The story so far:

---- Aija and the others are on the South-Land. They are waiting for the Leadership to attack. Aija finds out that The Gale was attacked on the Main Lands, and she worries for her brother - Rei/Goldstar. Goldstar is alive. They lost the Premiere, Leigh, Tailyn, Arah Lin. His leg is broken and his finger missing. Ze is getting better in his training. Ze and Ruyanir aren't married yet. Avery gets copies of the Leadership's experiments from Tailyn And feels bad for doubting Goldstar.

---- Zuri thinks of the first time she met Aija. The Leadership attacks them and Zuri goes to protect the people of the South.

---- Xan tries going after the others to help but soon realizes that he can't. He hates it.

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****4.3.ZURI ****

Zuri ran towards the Zayr Settlement, letting Nala proceed to the Human Settlement. Zuri had been given the Zayr Settlement since it was smaller, and the Leadership didn't seem to have their eyes on it. But as soon as Zuri got there, she knew they'd assumed wrong.

Countless Army fighters were already present shooting at the Zayr, who fired back using guns too, but only a few of them. The majority of the Zayr held spears and managed to deflect the bullets with them. Zuri ran, activating her powers, reaching to Nala through the bond. The bond pricked from her distance away from Nala, but Zuri's focus was on using her shield. Spiral runes glowed over Zuri's arms and fingers in bright silver, and her shield started to form in her hands. Thieron and Var-Inu never got the runes.

Zuri had practiced shielding with Nala, but it was only practice. This was real. An Army fighter stared at Zuri and the glowing runes on her hands as she ran past them. Several fired at her, but the shots didn't get past her shield. Reassured that her powers worked, Zuri continued past fighting humans in black and the pale Zayr in their strange clothes to a more central point. A fighter-aircraft flying by dropped as explosive nearby. It hit the ground hard, and dust and shards came flying at them. Zuri, out of fear from the impact, lost her command over her shield.

Debris came flying at her and scratched her skin. Zuri ducked, hands over her head, waiting for it to end. She panted; scared and alone, tears filled her eyes. She had to do this; she had to do what she'd stayed back on the South-Land for. Zuri imagined herself stuck in one of the Virtual Games she'd played at Market at Innermost. But where killing aliens in an imaginary fight had been thrilling, this was plain scary; the fear of death real. The ruse didn't help her dread, for the debris flying at her actually grazed her skin, hurting her. The ringing in her ears receded, and she heard the shouts and screams of people fighting around her. Zuri opened her eyes, heaving. She reached into the bond and felt the power coursing through her. Another jet flew past, dropping a bomb. Zuri created the shield and started expanding it like Nala had taught her.

"Come on, come on," she urged herself as the explosive nearly hit them. "Come on, Zuri!" she yelled out into the mayhem.

Her shield ballooned swiftly and swathed the Zayr Settlement. The explosive hit the shield and burst, creating an ear-splitting boom.

She did it. Zuri successfully shielded the Settlement. She grinned, proud of herself.

Now, they somehow had to deal with the Army fighters who'd wound up under her shield along with the Zayr. At least, the bombs were taken care of.

Seeing that she shielded them, an Army fighter ran to Zuri, and she watched as they pulled the trigger. Zuri panicked; the shield was all around them. She had no way of protecting only herself.

The fighter neared Zuri and fired the gun aimed at her heart.

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