Kaieda was ecstatic to be visiting Kalista's hometown. She tried hiding her emotions, but broke down, occasionally when they passed by something like a park, she used to go to or her old school.

When they got to her home, they passed through, what used to be a gate and stood in front of a villa, with several walls missing, collapsed roofs & floors, decorated with scorch marks, faded with time. At last, she couldn't take it anymore and dropped to her knees, sobbing.

Yori ran to her and hugged her. "It's okay, let it out. No matter what it's like. It's always good to be back home."

Kalista spoke up, over several sniffs and wheezes, then pointed off, into the distance, at a larger, collapsed side gate. "That's where they killed her."

Yori was surprised to finally be able to break through to her. "Who?"

Kalista sniffled, then got up, looking around. "My mother... I will never forgive them." She paused, then shifted into second gear, gathering as much energy as she could.

Kaieda had just finished scouring the mansion for anything recoverable or intact but came up empty-handed. It seemed like everything had been packed. As if her parents were prepared, but he decided not to bring it up, If he would even have the chance to.

As he stepped out, he noticed his daughter and Kalista on high alert. Then he stopped. Cursing himself, for letting his guard down.

In the bushes, where a Hashin perched...

The Hashin had watched Kaieda, ever since he was a child. He was the first to catch him before he fell, after his first flying lesson. Had often trained him in combat and shared drinks with him, when he became a man. Yet Kaieda had never seen the man's face.

So he knew all too well how energetic the guy was, especially in foreign territory. Which often gave him a headache. 'Now he's gone into a building that's barely standing. Why would the first prince of a nation do that?'

He shook his head, tired of trying to read the prince's mind. Instead, he decided to contact, the Hashin, guarding the exit closest to the prince, then switch his watch over to the two women.

However, there was no response from that Hashin. He tried again, confused, but once again, there was no answer. Then he contacted the second one, seeing them hidden in a tree far off.

Before they could answer, there was a burst of electricity, sparking up the tree. After that, he was no longer able to feel their iko.

Alarmed, the Hashin ascended to the third level gathering up an armour of lava. "Forbidden art-"

A child of Atlas, wearing an all-black bodysuit, with a gold contrast and a dark complexion, flew right past him, breaking his concentration. He was blonde and glanced at the Hashin, with silver, ice-like eyes. "You're too late."

The Hashin was confused. "What? How-" He uttered, as his head dropped to the floor, rolling to the side.

The prince looked at where he was watching, noticing the two girls, glaring at him. He smiled, content.

On Kiala's Continent...

As Kiala ran after Jacira, through ruins of buildings and skyscrapers, in the city they were scavenging, she was having the time of her life. It was awkward for her, to make friends in this timeline. However, since Jacira and her were new to the squad, they found themselves, hanging out more often, since the others were used to each other and Kiala didn't like being treated like a kid.

Their team had made progress, discovering labs and military outposts, where experiments were carried out. They made sure to recover, all of the old technology and files, for Sarah to study.

Nate was busy vlogging for his channel. He had his camera following him closer as he spoke, but Saphyra's drones stayed hidden overhead. Streaming to Sarah's world along with all of the expeditions going on.

The streams were being broadcasted using an alien wireless method, innovated by the Cerian Empire, which was why they were not affected by comms and network outages, currently rolling out all over the planet. Making there no way for Saphyra to warn the Novas. Only to watch horrifically, with the rest of the world, as a corpse of a Hashin crashed through, the broken glass of a building, that Nate was scouting, and flew right into him. Sending them both crashing back through a wall.

He got up coughing dust and felt disoriented. Then noticed the Hashin, with his stomach ripped through, and burns all over his body, exhibiting no traces of iko.

He immediately knew, that there was nothing he could do for the warrior and closed the man's eyes out of respect. Then he instantly switched into first gear. Gathering as much energy as he could.

However, time seemed to stop for a moment, as a child of Atlas, appeared before him, in a striking stance. He watched, unable to do anything, as she plunged her flattened hand into his stomach, with incredible speed. Then, raised him into the air, while removing her hand clean out of him, and caught him by the wrist. The princess smiled as she threw him, with intense speed towards the other's direction.

Kiala laughed, as Jacira, popped a trick, with a skateboard, she made out of ice. Jacira wanted to teach her all the tricks she learned, growing up, but something caught her eye.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"What's that?" Kiala looked back.

"What do you mean?" Jacira responded, stopping her board.

Kiala's eyes grew wide, as she immediately spread her senses, everywhere. Trying to find the enemy. "Jacira! Brace yourself!" She yelled, then manifested a catching mitt, made out of water and snow, to try and lessen Nate's momentum, as he crashed down, with incredible force.

Jacira was shocked, racing to his side and attempting to heal him right away. To her despair, she didn't have enough strength. "If we weren't here, he would have died. Give me a hand, I can't heal him fast enough."

Kiala gritted her teeth. Not knowing if she should conserve her strength or not. Then she opted not to regret it.

Jacira shook her head, seeing Nate all messed up. "Who could have done this?"

"Aww, you don't like the present I sent you? I hate ungrateful bitches." They both spun around, turning their attention, toward the voice, sending nothing but creeping terror, down their spines.

"Who are you?!" Kiala demanded, immediately shifting into third gear.

The child of Atlas was blonde, with fair tan skin, and deep black slits running down her cheeks. Her veins flashed, purplish-orange, in intervals. She had black nail polish but wore an all-black fitted bodysuit.

Her smile gave them the feeling of walking through broken glass. "Demanding, aren't you? Were you spoiled a lot as a kid? Anyways I'll forgive you this time." She said while rolling her eyes. "You can call me Calypso. The 14th child of Atlas."

Kiala frowned, thinking she heard of that name, somewhere before, in a Greek myth. However, her thoughts were interrupted, as a massive boulder of ice, crashed down on Calypso, followed by the Hashin watching them, jumping in front of all of them.

She proceeded to help the Novas, heal Nate. They couldn't see her face behind the mask, but they could tell, she was frantic. "Find a way to get off of this planet now! I'll handle it from here."

She turned back around to face Calypso, as the ice boulder melted completely and evaporated, turning into water. Then the princess walked out, shaking her head, while unscathed.

"Bigger doesn't mean it's better. Look." She said as she placed her index finger out, manifesting a small ice needle.

The Hashin quickly clasped her hands together, trying to gather energy. "Forbidden Art, Self -"

She was cut off, as a small hole appeared in the middle of her forehead and started lifting off the ground, as she was thrown back from the pure force of the projectile. Which ended up blowing through several walls behind her and lodged itself in a building far off.

Kiala watched in horror, as the Hashin dropped to the floor, lifeless. "Jacira! Find a shuttle, and get to the Prometheus. Send for reinforcements!"

Jacira frantically glanced back and forth, from the princess to her friend and the patient, she was trying to save. She felt a jolt of energy, as Kiala shared some with her.

"But, I can't leave you here on your own!" She finally spoke out, desperately, not knowing what to do.

Kiala smiled. "It's ok. I promise I'll be ok."

The Nova looked at her, once more. Reassured by the look on her face. Although she could tell, it was a front. She nodded and Kiala raised one palm towards her, with cracks of air, surrounding Jacira and Nate, before they disappeared.

"Aww, how kind of you to let them escape. Unfortunately, there's probably no longer any way off this planet, or Solar System for that matter." Calypso said as she walked closer, forcing Kiala to brace herself.

She'd been siphoning energy, from the Hashin, to replenish what she had used to help save Nate and transport them. The Hashin gathered a mass amount of energy, before her untimely death, and Kiala did not mean to disrespect her this way, but she felt that she would have approved. However, she was unable to stop what was about to happen. Instinctively, she jumped back, while Calypso, continued to walk closer.

Kiala glared, wondering what she was about to do, then her eyes grew wide, as she reached out. "No stop!" She had witnessed it multiple times growing up. Each time, she was powerless. Now, she was still powerless.

Thunder bellowed overhead, as rings of fire crushed the ground. The princess, looked up, wondering what was happening since she was done with her meal. The Nova had lost it, watching her, desecrate, the Hashins body.

She raised both of her arms up, as Kiala leaped at her, and struck with her entire might. Calypso grinned, as she redirected the Nova's next strike to her left, then punched her deep in the gut, and sent her hurdling through, over a a dozen old buildings.

Kiala was unable to breathe, as her vision began to fade and the walls and buildings she passed through crumbled. The one she crashed in remained standing, but was shakened up a bit. She thought of Jacira and the rest of the Novas. Then, felt a monstrous aura far off, where Tobi and Osei were supposed to be, as well as the other Novas.

'This is bad.' She thought to herself, as she got up, to reach into her belt. Stopping at the last second to change into a defensive stance, as she blocked a devastating uppercut from the princess.

The force sent her crashing through all thirty floors of the building and into the sky. She found it difficult, trying to regain her composure, as the pain of her broken arms stung and flailed in the wind.

Calypso appeared with a blur above her. Purple veins pulsed and glowed brighter all over her body, with even streaks of silver, racing through her hair.

The Nova gritted her teeth, just as she was about to dip back down from the previous strike. She manifested ice, to quickly, hold her hands together and created a violet condensed sphere of superheated gas. Standing still, as it rotated, faster than the eye could see. "Kinect: Plasma Cannon!"

In less than a second, the beam had reached Calypso. Only to be intercepted by a flaming wall of ice, which charged at Kiala, as the princess broke through it and struck her back down, with flaming fists. Finishing the demolition of the entire building.

She dropped down, near the epicentre of the shockwave she had just caused, and began talking down at Kiala, who could barely get up, much less able to stay conscious. "You were too cocky. Why struggle? You already knew you were going to die."

Calypso was now in her vision, as she remained helpless. "Besides, you should be honoured. Once I absorb you, I might even be able to lead the Pleiades! Isn't that exciting!"

She frowned, seeing Kiala give her no response, but a confused injured look. "Ohh you probably don't know. The Pleiades and Hespers, are Atlas's top ten sons and daughters. The Hespers, his sons, and the Pleiades his daughters. I'm one of the Pleiades, which meant you were never going to leave this planet alive."

She reached down, letting the Nova to watch her palm open up, with an incredible suction force and blades beginning to rip into her. Yet, somehow, forcing the last of her strength, Kiala managed to teleport out as far out of the city as she could.

Reappearing crashing near a boulder. She grunted from the pain, but quickly manifested a small ice golem, to go into her pack and administer the booster for her. However, to her despair, Calypso appeared dozens of meters above her, flying at maximum speed to her location. She cursed, knowing she'd been too distracted, to maintain her senses.

Her life began to flash before her eyes. She had so many regrets.

"Damn it!" She yelled out to the world, as Calypso cut down with her sword and sent an arc of ice, to cut the Nova down.

Fortunately, in the nick of time, Sarah appeared in front of her daughter, grabbing hold of her and teleporting both of them out of there. Unfortunately, not before she took the full force of the princess's strike, instead.