Before anyone could process what had just happened, a steady rhythm of footsteps echoed through the battlefield. The air was charged with an intimidating presence that made even the wind pause. Emerging from the shadows, illuminated by the faint glow of her weapon, was Dr.

  Her long orange hair flowed freely behind her with the pigtails swaying in each precise step.

  The pristine white of her lab coat contrasted sharply against the chaos of the battlefield. Her red shirt peeked through the coat’s folds, and the black pants she wore seemed almost mundane compared to the imposing figure she cut. A pair of sleek sunglasses obscured her eyes, but the fire in her presence made it clear she was sizing up every detail of the scene before her. The ever-present pink headphones around her neck hummed faintly with static.

  Slung across her shoulders was a weapon so massive that it seemed almost impossible for her to be carrying it. The weapon's frame was a polished black metal, interwoven with glowing veins of blue energy that pulsed rhythmically. The barrel extended outward with precision-focused nozzles and an array of dials and switches on its side. Despite its size, she carried it as though it weighed nothing.

  Etched along the side of the weapon in bold glowing letters was its designation: ‘BG-356.’ Beneath it, scrawled in smaller writing, was an inscription: "Prototype: More Bang Than Sense."

  “Surprised to see me?” Dr. Kintovar’s voice was smooth yet edged a sharpness that cut through the tension. She glanced at Aliana, whose body trembled under the weight of the shot with blood pooling at her feet. Then, her eyes flicked to Roselle, Risebelle and Runebelle, and finally Gaiza, each of them looking equally stunned.

  Without waiting for a response, she tapped the side of her weapon and said, “What you feel, Aliana, is just a little greeting from my dear BG-356. Took me some years to perfect this bad boy.”

  Gaiza instinctively stepped in front of Aliana with her water blade raised defensively. “You… you’ll pay for this!”

  “Oh, will I?” Kintovar tilted her head. “And what’s the plan, then? Defend her with that little puddle you call a blade? Allow me to enlighten you...”

  She gestured to the weapon in her hands. “This weapon harnesses the very magic that flows through this island. It absorbs the mana, amplifies it, and converts it into devastating blast of energy. With the BG-356, I can match the power of the most skilled mages, and even surpass them.”

  Gaiza’s eyes widened in disbelief. She trembled. “You... you’re saying you made that? You’re insane!”

  Dr. Kintovar smirked. “Insane you say? Hardly. Only a true genius could have pulled this off,” she said, patting the massive weapon slung across her shoulder with a sense of pride. “I just finished this model recently. Tested it once or twice. Let’s say it exceeded even my expectations.”

  Risebelle, still recovering from the shock of Kintovar’s dramatic entrance crossed her arms and arched a brow. “So that’s what you’ve been up to while we were out here risking our necks. Figures.”

  Dr. Kintovar shot Risebelle a quick glance with a half-smile. “Someone has to think ahead, don’t you think? Besides, I figured you three could handle yourselves until I was done. This,” she gestured to the BG-356, “was my way of tipping the scales when things inevitably got messy. And, oh, look—it’s messy.”

  Her attention turned back to Aliana, who was struggling to remain upright. Blood continued to drip from her wound, but she locked eyes with Kintovar with defiance flickering in her gaze despite her condition.

  “Fortunately for you,” Kintovar continued, “that shot wasn’t aimed at your heart. But make no mistake—the next one will be. And believe me, all the dead scientists your academy and its mages slaughtered would rejoice seeing you fall.”

  Aliana’s face darkened. Her voice, though strained, carried an edge of steel. “Of all the things I’ve done... killing scientists was not one of them.”

  Kintovar tilted her head slightly. Her smirk faltered momentarily. “Oh? Is that so? Convenient for someone to say who is leading the charge of an academy that’s erased countless lives.”

  Gaiza stepped closer to Aliana and shouted, “The Princess has done nothing to harm your people! You don’t know anything about her!”

  Kintovar’s gaze sharpened. “Oh, I know more than you think. Actions speak louder than words, my dear. And her actions,” she motioned to Aliana with a sharp nod, “have carved a path of ruin and blood that can’t be ignored.”

  Dr. Kintovar’s face suddenly became cold and calculating. “Aliana, who was it that ordered the execution of all the scientists who were involved in the creation of that robotic creature?”

  She let the question hang in the air for a moment before pressing on. “And who ordered the capture and execution of all individuals in the Mystic Forest who possessed no magic at all? Wasn’t it the Headmaster of your precious Magic Academy?”

  Aliana’s body trembled. Her breaths were shallow. The question lingered in her mind, sharp as a blade: Who ordered it? Her lips moved weakly to form words.

  “It... It was the Headmaster...” she whispered.

  Dr. Kintovar’s eyes narrowed. “And who carried out those orders, Aliana? Who stormed into the Mystic Forest and dragged away innocent people just because they lacked magic? Who hunted down the people who dedicated their lives to innovation and executed them without trial?! It was you, wasn’t it?” Her tone was like a scalpel that sliced through Aliana’s defenses.

  Aliana’s head snapped up at that, though her body swayed from the effort. She raised her voice. “No... I—it wasn’t like that. It couldn’t have been. They were a threat! The scientists... they had to be stopped!”

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  Dr. Kintovar tilted her head with disdain. “Stopped from what, Aliana? Existing? Innovating? Was that their crime?” Her voice grew louder. “Do you even realize what you’ve done? You turned your blade on innocent people who had no power to fight back. People who could’ve changed the world for the better! And why? Because the Headmaster told you to?”

  “No!” Aliana cried out. “It wasn’t like that! The scientists... they must have done something... something wrong. They... they… what…did they...” She faltered upon realizing that her own words felt hollow. The conviction she had slipped away like water through her fingers.

  Dr. Kintovar’s smile returned, though it lacked any joy. “Ah, I see now. You’re under the Headmaster’s spell. You don’t even realize the strings tied to your every thought. You’ve been conditioned to believe that the ones they’ve marked as enemies are guilty without proof. You’ve done their dirty work, silencing anyone who dared to challenge their status quo. You…You’ve been nothing but their weapon, Aliana.”

  Aliana’s chest heaved. A part of her screamed to deny it, but another part of her mind whispered the truth. Memories she had buried began to surface: the fear in the scientists’ eyes, the salty sting of tears coming from the children in the Mystic Forest clinging to their families, the screams that echoed long after her missions were over.

  Aliana’s breathing became erratic. She saw herself, blade in hand leading squads into villages. Her younger self seemed almost serene while ordering the separation of families. Mothers screaming for their children. Fathers being restrained. Children clinging desperately to their parents as Aliana spoke through the chaos with cold efficiency.

  She watched herself smile—smile— all while seeing the frightened faces of those she captured disappear into the distance. Her own voice from the past echoed in her mind: "Don’t resist. It’s for the good of the Academy."

  The sweet, melodic tone of the Headmaster’s voice followed next. "Well done, Aliana. You’ve proven yourself worthy of your title as an Elite Mage. You’re a beacon of strength and justice for us all." The words that were once a source of pride now made her stomach churn.

  “No...” Aliana whispered. Her hands clenched into fists as memories piled on, one after another. She couldn’t stop them. She trembled. “That’s not me. I don’t... I don’t hurt innocent people.” She glanced at her trembling hands which were stained with blood only she could see. Her lips quivered, and her knees dug into the dirt. “I’m not a monster... I’m not—”

  Aliana let out a choked sob. “No! That’s not who I am! I don’t—” Her words faltered before she could finish. She clutched her chest with the sharp ache of her guilt nearly unbearable.

  She threw her head back and let out a blood curling scream. “That’s not me!”

  Dr. Kintovar spoke without mercy. “Do you understand now, Aliana? Why I have no hesitation?” Her gaze burned into Aliana, who knelt trembling in the dirt. “You’ve spilled blood you can never wash away, and your debt has come due. You’ve built your throne on the ashes of innocence, and now, you will fall right down under it.”

  Gaiza’s breathing became labored upon seeing Kintovar’s cannon glowing ominously.

  Kintovar shifted her stance and said, “This is goodbye, Aliana.”

  Aliana didn’t move. Her head hung low and her eyes were now devoid of any light. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t raise a hand in defense. She didn’t even speak.

  “Princess!” Gaiza shouted with desperation. The bright glow of Kintovar’s cannon reflected in Gaiza’s wide, tear-filled eyes.

  Gaiza darted forward to grab Aliana’s arm with trembling hands. The princess was limp in her grasp which made it hard to move.

  In a blur of motion, Roselle lunged upward. Her palm struck the cannon’s barrel with enough force to twist its trajectory, sending the shot careening to the side once it was fired. The searing blast scorched the ground mere inches from Gaiza, who made a retreat with Aliana.

  “We have to go! We have to go!” Gaiza cried, dragging Aliana to her feet with surprising strength. Her blade shimmered faintly and created swirling of water magic encasing her and Aliana. The water carried Aliana along like a bouncing ball.

  Kintovar’s eyes narrowed. “You think you can outrun me, Gaiza? You’re wasting your breath.”

  Gaiza shouted back, “I won’t let her die! Not like this!”

  Gaiza cut through the tension like a blade. "Advanced Magic Arts: Water Wind Wall!"

  She thrust her blade into the air, and a surge of magic exploded from its tip. A roaring barrier of water and wind spiraled outward, forming a massive turbulent wall that churned with overwhelming force. The wall surged toward the group. The sheer size and velocity forced Kintovar, Roselle, Risebelle, and Runebelle to scatter in opposite directions to avoid being caught in its crushing waves.

  When the chaos subsided, Gaiza and Aliana were gone.

  Kintovar brushed a few droplets from her coat. Her gaze narrowed in the direction they had fled. Her lips pressed into a thin line. "So what if they escaped this time?" Her weapon began to dematerialize into a compact storage device strapped to her wrist.

  Roselle coughed and leaned against a boulder. Risebelle crouched nearby with her fists clenched tight. Runebelle sat on the ground with her usual gloom.

  Kintovar glanced at them briefly. "Giving chase now would be reckless," she muttered. "We’d risk running into reinforcements, and none of you are in any condition to fight another battle."

  Roselle walked up to Kintovar. She frowned before speaking. "Dr. Kintovar... I’m sorry. I—I knocked your weapon away."

  Risebelle, standing off to the side avoided Kintovar’s gaze. She folded her arms tightly with her jaw clenched. Runebelle glanced between them with an uneasy look, but as usual, she remained silent.

  Roselle pressed on. "If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve..."

  Kintovar’s sharp gaze softened ever so slightly. She raised a hand and cut Roselle off mid-sentence. "Stop," she said firmly. "I don’t blame you, Roselle."

  Roselle blinked in surprise. Her frown deepened. "But—"

  Kintovar let out a low chuckle. She adjusted her sunglasses with the faintest glint of light reflecting off the lenses. "After all, things still went according to plan."

  Her laughter grew loud enough to echo across the damp and battered battlefield.

  Roselle’s confusion was plain on her face. "According to plan? What do you mean?"

  "Aliana will no longer be a threat," Kintovar declared with triumph.

  Roselle tilted her head. "But if she recovers—"

  Kintovar cut her off with a flick of her hand. "Even if she does, the brainwashing is undone. She’s broken now, Roselle. The Headmaster won’t have her as a weapon anymore.” She took a few steps away with her back to the trio. Then, with an almost theatrical flair, she twirled around on her heel.

  "Ah, but enough about Aliana. Let’s talk about us." Kintovar pointed a gloved finger at the group. "There are five mana extractors remaining. And if we’re going to deal with them, I need you all in top condition. Before we do anything else, we need to get you all recovered. I had your recovery tanks transported to a secret location in the forest before this little confrontation. Follow me."

  Runebelle finally spoke up in her soft, melancholic tone. "Recovery tanks? You mean... we’ll actually get to rest?"

  Kintovar laughed while walking toward the tree line. "Rest? Sure, but I don’t do ‘just’ rest. I do ‘rest efficiency’. Now move those legs, people!"

  Roselle sighed but followed without hesitation. Risebelle grumbled under her breath while trailing behind. Runebelle lingered for a moment before she rose to her feet and trudged after them.