Juliana, Kintovar, Rawna, Runebelle, and the Brain made their way outside of the castle. They were met by a pair of guards who had been instructed to apany them. The guards led them towards a designated area where Kintovar could verse with her grandmother.

  However, the lead guard stepped forward and addressed Kintovar. “Miss Kintovar, I must remind you that Juliana is not allowed to leave the West without direct permission from King Maizen himself. This is not a matter we take lightly.”

  Kintovar nodded. “I uand the restris, but how I set up an appoio request permission for her to leave the West?”

  The guard expined, “To set up an appoi, you will o submit a formal request to this castle. If your request is sidered valid, it will be scheduled for you, and you will be informed of the date and time for your meeting.”

  Kintovar nodded again. Then, she turrandmother. “I have a pce where we stay for now. It’s not far from here. Let’s head there, and we discuss our steps.”

  Juliana nodded. “Excellent. Lead the way, my dear.”

  While walking through the town, Runebelle gged behind. Her mind wandered back to a versation she had with her “Cheerful” system. After viewing the memory fragment, the “Cheerful” system had spoken with an eerie enthusiasm, “At 100% data colle, Project Rune, I will take over your soul. Isn’t that amazing?”

  Runebelle’s heart sank upon remembering those words. Seeing how Kintovar and Juliana were getting alht now, she asked herself, ‘What should I do…?’

  The group arrived at Henry’s house for the night. When they ehey were met by Henry and his wife Oakley, who were visibly surprised by the guests. Henry’s eyes widened in astonishment upon seeing the literal brain being carried by Juliana Kintovar.

  Henry attempted to maintain his posure. He mao utter, “Well, I’ve seen strahings, but a brain is ly what I expected to be inviting into my home.”

  Oakley, who was too shocked for words could only nod in agreement.

  The brain, still being carried by Juliana decided to speak. “Greetings, hosts of this establishment. I assure you, I am not your average brain. My name is, well, not particurly relevant, but I’m here with good iions.”

  The strange presence of the brain speaking took both Henry and Oakley by surprise. The Brain tinued, “I formally request to bee the warden of this house. I promise to be a responsible and respectful presence.”

  Juliana interjected, “Julia, you ’t ask that. It’s too much.”

  Henry, however, seemed to take it in stride. He houghtfully and replied, “You all are wele to stay, but I have a young son, and I don’t want to freak him out. We’ll have to find a way to disguise the brain so it doesn’t scare him.”

  Oakley added, “Yes, we’re open to helping, but we o make sure it’s fortable for everyone, including Timmy.”

  Juliana nodded appreciatively. “Thank you for your uanding. We’ll find a way to make it work.”

  Later that night, Runebelle eimmy’s room. She found Roselle standing by the bedside silently watg over Risebelle. Roselle was lost in thought.

  Runebelle moved slowly towards her. She approached Roselle from behind. Her small arms gently encircled her in a hug. The sudden embrace startled Roselle who hadn’t expected it at all.

  Roselle turned her head. Her i blue eyes met Runebelle’s. There was a soft smile glued to her face. An uanding dawned on her and she gently spoke to Runebelle. “I’m sorry for w you, Runebelle.”

  Runebelle replied softly, “its okay, Roselle. I know how memory fragments be... But I wanted you to know that Dr.Kintovar brought back the other Kintovar whose first name is Juliana…and Juliana is Dr.Kintrandmother.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened with surprise at the revetion. She pted the information for a moment before speaking. “If Juliana is Dr.Kintrandmother, it makes sehat she would do everything in her power to free her. Family is important.”

  Kintovar and Juliana worked in the living room. They assembled a device with remarkable speed. Haras, though tired, did her best to assist, letting out occasional yawns.

  Kintovar had a question that had been nagging at her siheir versation in the cell. She looked at Juliana and said, “Juliana, earlier, you mentioned Rosebelle as your daughter. Does that mean Rosebelle is my mother?”

  Juliana paused for a moment. Her hands briefly froze in their rapid movements. She turo Kintovar with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “No, Varta, Rosebelle is not your mother. I had two daughters. One of them is Rosebelle. The other one...”

  Juliana trailed off.

  Kintovar waited with bated breath. Juliana took a deep breath and then she finally spoke, “Her name is Julia Kintovar.”

  Kintovar’s eyes widened in surprise. “Julia Kintovar? My mother’s name is Julia Kintovar?”

  Juliana nodded. Her gaze never left Kintovar’s. “Yes. Julia Kintovar was your mother. Varta Kintovar, your life began in a very different pce. You and Vartan were iionally sent to the Mystical Isnd, strahere by the very mages who were supposed to provide you with passage back to Jancito.”

  Kintovar’s eyes widened. Juliana tinued with frustration in her eyes, “The headmaster of that society despised stists and viewed them as a threat to their magical order. They had no iion of allowing your father and you to return to Jancito.”

  In the vivid fshback, Kintovar was just a baby, her tiny face torted in fusion and fear. She cried with the rog of a boat gently on the waves, and her father, Vartan, held her tightly, trying to reassure her. Vartan was calm when holding her but when he had to speak to the mages, he became anxious “Please, let her rest. She’s just a baby. We mean no harm.”

  The mages, however, seemed irritated and tio use their magic to steer the boat.

  One of the mages with a menag gre retorted, “The stist has nht tryin to give us orders. If he keeps pushin his luck, I’ll throw em overboard.”

  A female mage cut through the tension. “That is not our orders. We were instructed to eheir safe passage, not to dispose of them.”

  The male mage snapped back. “Safe passage? They’re just a stist and their kid. What good do they do in a magic society? Ain’t nothin’ but rubbish, if you ask me.”

  The female mage’s eyes narrowed. “Our duty is to follow the iven to us, not to judge the worth of those we are assigo transport. It is not our pce to decide their fate.”

  Kintovar was too young to uand the words, but could feel the tension in the air. She gazed around at the angry faces of the mages. Her tiny fists ched in frustration.

  At the shore, Vartan and Kintovar found themselves unceremoniously thrown onto the sandy shore by the mages. It was a rough and humiliating nding, and Vartan’s voice trembled anger.

  “You handle me like this, but my daughter, Varta, is just a baby! Do you have no so hearts, no souls? Do you even realize what you’ve just done?!”

  The male mage responded with a dismissive shrug. “I treated ya like what ya are, unwanted baggage. It’s a waste of id time.”

  Before Vartan could respond, the female mage stepped forward and smacked her panion on the head. Her eyes were full of anger. She scolded, “You ’t just throw a baby like that, you idiot! They could get seriously hurt.”

  The male mage scowled, rubbing his head. “What’s it matter to ya? They ain’t gonna be our problem no more.”

  The female mage crossed her arms. “If we cause harm to them, the bme falls on us. We’re just following orders, remember? We ’t afford to get into trouble over this.”

  Vartan held Kintovar close, looking at the mages with disdain. “You’ll regret this. The world isn’t only about magic, you know. There’s more out there than you imagine when it es to teology.”

  The female mage shot Vartan a gre before turning to her partner. “Let’s just leave them. We’ve done what we were told.”

  Vartan checked on Kintovar, momentarily stuo find his arms empty. Despite being just three days old, Kintovar stood on her owiny fists were ched. She faced the retreating mages and shouted baby gibberish at them, mimig the anger she had witnessed.

  The sight left Vartan speechless. ‘This is impossible,’ he thought to himself.

  The baby Kintovar’s tiny body trembled with effort. Her cheeks puffed out and her eyes held onto uears.

  Vartan’s disbelief slowly transformed into awe. “You are truly amazing,” he whispered. The mages disappeared into the distance. Soon afterwards, the tears baby Kintovar had been holding back finally spilled over. She looked up at Vartan with a quivering lip.

  Vartaly scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. “There, there,” he soothed, rog her. With Kintovar in his arms, they tiheir journey aually came across the imposing magical academy. The headmaster and her assistant, only visible in shadow freeted them. The headmaster’s cold and calg eyes sed over Vartan and Kintovar before deg to take them in.

  They were led into the academy’s depths, to the pce where they held stists and individuals without magical abilities. Here, they were treated as sves, forced to toil for the academy’s needs for many years. The fshbaded with their long and difficult years of servitude.

  Juliana took a deep breath and then said, “Varta, when I was arrested and taken away, your mother, Julia, tinued my research but she was no lo Shadowcroft. She tried to recreate what your father, Vartan had stolen from us. She was a remarkable and dedicated stist, just like you.”

  Juliana spoke with sadness while tinuing. “Julia made signifit progress in her work. She was on the verge of achieving what we had lost. But then... something ged.”

  Kintave her a curious look. “What happened, grandmother?”

  Juliana’s frown became deeper. “The mages, the same ones behind leaving your father and you on that beach discovered the location of Julia’s hideout…”

  Juliana’s eyes became tearful. “The mages found Julia’s hideout,” she said while trembling slightly. “She was forced to fight them with her unfieology.”

  Kintovar listened ily. She could almost see her mother bravely standing her ground against overwhelming odds.

  “Julia’s creations were remarkable but inplete. She fought valiantly, but the mages at the time had just learned how to use what we call ‘extreme magi these days. In the end, she lost her life itle.”

  Kintovar felt pride and grief for the mother she never knew. Juliana grew quieter aone was now with regret. “When I learned of Julia’s death, it devastated me. But I couldn’t let her work be lost forever. I had someorieve what remained of her researd sneak it into the prison where I was held.”

  Kintovar’s eyes widened in surprise. “You were able to do that, even while imprisoned?”

  A faint smile touched Juliana’s lips. “The mages uimated the bonds of our family. They were so terrified of my capabilities that they believed I somehow had artificially created a brain just to talk to myself. Iy, it was a ruse to protect what truly mattered.”

  Kintovar marveled at her grandmother. ” Wait, so, the brain you’ve been carrying with you...?”

  Juliana’s gaze softened. “Yes, Varta. This brain belongs to your mother, Julia Kintovar. It’s all that remains of her after the battle with the mages.”

  The revetion hit Kintovar like a wave. Her mother’s essence reserved in this small, fragile vessel. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Now I see why you wanted freedom so desperately, Grandmother. You wa her back, to create another project like Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle.”

  Juliana shook her head gently. A bittersweet smile came to her lips. “Close, but no, Varta. I don’t expect you to recreate Julia. Creating something like Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle was my dream and I have no iion of pg that burden on you alone.”

  Kintovar listened curiously. “What do you mean, Grandmother?”

  Juliana leaned closer. “With the teology you’ve gained, I io study and create one of them on my own. I want to honor your mother and tihe work we both believed in.”

  “You mean to create another being, like them, but with your vision?”

  Juliana nodded. “Exactly. I want to use what we’ve learned and build something that embodies acy, something that would make Julia proud.”

  Juliana turo the brain and raised both of her hands into the air. “Julia, it’s time we brought you back to life, just as I promised I would!”

  The brain responded with subtle noises within the jar.