Amaris' POV
I slowly turned around, my heart thundering against my ribs—a steady, anxious rhythm that made the air feel heavier than before. My visor reflected the faint outline of the figure standing not far from me, and my voice, though soft, carried a quiet weight.
"...Elsa."
Her brow lifted slightly at the sound of her name. Then, a smirk—cold and amused—curved her lips. "I didn't know I was quite famous," she said, dragging her words with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the tension in the air.
Beneath my helmet, I frowned, though I doubted she could see it. My thoughts were caught in quiet turmoil.
Principal Randall—the facade she maintained—was a woman I respected deeply. She was strict, sharp, and fiercely protective of her students, even if she never showed it openly. But Elsa, Mesogog's general, was a different story entirely. A predator cloaked in elegance, cold and dangerous.
I took a steady breath and cleared my throat, forcing composure into my tone. "Is something the matter?"
"In fact," she said, her voice low and measured, "there is."
She stepped forward, heels clicking softly against the cracked floor. Her hand extended toward me, pale fingers outstretched, and her eyes gleamed with icy intent. "Hand me that," she ordered, chin tilted slightly.
My grip on the dino egg tightened imperceptibly. "Hm," I replied quietly, "and what, may I ask, would be my incentive for handing this over?"
Her smirk widened, predatory and cruel. "If you give it to me," she said, her tone dripping with pride, "you'll have the honor of joining my master."
I couldn't help it—the sound that escaped my throat was an incredulous scoff. "Ha… yes, I believe I shall decline," I said, voice polite but edged with disdain. Without wasting another breath, I leaned forward on my hoverboard and resumed my path.
"Fool!" Elsa's voice rang out behind me, sharp and venomous.
My instincts flared a moment before my sensors did—I twisted my foot hard to the left, the Veloshade tilting sharply just as a laser beam streaked past where I had been a heartbeat ago. Another shot followed, then another, and soon the air was alive with searing light.
I maneuvered through the barrage with practiced precision, weaving between beams, twisting through gaps too narrow for comfort. My body moved almost on instinct, guided by the faint shimmer of Chrono Perception enhancing my reflexes.
"I do not know," I muttered, half to myself, "whether I should commend her perceptiveness… or fear it."
Even cloaked in stealth mode, she had somehow traced my position with near-perfect accuracy.
'It is… unnerving. Terrifying, even.'
But I managed to escape the final volley, bursting past the factory's broken roof and into open air. My breath steadied only once the chaos fell behind me.
Engaging her would have been reckless—and deeply painful. I still respected Principal Randall. I did not wish to raise my weapon against the other side of her.
The city blurred beneath me as I increased speed, the Veloshade gliding soundlessly across the skyline.
===========================
I reached the secluded western wing of the Shin estate before long, descending gracefully onto the marble platform outside my workspace. I disengaged the hoverboard, stepping off and deactivating my Morpher with a quiet click. The armor dissolved into motes of violet light.
Inside, the air was calm—sterile, humming faintly with the quiet energy of machines. I gently placed the Drago Egg on one of my work tables, its striped shell gleaming faintly beneath the overhead light.
Next, I turned toward the silver suitcase resting nearby. Opening it, I carefully laid the Epoch Seeker back inside, ensuring every latch was secured. My movements slowed for a moment as I exhaled softly, letting the weight of the encounter settle.
Then, I turned back to the egg. The tension in my chest eased slightly.
"Well," I murmured, leaning forward slightly, "we have been looking for you for three days now."
I reached out and lightly poked the shell with a gloved finger. Of course, it gave no response—but the faint warmth it radiated felt like an acknowledgment.
I found myself smiling faintly beneath my calm expression. "You have caused quite the commotion, you know. Trent has been very restless... well, that also applies to myself."
The quiet hum of the laboratory filled the room as I lingered, speaking softly to the egg as though it were an old companion.
Finally, with a gentle sigh, I took it back into my hands and headed toward the elevator. The doors closed with a soft chime, and I pressed the button labeled 4—the semi-rooftop level.
The ascent was brief. When the doors opened, sunlight poured in like a golden veil.
The sight before me never failed to quiet my heart: the wide expanse of the Shin estate stretched below, the rolling gardens and distant treetops swaying under the gentle wind. The sky was clear, painted in soft hues of blue and silver.
I allowed myself a small smile. "I should visit here more often," I murmured, almost wistfully.
But I could not linger.
At the far end of the rooftop stood a tall, cylindrical chamber of glass and steel. Violet circuitry pulsed along its frame like veins of light, and several mounted emitters surrounded its center, poised like silent sentinels.
Each emitter housed a laser capable of generating immense thermal energy—enough to mimic the heat and resonance needed to incubate a dino egg.
This is Prototype 129—a personal project I developed for controlled incubation. Its function is simple, accelerate embryonic synchronization through temporal heat mapping.
There was, however, one complication.
"It is not quite finished," I admitted quietly.
The biometric scanner shimmered faintly as I placed my right hand against it. A soft hum answered—the lock disengaging after a few seconds of scanning. The chamber door slid open, releasing a faint hiss of pressurized air.
I gently placed the Drago Egg inside, carefully adjusting its position until it was perfectly centered within the containment field. The circuitry around it pulsed in rhythm with the egg's faint chrono-energy, a soft harmony of machine and life.
Once everything was in order, I closed the chamber with care.
Stepping back, I allowed myself a small stretch, muscles easing from tension. The sound of machinery filled the space, rhythmic and constant.
"Well," I murmured under my breath, a faint smile tugging at my lips, "it would seem the Violet Ranger will not be resting anytime soon."
The hum of the incubator deepened, its lights reflecting softly in my eyes as I turned away.
Somewhere beyond the glass, the Drago Egg pulsed faintly—alive, and waiting.