-The Hub, 10:15pm-

Below the main floor of the Hub was the Sub-Deck, an area designated for storage and containing dangerous elements for extensive study. If these elements proved to be too extraordinarily dangerous, enough to risk destroying the Hub, they could be launched either in space or the ocean's depths. In one of the rooms, the three feathers were secured in a mana-infused glass cylinder, connected to mana-tech cables. These were linked to a mana-tech system designed to monitor unstable mana levels, and in case the levels reached a critical point, they would be automatically dumped. Luka and Reinstar stood before the feathers.

The bird doctor sighed, shaking her head. "The mana is stable, nothing to be concerned about at the moment." She turned around to see a circular camera-like device aimed at the feathers. "I've contacted the science division back at Guardian HQ and informed them. Since they can't make frequent trips, I've set a livestream to transmit everything. Two staff members, along with the system will monitor any changes during each shift. Once a week, I will deliver the collected data to them."

Reinstar nodded. "Great, what are they thinking about the tale?"

"From what I told them, they believe there are three possible outcomes. One, the feathers will become an egg, eventually giving birth to a hatchling. Two, they could configure into a fully grown bird. And three… the unknown."

"Really? Unknown?" groaned the purple-haired shinobi. "Why offer a third scenario?"

"Because the unknown is what we should be wary of." the bird woman physician crossed her arms. "In theory, it could give birth to something else unrelated to the tale, or even the avian species. We need to be cautious and hope we can neutralize it."

"Agreed." nodded the shinobi. "And what about Tina?"

"I scheduled weekly check ups. So far, she hasn't displayed any abnormalities and her wanting to see them is not too concerning. She hasn't displayed manic greed for them."

"Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"There is no evidence." Luka snorted. "But if the tale is true, then the connection may be passed down through the line of succession, either through her mana signature or genetic code."

"So bloodline or mana link. If that's the case, shouldn't Jake and Keiko be monitored?"

"If believing the story is factored, then neither of them. Jake is a male and Keiko is older with children, therefore she is not qualified. Remember maidens need to be young and highly fertile."

"... She's about to be fourteen… do you think of that scenario?"

"I doubt it, but won't rule it out. We will protect her." growled Luka. "Don't tell the Fire Radiant, I'm sure he'll come down and try to erase it."

The shinobi exhaled softly. "He would, the youngling loves his family. The rest may join his crusade."

"Trying to destroy it might increase the process further if it thinks it is threatened." She glanced at the tube. "That's a theory we're considering, though. Please, don't tell the Radiant until we absolutely know what this is."

"Understood." Reinstar mumbled as she crossed her arms. She sighed, reflecting on how things came to this. She did not learn about the feather until the conflict with the Piper and the younglings kept a secret for a month. She did not confiscate it after the conflict, reasoning that it was not causing harm. The girl must've known Sword Unit would have a problem with the artifact since she never visited them with it, the slightest trace of mana would give cause to suspicion If Pilot had known he would have confiscated it immediately, without question or concern for their feelings.

"Was it too laxed?" she mumbled

"You made an error in judgment, we all do."

"Yeah, but it could've caused a major crisis. Still, because it protected the girl, I left it alone."

"Reinstar." Luka said firmly, her gaze steady. "Learn from it. You've been a member of Guardian for eight years. You wouldn't be a member of this unit if they didn't think you were qualified."

"I know." She sighed. "I won't let it happen again. I'll see what Pilot will say to me… he might remove me from the team."

"He won't. I'm sure he'll find a way to discipline you before taking it that far."

Reinstar faltered. "Discipline, yay. Can't wait."

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–Next Day, Tuesday, Oct 11, The Hub, The Workshop, 5:30pm–

The Workshop was a space primarily for crafting and repairs, whether to mend clothes or create new gear with the limited resources available. It was equipped with various tools, including a crafting table and a mana-powered forge. Amy sat at the crafting table, staring at three separate files of fabric pieces. She he started picking up a red piece of fabric, running her finger over the texture, her smile widened when she started to stretch it. The cheerful girl perked up at hearing the door opening. She turned to the entrance, smiling as she saw Tanya and Blair approaching her.

"Your text was filled with emojis." remarked the ice girl with a smirk. "Has something enraptured you?"

"First, I need your measurements! I know Christina's, and I'll ask the others later."

Blair blushed slightly. "I… can write them down. It's embarrassing to say out loud."

"There is no one here besides us." Tanya teased.

The shadow girl pressed her fingers together, acting bashful. "Still… why?"

"I didn't call you all here just for your measurement. I need help with designing."

"Designing?" the ice warrior glanced at the fabrics. "Is it related to them?"

"You bet!" The light girl handed them a piece of fabrics from one of the piles. "Stretch them."

Blair was intrigued by the elasticity of the fabric. "Oh?"

"Now add some mana to them."

The girls did so and were astonished how wide they were able to stretch them by about fifteen centimeters. Blair giddily stretched them while Tanya looked intrigued

"What do you have in mind?"

The light warrior picked another piece of fabric from the second pile. "This pile is different from that piece of fabric. I requested enough for nine people to turn into clothing sets."

"So that's why?" Tanya crossed her arms. "Why is this fabric unique?"

"The fabric's purpose is to use mana to fix patches on clothes. Just slap it on the tear, use mana and it will fuse with it and repair it. However there is another use. You can craft a new clothing set, and with your mana, fuse it with another set of clothes. The two sets don't need to be made from the same material; just different outfits. The best part is, instead of physically changing clothes, you can switch between them using mana. Unfortunately, you can't add another set to the clothing after that, it will reject the process

"So…this fabric can h-help us switch between uniforms?" The shadow warrior perked up, excitement in her tone. "That's brilliant."

"If we craft a new set of uniforms for us, we must commit to the changes." Tanya smiled. "But why us specifically?"

"I have seen your wardrobe, Tanya. I could use your expertise."

"No, no." Tanya wagged her finger. "Your taste always brings out your image."

"I guess our taste in clothes brings out ourselves. And Blair, you're great at drawing. Whatever ideas we have I want it drawn on paper or digital, whatever works super for you!"

The shadow warrior nodded. "I'm f-flattered, but shouldn't we ask the others for their input."

"We will, but we're definitely scratching capes off the list, though I'm sure Ryu might ask for one."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Tanya nodded, then eyed the next pile. "What about the other pile?"

"That's the fabric I told you about yesterday. It will store your mana and generate heat." Amy pressed it against her and infused it with mana before handing it to Tanya.

"Oh." The ice girl's eyes raised slightly as she felt the warmth. She pressed it against Blair's cheek. "Feel that?"

"Oh, it's warm!" the shadow girl cooed. "Are you including this part of the uniform?"

"Unfortunately." sighed the light warrior. "I have been told that combining it with other fabrics could cancel the effects or explode."

Blair perked up and glanced at the different fabrics. "Maybe you should spread them further from each other."

"It's only a problem if you apply mana to them. I haven't even mentioned the one fabric that absorbs sunlight like a solar battery and makes people invisible depending on how long you charge it." She glances at the fabric. "One hour in the sun will give you fifteen minutes of invisibility?"

"That doesn't seem practical if you're trying to hide for long?" Tanya raised an eyebrow.

"P-perhaps use it sparingly when evading hostiles." Blair pondered.

"I'm not dwelling on that for now." Amy waved the thought aside. "What we need is to look less like martial arts and more like travelers. I like the gi, but these fabrics gives us a chance to express ourselves more"

"You have a point." nodded the ice girl. "We could add a little more accent, maybe along the shoulders."

"I wonder what accent would blend with black?" wondered the shadow girl.

Their attention shifted when the door opened, revealing Javo, who merrily walked in with three bowls filled with red-colored pastry spheres..

"Younglings!" He greeted. "I was told you'd be here, Amy, but I saw Tanya and Blair enter earlier, so I had to get you bowls too.

"Javo!" cheered the light girl. "You're back! What did you bring?"

"I bought everyone treats after I escorted the princess back to Chiara." He said, then sighed. "No loyalists of Brakt tried their hand."

"That's good… r-right?" the shadow warrior sounding unsure by his disappointed demeanor.

"It's good they didn't try, but I still wish to know who is in league with him. One: To test my mettle. Two: To gather more information. None of those options transpired."

"I'm sure when Brakt reveals himself, you will be rewarded with a good brawl." smiled Tanya.

"Absolutely!" He bellowed, and placed the tray on the table. "These are Arborbery Bliss Bites."

"Arborberry?" Tanya hummed. "What's that?"

"A fruit native to Galvania, found in humid climates. I brought a bunch of fruits to the Hub you can try, but first try these."

The girls nodded and each took a small bite of the pastry, unsure if it would be too sweet or they'd not like the taste. But as they chewed, a rush of flavor washed over them as their auras flared with a gentle glow of excitement.

"Wonderfully brilliant!" Blair cooed. "This is one of the best pastries I have eaten! Do you have more!" She shouted as she started eating them.

"I need the recipe, no I need to try an arborberry before thinking of making these." Tanya added with a grin.

"Why didn't you give us these sooner?" asked Amy, her eyes wide with delight.

"These are made specifically to interact with your mana and give everyone a temporary boost that will enhance the flavor." Javo chuckled. "I asked the others before buying them and I received approval. Your mana has been refined since the crystals chose you."

The shadow warrior blinked. "Then… they require us to be more adept in mana?"

"They are crafted to make you feel like your worries are melting away. Look at how your mana is flowing."

The girls exchanged glances, noticing the way their auras were gently wisping around them, soft and soothing. They giggled, feeling their effects.

"I do feel my anxiety dwindling." the shadow warrior smiled wieldy. "It's very delicious and refreshing."

"When I gave them to Ryu, he thought his clothes would suddenly rip off after taking the first bite. Do you understand what he is talking about?"

"A reference." blushed Blair. "To an anime."

"Seen it, superb culinary ideas, the rest is nothing worth mentioning." the ice warrior ate another pastry. "Mmm, I love it."

"Does all food influence mana?" asked the light warrior.

"Not all food." Explain the muscular man. "More than half of the fruits, vegetables, and grains don't influence your mana. Arborberries replenish a small fraction of your mana. Turning it into a dish has varying results. Either nothing happens, or you experience what you have. If you eat the pastries without your current mana affinity, they can cause side effects like vertigo or hallucinations."

"Ee!" Amy squeaked. "That's awful. I'm glad we can eat them. We need to tell Tina not to eat them."

"Eating the fruit by itself won't cause harm, it depends on the type of dish you make." Javo reassured her. "You now have access to files and books about different recipes and their effects. Jin hid them after Lina started experimenting with her Ivy Seeds."

The shadow warrior felt like she was slapped in the face with the revelation. "T-that explains how she created them." She sighed. "Polka dot hair."

Javo chuckled. "Heard of it." He glanced at the fabrics on the table. "Ah, what do you plan on creating?"

"We got some ideas. Cloaks and new clothing."

The man grinned. "I see!" He pointed to the vest. "Using my mana…" His green vest shifted to a gray tunic. "I can change from a torn fabric to a clean one. It's about using your mana to 'ask' it to change, that's all." He turned to leave. "Just an example of what can happen… and the crystals might react to that particular fabric."

"Really?" Amy pressed a hand against her chest. "Will they reject them?"

"No, otherwise, Guardian wouldn't support your project." He waved to them as he exited the room. "Don't go overboard. Pick something that you want to keep around. Once you attach them to the gi, that's it."

After they watched him leave, they exchanged looks and nodded.

"Well." Amy smirked. "Let's get planning."

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—Training Room–

The room had transformed into a desert landscape with rocky pillars scattered for miles. In the area, a large leopard beast stalked toward Blaze and Aero. They stood apart with their hands extended toward each other, wind and fire mana were swirling between them. Both concentrated, their eyes glowing with their respective color. The beast growled and lunged at them, forcing them to stop. Suddenly, a water bullet struck the beast, knocking it back. Aqua stepped forward, her hand outstretched.

"Is this the combination attack you mentioned?" She glanced at them. "I understand why you're trying it, but shouldn't you wait until it's more developed before fighting that thing? Have you tried different adroit combinations to see which has the better result?"

"It's called the Unison Spark." The wind warrior shrugged. "Sure, we could bust it with a Blazing Fist and Tempest Fist, but if we sync the rhythm between us, the power boost will be huge. Unfortunately, it's taking time to manifest" He turned to Blaze. "We just started, so maybe we need to reel back on the adding more pressure until we have what we need."

"Yeah..." The fire warrior grunted. "I thought a mock battle could help us develop it faster. If this approach doesn't work we'll try something different. I want to remove the difficulties before we can summon the power during a real fight." He sighed, fire erupted into his hands as a red aura manifested around him. "We have to. Brakt is looming upon us, Valcron's manuscripts are still seeking unsuspecting people, then there's whatever is keeping Zeena and the other two Radiant occupied, and now those damn feathers!" He slammed his foot in frustration. "We need to be ready! Time is moving!"

The others flinched at his outburst. Initially, they hadn't realized he was this frustrated about everything, but adding the feathers to the increasing list of dangers placed more of a burden on him. They were reminded of his demeanor when the young girl was kidnapped by the Masked Piper and the aftermath. The girl was depressed for a few weeks because an image of her father resurfaced old wounds.

"How is lil sis?" asked the wind warrior. "Is it similar to after the Piper mess?

"No, so far she's okay, just upset she lost an important gift from grandpa." He sighed. "But there is this feeling that something terrible will happen if I don't have the skills to face unknown dangers. I don't want anything bad to happen to her."

"None of us do." the water warrior gently said. "We all feel the same as you do, but I believe you need to not force all the pressure on yourself. She is family to you, but she is also important to us."

"We'll smack down all the punks who try to harm her." nodded the wind warrior. "We'll work on the Unison Spark, but I will drop the training if you start acting like an unhinged basket case. I don't need another fool bossing me around."

"Yeah." Blaze exhaled roughly. "Sorry if I'm becoming too emotional, but it feels like everything's piling up. I was fine until yesterday." He paused. "I've been sensing for any changes in her mana, but so far, Nothing."

"Jake." The water warrior spoke firmly. "Don't put all the burden on yourself. She's fine for now, and we'll all be there if something does change."

"Same," added Aero. "You have your squad with you to share your grief." He glanced at the approaching holo monster. "You want to throw your grief on that beast?"

Blaze turned to see the monster. "Yeah. One more round. Aqua, can you distract it?

"Don't take too long. I have been refining my adroits working on new ones." She raised her arms, aiming her fingers as if they were pistols. "I can get some practice before you finish it off."

The monster roared before charging. It furiously swiped at her with its claws, but she dodged them with swift movements. The warrior leaped in the air just as it was about to bite her. With the flick of her finger, she unleashed a small blast of blue mana

Cyan Shot

Her non-elemental adroit struck the beast, causing it to snarl. She followed up with an Aqua Gun, then another Cyan Shot before gracefully landing on the ground. The beast hissed as it spun around to meet her glare, launching an energy shot in retaliation. She dodged and countered with a Cyan Shot.

Meanwhile, Blaze and Aero focused on combining fire and wind mana, manifesting carefully and quickly as possible. They remembered their past training on manifesting the hard light barrier construct and tried to incorporate those lessons into their training. The duo managed to form and condense the adroit the size of a small melon, it looked ready to burst at any moment..

"Well?" grunted Aero.

"Close," Blaze glared at the monster. "Aqua, kick it to us!"

The blue-clothed warrior jumped up and spin kicked the creature to the duo. As it landed, the two warriors reeled back their arms, aiming carefully at the beast before launching their combined adroit at the beast. The fused adroit struck it head-on and exploded in a fiery burst, sending the creature onto its back. It glitched momentarily, but didn't disappear.

The gray-clothed warrior snorted. "Huh, it wasn't strong enough to put it down."

The red-clothed warrior nodded. "But we're getting somewhere. You want to try again."

"One more time." Aero smirked. "Let's try to make it a little bigger."

"You can also condense it." Aqua approached them.

Blaze nodded. "That too."

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–Living Quarters 6:30pm–

Reinstar sat across from Javo at the table, noticing the annoyed look on his face. "What's wrong? I thought those Arborberry Bites would've put you in a good mood?"

"Not really." Javo sighed. "I could've returned this earlier, but I had to meet a contact and run it by HQ."

Reinstar narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"

"A phantom from my past is still alive." growled the man. "They spotted him leaving Silverberg a week ago."

The shinobi grimaced. "You made sure you killed him."

"It was more of a punch that caused a cave in." He growled. "You know Silverburg is also a target of Brakt."

"You think he joined Brakt?"

"I Hope not, but if he has, I will involve myself in the campaign. If there is even a hint of him, I will be there with the Radiant." Javo's eyes displayed determination and fury.