As the Guardians scattered in terror during their first battle, chaos reigned on the streets of Nova Eden. Amid the clamor of explosions and the distant wails of panicked civilians, Hazel sprinted through the smoky debris—until something caught her eye.
Out of the corner of her vision, she spotted a little girl crying "Mommy!" A grotesque minion, its green aura and glowing eyes intent on slashing, advanced toward the child. Without hesitation, Hazel pivoted and raced toward the girl. But the clawed limb was almost upon her.
"No!" Hazel shouted. In that split second, a vibrant green magic circle with an intricate leaf symbol blossomed in front of her palm. Vines erupted from the circle, wrapping around the minion's arm and torso before flinging the minion aside.
"Woah…" Hazel panted looking at her palms, then rushed to the trembling child "Are you all right? Where's your mommy?"
The little girl, tears streaming down her face, whimpered, "I don't know…"
"Don't worry—I'm here, and we'll find your mom," Hazel soothed, gently wiping away the child's tears. A hopeful glimmer sparkled in the girl's eyes, and in that moment, Hazel thought, "If a kid's still here, then that means... Oh no".
Determined, she turned to Eric. "Hey... could you check if people are still around here?"
"On it," Eric replied, launching his drones to scan the area. Moments later, his voice crackled over the comms: "There are a lot of people still around especially in the buildings."
"Oh no," Hazel murmured. Then, she shouted: "Hey, everyone! There are still people here who haven't evacuated!"
The Guardians paused and peered toward nearby windows. Through clearing smoke, they could see terrified civilians trapped inside.
"Oh no…" Riley whispered.
"We have to help them," Hazel insisted, and the girls swiftly split up to rescue those in danger.
Nia dashed forward and found an old man cornered by three minions. Jumping in front of the man "Back off!" she commanded, arms spread wide. The minions charged at her, closing her eyes, a silver magic circle with a feather emblem shimmered before her, unleashing a powerful gust that sent the minions hurtling backward. Opening her eyes, she rushed to check on the old man.
"Are you okay, sir?" she asked.
"I'm alright, thanks to you, missy. Here, take this," he offered, pressing a small piece of candy into her hand. A bright smile spread across Nia's face as she accepted it.
Nearby, Riley spotted a young boy clinging desperately to a railing. "Hold on!" she yelled and sprinted towards him. Yet, the boy's grip faltered, and he began to fall, screaming.
Seeing this, Riley bolted again. "Come on, just a little faster!" she urged. A burst of light-blue light flashed and a magic circle marked with a bolt symbol appeaed in front of Riley, passing through it, she got enveloped in blue lightning. The surge boosted her speed as she leaped with astonishing power—catching the boy mid-fall and carrying him safely behind an AEGIS squad vehicle.
"Stay here, you'd be safe" she ordered the child, before darting off to round up more civilians.
Ruby, meanwhile, found herself in a fierce struggle. Wielding an AEGIS baton she'd grabbed on the ground, she fought off several minions as she protected a suited man.
"I don't need some girl in a costume to play hero—where are the professionals?" the man complained bitterly.
Ruby gritted her teeth. A minion's slash shattered the baton. "Great, now what? You didn't think that through, did you?" the man heckled.
"Would you just be QUIET!" Ruby roared, summoning a red magic circle emblazoned with a flame symbol on her palm. A fireball materialized "Woah...Things just got interesting," she muttered, launching barrage after barrage of fire at her foes. She even shot a massive fireball that obliterated a charging wave of monsters.
Glancing at the man, she asked sharply, "Why are you suddenly quiet now?" His only response was a nervous gulp.
Serena and Akari then noticed a man trapped in his hover car, frantically screaming for help.
The car's doors were jammed. "Umm…" Serena murmured, tapping Akari's shoulder and nodding toward the approaching minions.
"Oh shit…" Akari responded. As several minions closed in, they raised their arms, conjuring dark-green magic circles with skull motifs that flared ominously.
"Now what?" Serena cried as green energy balls were hurled at the car.
"You just had to ask," Akari retorted, and with swift determination, she battered the car window repeatedly but still no sign of it cracking.
Serena stepped in, crossing her arms. A blue magic circle with a droplet symbol materialized, forming a water barrier that absorbed some of the blasts.
"Woah," Serena, Akari, and the trapped man all gasped.
Serena then extended her arms, enlarging the water barrier, while Akari recalled the sensation of freezing her coffee with a touch.
"Get back!" Akari ordered as she placed her palms on the window, closing her eyes to concentrate. An icy-blue magic circle, adorned with a snowflake symbol, emerged. The glass began to freeze and shatter under her focused energy.
Finally, she pulled the man from the car. "Great, now what?" Serena said, her voice strained as she began to tire.
"Hmm…" Akari murmured. She extended her arm once more, summoning a magic circle and firing a beam of ice that immobilized the remaining minions.
After rescuing as many civilians as possible, the Guardians noticed that even AEGIS's heavy firepower wasn't enough to neutralize all the minions. They gathered in front of an AEGIS squad.
"What are you doing? Get out of the way!" shouted AEGIS members.
"Don't worry, we'll handle this," Nia replied confidently.
"We're the ones they're after," added Riley, determination edging her tone.
"And if it's a fight you want, we'll gladly deliver it!" Ruby declared.
At that moment, the minions charged again, hurling energy balls that exploded in bursts of smoke. Amid the haze, Serena smirked as she extended her arms, reinforcing the water barrier.
Hazel summoned twisting vines that ensnared and tossed minions into nearby buildings.
"Oh my… I'm so sorry," Hazel apologized as she manipulated the vines.
"Sweetie, they're already dead," Akari quipped "oh...right" Hazel said nervously as the minions disintegrated under the assault.
Ruby continued launching fireballs, and when a larger wave approached, she gathered all her energy and released a colossal burst that obliterated the onslaught.
Nia intercepted minions targeting AEGIS vehicles, sending a powerful gust of wind that scattered them, hover vehicles, and debris alike.
Riley dashed forward, her electrified legs kicking relentlessly at the minions.
Then, as the battle raged on, an explosion rocked the area. A nearby building was on fire, teetering on the edge of collapse. Amid the chaos, a little girl was trapped inside.
"Oh no!" the Guardians cried as Ruby sprinted toward the building.
"Are you crazy?" Serena shouted, but before anyone could stop her, Serena created a protective water barrier around everyone as it trembled, preventing the explosion from harming anyone.
The building exploded in a burst of smoke and debris. Amid the haze, a hover chopper's news caster captured the scene, his drones circling overhead. Out of the smoke, Ruby descended gracefully, her wings fluttering behind her, cradling the rescued child in her arms, her flame aura burning bright.
The cheers of the rescued civilians filled the air as people clapped and expressed their gratitude. Even the hovering news chopper captured the miraculous rescue on camera.
"Wow, we just witnessed something spectacular, folks," the newscaster announced, pointing his mic at the Guardians. "And who might you six be?"
The girls exchanged looks. After a moment, Riley stepped forward.
"We are Surge…" she began, and then Ruby added, "Flare," Akari said, "Frost," Nia declared, "Zephyr," Serena contributed, "Tide," and Hazel finished, "Briar."
"Together, we are The Guardians Of The Aether," they proclaimed in unison.
The crowd erupted in cheers, but the AEGIS agents just galred at them. "Woooo—let's go, Guardians!" the people chanted.
"Well, there you have it, folks. It seems the Guardians are here to protect us," the reporter said.
In a dark lair shrouded in green mist, Noctyra sat upon a throne of the dead, watching the unfolding chaos. "Hmmm, Guardians... things just got interesting," she cackled menacingly.