Roselle and Risebelle were plummeting with alarming speed in the air after the gate was destroyed.

  Risebelle's eyes narrowed. "We’ve got to slow this fall!" she barked. “Roselle, focus! One more time!”

  Roselle pushed herself upright as best she could in the rapid descent, fighting the dizziness from the abrupt shift in momentum.

  Risebelle summoned a surge of water from the air around them, creating a spiral of water and forced it outward to make enough resistance to slow their descent.

  Roselle’s hands crackled with residual electric energy, and she began to guide it through Risebelle’s water, amplifying their effect with the power of electricity. The currents of water sparkled brightly with the infusion of energy.

  The combined magic created a resistance that fought against gravity, slowing their fall ever so slightly.

  Despite the resistance their magic had created, gravity was still winning.

  “Roselle!” Risebelle called out, but there was no immediate response.

  She turned her head sharply and saw Roselle clutching her chest.

  “I… I can’t breathe…” she choked out while struggling to hold onto consciousness.

  Risebelle's heart pounded. "Dammit—hold on!" she barked. She then propelled herself forward with a burst of water magic to reach out just in time to grab Roselle by the waist.

  The moment Risebelle wrapped her arms around her, Roselle’s body convulsed, and then, the glow in her eyes faded. The crackling lightning flickered out entirely. Her body shrank in Risebelle’s arms. She reverted back to her regular form.

  Risebelle barely had time to process it before another harsh gust of wind slammed into them. She gritted her teeth and twisted her body so that she was positioned behind Roselle.

  ‘I have to take the hit,’ she thought.

  Bracing herself, Risebelle adjusted her grip, turning Roselle so that the smaller girl was held securely against her chest. She curled her body around her and used her arms to shield her from the brunt of the impact.

  A thunderous crash shook the battlefield as they struck the ground. Their impact carved out a massive crater in the earth. Dust and debris exploded outward in a violent shockwave.

  Risebelle felt the brutal force slam into her back. Pain surged through every nerve in her body. She coughed sharply and her grip on Roselle loosened. Her vision swam, but she held on, making sure Roselle was safe in her grasp.

  For a long moment, Risebelle didn’t move. She just lay there with Roselle held tightly against her.

  Then—a faint groan.

  Not from her. Not from Roselle.

  Her eyes flickered toward the distance, where a second crater had formed not far from their own.

  Abner.

  Abner's body twitched. His arms trembled and he weakly shifted, barely able to lift himself from the wreckage. Blood dripped from the side of his mouth, his once-pristine robes were torn and burnt beyond recognition.

  And yet… he was still alive.

  He let out a low, wheezing breath“…If I… hadn’t released some of the Gate’s energy when I saw their power… and used it… to shield myself…”

  A hollow, bitter chuckle escaped him. “I’d be dead.”

  He coughed. “But even so …I have little to no magic left.”

  The glow of power that once surrounded him was gone. His aura had faded completely.

  Just then, a sharp chime rang in both Roselle's and Risebelle’s minds.

  [System Message: Roselle]

  Lifeforce: 5% (Critical)

  Magic Reserves: -10% (Severe Depletion)

  Status: Magic Rupture (Stage Two: High Risk of Total System Failure)

  Warning: Negative magic detected. Immediate stabilization required.

  Recommendation: Cease all magic usage immediately. Retreat to a tank before stage 3 begins.

  Roselle groaned. Her head pounded like it was ready to split apart. She felt drained beyond anything she had ever experienced before.

  [System Message: Risebelle]

  Lifeforce: 2% (Near-Fatal Condition)

  Magic Reserves: 50%

  Status: Severe Physical Trauma—Multiple Internal and External Injuries Detected

  Warning: System nearing shutdown. Consciousness at risk.

  Risebelle’s forced herself to remain still with heavy breathing. If she moved too suddenly, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stay conscious.

  “Damn it…” she muttered weakly.

  She tried to lift her head, but even that small motion sent a wave of agony through her spine.

  Roselle was still in her arms, barely breathing.

  The magic rupture warning flashed in Risebelle’s system scan of her sister, but what really concerned her was the negative magic level flashing in Roselle’s status.

  ‘Negative magic?’ she thought through the haze of pain. ‘Oh…Shit. That’s going to--’

  The moment Risebelle processed the warning, a new chime cut through Roselle’s mind like a piercing blade.

  [System Message: Critical Alert]

  Negative magic detected.

  Magical Rupture confirmed.

  Warning: High risk of self-destruction.

  Lifeforce reserves critically unstable.

  Pain Suppression failing…

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  Then—everything hit at once.

  A tidal wave of agony crashed into Roselle’s body. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. Every muscle seized. Her skin burned. Her chest clenched so tightly it felt like her ribs would shatter under the pressure.

  She gasped. A choked, strangled sound. Then another. And another.

  The pain kept coming. And then—she screamed.

  Tears spilled down Roselle’s cheeks as pain ravaged her. She couldn't think—couldn’t focus on anything but the overwhelming, crushing sensation of her body breaking down from the inside out.

  Risebelle’s body tensed.

  She had thought she was prepared for anything. Pain, exhaustion, near-death experiences—none of it was new to her. But this—this—was different.

  She had never heard Roselle scream like that before. And it made her blood run cold.

  Risebelle’s toughness—everything that had carried her through battle after battle—began to crack.

  She had pushed Roselle. Encouraged her. Told her to keep going, even when she knew how dangerous it was.

  And now—Roselle was breaking. ‘This is my fault,’ she thought.

  Risebelle tried to hold Roselle tighter—but what else could she do?

  She had no healing magic. There was no immediate way to stop this.

  All she could do was watch as Roselle suffered.

  And that realization hurt more than any injury she had ever taken.

  Her grip tightened around Roselle, but it felt meaningless. “I—I shouldn’t have pushed you,” she whispered/“I shouldn’t have let you go this far.”

  Roselle didn’t respond. She could barely even cry properly anymore. The tears were still falling, but her body was too weak to sob.

  Risebelle swallowed hard. She never let herself break down. Not in battle, not under pressure—never. But this, this was something she couldn’t just push through with sheer force of will.

  “I was supposed to protect you,” Risebelle choked out. “Not—” Her breath hitched. “I thought—I wanted to win, but all I did was break you.”

  She hated this feeling. The helplessness. The self-loathing. The fear.

  Risebelle pressed her forehead against Roselle’s and her eyes squeezed shut. ‘Please… just hold on.’

  The sound of slow, uneven footsteps drew close.

  Abner.

  Risebelle knew he was there. She knew she should be on guard. She should be preparing for an attack with what little strength she had left to defend them.

  But she didn’t move.

  Because right now, Roselle was all that mattered to her.

  Abner, limping and weakened finally reached them. His emerald eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

  His enemies. On the ground. Defenseless.

  Victory was within reach.

  He could form a spear of light. A single strike. That’s all it would take.

  But—

  Why weren’t they resisting?

  He had expected them to struggle, to curse him and fight until they were destroyed. That’s what constructs did, wasn’t it? That’s what they were designed for.

  Yet, the only thing he saw in Risebelle was… despair.

  She wasn’t looking at him. Not even acknowledging him.

  Her entire focus was on Roselle, and her face contorted in something that looked far too human to be artificial.

  Tears.

  She was crying.

  Abner stiffened.

  The image burned into his mind, and at the same time, a memory surfaced. It was the Headmaster’s words.

  "They lack the capacity for feelings, bonds, or humanity."

  "If you are to ever encounter them, destroy them without hesitation."

  "They are not like us."

  But what was he seeing now?

  Risebelle, cradling Roselle as if she would shatter in her arms.

  Those were not the expressions of a mindless, emotionless creation.

  And for the first time… doubt crept into Abner’s heart.

  For the longest moment, nothing seemed to happen. The battlefield was eerily silent, save for Roselle’s weak, uneven breathing.

  Risebelle’s body trembled slightly. Her fingers were still curled tightly around Roselle’s limp body. But the tears… they had finally stopped.

  She didn’t know how long it had been since she last cried like that. Maybe never. She had always held it in.

  She exhaled, slow and steady, and her eyes hardened.

  ‘There’s nothing I can do for Roselle right now.’

  That truth hit like a dagger to the chest. But no amount of crying would fix the damage done.

  ‘There’s still something I have to do.’

  Gently, she laid Roselle down in the softest patch of dirt she could find.

  Then, Risebelle pushed herself up and began walking towards Abner.

  Abner was waiting. His stance was wary—but he did not attack.

  Once close, they stared at each other with the distance between them heavy with unspoken understanding.

  "I'm sorry, but I have to kill you now… Actually, no, i’m not sorry. Being sorry is a sign of weakness in the face of the enemy," Risebelle said with words devoid of mercy.

  Abner, in response, began to laugh. "I understand," he said with weariness. "There's no time for second-guessing ourselves anymore."

  With a solemn gaze, Abner gathered an orb of light energy into his hand. “This, is all the magical power I have left."

  Risebelle locked eyes with Abner, who clutched the orb in his hand.

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Abner unleashed his ball of radiant energy. Risebelle, summoned her medium-sized Cannon and took aim at the orb.

  But as Abner's hurtled toward her, a single shot rang out. Risebelle's cannon discharged a powerful blast of water like a speeding comet.

  The seconds stretched into eternity as the two opposing forces closed in on each other. In that climactic moment, Risebelle’s shot pierced through the energy without any sort of resistance.

  The moment Risebelle’s shot tore through Abner’s energy without resistance, her mind raced.

  ‘Why?’

  She had sensed it. He still had magic left—a little—but he didn’t use all of it.

  That wasn’t a desperate last attack. That was a bluff.

  Abner staggered once the blast struck him. His breath was ragged. Yet, through the haze of pain, he lifted his head.

  “You… might want to take your sister far away from here,” he muttered, speaking surprisingly steady. “If you want to survive.”

  Risebelle narrowed her eyes. His words sounded like another attempt at intimidation. But something in his tone was wrong.

  Then he added, “Though… I doubt you’ll make it.”

  Risebelle barely had a second to process that before she saw it.

  A faint glow.

  It started deep in his chest, beneath his torn robes.

  Her heart dropped.

  ‘Aw, hell no—’

  The Mana Extractor that he fused himself with before the fight…It was going to explode.

  He gave her a small, tired smile. Not victorious. Not smug. Just… resigned.

  Move.

  The thought slammed into her mind like a gunshot. She had seconds.

  Risebelle lunged toward Roselle, ignoring every ounce of pain in her battered body. She scooped her up in her arms and turned—

  Only to freeze.

  Runebelle.

  Her heart clenched.

  Runebelle was still there, just beyond the crater.

  ‘I can’t carry both.’

  Abner was right. It’s impossible.

  A second passed.

  And then she made her decision.

  Risebelle adjusted Roselle in her grip, slinging her onto her back. Her arms screamed in protest, but she dashed toward Runebelle, scooping her up in her arms. The weight of both sisters nearly crushed her.

  Her legs wobbled.

  Her vision blurred.

  Doesn’t matter. Move, idiot’s 1 and 2!

  She forced her legs to run with nothing but sheer willpower.

  ‘Just a few more feet—‘

  Behind her, the light from Abner’s core flared violently.

  She threw herself forward with all her strength, launching past the nearest ridge just as—

  BOOM.

  A blinding explosion erupted behind her, engulfing the battlefield in a cascade of white-hot energy that sent her skidding across the dirt with her arms wrapped tightly around Runebelle while shielding Roselle with her body.

  Smoke and debris filled the air. The world around Risebelle was scorched, but she was still breathing. The girl gasped for air with her body trembling from exertion.

  They had barely—barely—made it out.

  “Ugh, this was sooo tough!" Risebelle declared with her eyes lowering. "I mean, I had to deal with this super-powerful mage, plus, there’s still two more Mana extractors to go and my sisters are nearly dead....Can anyone believe this bullshit? Why couldn’t this be any easier?"

  Risebelle cast a worried glance toward her sisters. Roselle's Aches seemed to have subsided, and although she was far from being in perfect condition, there was a glimmer of relief in her eyes. However, her gaze then fell upon Runebelle who lay lifeless with her life force depleted to 0%.

  Risebelle exhaled sharply, tilting her head while staring up at the sky.

  "How the hell am I supposed to fix this?" she muttered. She wasn’t a healer. She didn’t have any magic that could restore her sister’s life force.

  Her fingers twitched in frustration, but before she could even begin thinking of a solution, a new problem arose: Roselle’s eyes slowly fluttered shut, and a sharp chime echoed in the air.

  [System Message: ALERT]

  Project Mage Shutdown Initiated

  Power levels critically low. System override unavailable.

  F___M__T __M_R_ Ongoing.

  Risebelle’s blood ran cold.

  “Roselle?”

  No response.

  “Roselle.” She said it sharper this time. Still nothing.

  Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  She screamed. “ROSEEEELLLEE!!!!!!!”

  Project Mage