Serenity allowed Jay to try moving her body; she was unable to fully comprehend it, but all of the pain was missing from her senses. Now pushing herself into a sitting position wouldn't send sharp spikes into her side, and breathing was no longer torture but instead brought much needed comfort to her soul. Soft raindrops began to fall on her head as she took in her surroundings. Tall and strong trees stood around her as if they were her protectors, and the ground was a mixture of springy moss and overgrown wildflowers as far as she could see. Although the night sky was clouded, vibrant starlight filtered through to give enough light to see the colors that had welcomed Jay. With all of the beauty around her, she felt as if Reality, that other grimmer, much darker place was nothing more than a nightmare. But if only that was true, she would much rather spend her days here than in the hands of a psychopath. However, knowing her time here was limited made her excited to explore. So with a melancholic heart, she set off through the forest.

The rain shifted to a fine mist that coated Jay as she explored; it cooled her skin and freshened her mind enough for her to fully relax. Something felt familiar about this place. She knew it was the same place where she first encountered Ryuu, but it now felt so much calmer, more peaceful. Any time she had come here in the past, it was nothing more than a dream she visited when scared or hurt. If all of this was real, she had not taken it in at all. The mist stopped as she reached the edge of the forest, and stopped to examine her environment. In front of her sat a large plains area, almost reaching to the horizon. Tall grass in varying hues of green and gold came up to her knees, but something odder caught her eye. A young woman sat in the grass with her back towards Jay, not seeming to notice her despite the crunching noise the grass made beneath her feet. Jay hesitated before tapping the woman on her shoulder.

"Umm... Hello?" Startled, the woman batted Jay's hand away and jumped up, placing a hand in her tunic's pocket.

"Oh! It's you; how did you come back, and are you safe?" Jay began stuttering unintelligible sounds as she did not have ideas of what to say.

"Were you expecting me?" Was all that she managed.

"No; well... Not so soon. My hope was that Ryuu wouldn't find you; has he?"

"Why does it matter to you?" Jay stopped before saying more, recognizing the way the woman said Ryuu's name, which was with a mixture of concern, confusion, and contempt. "You're the one that was fighting Ryuu."

"Yes, my name is Pari." She bowed as she spoke. "I'm sure you're confused, so I want to answer any questions I can." She sat down and patted the ground next to her, motioning for Jay to sit. "Before you give me questions, I want to know your story."

"I don't know where to begin." Jay relayed every part of what she had been through, stopping when the story got to her last encounter with Ryuu.

"What brought you here tonight then?" Pari looked bemused, as if the details in Jay's account had not added up.

"I don't know, I was hoping you could tell me."

"Were you hurt? Did Ryuu harm you in any way?" Jay's silence told Pari enough. "Ah; well, let's start with the explanation of why you are here now. This place is a sanctuary, for those who need it. It offers solace and respite to us, and in return it is our duty to protect it and others who might end up here."

"And exactly what are we protecting a world from?"

"Do you not remember your last visit here?" Pari reached into her pocket and pulled out a stone. With a flick of her wrist she tossed it to Jay for examination. To Jay's eyes, it was small and smooth, a transparent blue around the edges with an opaque center. The center was throbbing, moving as if it were liquid. As Jay turned it over in her hands she felt it quiver like it had life.

"Is this the-"

"Not the exact stone you held before, but the same element. It is unique to this place, able to connect with it's holder and grant what is needed to survive."

"So that sword for instance, that's what I- Ahh!" Jay dropped the stone as it morphed into the sword she was speaking of. "That sword; I needed it before? Do I need it now?"

"I assure you, there is no need for it now. But in the past you reference, yes, I would say you needed it."

"If I don't need it now, why is it here?" Hesitating, Jay poked the sword's hilt with curiosity. It flickered at the impact, making her question whether or not she saw it turn back to a stone for a split second.

"The Cross Realm does not know you; that is to say, right now it is connected only to your current thoughts. It guessed about the sword last time. Once you have gained more experience and knowledge, the Realm will be able to read your patterns and equip your needs via the stones. If you practice and expand your relationship with this world, it may even let you use the stones' aid in Reality."

"That's why this place needs protecting, if the wrong person gains access to it and grabs a stone, they could wreak havoc. That... Seems really cliche!" Jay leaned back with a furrowed brow.

"It is the way humanity works. A corrupt soul can take any element, no matter how innocent or naive, and turn it into a weapon."

"Ryuu, he's one of those people? I mean, does he want to use these stones?" Pari sighed at Jay's questioning. As crucial as it was for the girl to understand the situation, there were other things that were more important for her to know at the present.

"No; Ryuu's power in my Reality is almost on par with that of the stones. He has no need for them, but because of your interference here, he is trapped in your world currently. Unfortunately, the Cross Realm is the only way he knows of to get back to Hassan, and you are the only Runner he knows of." Silence followed Pari's explanation as Jay tried to process it. She had a million questions and trains of thought in her mind, but she could not pin one down long enough to verbalize it. Finally, one question pushed itself to the front of the line.

"So what do I do?" She whispered, overwhelmed at the abrupt realization of her situation in Reality.

"Whatever you can to resist him. He will try to tear you apart, but you must not give in. Ryuu is ruthless and no matter what he may tell you, he only cares for himself."

"That's already been made clear, but I legitimately do not know what to do. I am not a warrior; my body is on the brink of falling apart on a good day when I've taken care of it, but Ryuu has caused enough damage to it that I am not sure if I can survive a day."

"It is my hope that you won't have to." Pari took Jay's hands and stared at her. "Part of my duty to the Cross Realm is that I make sure, as one of the first Runners, that there is a force that will always know that the Cross Realm is real. If that force has done their part correctly, then they have been searching for and monitoring you."

"Me? How would they know to look for me? I'm one person out of billions."

"Jay! Our worlds are connected! I remembered your face tonight, did I not? You may not know it yet, but there are and always have been people watching over you. Trust me, those people are searching for you in your Reality as we speak."

"So I just need to wait it out, and I'll be okay?"

"Yes."

"Promise?" Pari squeezed Jay's hands with a gentle smile.

"I promise."

"Alright then, I'll try to wait it out." Jay closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her mind. If Pari was right, if there really were people watching over her, they had to come soon.

"I know you said differently, but you are a warrior Jay." Pari kissed her forehead and whispered. "Now you must go back to Reality; resist the demon my young Runner." As Pari spoke, Jay felt like she was sinking through quicksand. This wasn't right, she wanted to stay in the field with Pari and learn more, but there was nothing she could do about it. Pain returned to her limbs and the world around her shifted sideways. It melted into a lightless sleep, but she knew her environment was a cell once more. One last thought crossed her mind before she succumbed to pain:

Taylor and Lucas will make sure I am found, they will.