her hands left and right. "No, no! I was just curious about the design is all. I can study other spell bomb markings too."


    "Got it..." Eliza didn''t sound so sure about letting them be on their way. Why were they suddenly so interested in one particular spell bomb? And while Jane was so sick? She had not seen their eyes so fired up today until after their visit to her house. Was it related? "Do I need to be concerned for Jane?"


    Danny swiftly replied, "Jane will be going back to medical if her fever doesn''t break down. If that happens, then yes."


    "Huh." Danny and Taylor were now walking away from her, heading to their bags they had at their stations. It wasn''t exactly what she asked in particular. Something wasn''t right. Jane is sick, and so soon after what happened to her yesterday. Somebody isn''t telling someone else the whole truth. Even after last night''s horrible meltdown Danny had in front of her, these two are still up for questioning.


    Of course, what could Eliza do at this point? Danny and Taylor both defended themselves and Jane when accused earlier, and they did so well. But that didn''t prove they weren''t lying about something. Maybe another talk with agent Foster could give her an answer, though there was another four hours before class ends today, so it will have to wait.

 Chapter 25: Magic Flu

    <hr>


    <01/02/1972 ~ 11:12 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    Little changed over the course of the next two days, which zoomed by quicker than Danny and Taylor were able to realize. Helping out on Friday wasn''t so bad, but now that Jane''s recovery had been slowed by that large fever of hers, it was anybody''s guess to determine if she was going to make it through this illness.


    The depression within everyone persisted as well. Since Jane wasn''t really conscious for such a long time, nobody was able to return to their old normal selves. With Taylor''s search for the truth about the spell bomb placed on hold, there was really nothing for her or Danny to do today. Though it doesn''t normally happen often, this Sunday, Dakota was open for optional training with Eliza and the other teachers overseeing the operations. Both Danny and Taylor opted out; skipping today''s training session with so much already on their minds.


    At this point, both of them knew why they weren''t really happy, as they have been praying for Jane to be okay from her previous injury. Since it was still a bit early in the morning, eleven A.M. kept the sunlight from being too intense at the hour. Danny and Taylor already woke up from sleep and eaten their last bit of rations for breakfast. Kain would have to supply them with new ones soon if they really decide to stay here. Otherwise, they really will have no choice but to get going to Junon, but with Jane in such a critical condition, neither one of them wanted to move away from Fronas.


    Danny had just talked Taylor into visiting Jane''s house again. They were expecting little within Jane to have changed even now, but at least they can go see Jane''s family and check up on her. After it was decided, the both of them needed no time at all to approach the door of Jane''s house and knock on it again.


    Taylor waited with Danny for several minutes. There was no response to Danny''s knocking. That meant everyone was either asleep or vacant of the home. "I don''t think they''re here."


    "That''s strange," Danny figured. "If they aren''t here..." Danny turned around towards Taylor, now worried of what possibilities were open. "You don''t think they took Jane to medical, do you? Maybe she''s in trouble!"


    "Calm down," Taylor demanded. Even she was worried about Jane, but only staying calm would pull them both through this. "Let''s head over there and see if they did have a visit."


    Danny agreed and followed Taylor to the facility. Taylor wasn''t walking quickly though. It was like she knew Jane was fine, or maybe she just stopped caring much about it. No, that wasn''t like Taylor at all. She still has to be depressed by all of this. Danny was sure that she was, as he felt the same way. As long as Jane doesn''t recover, nothing will get better in this hellhole, and he knew it affected her more than himself. How can one simple girl be the faith stone for everybody in the entire town?


    Taylor opened the entrance to the medical facility after their walk here, and immediately noticed that Nurse Francine, Tiffany, and Smith were all there in the lobby. Jane had to be around somewhere. Her parents really did escort her to medical.


    Seeing new people enter the building, Smith glanced over towards the door, reacting on seeing familiar faces. "Oh. It''s you two."


    Francine and Tiffany were now staring at Danny and Taylor as well, just as surprised at their visit with the timing. "We came to check on Jane," Taylor announced.


    It took a moment for Francine to assess what was going on right now. It looked like the kids finally figured out how worse Jane had become lately. She waited until Danny and Taylor huddled in closer to Jane''s family. But first, she needed confirmation. "Misses and mister Venn? Is it acceptable if I disclose Jane''s medical information with Danny and Taylor? I''m required to ask for any instance in which patient confidentiality is momentarily breached."


    "Yes," Smith nodded. "These are Jane''s friends, so it''s quite alright." Though he never admitted it, Danny and Taylor were perfect company right now. They both symbolize any last shred of hope that she''ll survive this. Jane would never let these two down.


    Francine faced Danny and Taylor, explaining once again what was going on with the older teen. "I''ve already explained this to Jane''s parents, but Jane is being afflicted with an unknown strand of the flu."


    "So it really is the flu?" Danny assumed. It didn''t sound like magical spells can make others sick, so maybe it was a coincidence. Still, this is really bad news!


    "Her symptoms present enough evidence to this diagnosis." Francine still didn''t completely understand the results of the examination of Jane, but it was clear enough that she was sick and in need of recovery. "She''s still very weak from before. That would have a lot to do with her MP energy not recovering on its own like it should. And I did drain that energy days ago. So there is no doubt that she is sick with something blocking Leray magical recovery. It is common for such illnesses like a flu to cause this sort of damage."


    Taylor remembered back to Friday, when she was checking up on Jane and helping her with that horrible fever. If Jane only went to medical today, then that means her fever must have persisted for the entire weekend, only getting worse. To add to the thought, Taylor never really considered how much danger she was putting herself in as well. "Is it contagious?" Taylor meant to ask that in a way that didn''t sound rude, doing the best she could to remain monotone. After helping out with Jane, the flu could spread to her, and then outbreak to anybody.


    Francine answered, "Without determining the exact cause of the infection, we can''t be certain. But it is always best to assume it is, just to be safe."


    "But from what the nurse has told us," Tiffany concluded, "Jane will still be just fine."


    After seeing their faces sigh with relief, Francine was comfortable in her diagnosis. True it was that Jane would still barely recover if she can just fight through it. "I''ve given Jane prescription medication to help with the fever, and so far, her body is responding." She then faced Jane''s parents again, continuing with the instructions. "Now you make sure not to give any of the medicine to Jane if her fever is not above one hundred and three. It''s better if Jane keeps a low-grade fever at least. It will help her body fight off the infection much quicker."


    In harmony, Smith and Tiffany both replied, "Thank you."


    Despite how grim the news was, Danny still felt heavy discomfort about the entire situation. If Jane has the flu, he and Taylor may already be sick with the same thing. Even still, something about the timing of her illness just doesn''t seem natural. "Can..." Danny wasn''t sure if it was a good idea anyway, but just seeing Jane again to make sure she was breathing would make him feel a little better about this. "Can I see her?"


    Francine wasn''t sure if she should allow that. "I suppose that is up to Jane. She''s finally awake for now. I''m not sure what good that will do her, but nobody can stay asleep forever. I''ll ask her if she''s ready to move around a little."


    "And she can do that?" Smith wanted to make sure Jane was taken care of with every bit of interest in her safety. Having a sick person move around at all didn''t seem normal.


    "Yes," Francine offered. "Though I''m not discharging her even with the medicine until later, it will be good for Jane to get some fresh air, minus the exercise. Don''t let her overexert herself. I''m not allowing her to use even the slightest hint of magic. She''ll still have to stay close to this facility until five P.M. this evening. If she goes anywhere outside these walls, it must be with adult supervision, for no longer than ten minutes."


    "That''s good." Danny knew Jane was going to make it. Her recovery really was taking forever, but at least it was happening on some time scale. "We''ll be waiting just outside."


    Taylor reluctantly followed Danny outside. He must want Jane to get over her reunion with her family alone first. Or maybe he was having a panic attack inside and didn''t tell anyone yet. Taylor heard Francine tell them both that she was going to go and get Jane, just before walking back outside.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Quiet 12 ~ Solar Empire OST</a>


    <hr>


    It was a bit of a wait now before either of them would meet Jane awake and conscious again. The fact that she can even walk is amazing after what Taylor witnessed Friday. Both she and Danny had plenty of time to talk about anything, with their backs against the outer walls of the medical facility.


    "So..."


    Taylor stared awkwardly at Danny. He obviously needed to say something, but why hold back at all? "What?"


    Danny wanted Taylor''s opinion on what to do next. His last plan isn''t going to work with Jane like this anymore. "What do we do about Nyar and Kalamo?"


    "Oh." Taylor bowed her head a little, realizing that it was something serious. Danny wasn''t just going to know what to do next with something that big. It made sense why he needed a second opinion, but even Taylor was hazy on what to do next. "What about Dakota?"


    "We could stay here until we graduate," Danny offered. "It would make us decent in Leray battles, and if we do that, we at least have an excuse to stay in Sprawn Valley. Nyar isn''t going to travel everywhere searching for us. I can promise you that much." Of course, if they just stay in Sprawn Valley forever, Danny would miss out on returning home forever, unless he could find a way to situate Taylor to stay here while he leaves. But then who else would look after her? Jane can''t be trusted just yet, not after what she did to herself.


    Taylor liked the idea completely, except for one part. Whether they go or stay, they will eventually come into contact with that airport. Once that happens, it''s time to leave. Taylor would never just decide to go, but knowing her parents or even Nyar, (she didn''t know Nyar yet), they would just drag her into that plane by force. Then again... By following Jane around everywhere with so much battle experience, she could technically fight back with her own Leray powers. Nobody would be able to stop her, just so long as she stays in the Sprawn Valley Leray protection zone. It wasn''t a perfect plan, but it was one of best fit. "Alright," she spoke. "Let''s do that."


    "Are you sure?"


    Taylor nodded, after which she heard someone else interrupt unexpectedly.


    "What are you two talking about?"


    Danny and Taylor turned heads towards the facility entrance where the voice was coming from. It belonged to Jane, but now that he was seeing Jane up and about for the first time, it was something he wasn''t prepared for. He and Taylor noticeably winced in surprise. Jane was wearing a light wardrobe made of a T-shirt and long shorts with her shoes, but it showed off how much her skin had changed. It was as if something literally drained the color right out of Jane''s entire body, and her stance added to the appeal of her physical weakness. Jane was far from healthy looking, and even her voice was scratchy.


    Jane noticed their reactions, and clenched her fists to show them both how rude they were being. "Come on. I don''t look that scary. I''m not dead anyway."


    Taylor tried to return her facial expression to normal, but there was no denying how surprised she still was at the development. "Well I''m glad you''re okay. Standing here in front of us shows a major improvement to me."


    Jane welcomed this small amount of privacy they were allowed. Francine said that adult supervision was required if they stray so much as ten meters from the facility, but since Jane and her friends had their backs to the outer walls of the building beside the glass doors, they were in the clear. "That leads me to ask," Jane began. She had to pause longer to try and think. Last night and the night before was such a blur, and she was only awake for an hour or so each night. "Did you visit me while I was out?"


    Danny blushed, realizing he didn''t have Jane''s permission to go that far. Even though he and Taylor earned her parents'' trust to help out around her house, Jane can still be just as scary to disappoint or upset at times. This could be one of those things. "Uh¡ª well... Yes."


    "We were just helping out a little is all."


    Jane folded her arms and closed her eyes. It felt good to give her head a bit of a break. The pounding headache getting through to her right now was not helping one bit, but at least she now has the whole story. Her parents said something of such, but how was Jane to know what to trust at this point on? "I see. You guys didn''t let me do something embarrassing like walk around hallucinating, right?"


    "Jane, we would never." Taylor replied so casually that Jane believed her immediately. Of course, Taylor knew Jane hallucinated a little, even sleep talked, but it wasn''t anything a person could even understand. She didn''t need to know that anyway.


    Jane lightened up, eased from the stress of not knowing what was going down. It was surprising to know just how much care and attention her friends were still giving to her after being so physically ill, though she didn''t let either one of them know that. It also seemed like the argument she and Danny had was pointless with how comfortable he was towards her already. Somehow, being sick resolved much of his hostility. "So, I have the flu now? Just great."


    "I know what you mean by that." Taylor smiled a little. Even now, Jane hated the very idea of being unable to train with her Leray abilities. "They have training Sundays now. Though I''m told it''s not always Sunday."


    "Well duh," Jane replied. "I thought you would have learned by now that Dakota and other academies are open for certain weekend days for additional training exercises. Though their events are optional, it''s still important."


    Danny reminded, "Well even if you could, you''d be a magnet set to repel with everyone knowing you''re contagious. They might not let you in school for a while."


    Jane gave Danny a mean look, though he was probably too far away to tell. How harsh can the guy really be? "You know Danny, you sure don''t sound upset the way you were last time we spoke."


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Well that''s because you''re sick." This time, Jane and Taylor looked at him, uncertain of what he meant by that. He broke down his intent. "I was mad at you before because you knowingly did something dangerous. I don''t want you to injure yourself or risk your life like that. But now is not the time to be angry. I know of all things, you can''t stop a flu. Even I know you''re not powerful enough to prevent illnesses."


    To Jane, Danny made sense of what he was saying, but it was so annoying to hear again. "Now you just sound like my dad."


    "Ah¡ª" Danny didn''t know what to say, but he somehow managed to feel confused by her remark. What exactly sounded like Smith? Uncertain whether he really was confused about what Jane meant, Danny decided to just drop it entirely.


    "But Jane," Taylor impeded. She was not about to forget all of that hard work researching spell bombs. Danny is right normally. You can''t help from getting a flu, unless it''s not a flu after all. "I don''t think you''re sick in the way the doctors think you are."


    "You don''t?" Jane and Danny spoke at the same time.


    Taylor focused her attention to Danny, amazed that he wasn''t even paying attention to his own memory. For that, Taylor gave him a whack to the back of his head with the palm of her left hand. "Wake up! You know this as well."


    Jane envied Taylor for giving a good whack to Danny. Someone had to every now and then. But what was it about not being technically ill did Taylor mean? "I don''t like the sound of this... You think what happened to me in Blue Port is related to what I have now?"


    "Possibly." Taylor still didn''t know how to approach it. Since nobody around including Jane had any idea what type and form the spell bomb used, there needs to be a different angle to investigate. "Jane? What else did you not tell us? That guy who gave you the orb, who was he? What did he look like?"


    "Taylor..." Jane sounded shameful before she even began to answer the question. "I don''t know much more than you. The guy who gave it to me ran off before I could even get his name. All I know is that he was concerned for the orb''s physical safety, and that he might have been chased by some other people, who I also didn''t get a good look at."


    "And this happened in the woods just outside of Blue Port?" Danny figured that whoever these people are, it might be possible to track wherever they are.


    "Yes," Jane responded. "Eastern side of the forest. That''s problematic, because there is nothing that way at all. Only the west side of the forest of Blue Port is significant, the Arragon Forest. It''s the only way into Gross City from Blue Port. The northeast exit path from Blue Port leads to Vanon Port, but that wasn''t the direction anyone was heading to."


    Taylor held out her hand to try and stop Jane from speaking. "Yeah-ah, I got it." She sounded a little snappy as well, but Taylor already heard about the Arragon Forest before, and if it wasn''t important, then forget mentioning it. "It''s just that, we''ve tried to find answers about what spell bomb it was, going by the unique color, size, and multiple symbols used by the spell bomb."


    "And?" Jane requested.


    "And nothing," Danny shot down. "There is no information available for the spell bomb you used. It could be something completely new that nobody has ever seen before, and maybe that''s why it''s so dangerous."


    Jane refused the explanation so far, since it didn''t prove that the spell bomb is what made her sick today. "But I still don''t get how that has to do with the flu I have."


    "It''s the timing of it all," Danny protested. "You got sick just the morning after you finally recovered from the knockout the spell had on you when that beam of light hit you from the sky. But that''s just the thing. Maybe you didn''t really recover to begin with. Maybe the spell has some kind of effect on you that''s causing additional symptoms, and we just don''t see it."


    Jane folded her arms again. She could understand why they were thinking that, but it sounded more farfetched by the second. "Man, talk about being paranoid. If I''m not really sick, then why is my medicine working on me?"


    "Because they''re not anti-viral, genius." For once, Taylor''s sarcasm worked to make Jane look like the uneducated one. At the very least, Jane must have forgotten the purpose of her medicine. "You''re fevers are real, and the meds are only designed to control them while you heal naturally."


    "But then why not just give me the real stuff?" Jane was confused. How did they know more about her condition than she did?


    "Weren''t you listening when Francine was talking to you," Taylor pressured. "It''s an unknown strand of the flu, so they can''t treat you with those sorts of medicine. But what they call unknown, I call mistaken. I don''t believe this is a flu."


    "There you are!"


    Danny, Taylor, and Jane all switched views to the woman yelling at them in the distance. It was Eliza, speed walking all the way over here from her own training facility! What was she doing here?! Danny knew Eliza was concerned too, but she has a class to run with additional training to students, people to teach. Not to mention her timing is terrible since they can no longer discuss information about spell bombs. Hopefully Jane would catch on to that and not open her big mouth.


    "Eliza? What¡ª" Jane was speechless. Eliza had to know that she was neglecting her duties, and all just to check up on Jane. Why is she suddenly so popular?


    Eliza continued walking until she was finally at an indoor range between Jane and her friends. Jane really looked terrible, pale, and ill. Contrary to that, Jane seemed much more energetic compared to two days ago. Far from recovered, but Jane was at least moving and talking. What better timing to put a theory to the test? "Jane. Taylor and Danny too."


    "Well this is kind of a shock," Taylor evaluated.


    "I know..." Eliza stopped moving and began panting in place. She kept a jogging pace all the way over here, but to her it was considered a bit out of shape for short traveling. "I have someone looking after class, so I came to check up on Jane."


    "I''m flattered," Jane spoke sarcastically. Even she had to notice how everybody in town was interested in her wellbeing. It wasn''t a bad thing, but the total attention from everyone was just unusual. Jane never remembered attracting around so many people in the past. It only started after Danny and Taylor arrived, but even they weren''t to blame. "By the way Eliza, I''ve already been examined."


    "But you haven''t been tested," she replied.


    Danny stood up in between both of them. "Hold on! What are you two talking about? You can''t just ask Jane to start doing back flips and shit. She''s got to recover."


    "Cool it!" Eliza ordered. "Jane? I have an idea to help us figure out what happened to you."


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Heartbreak One ~ Ace Combat 5 OST</a>


    <hr>


    "Wh¡ª what do ya mean?" Jane wasn''t sure what Eliza was talking about. What did she know about Jane''s condition that she didn''t already? Jane was hit from a blast in the sky. And though she didn''t remember that happening, Danny and Taylor kept any other details in the dark, even from Eliza, right? Her teacher might be investigating why it happened though. Her friends may not have accounted for that. Eliza was no Leray agent, but when it comes down to helping out with Jane, she would do anything, much like Danny and Taylor.


    "Well," Eliza thought of how to put the sentence into words. After just arriving here, she realized that not one of the three had any idea what she was up to. "I want to try and see how much Jane has recovered in light of her magical capabilities. If we can see how her MP usage conservation fairs, it will help us understand what that beam of light really did to her."


    Taylor winced, pretending to act surprised. "You think something happened to Jane, other than being hit with a lunar blast?"


    "It is a possibility, and the test is both traditional and simple."


    Jane tried to study Eliza''s expression, guessing what she was up to long before she really had to ask. Danny and Taylor were both sort of easing at the gesture that they knew what was happening already. Maybe Eliza was already suspicious about something, but even her friends didn''t have that idea in mind. Anything could happen now. "Okay." Jane agreed, and though she was still feeling very weak, it should be simple enough to pull a Leray ability out of her hat.


    "Good," Eliza replied. After huddling closer to Jane, she set up the scenario in both their minds while Danny and Taylor helplessly watched. "I know you''re exhausted, but this test really shouldn''t be difficult even for you Jane. All I want you to do is successfully invoke a magic spell towards the ground in front of you. Use your weakest skill so that we can see if any magical related damages are lasting."


    Jane didn''t know what to say. Eliza must have really been paying attention to something. She must have the same theory as Danny and Taylor now, that the beam of light that hit Jane must still be affecting her even now. Even Jane wasn''t sure of that yet, but she was about to find out. "So I guess I''ll use Radial Stars."


    "Is that safe?" Taylor begged.


    Danny stepped in front of her with the same thought on his mind, only to elaborate the concern. "Yeah. Francine said no magic is to be used. If Jane stresses herself too far, it could do lasting damage to her further. I''m not letting this happen!"


    Jane turned to both of them, confident that she could at least pull this thing off. "Relax you two. It''s only Radial Stars. Since it''s a weak attack, it shouldn''t backfire. I''ll be fine." Danny''s expression didn''t change, but she had already decided to perform this test. It was really useful for Eliza to think of this so suddenly. Francine would have at least allowed this for one specific use as a benchmark to study her current health. If Jane can''t use magic for any reason with this illness, she best know about it herself. Jane already began concentrating, first on bringing up her energy scope for everyone to see. In order to know if her attack is successful, both Jane and Eliza must see just how much MP is conserved in the process. If Jane ends up using a ton of MP just to launch a weak attack like Radial Stars, then it means something really is affecting her. Of course, a flu would defiantly cause massive drains on one''s energy during attack usage, but even so...


    Jane was impressed already with several details. Though Francine already knew this herself, Jane was still having problems with natural recovery rates. Despite her energy scope returning to the normal orange neon color it once was, she was having a problem with her natural MP recovery speed. Her status was not in critical condition any longer, but somehow her own energy scope could still detect that something just wasn''t right with Jane''s energy responses. That of course could mean a lot of things, but it was still unusual to see that little has changed by now.


    Eliza focused on Jane''s reaction rather than the energy scope''s findings. "Whenever you''re ready." Eliza made sure that Jane took all the time she needed. She didn''t want to overexert her either, but one had to know at what point would that occur? If Jane cannot launch a simple attack, then it was likely to say that a flu was the least of her worries. If her energy gets used up more than it normally takes, then a flu is more of a possibility. But if Jane can''t use magic at all, then everything is still open for discussion.


    "Just be careful," Taylor cautioned. She didn''t want Jane to do anything she didn''t want to. If she goes through with this and does encounter a problem, it would prove to Eliza that something was up as well. Taylor was already sure of it, but uncertain as to how that would react to Jane''s magical abilities, and worse, Eliza was one of the persons they''ve been trying to hide this stuff from.


    Jane concentrated in front of her. It was a relatively simple task. Use Radial Stars, aim at the ground a few meters in front of her, and that''s it, but even Jane was wary. As soon as she was ready, Jane began to focus. First, she got in touch with her MP energy as she normally would, and then began releasing that energy into a Radial Stars spell. Even though she was weak and tired, Jane was so good at using this attack from practice, that she really could use this in her sleep. It took less than a second to charge and release the energy needed for Radial Stars. Jane''s left hand began glowing blue, just as it normally would. Then, a glyphring for the spell formed in front of her as Jane took aim. Without even needing to chant the name of the spell aloud, Jane could do this while just thinking of the word Radial Stars to herself silently in her head. But as Jane began to release the energy and launch the spell, something actually did go wrong.


    Jane''s attack spell did not launch, as if she had simply failed to make any of those beautiful looking stars shoot from her hand and the center of the glyphring. Immediately after realizing that her spell wasn''t working, a searing tremor of pain emerged in both of Jane''s hands, even though she was using the left one to try and shoot Radial Stars. As unprepared as she was for this, Jane had not felt pain this way in a long time. Her hands were on fire, with the added sensation that sharp needles were piercing into her skin in every tiny location on and inside of her skin. The pain was so intense in just the first second; it brought Jane all the way to the ground with a screech escaping her tongue. Jane was brought to her knees without the pain letting up.


    Taylor, Danny, and Eliza all rushed in to help Jane, taken by surprise in whatever just happened to her. Taylor tried to help her up, after all of them were shouting at her to find out what was happening. Even from here, Jane''s hands were glowing blue, as if she failed to completely release the energy she stored there. Once the glow of blue began to fade on Jane''s hands, residue of random blue electrical sparks populated the area in its place. Taylor and the others were reluctant to touch Jane, afraid of getting hurt themselves in the process. They never seen anything like it before. All around both of Jane''s hands, thin static electrical arcs flashed and faded automatically. Though it didn''t appear to be normal, the power level of such uncontrolled magic seemed harmless to others. Taylor eventually ended up pulling Jane to her feet by hold of her arm.


    Jane''s eyes were squeezed tight for a moment. The sharp pain in both her hands receded for the most part, lingering only slightly. When she opened her eyes to take a look, Jane noticed that both of her hands were pulsing and sparking with tiny blue arcs of what looked like static electricity, in the form of Leray magic, while her hands were trembling without end. She couldn''t stop what was happening, and her hands were both frozen in place aside from the uncontrollable shaking to them, stuck like this as if they were paralyzed completely. Jane immediately noticed how surprised her friends were as well, but she checked the energy scope to see what changed if anything had.


    Other than the fact that her attempted use of Radial Stars ended up drawing more MP energy out of her than she was supposed to use up, Jane didn''t see anything else different about the energy scope. Her hands were in a lot of pain, though less than the first few second when this started. Instead of shooting Radial Stars, her hands had become entombed in some kind of magical reaction that was now blocking out her ability to release any more energy into that area. Jane attempted for a second to store MP energy again, but failed to get in touch this time. Eliza moved in for a much closer look, holding Jane''s arms while the others reacted in shock.


    "Jane, what''s happening?!" Danny demanded.


    "I don''t know."


    For once, there was a lot of fear in Jane''s voice. Eliza never heard Jane sound this scared in the past, but Eliza had another problem to deal with. After trying to touch Jane''s hands to try and stop them from trembling and twitching uncontrollably, she had to rush her own hands away from Jane''s, feeling a powerful and compelling burning pain rush into her own two limbs. "Ouch! Jane, that''s red hot!" Her hands couldn''t have been this warm before, since Taylor touched them a moment ago to help her up.


    Jane turned her hands over, already opened without her ability to control them. Jane''s hands didn''t look much different except for the sparking blue bolts the size of her fingers rushing all over that part of her body. According to Eliza, they were red hot to the touch, enough to hurt her, but they weren''t hurting Jane that badly, at least not now. That had to be killing nerve cells if Jane could not even feel the same exact pain in her hands when she did as soon as this started, and it was freaking her out. Jane stared blankly at her hands while the others began to panic. Jane''s heart rate rose significantly, and she could feel her breathing get much heavier. "My hands!"


    Eliza didn''t understand what was going on, so all she could do is guess and hope she was right. "Jane, you have to release that energy from your hands. Do it now!"


    Jane tried to do as she was asked, but she just couldn''t move her hands on her own. They weren''t responding to anything Jane tried. Even when she tried pushing more energy there, it didn''t work. The pain in her hands began to return again with a bit less intensity. Jane suddenly began feeling faint, forcing her to the ground to sit before falling over instead. Taylor and Danny followed down to help her, making sure she doesn''t pass out. Jane felt weak and dizzy, but still far from done. The electrical looking sparks on her hands did not stop, and Jane had to keep them away from her to avoid making it any worse.


    Eliza hunched down again to try and feel Jane''s hands. Expecting to get burned like before, Jane''s hands were only warm to the touch this time. They had to be around 115 degrees, but it was still much cooler than they were a second ago. Was that part of Jane''s fever?


    "Jane!" Taylor and Danny both were trying to help her, but all they could do was try and make sure she doesn''t pass out or fall down from sitting up. There was nothing they were able to help Jane with.


    "I can''t!" Jane responded. Eliza had told her to release that energy, but it was impossible. "I can''t release it," she repeated.


    "Stop trying," Eliza commanded. She too was by Jane, holding her head now to see if she was burning up. If she was, it may be the cause. It didn''t feel to Eliza like Jane was even running a fever in her head. It couldn''t be over a hundred degrees there. And now, after trying to feel Jane for any other problems, Eliza noticed that Jane''s entire body was shivering with her hands.


    Danny caught on to that first. "Jane, you''re shivering!"


    "I-I''m na-na-na-not c-cold!" Jane could barely make it out. She could feel herself trembling inside, shaking as if she was freezing, though she wasn''t chilly. She could not control herself from shaking like this. Her hand still have not calmed down either, with the blue glowing sparks and arcs rushing everywhere only on her hands.


    "Come on," Taylor squeezed through her teeth. She tried to pull Jane back up to her feet once more. "It''s time to check you back in."


    Eliza helped Taylor as well, realizing that Jane needs to return to medical. Luckily, they were standing right by the building. Jane''s entire coordination was messed up. She could barely stand up straight on her own, much less walk without swaying in either direction. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to make this worse."


    Danny was stunned in place. Since it only took two people to help Jane back into the facility, he was simply not needed at the moment, leaving him to try and contemplate what the hell just happened back there. All Jane did was attempt to use a magical ability, and a weak one at that. Now Jane can''t stop shivering; she can barely move a muscle. Still, what was Eliza thinking having Jane try magic here? "Satisfied with what you''ve learned?" The remark was meant to hurt Eliza''s feelings for being reckless herself, but Jane simply didn''t allow it.


    Jane replied to Eliza''s apology, need it not be necessary. "How w-were you supp-ppp-ose to know?"


    Danny followed them inside, where Nurse Francine immediately rushed in to assist Jane back towards the exam room. Her parents were there too, making it all worse for them to worry about Jane. It took a while to get her there, but Francine took over helping Jane in the back room. Taylor and Eliza stayed behind, uncertain of what to think anymore. Her sudden appearance inside the facility rose many questions that were answered by the simple notion that Eliza was checking up on Jane.


    "I hope she''ll be okay," Taylor announced. She didn''t know what was going on with Jane anymore. Taylor walked over towards him, giving Danny a sympathetic hug. Though he wasn''t expecting one, Danny embraced any comfort he could get right now; he had to be scared too.


    "What''s happening to our poor baby?" Tiffany and Smith were afraid for Jane as well, since nobody in the world had seen anything like this before. Nobody was able to miss the electrical show all around the girl''s hands. They were giving each other as much comfort as Danny and Taylor were giving to each other.


    Eliza held her hand to her chin, zoning off to try and figure out what this was about. Eliza knew she had never seen anything like this before in all her life. No flu of any caliber has the power to block Leray magic in such a way where it backfires on the user. It''s just not possible. Whatever is wrong with Jane, it''s worse than she thought. Would Francine agree? Probably isn''t best to mention Jane trying to use magic from her own instructions right now.


    After letting go of Taylor, Danny embraced the hope he once knew from before. "She''ll be fine," Danny repeated. He knew that it was just a saying of blind hope, but Jane had to be okay for their sakes. Please Jane! Please be okay! "Jane will be okay."


    Eliza kicked her boot into the wooden floor in frustration. Just because something interesting like that happened didn''t mean she now had an answer, or that she was any closer to figuring out what was wrong with Jane. All she could do now was attend to her duties. No more sense hanging around here. Jane was safe for now in Francine''s hands; that much she was sure of. Unfortunately, Jane will likely be staying here longer, all because she got curious. Danny and Taylor were right to try and warn them both. They''re more capable of helping Jane than she is. "I trust you two will keep Jane company, but I have to be getting back to Dakota now. See you around."


    "Yeah," Taylor replied. Eliza walked off out of the building, going back to her own class. She did so in a mild rush, afraid to stay inside of the building any longer. Taylor figured it was to avoid receiving any bad news, but it was just as well too, since Eliza promised Jane would be fine using magic. Taylor was a bit pissed off that Jane''s own teacher forced her into that, but even Eliza wasn''t expecting something so crazy to happen. Still, Eliza could stop acting so impatient and just stay until Jane gets better. What was with her today?


    Danny began thinking some more about Jane''s condition, after seeing that Taylor was somewhat calmer. Eliza may have been doing that for a test of information, but he learned from it as well. No way can a normal flu cause that. It has to be Jane''s spell bomb. But what kind of spell bomb can do this to any person?


    "Danny?" Taylor asked. Danny was now paying full attention to her, even though he was ready to return to his trance of thought. "Let''s say after Jane gets normal again, we hang out with her for the rest of the day?"


    "A sound plan." That is if Jane can return to normal today. Even if Jane was an idiot back there, even she doesn''t deserve this. He had to wonder if illnesses here could also be caused by magic. The thought of developing a magic flu made Danny force the scary thought away immediately. It would just be best to keep her friend company. Danny knew it would do Jane some good. Even she must be scared too now. It''s not like Jane has the answer to what is going on. All she did was use an unknown spell bomb on herself from some unknown guy. Now what was going to happen to her?

 Chapter 26: A Scarlet Cult

    <hr>


    <01/02/1972 ~ 23:54 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    That same night, Francine helped Jane to recover by forcing the usage of certain recovery items on her. Jane was administered treatment - of methods even she wasn''t familiar with, but it took only half an hour for Jane to get back to normal; well, what passes for normal recently. Jane stopped shivering, and she regained full control of her hands again, which also stopped sparking up the way they were before. To top it off, Jane''s fever was hanging around 101<sup>o</sup>F all day, which was perfect for her current condition.


    According to the belief that Jane has some kind of infection, a low-grade fever would help her fight it off, and it was still too low to take Jane out of consciousness in the process. Even after the unusual incident that Jane''s illness triggered - and how weak she was feeling from the episode, Jane was still allowed to be discharged. She could return to her own home under family advisement and care. Taylor and Danny hung out with Jane at the medical facility, trying to go over that scene in their heads only one more time. Jane didn''t even want to think about it anymore. Even though Taylor and Danny were convinced that the spell bomb was related to this condition of Jane''s, it still had no bright side to explain exactly how it affected her. So Jane just had to pick and choose how to recover. After five thirty P.M. today, Jane''s parents took her back to her house so that she can get some sleep and rest up some more. At around the same time, Kain gave Danny and Taylor some more food rations to snack on for a while. It kept the problem of having no food far at bay, as Kain was no stranger to helping out with that situation for now.


    Later on that night, specifically around mid-night, Danny and Taylor were walking around outside in the Fronas field together, remaining quiet while they rushed their minds. Neither one of them could sleep back in the medical facility. After assessing all that happened with Jane today, who the hell could? There was so much to think and talk about, Danny and Taylor both took it outside to discuss their options together. Though Jane, as well as the rest of the neighborhood was sound asleep.


    "It''s probably more than that," Taylor added. She was just listening to what Danny had meant about their total insomnia. He had a good point too. After what they saw today, it was even questionable as to whether Jane got any good sleep in her bedroom. At least she was okay for now. With Jane''s parents looking after her, and Jane''s physical health back to acceptable conditions, she was back on the road of recovery. But it was so strange that Jane could not use any Leray magic, none whatsoever. The reason alone was enough to keep Taylor''s mind racing. They already tried sleeping for two hours earlier with no success at all, but Taylor had an alternate theory regarding their difficulty sleeping. "Remember what Kain and Bella said to us on the first day? When Leray magic fully assimilates into a new person, their sleeping pattern gets messed up some more, and it takes longer to even get tired."


    Danny remembered that day well, when Kain and Bella first introduced them to the very idea of Leray magic. He couldn''t believe that it was real even after seeing a demonstration of a Leray attack spell right in front of him. Now everything was so different. "I still think it''s not enough to keep us awake like that." He ignored the fact that Jane told them as well about that sleep pattern disruption during another night in the fields, back when everything was less tense.


    "Never know," Taylor argued. "There is more to that anyway. We''ve been learning new skills left and right, training just as hard as Jane has been so far. You know what happens when people train, remember?" Danny didn''t reply, which meant he probably didn''t really remember what Taylor was talking about; either that - or he didn''t care. Bella and Kain were explaining this to them as well on the same day. "Our maximum MP and HP must have gone way up since we first began using Radial Stars, right? We''ve gotten stronger before knowing it."


    "That might be true," Danny considered. The agents told him that Leray magic slowly but surely assimilates with a person''s aura while they are in Sprawn Valley, and that the connection between the dimension of Leray power and energy to that of a person gets much stronger as that person uses more abilities over and over again. They have been practicing a lot, and that probably did make them much stronger in coordination with maximum stats. Even Eliza said that was the case once; that with practice and training, maximum MP levels rise to give one the ability to launch better magical attacks in a battle. At the same time, maximum HP stats go up as well, raising one''s overall endurance to Leray damage in a fight. "But let''s face it," Danny reminded. "We''re both restless because of the Jane thing. I bet even Eliza and other Leray agents are walking around here somewhere, probably on patrol for anything."


    "I guess," Taylor returned. "What a spell bomb though. What permanent spell prevents the use of Leray magic?"


    "You''re still going on about that? Jane''s spell backfired because she''s just sick. Even if Eliza said it wasn''t normal, we can''t be certain yet that a spell bomb has anything to do with it."


    "But if it does," Taylor suggested. "Then it might do a lot more than make her sick."


    Danny stopped and looked at Taylor, now worried about another possibility he did not want to consider. Despite his skepticism a second ago, Taylor seemed to have a point. If it is a cause of magic from a spell bomb in the first place, what if the effects are the opposite of what one thinks? "What if it''s disrupting the connection Jane has with Leray energy? Maybe that''s what it was designed to do!"


    "No..."


    "Come on," Danny insisted. "Jane did say that the person giving it to her warned of its dangers. Maybe that''s what he meant. If Jane can''t use Leray magic, that orb may be dangerous because it cuts off the veil protection she has."


    "But that doesn''t make any sense," Taylor argued. "What about the¡ª"


    "Shhhhh!" Danny cut Taylor of forcefully, listening for the same rustling sound he heard just a moment ago. It sounded a lot like someone was jingling a trash bag full of broken glass nearby. It was also pretty dark outside, but the half-visible moonlight perching through the hole in the thin layer of specked clouds gave them enough light to see the shadow of the houses all around them.


    Taylor threw her hands on her hips. "Did you just shush me?"


    "I heard something," he emphasized. Danny was looking around carefully, finally noticing where the direction of the sound was coming from. It was only from the shadow of some man carrying a large bag over his shoulder. Funny how the sound he heard was exactly what it was. Danny pointed his arm at the man in the distance, showing Taylor what it was.


    Taylor put his paranoia to rest with ease. "It''s just a garbage man. But anyway..."


    Danny stared at Taylor after going silent for several long seconds. Did she forget what she was about to say?


    Taylor tried to think about how the properties of the Leray veil could be disrupted for Jane, but she wasn''t an expert herself. Unfortunately, the thought of something else distracted most of her thoughts right now. "Wait a minute," Taylor paused. "Since when does Fronas have garbage men?"


    Danny did find that a little bit surprising, seeing as there is no garbage truck service in Fronas. Come to think of it, nobody has ever pointed out anything regarding a public dumpster facility. How did the inhabitants here even get rid of their trash? They have to dispose of it somehow. They wouldn''t just burn it with fire magic, would they? "Is that Kain or Bella?"


    Taylor exhaled, "I don''t know! I can''t see in this darkness."


    "Well let''s go find out," Danny insisted. "If it''s not them, maybe we can find out how people dispose of trash here." Danny knew she didn''t care, barely did he either. But with nothing else to do, might as well see if either of the agents were walking around. If Bella or Kain are nearby, maybe they might let something slip about Jane''s condition, if they know anything that is. "Think about it. Where does all the trash go?"


    Taylor knew from the sarcastic tone in his voice that he was now mocking her for answers. "You know you can be a real pain sometimes, right?"


    Danny sighed from Taylor''s insult. "You want to know if Kain or Bella learned anything out by now or not?" Taylor refused to answer, let alone consider any more of his deductions. Then, Danny suddenly noticed that the distant stranger was stopping. He put the sack on the ground and opened it up to check what was inside. What kind of guy goes through his own trash here in the middle of the night? "Come on. Kain owes me at least one more explanation about the way he sees the world."


    Taylor sighed again, out of stress that he didn''t care how lame he was acting. Seeing as they can''t sleep, she might as well follow him. Danny approached the man while Taylor stayed behind a few meters. It took a moment to get in closer, but once they were, Taylor noticed that the garbage bag looked a lot more like some kind of reinforced sack than a flimsy bag. Since he had it open in the middle of the field, Taylor caught the glimpse of what looked like glass after all. Wouldn''t that bag have a ton of holes in it? The man could use a supply sphere if it was that much trouble.


    "Hi! Need some help?" Danny approached the stranger, offering help with his luggage of glass. The man wasn''t Kain or anyone else Danny recognized, and the details of his face were too hard to make out in the dim lighting area, but it defiantly wasn''t Kain. If it were, he would have felt tingles going everywhere, since the man is naturally a creep on his own. Since neither Bella nor Kain are out here, Danny felt he might as well help out and learn of everyone else who lives here.


    This man however was a bit startled by Danny''s appearance. He didn''t mean to sneak up on the guy, but instead of just jumping back and helping to identify himself, the stranger took no time at all in charging a magical attack into his glowing hands. Before Danny and Taylor realized that the guy was aiming two red glyphring at both of them - one for each hand, he shot off two Fire Balls, one aimed for both of them.


    Danny was hit by the Fire Ball, which carried so much unusual force that he literally became airborne while flying backwards at an intense speed. Danny must have been launched at least seven feet upwards and ten meters back. From the corner of his eye midair, the same exact thing happened to Taylor.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Perception ~ C21fx (Classical Crossover)</a>


    <hr>


    Taylor cringed while her chest felt like it was on fire. She just now realized that she took a direct hit from a surprise Fire Ball attack. The guy just attacked her, and for a single Fire Ball, it was really painful to sense as well. Luckily, the second sphere of magic fire didn''t carry half as much force as the one that blasted Danny backward behind her.


    Danny got back up to his feet, after getting over the powerful effective hit from that Fire Ball attack. He took an extra second to brush himself off and recover. "What the hell was that for?!"


    The man in the distance tended to his bag, ignoring Danny completely. As soon as he finished up sealing the sack he was carrying around, he turned towards Danny and Taylor again with a sudden cautious stance. "I didn''t ask for assistance. You kids better stay back, if you know what''s good for ya!"


    "Who are you?" Taylor beamed as she struggled to recover from the pain in her chest. The pain searing everywhere through her body was starting to lighten up, but Taylor still felt as if she had the wind knocked out of her a moment ago.


    Whoever the guy was, he didn''t make any attempt to reveal his identity, nor was he very helpful to Danny or Taylor. Did he not care for what he had just done? Danny got up to his feet as well, but at the same time, he saw the guy in front of him make his hands glow again. He was charging another attack spell! "What the?" Who the hell is this guy? Why would he attack random civilians in the middle of the night? He''s aiming at Taylor! "Dodge it Taylor!"


    The man shot another round of two Fire Balls at Danny and Taylor. Because of Danny''s quick warning, Taylor noticed it just in time to react, spinning far to the left to avoid the quick ball of fire shoot by her face. Danny on the other hand had the opposite luck, being hit to the ground a second time. After Taylor realized what happened, she tensed her arms and prepared herself for defense. "Stop that!" Taylor demanded.


    The guy picked up his sack of glass and slowly backed away. "I''ll knock the both of you out if you don''t mind your own business and stay back!" His voice sounded a lot more angry than fearful. He was confident enough that Danny and Taylor didn''t have the strength to stand up to him for anything.


    Danny got back up again, despite the familiar pain he felt before with a fiery stinging sensation to it. "That does it! Taylor! Attack!" Danny had just ordered Taylor to strike back, since the guy wanted to act like a bully. He prepared himself for the same thing after returning the balance in his legs. A nice Thunderbolt spell would put the man on ice. Danny had to charge up his MP energy first to perform the spell that he just learned yesterday with more training. Just before invoking the skill, he enabled his energy scope as an automatic reaction to prepare for combat. It sure wasn''t official, but he and Taylor were being assaulted just for saying hello.


    Taylor heard Danny call out to her for an attack, and after dodging that next Fire Ball that was thrown at her aggressively, she prepared herself to charge a spell at the guy too. Believing he was not about to give up and introduce himself or apologize for attacking people out of the blue, Taylor enabled her energy scope at the same time Danny turned his on. It took little time for Taylor to charge up the attack spell that she learned days ago. After more training, her Whirlwind became much easier to control.


    It wasn''t a surprise that either of them had already taken HP damage from those Fire Balls, but now the mysterious man had to prepare himself for defense. It looked like the boy and the girl were going to retaliate against his own advice. He wasn''t worried at all however. The man set down his sack of loot and stood proudly in front of the two youngsters. After enabling his energy scope to make sure his new enhancements were working properly, he waited for the next strike.


    Danny disregarded the man''s intentions to continue attacking or begin defending himself. He needed to at least realize who he was dealing with. Danny unleashed his stored energy into the newest spell he trained for, hollering in the night, "Lightning Strike!"


    At the same time, Taylor unleashed her energy as well, creating a powerful vortex of wind before even getting her word out to the neighborhood. Her words echoed in the distance, resonating with Danny''s chanting as well. "Whirlwind!" Taylor''s spinning attack of air surrounded her target well after Danny''s bright evanescent flash of Lightning Bolt slammed into the guy. Though Taylor''s mind was totally focused on controlling the Whirlwind, she had briefly remembered that no matter how good one is at dodging, a Thunderbolt cannot be avoided. Adding her wind attack in at the same time, the guy became trapped in a spinning spell of constant damage and immobility, though she was lucky that her spell didn''t go first, since the Whirlwind would have disrupted the flow of electricity coming from Danny. Their plan to counterattack together paid off, showing that he was standing in the exact same spot as soon as Taylor''s Whirlwind diluted into normal invisible air, but something was wrong. The guy was standing there with a proud and defensive stance, like the assaults had barely any effect on him. He must have tried to block the damage out a bit instead of attempting a dodge, though the status box above his head was even more unbelievable.


    Nothing. Absolutely nothing got through to the man''s health. Was that supposed to happen? Danny shook his head, but he couldn''t wipe the surprised look on his face. How did that deal no damage to him at all? He just stood there and absorbed two attacks combined!


    "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" The guy stood there, laughing in arrogance. "You fools won''t be able to stop me with that pathetic excuse for Leray attacks. Kids should really stay out of official business."


    Taylor pointed to the guy, certain he was familiar in some way. "You''re that thief from last week, aren''t you? Answer us!"


    The man folded his arms, confident enough to drop his guard to Danny and Taylor. He seemed interested in explaining to Taylor just how wrong she was. "You mean that pathetic idiot who got caught stealing money? You really can''t compare me to that moron. Bruchal had one mission only, which was to test the response time and security grade of the general town of Fronas. But since he was stupid enough to get himself caught, we''ve expelled him from our organization."


    Was this guy implying that the thief named Bruchal was just a decoy for something else? Danny wasn''t able to understand it all. What organization did he just refer to? Who is this guy, and what the hell is he doing here attacking nearby inhabitants in the middle of the night? Danny quickly realized something shortly after accumulating those questions. The man may really be unrelated to the thief they encountered before, but that doesn''t mean he has different intentions. He seemed awfully protective of that thing on the ground beside him. Come to think of it, nobody got attacked until Danny and Taylor approached that bag of glass. "What''s in the sack?!"


    "Now - now," he gloated. The man charged his hands with a blue magical color once again, preparing to aim at Danny and Taylor at the same time. "Petty teenagers should really stick to competing in silly competitions, or just throwing away credits shopping your brains out." With that, he unleashed two attack again at the same time. One of them was an Ice Bolt, and the other was a Thunderbolt. He didn''t even have to say anything to help him invoke that magic, indicating how well trained he must be. His endurance could be too high for anyone to cause any real damage to him, and this is what he chose to do with that passive skill.


    Danny was sent back with the powerful and unpredictable speedy bolt of electricity. At the same time, Taylor was too slow to dodge the fast moving Ice Bolt traveling through the air. Danny never felt the pain of an electrical attack before, but it hurt virtually everywhere, causing a tingly sensation after the attack wore off that did more to drain and stun him than any other ability could have done. Taylor''s earlier pain with burning sensations was immediately replaced with the scrapes and cuts she received from slamming back into the ground just by the force of the Ice Bolt. The bolt itself caused even more damage by making her body temperature lower in her chest and her legs.


    The guy was distracted with his increasing victory strike against the two meddlers, when a sudden bright slash nearly cut him from behind. The man turned around, but not before watching the side of his sack get sliced open by a spinning glowing dagger. Whoever threw that meant to cut the bag open, exposing the treasures he procured as they were now pouring through the large rip. There were several people incoming from his six after turning around, all at their own angles. This of course immediately surrounded him with more people, even though Danny and Taylor were not going to be getting up so soon. The one who threw the dagger was the closest one. The criminal shot a Fire Bolt attack at the woman, who immediately dodged it on the fly. The bolt of fire continued onwards just to strike the ground in the distance, lighting up their faces for only a moment.


    "Who are you? What do you want with them?!" It was Bella, the town''s local Leray agent, and behind her was her partner Kain. Using the more luminescent glow of the nearly full moon beaming down at them, Bella tried to identify the man attacking Danny and Taylor, but he was not a familiar face. After identifying the fragments of glass that were coming out of the sack, Bella gasped and stopped running forward immediately. "Those are crystal shards!"


    "They''re my crystal shards now." The unknown thief rushed in front of the bag to try and protect his loot. After the agents identified what he was up to, he now had to fend against more people. Of course, his enhancements with the magical suit he was wearing made him braver than he normally was, but even he had doubts about the full capabilities of this.


    "You give those crystals back right now!"


    Taylor got back up again, making sure Danny was okay enough to do the same. They now saw the commotion expand in front of them. Bella and Kain were now here. They must have seen what was going on and rushed in to help them. Leray magic does make a lot of light in darkness, so it wasn''t easy to miss some of the scene here. Now Eliza was running up from their left as well. The guy was surrounded because of this, struggling to protect that bag. Somehow, the sack had ripped open, exposing the glass shards that Eliza was suddenly referring to as crystal shards. Taylor had not the slightest idea what crystal shards were, or what their purpose was, but Eliza just told him to give it back. He stole something from here! "What did you do?!"


    Eliza wasn''t caught up completely to Kain and Bella, but she pointed to the thief and continued her demand to the letter. "Those shards belong to Dakota! You can''t have them!"


    The man''s body tensed up, and he had become angry that a teacher was making demands from him. "You''re already too late! If you want these shards back, then come and take them! I''ll mop the floor with all of you!"


    Eliza''s jaw dropped at the audacity of this mysterious man. Such attitude, such malevolence! Not only was he mocking all three of them together to come and fight him, but he actually believed he was going to get away with stealing the prized crystal shards from Dakota''s vault. Eliza engaged her energy scope in response, and began giving orders to the others. "You heard them Kain and Bella! Attack the thief!"


    Kain responded to Eliza''s confidence by engaging his energy scope too, preparing for battle. It was clear enough that he, Bella, and Eliza were going to take the thief on as a team. This isn''t a legal battle anyway, so the rules don''t apply for this sorry sap. From the corner of his eye, Kain saw Bella react in the same manner as they all prepared for a real battle.


    The man smiled at the sight of their stupidity. He simply stood there in wait. One of them was bound to get too close to him, and that would be the moment to strike back. The one designated as Eliza went first, charging directly towards him with her glowing hands ready. He wasn''t prepared for her unique fighting style however. Eliza immediately made herself less predictable by shooting a barrage of Magical Blitz balls from her hands. While the thief was forced to block them with defense stances, Eliza used that same moment to get even closer to start attacking the criminal with a close combat strategy.


    Much like Jane''s obvious style of close ranged combat, Eliza was launching punch after kick again and again, mixing up each strike with additional magical attacks; Magical Blitz spheres shooting from her hands. The man barely got a chance to do anything, but at one point, he regained enough momentum to strike back at Eliza and disrupt her combo.


    "Push Wave!" The man shouted as he smashed his fists into the ground. His particular spell caused a massive domical aura to fly outwards, and when it slammed into Eliza, she was forced back mid-air, ready to crash into the ground. At the same time, he charged a double attack by shooting a ball of electricity through his hands, aiming for Eliza before she would be able to hit the ground again. "Electro-Ball!" Though he was now occupied with chanting some of his attacks aloud, the man literally had no problem with the timing of his spells and the rapid invocation he was able to pull off. Obviously trained, the Electro-Ball took its toll on Eliza with a loud smashing noise of electricity. Eliza was zapped before even reaching the ground from the powerful Push Wave used to get her away from the thief. In two attacks combined together, Eliza was now in a tight spot, still recovering from the painful power put into a simple spell.


    Bella gritted her teeth in response to the stat changes. The thief''s HP had not declined but a millimeter, and Eliza was hit so hard with a normally powerless attack that her stats declined much too quickly for comfort. The man was no amateur; there was truth to that already. "Attack together!" she hollered. Kain was right by her, and they both began with long ranged spells. Bella aimed her arms out with her ability already charge up. Kain did the exact same thing, copying her moves. "Fire Bolt!"


    With the combined strength of two Fire Bolts launched at exactly the same time, they were confident it would have done something more than Eliza''s dangerous and unusual style. The man was obviously quick, but he would now have to try and dodge two Fire Bolt attacks. At least that''s what they thought. The man grinned and stood there defenseless. Without even trying to put his arms up to block the incoming projectiles and their damage, he braced himself stone still while both the Fire Bolts slammed into his body. By the laws of the force involved, he should have at least had some balance issues. After the fiery dust cleared a second later, his stance and expression remained unchanged, as did his stats above him.


    Kain stood back defensively. "Two Fire Bolts did nothing?!" The stats above the man were totally inert. His energy scope wasn''t the problem. Somehow, the target has become almost immune to all damage, and he was using that to stage a heist in his own style of confidence. "Fine!" Kain prepared a different approach instead. He wanted to get closer like Eliza did, attacking together with Bella to throw off his reaction to that mess. Eliza was up too, ready to follow his lead.


    "Please," he hummed. "The likes of you three bore me." Before allowing either three of them to try anything, the man unleashed another magic spell quickly. Without announcing what kind it was, his hand lifted into the air with a powerful yellow glow. Without a moment later, the ground beneath them crumbled and quaked violently. All three of them lost their balance without falling down yet, but once the ground shot up massive boulders in their face, there was nothing to stop the attack from slamming into all three of them with the wide spread range on the attack pattern.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    It was an Earth Glave attack, Eliza was sure of that. Knowing that didn''t help right now, since she was thrown a bit into the air with the others. Actually, Kain managed to get knocked down into the ground without flying up, but the feeling of a giant rock smashing into her from below the ground really doesn''t help with this sort of situation. Eliza did get the wind knocked out of her this time, especially after landing back on the ground with a thwack! The three of them were now left with lasting damage that held enough pain to stun everyone.


    The unidentified adult male did not let up. He charged another attack aimed at Bella and Kain, who were now really close together. Eliza was further to his left, but still too much in pain to move an inch. "Shadow Wave!" He threw a powerful rushing earth bound wave of darkness towards them both. Bella and Kain were both powerless and defenseless to stop the impact. The wave was so powerful, that it knocked them back at least fifty feet even after they tripped over the force of the magical wave. Kain and Bella rolled in the dirt from the force of the magical impact, leaving them further from the area.


    Now that they were far out of the fight, he needed to deal with Eliza. Before he could take an aim on the woman doubled in pain, a barrage of sharp pointy objects pelleted his back. At the same time, the feeling of an electrical attack managed to bypass his protective suit and cause damage. At least it caused pain, because he felt every part of it.


    "Thunderbolt!" Danny chanted.


    At the same exact time, Taylor invoked her power while the thief had his back turned. "Radial Stars!" Taylor''s hands were glowing orange, as was her glyphring in front of her allowing the Radial Stars to pass through into the physical world. The guy was suddenly being pelleted with a barrage of Radial Stars. And in the middle of that attack, Danny''s Thunderbolt broke through as well, actually causing the thief''s HP stats to go down. He immediately turned around with an enraged expression, already prepared to counterattack.


    While charging MP energy into his hands, the guy quickly unleashed his fury. "Oh you''ll get yours too! Ice Cannon for you!" The man aimed his blue glyphring at Danny specifically, leaving Taylor out of it for now. From the rapid invocation of his powerful spells, Danny still wasn''t prepared enough to dodge the attack. The Ice Cannon spell shot out a barrage of five Ice Bolts traveling consecutively in a straight line, all huddled closely together.


    Danny had never seen an attack this powerful before, firing five Ice Bolts together. Though it only looked like one from the front angle since they were traveling in a linear line. Danny got slammed with all five bolts of ice over and over, pushing him back on his knees a few more feet while his shoes slid back in the dirt. His chest felt frozen, which only hurt a little in the beginning. It began to increase with the pain the more he sat there, as the cold sting was delayed. Now the thief had returned his attention to Taylor.


    "And Magical Blitz for you!"


    Taylor attempted to dodge the attack, but she never had the chance to dodge a Magical Blitz attack before. The man began shooting bright glowing blue balls of energy towards Taylor. They went through the air so quickly, it was almost like lightning. Taylor spun left to dodge, successfully avoiding the first energy ball, but there were four of them total. Taylor''s move simply made her vulnerable and open to the second one, so she was immediately hit by the blast. After being pushed back with a powerful projectile like that, Taylor was once again left vulnerable to the third blitz ball, and again with the fourth. The last one hit her right in the face, knocking her on her back. Those things hurt as bad as feeling a spherical wooden hammer to the skin at flying speeds, and Taylor took a moment on the ground to try and recharge. She took the attack well, despite the bruising sensations at all three impact sites, but somehow she felt drained after being hit that many times.


    "Stop attacking my students!" Eliza jumped towards the thief after recovering from that last attack. The man was surprised to see her rushing down at him from above. Eliza unleashed a magical attack before ever getting close to the man, and she was really pissed off that he would do that to defenseless teenagers. "Hyper Beam!" Eliza put her hands together aiming at the man''s face, firing a high-energy beam with her spell invoked. But the thief was quick enough to react and dodge.


    Bringing his entire body around for a body roll on the ground, he dodged Eliza''s jump attack and now had the open chance to fight back after getting up and having the older woman zoom past him. The beam of energy nearly grazed a large hole in the ground with a loud bang to prove its power. Eliza still had plenty of energy with her as well, so he needed to go difficult on the enemy quickly. With a counterattack too quick for Eliza to see coming, the man pulled out a sword, glowing bright blue with the high infusion of MP energy. "Energy Sword!" He needed to chant the name of the skill in order to make sure the energy remained infused inside. With the power to strike at opponents with added non-elemental damage, the thief was going to make short work of Eliza now, again making the mistake of getting to close to him.


    Eliza suddenly took several large hits and slashes from a long and sharp blade over and over. The man slashed at her chest, her legs, anywhere that was vulnerable. Eliza tried to get away, but he was even faster, striking her in place again and again. Of course, if not for the Leray magical protection zone, Eliza would have already been destroyed by this attack. Magic can''t be used to kill other people, though the pain of attacks is still transferred through a threshold. Eliza was helpless to do anything against this ruthless combination attack, and she was even helpless to stop from being kicked far away by the man''s foot once his combination grew tiresome.


    Eliza hit the ground at a distance with another hard whack. She felt more drained than she had in weeks, looking around for her helpers. The Leray agents were somewhere to her right, but they were still on the ground, heavily damaged from the last Shadow Wave. Eliza knew she took a fair bit of damage too. Whoever this man was came prepared with the ability to block out damage to himself. He was also well trained, seeing as certain simple Leray attacks could drain health so rapidly in agents. This wasn''t going well at all. Eliza confirmed if the agents were even still awake from the attack before confirming her own health and stamina.


    Knowing her health was more in the critical levels, the man kept his eye on Eliza, while she tried to get up despite the massive pain she was feeling from all of those sword hits. The man put away his blade, no longer needing it. He tried to sense if his exit symbol was ready yet, but nothing came back to tell him that it was. "You all fight pathetically."


    "Ugh..." Eliza could barely speak through the damage. It felt like stones were crushing at her chest while she was on the ground. This was defiantly a bad situation. "Who... are you?"


    Seeing as he needed a little more time to make off with the stolen crystal shards, the man indulged in Eliza''s last request just for information that wouldn''t help them anyway. "Makes no difference to me. You''re world won''t be the same soon anyway. I bet now you know not to mess with a Scarlet. Get in our way, and death will become your mercy."


    Eliza clenched her muscles, but she didn''t try to get back up. He was obviously too powerful to defeat all by herself right now. But what did he say? Death? He must be a user of dark magic! No wonder his attack power is so high. That makes him much more than a petty thief. He said not to mess with a Scarlet. That must be the name of the group he''s working for. "That some kind of cult initiation? What do you want with our crystals?"


    "I thought I''ve already told you before. These crystals now belong to the Scarlet Syndicate, not to you." He reacted next by aiming his hands towards Eliza, charging another attack. "Now that''s long enough phishing for information. You all want to be left alone, then leave us alone after tonight. You would be wise to choose life just a little longer, while you still have it." After making his hands glow blue again, he unleashed a different kind of spell.


    Eliza listened carefully for anything he may have accidentally given up. The Scarlet Syndicate? It really did sound like some sort of cult, and now there was some sort of glowing symbol on the top of his forehead. It was much more like a glowing tattoo, with a unique shape and unity to the design. Eliza then noticed that the man''s hands were glowing. He was about to force her to pass out right now. Eliza closed her eyes and turned her head, unable to do anything about it. Just as she braced herself for more damage, Eliza was suddenly being electrocuted with a powerful electrical attack, one that did not hit and fade in a short second of time. The pain of an electric shock was bad as it was already, but now that it was being extended with the time of damage on Eliza, she was now getting defeated in the most painful manner yet, while the electrocution continued aggressively. Eliza knew her stats were critically declining, and despite feeling this much pain constantly, she also felt more drained each millisecond. This was it; this was going to stop her for an entire hour or so.


    The man kept up his electric attack on Eliza, watching her HP drain more and more. As soon as it dropped below ten percent, some strange force pushed him to the ground, ending his attack sequence immediately. "Aaaaaagh!" The Scarlet grunt bellowed at the frustration of being surrounded. Even though he was far from defeated by any attack used at him yet, dealing with those two teenagers was still as annoying as it could get. Eliza would just have to live in excruciating pain a little longer.


    Though much to his surprise, after turning around to confront Danny and Taylor again, he realized that they were not the source of that last Fire Bolt attack. Both Danny and Taylor were on the ground undefeated. They were too stunned to do anything for themselves. He looked around some more until he located another young woman, still probably a student from the looks of it based on her height. From the way she was slumping over in the distance, she must have taken some battle damage from somewhere other than here.


    Taylor saw a Fire Bolt attack hit the back of the thief''s head just before finishing off Eliza. The situation was getting crazier. Nobody was able to stop this man with his unbeatable defense, and after going through so much trouble to attack everyone while stealing from Dakota''s facility. She had to find out who bravely distracted the Scarlet thief. It took Taylor long enough to discover that a few dozen meters to her left a bit in front of someone else''s house, Jane had somehow entered the fight.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Invictus ~ R. Armando Morabito (feat. Uyanga Bold) (Days of Tomorrow)</a>


    <hr>


    Jane took in her surroundings. Only a few other civilians were outside, watching the commotion from a distance. Much of the ground was messed up and distorted from an Earth Glave attack unregulated by the confines of the usual energy dome. The mysterious man in the center had to be the cause of it from the way he was attacking Eliza like that. Danny and Taylor were down as well, on the floor to her right. Their stats were still good enough for them to keep going, but they have both taken a fair bit of damage already, and from the looks of things, so did the Leray agents up ahead. Who does this asshole think he is? "You won''t just attack my teacher like that. So face me instead!"


    The man prepared to tango one more time, but he noticed something odd about this encounter. The woman declared as Jane from her energy scope was surprisingly weak looking. She looked like she had already taken a lot of damage, despite having full health capacity. And her voice was hoarse, like she recently came down with a cold or something. "I''ll do to you what I''ve done to all your friends here, Jane."


    Taylor still struggled to get back up to her knees. She had never taken this much damage in a fight before, so it was not easy to deal with. Despite her health getting lower than this before in her battle with the Cran, she still technically took less damage in that moment before due to her endurance being so low. Nobody ever stopped to explain that with high endurance, one must also face greater damage and pain in more heated battles. But what the hell is Jane doing here?! She still looked as weak and damaged as before, obviously unfit for battle. Since she can''t even use Leray magic, this had to be her attempt to bluff her way through. "J¡ª Jane! No... Turn back! You have to rest! You have to¡ª Agh!" Taylor felt like something punctured her ribcage. Being thrown around by that man really did a number to her real health.


    "No way Tay!" Jane argued. She pointed to the sack with a hole ripped into it. "That man''s got our crystal shards. Those belong to Dakota!" Jane raised her voice as loud as it could go, despite her throat feeling raspy. She became enraged at the obvious carnage in her own town. Some petty thief just comes and takes things from them? No way! "Give them back right now!"


    Danny finally got to his feet, carefully balancing himself while preparing to dodge any attack. The thief might consider him a threat now that he got back up, but even he didn''t want to launch a spell yet. What would Danny''s moves do to the thief anyway? Whichever spell anyone uses has to really count now. "Jane, she''s not kidding. Go home!"


    "Na-ha-ha-ha!" The Scarlet grunt was laughing after realizing how pathetic the whole situation had turned. "This is your reinforcements? I would listen to Danny boy over there. He''s offering you a pain free pass out of this mess."


    "I''m not going to ask you again," Jane threatened. Even she knew that she was still weak from being sick, but this cannot happen to her own hometown. Just standing there tall and ready, the thief had to back down eventually.


    For a short moment, it actually looked like the guy was considering surrender, but he had his arm aimed towards Danny at the same time, making sure he doesn''t try anything. Though he knew exactly what his gesture looked like, the point of it all. "Hmmm, no deal!" Before Jane could even process what he just said, the thief shot another Fire Bolt attack from his hand, aimed right at Danny. Danny didn''t even have any intentions of attacking or defending himself with how weak and dizzy he already was. Jane helplessly watched the Fire Bolt slam Danny back to the ground. His stats were reduced even more.


    Despite being defenseless, Jane watched as the man attacked Danny just to show off his strength. The nerve of that guy! Jane clenched her fists and prepared to strike. "The hard way it is!"


    The thief intentionally updated his energy scope after realizing what it had said. After identifying himself a little to the rest of the group, he might as well fly in style. Oh, and as for Jane, "Magical Blitz." Without even chanting the move loudly, he unleashed a blitz of energy balls at Jane just before she was about to try something, getting the jump on her talk quickly.


    Jane was sent flying before she could realize it was time to dodge. A searing pain traveled through her chest and her right shoulder, which is where she got hit three times in a row with a Magical Blitz attack. The force of the impact and the damage surprised Jane completely. Not to mention that the attack used against her really hurt more than it probably should of. Jane landed on her back, already trying to get back up from that spell. The man sure wasn''t in the mood to give up, but he also somehow invoked that spell so quickly. Jane examined her own stats as soon as she got back up, and realized that the criminal changed his status box as well just to show even more. Just as Jane was checking her own health, her status bar also turned the color of red with that same strange error as before.


    Taylor managed to get back up, but watched as Jane took an attack to the ground really hard. Even though she was damaged and in severe need of recovery, the Scarlet thief was attacking her anyway, despite being sick. Taylor just wasn''t sure anymore what was going on with Jane, but the possibility of death now remained. If Jane is sick and gets knocked out in her condition, she might not make it. No way can that happen! "Stop!" Taylor began a high-speed sprint towards Jane right where she fell. Though Jane was getting back up on her own, she was holding her shoulder in pain at the same time. Jane was certainly hit hard all right. Taylor got in front of Jane, trying to protect her. In just another short second, Taylor found Danny rushing to her side for the same reason.


    "Don''t hurt her!" he bellowed.


    "Hmph!" The Scarlet figure simply stood there, preparing for more of a fight. Though all he had to do was attack at long range and absorb anything thrown his way as well. "Get out of the way. My fight is with that sick girl. If you have the nerve to stand up to us, then you deserve to die the honorable way, in battle!" Without shouting at them this time, it was easy enough for the man to charge another Leray spell, using both hands to fire bolts of electricity towards Danny and Taylor. The double Lightning Strike bolts hit them immediately and without fail. Because of where they were standing, Danny and Taylor really were protecting Jane from taking any more damage, though they were failing miserably to defend themselves as well. Who could with so much power and speed into one attack?


    "No!" Jane watched while Danny and Taylor both got zapped in place for two long seconds, after which they collapsed to the ground again with the bodies smoking from the intensity of the magic damage. They both were looking extremely weak from previous battle damage adding up, in much worse shape than she was in right now. Jane made sure their stats did not report a total knock out. Luckily, Danny and Taylor were still conscious, though in a tight spot taking an electrical attack just for Jane. It didn''t help any one of them, and now Danny and Taylor were breathing quickly just to stay awake.


    Jane darted ahead in front of them, returning the favor. Now that the thief was just standing there, totally laughing at their humility, Jane thought of a better way to fight.


    The thief was loving every second of his everlasting victory. Danny and Taylor were just total wimps, and Jane was too weak already to continue, holding her shoulder in pain after just one attack. What was she going to do by striking a threatening pose? "What are you going to do Jane? Will you really just let me get away with my new shards?"


    The guy sounded so confident taunting everybody, and it was firing up Jane''s nerves. Better to try something with more power. Jane prepared one of her best-known attacks, aiming her arm and creating a glyphring of a jade green color. For Jane, this attack took a bit longer to charge up then it did for Eliza''s team or the current enemy, and she unleashed her attack with perfect aim. "Electro-Ball!"


    The ball of electricity flew through the air quickly. The thief of course stood there, ready to just take it like a man. As soon as the projectile came into contact with him, nothing specific happened, other than becoming surrounded in electrical sparks. He didn''t seem the least bit affected by the pain or power of the spell.


    Taylor tensed as she was slowly getting back up. Jane actually used an attack?! She wasn''t able to earlier, but that Electro-Ball scored a direct hit. Unfortunately, even Jane''s morale must have shrunk at the thought of not inflicting any damage to the Scarlet thief. He must have been wearing a protective suit or something. His damage meter barely dropped at all.


    Jane winced, "What?!" The man didn''t even take a lick of damage. An Electro-Ball attack sure isn''t high on a power level scale, but it still should have done more than that.


    "Ha-ha!" the thief responded. "Now it''s my turn." After quickly charging an attack, three separate glyphrings orange in color formed close to Jane. They were all spread out, but each of them were clearly aimed at her entire team. "Tri-Attack!" After unleashing more energy, each glyphring he formed in the distance fired a beam of energy into each of his rivals. Jane, Danny, and Taylor were all suddenly subject to an additional attack of three energy beams being used all at the same time.


    It almost felt similar to an electrical attack with more heat and damage involved, according to Jane''s memory of skills before her, but the attack was unavoidable. On top of feeling more pain from all of these beams of magic heat, Jane knew that Danny and Taylor were simultaneously taking damage as well, soon to be defeated right here. The force of the beam wasn''t enough to knock anyone down, and by splitting the spell up like this, the overall damage was reduced. Jane still watched her HP decline significantly while unable to get out of the lengthy jolt hold. Danny and Taylor were having exactly the same problems, but both of them were already too damaged to keep going, making this dangerous for the both of them.


    Though in the middle of his multi-attack aura, the thief was suddenly hit in the back of the head again by a few Ice Ball attacks. It barely damaged him at all, but it was certainly enough to break his focus and end his attack pattern early. After turning around, both Kain and Bella had recovered enough to get back in the fight, and they both looked very angry.


    Kain fired another Thunderbolt spell to try and distract the man long enough to save Jane. He was well aware of what a red colored status bar means. If a person battles until knockout with a red status bar, it can actually lead to death. Their health is beyond recovery in such a state, normally invoked by Vital Drain status. Jane is having it early being as sick as she is with a flu. "Stop attacking them! They''re just kids!"


    Bella pitched in as well, adding another Ice Bolt to Kain''s effective damage area. The thief was still capable of absorbing those attacks, and he prepared to retaliate after brushing off the attack spells thrown at him.


    Jane stood back up tall again, shaking her head from how much a simple energy beam had hurt her. Her attention was even more focused on Danny and Taylor. Taylor was weak looking, and breathing quickly from experiencing critical HP for the first time in her life. Danny looked like he was already passed out, despite what his stats displayed so far. He was just taking it on the floor, not wanting to move anymore. At 2% health, anyone would do the same thing. Now the ones who had just saved them were about to get trounced as well.


    Bella rushed in with Kain towards the thief, hoping once again to attack together, but the Scarlet''s speed was just too great. He accounted for every possible and probable attack angle and vector. First, he countered Kain''s Fire Bolt, which he initially used to try and get closer. After absorbing the bolt of fire, he ducked down to dodge Kain''s fist, and struck back with a sweep kick to Kain''s leg, effectively tripping him to the ground. At the same time, he dodged Bella''s third Ice Bolt attack, and countered her moves with the slash of his energy sword once again. Bella was hit hard with the blade, forcing her back, and leaving him to deal with Kain. Kain tried to get back up while attacking back at the same time, using a magical infusion to his hands and legs for a combination attack, but the Scarlet put a stop to that with one simple spell of Laser Rain. A barrage of red lasers fired from his hands, hitting Kain straight in the face. The Scarlet then kicked him backwards right in the nose, making the guy flush back again. Then he turned to take care of Bella, who just now recovered from his slash attack. He stopped Bella immediately by hitting her in the face with a punch two times in a row, then ending it with another kick to the stomach. It was exactly the same tactic used against Kain with similar results. The Scarlet member managed to take care of both of them, making Kain and Bella effectively powerless while inflicting damage at the same time, and he didn''t even take damage himself!


    Jane tensed up while standing in front of her defenseless friends. Now she had to protect them both while attacking the man herself, while she was already weak from the last spell. This man was just clear-cut unstoppable; even Eliza was down, but the Scarlet was currently distracted with checking their vitals. Now was her best chance to get anything done.


    Jane began charging a ton of her MP energy into a better attack. The thief sure wasn''t interested in dodging attacks as much as he is blocking them out. Somehow, the damage to him is mediocre at best. But I''m not letting him leave with our crystal shards! Jane finally prepared her attack, just as soon as the thief turned back to deal with her. "Shadow Wave!" The powerful burst of energy turned into a shock-wave attack bound to the ground, though traveling at a quick speed. Barely visible except for the damage it was doing sliding into the earth, Jane''s dark Shadow Wave attack was somehow much bigger in size than her normal Shadow Waves are. She did mean to put some more energy into it, but that doesn''t often do much since it isn''t all that possible to over-charge spells. Hoping this was going to be it, Jane watched her attack impact on the Scarlet while he was too slow to react.


    The Scarlet thief was suddenly pushed back, and at the same time, he felt several large slices hitting him from below. The Shadow Wave attack was still something he could stand to absorb, but this one managed to partially break through his protective suit''s aura. It would have knocked him flat on his back if he wasn''t trying to keep his feet planted into the earth. Battling the strong force and push back of Jane''s Shadow Wave attack, it finally disappeared, and he examined the damages. There was a lot more scratch like pain from that than there should have been, and the thief now had a good reason to be concerned.


    "Ugh!" The thief was suddenly taken by surprise. That Shadow Wave of Jane''s packed on a lot more power than it should have for a level such as hers, though it only took off five percent of his health. From the looks of it, Jane would not be invoking that move twice.


    The Scarlet examined his options carefully, still confident that his mission was already a success. Jane was now too wiped to continue as well, and his symbol was at last ready to use. No sense hanging around here, but that rip in the bag wasn''t going to do any good. Those crystal shards need to be sealed. He attended to that little problem easily, using Leray magic to create a special bubble aura around the entire bag and crystal shards alone. Now it was time. "Pathetic as ever. I''d love to stay here in this disgusting waste dump you call a town, but I''ve got places to be."


    Jane didn''t know what he meant. Was he expecting to run from her? Jane did feel much less powerful after using that powerful Shadow Wave attack. After being drained earlier, sick, and messed up from battle, that was to be expected. But this can''t be it! She immediately noticed the bubble aura surrounding the bag of stolen crystals, but that was the least eye-opening thing happening now. Some strange enlarged red symbol with a five-meter radius activated on the ground below the Scarlet member, indicating he was about to do something big... Teleportation! After it opened up and finished automatically drawing into the earth completely, Jane remembered the symbol enough to recognize that particular design. "Wait!" Jane even held out her arm, hoping to somehow delay the man from teleporting away. That was his plan all along. Buy himself time until, poof!


    The sight changed significantly. The Scarlet thief was gone in a flash of bright light, and so was the bag of crystal shards he stole. Along with that, Eliza, Bella, Kain, as well as Danny and Taylor were almost completely knocked out, barely conscious. Everything fell silent, and the realization knocked Jane''s breath away. Sympathetically, she let her body fall down some, landing on her knees. The sudden sensation of defeat sunk in, along with all of the fatigue that soon caught up to her. Still, it wasn''t as harsh as what everyone else was feeling.


    Jane whispered over her light breath, "No..." Eliza and the others were finally getting up, struggling just to stand straight, but now it was too late. The thief was already gone, and he made off with Dakota''s most valuable treasure. Danny and Taylor were still conscious too, but barely. All of them, all of them were defeated!


    Eliza struggled to get her strength back, pulling her personal supply sphere for medication and healing orbs designated as standard relievers in the situation. After using one on herself, she still had to wait for the effects to kick in for a few more seconds. It was only now when Eliza figured out what was going on around her. She managed not to get knocked out completely, courtesy of Jane''s assistance, but things weren''t looking great right now. A bright symbol illuminated right where the thief was standing. Both he and the stolen shards have vanished, most likely a teleportation act. The teleportation symbol itself vanished shortly after as well, no longer needed for him to escape.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Burning Night ~ Crysis 2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    The sight up ahead was also bad. Danny and Taylor looked worse than she did a moment ago, damaged seriously from battle, and Jane''s energy scope was not reporting such great stats either. It would have to be worse for Jane since she was currently sick. Jane was on the ground, stunned by the disappearing act. Eliza was shocked as well. This has never happened before, not in the history of all time. People have attempted to steal many things, and some succeeded at times to get caught later on. But nobody on the face of the planet has ever managed to make off with facilitated crystal shards, never! That was the case only until tonight.


    Eliza snapped out of the trance that Jane had already fallen into. Now isn''t the time for this. Danny and Taylor are hurt! She rushed in towards them to help. It took little time to reach them, with the boundary of battle and dangers now gone. Taylor and Danny were still out of it. Though they were not completely passed out yet, their pain was high enough to keep them on the floor. Eliza pulled out two healing orbs, using them both on the injured students immediately. Both orbs began glowing with a strong light, after which they disappeared. As soon as that happened, the health meter on their energy scopes both increased rapidly. Eliza waited until it reached 100% for each of them, and they became conscious again long before that.


    Danny woke up, though he didn''t believe he fell asleep in the first place. Somehow, Eliza was helping him and Taylor get back up. His pains were going away rather quickly, and his energy was suddenly returning to him. The wonderful sensation must have been a healing orb. Though they don''t restore MP levels the same way, so he didn''t feel as great as he did prior to this commotion. But it still felt amazing; the sensation of rapid Leray healing after so much magical damage. Danny still didn''t know what was going on. "What happened?"


    "He took the crystal shards," Jane announced. She was still on her knees, holding her shoulder. For some reason, out of all of the damages, that blitz ball of energy that hit her shoulder carried over the most amount of pain, while it still lingered right there. Her battle damage was manageable according to her, but Eliza was still drawn to Jane from the way she was looking. Eliza gave Jane a healing orb too, forcing her to use it and heal.


    "I know Jane." Eliza wanted to talk to Jane directly, try and calm her down. It was a bit interesting to see a student care so much about protecting their property as much as the Leray agents have done. And it goes without saying that it is impressive that Jane knows this much about crystal shards, which isn''t exactly public knowledge easily obtained. Jane was like a natural guardian to this place. So this had to be hard, watching that man get away with such atrocity. Even Eliza didn''t know what to do. "We''ll have to request for a new supply if possible, and defiantly upgrade our security."


    "I''m launching a full investigation into how he even managed to get into the vault," Bella echoed.


    Kain was with her, just as upset and determined to capture this escaped thief despite being so elusive. "So will I. The Scarlet Syndicate... Either that was their leader, or we now have a new crime ring starting up."


    "They took the crystal shards," Jane repeated. She really was in a trance. Though it was hard not to be with the dizzy sensation she was experiencing.


    Eliza checked Jane''s stats, surprised to find out that the healing orb was not working on her at all. Her MP and HP stats were totally unchanged, suggesting possible real time damage. It was entirely possible that that guy''s attack power was amplified due to dark magical damage. If one is hit with that type of element the wrong way, it can really screw someone up! "Shit," she muttered. Eliza held her hand up to Jane''s forehead, realizing that she is still burning up with a fever. It could be low-grade, but it''s still an indicator that Jane really hurt herself by coming out here today, both physically and spiritually. If she took real time damage on top of being sick enough to partially reject healing, then no magic orb in the world could help her recover right now. If Jane were to lose her health in that fight a moment ago, it could have been more than enough to spell out certain death. "Jane, snap out of it! There''s nothing we can do about it right now, except for us to track the man down." She should have stayed in bed, safe from harm.


    Jane glared at her teacher, not saying anything. She didn''t really give her any particular facial expression, but it was suddenly make Eliza nervous. Jane looked around some more, taking it all in. He took it! He took the shards away!


    Jane''s fever wasn''t high enough to mess up her mentality, but that combined with real time damage could have resulted in her unusual trance. Eliza turned around towards Kain and Bella. "Put a notice out for that guy in every town you can. He had to teleport somewhere within the region. As we already know, he couldn''t have left Sprawn Valley."


    "Couldn''t we just track the teleportation node and signature?" Kain questioned.


    Eliza nodded her head left and right. "No. I don''t think he would have left it that easy for us to find. The symbol that he used, I recognize it. But the design is still different from the original teleportation glyph. We have to track him down the hard way. As far as I''m concerned, any activity related to a Scarlet cult is hereby punishable by arrest in this town. I know I can''t legally register that law, but you two enforce it here anyway. Otherwise, we may have blood spilled in this place soon."


    "Yes ma''am," they both responded.


    Danny finally picked up on what happened. The thief escaped after all, leaving behind this chaos to deal with. And Jane... She wasn''t dead or knocked out, but she didn''t look too good either. Even after using a healing orb on her, nothing had changed to help her heal. But all of that trouble was to steal... Crystal shards? "Excuse me," Danny cleared his throat. "But what are crystal shards even used for?"


    Even after attracting attention from everyone excluding Taylor (who also didn''t understand the purpose), Jane took it upon herself to answer, finally knocking herself out of repetitive defeat in her mind. Jane must have played back a thousand different scenarios in her head, blaming herself entirely for the loss of the stolen property. "Crystal shards are collected in excavations and fused together a special way to make lunar crystals. Lunar crystals then have the capacity to store pure lunar energy, which is a step above Leray energy. Those charged crystals are then used in Eldora Tower by the mages after conversion into Leray crystals there to send out the Leray pulse every so often. Without enough lunar crystals to help the mages send pulses of energy out annually, there wouldn''t be Leray magic, or a protection zone."


    Taylor replayed it in her head, going over the quick lesson in her mind. She forgot to pay close attention in the history lessons. Apparently, there is more magical energy than just Leray magic. Taylor didn''t remember lunar energy, but she did remember dark magic, and its dangers to kill people regardless of the protection zone. Still, nobody has used it, or so it was reported as such.


    Eliza continued from where Jane left off, but she remained wary and distracted by the events that just unfolded. "For storage and protection, the General Army has each and every Leray training facility store loads of crystal shards inside of vaults, which they also supply us with. This is for sure the very first theft on crystal shards that has ever been made successfully, but that guy isn''t going to keep them."


    Eliza sounded sure of herself, and Jane decided to be content with the very idea. At least there remains a small possibility of recovering those shards, but it''s a rare chance. That guy could have gone anywhere he wanted to. Still confined within Sprawn Valley, that still doesn''t make him easy to find. Jane finally stood up, ready to head back. "I''m going home now. I suggest you two do the same."


    Taylor was surprised at Jane''s shift in attitude. She was really taking this hard, and that meant it had to be very important to everyone else here. Despite letting Jane leave towards home to rest up, she still needed to figure out the motive. "But I don''t get it. What would some powerful Scarlet guy want with the crystals? What could they be used for?"


    Eliza tensed at the very thought, but she had to leave it in the realm of open possibilities. "There might be a new black market in Sprawn Valley run by a reflected crime ring. And if that''s true, they would sell these crystals for high prices and get them around to many more low-life scum."


    Danny turned his head down in thought. From the way things sounded before today, crime was at an all-time low with Leray magic preventing death. But seeing as incapacitation can still be a bad thing, and after what just happened tonight, maybe crime exists everywhere after all.


    Kain had finished developing the next patrol plan with Bella, when he remembered something. There were still several civilians watching from the safety of their homes, wondering what the hell was going on. Some were waiting just outside of their house, and it should have still been possible to figure out what just went wrong from here. But that doesn''t leave this open for public mayhem. "Bella, make sure all of the townsfolk stay inside tonight. I don''t want people lurking into the crime scene. Not till we clean it up."


    Bella nodded, and left to deal with that small issue. Jane was already walking back home all by herself. Despite the fact that she couldn''t heal with med kit orbs, she was surprisingly in good enough condition to be self-independent, even with a fever involved. Danny and Taylor couldn''t really do anything else but complain and return home themselves. The only home for them was the medical center in town. Francine was probably having a fit right now, after learning what just happened.


    Man, Danny projected. I thought I had trouble sleeping before. How am I supposed to rest now? Danny was certain that Taylor was of the same mind. They had now been in their second battle since learning Leray skills, but this fight was unofficial and dangerous to everyone''s health, not to mention degrading to everyone''s morale from the way that guy pounded on them. His unusually high defense was to blame. No way did that guy outperform with stats alone. That thief had to have been wearing something specially designed for absorbing a lot of damage, probably something that defied the very nature of Leray magic altogether. What a mess this turned out to be.

 Chapter 27: Five Shells

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    <01/03/1972 ~ 09:01 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    When Monday morning settled in, the atmosphere of Fronas was in much more panic than it had previously been in, during the unusual night of Blue Port Town. With Jane taken out of the action a few days ago, hardly anyone looked like they could move past the invisible depression that spread to their lives. Despite the unexpected actions of yesterday night, Jane made her appearance again in class. Danny and Taylor noticed it just as soon as they walked in together. Jane already made it to her seat, though was reluctant to sit down.


    Everybody was turning heads to each other, whispering while others weren''t as quiet. People were spilling rumors left and right, likely from the unclear events that left several adults in bad shape recently. The people here didn''t seem down anymore, but rather alert. Even from the distance, Jane didn''t look too bad for being sick, but she wasn''t moving around much either. Taylor and Danny walked in to take their seats, greeting Jane on their way there.


    Danny decided not to make any comments about why Jane was allowed to be in school when she should be home resting off her fevers, but if she was allowed here at all, then it would be difficult to challenge the idea in front of the girl. So instead, he kept to his usual greeting.


    After hearing the voices of Danny and Taylor, Jane turned her head to face forward and sat down, ignoring their acknowledgment. Instead, she waited for Eliza to decide whether or not to tell everybody what happened Sunday night. Technically, Eliza has already decided, but it was unclear for now as to what that meant. Jane remembered well that any time important news events happen anywhere in Sprawn Valley, it''s up to the school''s staff to fill in what is really going on, regardless of age, race, etcetera. It was protocol after all, especially since ProCom news doesn''t always have time to visit any moment of interest, nor are they quick about it. Even though this was very bad news, Jane knew that everyone enrolled here deserved to know the truth.


    Taylor ducked her head down a little, unable to grab Jane''s attention. She was ignoring her completely! Maybe Jane was mad at her and Danny. Whatever is going on, this isn''t Jane''s typical behavior. I hope she''ll get over this soon.


    After the morning bells rang again, Eliza stood at the front of the class in a gesture demanding everyone''s attention. There was much delay until total silence was granted, since many of the teens here were going on about what happened in the field last night. But at the distance anyone else was standing, it couldn''t have been possible to know everything. Eliza caught the glimpse in Jane''s eyes, as well as that of Danny and Taylor. All three of them were there to help out last night, but Jane in particular was willing to kill herself over those crystal shards. It was actually impressive to see that much dedication to an act of assistance. One thief, and Jane turns into a totally different person. Eliza had just the perfect comparison to add that to as well. Jane''s behavior is exactly the way any and all Leray agents are supposed to act in a situation given extremities. But she was aiming to become a Leray master, right? Kain and Bella did their very best, for what it was worth. Given the circumstances, Jane did arrive rather late to the scene, and the thief still got away because he was just killing time to charge up that teleportation symbol.


    Eliza shook her head, realizing she had the floor. Jane was certainly remarkable, and often full of surprises. But this isn''t new information, and right now, the entire class needs to know what happened that night. "As of right now," she began, "every other class in session today is being told of the events that unfolded last night." Since everybody who didn''t know would give anything to find out, not one student uttered a word as soon as she opened hers. "And it''s the job of Dakota to inform everyone of an official emergency or crisis. I regret to inform you all that the stash of Dakota''s crimson crystal shards were stolen from our vault on January 2<sup>nd</sup>, at twenty-three hundred forty-five hours."


    Some of the students gasped loudly, and others were stunned to silence. Eliza could feel that wave of dispute coming, but she wasn''t finished yet. "The identity of the thief or his motives has yet to be identified. As of now, this is a matter of regional investigation. Everyone living in the Gulop region, as well as all students of Dakota are expected to take caution whenever wandering outside of your own home. And for your safety, avoid conversing with total strangers. That is all we are able to disclose at this time." Eliza just stood there paused. That was all she was required to say, and thankfully, it was all she wanted to let out. Everybody in the class was becoming their own source of uproar, and many of them argued with each other regarding which one was right about which rumor. Eliza could care less, but the sudden glaring of Jane caught her eye again. Danny and Taylor both hopped out of their desks and approached their teacher first, though Jane was waiting behind.


    "Eliza, we''re so sorry," Taylor confessed. Though she already knew there was nothing anyone could have done to prevent this, Eliza had to know just how much they helped her out. Still, if they don''t keep their voices down, everyone will know they were personally involved.


    So much for remaining subtle. "There''s nothing to be sorry about," she replied. "Each of you performed bravely, and without understanding what was happening at the time. So you had to put your trust in faith in the people you knew around you, instead of a stranger. I''m proud of that," Eliza admitted. "You have nothing to apologize for."


    Danny knew it was more off topic, but after seeing Jane return to school so soon while she then started ignoring him and Taylor, he had to be certain with a different method. "Eliza?" He kept his voice to a minimum without whisper. "How is Jane today? You know, after..."


    Danny didn''t know exactly how to finish that sentence, but Eliza understood anyway. Jane sure was looking much better on a physical scale, but there was no way to be certain just how much she had recovered. "Well she seems to be recovering from her flu. Don''t forget that because it is an unknown strand, she is unlikely to be contagious, and can heal without medication specific to anti-viral treatment." Eliza turned her head, stopping herself after realizing that Jane was walking towards them right now.


    Jane didn''t rush anything. The moments from before played again and again in her head, though she called it the train wreck that never ended. She did remember the guy''s face, but it didn''t do much to help her out right now. Still, what that guy did was wrong, and Eliza needs to know how much support she had. After reaching her teacher, at which Danny and Taylor were also present, Jane finally let it all out loud enough for anyone listening closely to hear her. That hatred, that aggression burning in her soul from just one robbery, Jane had to let it out in a way that would benefit the both of them. "Eliza?" Jane''s hands were clenched just to show how frustrated she still was. "I don''t know who the Scarlet Cult are either, and neither do I have any current information about that thief. But he made off with our crystal shards."


    "I know," Eliza interrupted. "We''ll just have to order new ones. It''s tradition for all facilities in Sprawn Valley to have their own unique supply."


    Jane waved her left arm horizontally to indicate that she had much more to say. "I know it isn''t likely that I will encounter him or his gang again in the future. But if I do, if somehow I end up learning anything about the guy who stole our treasure, or about the group he is involved in, I will make it my first priority mission to return here and report to you immediately."


    Eliza winced. Jane was still hung up on finding this guy. It''s just as she thought before. Jane is acting exactly like a Leray agent would. Maybe she could have signed up for that job already. "You really want to find this guy, don''t you?"


    "Well, yeah!" Jane had risen her voice enough to command total attention from the students behind her. "He stole our crystal shards! Nobody should get away with that! I''ll get that guy, if it''s the last thing I ever do!"


    Taylor backed up slightly to avoid going deaf, but she finally noticed one of the reasons Jane wasn''t in sync today. It''s because of yesterday for sure. Jane has never sounded so angry and determined before, at least not to Taylor''s knowledge. Then again, if Jane had any thoughts on running off on her own, it would ruin Taylor''s plan to stay here for good. "Wait a minute Jane. If that''s your priority, then let us help." Taylor looked at Danny, conferring that he acknowledged her promise.


    Danny saw what Taylor was up to. By agreeing to help Jane sincerely, it would help her get back to normal and boost her morale all at the same time. Plus, if he was ever going to make it to Junon, he would need Jane''s help too, but that wasn''t the notion Taylor carried. If Jane thinks they both cannot handle someone like that in the future, Jane''s protection sense might kick in. Thus, she won''t want to go looking for trouble, and that means everything will eventually go back to normal. "That''s right," Danny assisted. Jane glanced at Taylor, then to Danny in surprise. Did she really think we wouldn''t help her with something as important as that? "We want to help too, and wherever you go, we go."


    Jane didn''t know what to say, bouncing her head from one friend to the other, but she knew something was wrong with this. Taylor and Danny couldn''t hold their own like she could. It''s just too dangerous. "No! I can''t let you two do that. Neither one of you are ready to take on that much of a challenge."


    Well played! Danny didn''t expect Taylor to be so precise and persuasive, but just like she planned, Jane would never risk their lives to go crazy tracking down danger herself.


    "Jane!" Eliza hollered Jane''s name as much as her voice could handle. With an angry tone, Jane shivered and turned head to face her teacher. "That''s enough out of you. You''re in a training facility after all. Have you forgotten what training facilities are designed to do?"


    This time, Jane was both speechless, and unable to think of why Eliza was so upset with her right now.


    "Danny and Taylor are not experts in Leray fights, but neither are you Jane. You think becoming a Leray master is easy?! You want to go off on your own to get killed, when you''ve already forgotten several important rules to Leray battling?"


    Jane couldn''t exactly figure out what Eliza was saying. Why was she mentioning rules now...? Oh! Jane likely figured this out already. Eliza was telling her that Jane wasn''t ready to go secret agent on anybody yet. Unfortunately, she was right to a degree. That thief barely got a scratch on him from what Jane''s powers were able to do, but her teacher wasn''t through yelling at her yet.


    "And look at those two." Eliza was pointing to Danny and Taylor both, getting them to point at themselves in question. "In just two short weeks of time, they couldn''t even decipher what MP energy meant. But now, they''re performing tricks as good as you. They want to train with you Jane, and you''re turning them down. Going out of your way to face someone dangerous all by yourself isn''t brave, it''s stupid! How do you think that helps anyone?"


    "I¡ª I don''t know!" Jane brushed back. "I don''t want them to get injured either."


    Danny turned to Jane, after finally understanding what Eliza was talking about. It wasn''t expected that she would play her role in this, but he was ever so thankful that Eliza had the same thoughts in mind too. Jane shouldn''t be going anywhere on her own to fight dangerous criminals like that. "Jane? If you want to track down that thief, that''s fine. But he won''t be alone, and the enemy will have strength in numbers if you are alone. Get it now?"


    Eliza needed to make sure Jane wasn''t thinking anything crazy anymore. "Jane? I''m not declining your offer to assist us, but you can''t do it all by yourself anymore. All you need to do is train yourself, and let your friends train with you."


    Jane ducked her head down in shame, for forgetting exactly what Eliza was talking about earlier; unofficial rule number seven. In an unusual situation that would likely involve danger in power, or danger in being outnumbered, always bring reinforcements. That one was reserved strictly for the task of Leray agents, but it could apply to a number of outside situations as well. Danny and Taylor are Jane''s friends, and all they want to do is help. Being knocked out wouldn''t mean the end, but if someone were powerful enough to use dark magic and then knocked them out, it really would be the end. Jane only meant to protect Danny and Taylor from that terror last night, and even then did she failed miserably.


    "Come on. Let''s help you, kay?" Taylor coaxed. After putting her hand on Jane''s shoulder to cheer her up, Jane nudged it off swiftly, but she didn''t have the facial expression of rage or anger when she did.


    "It''s a deal," Jane replied. Now she was holding her shoulder from the top. Somehow, the bruising pain from before still lingered, and Taylor''s hand there a second ago seemed to make it worse.


    Eliza tilted her head in confusion. Was Jane really still hurting in her shoulder, or was it from something else? "Jane, you alright?"


    "Yes." Jane let go of her shoulder finally, and let in a slight smile from how much support she was receiving. The noise level in the back of the room had gone up, since almost everyone was paying attention to how much stuff Jane and her friends go through on a daily basis. "Just a shoulder cramp. Now let''s go train."


    "That reminds me," Eliza held up. She cuffed her hands around her mouth, amplifying her voice projection through the entire talkative class of students. "We have training today in dark room six. Everybody better get a move on. Finals are coming soon!"


    Jane twitched from the news. She already knew that today would be training day, but finals were coming soon? The exciting moment Jane has been waiting for was finally around the corner. Awesome! "Ah¡ª wait! Room six?"


    "That''s right," Eliza replied. "We''re doing a rotation this year, and room six will be ours for the rest of the semester. It''s actually much of a different dark room. They should actually call it a bright room."


    Danny and Taylor looked at each other, wondering what Eliza meant, but they both shrugged to show that nobody had a clue. Even Jane seemed taken by its surprise. Dark room six must be a totally different area, but that would also be a good thing to test out how ready people are to changes in environmental factors. Following the rest of the Dakota crew, Danny, Taylor, and Jane proceeded to the new dark room with their teacher trailing behind. Today was designated as training day, which means everybody gets to learn some cool new spells.


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: The Hanging Edge ~ FFXIII OST</a>


    <hr>


    Having Jane back in the action wasn''t hurting morale at all. It felt just like old times having Jane join the class, affecting everybody by bringing them excitement. Eliza opened the door to the dark room using the card reader. In all of the other dark rooms, the lights are actually invisible, created from a lasting power of magic that brightens a hazy fog only in the ceiling section. The medium blue glow from that fog gives off enough light to see anything and everything, but the twist is that the tint of all colors are much different depending on which room you go to. In dark room number six, the coloration of the ceiling fog had a much higher lightness to the intensity, making it so much easier to see in front, yet a bit straining on the eyes to look straight up.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    And that''s not all room six had to offer for surprises. Being a newly installed dark room that Mr. Chester''s class got this year, it was now transferred to Eliza''s group. As soon as the doors opened, the bright white lighting inside was nearly blinding since none of the people coming from the dimmer hallway florescent lights were used to the difference. Eliza forced everyone inside to keep things moving, but they all had to adjust their eyes to the new situation. The brightness of the fog was so intense that the room cast no shadow of darkness anywhere. At the same time, it wasn''t bright enough after adjustment to hurt the eyes, so long as no one looks straight up. Needless to say, it was much easier to see everything in here than the last room Eliza''s class had been assigned. The size of the room appeared bigger, but for some weird reason, the shape and room orientation was different. Instead of having walls to shoot spells at everywhere in randomized maze oriented locations, the room only had a few sawed off walls, with a special training station in the center of the room. A massive round solid steel dome populated the core of the dark room, and it was so big, that the designated stations at the edge of the dome were literally five meters apart. Each station looked close together from the distance, but they were all placed in a circular arc going all around the dark metallic grey metal dome.


    Even Jane was impressed, since she had never been here before. The awe in her eyes went noticed, but Danny and Taylor were reacting in the same excitement. "Eliza was right. It should be called the bright room."


    "It''s clearly experimental, being new and all," Eliza reported. "Why have a dark and stuffy old room when one may get more space inside of a training area, with a more unique and open environment? Not to mention that visibility here is excellent."


    "Are you kidding?" Taylor announced. This room? Experimental?! Room six is a total upgrade overhaul. Despite how large that structure in the center may be, it''s genius to group stations in this way, because of how much free roam room is outside of it. "They should change all of the rooms to be like this."


    Eliza laughed. "Some people actually prefer the darker dark rooms instead of places like this. Though with much fairness put aside, dark room six will not train you how to fight in the dark, or when visibility is poor. And let''s not forget that stations other than Dakota are not always designed to have similar rooms involved."


    "It''s still cool all the same. Now I can see what I''m doing," Danny explained. There was no design flaw anywhere in here as far as he could tell. As serious as he sounded, everyone knew that their last dark room wasn''t really all that dark either, but one would defiantly be having trouble reading in there. Everybody else was quickly warming up to their new training area, while Danny remained closer to Taylor and Jane.


    It took about five minutes until everyone was training with their own abilities. Much of it was all the same for now, since classes typically train students how to perform simple and easy spells such as Fire Ball, Radial Stars, or weaponized attacks. Jane stood there and watched closely as Danny and Taylor demonstrated abilities slightly above their own level.


    After standing in one of the circles placed at specific angles to the dome, Danny pulled out his training blaster and began firing the skill Blast Shot. Blast Shot uses a small bit of MP energy from the user to power the weapon and fire an unavoidable sphere of energy, but the damage level for each shot is about as low as Radial Stars, despite using non-elemental magic damage. Jane knew all of this off the top of her head. Taylor quickly infused magic into her hands. Though her attack was without a glyphring as well, she performed an excellent wind slash attack, striking the metallic dome dead center.


    Jane folded her arms in thought. She had taught them well. Eliza was right about one thing. After training personally with Jane, Danny and Taylor were both above the level of an average student here in this semester. Either one of them could qualify already for advanced training or maneuvering. Jane already graduated the maneuvering class, where one learns how to dodge attacks elegantly while attacking back, much like the style she developed at the same time to use her daggers in close combat. Jane was still a professional at that. She should have tried attacking the Scarlet thief last night with that style, but she didn''t feel as good then as she did now, not to mention that the Magical Blitz attack she took totaled her shoulder.


    Jane was reminded of what Danny and Taylor said to her the other day, about her illness not having anything to do with a flu, but rather side effects from what must have been the spell bomb''s activation in Blue Port Town. Energy scopes are supposed to report exactly what kinds of changes take place during a spell bomb''s usage, but this was the only exception. Something may have already changed within Jane, but whatever it was, she had no idea, and neither did anyone else. Even if Eliza was getting suspicious, there was no way she would have any idea as to what exactly happened to her either. Jane didn''t even know. Something about the pain in her shoulder was concerning Eliza. Leray magic damage does cause physical pain in battle, but even without the aid of a med kit orb, that pain is never lasting.


    "Jane? Why don''t you try an attack as well?"


    Jane checked over her good shoulder to see that it was just Eliza talking to her. Jane had been out of practice for a good while after that incident in Blue Port happened. With being unconscious for so long, even her friends may soar ahead of her. So her teacher was right. Even with the massive headache Jane was getting today, there was no excuse for holding back now.


    Jane nodded to let her teacher know that she was okay with that idea. Then, she stepped over to the station adjacent to Danny''s. All stations were walled off with 4.5-foot walls going from the ground up, all to prevent friendly fire from most elemental spells. Before actually thinking about what attack she should try and perfect, Danny and Taylor were both testing out different spells already.


    "Scatter Beam!" Shortly after chanting the name and pulling the trigger on his energy blaster weapon, Danny managed to force out several smaller sized energy beams from his weapon, all impacting on the metallic substance in front of him as they dissolved into the substance. The attack spell finally worked. This was his first successful attempt at Scatter Beam, and it worked! The attack turns a simple blaster weapon into temporary shotgun mode, which sprays several Blast Shot attacks out of one barrel. Difficult to dodge, and still low in power level, Danny now had a better skill to work with should the need arise.


    Taylor wasn''t about to stop trying new attacks either. She was in the middle of using Whirlwind after Danny''s Scatter Beam was fired. Sure enough not to get distracted, Taylor had to focus the entire time on keeping her Whirlwind alive. Whirlwind is a special attack that deals damage over time. On top of that, the damage is in the form of a powerful gust of wind that spins in a circle around the user, protecting them from all projectiles while delivering damage from all sides surrounding them. It''s still technically a close range attack only. That''s why she went with Wind Slash first. Wind Slash is a wind attack that deals slashing damage in the form of a quick flying projectile. The problem with it is that even at close range or long-range distances, it can be easy to dodge due to the size of the projectile. Taylor was remembering all of this from reading. Those textbooks really do come in handy for new skill inspiration, once you get past the boring bits.


    Of course, now it was time to try Thunderbolt again. Taylor remembered that in the heat of the battle last night, she stuck with Ice Bolts while Danny went with Lightning Strike. Taylor wanted to know both attacks in case one backfires. Though she had studied enough on how to invoke the spell, now would be the test to see if she was ready to perfect it. Because of the recent invocation of other skills, it took no time at all for Taylor to stop using Whirlwind and immediately charge MP energy into her electrical attack of choice. Sensing the MP energy inside of herself and redirecting the flow of her magic to match specific locations and types was getting easier every time she tried it. Her mind was already so used to the process that Taylor needed less focus every time, but she remained vigilant for this specific purpose. The dark blue electrical glyphring formed a large ring of symbols around her left arm, and Taylor pulled her limb up to aim at the target in front of her. The target was simply a small section of the metal dome darker in color than the rest of the metal. The lightning is supposed to strike from the glyphring itself onto the target. Seeing one in action before didn''t hurt her chances of getting it right, but as soon as Taylor chanted the name of her attack, "Lightning Strike!" it was just a moment of nothingness. Nothing happened, and the glyphring quickly faded out. Taylor still had difficulty with that attack spell, but she would get it soon.


    Jane quickly evaluated how well both of them were doing. It was almost amazing. In no time flat, Danny and Taylor were going to catch up to Jane. Then again, there are some abilities she has always kept to herself, even though she cannot invoke any one of them yet. Be that as it may, Jane will always stay in front, that is if she can get some work done today.


    Jane could feel the watchful eyes of Eliza focused on her. Without looking behind her to the left, it was easy to detect. Her teacher probably wanted to test Jane, see if she really could use a spell of her choice. True it was that almost a full day ago, Jane completely failed to invoke a single spell. The attempt in doing so screwed her hands up in the most unusual way she had ever seen so far. But last night, she didn''t fail to do anything. In fact, her magical spells themselves were super impressive at that. The Shadow Wave she invoked then was for some reason much more improved and larger in size than her normal Shadow Waves. Maybe she has just used it enough times to make it super refined. Best start out with that spell then.


    Jane charged up the MP energy she needed to in order to invoke Shadow Wave. It only takes at most 7% MP to use that kind of attack, which means it takes even less if one has done it enough times. Short and simple! Jane''s hands began glowing a bright blue color. It wasn''t unusual. Everybody''s hands often glow different colors based on which attack they are using or storing energy for; that is because the hands are most often the release point of focused Leray energy. In this particular spell, Jane simply redirects the flow of magic from her hands to the ground, emitting an effect that creates an entire wave that advances bound to the ground for up to 75 meters in distance, until crashing into the target to grow at the end while inflicting magical slashing damage in a combination of hits. She had done this before several times, so this will just be a warm-up. "Shadow Wa¡ª" Before she could finish her chant, an incredible searing pain shot into both of her hands, and the intensity of the glowing magic aura there increased. Jane gritted her teeth and let out a painful groan. The scene happening right here was attracting the attention of her teacher and her friends immediately, all with good reason.


    Eliza made it by Jane''s side in seconds, making Danny and Taylor follow. "Jane, what''s wrong?!" She figured it out after getting closer. It was the same exact thing that happened before, right when Jane was about to be released from medical the other day. Eliza did this test before to see if it was possible for Jane to use magic when she was sick. Even after getting better from her illness, her hands retained the auras blue in color, while electrical-like arcs were traveling everywhere within the boundary of Jane''s two palms, not to mention that Jane''s entire arms were shivering out of control due to the reaction. From the looks of things, the trembling had to be involuntary as there was the absence of goose bumps on her uncovered arms.


    "Crap Jane!" Taylor burst. "It''s happening again!"


    "Stop shouting!" Jane commanded. She needed to shout herself just to shut everyone up. Her head was hurting much worse than before, though the stinging sensation on her palms was still more overpowering. Their loud voices didn''t help one bit. The pain in her hands dampened suddenly, but not the pain in Jane''s forehead. It was like a migraine on a massive scale, growing quickly and out of nowhere. Any worse than this and Jane would scream her head right off. Her hands were still pulsating magical build-up everywhere, with sparks flowing through and forcing her muscles there to twitch. Jane desperately tried to control either one of her hands, but only the right one was barely responsive. It was like ordering her body muscles to do something only to have them not respond, or to take forever to respond at all. Halfway paralyzed, Jane tried to control her hand again, getting her arm to aim at the target like before. It was a bit embarrassing having half the class watch in worry as Jane was trying to decipher her own mysterious problem. Out of everything she could be popular and known for, this was not one of those things she wanted to be remembered by.


    Eliza could see that Jane was trying to restore control of her own body again. Her right arm was somewhat responsive, because involuntary actions do not just force one to take such precise aim at one of the stationary targets painted onto the metal dome in the room. Yet her left arm was stiff as a board as it strung out, her fingers twitching uncontrollably. It was entirely possible right now that Jane was just trying to do as Eliza said before; unleash the energy that got trapped inside of her hands. And there were more ways than one to do that. "Jane? Use a weak attack. It might fix this."


    Jane heard her teacher loud and clear, trying desperately to fire an attack she could do in her sleep. Jane didn''t try and charge energy into her hands, since it probably had enough of it already. Her spell took longer than usual to initiate, so Jane coaxed it on, after which the orange glyphring spawned in front of her, spinning in place with its slow elegant movement. "Radial Star!" Jane''s hand turned from the glowing color of blue to orange in a flash, and shooting stars came out of her hand successfully. However, only ten out of thirty of those stars came out at once, and her hand turned from orange to blue again, still sparking with electrical looking energy. This couldn''t be right! Jane knew the power of her skills down to the letter. This had to be the weakest attempt for of Radial Stars in all of her attempts. Not only was the magical spell half-cast, but all of the stars began to fall downwards before ever reaching the target, and every single one of them missed. Jane knew the reason for missing, that her Radial Stars didn''t come out with enough juice on her side. She gave it everything she had. The only thing that didn''t make sense was why Jane''s Radial Stars was weaker than standard levels. Any evaluation team would have rated Jane''s spell power as a power level zero, for not doing any damage, missing the targets, and failing all at the same time.


    "Agh! Try a Fire Ball then." Eliza only needed to raise her voice slightly. The volume level in here did lower significantly after many of the students came by to check out why Jane''s hands were sparking up an electrical storm without actually leaving her body. Eliza had a reason for making Jane push herself this time compared to before. This scene, this condition... It''s familiar enough to recognize, a condition affecting those who could be greatly injured, though Eliza was still uncertain. If Jane can just release enough magic and be fine afterwards, it would confirm her theory and help Jane recover faster.


    Jane took another deep breath and concentrated. Eliza was right. Giving up won''t solve anything, and the reason for this has to be related to something. Spell bomb or not, Jane was going to fix this somehow. Even if her head hurts, Jane recalled before the last time this happened to her hands how long it took to calm her down. If somehow releasing energy can resolve this once and for all, it''s worth a try. A Fire Ball attack was just as easy to perform. Not at the time of learning it in Jane''s memory, but after all of the practice now, it was less than simple. Jane tried adding just a small ounce more of MP energy this time into her malfunctioning right hand. The red fire based glyphring formed all on its own, and was much smaller in size due to the magical design around it. But as soon as Jane released the energy into her attack, the Fire Ball that formed in her hand exploded before leaving the effective radius of the central glyphring. Though it caused no immediate damage to Jane''s health or HP levels, the Fire Ball didn''t disperse like it was supposed to. Jane couldn''t believe it! A simple Fire Ball attack, and she can''t even perform that spell. How was she ever going to learn Flying Guillotine at this rate?


    Eliza let out a loud sigh. This obviously isn''t working. Maybe it isn''t magical build up after all, but perhaps a most unusual strain on her natural MP energy in relation to whatever illness she has. The flu can''t cause this, not to her knowledge. It was futile to try and make Jane march when she isn''t able to get herself out of a painful situation. This deserved a day off. "All right. Jane, take a break and wait for that to wear off. I need to procure a drink."


    Danny watched Eliza head for her bag of personal items. Was this really that stressful for Eliza as well, that she needed to go drink... Wait. Was his teacher talking about alcohol? Here?!


    "I''m not giving up!" Jane returned. She kept her sparking hand aimed at the target, determined to get this right. She had waited all her life to become a Leray master, yet now all of her spells, everything she worked so hard on was becoming undone! I''m not going to let that dream die right here!


    Taylor watched while Jane began straining more of her body to let out additional magic. This time, nothing was happening though. She could tell by Jane''s stance and reaction that she was however releasing MP energy to try something, but nothing was happening. The same affliction that got Jane earlier reappeared, but it was gone last night. Maybe the spell bomb causes temporary magical malfunction? No, why would somebody design that?


    "Thunderbolt!" As soon as Jane tried to release her power again, it hit her. Like a solid iron brick to limb, Jane immediately rushed her left arm to cover her right shoulder. The pain her shoulder was in returned with quadruple the amount of intensity. It was like something had literally crushed the inside of her shoulder, and Jane couldn''t even move that arm to take it off anymore. Just a second afterwards, her headache doubled in power as well, sending her down to her knees. Her right arm was no longer reserved for target practice, but rather doing the same job as her left arm, just for her head instead. Jane was now experiencing two distinct pains in both her shoulder and head at the same time. Both were bad, but the headache was worse. Jane wanted to consider how humiliating this must look. Top student of the class, now in sheering injury from something that didn''t even make any sense.


    Eliza finally turned around to see that Jane was now in a severe level of pain, and rushed back there to help her out. "Jane. Not this again!" Jane wasn''t responding well to her yells, but Eliza was certain she heard her. Eliza hunched down and helped Jane up, when she saw that Jane was holding both her head and her shoulder. That spot again... Eliza figured it made sense for Jane to get a bad headache for overdoing things last night and before, but the shoulder pain made less sense. Eliza remembered that exact moment. Though she was on the ground, and didn''t get a good look, Jane got hit by the Magical Blitz attack, landing on that same shoulder. So why now does it still hurt? After some thought, Eliza came to the conclusion this morning that it couldn''t have been dark magic, because everybody else recovered with healing orbs. Jane was the only exception, despite how many others were fighting the same man. Taylor and Danny, they both recovered perfectly fine. Real time damage would have prevented that recovery, but it''s not the only thing that can prevent recovery either... What happened to Jane?


    Eliza shook her head, snapping herself out of the short lasting trance. Jane was hurting bad right now, after failing to get over this new aliment in her hands. Both of them were still glowing blue with random static arcs jumping between her fingers. It was with less intensity now, but it did not go away either. "Jane? You''re taking a break and that''s final." Regardless of the cause, Jane had to be overexerting herself in some way. Maybe she really just needs to rest after all.


    "We''ll take her home," Taylor offered. She had to carry Jane right after Eliza let go, since her student was in such bad shape. Taylor could tell just by looking. Jane was conscious completely, but the headache she was having was just overpowering. Taylor carried Jane by her good shoulder, and Danny made sure Jane would stand to be moved like this, all the way back to her house.


    Taylor remembered having a headache once, and it was terrible. For the entire day, no matter how much anyone wanted to cheer her up, all she could focus on was the pain, second by second with no relief. At least Jane can''t say that she doesn''t know how she feels anymore.


    Danny supported Taylor whenever she needed help, slowly making their way out of the classroom. Jane''s hands finally stopped glowing blue after another minute, and the electrical sparks went away too. They probably weren''t actually made of electrical energy, but instead a result of some kind of energy balance malfunction that created such interesting alluring lights. It was only Danny''s best guess for now. How could anyone understand how Leray energy works? It''s a force from another dimension that acts as a magical center for a specific unknown energy. Jane''s spell bomb is equally as mysterious. The only way to know what it has done to her is to track the man down.


    Eliza was confident that Jane''s friends could get her home with no problems. They were good at taking care of her anyway, but something was more than just wrong with that picture. A headache makes sense; that she could understand, but why is there lasting pain in Jane''s shoulder? Was it something the thief did to her, or is it related to something else? Jane never officially recovered from her flu after all, but this all started after the beam of light in Blue Port slammed into Jane''s body. Eliza never got to see that herself, only reading about the reports. But what if something that attacked her much earlier is still affecting her magic now? We could be blaming other symptoms on some unknown strand of a flu. There may not even be a flu. Someone isn''t telling someone the truth, and the rest of the situation makes no sense. No medical illness in the world has ever documented the prevention or misfire of Leray magic, unless only caused by the lack of MP recovery. Under her curious breath, Eliza uttered, "What the hell happened to Jane that night?"


    The students around the class were no longer training for the most part. Some were curious, and others were panicked into thinking Jane was contagious with something vile! Eliza had to eventually tend to her herd again to make sure nobody goes throwing rumors around, but as far as the situation stood, it was time to bring in the big guns. If Jane won''t recover from this, then agent Foster will have to look into the details. Kain and Bella probably won''t try to look into what happened in Blue Port. For all she knows, they might be protecting any one of Jane''s secrets since they know her too well. Mr. Foster is a complete stranger to Jane. It makes him an asset since he won''t harbor any particular emotions towards the young girl. With his reputation for solving so many small cases in the past, it''s the best bet for now. Still, that will have to wait until free-for-all training ends today. At least she could make a memo of this for the right moment.

 Chapter 28: Scars

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    <01/10/1972 ~ 09:50 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    As soon as Jane got back home, she was fine, cured of the magical buildup and arm twitching. No more blue glow or arcs of light were emanating on any part of her body. Her headache and shoulder pain however were both lasting. Jane only recovered enough of her focus just to apologize to Danny and Taylor for still being messed up and sick, as they worked to tuck her into the large sofa with Smith by their side as well. Neither one of them bought her apology. Jane knew her friends would not stand for an apology for something that wasn''t even her fault, but Jane has never felt so useless. Whatever was affecting her - still is. At least that''s how it seemed for some time.


    An entire week of time passed on by. Dakota continued a ruthless level of magical training in dark room six that was mainly free-for-all training with a few kinks in the plan, mostly related to Eliza''s personal lecturing that went beyond normal ability usage. Jane''s physical condition of shoulder pain, and the auras sparking up in her hands was on and off as the days went by. Tuesday, she was out of school. Wednesday, she was in, but she held back on Leray magic completely and voluntarily. On Friday, Jane did get in some practice without conflict, but it was short lived. Her physical symptoms were reduced significantly with time, but the only thing that did not change so far was her attitude. After a whole week passed, Monday was up again, with the final week of school now in play, for Eliza''s class anyway. It wasn''t nearly as much time as any ordinary class session would have, but Leray magic must be trained at specific rates, and for a basic level class at Dakota, this was Eliza''s set speed.


    Fronas''s situation was updated to a new status even though the inhabitants had all calmed down about last week''s heist of Dakota''s most valuable treasure hidden in their vault system. Supposedly, the entire matter of the Blue Port incident and the heist were still under intense investigation. Both Bella and Kain were apparently called into questioning, but nobody had any data beyond what it was about. While the student of interest was still recovering, Jane did so in the confines of her own home this time, avoiding the medical facility at all costs. As no new information was made aware to the town''s people, thus everyone had a calmer mood to them these days.


    After arriving in class this time, Jane sat in her new seat, alone, looking as depressed as before. One could mistake it for anger if they didn''t know Jane very well, but Taylor was more than willing to guess what was wrong this time. Taylor thus took her seat, waiting for the moment again to start.


    Eliza was beyond the moment of waiting on late students to continue her next lesson. Today was expected to be another free-for-all training day. That''s what a lot of the lessons were now. Apparently, it''s learn everything, then train, though this time, Eliza had a surprising shift in the lesson plans. There would be some actual learning on post-Leray battling, including what one should do after a loss. Jane didn''t seem interested, but Eliza took that to mean that Jane already knows the information, and simply moved on after announcing this to be the very last week of school. Technically, other classes behind will only be taking one short break, only to start back up again, though thanks to Eliza''s swift speed, she would therefore extend her vacation. Being paid for salary, there wouldn''t be any earnings lost to having less days, just so long as all of her students pass the evaluations.


    Danny shifted in his seat, trying to get Jane''s attention. "Pst!" he called. Jane must have heard him, but she just wasn''t listening. Jane also dressed in all black today, indicating that she was either really depressed about something, or just plain spaced out. Danny never saw Jane like this before. Sure, she wasn''t totally healed on a physical scale, but Jane''s personality could range from highly energetic to hard working and serious. Nothing about her was serious right now, just plain intense. If not for her current depression, Danny would see this behavior as the exact same as the first day they met.


    Taylor knew what Danny was up to, and she tried the same thing, whispering over her breath to Jane. The class wasn''t too loud, and Eliza didn''t actually begin speaking yet. Jane had to be hearing them, which means she was currently ignoring the both of them... This wasn''t all new either. Last Friday, Jane wasn''t very talkative with anybody. She did train a little, but her mood had changed to some kind of dark negative ''go-away'' atmosphere. Though it bothered Taylor a lot, Jane just didn''t want talk to anyone right now.


    Eliza started with the lesson as planned, standing in front of the class to briefly educate the students on how to be a good sport. "Becoming a Leray fighter is very hard, and even more difficult if one were to try and make a career out of the spoils. You see, money is earned by winning in battles. Reward systems are set before the battle begins, and if no reward system is declared, then refusing a battle doesn''t actually count against you. The digital licenses you will receive after graduation are intelligently programed to monitor parameters in a battle. They also monitor specific voice patterns with following combinations and other types of sequences to determine automatically whether or not to record a battle offer or to decline such a thing, and they can learn whether a battle being turned down is justified or not. But with official battles, not every single one of them can be won. This leads into what one must do after losing."


    Jane knew what Eliza was talking about, but she chose to tune it all out. So much was on her mind right now that Jane only found the time to think for herself. She didn''t mind at all if it meant missing out on a lesson that she already knows about in the first place. Danny and Taylor''s needs can come later. Jane still had a lot to figure out.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Eclipse ~ FFXIII-2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    The events from January second - continued ringing in Jane''s head, the entire battle against that thief. Jane was only part of the battle, after showing up with Eliza and the other Leray agents in trouble. Nobody could take that man down. But most importantly, who was he? The thief who made off with the crystal shards didn''t really identify himself at all, but he did connect himself to the Scarlet Syndicate. Eliza and the others were calling them a new kind of cult with unknown goals. So it was a scarlet cult, right? It still wasn''t helpful in helping anyone learn any new information. The Scarlet Cult could be anybody at this point, with their identity well hidden, as is their number of followers or supporters. Why go through all of that trouble to steal from Dakota''s vault?


    Eliza continued her statements, even though it was obvious that Jane wasn''t paying attention. After all she has been through, Eliza figured she deserved some kind of a rest. "Sometimes, you will win, and sometimes you will lose. Losing a battle only points out where you are as a Leray wielder, and where you should improve. You can learn a lot from that. Winning and losing streaks don''t matter, and your cards won''t discriminate you for that. What matters is that you agree to battle if someone challenges you. Refusing a challenge for reasons other than a real emergency does count against you in many ways. I''ll be getting into that later on..."


    Why did he want the crystals? Jane played the scenario again and again in her head. She had been doing this day after day. It''s more than just wrong; the whole event was unusual. That man who attacked everyone used a teleportation symbol to escape. Moreover, he assaulted everyone around him, putting lives in true danger. Even when knowing that Jane was sick, that guy didn''t care one lick. He would see Jane fall over dead if he were given the real chance. Jane could hardly believe she was in bad shape herself, but the fact remains. The people of the Scarlet Cult are willing to kill people in order to accomplish their goals, whatever they may be. The guy did say something about the thief from before, the one who did get captured for a more petty crime. He gave out his name, and then said something about it being a decoy? The heist was made well after, so what was he a decoy for?


    None of it made any sense. Jane reminded herself further that it was a rather good thing that she made great recovery efforts. Her status bar only lights up in the normal orange neon color now instead of danger red. The unknown warning error associated with that color disappeared as well with some continued training. Jane got over that flu pretty quickly for having no medication to fight it. All her medication was designed to do is control the temperature of her fevers. Though it worked, it was still a fast recovery, unusually fast to say the least. Maybe Danny and Taylor were right all along. Maybe that spell bomb Jane used back in Blue Port Town had a lot to do with her symptoms.


    Danny continued listening to Eliza''s lecture. He kept a close eye on Jane though. She really was zoning out about something. She wasn''t physically ill if that was the case, but it was just unlike Jane completely to ignore her friends and drown herself out with thoughts. This time, his occasional staring went unnoticed by her sharp green eyes.


    "Everyone gets stronger all the time," Eliza quoted. "That is why becoming the best is only a temporary title, and hard to achieve anyway. You might be the best one day, but everybody trains and gets better over time. There will always be someone out there who is better than you are, and there will also be people who are not to your level today. It''s perfectly natural. That''s why persistence with your goals is the only sure way to achieve them."


    It doesn''t make sense! Jane yelled at herself in her own head. That spell bomb should have still done something to her, but nothing has changed. Other than getting sick for a while, and being knocked out by a beam of light emanating from the moon, Jane''s stats didn''t change in any way. Her HP and MP levels didn''t go up or down. Her power didn''t increase, her speed, her reflexes... Nothing changed! The entire story itself wasn''t easy to buy. Jane didn''t remember a single moment past the initiation of her spell bomb. As Danny and Taylor were telling it, the spell created a large specialized glyphring symbol, which was likely what caused that beam of lunar energy to zap her from the sky in the first place. That symbol...


    Was it as she thought it was? Everybody else only had the details of the beam in the sky, since that moment was hard to miss. But then why? Why would a beam of light shoot out from the sky like that and land on Jane, a beam of light specifically from the moon itself no less? Or perhaps the mirage made it appear as if it were from the moon? No, reports defiantly confirmed that the time of day shifted with the effects of an advanced magical spell, possibly to create a temporary time anomaly. Still, there has to be a reason. All spell bombs are designed to create a specific effect on the user. That effect can be positive or negative; temporary or permanent. Yet nothing showed up in the status log of her own energy scope.


    The thought about the moon charged even more visual thoughts. Jane remembered what a full moon looks like. Sprawn Valley gets those all the time, but there was just something about the light reflected from the moon''s glow that tugged at her every thought and sensation. The synchronicity of the light mixed in with the position of the moon itself was awe-inspiring. Jane thought about it visually for as long as she could. Even without the memory of what happened to her, there was no denying how elegant the power of the moon is altogether. With a lunar glow like that, turning day into night while illuminating starlight all around, who wouldn''t appreciate the beauty of the Earth''s most largest orbiting space rock?


    Jane thought about it again and again. For some reason, it made her feel calm and recharged all at the same time. It was like a special place of relaxation within her own imagination. Jane didn''t want to stop thinking about the moonlight, with its powerful dark white shine. Jane wished she could get even closer to the moon, perhaps live on it for a while. The thought of outer space and orbital anomalies filled her head, and Jane was able to block out everything happening around her.


    "With that said," Eliza finished. "We will now be heading to dark room six again for continued training. Final evaluations are on Friday this week. So everybody needs to try and learn new spells. The more you know, the better."


    Taylor stood up with the others when it was time to start heading for the dark room. Really - because of the upgrade, it was much more of a bright room than anything else. Jane''s intentions caught her eye, as well as Danny''s. Instead of getting up to move, Jane was just sitting there, eyes opened and totally ignoring everything. Was she even okay to be here today? "Jane, come on."


    Jane still had the thoughts about the lunar energy on her mind. Lunar energy is a technical term when it comes to the magical power that makes up Leray magic, but Jane was thinking about lunar energy in a different meaning. The moon is a powerful substance. Though it is just a rock, the sun''s reflection on the moon charges the sight and the glow of that rock. Though it orbits the earth, a gravitational force is constantly being exerted from the moon, affecting everything. Combining that with the energies that are contained within what is known as reflected starlight, Jane couldn''t look away from the master design if she wanted to. That''s when some other force ended up pulling her right out of her daydream. It was Danny, pulling on Jane''s arm the entire time. How did she not feel the tugging there until now?


    "Jane! Snap out of it, will ya? We have more training to do."


    Taylor was with Danny, wanting Jane to get up and return to her old self in no time. Jane got up out of her seat, but she didn''t really acknowledge Danny in the way he wanted her to. Jane didn''t want to leave her thoughts behind anyway. The moonlight is incredibly powerful and a wonderful sight to see, and those two can''t understand it right now. Jane had no choice but to start heading to the training room, but she still wanted to keep going on in her head about what it means to be moonlight. Such a wonderful feeling is there to be lunar light!


    "Uh, Jane?" Taylor winced at the way Jane just stood up and left. No room for talking or acknowledging them at all. It was like they didn''t even exist in Jane''s eyes. Does she suddenly think they are too weak to be under her wing now? Or was this about something else? Taylor sighed and got a move on as well. At least now, Jane was heading in the right direction. Taylor already spoke to Danny about this, but it was exactly what she was talking about before. Jane was not the same person she was a week ago, especially today. It was as if Jane was still sick with some odd mental aliment that was consuming the very person she used to be. Jane was zoning out, elusive, and just out of it today, ignoring everyone any chance she had. Jane didn''t give up training since her hands weren''t exploding in magical blue bursts anymore, but that didn''t mean Jane was well again.


    The spell bomb had to do something to her. Jane was sure of it. Perhaps all of this random thought about the incredible moonlight and lunar power wasn''t exactly her own. Jane never remembered appreciating the moon so much like she was today. It was as if someone stole her mind and claimed it their own. Perhaps that spell bomb has something to do with this as well? It could have been a lunar blessing... Actually, after all that''s happened lately, maybe it''s really a lunar curse. Still, Jane''s very awareness of it all didn''t drive away the powerful urge she was getting to just run outside of school to bath in that wonderful light, but her conscious side knew better. If she did that, Jane would simply rush out into ordinary daylight, which had not entranced her as much.


    As the day moved on, everybody in the training room worked to perform with excellence, learning all sorts of new spells. Jane was practicing as well, but with powers and abilities that nobody had ever seen or heard of before. It was no big deal of course, but Jane was training with a heavy mind, continuing to zone out occasionally, and refusing to listen to other people when it mattered. Her thoughts were still hung up on the details of the moonlight. Jane knew it was not very natural for her lately, but who could resist the incredible concept of such cosmic power?


    <hr>


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Alone ~ Jaia</a>


    <hr>


    <01/10/1972 ~ 06:50 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    When Monday''s morning light poured into the valley of the town of Fronas, the land was still as quiet as ever. With Dakota opening for classes only a few hours later today, there was plenty of time left for the village to wake up. For that reason, Kain and Bella knew they had to keep their voices down to a minimum.


    They were outside behind the medical facility, wedged and hidden between the building structure and the nearby forest of the northeastern side. Bella felt a little sick with the scenery. As peaceful as this was right now, it all began to remind her of a close ensuing death, even with the song of the echoing birds. Though, her feelings had much to do with the heavier topic brought back against her wishes.


    "And that''s about the whole of what happened." Kain had just finished summarizing the entire dreadful events of last week, particularly related to the heist of Dakota''s crystal shards.


    Mr. Foster was standing in front of Kain, wearing a similar yet more formal button up outfit. Since this morning, he had been listening to Kain''s testimony regarding the incident of which he received news of only a couple of days ago. It was one of the most horrible things such a small village had to face, and to have no positive answers was nothing but unsettling. "There''s no need to guilt speak yourself just because our target was more than a match for the entire town. After all, this is the first time anyone has ever stolen crystal shards from our vaults." Foster didn''t mind openly discussing such private details among the agents involved, as they were currently out of sight and sound from any potential bystanders.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Bella had to add her summarized version of the same thing, just to make sure she was on the same page as them. "That thief came prepared packing an illegal teleportation symbol. So naturally, it''s untraceable. If only we knew what he was up to, I could have taken the stolen loot back."


    "Calm yourself Ms. Sine." Foster gave a direct order to someone he doesn''t even work with, but given his current position in the investigation, Bella and Kain really were somewhat inferior to him and subject to any specific orders related to the recent drawings. All she needed to do for now was to stop blaming herself. "You know as well as I do that such a high level criminal would not have allowed anyone to take the precious loot. It''s a shame that he was allowed to get away. I take it the news here has no upside even after the time elapsed?"


    Kain was being asked the question, since he had spoken to Foster more often than Bella has. There was nothing new to report, which felt unnerving since this particular agent has wasted his time coming down to Fronas, diverting attention away from the Blue Port case. This had to be frustrating. "I''m sorry Mr. Foster. There really is no upside, other than the fact that nobody was hurt too badly. And we still have not been able to confirm whether or not subject B used dark magic or not."


    "Right. As I recall from the report, nobody''s energy scope turned red in the fight..."


    Kain then asked how things were going on his end. "What about you? Surely, something new should have popped up by now regarding the Blue Port case. Even just a hint of a clue?"


    "Mr. Abel," Foster addressed. "If I had anything new about that case, I wouldn''t be visiting the town down here. You and I both know that by now." He sounded rude in his tone, but with much expanse, Kain should have known this to be the case. Still, "But that reminds me. I already asked you what transpired with the heist about a week ago, but I don''t think you''ve said much about the girl; Jane Venn."


    "I believe I did mention that she was a late arrival to the battle going on in the field," Kain proposed. Foster knew this already, and while it was true that Kain kept some of those details regarding Jane to a minimum, it was only because they served no importance. "She was in fact injured by hostile magic, though it looked more like the real time damage occurred due to the fact that she was still recovering from an unknown strain of the flu, not from dark magic damage."


    "You''re sure it wasn''t from something else?"


    Kain didn''t like the tone in his voice right now. Foster is probing in that one forbidden area again. Yes, Jane was a suspect linked in the Blue Port case, but no new evidence has been provided yet. "Foster? She''s sick. I believe she is already close to making a full recovery, but I assure you that Jane had nothing to do with the heist, other than butting her nose in business she shouldn''t have. Everyone was hurt from that battle, and she was no exception to that. I wouldn''t have let a civilian enter such a dangerous situation, but even as we attempted to surround our suspect, he overpowered all of us."


    "Very well," he accepted. Mr. Foster studied their expressions. While it felt like Kain was defensive of the girl, he couldn''t be all that certain. "So we now have two recent incidents both unexplained and both highly unusual in places closely grouped together. This certainly doesn''t go well. But I must say; all of this excitement does appear to be closely timed together. Perhaps our incidents are related after all?"


    "That could be the case of the window..." Bella sounded indecisive. Mr. Foster did have a point about one thing. First the petty thief, then Jane''s incident in Blue Port, and now this more successful heist. Unfortunately knowing Foster, he may try to link it to Jane, even if she had nothing to do with any of it.


    "I don''t want to be putting names where they don''t belong." Foster glared at Kain carefully, demanding his full attention. "And I know this may very well be your intention too. So just answer me one question Kain. How well do you know Jane Venn?"


    "You''re really going there again?"


    Predictably, Kain tensed in response, but Foster remained persistent and calm. "Just answer this one question. What does Jane Venn represent in the town of Fronas?"


    "I think we can both answer that," Bella interrupted. "Kain and I both know what Jane represents in Fronas. She''s as innocent up close as she is from a distance." While she was allowed to continue with Foster and Kain listening, Bella let all of this truth out. "Jane really is just some young girl with a passionate love for Leray magic, but her determination to learn and better herself has set her apart from the others on scale. She''s one of Dakota''s best students because she loves to learn magic with every fiber in her being. I know this because I''ve seen that spark in her several times." Foster had a curious look; he didn''t know where this was going. "Everybody who lives in Fronas, and everybody who attends Dakota academy knows it! Jane represents a shining beacon of inspiration. Other people are excited just from being around her, excited to learn Leray spells, excited to explore, excited to wake up every day and try something new. It''s an amazing torch lamp in this town like none I''ve ever seen before."


    "That was quite a loaded answer," Foster replied.


    Bella continued to elaborate. "It''s the very reason this town is full of depressed kids right now. When Jane fell ill, it was a buzz kill for everyone in a full mile radius. And because she tries so hard to learn magic, Jane also loves the very art of it. That is why she appears to be at the center of all these cases. It''s because she puts herself in the line of fire to do the right thing despite how dangerous it may be. But you wouldn''t know that, agent Foster. It''s because you''re not from Fronas, nor do you spend time here like we do, so I don''t blame you for suspecting her to be a cause of anything. But now that I''ve explained to you the truth, I will ask that you cease bringing up Jane Venn in a suspicious manner."


    Well that sure was exciting. Kain knew Bella was on his side, but never expected her to hold her own against Foster''s intelligence. There''s a reason this guy is so eerie and creepy. It''s because he is too good at his job. Emotions and sensations mean nothing to Foster. He''s the most objective person you''ll ever meet, and he is as manipulative as ever. Kain would know, since he used to be like this before. A person can be so cold and volatile when they put their agenda before morality, and sadly, this guy is clouding his own judgment with the only details that don''t matter to suspicions. Luckily, Bella is here to point this out.


    "Very well then." Foster''s answer was delayed only by the few seconds needed to process it all, but she seemed so sincere. If Jane is at the center of these crimes, then she is somehow the victim in every case. But then what else can be considered new in Fronas? What new element has been introduced here that nobody is talking about? "I can think of other names."


    "Other names?" Bella repeated.


    Mr. Foster began slowly pacing around, jogging his memory while using the scenery here to help him imagine the scenario as it may have played out. "Though it may not have been as recent as these other incidents, it is true that two new elements have been introduced into this village lately. Danny and Taylor; the two teenagers you mentioned earlier in the report. They were involved by taking battle damage too, am I right?"


    Kain didn''t answer directly, since this sounded a lot more like a preparation to attack than an innocent request for factual information. "What are you getting at?"


    "Well," Foster paused slightly, hoping not to insult their intelligence, but it was too late for that now, since they still have yet to consider this as a possibility. "They are new to the town right? But from my understanding, neither of their names show up under any registered database. I made sure to check the last time I left here... They''re not citizens of Sprawn Valley."


    "I never implied that they were." Kain answered this carefully, driving away any suspicion without drawing further attention. "As you know, our medical facility as well as all others allows visitors or travelers to take shelter if homeless. Danny and Taylor are new to Sprawn Valley; I''ll admit that. But for that specific reason, Bella and I have already been keeping a close watch on them both, as well as their motives here. Both students wish to simply graduate Dakota to learn basic magic, and then move on. There is nothing suspicious about them."


    Wrong again! "Just hold on now. I know you already told me to leave Jane Venn alone, and I''m following that instruction right now. But Danny and Taylor are the next logical suspects linked to these matters. They were present for at least two out of three crime scenes, and we know so little about them. You on the other hand haven''t told me their native history, and I dare wonder if you even know about it yourself. Even if they are kids, they can''t be trusted. With the ability to learn magic, even kids can commit the greatest crimes to¡ª"


    "Ah, shut up you moron! That''s enough out of you!" Despite raising his voice and giving away the position of this meeting to any potential walker nearby, Kain figured it was no longer important. Did this guy get raises for this kind of behavior, jumping to conclusions to try and arrest people who are most defiantly innocent? What is it with his obsession over Jane and her friends? "They were present because they''re Jane''s friends. You''re still hanging on the same exact lead as before!"


    "I will ask you to¡ª" Foster couldn''t get his voice through, as Kain was not letting up on his vivid shouting. The fact that he is so defensive of these three right now isn''t settling, but...


    "I wonder why you haven''t been able to tell us why all of this recent, crazy horse shit has been happening to us lately. I bet is has much to do with your obsession to penalize some young girl and her friends for things they did not do! You just go after the weak and easy targets; just ignoring the missed details we''ve yet to see! As long as you do your job quickly, collateral damage matters not to you!"


    Foster lifted the hidden blaster weapon from his coat, aiming the single barrel straight at Kain''s face. It was enough to shut his mouth, which was the exact reaction he wanted right now. "If you don''t keep your voice down, I''ll have to take you in for questioning too Kain. I wouldn''t want to believe that you would have the intention of sabotaging our little group discussion by dragging other ears into this."


    Kain was surprised and mute now. He knew that no such blaster would have the capacity of knocking him out in a Leray zone, but this could be one of those blasters designed to disorientate and immobilize targets instead of causing magic damage. Stun weapons; said to still be in development, but they could be ready by now... For the safety of his sanity, he silenced himself momentarily.


    "I hate to be the one to point out that you and Bella both have taken quite a liking to Jane and her band of merry friends. This can lower the chances of seeing something wrong with the picture." Though Kain gave him an ugly anger stare, Bella seemed upset as well. It was just enough to remind him of her words earlier. "However, seeing as this could simply be caused by this whole beacon of hope nonsense your partner has spelled out, I find it rather easy for people in Fronas to take a liking to such people. I consider Jane less of a threat because I can - at any point in time visit her home and talk to her family. It''s Danny and Taylor I find more suspicious, since I cannot do the same to them.


    Kain got as real as he could, remembering the vows he took as an officer of Fronas. "Since when do we treat immigrants that are only on temporary watch as criminal suspects?" Ignoring the gun to his face, Kain dialed down his volume, eventually coaxing Mr. Foster to lower the unusual gun.


    "Mr. Foster? If I may?" Bella had to get his attention once more. Bella''s heart was racing through her chest too, but she did her best to hide her excitement. The only way to get this guy off their case was to redirect the focus back to where the true crime lies. "I think we should put more focus on the source of this crime ring."


    "And where are you getting at?" he asked.


    Bella reminded the three of them one important detail. "The unidentified male we encountered did announce himself to belong to the organization of the Scarlet Syndicate. If he does belong to this group, shouldn''t we be investigating them instead of our own people?"


    Foster took a second. Bella was sharp for noticing such a connection, but it was almost shameful that neither of them knew more about it. "It is not unusual for criminals with a high sense of pride to announce belonging to the Scarlet Syndicate."


    "And what do you know of such an organization?"


    "Some people consider it to be more of a cult than an actual illegal organization." Foster changed his direction, realizing he would be speaking for a long time. "However, despite the rumors of there being this new crime ring, the truth is simpler than that. The so-called Scarlet Syndicate is not a new organization. I''ve studied a few minor cases and incidents related to the unofficial organization of bandits. They''ve actually been around for at least a decade, if not longer."


    "They''re not a new group? Why does nobody know about this?" Kain wondered more that with such information, why would Foster not focus on that instead.


    "Because they''ve hardly been a cause of concern over such the long period of time. They''ve always been one of those wannabe gangs of delinquents, a group of petty thieves and failed raiders. Because they''re hardly a threat to civilization, we''ve known them to be super quiet and super stupid for that amount of time. But now that you''ve brought it up, it''s only been until recently that they''ve been connected to this recent spur of crime. Then again, we can only pinpoint such a connection to this last heist, and not to the other two incidents."


    "I wouldn''t be so sure about that," Kain insisted. "I have a very strong feeling that the so called decoy the thief mentioned happened to be that failed attempt of the guy we did manage to capture a week before. You remember the incident in which some unknown tried to get away with three hundred credits stolen right off some kid, and he planned to get away in some vehicle before Jane managed to disable the device. We then captured him and imprisoned the crook. But what if all of that commotion was a distraction for the Scarlet thief we encountered to infiltrate the school system and scope out the vault - to plan the heist later on? I mean, the first incident drove everybody away from the training facility for quite some time; t''would make that an easy matter for a sneaky pest to get around. It even seems more plausible considering what the decoy would have to gain otherwise."


    Mr. Foster was finally surprised at this. Kain finally turned on his brain for the first time today, and he made an excellent point. Most agents would reject the idea automatically since they would have too much pride in the security of their own home structures, but the description would have provided an excellent opportunity. To top it off, the reports of that day he studied did include the whereabouts of Jane, Danny, and Taylor, giving all three of them and others best fit alibis. Kain is also right about the mismatching motive of the initial thief. Three hundred credits would never warrant such a daring and stupid crime to begin with. This went beyond being smart; they were getting motivated just to clear these kids. How interesting! "That certainly is a higher possibility. Kain? I''m now impressed that you pieced something together. And it goes without saying that the true security of the facility vaults cannot really be that impressive if a person can infiltrate it in a matter of minutes without setting off a single alarm..." He now seemed to be in deeper thought.


    "Look," Kain added. "I know that the incident in Blue Port Town is still very suspicious. And I have no possible way of connecting such an incident to the Scarlet Syndicate just yet. Therefore, it is still possible that Jane may have done something stupid at that time and place."


    "Kain!" Bella objected to such an idea, but there was a soon made obvious reason for his testimony.


    "I see you''re not one of those morning types Kain."


    "Can''t say I am," he admitted. "But listen to me carefully. I don''t care what your damn case file says. Danny and Taylor are my responsibility. I let them both into this town, and I know them both to be totally incapable of causing trouble for others, even if it is by accident. I also know Jane Venn better than you ever will. Therefore, since this is the town I happen to be designated to, I will personally watch the girl myself. I''ll observe and report any unusual activity that Jane Venn tries to make. And if I do find something, whether or not I understand it, I''ll send such reports to you directly."


    "I know that type of work doesn''t come easy to you Kain. So what''s the offer?"


    Foster knew he was doing this for a reason of bargaining, but no matter. This will get the guy away from these three innocent kids once and for all. "In return," Kain added. "I want you to further your investigation directly towards the Scarlet Syndicate. I''m no longer convinced they are the same organization that you''ve told us they used to be. I think they''re alive and active, possibly with newfound motivation. But it''s something you are more capable of investigating on your own, which is why I want your brawn in their business instead of ours."


    "You drive an interesting bargain Mr. Abel." Foster defiantly sounded like he could tip the other way, but Kain was defiantly thinking things through. It''s totally possible he won''t watch Jane as he said he would, but the guy is still man of honor, and that means nobody is safe if they are found guilty of a crime. Kain isn''t the type of man who covers for anyone if there is a crime involved, and in this particular way, he has divided the line of best fit in order to maximize efficiency in the current investigations. "That settles it then," he agreed. "I will return to Blue Port by day-break, and request from my bosses that the pace of the investigation be changed. I will renounce myself to investigate matters specifically related to the Scarlet Syndicate, and have reinforcements on hold should I provide any evidence that the dead crime ring is indeed alive again. As for you Kain, you will keep things going smoothly inside of Fronas."


    "You have my word on that," Kain promised. This wasn''t as bad as he initially thought. Foster will actually leave them alone, even if Kain did promise to keep a closer eye on Jane Venn. This way, someone will actually look into the heart of the issue. Of course, if Foster comes back here later to explain that the Scarlet Cult is inactive, it will be a really big problem later.


    Foster remained mute momentarily, studying the new expressions on Kain and Bella, who now seemed more lively. This may work after all. "Alright then. Since there is nothing else to discuss, I shall take my leave of you. You may both return to your assigned duties. Don''t speak to me for the remainder of the day, as I''ll be making preparations to leave Fronas. If you do need to discuss anything, it better be an emergency."


    "Yes sir." Kain knew Foster was on board with the idea now, and it actually felt so relaxing to have him leave town, especially for the right reasons. After waiting for Foster to walk away out of sight and sound, Kain stood still, taking the moment alone to relax.


    Bella could defiantly detect how much calmer they both were without that man''s presence around. He''s just so intense, in a way that can unravel other people easily. But as the silence endured, it brought back a painful reminder that she eventually let out. "We really failed to protect Fronas last week. It''s an embarrassment to our names."


    "That much I know." Kain admitted to the same thing. Despite all the training he received to become an agent, it wasn''t close to good enough to handle the Scarlet member that night. They even had so much more assistance from others, which gave him minor comfort in knowing that the man was highly leveled against him. Still... "I wonder if there is even a future for us as agents."


    "Don''t be dim Kain. Of course there is!"


    Kain turned to study Bella''s sudden encouragement. She seemed suddenly rejuvenated and excited. That could have simply been because Mr. Foster has already left, but the more likely cause was something else.


    "Don''t forget how high of a pedestal we put Jane on today," Bella reminded. "If Jane continues to get better, she could eventually mop the floor with the two of us combined."


    "And that''s supposed to be encouraging how?"


    "Well," she put it lightly. "Do you want to get the floor mopped with your body as some girl juggles you in the air?"


    "You know how I feel about that."


    "Well that''s my point," she sharpened. "As agents of Fronas, we have a duty to protect all of the inhabitants of the town. If we''re too embarrassed to live up the name, then it''s our own responsibility to train harder than ever before and become unbeatable in any situation. We ought to learn stronger magic and better reflexes to deal with situations like these later on. I feel as though we may have to deal with them sooner if this Scarlet group really is becoming active."


    "Well, when you say it like that it makes sense, but..." Kain knew that was easier said than done. Fronas of all places is the worst place in Sprawn Valley to go to for Leray training. The field never receives random battles as often due to the low population with so little to attract people down here. Despite having graduations that often fill the field with battles for as long as two months tops, such battles are always only between low level kids. To top it off, Blue Port Town also rarely attracts tough customers to train against. There is no way to better himself with his current skill level in this town. Even the Arena north of Blue Port designed for high-level training and recorded battles of a new championship era has yet to be built. Since they have to stay here and watch after everything, it''s counterproductive to the point. Still, it''s nice to know that being better than Jane even has that effect of encouragement on Ms. Sine. "There''s no real effective way for us to train better."


    "There''s always a way," Bella insisted. Somehow, she was lifting Kain''s spirits without having to try that hard. The solution for being weak was simpler than it would seem. "As far as Fronas goes, there are ways to increase the security level of our town. I just know there are methods of doing that. You know we''re going to have to anyway. As far as training goes, we''ll just battle each other instead."


    "Battle each other?" Is she crazy? How would that even make sense? Does Bella really believe that battling someone she works with will work out for the best?


    "Or are you afraid of losing to me all the time?"


    Kain made a swift reply. "Don''t count on it. If you''re so sure you can defeat me all the time, I''ll have to show you how wrong you are."


    That was all it took. Bella knew that a man''s pride for battle experience was all that needed to be on the line to motivate one to try harder, especially when suggested they would lose to a woman. If he wasn''t on board with the idea then, he sure was now. "We have all day to test our strengths though."


    "That''s fine," Kain pointed out. "We can use the southern field of Fronas before dinner time to figure out which one of us needs the real boost."


    "The loser has to buy dinner."


    Is she trying to turn this into some kind of game? Kain shook it off, certain it wouldn''t matter. It doesn''t matter because he won''t lose. Even if Bella was his partner for several long years, that doesn''t mean squat for her actual parameters compared to his own. "Guess I''ve leave you with the bill today."

 Chapter 29: Signs of Improvement

    <hr>


    <01/11/1972 ~ 10:20 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    "Icy Wind!" The gust of concentrated freezing wind pushed outward from Taylor''s two hands. All she had to do was release energy into her hands and project her powers into a chilling ice attack, a spell that does not require the assistance of a glyphring. Taylor managed to score a direct hit on her target, doubtless, as the visible cold gust of air was so wide. The only target to aim at anyway was just a dark coloration in the section of the metallic dome she aimed for. Anyone standing in front of Taylor from any angle was going to begin freezing quickly from her newly mastered spell. Taylor finished releasing the energy, realizing that her attack form was successful. She then shifted her arms into a thrust to showcase her victory. "Yes!"


    The classmates behind Taylor all clapped for the success in her skill. She perfectly demonstrated a new power that can be used in Leray battles. Icy Wind is a well-known ice elemental magical spell, but instead of dealing any damage, the target becomes surrounded in a cold mist that lowers their speed and flexibility. It doesn''t always work in a battle, but knowing the invocation is better than not knowing.


    "Well done Taylor," Eliza clapped. "Good choice of a skill. Next, we have Danny up for demonstration." Another whole day passed, leading into Tuesday morning. Eliza gave her class the homework assignment of perfecting a new spell to demonstrate tomorrow, which is now today. It was like show-n-tell for Leray powers. Everybody went their turn, only demonstrating one new skill as they took turns in one particular section at a station to fire at the indestructible dome of metal. The people watched each student go and demonstrate their new powers at the dome, one at a time. As far as requirements went for the new spells, it had to be something other than the three elemental balls of magic. Even elemental bolts were accepted, but less encouraged. The fact of the matter is that students today are being evaluated on how well they could perfect and demonstrate a new skill of any kind. With finals coming up very soon, this was defiantly something important.


    Danny exhaled, feeling a bit of pressure put on him. The magic skill he wanted to perfect last night took forever to try, and he only invoked it twice out of many attempts when he did. Now it was his turn right after Taylor. Taylor seeped back into the crowd while Danny was forced out onto the station pad in the middle of the bright room. The metallic dome in the center was designed to absorb Leray magical attacks, but there were targets to hit everywhere, that is the dark speckled coloration noticed by the eyes. It was useful in the design since there was never a mess to clean up with traditional target dummies designed as scarecrows, a highly important detail since accuracy counts as well. In a quick moment, this distracted Danny with the thought of something. For becoming a Leray wielder just to challenge other people to a battle, this seems rather excessive. Either they really want to weave out the weak, or this is really training for something else. Becoming a Leray agent made more sense with the theme of how intense this training gets sometimes, though Danny and Taylor both knew that they would need to end up in Junon at some point in time. They were already going to be two weeks late just after their graduation, assuming that uncle Nyar doesn''t find them first.


    "Go ahead Danny."


    Danny shook himself out of his thoughts in response to Eliza''s instruction. He knew what to do and how, but being up here like this made him nervous. Danny concentrated quickly, doing all he could to block out everything around him. This spell makes use of a conditional generation summon, so it wasn''t easy to use before. After concentrating the energy into his hands, and rearranging his arms as if holding onto a hilt with both hands, Danny cast the chant. "Hammer of Might!" Danny had his eyes closed, so he could not see exactly what was going on, but he still imagined everything to come as he did before.


    Danny''s arms created an interesting yellow colored glyphring around them. That glyphring was present for only a second, after which it disappeared. After fading away, it left behind a brighter yellow glowing sphere, floating at the center of where the glyphring was previously afloat. That light then morphed itself before everyone''s eyes, changing form and casting a pixelated auric appearance of something new. Danny''s arms were still the same way he had them, waiting for that light to completely transform into something. Finally, Danny''s arms ended up holding onto a long hilt without effort. The light transformed into an incredible melee weapon before everyone''s eyes, and it automatically appeared in such a way where Danny was now holding that weapon up right. It appeared to be much like a weapon right out of the popular American movie, Thor. The gigantic hammer had an incredible glowing aura around it, giving the hammer a shine, but this was no ordinary house tool hammer. The blunt weapon was so big that the weight and size ratio should have been impossible to hold onto. Yet somehow, Danny was doing it perfectly. After the spell-cast was over, Danny ended up with a new weapon for battle, a giant Hammer of Might, made of a solid metal - for the side used to hit people with. If Leray magic did not protect people from certain deaths, this giant monstrosity of a weapon would just be incredibly excessive.


    Danny was far from done with his skill. Eliza would probably pass him with just that, but all Hammer of Might does is spawn the weapon into the users hands for a temporary period of time. Danny then must use that weapon on his target if the opportunity is not to go to waste, and there was a target right in front of him. Danny charged at the dome, hammer in his arms as he held it up with both hands due to the weight. Though the metal opaque dome in the room was large, there was no actual obstacles in the way to prevent anybody from just walking up to each of the painted on targets. Therefore, Danny had an easier time charging like this. In a real battle, it would be harder with somebody who can think and counter his current move, but right now, all he needs to do is prove he can learn. That was the point of Eliza''s lesson today. After finally reaching the target with a dash between running and sprinting, Danny shifted all of his muscle weight into his shoulders and his arms. It took quite a lot to lift the hammer up even higher. There were several methods he could have used to swing his hammer onto the target, but for now, the easiest way would be a quick swing from the right to the left. The hammer travels a bit faster this way, even though the opponent could think to jump over his hammer then. Though this was still not a moving target, his teacher must be evaluating every aspect available to her.


    The hard clashing sound of metal against metal screeched and echoed through the entire room. The metal target Danny swung at stopped his hammer cold, putting enough force to disrupt his balance afterwards as the clash sent his legs shuffling and his hammer falling downwards. With metal strong enough to withstand any forms of Leray magic, it was obvious he was not intending to break through that steel dome, but the noise level caused by that collision spoke volumes about how much damage that could do in a battle, much more to how rough it would end up hurting people in that same battle. Eliza said that pain levels from damage are cut in half with the exception of piercing damage, while HP damage itself is reduced from what should be. The fact still remains; getting hurt in a fight can really mess with your mind when you''re just battling to see who wins. Despite knowing you are shielded from death, the pain itself has the opposite intention of disrupting the thought of concept.


    Eliza was watching every moment when Danny''s hammer struck the target. It was a bit less usual to see someone actually go at it with a summoned weapon. Danny could have just been okay with spawning his Hammer of Might and continue to stand there, but he decided to go the extra step, so it better have worked. The sound from that metal clashing almost had her ears ringing. It was certainly a hard hit, which means he did it correctly. His balance was messed up though afterwards, making him totally open to a counterattack should he have missed, but that was something only to be judged on for advanced level classes. Thus, he defiantly did enough. Excellent! Danny''s Hammer of Might began to disappear shortly after it impacted on his target. This was expected to happen as well. Not only is this hammer a summoned weapon only from phased energy, but it has a temporary life limit until the weapon unsummons itself, which is much more noticeable once that hammer gets used in combat. "Well done!" Eliza as well as the rest of the class began clapping for Danny''s performance too. "Class? That is exactly how much damage a blunt weapon can cause in battle. But remember, blocking blunt damage with a high endurance really makes use of such items ineffective."


    At first, Danny thought Eliza was dissing his skills, but it turns out that she was constantly doing this all day; giving out reminders about every specific detail and aspect of battling. People form strategies on these tactics, but leave themselves vulnerable to other opposing strategies as well. For every single solid weapon, there is a way to oppose it to a downside. Leray fighting is very complicated.


    Eliza waited for Danny to walk back to the group before making the next announcement. "Last but certainly not least, Jane''s performance is next."


    Jane nodded at herself, building confidence that now is the time to show everybody her real skills. Jane was only picked last by her teacher under constant suspicion that she was still ill. Yesterday felt like a total drag to her, but after finally mastering that skill she wanted to, it was time to put the hard work into action. She managed to exert magic once again during yesterday''s training without a single incident. In fact, she was in great physical health compared to before. No headaches, no muscle aches, and no strange static-electric sparking hands that prevent or disrupt magical control. For that reason, Eliza was no longer making many exemptions for her, which is what Jane would prefer anyway. Though there was still a small problem. "I''m here Eliza. Can you pull out the target dummy for me?"


    Eliza turned to face Jane, off guard that she would request the three dimensional model target instead of the one everybody else was using. She must have a need to strike from behind or something like that. Jane is after all - the most mobile and agile girl in her class, and this was to be expected, after graduating from her close combat training class under care of Mr. Mire. "Uh-yeah. I''ll get it for you."


    Eliza had to turn around and head to the containment locker near the entrance of the room. The containment locker is used to safely store redundant battle items such as target dummies, battle suit prototypes, and other such things. It wasn''t an issue to go and grab it for Jane, but it took some time. The class used that time to sink their suspense into themselves. Everybody must now be in wonder as to what strategy Jane had available. Before even launching a single attack spell today, she was requesting a slight shift in her target''s variables. Eliza opened the locker, and pulled out the target dummy. There was only one, and she wasn''t surprised that Jane already knew that that same one was available in the room today. She does get around when she isn''t training.


    The target dummy was just a solid beige colored figurine of a person, standing on a solid square design below it. It was not lightweight either, so it took her some time to move it into position. Eliza decided to place it in open territory before backing herself away into the crowd while Jane got closer.


    Jane prepared herself in every possible way. Nobody was in her line of path or too close behind her, and her stance had already taken battle formation. Her target was set up perfectly, and this would be the best way to show off just how powerful and effective her new skill is in a real fight. Jane closed her mouth and used her hands to pick up both of her daggers from her boot hilts. Jane had a wide variety of clothes designed for battle, but the one thing that always remained the same was her willingness to hide two daggers on her sides or behind her. After drawing the daggers, Jane lifted them up to her chest, each blade point tip facing each other a foot apart. For this spell, chanting would only be necessary once it is time to throw the daggers.


    The suspense had to be painful for the others, but Jane wasn''t waiting on purpose. Even though she got it right yesterday without anybody seeing it once, it was very difficult to invoke, and demanded tons of concentration. One may think from the initial weapon wielding that Jane was about to use a weak and pathetic skill such as Knife Toss, but this was not what she had in mind at all. Jane kept focusing hard, now attempting to infuse a powerful concentration of Leray energy into both of her daggers. It took a few seconds, but they ended up glowing with a red aura around each blade. Jane had her eyes open too, so she knew when she was ready to unleash her new skill. After the daggers began glowing red, Jane tensed the muscles in her arms, and spun around with a quick flick of the heel. Jane''s quick spin was designed to give herself some speed before throwing them. At the same time, she finally chanted the name of the skill while concentrating more of her energy into her blades, simultaneously throwing them at specific angles. Jane''s left arm threw the left dagger forward with a slight horizontal twist of her wrist. Her right arm did the same to the other blade. It was a lot to concentrate on all at once, which is why the skill was so difficult to invoke the first few times. Though when used in battle, it can be highly effective.


    "Flying Guillotine!" Jane took aim at her plastic or wooden target dummy, and threw both blades. The magical light in each of the blades became brighter as soon as it left Jane''s hands. Once the blades traveled at least a meter away from Jane''s body, something incredible happened in the middle of the knife formation. Jane''s daggers each surpassed each other in a way that was designed to make their paths cross horizontally. The pathway formed an X in the air invisibly, but after the daggers got further away from each other, the resonating energy within them created a bright hot red circle traveling with the daggers. To be more specific, this circle was actually a magical aura bound by each spinning blade. The blades themselves were the border points of that spinning red circle, creating black lines everywhere as indications of slashing damage infused as well. At the same time, the distance between each blade didn''t split further apart after the spinning circle attained a set diameter. The spell in general was beautiful, but it also moved so quickly that it was unbelievable to the class to see it in action. In less than a second of a flash, that spinning circle of doom finally reached the target dummy, colliding at its center with the cheap doll. Though it stood up to the first hit of Jane''s attack, the Flying Guillotine ended up putting slashes and gashes into the material while the flying flat circle was cutting its way through.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    This was only half of the entire attack. As soon as it appeared that Jane''s magical circle of attack aura completely drilled through the target dummy, the circle stopped sliding with the exception of the speedy and rapid rotation with the daggers. The guillotine spell was now causing damage to the target dummy without actually proceeding forward. This went on for at least a second more or so. Then, Jane''s Flying Guillotine ended up heading backwards, still spinning with the potential to cause damage every millisecond. This time it was heading for Jane. Much like a boomerang, Flying Guillotine returns the daggers to the user while keeping up the attack the entire time. Now approaching the group quickly, several of the mystified students flinched and covered their faces, afraid of getting hit by Jane''s spell. Jane knew better; she held out her hands, still glowing red from a slight magical infusion left in them. Jane''s hands were glowing this way to attract the two daggers back to her. Just before the guillotine ended up crashing into Jane, the spinning dark red circle completely disappeared. The daggers however were still quickly rotating and drilling through the air with the same altitude as before. Jane caught both of her spinning daggers by the plastic handles with ease, and the attack of hers was now over. Though it was a lot to process, and complicated to dictate in a battle situation, it also happened in such a quick amount of time. Jane knew it wasn''t easy to learn, but she was proud of that skill in particular, making excellent use of her daggers. Flying Guillotine can be used from long range too, giving her this edge - aside from her close combat style in a battle. There was no way she could lose to anyone now.


    Eliza almost found herself unable to speak. Was it surprising that Jane learned that spell already? No. But the demonstration still set Eliza into a momentary trance of inspiration... That''s why Jane wanted to use a target dummy. Flying Guillotine is an impressive attack, because it causes several dozens of daggers strikes to occur on the target if it hits, not to mention how difficult it can be to dodge the attack. Jane knew - that by demonstrating this skill like this, Eliza would be able to see exactly where each dagger hit the target, at what intensity, and exactly how many slices made contact as well. The impact was so well done that it had literally sawn the entire structure in half, with the top layer of the figurine sliding off to the floor. Jane really thought of every aspect when it came to this stuff. "Wow! Excellent job Jane. Look at all the damage that did."


    Jane walked with Eliza to the target dummy. All of that concentration was short lived, but it had Jane breathing faster, as if the adrenaline rush of a real battle already affected her. The class followed Eliza as well, curious to see how effective the spell was. Since the cheap dummy was cut in half, it seemed rather impressive for Jane to perfect a spell with a higher power level.


    Danny was impressed as well. Jane had been practicing yesterday, getting back into her training, but this right here should prove that Jane is actually getting back to her old self again. He remembered reading a bit about the spell itself in his guidebook of Leray attacks. Flying Guillotine. Power Level: 4.4, non-elemental magical slashing damage. That alone was an impressive settlement for damage potential. It''s a strong attack in every sense of the way, so it made sense that Jane would take it upon herself to learn it for this assignment. She would do anything to prove to everyone that she was destined to become a Leray master.


    Eliza waited for everyone to catch up, after which she held on to the target dummy that was still standing, and begun slowly rotating it around for the class to get a look at. This was simply to show off where all of the other smaller slashes were on the lower section that did not get drilled through entirely. Already, she heard gasps and impressed sounding whispers from the people that Jane didn''t hang out with so often. There was reason to be impressed; there had to be at least fourteen separate cuts and gashes just on the front side of the fake body. The left side had a really long cut near the hip, and another set of slices inward close to the center. The dummy''s backside took considerable damage too, and that was just the lower separated half of the structure. Eliza turned it around to show everyone. This was exactly the reason why Jane wanted to demonstrate her skill this way, because Flying Guillotine does damage everywhere. It can slice your backside, your front, your sides, even your feet and hair based on how it flies at which angle. If Jane were to try this on the metallic target painted onto the dome, it would have just absorbed her attack, not even allowing Jane''s daggers to return the way they should return. Any impact that completely blocks out the damage from Flying Guillotine will cancel its formation before it can return. So it made total sense as to why she did this to a target dummy. "As you can see," Eliza elaborated, "Flying Guillotine is an attack that cannot be blocked, because it strikes in multiple places as that red circle of damage travels through your body like a ghostly aura. Of course, only what''s on the outside of a person gets damaged due to Leray protection. This hunk of crap doesn''t have that protection since it is non-living and non-synthesized. This particular skill is not easy to master."


    "That''s so cool!"


    "I want to try!"


    Eliza smiled in this familiar victory. Not one of those inspired voices came from Danny or Taylor. They already had their own inspiration, but it has been a while after Jane''s accident since any of her other students were getting back on the level again. This is exactly the kind of cool demonstration her team needed. Jane really went out of her way this time, helping everyone by inspiring them to try harder while raising a new bar for them. Of course, since Jane''s performance was last, that means there was plenty of room now to continue explaining why the use of weaponry was important. It was a longer kind of side-lesson, but really necessary. "And think. There are lots of skills out there that can only be accomplished with specific weaponry. Flying Guillotine does not summon daggers into your hands like Danny''s Hammer of Might did for him. At the same time, Flying Guillotine can only be invoked with the use of two daggers."


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Jungle Flight ~ Stitch Experiment 626 Soundtrack</a>


    <hr>


    Jane folded her arms in satisfaction, but all she was doing now was resting. After the assignments were now complete, she didn''t need to worry about training for the rest of today. Jane still loved training all the time, but as far as her recovery went, she was already bushed from that one attack. She still had some trouble with her natural ability to energetically last for long durations like she used to, and assumed it was simply her immune system still in flux over the last illness. That was okay. There would be plenty of time to stand around and do nothing, since Eliza is about to lose track of time and go right into another lesson that everybody should already know. It was typical for her to do.


    "So you see, it''s not just about the magic and the practice, but the spells you try to invoke can also depend on your choice of permanent equipment in the field."


    "Are there other examples?" Danny quizzed.


    "Of course," Eliza claimed. "You could use the skill Blazing Sword during a battle. Blazing Sword infuses your bladed weapon with a fiery aura to add fire elemental damage to your normal slashing attacks for a period of time. But in order to use it, you must already have brought a long blade or a sword into battle." Eliza could see that saying as much just cleared up a lot in everyone''s eyes. Their expressions of sudden understanding reflected intensely. "You cannot use the skill Blazing Sword without first having a sword, or nothing will happen. Even if you did find a spell that summons the weapon of a long blade, it doesn''t mean you can infuse its magical properties with other abilities. Even if you could, it would be far most costly to MP energy supply. Certain exceptions to this apply, but do so under the conditions that a tremendous amount of MP is used in the same process, thus making the overall design of such complexities flawed. That''s why you have to develop a style with your weapon and go with it. That''s also why there are so many different ways a battle can go."


    Taylor looked at Danny, hoping he would understand another lagging question on her mind. It would seem excessive to ask Eliza while the other kids were into her current lecture. "Hey Danny?" After getting his attention, Taylor asked, "People battle in Leray matches until one side''s HP drops to zero, right? That would mean that the loser passes out with each loss."


    "Yeah," he agreed. "Sounds embarrassing. Though I''ve never got to experience that happening yet. All we''ve battled so far were Cran from those ruins. A live battle that actually is supposed to take place is something I have yet to witness or be a part of." He knew that wasn''t true given the incident with that crystal shard thief, but that didn''t really seem to count, since the battle wasn''t the legal type of thing.


    "It won''t be long now."


    Danny turned his head towards the back of the crowd to discover who was talking. Was that meant for him...? Oh! It''s just Jane. Of course that means she was talking to him about something... "What?"


    Jane lifted her head, smug with Danny''s cluelessness to what he wished to experience. Though the day of the robbery was different. Danny and Taylor both were about to pass out from that thief, but it wasn''t the same. There was no way he could have been using just pure Leray magic, or else Danny, Taylor, and even Eliza would not have been wiped like that. The drain caused by heavy Leray damage does have a similar feeling and sensation, but it''s less intense. Passing out in a battle is the worst that can possibly happen, which is exactly why that is the scale used to determine the winner and the loser. "It won''t be long until you two are put in a real battle like it was meant to be. Danny? You''ll experience passing out soon enough. Don''t worry. It''s not dangerous."


    "Okay," he surmised. "You seem to make it sound like it will happen often for me." Jane didn''t answer back, but at least she was talking to him today, unlike before when she went and totally ignored everyone.


    Taylor pointed to Jane, reminding her that she wasn''t alone in that bed. "Hey Jane? You''ll be battling soon too. Don''t forget that." Jane didn''t reply, but her reaction was a bit unusual. Though Taylor''s friend simply absorbed what she had just told her, Jane was also humble looking. It''s as if Jane is finally getting back to her old self again, in a slow, sluggish kind of way.


    "Wait a minute!" Danny reacted. "What do ya mean, I''ll experience passing out soon enough?! You think I''m going to botch my first real battle! I''ll have you know..."


    Taylor giggled at Danny, drowning out the rest of his ranting. At least he wasn''t ever going to change. All things considered, this all felt like normal. Everything back outside this country wasn''t the best place to be right now; that''s what Taylor thought anyway. Leray magic is an awesome priority to pursue. Even though Jane is an even higher priority to hang around, she can do both at the same time now, and Danny isn''t leaving either. Being here really is amazing!


    "As I was saying," Eliza was glaring at Danny''s outburst after he had taken away the attention of the entire class. It took him a while to turn around and figure out what just happened. After seeing that Danny was calming down, Eliza continued her lecture. She already just changed the subject, but it was all for the best. "Whether from training or from battling, successful use of a spell over and over again makes that spell stronger. That spell''s attack power goes up. The speed of the attack increases. Invocation time decreases. The change each time is unnoticeable, but in the long run, the difference is much bigger. Even simple skills like Fire Bolt can end up becoming a powerful long range skill with years of constant invocation."


    "Well we already knew that."


    Eliza was a little surprised to see Monica say something Jane usually says. It must mean that her own lectures are getting repetitive.


    Danny leaned in closer to Taylor, trying to make a joke without alerting his teacher. His voice never surpassed a whisper while Taylor leaned back to hear the whole thing. "You would think successful repetition of her constant lectures would get more powerful too, but I wouldn''t bet on it."


    "You''re missing the point," Eliza responded. "You should have interrupted me to say that simple spells like Fire Bolt and weaponry in the field are not reliable on their own. It doesn''t always matter how powerful you make your skills by invocation practice. The only way to get an edge over your opponent in battle is by switching up the spells that you use constantly. Make yourself less predictable, and the opponent will have a hard time adapting. Tactics can be swapped mid-battle, and so can the actual spells you invoke as well. That''s why knowing how to use so many different skills is so important. The more skills you have preemptive to a battle, the more adaptable you have already become."


    Jane nodded without saying much else. Her teacher was right this time. That last part is something she had not repeated once before, at least not to this team. Jane thought about every single skill she was practicing so far, and pinning them up to the spells she has already mastered. Going over the list in her head, Jane closed her eyes to help herself visualize herself using the spells she already performed at least once. Knife Toss. Radial Stars. Fire Ball, Ice Ball, and Electro-Ball. Aero Blast. Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, and Lightning Strike. Ice Needles. Hand Grenade. Wind Slash. Magical Blitz. Shadow Wave. Flying Guillotine. Those were all of the skills Jane could use. Some of the skills she knew of were easy to learn, that is the skills that Danny and Taylor were able to use today, but they weren''t part of Jane''s ultimate style anyway.


    Of course, the more powerful spells that Jane had yet to learn bugged her, hung on her mind while taunting her very intelligence and skill. Spirit Bolt, Flamethrower, Triple Fire, Drilling Fate, Quake, Zero Zone, and Crimson Flare. But Jane had another type of power on her mind. She never did give that strange stuff about the moonlight a rest. After a bit of research, there actually is a certain connection to the moon and specific spells. Unfortunately, Eliza''s volume copy of special abilities is just far outdated. I know there has to be an ability or two associated with the powers of the moon. I just know there is...


    The bell rang, interrupting everyone. Even taking Eliza by surprise, the day was finally over for training. It was only the early afternoon moments, but the students were already taking initiative to leave the room and go train outside. Not everybody left in a hurry however, and there were still going to be some others who would stay behind and train harder in this dark room. Eliza did her best to try and spoil the surprise for tomorrow. "Remember class. Keep training for Friday. Final evaluations are soon!"


    Jane caught Taylor and Danny approaching her from the corner of her eye, but she didn''t face them to say anything. She was too tired to train today after all she had done before. Every muscle and joint in her body felt overworked.


    "Looks like that shoulder finally healed," Taylor began. Without knowing what much she could say to get Jane to speak to them, Taylor decided to go with something lame.


    "Yeah." Jane loosened up her muscles, making sure she was completely healed by now. Her headaches were gone, and so were the fevers. Jane gave her entire right arm a few twirls round and round slowly to get a good feel. There was no pain to it at all. "I guess it did. Must have been the flu after all."


    Taylor wasn''t sure about that. There couldn''t be illnesses that give people''s magic the finger like that. The way Jane''s hands were sparking earlier, no way that was supposed to be normal, even for Sprawn Valley. The way Eliza and others reacted to it proved so. But as of now, Jane looked great physically, other than the slight fatigue of not eating enough. Taylor''s stomach was empty sympathetically, and she whipped up an offer Jane shouldn''t refuse. "What do you say we grab a bite to eat? I''m buying."


    "Sure." Jane''s voice was monotone, as it had been for an entire week. Despite Jane feeling emotionally numb for a while, Taylor was somehow making her more at home. Whatever it was about, at least she gets to eat now.


    Danny couldn''t sense this at all. As far as he could tell, Jane looked totally depressed. What kind of dark thoughts could she be hoarding in that thick skull of hers? Was Jane ever going to go back to normal, getting all excited and passionate about training with Leray abilities? She was a bit better today, but still far from her old self. The thought alone was beginning to depress him as well.


    Though perhaps she was still just sick. It was harder to tie in all of that spell bomb nonsense back to her illness since it was now beginning to heal up. Even if her recovery was so slow, Jane was getting better, and after everything that has happened, he considered himself lucky that he nor Taylor caught the unknown flu. Come to think of it, Mr. and Ms. Venn were looking healthy too, not that he was able to visit Jane''s home that often. Maybe what she had wasn''t as viral as the doctors thought. Whatever! At least agents have stopped coming to question everyone about it. It has been a whole week now since anything bad has happened. Please just keep the peace going longer!

 Chapter 31: Evaluations

    <hr>


    <01/14/1972 ~ 11:00 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    The days easily passed into Friday without any conflict. Training was steady and non-stopped with Eliza pushing everyone to the brink, and with Jane returning to her normal self, it appeared as if all the other students in the same class have done the same as well. Many rumors speculated around her while such behavior went noticed, proving that Jane would soon be the most popular and worthy adversary as soon as graduations take effect.


    Evaluations were to begin late morning in dark room six, just as Eliza mapped out, but nobody knew exactly what their objective to pass the test would be. Their teacher was withholding that information until the very end. Only those who really practiced hard would be able to pass - so it was said. Naturally, from the resulting atmosphere, very few had any difficulties making it to school on time. Danny and Taylor were defiantly away from the few who did show up late. After waking up early for a good breakfast, they both joined Jane and the class in the dark room at eleven A.M. as scheduled.


    The magical light of the bright fog above them illuminated everything brilliantly, and the large metal dome in the center of the room appeared to carry more significance with the way Eliza stood just in front of it. As soon as all students were present and accounted for, it was time to give the official announcements. "Attention everyone! Quiet down please."


    Jane froze in place. For many days and nights, she had been dreaming of this moment to finally come true, and here it is. After so many long hard hours of close combat training, mixed in with the consecutive invocations of Leray magical spells, Jane was ready for this test. That said, exactly how they would be tested was beyond even her knowledge. They change it up every year, making the specifications of the actual test different each time. The only thing that always remained the same is that the final evaluations demands something physical. It''s never some sort of written exam, but rather a physical evaluation much similar to that of evasion therapy. On cue, Jane began to wake up quickly.


    Danny could feel it, the wild excitement in the air. Everybody in this room was very eager to get the show on the road, and there was a good reason too. Passing this test means permanent Leray license status. It allows everyone to go wherever they want into Sprawn Valley, and challenge as many people as they see fit. You could find any other person with a Leray license and duel against them in a full Leray match, using skill and wits to determine who is stronger for every single battle. Danny could barely control himself either. The thought of it was more exciting than he once viewed it to be. For those who don''t pass the test, they have to retake the entire course as if from day one. Even he had pressure on him right now. Training with Jane doesn''t mean everything this time. He and Taylor will both be tested with something that won''t be easy.


    Eliza took a good breath to deeply explain the instructions for which everybody was to follow. "The final evaluations will take place shortly. Please listen carefully, as I will relay the instructions of the physical demonstrations that must be performed."


    Jane''s eyes lit up. Physical demonstrations? It was exactly like two years before. Jane was never part of that group, but this test was going to be all about showing off all they''ve learned. No wonder this is the chosen place!


    "Each student has been randomly selected in an ordered system to take the evaluations one at a time. I will be the evaluator for your test today." Eliza let herself relax, and pointed to the dome behind her to signify what she meant. "Once your name has been called, step up to this station right here, and prepare yourself to use Leray magic. I will then ask you to perform a total of five Leray abilities, or attack combinations on your target. Accuracy as well as successful invocation will be counted into your score. You are required to demonstrate the ability to use at least five Leray spells, and you will be given only seven total attempts to get them right. If you do not successfully invoke five abilities within seven attempts to try, you will automatically be counted as disqualified and unfit for battle. If you can demonstrate at least five abilities, they must come out clean and quick enough to score at a specific range, with each spell obtaining a maximum of two points. The scale ranges all the way up to ten points, and the minimum requirement to pass this evaluation will be set at four-point-five."


    "Wow! There are a lot of rules." Taylor spoke in a soft voice to prevent interrupting her teacher. She understood what she was being asked to do, but it was a lot to take in on such short notice. Still, Eliza made it sound harsh too. Even if she has to use all five spells, she has to do them correctly, or else score too low and still fail.


    "First up," Eliza called while checking her list to see who was first. "Hawn. Step forward and demonstrate your five abilities. Feel free to take your time, but not too much time."


    Taylor quickly judged the overall situation here. It was more simple than she realized. The evaluations takes place in her own class, and is judged by her own teacher. Furthermore, it''s a simple series of performing five specific abilities. During the battles against Cran, everyone knew two abilities on average, so it wasn''t hard in theory to get up to that point. Each student would be firing at that metal dome in the center room to see the sideshow.


    Jane waited to see Hawn step up to the station with Eliza. He had some time to prepare his magical aura and charge up the energy he would need. Jane already was distracted by a critical detail, and wanted to locate Danny and Taylor for a quick conversation. The group of students were also a bit distracted. Not everybody was paying attention to what was now going on in front of them, but that was because the demonstration Hawn was about to give wouldn''t be anything special. Five spells really isn''t much at all. The easiest way to pass the test is to use a spell involving a weapon, then Radial Stars, and then all three of the elemental balls. One could even skip an elemental factor and use needle barrage, which is a very weak attack. This is child''s play!


    Jane finally located Danny and Taylor standing together, yet silently apart. "Hey you two." Jane kept her voice to a near whisper. "You''ll be fine in the test."


    "Thanks Jane," Taylor accepted. Coming from Jane, it gave her a fair amount of comfort. "I''ll give it my all."


    "I hate to say it," Jane stirred.


    Danny could tell that something bothered Jane, though it wasn''t urgent either. Something more curious, "What''s up Jane?"


    Jane knew exactly what was wrong already with the evaluations. "The teachers this year are all being lenient. They''re only demanding five attack spells, and allowing for two failed attempts per student." Much to her surprise, Danny and Taylor both winced at her complaint.


    Danny replied, "Wait. You''re saying that the test is easier than it used to be? And you''re upset about it?!"


    Of course he wouldn''t understand. Jane knew exactly how valuable and important it is to test one''s skills to the maximum level. "Two years ago, basic evaluation requirements called for a minimum of nine abilities with zero screw ups, or ten abilities with one screw up. They''re really going out of their way this time to try and let everybody pass."


    "The test is easier to pass," Danny reworded. "I don''t see the downside." Typical Jane, always fighting just for an impossible challenge. "Look. You don''t have to show off. I know you''d love to, but just worry about mixing up your tactics, and get that license."


    "Gee, thanks." Jane wasn''t sure how to take that. And Taylor wasn''t saying anything, though she wasn''t ignoring them either.


    "I guess that means power levels of any kind are allowed?"


    Finally addressing Taylor, Jane informed, "Yes."


    "I get it now." Danny stretched his arms, in case his name gets called soon. "You don''t want anyone to get by with easy wins."


    "I thought you''d never learn." At least Danny was capable of picking up on things eventually. Speaking of which, Jane never really figured out what happened between Taylor and Danny since she got left unconscious from that lunar beam. She was specifically interested in the special details regarding their love for each other. Though before Jane could begin to open her mouth about it...


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Race With Hovis ~ Freelancer OST</a>


    <hr>


    "Jane Venn!" Eliza had to wait a moment. Jane was buried somewhere in the clutter of chatty teens today, and had to bush her way through them to reach the front of the room. Jane looked to be in perfect health, obviously ready to take her best shot at this. "Please step on the platform," she pointed. "And use five spells on the metal target in front of you."


    Jane prepared herself, remembering every single skill she knew. Her interrupted chance to tease her friends would have to wait until after winning the license, but she was being forced to shave down her skills to a minimum of five abilities. After thinking about which combination she was going to use, it was decided. Beginning with an easy attack, Jane used a small amount of her MP energy, and conjured up the Leray magic into her right hand. The small red glyphring formed around her wrist, just as Jane chanted the name of her spell. "Fire Ball!" Jane''s palm unleashed a speedy and quick Fire Ball shot from the center of the red glyphring, which flashed right into the metal target in just half a second. Because the material was designed to absorb magic, there wasn''t much of a fiery explosion on impact as there usually was, but Jane was being graded on how easy it was for her to unleash her powers, so she remained calm for now.


    Fire Ball is a very weak attack, but for Jane, it was both powerful and easy. With much practice, her own Fire Ball attack was not actually the weakest one in the book. After invoking it so many times, the power level of her Fire Ball spell compared to some of the other students would be much higher in scale. Eliza should be more than capable of detecting as much. Jane continued her momentum by pulling up her daggers, both of them in each hand. She wasted no time in between shifting attacks and skills, other than the time it took to charge the energy into the places they needed to go. Jane began channeling the energy into her two daggers, making them glow red with auras like before. "Flying Guillotine!" After charging enough MP energy to the blades and concentrating, Jane threw her daggers at the target. Due to the angle and design of this special skill, the spinning daggers crossed paths, forming a magical red aura in the form of a circle after picking up some distance and velocity, with the radius defined by the two spinning daggers. With this, the red spinning disk became the attack Jane wanted to, following the daggers themselves towards the same target on the metal. The daggers didn''t spread further apart from each other or close in together as they went through the air, bound magnetically by the continued assistance of Leray magic in the design of the spell. Essentially, her Flying Guillotine attack spell became the same sized solid red circle drilling through the air with little effort. Because of the metal dome however, the daggers would have to bounce right back into Jane''s hands before continuing a longer barrage of damage. Eliza had to know that. Jane''s Flying Guillotine cannot be fully formed in the second half for this reason, but it still counts as a successful skill anyway, and Jane demonstrated it perfectly.


    Jane''s daggers came flying back to her the way they were meant to. In any other attack spell using magical daggers, the blades would simply teleport back into her hands. Flying Guillotine treats the daggers like a boomerang, requiring the user to catch them once they fly back. The red circle of damage disappears at the last moment to let Jane catch them harmlessly. As soon as Jane caught her daggers, she began to run straight for the same target on the metal dome, daggers out and ready. Her transition was very speedy, making it difficult to predict what Jane was about to try next. When she got close enough on foot, Jane began attacking the metal dome with her daggers. Not only was she slashing at the metal material, Jane was also kicking and punching the wall with her awesome close combat combination. Officially, this was not a specific Leray skill, but Jane knew that and went with it anyway. Eliza would accept this under the circumstances since it still counts as a type of attack in the long run. With every slash Jane gave however, the daggers bounced back against the hard metal material, clinging loud noise echoing through the air, and putting force against her that made the combination that much harder to control.


    Taylor was watching with Danny carefully, evaluating how well Jane was doing. So far, her abilities came out rather quickly. But now what was she up to? All Jane was doing now was attacking the target with her close combat battling style. That doesn''t count as one of the five skills, does it?


    "Does that count as a Leray skill?" Danny wanted Taylor to answer, but all she did was give him a shoulder shrug. It wasn''t very clear, but Jane sure was into that style of hers.


    Jane performed a back flip, gaining distance from that target while hopping into the air and out of the way. She then charged more energy, causing her hands to glow a blue color. "Magical Blitz!" The energy balls from Magical Blitz formed in Jane''s hands, and she threw them at the target one by one with all her might. After the second throw with her left hand, Jane formed two more in her hands again, since this ability can form up to a total of four energy spheres. Jane then threw the next two, making for a beautiful magical combination attack. Once all four hit the dark spot on the metal target, Jane was now in line to use her fifth and final attack spell.


    This time, there was some delay. Jane needed to charge her energy correctly, as this skill takes a bit more time to invoke than other spells do. Jane cautiously and slowly backed away several paces during the charging sequence, making it easier for her to take aim at the same location again. As soon as Jane''s magic was ready, she chanted her attack name while throwing that energy in front of her as if holding onto it with her arms. "Shadow Wave!" Jane immediately formed a large and powerful Shadow Wave, much like the ones she had done before. The Shadow Wave quickly slid its way on the ground towards the metal target. As soon as it came into contact with the metal, the Shadow Wave exploded in place after a short second of damage, and the impulse made a loud whoosh noise to it as well.


    Jane was already feeling a bit dizzy. It was one thing using all of those attacks, but Jane really went as fast as she could with it. As quick as it was, that was the completion of the goal. She had just done it, passed the final evaluations with flying colors and no mistakes. It was fun, but now it was already over before Jane had a chance to enjoy it further.


    "Excellent work Jane." It was amazing to see the girl pull off this much recovery, after she was still totally out of commission just days ago from that odd flu. Not only was she easily capable of using magic again, Jane''s natural speed and reflexes seemed to have returned to her as well. She has the stamina of a soldier! Eliza marked down the scores of each attack. "You didn''t let up for a single moment, and your attacks were performed with great style and combination. You''re score turns out to be nine point five."


    Jane gasped aside from many others who heard the count. She was waiting to hear the words that she had passed, but the score she received was really high for what people normally receive. 9.5 out of ten is really great, and carrying that on the Leray license will make for an excellent resume to get into a more advanced class in the future. Jane bowed at her teacher, proud of her work and her gratitude status. She then walked back into the crowd, holding her tongue while she let herself breathe. They don''t hand out the licenses until after everyone has taken the test, obviously because the evaluation scores must be on them before creation.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Taylor found Jane quickly after returning here. "Jane, that was great! And I just now learned that you can use physical attacks as one of the allowed skills."


    Jane put her hands on her hips. She was allowed to gloat with a score like that. Finally! After all that hard work, it''s finally paying off in full! "It''s a great way to switch up a battle by conserving your MP when needed. The damage is a bit lower, but not if you know how to fight like I do."


    "This is actually pretty fun," Danny added. "What score did you get?"


    Jane wasn''t sure how to explain to Mr. smart mouth that he would never get as good of a score as her, and it would actually be bad to add any additional pressure right before the performance. "Uh, I''ll tell you after you get your score. It''s out of a total of ten."


    "Danny Mason!"


    Danny heard the sound of Eliza''s voice echo through the entire room. She only seems to yell when calling names. That makes sense, since everybody is in a talkative mood right now. It''s all about who passed the test so far, and how well their skills will look as soon as they go, but now it was Danny''s turn. Officially ready, he walked up to the same station being used as before. Eliza was there, waiting on him to get the show on the road.


    "Please step on the platform, and use five Leray skills on the metal target in front of you. Aim carefully for the dark spots." Forced to repeat instructions to each student, Eliza was already getting bored, but watching Jane''s performance was awesome. Danny was one of Jane''s training partners too. So this should at least be something more worthy than what was average in basic.


    Danny tensed up a little on purpose. He had to quickly decide on his five skills and then go with it. After being told there are only two failed attempts allowed, it was still enough to try and risk on his underdeveloped Earth Glave. So that''s what he went with first. He had to aim at the target and charge up his energy first. Earth Glave is usually a spell that uses the earth power in the ground to shoot up rocks and dirt in a grounded area attack around the opponent, but in this case, the earthy materials would be formed by magic as well, seeing as everyone is in a metallic room. "Earth Glave!" Danny unleashed his charged energy, and just like he imagined it, shifts in the ground formed large pillars of rock shooting upwards until they impacted on the target he was supposed to hit. The chunks of rock shot forward and advanced in a horizontal like fashion as well. It was a multiple hit combo, and his hands were still glowing brown after the successful use of his first earth spell.


    Danny felt an incredible amount of excitement and happiness that stunned his focus for the next few seconds. That was his first successful use of Earth Glave, and he did it right here in front of the test as well. Awesome! "Now for the rest." Danny held out his arm, charging energy until a red glyphring formed around his wrist. "Fire Ball." Danny shot off his Fire Ball attack with ease and without even shouting the chant past an indoor voice, as the projectile quickly slammed into the target out in front. It was hard to see happening since those weaker attacks often move quicker through the air.


    Danny kept his arm straight, forming a bright blue glyphring as soon as the red one had faded. Then, after finally releasing his energy, he chanted "Ice Ball!" The ball of frozen magical energy shot from his hand again, forming a bright cyan colored sphere of freezing water and air that was went flying towards the target. After that, Danny retreated his arm back to his side, charging energy for a rather different attack just as he witnessed the powerful icy blast at the end of the impact at the dome. "Stand back for this one, Ms. Eliza. Whirlwind!" Danny immediately created the same Whirlwind attack he did earlier, but with an incredible twist. Danny moved his hands and quickly formed the spinning vortex of air and wind slashes into the spot further away where the target was. The vortex of air was quickly formed from the location far in front of Danny this time, instead of using it all around him. He briefly read about this before, that certain skills can often be formed and spawned in locations other than where they are originally designed to be, with the offset cost of using additional magic energy in the same spell. The fast spinning residual air made the entire room windy, but Eliza took no immediate damage despite being too close to him for a defensive attack like that. The Whirlwind was attacking the dome right now, not anyone else.


    Danny''s hands stopped glowing once his Whirlwind ended, and he went with the next spell. "Hammer of Might!" Danny repositioned his hands and arms as if he were holding up a two handed sword. At that moment, the same yellow glyphring spawned above him, and created the large magical hammer associated with that skill. The hammer formed in such a way where Danny was already holding it without effort. All the magical charging and discharging sounds only made this moment more epic. At this point, he could have charged and attacked his target, but after what he learned before, it was not necessary even for the purpose of the evaluation.


    Eliza waited for the hammer to fade away before realizing that this was what Danny''s combination of five moves had to offer. Impressive variance for a beginner! "It''s nice to see how you chose your attacks with such randomness. You could easily form a strategy with what you already know. And with that, you score... a six point one."


    Danny was frozen, uncertain of how good or bad that score was. Six point one out of ten didn''t sound very good at all... But still, four point five was passing, which means he managed to succeed after all. Was that the standard score?


    "It''s a good score," Eliza elaborated, noticing how Danny was worried about the score in question. "All you need to do is decrease your invocation time in real battles, but you''ve done enough to pass the test. Congratulations."


    "Yes!" Danny deepened his gesture holding up an iron fist. It was possible to pass after all, and he had thanks to his teacher. After the demonstration of his new confidence, Danny headed back into the crowd. However, before he could even find Jane or Taylor again, he heard Eliza call out her name.


    "Taylor Feer!"


    Danny wasn''t expecting her to be up right after him, and so he stopped, remaining in the front of the group after turning around to watch Taylor perform. He managed to see her just as Taylor made it through to the station pad where Eliza was standing next to. Jane was beside Danny now, watching her performance as well.


    Taylor was already told of what she needed to do, and she took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Okay... Five skills... Here goes..." Taylor charged up her energy for the first attack she knew best. "Whirlwind!" Without much time before it actually happened, Taylor created a powerful vortex of wind surrounding her. Normally, this would end up damaging poor Eliza. Why she was standing so close was beyond Taylor''s understanding, but Taylor thought ahead and extended the radius of her Whirlwind on purpose, allowing her teacher to remain inside the eye of the vortex without expanding it too wide to affect the students standing a distance behind her. Thus, Eliza nor anyone else took Leray damage, but the gusts of wind here were powerful. Their hair flew everywhere due to the spell, all until it died down seconds later.


    Taylor hoped Eliza would not take that too personally. Even her hair had to be messed up a bit. Without worrying any further, now is the time to use, "Sphere of Might!" Taylor aimed both of her blue glowing hands at the target in front of her. After unleashing her energy, a large red sphere of Leray magic attack energy formed on the dark spot of the target. It was hard to tell because the sphere was both perfectly rounded off and translucent, but it was also spinning in place, dealing magical damage to the target Taylor was aiming for. The impressive thing was that the sphere did not shoot out from anywhere. It just phased into the physical realm on the target as if designed to teleport there.


    Danny winced. "I didn''t know she could use Sphere of Might!"


    Jane nodded up and down, impressed that Taylor would lead into this with a surprise. "Unlike Hammer of Might, Sphere of Might is designed to do damage without even getting close to your target. And because it uses dark red glyphrings to spawn right where your opponent is standing, it can be confusing to try and evade it. The damage type in this case is non-elemental magical damage only, so her spell is somewhat weaker than your version."


    Taylor''s red spinning sphere disappeared while the two red glyphring attached to each side of it collapsed on each other. Now it was time for the third spell. Taylor went for it full this time, sprinting towards the metal target. If done incorrectly, this could really end up damaging her foot, but it was worth a shot for a new physical attack. Taylor kept running towards the target, getting as close as she could. "Jump Kick!" Taylor jumped high into the air with her leg far out in front for a mid-air kick. The upside to this was that Jump Kick is really a Leray attack skill. By infusing MP energy into her foot, Taylor''s kick becomes more powerful and does more damage than it normally would. At the same time, the white glowing aura around her entire shoe simultaneously protects that part of her body from taking damage should Taylor kick something as sturdy as this massive metal dome. Jump Kick also does some considerable blunt damage as well. So this was the perfect time to try it out. After slamming her foot on the metal, Taylor bounced back off of it, and almost failed to land correctly. The move was successful because her foot was glowing right before impact. Taylor could tell that it worked. It''s just hard to be certain with an inanimate object that cannot respond to force or to pain. What was with that anyway...?


    Taylor concentrated on the task at hand. After landing on both feet this time, she had performed this skill as best as she could, and now it was time for the fourth attempt. Taylor however didn''t go all the way back to her station before invoking the next skill. She began walking backwards while invoking her next magical spell. This one doesn''t require distance to use, so running back to her station with haste was not important for the purpose. Taylor''s hand began glowing blue, forming a larger glyphring in front of her that was spinning a bit faster than the normal rotational speed of other glyphrings. "Ice Needles!" Taylor immediately fired a barrage of frozen needles from her hands, forming right through the glyphring. The attack was executed beautifully. The spell blasted a large wide spread barrage of frozen needles all flying straight into the dome without falling down. The accuracy wasn''t the best, but that came with the design for this spell in the first place.


    As soon as Taylor''s Ice Needles wore off, her feet were back on the station pad since she had been walking backwards during her invocation. Now it was time for the last spell. After charging her energy and taking about two whole seconds to launch her attack, Taylor chanted, "Shadow Wave!" The same shadowy aura stuck to the ground formed and began sliding forward towards the target. While picking up speed, Taylor was hopeful that it would be a good score altogether.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Assassin ~ Kevin Rix (ASCAP)</a>


    <hr>


    Jane knew what it looked like already for a Shadow Wave to strike a target, so she quickly changed the subject to Danny''s case. "So, what did you score?"


    "Let''s see..." Danny almost forgot what he scored earlier, but it wasn''t too difficult to remember with some thought. "Six point one. Not my best work I think."


    "I see," Jane responded. "Though it is in the upper quartile range for what these other people are scoring I bet. It''s really difficult to score highly."


    "So what did you get?"


    "Well..." Jane felt bad about comparing her score to Danny''s now. She did train harder after all. After letting the excitement fill in her lungs again, she couldn''t resist! "Nine point five should be enough."


    "Nine point five?!" Danny reacted. "I''m not so sure I deserve a license if you can score that high."


    Jane encouraged, "Hey come on! I just said, six point one isn''t bad. You''ll still be getting a license. Plus, you can train more and get better, regardless of what the score is today." From the corner of Jane''s eye, Taylor was finished, now awaiting Eliza''s report.


    "Taylor Feer? You''re skills are impressive for a beginner. You''ll do fine out in the field with continued gradual practice. And your score tallies up to six point seven."


    "Awesome!" Taylor knew she was capable of passing. A six point seven was well above the minimum score of four point five. Even if what Jane said about lowering the bar was true, this was already so exciting. "I''ll go tell Jane the good news."


    Eliza admired that passion. It couldn''t have all belonged to Taylor alone. Jane was well known for inspiring others to do well in Leray magic training. With such determination, they were going to make a great team together. While Taylor dashed off to locate Jane, Eliza called in the next person on the list. "Eevee Sanna!"


    "What did you get?" Danny pleaded. Taylor just returned from her evaluation, and she looked well excited by whatever Eliza said to her.


    "Six point seven!" She said it loud and proud, as if you couldn''t get a better score than that.


    Jane let out an interesting reaction by mistake, failing to comprehend the chain of thought quickly enough. "Doah!" Neither Jane nor Danny was expecting Taylor to be so enthusiastic about a score that was only slightly elevated above the average rate. Jane still noticed there was a sizable difference in one critical comparison. "Well, that''s still better than Danny''s score."


    "Hah!" Taylor pointed to Danny''s face, rubbing it in deep. "I knew I could beat you! And Danny eats my dust again." Taylor had so much energy now, after things were getting back to normal in the way she wanted it to be. Danny did really well demonstrating his abilities, but Taylor was still a bit better than him.


    Jane thought she was about to sweat with the way Taylor was acting. She sure is happy to have that score, though it was really about beating Danny and passing at the same time. That was Taylor''s motivation all along. Taylor must have gotten a fresh morning today to be this hyper. I thought I was known as the excitable girl. Or maybe I''m the strange one according to the class... "That''s great news Taylor. As soon as they finish with everyone, we all get our licenses!" Jane joined Taylor in jumping up and down with laughter and excitement.


    Danny thought they looked really stupid doing that, but with such a successful trial, who could blame them? Their very success here made him smile in sympathy. With both of them passing, Danny and Taylor really could pursue their plan to follow Jane around all they want to. One day, Jane will make it to the Junon region on her grand quest of whatever she is supposed to do. Once that day comes, Danny will have to refine his plan to help Taylor out with her situation back home. But for now, that stuff is on pause.


    <hr>


    Much time passed while the class was relocated into the normal classroom again. Only some of the other classes were doing their evaluations in other dark rooms. Right now, Eliza was ready to give out the licenses. After being told to form a line leading up to the front of the room, Eliza simply handed them out one by one. While Taylor and Jane were in line with each other, they noticed the small section of three other students standing outside of the line, looking depressed.


    "How come they aren''t lining up?" Taylor pointed.


    Jane quickly pulled Taylor''s arm down, doing her best not to draw attention to herself. It was rude for her to call them out like that. Even if they weren''t training hard enough, failing to get a license could literally be the end of one''s career. "They must be the three who didn''t pass the test. Either their abilities were too weak to surpass a four point five, or they failed more than two times." Poor kids. They just couldn''t cut it. Although their disposition was not solid evidence that they were the three who failed the evaluations, it was obvious enough to Jane. It was given away by the looks on their faces, followed by the heavy humiliation since others took notice as well. Without licenses to show for it in their hands, they had to be the three unlucky ones. Jane gave a loud sigh. "Not everybody makes it. Some people just can''t cut it until they''ve had even more time of training."


    "That''s so sad." Taylor didn''t know what else to do. They would have to retake the class; in perspective, they didn''t have a choice either. If they can''t pass the evaluations, they aren''t strong enough to be released into the field as a mage.


    "Only under special permissions can one retake the test, but it has to be within three days. One who doesn''t yet have what it takes really can''t refine their skills in just three days without professional help. But the three-day rule was designed to help pick up those who came so very close to passing the test. I can''t speak for them, since they have the right to not share their own scores."


    Taylor considered what Jane was talking about. It seemed like everybody would pass, but in truth, all she was able to pay attention to this semester was Jane, Danny, and herself; this included her studies and Leray abilities. Because she was Jane''s friend, and not anyone else''s, it was a total mystery to who the others were and what they were like. She never even learned the names of the other classmates. The semester however was not a long one, only a month and a half long for what she put into perspective. It seemed odd to refer to advanced classes taking years to complete, but perhaps basic training is the quickest semester available.


    The line moved forward even more. Once Jane finally made it to Eliza, she got the first long glance at her own Leray wielder''s license. It was even more fascinating than she ever imagined. Made out of some strange kind of soft bendable metal substance, the license was chrome coated and colored differently with the digits. The card had Jane''s picture on the front, and her status on the front of the card as well. Eliza handed Jane the card. While Jane was examining the license card, her teacher explained once more about what it meant to have and own a license.


    "Jane Venn. I present to you your official Leray wielder''s license. With this card, you may challenge or be challenged by any person who also possesses one of these licenses. As such, you are hereby legally allowed to take part in full battles between other Leray wielders of any caliber."


    "Awesome!" Jane''s eyes were lighting up already. Her information was everywhere in a summarized form, which she red back to herself. Jane Venn | Age: 16 | Graduated facility: Dakota | Graduation Date: January 14, 1972 | Last Ev. Score: 9.5 | Current Status: Novice Leray Wielder | Credits: 300 Cr. There were also some strange 3D like stamps on the front that covered much of the card. On the back, the scan-ready bar would allow digital equipment to read the license as well. Jane flipped it back over, locating more about the thing while Eliza continued to explain.


    "The blue stamp on your card is an activation lock. As I explained before, activation locks are used to prevent a Leray wielder from battling legally, often through the means of penalties or suspensions. In this case, it''s only a one-day grace period. Everybody who obtains their first license must wait at least twenty-four hours before they can battle anybody else, in order to allow the system to process all of the information... Good job Jane. Next!"


    Taylor stepped forward as Jane stepped to the side, her eyes totally glued to her license. Eliza handed Taylor her license now. Her picture was on the card, despite not remembering taking picture day this year. The slight background that was mostly cropped around her face was familiar to the frontal section of the school, during the student lineup of the wall formation. Someone went through the trouble of taking her picture that day, no; everyone''s picture during the lineup for the Cran challenge, all just to make sure the license cards keep the images for each person. But all of her stats were on it, including the standard starter kit of 300 Cr. Eliza once again explained to Taylor how it all worked, while Jane savored her moment much longer.


    Danny, who had already received his license before both of them located Jane near the front of the line, burrowing her head deep in the moment she longed for. "Hey Jane."


    Jane happily greeted Danny. Now that it was finally done with, nothing could break this awesome happiness she was feeling. "I can''t believe I''ve finally done it! I still have to wait a day before battling. But starting Monday of next week, I begin my first journey to Blue Port Town." Jane almost sounded like she was about to cry tears of joy.


    "Sounds fun. And you realize I''ll be joining you." Danny''s words almost struck Jane by surprise. She must have already forgotten the promise she made earlier, about letting them travel with her on her grand journey.


    "Count me in too."


    Jane saw Taylor step into the reunion as well. "You mean it? You want to become Leray masters too?"


    "Uh¡ª"


    "Well..." Taylor was not going to agree to that just yet. From the reaction of the boy next to her, neither was Danny. "Not exactly, but I do want to get much stronger. What better way than to follow in the footsteps of the best?"


    Good answer. Jane had to give them credit for their sense of adventure. "I''ll be aiming for the top of course, one day to challenge the League of Elites, and win the championship. My road isn''t going to be easy, nor will it happen quickly either. But I know that with a lot of hard work and a good learning experience, I can finally be a Leray master!" Her volume level immediately stole attention from the entire class, even interrupting the teacher mid-sentence.


    Danny always admired that one thing Jane had no matter what, her confidence and energy. Her short-lived moment just now made him chuckle slightly. It was stunning at times to see how high one can aim, and she has the biggest motivation anyone has ever seen. It sure wasn''t the same kind of goal as discovering a new breakthrough in science, or developing the world''s best technology, but it was a goal he could support a friend for at the very least. All of this Leray stuff, it''s really rather fun for something that would from the distance seem so childish. All people do is battle each other, but at the same time, they work really hard because Leray magic isn''t as easy as it looks. In all of this, if Danny could end up getting really strong as a Leray wielder, perhaps he could defend Taylor when that time comes. One day or another, her family and his family will track them both down, and try to force them both on that plane ride home. Until home is actually safe, there is no way Danny plans to quit perfecting the plan to fix it all. And Leray magic - dangerous? Yeah right Nyar! It can only be dangerous if you mess with the unknown. Speaking of which...


    "So as a celebration of our success, I was thinking of having a party at my place tonight." Jane was seriously offering both of them to join in for fun tonight. With her family''s help, and their raging happiness over this awesome moment, nothing was going to stop them now. Danny and Taylor both ended up agreeing to the party as expected. Jane had much time between that and Monday to consider exactly how she will plan out her journey to train for the League of Elites. One thing is for sure. This moment Jane was waiting for so long, it''s only the beginning.

 Chapter 32: Silent Valley

    <hr>


    <01/14/1972 ~ 15:25 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    "Now listen up. I have one more thing to say." Eliza got the attention of the class again. Not much time passed since handing out everybody''s licenses. Many were already eager to leave, despite having to wait a full day before using that license for activation. Jane and everybody else were listening closely though. "You all know now that today is also the last day of your enrollment here at the Dakota academy. When you walk out of here today, take pride in knowing that you''ve graduated from the basic level of this facility. And make sure that you strategize in life just as well as you do in battle."


    Jane just finished an exciting thrill about getting her license, and got her friends to agree to a graduation party at her house, but even she needed to ask Eliza a few last minute things. "Ms. Eliza?"


    Eliza caught Jane''s eye quickly, but was stunned to see how suddenly different she was. It was a no-brainer to imagine that getting her license would cheer Jane up, but there was defiantly something different about her now. How Jane''s eyes sparkled with a fiery glow of pure determination! Jane was like this at times, but seeing it all over again after she fell ill was beyond relieving for Eliza to see, and it seemed that her excitement has already spread to her friends nearby. Eliza simply waited in silence for Jane to ask her anything, but it was just amazing to see how much Jane had changed over the course of this morning, in just ten minutes of time.


    "Thank you." Jane gave a peaceful bow to her teacher, appreciating all of the hard work they''ve done together. Jane never personally trained much with her teacher this time, but Eliza was still a big help. Jane learned so much this year all thanks to her. Eliza didn''t hold anything back; she pushed Jane even harder after realizing that she was over-reaching for better challenges, and it worked out for the best.


    Eliza nodded with a smile. "I think someday, you will shine the brightest Jane." With a sincere poetic response of encouragement, Eliza returned her attention to the class. There were a few last minute details that everybody should know, but it pays to be prepared just in case they don''t know. "Remember! When you want to challenge someone to a battle, ask first if they have a Leray license, and make sure it does not get in the way of their work schedule. Also, know that your credit count while betting can''t go below the cap of 250 unless both sides agree. Use the credits that you''ve earned in the Leray shops to upgrade your weapons and armor. Keep up with medical orbs and other Leray related items. And always set some aside for something to eat, shelter to use."


    Taylor was enjoying Eliza''s last minute lecture. It was so like her to have one every day, even on the last day of the year. Taylor was sure that it was already February, but what day was it really? She hadn''t been able to keep track of time ever since they fell off of the Tidal Max cruise ship. All of her personal belongings were still in their cabin, same with Danny''s personal belongings. What Taylor really needed was a calendar.


    "Now every one of you have a great time. Thank you for making this semester excellent." Eliza proceeded to thank everybody again. The bell was supposed to ring any minute, though half the class was already gone. As soon as the licenses were received, everybody was simply allowed to walk out of school today. There wasn''t anything left to do. Of course, the other classes on different semester time frames were the exception, most of which are still training in the available dark rooms.


    "Hold on just a sec," Danny told Taylor. After turning around to his teacher, he handed her the small miniature guidebook in his hands. "Eliza, here you go. You said I could only barrow it since you have an upgraded one on order."


    Eliza remembered what that was all about, and accepted the outdated guidebook from Danny. The guidebooks are supposed to be pocket books for Leray wielders just starting out, but Danny was particularly interested in learning all about the skills and spells under a general format, even if he didn''t know of them yet. "That''s right," she spoke. "The new set has already come through." Eliza pulled one of the new pocket books out from her container in the large desk behind her. She set it there as a reminder to update Danny''s, but it must not have reminded her as well as she hoped earlier. After swapping the books with Danny, she explained the subtle differences. "It''s still a small size, but contains many more spells and their descriptions all in here. Take this one for your journey."


    Danny was almost speechless. The new guidebook was really impressive and well done. Organization was the biggest and most noticeable difference, but there were sections for pictures related to different types of glyphrings and auras too, all just by skimming the thing. He accepted the book by closing it into his own hands, thanking Eliza for the gift. "Thanks Eliza. I can really use this."


    Jane knew it would be a little bit longer before she was going to head on back to her place with Danny and Taylor, and she didn''t mind either. Still savoring the moment of obtaining her Leray license, it was going to be a great night as well.


    <hr>


    Chapter Theme Shift: Ellenier/Greendale ~ Serious Sam 2 OST</a>


    <hr>


    <01/16/1972 ~ 11:22 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>


    That Friday came and went rather quickly, but it happened because of how much fun the three of them all had that night. Jane took the matter well into her own hands, suddenly becoming responsible overnight. She would have to be, traveling all over the country and battling people left and right while getting stronger with the weight of Danny and Taylor on her back. Jane tried to declare them as extra baggage, but she was only joking earlier. Unfortunately, neither Danny nor Taylor thought it was funny.


    So, the days passed right into Sunday. Jane officially declared she was going to leave on Monday, but changed her mind at the last second and decided to leave earlier. This however furthered the need for her parents to have that expected discussion with her, which Danny and Taylor had to be present for due to the circumstances.


    "I can''t believe it''s already that time," Smith chased. "Jane is already grown up and ready for the world. But Jane? Are you still certain that you want to leave Fronas?"


    "You know it''s only temporary dad." Jane had this talk before. Her parents didn''t want to see their only daughter go out into the world, but it has always been Jane''s decision and her choice. She has proven that to the both of them. Technically, Jane wasn''t an only child, but with how often Iona has shown herself lately, most would believe Jane was without siblings.


    "But does it have to be today deer?" Tiffany was in agreement, unable to let go of this moment, even though she knew it would come by one day. Jane had trained and leveled so quickly, and it was unbelievable to see how fast the time flew by this month.


    "Well, you know Jane." Danny blurted the obvious, certain for now that there wasn''t anything he could say incorrectly. "She has a license now, which means she won''t sit still for very long."


    Smith laughed momentarily in agreement with the boy''s statement. "I suppose she won''t. But you two are going with Jane on her journey, which is something that I never thought would happen between any of Jane''s friends."


    He does make an interesting point. Danny knew that a big part of the reason he was joining up with Jane was mostly to buy some more time. Jane will be heading for Junon for sure, but not in a hurry. With as many battles as she plans on having, they may be stuck in the Gulop sector for half a year!


    "I don''t mean to add any pressure to you two, but I hope you won''t mind looking after Jane? We don''t want her to get into any trouble."


    What did he mean by that? "Father!" Jane knew she was too late to stop that. Her dad just made it sound like she was accident prone and weak for some reason. "You know I can take after myself."


    Danny agreed with Mr. Venn only by paraphrasing his remark. "What Smith means is that you don''t have to always watch your back anymore. Even if you think we''re not much protection now, I think you''ll be surprised when I''m ready to challenge and beat you in a battle, Jane."


    "Tch! As if!" The atmosphere was as calm as ever, even though Iona was supposed to have come home last night, and again this afternoon. Yet somehow, she was in touch leaving notes in the house when no one was looking, so there was at least proof of her being alive. Still... She could have come here to celebrate this moment for her. Instead, she would rather hang out with those¡ª


    "Anyway," Danny continued. "We''ll all be fine. Jane will check in with you once in a while, and I''ll be checking in with my folks too."


    "Listen Danny." Smith swallowed, feeling pressure as it was difficult to admit in the beginning. Danny wasn''t Jane''s type, so that was defiantly a relief. Still, that wasn''t the point. "I think we are all lucky that you and your friend Taylor came into town. Jane has never had friends like either of you, and I''m quite proud to see that you''ve taken a strong interest in our land''s customs. You don''t realize it yet, but just by being here, you''ve helped Jane quite a lot, being partial rivals and all. And Jane, I hope you treat your friends with respect just as they''ve done onto you."


    "Of course." Jane didn''t know what else to say. After all that happened last week, she lied to them both about certain information regarding the unknown spell bomb she used on herself. Because of that, she broke their very trust, but here they were right now, still willing to go all the way to Junon with her. It''s more than just honorable...


    "Blue Port is our next stop," Taylor added. "So we''ll be going soon before it gets too late in the day." It was as early as ever since Jane doesn''t sleep, but Taylor was also getting bored already. After all, they were only traveling to Blue Port today; that was the plan anyway. It''s not as exciting as having an extended graduation party.


    Already being packed up and ready to go, Danny and Taylor agreed to take care of the rest of the situation on behalf of Jane''s family. Before trying to leave, Jane''s mother deposited about 3000 additional credits onto Jane''s license, telling her to save up and buy well. It was an awesome gesture, the perfect way to get started. Jane and her friends said their usual goodbyes as they left through the front door, ready to start the road trip.


    Jane claimed she was not going to battle today, just head over to Blue Port Town first and get settled in there. Her long-term plan of travel was to hit every major town and city in all of Sprawn Valley, and challenge people from those places. Then, if that turns out to be enough training for the League of Elites, Jane would head to Eldora and challenge the champion there. It sounded simple, but Sprawn Valley is a big country too by the way. Still, it would give Danny and Taylor plenty of opportunity to plan for their visit to the airport in Junon. Though neither one of them were actually sure of what city or place that airport was in. Jane is in charge of the map anyway, and since she still doesn''t know that there is someone likely to come and try to pick them up later on, it was best in Danny''s opinion not to tell her.


    Obviously, there was no need to say farewell to Kain or Bella. Danny already took care of that Saturday morning. While Taylor and Jane were sleeping in further that day, he woke early and went out to walk the town. As luck would have it, Danny ran into Kain. Naturally, it would have meant nothing, but Kain is one of the nosiest people around. On top of that, Danny sure wasn''t blending in that well with the town since he was associated with Jane Venn, but the thoughts from then lingered in his head...


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    "So, I hear you and Tay are going to leave alongside of Jane." Kain was only talking to Danny to kill time, not particularly interested in any topic. But after finding Danny, Kain knew that there were a few things that had to be settled.


    How would he even know about that? Danny knew it was unlikely for Jane to run around screaming to the town that she was going to leave Fronas and challenge a bunch of people in various places around the nation. So how does Kain know any of this? People wonder why he has that creepy vibe. "That is the plan." In his silence, Danny wondered if Kain would just leave him alone. He didn''t hate the guy after all that has happened, but Kain could very well be a bad luck charm.


    Kain sighed peacefully. "I guess that''s as good as any method to travel to Junon. With Jane on your team, I don''t think you''ll run into any trouble."


    Danny folded his arms and gave Kain a dense glare from the side of his eyes, not facing the guy directly. "Are we to expect some kind of malevolent force of evil waiting to snatch us up or something? What could possibly go wrong in a country where people don''t die?" Danny was sarcastic at the last part of his remark, but Kain ignored it.


    "I will say the danger level is minimal..." Knowing he had Danny''s attention on the count that Kain labeled the level as minimal instead of non-existent, he recalled a moment of regret. "Listen. I think I should say something about the day after you first arrived in Fronas."


    Facing Kain directly, Danny asked, "Now you''re being all sentimental? If I do recall correctly, you pushed, in the most unusual way to try and enroll us into Dakota. Why would you try so hard to make us learn magic knowing we were instructed not to?"


    "That''s exactly the concept I wanted to bring up with you. But in case I don''t have time for breakfast, I''ll just give you the short version."


    Next time just do that every time! Danny wished his thoughts could project and transform into demands of facts.


    "I think we''ve all now noticed that strange things have been happening around Sprawn Valley lately. And while the unusual activity is most apparent in the Gulop region, having a level of protection to defend yourselves against anything is a bit more crucial for your ability to make it to Junon in the first place." Kain wasn''t expecting it, but with that lone statement, Danny''s expression reset with his eyes opened wider. "I have no problem if you hate magic even without knowing a thing. It can after all be used by criminals to do dangerous things, even with security agents put into place. We''ve both seen living proof of that now, and I was unwise earlier to think that I was capable of being invincible while protecting an entire town."


    "Kain." Danny wanted him to just stop talking. It wasn''t annoying right now. He was too apologetic; it isn''t like him... Was Kain this way the entire time?


    "I did have an agenda to put the two of you into that school, specifically to familiarize you both with basic level magic. I admit it!"


    Danny knew Kain tried to execute this agenda before, but why admit that now of all times? What really is his point? If he knew that magic was dangerous, why involve him? Why involve Taylor?


    "But it''s not the magic of the world that is dangerous Danny. The people who use that magic can create wonderful spectacles, or disastrous consequences. Magic can create great things, and it can also destroy. While I never really had any fear of you running into any potentially dangerous hostile people on your way to Junon, I still didn''t want to take that chance, the chance I could be wrong."


    Now he won''t stop talking. Danny wanted to interject, but Kain was going to keep speaking until he got his point across.


    "You and Taylor were both going to walk all the way through an entire nation full of magic wielding people, untrained, unarmed, and unprotected. And option B was to equip you both with the ability to defend yourself against the most basic level of problems should the need ever arise. That is why I pushed so hard to get you to learn magic."


    "Kain..." It was at this moment that Danny realized why Kain did what he did to force them into a school he didn''t want any part of. Kain wasn''t too proud of magic. He knew it had its dangers! And yet, he wouldn''t accept the possibility of having Danny or Taylor walk out into the world where there might be crazies. Standing in this field now, Danny was beside himself with guilt, guilt of misassociation.


    "I cannot go with you, and therefore cannot promise any safety. If I were seeing you off two months ago, I wouldn''t have even bothered, but I think something is happening around Fronas now. We''re still investigating with no new leads, but if there were thieves running around capable of getting the best of me and Bella, it can''t be good to go anywhere without some sort of backup. And what better candidate than Jane Venn? At least that is something I cannot take credit for. Your friendship with her is not something I would have expected this year."


    "So then you knew?" Danny wanted to punch Kain for lying to him about it before, even if he had every intention of protecting them at the same time.


    "I knew magic could be used to harm, specifically if transformed into dark magic, but I never thought I would have to explain it to you. You don''t understand how peaceful Sprawn Valley has been for the last several decades. But now that I have done something useful, I have full confidence that you and Taylor can reach Junon without so much as a bump in the road."


    There was a lasting silence. Danny and Kain both had to think that day back over again. "You know what Kain? I guess it did work out for the best." Magic wasn''t all that bad. That was the conclusion Danny had arrived at recently while in school, but here to challenge that again was Kain''s shadow. "Besides, you''re lucky my parents didn''t come all the way down here. If they found out you were paying for our classes, I think fighting a criminal would suddenly be the least of your worries."


    Were Danny''s parents really that scary? That guy on the phone didn''t sound all bent out of shape, but that could have been a distant relative.


    "I will say this though," Danny prepared. After everything Kain did to him and Taylor, somehow it worked out better than he ever could have hoped. If he and Taylor went to Junon much earlier... "Despite how wrong you were for going behind our backs for placing that burden on us both, I did learn something out of this. Right now, Taylor and I are going to take our time to reach Junon, even if Jane wants to take forever. And that''s the other good thing that came of it. If I would have refused your offer to take part in that school, Jane and I would never be friends in the first place."


    "You seem quite fond of her," Kain surmised.


    Danny nodded in denial. "Jane is a hassle, and she isn''t my type either, but Taylor has certainly opened up to her. If Taylor wants to hang out with Jane that badly, then I can''t say this is all for the worst. If she''s happy..." Danny didn''t bother finishing his sentence, sure enough that he made his point clear.


    Interesting. Kain initially thought that Danny might have had a crush on Jane by now, being close to the same age, but he forgot to consider that Taylor was a close age fit as well. Since he seems to care much more about Taylor''s happiness than his own, perhaps these two are a lively compatible pair. He dared not say it out loud though. Jane will probably take care of that anyway. "I am sorry for putting you through magic that you tried so hard to avoid in the first place."


    "It''s fine Kain. Really!" Danny was as serious as he could be. Kain wasn''t the man he thought he was. "After all, everyone here uses magic for two things. They battle for fun, and they use magic for protection. I actually like the idea a lot, after thinking about it and experiencing everything it has to offer."


    "That''s... Great to hear!" Trying not to sound too monotone about his change in heart, Kain put on an awkward smile. "Just, make sure all three of you are safe. That way, I won''t have to leave Fronas. After all, this town is still underdeveloped. Why else do you think they have two official agents on site for such a small village?"


    "True enough." Danny knew what Kain meant by that, but he was showing quite a bit of affection today that wasn''t usually there. Maybe Kain did feel guilty for manipulating Taylor into learning Leray magic. Or maybe they have all been here long enough; the effects of a small village that resonate between friendships. "Anyway," Danny yawned. "I got to be heading back. I''m enjoying this day off of training while I still can. So, I''ll see you around."


    <hr>


    Danny remembered his last run in with Kain just as clearly as if it happened an hour ago. Well, he couldn''t be sure that this would be the last time talking to Kain, but it wasn''t as if he had any intention of ever coming back to Fronas either. This should be his and Taylor''s last day here. Still, the words he felt before stung in his mind. Kain never wanted Danny to learn magic to appreciate the culture of Sprawn Valley, but rather as a means of extra defense and self-vigilance. Even if magic can be used to do bad things, that doesn''t mean learning it is a danger in itself. Nyar? Why would you lie to me about that? After everything I''ve seen? After everything I''ve done here? I know that Leray magic isn''t evil. It''s people that can be truly vile!


    After taking the northern path from Fronas, Jane and her friends were now on their way to Blue Port Town. Even though they visited there previously, it was like a totally new experience for Jane. All of that excitement about being able to battle had her psyched, lasting even right now. But the walk there was not a short one, and currently void of any passing by pedestrians who may or may not be viable for a battle. Either way, Jane did say she wasn''t going to battle today. So both Danny and Taylor kept themselves busy with conversation just after hiking past the official exit road of Fronas.


    "So once we get into Blue Port, what''s the plan from there?" Taylor had to ask Jane about it. There wasn''t much clarity about what they were actually supposed to do, but Taylor was far from impatient. The path here was beautiful and peaceful at the same time. It wasn''t early morning anymore, but the sunlight was still just at the right angle being wintertime. Yet it was also a frigid day too, not too warm or too cold. One would think it were spring by the looks of it. The trees all around them still had their leaves attached, shinning a bright green radiant glow in response to the sunlight. The birds were chirping everywhere too. The sound of them echoed everywhere with the softest touch of mild wind. Taylor could not believe in the serenity of the wild today.


    Jane knew what path to take. The question is simply when to go from point B to point C. "After I''m done with Blue Port, I want to head all the way down to Tilsit Port due west. Tilsit Port is a large beach going out to the ocean, so it''s perfect for a rest stop and a battle too. But before that, we still have to cross Gross City."


    "Sounds like a lot of walking," Danny implied. It sounded more to him like there would be a lot of places to go, and a lot of things to do just in the Gulop region. And what was worse, Junon''s region appeared to be so much larger on the map by comparison.


    Jane explained, "Oh don''t be lazy. Battling other people will wear you out even more than walking, so don''t pay the routes any thought." The walk was already peaceful, and Jane really never thought about how things would go after Tilsit Port. She would need to decide on where to go after reaching Junon. "I guess after Tilsit, we can take that ferry that runs on the western side of Hollifax Ocean. It will take us to the Junon region by boat."


    Taylor remembered that name, Junon. That is where the airport is supposed to be, somewhere in that region. The ferryboat Jane was speaking of now, that was the real crossroads between the split islands. "Junon huh?"


    "Yep," Jane figured. "There are a lot of areas in Junon, but Eldora City is a big part of that place as well. When I''m ready, I''ll challenge the champion."


    "So who is this champion anyway?" Danny asked. "I would imagine he''s no push over in a Leray battle."


    Jane replied, "Well duh! They don''t call him the champion for nothing. But I''m aiming for the top! If I can beat the Leray champion in a battle, it will have finally proven that I''m a Leray master." Jane sounded super serious about her mission. This was her quest after all, getting powerful enough to challenge and defeat the champion of Leray magic. That said, this was also everyone''s dream should they hope to become a Leray master, so competition would be fierce.


    Taylor let out a stuttered laugh of doubt. "Well, it does sound like a lot of fun."


    "Oh it will be," Jane promised. After looking at both of them today, Jane was certain that she has learned something important. "And you''re welcome to be part of that fun. Don''t let your parents crap all over your freedom."


    "I never said anything about that. Why bring them up?"


    Though Danny was already defensive, Jane knew that they were both uneasy about it. As soon as they heard about the Junon sector, Taylor and Danny both seemed a little more tense each time. "You didn''t have to. Junon''s airport, right? I suppose it''s about them wanting you to leave, but you really just want to stay here and have fun. That''s okay though. I''ll back you up on that. People should be allowed to have fun here, including immigrants!"


    Danny was getting embarrassed now. Jane was so happy, and now she was trusting him not to screw this up. The thought of having Jane''s help with the critical issue was only putting more pressure on the situation. What''s Jane going to think when she finds out about Taylor''s situation with the Banshee faction back home? Will she even be willing to fight for them, after he and Taylor have both been leaving out that one detail the entire time?


    Taylor realized that this journey of Jane''s is going to take a very long time regardless of her initial thought about the speed of things. But what better way to get to Junon than practicing Leray magic in live firefights? Taylor vowed that she never wanted to see her parents ever again. It made sense if they were simply powerless to prevent being forced into specific labors in the new kingdom back in Kalamo, but her family was not even prepared to defend her in the first place. If they were, how would they ever get their precious monthly settlements from the kingdom at the same time? Worthless bastards! They make me so angry!


    "So Danny?" Jane proposed. "You still haven''t noticed yet, have you?"


    "Huh? Noticed what?" Did Jane fix her hair or something? It did look like she put a lot of work stringing down her long jet-black tangles, but Jane usually has this style anyway. It can''t be that important.


    "Clueless as ever," she trotted. "I''m wearing my latest dress, and Taylor got a wardrobe upgrade as well."


    Danny couldn''t believe his mind missed that. Jane was certainly wearing something less usual. It was an interesting outfit with a skirt at the bottom. Though Jane''s legs were also completely covered with the attached leggings too, one of those unique dress spheres. Danny most likely noticed it this morning and dismissed it immediately. Jane changes into a new outfit so many times in one week, it''s impossible to realize any moment where the outfit isn''t new. For that reason, her constant change of appearance isn''t exactly a big impact on his attention. Jane''s current dress sphere was mostly colored black and white with a dulled hint of blue. Taylor was wearing a full dress that was different, in the sense that the designs were much brighter and more fashionable. "Dress spheres, right?"


    "Yep." Jane remembered first educating Danny on the proper wear of dress spheres. In truth, Taylor said some things about it to him, and Jane clarified the rest. It also brought back that memory of Taylor''s battle; she was less fortunate. Her clothes could have been completely and totally ripped off just for a class assignment. That would have been terrifying for her, but Jane got her through it with ease. It would have been funny to tease Danny with that kind of story, just to get Taylor to lighten up, but it wasn''t worth blowing the secret that much. Even still, Jane took notice in Taylor''s sudden shift in mood. It was like something heavy was on her mind that she really didn''t want to think about. Taylor didn''t even seem to be paying any attention to the memory of dress spheres.


    Jane sighed loudly. Again with the secrets...


    Taylor glanced down, immediately realizing that her new dress was in fact impressive, and with Taylor''s hair already done, she had to be looking well. Blue Port awaited her, and she was ready for it. No need to worry. She, Danny, and Jane would be in Blue port town in just several more minutes. In that moment, it was just an exciting matter of walking and waiting. The serenity here was lasting, and it gave Taylor the calming peace and mind she wanted.


    Jane followed ahead, realizing that the first order of business upon arrival is to learn about every single Leray wielder there before getting challenged. With a nice boost of 3000 credits, the steaks couldn''t be higher!


    <hr>


    To be continued...


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