Becky adjusted her grip on her hammer again and tried to shake off the odd sensation in her head.

  She turned slightly and scanned the trees.

  ‘Left? No, right—no, behind me—’

  Her body stiffened. Something was off. The moment her back was fully exposed, Elena’s fingers twitched.

  Another thread of psychic energy slithered through the air and tapped against the nape of Becky’s neck. A mere whisper of energy, yet it dug into her consciousness like invisible fingers curling around her thoughts.

  Becky blinked.

  Her muscles twitched.

  ‘Turn left.’

  Her body obeyed.

  ‘Step forward.’

  She took a step before she could even register the command.

  From the canopy, Elena’s smirk widened ever so slightly.

  She lifted her other hand and conjured multiple thin strands of energy that glowed like threads of moonlight. With a small flick of her wrist, she sent them all streaking through the mist of the forest toward Becky’s exposed back.

  The moment they connected—

  Becky’s mind warped.

  The world around her jerked. The trees twisted into elongated shadows. The solid ground beneath her feet felt like shifting sand.

  ‘Step again.’

  Becky lurched forward with her hammer dragging against the dirt.

  Sybil’s eyes narrowed while watching Becky’s movements. Something was off.

  Becky wasn’t just swinging recklessly anymore—she was moving weirdly. Her steps were sluggish, her grip unsteady and every few seconds, she winced.

  Then, Becky mumbled under her breath.

  “Stepping forward…”

  Sybil blinked. “Huh?”

  Becky’s face twitched. Her jaw clenched. She swung her hammer weakly into the ground.

  “Lifting my weapon… turning left…” she muttered again.

  “Becky? Why are you doing that, “asked Sybil with concern on her face.

  Becky gritted her teeth. “I’m tryna think, Sybil! Damn it—just shut up for a second!” She winced and then shook her head violently.

  Sybil stepped closer with a look of concern. “No, something’s wrong with you.”

  Becky turned sharply toward her. “I said I’m trying to—”

  She cut herself off.

  Because at that moment, her body twitched again, and Sybil saw something faint, almost imperceptible glowing against Becky’s back.

  Her brows knitted together. “What is that…?”

  Sybil stepped closer. Her fingers hovered over Becky’s back, and then—

  Her eyes widened.

  Barely visible, almost like flickering mirages were thin energy spheres embedded along Becky’s spine.

  She gasped.

  “Becky—hold still.”

  Becky let out a frustrated growl. “What? Why? I’m fine! I just need to—”

  Sybil didn’t wait. In one swift motion, she made her sword appear and slashed downward, cutting through the strange energy.

  The spheres dispersed into nothingness.

  Becky staggered forward with a sharp gasp,. She whipped around with her eyes widened

  “What the hell was that?!”

  Sybil didn’t answer. She was already scanning the misty forest sharply. And then—movement. A flicker of a shadow weaving between the trees.

  Sybil’s eyes locked onto it immediately. “Oh no you don’t!” She moved one hand over her other on the sword and a violent wind began to swirl around the blade.

  The young girl slammed her sword down with a roar and a massive wave of wind energy exploded outward with a force that tore through the trees and smashed into Elena who was lurking in the distance.

  Elena was blasted backward—straight toward the beach.

  Becky watched the destruction unfold.

  She blinked, then slowly turned to Sybil.

  “And she told me not to destroy everything,” Becky muttered. “Damn, Sybil.”

  Sybil’s face flushed red. “W-What? I didn’t mean to do all of that!” She looked around at the destruction. “What was that?”

  Becky rested her hammer on her shoulder with an amused smirk. “Yeah… You weren’t nearly this strong back at the Academy.” She squinted at Sybil’s sword, then down at her own hammer. “Your magic spiked for a moment. Maybe it’s ‘cause of these weapons the doc gave us.”

  Sybil stared at her sword. The wind around it still hummed faintly. “You think so?”

  Becky shrugged. “It’s either that, or you’ve been hiding some crazy power this whole time.”

  Becky’s eyes snapped toward the direction Elena had been blasted.

  “Come on,” she said while starting to move. “Let’s go see how hard she hit the ground.”

  Sybil nodded. Together, they rushed toward where Elena had landed.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Elena lay sprawled across the ground. She could barely move.

  "I'm finished."

  Her thoughts rang hollow in her own mind.

  Her telepathy—her only real strength had given her the advantage. But that one, Sybil...

  "When did she get so strong? She had always been fast, sure, but her magic? It had been disgustingly low back at the Academy….What changed?”

  Elena didn’t even try to push herself up. There was no point.

  Footsteps crunched toward her.

  Becky stopped just a few feet away and rested her hammer on the ground with a casual grin. “So… shall I do the honors?”

  Sybil stepped up beside her and turned her head. “Make it quick.”

  Elena's half-lidded eyes flickered toward Becky and Sybil, their figures standing just right—aligned.

  Her breath hitched.

  "Wait..."

  Her mind raced. ‘My Extreme Magic… I can still use it right here and maybe… but… the cost is way too high…’

  She had seen it before—the Headmaster, the Elite Mages, they could burn through an Extreme Magic and keep going. But her?

  ‘Once I do it… I’ll have nothing left.’

  She had to decide. Now.

  But before she could—

  A bright streak cut across the sky.

  Then another.

  Two blazing comets came down toward the forest.

  Becky and Sybil’s heads snapped up at the same time.

  Becky squinted. “What the hell—?”

  Sybil’s eyes widened.

  Through the crackling energy and burning air, their shapes became clear.

  One wrapped in a blazing red aura.

  The other surrounded by a chilling silver glow.

  It was them.

  Dr. Kintovar and the Headmaster.

  And they were falling—fast.

  Becky and Sybil took off in a sprint.

  Becky gritted her teeth. “Come on, come on—move!”

  Sybil reached out and tried to grab Kintovar’s falling trajectory with her eyes. ‘Almost there—just a little closer—‘

  Behind them, Elena’s fingers twitched.

  Her mind burned with desperation.

  ‘No! The Headmaster! I have to save her!’

  Even if she couldn’t move right now—she could still control.

  Thin, invisible energy spheres slithered through the air.

  Sybil’s eyes snapped toward them.

  ‘Oh no.’

  She spun just in time to see Becky’s muscles twitch.

  ‘Catch the Headmaster.’

  Becky’s body obeyed instantly and she abruptly changed course. Her hammer clattered to the ground. She lunged toward the Headmaster's falling body.

  "Becky, NO!" Sybil shouted, but it was too late.

  Becky had already leaped.

  Sybil whipped her head back toward Kintovar. No time to stop Becky.

  She had to go after Kintovar.

  She forced her legs to move faster with wind bursting around her feet.

  Kintovar was plummeting. Sybil lunged with her arms outstretched.

  ‘Just a few inches more—!’

  A sudden crackle of yellow lightning surged around Sybil’s feet. Before she could even register it, she felt something—a tap.

  Then—a weight on her back.

  Roselle.

  Sybil’s body shot forward.

  Her eyes widened in shock. Her surroundings blurred into nothing but streaks of motion.

  The next thing she knew—

  Her arms were around Kintovar.

  The impact should have sent them both tumbling, but instead, Sybil caught her without even stumbling.

  Her breath hitched. "I... what?!"

  Kintovar coughed. She blinked in momentary disorientation. Then she grinned. "Heh… not bad. I owe you one, Assistant Sybil!”

  Sybil barely heard her. Her heart was still hammering.

  From a distance, Risebelle exhaled sharply.

  Roselle dropped to the ground from Sybil’s back with the unconscious Runebelle on her own and held onto carefully by her.

  “Dr. Kintovar!” Roselle took a shaky step forward. "You had us worried! We… we wanted to jump in and help but—”

  Kintovar, still catching her breath lifted a hand to stop her.

  Her sunglasses glinted. She tapped the side of the frame. A faint blue flicker ran across the lenses.

  For a brief second, her vision changed and revealed:

  Lifeforce. Magic Reserves. Status Indicators.

  A series of system-like messages populated across her view.

  [Roselle – Magic Levels: 5% | Lifeforce: 100%| System Status: Online]

  [Risebelle – Magic Levels: 123% | Lifeforce: 100%| System Status: Online]

  [Runebelle – Magic Levels: N/A| Lifeforce: N/A| System Status: Offline]

  Kintovar tilted her head and looked at Roselle. "Roselle… you’ve been carrying her around like that this whole time?"

  “I… I had to,” Roselle said softly. “She…asked me to look after her body after…”

  Roselle’s memories flashed before her and interrupted her words. She remembers the power of Project Rune that Runebelle displayed and the sacrifice she made for them to survive against the Academy.

  Kintovar's lips pressed into a thin line.

  Roselle watched her carefully. “…Can you fix her?”

  "Not right now," Kintovar admitted while putting one hand on her hip. “Whatever’s going on with her, it’s beyond a simple reboot. But we can at least preserve her body until I can figure something out.”

  Her fingers drifted to her belt. She traced over each device carefully.

  Then, she paused.

  “…I hope…” Her fingers brushed over something familiar. Her lips curled.

  “Aha!”

  She unlatched the device and pulled it free. She threw it to the ground and a storage compartment snapped open.

  Inside, a pod emerged that bubbled with blue energy.

  It was like a miniature version of the rejuvenation tanks the sisters always used.

  Roselle’s eyes widened. “Whoa…”

  Kintovar smirked and gave the pod a light shake. “Neat, huh? It’s not perfect, but it’ll help to get Runebelle stable.”

  She knelt down and began adjusting the pod’s settings. The liquid inside swirled with soft, pulsating light.

  Then, her sunglasses flashed again.

  Another notification scrolled across her vision.

  [Environmental Threat Detected: 200m Proximity]

  Her smirk faded.

  Kintovar moved swiftly and took the small girl from Roselle’s back. She carefully placed her inside the glowing pod. The liquid shifted as Runebelle’s body settled within.

  She sealed the pod with a hiss.

  Then, she straightened up and snapped her fingers.

  “Roselle. Risebelle. Come here.”

  The sharpness in her tone made both girls react instantly. Roselle stiffened and stepped forward with an uncertain glance at the pod. Risebelle lowered her eyes slightly but she approached just as quickly.

  Kintovar tapped her belt again, retrieving two sleek bracelet-like devices from a storage compartment.

  “The Headmaster’s likely to be back—and furious.”

  Kintovar met their gazes evenly. “I’m going to need your help.”

  She raised the devices. “These will restore your magic—and keep doing so for fifteen minutes. But there's a catch.”

  She held them out. “You have to wear them. And you absolutely cannot let them get destroyed.”

  Roselle reached for hers cautiously. “Fifteen minutes… Is that really enough?”

  Kintovar smirked and pushed her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose. “That depends.”

  Risebelle took her device without hesitation and examined it with a sharp eye. “Depends on what?”

  Kintovar’s smirk widened.

  “How much of a beating you two can dish out before the time runs out.”

  As soon as Roselle and Risebelle fastened the bracelets onto their wrists, a surge of raw energy flooded their systems:

  [[System Status]]

  Roselle

  LifeForce: 100%

  Magic: 5%+50 %

  Cannon Charge: 32%

  Timer: 15 minutes

  Location: Mystical Forest

  Threat Assessment: 1 Mana Extractor left, Headmaster Aimathema.

  [Magic Recovery Active. Projected Growth: 200% Capacity.]

  [[System Status]]

  Risebelle

  LifeForce 100%

  Magic: 123+50%

  Cannon Charge: 90%

  Timer: 15 minutes

  Location: Mystical Forest

  Threat Assessment: 1 Mana Extractor left, Headmaster Aimathema.

  [Magic Recovery Active. Projected Growth: 200% Capacity.]

  Roselle exhaled. Her fingers twitched. “This…This feels amazing!”

  Risebelle flexed her arm. “Tch. took you long enough to hand us something useful, Doc.”

  Kintovar smirked.

  Roselle lifted her hands. Her core wasn't empty anymore. The magic—her magic—was returning.

  A sudden, violent quake tore through the Mystical Forest and the beach, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the dirt. Tree roots struggled to hold firm against an unseen force pressing down on them.

  Then—

  Pressure.

  A weight so immense that it sent an involuntary shudder through every person present.

  A crushing force slammed into Becky who had saved the headmaster against her will and sent her flying backward. She crashed into Sybil with a grunt. Both of them rolled on the ground.

  And then—

  Aimathema descended.

  Slowly. Gracefully. Yet with absolute dominion.

  The very air seemed to bend around her presence.

  Despite the distance between them, her voice carried perfectly across the battlefield.

  “Elena.”

  Elena was half-slumped against a tree. She coughed and barely held herself up.

  Aimathema turned her head slightly.

  “Your service has been exemplary.”

  Elena’s breath hitched.

  Aimathema’s gaze lifted onto Kintovar.

  “And you…”

  A small smile curled on her lips.

  “That was your last chance.”

  She lifted her hand.

  Thin threads of psychic energy rippled through the air.

  “Because now—”

  The ground trembled again.

  Her silver eyes gleamed dangerously.

  “The gloves are off.”

  Project Mage