“We are a fusion of three beings into one, an experiment ducted by Shadowcroft. Our inal name is Rune, and we were once a single individual. Shadowcroft subjected us to their twisted experiments, merging us into a trinity of sciousness – Sadie, Sadie, and myself. It was meant to be a test, an experiment to create a being with multiple personalities and perspectives. A creature with heightened perception and intelligence.”

  She paused briefly. “We escaped Shadowcroft with surprising ease. In the process, everyone in the facility was knocked out, allowing us to simply walk away. However, we lost the exact location of Shadowcroft, and they have remained elusive ever sihat day. Our only lead was Rosebelle, who was created to repce Roselle. And now, Rosebelle is in our custody. We became the Sleuth of Shadows on ‘Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows,’ a virtual world dedicated to helping people going through Doppelganger cases. We even wrote an article that doted our experiences in case the Doppelgaheory ever surfaced in the real world. We k was only a matter of time, given the depth of our researto Shadowcroft’s activities.”

  Roselle, Sarah, Michigo, and Roselle’s mother listened in stunned silence as Ruheir faces mirrored shock, disbelief, and sympathy.

  Roselle eyes wide with empathy, finally broke the silence. “I ’t begin to imagine what that must be like... Fusion? That’s beyond anything I could have imagined...”

  Sarah’s eyes were wide with awe and . She spoke softly, “That’s... incredible, Rune. I mean, I ’t even begin to uand what you must have gohrough. But it sounds like you’re turning your experiences into something powerful. We ’t let Shadowcroft tiheir experiments. We’ve got to do something.”

  Michigo’s jaw dropped momentarily. “This is huge! If Shadowcroft’s been doing these kinds of experiments, we ’t just sit bad do nothing. We’re with you, Rune. Whatever it takes, we’re in.”

  Ruuro Mrs. Magenta.“Mrs. Magenta, as a parent, I uand that the safety and well-being of our children are our top priorities. What we’re about to embark on is incredibly risky, but it’s also our best ce to put ao the threat that is Shadowcroft.”

  She tinued, “We’ve kept this hidden for far too long, but now that you and Roselle’s friends are aware of our situation, we need your support. It’s not just about finding Shadowcroft; it’s about putting ao their dangerous experiments, so no other child has to gh what we did.”

  Rune paused. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I believe we only succeed with Roselle, Michigo, and Sarah’s help. With your permission, we work together as a team to front Shadowcroft and ehat no more children suffer as we did.”

  Mrs. Magenta listened ily and gave this some thought. After a minute of thinking, she finally nodded. “If this is the only way to protect our children and make sure no one else goes through what you’ve ehen I’ll support your decision. But please promise me you’ll all stay safe.”

  Rune gave a solemn nod. “Thank you, Mrs. Magenta. We’ll do everything in our power to ehe safety of our children and put ao Shadowcroft’s threats ond for all.”

  Roselle, Sarah, Michigo, and Mrs. Magenta joined hands with Rune, f a circle of unity .Rune spoke with a fiery vi. “Today, we embark on a jourhat may bring us face to face with reatest fears. We are united not only by blood but by a shared purpose — to end Shadowcroft’s reign of darkness and protect the i from their cruel experiments. We must remember that our strength lies not just in our abilities but in our unwavering itment to one aogether, we are unstoppable.”

  She tinued, “Our adversaries may have advaeology, but we have something they ck: the power of unity and the love that binds us. Let that love be our shield, our armor, and uide as we veo the unknown. Together, for the sake of all children who could bee victims of Shadowcroft, let’s stand tall and face our destiny!”

  With those inspiring words, the makeshift team gathered their resolve, ready to face the looming threat of Shadowcroft.

  Roselle waited at the outskirts of town. She knew she was treading into the unknown. The world around her seemed transformed, veiled in ghostly silhouettes and hushed by the heavy mist, as if she had stepped into a different dimension.

  Suddenly, through the dense fog, Roselle spotted the figures of two people emerging from the obscurity. Risebelle, with her well-adjusted attire and serious face was unmistakable. Beside her was Jess, a name familiar to Roselle. Jess had oayed at her home, and her flirty nature had led to her to being kicked out of her home.

  She watched Risebelle and Jess emerge from the fog. At that time, aswirl of doubt g her resolve and she thought, ‘Am I really doing this? Dug out of school and risking everything just for this mission? What if we get caught? Expulsion, never obtaining my dream job, all of it will go down the drain...’

  Risebelle, who had reached the se earlier was with Sadie. She turo Jess and begarodus. “Jess, this is Sadie. She’s the one who messaged me, and she’s also known as CipherMystery08. She’s been a valuable ally in our iigations.”

  With unease creeping into her heart, Roselle turo Sadie with worry. “Sadie, where did Michigo and Sarah go? I thought they were ing with us.”

  Sadie answered Roselle with . “I had to send them back to school, Roselle, despite their objes. I know they want to help, but…when I tapped into their memories, it seemed like my power was somehow iwined with your visionary power. That revealed a point of death for those two that lies within the depths of Shadowcroft…. I made that decision for their safety.”

  Roselle nodded. She thought, ‘If they were going to die, I would rather them not be here either. I don’t think my heart could take losiher one of them.’

  Sadie began to lead Risebelle, Roselle, and Jess into the old, weathered building hidden withihick, mysterious fog. “I’m gd you all made it safely. You’re about to see something that might be quite uling, and I hope none of you will panic when you see it.”

  With those words of caution, Sadie tinued guiding them through the corridors of the building, where the shadows seemed to stretd twist.

  While moving further into the building, Sadie decided to speak up. “I am the Sleuth of Shadows, the one who wrote about the Doppelganger case on the Forum of Epic Quest: Realm of Shadows. What you didn’t know is that I am also a victim of Shadowcroft. They took something from me, something I ever get baatter what I do.The only thing that will satisfy me is the total destru of Shadowcroft, and I’m doing whatever it takes to make sure that this happens.”

  Finally, they entered a rge room with a tral area that was only illuminated by flickering firelight. The room had an odd assortment of chairs, tables, and other items. In one of the chairs, they saerson bound and gagged. Her school shirt and skirt was torn in pces. She had visible cuts and bruises.

  It was Rosebelle. Sadie turo the trio with a grave look. “I present to you the Key to Shadowcroft.”

  Roselle’s mind reeled with shod disbelief at the bound and visibly injured in front of her. Rosebelle had always been a powerful oppo. Rosebelle was stronger, faster, and in a fight, Roselle had only mao win with the help of her friends. Roselle then remembered that Sadie didn’t say exactly what she was going to do with the defeated Rosebelle.

  “What oh... What’s happening here?” Roselle’s trembled with fusion.” Sadie… is this what you’ve been up to?”

  Sadie faced the inquiries of both Risebelle and Roselle.

  “Risebelle, Roselle, I uand this whole experience has been a lot to take in for such a short amount of time, but I must deliver one more truth to you,” she began. “My true name is not Sadie; it’s a cover identity I’ve used for a long time. I am a fusion of three individuals: Sadie, Sadie, and Rune. Shadowcroft subjected us to a cruel experiment, merging our sciousness into one body.”

  Risebelle, still baffled, demanded, “But why is Rosebelle here, and what did you mean by ‘Key to Shadowcroft?’ ”

  Sadie’s gaze never wavered. She responded. “Rosebelle is your Doppelganger, Roselle. After you defeated her at Club Crimson, I... I took her into custody. Shadowcroft has been our enemy for a long time, and Rosebelle had valuable information. The Key to Shadowcroft is a term they used for someone who knows the location of their main base.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened in realization.

  Sadie tinued, “There’s someone else I’d like you to meet.”

  Footsteps echoed in the room, drawing the attention of Roselle and Risebelle. Everyouro see who roag. When Roselle tried to look, a fsh of white enveloped her vision. Roselle was brought back to the realm of her own mind. Standing before her was her System in a maed form, It looked at her with a serious gaze, “This Memory Fragment is over.”

  Roselle addressed the System. “That… That was a memory from my past, right? It felt lohahers, more intense...”

  The System responded, “Yes, that was a memory from your past. As for why it seemed to stret and hit harder, I’m not able to spoohe answers. Memory fragments are as wild and uable as a fight with no rules, often shaped by the weight of the events they carry.”

  The System addressed Roselle clearly. “Project Mage, your data colle has made a signifit leap, increasing from 35% to 75%. This is a substantial progression in uanding your memories and experiences. With only 25% of the data left to be collected, you are moving closer to unlog the ey of your past.”

  Roselle’s eyes wide the System’s revetion. “Whoa, that’s a huge jump! From 35% to 75% in one go?”

  “Yes, it is a substantial increase. The memories you’ve uncovered are crucial to uanding your past and preparing you for the future. Given the progress you’ve made, it’s likely that you will soon be on par with your sisters in terms of your power and uanding of it.”

  Roselle took a deep breath. “It’s good to know that all of this—everything I’ve been through—isn’t for nothing….”

  “gratutions, Project Mage,” the Bold System spoke with a touch of pride. “You’ve reached over 50% data colle, and you’ve unlocked the ability to transform into your Project Mage form. This form is a maion of your curiosity and the knowledge you’ve accumuted throughout your journey. It harhe strength of everything you’ve learned and seen, allowing you to face challenges with boldness and ce.”

  The System emphasized, “To be bold means to act fearlessly and with fidence, even in the face of uainty. You’ve already demonstrated this when you thought Runebelle might never awaken again i time during your battle with Abner, one of the four elite mages of the headmaster. In that moment, you summoned a portion of this form’s power, but it came with a risk of Magical Rupture.”

  Roselle nodded, fshing to that memory of the moment briefly. The System tinued, “Now, you have the opportunity to transform into Project Mage whenever needed. However, mastery is essential. Currently, there’s a 24-hour cooldown on the form. But you, Roselle, with your innate curiosity, train and decrease this cooldown time. The more you practid uand your newfound abilities, the shorter the cooldown will bee.”

  “Thank y--” Roselle was interrupted her system.

  “But wait, there’s more,” the System tinued. “You’ve reached not only 50% but now 75% Data colle, and with this milesto’s time for me to share a piece of information that Dr. Kintovar, your creator, has programmed for you to know at this point in your development. This information may ge your perspective oain matters.”

  Intrigued and somewhat anxious, Roselle nodded . “I’m ready for it, whatever it is.”