Amaris' POV
The sleek black car pulled up silently to the curb in front of City Hall. The building loomed overhead, proud and regal with its modern glass front and neoclassical pillars—a strange marriage of old-world authority and contemporary governance. I folded my hands on my lap, taking one last breath as the engine quieted.
The driver stepped out and opened the door for me with practiced efficiency. "We've arrived, Miss Shin," he said with a small bow.
I nodded graciously, stepping out. "Thank you. You may go now, I'll return on my own."
He paused only a moment before nodding. "Take care, miss."
I offered a small wave as the car slipped away into traffic, leaving me on the wide steps of City Hall amidst civilians bustling around, completely unaware of what was to come.
Children played tag near the flower beds, their laughter light. A vendor pushed a cart of roasted chestnuts, steam curling in the air. Ordinary scenes. Mundane, peaceful, almost painfully so. My fingers tightened around the strap of my bag.
They had no idea.
I moved swiftly toward the quieter side of the building, around the back where the eyes didn't quite reach and the shadows offered sanctuary. Nestled between a utility alcove and a stack of construction crates, I paused.
My eyes fell to my right wrist. The elegant, polished watch glinted in the late afternoon sun. It was a decoy to anyone else—a luxury timepiece, maybe, but I knew better. This was my Morpher. A gift from my father. A symbol of my reincarnated destiny.
I placed my left index finger gently on the center dial, pressing in and drawing a spiral motion across its face. It responded instantly. A soft pulse of lavender light rippled outward. Then, like unfolding armor, mechanical plates slid smoothly over my wrist and forearm. A hum filled the air. In my left palm, a hexagonal fossil disc shimmered into existence.
I slid the disc into the Dino Plate Slot. Click. The mechanism whirred to life with a series of soft mechanical sounds, a soothing rhythm I had come to associate with power. Confidence. Identity.
The engraved runes surrounding the Temporal Core Dial began to glow—first dimly, then with growing radiance.
"It never gets old," I murmured with a smile.
My fingers wrapped around the dial. Calmly, I turned it.
Click. Still.
Click. Slow.
Click. Flow.
Click. Heal.
Click. Strike.
Click.Balance.
Each word etched itself into the space around me like a whispered mantra, like a promise.
The glow pulsed outward, lavender and violet threads of light weaving into my limbs, filling my body with a familiar surge. Then came the phrase—the invocation etched into my very soul.
"If you would, Ankylosaurus… lend me your strength."
A wave of energy enveloped me.
My senses sharpened. I stood not as Amaris Shin, daughter of wealth and subtle mystery, but as something more. A guardian in silence. A ripple in fate.
My armor shimmered into place: silver–violet plating, accented with silver lines. My visor clicked into place, shaped like the blunt head of the Ankylosaurus, sleek and strong. I flexed my fingers once.
Then, with a gentle click of my left heel against my right boot, the Veloshade hoverboard deployed in a quiet swirl of light. Sleek, light, and silent, it hovered low to the ground. I stepped on it, and as soon as my feet settled, muscle memory that wasn't mine guided me—knowledge imprinted in the tech, waiting to awaken.
I launched upward, gliding effortlessly to the rooftop of City Hall. I crouched low, behind the stone edging, watching.
It didn't take long.
Dr. Oliver's black jeep rolled into view. From above, I spotted him in the driver's seat, flanked by Ethan and Trent. A woman approached them.
My hand went instinctively to my right wrist. With a flick, my bow materialized—elegant and angular, patterned like fossil ridges and violet circuitry. I grasped it with reverence. "String," I whispered.
A shimmering line of violet light stretched between its arms. I pulled gently. An arrow formed in place—pure energy.
I let it go. It vanished in a flash of violet as soon as it was released. A test. My aim was true.
Movement below.
Tyrannodrones spilled onto the street like ink across paper. Screams filled the air as civilians ran. I watched, heart steady, as the Rangers sprang into action.
Blue and Yellow charged into the fray. Red was locked in a clash with Goldenrod, while the Black Ranger fought with relentless focus against Zeltrax.
Goldenrod was overpowering the Red Ranger. I could see it—the strain in his stance, the falter in his block. I raised my bow, drew the string, and fired.
The violet arrow struck Goldenrod in the side, sending a flash of impact. The Red Ranger didn't miss the opportunity—he slashed with force, driving Goldenrod back.
Zeltrax shouted something, I saw him point and Goldenrod responded.
The villain pulsed with energy, then compressed into a glowing white orb, which expanded with a roar into a giant form. "I'm larger than life," he bellowed, voice thundering.
I raised an eyebrow under my helmet. 'Dramatic to a fault… and yet, rather admirable. I may have to borrow that approach.'
"I'm gonna rock this city!"
'Truly, he had a flair for it.'
The ground trembled as the Brachiozord entered, summoned by the Black Ranger. The mighty Zord released the Tyrannozord, Tricerazord, and Pterazord. They came together with familiar clicks and power surges, forming the Thundersaurus Megazord.
A smile tugged at my lips. Seeing it in person was something else.
The Megazord clashed with Goldenrod, their battle titanic. Nearby, Zeltrax was forced back by the Black Ranger. I could see Zeltrax shouting at Goldenrod, something about retreat. But Goldenrod's attention shifted.
He saw his father losing.
And he moved.
I watched as Goldenrod raised a foot—his massive form eclipsing the sun—and aimed it directly at the Black Ranger.
My heart lurched.
I pivoted, drawing three arrows in one fluid movement.
"Echo Flare—volley strike."
I loosed them. Each arrow shimmered as it flew—one to his chest, one to his flank, one grazing his raised foot.
Impact.
Goldenrod staggered. A beat passed. Then—echo strikes.
The arrows' energy rebounded, triggering delayed bursts of force. Goldenrod screeched, disoriented and faltering. He stumbled away from the Black Ranger, the attack broken.
It wouldn't finish the fight, but it was enough.
I stepped onto my hoverboard. "Time to disappear."
I soared away, leaving the rooftop and the city behind. The wind was sharp, but I welcomed it. My pulse was steady, mind clearer than it had been in days.
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I returned to the estate without a sound, touching down near the gate. My boot tapped against the hoverboard; it shimmered and returned to its dormant state in my right boot.
"Return to stillness," I murmured.
The energy dissipated. The armor vanished in a soft wave, leaving me in my pale lilac blouse, dark purple pencil skirt, and low-heeled loafers.
I straightened as the guard opened the gate.
"Welcome back, Miss Shin," he said, flustered as always.
"Thank you," I replied with a polite nod.
The walk to the estate was long, but I welcomed the solitude. Each step gave me time to reflect, to savor the satisfaction blooming quietly in my chest.
I had helped them—my childhood heroes. And I had done it without altering too much. No spotlight. No identity revealed.
Just a whisper in the wind. An arrow in flight. A ghost of violet light.
And when the time came… I would no longer be just a ghost.