Roselle stood there for a moment and tried to figure out the best solution. She could feel the pressure of both Sarah’s soft, vulnerable presence and Harty’s earnest offer. Both needed her. But…

  ‘I’ve got it.’

  She smiled softly at Sarah, though it felt bittersweet. "I got it," Roselle whispered to herself.

  Sarah furrowed her brow in confusion, but she smiled back at Roselle.

  "Come with meeeee!" Roselle said in a cheerful tone that was practically a sing-song.

  “Wait! What—?” Sarah started, but before she could process what was happening, Roselle grabbed her hands and gave a firm but playful tug, then started running off toward the hallway, her footsteps light and quick.

  "Wait—what?!" Sarah exclaimed with her eyes wide open. “Roselle, where are we going?!”

  "Come on, come on!" Roselle called back with her laughter ringing through the halls while pulling Sarah along. “No time to think—just follow me!”

  Sarah blinked in confusion, but her her cheeks flushed from the sudden outburst. “Are you seriously running away from lunch?” she asked, slightly breathless.

  “Yup! But only because there's something better,” Roselle said with a wide smile. “Trust me!”

  Sarah, in a moment of surprise, started to imagine. ‘Wait, could this be—?’

  Her heart skipped a beat. Is Roselle planning something? Something more... personal?

  The confusion started to build, and her cheeks burned red. But before she could spiral too far into the confusion, they arrived at the lunchroom, where Roselle spotted Harty sitting at a table, his eyes immediately lighting up when he saw her.

  “Roselle!” Harty waved. “You made it! I thought you might’ve forgotten.”

  “I didn’t forget!" Roselle grinned back.

  Sarah looked between the two of them, still a little confused. "What... are you doing?"

  “Come with me,” Roselle said again with excitement. “We’re going to the chess club room.”

  “The chess club room?” Sarah echoed with her narrowing. “But we’re supposed to be having lunch…”

  "Trust me, this is more important than lunch right now,” Roselle insisted, flashing Sarah a wink. "We’re going to figure this out together.”

  As Roselle and Harty began to make their way toward the chess club room, Sarah found herself stuck in place, processing the situation. Her mind wandered off the rails. The words "figure this out," stuck out and before she could stop herself, her thoughts turned in a completely unexpected direction.

  ‘Wait... Is that what Roselle was planning?’

  A flush of heat spread across Sarah's face. She glanced between Roselle and Harty, and suddenly, everything clicked into place—or at least, that’s what her mind convinced her.

  ‘With an unknown boy? In a secluded room?’

  Her pulse quickened. ‘Oh no. Roselle! I-I’m not ready for this!’

  Seeing Sarah standing still, Roselle glanced back. “Sarah?” she called out, but there was no immediate answer.

  “Come on, Sarah, it’s gonna be fine!” Roselle called again and gently grab her hand. “We’ll figure everything out. Together, okay?”

  Sarah crashed back into the present as Roselle’s hand pulled her along again. “O-okay... I guess…” Sarah stammered.

  Inside the Chess club room, Harty had set up a small investigation hub, complete with notebooks, a corkboard covered in notes and photos, and various detective-themed decorations.

  "Hey, welcome to our makeshift detective headquarters," Harty said with a grin. "This is where the magic happens, or at least where we'll try to figure out the impersonator of Roselle.”

  Roselle introduced Sarah to Harty “Harty. This is Sarah.”

  “Oh, so this is Sarah!” Harty exclaimed. He extended a hand toward Sarah. “Nice to meet you!”

  Sarah, trying to pull herself together after the whirlwind of thoughts earlier, nodded awkwardly. "Oh, so that's what this was about!" she said. The confusion she had felt began to fade.

  Roselle, on the other hand, froze with a gasp. "Oh, no!" She slapped a hand to her forehead."I didn't tell you about any of this, did I?” Roselle frowned. “Sorry, Sarah. I wouldv’e explained, but I just… well, I had to sort of rush into it."

  Sarah blinked. Her brain caught up. But just when she began to relax, her eyes wandered to Harty once more. Her gaze lingered on him a little longer than usual. His smile, his friendly aura… and his well-composed appearance hit her in a way she hadn’t expected.

  Wait a minute… ‘Harty's actually a hot guy.’

  Her breath hitched as a wave of flustered energy spread through her. ‘O-Oh no, not this again!’

  Harty looked at her with a confused smile. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked while raising an eyebrow.

  Sarah could only manage a nervous laugh with a face as red as fire. "Yeah, fine, just… fine," she muttered, then immediately looked away. "Totally fine. Not freaking out or anything."

  Roselle chuckled lightly. "She gets shy sometimes," she said while giving Sarah an encouraging smile. "But she’s a great help when it comes to, well, figuring things out."

  Harty pointed at a cluttered chalkboard. "Okay, let's dive in. I’ve done some digging, and something’s definitely off. I’ve got a list of leads. First up: we check out the spots where the impersonator was spotted."

  Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

  Roselle and Sarah reviewed the evidence that Harty had already gathered. Sarah leaned in close to Roselle and whispered with a mischievous glint in her eye, "Roselle, do you think this guy has been keeping an eye on us for a while now? He seems to know an awful lot."

  Roselle stifled a giggle. "Oh ho ho! Maybe Harty’s been secretly watching us all along. I think he’s got a crush on one of us."

  Harty, engrossed in the chalkboard paused for a moment when he heard his name. His ears twitched slightly, and he glanced over at Roselle and Sarah with a raised eyebrow.

  "What’s going on over there?" he asked with a hint of suspicion.

  Roselle quickly looked at Sarah and signaled with mouth movement. "Oh, nothing," Roselle said, flashing Harty a bright smile. "We were just admiring your detective skills. Pretty impressive stuff, huh?"

  Sarah, though still a little flustered caught on quickly and added, "Yeah, I mean, you’ve really been thorough." She gave him a playful look.

  Harty blinked. He turned back to the chalkboard and adjusted his glasses with a grin. "Well, I do take my detective work seriously. Let’s continue.”

  Harty wrote something on the Chalkboard and then said it aloud. "’Closest friends’, that's where we should start. People who know you well enough to imitate you... or maybe even have motives for framing you."

  Roselle’s face turned somber at the mention of her friends. She sighed, looking down for a moment before glancing up at Harty. "That reminds me, my friends..." She hesitated briefly before continuing. "This morning... they looked like they were ready to beat me up."

  Sarah’s eyes widened in surprise. “What? Why would they—”

  Roselle cut her off, shaking her head. “I didn’t understand it. They surrounded me started closing in on like they wanted to." She made a small, frustrated gesture with her hands.

  Harty blinked while looking between the two girls. "Sounds like someone might be stirring things up from the inside. A bit too convenient, don’t you think?"

  Roselle nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty weird. I have no idea what triggered it, but it’s like they didn’t even want to hear my side... I don’t know if they were afraid of me, or just...really angry."

  "Could it have something to do with your expulsion?" Sarah asked softly. "Maybe they heard some rumors... about you being blamed for the whole thing."

  Roselle’s eyes darkened for a second, then she sighed. "I don’t know. It’s hard to tell with what’s going on…”

  Harty leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment. "Okay, then we should look deeper into who might be benefiting from all this confusion. Do any of your friends have enemies? Anyone who might want to see you out of the picture?"

  Roselle’s mind raced to piece together the puzzle. Her red-haired friend… she was from the Karate club! She could picture her perfectly, the way she stood tall, her confident posture and the sharpness in her eyes. But the name—the name—escaped her.

  “I—” Roselle started with unease. “I can’t remember her name…” Her words trailed off.

  Harty’s brows furrowed. “You don’t remember her name? But you’re sure she’s connected somehow?”

  Roselle nodded helplessly. "Yeah, I know it’s important. She’s from the Karate club, so she definitely has enemies… but…" She rubbed her forehead. Theworld around her seemed to flicker and the room started to blur at the edges. Sarah, standing near Harty, looked at Roselle with concern. “Roselle…?”

  But Harty was already fading from her view as though he and Sarah were being swallowed by an invisible force. "We’ll come back to this," Harty said distantly now. "Take care, Roselle. You’ll figure it out."

  “No!” Roselle’s heart pounded. “Wait! I... I’m not ready!” She echoed in the air, but it felt like she was shouting through a thick wall.

  The world around her spun faster with colors and shapes distorting. "No, no, no!" Roselle cried out with panic rising in her chest. "I have to stay! I have to figure this out—please, let me go back!"

  But her desperate pleas were in vain. the world pulled her away from the investigation, and to the harsh, cold reality of the awakened world.

  When Roselle opened her eyes, the world around her had changed once more.. She found herself lying on a soft, grassy knoll, surrounded by her sisters, Runebelle and Risebelle.

  Risebelle leaned over Roselle to check her systems. Her eyes were tired, but there was a glimmer of happiness in them.

  [System Message]

  Lifeforce: 100%

  Magic: 200%

  Project Mage Data Collection: 15%

  Risebelle’s heart skipped a beat as Roselle’s eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she just stared at her with visible relif. Without thinking, she pulled Roselle into a tight embrace, squeezing her close.

  But then, as quickly as it had happened, the older sister pulled away. “Okay, that’s enough of that. I really gotta try to not do that,” she muttered while running a hand through her own hair.

  Roselle blinked. “Uh… what just happened?” she asked with a lingering trace of confusion. Her mind was already spinning to piece together what had happened before she’d… shut down. She felt the echoes of the battle in her body, the explosion, the force of it all. “The explosion…And… Abner?”

  Risebelle’s face hardened at the mention of his name. “Abner’s gone,” she said quietly. “That bastard is frikin’ dead. We don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

  Roselle felt her heart sink at the mention of his death. She hadn’t truly known him, not really. But… the fact that he was gone left a bitter taste in her mouth.

  "How… how many extractors are left?" Roselle asked while sitting up slowly.

  Risebelle gave a brisk nod. “Two,” she answered shortly. “We still have two more to take down.”

  “Runebelle,” Roselle said, suddenly feeling a sense of urgency. She glanced toward the lifeless body of her younger sister. “What about Runebelle? Is she… is she going to be okay?”

  Risebelle’s eyes flickered over to Runebelle. “I think… if we get her to a tank, we can stabilize her. She’s our family now, Roselle. You know that, right?”

  Roselle’s brow furrowed in confusion. The word ‘family’ didn’t fit right in her mind. “Family?”

  Risebelle looked at her with shock. “Did I… say that just now?”

  Roselle nodded slowly

  Risebelle’s frowned. She didn’t look like her usual tough self. "I guess I shouldn’t have said that so casually," she muttered.

  Roselle tilted her head. "What’s wrong?" she asked softly.

  Risebelle sighed, deeply and with weariness in every breath. "Kintovar designed us to be sisters, sure," she said while looking at her hands."But I had a life before this. Before all of this..."

  Roselle blinked, leaning forward slightly. "You too, huh?"

  Risebelle’s gaze grew distant. "Yeah. I had a life. I was... I was nothing like this. My father was a rich drunkard, and my mother, she was a straight-A aholic, always obsessed with being perfect. Things got so crazy between them. It was hell. I grew to hate humans, honestly. I thought they were all the same—selfish, destructive." She took a shaky breath with one hand clenched into a fist. "My father, especially. He was the worst. I thought he was the most evil man alive."

  Roselle’s heart sank from the bitterness in Risebelle’s tone. "So… what happened?"

  Risebelle’s face darkened. "I don’t even know," she admitted. "I only have like 30% of my memories. There’s so much missing... it’s all scrambled." Her face twisted in frustration.

  Roselle’s brow furrowed. "I... I only remember about 15% of my past, but even so... it doesn’t matter right now. Risebelle, you're right. We are a family." Her face lit up with a sudden burst of energy while looking at Runebelle.

  Roselle crouched beside her younger sister’s body and lifted the girl gently onto her back. The small, delicate weight of Runebelle felt strangely comforting in Roselle’s arms. "Come on, Risebelle!" she said with a grin. "We’ve got a family to protect!"

  Risebelle’s gaze softened for a brief moment while watching Roselle.

  Roselle smiled brightly. "You know, you really pushed yourself, Risebelle. I could see it." She glanced over at her older sister with gratitude. "When we get to the tanks... I’ll thank you properly."

  Risebelle gave a dismissive wave. "Don’t bother," she said. "I’m just doing what needs to be done."

  Roselle chuckled. "You know, maybe I can carry you too, Risebelle," she said playfully with a grin that never left her face. "Might as well make it a full workout!"

  Risebelle gave Roselle a long, deadpan look. Her eyes lowered slightly while she started to walk. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath flatly.

  Roselle could only smile. Even when Risebelle gave her that usual deadpan glare, Roselle knew without a doubt—this was her family, and nothing was going to change that.

  Project Mage