The next morning, at her home, Victoria reached college in her usual form. The injury on her shoulder was healing now, though she still looked a little tired. Just then, her friend Roger came running up to her.
"Victoria! Victoria! This is huge news!" Roger shouted excitedly.
Smiling, Victoria asked, "What is it, Roger? Why are you so excited? Looks like some girl took a new admission in college and, for the first time, actually talked to you." She laughed as she said this.
"It's nothing like that. I'm not one of those guys who starts chasing after any girl," Roger replied, making a face. "What I wanted to tell you is that our college is going on a trip to Mexico! It's a research trip. We'll be studying water resources there and cooperating with the government's cleanliness campaign—cleaning garbage and plastic from the beaches. Will you come?"
Victoria liked the idea. After the recent events, she had been under a lot of tension anyway and was craving some rest. She felt that perhaps, amid the waves of the sea, she might find a little mental peace.
"For the first time, you've said something that actually makes me happy to hear. Because this idea of going on a trip isn't bad at all, Roger. I really do want to go…" Victoria said, but suddenly she stopped.
Just then, a soft voice came from her bag—it was the truth fairy. "Yes, yes, you should definitely go! I love the sea so much, and I've never seen a real ocean before. I've even heard that tacos are very famous in Mexico. And at the beach, I'll finally get a chance to bask in the sunlight too!"
Hearing the truth fairy's words, Victoria smiled. She also wanted to go on this trip, but she didn't want to make any decision without her parents' permission.
"But Roger," Victoria continued, "I'll have to ask my dad and mom first. I can't go anywhere without their permission."
Roger knew that no matter how grown-up or sensible Victoria became, she would never do anything without consulting her parents. So he didn't say anything further, and after that, Victoria left from there and headed back home.
"Victoria, it's because of all these little things about you that I've started loving you silently. Girls these days lie to their parents and do all sorts of things, which only brings disgrace to their families. But you— even at twenty-two, you don't go anywhere without your mom and dad's permission. I really love you a lot. I don't know if I'll ever be able to express my feelings to you or not," Roger whispered to himself softly as he watched Victoria walk away.
That evening, when Victoria reached home, the atmosphere felt somewhat different. Her mother, Olivia, was busy working in the kitchen, but her father, Allen, sat on the sofa looking deeply worried. He held his phone in his hand, and sweat was clearly visible on his face. There was clearly something troubling him, yet he didn't want to share his worry with anyone at home.
Just then, his thoughts drifted back to the phone call he had received on his personal number a short while ago—a call that had actually come from an underworld mafia demanding extortion.
"Listen, Allen," the mafia's voice had echoed through the phone, "I know your business is doing very well. If you want yourself and your family to remain safe, then deliver two million dollars to me within the next two days. Otherwise… I can't guarantee the safety of your daughter and your wife. You see, everyone in this city needs security, because the police can't be everywhere. So from now on, you'll pay me this amount every six months. In return, I'll protect you and your family, and I'll also keep your business safe from any evil eyes."
With that, the mafia had ended the call.
Victoria's stepfather, Allen, was an honest man. He had never been involved in any wrongdoing, yet now his world seemed to be falling apart. He was afraid to go to the police as well, because he knew all too well that mafias like these often had reach even into the government.
Unaware of her father's tension, Victoria came into the hall cheerfully and said, "Papa! I wanted to ask you something. Our college is going on a trip to Mexico, can I—"
Her voice stopped midway when she noticed the fallen look on her father's face. Allen tried to hide his anxiety and forced a faint smile. Looking at Victoria, he said, "What were you saying, dear… which trip? Right now… right now things aren't very good. I… I'll talk to you about this later." Saying this, Allen got up and went into the other room.
The moment she saw her father's expression, Victoria immediately felt that something was troubling him—something he couldn't share with his family. At the same time, her powers were also signaling to her that perhaps something was about to go wrong.
Just then, the Truth Fairy, who was sitting on Victoria's shoulder and had made herself invisible, whispered, "Victoria, your dad is definitely hiding something. I sensed that his blood pressure was high and his heart was beating very fast. He's facing some serious trouble!"
Victoria nodded in agreement after hearing the Truth Fairy and said, "I'll have to talk to Dad and try to find out what's troubling him so much, because I've never seen him this disturbed before."
Meanwhile, in another galaxy, within the endless depths of space, Samuel's massive ship, Shadow Hunter, drifted like a predatory bird. Inside the ship, the atmosphere was dark and intense. General Samuel—his metal armor emitting a cold blue glow—stood before a vast holographic map along with his new allies: the three commanders sent by the dark goddess Aethna. The map displayed Earth, and together they were planning how to target the planet.
"A sudden attack is not always wise, because it would alert Earth's forces," Samuel's heavy, resonant voice echoed. "That would make it harder and slower for us to fulfill our objective. Humans may be weak, but their armies and their weapons can still damage our forces. We must first entangle them elsewhere, so their attention is diverted from us, and then we'll get the opportunity to strike Earth."
As Samuel spoke, one of the commanders sent by the dark goddess Aethna stepped forward—Aqua-Mortis, a toxic being formed of blue and black smoke. Poisonous water dripped from his hand as he advanced.
"General," Aqua-Mortis said in a hissing voice, "I know how to weaken the people of Earth. They are like insects, and when their food and water are attacked, they begin fighting among themselves. Samuel, give me the chance. I will contaminate Earth's water resources. When their drinking water turns to poison, chaos will erupt across the planet. People will suffer, diseases will spread, and the entire focus of their army will be spent on saving their own people."
Hearing Aqua-Mortis's words, Samuel nodded with a sly smile. "You're right. I like your plan. While the human forces are busy in that chaos, I will send my main army under the command of Ignis and Terra-Crush and finish everything in a single strike. We will seize their water, oxygen, and plastic."
"Then, General, grant me your permission so I may go and remind the people of Earth of their place—and show them that they will always remain a weak race, while the powerful ones like us will forever rule over them," Aqua-Mortis said, laughing as he spoke to Samuel.
Hearing Aqua-Mortis's words, Samuel smiled and granted him permission to go to Earth and begin his task. Without any delay, Aqua-Mortis boarded a small ship and sped toward the planet. His target was fixed—Mexico, where, along the coastal regions, he would dissolve his poisonous droplets into the seas and rivers.
Meanwhile, in Dark Heaven, Rhinosorus had returned to Dark Goddess Aethna. Kneeling before her, he delivered a complete report of everything that had taken place aboard Samuel's ship.
"Lord Aethna, General Samuel has agreed to the attack. Aqua-Mortis has departed, and soon a war will erupt on Earth," Rhinosorus said.
Hearing this, Aethna burst into loud laughter and then said, "In the end, everything is unfolding exactly as I had envisioned."
After hearing the Dark Goddess speak, Rhinosorus hesitated slightly before asking, "But Lord Aethna, if Samuel plunders everything, what do we gain from this? Why are we helping a general from another planet?"
Hearing Rhinosorus's words, Aethna let out a terrifying laugh that made the entirety of Dark Heaven tremble. "My loyal commander, Rhinosorus! General Samuel is nothing more than a pawn. While the Secret Admiral and the people of Earth are busy fighting Samuel's army, their attention will be drawn away from the fragments of that ancient body armor. At that moment, you will take a select group and head into the jungles of Arizona. The remaining pieces of that Ancient Body Armor are hidden there. I want them at any cost. In this war, we are not helping General Samuel—rather, without realizing it, he is helping us." Saying this, Aethna began laughing once again.
Meanwhile on Earth, Victoria stood in her living room. Seated in front of her was her father, Allen, the lines of tension clearly visible on his face.
"Dad, I know you're worried. There's something troubling you from within—please tell me what it is. Why are you so tense?" Victoria asked emotionally, holding his hand. Her heart told her that some great calamity had fallen upon her father.
Hearing Victoria's words, her dad took a deep breath and looked into his daughter's eyes. He wanted to tell her that a mafia was threatening to kill their family, but he didn't want to place her in danger. So, hiding the truth, he said, "It's nothing, dear… just some business stress. There's nothing else."
"But Dad…" Victoria tried to speak, but her father cut her off midway.
"No, Victoria," Allen said firmly. "Focus on your studies and your research. You want to go to Mexico, don't you? Go… you have my permission. Maybe if you go away, I'll feel some peace knowing that you're safe."
Hearing her father's words, Victoria couldn't say anything else and remained seated in silence. But she had no idea that on one side, Samuel's army was advancing toward Earth from the depths of space, while on the other, the shadow of the mafia loomed over her own home. In the time to come, Victoria's challenges were about to multiply—something she did not yet know.