Official Stasis Summary:
Post Manga. Mai's powers are beginning to get out of control. Two years away from Naru, and things have only gotten worse. Waking up to herself screaming is fine, but destroying an entire house and causing massive poltergeists? Not so much. So what do her friends do? They reluctantly ship her off to England where a less than enthusiastic Naru awaits to train the young girl. Cases ensue, but not without a little chaotic romance and nightmarish visions to add into the equation. Mai and Naru.
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Stasis: The state of equilibrium or inactivity caused by opposing equal forces.
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File I: Euphoria & Horror
Part II: Hollow
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Location: Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, England (UK) . . .
Date: June, Day III . . .
Time: 12:13 p.m. . . .
Even from across the hospital Oliver felt it. Electric shockwaves crackled in the air around him, not visible, but mobile and buzzing with energy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "This is bad." At his side, Lin shifted uncomfortably and nodded his head.
In the time spent since receiving Takigawa's call, Oliver had laid out a basic plan for what Mai would be doing for the next several days. Firstly, they would test the measure and extent of her PK levels, along with a thorough interrogation. They would also have to keep her as calm as possible, for he himself was wholly aware of how emotions could contradict even the most enforced mask of indifference. And with how expressive Mai was anyway, they would have a difficult starting point. Their two sole positives in this dilemma were that they had Yasu—Mai's best friend—and Gene—who would deliver his own teachings and preach whatever semblance of consoling he wanted to administer to Mai amid her dreams, of which seemed to be a leading factor to her lack of control. Oliver was also confident that Yasu and Gene's mere existence in her daily life would assist in the overall containment, or perhaps a better word would be contentment, of her emotions.
The main SPR office in Cambridge would be their base of operations. The building was teeming with psychic assessment equipment that would assist in their overall evaluation. The SPR office also contained the 'blank room' as Gene would often refer to it as. Constructed from pure concrete, and titled white from floor to ceiling, it was built to sustain even the most powerful PK damage. As such, it would act as an ideal location to begin Mai's PK training if Takigawa's explanation was anything to go by. Destroying an entire house from fear induced PK release was a feat in and of itself. They would have to be extremely careful.
Never mind the fact that his work was on permanent hiatus until Mai fully recovered, which could be months from now.
Oliver could practically hear Gene's tisk of annoyance from the spirit realm. Though their connection had been all but severed after his death, fractions of a thread surfaced every now and again. He supposed it was the reason why they could still communicate through mirrors and reflections. It was doubtful they'd be able to otherwise, and sometimes even through their thoughts, but usually when that was the case, the conversation was no more than a sentence.
"Wait outside," Oliver told Lin upon reaching Mai's door. "I'd rather deal with her alone first." Lin didn't look too thrilled at the notion, but complied with his demand.
"Fine, but remember not to upset her. The doctor said that she would be waking up soon."
"Umm, excuse me," a nurse suddenly said, holding a clipboard with a dozen or so sheets about Mai's health record over the years, along with her discharge forms, "are you Dr. Oliver Davis?"
Oliver turned, but she'd addressed Lin. No one ever expected Oliver to actually be the one in charge, not that it made much of a difference. They shared a glance, Oliver nodding in acceptance. He didn't have time for measly paperwork when they had a laten psychic in the room over that could plausibly destroy the building if rustled. He left Lin standing outside.
In the hospital room, the only sound to be heard was the steady beat of the heart monitor. Walking over, he decided that despite two years of separation, the girl still looked almost identical to when he'd left. Details were always something he remembered, even despite his own desires to acknowledge them. He almost sighed, hearing the ghost of Gene's laugh in his head.
For a moment, all was still, but then Mai's breathing quickened, followed by the air becoming thicker. Something in Oliver felt it, but whatever it was, was beyond his own comprehension.
"Her dreams only make her PK energy worse. The more rattled up she is, the worse the damage."
Takigawa's voice rang in his head. He didn't know what to expect completely by this statement, as Mai's dreams had often left her in a vulnerable state, anyway. But this time she couldn't remember them? It was odd, especially if it was a recurring nightmare she experienced frequently. And it wasn't as if she'd been subjected to spiritual activity in the last several months, either. He would have to analyze this development in the investigation, but for now he would merely observe.
Then again…
"She says your name a lot too, when she dreams. She'll mutter you name, scream bloody murder, and wake up."
But there was also…
"Me, or Gene?"
Did Mai still see Gene amid her dreams? It was a doubtful possibility, considering that his elder brother had never mentioned it in their most recent conversation, but Gene had always been one to make him learn the trick behind the fact. He couldn't completely rule it out.
Although, he doubted the girl was stupid enough to forget what had happened before he'd left. Contradicting himself once again, he did think, Well, it is Mai, she is prone to stupidity.
He would have to discuss this with her before he drew to any conclusions-
"... Naru?"
Something intangible crackled past him, locking firmly into place. It took everything he had not to visibly flinch at the unknown force.
But then he realized the wall behind him had cracked, and he spared it a glance. "You like making walls crack now, I see," he said in perfect Japanese. The tongue was oddly normal for him, despite having gone over two years without ever speaking a lick of it.
His words alone seemed to shatter whatever semblance of calm Mai possessed, as she suddenly latched onto him, sobbing into his shoulder. For whatever reason, he understood. He'd gone through similar circumstances as a child, albeit even at his worst, he'd never been able to demolish an entire building. It was justifiable if the girl was an emotional wreck, and Mai had been extremely sensitive in the time he'd known her. Nevertheless, this instance was not what he'd hoped, nor desired to transpire. Consoling had never been in Oliver's wealth of knowledge, as that had been Gene's department.
So, he sat there, waiting in complete stillness. He didn't touch her, but he didn't pull away either. It was a compromise, he supposed. Nevertheless, the static in the air was potent and intensifying. It was a miracle the girl had yet to collapse… Then again, how was she able to manage this amount of PK levels without detrimental effects? He'd contemplated that notion before, but had yet to come to hypothesis.
Angels fall, Noll, Gene whispered suddenly, breaking his train of thought. He appeared in the window's reflection, arriving without warning. It's time to put her back in the light.
Mai's head snapped up, her breath catching. Oliver followed her gaze, only to meet a pair of identical indigo orbs displaying emotions he could never let past his own mask.
"You see him?" Oliver asked quietly.
"I…," she swallowed, biting at her lip. "I've always been able to see him."
Oliver frowned, perplexed at her sudden use of English, but Mai didn't notice. She was looking at Gene.
"So, not only can you sense me now," Gene began softly, smiling slightly, "but you're fully able to understand English, Mai?" Gene then broke his connection with Oliver, reaching into the physical realm and projected himself for them to see. Oliver knew it was not an easy feat to accomplish.
Mai's smile was weak at best. "Yeah… I learned a lot from Yasu, and my sense for spirits has grown pretty well… But…" Oliver felt her trembling, the air density thickening. The bed began to rise from the floor. "... I'm certainly… Not an angel, Gene."
Tears pooled in Mai's eyes, until they trickled down her face in lines. Oliver tensed. "Mai!"
The girl flinched at his tone, igniting another fractured split in the wall across from them. The windows rattled, and Gene moved in closer. "Mai," he said tentatively, "this isn't something that will be easy. Controlling your PK will take time, especially with how powerful it is. This'll be a testament of your will, but if you believe in yourself, it's possible to come back from this stronger than ever. And to me, well…," he trailed off, smiling. "You've always been an angel."
The room froze before the bed crashed back onto the floor with a resounding smack. Mai was staring wide-eyed at his brother, before she hid her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook, but the energy in the room decreased significantly.
"As for you, Noll," Gene addressed, a frown similar to his own marring his ghostly lips, "I would suggest trying not to act like the idiot scientist that you are, and be a little nicer for a while." The man on the receiving end of that comment glared daggers at him.
Mai actually let out a tiny laugh at that remark however, and faced Gene once again. "Th-thank you, you know... For everything."
Gene actually had the audacity to smirk. "On the contrary, my help has only just begun. You have much to learn, Mai. From both myself and Noll. That being said, you're welcome."
This was the type of magic Oliver had never been able to fully the comprehend except for a few specific circumstances, but even then, he'd never been Eugene Davis.
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12:30 p.m.
Mai didn't know what to expect from all of this. She'd basically left Japan on a whim, hoping that Naru knew what he was doing, and that she didn't kill everyone she knew in the process. She could only hope for the best at this point. She'd already fallen down the rabbit hole, there wasn't anywhere else to go but up, really.
But having Naru around was going to be more than a little troublesome. All things considered, he had broken her heart before he'd left SPR, and she'd all but cursed his name afterwards. Little was ever said about him back at Japan's old branch of SPR, as she'd distanced herself from the problem, ignoring the remnants of his life there completely.
Never mind the fact she'd balled on his shoulder less than ten minutes ago… But that had mostly been from, well… Everything.
In the last two years between rage and depression, her emotions had risen. Naru's rejection, however, was most certainly not the cause of her PK issues. Rather, her dreams seemed to be. The problem was, she could never remember them upon waking.
In the last several months, pangs of despair had become commonplace, and toiling in disheartened memories only increased her lack of control. Moments of emptiness tempered her emotions every now and again, but other than that, she was a bottled storm.
But in this very moment Mai was feeling… Lethargic and tired and genuinely wiped out. She figured it was the effect of the drugs still swimming in her system from the induced sleep. Another was the extensive use of her PK in the last forty-eight hours. Between destroying Monk's house, to the emotional trauma of it all, Mai was exhausted. Physically and mentally. But she wasn't on the verge of collapse like she'd seen with Naru in the past, nor was she about to die. But she was just… Tired.
She stated as much to Naru and Lin upon entering their van.
"Considering how much PK you've used in the last forty-eight hours, that is to be expected," Naru explained coldly, apparently thinking the exact same thing she was. "Once we return to HQ, you may rest."
That's rather nice of him to say—"That is, only after you've answered some of my questions." And there's the Naru I know… Still as inconsiderate as ever…
"Fine," she sighed. Once upon a time, she probably would've combated his attitude with wholesome rage, but she was too tired to care. Up front, Lin cast his young charge a worried glance at her lack of ire.
Outside, the world reflected her inner emotions to the tee.
The sky fell with grey rain.
And somewhere in her heart, it became enraptured with unholy remorse and distance.
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12:35 p.m.
Arriving at the BSPR Headquarters, Mai stumbled out of the van, letting the rain drench the ends of her hair. She stood there for a moment, until she vaguely noticed Naru trailing his way up the stone stairs. They were already there? In the midst of Cambridge University? With the mist and the overcast sky and her apathy, the details of their location were almost beyond comprehension.
She didn't feel the rain haunt her cheeks as she ran inside.
"Mai-Chan!"
Distracted, Mai looked up from the entranceway of BSPR, only to come face to face with Madoka Mori. The pinkette's eyes were bright and excited, happy. But a trace of sadness tainted the overall animation. Then Mai was pulled to a crushing embrace that unsettled the steadiness of her soul. Thankfully, she was too tired to pour her energy outward into existence, and quietly yelped.
"Aww, Mai-Chan it's so nice to see you after so long!" Madoka buzzed out in fluent Japanese. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet you at the hospital! Yasu and I were on a case and Mr. Coldhearted over there neglected to tell me when you'd be arriving."
"I-It's alright…," Mai managed quietly, replying back in English. "But if you would, please let me go..."
"Oh, sorry, dear!" Madoka said sheepishly, releasing Mai in an instant. "And your English—"
"Your reunion can be continued later, Madoka," Naru interrupted coldly. "I would rather attend to the pressing matters that we've been waiting to confirm for the last day and a half, and begin the interview immediately."
"Oh, how rude of you, Noll! The poor girl is soaking wet, and not the mention she arrived in Cambridge less than an hour ago! You can't just expect her to waltz away with you yet!"
But Naru would have none of it. "Then get her a change of clothes, and bring her to the Blank Room. We begin in ten minutes."
"What?" He'd begun to stride down the hallway, to where, Mai could only imagine. "Oliver Davis you stop right there! Lin, talk some sense into him, would you?"
Lin glanced at where Naru had disappeared off to, and sighed, "He's stressed, I believe. And more than he's letting on. He also wants to finish this as quickly as possible."
Mai barely had the fire to care about Naru's disinterest towards her life, but her hands did clench into fists. Her anger extinguished in less than a second, and an swarm of blank gray contorted the remains.
"Mai." Slowly, she trailed her eyes from the floor to meet Lin's watchful gaze. "I understand that this will be a trying time, but it would be in your best interest to follow Noll's instruction, no matter the strain he may place upon you. You've worked under him before, but not quite has his pupil. Be prepared."
"Don't worry too much about me, Lin. I'll do what's asked of me." She could tell he was momentarily intrigued by her sheer compliance, if not a little surprised. In the past, blindly following Naru's orders had not been entirely frequent. He shared a look with Madoka, who appeared to agree on something. On what, however, she couldn't say.
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12:39 p.m.
"This is the Blank Room," Madoka supplied, a forced cheer in her voice. "It's definitely… Blank. That's for sure."
Mai observed her surroundings with the interest of watching paint dry. Tiled down in white from floor to ceiling, it was almost impossible to tell where the room ended and began. She couldn't even tell where the light source emitted, but the room appeared to be quite expansive. The only furniture in the room was a single table with a set of chairs, and a bed. An odd pair of mates, she thought absently.
"It's also where you'll be staying for awhile…" Madoka's cheer was officially gone. "But only until you're able to live normally again, I assure you!"
"The entire room is encased with two meters thick concrete beyond this tile," Naru explained. "It's built to sustain even the most damaging explosions or for your case, Mai, PK outbreaks."
"Now, Noll, that's—"
"Good..."
Naru's eyes shifted in Mai's direction, discrete, but unruffled.
"That's… Good."
Madoka, however, was blown away. Lin merely put a hand on the pinkette's shoulder and shook his head.
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12:45 p.m.
A perpetrating atmosphere of undeniable indifference wafted around the room, and Oliver nearly scowled at the sensation. It was practically radiating off the girl across from him. Gaze glassen and low, posture lax and shoulders slumped to a degree that defined effortless detachment, and breathing even, slow. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Was this what Takigawa meant when she loses her 'sense of self'? She looks like a shell. It appears that she does, indeed, retreat into herself. It is an effective way to dim the effects of her PK. However…
"Is lethargy like this common?" Oliver asked, officially beginning their investigation. Madoka had departed not more than ten minutes ago after receiving a call from Martin, and said they would wrap up their case by the end of the day. Thereafter, a decent portion of the BSPR team would assist in Mai's case.
Mai didn't blink when she replied, "Yes."
"Elaborate on the effect."
"Total emptiness," Mai stated factually, not a trace of her former emotions in her voice. "I can barely feel a difference in temperature, my attention span is gone, and I can barely tell when someone is touching me. When I get like this, Monk often called me a zombie, or a shell of myself. I can't say I disagree."
"And what snaps you out of this?"
"Sleeping…," she answered. "Or extremely bouts of sudden emotion... You'd have to... Get me pretty riled up to shake me out of this."
Oliver narrowed his eyes. "You mentioned before that you're tired, but I don't think that this 'emptiness' as you say, is from your physical exhaustion. Rather, the emotional strain is affecting your mind, causing you to spiral down into an internal depression. Matsuzaki-san gave you this diagnosis." The papers laid out in front of him stated as such.
"Correct." The fact that she did not appear upset was… Unexpected.
"Tell me about your dreams," Oliver redirected.
"I... Can't remember anything from them."
"Nothing." It was almost a question, but not quite.
"Nothing."
"And yet they're about me?"
Silence. The only sound to be heard was the constant click of Lin's typing.
Then…
"I don't know… Apparently, I call out your name when I sleep, a lot. But I don't know why."
Oliver settled back in his seat and crossed his arms. "It could be precognition, but that theory is rudimentary at best. We'll have to watch what happens when you sleep to determine the effects. Dreams are the cause of all of this, correct?"
"Correct."
"They began eight months ago?"
"Yes," Mai answered quietly. "They started the night I found out that I have PK. It was after a fight with Masako about something unimportant. Then the nightmares began, and along with it, this… Problem."
Yes, Takigawa mentioned that before. And eight months ago… What happened eight months ago? He asked this question aloud.
"You're the PK expert," Mai said flatly. "You tell me. Everything had been nothing beyond ordinary. I'd been on cases like normal, about to finish high school, and get my degree. I was... Happy."
There has to be some factor or variable that caused this. It couldn't have just been dormant for so many years inside of her… Such extremes should be impossible. Mai's psychic abilities did not appear until after she joined SPR, so could it merely have extended beyond what they were already aware of? Could it just have been steady growth? Or was it something else? Generally, people are born with PK.
"What about Gene," Oliver asked instead.
"What about Gene?" Only a trace of genuine confusion caught in her voice.
Oliver's lips thinned, his impatience getting the better of him. "Have you seen him?"
"... I haven't been able to see him since you left Japan. I… Hadn't even known he was still wandering the spirit realm until this morning."
Oliver pressed, "You said you were 'always able to see him.'"
Mai looked away. "I meant… I meant that I could always see him when you're around. I meant nothing more."
"Gene only revealed himself to me minutes before I answered Takigawa's call," Oliver told her, expecting some sort of reaction. He received none. "I haven't seen him in two years, Mai, but then you suddenly need to be here, and he shows up again."
But Mai's expression did not change. "I know no more than you do... Ask him if you're so concerned."
This type of behavior was more than a little strange. Not that it could be helped, but it was thoroughly irritating. When he'd first begun his own PK training he remembered Madoka had always told him, "Apathy over antipathy." But he wasn't so sure such methods were preferable in Mai's book. Contrary to himself, Mai was anything from apathetic to life. She wanted to be back to her normal self, and if her normal self was anything like what he'd known, apathy was far from preferable. So after a few more questions, Oliver took a different route.,
"Do you have any idea what 'stasis' is, Mai?" He closed his own black notebook, and gave her his full attention.
"Nope." It was more expression than any of her previous answers, but even then, it barely scratched the surface. For whatever reason, it unnerved him.
"Stasis," Oliver said, the word reverberating in the air around them. "The point between euphoria and terror, tranquility and rage, light and dark, love and hate, and so on. It's a physics term used to describe two opposing equal forces that causes a point of equilibrium or inactivity. For PK users: the point of perfect control and stability. Along with Qigong, it's what keeps my PK under lock and key until I decide to use it, and what will help you in your own progression.
"It's not a physical force," Oliver continued. "But rather a mental one to bridge together the emotions that have caused your PK to act out in the ways that it has… Tell me, what else comes to mind when two opposing forces collide?"
The girl blinked only once. "... An explosion."
Oliver pursed his lips, shooting her a glare. That was quite literally, the very opposite of what he'd been referring to. "Focus."
"What?"
Had they been in any other situation, he probably would've snapped at her that the answer was wholly obvious given all knowledge he'd just imparted.
Oliver sighed, "The point between euphoria and terror is focus, Mai. Focus."
Standing up, he gestured for Lin to discontinue his typing. "For mental stasis, the point between euphoria and terror is focus. That is also what will bring you back to the Mai we know." In the back of his mind, through whatever shattered bond he shared with Gene, a single thought whispered, And love.
Oliver didn't deign to speak those words.
"Leaving?" Mai asked. Threads of bored curiosity.
"With how chaotic your dreams have been described to be, Lin and myself will be here overnight to observe and record the spikes in your PK energy," Oliver explained. "It's not visible to the naked eye, but there is an observation deck sectioned off from his room on the second level. It's also where we'll be able to calculate the amount of energy you create."
"… Alright."
"You'll also need to wear these."
A small box, no bigger than his hand was passed from him to Mai. Amid the transaction, a skitter of energy transferred between them as their fingertips made contact, but the feeling was gone soon as they dropped their hands. Oliver hypothesized it was merely Mai's PK acting out.
Opening the box, Mai remained stoic. Inside were a variety of bands. PKD Bands were the official term, short for 'psychokinesis determinant' that calculated the spikes and downfalls of PK when worn. No wider than a centimeter across, they were positioned at five places on the body: wrists, ankles, and temples. They also read basic heart rate, conscious level, and blood pressure, among other measurements.
Lin explained that one aloud.
"Am I supposed to wear the large one on my head, then?" she asked. "For my temples?"
Lin smiled a bit, actually. "Think of it as a headband."
Mai made no indication that she found this amusing. Silently, she slipped it over head and onto her crown, aligning it along the space of her temples. Secondly, she applied the four other bands where instructed.
"I'm going to turn on the machines," Lin stated thereafter. "That way we'll start immediately."
Oliver only nodded, leaving him alone with Mai. She stared blankly up at him.
Lapsing into silence, Oliver did not know what to say. Conversation had never been his strong suit. Really, the only way for him to start any type of topic was… "Are you going to stare at me all day, or are you going to sleep like you've wanted to since you left the hospital?"
"I could say something similar about you." A bland response.
"We begin our other tests tomorrow," Oliver decided to say. "Along with some mental training, if possible."
"Stasis."
"Correct."
"…"
"…"
"…"
After a moment of merely staring at one another, Oliver turned on his heel, rolling his indigo orbs in annoyance. Halfway there, a twinge of Mai's normal voice broke through the deadened silence, "Thank you, you know, for everything."
It was the same expression of gratitude she'd said to his brother only two hours ago. At the door, Oliver turned back to Mai. "You're welcome." Then he was gone.
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June, Day IV
"She's been sleeping like the dead since what time, exactly?"
"2:34 pm."
"And it's what time, now?"
"4:25 am."
"Waaaa," Yasu breathed, deliberately using his Japanese accent. "And she hasn't even moved, Big Boss?"
"No."
"Well, I guess I can't really blame her," Yasu amended sadly. "She's been through a lot these last several months. She's got to be exhausted."
Oliver didn't reply, keeping his thoughts solely to himself.
Since Mai had descended into slumber, she'd slept like a rock, immobile and at peace. Somehow he knew that this was the calm before the storm. It could be another hour or a few seconds until she awoke. Her body needed to be recharged, and when she woke up… Well, who knew how that was going to transpire? From the start, her vitals and PK readings had been normal, stabilized and subdued under a shroud of deep unconsciousness. Now, her PK was slowly ascending bit by bit. It was only a matter of time until she woke up.
Around twelve am, Yasuhara and Madoka had waltzed into the observation room, mentioning that if Mai was there, they were staying. And stay, they did. Yasu had slept for about an hour before engaging him in an infrequent conversation about his father's most recent case. Madoka had managed about ten minutes before falling asleep on Lin's shoulder watching Mai's calculations on one of the monitors.
Then the steady beeping Mai's heart monitor began to accelerate.
Oliver lept to his feet. From the observation room's window, he watched as Mai tossed and turned restlessly, aggressively. Volts of electricity sparked off of her hands, and the bed itself moved, lurching a good a meter away from its original position.
"That's not a good sign, is it, Big Boss?" Yasu muttered, standing now. Oliver's silence answered him well enough.
The PK readings were going haywire. Beeps and whistles blasted off the monitor. Mai was muttering incoherently, whimpering in her sleep.
"Noll," Lin's cold voice had an edge to it. "You'll want to see this."
"Oh, poor Mai…" Madoka whispered, awake and docile beside Lin.
On practiced control, he strided towards what Lin was specifically addressing. Seeing it, Oliver Davis went still as death. Cold and hot astonishment flooded his veins, capturing the quintessence of what Oliver had never once imagined. "Madness," he whispered. "Madness."
Then Mai screamed.
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"I don't wanna be the last man standing,
I don't wanna be the lonely one,
Picking petals when the party's over,
No, it's not any fun, cause I'm fragile,
And you know this...
'Cause I'm hollow."
-Tori Kelly, Hollow
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Stasis
Author's Note:
I would like to apologize to my fellow Ghost Hunt fans, as I have some ideas for this story that go a bit beyond the science behind PK and the realism of it as seen in the Ghost Hunt series. Mai will be extremely powerful in this story, and some of it will be explained in the far away future, but for now, it'll mostly remain a mystery that Naru and Mai will grapple with throughout the entirety of the series.
Please review! They're what drive a writer, you know! Have a lovely day!
-Cassandra
