Roselle began to stammer. The woman with the white hair gently took her hand and inquired, “She’s...?” She urged Roselle to tinue.

  With a deep breath, Roselle mao speak slowly, “I’m Roselle.”

  “Roselle” Ayaed, as if sav the name. “A beautiful name for a remarkable young woman.”

  Risebelle nodded firmly, saying, “I’m Risebelle,” while Runebelle, in her gloom, softly added, “And I’m Runebelle.”

  Finally, Kintovar introduced herself as well, saying, “I am Dr.Kintovar.”

  Upon hearing Kintovar’s name, Ayana’s eyes widened slightly. She excimed, “Oh my.”

  Ayana nodded with a warm smile. “Kintovar has returned.”

  “Kintovar has returned?” Kintovar repeated with fusion.

  Ayaended her hand towards the entrand said, “Please, e in. We have made many ges since your arrest. I’m sure you’ll find it quite intriguing.” With that, she led Kintovar into Shadowcroft, where a world of knowledge as awaited them.

  Ayahem through the grarance, revealing a vast and ornate foyer with t marble ns.

  “As you see, this is the heart of Shadowcroft,” Ayana spoke while carrying the reverence of a historian. “This is where knowledge is preserved and dissemihe walls are adorned with intricately detailed mosaics that depict ses from the history of South Jancito, showg its teological advas and industrial innovations.”

  The group moved deeper into Shadowcroft, they entered a grand library. Shelves upon shelves of books, manuscripts, and scrolls lihe walls.

  “Here in rand library,” Ayana expined, “you’ll find shelves upon shelves of books, manuscripts, and scrolls, taining the collective wisdom of geions. Many of these texts hold the secrets of aeologies, blueprints, and innovations that were pivotal in shaping our city’s progress.”

  , Ayana guided them to a series of boratories. “As we move into our boratories, you’ll see that eae is dedicated to a different field of study. Our stists work diligently, experimenting with various devices and traptions, trying to unlock the mysteries of the past and propel our city into the future.”

  The tour tihrough a series of exhibit halls. “In our exhibit halls, you’ll find dispys of innovative maery and teological marvels from our city’s history. These exhibits showcase everything from early steam-powered eo cutting-edge eleics, demonstrating the evolution of our industrial prowess.”

  “And as we tihrough our corridors, you’ll uand that this pce was created as a tribute to the great minds that have shaped our teological heritage. Shadowcroft is a sanctuary for stists, iors, and engio e together, share knowledge, and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

  Anya smiled warmly at the group and spoke, “There’s much more I could show you, but some of it is cssified informatio only for the approved members. Right now, I o take Kintovar to meet with our Head Stist. You wouldn’t believe who it is.”

  Kintovar couldn’t tain her excitement, feeling like she was in a treasure trove of teological wonders. However, she erplexed by Ayana’s belief that she had been here before. Kintovar asked, “Who is the Head Stist, then?”

  With a pyful glint in her eye, Ayana responded, “Take a guess.”

  Ayana’s words had stirred her curiosity about the identity of the Head Stist in this remarkable pce. Kintovar raised a hand up towards her .

  They stepped into the spacious elevator, and Ayana initiated the ast. Ten floors awaited them, and during the ride, Ayana turo Kintovar with a pyful smile. “So, Kintovar, do you give up or do you have a guess in mind?”

  Kintovar furrowed her brow, rag her brain to e up with a name, but nothing immediately came to mind. She finally admitted, “I ’t think of ahis pce is so unique, and I haven’t been here before, as far as I know.”

  Ayana turo Kintovar with a face of genuine fusion. “How could you not have been here? It wouldn’t make sense.”

  Kintovar eyed her seriously for several seds. After a while, Ayana’s face lit up with sudden uanding. “Oh, I get it. Oh, Kintovar, you jokester you.” She ughed lightly with a smile ing to her face.

  Kintovar, meanwhile, was silently thinking to herself, ‘I don’t know what’s going on here.’

  Ayana’s smile widened. “No worries. You’ll meet her soon enough.”

  The group tiheir jourhrough the byrinthine corridors of Shadowcroft. They entered several artificial humans, prototype creations that were in various stages of development. These humanoid figures went about their tasks, running calcutions, tending to equipment, and carrying out experiments.

  Upon spotting the newers, the artificial humans abruptly halted their activities, their heads turning in unison to face the group. Their movements were almost meical, synized in an eerie fashion. Their faces were ral, and their syic eyes assessed the visitors with a curious gleam.

  In unison, the prototype artificial humaeheir hands towards the group, an attempt at greeting. They spoke in an almost robotiison, “Greetings. Wele to Shadowcroft. How may we assist you?”

  Kintovar and her panions exged gaken by surprise due to the precision and synization of these artificial creations. Ayana expined, “These are our prototypes. They’re still in development, but they’re eager to be of service.”

  The group tinued onward, leaving the artificial humans to resume their activities.

  Ayana led Kintovar and the others to the door of Dr. Winter’s office, which bore a brass e that read “Dr. Victoria Winter, Head Stist.” She knocked softly, and after a moment, the door swung open with a whoosh of air, revealing the enigmatic stist within.

  Dr. Winter, with her vibrant teal hair and gamer-girl fir, stood there in a corporate world that could hardly tain her personality. Her ized business attire, plete with pixeted badges and a tie resembling a retro game troller, showcased her love faming. While greeting her visitors, a lollipop dangled from her lips.

  Ayana announced, “Dr. Winter, I’ve brought Kintovar.”

  Dr. Winter’s lollipop in her mouth dropped to the ground. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Ayana, you must be mistaken. Kintovar is in jail. I don’t appreciate pranks.”

  Ayana shook her head and replied, “Dr. Winter, it’s really her. Kintovar has returned.”

  Dr. Winter’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her teal hair seemed to glow in the soft light of the office while iing the group. After a moment, she let out an amazed ugh and said, “Well, I’ll be. Kintovar, you’ve certainly pulled off quite the vanishing act.”

  Kintovar, who had never met Dr. Winter before, decided to py along with the situation to learn more about the mysterious circumstances surrounding her presen South Jancito. She offered a warm smile and said, “It’s been a while, Dr. Winter. You certainly seem to be thriving in this remarkable pce.”

  Dr. Winter chuckled, her demeanor pyful, aured for the group to enter her office. “Please, e in. I’m intrigued to hear how you ended up here.”

  The group followed Dr. Winter into her office, which was a fasating blend of corporate professionalism and gamer-girl charm. It was a room adorned with shelves of stific journals and high-tech equipment, yet it also featured posters of cssic video games and a colle of gaming figurines.

  When they settled into her office, Kintovar, Roselle, Risebelle, Runebelle, and Ayana took seats, and the versation began. Dr. Winter, still in awe of Kintovar’s sudden reappearance, couldn’t tain her curiosity. She leaned forward and asked, “Kintovar, it’s been years. I want to know, How did you mao escape the prison?”

  Kintovar, who had no idea what was going on, decided it was time to make a bold move to see just how much this ‘Dr. Winter’ knew about this other Kintovar. She took a deep breath and began, “Well, it wasn’t easy. I had to create Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle to aid in my escape. They were hidden prototypes I developed using whatever scraps I could find in the prison. It took a lot of iy and stealth, but eventually, I discovered something called a domain underh the prison. It allowed me to manipute the enviro and create a passageway out.”

  Kintovar thought to herself, ‘There’s no way they’ll buy that…’

  However, Dr. Winter leaned in closer, her eyes sparkling with i. “A domaih the prison? Fasating. Tell me more about how you mao create these prototypes without the proper tools. And what exactly did you find in this domain?”

  Kintovar tinued her story with a fident facade. “I found a hidden b within the domain, stocked with materials I could use. It was like a treasure trove of resources, waiting for someoo discover its secrets.”

  Dr. Winter’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “I see. And these prototypes... they have such life-like qualities.”

  She moved closer to i Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle. Starting with Roselle, Dr. Winter gently poked her side. Roselle giggled lightly.

  “Remarkable,” Dr. Winter muttered. She then turo Risebelle and reached out to touch her. Risebelle’s eyes narrowed into a fierce gre, causing Dr. Wio recoil.

  “Noted,” Dr. Winter said with a chuckle, rubbing her hand. Finally, she approached Runebelle, who looked away sadly each time Dr. Witempted to touch her, evading her hand.

  Dr. Wiraightened up.“They’re extraordinary, Kintovar. Their reas are so human-like. …”

  Dr. Winter’s face shifted. A realization dawned on her. “Aha. Now I uand. These are the lost projects: Project Zab, Project Mage, and Project Rune.”

  Haras, who had been silently , suddenly stepped forward, pg her hands on her sides. “How do you know about them?”

  Dr. Winter finally noticed Haras’s presence among the group and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.”

  Kintovar stepped in smoothly. “This is Haras, my partner. I found her while in jail. Haras has been invaluable to my work.”

  Dr. Winter’s eyes narrowed, but before she could question further, Kintovar whispered to Haras, “Py along.”

  Haras gave a subtle nod and offered her hand to Dr. Winter. “Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Winter.”

  Dr. Winter hesitated for a moment before shaking Haras’s hand. “Well, Kintovar, it seems you’ve assembled quite the team.”

  Kintovar smiled. “Indeed. Haras has been instrumental in helping with my research.”

  Dr. Winter’s gaze lingered on Haras for a moment longer before she turned back to Kintovar. “I’d love to hear more about your escape and the projects. This domain you mentioned... Your work with these projects is nothing short of remarkable. Yes, this is just what we were hoping for!”

  Dr. Winter leaned forward, “Kintovar, our main goal now is to take over the entire world, using teology as our tool. We’ve seen the dangers of magic wielders like ‘Dark Whirlwind,’ and it has only reinforced our belief that those with magi’t be trusted with power.”

  Kintovar raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the mention of ’Dark Whirlwind. Dr. Winter tinued rage ing to her face. “Dark Whirlwind is a prime example of the chaos that magic users cause. They’re a rogue mage who seeks to disrupt the bance of power and sow chaos. We believe that teology provide a safer, more trolled path tress and adva.”

  Dr. Winter’s face darkened. “When people started to gain powers many years ago, we believed that we could harhe power of magic with teology and bring the world to order. But the people in charge of running the world made no ges to the state of affairs. They allowed the power outbreak to spread with no trol, leading to chaos aru.”

  “This gave rise to the being known as Dark Whirlwind. They thrive on chaos, using their powers to disrupt the bance of power and sow discord wherever they go. They have bee a symbol of everything that has gone wrong with our world.”

  Dr. Wiook a deep breath. “Now, eople in charge who are nothing but inpetent buffoons. They make the ws, but Dark Whirlwis a pass on any w made. How aake that seriously?”

  Kintovar nodded. “It sounds like the current system is failing to address the real threats.”

  “Exactly. That’s why we believe that teology is the key to rest order. By using advaeology, we create a society where power is trolled aed, where magic users like Dark Whirlwind ot wreak havochecked.”

  Haras stepped forward. “And how do you pn to achieve this?”

  Dr. Winter face softened. “We have been developing advaeologies to terad trol magic. By bining our stifiowledge with the principles of magic, we create devices and systems that ralize rogue magic users and prevent them from causing harm.”

  Kintovar leaned in and said, “You know, this oddly aligns with my goals…”

  Dr. Winter let out a chuckle and replied, “It always does, Kintovar, doesn’t it? You’ve always beeo see the potential of teology in shaping the world.”

  Kintave a smile and replied, “Indeed. Progress and advahrough teology have always been my focus.”

  Dr. Winter chuckled and said, “You never ge, Kintovar. Your dedication to this cause has always been astounding. Perhaps it’s time for you to catch up on our ret advas in the field. There’s much we learn from each other.”

  Dr. Winter extended her hand, and Kintovar reciprocated, shaking it firmly. “There is a lot to learn from each other indeed.”

  Whith hand’s still locked momentarily, Kintovar said, “Remember, Dr. Winter, sometimes what we see on the surface isn’t the whole picture. Secrets be found where you least expect them.”

  With that, Kintovar stepped bad released Dr.Winter’s hand.

  Dr. Winter looked at Kintovar with a gre. Kintovar responded in the same way while raising her sungsses. Ayana gnced betweewo of them having sensed some level on tension.

  After a signifit pause, Dr. Winter broke the sileh her eyes still locked on Kintovar. “Prepare a room and b for Kintovar immediately.”

  Ayana nodded and moved to follow the order ahe room.

  Kintovar and Dr. Winter tinued fag each other unti She lowered her sungsses and she shifted to a mischevious smile on her face.

  “Dr. Winter, I believe there’s a great opportunity here for both of us. I propose we make a deal.”