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<01/28/1972 – 12:02 | Medical Center, Lennith City, Junon Region, Sprawn Valley>
The sound of an oceanic wave crashed by near her. Jane managed to make out the distant static noise, but the details of her conclusion were off. She couldn't see anything with her eyes shut, and the sound of the ocean wasn't totally matching perfectly. It's so cold! Jane wanted to shiver in response, but every fiber in her body was still aching. She was so tired, it was impossible to believe she got any real rest at all.
Less than a few seconds; this is all it took for Jane to remember everything, to realize that she wasn't supposed to be sleeping! The dark zone is where she was, still in danger, yet the warming heat was replaced with blasts of chills. Did she fall sleep? Jane needed to open her eyes to confirm her environment, shaking the powerful sensation of physical exhaustion. The light from above hurt so much, it was nearly impossible to make anything out at first, but that's when the sound Jane heard earlier became recognizable. It was constant, a centripetal wave in perpetual motion instead of an oceanic wave. It had to be a nearby fan, or some kind of vent?
Wherever Jane was, neither the ocean nor a medical facility would make any sense. She never got out of the dark zone in the first place. Who would come there to pick her up if anything happened to her? "Mmmnnn!" Jane moaned. The migraine Jane felt earlier disappeared entirely, but the other battle pains, bruises, cuts, scrapes, and burns were still persistent on chipping away her comfort. Even when lying down and doing nothing, everywhere hurt in so many different ways. Jane's eyes finally adjusted through the blur, revealing with focus on the nearby space, confirming to her that she was indeed inside of a building, one made of metallic structure with machinery all around her. It wasn't unfamiliar either.
"Wha?" Jane exhaled. With much right to be confused, Jane deduced that she was in a medical facility, and not just any facility either. This is the same room she used after passing out on Route 96, after fighting Patrissa. It had the same design, same equipment, and the same beeping heart monitor to her side.
"Well - you're awake."
Jane turned her head, putting a painful stress on her neck. She must have developed a neck-strain while she was out on top of everything else. Hidden in plain sight to her right, Jane noticed doctor Ashly standing before her, and she appeared to be staring at Jane with a peculiar suspenseful glint. Jane was pinned in her medical bed, several blankets covering her, and an ivy in her left arm. Jane struggled at first to get up, but her entire body was barely responsive just to her nervous system, forcing her to quit early.
"Before you even ask me about anything," Ashly forewarned, "I would like you to answer just one question... Are you actually stupid, or do we need to transfer you to our mental institution bay?"
What a one-sided question; Ashly was cynical if anything. "What kind of..." Jane stopped herself, still pondering what could have happened. This was almost like before. She woke up here in bad shape, but last time, someone carried her back. What was the case for it this time? By the moment Jane's mind wandered to seek more questions from her medic, she soon realized where Ashly was going with her rhetorical insult. Ashly didn't even want Jane to have any time to answer, continuing to lecture her like her mother would be doing right now if present.
"Of all the places to go, of all the things you can do to live in the moment..." Ashly sounded so furious, Jane would have thought by now that she wasn't able to continue the statement. "You knew not to enter Alpha Zero! The General Army would not just let some civilian slip by into a restricted zone, which meant you had to have snuck in."
"God, I know!" Jane hated to sound like she had an attitude, but the gap in time bothered her so much. She didn't remember making it back successfully, so how did she end up here?! "How did I get here?"
"Look at yourself!" Ashly pointed with both arms. Waiting for Jane to examine her own body under the covers, Ashly continued to ignore the questions until after she got everything out. Jane was mostly wrapped up in medical bandages, but serious burns were visible underneath. "What possible excuse could you make to do that to yourself?! To run into a danger class five area, running around with lethal magic and dangerous creatures?!"
Wasn't Alpha Zero danger class four last week...? Not the point. Jane knew Ashly was upset deep down. It was strange to see a doctor care so much about a patient whom of which barely knew each other, but nobody was supposed to go into Alpha Zero, not one soul. Jane noticed after peeking under the thick sheets that her clothes had been changed. She was willing to live with the assumption that Ashly did this after arriving here in the medical center. That black and blue outfit was done for anyway, but the hint of anything other than that scenario was unacceptable right now. "Aah—" Jane opened her mouth to answer, but showing Ashly the crest would not be a wise decision. Nobody else knew it existed, and it would be a great idea to keep it that way. Still, there wasn't denying the truth that she was seeking out the man's services. "I wanted to reverse a spell, from Brightworth... It wasn't worth it—" Jane's throat burned and itched just enough to force her into a ray of coughing over and over - lasting for a good five seconds.
Ashly raised her brows, glancing down for a moment and then nodding. "Yeah. I'll say. Were you not aware that Brightworth is public enemy number one?! And all of that, all of this," she pointed at Jane again, "for a simple spell reversal?!"
She turned her eyes, unwilling to look at Ashly anymore. Jane understood the illogical move she made while she was still in Alpha Zero, that and much more. Why did she have to hear it all over again?
"I guess it's stupidity then."
She snapped her face in Ashly's direction again. Jane hadn't been this pissed off before by one of her own medics, and Ashly was being completely hostile. "Hey!" she snapped, Jane's voice somehow managing to keep together after what had happened to her. "I know it was stupid, and I know I almost died back there, but I have no idea what the hell is going on. I don't know how I got here or who dragged me back. The least you can do for me is tell me what happened after I passed out! Otherwise you can just leave." Jane's heart was elevating, registered on the monitor behind her, but it wasn't anger driving her for the moment.
Dr. Ashly was bound by her obligations to tell her patients what happened to them if at all possible. Jane must have known to be in trouble based on where she was found. "As you can clearly tell, you've been brought back here." Her voice calmed quickly, explaining the reports in sequence how everything supposedly happened. "Carried and dragged, a couple of kids as careless as yourself went straight in and found your body, nearly dead in the middle of the fields. They went into the dark zone only about two miles of the way. And after they returned, we've sealed off that back route they supposedly used to get in."
"Who? Who are they?" Jane couldn't help but sound desperate for answers. Last time, it was a Leray agent, but Ashly was describing people in the plural sense. To give that kind of description, as carless as herself? It couldn't be! Have they really caught up to what was going on, risking their very lives after all that happened?
"I can't disclose that information right now."
"Why not?" she tested.
Ashly answered, "Because you are still in such horrible shape, that you need to rest longer. At the very least, you shouldn't get your stress raised anymore today, but they still want to visit you, so if you feel better in about an hour, I'll think about it."
"Visit me?"
Ashly nodded. "The commissioner wants to see you too. Not that that's surprising. A girl found alive from Alpha Zero brought back in rough shape, yet to be identified." Ashly had elaborated the last sentence to make it sound like a news bulletin. "You're the talk of the city right now, and I won't be letting you out of this facility at all until you have completely healed, physically and mentally."
Jane wanted to ask more, but her head was spinning with too many thoughts at once. She has been trying to prepare herself for the very possibility that her friends might finally find her here, but not like this. Then again, it may not even be them. The thought of coming back alive from that evil place, it became her next long montrum; addicting Jane to her own thoughts of every battle she had there.
She knew Jane wanted to ask. There wasn't any harm in estimating. "You're stats don't even respond an inch with advanced healing orbs, so we have to use multiple treatments of Starlov Boosters for as long as it takes. One is average on a medical budget, but more than two will cost you."
Starlov Boosters...? Jane vaguely remembered from what she learned in Fronas about such items. They are special drugs designed specifically for healing real time damage that is specifically inflicted by unusual magic. Even non-magic users who suffer some kind of accidents don't get them, which meant they had to be expensive. They don't work as instantly as medical orbs either. It can take days, sometimes weeks to heal form real time damage completely, and that's with the boosters! Jane could agree with one thing; it would be impossible just to move out of this bed, all thanks to the damage she already suffered. It's no wonder why they haven't strapped her down to this unit. Jane knew she wasn't physically capable of leaving here on her own power, but to be as awake and as alert as this, her MP stats had to be higher now after her first injection.
"Second injection comes in two hours," Ashly reported. "I'll be back to check on you every ten minutes. We can talk about the boring billing and time details later."
Jane watched the doctor walk out of here in a firm manner. Jane let the silence slip in as she took a long moment to inhale and contemplate everything that happened. This would surely take some time, as she needed to come up with a few new plans on what to do next. The very first thing for sure is finding Danny and Taylor again, no matter how long that takes. But then what?
Jane tried to steer her thoughts back to Alpha Zero again. While she was inside of that hell, there wasn't really any time to think about how incredibly dangerous or scary it was. But now, looking back on it, everything just seemed like a nightmare, like a horror film playing in loop she could not shut down. The entire memory felt like it could swallow Jane up in one instant, trapping her inside of this room and killing her off once and for all. Over and over again did Jane play back what happened in there, stopping herself against her own control before she had all of the details straight.
Then the rest finally caught up to her mind. It was at the moment Ashly left when Jane felt totally alone again, but that is what triggered the memory of her last chain of thought. She was about to die in there for other reasons. Jane became suicidal, and all because she'd been making poor decisions from the moment she had been marked. Coming back here to find Danny and Taylor and tell them the truth was her motivation then to make it back here, all in the hopes that she would suffer the worst of all criticism, hopefully from the people she cared most about. Jane did this to herself; nobody else could have. How could she ever make up for all of the terrible things she's done?
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Chapter Theme Shift: Reflected Moon ~ Star Ocean 3 OST
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image [https://i.postimg.cc/T1JzdpPc/S3-Jane-Red-001.png]
Jane could hardly believe how little the high quality medicine was helping her. After dismissing the energy scope in front of her, Jane continued counting the minutes away. They have a wall clock right in front of her bed, reading to be 1:40 P.M. Ashly came back to check every now and then, and told her that Jane may be allowed to walk around with a longer leash after an hour if possible, but she forgot to track how much time passed since then. It felt like three hours for her, the silence sheering at her nerves.
It also gave her more time to think about what to try next. Luckily for her, Jane had a much better plan that would all work out if executed correctly. There's just more to this than trying to punish herself. Jane knew that her friends deserve the truth, and they deserve to do whatever they want to her. After all said and done, there is one more thing Jane would like to do in the meantime.
"Morning." The sound of the creek from the door opening so quickly made Jane quiver. Dr. Seth disregarded his intrusion with a nod, carrying a blue case file to the counter near him. After the door shut by itself, he waited for Jane's predetermined question.
"Has it been an hour?" she asked. Jane didn't need to worry that Seth was here instead of Ashly, since they often both work together on the same patients.
Seth turned around to face Jane, while his expression carried a load of something else. "That it has. May I ask the reason for your desire to walk around town in such a depleted state?"
Jane turned her head left and right. "No, no," she disagreed. "I don't want to walk around town. I only want to go to the entrance. I need to see my visitors, and I'll be fine to move on my own." Jane had several back pains and stomach sheering dominating the other sensations that would prefer to disagree with her confidence, but she kept quiet for now.
"Well then," Seth analyzed. "That is something I can do. Lennith's commissioner has placed sentries and gradyents all over each exit to prevent any idea of you leaving town anytime. Dr. Ashly has required that you remain in Lennith City until you are officially discharged by her care."
A medical doctor arranged all of that? Such dedication. "But—"
"Furthermore," Seth interrupted, "You will not be taking part in any Leray related activity or extraneous physical exercise, and you will be required to return to this room no later than every six hours should you leave the facility. Meaning, you can have breaks to dwell outside of this facility, but you will require treatment and monitoring every six hours at a time, including that for resting. We will have the room prepared for you at all times should you decide to rest in early."
"Seth?" Jane called. What is he saying? Ashly would wring this guy's neck if she could hear him speak right now. Jane wasn't even in terms with exiting from the medical center, but Seth is just going to let her try it, and for six hours at a time? What is the guy's game?
"Visiting privileges will be allowed for now, but during treatments or resting will those rights be restricted, unless stated otherwise by the attending medical officer or legal guardian. I want you back from this current walk - in less than two hours. The commissioner has Leray agents everywhere to make sure you don't do anything else stupid. Should you fail to return to this room in exactly two hours, your rights to travel outside will be prohibited, and we will be required then to use physical restraints during your time of recovery."
A long silence prevailed, indicating that his prepared legal speech was over with, though Seth was still not saying anything else. Jane knew from start that this was all really coming from Dr. Ashly. At first it seemed like Seth was extending an invitation, but he would never use the word physical restraints in the same sentence like that. It's just not in his character. No, this was Ashly calming down and giving her a conditional long leash just as Jane wanted, but that's not what's important right now. "I know. I'm not going to pull anything stupid."
Seth sighed at himself, wondering if anything was the right call anymore. Bobbing his head towards Jane, it signaled for her to gently get out of the bed, unhook the ivy of water from her arm, and take her bearings. Jane was still wearing the medical uniform, which was but a thin zip-up dress with the design of an apron. With the reminder, he had to ask, "Do you have a dress sphere that you can change into?"
She wasn't entirely sure, but Jane vaguely suspected that one of her classmates from Lennith might have given her a dress sphere as one of the parting gifts. It would be in her supply sphere, currently sitting on the shelf behind her.
Seth allowed the rest of his judgment to give her the permission to leave, for she seemed healthy enough. "I'll let you take it from here. Also, you'll want to dress tightly, to hide the scars."
Jane wasn't certain why he cared enough to elaborate that last detail, but what Ashly said earlier had her a bit nervous just to leave this room, for good reason. Jane didn't consider until now how horrifyingly damaged and banged up her body was. Most of her skin was charred and burned up with cuts, scrapes, deep wounds sealed by more burns, and nothing else but a total mess. Any stranger who sees her might actually call child services or the agents in confusion, and there was no telling without a mirror nearby how bad it was for her face. "Am I going to be bothered by everyone who sees my face?"
"No," he guessed. "I wouldn't say you're that popular. Not everybody knows that the girl they brought back here is you, and the people who do know might not recognize you if they don't see extensive skin damage. The agents stationed around here are the exemption however."
"I almost look as bad as a corpse."
"As one may expect for a first time survivor of Alpha Zero. Just heed caution. We'll keep in touch." Holding the door, Dr. Seth confirmed that it was his time to leave, allowing Jane to change into a different outfit while approaching her ability to temporarily be discharged. That paperwork happens at the back desk.
Jane took her chances, popping the dress sphere out of her supply sphere. She had been through the procedure of leaving here before. Her visitors are either going to be waiting right at the front desk, or just outside. Jane was preferring and hoping for the outer entrance, wishing to breathe all of that fresh air so close by. After the red hell she stepped into, Jane nearly forgot how to appreciate a normal morning of sunshine.
The dress sphere she obtained was a simple kind; a long dress with a partway cut overskirt that gave the overall structure balance in a new wave of fashion that has gained popularity among most of the girls. It looks so elegant on those prepared to battle, and with this one colored with a dark yellow hue, Jane was happy to be wearing something new.
By the time she got dressed and ready to walk outside past the main exit of the building, Jane could already feel a tension building up around her. Nobody she recognized was in sight, so they had to be standing outside, but Jane hoped so far that this circumstance would allow her to skip the long process of tracking down her friends. After all, it would be more difficult now as she isn't allowed to leave Lennith City.
The gust of cool fresh air pushed her back as she pulled the double doors open. Though it was much too bright to stare straight up despite how early in the morning it was, Jane could still tell by the glow of light that there was a total absence of clouds and bad weather. With her new dress sphere being a bright yellow dress with orange patterns and designs down the sides, Jane was lighting up more than she expected to.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Vale of Li'Shen ~ Arvenas
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"My. Our big hero returns!" a woman called.
The voice drew Jane's attention quickly, initially thinking it to be a crowd of curious people wondering about what she had done, but the front entrance of the building was almost vacant of all other people but a few. Some civilians who didn't know her were just passing by minding their own business. The girl pointing towards Jane was recognized as Taylor Feer. Excitement and thrill rushed Jane's thoughts, as Danny was facing away from the building a few meters behind Taylor. It was nearly unbelievable how much luck Jane was receiving lately, her friends already here for her. Forgetting all about that heavy stuff, Jane was immediately overcome by a welcoming sense of joy and happiness forcing a smile to form.
Taylor casually approached Jane Venn, making sure of her identity by every detail. Jane seemed to be happy just to see her with that smirk on her face. Taylor thus drew her arm, swiping her hand through the air to punch Jane's right cheek hard enough to turn a few heads their way, much more sending Jane backwards off her feet.
Jane cringed from that hard hit and covered her face, now burning with the vengeance Taylor suddenly let out. She then felt the shock of her entire rear body scrape against the rough short cut grass below her. Jane had to carefully find her way back onto her feet, but she took her time to get her mind straight, while Danny was just standing there expecting this to happen. Jane didn't get upset though, realizing that this was to be expected after what she had done since Tilsit, no, since before their very separation. It would only be but another second before Taylor starts shouting at her for minutes without end. Jane met her eyes, daring to listen to every detail and word possible. Taylor has all the right in the world to scream at her and hate her. Jane knew she needed this!
"I can't believe you!" Taylor freaked. "Running to Lennith without us, acting like such a baby over what I can hardly call an emergency. You have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?"
Jane lowered her gaze slightly, returning it a moment later. You have no idea Taylor. I've caused more trouble for you than I can ever be okay with. Keep it coming!
Waiting for any sort of reply, Jane remained silent about it, showing Taylor that she had to have some shame left in her as she remained on the floor in defeat. "And to just find your body lying there in that hell hole, you could have died!"
Jane interrupted with the surface of a new detail, standing back tall to figure it out. "Wait, you?" she said pointing. "You pulled me out of the dark zone?"
"We both did," Danny hollered. He wasn't even interested in turning around to face her. He stared in one direction only, listening to Taylor, making sure every single word or insult was let out.
"All because you can't accept a few natural losses in battles. Why are we even traveling together, after you just left us there in that mess?!"
Jane was nearly speechless. She knew how to handle this before, but hearing it from Taylor directly was overwhelming. She really has a way of making this hurt more than expected. Then again, it should be hurting this much. Jane knew what she did from the moment she left Tilsit, and from the moment she decided to lie to them. Improvising for words, Jane began with a long exhale. "I'm sorry."
"Oh - is that all?" Taylor snide with her voice filling the entire world.
Jane never realized until now how pissed off and volatile Taylor could become. It's so impressive! "The blame is all mine. I was acting like a kid, a complete and total idiot. I put myself before you two, and risked my own life senselessly over a stupid spell."
"Are my ears working?" Danny turned around, finally able to face Jane. It was very rare to catch her in an apologetic mood, let alone admitting to causing so much trouble. Jane Venn of all people having any self-humility is about as rare as seeing the moon turn blue.
Jane met his gaze, hoping to see his very emotion through his hazel eyes. In truth, Danny's expression seemed quite monotone, which was scarier because it masked his every possible thought process, but Taylor was still furious. It would have been moronic to believe her anger would fade as quickly as that.
"You should have tried to get back—"
"I know!" Jane repeated, approaching tears from everything she could regret. "I planned to find you after I was done, but my plan was both stupid and irresponsible. I never thought all these extra things were going to happen."
"It doesn't matter!" Taylor yelled. "You were supposed to take us to Junon with you, and you failed to uphold anything you said. What if something happened to us? How would you feel then?"
"Taylor, I don't know what else to say." Jane couldn't imagine anything bad happening to either of them, which is why she erased the very possibility from her mind before.
Danny watched them both, as their argument was attracting a few people left and right. They still wandered by without stopping, but the whole deal made him curious to know what was currently going on with Jane. Her face was also badly bruised and scared up from the damages of the dark zone, but it made him mildly nervous, since others would think Taylor drew that much physical damage from hitting her.
Taylor reflected, "Would you? I didn't think cowards were that bright, but thanks for proving my point."
"Nothing I do can possibly make this right," Jane confessed. "I know I didn't want to die in that place, but to come back here to this—" Jane immediately referenced the very argument before her. "I deserve all of it. I made every mistake possible! I've destroyed my career, I lied to you both..." Unable to handle the process anymore, Jane sank to her knees in tears, but nobody else followed her down for her sympathy.
Taylor let this endure for as long as she saw appropriate. "You can cry all you like, you disgusting excuse for a human being."
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Taylor?"
She turned directly to Danny, forcing him to stay on reminder for everything Jane has done. "Don't you start forgiving her now."
"It's not about that." Danny's words finally got Taylor to calm down just for a moment. There was something odd in the last thing Jane spoke of. "Did you hear what Jane just said? She said she's lied to us both." Now facing the girl in tears directly, Danny reiterated his question. "I want to know what context this lie belongs to, because I don't recall having you made that mistake."
So Jane went even further to fib? Danny would be like this, since he is lately over-analytical, but that doesn't matter. It isn't worth the time to hear about it. Taylor turned around, resetting her mood towards the teenage boy. "I don't care what it regards. You think what she did is ever going to be excusable? You think I'll ever be okay with what she left for us back there?"
"She doesn't know Taylor!" His words silenced her immediately, but she kept staring.
Jane on the other hand was moving her eyes around more rapidly after lifting her hands as their cover, confused by the sudden misunderstanding. She had to wipe the moisture away to clearly see their faces. "Know what? What am I missing now?"
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Chapter Theme Shift: Calm ~ Aleksander Randjelovic (Genesis Rising OST)
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Danny turned to Jane, now ready to explain the situation better. Regarding what Jane was about to reveal earlier, that will just have to wait. "How would you describe exactly what went on at Tilsit Beach that day? Taylor and I will at least let you speak on this."
"Oh, that..." Arching her eyes downward to remember, Jane leaned back on the concrete of the building behind her all balled up on the ground, preparing for the long version of her explanation. "Well you both know what happened before. I was in the study section of the library, researching on my condition with little luck. Then I walked outside. I was supposed to find you, but instead I was distracted."
"The lighthouse?" he elaborated.
Jane nodded curiously. "Yes, how did you know?" Danny didn't answer back, so Jane had to just continue. "I saw something happening. It sort of looked like a commotion, but much more like some fight between two guards. I don't know who those people were, but since I witnessed part of what happened, the tower guard threw fireballs at me. After what happened in the battle before that, I couldn't bring myself to fight anyone, no matter what the reason was. So I just ran. I ran to the docks, hopped on the first clunker I saw, and messed up the navigation controls while heading out to sea."
"You expect me to believe you got lost at sea because of bad navigation controls?" Taylor was already losing it again, but Danny allowed Jane to continue after a quick comparison of details.
"Jane, do you know what that man was up to, or who he was?"
"No," she replied. "I had no time to figure the details. I don't even know why I ran away. There could have been a number of Leray agents there to help me, but I wasn't in a mood to deal with any agents then."
"Why?"
Danny held his hand towards Taylor, telling Jane to ignore the question for now. "Keep explaining what happened next."
"Well, after getting far out at sea, that's when I decided to become stupid enough to head over to Monoc Port, site of Junon. I needed to reverse this spell, and there was only one way and place to do that."
"The Den of Purity," Danny figured. Jane had told him about that place not too long ago, after Jane was fussing about her disabling spell.
It's like Danny was anticipating her very answers. Wait a second! Taylor backed up a pace, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! How did you get there with messed up navigation controls?"
Danny wanted the answer too, and allowed Jane to fill in the rest of the unknowns. Jane didn't understand why they were questioning her like this when she could just tell them. She can't show them though, not out here with bystanders. "The engine was messed up too, in pretty bad shape. I had to use a lot of magical energy to get here, making use of the spell Water Blast as a primitive propulsion system. The currents did the rest. It took all night." They both nodded, accepting the explanation, but now it was Jane's turn to learn about their adventures. "Now it's my turn. I don't have any idea what happened to you both there. What transpired after I was gone?"
"Well your attacker," Danny prepared to spit out, "drew a large scene, which brought by the nearest Leray agent there, but he was only a lifeguard agent, carrying little training whatsoever. There was a lot more than just one enemy."
"Who?" Jane repeated.
Finally simmering down, Taylor chimed in to help Jane understand the mess she left behind. "The Scarlet Cult. They infiltrated the lighthouse. I wouldn't have guessed that they have a digital information center below ground of that facility."
"Wh—what?!"
Danny credited, "You heard right. The man chasing you like a lunatic was only defending his operation. They invaded the lighthouse system covertly, and stole a ton of sensitive data. We both only learned about what was going on from the Leray agents working there, but even I don't understand the rest of it, neither do I understand their motives."
"The Scarlet Cult?" Jane read back. "As in, the same group of thugs who jacked the crystal shards from Dakota?"
"One and the same." Taylor crossed her arms, unwilling to put up with the patience required to speak with Jane even now. "That's why I asked you what you would have done if we would have died. Scarlet soldiers were attacking civilians, just to defend what wasn't even their own. We didn't even know you were gone, until a few witnesses describing you told us that you stole a boat?"
"I think I stole more than a boat," Jane confessed. "Truth is," she started, "I don't think I will be able to make up for any of my mistakes. I've messed up far more than you've realized."
Danny saw Jane's eyes watering up. She was fighting back tears right now, but it couldn't have been easy running around on her own. He wanted to tell Jane how happy was he was right now, glad to see her alive and safe. That was the only reason they were both so angry at her anyway. Taylor wouldn't even admit that to him, should Jane be far away elsewhere. Still, something wasn't fitting into this alibi. "Jane? Seriously, did you really cause all of this mayhem because of a spell bomb, because you wanted to have better odds in Leray battles?"
This was it, Jane told herself. The time for secrets with these two is just over with now, as Danny is somehow catching on automatically. Holding her breath, Jane revealed her act of deception. "No." Taylor shivered in surprise, though Danny must have suspected as much. "There is actually more to this spell bomb thing than I've let on."
"You're kidding!" Taylor couldn't believe that there were even more lies behind it all, but Jane didn't seem like she was pretending to confess anything. Is this what Danny tried to warn her about earlier, about Jane lying to them?
Nodding, Jane elaborated on the events that forever changed her life. "I've done so much to myself, and to both of you. I won't let either of you forgive me. But first you must know..." Jane glanced around her immediate area, making sure that nobody was eaves dropping. If Danny and Taylor want to blow her secret out of the water afterwards, that's just fine with her. "You both remember what happened to me the moment I activated that spell bomb, right?"
"Nobody forgot that except for you," Danny corrected.
"Remember the symbol that appeared in the sky?" she reminded. "I think one of you tried to show me its composition by drawing it after I got sick and all. I pretended not to fully understand what was going on. I pretended not to remember several extra details, and for a while, it didn't really make much sense to me either, but there is a reason I was so urgent to rush to the Den of Purity. It's not about my career at all anymore." Jane looked around, making sure that no other persons were hovering or close enough to make this out. The way Danny and Taylor were hovering in front of her made this part a little easier. Jane held out her right arm flat in front of both of them.
Jane wasn't normally capable of projecting her symbol at will, but after all of the physical experience brought back out of the dark zone, Jane was certain that she could invoke its very light in front of the next two witnesses. After waiting for only a second of time, the crest of light activated on the top of her hand with a pulsating sound, projecting the 3-D symbol that matched the same exact design and color of that seen in the sky the day the mark was given to her, and before they could even process what was going on, Jane began to feel the symbol grow even stronger, shining brightly enough to glimmer light from a great distance. It was certainly a very high risk considering Jane was sort of on watch from the nearby sentries, but nobody around her would be able to clearly make out what was happening now. She instinctively inhaled, immediately feeling three times better and stronger than before. Just by showing off this crest, Jane was powering up, probably accelerating the process of the Starlov Boosters currently attempting to heal all of her real time damage. She also felt much better because she cut off her last remaining chance to lie to her friends ever again. Finally, the truth comes out!
Danny and Taylor were both at a loss for words, staring deeply into the magical crest holographically tattooed on Jane's hand. "No way!" Taylor diffused. "Is that?"
Danny want to grab her hand, try and see if the symbol was something he too could feel, but Jane pulled her arm back before then, covering up its light with her other free hand. She was suddenly trying to turn it back off while explaining as much as she could about the crest, and she seemed incredibly nervous trying as much. "They are the same symbols. Though nothing in the database matches what I was searching for."
"What is that thing?" Danny demanded. The spell bomb did this? How did she hide it when she was sick?
The light under her hand was gone now. Jane lifted her hand up again, revealing to her friends how easy it was to hide the symbol from plain sight. "It's a magical symbol, a mark imbued onto the skin with a purpose of permanently enhancing one's powers to a specific degree, depending on which symbol is used."
"Symbols...? I— I don't understand." Taylor even reflected mental confusion on her expression. Why hide it at all, and what was the difference between an ordinary symbol and a glyphring?
"Uh," What is this? Danny and Taylor have never heard of symbols or marks before? Even if they are new to Sprawn Valley, surely they have at least heard of the most formidable crime one could commit by having one! A pause endured... They don't. They really don't know! How stupid has she been this whole time? They'll never hate her for this if they don't have the context! Jane glanced around her again, making certain that no one else saw what she had tried to do. "I'm sorry, I forgot that you might not have known what that was at first glance. Symbol markings are not like glyphrings, though they can look alike. Remember how that thief in Fronas escaped with our crystal shards?"
"He teleported?" Danny believed all along that he used that method to escape. Back then though, he was only fascinated by the existence of such power.
"Right," Jane clarified. "In Leray battles, certain skills can make us teleport, but that's not what we call it when it is used by a Leray ability. It's called matter transference instead." Whence both Taylor and Danny were silent again, it was Jane's cue to elaborate even further. "Matter transference is similar to teleportation in that it has similar effects, but there is no such Leray ability alone that allows for real teleportation at a distance. The difference is that teleportation often requires the assistance of an actual symbol, at least when used so quickly. Transference does not. Since transference cannot actually take you very far in distance, and because it is the only traceable form of the skill, actual teleportation is not legal for ordinary people here. Those who teleport without a symbol can only do so if authorized, but others can use symbols when teleporting to speed up the process. More or less, the faster version is illegal because it makes use of a symbol. Only agents that use special spells that create temporary and artificial symbols can teleport legally."
"What does that have to do with the symbol you have?"
Jane noticed how soothing Taylor's voice became. She was so calm now, or at lease she sounded as much. Still, Jane felt as if she deserved more ridicule for the many mistakes she has made so far. "Don't you get it? Not only are symbols usually permanent unless removed at the Den of Purity, but symbols in question are absolutely one hundred percent illegal and dangerous. The thing I just showed to you, should anybody else see it, let alone hear a rumor that I am marked, I'll be hunted down by the General Army. At the very least, thrown in prison."
Danny held two fingers to his forehead, getting the headache of a lifetime. "Let me get this going straight. You have a magic symbol in you, a mark that is considered illegal..." After what he just said, Danny suddenly froze, though not so noticeably. The reference he just called to mind clicked in with Jane's entire behavior! A spell bomb blasts her from the sky, which gives her that mark on her hand, but if the mark is supposedly so illegal, then that means Jane is considered a super dangerous person, one that would never find relief if discovered by anyone else. She hid this all from everyone to protect herself, running to the one and only place to... Jane didn't do this to remove a low endurance rating! She did this to make sure she could seal a secret that would forever have her locked away into prison for the rest of her days! Danny didn't have any idea why they are illegal, but that reference isn't important enough to put other pieces together. Realizing this, his breath escaped from him while Jane continued to elaborate.
"Illegal on one of the highest levels," Jane corrected. "It would make my attempted use of the spell bomb seem like skipping school for a day with minimal punishment."
Taylor nodded and continued, "And this symbol is part of your permanent spell?"
"No, the symbol is the permanent spell." Jane remembered back to the moment it was inflicted upon her. "The spell bomb was a prototype, something not in any official manifest. That's why I didn't find any good results on what it was. And the man who gave it to me, I still don't know enough about him, but he said it was dangerous. I wish I paid more attention to the warning. Spell bombs are not known to actually imbue magical symbols on people, making this one an illegal tool."
"It's dangerous?" Taylor requested.
"Yes," she repeated. "You both saw what condition I was in just from trying to activate the damn thing, and how sick I got afterwards. I later found out that the illness was nothing more than a very painful overload of MP energy, as my capacity in the form of ME was elevated too high. In fact, the numbers are still probably climbing as we speak."
"I knew it had to be related!" Taylor needed that, to admit that she was right all along. Even without knowing much about Leray magic and the general rules, something had been off about Jane physically since the day of that incident, but Taylor only thought something was odd about the illness in relation to the spell bomb. She had been clueless on everything else.
"I only discovered my own symbol the first time I woke up from that mess, back in the Fronas medical center. All I knew was that I was marked with a symbol, something that would get me in a lot more trouble than what Eliza would have cared for. Taylor almost caught me with the crest on, so I had to hide it, and that's the first time I lied to you two."
No way! Does she think that we would just throw her under the bus for something like that? Whether it was made aware in the beginning or not, never in a million years would we rat you out to the agents. Jane! You should have trusted your friends. "I'm so sorry Jane. You didn't have to hide that from us," Danny declared. "We would have helped you immediately."
Jane spoke in a demoralizing tone. "I wish I was that certain earlier, but it doesn't change anything. I kept it from you so that you wouldn't go searching for something so dangerous." She heard Danny spout the word nonsense, but she continued to drop his flawed logic. "If the GA ever discovers that you two ever tried to help me hide this crest in the first place, you would be subject to equal punishment."
Danny swept his arm back in anger. "But this is a different situation. They can't just—"
"They can and they will!" Jane was firm and certain of that much. "The General Army doesn't care about circumstances. They will put anyone down who is marked, and more who have helped such a person."
Danny was frozen again for a few moments to further process it all, but his next thought process kicked in quickly. The fact of the matter is, having her very secret revealed somehow turns Jane into a national fugitive; that's the way Jane just put it. But then why? What reason could there be for this? "What sick twisted world is this place?" Attracting her curiosity, Danny continued only in his thoughts. I knew something was up when Nyar told us to stay away from Leray magic. But this is totally not what he was expecting at all. Symbol wielders are dangerous and criminalized. That much can make sense because of the power it may draw for villains, but what happens in this situation? The innocent one gets penalized all the same? Has the whole world lost their ever-loving mind?!
Screw the rules of Leray magic, the dangers of dark magic, and this symbol nonsense! Danny knew he couldn't put up with it for much more, as this was crossing a line! How could the people in charge treat others this way with all other laws so loose? How could they have such a dangerous evil lair of deadly monsters in their own back yard, and to tarnish people and the reputation of those who are marked? Look at her! Look at Jane and everything she has done! Her very own fear of being prosecuted has made her lie to the only people she should have trusted most. Then it made her forget the value of her own life, while she tried to risk it all in hopes that some dangerous vile excuse of a person could help her reverse it! It's twisted her very mind. Jane isn't a bad person. She's a victim of this bullshit that Sprawn Valley has been covering up for so long. The news never reported of this so-called Alpha Zero. If they did, it would be the talk in all regions, not just this small place in the Junon region. They would cover this up for what? To protect the reputation of Leray magic? Nyar might have been right all along, but where does it stop?
Taylor backed away a step, folding her arms and tilting her view. "So that's how it happened. You've been lying to us this entire time! All about a magic tattoo." She wasn't trying to sound angry. Jane already appeared to be guilty, almost enough to look like she had killed a man.
"I know!" Jane hated herself for doubting them, but that in turn just reminded her about something. "There is no excuse for it at all, but you both lied to me too ya know?"
Danny replied, "We did?"
Jane had some of it figured out. At the very least, she knew what was missing from their explanations. "I mean, come on. I know it can't possibly be as bad as this, but while we're all telling each other everything... You didn't just want to travel with me to Junon for fun, right? That moment you had in the woods Sunday morning, your reluctances to tell me where you are from? I believe how you got here, and why you might be interested in Leray magic, but what about going back home? I thought you two said something about a trip to New York."
"I wasn't lying when I said we needed to leave," Taylor levied.
Danny shook his head, revealing the truth. "We never said that at all Taylor. Jane was right to assume that you don't want to leave here. Junon airport was the original plan and destination, but we're working out a few kinks right now."
Jane noticed how defeated Taylor suddenly looked, after shooting Danny an angry glance for ratting out the secret. "So, wait. You don't want to leave, or you can't?"
"I still don't want to talk about it right now," Taylor worded. "Let's just say that my parents are really bad people, and leave it at that."
Jane let it sink in for a moment, and then bobbed her head. "Fine. I can accept that it's too personal to share." Still, what kind of parents does Taylor have?
"Are you sure?" Danny had to be realistic. After all she has been through, Jane didn't deserve any of this.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Shine Like Stars ~ Peter Vantine
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"But I deserve all of this and more," she admitted. "Just go back to yelling at me, please." Jane sunk her face into her arms covering her knees, curling up more into a ball.
"You deserve none of it," Danny corrected. But Jane wasn't giving up into motivation so easily.
"You're wrong. I lied to both of you. You should hate me, more so now that I was able to somehow survive that place." Jane lifted her face for a moment, wishing to project her voice loudly. "I'm the one who made the mistakes! I'm the one who burned my morals down to nothing!"
"The symbol on your hand did that to you."
"No it didn't." Jane knew that much. The crest didn't change her state of mind or mentality. She is the same person she always was and worse. "The symbol doesn't affect a person's mind. Magic doesn't work like that."
Danny knew she wasn't thinking clearly from other things. "But the fear of being persecuted will affect your judgment." Jane seemed so shocked suddenly, staring at Danny now, though her eyes never seemed this dark before. "You hated the very thought of that so much, and you considered how Taylor and I might be in trouble if we knew about it and tried to help you, and probably included your parents in the same thought too. You hate the idea of us being in trouble so much that you decided to cut us out of the equation. And in doing so, you came to drastic conclusions and measures to try and toughen yourself up for some sort of answer."
Jane couldn't speak right now. How was Danny saying all of these accurate things about her? Is he some sort of mind reader? No! That isn't right! You can't just say what is true and make it seem forgivable Danny! You can't do that!
"Jane!" Danny sounded so condescending right now. She didn't want to answer. If anything, Jane has been wallowing in self-pity for so long, she wants to be punished by their hatred... But that's too bad. There is none here Jane. You can't have your way this time. "What happened to you is not fair. Even so, you and I are going to fix it somehow. Taylor will help, and I don't give a damn how illegal it is to this place. If the entire world army has a problem with you being marked by accident, then they'll be answering to all of us!"
Taylor didn't understand what was going on at first, but the way Danny jumped to the exact correct conclusion like that was so impressive, stunning at that. Now he was including all three of them to help her remove her symbol; the very thing that has messed her up so badly. Jane did all of the things she did out of fear from that glyph on her hand? And Taylor had no idea the entire time...
How can this be happening right now? Even if they won't hate her for this, how can they possible endanger their own lives, even after realizing the total risk involved with them? Why are they doing this? "H— how? How can you say that? You know you'll be locked up alongside me! Why would you be willing to risk that much?"
"If that's what it takes, I'll risk everything!" Danny rose his voice further just to enforce that he was serious, but it began attracting a few turning heads again. Still, that didn't matter to him now. "I don't know why I would do that Jane, but we are still friends at the end of every day. I think that has everything to do our choices somehow."
Friends? Jane couldn't have expected or predicted this reaction in a million different scenarios. They're still her friends after all this, after every time she has wronged them? Why is Taylor not as loud right now?
"Fine," Taylor reluctantly agreed. "We are still friends Jane, but we're still not completely even just yet. When I ask you of any specific favor I want, you have no choice but to fulfill it to me. And it can be anything I want."
Smart. Taylor is her friend too, but in this case, it's conditional to that one fact. At least she is still technically in debt to them. Jane can't just be let off the hook like that no matter what. If Taylor asked her to stand in the central plaza at day light and perform a most embarrassing performance degrading her entire reputation before the whole city, Jane would gladly take that as punishment too. Please don't make it something easy!
Jane couldn't describe exactly the right words for this current feeling, but everything from before had vanished in her sea of thoughts. What is this new sensation in its place? Jane felt somehow satisfied with the way this was right now, a moment she would want to last forever. She shouldn't be forgiven at all, but this is just different. Danny and Taylor aren't reacting in a negative way towards her either. Why though? Why is she suddenly okay with this? Jane could tell she was just barely smiling, but she couldn't figure out why, let alone control this wave of emotion coming down on top of her for it. It's a satisfying feeling that isn't totally empty or full, but it's desirable in a way that feels like home.
"Still," Danny pondered. "If you wouldn't mind giving us a little more information about Alpha Zero? It's true that we went in there to find you, but I'll need your explanation to help describe what we saw in there."
"Actually, I'm surprised neither one of you got into any trouble rescuing me, much more from the commissioner." Jane backtracked everything that happened to her in there, trying to put it into words. "But since you don't know about it, I'll explain. A dark zone is a piece of land infused with dark magical energy. In such a field, Leray magic is weakened, and the veil stops protecting us completely from physical harm, tough it does not disable Leray magic in question. Even regular ordinary damages without magical assistance become inflicted as real time damage, while dark magic itself is easier to be used in a dark zone. Alpha Zero is a dark zone, just a thousand times larger than all other dark zones previously studied by mages. In fact, I only learned about it after coming to Lennith, and it's an absolutely terrible place."
"I thought the intense heat and red sky was weird..." Taylor wanted to try and compare, but Jane must have seen worse than she had.
Jane guessed the situation as much. "You must have been even luckier not to run into any monsters. It's a zone so intense in dark magical fields that unworldly creatures can spawn out of nowhere, monsters with the ability to use dark magic, all with the instinct to kill anything that moves. The Den of Purity was well outside of my reach, and after taking enough damage, I tried to turn around for my own life. I had so much time to think about things in there - all of the mistakes I've made, all of the things I've taken for granted..."
"Huh," Danny hinted. "So it takes a near-death experience to snap you out of stupidity. I'll have to remember that for next time."
It was a bad attempt at a joke, but Jane had to be clear for one thing in particular. "There won't be a next time," Jane clarified. "I really am sorry for all of this... By the way, how did you find me? I knew you would eventually, but how did you get by Route 96? I would have thought that all of the battling there would have slowed you down a lot."
"Battling?" Danny questioned.
Taylor remembered how easy it was to just walk on by. "All we did was activate our emergency mode on the license cards. Nobody questioned our reasons for declining battles afterwards. The commissioner agreed that searching for a friend likely in danger was good enough to validate the situation. Is that not what you did?"
"You were chasing someone likely in danger. I was officially removing a spell bomb's curse. Even if I fluffed that up enough to not sound so ridiculous, that doesn't count as an emergency, so it was denied."
Danny interrupted only momentarily to assert Jane's reason for that. "Right. And because of your symbol being illegal, you couldn't just use that explanation either. After all, you had not made it to the Den of Purity yet."
"I had to plow my way through many battles just to reach Lennith City, and then train a whole bunch before heading into the dark zone."
"That couldn't have gone well." Danny knew that Jane was always telling the truth about her spell's disabling effects on her endurance level. Any attack she took was amplified three times before actually receiving it, making Jane an easy target on a long road, but if anyone studies that in action, it isn't easy to detect.
"I only lost one battle. Technically, I won by default, but that bitch tried to jump me afterwards. And you guys thought I responded badly to failure."
"You still do," Taylor insulted.
"But how?" Danny felt baffled. "If you kept losing so many battles in a row, how did you suddenly start winning those battles after the Tilsit incident?"
"With my first four battles with you guys," she retraced, "my crest was not actually activating at all, yet the spell's effects were still holding me back. It is true that my defense is crap, even now, but the crest comes with some unique advantages that were not so easy to access before. I couldn't actually invoke that symbol like I just showed you until one of the harder battles I got into on the road here."
Danny shifted his feat, trying to block some of the sunlight from his eyes. "You mean to tell me that your symbol can power you up? Well that's neat. Now I want one."
"It's not as glorious as it might seem," she protested. "My successful battles have not been won that fairly. With an illegal crest, how would my enhanced battle against another be fair? Of course, with lowered defenses, it somehow feels as if it is sometimes. But I learned much later and by accident that as one of the permanent effects of this symbol, all of my Leray powers don't drain so much of my energy anymore. Anytime I use an attack spell, MP energy is conserved somehow. Additionally, I can learn new spells in only a tenth of the time it normally takes others to learn them, which is another side effect."
"Unbelievable," Danny fantasized.
Jane continued, "Before heading out on 96, I trained myself to use a large variety of new abilities to get an upper hand, and also bought a metal suit of armor for additional protection. That poor suit did not make it all the way through, but I battled much better on the road after I learned those new spells. Once I learned how to activate the crest at will, I noticed additional effects that only work when invoked. The crest can actually heal some of my damages, and charge up my magical energy back to the way it was before I run out. I'm becoming unstoppable in a battle now."
"I'm not convinced, not with the condition I found you in," Taylor exclaimed.
"So Jane thinks she is a badass now?"
Taylor reassured Danny about their promised battle someday. "Don't worry. You can't honestly fight Jane with her symbol thingy that lets her cheat. Once it's removed, then we'll see who's really better. But don't forget that I want a match with her too."
"Why am I so popular for getting battle offers?" It's not just everyone she passed by, but even her own friends are crazy about fighting her in a solid Leray match. "Either way," Jane went on, "the mission to remove this tattoo has failed. I didn't reach the Den of Purity, obviously, and nobody other than Brightworth is capable of removing that spell."
"Brightworth?"
Jane forgot that both of them have no clue who the man is. "The guy who works at the Den, and supposedly primary suspect number one when it comes to the responsibility for the creation of Alpha Zero. Even if I did make it, a criminal wouldn't help someone like me unless I force them. Now I have to stay at this place until I heal."
Brightworth. Danny didn't learn of the criminal's name, only his general existence as the guy who runs the Den of Purity and now Alpha Zero. "Right..." Danny remembered. "How long is that for?"
"Don't worry about it," she persisted. "The east exit is the one you want for the airport. I have to be in medical for healing. I don't know how long, but I predict days. I'm only allowed to free roam for six hours at a time, not allowed to leave the city at all. Right now, I'm only on a two hour timer."
"Uh, we're not leaving," Taylor shifted. "We'll deal with the airport thing when we deal with it, but for now, we want to stay here."
"It will be dangerous," Jane forewarned.
"Why...?" After pausing on giving anything away, Danny realized that Jane isn't done just sitting around. She's plotting something. It's good that she hasn't given up hope on herself, but removing a symbol by other means won't be easy. "What are you going to do?"
"Right," Taylor realized. "You can't even fulfill your career with an illegal glyph-thing, can you?"
"I can't, but I do have plans." Jane had the thoughts collected on how to reverse the spawn of Alpha Zero, and after the report she heard of before seeing her friends today, it carried even more urgency... The zone is slowly growing bigger. It could swallow this city alive if left unchecked. "This dark zone, this Alpha Zero needs to be destroyed, or turned off somehow."
"You're not going back in there." Danny was making a firm order, not a suggestion.
"I don't have to," Jane explained. "The General Army has a job to do, and they've been slacking off. I have a plan to get the General Army to get the job done, a plan to help them infiltrate Alpha Zero, arrest Brightworth, and reverse the dark magical effects of the land all at the same time. It's really a matter of motivation that the soldiers lack right now. There's another way to restore it."
Lack of motivation? Nobody wants to go in and get killed, but it might as well be worth hearing out another one of Jane's terrible plans. "But why is that so important?" Danny figured that if one removes the Alpha Zero, the threat is eliminated, but the guys in charge need to fix this, not her or anyone else.
"Because," Jane steadied. Her eyes have long since dried up, but her tone became quite serious upon her realization. "The Alpha Zero is growing in size slowly over time. I wasn't aware of this until a few moments ago, but that means the entire nation here is under a threat."
Taylor predictably reacted the way she should have. "What?!"
"I see." Danny had an easy time lately figuring things out for himself, making quick deductions by investigating specific facts and reactions. He had to ever since that Tilsit incident, but Jane has the only answer for now. "That place is dangerous even in a safe zone, because eventually, there won't be any safe zones. That's really uncomforting, but the army should know this by now."
"Even if they do," Jane picked up, "they're too afraid to act on it. I know that the zone is growing based on what I heard earlier. First of all, when I woke up in medical, I found out that I was located about one mile inside of the official dark zone, two miles from Lennith City. But based on that location difference, I know based on my previous walk that I had to walk further than three miles in order to reach the official zone itself. That means that when you both found me, you had noticed the changes in the dark zone about a few minutes before I did on my first trip. Secondly, I noticed that the medical officer was declaring Alpha Zero as a danger level five hostile zone, but before I left, it was technically classified as a danger level four. That means that the General Army is suddenly aware that the zone is growing, or else there wouldn't be any other reason to call it so dangerous like that by elevating the priority of the situation. Thirdly, since you didn't run into any monsters in there, it means that you found me in a place where I would have been only a few minutes away from leaving the official boundary of the zone if the position and size of the field had entirely remained unchanged, but because you did see the sky turn red for further a time before locating me, the distance between normal space and Alpha Zero has been displaced by a factor higher than one from my first visit. The distance actually grew, despite how slow and slight it was."
"That actually makes sense."
Taylor held a confused expression towards Danny for his totally casual response. Jane just described so much at once that her head was spinning, but he kept up with all of it on the spot? Was he just bluffing that he understood how Jane knew the dark zone was growing? No, he's been acting like this since the Tilsit incident. Danny is suddenly more analytical than what is considered normal, but the scary part is that it's making him smarter. He didn't used to be like this, not as far as she was aware of...
"And because of that, I've changed my objective for now, to removing the threat of Alpha Zero completely. If we're successful, I may even have a chance to go back to the way I was before."
"But how do you intend to change the mind of the entire army for your very will?"
Another male called her name from behind. Jane turned around, realizing that Dr. Seth was holding the front facility door open for her, but he was impressed that she behaved well enough to stay so close to the safety of the facility. "It's time to start the next treatment again." Seth addressed the two new friends of Jane's, realizing they are also her visitors from before. Must have caught up out here. "She needs her rest to continue recovery. You are free to visit any time Jane is awake."
"Be right there," Jane announced. It was the rule she needed to follow anyway. Six hours is every treatment, but the very second one was actually two hours away from her first treatment. Has that much time passed already? No, they must want her to rest is all. The master plan did not really need much explaining anyway. Jane couldn't enforce any of it yet, not until she is able to fight again. With that, Danny and Taylor will have to wait patiently and make themselves comfortable. "I'll see you two later then. If you really want to help me, we all need more credits to fund the medicine. I can't be in battles till I'm healed up."
"We'll talk after the next treatment then," Taylor agreed. Jane turned around, walking back into the facility while Danny and Taylor were left outside.
Silence stuck between them for over a minute while the ambient noise and light from the people and places around them filled that void for now. There was so much to think about. Everything they planned to get Jane for earlier was all in vain. How could either of them realize what sort of situation Jane was in? Even if she was stupid enough to try and get herself killed over that symbol, there must be a method of making it legal here. "Well that was..." Danny failed to find the right word for the situation. It wasn't perfect at all, not even close. Yet despite being more complicated than before, this somehow felt better, or at least less annoying.
Taylor had the same sense for the situation. Getting involved in this complete mess was still an improvement from chasing a trail left by Jane, worried if she was even alive or dead, but she still wondered what it was Jane was going to do, more so about how she was going to do it. Jane must want to remove her symbol by removing the dark zone indirectly this time, which is something she could stand behind. Still, Taylor has never felt so simultaneously angry and relieved all at the same time. Now she would have to make do until Jane is done with a treatment. Jane wanted her and Danny to generate more credits? Finding a good method wasn't easy before all of this started happening, and Lennith City is still so new to her. They have a great market for supplies and groceries, but an impossible to remember foundation of how things work here.
Illegal symbols fused with skin, much like a tattoo of magic. Impossible odds of surviving great ordeals. An unsolved mystery behind the origin of Jane's symbol, and a field of magic so purely evil that it endangers life all around, threatening to destroy everything in the radius of the entire continent? Taylor never could have guessed only days ago that her journey with Jane would have taken such a drastic twist. Taylor didn't even know much about Leray magic, something that was more apparent after the things she has heard today. Much uncertainty lies with the practices in this crazy country. Taylor even began to compare how differently her life would be if she was back home instead, being forced to become a Banshee slave. It might have been much less dangerous and scary as this.