“I am Detective Roselle,” Roselle procimed with with outstretched hands and a held up a detective’s magnifying gss designed by Kintovar. “And this is the case of the missing friend and the enigmatic letter.” She waved the letter in her hand for emphasis.

  Roselle moved with the Magnifying gss and sed the sands to find nothing but sand on the ground.“We searched every nook and y of South Jancito, and what did we find? Absolutely nothing! Haras has vanished into thin air, and it doesn’t make sense!”

  Risebelle shook her head and folded her arms. “Hey Roselle, we’re dealing with a serious situation here. This isn’t the time fames.”

  Roselle paced bad forth. “First, we find Haras missing. A plete vanishing act! Then, out of the blue, we receive this mysterious letter. Now, it’s time that we, the Super R Sisters got to the bottom of this case! We will not rest until Haras is--’”

  Risebelle interrupted and scolded, “Roselle, this is no time for your theatrics! We o focus on this letter.”

  Roselle looked at her with a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Oh, e on, Risebelle! It’s not every day I get to py the role of the leader. Let me have my moment in the spotlight...”

  Risebelle sighed and lowered her eyes. “Look, we ’t afford to waste time.”

  Roselle shook off her sad fad shifted to a small smile. She nodded her head to Risebelle’s words. “You’re right, Risebelle. We o get this letter to Kintovar.”

  The sisters arrived at Shadowcroft and made their way to Kintovar’s b, where they hoped to find her. Upoering, Kintovar was engrossed in her work, surrounded by various pieaery and schematics. She looked up ohey entered.

  “Kintovar,” Roselle began with a sad face, “we o talk to you. It’s about Haras.”

  Kintovar shifted from curiosity to worry. “Haras? What happened?”

  Risebelle handed Kintovar the letter from Arahas Osemahed, the Witch of the South. Kintovar took it and quickly sed its tents.

  After Kintovar finished reading the letter, she appeared to be slighty angered. “This is serious. Osy has taken Haras into her custody. She’s demanding that I e to a designated location to secure Haras’s release.”

  Runebelle spoke with gloom.” Dr.Kintovar, we don’t know what Osy do. This could be a trap…”

  Kintovar nodded in agreement. “You’re right. Osy is said to be a powerful figure, and this situation requires a cautious approach. But I won’t leave Haras in her hands. We’ll find a way to rescue her.”

  Roselle spoke with a fident look in her eyes. “We o pn our steps carefully. A witch we don’t know anything about could be as dangerous as Dark whirlwind.”

  Kintovar looked at the sisters with a smile. “Thank you, all of you. We’ll figure out a pn to deal with Osy, but for now, I o respond to her message and buy us some time.”

  Night fell upon Shadowcroft. Kintovar took a moment to tuck Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle into their respective beds. They had been through a long and exhausting day.

  Ohe sisters were settled in, Kintovar sat on the edge of one of the. She looked at the slumbering faces of her creations and began to speak softly.“The atta Shadowcroft, the arrival of the Spear of Destru, and the disappearance of Haras,” Kintovar mused aloud. “It all seemed like chaos and mayhem, but it was orchestrated with a purpose. Osy is no ordinary adversary. She may be chaotic, but she’s shown a level of intelligenot a great deal, but enough to make me wonder about her true iions.”

  Kintovar held the locator devi her hand, a piece of advaeology that could easily trad locate Haras. She looked at the devid then back at her slumbering creations, p her options.

  “It would be simple to find Haras with this, and we could rush in and save Haras, but rushing in blindly could cost us more than we’re prepared to lose,” she muttered to herself.’The main problem is that we don’t know the intelligence of this witch, Osy. She’s shown a level of ing in her orchestration of these events, but how far does her intellect truly reach? What if she has a web of deeper strategies at py?’

  Kintovar looked at the tracker and thought, “We need more information before we act. We ’t afford to walk into a trap.”

  A day passed, and the relentless pace of repairs at Shadowcroft tinued. Kintovar found herself moving through the restored ses of the building.The power had beeored, bringing a sembnce of normalcy, but there was still much to do.

  Kintovar spotted Dr. Winter who was posed as ever despite the whirlwind of activity around her. “Good m, Dr. Winter,” Kintreeted with one hand raised.

  Dr. Winter smiled warmly, though her eyes betrayed her own exhaustion. “Good m, Dr.Kintovar. I haven’t had my m tea yet. Care to join me?”

  Kintovar nodded. She followed Dr. Wio a location on the ground floor where a sleek, state-of-the-art tea and coffee mae stood. The mae offered a variety of fvors.

  With oap, a steaming cup of tea oured into a delicate por cup. Dr. Wiuro Kintovar with a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Fancy, right?”

  Kintovar chuckled softly. “You always say that, don’t you, Winter?”

  Dr. Winter proceeded to overload her tea with an arming amount of sugar..Meanwhile, Kintovar opted for a more modest two cubes. She stirred her tea calmly.

  They moved to a nearby table and sat down. Kintovar allowed herself a moment to savor the warmth of her tea. The steam climbed upwards like delicate green tendrils of a climbing vine.

  Dr. Wiook a sip of her heavily sweeteea with a look of satisfa crossing her face. “Ahhh, that’s the stuff,” she sighed. “Sometimes, it’s the little things that keep us going.”

  Kintovar smiled, but her mind quickly returo the pressing issues at hand. “Dr. Winter, I wao discuss our steps. I--”

  “Hold that thought.” Dr. Winter interruped casually, “I retrieved your o it back from the trol room noower has beeored to Shadowcroft.”

  Dr. Winter reached into a bag at her side and pulled out a familiar-looking on. She tossed it skillfully to Kintovar, who caught it with a deft hand.

  Kintrinned while receiving her BG-360. She cradled it like a cherished possession. “Thank you, Dr. Winter. I ’t go anywhere without this ‘baby.’ It’s good to have it back.”

  Dr. Winter’s observed Kintovar’s rea to her on’s return with a smile. She was about to say something when suddenly, a warning arm bred throughout Shadowcroft.

  The loud, repetitive beeping echoed through the corridors, apanied by an automated voice. “Attention, all personnel. Low-level threat detected. Suspected civilian presence.”

  Dr. Winter furrowed her brows. “What oh is a civilian doing all the way out here?”

  Kintovar shrugged. “No idea, but we’d better check it out.”

  The duo approached the entrance where they entered the man in Arabic-style clothing that Roselle,Risebelle and Runebelle did earlier.

  The man Approached Kintovar and Dr. Winter and asked, “Whie of you is Kintovar?”

  Dr. Winter immediately adopted a guarded stand reached for her gun. She inquired, “Do you know this person, Kintovar?”

  Kintovar replied, “I’m Kintovar. I help you? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

  The man in Arabic-style clothing reached into his pocket. Dr. Winter’s instincts fred, and she shouted, “He’s reag for a on!” She swiftly drew her own on, the DA-56, and held it steady, the letters “DA-56" visible on the on’s frame.

  The man’s hand froze in his pocket. His gaze shifted betweewo women before stating, “I am unarmed. I see o carry a on when man’s greatest ons are their fists.”

  With that assurance, he proceeded to remove a letter from his pocket and ha directly to Kintovar. There was no further interruption or resistance from Dr. Winter in the moment, but she kept her on trained on him throughout the exge.

  After handing the letter to Kintovar, the man simply turned and walked away.

  Dr. Winter gave Kintovar a curious stare. “Kintovar, what was all that about? Who was that man, and what’s iter?”

  Kinthed and began to read the follow-up letter aloud:

  “To the Traveller Kintovar,

  You have received my previous message, and now you must ply with my instrus to secure the safety of your friend. You are to e aloo the designated location. This pce is of my choosing, and you are to tell no one else of this.

  The meeting will take pce at the main office of ‘The Witch’ in the Desert Town of the South. You are to be there at the desigime, and you are to e alone. If y ah you or attempt to deceive me, your friend Haras will face severe sequences.

  I trust you will uand these words and e prepared to meet my ditions. Await further instrus on the precise time of the meeting.

  The Witch of the South,

  ‘Arahas Osemahed’”

  Kintovar looked up at Dr. Winter with uainty. “I received a letter earlier that this ‘Arahas Osemahed’ took Haras and now, she is demanding that I meet her alone in the Desert Town of the South. “

  Kintovar raised one finger. “Dr. Wihere’s ohing I won’t do, and that’s uimate myself. I am Kintovar, one of the greatest stifids, and I am already prepared for this situation. I may not have the Witch’s magic, but I have my intellect.”

  With that, Kintovar nodded and began making preparations for the meeting with Arahas Osemahed in the Desert Town of the South.

  Kintovar stood at the entrance of Shadowcroft. The absence of her usual arsenal of advaeology and onry made her look vulnerable. This caused among her friends and colleagues. Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle stood before her, also having unease in their gazes.

  Mystimona, rec from his injuries but standing strong, positioned himself just behind the sisters with a serious look glued to his face.

  Kintovar turo Mystimona and said, “Mystimona, I’m ting on you to look after them while I’m gone.”

  Mystimona nodded in reply.

  With a final nod to her friends, Kintovar stepped out into the unknown, leaving behind the safety of Shadowcroft and embarking on a jouro meet Arahas Osemahed.

  Kintovar follo provided iter and arrived in the remote desert town. The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the sandy streets. The town seemed deserted at first, but she went deeper and soon found a different sary.

  Arabically dressed soldiers were leading away townspeople who seemed to wear looks of fear. A young child, no older than six, was torn from their mother’s arms. She reached up and cried.

  Kintovar watched the child’s distress. She couldn’t intervene iuation. She had none of her tools for one and she could make the situation with Haras worse by doing so. She had to be careful with how she approached this.

  Against her better judgment, she approached the young girl. Kintovar k down to the girl’s level and offered a gentle smile. “Hey , are you alright?”

  The girl wiped her tears and looked up at Kintovar with wide, hopeful eyes. “When will my mum be back?”

  Kintovar’s smile faltered slightly, and she shook her head. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”

  The girl sniffled and nodded. “They said something about my mum having lots of magic,” she tinued. “But I don’t have any, so they aren’t a match. What does that mean?”

  Kintovar’s mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. She needed more information which she just didn’t have right now. She raised one finger after a moment of thought and said, “It means your mum is very special. Magic is a powerful thing, but not everyone has it. You have your own kind of special.”

  The girl seemed to ponder Kintovar’s words. “But what I do if I don’t have magic?”

  “You be a stist. Stists use their brains to solve problems and make the world a better pce. You don’t need magic to be amazing.”

  The girl’s eyes widened with i. “A stist?”

  “Yes,” Kintovar nodded. “You learn about the world, make new discoveries, and help people in ways that are just as important as magic.”

  The girl smiled for the first time with tears subsiding. “Maybe I could be a stist,” she said softly.

  Kintovar nodded. “Show those magic users who is the boss and bee a stist today, waha….”

  The girl tilted her head. “But I don’t know how to.”

  Kintovar smiled. “Far south, there’s a pce called Shadowcroft. If you mao make it there someday, I guarantee you’ll bee a stist.”

  The girl’s eyes widened with hope. “Really?”

  Kintovar nodded firmly. “Really. Just remember, it’s not about where you start but where you end up.”

  The girl smiled up at Kintover. Kintovar felt a surge of warmth, but it was quickly followed by a rush of ay. She shouted at herself in her mind, “Why the hell am I saying this stuff? If I talk with this child too long, I could raise suspis. People are already looking at me oddly.

  She gnced around and saw a few of the soldiers and townspeople casting curious and suspicious gnces in her dire. Kintovar took a deep breath and forced a smile. “I have to go now,” she said gently to the girl. “Stay safe, and remember what I told you.”

  The girl nodded. “Thank you, dy.”

  Kintovar arrived at a castle that seemed give off an aura of malevoles dark, imposing structure loomed over the surrounding area. The architecture was both grand and sinister, with t spires and twisted, thorny vihat adors walls.

  The sight before her could only belong to the Castle of the Wicked Witch of the South. There was no doubt in her mind. Kintovar muttered to herself, “Alright Witch, it’s time to see what you’re all about.”