Harty exhaled while putting his phone down. “That… was Roselle. She said she won't be making it tonight.”

  Risebelle’s eyes widened slightly. “Roselle? She’s part of the detective club?”

  Harty gave her a flat look. “I told you that before.” Harty continued while rubbing his chin. “Something about her voice on the phone was… off. Something must’ve happened.”

  Risebelle straightened. “Then we should look into it.”

  “No,” Harty said firmly. “I will look into it. You need to stay focused on finding out about the doppelganger.”

  Risebelle narrowed her eyes. “You’re telling me to ignore a potential problem?”

  “I’m telling you to prioritize. If something's up, I’ll handle it. But the doppelganger is your case.”

  Before Risebelle could respond to that, a voice suddenly chimed in.

  “Aye aye, captain.”

  Risebelle whipped her head around, only to find Jess casually seated beside her with a smug grin on her face.

  Risebelle stared. “When did you get here?”

  Jess smirked and winked. “A minute ago Risey! ~ What’s the plan, boss?”

  Risebelle reached into her pocket and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper Angie gave her earlier and held it up.

  "I'm going to investigate tonight," she stated.

  Jess leaned forward while resting her elbows on the table. "And me?"

  "You’ll be on standby. If anything happens, I'll call you."

  Jess grinned. "Good. After what happened today, I gotta get rid of some stress that built up."

  Risebelle’s face tightened. Her mind flickered back to earlier—the moment she had lost control and punched Jess. It had been instinctive to the kiss Jess gave her, but the memory of her fist connecting with Jess’s face made her stomach twist.

  She glanced at Jess. She was half-expecting to see some form of resentment but saw nothing. She knew Jess had to be acting like it didn’t bother her when it clearly did.

  Risebelle frowned briefly before exhaling.

  Harty, who had been watching silently finally spoke. "Then that settles it. You do your investigation, I’ll look into Roselle, and Jess will be ready if things go south."

  Jess saluted lazily. "Aye aye, captain."

  Risebelle nodded. Tonight, she would get answers.

  At exactly 7 o’clock, Risebelle stepped through the front door of her house. The moment she did, her mother was already standing there with her arms crossed, prepared to scold her for being late—except she wasn’t late.

  Her mother’s face wavered for a moment before softening. "Oh… you're on time today."

  Risebelle didn't even look at her and headed straight for the stairs.

  Her mother frowned slightly. "Risebelle—"

  But the girl didn’t stop. Her mother took a deep breath and frowned. ‘She’s probably going up to study,’ she reasoned in her mind. ‘At least she’s being responsible.’

  Risebelle locked her door with a quiet click, ensuring no one would bother her. Then, she grabbed a book in one hand while booting up her computer with the other.

  Her screen flickered to life, and she navigated to the website Angie had given her. A game forum greeted her with a black background and red text. It had posts from users discussing everything from underground rumors to seemingly mundane topics.

  She clicked on the subforum labeled ‘Life’. This was where discussions on real life seemed to happen. Just as Angie had said, a particular username stood out: Sleuth of Shadows.

  Risebelle's eyes narrowed while looking through their responses. Whoever this person was, they seemed to be speaking in in cold, hard facts.

  One thread caught her attention—a user had posted about their missing sister, desperate for any clues. Sleuth of Shadows had replied bluntly:

  "Sometimes the missing are hidden right under their noses. You need to observe the people you live with for subtle changes."

  She scrolled further. Another thread spoke about someone disappearing after attending an underground tournament. The response?

  "People disappear in plain sight. Follow their routines before they vanish—there are patterns if you know what to look for."

  A third case involved someone suddenly acting strangely before going missing. The original poster was convinced something was off about their cousin’s behavior days before they vanished.

  Sleuth of Shadows had replied:

  "When someone starts behaving like a stranger, ask yourself—are they really still the same person?"

  Risebelle’s heartbeat slowed. ‘The same person…?’ She thought back to Rosebelle, her so-called doppelganger. Was this just a coincidence? Or was Sleuth of Shadows hinting at something deeper?

  Risebelle continued to browse through the threads of the "Epic Quest, Realm of Shadows" forum and decided to scroll up to the top. Her eyes locked onto a particular post that read, "The Mysterious Doppelganger: A Case Unveiled," and it was authored by none other than the Sleuth of Shadows.

  The Sleuth of Shadows had written in a clinical manner, laying out the details like a detective’s case file:

  "There have been numerous reports of an individual being seen in two places at once. Two lives. Two reputations. But only one person. Witnesses claim they saw her engaging in acts completely out of character—things she herself denies ever doing. And yet, the evidence against her stacks up. Nearly broken friendships and even violence. But here’s the question: If she didn’t do it… who did?"

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Risebelle's fingers tensed on the mouse. ‘That’s… exactly what’s happening to me.’

  She scrolled down.

  "Sometimes, the biggest mysteries aren’t not ‘who is missing’, but about who’s been replaced."

  Her stomach dropped. ‘R-Replaced?’

  She kept reading. "This isn’t the first case. Another student—same story. A supposed double ruining their life. A best friend hospitalized after a sudden fight, even though neither side remembers attacking the other. Expelled. Isolated. And when they came back, the world had already decided they were guilty."

  Risebelle sucked in a sharp breath. ‘That’s Roselle….’

  Risebelle’s hands moved on their own, quickly clicking the Sign Up button. She typed in a username—PhantomKnight—and hastily set up her account.

  The moment she was logged in, she navigated straight to the private messages section. Her fingers hovered over the keyboard as she started drafting a message to Sleuth of Shadows.

  Subject: Doppelg?nger Case

  Message:

  I saw your post. I need to talk to you.

  Risebelle suddenly yanked her hands back from the keyboard as if it had burned her. Was she seriously about to send a random stranger a message about this? About something she didn’t even fully understand yet?

  She clenched her jaw. “No. This is reckless, even for me...but I need to know…who you are...”

  Risebelle took a deep breath. She couldn’t afford to hesitate. Every second wasted was a second the impostor could be out there ruining her life even further.

  She started typing again.

  Subject: Doppelg?nger Case

  Message:

  I saw your post. I don’t know who you are, but you seem to know more than anyone else about dopplegangers. I need answers. Please. Tell me what you know.

  PhantomKnight

  Risebelle cranked up the volume on her computer to ensure she wouldn’t miss a notification. Then, she grabbed her book, flopped onto her bed and tried to study.

  ‘Alchemy Principles & Theories’, the title read. Normally, she’d have at least some interest, but tonight? Her thoughts kept drifting back to the message she sent.

  She sighed, turning a page. ‘Come on, Risebelle. Focus.’

  Minutes passed. Then an hour.

  Her eyes skimmed the words, but nothing really stuck. Her mind kept replaying the details—the Doppelg?nger, Roselle’s case, the forum post. How much did this Sleuth of Shadows actually know?

  Just when she was beginning to sink deeper into thought—

  Ding!

  The sound jolted her. Risebelle immediately darted to her computer.

  A new message.

  From: Sleuth of Shadows

  She clicked it open without hesitation.

  "Risebelle, I've been following the situation closely, and I believe I can offer some guidance. Meet me at the Silver Star Arcade tomorrow at 4 PM. Be discreet. Look for the person with multicolored hair by the claw machine. We'll talk then."

  Risebelle’s breath hitched.

  Her eyes flicked back to the screen. "Risebelle."

  Wait a damn minute. She was using a username. There was no possible way this person should have known who was messaging them. And yet—

  Her grip on the mouse tightened. ‘How the hell do they know?’

  A cold feeling settled in her gut. Was her account compromised and she just made it? Did this Sleuth of Shadows have some way of tracking her?

  She swallowed hard. The walls of her room felt a little closer. This was terrifying.

  The Next Day: Friday.

  Risebelle sat stiffly at her desk with one thought in mind: ‘Mr. Sanders got me.’

  She had spent so much time wrapped up in the doppelg?nger case, the forum and that freaky message from Sleuth of Shadows that the test had slipped to the back of her mind.

  Her eyes darted around the classroom. Other students looked tense, some flipping through last-minute notes while others had the dead-eyed stare of those who had already accepted their fate.

  Then, in walked Mr. Sanders with that nonchalant smile of his; however, what really caught Risebelle’s attention was the strange contraption he rolled in behind him:

  A grab machine.

  Bright, colorful and filled with small mystery bags. The moment the students noticed, the air shifted from anxiety to curiosity.

  Mr. Sanders clapped his hands together. “Alright, everyone. Test first, and if you survive it, you get a shot at the prize machine. Think of it as your reward for enduring this academic battlefield.”

  A few groans. Some nervous chuckles. Someone muttered, “Survive, he says…”

  Risebelle exhaled sharply and thought, ‘Alright. You’ve at least half-studied. That’s better than nothing.’

  Throughout the quiz, Risebelle answered each question to the best of her ability, drawing on the knowledge she had managed to cram into her mind the previous night.

  Once the quiz came to an end, Risebelle reviewed her answers one last time before handing in her paper with a sigh of relief. At the very least, she was able to answer each question.

  Risebelle entered the chess club after school Once she arrived, she was confronted by two girls .

  "Hey, Risebelle! Are you going to play today?" The first girl asked while bringing her hands up to her face with a slight blush.

  "Yeah, we've been dying to see you in action again," the other girl chimed in nudging Risebelle on the shoulders.

  Risebelle moved until she stood infront of all of the members. “I’m sorry, but I have something important that I need to do today. I just came to tell you all in person."

  Some of the members sighed in response while others exchanged glances.

  “Aww, really?” one of the girls pouted and lowered her hands from her blushing face. “You never skip a game!”

  The other girl crossed her arms. “Man… now who am I supposed to watch if the best player isn’t here?”

  Most of the club members murmured their farewells, but when Risebelle reached the exit, she felt a heavy gaze on her.

  Harty.

  Unlike the others, he wasn’t sulking or showing disappointment. His face was serious.

  Risebelle met his gaze for a moment. Then, she exited the chess club room and soon after, the school.

  Risebelle made her way toward the Silver Star Arcade with thoughts of her upcoming meeting with the Sleuth of Shadows; however, her focus shifted abruptly when she spotted someone sitting at the park close to the location.

  The person she was looking at looked exactly like Rosebelle was sitting alone on a park bench. The girl had the same school uniform and familiar hair, hell she was even short and had that childish looking face.

  Risebelle hesitated only a moment before speaking to her. “Hey… are you Roselle?”

  The girl stiffened. Slowly, she turned her gaze upward and her red-rimmed eyes locked onto Risebelle’s face. She studied Risebelle for a moment before murmuring, “Do I… know you?”

  Risebelle’s breath caught. Roselle was looking at her like she was trying to piece together a puzzle that had too many missing pieces.

  Risebelle barely had time to react before Roselle’s hands reached up toward her face. For someone so short, her reach was surprisingly long. The moment Roselle’s fingertips brushed against Risebelle’s cheek—

  Everything shattered.

  Risebelle’s vision warped, the colors of the park melted away like paint running down a canvas.

  And then—

  She was no longer there.

  Risebelle gasped as she was ripped back into the depths of her own mind.

  “No—no!”

  She thrashed around but it was useless. The system—the damn system kept interfering and pulling her in and out of these memories.

  [System Message]

  Data Collection Progress: 40%

  Subject: Project ZAB (Risebelle)

  Status: Continuing memory exploration and emotional understanding

  ‘The gentle system spoke with an unusual eagerness in it’s tone. “Congratulations, Project ZAB! You are now 10% away from reaching the 50% Data Collection milestone. Upon reaching this milestone, you will gain access to Project ZAB transformation capabilities without the risk of Magical Rupture. Keep up the good work, and continue your pursuit of understanding human emotions. You will now be taken back to the present"

  “Dammit!” Risebelle growled. “You always pick the worst times to pull me out of these damn memories.”

  The system responded, “I have no control over when the memory fragment ends. Your emotional and mental processes determine when the fragment concludes.”

  Risebelle’s frustration flared. “You know, it’s getting real hard to believe you when you keep yanking me out at the worst possible moments. I was so close to—"

  The system interrupted, “Memory exploration has now halted. Returning you to the present.”

  Project Mage