----------------------------------------
<12/21/1971 ~ 09:10 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
An entire day passed by as normally as ever. Danny simmered his emotions down much more proficiently than Taylor did. Yesterday also felt shortened based on the experience the day before. Danny and Taylor were no longer being fed the luxury food at the medical facility, and they both had to dip into their rations for the first time. Down another day, Danny and Taylor could not think about anything else other than the Dakota training facility, specifically Jane.
Taylor had to ask a second time to Danny, for why he bothered to leave the classroom and track her down. What she got was anything but a straight answer. But in his defense, Danny eventually beseeched the theories he held earlier; that Leray magic might not be what Kain and Bella claimed it to be. His temper became a little tense each time Taylor would ask him.
Danny and Taylor were to go back to Dakota again today. Whatever was going on in class this time, Taylor was ready to face Jane once again. Last time, Taylor was humiliated. But today, she would study Jane's actions and character with caution. Since nothing else was going on right now, Danny and Taylor went straight for the facility since there was nothing else to do.
So today was another day for Dakota's class. Set just like yesterday with another continuation from the history of Leray magic, Danny and Taylor found their same seats as before. Predictably, Jane was in the same room as well, quietly content as though yesterday never happened.
Danny knew he was supposed to be better at studying, but he also remembered what Kain told him earlier; that the rules of Leray battles fair higher on a priority scale than the history for now, and he too used such an excuse to study Jane's actions. For now, she seemed to sit still, paying attention to the lesson. In minutes following the start of Eliza's lectures, Danny felt her occasional stares from across the room without even witnessing them firsthand. Jane was using those intense eyes of hers; she displayed such pedantic care to Eliza's lesson. She didn't appear to be as focused as yesterday, but Danny couldn't reassure himself yet. He dared not to stare at her like last time.
Taylor had a lot on her mind too. Jane was not doing anything out of the ordinary yet, but only five minutes passed since Eliza began her next lecture, and five minutes was suddenly all it took for something new to happen. Jane stood up out of her desk again, her very motion detected by the teacher. Though no words were needed to request the same privileges be brought onto her again.
"Go ahead Jane," Eliza deflected. "Anyway, the Salem witch trials appeared to be totally unrelated to the practice of Leray magic. The events occurred in the United States, precolonial era. The cause of that tragedy ended up being something totally benign, raised from deep corners and fear of any unordinary behavior. Distrust and feuds boiled into religious misconceptions and inferred the injustices that followed. But in Sprawn Valley, the fear of magic has always been far off a different scale."
Taylor watched carefully. Jane was now creeping her way through the narrow fit of the desks, edging herself ever closer to the exit of the room. Then Jane left the classroom far out of sight, going wherever she pleased. Taylor was not sure what good it would do her now, or what she could do after confronting Jane alone again, but Taylor was at least determined to get out of here and follow Jane around. Right now, Jane would be by herself.
Danny saw that Taylor was very eager to leave the room, more so than he was. He waited for the right moment, when Eliza had her back turned towards her white board to write something down. With little time to wait, Eliza gave them their only chance to escape. Without even asking to leave, in fear of being denied their access to exit from the room, Danny kept his footsteps silent while walking towards the door. All of the students could of course see what he was doing; he only hoped they were cool enough not to raise alarm.
Taylor was in front of Danny, but she had the same exact idea in mind for escaping the class. Many eyes and heads turned to them both, some in surprise that they were going to just sneak out, and others who did not seem to care nonetheless. Nobody else alerted the teacher of their actions, instead sat still to observe. Before the door had shut all the way, Jane left it open only a crack, allowing for Taylor to pull it open without handling the noisy nob, and Danny was in slow pursuit behind.
Finally, Taylor made it, and Danny was right behind her jumping out of the room just in time to escape having to explain himself to the teacher. Both of them slowly eased the door back to the crack, not completely shut. Then Taylor looked around in all directions, searching for Jane, but she was not clearly in sight around here.
Danny followed Taylor's instincts as she led him around the corner of the main hallway. After which, Taylor stopped in her tracks, making Danny speed up to see what she found. There she was, standing right in the hallway with her back to the wall and one foot slightly balanced on her toes. Jane was simply waiting for the both of them to get out of class and find her.
"So what this time? Training with me like before?"
Taylor thought back to what Jane was talking about. She must have been referring to their excuse for leaving class to follow her yesterday. Jane was now asking for their method of escaping class a minute ago, what trick they might have used on Eliza.
"Well, we didn't ask," Danny admitted. He had the gut feeling that Jane couldn't really care less about the class rules or respect for others. If anything, fitting in just a little could help him get some more respect from Jane's enemies. It's assumed she has one or two other than himself and Taylor.
With a snippy reply, Jane told Taylor, "Now, now... Leaving class without permission? Shows that you two have no honor at all."
"Oh stop," Danny sarcastically remarked. "I'm getting all teary eyed."
Who is she to talk about their honor? This vixen doesn't seem to have any! "We came here to give you a piece of our minds. Who do you think you are to act all high and mighty?"
"The beauty of that Taylor," Jane started, "is that I'm not acting. And I don't have to be afraid to whip up an excuse to get out of class, because when I leave to train, I actually leave to practice my skills, as I say I would."
Ego much? Danny was certain that this was the same Jane from before, her attitude matched perfectly. Only she was less hostile, in the sense that she wasn't waving around knives.
"I'm hearing a lot of talk, but I don't see a lot of walk." Taylor didn't know much else to say to Jane, but there had to be some way of wearing her down eventually, just enough to reveal a weakness.
"Wow! Bravely said for one who can't even invoke magic."
Taylor felt all of that anger from before return to her side immediately. She had no perfect idea why Jane infuriated her so much, but the massive arrogance in her certainly did not make her a likable person. "I bet I could learn more than you in less the amount of time you've been training Jane."
"What are you suggesting?" Jane pondered.
Danny felt that now would be the best time to step in, and he sidestepped a little forward to say it to her face. "Not sure Jane, but I will tell you one thing. I've been itching for a fight ever since you've decided to make a mockery of us. So just show us where you want to take this. I'll get the hang of Leray magic as soon as I start beating you in a fight." Forget the rules of hitting a girl. This place is so crazy, one would probably be rewarded for trying it.
Jane fell silent for just a second, but her expression did not show any signs of fear or regret. She seemed to be assessing something about Danny and Taylor both, with the looks she was giving them. "So... It worked then?"
"What worked?" Taylor demanded.
"What I said," Jane replied. "To you two... Let me guess."
Danny lost track already at what Jane was going on about. She seemed to be talking about something totally different than before. Did he miss an entire conversation? Or did Jane make one up in her mind?
Jane contained her explanation. "The both of you are wanting to put in some useful training for Leray magic. And you want to become stronger and better, all because you don't like me, is that right?"
"That's one way of putting it." Danny was almost speaking through his teeth, but he kept himself as calm as he could, making sure not to say anything he would regret. It made less sense as to why Jane had to spell out details for herself.
"Then it worked," Jane repeated. "Everything I've said to intentionally make you two angry towards me has given you a renewed determination to learn everything regarding magic."
"I don't understand," Taylor reviewed. "You've made us angry on purpose, just so that you can inspire us to learn magic? Are you crazy? I don't buy that lame story one bit."
Danny was momentarily stunned, not by how terrible she is at making excuses for her aggressive behavior before, but by the results of technicality should he examine himself and how this moment feels. If she really were telling the truth, for Taylor specifically, it would only drive her to learn magic even more. But why? Why are people like this? No, that can't be right. Jane must simply be too afraid that she's gone too far, too afraid to actually fight him. It was right after his offer that she changed the direction of her words. This is a facade!
"Then it seems that you do understand," Jane proclaimed. Her voice had become less tense towards the both of them. "I do this with new kids all the time now, if they feel like bothering me. I don't have a problem with rookies and new learners, so long as they actually care."
"That's not the intention that I got out of this," Danny denied.
Jane continued, "I only have a problem with some of the people who come in here, and don't care about becoming a great Leray fighter. If you don't care about Leray magic, then why come to school at all?"
Okay, Jane has a point there. Danny still had trouble answering the same question he asked himself yesterday morning, but that's not important right now. Danny readily replied, "Unlike others, you seem to think that Leray magic is the most important thing."
Jane turned to face Danny closely, her intense stare strong enough to petrify him. "It is to me," Jane admitted. She noticed that her reply wasn't expected by the two of them, given their sudden facial expression. "You can make a whole career out of Leray battling, and I intend to do just that. So I talk down to new people, make them angry, get them to despise me or lash out. It's the perfect test." An ensuing silence quickly instructed Jane to elaborate. "If you two would have given up on trying to give me a piece of your minds, or simply ignored what I said earlier, then that would just confirm that you don't care enough about Leray magic to do anything about it. But since you keep following me around, that proves that you both actually give a shit about getting stronger through Leray challenges. Even if you still hate me for this later, I may end up with really strong rivals to help test my skills. Either way, I win."
"That doesn't make any sense," Taylor concluded. "On what level do you get anything out of that?"
"Simple," Jane smiled. "The better the graduates become at Leray fighting, the more fun I can have challenging people closer to my own level. I might make friends, but if I don't, I can still have a few enemies to test my powers on later."
"What?" Danny didn't even know what to say now. This was confusing beyond his own comprehension. Was Jane playing them now, or was she making up? No wait! That's it; she's insane!
"Come on." Jane got herself off the wall, and began walking slowly down hall in a particular direction. "If you want some expert help on using Leray magic, you could have asked me."
"We don't need you help!" Predictably, Taylor denied any apology from Jane. Jane stopped in her tracks, and turned around at Taylor to convey her own concern.
"Maybe not. But if you want to become great Leray fighters, the best way is not back in that classroom. At least not today. They've slowed down the pace of progress again, thanks to you two showing up. The only reason that I am ahead of the group here is because I train hard every day and every night, inside and outside of the facility. That's why I can invoke Leray magic at all. You both might not think it, but the kids in Eliza's class are still too rusty to use a single spell right now. If you both follow me to the dark room, I can show you some tricks."
Danny didn't understand Jane's sudden compassion for wanting to help them, but he had to find out. There is no way Jane would suddenly want to help them learn magic. There isn't a reason for her to do this! "Hold on. Jane? I don't understand why you want to help us. Better yet, why do you train so much ahead of the group? Don't you still graduate on track of everyone else anyway?"
Jane answered, "Though it is true that nobody can graduate early from a session easily, I have an incredible goal to meet, and I won't get there by slacking off or taking it easy. While you may be training to become Leray fighters, I plan on making a living on it. That means I have to become the very best out of everyone. That is why my heart and soul are determined on one position. I'm training to become a Leray master!"
Taylor stood there puzzled. She was also a little surprised by how much energy Jane used in that last sentence to announce her own goal. "Leray... Master?"
"Come on." Jane waved her arm in the direction she wanted them to follow. "I'll explain more in the dark room."
Danny and Taylor both looked at each other for a moment. Then they sped up to where Jane was standing. Presently, Jane, Danny, and Taylor were all walking together to this dark room. This certainly wasn't the typical way to spend a day of class.
Danny had some time to clear his head on the way there. Most of the clutter involved Jane's mysterious behavior. Not a moment ago, she was the enemy, and now she's pretending to be best buds with them? For a single moment before, Danny believed she might have held secret knowledge about some kind of horrible standard regarding such magic. But she practices every single day? Jane... She's intense, rude, and determined, but at the same time, she's still so unreadable. Beyond that, she's the strangest person here. Why is he following her again? "What is a dark room?" Danny phrased.
Jane really did let off on the constant teasing, proving her innocence further every second. She seemed unbothered to explain anything to either of them. "A dark room is simply another name for the training room."
Taylor's head pulsed with the memory of the training room in her imagination. She remembered exactly the way it looked, when Lisa was showing them around the other day. The room was impressive, and lit up with a dark blue glow from magical energy that did not hinder visibility. Quite an amazing stunt for a training facility, and Jane was leading them right to that area.
"There are more than one dark rooms here, but not much more. The one I'm leading you towards is the one designated for Eliza's class."
Danny considered every explanation Jane was giving out. If this training room was for Eliza's class, then that must mean the class is planning to train right through that door in front of them. Once again, the door was sealed with a solid security lock. The terminal to open the door was however small, and a little cheap looking due to its size on the wall beside it, though Danny knew better after witnessing its function two days ago. Jane pulled out some kind of card, and slipped it into the key slot section of the terminal.
The metal door then slid open automatically with a faint sound of a whoosh. The room revealed itself to all three of them, and Jane appeared to have been too used to it to just stand there and admire the design. She walked in first, but Taylor and Danny were much slower to do so. They had entered a dark room the other day, but it was still impressive to look around it a second time.
Jane stopped walking in the center of the room layout, and turned around to see their faces. Danny and Taylor were both glancing around, as if this was their first visit, and it probably fooled Jane a bit. "Here we are. The dark room."
"It's incredible!" Danny walked around randomly changing his pace and direction, checking out all of the test dummies and extra items in the room involved with Leray battles. All in all, this was specifically what Danny found interesting about Leray magic, not that old boring history lesson. Though Danny thought it wasn't as cool before, this still could not compare to his amazement now that he had time to see it through. Jane got the idea naturally that this was their first time in a dark room, ironically since Lisa showed them to a different one two days ago. Since he never got used to how it looked, that's what allowed her to take that detail into thought.
"So Jane?" Taylor addressed. "What do you mean by a Leray master?"
Jane answered clearly, "The job of a Leray master is to constantly train with Leray magic, becoming better and better in fights. The perk to that is - a Leray master has to be the best, which means I can never-ever stop that training. I would be battling for the rest of my life, infinitely getting better until I'm dead of old age."
Taylor felt such a dream got so carried away, but she did not argue with such passion. Jane spoke of her wishes like they were destined to come true. She could see the flaming ambition in Jane's eyes whenever she spoke about being a Leray master. For once, Taylor decided to believe that Jane was sincere about this one thing. "Sounds like a never-ending difficult job."
"Well," Jane led on, "Leray battles are also just about having fun. Winning and losing are irrelevant when compared to testing each other's strength by directly opposing their own levels of magical powers and training strategies. If you're going to become a Leray fighter for any reason, you better be into it all the way."
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"What about a Leray agent?" Danny had heard of the difference before, but what does Jane have to say about it?
Without even having to think about it much, Jane educated Danny's desires without doubt. "Leray agents just act as the security of the towns they apply for. There is a bit less income involved in that, but I don't ever see any of them training to become the best. So it's a little counterproductive when you have a security agent who can't fight as well as any trouble maker can."
"Hm," Taylor hummed. "And what about Leray Elites?" Taylor knew Danny had not heard of it. Taylor only heard that name used once from overhearing some partial conversation yesterday from one of the residents of Fronas.
Jane's reply was a bit delayed this time, perhaps to remember the more difficultly obtained data from her memory. "Leray Elites are something special. I can only test my own readiness by battling with those folk. Elites are classified either by those who guard Eldora Tower, are employed by the League of Elites, or are members of the League of Elites by other means. It's like a royal class of a few who are incredibly trained for the defense of this entire nation. Even after years, I wouldn't stand a chance against just one."
"The nation?" Danny could not believe his ears. So that is how the country runs? Everybody just lives freely, and the government protects everybody from national threats? "So that must make them, the FBI of Sprawn Valley, magic version of course."
"FBI?" Jane's voice indicated that she had no idea what that stood for, and the information from Danny was not obtained easily either. Kalamo was in a bit of a tension streak with the United States of America, and the FBI unit of that country often gets involved with national affairs now, without public opinion of course.
Danny realized that Jane would never understand the reference. The FBI is the special national investigation group that deals with potential threats from inside or outside of the country with the CIA working on the sidelines of that organization. Danny learned about it from what available time he had with an internet connection in the local library in Slatetown, but he only had limited data. If one spends too much time online at all, agents in Kalamo come searching for the individual at that terminal. "It's..." Danny thought about how relevant that was in this conversation, and wanted to just move on. "Never mind."
Jane shook the idea away quickly, and returned to what she was going to say next. "Anyway, I'll have to train you both for the next few days, until Eliza comes back to her senses and picks up where she left off."
"Can you really teach us anything?" Danny tested. "I mean, you're a student too. Ahead or not, we should probably take it from someone who knows even more than you, such as Eliza or Lisa."
Taylor agreed, in the sense that Jane was still probably a little too confident in her own abilities. "Yeah. No offense Jane, but what makes you so great and cool?" Taylor immediately sensed that that came out wrong. She meant to ask Jane what made her skill level more adequate than that of an actually certified teacher.
Jane eyed Taylor after being doubted again. Instead of using any words, Jane decided it was better to demonstrate what she meant by ahead. A silent moment passed before anybody suspected anything was happening. To Taylor, it appeared that Jane did not have a witty reply like she usually did.
But Danny was watching even closer than Taylor was. Jane's hands were both glowing a faint blue color, just like before when Kain and Bella were using magic. Only this time, after her hands changed color from the usage of Leray magic, there was no bright spinning glyphring to surround her wrists. Come to think of it, Jane did not even move her hands much at all, and she did not throw them in front of her body, not yet at least.
After just another short wait, Jane decided to strike. With her hands glowing a bit brighter now, she yelled, "Shadow Wave!" and threw both her hands out in front of her. Taking an aim at Taylor and releasing her MP energy in the format that she planned on, Jane ended up sending an attack spell towards Taylor, who had no time to get out of the way. Instead of a magical projectile however, the floor below Jane became shrouded in a dark misty color, only about two feet in diameter. This strange mist of magical aura was brightening up a bit, and flying across the room at Taylor's feet with a very high velocity. Though it was sliding through the ground, the dark wave of visible energy quickly made its way towards Jane's target, picking up speed and some interesting sound neither of them had ever heard of before.
Before Taylor could even react, the dark wave of energy crashed into Taylor's feet, engulfing her legs in the wave as well. As soon as that wave hit her, Taylor felt the sharp shooting pains of some stabbing sensation take over where her bottom legs were. Before even getting the chance to yell out, the force of the wave came into effect knocking Taylor down on her back. The wave of energy faded shortly after Taylor fell, but for her, the pain that struck in multiple locations on her legs and feet remained, even though her clothes were supposed to protect them. Despite no damage appearing on Taylor's dress or her shoes, she had taken a direct hit from Jane's unpredicted magical attack.
Danny's eye brows lifted up, impressed by that kind of display. He was not sure what just happened, but somehow, Jane attacked Taylor with magic just now, and it was impressive enough to knock his friend on her back. Compared to what Bella and Kain demonstrated before, this spell was much more unusual, but it looked incredible.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
Sensing Taylor's pain, Danny realized that the magical attack must have actually hurt Taylor. "Hey! Jane! Stop it!" He thought at first that Taylor was fine with being a test subject, but neither of them would be if those spells could actually harm people.
"She's fine." Jane showed little regard for Taylor's injury just now, but perhaps that had something to do with the protection Leray fields provided. "All I did was demonstrate a single attack. Taylor can't take any physical damage, remember?"
"That's not what it looked like from what I just saw." He was reminded about the Leray protection veil and how it prevents death. But if Taylor took enough damage to feel pain...
Taylor pushed herself back to her feet after losing some balance. Her legs still hurt a little, and she felt like pounding on Jane just for trying that. "How dare you! That actually hurt!"
"Well yeah," Jane emphasized. "Leray magic protection does not protect you from the pain of attacks. To make the battles fun, you still get to feel the hurt from any attack thrown at you, but even so, you are completely safe."
That's right. Bella or Kain said as much. Danny wondered what battling would be like feeling every type of spell. If you can feel the pain of an attack, that makes it much harder to conduct a real battle using magic. Strategically, you would be willed into evading as many spells as possible.
"I'll get you back for that," Taylor promised.
Jane was focused more on Danny right now, who found the entire display incredible. That wave of the shadow she used moved across the floor like a visible shock wave of dark energy, and crashed into Taylor to inflict Leray damage. "That's so cool... Alright, my turn."
Jane smiled at Danny's impatience. "You're not that far just yet. I would say that you first need to master Radial Stars, but since you've never invoked Leray magic before, the both of you should learn how to control your energy scopes."
"Energy Scopes?" Danny had some faint memory from Kain's explanation the first night he and Taylor arrived in Fronas. Energy scopes were some kind of magical neon display bar that reports the health and stamina of a person's current status. Kain demonstrated one so perfectly and clearly, but Danny never thought one could just pull one up so easily.
"They display your stats inside or outside of a battle, but it is important to keep your eye on your display, and the status of the opponent's energy scope as well. That way, you can determine who is winning, or if your attack did any damage."
Taylor began to get over the pain in her legs. It felt like somebody tried to slice a knife on her skin, but only cut through just enough layers of skin to draw little blood. Better said, it felt like several giant paper cuts everywhere. "How do I use it?"
"Easy," Jane confessed. "You've probably not done this yet, but the Leray magic that all of us can invoke constantly surrounds us. It does not run out simply where we use it, and invoking a scope requires less than a fraction of your MP capacity, so anybody can do it." Knowing this was easier said than done, Jane took a breath and some seconds of silence. "First, you have to relax your body and mind. Feel the energy of the Leray magic around you. You can only feel it with a calm and focused mind searching for it. Once you find it, that energy will feel like a buzzing charge on your body, making it go numb for a second or two. More importantly, you will start to feel as if you are getting stronger, faster, and more energetic. The energy flows into you as soon as you call it."
Danny and Taylor both closed their eyes, but they did not understand much of what Jane was going on about. Danny hoped that nobody here was just doing some kind of drug, but after Jane's painful demonstration of a magic spell Danny had never seen before, it was more evident that everybody here was sane... within the reasonably accepted standard deviation or two.
"It will be stranger to you now, but the more you begin to invoke that energy over and over again, the feeling and sensation of Leray energy becomes automatically recognizable to you. So it can be hard to explain to someone who is a novice."
"Well keep trying," Taylor commanded, "Because nothing is happening."
Jane corrected Taylor's misguided thoughts. "No, I said focus. Shut out any residual thought about anything else."
"What happens when we do feel that energy?" Danny questioned.
"Once it finally builds up inside of you," Jane taught, "you must then release that energy, and simultaneously do so with one single purpose. That is - to invoke the skill you are trying to use. For an energy scope, think only about who you are, and how you feel physically..." Jane quickly realized that this would take another demonstration. "Watch me."
Jane closed her hands together in front of her, attracting Taylor and Danny's attention. That of course broke their current concentration, but Jane was about to prove that it could be done with ease. Jane stood there for only one brief second. Her body did not glow, her eyes did not change color, and there was no sound of a noise anywhere. Jane must have been using such a small amount of magic; it just did not really show up. But after that one second had ended, a familiar looking bright neon colored status box appeared over Jane's head, displaying both her name and her stats in a bright orange color of holographic magical display halfway transparent.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/SN6P3Lr9/S1-Jane-N-001.png]
Danny was impressed once again. He'd seen this kind of box appear out of nowhere before, but now that another one was hovering over Jane's head, it was impressive to see how easy she had created it. The box however quickly became transparent, almost to the point where neither of them could see it at all.
Jane began describing what was happening without answering any questions. "Since in battle situations - people need to see everything, the energy scope displays become transparent to prevent distractions. But as you can see..." Jane glared at her own display box above her to determine her status. "My MP levels went down just a bit when I used that Shadow Wave spell." Jane thought about any other useful tips related to this. "Though MP slowly regenerates inside and outside of battle, HP does not regenerate at all in a battle, and much too slow for comfort outside of one. Only med kit items, healing orbs, and rest can restore a person's HP."
"That's actually cool," Danny congratulated. There was much hesitation in his sentence. Everything about Leray magic was cool and all, but isn't it still dangerous? And how does some young girl who is still probably older than Taylor by a year become so fluent in the language of Leray magic? How did Taylor not get destroyed over that spell that just hit her? Taylor probably thought the thing was cool too, but if she did, she wasn't saying anything about it.
"Now," Jane called. "You both try it. Focus your energy, feel its presence. And when you do, release it." Jane stopped saying anything, allowing silence to boost their focus.
Taylor was already trying it, trying to feel for the sensations around her, anything that felt like pure energy, but Taylor was not so familiar with what 'energy' feels like. She just remained calm and waited.
Danny closed his eyes as well, trying to feel any forms of sensations he had not felt before. So far, there was nothing new to him, but he figured it could take some time.
After an entire minute or so passed by, Danny felt as though he did something. His head and his hands were both tingling a little, and he could feel oddly energized by some invisible sensational force. There was no use describing it at all, but Danny tried to invoke the energy scope...
Sadly, nothing at all happened. Either his attempts to release that energy failed, or he was just going crazy already. Taylor was trying just as hard to build up her energy beside him. The way she figured it, Taylor should already have some MP energy built up from existing in a place like this. So all she had to do was feel for energy she already knew she had, but that was easier said than done. Before much longer, Taylor felt a strange sensation, one that made her more alive than anything else before. Without hesitation, Taylor tried to let it loose, thinking only of the energy, and the energy scope.
Jane watched their progress. Taylor tried it again, and her entire body had a very faint, almost unnoticeable dark green glow around it. Taylor had somehow created a slight magical aura around herself, but in failing to use the energy scope correctly, that energy faded away quickly as well as the aura. Taylor however did not even notice the color change. Jane had to tell her about it. "Keep it up Taylor. You're going to get it soon. You too Danny."
Despite being blown down from a magical attack, Taylor felt calmer around Jane, now that she was actually cheering her on for something useful. Taylor eased her thoughts again, making room for nothing else at all except for the thought of displaying her energy scope. Taylor repeated in her mind, my status, my health, my energy... The invocation process was time consuming, even though Jane did hers in just a second of time. Perhaps it just gets laughably easy after doing it once. Taylor focused this time on herself. She felt for that same glint feeling of energy like before.
After finding that energy again, Taylor felt most of her body tingling, but mainly it was her head. The sensation was not dizziness or similar to being lightheaded. It felt a lot more like being buzzed for a split second. Before failing again, Taylor directed all of her thoughts like before, only on her status, and then released her own energy.
Unexpectedly, Jane finally saw progress at the first sign of the neon glow above Taylor's head. The energy scope formed itself on Taylor's command before she even knew it, and Taylor stopped focusing in order to see if she succeeded. But as soon as Taylor opened her eyes to look at the glowing translucent box, it faded away quickly. "Good job Taylor."
"It failed," Taylor complained.
"That's because as soon as you are done with invocation, that energy you are releasing will stop itself. You only have to direct the flow in and out, but you don't stop releasing your energy until you are forced to stop. That happens automatically."
"Taylor almost got it," Danny remarked. "I've got to try harder."
Jane silenced herself again, giving Taylor another practice run. Taylor tried again, closing her eyes and calming her mind like before. She repeated the steps as performed last time, but it all happened a little faster than before. Taylor regained that energy she kept on calling up, and this time she managed to release it with ease. Without finding a way to explain exactly what happens in the process, Taylor realized just how simple it gets after succession. After releasing the existence of the energy surrounding her and that energy that is stored up inside of her, Taylor simply waited in the process, waiting for what Jane claimed to happen to take effect. In a few more seconds, it finally did. When Taylor was releasing her energy, something seemed to just stop her, other than her own free will. It was like the energy she was sending out had suddenly drained from the amount she stored up.
At long last, a second energy scope in the form of a bright nearly opaque neon box joined the dark room, floating calmly above Taylor's head. This time, when Taylor opened her eyes and stepped back a bit to see her own status box, it did not disappear on her.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/qqkKRdP4/S1-Taylor-N-001.png]
Danny's concentration was broken with the display Taylor had given them. Clearly, she has mastered what Jane told them to, and Taylor's stats were beautifully displayed over her using magic. Taylor just used magic, right here in front of him!
"I did it!" Taylor screeched. "I actually did it!" This is so unbelievable!
Jane chimed in on Taylor's brilliant parade. "Congratulations Taylor. That - is your energy scope."
Danny noticed something slightly different from Jane's energy scope. "It looks like Taylor's HP is below the full level."
Jane of course had a way of explaining why. "That's because I hit her with a Shadow Wave. Taking attacks like that will reduce overall health in a battle. If I were to attack Taylor until her health reached zero percent, she would faint and lose the fight."
Taylor was beside herself in amazement. Her own magical usage, right in front of Jane and Danny. They sure were not teaching this in class, but Jane did say something about them slowing down.
"It gets even easier the next time, and the time after that," Jane explained. "As do any and all other forms of magical invocations, attacks, training stances, evasion, everything."
"Amazing!" Taylor reported. The idea was simply incredible! Taylor's previous anger towards Jane was replaced by the excitement that she had for this stuff the day before meeting Jane. And right now, the level of awesomeness this felt like doubled since she first heard about it.
"Leray magic is like a muscle," Jane simplified. "The more you practice, the better you get, and that rule never changes even if you are the best Leray wielder in the world."
"So," Danny hypothesized, "you plan to make a living on battling people in Sprawn Valley, and have fun doing such all at the same time? That's an interesting way to live."
"And well worth it," Jane replied. "I've been working hard. As soon as I graduate from Dakota, I can begin that journey. I want to travel around too. I want to see the entire world."
"Where are you from," Taylor pried.
"I live here, in Fronas."
Danny stopped his focus intentionally, all just to ponder that unexpected detail. He did not see Jane walking around in town before. He knew he would have noticed her walking around if she had been.
"What?" Taylor was just as surprised. "Amazing, so do we! Well... Sort of..."
Don't give Jane any details... Danny let it go, allowing Taylor to do as she wanted to. Now that she used magic like that, she will never calm down about it.
Taylor was suddenly reluctant to disclose their own private situation with a stranger, let alone Jane. Even Danny was giving her facial signals to keep her mouth shut, but Jane was a little less than interested about it.
"Anyway," Jane continued. "You still have to do a little bit of extra work in order to decay your energy scope. If you're just walking around places, it's embarrassing if people think you can't even control your own magic. It's only right to use if you want to check damage, or if you are in a fight."
"Okay, so how do I shut it off?" Taylor made a good point asking that question. Jane seemed more than capable of getting that one correct as well. Without even trying, her energy scope faded away again into nothingness. She didn't even close her eyes in order to concentrate on it. "All you have to do from here is think about your energy scope disappearing. Imagine it as if it really is happening."
"That's it?" Taylor tried closing her eyes, imagining the same scenario happening with Jane's energy scope. Without much effort, Taylor's energy scope faded away as well. When Taylor opened her eyes, there was no neon glow. The status box was gone.
"That's all there is to it."
Danny glanced at the floor, in disappointment that he of all people could not correctly focus his own energy, but there will be plenty of time to practice it further tonight.
"Keep trying it Danny." Jane had shown encouragement full round, even towards Danny. "You don't have to prove yourself here and now. We all know that you can do this too. Take your time and focus."
"I will... After class ends today."
"Very well," Jane conceded. "So, are you two interested?"
"In..." Danny tilted his head, unsuccessfully catching Jane's implied drift.
"In sticking with me? Even in class sessions, I don't mind at all if you wish to train with me. I have no reputation to uphold here."
"That's very nice coming from you," Taylor worded.
Danny knew Jane must have been lying in one way or another. No reputation to uphold? Even Kain winces at her name!
Jane remembered how she was acting towards them yesterday, and smirked. "I really was joking around earlier. You two are still novices, but I'll help you come out better than the rest of the class."
"Better than you?" Danny phrased.
"Don't push it, kid." Jane was kidding that time too, but Taylor had a rushing surprise about how it felt around Jane. She remembered being so angry at her just moments ago, and now all is forgiven? It happened so fast, but Jane just isn't as bad as she thought she was.
"And I'm very sorry for the rude things I said earlier." Jane's tone wasn't without sustenance either, she really sounded apologetic. "I really do despise when people don't take this stuff seriously despite being enrolled. However, this time was going a bit too far, and I shouldn't have treated you that way even with my intentions. That wasn't right."
Danny couldn't believe his ears. Of all people, Jane is the one apologizing for her own behavior. She really must have been testing them in her own demented way. Or maybe she had a secret friend who didn't approve of bullying? Wait, she was asking him and Taylor to train with her too now. Man, what did he just get himself into? "Well," Danny thought. "You do seem cool, and you are ahead of the group, so I guess we have a deal." It was too late to bite his words now.
Taylor almost tripped over her own feet realizing something important. "But Danny?! Wait! What about our business in Junon?"
You're just now worrying about that?! Danny wanted to bonk Taylor upside the head for being so stupid. She knew about this situation to begin with, so why bring it up after telling Kain we're staying here? With a short pause of infuriating thought, Danny simmered down in his head, rationalizing the situation again... Jane isn't threatening anymore, and that means there is still no reason to hang out in this school. Danny already regretted everything he told Kain yesterday. The damage is even worse now that he just agreed to partner with Jane. Now he would have to undo this somehow.
"You need to get to Junon?" Jane was suddenly less shy about prying into their business. It was obvious even to her that Taylor and Danny did not want to share, but Jane knew they would have to eventually.
"Well, sort of." Danny didn't want Jane to know what happened to Taylor back at the rocks, and learning that they had to leave soon would only make them fit in less than before. "We're kind of on borrowed time to get there."
"Well don't worry about it," Jane calmed. "As soon as we all graduate, which won't be long with Eliza's teaching here at Dakota, I'm going to travel around for part of my career. I can take you to Junon if you want me to. Never been before, but I still know the way."
Taylor almost found herself speechless at Jane's kindness. Though it was a long shot stretch, Taylor knew just as well as Danny did that traveling around with a person who knows their stuff would be much better than traveling around alone, lost, clueless, and powerless. Not everybody can afford to be that nice. "Thank you! I can hardly believe you would do that for us."
"Well whatever you have going on in Junon could be interesting," Jane tested. "Besides, you don't have to tell me what that business is. I would rather find out close hand. It's more fun that way."
Danny exchanged a brief look with Taylor. Jane sometimes doesn't make any sense, or she is just a strange person, but she really knew a lot more than she let on to knowing. Oddly enough, her arrogance was ironically well founded. Still... "Hold on a second Jane," Danny summoned. "I don't know if we have enough time to wait for that. How long does it take to graduate here?"
"Well," Jane had to think harder to come up with a bitter answer. "Since we're in Eliza's group, I would estimate a month at most, and hopefully nobody else joins in to slow it down further."
A month really isn't that far insane. Danny knew that there's still a difference between 28 days and 31 days, but Nyar may not criticize them for being only three days late, and he could simply call him for updates later on. If Jane was serious about taking them to Junon using her own specific resources, and she could get them there in a three-day period, it may actually be better to join her position in this case. After all, there's just something about Jane that Danny was unsure he wanted to leave behind. "I guess it's okay then."
"Great!" Jane yelled loudly. "Two more allies that can help me in a fight. You two can become my personal bodyguards."
Danny slumped down from Jane's jesting. If she really was serious this time, he would soon question the sanity of the people here. "Uh, don't make me regret it."
"Come on," Jane tried. "Wouldn't it be better if people respected me more, seeing you as my own personal servants? The class could respect you too for being so brave."
"Talk about a mood swing," Taylor figured. "How old are you anyway?"
Jane didn't take long to answer, as she had no problem giving away her personal information. "Sixteen."
"What?!" Danny cried.
Taylor docked the idea completely. "No way." Jane did look just barely older than Taylor, but only by six months. Still, Jane defiantly didn't act... Actually, she doesn't even fit in that category. Jane is something of herself and only that. Still, an entire year older than herself, Taylor couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
Unresponsive to their exaggerated reactions, Jane probed the two of them. "You?"
"Fifteen," Taylor answered. "Danny is fifteen too." Taylor's expression in her last sentence was made to sound annoyed at something.
"Taylor?! I thought we agreed I can be sixteen just this once!"
And there it is. Taylor didn't really miss that one coming. Danny would always try to be just a bit older when it comes to introductions for other women. Just who is he fooling with that frizzed hairstyle?
"Hehe," Jane briefly giggled. "Alright then. You two better get into shape if you want to hang around me. I want to see more training than you've ever done before. Taylor!"
Taylor jumped when Jane pointed to her while shouting her name so loudly. "What?" Did she have to shout my name like that?
"You practice more on that energy scope. Use it over and over and over again until it gets old. Danny!"
"Huh?" He already expected Jane to get bossy. At least she was readable sometimes. Danny did his best to mask any feeling in his voice, hoping Jane would just leave him alone.
Jane was issuing commands person by person, establishing her dominance in a group that was not even beyond imaginary. "I want to see that energy scope tomorrow, no mistakes!"
"Okay." Danny replied casually, but he could sense so much natural energy coming from Jane alone. It could not just be the excitement over magic, or her confidence to fulfill her dream. When all said and done, Jane is just a really hyper person, but you wouldn't know it every moment of the day. It happens like a storm, coming and going. Now what have we got into? Danny couldn't help but wonder what was happening to them. First falling off a cruise, then crashing off a rock wall, then supernatural healing, then magical powers, and now Jane, who is her own mysterious package. Things back at home sure did not turn out like this every day.
Taylor was proud of herself for being able to invoke her first magical ability, even if it was a beginner's thing. Jane was the one who helped her, and was keen on continuing that support. Taylor was not seen as dead weight; she was seen as untapped potential, and that spoke volumes about what Jane was really like. Taylor only knew little about Jane for now, but she is beginning to like what she could feel for the moment, and there seemed to be an uncalled for amount of kid's energy running through Jane. She apparently becomes overly excited about things easily, but was she like this in class? Wait. What did I just agree to?