Roselle asked with ing to her face, “Risebelle, are you okay?”

  Risebelle found herself in a memory, a se from a time long gone. She saw Rosebelle, bound arained, while Sadie led them to her. In this distant recolle, Rosebelle was known to be strong enough to decimate her in bat, which made Sadie defeating her very surprising. Sadie’s words resonated with Risebelle. “Rosebelle is the Key to Shadowcroft.”

  Returning to the present, Risebelle said, “I remember. In our past, Sadie told me that Rosebelle is the Key to Shadowcroft.”

  Risebelle raised a hand to her . “If Shadowcroft still exists, Rosebelle must be out there somewhere. I don’t expect to run into them here, but there is a high ce we will see her somewhere in the world. Let’s get to looking for Ayana.”

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle made their way through the corridors of Shadowcroft. Their attention was drawn to a man deeply engrossed in his work. His b coat was smeared with various stains, and he had wild hair. He was hunched over a plicated-looking device with frustration.

  Roselle cleared her throat politely. “Excuse me, do you know where Ayana is?”

  The stist looked up briefly. “Hold on a moment.” The man turned his attention back to the device. He made a few final adjustments, and then the device let out a high-pitched whine before exploding in a burst of sparks and smoke.

  The man sighed deeply, brushing off the remnants of the explosion from his coat. He gnced back at the trio with irritation. “Ayana is on the sed floor. You’ll o take the elevator up. Just… watch out for any prototype devices you see around here in the meahey have a tendency to... misbehave.”

  Another Stist, carrying a stack of data pads, overheard their versation and added, “If you fiell Ayana that our experiment is almost ready for the final analysis.”

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle reached the sed floor of Shadowcroft, and their search for Ayana tinued. However, they found themselves in a different situation than they expected. Instead of finding Ayana, they stumbled upon a group of sce girls gathered at a desk, sharing a moment of ughter.

  The group of sce girls soon noticed their presend exged knowing gnces. .One of the sce girls, with a friendly smile, addressed them, “Hey there! What brings you to our er of the floor? Are you lost or looking for someone?”

  Roselle, slightly taken aback by the group’s lively atmosphere, expined, “We’re actually looking for Ayana. Do you know where we find her?”

  “Oh, Ayana? She’s in a meeting right now. But you three—” she paused and took in Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle with a devious smile.“You all seem... different. Are you some sort of new experimental models?”

  Roselle felt a bit uneasy uhat look. She, let out a nervous ugh. “Uh, why are you looking at us like that?”

  The sce girls began to examihe trio with growing fasation. They huddled closer, with excitement “You three are incredible!” one of them excimed. “You look so lifelike. We’ve never seen prototypes like you before. How are you made? What are your funs?”

  Risebelle’s eyes narrowed into slits. She crossed her arms and huffed, “We don’t have time for this. We o find Ayana.”

  Roselle tried to maintain a polite demeanor despite the mounting awkwardness. “Yes, we’re on a bit of a tight schedule. you please direct us to where Ayana is?”

  One of the sce girls who had red hair in pigtails spoke,” Ayana’s office is down the hall on the left. Just knock, and if she’s there, she’ll probably let you in, but…”

  The girl rummaged through a nearby toolbox, pulling out a drill and a small saw with enthusiasm. “Let’s screw you all up ter!”

  The trio’s eyes widened in arm. “What—?” Before the girl could eve a ce to speak more, the sisters found themselves sprinting away from the b. The sound of the pigtail girl’s drill buzzed behind them.

  One of the other sce girls smacked the girl with pigtails on the head. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t just grab tools and start disseg people! They’re not experiments, they’re—” she trailed off while Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle hurried down the hall.

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle tiheir hurried escape down the hall, but uedly collided with someoh a sandwi their hands ing from the opposite dire. The impact sent a sandwich flying through the air, nding with a spt on the floor.

  Ayana stared at the trio while straightening her y hand. “Oh, excuse me!” she said with a gaze shifting from the mess on the floor to the slightly flustered trio. “Are you the ones looking for me?”

  Roselle quickly gathered her posure. “Yes, we were just looking for you. We—”

  Ayana cut her off with a smile and cp of her hands. “Perfect timing. I was just on my way to my office. Follow me, and we discuss whatever you need.”

  Ayana led Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle into her office, where they settled in for a discussion.

  Before the trio could say a word, Ayana began speaking.“Shadowcroft used to be a lending pany, a pce where loans and financial matters were the focus. It was a different world back then.”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what do you mean Shadowcroft used to be a lending pany? I thought it was always a research facility.”

  Ayana’s shifted her gaze to Risebelle. “I see you’re curious. Shadowcroft wasn’t always what it is now. It started as a financial institution, focused on loans and managing financial matters. But as the world ged and chaos began to spread, especially with the arrival of Dark Whirlwind, everything shifted.”

  Roselle looked intrigued. “So what happeo the pany?”

  Ayana nodded, “As the world evolved, so did Shadowcroft. With the rise of Dark Whirlwind and the ensuing upheaval, the legal and financial systems became less relevant. Shadowcroft became bankrupt. I inally wao be a wyer. I had this vision of fighting for justid upholding the w. But then... Dark Whirlwind emerged, and everything ged.”

  She tinued with a tone shifting to be soft. “But now, thanks to Dr. Juliana Kintovar, Shadowcroft shifted from a struggling financial pany into a cutting-edge research facility. Kintovar promised that one day, fields like w would be viable again, but her innovations came at a cost.”

  Ayana’s face turned somber. “Years ago, Kintovar was arrested by the CPU, fag charges reted to her teology. It was a dark time, and it felt like a cruel twist of fate.”

  She looked at the sisters with a one hand now raised up in a fist infront of her. “But now that Kintovar has escaped prison, we’re more itted thao ensuring that things stay on track. We’ll support her, tinue her work, and fight to make sure the future she envisioned is still within reach.”

  Roselle leaned forward and asked, “So, what kind of teological advas and projects were happening here before the development stopped?”

  Ayana replied.“In the past, we had numerous projects focused on artificial lifeforms. You still see some of the prototypes around the facility. With the guidance of Kintovar, we made advas in the field of artificial magic. It’s a realm of researly Kintovar and Dr. Winter have truly mastered. None of us other stists e close to their level of expertise.”

  “Dr. Winter seemed quite ied in the idea of artificial life forms,” Risebelle noted while tilting her head. “But she mentiohat we were ‘lost works.’ What does that mean?”

  Ayana nodded. “Yes, The Models of Project ZAB, Mage, and Rune are a result of Kintovar’s hard work. Many years ago, Kintovar tried to start creating them based on her research, but the blueprints and pns for their creation were stolen by someone. We searched high and low, but they were o be found. Now, seeing you three here, we realize that only Juliana Kintovar could have brought you to life. I wish I could examine you more closely, but I uand how protective Kintovar be when it es to her creations.”

  Risebelle spoke with curiosity, “Alright, time to get to the heart of why we’re here….What you tell us about ‘Rosebelle’? Is there any information about her?”

  Ayana’s demeanor shifted slightly when she heard the name. She looked at the sisters curiously. After a deep breath and a nervous gnce, she responded, “Rosebelle... that’s a fidential matter, and I’m afraid I ’t share aails about her at this time.”

  Runebelle spoke up, “If Ayana won’t share the information, I . I have some knowledge about Rosebelle, and we believe she’s a key to something important.”

  Runebelle started to speak about Rosebelle, saying, “Rosebelle is...”

  But before she could tinue, a sweet, intoxig aroma filled the room which quickly overwhelmed her sehe st was so alluring that it put her to sleep right there.

  Risebelle, notig Runebelle’s sudden slumber shouted, “WHAT?! What did you do to her?!”

  But then, the st reached her, too, and she began to feel drowsy.

  Roselle was the st to smell the st. Her eyes began to blur as a familiar se fshed before her. She saw herself, shouting at Ayana with urgend desperation in a past memory. The same se repyed in her mind—pleading, yelling, but ultimately feeling helpless.

  “Ayana…” Roselle slurred while struggling to keep her eyes open. “Why…?”

  Ayana’s eyes widened in surprise but then moments ter lowered in sadness. “So it really is you, Roselle.”

  Roselle lost sciousness with her sisters. Ayana stood over them and said, “You three are quite a handful. This versation is over.”

  The three girls slowly regained sciousness in the room assigo Kintovar. Haras rushed to them and embraced them tightly, asking, “Are you alright? What happened?”

  Kintheir way and remarked, “They should be fine. Ayana told me they fainted, but their systems seem normal.” She was focused on building a new bat on, an upgraded version of her BG-356. It owerful on, but it could be stronger. Kintovar tinued w on her on while speaking as if she were scolding, “I heard you went to visit Ayana on the way to the ‘bathroom.’” Her tone sounded someset.

  Roselle, feeling guilty, stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Dr.Kintovar. We didn’t mean to upset you.”

  Kintovar let out a sigh.“Don’t apologize. I gave you the freedom to explore, but you o be cautious. There’s moing ohan what lies on the surface, and I believe you already uand that.”

  Haras, still holding onto the sisters, looked at Kintovar with a hint of worry. “What do you mean, Kintovar?”

  Kintovar finally looked up from her work, her expression serious. “Shadowcroft is a plex pce with yers of secrets. It’s not just a research facility; it’s a hub of hidden agendas and power struggles. Ayana’s rea to you disc something is proof of that.”

  Risebelle, with a furrowed brow, asked, “How did you know all this?”

  Kintovar’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ve been cautious from the start. Dr. Winter wao test me, so I decided to test Dr. Winter as well. I’ve been keeping an eye on things.”

  Just then, a small, silver ant began crawling across Risebelle’s clothes. She noticed it and swatted it away with a look of irritation crossing her face.

  Kintaze followed the ant’s brief journey before returning to Risebelle. “That’s not just any ant. It’s a device used to monitor sound. I’ve heard everything you said in that room.”

  Risebelle’s eyes widened in realization, and she gulped. “You’ve been listening to us?”

  Kintovar nodded calmly. “Yes. I o ehat nothing was being overlooked. Shadowcroft has its own way of keeping tabs, and I’ve had to adapt accly. Don’t worry. This bug only came on you after you left the bathroom.”

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle nodded in aowledgment. Afterwards, they noticed Mystimona in the er, sitting on the ground with his arms folded and a small, glowing purple aura surrounding him.

  Suddenly, loud and pierg arm bred throughout the entire facility, jolting everyohin earshot. The sudden cacopho shockwaves through the bustling b, and people began to panic.

  Someone came over on the loudspeaker: “THREAT LEVEL ASSESSMENT: GOD-LEVEL. I REPEAT, THREAT LEVEL ASSESSMENT: GOD-LEVEL. ALL PERSONNEL, FOLLOW SECURITY PROTOCOLS IMMEDIATELY.”

  Fear rippled through the plex, and Shadowcroft desded into chaos as people scrambled to find safety. Their collective thoughts raced to the same ominous clusion—Dark Whirlwind.

  ‘Oh no, it ’t be! Dark Whirlwind found us!’

  ‘This is impossible. We’re not ready for this. Dark Whirlwind is here to take everything we’ve worked on!’

  ‘What do we do? We’re not prepared for a frontation with a god-level threat!’

  ‘We have to evacuate! We ’t let Dark Whirlwi her hands on our research!’

  Dr. Winter swiftly activated the security camera feeds. They watched the footage with fear which took a surprising twist. There was no whirlwind around that person. Dr. Winter muttered in disbelief, “Wait... that’s not Dark Whirlwind! But if it’s not her, then who... or what is it?”

  Ayana, still in shock, could only mao say, “I have no idea, but it’s a god-level threat, and it’s here in our facility. Could it be the goddess herself? Does the goddess truly exist?”

  Dr. Winter swiftly made a decision. “Send in the drones,” she ordered.

  The drones surrouhe mysterious figure ing into clear view. On her back was a on stood out — a Spear. Its appearance was awe-inspiring and terrifying in equal measure. The spear was a work of divine craftsmanship, with a long shaft made of polished ebony that seemed to absorb light itself. It was adorned with swirling patterns of gold and crimson, and the seven golden rings that bound the womans hair together mirrored off of the spear’s design.

  The tip of the spear gleamed with a malevolent energy and granted a sense of impending doom from the amount of power being unleashed from the on alohe woman was cold aless while speaking out, “I am here to destroy Shadowcroft.”