Lara peeked her head into the sick bay. The modest room was cramped with a dozen beds separated by thin, light blue curtains. They were mainly occupied by Operatives, as well as some unlucky trainees. A few nurses were standing around with their clipboards, jotting down vital signs and whatnots.

As Lara scanned the room, she recognized a few Operatives, but Ryan was nowhere to be found.

Did he get discharged already? When Lara brought him here yesterday, all his fingers were blistered and bloody, and he was burning up so badly from exhaustion. It was already a miracle that he managed to pass the intermediate mode and made it out of the training room alive —how was he able to recover so fast?

Suddenly, Lara noticed a familiar figure at the far end of the packed room. "Arianna?" she asked incredulously. "Are you okay?"

The middle-aged redhead was equally taken aback. "Lara," Arianna said with a weak smile. She was sitting up on a bed, leaning against the pillow as if she had all her energy drained from her. "I'm okay, just doing a quick check-up. What are you doing here?"

Lara scratched her head. "I am, erm, trying to, well, check up on that jerk..."

"You mean Ryan?" Arianna chuckled. "I saw him. He left in the morning when I arrived. I don't think he was supposed to, though, but he mentioned something about needing a drink."

"Oh, of course." Lara rolled her eyes dramatically. "I bet he's going to the bars outside again."

"Does he do that often?"

"Yeah, he does." Lara snorted. "And he always laughs at me and calls me a baby when I ask him what's the appeal of bars. Seriously, what is the appeal of them? It's just alcohol and loud music. Whatever, he'd better come back before curfew, or his annoying butt is going to be punished again."

Then, Lara remembered something. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you!" she exclaimed, a wide grin appearing on her face. "It's my birthday today, and guess what? Madam is going to give me a Gift later!"

Arianna stared at Lara. "She is?" she mumbled. Her sky blue eyes looked as though a storm cloud had invaded them.

"Yeah!" Lara continued, unaware of Arianna's peculiar expression. "You were totally right, Arianna! Right after you told me I'll get a Gift, Madam came to tell me that I am getting it! Isn't it great-"

Lara stopped mid-sentence when Arianna lunged out of the bed and grabbed her hands harshly.

"A- Arianna?" she stammered. Her older friend was holding onto her like a desperate koala hanging onto a tree in the middle of a burning forest —her grip was shaky but firm, and her eyes were frantic with despair.

"Don't do it, Lara!" Arianna yelled. "Getting a Gift and becoming an Operative is the worst decision I have ever made in my life! Please, Lara, you have no idea what I've done, especially to you and R-"

Suddenly, she stopped. Her entire body slumped. "M- Madam," she whispered.

Hearing that, Lara spun around. Indeed, the First Lady was standing behind her, with her usual elegant gown and beautiful tiara. Under the white fluorescent lights of the sick bay, her platinum blonde hair glistened and shimmered, as if she had a halo around her head.

"Arianna." Elena gave the Operative a warm smile. "You've been visiting the sick bay so much, I'm starting to get worried."

Arianna hung her head. Her already pale face became even paler, somehow. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Madam..."

"Take care, alright? You're precious to me," Elena said as she smoothed Arianna's long, auburn hair. Then, she turned to the brunette who was still standing by the bed, frozen with shock. "Come with me, Lara. Let Arianna rest."

"Y- Yes, Madam," Lara muttered. She shot her friend a worried glance, before hesitantly following the First Lady out of the sick bay.

They trotted down the white corridor that encapsulated the entire building. It was bright, spacious, and lined with curved arcs and open windows. At the end of the corridor stood a wooden door that was lavishly decorated with gold and gemstones. Two Operatives stood guard on each end of the giant door. As Elena and Lara approached, they laboriously pushed the door open for them to enter.

It was the First Lady's office. A huge chandelier hung in the middle of a cavernous room. The sparkle from the glass drops illuminated the luxurious furniture and gold ornaments. Despite Lara having visited the room countless times, the opulent, Victorian-style decorations still hit her with fascination; it was such a stark contrast to the usual, plain facade of the rest of the building.

Elena settled comfortably on an arm chair and gestured for Lara to do the same. "So, are you ready for your Gift, Lara?"

Lara took a seat. "Madam, A- Arianna... She's... Is she..." she mumbled. The image of her distressed friend still burned in her mind. Arianna had always been the much older and wiser confidante she looked up to; she had never seen her this agitated and distraught before, ever.

"Arianna has been an Operative for fifteen years, Lara," Elena said with a small sigh. "She has seen too much and it's starting to weigh down on her."

"She's seen too much...? Do you mean... from her missions?"

"Yes." Elena nodded gravely. "After years of going into the Turned Realms and seeing what goes on down there, it definitely takes a toll on you."

"Is it..." Lara gulped. "Is it really that bad?"

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Elena peered at Lara. "Of course, Lara, going to the Turned Realms is not for the faint-hearted. Do you remember the story I taught you?"

"Yes." Lara lowered her gaze and began to recite the story that she had heard almost every single day in her childhood. "Before the Gifts, the realms were constantly at war with one another, until the First Gift was granted to you. The First Gift represents the two virtues, Unconditional Love and Unwavering Faith, and with this Gift, you are able to grant Gifts to other people, as well as command deference. And you used this Gift to stop all wars and bring all the realms together.

"But evil still remained. People who still thirst for war and terror still exist, and they reign the realms that turned against you. We call them the Turned Realms, and not only do they long for our destruction, they bring suffering to their own people too. They are a reign of terror that needs to be stopped."

Elena smiled, extremely satisfied at Lara's well-trained answer. "Very good, Lara. The Turned Realms have existed for about fifty years now, but soon, we will terminate all of them." She stood up and walked over to Lara, placing her hand on the girl's hair. "With your help, of course."

Lara nodded and clenched her fists. This was it. This was everything that she had trained for for all her life. She was finally getting a Gift from the First Lady. She was finally becoming an Operative.

She recalled all the physical training she had to go through: the intense combat training, the shooting lessons, the weekly physical fitness test. She remembered all the grueling tests she had to sit through, the giant texts on the history of the First Lady that she had to memorize, the nightly revisions that Arianna supervised.

Arianna...

Lara's mind wandered to the days when she would camp outside the building, waiting for Arianna to come back from a mission. The older woman had so much energy then; she could fly herself down from the spaceship, smiling ear-to-ear as everyone cheered for her. Back then, she could even bring Lara to the fields and create rows and rows of hurricanes, as many as Lara wanted to see. Lara had wanted nothing more in life than to be just like Arianna.

She closed her eyes. This was it. She was ready.

"I'm ready, Madam. I'm ready to be an Operative." I'm ready to be just like Arianna.

"Very good." Elena's emerald eyes glinted with pride. "You are a very special girl, Lara, and I've been preparing you your whole life to become my new right-hand Operative. You will be the one to end the rest of the Turned Realms. You will become the next Arianna."

Lara blinked. What? Become the next Arianna? What did that mean? Arianna's Gift was essentially unrivaled by any other Operatives, so was her Gift going to be at the same level or something?

"I am going to give you Arianna's Gift."

Time seemed to stop at that moment. Lara stared at Elena, mouth agape. "What?" she blurted. "B- But... What about Arianna...?"

"Arianna has served me for fifteen years now," Elena said as she patted Lara's brown ponytail, "and now, it's time for her to rest."

Lara still couldn't believe it. Each Gift in the world was unique, so if Lara was given Arianna's gift, was Arianna... going to lose her Gift?

Elena continued nonchalantly, "You'll take over her as the most powerful Operative I have, Lara. And then, you'll help me end the last few Turned Realms, won't you?"

Lara's head was spinning, and she felt sick to her stomach. She had always wanted a cool Gift like Arianna's, to be a powerful Operative like Arianna, to grow up to be like Arianna... but she had never, ever, wanted to take Arianna's Gift!

But... maybe this was a good thing. Arianna had been gradually losing her cheerfulness and energy over the years, and recently, she looked unusually exhausted all the time. The missions seemed to be taking a bigger toll on her as she went on more of them. So... maybe it's a good thing that she's retiring? Maybe with this, Arianna could finally rest, and she didn't have to overexert herself or go to the sick bay anymore... And if this was what the First Lady deemed appropriate, then maybe this was the right course of action...

Slowly, she nodded.

"I'm ready."

Lara felt two palms resting heavily on her head. She heard the First Lady let out a deep breath. Then, a surge of energy ran through her, as if she had chugged three bottles of soda in one sitting, only without the bloatedness or the sugar rush.

She lifted her hands and looked at them. Tiny, bright blue sparks of electricity radiated from her fingers. Instinctively, she put her hands together and shaped them into a bowl. The air in her cupped palms spun around, creating a small ball of twisting wind. This was Arianna's Gift: the Master of the Winds, the Summoner of Hurricanes, the Weather Controller. The coolest Gift in the world.

And she took it from her.

This was supposed to be the moment that Lara had been waiting for all her life, but she couldn't bring herself to feel happy at all. Instead, a heavy lump of dread grew inside her chest.

Elena, however, was beaming with delight. "Congratulations, Lara," she said. "How do you feel?"

"I- I don't know..." Lara's mouth felt as though there were mud inside, bitter and sandy. "T- This is cool, I guess..."

"You're officially an Operative now." Elena settled back onto her armchair and crossed her leg. "Now, time for your very first mission."

"Already?"

"Yes, of course. Time to use your Gift for the first time." Elena turned her head and called, "Bring him in."

The two Operatives who were standing guard outside the room entered. They were dragging a boy in chains into the room. He looked around Lara's age, but had skin as dark as charcoal. As they pushed him to the ground, he whimpered a little, his brown eyes darted around the room in fear.

"This man is a spy from the Realm of Karz, one of the most influential Turned Realms out there," Elena explained calmly, "and he is your first mission. Use your new Gift and terminate him."

Lara stared at Elena, bewildered, and then at the boy, and then at Elena again. "W- What? But he's just... he's just a kid, Madam..."

Elena's gaze was cold and unwavering. "He's from a Turned Realm, Lara. He's a spy that was threatening our safety. Terminate him."

The Karzian boy started to cry, but his voice sounded as though they were stuck in his throat permanently. As much as his body was jerking hysterically, only soft, weeping sounds could be heard. Elena must have prevented his ability to speak; he could very well be trying to beg for mercy, but no one could hear them. Lara couldn't even bear to look at him anymore. His brown, shimmering eyes looked too much like the pair of eyes she saw everyday when she looked into the mirror.

"He's... he's harmless right now, why... why does he need to be killed...?" Lara stammered.

"Just do as I say, Lara."

"B- But, I... I don't..."

"Lara," Elena growled, her patience waning, "kill him."

The First Gift.

Lara's vision blurred with tears. Madam had never used her Gift on her, ever. After all, Lara had always been the perfect and obedient trainee, who had always listened to Elena's every command. But this was... this was too much... Lara had prepared herself to fight an army of ruthless, heinous, evil reincarnate from the Turned Realms, but this? A small, defenseless boy in chains? This wasn't what Lara signed up for at all...

"I- I can't..." Lara croaked, tears streaming down her face. "I can't do this, Madam..."

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Lara in disbelief, even the Karzian boy. It took a few seconds before it finally dawned on Lara as well: wait, the First Gift did not work on her!

What the hell?

"M- Madam, I- I don't know what happened..." Lara stuttered, staggering backwards in fear. "I just- I just can't do this... I don't know why, I..."

Elena was glaring at her with the coldest expression she had ever seen in her life —it was a look of utter hatred and pure anger. The expression was so horrifying that it shocked Lara to the core, and she started to tremble.

"Take her away," Elena snapped at the other two Operatives.

"Madam, please..." Lara cried. She tried to reach out her hands towards the First Lady, but before she could, her world turned black.