Gaiza plunged deeper into the mystical forest. "I 't let Elena's life be ed by darkness," Gaiza thought to herself. "Even if there's just a small ce that I save her from the path she's on, I have to take that ce. I refuse to believe that the Elena I knew is gone forever!"

  Gaiza's resolve propelled her through the forest. The evening shadows pyed tricks among the trees, casting a sht over the path ahead. She finally spotted Elena, standing alone amidst the rustling leaves.

  "Elena," Gaiza called out softly.

  Elena tur the sound of Gaiza's with surprise. "Gaiza? What are you doing here?"

  Gaiza approached cautiously,. "I came to find you."

  Elena's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why? You should be by 'Princess Aliana's' side."

  Gaiza took a deep breath, "Because you're my friend, Elena. You were always there for me before you became the right hand of the headmaster."

  Elena's face hardened slightly at Gaiza's words. "Gaiza, you have to uand, things have ged between us. I made my choices. We're not friends anymore."

  Gaiza took a step closer, "But Elena, I still care about you. I don't want you to suffer here."

  Elena shook her head, "You're ging to a memaiza. That friendship... it's in the past now."

  Gaiza frowned, "Maybe you've given up on being my friend, but I haven't given up on being yours. Remember all those times I tried to reach out to you? Every ce I got, I wao talk, but you alushed me away."

  Elena's gaze softened momentarily while looking away, "I had to," she replied quietly. "I had no choice."

  "But you do have a choiow," Gaiza insisted. "The headmaster is dead, the Academy is gone, and we have a ce to go to the city. Didn't you use to tell me you always wao see what it was like?"

  Gaiza's words stirred something within her, a flict she had beeling with ever since she took on the mantle of responsibility at the Academy.

  "I..." Elena began but struggled to find the right words. She looked down at Gaiza's hands which was now held out. With a sigh, Elena took Gaiza's hands in her.

  "Gaiza, I don't know what to do anymore," Elena admitted, "Everything I've known, everything I've worked for... it's all gone now. The Academy, the Headmaster... it's all in ruins. I thought I had a purpose, a path to follow, but now..."

  Gaiza sighed. "The headmaster ged you, Elena, and not for the better. She brainwashed you, and you didn't even realize it. Princess Aliana was going through the same thing, realizing the headmaster’s brainwashing."

  Elena's eyes widened in shock at Gaiza's words. "Brainwashed?" she echoed. She could feel a storm of memories swirling within her, fragments of versations with the Headmaster, moments where she felt an inexplicable pressure to , to obey. The thought alone was enough to send a sharp pang of pain through her head.

  She remembered the Headmaster and and instru. Every versation with her ended with the headmaster saying, “Loyalty above all else.” The words seeped into Elena's subscious like poison. The headache intensified and Elena winced, clutg her temples.

  Gaiza watched with growing . "Elena, are you okay?" she asked softly.

  Elena tried to pose herself, but the overwhelming realization of her maniputed thoughts and as was too much to bear. She looked at Gaiza with anguish and fusion. "I... I didn't even realize. I thought I was doing what was right, what was necessary for the Magical Academy..."

  Gaiza stepped closer with her hands reag out to Elena’s shoulders. "It's not your fault, Elena. The Headmaster twisted everything. She made you believe you had no choice."

  Elena's legs felt weak. She sank to the ground with tears streaming down her face. "I pushed you away, Gaiza. I hurt you. I... I didn't mean to."

  Gaiza k beside her. "I know, Elena. You were maniputed, but now you see the truth. We start over, leave this behind, and build somethier together."

  Elena sobbed openly.”I don't know how to fix this," she fessed, "I feel so lost."

  Gaiza ed her arms around Elena, holdiightly. “e with us, Elena…”

  She wiped away her tears and thought for a moment before responding. "I'll e with you and Aliana. I want to start over, to rebuild the friendships I've lost, and to rediscover the person who I want to be."

  Aliana had been watg from a distance, cealed behind the cover of the trees. She smiled and then prepared to leave before hearing Gaiza call out,

  "Princess Aliana."

  Aliana turned in surprise. She approached them with relif on her face.

  "Gaiza, is everything alright now?"

  Gaiza, still holding Elena, nodded. "Yes, Princess. Everything is going to be fine. Elena has decided to e with us, to start anew."

  Aliana's face lit up with a warm smile. She stepped closer to Eleending a hand in a gesture of wele.

  "Elena, wele to the 'icy' family," Aliana said with a pyful wink. "We may have some chilly moments, but I promise we're a warm-hearted bunch at heart."

  Elena managed a faint smile through her lingering tears. She took Aliana's hand, feeling a sense of belonging she hadn't experienced in a long time.

  "Thank you, Princess," Elena replied. "I'm ready to start anew, and I'll do my best to be a loyal and trustworthy member of your team."

  Aliana nodded.

  "We'll start fresh iy," Aliana affirmed, "and together, we'll build a new family."

  The trio, now united by a shared resolve and the promise of a new beginning, returo the b. Night desded upohe rest of the group had already prepared for bed.

  Kintovar emerged from her room, her sungsses finally off, revealing her weary yet tent face. She blinked sleepily, and said a single phrase,

  "Pineapple juice."

  Her words drew puzzled looks from those present, but they knew better than to question Kintovar's sleep-iterances. With a few chuckles and jokes, they bid each oodnight aled down for some well-deserved rest.

  The b, once filled with the hum of teology and the whispers of magic, grew quiet as everyone drifted off into dreams.

  The b was bathed in the gentle glow of m light filtering through the windows. It had been 48 long hours since Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle had been pced in their rejuvenation tanks to recover from their previous battle. The time had finally e for Roselle's tank to open.

  With a soft, meical hum, the tank opened, revealing Roselle's body within. Her young eyes blinked open, adjusting to the light. She looked around the familiar surroundings of Kintovar's b. She felt a renewed sense of energy and curiosity c through her.

  Roselle's first instinct was to check her system status, and she accessed the information with ease:

  System Status: Online

  LifeForce: 100%

  Magic: 200%

  on Charge: 100%

  Timer: N/A

  Location: Kintovar's b

  Threat Assessment: None

  Project Mage Data Colle: 20% plete

  Roselle's gaze remained fixed on Risebelle's tank, her i blue eyes filled with anticipation and curiosity. She could sehat something had ged within her sister during their time of recovery, and she couldn't wait to speak with her.

  As the green healing liquid tis wradually rest Risebelle's strength, Roselle pressed her eyes against the gss, watg ily.

  "Risebelle..." Roselle whispered again.

  Risebelle stepped out of the tank gracefully. She lowered her eyes, ready to scold her younger sister with her hands on her sides. "I thought I told you not to smudge the gss oanks by putting your fa it."

  Roselle stared at Risebelle with a serious look. "Risebelle, what happened when I lost sciousness?"

  Risebelle's response came with a rare smile. She tilted her head slightly, “What do you think? I had to save the day by finishing the job against Mystimona. I underwent the same thing as you though, and lost sciousness for 48 hours," Risebelle replied,

  Roselle raised a hand to her curiously, "Did you experience a memory fragment during that time?”

  Risebelle sighed." So, I’m guessing you experienced a memory fragment as well, huh?” Risebelle hesitated for a moment before tinuing, choosing her words carefully. "I did see a memory fragment during that time, but it's not something I easily put into words."

  Roselle She leaned in to Risebelle. "What did you see in the memory fragment? Was there anything... familiar?"

  Risebelle offered a vague response. "It… It was a bit hazy, but there were glimpses of something signifit. I'll need more time to make sense of it."

  Roselle accepted Risebelle's answer, although she frowned in dissapoi. She looked towards the ground ihought.

  ‘Should I tell Risebelle about what I saw? It was so vivid, and there was something about it... something familiar. But what if it's just my imagination? What if it’s not Risebelle? What if it actually means nothing?’ She tio think over the possibilities, the silence growiween them.

  With a graceful stride, Risebelle approached Runebelle's tank. “Hey, Runebelle should be waking up soon. “

  Risebelle looked back at Roselle, but she was gone. She dashed towards Runebelle's tank. ‘Roselle, always so impatient. She's like a child sometimes.’ She thought with a smile.

  However, Roselle’s eagerness led her to press her face against the tank, leaving smudges on the gss.

  Risebelle's sharp eyes immediately caught the smudges oank's gss. She sighed inwardly, a slight furroeariween her brows. "Roselle, you really o stop smudging the gss like that. It disrupts the crity of the view."

  Roselle turned quickly. "I just wao be the first thing Runebelle sees when she wakes up. She's always so sad. I think that a happy face will cheer her up."

  "Denied."

  Risebelle moved to gently pull Roselle away from the tank, but Roselle resisted,

  "No, Risebelle, I have to be here when she wakes up!"

  Roselle resisted for a moment more; however, Risebelle's strength easily lifted her younger sister off the ground in a few seds, cradling her in her arms. Roselle's protest faded into a giggle.

  Risebelle squi Roselle. With a serious tone, she dropped Roselle to the gound.

  "You're too impatient, Roselle.”

  "Ow," Roselle pouted, rubbing the back of her head where it had bumped against the floor.

  Risebelle folded her arms staring back towards the tank. Meanwhile, Roselle quickly regained her footing and darted back to Runebelle's tank. She pressed her palms against the gss, peering eagerly inside.

  Runebelle’s eyes at this time were just opening. The first thing she saw was the familiar face of Roselle. It was a se that had pyed out numerous times before. Runebelle's gaze met Roselle's, and for a moment, they simply stared at each other with a silent uanding passiween them.

  Roselle's warm smile greeted Runebelle. Runebelle stepped out of the tank with her gloomy face. Without a word, Roselle pulled Runebelle into a tight hug. "Thank you, Runebelle," Roselle whispered, "You helped us immensely in the final battle with the magical academy. Your Project Rune form was incredible, and it boosted ical affio levels we didn't even think possible!"

  Runebelle's frown persisted, but there was a flicker of pride in her eyes when she finally spoke, "I am gd I could help really... We had to win...”

  "Sisters, we have achieved a great victainst the headmaster," Risebelle began, her gaze unwavering. "It's a moment we should cherish, and we are stronger for it. But we must remember that the battle is not over. The humans who seek to harm us still pose a threat to our existence."

  Roselle looked slightly worried at what Risebelle was about to say .

  "What I want now is for us to go to the city and finish what we started. We will show them that we are not to be trifled with, and we will ensure our safety and the safety of our creators, Kintovar and Haras, even if it means eliminating every st human in the world."

  Risebelle's eyes met each of her sisters. "Let us find Kintovar and pn our move. We have the strength, the magid the unity to protect ourselves and our future. Together, we will face the city, and we will emerge victorious."