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<03/15/1972 – 09:35 | Manhattan, New York, United States>

Last night was unforgettable, and sleep made a minimal difference. That was the only reason Jane found herself standing at the dining room table in silent thought. Being the first one to wake, she had this peace to herself for at least half an hour, but then Danny and Taylor both walked into the same room, their eyes quickly finding her. With a simple good morning greeting, Jane soon noticed that Danny and Taylor both stopped short of the table, with all hands and arms behind their backs. It's not a usual gesture, and Jane had to call them out on it. "What's in your hand, the two of you?"

With a mild glance at each other, Danny and Taylor both presented the small glossy paper material to Jane, all while starting the day off correctly. "Happy birthday Jane!" Danny and Taylor spoke at the same time, resonating the surprise in Jane's expression.

Jane wasn't surprised to hear the words. She knew that today is March 15, and that means today is her birthday. They both knew last night. But those things in their hands, a total count of three... Those aren't just any short slips of laminated paper; they're tickets that were bought in advance, not just any tickets. The silver color and shiny coat could only come from one place. "Are those Cyrus tickets?"

"You bet they are," Taylor replied holding two of them in one hand. "Nyar figured we would make your present one of the better places to visit on vacation, and I have all the bathing suits we'll need."

She's already so psyched up! Jane felt she had no choice but to put all of her thoughts aside for this one. The Cyrus Water Park is one of the most exciting places she wanted to go to while in New York. The entire time, it's all been about how nobody can afford to go there. How is it even possible that Nyar could afford this today?

"We all pitched in together for this trip." Danny knew Nyar wouldn't mind if everyone paid for it except for Jane, not that she actually had any money yet. "Taylor even saved some of the money from the outlet mall just to add to the ticket count. Whenever you're ready to go, just say the word."

"Are you kidding? I would have been ready any day!"

Taylor smiled sensing how awesome this is. Jane's excitement is already coming back to her. She just needs to remember that this is a vacation. "We'll wait for you to pack everything you need."

"Good!" Jane nearly jumped over the table, and darted towards the hallway. "Don't you dare leave without me!"

Danny could hear Jane's footsteps barreling through the house. Knowing they would have all the time in the world, it was very refreshing to see Jane perk up with her gleaming eyes in a total rush of desire not to be left out of this trip. No matter how she is feeling, Jane is still Jane.

Nyar stepped into the kitchen from the hallway, looking disturbed and confused. "What's all the fuss about?"

Did he not figure that out already? Danny presented his ticket in hand as a reminder to their driver. "I showed Jane the tickets since it is her birthday, remember?"

"Of course I remember." Nyar didn't cut the frustration from his tone. "And we agreed to surprise her by driving to the water park. Now, once she gets into the car, she won't shut up."

"Yeah," Danny agreed. "But she looked like she could use that news sooner rather than later."

"Very well then. I might let you supervise her today instead."

Danny didn't know what to make of that statement. Naturally, Nyar has had to babysit Jane's behavior from the beginning of her arrival to this country, but Danny never actually considered what kind of hard work that might be. His reply; an expression of plea and forgiveness, not that it would change Nyar's mind if he were serious.

"I guess I'll go pack my things. If you rush me, you'll both owe me a favor." Nyar knew that Jane would end up rushing him. That's what Danny and Taylor get for waking up the handful so early in the morning.

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<03/15/1972 – 10:51 | Cyrus Water Park, Ducan, New York, United States>

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Chapter Theme Shift: Kouchou Kouchou ~ Haruhi Suzumiya OST

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For each and every water slide available at Cyrus Water Park, long lines of people formed while the lifeguard signaled when it was safe to let the next kid go down one by one. Since Nyar had today off of work in advance, it was made clear that the three of them could stay here and have fun for as long as the water park is open. After already testing two of the largest spiral water slides, Danny, Taylor, and Jane waited in line for another go, having already changed into swimwear.

"Nope!" Taylor happily showed Jane off as she once again tried to suggest how Taylor felt about coming here with Danny. Taylor instead held his hand generously while waiting for her reaction. Jane must not understand that by now, Taylor isn't embarrassed to have any of her wishes come true. "Nothing you say will intimidate either of us. Your days of torture are over!"

Danny scratched his head with his free hand while Taylor pointed to Jane's face with victory. He didn't understand what was actually going on for a moment, but given that playful gesture, it must not be that important.

"Huh?" Why is she so confident? Where is the old Taylor who would tremble just by the thought of clinging to her boyfriend? Come on!

"That's right." Taylor let it sink in. Jane has finally lost the game. "Danny and I are an item now."

"I thought Jane already knew that."

Letting the clueless man speak his peace, Jane tried once more to get any kind of cute reaction from Taylor. Something had to give. "Really huh? Then you wouldn't mind proving it? Come on, just one kiss."

"Eh?" What is with Jane and Taylor? Did they make some kind of strange bet?

Jane must still think I get too nervous to do any of that stuff. She missed all the fun last night. "I'll do better than that." Taylor leaned into Danny's face for a smooch on the lips, to which he reacted with initial awkward surprise, but after another second, Danny kissed her back while their actions turned into a make out session, with Jane standing right in front of them watching in awe.

How can she do that? Jane couldn't believe it, but her Taylor is growing up too fast! "That's..." Speechless by how much fun Taylor and Danny were having, and by the fact that Taylor wasn't shy in the slightest; Jane held her cheeks in defeat.

Letting up on showing off, Taylor checked out Jane's reaction again, the sweet face of total shock. "Told ya so," she mocked. "So Jane? It's your turn next. When are you going to find yourself a boyfriend?"

"Oh boy," Danny sighed sarcastically. Trying to imagine someone as intense as Jane having a boyfriend with similar attributes would be interesting. Given her situation inside of Sprawn Valley, there must be at least a small handful of guys willing to try and go for the strongest Leray wielder in the nation, marked or not.

"I'll find one when I'm ready to. Geeze!" Jane crossed her arms after turning around to the front of the line.

"Don't wait too long," Taylor warned, "or else I might find candidates for you."

"You better not!"

Danny found their playfulness amusing at least. It made the time fly easier while standing in line just to slide down the falls. But they're a little too into it now. "Hey Tay? Lay off the teasing, will ya?"

"You even have Danny feeling sorry for you."

Taylor continued her ranting despite Danny's desperate warning, but he didn't care all too much. Luckily, Taylor is on his side today. Given their position from the top of the stairs, Danny felt he had the time to change the subject before any more action. "Did you call your folks yet Jane?"

"Oh. Not yet." Jane was supposed to call her parents on her birthday, but she was too excited about leaving the house to think about it.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"No worries," Danny assured. "You can always catch them at night. I already called mine this morning."

"Really? And they didn't yell at you about that magic thing?"

To answer Taylor's question, Danny had to correct her imagination first. "The subject never came up, for the last three calls." He knew that was intentional too. If mom or dad bring Leray magic up again knowing their disposition against it, Danny would no longer have a desire to stay on the phone, and it seemed to make Nyar happy enough.

"I know I should." Jane thought back as far as she could, reminiscing in front of her friends. "Usually on my birthday every year, I celebrate with my family. I usually end up getting something cool, Leray related of course."

"Of course." By the time the team made it to the top of the slide, Jane decided to slide down last, leaving Taylor to go first. Against his advice earlier, Taylor peeked over part of the stairs, realizing how high up she was from the ground. That must have been the reason she began hesitating down the slide. Despite being in the watchful eyes of the lifeguard to the right already signaling the okay sign to head down, Danny decided to give Taylor one more prank. One solid push with both arms sent Taylor falling into the entrance of the water slide on her belly, while gravity did the rest, but while her surprised scream rang up from below, Danny soon had to explain himself and say that it was okay. Pushing random people down the slide wasn't okay with the rules, and the lifeguard near him gave him a death gaze for it.

Jane found it funny that he had no choice but to apologize to the lifeguard before being allowed to head down, and then it was her turn. Jane already went down two of them, but she still wasn't used to them yet. The sensation of flying downward at a high speed with water splashing everywhere in the back is a one of a kind feeling, and this time, Jane took her thoughts down with her.

Two whole hours must have gone by at this point, but Jane wasn't keeping track. While sliding down on the water at a rapid pace, she tried to keep her thoughts as focused as possible, but unfortunately, Jane wasn't able to destroy her feelings from last night. Even though she suppressed her melancholy for most of the morning, the sensation crept up on her again. For whatever reason, Jane's memory and feelings intensified alongside the rush she was getting from the slide. The thought of the symbol and its secrets, Sprawn Valley's hatred towards her, and the general hatred towards magic by all people in the outside world; Jane was reminded about all of it.

At the bottom of the slide following a large splash of water to her face, Jane came to her final conclusion for the vacation. Danny and Taylor waved at her in the distance, asking her to go again to a different slide, but Jane waved back without moving; a silent promise to catch up with them later. It's finally time to tell Nyar.

Finding the guy was easy of course, since he didn't move from his spot even once. Strangely though, he wasn't on his phone or laptop this time. Nyar is actually relaxing like an ordinary person. Jane twisted her wrists a few times, psyching herself up. Every time she needed to talk to Nyar about anything magic related, it wasn't going to be pretty, but the man at least knows how dangerous this world really is. That is something she has in common with him now. "Hey Nyar!"

Nyar sat up straight upon seeing Jane approach him. She should be out there with her friends, but Jane probably ran out of sunscreen already. "Need another drink?" Without answering his question, Jane sat down on the towel next to him, wearing a stone-faced expression. Nyar wasn't sure if Jane is just a weirdo, or if something was really bugging her. Guessing on a hunch, he had to ask, "What's eating you?"

Jane clasped both of her legs closer to her chest without turning her gaze from the park. It was easier to say without trying to think about it as much. "I've made up my mind."

"About?"

Jane knew it wasn't the best news, but nothing good ever happens here given enough time. "About how long I'll be staying in America. I'm defiantly going back to Sprawn Valley the first chance I get."

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Chapter Theme Shift: Mental Anguish ~ Easily Embarrassed

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Nyar processed her words with weight and consideration while letting the thought sink in. "In that case, we'll have to prepare a D-class flight plan. It will drop you off in Sprawn Valley with Danny and Taylor on the same ride, only to take off again to other destinations. First and second class seats don't exist on those kinds of jets." For another long moment, Jane was completely silent. Shouldn't she be over there having fun, or full of energy? Hell, if she loves going to Sprawn Valley that much, why would making that call drive down her energy? Jane might just be hungry. "I guess I should ask what prompted you to give up on finding a stable job here, but it's technically not my business."

"That's okay," Jane accepted. Of course Nyar would want to know; it's the same reason Jane can't stay outside of her home any longer. "I know that Sprawn Valley isn't the safest place in the world these days..."

"No arguments there."

"But you can't get any more dangerous than outside countries."

"Are you saying that you don't like America?"

"I'm just saying it's dangerous and all." Nyar wasn't arguing that either. Maybe he just hates the thought of people coming out of Sprawn Valley believing to be invincible. "Back home, I'm usually protected by the veil. And out here, well..."

"You should follow every safety rule regardless of where you are. Don't always trust that veil, you hear me?"

"Yeah, but, that's not what I meant." Nyar studied Jane with a sharper stare, and she explained herself again. "What I mean is, I never thought it was going to be this hard to sustain yourself in the other worlds. If I were living all by myself in Sprawn Valley, I could pull it off without a sweat. But out here, I'd never survive. I'd either starve to death, or something else."

She doesn't need to aim that low. "The fact that you now understand that - is a good thing, since it will prepare you and all. But don't start thinking that it's impossible simply because of how difficult it is to get a job."

"Isn't it though?" Jane argued. "At least for me, Sprawn Valley has given me so many possibilities, even with all the horrible stuff that could have happened to me. Everyone who lives there has a chance for such an awesome opportunity, or a simple life. And that's why I think I need to go back."

What? That's the reason? Jane just doesn't understand anything. She hasn't changed; she hasn't matured... "What is wrong with that place?"

"Huh?" Jane at first didn't understand to what Nyar was referencing, but he soon made it clear. Despite the imminent interruption of Danny and Taylor approaching, Nyar didn't change what he was about to say.

"Sprawn Valley and Leray magic. Look at what it has done to you Jane. Instead of taking the challenge of adulthood, you choose to define your strength by such insignificant matters such as magic and spells. You don't understand how the real world works, and I doubt you ever will."

Bothered by that lame outspoken doubt, Jane raised her voice with her fists ready to fight. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm only saying I can't survive out here because it's true."

"Then you've chosen to give up on learning anything," Nyar filtered. "You and your stupid Leray magic. The very concept of it has completely spoiled you; it has poisoned your perception of adulthood and responsibility!" Nyar knew his voice was growing in volume, but these words also felt so true to the heart. Jane needs to hear them right now before it is too late. "If you really think that magic powers are going to make you safe and happy, then I feel very sorry for you Jane. The only thing Leray magic will bring you is illusions and weakness. Anyone who follows the concept of magic are all idiots! And they're never going to grow up to be real people; only flakes who think they know what they're doing. If that's why you're going back, then you're even more pathetic than I thought."

Jane wanted to argue back, but after every sentence Nyar finished, the thought of it all froze her entire body. Everyone who embraces magic is a pathetic weakling who can't survive in the real world. That's what Nyar is saying... Is it so wrong though?

"Hey!" Danny shouted violently, after hearing the few final words Nyar spat into Jane's ears. Taylor was just as prepared to pounce on the situation, but Danny knew he had it taken care of already. "That's enough Nyar!"

Jane ducked her neck down again, further processing what she already knew to be the truth. This symbol in her hand, it's a curse instead of a blessing. Her own stupidity is what allowed her to overlook the details of the E-7 mark 64 spell bomb in the first place. This is her fault for getting marked. Even after it happened, Jane is still incapable of removing the symbol, and that's just the start. So what if she accomplished so many great things back on her journey? All of it was made possible because of this cursed symbol, and because of magic itself. She really isn't strong at all. Without magical powers, Jane knew she was nothing, nothing at all. Surviving like an ordinary human being really is impossible, because she and her entire family are all weak.

"It's exactly enough," Nyar replied, though he felt such surprise inside that Danny could ever raise his voice like that to his face. "When will you all realize that clinging to Leray magic is the most childish thing you can do?"

"He said that's enough!" Taylor got in on the same action Danny did, and she didn't care who Nyar is to them.

"Don't you dare shout such words at—" Nyar stopped himself short at the sound of a loud sob, followed by a strong sniff of fluid. Expectedly, the sound was coming from Jane, who already began breaking out in tears while rubbing her eyes.

When Danny noticed the state the conversation put Jane into, he immediately tried to rush in to comfort her. But instead, Jane wiped her eyes and sprinted far to the north of their spot, heading down towards the road and some of the tall buildings behind it. "Jane!" She ignored his warning entirely, running away in tears with her audible crying dying out with the rest of the noise around them. Instead of trying to keep up with one of the fastest runners he knew, Danny changed his focus to Nyar, whose face right now made him tense as tightly as he heeded to. "Why did you say those awful things to her?!"

Nyar wasn't intimidated by the situation. Though making Jane cry was never his intention, it's a necessary step to make everyone realize the truth. "I only annotated what is true about magic."

"What, that she's a weakling or pathetic?" Danny heard every word this guy let loose, but couldn't interrupt in time due to shock. "Maybe you should take a look at yourself Nyar." Even as his uncle raised his eyebrows, Danny didn't stop for a moment. "The only pathetic person I know is someone who would pick on people for their life choices."

Taylor nudged Danny's shoulder, snapping him away from his thoughts. "We have to find Jane!" She could have run far away, anywhere. It's incredible that Nyar hasn't tried to chase after her, or that he isn't even sorry.

Danny stepped forward in the direction he last saw Jane escape to, but he back-stepped to make sure Nyar was paying close attention as well. "This isn't over Nyar! If anything happens to Jane, I'll hold you responsible!" Danny pointed at Nyar's face, ensuring that he fully understood. The guy didn't even flinch though, and Danny had to put this situation to the side and dash off with Taylor to find Jane in this dangerous world. Who knows what horrible dark thoughts might be running through her mind right now?

Jane dashed through one of the less busy streets, passing by a few public mailboxes and traffic cones, all through the side of a large building where no traffic of traversing pedestrians existed. Jane had been running for three minutes as fast and as far as she could, and her heart beat pounded away in side of her chest, but all the time while finding her solitude, Jane held on to the same lone thought, the sting of truth. Even if Nyar is an asshole, is he really wrong? A world like this one; a world without magic is not only full of danger, but also people who don't have any power or special skills. Nobody here is exceptional, and nobody gets what they want in life. Without magical powers, even just without the symbol, Jane would have been killed by several potential dangers in Sprawn Valley. Patrissa and her gang of thieves, the Alpha Zero and its monsters, Stanley Marx, or any of the other Scarlet enemies having a field day in her own backyard. Of all things, Danny and Taylor might have been killed too if she were any weaker while defending them. Magic is her only strength, her only real power. If she is standing anywhere else in the world, she can't do anything!

Jane continued to let her tears flow, holding her head with both hands while the truth bombarded her mind. The symbol on her hand, this evil marking destroys everything she ever tried to work for. Even if the people of Sprawn Valley leave her alone about it, the Scarlet Cult never will. She'll be hunted down and killed, all for making stupid mistakes. Forget becoming a Leray master, forget taking wonderful journeys, and forget about learning of all the special spells. Just become some worthless secretary, or maybe a librarian, and live a simple safe life without any meaning or glory. That's all I'm capable of!

Jane had her solitude to herself for five agonizing minutes. But there was no silence or peace; her thoughts were louder than her heartbeat and her breath, louder than the wind pushing her hair in a fan, louder than anything she could imagine. Jane sank to her knees, tired of standing up straight. She stopped crying, but that didn't make anything feel better. And then—

"Jane!"

Jane nervously glanced behind her, noticing Danny with Taylor twenty meters behind him in pursuit. They found her despite her head start and hiding spot, but that doesn't change anything. Those two have no more ability or hope than she does.

"I found her Taylor!"

Taylor could see Jane already, and sprinted twice as fast as Danny had been, since she was pacing herself behind to widen the search angle. Her idea of searching between some of the nearby buildings across the street was a good guess, since Taylor knew that is where she would want to be alone. Taylor rushed in and embraced Jane in a heavy hug just after passing Danny by, but Jane didn't react or change her position at all. Why won't she move? Why won't she just try and be herself again?

Danny feared that Nyar must have gotten to her deeply, but he still couldn't know exactly what was going on in Jane's head. She's been depressed more often lately, and somehow, it doesn't feel like this is last night's problem. Jane isn't afraid of anything; this is something worse than he could imagine... But she isn't going anywhere. Not until he could undo the damage Nyar has done. "Of all the lousy losers of the world... I hate him."