With Mystimona's calm reassurahe group steeled themselves for the uping attempt to breach the barrier. Their spheres had merged into a sireak of magical energy, and the moment of truth was at hand.

  With a blinding fsh, they collided with the barrier. The impact send shockwaves rippling through the barrier's surface. Quivered as if struggling to withstand the force.

  The group all made an effort to push through and a portion of the barrier shattered with a resounding explosion of energy. They burst through like a onball through a paper wall.

  Oher side, the group found themselves rapidly desding. Their velocity was still immense, and they o find a way to slow down before they crashed into the city.

  Kintovar called out, "We o stabilize ourselves and find a way to nd safely! Brapact!"

  Haras was forced to release her hold on Kintovar. The protective spheres separated and everyone found themselves s through the air as individual entities.

  Kintovar quickly assessed the situation. She shouted above the r wind, "Grab onto someone! Hold onto each other and prepare yourselves!"

  Roselle reached out to her sisters, Risebelle and Runebelle. They tried to form a trio to stay together, but for some reason, their protective spheres repelled each other with a powerful force, causing them to widen their eyes in surprise. Instead of staying together, they were flung to separate parts of the city.

  Risebelle, now isoted from her sisters, ched her fists in frustration. She soared through the sky in a different dire.

  Runebelle drifted away from her siblings, growing smaller in the distance.

  Meanwhile, Gaiza found herself held onto by Elena, and the two of them remained close. In an attempt to reach her "Princess," Gaiza tried to swim through the sky in a way which seemed ical. Her limbs filed out and she tried to make a swimming breast stroke motion. She eventually made it to Aliana's side. The two of them stuck together while they floated through the air.

  Kintovar, sweating profusely and realizing the dire situation, attempted to use her grappling hook to grab onto Haras. However, in her haste, the hook punctured a hole in her protective sphere. Uerred, she tio reach out for Haras, but she barely missed the mark. The two of them were separated, each drifting in different dires.

  Mystimona, out of breath and with the magical power from the Mystical forest wearing off, began to feel the sequences of straining the Zenith form for far lohan ten mihe vibrant hair color that had marked the Zenith form slowly began to fade, returning to its inal purple hue. As Mystimoed to the mase form, the Zenith transformation came to an abrupt end, and they fell somewhere within the middle of the city.

  An, who had been at the back of the group, fell somewhere within his protective sphere, nding in a different part of the city.

  The barrier they had broken through had a hole, allowing them to ehe city. However, as the group desded further into the city, the hole they had created began to self-repair. The edges of the breach shimmered with energy, slowly but steadily sealing itself, closing off the path they had taken to ehe city.

  The group had nded in various parts of the city with rough and noisy ndings as their protective spheres burst with power upon impact. People oreets below looked up in astonishment, their versations halted by the ued arrivals.

  Kintovar, who had missed Haras by inches, found herself nding on a rooftop, her protective sphere dissipating with a loud burst of energy. She quickly surveyed her surroundings, noting the unfamiliar cityscape that stretched out before her.

  Roselle nded with a thud in an area filled with snow. She y ft on her face for a moment, groaning, "O…..That hurt..." When she finally pushed herself up, she noticed a group of children nearby who had been pying and building sheir i faces turoward her, wide-eyed in astonishment. One of the children called out, "Mommy! Mommy! Look!”

  They poi Roselle, who remained a strange and ued sight in their snowy pyground. Roselle bli the child in fusion.

  Risebelle's nding was rough and solitary, not far from Roselle's location but separated by a distance. She gnced around with a gre, ready to adapt to any situation that preseself. Unfortunately, she didn't go unnoticed. An adult mage spotted her dest and observed her with curiosity and caution. He raised a ball of magical energy in his hand, preparing to defend himself. He asked with a face turning into, "What are you?" Risebelle met his gaze, her disdain for humans simmerih the surface. Despite her iurmoil, she mao suppress her impulses and remain still, silently the mage.

  Runebelle, too, nded in the snowy terrain of another location withiy. Children curiously surrounded her, their young faces refleg fasation and . Seeing her with her perpetually sad face, they attempted to move her, only to find that she didn't respond. One of the children excimed excitedly,

  "The goddess sent us a life-sized doll! Yay! Let's take her inside!" With their childish enthusiasm, they gently lifted Runebelle and began carryiowards a nearby building.

  The group of children, three boys and two seven-year-old girls carried Runebelle into a cozy led amidst the snow. The exuded warmth and fort. They carefully pced Runebelle on a soft cou the 's living area.

  One of the girls, with her bright eyes filled with awe, turo the others and whispered excitedly, "This is amazing Priya! The goddess really did answer my prayers!" She had been the oo spot Runebelle's arrival and had led the others to iigate.

  Her friend, Priya, nodded in agreement. "Yes, Manisha, it's like a dream e true!"

  Meanwhile, the three boys, equally intrigued by their unusual guest, watched Runebelle with curiosity.

  Their youthful ones sung through the . They then called out to their mother as soon as they got to her. She was busy cooking i. A fairly young-looking woman with a strong magical presence, she turned her attention toward her children with a warm smile.

  "What's all the excitement, my darlings?" she inquired.

  Manisha beamed up, "Mommy, we found a goddess the other day and she answered my prayers! Look at the doll she left me!

  The mother chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm and approached the group, her magical aura radiating a sense of warmth and fort. She crouched down to Runebelle's level, examining her with a gentle and uanding gaze.

  "Well, isn't that something," she remarked with a reassuring smile.

  As the mother tio examine Runebelle, she began to think to herself.

  "The thing doesn't have any magical energy," she thought to herself, her trained senses seeing the absence of any mystical aura. "It's likely lifeless, like a doll. But there's something... off about it. It doesn't feel like an ordinary toy."

  The mother smiled at her children and their newfound fasation with the mysterious figure that had appeared in their lives.

  "Manisha, you're very lucky," she said warmly, ruffling her daughter's hair. "But remember, we should always be grateful for the blessings we receive."

  Turnitention to the others, she tinued, "Dinner is almost ready, my darlings. It's time to wash up so we enjoy our meal together."

  The children nodded in agreement, still bubbling with excitement after leaving Runebelle and headed towards the washroom to prepare for dihe mother remained in the living area for a moment longer, her gaze returning to Runebelle with curiosity and intrigue before she, too, prepared for the family meal.

  Meanwhile, Risebelle found herself in the cozy fines of a , fag the mage who had discovered her arrival. The man, still slightly bewildered by her appearance, spoke with a hint of embarrassment.

  "I'm sorry for drawing my magic earlier. It's not every day that we see someone falling from the sky like that. I had to be cautious."

  He observed Risebelle more closely, noting her agical energy. His curiosity got the better of him.

  "You don't seem to possess any magical powers. That could mean you're either a stist or... well, a very advanced creation, like a robot."

  Risebelle, maintaining her serious demeanor, met his gaze directly and asked the question that weighed on her mind, "Are you pnning to kill me now that you suspect I'm not human?"

  The mage was surprised by the straightforwardness of her question. He raised an eyebrow,

  but then he began to scratch his head. He began to expin,

  "Look, I won't deny that there are some mages out there who have strong prejudices against stists and creations. But not all of us are like that. Just because you're different doesn't mean you deserve harm."

  He sighed afterwards with his demeanor softening. "In our city, there have been some is involving stists and their creations, and it's created a lot of fear and distrust. But many of us believe iend uanding. We're not all out to harm you."

  Risebelle remained skeptical. "As speak louder than words. I've seen enough hatred from humans to know better than to just trust some empty words."

  The mage nodded in uanding. "I get it. Trust is hard to e by, especially in times like these. But I promise you, I won't harm you. If you need any help or have questions about our city, I'll do my best to assist you."

  Risebelle didn't lower her guard entirely, but she aowledged his words with a nod.

  The mage expined further, "You've nded in the North Pole of Jancito, the northern part of our city. Jancito is enormous, divided into four major districts: North, South, East, a. Each district has its own unique characteristid culture. The North Pole is known for its colder climate, and it's home to a diverse popution of mages and magical creatures."

  Risebelle took in this information with curiousity. "What's the purpose of your city, and why is it so divided?"

  The mage nodded, ready to provide more details. "Jancito is a hub of magical research, education, and innovation. It's where mages from all over the world e to study and harheir magical abilities. The divisions are mostly for administrative purposes, but each district has its own focus. The North is known for its magical researd education, while the South is more industrial and teological. The East is often called the 'Swod's Domain.' It's a pce where bat mages and warriather to hoheir skills. It's also the main attra for those ied in magical duels and tours. The East is closest to the South due to the trading path for teology."

  The mage tinued his expnation, "The East is also a hub fical research reted to bat and on entments. It's a district that is always filled with activity."

  He paused for a moment, being serious after mentioning the West. "As for the West, it's a pce we don't talk about much. It's known for being home to some of the darkest mages and swordsmen. The West is also where the Maizen Empire has its stronghold. They hold signifit authority not just in the West but across all districts of Jancito."

  Risebelle absorbed this information and realized that things got very plicated for them.

  "There's something else you should be aware of," The mage cautioned. "Every week, a monstrous entity known surfaces in Jancito. It's a force to be reed with, and it goes around colleg 'money' from all ers of the city. If you happen to enter the Dark Whirlwind, heed my advice: do not engage, do not resist. Simply give it the mo seeks, or else..."

  He paused for a sed then tinued. "It possesses an overwhelming level of magical power. Even the greatest fighters in Jancito have attempted to challe and failed. Lives have been lost in futile attempts to stand against the Dark Whirlwind. It's a force beyond anything most of us prehend."

  “What does this ‘Dark Whirlwind’ look like?’

  The mage hesitated for a moment, as if struggling to find the words. He finally began to describe it, "Well, it's a swirling mass of dark energy, almost like a chaoti. But when it reveals itself, it takes on the appearance of an i young girl with long yellow hair..."

  Before he could finish his sentehey were interrupted by a child's scream ing from outside the . Risebelle turned her attention towards the otion and followed the mage to iigate.

  Outside, Roselle found herself fag a frightened child who had called out. The child pointed a trembling fi her and cried, "It's the monster, Mommy! It's Dark Whirlwind!"

  Roselle, still disoriented from her rough nding, blinked in surprise at the child's accusation.