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<01/28/1972 – 19:00 | Lennith City, Junon Region, Sprawn Valley>
He saw them both emerge from the entrance of the medical facility, spotting them out despite the unusual traffic of people walking past the gate in order to reach Lennith's plaza. Taylor was walking by Jane's side, and both of them had a lightened mood in body language as they searched to find him. "Yo!" he called. Danny waved his hand in the air too in order to let them see where he was standing.
Searching past the busy traffic of other civilians and wanderers, she managed to spot Danny from his body movements. Taylor wanted to lead Jane to Danny, but Jane managed to get to him on her own power. She had underestimated Jane's resilience to all of that battle damage she suffered through. Even with the way Jane described it in such excruciating detail to her, Taylor would have thought that Jane would need at least minimal assistance walking around. Then again, Jane wasn't doing much more than a speed walk either.
While Danny and Jane conversed with each other regarding the details that he missed out with Taylor, he also made himself more comfortable by leaning against one of the picket fences. There was a lot more about Lennith to take in than he realized. The city was oddly connected to other structures only by means of the paved walkways and fresh cut grass. The fence behind him seemed new, but it wasn't being used for any real purpose, suggesting that this place used to be farmland.
The day was already late, the sun losing its intensity with its altitude in the sky while the small-disconnected clouds became easier to look up at. Hundreds of new faces passed him by every five minutes, either heading to their homes westward of the school, or eastward towards the interesting spots of the town. Despite the lack of certain similarities, the scenery around Danny reminded him of home. The air was as fresh as it gets, and yet he felt the hint of aged buildings and dusty masses in each nostril. Kalamo of course was much poorer than this, and somehow bigger at the same time. It's like a massive city, only for Kalamo, instead of buildings, they just have run down shelters, ruins left behind from families who could not survive there in the poverty driven by the terrible attempt of politics.
"You did get all of that, right Danny?" Jane had to call for his attention after it seemed that he got a little distracted or carried away somewhere. It was a lot to explain too. Jane made sure to give him all of the details, regarding her symbol, the dark zone, dark magic, the spell bomb, everything.
"So," he clarified again. "The symbol is incredibly dangerous to have, but at the same time, it's beneficial to the plan?" Danny recalled what Jane told him, about what she wanted to do right now. Defeat the Leray champion of the world, and take control of the army in order to invade the Alpha Zero and restore the Outback. It was moments like these where he felt Sprawn Valley to be the fake world, and Kalamo to be the real one. Lots of things were no longer making sense. From the very beginning, the business with Leray magic always seemed so much like a dream. Better said, it felt more like he was trapped inside of an advanced video game. Capable of invoking magical spells, capable of running out of life that he can also somehow monitor with the same magic? Danny could even accept this to be the imagination of some young free spirited person, and that he had somehow been trapped inside, obtaining the free will of consciousness.
"Damn right it's beneficial!" Jane argued. "I lost the first four battles because of the symbol's passive effects, but I then discovered some of its other talents. I can use all kinds of new abilities now, abilities that Leray elites actually invoke, and I've come up with some of the most amazing defensive tactics, even some of my own spells modified from something else." Jane could hear the amazement in her own voice. She had been looking forward to this idea at the same time dreading it. After defeating the champion, she would likely have to enter Alpha Zero one more time to help restore it with her own units. But for now, she could enjoy learning all of the new cool abilities and skills that can be used to fight against the League of Elites. The thought of invoking such powerful spells, launching some powerful combinations in front of some of the best, Jane felt like she could jump and defy gravity - falling towards the sky instead of the ground.
But if none of this was real... Danny preferred to keep his troubling thoughts to himself for now, though not before coming to a humbling conclusion. How could I know about it? How could I spend all of those years in Kalamo with my family, with Taylor? All of those years just being myself, and then planning a trip to America... Both countries, all countries are normal. All countries are very much like the real world. Only this one right here, this Sprawn Valley is so different. Which is real and which is fake?
No! That can't be! Danny's head shivered to the side, baring his renounced logic. That would mean Taylor is a fake too! Even Jane, and everyone else I've ever loved. Love cannot be fake. It cannot be imitated by some program or a figment of the imagination, not even by some person's tangled lucid dream. It's not possible! Everything has to be real! This is no dream of anybody's!
"Of course that doesn't mean I can do anything right now."
"Huh?" Danny looked up at Jane, who seemed to be saying something conflicting. Did he miss something? Taylor seemed to look confused too, for Jane had just explain the plan only to say she can't do it now?
Taylor asked Jane directly, "What do you mean?"
As Jane glanced back at Taylor, she inhaled the air around her again. Much like before, it felt as though the fresh air had been heated up and mixed with sharp solids grinded into a toxic mass of gaseous charcoal. The air pipes in her lungs were still full of the terrible tar Jane had been breathing in Alpha Zero before, burning her entire chest and scratching her throat and lungs with each puff of air. All of her battle scars were still there too, hiding under her white dress. Jane prepared to activate something while declaring her reasons for inactivity. "I have to stay here in Lennith for a few days. I still need to heal, in the way that an ordinary person would need to." After invoking but the slightest bit of Leray magic into the air around her, Jane projected her own holographic energy scope, forming the familiar box with letters and data inside identifying Jane and her physical status.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/FR7qtTtN/S3-Jane-Red-002.png]
Naturally, Danny and Taylor crept closer to investigate the numbers. They have both already seen the energy scope like this before, in order to confirm somehow that Jane was still alive in the dark zone, but this was only an assumption Jane made to be true, not something that she confirmed as of yet. Danny did however remember from his classes in Dakota what the energy scope colors and values meant, with regards between the two different colors of red and orange.
Orange is the color of the energy scope of someone who is in a normal or good condition. Even with very low life stats, it usually remains orange. Red color occurs when the person's energy scope has detected the imminent possibility of taking in real time damage, or to report that such damage has already been done. That person's real status gets weaker, and thus should refrain from battling even in practice. The veil of protection becomes ineffective for that particular person, which is why the scope turns red. This is what Jane meant by healing. She didn't look like she wanted to fight anybody even for training.
"The numbers are going up so slowly," Jane announced. "I want to be able to just walk to Eldora right now, but I don't see how leaving Lennith would be remotely good for my health. Plus, as soon as I do feel better enough, I need more training beforehand." Noticing that her friends absorbed the physical data from the holographic scope, Jane disintegrated her own energy scope the same way it appeared.
"Is the road to Eldora another one of those routes?" Taylor questioned.
Jane nodded in her direction, confirming it to be true. "Route Seven-eight-seven. It's a large bridge connecting the nearby land of Eldora and Lennith. Technically, they were to be considered separate regions, but the owners of Junon also wanted that part of land to be under ownership as well. So the town's people built a massive bridge here, one that eventually hovers directly above the ocean."
"A bridge that goes over the sea?" Danny seemed impressed so far.
Jane nudged away any surprises that bridge might have on her friends, considering even she had not seen it before. Her information only came from what she was told by some of the staff in medical, as well as some of the sentries blocking that exit. "I don't think it works like that. I mean," Jane stumbled for the right description. "The bridge itself, once you're in the center of the path, you can still clearly see the land of each continent."
"Oooh!" Taylor made the noise to express her understanding, feeling the need to elaborate it further. "So it's not really as long as Route 96?"
"I don't know. I didn't ask." Danny and Taylor were silent after Jane, a moment that made her feel awkward about all of this. There wasn't that much she could do right now, other than heal up. That would take days according to Seth's estimations. Even so, Jane already thought about a number of situations in Lennith she could take care of in the meantime. There was still a matter of seeking more help from Claudia, if it were possible. Jane did lie to her teacher about some of her true intentions, but not most of them. Besides, if there was a way in which her symbol could be legalized, it was worth finding out.
Jane thought of the rest on the spot, telling them to her friends. "While I'm here, the two of you might be able to generate more credits somehow. If I'm taking you with me into the dark zone, we'll need a lot of money to buy the protection needed for such a zone. Special magic resistant suits, new weapons, tons of healing items, including a few Starlov Boosters on the go. Food, water..." Jane continued going on and on what sort of expenses there was going to be, and she knew that even with all of her victories on Route 96, she had nowhere near the money to support herself, let alone three people.
"We'll take care of it," Taylor answered.
Danny looked at her for being on top of it with no reluctance. They must have had the discussion without him already, but it still set Danny into the thought of ways for obtaining more credits. He could technically battle people in Lennith; it would work. Then again, Danny had minor practice on the road while searching for Jane. He used his emergency code on the license card, of which was already confirmed and deactivated by Lennith's commissioner after the investigation that took place with Jane. Jane didn't specify exactly what methods should be used to raise money, so it could be anything, right?
"Mind if I have a word?"
Danny, Taylor, and Jane both turned around to see the woman walking their way, the same person with her nerdy glasses and super dark hair; Alyssa. She continued walking towards them with a smug expression of leverage, her arms folded over her chest. Jane apparently had two other people with her. Alyssa had to assume they were friends of hers, considering they have never been seen in this city before, but she had to be sure.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Edge of Darkness ~ Two Worlds 2 OST
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"Alyssa." Jane coaxed herself for more courage, enough to tell her to buzz off until she was done explaining the full plan to Danny and Taylor. But the words failed to escape her in time, further delayed by the fact that Alyssa was wearing those reading glasses of hers again, for reason she didn't discover. Alyssa wasn't always wearing them, so her eyesight can't be too bad.
Taylor squinted her eyes in Alyssa's direction. She could not be a hundred percent certain, but this looked like the same exact person who raged out of Jane's medical room hours ago, crying into her hands over something upsetting, but Taylor also didn't get a best look at her face, so she didn't try to make the comparison aloud.
Alyssa stopped walking short in front of the newcomers, Jane giving her a confused look, trying to figure out what she was up to, but all Alyssa wanted right now was the full truth. That meant some of her secrets had to be shared. In the process of walking over here, Alyssa was naturally revealing a small amount of her physical weakness and exhaustion. It was clear and obvious that she was limping slightly on her left side. "I didn't think Jane still had friends around these parts," she started.
Danny tilted his head slightly, studying the new face he had never seen before. This Alyssa looks to be about the same age as Jane, if not for the glasses a year older? But who is she? Why does she seem so weak and frail? "And why is that?"
While Danny waited for the reply, Alyssa took her time in examining the other two. Danny, who had brown hair and hazel eyes, was likely the same age as Jane too. At a distant glance, he seemed like one of the trouble making types. But with that outfit on him, obviously a cheap dress sphere made for men utilizing khakis and a denim jacket over a dark t-shirt, Alyssa was certain that Danny was either terrible at magic or new to Sprawn Valley. As for Taylor, the other woman with long blond hair and blue eyes, she seems impossible to read right now. She didn't seem to be wearing a dress sphere too cheap for this place. The outfit was much more of a suit than a dress, yet one that had lots of style, dark colored with a few blue and dark green hexagonal designs placed randomly. The color scheme matched her blond hair and blue eyes better than one would have thought. Alyssa soon realized that all four of them standing here didn't exactly look casual, being that they were all teenagers meeting up in one place.
But trailing her thoughts back to the answer she wanted to give, Alyssa faced Jane for a moment before responding to her reason for breaking away any trust they might have for Jane. "Because normal friends don't lie to each other on a grand scale. Normal people don't go around lying to an entire city, infiltrating the position of a training facility just to learn how to cross into forbidden territory."
"We're both aware that Jane lied to us. And the scale isn't small." Taylor turned around to look Jane in the eyes, confirming to her that she had not forgotten about how much trouble she is still in for messing things up that badly, but it appears that Alyssa is yet another victim. Was she another friend of Jane's? Perhaps one from this city? And what was she talking about - infiltrating the ranks of a school? Right! Taylor concluded. Jane never finished explaining everything, and would probably prefer to hide a few other details. Still, Alyssa had a tone on her, one that was equally as deceptive as it was annoying. Taylor had to further establish the ground rules regarding Jane before this gets any worse. "But we've known Jane a little longer than you have, and we're still friends."
Jane could barely believe her eyes and ears. Taylor was standing up for her, defending Jane's character after everything she did to all of them. Alyssa isn't even at fault. She's just sort of hot headed, much like herself in some ways.
Alyssa didn't back out of her own argument. "I guess she is lucky then to have such naive followers. See I knew a lot about Jane, even her plans to run into the dark zone, and I didn't object much, after seeing what she was capable of, and seeing what her symbol allowed her to do. But Jane spoke of nothing regarding the two of you, nor was she truthful about her own past."
Taylor's tongue froze from the sequence of the words. Jane lied to her and Danny about her symbol, but not to Alyssa, and at the same time, kept her and Danny out of her own story? After finally understanding something, Taylor had to try and put everything back into perspective, but this wasn't something she could even imagine Jane doing, in the literal sense of her thoughts. Jane must have had to tell a lie or two in order to gain entry into Lennith's training academy, maybe because it costs too much money. For that reason, she had to let on about some truths while keeping others hidden, right? Jane better hope that her version of the truth lives up to Taylor's expectations, or else she'll have another wound on her face.
"Man!" Alyssa emphasized. "It would be a shame for the commissioner of this town to learn that Jane signed up for classes under false pretenses, and didn't have to pay a penny for any of it."
"You might want to shut up right now!" Taylor warned. "We'll handle the situation from here."
Alyssa nodded her head left and right for a different reason. "I would defiantly consider it, but Jane has one more person here who would prefer her secret to remain a secret, a person who I happen to value more than this idiot. So nobody will find out from me, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook Jane!"
What other person? Jane couldn't accurately read Alyssa's mind anymore, but Taylor turned about to pull her arm to the side. Taylor then dragged Jane a bit away from both Alyssa and Danny, hovering her face close to her ear in preparation to whisper something.
"You and I need to have a talk," she hissed. After pulling Jane far enough not to be heard at room level, it seemed like Alyssa was preoccupied already with whatever Danny wanted to talk about, but Jane was here with her right now, and she had to know what else was going on here.
"Taylor, it's a long stor—"
Cutting her off, Taylor let go of Jane's arm, trying not to blow her volume too high while keeping her anger tucked in too. "How many people know about this?" Taylor demanded an answer immediately, but blocked Jane from responding with additional questions. "I can see we're not the only one's you've pissed off lately, but I need to know who else is involved. I don't think we should trust Alyssa with this secret."
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Taylor has a point. Jane didn't know how else to explain that Alyssa was hurt because she looked up to Jane during her training here. After all Jane displayed, Alyssa was totally messed up by the deception, broken by circumstance and time following. Alyssa would never rat on her though; she doesn't seem like that type of person. "She wouldn't tell anyone..." Jane wasn't able to clearly look Taylor in the eyes while making such a promise. Even she could not be so sure.
Taylor whispered back, "I really hope not. Because Commissioner Adon is already all over your case, investigating the whole incident. If one peep about this thing in your hand gets out..."
Jane felt honored that Taylor cared so much about her safety so suddenly. She was still certainly upset about the deception, but much more willing to keep helping her than Alyssa was right now. This is why Jane never could stop thinking about them. She never had friends like Danny and Taylor before; they are both one of a kind. "I'll handle it. I trust you to keep her quiet while I recover from this damage."
Taylor let out the sigh of another stressful situation. "I'll do it, but now that's two you owe me."
"Thank you," Jane applied. "I know that fixing the dark zone problem won't right anything I've done wrong. I don't even expect you to forgive me..."
Taylor didn't need to hear this now. Though it was rather satisfying to hear Jane getting all sentimental on herself, it was too late not to forgive her. She obviously feels bad about screwing this up, but all Jane did was lie to people. It was the Scarlet Cult that attacked the Tilsit database. It was Professor Brightworth that created Alpha Zero. It's Sprawn Valley itself that generates Leray magic. Nothing in the world is wrong because of what Jane did, yet now she is actually taking responsibility for it all, being a hero by wanting to fight back the Alpha Zero directly. Who could want to stand in the way of someone trying to stop the impending doom of Lennith City? Even Alyssa shouldn't have that in her. But with that mouth on hers...
"Talking about me, are we?" Alyssa approached in between Taylor and Jane again, hoping to crush any idea of shutting her down.
"Alyssa," Jane interjected. "I've already said I was sorry. What more do you want?"
"That's enough Alyssa!"
Another new voice projected above all of them. The four teenagers turned together to their left, with an adult female walking towards them through the short cut grass. Her crimson dyed hair and dark eyes only marked her beauty with her age along with the elegant dress sphere, but her expression seemed destructive, almost hateful, affixed only on Alyssa. "What did I say about it, hm? Jane is to be left alone to heal, not bothered about the past."
"Claudia," Jane and Alyssa both mumbled in sync. Alyssa slumped her neck down quick, yielding to her teacher of Lennith academy. "I was just..." Claudia didn't even have to say anything back. Just from raising her eyebrows did Alyssa understand that there would be no more toleration for her interrogation methods on Jane or her friends.
It wasn't entirely fear of authority that set her down. Alyssa and Claudia have a mutual relationship with the situation around them. If word got out about Jane's symbol and scandals of getting into the school system here, Claudia would go down for it too. She would suffer fates much worse than getting fired from her job, and Claudia doesn't deserve to have her life ruined because somebody didn't want to ask for help the right way. If anything happened to her teacher, who would help the students learn Leray magic level 3? Almost nobody else on campus is remotely capable of performing the same abilities Claudia is able to. She's actually a tough woman when it comes down to a real battle, and even more of a badass for never advertising her own skill levels and hidden talents.
"Wait a minute," Taylor interrupted. This woman was very familiar, and she had to step forward a pace to make sure she wasn't mistaken. "You're the one who helped us!"
"What?" Alyssa winced.
Danny squinted his eyes too, conferring with Taylor that this was the same woman. The one called Claudia is the person here now.
"Well that helps with introductions," Claudia summarized. "Yes. These two came to me regarding their lost friend, and asked about the location and direction of the Den of Purity. Since it was in fact Jane's destination and goal, I knew I could trust them, after understanding that they are not investigation officers."
"So that's how you found me?" Jane looked at Taylor, who was still fixed on her teacher. It did seem odd that Taylor and Danny both managed to know which exit Jane took from Lennith, and how far in to go in order to locate her. They must not have forgotten about the possible solution Jane once had in mind about removing her Leray curse, the Den of Purity and its exclusive location in the Outback. They must have asked a lot of people about her, only to get the truth from Claudia. Was their encounter random as well?
"Indeed I was under the impression that Jane would most certainly survive in that place, though I had my doubts about your friends." Claudia was clearly talking only to Jane and Alyssa, since they had not caught up completely on what happened with Danny and Taylor. "I was shocked to see that you're other friends made it out without a mark on them, yet you suffered one of the worst injuries without actually giving in to death. I am the one who allowed Jane to use the back route into the dark zone, the very same one I told you two about. And had she died in there, the blame would have been on me as well."
"No! It wouldn't!" Jane denied all of it. Claudia can't really put that on herself. "I was the one too stubborn to listen to anyone. I made the choice to go in there alone."
"Right," Alyssa added. "It is Jane's fault in the first place. Don't sacrifice your career over this."
"Career?" Jane knew about some of the possible problems that may show up if her cover about the illegal registry into the school system were to be discovered, but she forgot entirely to ask her own teacher about the integrity of that secret. "Everything's okay about that, right?"
"I was worried at first," she admitted. "Adon's investigations are focused on you Jane, but there was of course a trace to your recent enrollment here. I've managed the legal paperwork as best as I can. They've already overlooked a number of discrepancies, for now."
"So what you're saying is..."
Alyssa clarified what Claudia meant to Jane, after understanding it herself. "It means that the gap in time between the day you graduated from Dakota and the day they were enrolled here is much too short, and that alone would draw a lot of attention."
"I don't want anyone but myself to get into trouble for all of this." Jane prepared herself to hear just about anything, but before first explaining her part of the plan to Claudia, there was one more matter worth pursuing. "Claudi?" Jane asked. "Is there really a way to legalize my symbol?"
"Hm," she puzzled. Claudia knew of one answer, but with the complications of today, it might be even more difficult. "First thing is first. You must wait until this current investigation becomes a cold case. We need the General Army to truly believe that you were just exploring, acting like an idiot for running into the zone, and trying to get back after a monster attack. Anything more would be too implausible."
"I don't know about that," Jane worried. The General Army is going to find out that Jane has a symbol anyway, so why would she have to lie again in order to tell the truth later?
Claudia continued unfazed. "Because the Den of Purity is off limits to the civilian population, it might still be possible to present your case in civil court. You'll have to play this off like getting your symbol was an accident, something you did not do to yourself on your own power."
"But it really was an accident."
She nodded, "The Eldorian Judge will not see it that way if he learns that you intentionally used a spell bomb of unknown origin, even after explaining the unusual effect it carried afterwards. You would also need to officially request other methods to remove the symbol in the first place. There is no other way, but if a court believes that you believe in other symbol removing methods, they will at least align their sympathy towards you on some level."
Jane look at the ground, scrunching her face from the painful denial of Claudia's logic. Her refusal to even try was obvious enough already.
Claudia questioned the look on Jane. "What's the problem?"
"Somebody still has to take care of the Alpha Zero situation immediately. I know too that it's growing. No matter how slowly that may be expanding, Lennith is not safe anymore."
So Jane already knows about that? Claudia found out from commissioner Adon following the initial spark of the investigation. The General Army apparently has a way of monitoring the zone's field radius and the border position as it changes, and it is getting closer to Lennith City. "What makes you think such a responsibility could ever become your own?"
Jane knew Claudia would have a tough time understanding this, but she still went along with the full explanation. Alyssa would hear it too, for whatever it was worth. "I've been keeping tabs on their plans. I can't possibly know everything, but we all need to storm the dark zone and arrest Brightworth before it is too late. I'm afraid that without the help form my own symbol on the army's side, it's only barely feasible."
"Absolutely absurd!" Claudia cried. "You would throw away your only last secret left to risk your own life for a second time, doing something that the General Army can handle on their own?!"
"That's a load of shit and you know it as well!" Jane rose her voice with Claudia again. Lies! Pure lies coming from her! "The General Army doesn't stand a chance, especially if they think they can just split up their platoon into units and take the Outback by some random force of operation."
"I wasn't aware you were in the General Army," Claudia argued.
After just a second of silence, Jane glared into Claudia's eyes, hoping for her to feel both the rage and fear stuck inside of her head, those awful memories! "You've never been inside of the dark zone. As a matter of fact, the General Army has not been in either. They've sent scouts, but few have returned, not even to give us much data on what that hell is really like in there. You have no partial idea how terrifying it was for me, the evils I had to face in there. I didn't even make it halfway to the Den of Purity, and you've all seen the scares I suffered for that anyway. And yet..."
Jane held her right hand up in front of her while calming down passively. "And yet, it was this insane symbol that saved me. It invoked itself on me multiple times while I was in trouble, saving my life in ways that shouldn't even be physically possible with everything I know about Leray magic. This symbol is a miracle and a curse wrapped into one." She put her hand down again, making sure she got every word out of her system. Jane would explain the entire reason for her new motivation, no matter who wanted to stop her. "There is no reason why I shouldn't be able to use it for good, out there in the field, fighting alongside those who want to save Lennith City as badly as I do."
Alyssa closely interrupted Jane, denying that she could actually care about any of that stuff. "You don't even make any sense Jane! Save Lennith City? Nobody can just storm the Outback. Nobody is going to accept your insane ideas with that mark on your hand. And nobody is going to believe that you are doing any of that for the good of the country."
"That's where you're wrong!" Jane reflected. Her very reaction caused Alyssa to wince in surprise, her eyes fixated onto Jane and her body language. "I already know that there is little hope for me. Once they find out I'm marked, I'll be treated like a criminal or a fugitive, and even if I weren't, I'd still have no future of ever removing this symbol. My dream to become a Leray master might as well be over." Jane temporarily ignored the imminent rebuttal that Taylor was about to shoot in the hopes of keeping Jane's dream alive, there can only be realism now. "But what about everyone else who loves Leray magic? What about everyone else who relies on that system so deeply? If I do nothing with this crest, the whole world will suffer for it. Leray magic can't survive in a zone that only grows as large as this, and I won't let anyone else's dreams be destroyed over that! I won't stop until I've restored the Outback, at the very least stop the spread of the dark magic."
Alyssa fell silent in thought, captivated by what Jane was saying, and how much inflection she included in her tone. Jane really means all of what she preaches. She loves Leray magic so much, that she would throw her own life away if it means making sure others can continue to live in a world where Leray magic exists. She would fight with all her life in a hellish zone she has already failed to cross once, all to make sure the dark magic doesn't spread. Alyssa could only think back to reflect on herself now, imagining and remembering all of those tough moments that she has been training since so many years ago. She has to constantly invoke and use heavy Leray magic all the time, less she fall ill to her medical illness and lose sensation in all of her limbs. Alyssa knew she has always been fighting in that way, to survive and live. It is for that reason that her love for Leray magic is like no other. But here is Jane right now, ready to risk everything in such a selfless way. Does she really love Leray magic that much, perhaps more than Alyssa does? No, it can't be true!
Claudia didn't say anything for a brief moment, considering how incredibly committed Jane already was to her own new assignment. Just before leaving for the dark zone, Jane was dead set on ignoring the dangers, and putting her life in risk all for the sake of her personal career. Yet now she is suddenly selfless, all because she saw the evil inside of Alpha Zero? Claudia couldn't believe that a motivator this powerful could exist in the dark zone, but before questioning the change in heart, Jane still hadn't considered the difference between her dreams and reality. "Even then, the army won't let someone like you fight with them just because you have a symbol. You have any idea how much panic you'll cause be letting anyone know? People who are marked are normally sent straight to prison without so much as a trial, all because everyone is too afraid of the dangers of such great power."
It was a hard truth to hear, but Claudia must have known better than Jane. She knew more than anyone else did by the many references in ancient Leray history, about the Avion Wars. A couple of centuries ago during the mass integration of Leray magic, there once came a terrible war that cost more lives that it did money or infrastructure. It was a war against mages that quickly transformed into war against symbols. Before long the start of the war, people had been using symbols to power up in ways that defied the normal laws of Leray magic, making the use of dark magic a natural phenomenon. What became living weapons of war also became something uncontrollable. Criminals ran rampant using their symbols to kill innocent people, commit major crimes, and overpower the police in the process. Those who wanted to fight in the war often lost their lives because most symbols actually have lethal drawbacks. It took the miracle of removing symbols from those arrested and locking up those secrets to restore order and end that war. After so many lives were lost, the battles all ended with no side victorious; there was nothing left but mourning and regret. Even to this day, the people in Sprawn Valley still feel that uneasy fear deep down. The sight or word of a marked one would be a bulletin on national television, deploying such news all over the world. Things here would never be the same again.
Alyssa continued to let Jane and Claudia argue, now in an entanglement of thought, comparing herself to Jane Venn. She is the weirdest person Alyssa has ever met. Jane has lied, made terrible mistakes, and probably has a highly arrogant nature just for battling. After everything she has been going through, Alyssa couldn't help but try to imagine the scenario, happening to her instead of Jane. Would Alyssa make the same mistakes? Would it ever even be possible given her physical condition? Is fighting to become stronger the same as fighting to do the right thing?
"They will, once I'm no longer below the chain of command."
"What do you mean?"
Taylor wanted to try and explain this one, since Jane had already said so much. The plan actually made some sense. Jane could not go in alone, nor could she just politely ask the army to help her on this mission. It's something that could only be forced by changing the rules of everything. Even she had doubts that Jane could come near pulling it off. It was a certainty that Claudia and Alyssa would laugh this up the same way she did. "Jane plans to take control of the General Army, thereby eliminating the need to ask them for permission to storm the dark zone. But in order to take control, there is only one legal way of doing that, a way that lies in the city of Eldora."
Claudia huffed after realizing where this was going. "Defeat the League of Elites, become the new champion of Leray magic?"
"That's right," Jane hosted. "The elites won't know about my symbol until I reveal myself in the dark zone, but by then I will already be in charge, already proving myself to be someone who is putting such a harmful tool to great use. I don't even want to be in charge of the army, not forever anyway. It won't be the kind of victory I want, using something that is basically cheating."
Alyssa corrected Jane, "It is cheating!"
"This is the worst idea I've heard so far." Claudia wasn't even laughing at Jane's big plan. It was simply illogical in every sense of the meaning, a plan that completely defied the reasons why there are laws. "Why do you think that the army is so set on not invading the dark zone without your help?"
"Have you seen these men?" Jane chanced. "The guards at the exits, the patrols and advanced units, all of them are too scared to think of going near the dark zone, and I think our current champion is sitting around trying to think of a better solution. As terrifying and as dangerous as Alpha Zero may be though, we'll have incredible strength in numbers. It's well worth the risk if the army can just grow some courage, and have the other four elites pitch in as well. But the only way they'll listen to me is if I prove to them I can fight, and then announce a great attack strategy for the dark zone. I'll know exactly where to go, what to watch out for."
"This is beyond insane!" Claudia didn't want to shut Jane down, but the plan was just impossible in too many ways. She is getting ahead of herself, more than Claudia could have expected.
"Really?" Jane tested. "You've scanned my body yourself. You've seen the results of the ME levels climbing and climbing form this stupid crest. You know just as well as I do how much more capabilities I now have with this marking. I've defeated some of the monsters in the dark zone. I can bust my way past all of the guards in city if I chose to leave, even in this state I'm in. I've invoked abilities even I thought were impossible. The League of Elites will be a walk in the park for me. I won't fail!"
"The fact that you can even say that means you're not ready."
Jane argued back with Claudia, without raising her voice too high. Their group has already attracted a ton of attention, and the moment a guard walks over here, the discussion will have to end. "You're the one who isn't ready. You're not ready to accept that there are more ways than one to achieve the impossible. I know you don't have any faith in me right now..."
"That's not even what I said—"
Jane spoke over Claudia's comment without a response for it. "But with your help, I won't even have to worry about it. I won't be traveling alone anymore. I've got my friends here; Danny and Taylor."
"My help?"
"Yes," Jane nodded. "I want you to take some time training me some more, after tomorrow during my six hour breaks. I want to learn about more powerful skills and abilities, the one's you've been holding back teaching. Even show Danny and Taylor a few things too while I'm not around. I'll need new abilities for the road."
"So you want me to help you once again to train for a task that is even more absurd than the first thing you wanted to do? And all after I learned that trying this out the first time was truthfully my own mistake, my error in judgment?"
"Claudia?" Jane tempered. "I am doing this. With your help, I'll have a lot more luck on my side. Once I've put this dark zone matter to rest, then I'll deal with my real problems, and take full responsibility over my actions, including telling the truth about how I deceived my way into Lennith academy. In the process, I won't let you burn for trying to help me."
Claudia and Alyssa were silent, which was expected as of right now. Alyssa wasn't the one making a choice though, and she had lost whatever momentum of interrogating Jane she once had. Jane managed to dispense with her apologies to come up with something so wild, it was unbelievable in itself, yet her own version of the truth. How could a person like Jane suddenly care so much about wanting to set things right with Alpha Zero?
"I think before I agree to anything..." Claudia inhaled another breath, thinking long on her possible decision to help Jane. It's not as if anything too bad would happen in either of the situations, but she would rather not indulge such insolence in any of her students. No matter what the people may say, Jane is still Claudia's student, but what will Jane do is she refuses to help? "Jane? I think you and I should take five."
"Okay?" Jane didn't understand the motive. Was Claudia about to say something she didn't want the others to hear? Still agreeing to secrecy she would dispose of anyway, Jane followed Claudia to the side, walking away from the others slowly and casually. "What's this going to be about?"
Alyssa watched the two of them distance themselves from her and Jane's friends, but she didn't object or ask for a reason. Her thoughts were pouring everywhere with regards to Jane's insanity. Was it really possible to defeat the League of Elites using that crest in her hand?
"You seem awfully quiet?" Danny addressed. "This is all too strange to get so worked up about."
Alyssa studied Taylor and Danny again, judging the way they were acting towards Jane earlier. It all made sense now. There had to be a reason why they would be so forgiving of Jane after all that happened with them. "I bet it was something, traveling around with Jane during all of that confusion."
"You're one to talk," Taylor replied. "What's your story with her anyway? Petty classmate?"
Alyssa thought for a long time in silence, building more attention on herself before confessing to Taylor what Jane really did. "I can see now why such random people like yourselves would be so attached to a person like Jane. I thought she had changed completely when I found out the secrets she was hiding... But no. I did that, changed the perception I had of her."
"The hell are you babbling about?"
Taylor nudged Danny in the side with her elbow for asking Alyssa something in such a rude manner. She didn't take Alyssa for a confession type to begin with, but it was related to Jane in some way.
"If I could guess by asking the two of you, I think I already have Jane's basic behavior in a short summary. Energetic girl; runs around training constantly to become better with her Leray magical powers. At the same time, inspires the drive in others to do the same, all for the sake of her own personal dream. Jane might be excited to fight the League of Elites, but disappointed at the same time to have to use that crest to do it."
"How could you possibly know that?" Taylor phrased.
"Jane dreams of becoming a Leray master, right? It's her love for Leray magic in general that makes her who she is, always aspiring to be the best of the best in a legitimate strategy, positive attitudes and all?"
Danny answered for her, knowing that on many levels, Jane was both different and the same. She wants different things now, but she is still the same person on the inside. He could accept no other possible scenario. "That does sound like Jane, at least before the incident that marked her."
"That's what I thought. I knew that had to be the reason that you both would stay by her side no matter what stupid or crazy things she may have done, and it's because her dream is an inspiration to others, an example of how to act when you have the same goals in mind."
Danny pieced together something, but it was still a guess in his mind. "Is that how she affected you? Jane inspired you because you have the same goals?"
Just now, Alyssa nearly tripped over herself at the thought of being compared to Jane like that, but as she opened her mouth to counter the conclusion, it was harder to set aside than realized. Alyssa knew her goals were not exactly the same... But ever since she joined the Lennith Academy, Alyssa has wanted more than the desire to train hard and survive. If she is forced to use magic all the time in order to live, might as well make a career out of it too. But the only thing high enough to hold such a burden is the aim to become a Leray master. Jane wants that too, but not for the same reasons. "My goals," Alyssa struggled, "I want to become strong with Leray magic. I want to be better than anyone else. I want to be better at using magic than Jane is. Leray master or not, it's all the same to me."
Was Alyssa talking about herself now, or was she projecting for Jane? Taylor didn't quite expect this from Alyssa, but it suddenly makes more sense now why she would be so mad about it before. If Jane was either an inspiration to Alyssa, or something that helped her figure out what she wanted, that would make Jane the role model. But what kind of role model turns out to be someone else? It's no wonder why someone would be so angry over the simple congregation of lies Jane had to conjure to everyone else.
"But when Jane arrived in our school, as skeptical as I was that her intentions were pure, I still managed to alter my own goal. Becoming a Leray master was the second most important thing to me. Now there is only one."
"Which is?" Taylor coaxed.
Alyssa answered gracefully after much silence, admitting her own personal lifelong dream, which has slowly come to fruition upon meeting Jane. "I'll become a better person than Jane is, physically and morally. I want Jane to be the one who learns something from me one day, and not the other way around." Alyssa knew all along why she let herself get to worked up about it. How would you feel if your very own role model turned out to be a deceptive liar? Alyssa was amazed that she fell into that kind of trap given initial disposition towards Jane as a new student. But the thought of Jane learning and becoming a better person, by looking up to Alyssa instead of self-delusion was highly motivating, as it would be to kick her butt in a Leray battle. Right now, the two of Jane's friends were both staring at Alyssa intensely, taken afloat by her deep and enchanting words.