Saint Joan Orphanage
Nina crouched low, her small hands straining as she tried to pull something out of the grass on the orphanage's porch. Though she looked like she was simply playing, her eyes carried a quiet sadness—one no child should have to bear.
From the day she was born, before her mother left, she had always been told she was different.
At first, with a child's mind, she didn't think much of it. Everything felt normal… until the day her powers began to manifest.
A year ago…
It was a bright, sunny day at the park.
Nina's mother, Magda Gurzsky, watched her with the kind of tenderness only a parent could have. Yet beneath that warmth, there was a hidden worry—one no one else could see.
"Yay!"
One of the children jumped in excitement as Nina ran across the field, chasing her friends. They were playing tag under the warm weekend sun, laughter filling the air.
"You're it… hehe!"
Nina tapped one of the kids and sprinted away, giggling as she dodged their attempts to tag her back.
Around them, animals wandered freely through the large park—mostly cats and dogs. Some rested beside their owners, while others played.
As the game reached its peak, Nina, trying to escape her friends, tripped over a rock.
"Ouch…"
She fell face-first, her head hitting the ground hard. Almost instantly, a large bump formed on her forehead.
Unable to hold back the pain, she burst into tears.
"Wuu… wuu…"
It all happened so quickly that no one could react in time.
Magda shot up from her seat and rushed toward her daughter, panic written all over her face. She scooped Nina into her arms, trying to soothe her.
But strangely…
Nina cried even louder.
"Waaaaa!!!"
And then—
Everything changed.
As if triggered by her cries, every animal in the park suddenly turned aggressive.
Dogs bit their owners. Cats clawed at each other. Even doves swooped down, pecking at startled pedestrians.
Chaos erupted.
Magda's heart sank.
She understood immediately.
It was the day she had feared.
Even worse, people had begun to notice. Their eyes shifted, suspicion forming as they searched for the source of the sudden madness.
Before anyone could confirm their guesses, Magda ran—holding Nina tightly as she fled the scene.
Reports surfaced after that day, detailing the strange incident at the park.
But within a week… everything was covered up.
To those who hadn't witnessed it, it became nothing more than a rumor. A hoax. A strange urban legend.
From that day forward, Nina could no longer leave her home.
Months passed like that… until something even worse happened.
Magda left. She told Nina she was going to find a cure for what happened that day. But Nina knew, even with her undeveloped abilities… she knew it was a lie.
Magda had taken her to the orphanage, promising she would return in a week. But nearly a year had passed, and she never came back.
Worse still, Nina's strange ability had flared up twice within the orphanage.
After that… no one wanted to be near her. No one except one person.
Layla Miller.
A fellow mutant with precognitive and post-cognitive abilities—capable of glimpsing fragments of the future and past.
When Layla learned about Nina's past, her heart ached for the little girl abandoned by the world.
So she stayed. She talked to her. She treated Nina like her own child.
And because of that… Nina survived.
Present…
"Why won't it come off?!"
Now six years old, Nina gritted her teeth as she pulled harder at the soil beneath her.
What she was trying to uproot was a small brown twig.
It looked completely ordinary.
But to Nina… It wasn't.
Her powers were reacting to it. And as a naturally curious child, she wanted to know why.
Nina's small eyes widened as she stared at the stubborn twig. A surge of anger rose within her, rushing straight to her head.
"I've never had or been given anything before… and now this grass doesn't want me to have what I want again. I will never accept it."
A mindset far beyond her age—shaped by both her powers and the pain she had endured over the past year—took root in her heart.
Her friends had left her.
Her mother had left her.
And now… she was alone.
She didn't want a life like that.
She hated a life like that.
Moreover, the thing buried in the ground gave her a strange, profound feeling. It was as if it could solve all her problems.
So…
She had to have it.
As if responding to her emotions, her powers stirred—and so did the twig.
Both began to radiate a deep purple light, ethereal and ominous.
"Aaah!"
With a sharp cry, Nina pulled with all her strength.
Thud!
She fell backward onto the ground as the recoil pushed her away.
"Ouch…"
Nina rubbed her bottom, trying to ease the pain. Though it hurt—and though tears threatened to fall—she forced herself not to cry.
What happened a year ago was still vivid in her mind.
It had been too traumatic.
Seconds later, she shifted her attention to what she had pulled out.
What lay before her was a purple, five-cornered gem attached to a strange, twisted twig.
And more than that…
It emitted an irresistible pull.
Something deep within it called to her.
Urging her.
Tempting her.
So…
She picked it up.
BOOM!
It felt like an explosion detonated inside her mind.
A torrent of purple mental energy surged into her consciousness, trying to take over.
But before it could succeed, her mutant powers reacted.
They rushed forward, clashing against the invading force.
It was like two violent oceans colliding—waves crashing with overwhelming, terrifying force.
Nina couldn't handle it.
Her veins bulged, glowing faintly beneath her skin.
She tried to scream—
But no sound came out.
It was as if her voice had been swallowed by the raging storm inside her.
Her body… Her mind…They couldn't endure it any longer.
Instinctively, they shut down to preserve what little strength remained.
Thud!
Nina collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
Her small body twitched slightly as faint purple veins spread across her skin.
At that moment, Layla—who had just returned to the orphanage from a trip—sensed the disturbance.
Her expression tightened as she rushed toward Nina's location.
"I hope nothing goes wrong…"
Though she appeared calm on the surface, anxiety gripped her heart.
She had always known this day would come.
And it was something she could never stop.
All she could do now… was hope that Nina would pull through.
And still be herself when she woke up.
--- ✦ ---
Zayne felt a quiet sense of satisfaction as he looked at Melissa's current state. Her confidence in the museum's security had been completely shattered, and for some reason, that expression pleased him.
"Hmph," he snorted inwardly. "That'll teach you not to attack people on a whim. Only ignorant and foolish people act like that."
Despite his satisfaction, Zayne knew losing something like an Infinity Stone was no small matter—it was, at the very least, a planetary issue, if not a universal one. He had a vague idea of what might have happened, based on the movies and comics from his past life, but he couldn't be certain.
So, he planned to scan the area with his morpher.
That is… after Melissa left.
"No… no, this can't be happening right now. It can't be. It shouldn't be…" Melissa muttered under her breath, unable to accept what she was seeing. Her mind spiraled into chaos, sweat dripping down her forehead as her thoughts threatened to overwhelm her rationality.
Zayne observed her deteriorating state and frowned slightly.
"Hmm… she shouldn't be this weak-willed. Unless…"
Focusing more closely, he tried to pinpoint what was pushing her toward the brink. That was when he noticed it—the residual energy of the Mind Stone, silently seeping into her forehead, invisible even to her.
If Zayne hadn't been using his ranger visor to scan her, he wouldn't have noticed it either.
Although Zayne was protected by the Omni-Grid, that protection didn't automatically inform him of hidden influences. It was like being immune to poison but not realizing you had been exposed in the first place—a double-edged sword. Good for survival, bad for awareness.
"I have to stop it," Zayne decided.
He stepped forward and tapped her forehead, releasing a stream of omni-energy to counter the Mind Stone's lingering aura.
The residual energy didn't even have the chance to resist before it was completely crushed.
Something as absolute as omni-energy wouldn't lose to the combined power of the Infinity Stones—let alone the faint remnants of a single one. To Zayne, resolving Melissa's condition was effortless.
"Snap out of it."
The words echoed in Melissa's mind as clarity returned.
Her eyes snapped into focus, landing on the ranger with his finger still resting lightly against her forehead. As realization set in, a wave of fear gripped her heart.
"If he wasn't here… I would have lost my mind. Why would this happen?" Melissa muttered, her voice laced with lingering horror. Then she looked at Zayne, silently asking for an explanation.
Zayne met her gaze and understood.
"It was the residual energy of the Mind Stone affecting your mental state," he said calmly. "You should know something as dangerous as an Infinity Stone can't be subdued and recognizes no friend or foe. Even its leaking aura can twist minds and slaughter millions. If you weren't protected by your innate Asgardian magic, you would have already fallen into the abyss."
Melissa's heart turned cold, her face paling slightly as she imagined what could have happened if she hadn't been pulled back in time. The outcome would have been disastrous.
"Thank you… again," Melissa said, searching for better words but finding none. Still, the simplicity of her gratitude carried sincerity and truth.
Zayne didn't put on any airs and replied with a smile hidden beneath his helmet. "No worries, I'm a ranger. It's my duty."
"Duty, huh?" Melissa chuckled bitterly to herself, now realizing how foolish it had been to probe him in the first place. He must have noticed… yet he showed no dissatisfaction and still chose to save her.
She could now see it clearly.
He was truly open-minded.
Zayne: ...
Her thoughts shifted back to the missing stone. With her mind finally clear, Melissa made a quick decision.
"Ranger, I'll be leaving for Asgard to figure out what's happening. This matter is of extreme importance," she said, now regarding Zayne as someone she could trust.
"Mm." Zayne nodded in agreement. "You should. Something as powerful as that shouldn't fall into the hands of the wrong person."
Melissa's mind trembled slightly at the words wrong person, and she quickly realized the situation was even more dire than she initially thought. If it truly fell into the hands of a villain… this realm—and many others—would be doomed.
"I'll be leaving now, fellow hero," Melissa said as she began to float into the air, tossing a round gem toward him. "You can call my name through that communication gem anytime you need my help. I'll come as fast as I can."
After saying that, she gave Zayne a deep, unreadable look… then flew off.
As Zayne stared at the gem, he couldn't help but joke to himself. "This is the second communication device I've received from a powerful person. Damn… my charisma must be extremely high."
He pocketed the gem into his inventory and turned his attention back to the silent room. Raising his Morpher, he scanned the area, intent on uncovering what had happened.
Then—something remarkable occurred.
Holographic projections of past events materialized before him, replaying exactly what had taken place. Zayne's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched.
"So… it was him."
But before he could continue, he sensed something.
"Nina?" he muttered.
The expression beneath his helmet darkened instantly as anger surged within him. From the moment they met, Zayne had looked into the little girl's past and felt a rare sense of pity. Knowing what would eventually happen to her, he had placed a special mark on her—one that would alert him the moment she was in danger.
And now…
That mark was blazing red.
"These ants actually dare to possess a child…" Zayne opened a portal before him, his voice dropping into something cold and dangerous. "I'll fucking destroy them."
And with that—
He vanished toward Nina's location.