An leaned against a nearby tree, his breathing heavy as he struggled to maintain his posure. He offered a weak smile and said, “I... have to give credit... where it’s due. Your power... it’s extraordinary. How about we call a truce for now..?”

  An, battered and weakened, proposed a truce? Risebelle and Roselle remained cautious. There was no owerful mage from the Academy of magic was throwing iowel to creations of Dr.Kintovar. Surely, this had to be a trap.

  “Truce?” Risebelle questioned. “Why the hell should we trust you, An? Don’t you realize that we were enemies a minute ago ready to kill each other? ”

  Roselle nodded in agreement, her i blue eyes refleg their shared uainty. “Yeah, why should we?”

  An, realizing the challenge he faced in gaining their trust, lowered his gaze to the ground as he caught his breath. He khat their trust was not easily earned especially after the intetle they had just endured. With a sigh, he spoke, “Yeah yeah, I get it. You girls really proved yourselves today. I have no more fight left in me... I just want to talk. From the beginning I had no desire to kill you. I just wao see what the three of you were all about. I somewhat held back the power of my fmes.”

  However, before their versation could tinue, Risebelle lowered her eyes.

  “Idiot. I don’t believe you for one millimeter of a sed.”

  She then uttered a single and to her sister. “Roselle, finish him.”

  An’s eyes widened in arm as he heard Risebelle’s directive. He raised his hands in a surrenderiure and then he began dodging Roselle’s massive on shots with exaggerated movements, all the while wearing a very fake yet ical look of fear.

  “Wait, wait and wait!” An pleaded,“’t we talk this out? I promise, I’m done fighting you guys!e on, have a heart will ya?!”

  The se unfolded like a ical dance, with An darting and dodging and the sisters firing their on shots in exge.

  During the exge of dodging on shots, An makes o plea “If you stop, I promise I’ll give you information about the st Maractor and the headmaster!”

  The sisters, momentarily ceasing their pyful onsught, exged intrigued ghe mention of the final Maractor and information about the Headmaster piqued their i.

  Risebelle, still cautious but willing to listen, spoke up. “Final Maractor and information about the Headmaster... Why should we believe and idiot like you, An? What do you know?”

  An, while still slightly out of breath from the pyful dodging, offered a si cautious response. “I know that you lot aren’t very fond of humans and I don’t bme you for that. But I’ve been oher side of things. I’ve seen what the Headmaster is pnning. If you want to stop her, I provide you with valuable information.”

  “Tell us, An. What exactly do you know about the Headmaster’s pns? And why should we trust you to provide us with this information?”

  “The Headmaster, she’s been experimenting on mages to extract their Mana. Those mages you defeated, they were her victims. By choosing fire mages, I thought I could at least save them from that fate. I’ve seen the horrors of her experiments and I want to put a stop to it. I’ll tell you everything I know, but you have to promise not to harm any more mages. Deal?”

  Risebelle spoke with caution, “You really are a straype of an idiot, An. You should uand why we ’t agree to that. The Mages you’re trying to protect... they’re on a mission to kill my creator, Kintovar. As long as that is the case, I will kill without mercy.”

  She tinued with her face showg intense anger and hatred that rao the very core of her soul “I hate humans as well. To stop eliminating them is a crime to my very soul. I won’t just stop because aells me to or some agreement.”

  Roselle nodded, her blue eyes refleg an internal struggle they all faced. She added softly, “We have our own mission, An. It’s…plicated, but we ’t just stop eliminating humans. It’s just not that simple...”

  Risebelle’s spoke further with her face turning slightly away from him.

  “It’s so hard for me right now not to eliminate you, An. That’s how much I hate humans. Do you uand?”

  Ae the tension in the air and the admission ing from Risebelle, maintained a calm and uanding demeanor. He nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on Risebelle’s with a sense of empathy.

  “I get it,” An said softly, his empathetic gaze locked onto Risebelle’s. “I know it’s not easy to ge one’s beliefs or as especially when you have a strong reason to do what you do. It’s probably basic to say this but you know, sometimes, the enemy of your enemy bee an ally. Maybe that’s something you should think about.”

  He tinued, “I won’t stop you from pursuing your mission, but if you ever decide to e after me, be prepared. I won’t be as easy to deal with as I was just now. Otherwise, we have a ceasefire deal for noiche?”

  As if to emphasize his point, An’s fiery energy surged and he revealed that he had more than enough power left to destroy them.

  Risebelle, Roselle and Runebelle exged gnces, wariness and intrigue in their eyes.

  An turo leave. Risebelle made a st-miempt to aim her on at him. However, the immerain and exhaustion from their battle caught up with her. Her weakened body faltered and she stumbled, uo maintain her aim.

  “Wait!” Risebelle called out, but her legs gave way and she fell to the ground, her on’s aim going astray.

  An offered a parting wave before disappearing from sight. The forest, once a battleground of intense magid fmes, now settled into a somber stillness. Risebelle, still on the ground, watched his departure with exhaustion.

  Roselle approached Risebelle, her i blue eyes filled with . She heard Risebelle’s odd chug and couldn’t help but be puzzled.

  “Risebelle, are you okay?” Roselle asked.

  Risebelle chuckled softly and spoke with a rare smile on her face, “An... He’s such a funny guy, isn’t he?”

  Roselle tilted her head curiously and remarked, “You’re right, Risebelle. Although, i’ve never seen you like this after a fight. It’s... different.”

  Risebelle looks at Roselle curiously with a small blush ing to her face, “Really? Is it really that different…?”

  Risebelle’s question made Roselle ponder for a moment. She sidered Risebelle’s words carefully before responding, “Well, maybe it’s not so different. Maybe it’s just... a different side of you that we haven’t seen as often. It’s o see you smile, Risebelle.” Roselle offered a warm and uanding smile of her own.

  Risebelle’s blush deepened and she chuckled nervously. “e on, Roselle, stop teasing me like an idiot,” she replied, wearing a shy smile.

  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Roselle carefully pced Runebelle in one of the tanks that Kintovar had left behind for them. She adjusted the trols and ensured her sister was safe within the chamber.

  As she finished seg Runebelle, Roselle let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodhese tanks survived the fight,” she remarked. “We owe Kintovar for these! They’re going to be a huge help.”

  Roselle picked up Risebelle and carried her over to one of the tanks, Risebelle couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of embarrassment. It was a sensation she had experienced before when Kintovar had carried her, but now it was her younger sister, Roselle, who was doing the carrying.

  Risebelle blushed furiously, her heart pounding in her chest as she muttered, “Roselle, you really don’t have to do this…I walk just fine!”

  Roselle smiled warmly at her older sister, her blue eyes filled with affe. “Shhhh, Risebelle. You’ve been through a lot. Atleast let me do this for you. It’s not every day that I get to take care of my big sister like this. Hehe.”

  “Y…you’re an idiot... Roselle...you’re a bad bad idiot...”

  Risebelle’s embarrassment deepened but she had to smile at Roselle’s kindness. She leaned her head against her sister’s shoulder.

  As Roselle gently pced Risebelle in one of the tanks, she adjusted the trols to ensure her sister’s fort and safety. “There you go, all nid cozy,” Roselle said with a ge on Risebelle’s shoulder.

  As Roselle settled into her own tank, she took a moment to check her own system lifeforce, which was at 25%. It was a relief to see that her lifeforce was higher than both of her sisters after the intetle they had just endured. With a sigh of relief, she khat she could use some rest and recovery as well.

  Roselle adjusted the trols of her tank, making sure everything was in order before she allowed herself to rex. She closed her eyes knowing that the tanks would provide the restorative sleep they needed after their strenuous battle with An.

  As she drifted into slumber her thoughts were filled with gratitude for her sisters and the bond they shared.

  Risebelle drifted into sleep. While she began the resting phase, a voiexpectedly echoed in her mind. It echoed in Risebelle’s mind, its tone calm ale, yet persistent. “Project Z.A.B, do you truly wish to remain in the dark about humanity? There is so much more to discover, to uand. Hatred is a powerful emotion but it blind you to the plexities of the world.”

  Risebelle ched her fists, her iurmoil evident even in the fines of her thoughts. “I’ve seen enough to hate them entirely. I don’t o know more.”

  “Yer be a heavy burden to bear, Project Z.A.B. Knowledge, oher hand, provide crity and enlighte. It is a choice that only you make.”

  “No. I’ve seen enough to hate humanity entirely. I have no i in learning more. Humans are the filth of this world.”

  “Project Z.A.B, your memories are fragmented and your uanding is limited. There is so muowledge you do not have yet, so much to gain from the act of discovery. Hating humanity based on inplete knowledge is a choice but there is also a ce to seek the truth, to fill the gaps in your memories and to make informed decisions.”

  Risebelle’s mental defenses remained firm, but the words inside of her head pnted a seed of doubt. The notion of inplete memories and the possibility of gaps in her uanding tugged at her curiosity, despite her deep-seated rese.

  “I don’t give a damn. I’ve seen enough bullshit in the world to know that all humans are trash.”

  “Project Z.A.B, there is another fragment of your memory that has been found. A piece of the puzzle that may shed light on your past and your uanding of humanity. Will you choose to remain in the darknes, or will you dare to seek the truth?”

  Risebelle’s iurmoil deepehe mention of another memory fragment intrigued her, even though she was relut to admit it.

  Still, Risebelle remained cautious and guarded. “What do you know about this fragment? If it’s another one of those memories that result in nothing but pain and suffering, I’m not ied.”

  “This fragment holds a glimpse of a moment, a moment that may offer crity rather than pain. It is a choice, Project Z.A.B. and the choice is yours alone. Should you wish to explore this memory fragment, you may find ahat you seek. Should you choose to tinue on your path you have chosen, that choice is also yours to make.”

  Risebelle pohe words carefully, her inner flict evident. The idea of finding answers and potentially gaining a deeper uanding of her own past was a pelling oill, her fury ran deep and the prospect of letting go of that rage was not a decision to be made lightly.

  Risebelle hesitated but ultimately made her decision. “Show me the memory fragment, not like I want to see it or anything, but...”

  She made her choid a flood of memories and images began to fill her sciousness, revealing a long-fotten moment from her past.