"The end of the world was NOT worth it..."
That was the most important sentence Shaula had heard all day. Trevor may be a complete blockhead for jumping into a portal after a video game, but at least he had done one thing right. His portal had lead them straight to an agent of the New World Order. Even better: the agent might be ready to defect.
"Mind if I tag along for a bit? I just want to go back home, and you guys seem like you know where you're going... here, as a 'sorry for putting you through this' gift, I'll give you these, the phoenix said. It dropped four rocks on the ground, a glowing symbol etched onto each of them. Trevor, Jason, and Celina took the first three, and, almost like Trevor's earlier, the symbols vanished and appeared on their hands. Celina tried out her new power; apparently, these runes multiplied their attacks. "So... This should be useful when I want to attack a group of people all at once," she said with a soft smile. Shaula found that statement slightly unnerving.
"Shaula, you can take the last one," said Mia. "You'll get more use out of it than I will."
"Thank you, Mia." Shaula forced a smile. "I'll make sure I do." Without taking her eyes off the phoenix, she picked up the rock. Immediately, its rune vanished, and there on the back of her hand appeared the same symbol, glowing a bright, ominous orange.
