The moment the yellow-haired girl snapped her fingers, the fight erupted.

  The auburn-haired girl moved first. Her silver hoops flashed while lunging at Runebelle with a wild, open-handed swing.

  Runebelle twisted away. The black-haired girl came in from the side with a sharp jab but Runebelle swayed.

  The yellow-haired girl stood back. “Ugh, just grab her already,” she drawled while flipping her hair.

  The auburn-haired girl snarled. She reached for Runebelle’s hair—

  ‘Bad move.’

  Runebelle yanked forward and used the girl’s own momentum to slam her shoulder into her chest. Air whooshed out of the girl’s lungs and she stumbled back.

  But there was no time to celebrate.

  The black-haired girl was already moving again and threw a precise kick aimed straight at Runebelle’s knee. Runebelle sidestepped, but the strike still clipped her knee, sending a dull shock up her thigh.

  Runebelle grit her teeth. “Alright, no more playing around!”

  Runebelle’s breath hitched.

  Something inside her snapped.

  Her pupils dilated. Her face darkened. A strange energy pulsed around her. She took a single step forward.

  The auburn-haired girl’s smug look melted into unease. The black-haired girl stiffened

  “The hell—” the auburn-haired girl muttered while taking a half-step back. “That look—”

  “No…” the black-haired girl spoke in a whisper. “ Nahh, something’s wrong with that bitch.”

  The yellow-haired girl scoffed. “Oh my god, are you two seriously being wusses right now?” She sneered. “What, just ‘cause she’s making a dumb face?”

  Her friends responded with scowls on their faces. “WE AINT!”

  She rolled her eyes. “Tch, y’all are embarrassing. If you’re not that soft, then step up and like, prove me wrong!”

  The auburn-haired girl’s face flushed with anger. The black-haired girl glared forward. They both shouted, “Fine!”

  They’d just have to put this freak in her place.

  The two lunged at Runebelle again—

  But this time, Runebelle didn’t move.

  The auburn-haired girl and the black-haired girl unloaded punches and kicks that slammed into Runebelle’s sides, shoulders, and stomach without mercy.

  Runebelle crumpled to the ground, breathless with bruises already forming.

  Milaca watched from behind the group. Her lips parted. Should she call out to her? Should she step in?

  Before she could decide,

  Runebelle moved. Not with the sluggishness of someone who had just taken a beating. Not with the tremble of pain.

  She stood up smoothly.

  The auburn-haired girl took a step back. “W-What the hell…?”

  The black-haired girl’s eyes narrowed.

  Runebelle cracked her neck, then tilted her head at them.

  “That’s it?” she asked eerily steady. “That’s all you’ve got?”

  The wind shifted. The moment it did, Runebelle moved. Her body blurred. Her fist went straight into the auburn-haired girl’s stomach.

  The impact stole the girl’s breath. She doubled over with a choked gasp.

  Before the black-haired girl could react, Runebelle pivoted and snapped her leg up in a brutal kick.Her foot connected with the girl’s side, sending her flying backward—right into her friend.

  The auburn-haired girl coughed. “Ugh… what the hell is she made of?”

  The black-haired girl winced. “No way… that ain’t normal.”

  Runebelle stood over them with her blue-pink hair swaying. Her eyes were cold. She didn’t even look tired.

  The yellow-haired girl was still standing there with her arms crossed, watching with a slow calculating smile.

  Then she clapped.

  “Ohhh wow,” she cooed. “Look at you. Maybe I, like, underestimated you after all.”

  Runebelle kept her stance firm. “Let Milaca go.”

  The yellow-haired girl tilted her head slightly.

  “Hmmm... nah.”

  And then—

  She moved.

  Just as Runebelle and the yellow-haired girl were about to collide, a piercing whistle split the air:

  FWEEEEEEEEET!

  The sheer force of the sound made Runebelle’s ears ring.

  “ALRIGHT, BREAK IT UP, LITTLE LADIES!”

  A towering man in a gray tracksuit arrived. His arms were like tree trunks crossed over his broad chest. His chiseled jaw was set in a scowl and his buzz-cut hair made him look more like a walking tank.

  “C-Coach Drenner,” The Auburn girl stammered out.

  Coach Drenner marched over. He took one long look at the auburn-haired girl and the black-haired girl, still groaning on the ground. Then at Runebelle. Finally, his sharp eyes locked onto the yellow-haired girl.

  “Fighting on school grounds, huh?” He cracked his knuckles. “That’s a whole lotta running you just signed up for, ladies. You’ll be doing fifty laps immediately!”

  The moment Coach Drenner barked out his punishment, groans of despair rippled through the group.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The yellow-haired girl rolled her eyes. “Ugh, whatever. We’ll be fine. It’s just running—”

  “WITH weighted vests,” Coach Drenner added with a sadistic smirk.

  A unified chorus of protests erupted, but the coach was already marching them toward the track.

  As they started running, the midday sun blazed overhead and punished them further. Lungs burned. Legs ached. The auburn-haired girl had already started wheezing after the first ten. The black-haired girl gritted her teeth and kept going in silence.

  The yellow-haired girl was visibly struggling by lap thirty with sweat matting her once-perfect hair.

  Runebelle, on the other hand, felt the pain but didn’t slow down.

  Half the school day passed before they were finally freed. They limped back inside their classes with their legs jelly and shirts soaked in sweat.

  Runebelle barely made it to her seat in class before collapsing onto her desk.

  Milaca slid into the seat next to Runebelle with an uneven breathe from the brutal laps. She hesitated before speaking.

  “Hey…” she started softly. “I just wanted to say… thank you for trying, but…”

  That was it. But.

  Runebelle didn’t hear the rest. She didn’t need to.

  That was sharper than any punch she had taken earlier. She already knew what Milaca was going to say. She wasn’t going to be her friend anymore. Maybe she thought it was too much trouble. Maybe she had been scared off. Maybe she had never really wanted to be friends in the first place.

  She just sat there, staring blankly ahead while Milaca’s voice became distant noise.

  After school, Runebelle dragged herself home. She stepped through the front gate and immediately spotted Ms. Lorraine standing in the garden, watering a row of vibrant flowers. The older woman glanced up as Runebelle approached, then slowly put the hose down.

  “We need to talk,” Ms. Lorraine said.

  Runebelle blinked. “Huh?”

  Ms. Lorraine folded her arms. “It’s about you staying here.”

  Runebelle’s eyes widened. “What?”

  Ms. Lorraine hesitated. Then, with a softer tone, she said, “Come inside. We need to talk properly.”

  Inside, the air felt heavier than usual. Runebelle sat stiffly on the couch. Ms. Lorraine settled into the chair across from her.

  She exhaled. “I don’t really know how to say this, but… Rune—your mother—she’s back.”

  Runebelle’s heart pounded in her ears. “She’s… back?”

  Ms. Lorraine gave a slow nod. “We thought she was gone for good, but she came back and—” she glanced away. “She’s angrier than when she left.”

  “Where has she been?” Runebelle asked with her eyes widening slightly.

  Ms. Lorraine shook her head. “I don’t know but she’s making one thing very clear.” She paused, then met Runebelle’s eyes.

  “She’s filing a lawsuit against me.”

  Runebelle’s entire body went cold. “Why?”

  Ms. Lorraine rubbed her temples. “According to the papers, she thinks—” her voice turned bitter, “well, ‘claims’—that I kidnapped you.”

  Runebelle’s eyes widened fully. “What?! That’s—” she clenched her fists. “That’s not true! She disappeared! You—you took care of me because she left!”

  Ms. Lorraine nodded grimly. “I know, sweetheart. We both know what really happened, but the law doesn’t work on what we know. It works on what we can prove.”

  Runebelle’s chest tightened. “So what’s gonna happen now?”

  Ms. Lorraine exhaled slowly. “There’s going to be a court case next week. I’ll need to get myself a defense attorney.”

  Runebelle frowned. “A court case…so… you and my mother… you’re really going to fight each other?”

  Ms. Lorraine softened. “I’ve been trying to do what’s best for you, Runebelle. I was the one who cared for you when she disappeared. And now, all of a sudden, she wants to take you away and paint me as the villain for wanting to keep you safe.”

  She paused and wiped her hand over her face. “It’s hard, you know? I thought we were past all this—when I took you in, I believed it was the right thing to do. And now after months, we’re going to have to fight for you like this... I never wanted it to go down like this.”

  Runebelle’s fingers curled into her lap as memories of her mother resurfaced. Rune—her mother. She was a woman who had fought against the weight of a world that never seemed to give her a break.

  Runebelle remembered the nights when she’d hear muffled sobs through the thin walls of their house. How her mother would try to smile in the morning, even after crying herself to sleep. How she worked herself to exhaustion just to keep food on the table.

  She lost her job because of him—Runebelle’s father. A man who dragged Rune down and forced her into a life she never deserved.

  But then… she left.

  That part never made sense. If she loved her, if she sacrificed so much for her, why did she disappear without a word? And why, after all these months, was she coming back like this? Not with open arms, not with an explanation, but with a lawsuit against Ms. Lorraine—the woman who had stepped up when Rune vanished.

  It didn’t add up. None of it did.

  “Why…Why is she doing this?”

  The world around Runebelle shattered like glass. She felt herself drifting in an endless abyss.

  "Ah! There you are!"

  The world around her became bright once she heard that familiar cheerful voice. Cotton-candy skies, glittering lights and floating text bubbles that popped with little heart-shaped sparks.

  "TA-DAA~! Welcome back, superstar!"

  A golden light burst into existence like confetti before forming into a small, floating figure. The System had returned with it’s wide beaming smile.

  "You did it! You made it through the memory! WHOOOO! Give yourself a round of applause! No? Okay, I’ll do it for you!" The System clapped its tiny hands in rapid bursts.

  Runebelle blinked. "...It’s over?"

  "YUPPERS!" The System twirled midair. "Memory sequence complete! All that heavy, dramatic, soul-crushing trauma? BOOM! Filed away nice and neat!" It made a swiping motion, and a floating progress bar appeared beside it, reading: ‘Processing Emotional Damage… 99% Complete!’

  Runebelle hugged herself and looked down. "...I don’t feel any different."

  The System gasped. "WHAAAT? You mean to tell me that centuries of emotional baggage didn’t disappear instantly? Shock! Horror! Who could’ve predicted this?! Oh wait—ME!" It did a little spin. "Emotions take time, and that’s okay!"

  Runebelle sighed. The System’s energy was relentless but... a tiny part of her found it comforting.

  The System's cheerful announcement filled Runebelle's mind next. "Project Rune Data collection increased to 55%," it declared proudly."

  "...Fifty-five percent," Runebelle murmured.

  The System pumped its fists. "Heck yeah! That’s over halfway! Were on a roll!"

  Runebelle exhaled slowly. The sensation of progress was like knowing a wound had begun healing even though the pain remained.

  .

  The System clapped its tiny hands together. "Now, before we celebrate—let’s check in on the real world, yeah? Your sisters are having a time out there."

  A portal of light unfolded beside them.

  The image was brief but gut-wrenching.

  Roselle, trapped in quicksand with her burning red hair flaring wildly as Sylra’s massive boulder came crashing down.

  Risebelle, bound in dark tendrils smirking through gritted teeth as Arlysa loomed over her with a blast ready to destroy her.

  Then—darkness. The portal shut as quickly as it appeared.

  Runebelle’s breath hitched.

  The System hovered closer and spoke softly. “Soooo… tell me, Project Rune.”

  A pause. Then, with knowing warmth—

  “Are you just gonna sit here and watch?”

  Runebelle stared at the fading light where the portal had been. The images burned into her mind.

  She thought she had accepted that all she could do was support them.

  But now—

  She lifted her head. ‘I don’t just want to help. I want to be strong enough to stand beside them. To protect them just like how they can protect me…I want… to fight!’

  A pulse shot through her mind like a heartbeat. A system chime followed.

  [Ability unlocked: Project Rune – Transformation]

  Runebelle gasped as energy surged through her.

  [Ability unlocked: Project Rune – Chemical Explosion]

  The System let out an excited giggle. "DING-DING-DING! And just like that, Project Rune... It's time to awaken!"

  A sharp gasp tore from Runebelle’s lips. Her eyes shot open. The real world rushed back with Arlysa’s dark energy swirling around her body.

  A translucent interface flickered into view before her, glowing with pulsing energy.

  [System Status: Online]

  LifeForce: 100%

  Magic: 200%

  Cannon Charge: 100%

  Timer: N/A

  Location: Mystical Forest

  Threat Assessment: 1 Mana Extractor left

  Project Rune Data Collection: 55% Complete

  Project Rune Transformation Mastery: 0%

  Arlysa had just lifted her hand with dark tendrils tightening around Risebelle’s body. She was just about to launch off her final spell when suddenly--

  A tremor.

  The ground rumbled beneath her feet.

  Arlysa faltered. She glanced down as tiny cracks formed in the dirt, pulsing with an eerie green light.

  Across the battlefield, Sylra raised her hand, ready to slam the massive, glowing boulder down onto Roselle. But just before she swung her arm—

  “Whoa—what the hell!?”

  The ground beneath her buckled. Her foot slipped. The boulder nearly crushed her fingers. She stumbled back.

  Other mages around the battlefield yelped as the entire area shifted beneath them. Some fell, others slid on suddenly unstable terrain.

  All eyes turned toward the source.

  There—within Arlysa’s dark spell—stood Runebelle.

  Greenish energy crackled around her body that swirled in unnatural patterns. It pulsed outward in slow, rhythmic waves.

  Arlysa’s jaw tightened. “What…?”

  Runebelle lifted her head. Her sad eyes were gone.

  What remained was ferocity. She roared,

  "PROJECT RUNE!"

  A blinding burst of energy erupted from her body which swallowed the world.

  Project Mage