Becky and Sybil had been at Alden's for some time with the others. They remained quiet but assisted with the recovery efforts and offered their support to Kintovar and the others. However, one evening…

  Becky turo Sybil and said, "Hey, Syb, we've gotta find a pce to crash for the night. This is getting a bit too cozy for fort."

  Sybil gnced around the , sidering Becky's . "Well, there's the guest room where we always crash," she suggested, gesturing towards the familiar space.

  Becky shook her head. "Yeah, but what about when Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle are ba their feet? They'll hat room, won't they?"

  Sybil chuckled nervously. "I'm…sure we figure something out…. There are some nice cozy couch--"

  Before Sybil could finish, Becky grabbed her by the arm and started pulliowards the door. "e on, Syb, let's go. I've got an idea."

  Kintovar, notig their suddeure, called out from where she was w, "Where are you two going?"

  Becky turned around quickly and pced one hand behind her head."Uh, we were just... going to check the perimeter! Yeah, make sure everything's secure."

  Sybil nodded quickly in agreement. "Right, perimeter check…. We'll be back soon!"

  With that, Becky dragged Sybil out of the , leaving Kintovar slightly bemused but focused ba her work.

  Sybil gnervously at Becky while walking away from Alden's . "Becky, where are we really going?"

  "To Lina and Bob's pce," Becky decred boldly.

  Sybil's brow furrowed with worry. "Are you sure that's a good idea? They might not want us crashing at their pce."

  Becky waved off Sybil's with a dismissive gesture. "You're thinking too small, Syb. We gotta think big!" She emphasized her point by stretg her arms out wide with a grin on her face.

  Sybil sighed with a sense of dread creeping over her. "Becky, you said you had an idea, but this doesn't sound like a good one..."

  Becky's grin widened into an almost evil smirk. "Trust me, Syb. It's gonna be epic."

  Sybil's unease grew, but she followed Beoheless.

  Becky and Sybil arrived at Lina and Bob's . They knocked on the door, and after a moment, Bob ope with . "Becky, Sybil, what's going on?"

  Becky wasted no time and blurted out, "Good news and bad news, Bob. We found Kintovar."

  Bob's eyes widened in shock. "Kintovar? You mean the stist who created those androids? Is she here? Is she safe?"

  Lina, who had been listening from ihe , walked over to join them calmly. "Let's hear the full story, Becky, Sybil."

  Becky tinued, "Kintovar is here, and she's w on repairing Risebelle and Runebelle. They were badly injured in a battle with Dark Whirlwind."

  Bob's shock deepe the mention of Dark Whirlwind, aammered, "Dark Whirlwind? Here? In North Jancito?"

  Sybil nodded gravely. "Yes, and she wreaked havo the southern part of North Jancito. Roselle, Risebelle and Runebelle tried to stop her and got seriously hurt in the process."

  Lina remained remarkably posed. She turo Becky and Sybil. "Thank you for letting us know. We'll o meet Kintovar tomorrow to discuss matters further.”

  Bob was shaken by the news, but he nodded in agreement with Lina.

  Becky shifted nervously, sensing Bob's hesitation. "Um, so yeah, since Alden's pce is full and all, we were w if we could crash here tonight?" she asked tentatively.

  Bob started to shake his head, ready to refuse, but Lina intervened, gently pg a hand on his shoulder. With a smile, she turo Becky and Sybil. "Of course you stay here tonight. It's not a problem."

  Bob sighed relutly. "Okay, fine," he ceded, "But Lina and I like to keep things moving around here. We’re going to be leaving North Jancito in the M, so you’ll have to find another pce to stay. Also, yoing to have to pull your weight tonight."

  Becky fshed a quick wink and a thumbs-up to Sybil. "Sure thing, Bob. We'll be super helpful!”

  Lina chuckled softly. "I'm sure you will be," she said warmly. "e on in, a’s have a nice meal."

  After they were settled into their temporary lodging, thoughts of the day's events and the mysteries surrounding Kintovar and Dark Whirlwind swirled in their minds.

  Becky and Sybil sat on the same bed with the events Dark Whirlwind heavy in their minds. Becky flopped bato the bed with a fake smile. "Well, that was a roller coaster of a day with that Dark whirlwind girl, huh? Almost like a bad a flick, but without the pop."

  Sybil sat beside her wearing . "Becky, I tell you're frustrated about how things went down with Dark Whirlwind."

  Becky sighed with her smile fading away. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty obvious, huh? I mean, we were supposed to stop her, but instead, we barely made a dent. And now Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle are in rough shape because of it."

  Becky ran her fihrough her hair. “This freaken sucks! I hate feeling powerless. We've been through so much together, and we've grown stronger, but when we faeone like Dark Whirlwind, it's like we're back to square one."

  Sybil nodded. "I get it, Becky. I hate feeling powerless too. We 't rely on our physical abilities alone, not against someone like her. We o figure out a way to overe ical limitations."

  Becky's eyes narrowed “You’re right, Syb. We 't keep runnin into situations where we're helpless. We've gotta do something about it."

  "Let's make a pn, Becky. Let's find a way to increase ical power and bee stres."

  Becky grinned. "You're damn right, Sybil. We're going to bee the stro mages out there, and then no one will catch us off guard again!"

  Becky carefully took out a picture of Dj from her pocket. Her eyes f were ixed on the image. Her enter with him underground had left a sting impression.

  Sybil noticed Becky's ptive expression and asked, "What's on your mind, Becky?"

  Becky bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before sharing her idea. "You know, Sybil, I've been thinking…. Bob and Lina are hunting Dj, and they'll be leaving North Jancito eventually. What if we joihem in their hunt?"

  Sybil raised an eyebrow. "Join them in hunting Dj? Are you sure about that? It sounds risky."

  Beodded. "Yeah, but so what? It’s a ce to get stronger. Dj is a powerful guy, and if we do, we learn and improve our abilities from him or even just watg him fight again. Plus…I wanna see him again."

  Sybil sidered the idea, weighing the risks and rewards. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. "You're right, Becky. It's a risky move, but if it helps us bee stres and brings us closer toals, then it's worth sidering. Let's talk to Bob and Lina about it and see if they're open to the idea."

  Becky threw herself on top of Sybil, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Syb, I'm so gd we've been through all this together. You're like the sister I never had."

  Sybil blushed furiously from Becky’s sudden dispy of affe. "B-Becky, e on! You're embarrassing me," she protested while turning her head slightly.

  Becky chuckled, “Whaddya mean? It’s only us here!” She released Sybil while they both y there. She remained sincere. "Seriously, Syb. I dunno know where I'd be without ya. You've always had my back, evehe goings gh."

  Sybil rexed a bit. "And you've always been the adventurous one, draggio all sorts of crazy situations," she teased lightly.

  Becky grinned mischievously. "Hey, , you love it and you know it!"

  The two friends shared a moment of ughter before dozing off.

  The m, Becky and Sybil joined Bob and Lina for breakfast before heading over to Alden's . Becky dug into her food with enthusiasm, her appetite on full dispy. She devoured her meal quickly.

  Lina remarked with a cheeky tone, "Becky, do you have a bck hole in your stomach or something? You eat like you're in a race."

  Becky paused mid-bite aed, "Well, Lina, if I did quickly, I might miss out on all the good stuff."

  The exge brought a smile to everyone's faces.

  Afterwards, however, Becky and Sybil exged gnces before staring seriously at Lina and Bob.

  Bob and Lina noticed the ge in their demeanor and asked, "What's on your minds, girls?"

  Becky took a deep breath and began to expin, "Well, Bob, Lina, there's something we've been thinking about. When you two leave North Jancito, we want to go with you."

  Sybil nodded in agreement, "We've learned a lot during our time here, and we want to tinue growing as mages. Traveling with you and fag challenges head-on seems like the best way to do that."

  Lina's eyes twinkled with mischief as she g Becky, remembering their enter with Dj underground. "Oh, Becky, is this because you want to see Dj again? You've got a little crush on him, don't you?"

  Becky's face turned bright red, and she stammered in embarrassment. "N-No! It's not only about that. We just want to get strohat's all!"

  Bob chuckled at the exge and then turned his attention to Becky and Sybil. "Well, it's a big decision. We'll talk it over and see if it's a viable option. But remember, it won't be easy to catch. Dj is a powerful oppo, and if you’re not careful, he could easily turn you both to ash.”

  Sybil nodded. "We uand the risks. We just want the ce to bee stronger and prove ourselves as mages."

  Lina, still wearing a mischievous grin, leaned in and whispered to Becky, "Don't worry, Becky. We'll make sure you get to see your crush again."

  Becky's blush deepened. Her face tried to force back a smile.

  The group made their way to Alden's , and upon arrival, Alden warmly greeted Bob with a hug. "Good to see you again, Bob. That's twiow, so you owe me two sodas," Alden said with a grin.

  Bob chuckled and pyfully retorted, "You've got a good memory, Alden. Alright, sodas on me ime."

  Alden then called out to his wife, "Honey, look who's here!"

  Bob and Liered the , and Bob's eyes lit up with a warm smile when he spotted Alden's 7-year-old daughter, Sally. He k down to her level and greeted her. "Hi there, Sally! Remember me? I'm Bob."

  Sally smiled bad nodded, reizing Bob from their previous enter. "Hi, Bob! You're the oh the funny jokes!"

  Bob chuckled. "That's right, Sally. I'm the jokester."

  Becky and Sybil greeted Alden, Sally, and Kintain before everyoled in. They saw Kintovar hard at work, focused on her intricate task.

  Lina id her eyes on Kintovar for the first time since Silver’s transformation into Kintovar. Kintovar was unlike anyone she had ever met before. Her whole presence was different than what she came to see from the way Silver put her on and she seemed to have a fidend demeanor that alone moved her.

  Kintovar was deeply engrossed in her work. Her b coat was impeccably red, and her e hair cascaded down her back. Kintovar looked up and noticed Lina's presence. She was momentarily surprised. Her sungsses provided her with a unique perspective, allowio detect magical energy in those she entered; however, after Lina, she realized that there was no magical energy to detect.

  Kintovar's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. With a friendly smile, Liended her hand toward Kintovar. "Hi there," she greeted warmly. "I'm Lina, Bob's girlfriend. I have to say, those sungsses of yours are quite impressive. I've never seen anything like them."

  Kintovar, still processing the absenagical energy in Lina, reciprocated the handshake with a friendly demeanor. "o meet you, Lina," she replied. "And thank you. These sungsses serve a unique purpose. They help me with my work."

  Lina nodded. "I'm quite familiar with this type of teology, but these seem to be of a different make-up than what is normally used. Mind sharing some information about them?"

  Kintovar sidered Lina's question for a moment before deg to offer a brief expnation. "These sungsses are equipment which allows me to deted analyze magical energy. It helps me in my researd development work."

  Lina's eyes widened with i. "That's fasating," she remarked. "I've always been intrigued by the fusion of magid teology. It's not a on sight in the North."

  "It's a field I'm passionate about," Kintovar admitted. "I believe that teology has the potential to enhand plement the capabilities of magic."

  Lina's gaze shifted to the tanks that held Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle. She soon saw something unusual and looked on with curiosity.

  To be tinued…