The jump rope match turned into a contest. The person with the most jumps one a card, and in no time at all, Eiko had outshone all the other kids who groaned in disappointment. Showing all the maturity of her whole nine years of life, Eiko started jumping up and down gloating over winning.

Yet just as she reached to claim her prize, it and all the others were gone. The landscape remained, but the inhabitants did not. Disappointment this time tasted far more bitter than before, and she plunked herself down on the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. Silent and empty again. It wasn't fair. And it scared her too. It reminded her too much of that year after Grandpa's death when she was the last living summoner in a desolate village, being consumed with loneliness.

This was beyond cruel. She was ready for more memories. Knowing what this place would do mitigated her sadness over her first memory. But this? This was the one thing she wanted more than anything else. To have it wrenched away from her was unspeakable.

And this time, she really did start crying.