After Mio's appearance in Japan, the series of spacequakes suddenly came to a halt. Isaac's DEM was almost finished with their device, but he still had no actual use for it. When he learned the spacequakes stopped, he was disappointed. He thought to himself that this meant one of two things. First, the Spirit was gone. She left Earth and would be lost to him forever. Second, she's still out there somewhere, but for some reason stopping her streak of destruction.

One day when he was pondering in his office, Ellen came to visit him. It was raining outside as it often does where Isaac lived.

"Isaac, the device is almost complete. I'm making sure the humans meet the deadline you set."

Isaac kept staring out of the window. He could see the city from up where he was, but there wasn't much to see besides rain and buildings.

"What good is a device that can't be used?" said Isaac.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Ellen. She was confused, as she thought he would be satisfied.

"The spacequakes have suddenly stopped. If the Spirit was causing them, then this could mean she's gone. For good."

"Hah! Where would it go? Dive straight into the Sun?"

"A being with so much power... Who knows where it can go or what it can do? The point is, we're only taking steps backwards in our efforts to find it."

"What if it's still here, and it just ran out of power or something?"

"I would hope that's the case," said Isaac. He then turned to face Ellen.

"But tell me, how do we find something that moves so fast?" asked Isaac. Ellen smirked.

"If it had to stop for one reason or another, then I'd wager its somewhere in Japan. After all, if it's causing the spacequakes..."

"... Then it would be in the vicinity of the last spacequake it caused. Smart thinking. When we summoned it, it didn't seem in control of what it did. That increases the likelihood of it not leaving the area."

"Yes, I agree, Isaac. But how do we identify the Spirit if we find it? It looked like a human."

"The device can detect high concentrations of mana, right? If we can modify it to function as an analyser of an area, we would eventually find the Spirit as well."

"I'll tell the department to do that. I can feel it, Isaac. The mouse is closing in on the trap," said Ellen while smirking again. Isaac smirked too, although more faintly.

"Yes, yes, it is. The Spirit will be ours."

***

While Isaac and Ellen were basking in their own glory, the same couldn't be said for Elliot and Karen. They were both living a simple routine day-to-day life as employees of Isaac's DEM. Even though Isaac didn't tell them what he was exactly planning, they both knew he intended to find the Spirit and harness its power at any cost.

Elliot wasn't sure which side to stand on, feeling remorse for both Isaac and the Spirit. When he first saw the Spirit, he knew he couldn't ever hurt her, but Isaac was still his old friend. Deep inside he cared for the Spirit, even though he didn't know her at her. He felt conflicted, refusing to face his feelings and emotions. This stopped him from taking any action to change his situation.

Karen was conflicted too, but about her sister and Elliot. It was no secret she and her sister never got along well, especially when it came to how they resolved their problems. Elliot was always there for her however, and she always held him in high regards. First, she considered him her best friend, but then those feelings changed. From feelings concerning a simple friendship to something more. Just like Elliot cared for the Spirit, she cared for him. She wasn't as hostile to her own feelings, but she didn't act on them.

For a long time, she simply followed Elliot so she could be with him, so he wouldn't leave her. She pondered if confessing her feelings to Elliot was something she should do, but the opportunity never seemed right. It didn't help that Elliot himself wasn't reciprocating any of her efforts to open this path that led beyond friendship.

***

After Ellen left Isaac's office, he continued staring out of the window as raindrops continued falling. He thought about the world, and how easy it was for nature to force everyone into hiding. Even simple rain left the streets without a man to be seen, ironically showing that even with all the progress humanity made, it was still as frail as its weakest link.

"That Spirit is not a force of nature. We summoned it. It doesn't belong to this world, but we do. The magi have existed before humanity was given birth. This world belongs to us. It did belong to us, but they took it from us," said Isaac in monologue, as if to reassure himself.

The door to his office then opened. It was one of his employees.

"Sir Westcott. The prime minister has just arrived. He is waiting for you in the lobby."

"Let them know I'll be there in five minutes."

"Sir. It will be done."

The employee then left. Isaac straightened his tie and was about go down.

"They want to hear what they like to hear. Even the head of state will beg if he must... Fools. But the more allies we have, the better. Humans really will cause their own downfall," said Isaac to himself before leaving his office to meet with the PM of Britain.

Isaac was a born leader, lacking fear and working hard to achieve his goals. However, now he had a new goal. He had to get the favour of Japan itself to make the search for the Spirit easier. What better way to make a country work with you than if you pretend to care and want to solve its own problems?

***

Shinji, Mana and Mio got on the first train they'd need to take to reach the area surrounding the crater left by the spacequake. Mio didn't know how to act and what to do, but she quickly learned. Their journey had begun. On the train, Mio excitedly looked out of the window the whole time to see what they passed. Since they travelled by train, she saw a lot of things, both new and familiar.

"We're going so fast... This world is much bigger than I thought it was," said Mio.

"It is indeed. But one can never visit all of it in their lifetime, so folk often say how small the world is that they meet the same people," said Shinji.

"We've rarely ever left our city, and barely visited new places. That's how big our world is," added Mana. Mio was surprised.

"So you decline the opportunity to explore the world? If people can go anywhere, they'd ever want to go, why do they limit themselves?"

"We're bound by what we care about. We can't just up and leave our only home, our parents, and each other. Besides, I don't feel the need to explore the world. What would I gain from it? A feeling of accomplishment? I doubt that's worth the hassle," explained Mana. Shinji nodded.

"It's nice to travel occasionally, but home is where I feel truly safe and happy at. Knowing I have the freedom to go anywhere yet coming back home every time to my family is something I wouldn't give up even if I could visit a thousand worlds."

Mana was struggling to understand as she never experienced what they have, but their expressions helped her comprehend. She too didn't want to go back outside to the harsh world Shinji saved her from, only discovering its beauty thanks to his guide and patience.

The train ride was long, and Shinji eventually fell asleep. As he did, his head leaned over and fell on Mio's shoulders. She was surprised and didn't know what to do, but Mana smiled.

"What a sleepyhead. Are you going to let him sleep for now or wake him up?"

"I suppose there's no harm in letting him sleep."

"Even like that? Well, you two do look kind of adorable like that," teasingly said Mana. Mio was still confused, but a bit flustered as well.

"What do you mean? He just fell asleep like this..."

"I'm just joking. My brother's a heavy sleeper sometimes."

Mio then went back to looking out of the window, this time with a sleeping Shinji on her shoulders. She became flustered a few times during this period, but she didn't understand any of her feelings. After all, it was the first time she felt this way. The only other time she felt a similar way was when Shinji rescued her and when he took her outside for the first time.

An announcement could be heard soon enough throughout the train, announcing the train has reached its destination. The three had to get off, but Shinji was still fast asleep. Mio was again unsure what to do.

"Um, Mana, how do I wake Shinji up?" asked Mio.

"Shake him a bit. That usually works."

"Okay..."

Mio grabbed Shinji's shoulder and shook him lightly. Thankfully, he woke up and yawned.

"Eh? What's happening..."

"The train stopped, Shinji. We must get off."

"Give me a second..."

Shinji bawled his eyes before opening them. Upon seeing for himself that the train has indeed stopped, he hurried to get off alongside Mana and Mio. The train departed after they got off, leaving them on the train station. One of the camps were nearby, so they started walking towards it. Their surroundings were increasingly more hectic and deformed the closer they got to the camp. People like them hurried to reach it, and nearly all the buildings had shattered windows. Mio wasn't taking it too well.

"The closer we come, the more this sight reminds me of when I was in the streets covered by rain. So dark and without colour, hopeless..."

Shinji and Mana were surprised.

"I thought you were unconscious when Shinji found you?" asked Mana. Mio realised what she said.

"I-I was. But this sharp image keeps being burned into my mind, as if I weren't. But I don't remember Shinji finding me, only when I woke up later."

"Don't think about it. That's just your mind painting its own idea of what happened based on what you know from us," said Shinji.

"I hope so... But it's certainly an unpleasant feeling."

"I imagine it's like a nightmare. A few images from those are still haunting me to this day, some worse than others," said Mana.

"I have faith we'll find our parents, and you'll never have to go through something like that again, Mio. We're all going to get out of this," said Shinji confidently. His words resonated with both Mio and Mana, and they picked up their pace.

Eventually, they reached the camp, or otherwise known as a survivor's camp. It was meant for mainly the survivors of the spacequake since the hospitals were overfilled. There were a lot of people going around, making it hard for the three to find someone who could tell them whether their parents were here. The sights were not pleasant, ranging from people with scratches to people in critical conditions. Once again, Mio was not taking it well, clutching her head as vivid images filled her mind. Shinji grabbed her by both her shoulders and looked directly at her.

"Mio! What's happening?" asked Shinji with worry.

"My head hurts... I can't bear to see all these people suffer like me. Some are suffering way more than I did..."

Shinji tried to calm her. He made her look him in the eyes.

"Look at me, Mio. It's all right. These people are getting help too, like you. The people here are doing everything to save them, but we must find our parents. Burdening ourselves won't help them."

"But not everyone will get out of this like I did, right?" said Mio with a melancholic look. Shinji knew he'd be lying if he said they would.

"Life isn't exactly kind. I'm sure you can attest to that. But that's what's special about us humans, we help each other when we don't have to. Still, we can only do so much ourselves, but damn if we don't try our best," said Shinji with a faint smile.

Mio seemed to grasp what he said, and somewhat calmed down. Mana came up to them.

"Guys, any luck in figuring out anything? It's near impossible to get a hold of someone here."

Mio composed herself and pointed in a direction.

"There. They'll be able to tell us."

"Really? Then let's go!" said Mana, running off. Mana followed behind her, but Shinji was confused.

"Wait, Mio! What do you mean-" he started following them.

"How does she know for sure? We didn't learn anything together..." said Shinji to himself.

Eventually they reached a reception, where it indeed seemed like they'd have time for them.

"Excuse me! Can you tell me if there are two Takamiya's in this camp? We're looking for our parents."

"Takamiya? Hold on a sec, I'll look into it for you."

Mana was brimming with anticipation, and Shinji too, he just didn't show it so clearly.

"There are no Takamiya's in this camp I'm afraid, but there are two matching your description in another camp north-east. Here's their location."

The receptionist gave Mana a card and asked them to free the space for the next person. However, the three were already filled with joy.

"They're alive, Shinji! Our parents are alive!"

"I can't believe it... Lucky fellas, hah."

Mio was standing beside them.

"That's great news. I'm happy for you two..." said Mio, seeming both happy and sad concurrently. Perhaps she felt a little excluded in the moment. It seemed like this wouldn't remain the case, as Mana ran up to Mio and hugged her again. Each time, it seemed like she did it with less hesitation.

"Thank you so much, Mio. We couldn't have done this without you."

Mio was surprised to hear Mana utter those words.

"Really...?" she said. Shinji smiled at her.

"This place is so big, you bet she's right."

Mio smiled and hugged Mana too.

Now knowing their true destination, the three departed to the camp east to the crater left behind by the spacequake. Their, they were told they'd find Shinji's and Mana's parents. They didn't let out a relieving breath though, as the possibility their parents were somehow injured was near guaranteed. Knowing they were alive was enough for them to regain their lost hope though, and so they marched on, not knowing someone was after them. They hadn't yet found the tracks, but it was only a matter time, since the amount of them was only increasing as time went on.

***

End of chapter.