The girls looked exhausted, their journey clearly taking a toll on them. However, a sense of accomplishment and pride was evident in their eyes.

  Carmen, who had been waiting for their return, immediately jumped up from her seat, relief filling her features. "Girls! You're back!”

  The girls forced weary smiles, their exhaustion apparent.

  Alice managed a tired reply. "Yep, we're back."

  Carmen walked closer, concern evident in her eyes. "You look exhausted. How was the Ruins of Enigma? The journey was tough, huh?”

  Alice leaned against the wall, feeling the aches in her body more prominently. "You have no idea..."

  Rachel's voice joined in, equally weary. "The Ruins of Enigma were incredible, but the journey there was treacherous. We faced various challenges called 'trials', from hostile native inhabitants to bizarre beasts."

  Zalgo nodded along. "Yeah, but it was also quite a mysterious place, all things considered. It was a mixture of collapsed remnants of an old civilization and cutting-edge tech. Quite the contrast.”

  "I bet that was a sight," Carmen remarked, taking in the girls' weary yet accomplished expressions.

  "Oh, it was," Rachel confirmed. "And it made for an intriguing blend too. The remnants of the old world were scattered throughout, ancient structures blending with futuristic technology. It was like a mix of the past and the future, all existing in the same place."

  Carmen shook her head, marveling at the mental image of the Ruins of Enigma. "That sounds absolutely mind-boggling.”

  "It certainly was," Alice added with a chuckle. "But the mixture also created some challenges. Some of the technology we encountered was quite advanced, things we've never seen before."

  "Oh yeah," Rachel agreed, "they had this teleportation machine there. It was...something."

  "Speaking of," Zalgo added, "There was this girl who called herself Doc. She's quite the interesting one. She's a scientist who was very interested in us due to us being Ephemerals. She even made me sit on this machine to scan my body.”

  Carmen raised an eyebrow at the mention of the strange scientist. "Doc, huh? Sounds like an intriguing character. What did she want in scanning you like that, Zal?”

  Zalgo rubbed her arm, a touch self-conscious about the experience. "Well, she wanted to study my biological structure, because of my whole Ephemeral thing."

  Carmen gave a small chuckle, her curiosity piqued. "Sounds like Doc was pretty curious about you. Did she find anything interesting?”

  "She claimed to find something interesting," Zalgo replied, her tone hinting at her uncertainty. "She said something about us having an advantage over normal people when it comes to Void Magic.”

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  Carmen's interest peaked at this information, intrigued by the potential advantages of Void Magic. "An advantage, huh? What did she mean by that?”

  "She mentioned something about us being attuned to the Void Realm," Zalgo explained. "And that we can naturally channel it more efficiently than normal people. I don't know, it was a bit complicated for me to understand fully.”

  "I see," Carmen said, a tinge of amazement in her voice. "That is quite fascinating though. It means Ephemerals have a natural affinity for Void Magic. This information could be valuable in your mission. So next up you guys have to go to Valoria, eh? You girls should get some good rest before then. Take a breather, and maybe we'll hang out later before y'all head to bed."

  The girls nodded in agreement, appreciative of Carmen's suggestion.

  "You're right," Alice said, yawning slightly. "A good rest sounds great."

  "And hanging out later sounds even better," Rachel chimed in.

  "Agreed," Zalgo concluded, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Carmen.”

  Carmen smiled warmly. "Of course, guys. And remember, you girls did great out there. Take all the time you need to rest and recover. I'll be around for a bit. Just let me know when you're ready to meet up, okay?"

  The girls nodded, gratitude evident on their faces.

  "Will do, Carmen," Alice replied, her exhaustion evident. "Thanks again.”

  Carmen waved them off with a smile. "No problem, girls. Take your time, rest up, and we'll catch up later. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures.”

  With that, the girls headed off to their own respective bedroom, ready to unwind and rest after their adventurous journey. However, Rachel wasn't going to let Alice rest just yet, as one question tortured her ever since they were in the Ruins.

  "Alice," she began sternly, "We need to talk about that...thing. You know what I'm talking about."

  Alice blushed as she was put on the spot, unzipping a pocket on her dress and taking out the red satin panties belonging to Leopoldine.

  "Why did you accept those panties from that damn pervert, Alice? What's really going on??"

  Alice rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by Rachel's persistence.

  "It's not like I planned for that to happen," she replied defensively. "I was just trying to get out of the situation as quickly as possible. I wasn't thinking straight, alright?”

  "You weren't thinking straight?" Rachel repeated, raising an incredulous brow. "Really, Alice? You're giving me the 'I wasn't thinking straight' excuse?"

  Her voice held a mix of frustration and disbelief.

  Alice crossed her arms, feeling the heat of Rachel's questioning. "What was I supposed to do, Rachel? Leopoldine wouldn't take no for an answer, and she was getting pretty persistent."

  She sighed heavily, feeling caught. "I just wanted to get out of there quickly, you know? I didn't know what to do, and that was the easiest way out.”

  Rachel's expression hardened further, her disapproval clear. "The easiest way out? You mean you couldn't come up with anything else except accepting a pervert's panties as a parting gift? Something's not right here, Alice.”

  Her cheeks felt warm, clearly embarrassed by the situation. "I know it sounds ridiculous, alright? I know it does. But I just-..." Alice trailed off, struggling for words, knowing deep down that her actions seemed rather foolish.

  Unable to finish her sentence, Alice averted her gaze, feeling the weight of her own actions weigh on her.

  Rachel pressed on, her voice holding a note of suspicion. "But you just...what, Alice? You just couldn't think of anything better? That's not like you. You're usually a lot more on your game."

  She leaned in closer, her gaze locked onto Alice's evasive eyes. "What were you thinking, honestly? There's more to this, isn't there?”

  Alice squirmed under Rachel's scrutinizing glare, knowing she couldn't dodge the questioning for much longer. She sighed heavily, feeling a sense of defeat.

  "...O-okay, you wanna really know why I did it?”

  Rachel's stare grew more intense, her curiosity and suspicion escalating.

  "Damn right I wanna know, Alice. Spill it.”