The SAIR team, including the interns, led by Huashin was heading toward the YA-11 Expressway scene. 

Inside the van driven by Anawa, Araka fixed her eyes on the passing scenery of Bakju as they drove on the urban expressway eastward. She was still thinking about the word “Matake”: the secret cognitive power that made her stand out. Why was I considered as a “missing piece” by practically everyone, including Huashin, Uncle Nakuo, and even my mom Moraka? Araka thought. 

As the convoy arrived at the scene, the vans pulled over near a blockade formed by both State Police patrol cars, emergency vehicles, and abandoned civilian vehicles. A State Police officer rushed the SAIR squads, breathing heavily. 

Huashin immediately got out of the car and approached the officer while displaying her badge : “SAIR Operation Captain Kou Huashin. What’s the situation?” 

“Cars flipped, several casualties, both civilian and police force,” the officer reported while trying to catch a breath, “it’s not just a panther gone crazy.”

“Then I’m right - it was never about a panther,” Huashin said while loading her modified PAK-23 pistol, “The SAIR is taking over the scene.” She then adjusted her earpiece and gave out an order: “All SAIR agents, secure the parameter and proceed with caution - a Shard influenced subject is identified. I need two to come with me for the containment.”

 “Wait, Instructor Anawa, what does Instructor Huashin mean by saying ‘shard influenced’?” Sukeo asked. 

“I’m going to explain it once Huashin resolves the situation ,” Anawa said, “but first, let’s leave some space for the first responders.”

The interns, flanked by Minde and Anawa, retreated sideways and watched the scene unfold behind the lockdown parameter. 

“Instructor Anawa,” Tenka raised her hand: “how could a panther cause this chaos that even police pistols didn’t work?”

“Because it was not the typical panther you see at a zoo or even in the wild. It was, let’s say, had its cognition becoming disoriented and starting attacking people more aggressively.”

Meanwhile, Araka kept her eyes on Huashin, who along with a small group of SAIR agents, went deeper into the chaos formed by abandoned vehicles. 

“Get your Matake suppressors ready,” Huashin said while confirming her visual again: “Shard influence object is presented.” 

“Shard?” Jun raised his eyebrow: “What is that? A crystal?”

“In simplest terms, yes, it’s a crystal,” Anawa said while also loading her PAK-23 pistol.

As Huashin got closer to the truck in the distance, the sound of metals being compressed and glass breaking down passed through Araka’s ears. Then, a loud roar, louder than any panther she knew, echoed all around the clogged expressway. 

Araka shivered for a bit - she felt her mind sensing something approaching her, and it was a sense she never had before. 

“What- what is that?” Tenka said while stunned by the roar. 

“That smell,” Okuri sniffed the air and said, “it smelled like a rotten panther.”

“Anawa,” Huashin’s voice came out of Anawa’s walkie-talkie, “keep the eye on the kids - it’s worse than I thought.”

In the distance, the roar became louder and louder. Just as the other interns were still trying to process the situation, Araka decided to jump onto the roof of a nearby sedan and got the first sighting of the “panther”.

“Araka!” Jun tried to stop Araka from climbing up.

At the top of the car, Araka gained a better visual of the “ panther”: the one was walking slowly toward Huashin and the other two agents with bodies covered with blood and bullet holes. 

“My daughter’s still there!”

Araka turned her head and looked toward somewhere behind Minde and Anawa - a woman was talking with the State Police officer.  

“Madame, you can’t go back. It’s too dangerous!” The State Police officer warned her. 

Araka adjusted herself and scanned ahead, and then she spotted the girl: someone around six years old was stranded near a flipped car. Her foot was caught by a flipped hard cooler, and her eyes opened wide with terror as a faint snarl emerged from the panther near the wreckage. 

She’s in danger, Araka thought, and Huashin didn’t know that. 

Then, across another flipped car, Araka spotted the panther: its pupils had already become lifeless while its mouth was dripping blood.

Huashin, upon seeing the panther emerge from the back of the flipped car, fired her first shot - an energized round to the direction of the panther. It didn’t land on the panther as the panther jumped onto the flipped car, but created a blast that made the panther retreat for a bit. 

However, Araka saw something else: the trapped girl started whining, and the sound attracted the panther’s attention more than Huashin’s round. 

Should I help the child? Araka thought, staring at her trembling hands and her Vensan school uniform. 

Then, a question, only known to Araka, came up in her head.

“What would Ms. Possible do in this situation?”

Then, the certainty landed in the middle of Araka’s doubt. 

Without hesitation, Araka launched herself and jumped beyond the perimeter. She could sense her surroundings blurred into the wind. 

“Araka!” Anawa shouted, “Come back, Araka!”

Araka didn’t listen. Instead, she sprinted forward and navigated through a maze of abandoned vehicles. She eventually made her way behind a minivan - further away from where Huashin was standing and closer to the girl.  

Araka took a closer look - the girl had calmed down a bit, and she also managed to pull her leg away from the cooler. But she still was stunned by the roar of the panther.  

“Hold on!” Araka shouted, ignoring all the yellings from Tenka, Anawa, and even Jun. 

She slid beside the child and grabbed her hand. The girl’s wide eyes met hers.

“Can you stand up?” 

The girl nodded, but her body still froze in place. 

Araka pulled her away, wrapping an arm around her waist.

Right in front of them, the balance of the flipped vehicle shifted a bit as the panther was approaching.   

“Keep your head down. Don’t make noise ,” Araka whispered. “I’ll bring you to your mom”

Then, a loud snarl forced Araka to look back - the panther approached with its head scanning around.   

Further from behind, Huashin adjusted her stance and moved toward where the panther was at. She managed to get a better visual of the panther - something green and glassy was embedded deep in its throat. 

“It swallowed the whole shard,” she muttered while holding her pistol tight, “no wonder it behaves so aggressively.”

Meanwhile, as Araka tried to drag the girl away from the scene, the girl screamed as the panther growled low and its paws slamming on the bottom of the car.

“Don’t move. Close your eyes. I’ll distract it,” Araka said, while looking around searching for items she could use. Then, her eyes landed on a piece of twisted metal. I could make some noise with it, she thought. 

On the other side, as Huashin closed in and tried to shoot at the panther, the metal piece Araka threw out landed in front of the flipped car. It clanged loudly as it hit the ground.

“Who did that?” Huashin muttered while aimed at the panther’s neck. 

Then, the panther snapped and leaped toward the sound.

“Now go!” 

Araka, now grabbing the girl onto her shoulder, sprinted the other way.  She traversed  through the vehicles and navigated her way back to the perimeter. 

Then, from behind, Araka heard a noise - a gunshot. She looked back, and through a spot further away, she saw Huashin with her pistol rising high, while the panther was nowhere to be seen. 

“Ishitaki (義達), Zhaoyun (朝雲), deploy the suppressor.”

So Huashin had managed to kill the panther, Araka thought.

—

As Araka made her way back, she was first approached by the girl’s mother. 

“Thank you so much!” The woman said finally in relief. 

“Araka,” Jun, upon seeing Araka made her way back, rushed to the scene and checked for bruises, “are you okay?”

Araka nodded: “Other than getting scratched while sliding on the ground, I am fine.”

Huashin, now coming back from the scene, stepped forward with her eyes focused on Araka. 

“Araka?”

“Yes, Instructor Huashin?” 

“What are you doing?” She grabbed Araka and said, “ I told you to stay with Anawa and then you just broke three field protocols and nearly got yourself shredded,” Huashin didn’t seem pleased about what Araka had done. 

“I heard there was a child,” Araka said while lowering her head, still shielding the girl.

Huashin didn’t answer. She pressed her left hand to her earpiece. 

“SAIR backup team: Situation contained. Subject isolated. Shard signature confirmed. Calling in containment.”

The girl now started crying.

Huashin sighed, eyes softening just slightly: “So it was you who threw the metal bar?”

Araka nodded, adrenaline still coursing through her. Around her, Tenka, Sukeo, Okuri, and even Jun were in confusion, but they couldn’t even say a word. 

By the time the scene was secure, Araka was seated in the back of the van, the girl and others already taken away by medics.

Huashin sat beside Araka and tied Araka’s hands up: “Araka, I don’t need to explain the consequences, do I?”

Araka didn’t respond.

Huashin said calmly: “You disobeyed field clearance as an intern, violated barriers, approached a shard-influenced entity without basic training, and walked in without any protection. 

“But I saved her,” Araka said, “and also lured the panther under your gunpoint.” 

“And almost died doing it,” Huashin sighed.

“Would you have left her?” Araka asked, voice quiet but shaking.

Huashin stared at her for a long moment.

“No,” she said. “But I wouldn’t have gone in alone.”

Then Huashin finally exhaled. No one responded. 

“We’ll be placing you in temporary three day confinement. That’s the standard protocol. You’ll have access to food, your books, and training material. You’re not being punished, but  you have to learn the lesson,” Anawa, on the driver’s seat, turned back and said. 

Araka nodded slowly. She didn’t regret it, but she felt the weight.

On their way back to the complex, everyone in the van was silent, even Tenka. Araka, kept her face low while flanked by Huashin herself, was still trying to process what had happened earlier: what did I do wrong? I just want to be someone like Ms. Possible. What if I didn’t act? 

Back to the complex, Araka was escorted by Huashin herself to the confinement cell - a windowless room with a bed and a toilet. As Huashin turned to leave, she stopped at the door.

“For what it’s worth…” she said, not looking back, “that was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen for years. Maybe Uncle Nakuo didn’t make the wrong call to let you in.”

Araka didn’t say anything. 

“Araka, please forgive me for what I had said earlier. However, I think you should also hear from our side of the story.”

“The story?” Araka seemed to calm down a bit. 

“Several years ago, when I was your age, one of my closest friends, just like you, was among the best when she came into the shrine I went to. However, she was severely burnt while trying to save a child from a fire, so she had to leave the shrine for good.”

Araka, upon hearing the story, didn’t reply.

“The situation is, it’s not because you’re just an intern and you couldn’t interfere with the operation. It’s because you’re not trained and you’re not even equipped to handle this kind of situation at this point.”

“But-“

“That being said,” Huashin changed to a tone and said, “During the confinement, we will hand you the full SAIR outfit, along with the Guideline for Rescue Missions, and you’ll be tested as your confinement ends.”

Araka still didn’t say anything, yet her expression showed some relief. 

“By the way, we also have received a small doll from the kid you saved as a gift for you. She said she’s grateful that someone like you could drag her away from the mouth of the panther.”

As Huashin finished her sentence, she turned the door shut. However, the conversation didn’t end here.

“Anawa said she will help grab you the changing clothes later today during the dinner time, and if you want to bring something else, notice her at that time.”

As Huashin left, Araka, now sitting in her bed, was still thinking about what happened earlier - why was she so certain she could overcome such danger? Was it her own aspiration? Or was it the power of the so-called Matake that sharpened her sense? 

However, beyond these, Araka was also thinking of the terms Huashin mentioned: Shard? Matake suppression? Why would the SAIR need to suppress Matake? How come something like a panther could have the power with the same name as hers? Inside Araka’s mind, there were way too many questions to be answered, and way too few explanations.

I’m going to find out, Araka told herself.