“Now, here's the key to our plan," Risebelle said, leaning in to ensure her sisters heard every word. "Runebelle and I can use our hacking abilities to disable the barrier around the mana extractor. It'll be a delicate process, and we'll need to concentrate, so that's where you come in."

  She turned to Roselle and continued, "You have that massive cannon of yours, and you've shown how powerful it can be. Your job will be to cover us. If any mages try to stop us or get in our way, you use that cannon to eliminate them. But remember, we need to be careful. We don't want to draw too much attention until the barrier is down."

  Risebelle became serious. "And yes, there's likely an elite mage guarding the extractor. We can't avoid fighting them, but we can destroy the Mana Extractor before fighting them and even if we lose, we’ll have already completed our mission. The Magic Academy will be finished."

  Risebelle’s sharp gaze swept over her sisters. “You all understand the plan?”

  Roselle and Runebelle nodded without hesitation.

  “Good. Then everyone, move into positions.”

  Risebelle lifted her hand and made a precise signal—two fingers pointing forward, then a downward motion. Runebelle quickly followed her, sticking low to the ground while moving near the barrier. Roselle stayed back, gripping her cannon tightly. Her eyes were locked onto the enemy formations.

  But then—

  ‘Do you know how many lives will be lost because of you?’

  Roselle stiffened.

  The voice—it was her own. But it hadn’t come from her mouth. She looked around in a haste.

  ‘You’re about to wipe out people again and some of them don’t even know what they’re really fighting for.’

  Roselle’s heart pounded.

  ‘Are you sure you should be here? Are you sure you should be fighting at all?’

  Her vision wavered. For a split second, she saw herself—standing there, but instead of an enemy before her, she saw herself, staring back with questioning eyes.

  Roselle’s breath grew unsteady.

  ‘Drop the cannon.’

  The voice was softer now. ‘This isn’t you. You don’t have to do this. Just stop. You’ve already fought enough.’

  Roselle’s grip trembled. She could feel the weight of her own hesitation pressing down on her like an iron chain.

  But then—

  Her fingers clenched tighter. Her breathing steadied.

  And she scowled.

  ‘How dare you?’

  Roselle’s eyes burned with defiance. ‘How dare you try to stop me now? After everything?’

  Her mind sharpened like a blade.’ I have clawed my way through every battle. I have endured pain, loss, and suffering to keep moving forward. I survived because I had to. And now, I fight because my sisters need me.’

  The reflection of herself wavered.

  ‘I know what I am. And I know who I am.’

  Roselle raised her cannon and aimed it forward with renewed conviction.

  ‘And I will not be stopped!’

  The voice inside her fell silent.

  She exhaled sharply and turned toward her position.

  Risebelle took out her medium-sized cannon equipped with a silencer and fired off at a few unsuspecting mages. The shots found their mark, eliminating a few of the mages; however, the bodies of the mages who had been struck by her cannon's shots erupted in explosive bursts, sending shockwaves through the area. Debris and smoke filled the air as mages' remains scattered across the beach.

  Risebelle watched in shock.

  Amidst the tense situation on the beach, two figures stepped forward. A woman with her striking afro-like red hair. Beside her stood another woman with medium-length black hair that curled inward, dressed in a dark mage outfit. She held a magical staff emanating a dark aura.

  "Sylra," The dark dressed woman acknowledged in an uptight tone.

  Sylra grinned. "Arlysa, the plan worked like a charm. We've got them right where we want them!"

  Arlysa turned her gaze toward Sylra. She had a wired tone herself.

  Arlysa closed her eyes for a brief moment, raising her staff slightly. A swirling dark mist coiled around her fingertips before expanding outward in jagged tendrils. The tendrils slithered through the smoke-filled air.

  Then, Arlysa’s eyes snapped open.

  “There,” she murmured. Her staff pulsed once with dark energy, locking onto Risebelle’s location behind the scattered remains of trees near the beachside cliffs.

  Sylra’s grin widened. “Heh. Found them already? Damn, you’re fast.”

  Arlysa adjusted her grip on her staff and took a calculated step forward. “This was a cannon shot. They wanted an opening, but now they’ve given us one.”

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  Sylra cracked her knuckles eagerly. “Then let’s not waste time. I’ll rip ‘em apart.”

  Arlysa’s lips twitched into the faintest smirk. “You always prefer the direct approach.”

  Risebelle glared at the two newcomers, Sylra and Arlysa. She could sense the potent magical energy emanating from both of them.

  Sylra’s shouted, "Quit hidin' and show yourselves! Come out now, or we'll blast ya to pieces!"

  As Sylra's words echoed, other mages began to converge on Risebelle’s location with their magical energy swirling around them.

  Roselle’s heart pounded while watching the enemy forces closing in on Risebelle. ‘Uh oh! Risebelle’s been discovered!’ she thought. She took aim and fired a massive shot toward the center of the battlefield.

  The explosion sent sand and debris flying, momentarily blinding some of the mages. But before Roselle could breathe a sigh of relief, she felt an unnatural chill crawling up her body.

  Arlysa turned her head slightly. "Oh?" Her staff pulsed with dark energy. "There you are."

  ‘Oh no! ‘Roselle swallowed hard.

  Risebelle, still crouched behind cover scowled. "That idiot!At least she could’ve waited for my damn signal before making a move!"

  Runebelle, standing close beside her frowned deeply. "We’re completely exposed now…"

  Sylra grinned. “Heh. Looks like we’ve got all three little rats in one place.” She planted her foot into the sand and cracked her neck. “Alright, girls, no more hiding! Come out nice and slow, unless ya wanna be dragged out in pieces.”

  Risebelle clenched her fists. No choice now.

  With tense faces, the three sisters stepped out of hiding,

  "Which one of you is Roselle?" Sylra asked roughly. "The one who killed Thalindra, the forest Guardian. Speak up!"

  Risebelle stepped forward and replied, "I'm Risebelle, and these are my sisters, Roselle and Runebelle. We--."

  A blast of energy suddenly struck Risebelle and sent her flying back. Risebelle hit the ground hard, skidding across the sand before slamming into a rock. She groaned and felt a sting in her back, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself up. ‘Damn it!’

  Sylra lowered her smoking fist and rolled her shoulders. “I asked for Roselle, not her damn fucking sister,” she snapped. Her gaze locked onto the smallest of the trio. “Now, you better introduce yourself, girlie… or else.”

  Roselle clenched her jaw. She could feel Runebelle trembling beside her.

  Taking a deep breath, Roselle stepped forward. “I’m Roselle.” She spoke steady and put on a serious look. “And yeah, I’m the one who killed Thalindra.”

  Sylra's face contorted with anger. "You have no idea what you've done," Sylra hissed. "Thalindra was not just a guardian of this forest; she was a Special Elite Mage of the Magical Academy. Her magic was intertwined with the very life of the mystical forest. She sacrificed her own power to nurture this place so that we can survive on this island!"

  Her eyes bore into Roselle. "But her power dropped when she poured her energy into the forest, and that's when you came along and killed her. You destroyed my sister, who dedicated her life to our survival!"

  Roselle listened to Sylra's words with sorrow. “I… I didn’t know that. No one told me she was protecting this place like that.”

  Sylra took a step forward furiously. “Oh, so that’s supposed to make it better?” she snapped. “You didn’t know? You still did it! You still killed her!”

  Roselle’s fists clenched. “I was fighting to survive,” she said firmly. “I didn’t kill her for fun. I didn’t kill her just because I felt like it. She tried to kill me.”

  Sylra, however, began to gather magical energy with a growl. Just as Sylra was about to release her magical attack, Arlysa shouted, “Wait! It's only proper to introduce ourselves first."

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle turned their attention to Arlysa.

  Arlysa spoke with authority. “I am Arlysa, the Elite Mage of the Magical Academy, with an affinity for darkness. Sylra here is my apprentice, and she wields the power of Earth."

  Sylra, reluctantly but obediently spoke next. “Tch. Fine. Name’s Sylra, and like she said, I’m an Earth Mage. But don’t think for a second that just ‘cause I’m her apprentice, I’m weak.” Her fiery eyes locked onto Roselle again. “That’s all the introduction you need to remember!”

  Sylra slammed her foot down. A deep tremor rocked the beach, sending cracks tearing through the sand. The shockwave made Roselle and the others stumble, while the nearby mages steadied themselves.

  “Not done yet. Advanced Magic: Gaia’s Might.” Sylra growled while raising her right arm. The earth beneath her responded instantly, shifting and rising as jagged shards of rock spiraled up her forearm, compacting and fusing into a solid gauntlet of stone. With a smirk, she flexed her fingers. Then, she lunged straight for Roselle

  The mages unleashed a barrage of magical blasts at the same time, forcing the sisters to swiftly dodge and weave through the onslaught of elements.

  Roselle dropped her massive cannon to the sandy ground with the metallic thud echoing in the chaos around them. With d fire in her eyes, she advanced towards Sylra who wore a confident smirk on her face.

  Sylra unleashed a powerful punch. Roselle swayed to the side and gave a quick jab of her own, aiming for Sylra's midsection. Sylra parried the attack. The two then engaged in a flurry of punches and kicks. They were striking lightning-fast in an exchange of blows. Sylra's Stone Gauntlet allowed her to deliver powerful strikes, while Roselle's yellow lightning allowed her to evade attacks.

  Roselle gritted her teeth and lunged forward with an uppercut while letting out a fierce shout. Her fist connected squarely with Sylra’s chin—but instead of the satisfying impact she expected, it felt like she had just punched solid rock.

  Sylra barely flinched. She blinked, then smirked. “That it? My grandma could punch harder than that.”

  Roselle’s eyes widened. ‘What the hell is this woman made of?!’

  Before she could react, Sylra’s gauntlet-clad fist came crashing into her gut. The force sent Roselle hurtling back across the sand. She barely had time to register the pain before a bombardment of fire, ice and wind blasted her, creating a cloud of smoke and dust.

  From her position, Risebelle was locked in her own battle. Arlysa's dark magic tendrils lashed out toward her. Risebelle weaved between them, firing off quick bursts from her cannon to force Arlysa on the defensive. But the moment she saw Roselle go down, her jaw clenched.

  ‘Damn it.’

  Risebelle moved with precision to fend off the mages who were trying to close in on herself. “We can’t win this fight—not like this!”

  Meanwhile, Runebelle moved with silent grace through the chaos of the battle. As Runebelle approached the mana extractor, she suddenly found herself face to face with Arlysa.

  Arlysa regarded Runebelle with a darkly amused smile. "Well, now, what do we have here? A little intruder trying to disrupt the Mana Extractor?"

  Runebelle’s eyes widened in shock. ‘What? Arlysa had been right near Risebelle just moments ago—how did she get here so fast? Did she warp? No, that can’t be it..’

  Risebelle, still dealing with the wave of mages closing in on her, caught a glimpse of Arlysa’s sudden relocation. ‘That wasn’t any normal movement—it was either a high-speed spell or some kind of shadow-based teleportation. ‘

  Runebelle, standing near the humming mana extractor clenched her fists. "I... I’m going to take you down!" she declared while trying to make a serious face with the gloom that was glued to it.

  Arlysa tilted her head. "Oh?" She took a slow step forward. "You don’t sound convincing."

  Runebelle flinched.

  Arlysa’s gaze sharpened. "And you don’t look it either. That sad little face of yours." She sighed ."How about I do you a favor, hmm? Put you to sleep permanently?"

  Dark tendrils coiled around her staff as the shadows at her feet started to stretch toward Runebelle.

  Runebelle prepared herself for a showdown within the darkness.

  Project Mage