The target bounced around the room in an unrecognizable pattern. In a split second, they were punctured with five holes, straight through the middle. Smoke sizzled from each perforation.

"Congratulations for completing advanced mode, Lara Skyborn." The neon words floated in front of the dismantled target. "Your result is: 98.5% accuracy."

Lara put down the pistol and let out a sigh. She needed even more practice; this result was slightly better than last week's, but it was still far, far away from Arianna's record of 99.9%. But for now, a well-deserved break. She wiped her sweat from her forehead and stretched her throbbing arms. Then, she made her way towards the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was spacious and bustling with trainees and Operatives. They were gathered among their own cliques, eating and chatting away. Round, fluorescent lights illuminated the place, reflecting off the white floorings and glossy tables. Lara noticed a few of her friends and waved amicably at them, before positioning herself under a dispenser.

"One soda, please," she called out. A bottle of soda fell out of a halo-like opening on the ceiling, and onto her outstretched hand. With a quick twist of the cap, she began to chug the drink.

"You know you don't have to be so polite when you're ordering from the bots, right?" A familiar voice chuckled behind her.

Lara was so excited she almost choked on some of the soda that had not yet made its way down her throat. "A- Arianna!" she spluttered, quickly spinning around and wiping her mouth. "You're back! How are you feeling?"

The middle-aged redhead laughed. "I'm recovered, mostly," Arianna said while she patted Lara's brown, silky hair that was carelessly pulled into a ponytail. "How have you been, Lara?"

"Pretty good! I've been training really hard," Lara said with a grin. It had been almost a month since she last saw her older friend. She was used to it though; the Operatives always needed time off to rest after using their Gifts, although Arianna had been taking unusually long breaks recently. "I just got a 98.5% accuracy in advanced mode, too! Soon, I'll surpass you, and I'll finally get myself a Gift."

"Looking forward to it." Arianna beamed; her gentle, ocean blue eyes squinted into the shape of a crescent moon. "And you'll get your Gift soon, I'm sure of it."

"You think so?" Lara's heart soared. Hearing this from one of the most powerful Operatives on Earth gave her confidence a much needed boost. "Oh, I really hope I get a Gift as cool as yours, Arianna. Or maybe something like superstrength, or even laser eyes. Well, I'll be happy with whatever, as long as it's nothing like that guy's..."

Arianna raised her eyebrows knowingly as she tried to hide a smile. "Speaking of which, that guy just got back from his mission a few days ago. I saw him at the sick bay."

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Lara scowled. He was back so soon already? She had been really enjoying the few weeks of peace and quiet during his absence. "Argh, let me guess, he failed the mission."

"No. He succeeded," Arianna said nonchalantly. "The realm of Paradys is terminated."

Lara blinked. "What? He actually... succeeded...?" she stammered. She felt as though someone had just slapped her in the face. Paradys was one of the most notorious Turned Realms; it was a realm so powerful that not even Arianna —the Master of the Winds, the Summoner of Hurricanes, the Weather Controller— could defeat. "How did that guy, that- that weakling, coward... How on Earth did he succeed... in Paradys... when even you couldn't..."

A sudden commotion at the entrance of the cafeteria jolted Lara out of her dazed ramblings.

"Aye, welcome back Ryan!" "Yo, congrats dude!" "Ryan, looking good!"

Lara turned around, trying her very best not to roll her eyes. And there he was, Ryan Carland, sashaying into the cafeteria with his signature smug look and annoying confidence. As people crowded around him, he greeted each of them with either a casual hand slap or waving finger guns.

The moment he noticed Lara, his grin widened and he made a beeline for her.

"Ah, there you are, baby Lara, I've been looking for you," he said with his usual aggravating smirk that made Lara's hands itch to punch him.

Lara glared at the man with the intensity of a thousand flying daggers. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"How can I stop when you are a baby?" Ryan teased Lara one more time before turning to Arianna and giving her a curt nod. "Arianna."

"Ryan." Arianna returned the gesture. "Congratulations on the mission, by the way, it's very impressive. How did you do it? Paradys had a phenomenal team of battlers."

Ryan put a hand in his pocket and ruffled his curly, brown hair with his other hand. "My Gift makes it easy to get past them." He shrugged.

"Why did they not just kill you before you're able to teleport back out?" Lara grumbled. That was a question she had every time Ryan was sent for a mission and managed to come back alive —his combat skills and physical strength were next to nothing, and his Gift of teleportation was so weak that he could only use it once before he needed days of rest and recovery.

"Easy," Ryan replied while wiggling his eyebrows. "I just scour the realm for someone like you to help me."

"What? What do you mean someone like me?"

"Naive, stupid, easily duped by a handsome man like me."

Lara could feel her face turning hot. "I am not stupid," she snapped, "and you are the ugliest man on Earth!"

Ryan chortled. "Whatever you say, little baby Lara."

"Stop calling me that!"

"I will once you get your Gift." He gasped dramatically. "Oh wait, you'll never get one. You're too dumb to be an Operative."

Lara lifted her clenched fist, ready to lunge at Ryan, when Arianna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just ignore him, Lara," Arianna soothed. "You know he's just messing with you."

Arianna was right; all her life, Ryan had done nothing but teased her incessantly. It was as if he made it his life goal to make her as sad as possible, and doubt herself as much as possible. But it still didn't make his taunts any more bearable over the years.

She crushed up her empty bottle of soda. She could feel thousands of amused eyes fixated on her from all over the cafeteria, and her face flushed a brighter red. "Argh, seriously, how did someone like you get a Gift?" she spat before storming out of the cafeteria.

As she stalked back to the training room, she could still hear Ryan's mocking laughter echoing along the curved hallway. Whatever, she was going to take her anger out by shooting the hell out of the targets! After slamming the door open, however, she stopped dead in her tracks.

The First Lady was waiting inside the training room.