As he scanned the room, Michael smirked to himself, a sly, hidden grin forming on his face.

Night fell over the open sea, where a cargo ship drifted quietly. Inside the dimly lit hold, a security guard swept his flashlight across rows of oil drums. Unseen, a shadowy figure crawled beneath the crates, staying just out of sight. Satisfied, the guard left the area.

Once alone, the figure rose, revealing impressive strength as it effortlessly hoisted a full drum of crude oil onto one shoulder and slipped away. The small figure ascended the incline leading to the distant Peregrine spaceship, which loomed on the horizon like a beacon. The titanium walls of the ship gleamed under the bright lights, casting shadows across the back of the mysterious figure, who wore a helmet that covered the back of his head and a sleeveless maroon-red spandex suit.

“What is the meaning of this, Michael?” ROBO3000’s voice cut through the silence as the tall robot confronted him.

CleanBot, smaller and hovering beside the towering machine, stood by in silence.

“Hey, bro—angry I sneaked out?” Michael greeted ROBO3000 with a cheeky grin.

“You know Captain McKinley, your brother, has strictly forbidden any contact with the outside world—especially venturing outside.” ROBO3000’s tone was stern, reiterating the rules.

Michael shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe I can talk some sense into you since you’re the sensible one here, right?”

ROBO3000 tilted its head slightly. “What are you getting at?”

“Look down,” Michael pointed. “See that slick black oil on the floor? Flowing right under your feet?”

ROBO3000 glanced down, noticing the thin stream of crude oil.

“And see this drum? It’s full of crude oil, the stuff you like so much,” Michael leaned casually against the drum, a mischievous glint in his eye. “With all your fancy tech, I bet you could synthesize this in a lab, right? Reproduce tons of it. You’d have an endless supply.”

ROBO3000 crossed its arms, still confused. “And how does that justify breaking the most important rule?”

Michael smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe because someone here can drink crude oil like it’s hot chocolate. And they can drink it… endlessly.”

ROBO3000 blinked in surprise. “Endlessly, you say?”

Michael’s grin widened. “Consider this a favor. I just brought you a little gift. Now, I’d appreciate it if you could return the favor.”

CleanBot looked between Michael and ROBO3000, sensing the silent exchange of intentions between them.

Daytime in the Peregrine’s lobby, the five – James, Michael, Topher, Allison, and Sophie – were gathered, now dressed in casual attire, a far cry from the gray shirts and matching sweatpants they wore during their seclusion on the spaceship.

“Ready to venture into the outside world again after Captain McKinley’s two-month prison sentence?” Michael asked cheekily.

“The Captain did what he thought was best for us, Kuya Michael,” Topher defended Benjamin.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get going. Time to roll into action!” Michael, initially dismissive, grew more enthusiastic.

Michael led the group toward the spaceship’s entrance when Topher suddenly spoke. “Wait, give me a moment.”

Michael turned around, clearly annoyed. “What is it now?”

James, Allison, and Sophie stopped and followed suit, watching as Topher’s astrolabe pendant glimmered with small waves of sparkling blue-white light. From within the glow emerged the Star of Vis – a blue-white, glowing marquise-shaped celestial stone, surrounded by thick gray metal rings rotating around it like a fantastical, deconstructed astrolabe.

Michael’s attention was drawn to the spectacle.

“I know we first transformed as a group when we approached the Star of Vis in its chamber two months ago,” Topher began. “Since then, we’ve been transforming as a team for training. You guys can only transform when I activate this artifact, which answers only to me.”

“But I believe God has given man free will. That’s why I don’t want to be the only one who controls our powers through this Star,” he continued. “Star of Vis, grant my wish once more, as you did before – when you made us heroes. For the second time, I wish to create switches for my cousins so they can transform on their own, whenever needed.”

Topher raised the Star, and it lifted into the air, glowing intensely. The Star of Vis conjured a translucent chunk of celestial baby blue light, which began to crack, shattering into six shards that glowed softly with blue-white light.

“Yes, finally!” Michael exclaimed internally, excited. “I won’t need to steal the Star anymore. I can transform on my own.”

A Vis shard shot directly toward Michael’s throat. His excitement quickly turned into panic as he clutched his glowing throat, momentarily choking. After struggling for a few moments, he managed to swallow and speak again. “A-a-a-a-h.”

The second Vis shard landed gently in Allison’s palm, transforming into an intricate heart-shaped compact.

“This is definitely my transformation trinket,” Allison said. “This is such magical girl stuff – you’ve been reading your Shoujo manga, haven’t you, Star of Vis?” she teased, looking up at the glowing artifact with sass.

The third Vis shard floated toward Sophie.

“What’s it going to do?” Sophie asked, a bit nervous.

The shard circled the girl briefly before entering her back, rippling through the center of her spine.

“It tickles, sorry!” Sophie giggled, half-embarrassed.

“You’re going for my back too?” James asked the fourth shard, half-joking.

The shard hovered at eye level with James, floating in place.

“If not my back, then something on my back… Oh, of course! My guitar!” he said cheerily.

James offered his guitar with both hands, and the glowing shard nestled itself into the acoustic instrument.

The Star of Vis descended back to Topher, returning to its Keeper along with the last two celestial shards.

“These two can wait until Kuya Benjamin and Ate Roanne return from their mission on the island,” Topher said with a happy smile.

“Is it here, Sophie?” James asked, turning to his sister.

“Yes, Kuya James. I can sense impending danger,” Sophie assured him.

“Alright then, to the tall office building.” The two entered.

On the rooftop, James and Sophie stood on the lookout, surrounded by skyscrapers stretching across the horizon.

Suddenly, two antennae popped up from the top of Sophie’s head, twitching. “It’s over there, miles away, at that building,” Sophie pointed.

From the center of her spine, four beige cocoon wings emerged, enveloping her in a neat ball. The ball lifted off the ground, and in a flash of black and white, Bee Girl (Sophie) appeared as the cocoon receded. Her bee wings flapped rapidly, buzzing loudly, while she donned her signature yellow-and-black sporty outfit.

James followed, strumming his guitar as an orange musical staff coiled around him. As he spun, cyan, magenta, and yellow music notes danced around him, popping with sound. With a final turn, the orange musical staff briefly flashed, and when it dimmed, Oppa Rockstar (James) emerged – an eccentric K-pop idol in a matching white-gray outfit, with a polished butterscotch guitar strapped to his back.

Bee Girl took to the skies on her buzzing wings, while Oppa Rockstar rode the wave of his orange musical staff on a sleek white surfboard, trailing the cyan, magenta, and yellow music notes that hopped and popped in rhythm.

Meanwhile, Eric, leaving his office, glanced out the window and was stunned. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he saw Bee Girl and Oppa Rockstar soaring through the air. The hedge fund manager, dressed in a dark gray suit, couldn’t believe his eyes.

Nearby, a window cleaner was humming to himself as he worked, suspended in the air on a platform. Suddenly, one of the four cables snapped, sending the platform tilting dangerously toward the ground far below.

“Help, help!” the worker screamed, terrified for his life.

Office clerks inside the building gathered by the windows, watching the scene unfold in horror.

Bee Girl swooped in, effortlessly lifting the man—who was twice her size—and carried him to safety, hovering in the air on her buzzing wings.

Oppa Rockstar, riding the musical waves, strummed his guitar, summoning a life-size magenta sixteenth note that shattered the nearby window. Bee Girl quickly flew the worker inside to safety, while Oppa Rockstar followed, landing smoothly on the office floor.

The office clerks gathered around, some pulling out their phones to livestream the incident.

“You’re alright now,” Bee Girl said sweetly to the shaken worker.

“What are you?! But thanks,” the worker replied, still trembling as he sat on the floor, surrounded by glass shards.

“Bee Girl, our job is done here,” Oppa Rockstar said with a grin.

“Okay,” Bee Girl replied, standing up.

Cued by her brother, Bee Girl flew off. Oppa Rockstar, unable to resist, waved at the office workers, who responded with applause as he made his exit.

In a wide, open field at noon, Michael stood and shouted, “Spartan!” Scarlet and orange-tinged waves of energy surged from the ground, enveloping him. The energy merged with his body, turning him into a radiant, warm orange figure surrounded by shimmering heat waves. Gradually, his transformation took form: a red helmet, golden bracelets, maroon-red sleeveless armor, a laurel belt with a lion medallion, and gleaming boots. As the heat waves receded, Spartan (Michael) stood fully transformed.

He glanced at the sky, gathering his focus, and then launched upward, turning into a streak of scarlet and vermillion light. Spartan soared through the sky with incredible speed, cutting through the clouds with his arms extended and fists clenched. His sharp vision locked onto an airplane in the distance, and without hesitation, he flew toward it with unmatched swiftness.

As he reached the plane, Spartan glided along its side, close to the middle of its length. Inside, a young boy spotted the flying hero through the window, his face lighting up with amazement. Meanwhile, inside the cabin, the situation was tense.

“This is a hijack!” declared a masked leader, his face covered by a black hood. Armed men stood by, holding the passengers at bay. The leader forced his way into the cockpit, threatening the pilot. “Land the plane in the nearest open field,” he demanded. Reluctantly, the pilot followed orders, and the plane descended into the open field below.

Once on the ground, the hijackers led the passengers out in a line, but before they could proceed, beams of glowing energy flashed across the scene, startling the group. Spartan descended from the sky, his presence commanding attention.

“What is that?!” one of the hijackers exclaimed.

“Stay focused! We can handle this!” the leader shouted, trying to rally his men.

Spartan swiftly intervened, using his agility to disarm the hijackers without causing harm. He moved quickly, avoiding conflict where possible, guiding the armed men away from the passengers. With precision, Spartan incapacitated the group, ensuring no one was hurt.

Soon, only the leader and his closest accomplices remained, their confidence wavering. They made a last-ditch effort, but Spartan calmly neutralized their attempts, using his speed and strength to disorient them without escalating the situation. Within moments, the danger had passed, and the hijackers were subdued.

Spartan turned to the passengers, who watched in awe. Slowly, their shock gave way to relief—they were safe, thanks to their hero.

In the Command Center of the Peregrine spaceship, Allison sat typing away on a long, complex keyboard that glowed cyan with each button press. The keyboard wasn’t a physical object but rather an image projected onto the sleek navy surface. CleanBot, the small robot, perched atop the keyboard’s right side, opposite the ever-sassy Allison.

“Are we sure this is okay?” CleanBot asked, sounding unsure of himself.

“Why not? I’m just creating a Twitter account for my alter-ego, Love Fey,” Allison replied confidently.

“I mean, you’re setting up a personal social media account in the Command Center. That doesn’t exactly sound like authorized business,” CleanBot said hesitantly.

“This is official business, CleanBot. It’s called PR—public relations. Even as heroes, image matters,” Allison reasoned.

“Look at this picture I took yesterday in my magical girl dress! I mean, come on—look at how I flashed two fingers, winked, and pouted. It’s the perfect mix of cute and sassy. Not to mention my pose with the hip tilt, and that red hearts on a pink backdrop? Flawless!” Allison beamed with pride.

“I just need to crop it for my profile picture… and done!” she said, clearly satisfied.

“Won’t your account be traceable back to the spaceship?” CleanBot asked, still concerned.

“Nope, I checked. Your network is encrypted. It’d be nearly impossible to trace the IP address back here,” Allison replied, waving off his concern.

“It’s time, Allison. We have to leave,” Topher said as he entered the Command Center.

“Oh, is it? Well, before we go, can I get a picture of you and CleanBot for the public page I’m setting up for the team?” Allison asked.

“Sure, why not? Come on, CleanBot, let’s make this a good memory,” Topher said, inviting the robot to join him.

Topher and CleanBot posed together, with Topher flashing a bright, warm grin, while CleanBot stood there, looking as impressionable as a robot could.

“One, two, three—say cheese!” Allison said, snapping the picture with her silver camera.

Both Topher and CleanBot said in unison, “Cheese!”

Allison reviewed the photo on her camera. I’ve never seen a boy smile so warm and bright, she thought to herself.

Sometime in the morning, on the roof deck of the Peregrine spaceship, Allison and Topher stood together.

Allison took out her intricate, heart-shaped compact. “Fairy Power, make-up!” she exclaimed, gently caressing the compact as it emitted glowing pink rays. Enveloped in a dreamy space of pink and purple gradients, her left arm became encased in a magical pink-to-red ribbon lasso, spiraling with sparkling red hearts. A moment later, the lasso vanished, revealing a baby pink glove. The same transformation repeated on her right arm.

Allison bent her knee, raising one leg, as she guided the magical ribbon lasso up to her left knee. The spiraling hearts obscured her leg for a moment, then unveiled a pink-to-red high boot. She repeated the process on her right leg. Her silhouette shimmered in technicolor shades of pink, orange, and yellow as the heart compact settled in the center of her chest.

The ribbon lasso wrapped around Allison’s torso, transforming it with spiraling hearts into a petal-sleeved white top with baby pink sides and two buttons near the upper chest. Multiple lassos spun around her waist, transforming through the same heart-filled transition into a two-layered skirt—pink on top, baby pink underneath. Allison turned gracefully to the left as a bow in her hair and a ribbon at the back of her skirt materialized simultaneously.

A tiara, rose earrings, light makeup, and a soft pink lip color appeared on her face, accompanied by a pink glow. She raised her arm, spinning gracefully for her final pose—arms crossed fiercely, one leg stepping forward.

“Love Fey! The Mage of Love and Beauty!” she proclaimed with confidence.