Deep under Angel Bay, sitting upright upon its floor rested an overlarge anchor of forged iron. The Anchor, The True Anchor, had been gifted not only with a keen mind, but the ability to draw out the potential of young women. To create champions of justice and peace, and protect the world from the ever-present threat of demon incursion.

  However, it was not a demonic presence that had prompted it to summon her senior anchors today but a possible threat that was much more… human? It was impossible to say.

  Before her stood an audience of her four senior guardians awaiting her guidance in a protective structure of air and steel. It was unfortunate that so few of them could breathe underwater, or take the crushing pressure at these depths.

  True Anchor couldn't hear the humans' conversation, but she could skim their thoughts. They seemed discordant but not hostile. Recently it’d noticed them straying from each other's confidence.

  Nomad, the anchor's scout, stared at a map of the area surrounding the bay. She was fairly average in height with long dark hair, held back by a starfish pin. Nomad slapped the western part of the city map again.

  Silvered leaned up against a bulkhead silently observing, her long white hair flowing down her back and partially obscuring the ornate silver bow and, oddly enough, a quiver she never needed to use. It was odd for an anchor to attend such a meeting while being transformed but the others had long since gotten over questioning it.

  “I’m telling you there is something weird going on, it’s not just the two girls with the potential!” Nomad insisted again. “There is another intermittent signal out there! I don’t wanna be anywhere near!”

  “We’ve been out there.” Irontide, the group's leader, crossed her arms. She was short and kind of stocky with hair cut short and the pointed ears indicative of being a mermaid. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t appear to be demonic.”

  “Activity from the Hells in that area has been on the rise, but I’ll go out there with you.” Cosmic insisted. “I’m more than capable of handling any threat and protecting you at the same time.”

  “It. Keeps. MOVING” Nomad insisted again, louder. “Emerging Incursion portals do…not…move. They also don’t disappear in a flash like this! It's just like poof! There! Poof! Gone! Over and over and I can’t find a pattern to it!”

  “It’s NOTHING.” Cosmic groaned. “You keep sending us out there and we never find ANYTHING. It has to be some kind of phantom signal!”

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Unlikely.

  The True Anchor spoke such as it could.

  …It seems possibly reminiscent of the flashes of power from an untransformed magical girl.

  “You think there might be another team operating in our area?” Irontide scratched behind one of her long ears.

  The True Anchor did not elaborate.

  “The only reason I could see for operating in our area is to poach potentials.” Cosmic straightened. “I think we need to make a grab on these two signals before it's too late.”

  Irontide sat thoughtfully for a moment.

  “Oh come on!” Cosmic fumed. “Are we seriously going to let two more potential juniors go?? What the fuck is holding you up? We’re on the clock here! These potentials are either going to get poached or age out if we don’t take action now!”

  “Maybe I’d rather they age out than entrust them to you again!” Irontide snapped. “We’ve already lost two promising students to your temper!”

  Cosmic grimaced, unable to fully deny the accusation. She’d perhaps been slightly overprotective of her daughter and her condition, her zeal had… certainly been a factor in the last two recruits resigning early.

  “This is such a mess.” Irontide sighed, tapping her foot to try and bleed out the extra energy. “You can make an attempt, but you need to swear to me you can keep your anger under control, also you’re taking Silvered with you.”

  “I do not need a babysitter.” Cosmic groaned. “Just because yo-”

  “The Anchor girls are MY responsibility!” Irontide stepped toward Cosmic aggressively. “You might have been here longer but -I- was entrusted with leading us. Maybe you should take this opportunity to reflect on why that is.”

  Cosmic took a deep breath and backed down. “I apologize.”

  “Accepted.” Irontide let her shoulders down. “I know you mean well. Really I do but please for the love of Freyja find a way to not just attack every problem.”

  “I’m sorry.” Cosmic held her chest feeling genuinely kind of ashamed as she turned to leave. “I won’t let you down again.”

  Silvered followed after Cosmic closely and quietly, Nomad eventually did so with a bit more reluctance. leaving Irontide alone with her thoughts. She curled up by the large glass observation that looked out to the True Anchor resting in the depth of the bay and tried to commune all of her thoughts and fears with the artifact.