The rays of their torch lights flickered towards Zaya. "Hold it right there, Phantom Paw!" The captain barked as he pointed his gun at her.
They walked closer, Zaya didn't flinch. She'd wanted this for a while, a real face-off. Even if they were just cops, it was worth the thrill.
The closest officer shot towards Zaya, her sword made a whirring sound as she pierced through the bullet.
The others joined in, firing bullets continuously. Zaya parried the bullets furiously, her eyes darting in all directions as multiple clanks could be heard.
She leapt up towards the sky, dodging the hail of bullets as she landed on one of the black cars that surrounded the truck, giving one of the officers a kick on his head with her right leg.
She twisted sideways, giving another a kick with her left. She slid down from the car and went into hand-to-hand combat with three at once, dodging all their punches and deflecting all their moves.
Zaya roared, terrifying the rest, who immediately scampered from the scene.
The captain stood still, amused, dropping his gun and bringing out a knife.
Zaya then smirked, taken aback. "I'll give you points for trying, Captain."
Standing a few meters from where the captain stood, Zaya thought of something she'd seen Edeth do before in her dreams.
She swerved her sword with all the strength she could garner towards the captain, but nothing happened. Zaya held a long face as she declared, "Your turn, Pauline."
Pauline then came out of the truck where they'd kept her, her hands held together with cuffs. The captain dashed towards Pauline, aiming to strike her with his knife.
A few inches from the range of attack, the knife melted, the captain was stunned as he watched the melted knife vanish into the night.
"W-what are you?" He questioned startlingly.
Pauline correspondingly shifted her gaze to Zaya. "You know, it would be really cool if you'd given each of us a name.
It's not fair that you only get one. I'm the Phantom Paw, we are under cover," whisper-shouted Zaya.
"Well, I'm sorry, Zaya," Pauline emphasized. "I won't do that again. What should we do with this man?" Zaya asked, examining the captain.
Pauline then gazed back at the captain, the captain froze, she gave him a swift kick in the abdomen, which sent him flying in the air. She walked towards Zaya, breaking the hand cuffs in her hands effortlessly.
"There was something you tried there, Zaya. You tried to cut the captain without touching him," Pauline muttered.
Silence grew between them, almost turning awkward. Zaya hadn't told the others about how she's the reincarnate of Edeth. But her instinct warned her that Pauline already knew.
Zaya hadn't wanted to tell them, in order not to raise their hopes unnecessarily. The real question was why Pauline hadn't asked.
"Ready to go," Pauline said, breaking the awkward silence between them. She then opened a white, blazing portal. "You could have taken them, you know," Zaya blurted, facing Pauline. "Why'd you let me do it instead?"
"It's fun to watch you fight," Pauline responded.
Students like Zaya, who were originally in middle school before the Marine War had started, returned to the classes they formerly were in, ignoring all the time they had missed.
Soon after, the method was changed by the Phantom City's mayor, allowing students to attend classes at their exact ages.
Zaya turned around the bed frantically, deep in thought, linking up an alpha plan for all the problems she had.
A smile swept across Zaya's face, as she finally pictured some sort of plan in her head. "I'm coming for you, Viper Viking," she muttered, readily going to sleep.
There was a loud car horn coming from outside the window, Zaya's eyes opened as she stared upwards towards the ceiling, she then buckled herself up, sitting on the bed.
She walked towards the window, dragging the curtains to the right, taking a peek through it.
"Am I late?" Yelled Zaya, seeing the others were waiting for her outside.
"No, no, no, how could this be happening? I'm late for my own graduation!" Zaya hurried as she entered the bathroom, taking a bath, coming out, and also dressing up.
Pauline tapped on the doorbell, answering it was Naya. "Hey, Pauline," Naya said as she let Pauline in. "Zaya woke up a little bit late, so you'd have to wait for her a bit," she informed.
"That would not be necessary," winced Zaya as she appeared in their midst, her mouth filled with breakfast. "I am ready to go," she said, amidst chugging it down.
"Goodbye, Mum. Don't be late!" Zaya yelled as Pauline escorted her out the door.
The sun blazed in the sky, sitting at the front of a huge platform were the undergraduates of the Phantom High School. They all sat on chairs, spread across the sports field, while the school principal gave them a send-off speech.
The whole place was covered by a huge tent, shielding them from the effect of the blazing sun.
Zaya's eyes spotted an empty chair where they all sat. Her eyes darted left and right. "Where's Pauline?" Zaya asked the others.
"That's strange, she was just here ten minutes ago," said Zoey, peering at the empty seat.
Another ten minutes passed, and still Pauline hadn't arrived. "You think something's going on? She promised not to get to any realm today," June voiced.
"She's going to miss the graduation toss," Natasha said, staring at her phone. "I'll go check," suggested Ashara as she stood.
A mist suddenly appeared from nowhere, covering the whole area, everyone was startled and began murmuring.
Pauline appeared in their midst, her eyes glowing, she fell on her knees at Zaya's front.
"Pauline, are you alright?" Zaya asked, joining her on the ground.
"No," replied Pauline sadly. "The Jade Realm has fallen. I couldn't save it."