Kintovar’s memory of that harrowing moment in the b resurfaced. Her face dispyed worry. She paused for a moment in the midst of the celebration, lost in thought, her gaze distant.

  “Dr. Wihere’s something I o tell you,” Kintan with worry. “My friend and co-creator, Haras, was with me when the arm went off. She left the b to iigate, and she hasn’t returned. I’m ed about her safety.”

  Dr. Winter listetentively. Her focus ged from the celebration to Kintovar’s words. She nodded and replied. “I see. I didn’t know about this, but I uand your . We’ll o find her as soon as possible. For now, I’ll allocate resources to search for her, but….”

  Dr. Winter was busy overseeing the aftermath of the Elimination on’s use and the power outage that affected the entire Shadowcroft building. She turo Kintovar once again and then said, “I have to be ho with you, we are fag some serious issues right now. The downside of using the Super Trump card is that the trol room, where we locked our ons for the duration of the operation, will be inaccessible for a day due to the ck of power. Right now, my top priority is to ehe safety of our stists a power restored to the building. I’m truly sorry, but we won’t be able to access our ons or trol room until this situation is resolved.”

  Dr. Winter’s words carried a sense of responsibility. She tinued, “We’ll have to focus on rebuilding the five floors that were damaged a power to Shadowcroft. After that, we dedicate our efforts to finding Haras.”

  With her final statement, Dr. Winter added, “And you know what, Kintovar? I’m going to need another lollipop after all this. It’s the little things that keep me going!”

  Kintovar cracked a smile at Dr. Winter. “A lollipop, huh? Well, I suppose even the greatest minds heir fuel. You know, when we first met, I wouldn’t have guessed that sugar could be so crucial iing our minds on the run.”

  Dr. Winter replied with a grin. “Don’t uimate the power of my sugar rush. With the right fvor, I could build several thousand iions in the span of an hour. It’s practically a superpower in its ht!”

  Kintovar chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind. “

  One day had passed sihe intetle against Rawna and the use of the Elimination on’s Super Trump card. Shadowcroft’s buildings had undergone rapid repairs, with the first floor fully restored, but there were still four more floors to go.

  Kintovar was uo help with the physical repairs, so she retreated to her b and immersed herself in her work. She decided to examine Roselle’s destroyed on, intrigued by the fact that it had been damaged by the Spear of Destru, a Goddess item.

  Kintovar meticulously examihe on’s intricate pos. Roselle soon after ehe b. She watched as Kintovar carefully disassembled the on.

  “Kintovar,” Roselle began, “I feel lost without my on. It was more than just a on to me; it was like a panion. It’s been with me through so many battles, and now it’s just gone.”

  Kintovar paused her work for a moment, looking at Roselle with curiosity. “A panion? What do you mean by that, Roselle?”

  Roselle took a deep breath, trying to put her feelings into words. “Well, it was always there when I . I could always t on it to protect me. It’s been with me since day one when I fought the mages in the forest…. and now, well, I don’t really know how to fight without it.”

  Kintovar looked up from her workbench briefly. “You know, you still have yhtning powers and physical bat skills. You don’t have to rely solely on the on.”

  Roselle shook her head with frustration. “It’s not the same. It feels like part of me is missing. The on was aension of myself, a part of my fighting spirit. Without it, I feel inplete.”

  “Roselle,” Kintan with one hand raising to the side of her face, “what you’re describing is remarkable. It’s almost as if the on has developed a symbiotic retionship with you. You’ve formed a unique bond that goes beyond its fun as a on. This reminds me of the Swods and their legendary Sword Magic, where the e between the user and their sword is a key element of their power. You may have stumbled upon somethiraordinary.”

  As Kintovar spoke, she realized that her initial experiments with Roselle’s on ba North Janight have uionally triggered this bond. She was now eager to uand it more deeply and potentially replicate it in her future creations.

  Kintovar tinued, “I think we might be onto a groundbreaking cept here, Roselle.”

  Kintovar tinued her examination of Roselle’s damaged on, her stific curiosity burning brightly. She had expected the damage to be signifit, given that it was caused by the Spear of Destru, a powerful artifact. What she discovered, however, left her utterly astounded.

  She observed the on’s pos and the lingeriructive energy. Kintovar couldn’t believe her eyes. Kintovar practically leaped iement. “No way! I don’t believe this! T-The on Is…!”

  Roselle’s eyes widened. “Is what, Kintovar? What’s happening to my on?”

  “Roselle, your on is repairing itself! It’s a phenomenon I’ve never entered before. The damage caused by the Spear of Destru should have been irreparable. I repared to create a new one if I had to, but it’s as if your on is healing itself. This could be the key to uanding the bond you’ve formed with it.”

  Kintovar’s mind raced with questions: Was it the advanced materials she had employed? Was it the unique systems she had developed for Roselle’s onry? Or was there something even more profound at py here?

  Kintovar had always been a stist who sought to push the boundaries of what ossible, but this development defied all her expectations. “on,” Kintovar said softly, “ you help me uand what’s happening? Is it the materials I used or something beyond that?”

  To her amazement, the on responded in a way she had never anticipated. It emitted a soft, melodic hum, almost as if it was unig with her.

  Kintovar’s eyes widened. “It’s the material, isn’t it? You’re ected to the same material as Roselle’s systems!”

  Kintovar nodded in agreement with herself after thinking back to the hell she had to gh in order to create Roselle. She raised one finger. “Yes, of course! I desighe on specifically for Roselle, and she summon it by simply saying the word ‘on.’ I must have subsciously incorporated elements of Sword Magito its design, which could expin the unique boween Roselle and the on, but for it to develop this much means ....”

  Kintovar took a deep breath. She gazed upon the nd before allowing her eyes to appear to Roselle’s worried face by raising up her sungsses. “I need you and your sisters—Risebelle and Runebelle—to embark on a mission for me. You must search for Haras. She went off during the arm, and we haven’t heard from her since. Finding her is crucial.”

  Roselle nodded, determination evident in her eyes. “We’ll find Haras. But what about the on?”

  Kintovar smiled. “When you return, your on should be fully repaired and ready for you. I’ll make sure to focus on the repairs and enhas while you’re away.”

  Roselle’s resolve hardened. “Uood. We’ll start searg immediately. Thank you, Kintovar.”

  When Roselle left the b, Kintovar smiled. She watched the door close behind Roselle and then turned her attention back to the self-repairing on.

  In the quiet of her b, Kintovar thought,’ take that, you Magic lovers. Teology is catg up, and while we may have to use you to catch up, it’s all fair in love and war.’

  The trio of Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle set out on a mission to find their missing friend and co-creator, Haras. With the suing in the South Jancito area and the streets still bearing the scars of the previous day’s battle, they khe task wouldn’t be easy.

  While walking through the streets surrounding Shadowcroft, Roselle took the lead. Her keen eyes sed the area for any sign of their friend. Risebelle and Runebelle followed closely.

  Roselle couldn’t shake the feeling of worry that g her. She called out, “Haras! It’s us, Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle. Are you out here?”

  Risebelle shook her head with frustration. “No sign of her, Roselle. All we’re going to find out here is sand, sand, and more sand, with the occasional crumbling building. The farther we go back, the less impressive this pce looks.”

  Runebelle looked around with worry. Miurned into hours. They began to grow more anxious. The setting sun made the search even more challenging.

  Runebelle, usually the most reserved of the three, finally broke the sileh a sadder tohan usual. “I don’t like this, Roselle. Haras wouldn’t just disappear like this.”

  Roselle’s sense ency grew. She turo her sisters and said,“Why don’t we try traveling a thousand miles bad check the desert city?”

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. “Great idea, Roselle. And just how do you pn oing back here if Haras isn’t in the desert city? Because holy, I doubt she could have gohat far.”

  Roselle’s nervously ughed.“Well, I didly have a detailed pn. I just thought it might be worth a shot.”

  Risebelle lowered her eyes and folded her arms.“Figured as much. Good luck with that.” With that, she turned and began to head back toward Shadowcroft.

  “Hey, wait! Where are you going?”

  Risebelle’s response was a dismissive wave. Runebelle, who had been silent throughout the versation, frowned deeply. She looked between Roselle and Risebelle, clearly torn. After a moment’s hesitation, she followed Risebelle with slow steps.

  Roselle watched in bewilderment and then reached out a hand. “Runebelle, wait! You ’t just leave me here!”

  Runebelle gnced back. “I… I just don’t like this. But if Risebelle is going back, I suppose…”

  Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle walked back to Shadowcroft after an exhaustive search of the city.

  Runebelle’s face became even gloomier. “I ’t believe we didn’t find any trace of Haras...”

  Risebelle nodded with worry. “It’s like she vanished into thin air. I don’t know what to think.”

  Roselle raised up a fist in front of herself. “We ’t give up the search for her. Let’s regroup and think of our steps.”

  While they were speaking to each other, they bumped into a man who was dressed in Arabic-style clothing. His hair was ed in cloth, and he had a stern aura about him. The sudden enter surprised the sisters.

  The man, without uttering a word, reached into a pocket of his robe and produced a sealed letter. He ha to Roselle.

  Roselle took the letter with a piqued curiousity. “Thank you, but who are you? Why are you giving us this?”

  The man offered no response. With a nod of his head, he turned and walked away.

  With the letter in hand, the sisters exged puzzled gnces, but they all had been suspicious of what was iter. Roselle carefully broke the seal of the letter, and read its tents. The message inside revealed itself:

  “To the Traveler Kintovar,

  I trust this message reaches you, and with it, a sense ency. You are, as they say, ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

  You may have noticed that your dear friend, Haras, has gone missing. I have taken her into my custody. It appears you hold some sway over the people of Shadowcroft, and I must admit, I am curious to know the extent of your influence.

  Should you wish to see Haras unharmed, you will e aloo the designated location I shall reveal in the message. Bring no ons, no devices, and no tricks. Failure to ply will result in dire sequences for your friend.

  As a gesture of goodwill, I have attached a small token of proof. You will find a strand of Haras’s hair with this message. It is my hope that you take this matter seriously.

  Await my message with instrus.

  The Witch of the South,

  ‘Arahas Osemahed’

  After Roselle finished reading the letter, the sisters exged armed looks.

  “W-What….What is this…”