The sky trembled as shockwaves tore through the air. Beneath the weight of the devastation, the earth that was shattered by the Headmaster's manipulation was now slowly rebuilding itself—rocks shifting, stone rising like an ancient creature pulling itself from the depths. The ground began to take form once again.

  Sand cascaded down like rain and coated everything in fine grains. The dust cloud from Roselle’s attack slowly faded, leaving the scene heavy with silence before the world was battered once more.

  A glowing pink energy sphere flickered to life around Dr. Kintovar who threw out a storage device. A pink armor materialized over her body once it came out of the container.

  The suit gave Kintovar a strangely ethereal yet regal look amidst the growing chaos in the sky.

  But nothing could prepare her for the sheer force of the impact.

  Kintovar fell and crashed violently against the newly-formed ground. Her armor absorbed much of the impact, but pain still went through her bones which made her gasp. Then, a massive crater tore open beneath her.

  Then, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—the sound of bodies crashing.

  Risebelle hit first. She let out a huff before trying to push herself up.

  Roselle spiraled down like a rogue meteor. Her small body struck the sand with a whomp, landing square on top of Risebelle who let out a muffled groan beneath her.

  “Ugh, damnit short-stack…” Risebelle muttered while trying to wriggle out from beneath the younger girl.

  A plop signaled Runebelle’s descent. Or rather, her mini-Tank.

  The armored construct hit the ground next with a heavy thud and lid a few inches before settling next to the pile of tangled bodies. Inside, Runebelle was still offline after her recent battles..

  Sybil followed everyone and landed ontop of Roselle. Haras landed on the top of her. Alan and Sylra landed lastly on the top of the pile.

  Sybil let out a sigh of relief. "It seems this cushion came in handy,"

  Haras chimed in with a playful tone. "Yes, very convenient indeed. Who knew Kintovar would make such a comfy landing pad?"

  However, Kintovar, who was the unfortunate 'cushion' in this scenario was far from amused. When she spoke, it came out muffled and irritated.

  “Off. Of. Me.”

  Kintovar grunted while pushing herself free from the bodies that piled on top of her. With a strained exhale, she finally managed to sit up; however, the pain from the impact still shook her bones. The pink suit which had provided her some protection retracted swiftly into a small container at her belt.

  She looked at the crater beneath her. “I’ll be lucky if I have a back after this.”

  Haras managed to crawl out from under the pile and offered a chipper smile with the quantum mindsuit still on her. “Well, I’d say this suit really came in handy. It’s amazing!”

  Kintovar wiped sand from her face and gave Haras a side-eyed glance. “As amazing as the Quantum Mindsuit is, there are some very serious drawbacks.” She winced. “I didn’t fully perfect it yet.”

  “Drawbacks?” Haras tilted her head. “What drawbacks?”

  Kintovar’s gaze darkened slightly. She looked at the mini-Tank which was a few feet away from them. “I’d suggest you remove it now before it becomes an even bigger issue.”

  Haras blinked. “Remove it? How do I do that?”

  Kintovar gave her a flat look. “Just think, ‘I am no longer wearing this suit.’ That’s how it works.”

  Haras stared at the armor she wore. “I am no longer wearing this amazing suit… I’m no longer wearing this amazing suit...” she muttered. Then she paused with her eyes widening. “I’m amazing! This suit is just amazing! It—no, wait!” Her hand shot up to her head. “It’s not ‘amazing,’ it’s—ugh!” She clutched her hair in frustration. “How do you focus without adding the word ‘amazing’ in front of it?!”

  Kintovar just watched deadpan as Haras fumbled in frustration.

  But before Haras could spiral any further, a loud crash split the air.

  The Headmaster’s body hit the earth with a force so strong that the earth groaned beneath it’s weight.

  A moment of eerie silence passed, broken only by the sound of ragged breaths.

  The golden aura of the Headmaster’s Zenith form flickered out. Her body spasmed briefly. Her chest rose and fell slowly.

  Then, the golden light surrounding her body flickered until it completely dissipated. Her once-golden hair turned back to its familiar silver hue and her glowing golden eyes returned to their normal silver.

  The image of the formidable Zenith Magic melted away to reveal the frail body of the woman who had been brought to her knees. She barely managed to lift her hand before her head slumped on the ground.

  Kintovar narrowed her eyes towards the headmaster.

  The Headmaster’s spoke weakly. “I… I failed…” she rasped. “To… surpass it… To… achieve perfection…”

  She coughed weakly with her silver hair now ragged around her face. “This… wasn’t… supposed to… end like this…”

  Kintovar’s gaze flickered to the Headmaster. "You're still alive. But don’t worry.

  I’ll finish you in a minute, Headmaster Aimathema. For now, you just stay there and look old. “

  A twisted smile curved her lips and she let out a “Ohohooho!~” The laugh echoed through the area before Kintovar limped away from the Headmaster’s pitiful body.

  With her body still aching from the crash, Kintovar moved with surprising speed to the spot where Becky lay motionless. A brief flash of memory surged through Kintovar’s mind, the moments where Becky had been struck by the Headmaster's devastating mind break. Then to when she herself was hit. Haras could only save one of them when she arrived, and Becky had been the unfortunate one left behind.

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  Her breath hitched when she saw Sybil crouched beside her with her arms wrapped protectively around them. The woman’s eyes held tears.

  Haras came over and knelt beside them. She looked at Becky’s limp body with deep concentration. Her hands hovered over Becky’s chest.

  After a tense moment, Haras finally spoke somber. “ … She’s already too far gone. The mind break was too much. I don’t think I can save her now.”

  Kintovar’s scanner hummed to life in her hand. She moved Haras aside with a small shove and brought the faint pink light of it over Becky’s head. She activated the device and a soft pulse of energy emanated from it, sweeping over the brain, looking for any trace of life—anything left.

  After a brief scan, the results came through, and Kintovar’s eyes narrowed.

  “Wait a minute...” Her fingers hovered over the device’s interface. “Becky’s brain activity… It’s, yes, but there’s still a trace of something…”

  She raised her head slowly amd locked eyes with Haras. “Your can was slightly off, Haras. She’s still savable.”

  Haras blinked. “You mean—?”

  Kintovar’s lips curled into a thin smile. "I believe there's a way to restore her, just as Haras did for me, but it won't be easy. We'll need to use Haras' Lip-glaze Mind Restorer, but its untested technology. We're going to have to take a chance on it, just like Haras did for me."

  Haras stepped forward with a playful grin, "Hey Kintovar, doesn’t the fact that it worked on you mean that make it 'tested' technology?"

  Kintovar stared at her for a moment. Then, after a brief pause, she gave a small shrug. “But of course,” then refocused on Becky.

  Haras seemed satisfied with her contribution but added, “Wait, weren’t we calling it the Lipstick Mind Restorer? That's what I named it."

  Kintovar's eyes widened. In that moment, she looked utterly baffled. “Lipstick Mind Restorer? That’s what you named it?”

  Haras nodded. “Yeah! It's a catchy name, right? Makes it sound... fun.” She shot Kintovar a wink.

  Kintovar stared at Haras for a long moment. She opened her mouth but closed it again. She wasn’t the one who had created the device, after all. The whole “lip-glaze” ordeal was schematics she sent to Haras during their separation without creating the product herself. Kintovar had simply been the recipient of its results.

  Finally, she gave a tired sigh. “Well... whatever it’s called, if it works, we’ll use it.”

  Harasheld up the small vial of Lip-glaze and carefully applied it to Becky’s lips. She gave a little wink and said, “The princess is waiting,”

  Kintovar watched intently. She didn’t miss a beat, however, and a knowing smirk played at the corner of her mouth. “Ah, well, this is for science... Eh?” She shot a quick glance at Sybil.

  Sybil’s eyes darted nervously between Kintovar and the others. Her cheeks flushed a shade darker. She glanced down at Becky and then at Haras, who was still holding the device with a faint smile.

  Kintovar spoke softly. “She is your friend. You know her best, which makes you the best candidate for this experiment.”

  All eyes turned to Sybil.

  “I… I’m not sure—” Sybil began, but Kintovar cut her off a wave.

  “You are sure, Sybil,” Kintovar said flatly. “You’ve spent the most time with Becky. She trusts you. You know her reactions, her fears, her strengths. We need that to help her pull through.”

  Sybil looked at Becky. The girl had always been a ball of energy, but she was a good friend. Maybe even a better one than Sybil had ever been.

  Sybil leaned down and her hands gently cupped Becky’s face. A flash of memory suddenly overwhelmed her.

  She was younger then and crouched behind a stack of crates in the Magical academy. The sound of voices reached her ears—jeering, cruel laughter and the unmistakable taunt of mage girls who let their magic loose on her. Sybil could still hear their words as clearly as if they were spoken just yesterday.

  “What’s the point of magic if you can’t even use it properly?” one of them had sneered. “You’re a useless mage who should have never been born. You’ll never amount to anything!”

  Sybil remembered how small she’d felt back then. But then....A warm, confident voice broke through the haze of Sybil’s memory.

  “You think you can mess with my friend?” A younger Becky had shouted. She was now standing right infront of Sybil. “Well, I’m Becky, and I’m gonna beat the shit outta every last one of ya if ya lay another finger on her!”

  Sybil’s had never told Becky about those girls, about the way they made her feel so small. She’d never said a word about it but Becky had seen it this that time.

  The memory hit Sybil like a ton of bricks—Becky wasn’t just a friend. She was the friend. The one who stood up for Sybil even when Sybil hadn’t been able to stand up for herself.

  “I... I can’t do this alone, Becky,” Sybil murmured. “I need you…with me…”

  Sybil gently lowered her face toward Becky’s and their lips met. The Moment this happened, abright neon green glow formed between their faces.

  Risebelle, a few feet away quickly averted her gaze.

  Inside Becky’s mind, there was nothing but rage.

  ‘Why am I so angry?’ Becky. She couldn't remember what had triggered it. Then, from the murky depths of her confusion, a figure appeared.

  Sybil.

  Sybil's presence felt like a light cutting through the storm. She reached out and extended her hand toward Becky.

  “Becky... It’s me, Sybil. Don’t you remember me?”

  Becky’s anger still roared, but something about Sybil’s calmness made the storm slow just for a moment.

  “Come on, Becky… You’ve always had my back… and I...I have yours now… Take my hand.”

  Becky tried to focus. She tried to remember. The memories began to surface—flickers of moments they shared: laughter, friendship, even the pain of their struggles. It all came rushing back in flashes.

  “You’re…my best friend…. “Becky echoed. Her hand reached out to meet Sybil’s.

  As soon as their hands touched, Becky’s memories—the past and present collided with overwhelming force: Becky standing up to bullies, Sybil offering quiet support during times of doubt, both of them laughing late into the night with their arms slung over each other's shoulders.

  "You’re... my best friend…" Becky murmured again.

  Outside of the mental plane, Kintovar, Roselle and Haras all waited in silence.

  After a moment, Sybil detached her lips from Becky’s. Haras spoke with one finger raised. “It might take about an hour before Becky fully comes to," she said quietly. "She’s regaining everything at once, and that kind of shock is gonna need time to settle."

  Sybil didn’t look away from Becky’s face, but she nodded. "I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as it takes."

  Roselle’s eyes flickered across the battlefield. The wreckage of the Headmaster’s fallen Zenith form was still smoldering nearby. Only one thing stood out—unscathed.

  The Mana extractor. It stood ominously in the crater near the headmaster.

  Roselle’s brow furrowed in confusion. “That... that’s the last Mana extractor. How is it still standing? With everything that’s happened here, it should’ve been destroyed.”

  Risebelle She crossed her arms and scanned the extractor with a critical eye. "Thanks to Elena’s linking magic. The mana extractor has been feeding her energy this entire time, so it was shielded by that link. Since they were connected, the extractor became as strong as the Headmaster herself."

  Risebelle continued gruffly. "But now that she’s weak, it shouldn’t be as strong anymore."

  Roselle summoned her Massive Cannon to her hands. Risebelle was a step ahead of her and her medium-sized cannon was already adjusted.

  "Ready," asked Risebelle.

  Roselle nodded. "Let's finish this."

  They both aimed their cannons, But just when they were about to fire, a shout rang out,

  "WAAAAIIT!"

  Headmaster Aimathema.

  She crawled across the scorched earth. She gasped for air while weakly reaching out to them. "Please... please don’t destroy it... If you destroy it... I'll die…”

  Kintovar stepped into the scene with measured steps. “Ironic, isn't it? You, the one who had so many begging for mercy, now groveling on the ground... How many scientists begged you for their lives when you held their futures in your hands? How many lives did you destroy without a second thought?"

  The fury in Kintovar's eyes grew. "You were so quick to crush everyone who got in your way. But now, when you are the one who is crushed, you beg for your life.”

  She turned toward Roselle and Risebelle. "Destroy it. End this Academy’s tale for good."

  Kintovar echoed lastly. "Let this be the end of all your mistakes, Headmaster. It’s time to pay the price for everything you’ve done."

  The headmaster’s released an anguished scream

  “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!”

  Project Mage