Project Mage

Roselle found herself back in the familiar realm of her mind, surrounded by the ethereal presence of her System. Her heart was still pained from the recent tragic events, and the encounter with Dark Whirlwind had shaken her to her core.

"System," Roselle called out with uncertainty. "I need to talk to you."

The System materialized before her in its bold and confident demeanor. "Of course, Project Mage. What's on your mind?"

Roselle hesitated for a moment before gathering the courage to ask the question that had been gnawing at her since her encounter with Dark Whirlwind. "Is it true? What Dark Whirlwind said... am I just a copy of her? I...what….am I?”

The System's responded. "You are Project Mage, Roselle. That is what I know you to be. You are unique, and while there may be similarities between you and Dark Whirlwind, your identity is not defined by her. You have your own purpose and abilities."

Roselle had been living as Project Mage, but memories always seemed to flood her mind—memories that felt both familiar and foreign. She had become skeptical. "System, are these memories I have even really mine?"

"According to my knowledge, they are your memories, Project Mage."

Roselle's eyes narrowed. "’According to your knowledge?’ That means you don't really know, do you?"

The System took a long pause before responding. "I possess all the data available to me. The memories you experience are consistent with your identity as Project Mage."

Roselle's frustration grew. "But you don't know for sure, do you? You can't confirm if these memories truly belong to me or if they're just implanted data….."

The System then spoke up, "But I have found another Memory Fragment. It's time to view it and gather more information."

Roselle's heart sank. The memories she had uncovered so far had been filled with confusion and pain.

"No," she whispered. "I can't do it."

The System insisted, "You must, Project Mage. We need to continue gathering information, no matter how painful it may be. You will want to know--"

"I SAID NO!" Roselle shouted with tears streaming down her face. "I can't take it anymore, System. I can't keep living like this, not knowing who I am or what these memories mean. Everything I thought I knew is a lie, isn't it?!"

The System went silent.

"ANSWER ME!" she screamed with her fists clenched tightly. Her nails dug into her palms. "Am I even real? Or am I just a shadow, a copy of someone else? What am I, System? WHAT AM I?!"

The System took another long pause before speaking. "You are Project Mage. You are more than just your memories. You are your actions, your choices, and your heart."

Roselle shook her head violently. Her vision was blurred by tears. "No! That's not enough! I need to know the truth, but I can't keep facing these memories. They hurt too much. I can't... I can't..."

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. “I can't," she repeated. “I just can't...do this anymore…"

The System stated. "You exist, Project Mage. You are here, feeling, questioning. That is real. Your pain is real, and so is your desire for the truth. Rejecting the memory won't make these questions go away. Embrace your strength, not because I ask you to, but because you owe it to yourself to uncover your truth."

Roselle's anger flared with a cold, hard fury. “LEAVE ME ALONE, SYSTEM. I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! I DON'T WANT YOUR GUIDANCE! I… I….!”

Roselle remained on the ground with her sobs echoing in the empty expanse of her mind.

"Project Mage," the System began with a tone devoid of its usual authority, "I acknowledge your pain, and I understand that my approach has caused you distress. I am recalibrating."

Roselle looked up with her eyes red and swollen from crying. "You don't understand what it's like... You don't understand what it's like to feel this way."

The System responded. "You are correct, Roselle. I cannot truly understand your emotions, but I can see that my methods have not been sufficient. I was programmed to guide you, but I must also learn from my errors. I will leave you now to contemplate how I might better support you."

With that, the System's presence faded, leaving Roselle alone in the dark. After what felt like hours, a soft, warm light began to glow in the distance. Roselle looked up and saw a figure approaching.

"Roselle," the figure called out softly. The sound of it’s tone was foreign yet familiar.

Roselle's breath caught in her throat. "Who...who are you?" she asked.

The figure came to a stop a few feet away, its features becoming clearer. It was a woman with a kind and compassionate face. She had a gentle smile that seemed to radiate comfort. "I am here to help you, Roselle," the figure said softly. "You may call me, Mother ‘Avatar’."

Roselle stared at the figure in disbelief, her emotions still in turmoil. "No... it can’t be," she whispered. “You look just like my mother, or the woman from my memories... but how can that be?"

The figure, glowing with a soft light, nodded with a compassionate gaze. "I understand your confusion, Roselle. I was sent here to help you. We cannot stand to see you in such pain."

Roselle kept her eyes held downwards. “I don't know what to do. I couldn’t protect Risebelle or Runebelle from getting seriously hurt. What if everything Dark Whirlwind said was right? What if I'm just a shadow, a copy of someone else? How can I ever be sure of who I really am?"

The Mother Avatar’s eyes, filled with a depth of sorrow, softened. She stepped closer to Roselle. "Roselle," she said gently but with a tone that carried a sudden sharpness. "Enough of this self-doubt!"

Without warning, she reached out and delivered a firm, yet controlled slap across Roselle's cheek. Roselle up in shock.

The Mother Avatar's eyes were now brimming with tears. "I did not want to hurt you, Roselle. I wanted to wake you up, to remind you of something you’ve forgotten."

Roselle’s anger melted into confusion. She raised one hand up to her cheek. "Why... why did you do that?"

The Mother Avatar, now visibly distressed, moved to embrace Roselle in a comforting hug. "Because you are not defined by the doubts or fears that plague you. You are who you are, Roselle. No one and nothing can change that. You have your own purpose, your own strength, and your own heart. Are you going to let anyone else say you aren’t real?"

Roselle clung to her. The Mother Avatar clenched her tightly. "YOU ARE REAL, AND YOUR FEELINGS ARE REAL! YOU MUST BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"

The words echoed in Roselle's mind. A realization began to dawn on her. Her eyes widened, and she slowly pulled back to look at the Mother Avatar. "I... I understand now..”

The Mother Avatar's gentle smile encouraged her to continue. "What is it, Roselle?"

Tears filled Roselle's eyes again. “Everything fell apart because I didn't believe in myself anymore. Being unable to protect Risebelle and Runebelle, being unable to do anything against Dark Whirlwind... it wasn't because of how strong I was or wasn't."

She paused before continuing. “My sisters gave it everything they had, but I fought with doubts on my mind. I didn't give it my all because I was so consumed by fear...The fear that I was never…"

The Mother Avatar nodded. "Yes, Roselle. Your strength comes not just from your abilities, but from your belief in yourself. When you doubt, you hold yourself back. But when you trust in who you are, you unlock your true potential."

Roselle's heart ached, but now, there was also a spark of hope within her. "I have to believe in myself," she said softly, the words gaining strength as she spoke them. "I have to trust in my own heart and give everything I have, without holding back."

Roselle waited for a moment, absorbing the comfort and clarity the Mother Avatar had provided. As curiosity stirred within her, she finally asked, “How much data does one Memory Fragment contain, on average?”

The Mother Avatar pondered briefly before answering. "The amount of data within a Memory Fragment varies and cannot be automatically determined. However, based on my observations, it appears that one Memory Fragment typically contains around 5% of Project Mage Data. To achieve a comprehensive understanding, you will need to collect more of these fragments."

Roselle nodded. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I’d like to summon my System back now.”

The Mother Avatar nodded in understanding and began to fade away. When the last of the Avatar's light disappeared, the familiar bold and confident form of the System materialized before her once more.

Roselle took a deep breath and closed her eyes momentarily, allowing herself a brief moment of reflection. When she opened them again, her eyes shone with newfound confidence.

“I’m ready now,” she said firmly. “Show me the Memory Fragment.”

The System’s presence seemed to solidify. “Very well, Project Mage. I will now display the Memory Fragment.”

A translucent orb appeared before Roselle, pulsating gently with an inner light. The orb began to shift and change, revealing glimpses of fragmented memories before sending Roselle within the light.

Roselle found herself back in her school days, reliving the unsettling conversation with Harty about Sarah's disappearance and the discovery of another person who looked just like her. The memories played out vividly before her, and her confusion grew as Harty revealed the shocking picture.

"That's... that's... that... can't be... How... how is this possible?" Roselle stammered, her eyes locked on the picture of the girl who looked identical to her.

Harty's, "I know it's hard to believe, Roselle, but she's on our side. She joined our investigative team recently and she is one of the partners I was talking about. Her name is Risebelle."

Roselle saw the image of Risebelle, a college student like herself. The implications of having another person who looked exactly like her were staggering.

"But why... why does she look like me?" Roselle asked curiosity. "And how did she end up on our team?"

Harty's brow furrowed. "I don't have all the answers, Roselle. But it seems like there's more to this mystery than any of us can understand. Risebelle is here to help us uncover the truth. She's just as baffled by all of this as we are."

The existence of someone who was her doppelganger, yet seemingly on their side, raised countless questions.

"I want to meet her," Roselle declared confidently. "We need to figure out what's going on, and Risebelle might have some answers."

Harty nodded in agreement. "Alright Roselle, I can arrange a meeting with Risebelle for you."

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a girl with green hair stepped into the room. Her appearance was unique and eye-catching, with a customized school uniform that revealed her bra underneath and cat headphones perched on her head.

Harty turned his attention to the newcomer with his gaze momentarily entranced by her unusual appearance. "Whoa, who's this?"

Roselle was caught off guard by her friend Hashta's unexpected entrance. She stammered for a moment before managing to introduce her. "Uh, Harty, this is Hashta. She's a friend from school."

Hashta's initial seriousness gave way to annoyance. She placed one hand on her hip and looked at Roselle with lowered eyes."Friend from school, huh? After meeting you at the Silver Star Arcade, I thought I'd be important enough for a call at least."

Roselle held up her hands in a placating gesture. "Hashta, wait, let's talk about this..."

But Hashta was having none of it. She whipped out her phone and pointed at it with an annoyed face while tilting her head "You said you would tell me about your next meeting and that I would be allowed to come…”

Roselle let out a sheepish laugh, realizing her mistake. "Okay, okay, you caught me. I should've called, but I had to discuss this with Harty first and then--"

Hashta pouted. “You lied to me!”

Before Roselle could finish her sentence, Hashta made her move. She began to beat on Roselle weakly while Roselle block each hit.

Roselle, still trying to defend herself from Hashta's weak blows had laughed. "Okay, okay, I messed up, Hashta. I'm sorry!"

Hashta finally relented with a grin forming on her face. "Apology accepted, but you better not forget next time!"

Harty cleared his throat. He addressed Roselle with a curious look, "So, what brings you both here today?"

Roselle turned her attention to Harty and replied, "Harty, Hashta is here to help with the investigation. We're trying to find out more about these look-alikes and the strange events happening around us."

Harty nodded, but he distracted by Hashta's unique appearance. He blinked a few times before finally saying, "Uh, Hashta, you know, students don't usually go walking around dressed like that."

Hashta raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Oh, Harty, don't tell me you're going to be a total 'dad'. School's out, and it's a scorching hot day. Who cares how I decide to dress after school hours? I can't stand this heatwave!"

Harty flushed slightly. He chuckled nervously and said, "You're right, Hashta. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like a 'dad.' It's just a bit unusual to see you like this."

Roselle giggled at their exchange before leaning forward seriously. "Hashta, have you noticed any of our other friends acting suspicious lately?"

Hashta’s cat headphones twitched while she considered the question. She then replied, "Well, now that you mention it, I did notice something strange about Tina. She's been really quiet lately, even more so than usual. And she's been avoiding us, especially since all this weird stuff started happening."

Harty nodded. “So, just to confirm…Your friends who have been acting strange are Aruka, Ella, and now Tina. Damn it, Roselle…This is getting more complicated."

Roselle raised one hand under her chin. "Yes, that's right. Tina is usually very quiet and sweet. It's unlike her to be involved in anything suspicious."