<02/12/1972 – 17:39 | Route 787, Junon Region, Sprawn Valley>

  Following the procedure that ended in success for the enemy, Jane had a lot to think about with the presence of the dark zone already on her mind. As she coasted forward with the two rubber wheels easily tracked to the cement of the oversea bridge, there wasn't anything to be heard over the sound of the constant ticking of the gears and metal under her seat and the gentle ocean waves further below.

  Danny and Taylor were completely silent following behind, but that was to be expected. Jane never would have thought to find the man responsible for the experimental spell bomb in her life, let alone finding that target under siege by the Scarlet Cult. Seems like they have their hand in everyone's cookie jar lately. First, the heist at Dakota Academy, then the attack in Tilsit Port's secret lighthouse base, then clustered attacks against random citizens. They could be after something specific, but even if their goal really did involve the experimental spell bomb, why target other unrelated figures in the world? What sort of goal are they trying to achieve? And why further their public appearance after making it perfectly clear that they are criminals? Jane began to wonder if it were ever possible that the Scarlet Cult has always been around since before her own birth, hiding out in the shadows and waiting for the right moment to strike.

  With the sun drifting closer towards the horizon and the tint of its brightness ever lowering, Jane let the scenery of the sky in front of her serve as the backdrop of her montrum. Someone like Danton would be perfectly capable of personally investigating that situation, but with their focus on Alpha Zero, there is nothing that can be done other than to report the incident to him. Danny and Taylor probably feel pretty useless too right now, fighting so bravely with amazing grace, only to lose to that unfair crook who called herself Hellen, but Jane didn't know for certain whether that was the reason for their current silence. Even she didn't want to talk about it again.

  No choice! Jane shook her head slightly as though to throw away the thoughts clouding her mind, and reallocated her will to the primary objective. Making it to Lennith City right now was crucial to meet up with Danton's forces and begin to set up the operation that was promised to her. It was already a miracle in itself that such a stubborn man was actually listening to Jane's words a while ago. Hopefully he hasn't changed his mind about the deal either.

  The thought of returning to the dark zone haunted her at the same time however. Danny and Taylor probably didn't get a good taste of the pure evil daunting in that area, but even with additional experience, Jane knew the task with backup would not be easy. Once they make it into the dark zone, the skies all the way to the clouds turn red, and so does the sun. Though the visual shift in the dark zone is only an illusion, other factors are not. The heat for example becomes more intense the further in one goes, as if the source of the evil energy was putting out a heavy amount of thermal energy fields throughout the Outback.

  Then there is the matter of the dark magic veil covering the entire area, which also grows slightly day by day. Once inside of the dark zone, Leray veil magic cannot protect one from serious injury or harm, otherwise known in this world as real time damage. If you get cut or scrapped, that damage stays with you. A healing orb may have some effect in healing lost HP and even some minor skin abrasions, but the process is mostly useless. Getting tired and beaten up is something you'd have to ignore completely in Alpha Zero, otherwise get killed entirely. To top it all off, the dark zone veil itself cuts the potential power of Leray magic in half, even to Jane's power from her symbol. That symbol can go a long way in keeping her alive, but Danny and Taylor don't have one; neither does Danton's squad. No wonder he is so reluctant to take part in such a bold - by the book operation. But what choice do they have anymore?

  Jane knew this couldn't be resolved in a matter of minutes. It could take days or even months to fix everything here. After Brightworth is brought to justice, she would then need to collaborate with Danton or his investigative team to figure out what the Scarlet Cult is planning, while rescuing doctor Gieger before he is sentenced to death. Jane sighed heavily, regretting her initial estimation of how her journey from home would go. Life for a teenage girl in Sprawn Valley is supposed to be about battling, training, growing, and winning more battles with better Leray tactics. Jane never would have imagined back then that her journey would involve unusual symbol magic, a land razed with dark magic fields, and criminal organizations boldly degrading the integrity of the nation. Yet somehow, she had to be dragged into it all, and so did her friends too. None of this was supposed to happen...

  "Where do you think they found all of that resistant metal to build something that big in the first place?"

  Taylor wondered about Danny's comment, but found herself blundered by a heavier question. "I'm wondering where the Scarlet base is located. You think they really could have built an underwater facility? It would make a lot of since seeing as anyone can't be protected from drowning or by over-pressurization from the ocean."

  "I don't know," Danny admitted. Taylor seemed to be thinking deeper into the mystery than he had been in just under ten minutes. Maybe it was so that the Scarlet Cult has a secret base underwater. It would theoretically be a brilliant place to build such a facility, though costly to the resources there. "But it's likely the place where they would have taken Gieger to."

  Loud skid sounds on the pavement in front of them shifted their alertness immediately, as Jane forced on the break petals to her bike and skid at a forty-five degree angle. Coming to a complete stop and forcing her friends to do the same, she was in for some expected questioning from Danny.

  "Why'd we stop?" He asked. "I don't see anyone in front of us." The road ahead was completely clear. It was almost unsettling as to how vacant the entire bridge was compared to the night before, but Jane turned around towards them without dismounting.

  With heavy eyes, Jane glared at both of them with her voice as firm as her mind. "Can you two stop talking about Gieger for one moment?" Though it surprised both of them, Jane went ahead to elaborate her intentions. "We'll be fighting in the dark zone soon. Therefore, I need you two to make sure you're more than prepared to go to such a dangerous zone. You need to keep in mind the parameters of the powerful creatures there, healing effects, Leray factors, dark magic, targeting parameters... I won't have you going in unprepared and your minds cluttered."

  Taylor tried not to wince at how badly Jane wanted to change the subject, but even so, she had a point. Taylor never did get to fight against one of those creatures. Jane wouldn't have the time to train her or Danny on the matter until they reach Lennith City. Thus, her hostile attitude wasn't entirely out of place. "Of course."

  Jane continued to make it clear furthermore. "I'll have you both study the numbers in Lennith until your heads explode. Naturally, you'll be on my team for protection as well. You've done great so far proving how much stronger you've become, but monsters don't hold anything back like humans do, so you won't have as much time to come up with plans while surviving. Is that understood?"

  "Though you've killed the mood," Taylor expressed, "I understand."

  Jane noticed that Danny wasn't even facing her direction completely, his eyes staring out towards the path to Lennith as he spaced out. Jane gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, preparing to punch him back into reality. "Danny! Are you paying attention?!"

  Without turning his head, Danny squinted his eyes while answering, "Of course. I'm just interested in whoever's walking towards us. Twelve o clock."

  Jane and Taylor repositioned themselves to face the same direction, slightly pedaling forward slowly to possibly identify the person from the distance, but it didn't work. Jane knew that it could have been anybody, but only less than half a minute passed since she had seen nothingness ahead. The only reason Danny would have become distracted by it is because of the way the civilian was walking, so sure and firm, cutting right down the center of the road instead of sticking to the side. People who have that much confidence are usually Leray fighters just waiting for an awesome battle, challenging anyone they see next. That means that they will undoubtingly interrupt their argument to introduce themself. Still, they had to be walking fast in order to just crop up like that, the visual clarity isn't that bad right now.

  Jane sighed and reached into the pocket of her battle suit for her Leray license card. "Alright everyone. Cards out. We don't battle any person for any reason at all. We have the legal right to turn down any match for any reason. Emergency Drive Status provides immunity to battle strikes."

  "We know," Taylor reminded. Why did Jane think she was the only one paying attention today? Who cares? That's not important. Why are there people on Route 787 seeking battles when the space is so empty? Maybe the traveler just wants to get to Eldora?

  Jane took in the details of the person walking her way in front quickly as she got closer. A woman close to the same age as herself, perhaps a bit older because she was naturally taller than Jane. Dark blond hair, normal looking clothes, even a normal walking stance. Nothing about this person was unordinary. However, once Jane jumped off of her bike to walk forward and approach the woman, she stopped halfway to the civilian.

  Danny and Taylor noticed the change in Jane's attitude, and after getting closer with her, it soon became clear as to why.

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  The woman in front of them walking forward suddenly began leaping into the air, waving her arm high above and calling out. "Hey Jane! Is that you there? Jane!"

  Jane was paralyzed by the shock, proving to Taylor that Jane and this woman knew each other somehow. Was this supposed to be a bad thing? Taking no chances, Taylor prepared her Marine Eagle Bow from the back, using both hands to ready a rapid aim attack. Taylor studied the woman a bit longer, but couldn't possibly feel any sort of familiarity with the civilian's face.

  Jane let out a soft whisper to herself, barely picked up by her teammates despite how surprised she was to see her. "Iona."

  Danny glanced at Taylor, who did the same to him in confusion. Neither he nor Taylor knew who this Iona person was. Yet Jane knew to some large extent. If that's what Jane meant by the person's name being Iona, then Iona is the woman still rushing towards them, looking all excited compared to before.

  "Jane!" she called again after reaching their general position. "Finally! I caught up to you."

  "What are you doing here?"

  Iona froze with a step backwards, her excitement immediately destroyed. "Right, I guess you still want nothing to do with me."

  "I believe you had the saying backwards just now."

  Danny decided to let them at it, having no clue what is going on here. "You two can catch up then. Taylor and I can use a minute."

  "But—" Taylor protested without anything to say in order to justify being nosey. She lowered her bow, sensing less of a threat especially because Danny didn't act like there was any.

  "It's alright you two," Jane assured. "Danny? Taylor?" Jane aimed her arms sideways towards Iona to formally introduce them with body language. "This is my older sister, Iona."

  Iona added, "But you can just call be Iya for short."

  "Older sister...?" Danny let it play into his head, sensing the familiar sensation that was absent a moment ago. With a loud gasp, he recalled both the name and affiliation from the moment spent so long ago. "Iona! Jane's sister!"

  "Yes," Jane agreed with a confused tone. "We just said that."

  Danny replayed it back into his head, hating himself for losing a single detail in his memory. Back in Fronas, when Jane invited them to her home, they did actually hear about Iona and learn that she was Jane's sister, older by only two years. Iona was the one in the family that had the rebellious side and was never home when she should have been. That Iona! "The same Iona that sneaks out of the house and is always troublesome."

  "Hey!" Iona gave Jane a dirty look, assuming she has already told her new friends all sorts of crazy things about her that are probably not even true.

  "Wait a minute," Taylor stopped. "Iya? I thought you had no such interest in Leray magic at all. Is it still safe to assume that?"

  Iona nodded left and right blissfully. "Jane and I have a lot of catching up to talk about, but I won't mind if you listen in, as long as it is okay with Jane."

  "Iona." Jane wondered what this visit was all supposed to be about. It could have been that her entire family was worried sick about her since Jane still never called back home, but it seemed a little out of character even for Iya to have any sort of worry for her personally. "We don't have the time. We need to make it to Lennith City soon, preferably before sundown."

  "I'm sure it can wait," Iya suggested. "It's been weeks after all. You really shouldn't ignore your own sister like that."

  "Aren't you one to talk...?" Jane retorted, but her confusion was well founded. This isn't typical behavior for Iona at all. Why is she so calm and collected? None of her strange or cool friends are here with her.

  With a slight giggle, Iona responded with an unexpected apology. "Well, I suppose I was a bit stupid at the time."

  Jane's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Iona was calling herself stupid? Is she even the real Iona? No. It can't be! Jane's sister didn't give a damn about other people's feelings, and always thought highly of herself over others. "On second thought," Jane struggled, "please continue."

  "Don't be rude," Iya stomped. She first tried to take in Jane's natural composure. She wore a dress sphere out in public as usual. Danny and Taylor were likely wearing similar type clothes, but at least they had some taste in fashion while doing it. Still, Jane appeared to be all grown up, at least by her current physical behavior. Jane didn't seem to be the same naive kid she used to be in the slightest. Taking it all in made Iya pause longer than she wanted to, but she got down into the point shortly after. "Ahem. I've been through a bit on my outings. I'm sure you've wondered sometimes where I would be."

  "Not really," Jane corrected. "I figured you could be anywhere. Every time you left and never came back home for dinner, it became routine for you. Iya just does her own thing."

  "Well at least I came back home every now and then, unlike you - taking off to god knows where!" Jane just takes off on her stupid magical journey, and never calls home. At first, it was impressive, but after this much time, she is obviously carless herself.

  Sensing nothing but an argument blowing up, Taylor intervened. "Stop it! Iya, just explain what happened. Jane? Shut up!"

  "Eh?" Jane was a bit surprised, though allowed Iona to continue. "Fine." What is her problem? Taylor isn't doing anything by getting all nosey like that.

  Iya cleared her throat and got to the point. "Let me just explain what happened to me recently. As you might imagine, I simply went out to hang with my friends. But, they weren't the people I thought they were. All I was doing was fitting in with them because they were cool, even if they were assholes sometimes. Somehow I found it fun to be around them."

  "How many guys are we talking about here?"

  Though Danny's question had no specific context visible to the topic, Iya laid any worries to rest quickly. "Only one at a time. I sort of dated several, and none of those relationships lasted very long. That was until I met Darius." Iya watched Jane shove her arms into a fold, waiting to see any relevance to anything while being forced to hear her life's story. "I started going out every night to see him, and naturally our parents would have refused if they knew of it in the first place. I was never really about Leray magic at that time either."

  Catching her breath after finding Jane for so long of a search, Iya slowed her pace further and further. It was a much longer story than it would have seemed at first, but this moment should last longer. Jane is finally here in front of her, after disappearing for so long!

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  <01/16/1972 – 17:44 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>

  Iya could finally smell the perfume over the stale musk trapped inside of the house. It was either always this way, or Jane would open a window to let in fresh air, but with the colder season making it harder to heat the house with the fireplace, Tiffany refused to have open windows for a whole month now. As she slowly walked down the stairs, hoping to hide her new scent from her father nearby in the kitchen, Jane was the first person she met since the past hour.

  "I think I got one of my new spells down." Jane skipped blissfully towards the dining room, bouncy and happy as any person could ever be. It was almost unlike her today, since she had been a bit on the shy and quiet side for over twenty days in a row.

  Iya first believed that Jane was finally outgrowing that stupid kids-play hobby of hers, but instead she has burrowed even deeper, even attending school in the Dakota Academy this semester. Iona wanted to make a judgment aloud right there, announcing how much time Jane has been wasting since. Though they were sisters, Jane and Iona were not alike in the slightest. Both of them knew it from each other. But if Iya did try to say something, it would just start another long interrogation from Mr. Smith about where she will be this evening, what time she'd come home, and so on.

  Iona turned 18 two months ago, and still she was being treated with such little freedom. Nothing here has ever really changed. Dad managed to get offered a new job position in Blue Port Town, but even if he did take the job, the most it could possibly do is slightly improve their current standard of living. What did they care when it came to Iya? None of them understands her anymore.

  Iya shook her head. None of that matters tonight. After being asked out by one of the hottest guys around, there was no way she would be late tonight. He only wanted to chill and hang out behind Mr. Franchest's house, who wasn't in town today. Some of Darius's friends have probably already vandalized the place. She could be missing out on the fun already! Iya rushed down the steps of the stairs, but remained calm and at a usual pace as to not attract too much attention.

  "And where will you be going tonight Iya?"

  Iya cursed in her mind. Dad already caught what she was up to before she could even reach the front door. Iya looked back, determined to leave and making sure to treat her outing as no big deal at all. "The usual with some friends."

  "And who may these friends be this time?"

  Iya defended her story quickly. "They're just friends, dad. Sheesh! Can I go one night where you aren't so nosey in my business?" Her quick defense prompted a response, but Smith was caught off guard without anything logical he could say. Iya took it from there the next second afterwards to get the hell out of this dump. "I'll be back at twelve!" She hollered on her way out of the door, slamming it back in before either one of them had anything else to day.

  After finally escaping that potential mess, Iya sighed with relief. Finally, she was free to do whatever she liked. As she walked to the meeting place only seven minutes away near the forest on foot, Iya felt more relaxed upon realizing she couldn't be more than five minutes early by the time she got there. She had to get a bit closer to the eastern section of the Hix Forest before finally seeing anybody at this time of night.

  Though the sun already sank behind the horizon, it was still just bright enough to make out faces even away from the lamps back in town, the coloration in the sky still far from black. There he was standing nearby waiting on her, Darius Kinsburg. Only three inches taller than her, the twenty-three year old man had a stunning figure with a dark black hair cut and color. His golden eyes were easily captivating, something Iya found easy to lose her gaze into, but she stayed strong and pretended not to care as much. It worked out for the best so far.

  "Sup Iya?" he greeted. He gently grabbed her hand, lightly tugging in a direction. "You're just in time. Me and the gang found some fun in the woods, not very far in. You should come."

  "Okay." Though Darius didn't really need to ask, Iya wanted to do anything other than stand around talking. With Darius, he made it so easy. The other night, it was throwing eggs at some dork. Last night, it was making dis tracks about the stupid agents living in town. That night was unforgettable and hilarious. Darius always has some way of having fun.

  Just two more minutes into the woods, Darius led Iya to a group of other men, where torchlights were planted everywhere to improve the lighting conditions in the area. Nothing much seemed out of the ordinary, a nice hangout spot, possibly for camping, though no tents or bags were lying around. Instead, Iya got close enough to see some of Darius's friends holding some skinny man to the trunk of a tree. It looked as if they were bullying him out of his lunch money. Iya was certain there was a good reason to bully the man. With Darius, there always was one.

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  "I'm only gonna ask you once. Where is your stash!?" Their masculine voices stretched over the woods loud and clear. Iya could hear all of them, including the whimpering breaths leaving from the victim's mouth. The situation seemed to change fast. With all of these torch lamps around, they sure went a long way to make the situation seem more hostile to any stranger that could pass by here. The brutality in front of her was bothersome on some level, but even Iya felt safe enough to assume it was all just designed to scare the living hell out of the old man. She had met a few of these brutes in the past as well, and never were they this evil in real life. It's all just an act they use for these purposes.

  "Has he spat anything useful yet?" Darius projected his tone in front, making his teammates turn around to face him and answer, but their response was delayed with their sighting of Iona traveling with Darius. They immediately exchanged concerned looks difficult to read.

  "Not anything we don't already know," William replied. "Hey, is it okay for her to be here?" William put much emphasis on making Iona seem like the outsider in the situation. Before she could answer back, Darius defended her right to be here in the first place.

  "It's fine," Darius assured. "Iya's cool. Keep at it boys." With that confirmation, it took no delay at all for the others to return to their interrogation, but it quickly turned into having the victim punched in the stomach with a crushing force. Knocking the air out of him, the man slowly sunk to the floor, while the others held him up to prevent him from fully sinking.

  Iya could feel her heart rate rising. Something about it just didn't feel right. Why are they hurting this man so much? What could some weakling possibly have done to them to warrant such violence in return?

  "You don't have to be nervous." Darius passively spoke to Iya without turning to face her. He could sense her fear already, that and the nervous expression making her face go pale. Iona was capable of handling this sort of gore, especially after all they've done together.

  "That man..." Iona gasped. "What did he do?"

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Darius didn't even have to think before responding, knowing full well what the story here was. "He's a corporate lackey for Nox Mining. As you know, that company rivals that of Python Wares and a few other groups. Zane's father is CEO of Python. And that man over there..." Darius paused to let it sink into himself and into Iona while his friends continued to punch his guts in. "He's a snitch, ultimately speaking. Got Zane's father in a world of legal troubles."

  "That doesn't seem all that big a deal."

  Darius shook his head, somewhat disappointed that Iya wouldn't understand the legal business of this world. It's a subject that she never fully understood even with explanations. "Well I figured you'd have a hard time understanding how the world of corporate politics works around here. Being a snitch is one thing, but he resorted to that option without trying any others. Why go after someone who is defenseless without first giving them a fair chance? I figure we show him what it was like, since he is so deserving of this punishment and all."

  Iona remained silent, watching as the barely lit gang in front demanded information over and over, hitting the suit in the face and more from the side. At this point, his face was bleeding, his body sinking and slacking. It was clear that he had enough, but Iya doubted that Darius's men would give up that soon. If she said anything now, it wouldn't be a cool thing to do in front of them, so she held her tongue instead. This already isn't what she expected regarding having fun. The last three times they were out, it was so much different. But this right here just feels icky.

  "I'm glad you're able to take it this well. After all, this job isn't easy for us to do either," Darius admitted. "But somebody has to clean up messes."

  Iona reassured herself that everything was okay, and went ahead to share her thoughts to her boyfriend. "Of course I'm okay with it. If you went out killing people like this, then I'd have a problem. But no matter how many times you hurt or beat that guy up, the Leray veil of protection won't let him die. His HP can drop all the way to zero, and the worst that happens is that he passes out."

  Darius didn't say anything back just yet, letting Iya's words get deeper into his mind. "Yes, I suppose so..." Iona had determined that to be the case from the beginning, but what of the snitch? Perhaps this was why he was so robust after taking such a beating. If even he understood that they wouldn't kill him, why even be afraid of taking hits in the first place? Even though the veil doesn't block pain that well, the idiot still won't talk. That's right! If he knows he won't just die, this won't go anywhere. "Zane! William! Enough!" Darius walked closer to the area, where his gang glared at him with questions. They were probably thinking it was time to give up by now, but the sensation buzzing in his mind had the other idea. "You all take five. It's my turn."

  Though they seemed a little surprised, Zane, William, and the other person all backed away to make room for Darius. It was a bit unlike him to do these things himself, despite him trying it out once in the past. What could he possibly do that they hadn't done to this man already?

  Darius approached the guy, who was finally allowed to sink down into the dirt, catching his breath and coughing from the excessive strangulation. "Well then," Darius began, "I think if you really value your life at all, you'll start talking." Darius invoked Leray magic quickly, creating two holographic circular disks around the guy's wrists that lifted his body up with the disks. They acted like remote controlled hand cuffs, forcing him to stand while attached to the trunk of the tree. Darius waved his hand a second time, forcibly revealing the energy scope for the person he was trying to interrogate. Nobody had done it to him before, but Darius would need to keep an eye on the HP stats to make this work properly.

  Millar Fied. Iona whispered it back to herself. That is the name of the person these people wanted to interrogate, and his health was still above the halfway point. What did it matter for Darius to figure out the stat anyway? What would be so different about doing the interrogation himself? Even if he were to resort to using Leray magic as attacks, it would barely make anything more painful for Fied.

  "Alright Mr. Fied. You've had long enough to stand here and hold your tongue. This is your last chance to tell me what I want to know. If you don't, I can promise you won't be seeing your family ever again."

  What was Darius talking about? He wouldn't go as far as to take innocent hostages! No! He's just bluffing. Yeah! That's it. Iya managed to keep her cool even now, but it seemed so intense to watch someone who was clearly guilty to get pulverized by all sorts of attacks.

  Darius heard no reply. The man didn't even look at him for five long seconds. "Fine," he began. "You leave me no option." Darius began charging Leray magic into his right hand, causing it to glow with a red blazing aura of color before chanting and releasing his attack. "Blazing Fury!" Though the name was just the same as a Triple Fire attack spell, Darius launched a full blasted magical spell that shot three separate Fire Bolts directly into the man's stomach from just two meters away. The impact was immediate, and after his painful screaming coming from the burning sensation of fire from the magical attack, Millar's HP stats dropped dramatically.

  Unsatisfied, Darius switched hands with the left glowing a different color. "I said talk you slime!" Invoking a lightning based spell, Darius created a red arc of electricity emanating from his left hand, zapping the person in place while the disks around his wrists forced him off the ground to feel every part of the attack. The electrical spell seemed to have a greater effect of damage and severe pain, as Millar let out a screech loud enough to pierce to the next neighborhood.

  Iya couldn't believe it! What would Darius be able to get by resorting to such a violent method of punishment? And why use such strong Leray spells to get those results in the first place? Something didn't feel right at all. She wanted Darius to just stop and return to his own self, but she couldn't move or say anything. Iya just stood there terrified while her heart pounded in her chest faster and faster.

  Zane lashed out at this point, getting a bit too close to Darius in opposition. "Hey man! We just roughed him up a bit. Anymore could be going too far!"

  Darius barely turned his neck to catch Zane in his peripheral vision. "You want to let him go instead?"

  "Of course not," William replied. "But if we drain his HP too fast, we won't learn anything."

  Darius turned to face all of them completely to make his directive clearer. "I'm through trying to learn things from this idiot. Since he isn't talking, I'll just kill him instead."

  "You can't seriously mean..." Zane needed an extra moment to contemplate those words for clarity. "You're using dark magic? What the hell Darius? We vowed not to dip into that stuff! Not even for this!"

  Iya let out a loud gasp helplessly. It couldn't be true! Darius wouldn't use dark magic to kill anyone, even if they were bad people. It can't be so!

  "I thought I told you to leave the rest to me!" Darius began raising his voice at his own team. "Dark magic is just another form of interrogation. You might think it is illegal to use, but that law is just for weak idiots to follow. You're about to learn what true power is all about."

  "Oh no we're not!" William stepped forward, drawing a scimitar from his back hilt. His primary weapon to use in Leray battles is the same one he just drew out, as he raised the end of the blade in front of Darius's face. "That's going one step too far. We don't condone people who use dark magic to kill others."

  With only a mild pause, Darius created a red spherical aura that blasted outward from his body, shoving everyone in front of him far back into the air knocking them down. He yelled at the same time, as it took much of his concentration to immediately invoke something as powerful as that. Darius didn't have any problem attacking his own gang anymore. "You'd dare hold that blade against me?"

  "Darius! Stop!" Iya pleaded from her distance for Darius to cut it out. What he was doing was not only illegal and dangerous, but it had Iya scared out of her mind the moment it started.

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  Not listening to anything else, Darius charged additional energy into both of his hands, aiming at his own team. "Dark Beam!" Firing a strong energy sphere projectile at his friends, Darius's magic blasted the area around them, following the impact with both an explosion and several high-energy beam attacks all with a dark pulsating color. The true nature of dark magic was revealed right here.

  Iya saw it with her own eyes, how similar the method was to ordinary magic; it was much more dangerous and volatile to be used. With her teeth grinding and head sweating, Iya dashed forward without making much of a sound. She went after Millar to try and protect him. The cuffs around his wrists disappeared entirely. Darius's use of strong magic elsewhere must have broken the concentration aura needed to keep the holographic restraints powered on. With that, Iya held on tightly to Millar while trying to drag him away. He had burn scars all over his stomach, with his energy scope changing its color from orange to red in order to register that real time damage was being dealt to him from the last attack. While Iya was trying to rescue Millar, his shoes dragging on the ground slid and made more than enough noise to attract Darius's attention from behind.

  Darius left his injured prey behind, turning to face the other problem now in front of him. As he simply walked up to Iya and Millar, Iya stopped moving completely, too afraid of doing anything else. "Now, now," he inched. "There's no need to be afraid of me. I've no intention of bringing any harm to you, Iya."

  "Stay away from me, murderer!" Iya couldn't believe what was happening here. Darius was a cold-blooded killer and a criminal. He would even attack his own teammates who knew not about his hidden powers. His words are nothing! Iya cringed in place, unable to do anything about the situation. She knew of no such Leray skills and talents, nor was she any good at fighting.

  "You know, you're an interesting one. Why do you resist magic so much Iya?" Darius stood still in front of them both, Millar too tired to fight back or squirm. Iya had that look of fear in her eyes. "All this time I thought you realized how corrupt our world was with Leray magic; I thought it was the very reason you refused to get involved in the kids' games. You should know, true power can bring much more to us all. Besides, murder isn't such a bad thing, so long as you only kill the people who deserve it. As for this slime..." Darius reached down and picked Millar's body off the ground by his shirt with just one hand. Staring into the face of the snitch while he struggled his arms around the hand grabbing him, Darius prepared his magic, holding Millar up higher while aiming his free glowing hand to the guy's face. A quick and easy spell would make short work of frying the guy's brain. "He too will learn the penalty of crossing me. You'll bare my best skill, Gamma-Spur!" Darius fired a red burst of dark energy, passing entirely through Millar's face, while the force of the blast shot the guy out of his grip and allowed him to fly into the ground again for more damage. With that last blast of energy, Darius watched in satisfaction while the HP stats on his target dropped all the way to zero percent. The MP dropped down too, proving that the veil has no way of protecting against the real powers of magic.

  Iya's jaw dropped with her eyes bouncing in place with disbelief. Millar Fied wasn't unconscious. He was killed just now, just like that. It's one of the rules of the Leray energy scopes. When the scope turns color to a dull grey with no HP stats remaining, that indicates a biological failure, otherwise known in this world as death. Darius just killed Millar. Darius just killed Millar!

  "Hah," he laughed. "What a weakling. Killed in one shot."

  "I can't believe you!" Iya's voice was shaky and unstable. Tears began to flood in her eyes. "How could you do that?!"

  "You'll get over it," Darius promised. "This is the first time you've seen someone die before, but it won't stop you from having the strength to stand by me in the end."

  "You murderer!"

  Darius glanced back, hearing the cry come from Zane instead of Iya this time. "That's right. I almost forgot about you three." Darius charged the same spell into his fists again, throwing the spheres while controlling them, giving the other men no chance at all to surrender. "Gamma-Spur!" Though he had to fire three separate spheres per person, Darius had no problems controlling and aiming each one. Each and every bolt of dark energy that hit his targets managed to drill holes through their physical bodies, as if hit by shrapnel without the protection of the veil.

  Though nobody's energy scope was running for them, Darius was absolutely certain that his attacks killed all three of them just now, hitting each target in the heart. Zane, William, and Rowan all fell to the ground, unable to keep themselves going since the radioactive shrapnel of his magic caused immediate damage to their hearts and other organs. Now they were dead too. Darius smiled in his victory. "Naturally, I have no room for people who have no loyalty to me."

  Iya couldn't do anything to protect anyone, not even herself. Darius never acted like this last week. Why? Why resort to this inhumane brutality? "Why?" she repeated aloud. "Why are you killing people with dark magic? What about your own future?"

  "I thought you wouldn't ask," Darius explained. "I've decided to join the Scarlet Syndicate."

  Scarlet Syndicate? Iya gasped with the realization of what that meant. The Scarlet Syndicate, also known as the Scarlet Cult is that criminal organization using dark magic to further their own campaign. Darius is a Scarlet member!

  "At first, I too believed they were just some cult," he continued. "But they understand the many things wrong with this world, and don't resort to baby magic to get the job done. The Scarlets and I have some big plans."

  "How could that possibly be worth killing for?!"

  Despite how frantic Iya had become in her crying phase, Darius knew she would join his side eventually. "You've no idea what kind of power they offered me. As long as I agree to take part in their little experiments, as long as I remain their test subject, then I get to have an unlimited amount of power such as the sort I've demonstrated today."

  "Test subject?"

  "I know you won't understand any of this right now. But you will get everything in time, and I want you there by my side. I think you and I can do great things together."

  Iya shut her eyes and held her head in the pain ensuing herself. She couldn't get any of it out of her mind now. Millar's dead body with that grey energy scope and Darius's dark magical attacks lopped back in her mind. Magic and death, they are all the same right now! "I can't!"

  "Yes you can. If it helps, I'll take you to our hideout so that you can get used to the way things ought to be from here on out." Darius sank down to take her hand.

  Iya noticed what Darius was doing, and punched him straight in the jaw, knocking him back slightly, though his resilience prevented him from losing much balance or falling down. "I'll never be a part of that! You've killed innocent people! You've teamed up with the enemy! You and I are not anything!"

  Darius sighed with a heavy stressful exhale on his chest. "You're just like everyone else in the world. Too warped by the media and popular belief to understand what it really means to bring justice to the world. If that is your final answer..." Darius lit his hands up with a dark red color again, slowly stepping towards Iona as she slowly stepped back in response. "If even you are willing to defy me, then I'll have no choice but to kill you too." It saddens Darius to have to dispose of his own girlfriend, but she is nothing more now than collateral damage.

  Iya's heart sank. Nowhere to run or hide, no way to fight back. Darius is going to kill her as well. Her family was too far away to hear her scream for help. This was it then. Iya could feel her life about to be over at any second. Her eyes shut automatically, dissuaded to see the world anymore. Knowing there was nothing to do, Iya braced herself for what would happen next. But when Darius didn't fire his magic, she glanced up to figure out what had just delayed her death.

  Instead of attacking, Darius diffused the aura in his hands, glaring at Iona instead. "On second thought, killing you right now wouldn't be all that wise. I have orders to kill today, and I've already carried out the full mission to its rightful quota. Millar and the others are no more. When the investigators come here, they'll simply believe it was a fight to the death ending in a total defeat for everyone. But you have no actual business here Iya." She looked as scared as before, but Darius knew this was the right call. "If I kill you now, then your family will simply link that death back to me and the Scarlets. It's a bit too soon to unveil the curtain. So I think I'll let you live for now Iona."

  "Y—you're letting me go?" Iya could see and feel her entire body shaking and trembling in its fear. She was still alive; she was being spared!

  "Yes," Darius agreed. "Even if you rushed back in and reported what really transpired here, there would be no trace of me, and no evidence that the Scarlets were involved. The agents will simply think you are the murderer, having no other leads to link this to." His words gave Iya more of a scare than the thought of dying just now, her gasp again confirmed it. "They would suspect that you were the killer, reporting the action here in order to throw off suspicion towards you. Leray agents are stupid like that you know. You can either try to blame me and make yourself the suspect, or turn a blind eye to it all. That choice is yours. But if I do find out that something you do causes suspicion towards me, if I even begin to think that you've been growing a brain against me after tonight, I will reappear when you least suspect it and make sure you die a slow and painful death, you and your family."

  No longer trembling, Iya remained frozen. Darius set her up like this on purpose, just in case she refused to be a part of this in the first place. He planned this all out! And now he would get away with it. Elsewise, she would die right here and now. She didn't say anything, nor could she think of any way of replying to such a hostile agreement.

  "I've said quite enough already. Glad I got to hang around you one last time. It's been fun Iya, but now my future is before me. I have a destiny to fulfill. See you around." Darius covered his face with the hood he was wearing, which quickly turned his entire body completely invisible. His jacket was a Leray cloak the entire time, masking any visual trace of him. Even smarter, he would use that cloak to obtain a large distance first instead of just teleporting out here and now. Leray agents supposedly can track teleportation symbols, but if used far from the scene of a crime, nobody would normally connect the two together with the carnage all around.

  Just like that, Darius was gone. Iya was now alone, surrounded by the dead carcasses of people she once knew. The energy scope above Millar was already gone, with no possible way of supporting itself any longer. She was totally alone, the woods were dead silent without even a whisper of a wind. She sank to the grass on her knees, taking it all in even though it wasn't possible to do so.

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  After several long moments passed away in the silent night, Iona had no other option but to creep her way back into Fronas village and return home. Her arms were cold without anything other than the T-shirt. Luckily for her it had not been stained with anyone's blood, but that didn't help her feel any better either. Covering her goose bump armored arms, Iona made her trail back home very slow and uncertain, stopping to stand still along the way. The image of everyone dying replayed in her mind, though she screamed at her imagination to just shut down and stop. The way Darius lifted Millar in the air before his death, using that dark magic spell that blasted the man's brain with a lethal dose of radiation...

  The thought circled back and around, making Iya nauseous. Her stomach turned inside out until she was finally ready to vomit, but even when she prepared herself to, nothing came back up. As the pain grew and receded, Iona eventually made it to the front door where she could hear voices of her parents arguing again. Checking her watch, it was twenty minutes past her own curfew. She had not been outside for that long, but she was stuck in the woods, frozen in fear for hours while she lost track of the time before heading back here. That was probably what dad was angry about. They'll be up all night yelling at her just for being held up.

  Freezing in action again, Iona remembered Darius's words of warning. If her parents discover what just happened, they'll likely investigate too far for their own good, putting them into danger. If Iya said anything about it, Darius would know of that and kill her as well. Her hand pulled away from the door handle, shaking in uncertainty. Iya can't go in right now. She couldn't explain herself. She could feel so close to bursting into tears. That would only make hiding this so much harder...

  Her eyes were already watering. Iya couldn't think of what to do or who to tell. Her family were not even great magical fighters if they wanted to be, not since they retired from the art... Jane. Iya repeated the name in her mind. Her younger sister had been training very hard lately with Leray magic, and might even have some way of making this right. It felt odd going to her for help after they lost touch several years ago, but it was better to sneak in and tell Jane than to tell her parents.

  Iya felt a little more confident with that plan, and she crept to the back of their house in order to get access to the view of the windows. She had climbed the wood before, silently ascending to the window of her own bedroom to sneak out and sneak back in whenever her parents kept her grounded. This time, Iona targeted Jane's window. She didn't lock the window that often either, and since Jane usually goes for fresh air every day she is home, it was likely to be open as well. Iya climbed the house, taking only one minute. She got to the top section and managed to open Jane's window with relative ease.

  The window slid open vertically, and Iya was able to climb in effortlessly. With the room dark and the bed empty, Jane was likely downstairs or in the bathroom. While waiting on Jane to come back to her room, Iya glanced around. Jane's room looked as clean as it usually did, but some of her usual belongings were missing. She usually has at least three different Leray class weapons just lying around like ornaments. Iya crept from the room, carefully opening the door to get a clearer listening for their argument. Smith and Tiffany were of course talking about the proper way to punish Iona. How predictable!

  But Iya couldn't hear Jane downstairs in all of this. How was Jane allowed to be outside of the house this late? Or maybe she was just eating a midnight snack at the table silently.

  "You won't trust Iya going out to meet friends, but you'll trust Jane to travel the entire country with her friends?" Tiffany placed the argument against her husband.

  "I've been paying attention to the people Jane calls friends," Smith retorted. "Danny and Taylor are wonderful people. I don't think that I trust either of them to keep Jane safe on her new journey. But I do trust that she'll call back home every night to make sure we don't get upset. That's not something Iya would ever do. She needs to be watched!"

  No! Iya felt dizzy after hearing that. She heard a few nights ago - something about Jane leaving home on some stupid Leray journey. But did that already happen? Was the reason for Jane's sudden absence because she left the town to go other places and train with other people? Jane wasn't here. That's the reality isn't it?! Jane isn't here! Finally letting the emotion defeat her, Iya sunk her head into Jane's pillow to let herself cry. Her sister wasn't here to help her out either, and now Jane was off somewhere out of reach.

  "You expect me to believe you suddenly cared about me enough to track me down here?" Jane had rudely interrupted Iona mid-speech.

  It took Iya a few seconds to realize where she was, after spending so much of her thought back in her distant memory. Iona simply finished up by summary, letting Jane know of her first mistake. "You never called back home, you idiot!" Just now, Jane looked surprised, caught for her own critical mistake. "You have any idea how much they worried about you?"

  Jane couldn't get rid of her guilty expression, and didn't even look Iya in the eye. She had her own reasons for not calling home, not wanting to worry her own parents. If they found her with this symbol still on her hand...

  "I slept there that night, and our parents found me in your bed. We were both confused. I thought they found out what happened with me, but they assumed I was worried about you instead. And I found out then that they were upset when you didn't call home that night when you were supposed to, or the next morning." Iya remembered the morning so fluidly. "And naturally, they assumed I was upset because you were declared missing."

  "How come you weren't calling home?" Taylor pressured Jane.

  Without turning around, Jane let them have her excuse. "I didn't want to worry them, not after I found out I had this symbol."

  "Symbol?" Iya asked about it so obliviously. She really didn't know anything about Jane's life after she took off.

  "But that can wait!" Jane lifted her voice, focusing on Iona right now. "You said that Darius was secretly a member of the Scarlet Cult. And by the way you described it, he may have joined recently that night he killed everyone. He used dark magic, and is now holding you hostage to the fear of his words."

  "Y—yes." Iya didn't want to admit it, but it was all true.

  "How could you be so stupid as to date a Scarlet member?"

  Danny tensed after the way she just put it. "Hey!"

  "Jane!" Taylor simultaneously shouted with Danny. That was so rude considering how much Iya was spilling her guts out right now.

  Jane ignored both of them, now noticing the tears returning to Iona's eyes. Seeing her like this didn't happen often, not since such a long time ago when they were younger, when Iona still cared just enough to tolerate Leray magic. But now she was so vulnerable, shaking in her own fear from the pain another person had caused her. "To keep us all in the dark... You didn't have to do that you know." Unable to help it, Jane was tracking water in her eyes as well, her voice beginning to deteriorate. Instead of yelling at her anymore, Jane embraced her older sister in a tight hug. Though it confused Danny and Taylor that they didn't entirely understand the structure, Jane was just being herself right now. Iona was finally back, the person she is supposed to be. "If you ever scare me like that again," Jane warned, "I'll be the one to kill you."

  Jane was obviously joking, and Iya squeezed back, allowing herself to feel her entire embrace. She had been alone for a long time searching for Jane, and here she was, the same as ever. No, Jane wasn't this assertive before. She has finally begun to grow up too. Maybe she is even strong enough to fight Darius.

  After they both let go with some relieving sighs, Jane went ahead to assess the situation after wiping her eyes dry with Iya. "So Darius is a Scarlet member too? Recently converted? Their numbers just keep growing."

  "You know much about the Scarlet Cult?" Iya questioned. Jane was thinking about it in some way, but her mind couldn't easily be read.

  Admitting to the news of it all, Jane had to give them credibility for being so large. "They've been growing in numbers, getting stronger, and terrorizing the places everywhere they go. Lately they've been up to something sinister. Of course, I still don't know what it is. You could say that I've had a bad run in with them myself."

  Iya winced, shocked by the chain of bad luck. "You were attacked by the Scarlet Cult too? That's crazy!"

  "Not exactly." Jane prepared herself, extending her arm in front of Iona to show her exactly what has been happening. After giving it much concentration, Jane activated and revealed the bright holographic glyph on the top of her right hand. The symbol pulsated with intense energy, making Iona's jaw drop from the unexpected news. Jane made sure to deactivate the symbol quickly in case anybody might come around, yet there were still no other walkers nearby. As the symbol dimmed out, so did the actual crest disappear into her skin, becoming entirely invisible.

  Chapter Theme Shift:

  "You..." Iona had to catch her breath. "You're marked!" What did they do to her? Jane has been out of the radar for so long, traveling such great distances and... That's why Jane didn't call home! Being marked is not a good status condition to be in. But she couldn't have asked for that!

  "My parents would have to know I'm safe though," Jane assumed. "If they were watching the championship battle station on television, then they'd know that I'm still alive. They'll also know about this problem I have too."

  "You were in the championship? And they let you in with that?"

  Jane scratched the back of her neck gently, unable to give a complete answer. She had obviously broken one of the biggest rules, but she was also fighting Danton for a different reason.

  "I had no idea my sister was such a rebel."

  Danny almost laughed. The way Iya worded that immediately eased much of their tensions. Jane however seemed a little surprised.

  "You're not mad about this?" she tested.

  Iya teased Jane about it, who was already becoming predictable. "Why would I be mad? We're family, remember? I already believe having that thing was just another bad accident. But I can't wait to hear what sort of cool things you've done with it."

  "Well we do have a lot of catching up to do..."

  Taylor supposed it was right, but they were still on a timetable. The solution wasn't difficult however. "Well then we can talk about it on the way back to Lennith."

  "So you're on your way home?" Iya guessed.

  Jane eventually told her that this wasn't exactly the case, and begun with the very initial start of how everything started with Danny and Taylor. Iona had to learn a lot so quick, and for the first part, much of it wasn't even about Jane in the first place. Jane explained carefully who Gieger was and what happened that night when the sky lit up in Blue Port Town. After Jane graduated, she did leave home for her journey, but without calling home. Jane never called home because she was too afraid of how her parents would take the news. Iona never called home because she wasn't going to until her own mission to find Jane was complete.

  Iona also had to share her full side of the story. At first, Jane didn't leave her much of a trail to go on. But once she made it to the beach in Tilsit, Iya apparently just missed some sort of scene at the lighthouse. Though Jane's description wasn't anywhere to be found, traveling all the way to Lennith City while investigating the locals did manage to provide a lot of information about Jane. Naturally, Iya didn't recognize Danny or Taylor in either perspective, since between them, their faces were mysterious in every way. Particularly, the meeting with a person called Claudia in Lennith's training academy got the same teacher to admit to seeing Jane. Iona learned from her that Jane had been injured while training in the dark zone, though Danny and Taylor pulled her out before permanent damage set in. After learning that Jane made plans to compete in the championship in Eldora City, that was going to be Iona's next destination. Getting barely any sleep and low quality food for several weeks, Iona simply continued the trail until she and Jane met up on the bridge. It was one of the most desperate things Iya ever had to do.

  According to Jane, that wasn't all as eventful as her own journey. Jane had to share much of the details with her sister to clarify a lot of things. The key point of the iteration was the fact that Jane's only hope of removing this symbol resided with professor Brightworth, enemy of the nation. Jane just managed to join Danton's army in a joint operation to storm the dark zone and capture Brightworth, all for the sake of protecting the city of Lennith. Iya was confused by several key elements, even by the reunion with Gieger, who ended up getting captured. But Danny filled her in by simply rewording anything Iya didn't understand. Now the only question on her mind was the reason Jane was doing all of this.

  "Listen Iya," Jane encouraged. "Somebody has to stand up to Alpha Zero. While the General Army is capable of fighting, I am even more capable of it right now because of the symbol stuck on my hand. I'm using this thing for the right reasons this time, and I'm going to be engaged in a very dangerous fight." Jane stopped, standing in front of Iona. "And I don't want you to be put in the line of danger."

  "What?"

  Taylor stepped between them, making sure Iya and Jane both understood the situation at best. "That place is no joke. Danny and I can fight with powerful magic too, so we'll be protecting Jane during the event. But you Iya, I'm not sure if you can even fight with Leray magic."

  "I've been training!" she defended.

  "Wow!" Jane had to sound amazed at this development. Iona training to use Leray magical spells? It was unheard of until now. "I'm surprised that you'd take a liking to magic."

  "What else was I supposed to do?" she defended herself. "After what happened to me that night, and after realizing that I can't always have you there to protect me, I'd have to learn a thing or two myself. So I've been passively training while searching for you as well."

  "Okay," Jane spoke skeptically. "What's your best attack and defense skill?"

  "I'm just now beginning to master a teleportation attack called Dark Strike," she pronounced. "And a protective spell known as Dampen Field."

  Jane sighed, but her expression contained a lot of disappointment. "I'm sorry." Jane had no choice but to protect Iona by denying her the access she needed. "But that won't do in a fight against dark magic."

  "I can look out for myself." Iona's voice had become taller than Jane's, but Jane wasn't about to have a part of it either.

  Jane refused to let Iya have her way this time. "I said no!"

  "But then... Why won't you just let me help you?!"

  "Because you will die!"

  Iya wanted to argue back, but hearing Jane say that with such certainty was enough to prevent her from remaining valid.

  "I know you want to help us," Danny concluded. "But we have two battles to win. The first one is more difficult than the next. When we prepare to track down and eliminate the members of the Scarlet Cult, then we'll let you help us."

  Jane had something to add as well. "I want to see you train a lot harder before I let you help us with the Scarlet problem too. Dark magic kills anyone who isn't ready, so you need to battle as if your life depends on winning."

  Iona couldn't believe it still. Not just in Jane's personal skills, but even in her own confidence and bravery did she become so much stronger than herself. Danny and Taylor were even strong enough to venture into such a dangerous place despite being trained by Jane... Or perhaps that alone was the reason they were ready. A match between Jane would defiantly speak volumes about Iya's current skill level, but she was certain Jane would simply mop the floor with her in the same day. Instead of arguing, Iya remained frozen, unable to stop Jane from marching to what could potentially be her own grave.

  Even Taylor was onboard with the plan. "You haven't seen Jane in action," she emphasized. "So you may be thinking it's too dangerous. But we've seen firsthand what she is capable of, and we've trained alongside her to become stronger ourselves." She nodded in agreement with Jane's issue. "Jane's right. You're not trained enough to go to such a dangerous place. In this state, you'd just be in the way."

  For another long pause, Iona was left to agree or decline their warning. She hated feeling so useless, even after so much training. But if Jane and her own friends were on the same page, were they really correct? "I..." She firmed her muscles and gave Danny and Taylor her serious glare. "You two better make sure she comes back without a scratch, or else you'll answer to me."

  "I would never let anything bad happen to Jane," Danny phrased.

  "Neither would I."

  Jane thought everyone here was sweating the semantics a bit much, but even if Danny and Taylor were truly this committed to protecting her, they need to remember to save themselves as well. "Listen you two. Don't let that directive turn your brains to goop. I'll be fighting beside you as well to make sure we don't falter."

  "You have a whole triangle of protection going on," Iona pointed out. "I guess I shouldn't worry then."

  "Once we regroup in Lennith and set out," Jane planned, "we'll be back in a cinch. We'll shut down that horrific place for good, and that way everyone can go to the Outback without fear of such soulless creatures."

  How am I supposed to explain this to mother and father? Iya knew they would be expecting a callback from her any moment soon. Then again, Jane said something about them already knowing about Jane's situation, should they have watched a channel on TV. All she would have to do in Lennith is call home, catch up, and wait for Jane to come back. Still, what Jane is deciding to do must be seriously dangerous!

  "We need to get back to it before sundown," Jane expressed. She turned towards Lennith City and continued the walk there. "Let's keep moving forward everyone."

  With that, Danny stayed close to the side of Iona as they continued walking straight. Despite being more than halfway towards the city, none of them could petal their bikes with Iona here. She doesn't have one, which is a slight reduction in speed in itself. It wasn't certain just yet, but with Iona being Jane's sister reunited, she may even try to join their band after this dark zone stuff gets out of the way. "It may be a bit early," he spoke up. He held out his hand, properly introducing himself to Iona. "But in any case, welcome to JDT."