Project Mage

When the fiery explosion subsided, Sylra was left battered and scorched, her defenses shattered and her body covered in burns. She lay on the ground, panting heavily, her strength drained by the relentless assault of Roselle's fire stream.

With a fiery glare in her eyes, Roselle stood over the battered and scorched Sylra. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths as she surveyed the aftermath of the battle.

Alan, standing outside the inferno and hearing the aftermath of the battle, shook his head in disbelief. "Fire stream... that's my attack move," he muttered to himself.

As Alan ended his extreme magic, the blazing inferno dissipated, leaving a scorched battlefield in its wake. Sylra, lying on the ground, struggled to catch her breath, her body battered and singed from the intense flames

Alan approached Roselle cautiously. "I took a gamble there," he admitted, "I didn't know if that form made you immune to fire damage."

Roselle, still breathing heavily, looked at Alan and replied, "I didn't know either. But it worked."

Sylra, attempted to rise from the scorched ground; however, her body was ravaged by the intense flames. It refused to cooperate. She struggled futilely in frustration.

"What are you waiting for?" she spat out, her words laced with defiance, "Finish me if you have the guts."

Roselle and Alan exchanged glances, both understanding the next decision here would be final. Roselle summoned her massive cannon at the utterance of the word 'weapon'. Seeing this, Alan moved to the front of Roselle while not directly looking at her.

"Roselle, look, I know you and your sisters don't show any mercy and I’ll agree you've been justified in defending yourselves. Even so… is there any way you can ‘not’ take her life?"

"Why?" Roselle questioned, her tone one of curiosity and uncertainty. She looked at Sylra, who lay injured on the ground before her, then back to Alan.

Alan's eyes showed a glimmer of compassion as he turned them towards Roselle focusing on her. "I'm on a mission to save as many mages as possible from the darkness that surrounds us, both the literal darkness and the darkness within ourselves. I know Sylra tried to kill you, Roselle, and that's not something we can simply overlook. But showing an act of mercy, even to an enemy, can sometimes lead to unexpected changes. Perhaps, deep down, Sylra can find a way to let go of her vengeful nature and hatred. Maybe, just maybe, she can be saved from the path she's been on."

He looked at Sylra who was still injured and struggling to get up. "If we spare her, then it might open the door to a different future for her. Maybe she’ll see that the path of Vengeance is the wrong one to take. I know, I know… It's a gamble but I’m out here to save lives if you catch my drift."

Roselle lowered her massive cannon speaking softly. "I may not fully understand your way, Alan, but I do understand what it means to forgive someone. Forgiveness doesn't mean we forget the wrongs but it gives a chance for change, a chance for someone to choose a different path. That being said, I know she will never forgive me for taking Thalindra from her life. There is only one way I won’t kill her.”

She looked between Alan and Sylra before turning her gaze back to the injured earth mage. "Sylra has to join our side. She has to leave behind the Magical Academy and work with Dr.Kintovar.”

Sylra's outraged scream echoed through the clearing at Roselle's suggestion. Her eyes blazed with anger as she struggled to sit up despite her injuries. "Join your side? Work with that Quack Doctor?! I'd rather die than become one of you! You think I'll just forget everything that's happened, forget what you did to Thalindra?! You're delusional if you think I could ever forgive you! Just kill me! Kill me and get it over with!"

The ground shook and dark energy continued to surge. The ominous dark moon, a manifestation of Arlysa's extreme magic, loomed ominously overhead, nearing completion. Alan glanced at the increasingly darkened sky looking filled with concern.

"We've taken too much time dealing with Sylra. We need to stop Arlysa before she completes that spell. Time is running out!"

Risebelle and Runebelle, their bodies battered and bruised, slowly began to regain their footing amidst the chaos. Runebelle was concerned for her sister. She said, "I can heal your wounds, Risebelle. It will make you feel better."

However, Risebelle shook her head. "No, Runebelle," she replied firmly. "Don't worry about me. Focus on stopping Arlysa. We can't let her complete that spell!"

As dark energy continued to surge around them, Arlysa's laughter echoed through the battlefield.

“My Extreme Magic is almost complete! In just a few moments, you will all submit to the everlasting darkness!” Arlysa shouted.

Runebelle, despite the dire situation, managed a small smile. "This journey as Project Rune has been an adventure, hasn't it? I got to help both of my sisters in a big way. That means the world to me."

Runebelle's words held a hint of solemnity as she said, "Risebelle, please promise me that you'll look after me when I shut down."

Risebelle, puzzled by her sister's words, raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean, Runebelle? Why are you talking like this?"

Runebelle remained quiet for a moment before responding, "I'll explain later, Risebelle. Just promise me that you'll be there for me when the time comes."

Runebelle’s energy surged with a green glow which enveloped her. She advanced fearlessly, allowing the dark blasts to strike her without flinching, thanks to her protective aura. With a blaze of flames in her eyes, she planted her giant needle into the ground injecting the earth with her elemental affinities: ice, fire and earth.

The ground trembled. The energies mixed and combined creating a volatile chemical reaction. Runebelle began to spin her needle like a drill, causing the ground to churn violently. Then, with a resounding "didididi! CHEMICAL CATACLYSM!" she triggered the explosion.

The battlefield was engulfed in a cataclysmic blast of chemical energy. Ice, fire and earth combined into a destructive force. The explosion inflicted massive damage to everything in its radius. The toxic residue left behind continued to harm those unfortunate enough to be in contact with it.

Risebelle, who was unaffected watched the display with awe and concern.

Alan acted swiftly and grabbed Roselle and Sylra. He pulled them out of harm's way just in time to avoid the catastrophic blast.

Arlysa, on the other hand, was caught off guard by the unexpected power of the attack. She cried out in surprised disbelief. "What, nooooooo!"

The chemical cataclysm wreaked havoc in the area, causing widespread destruction and leaving a toxic residue that continued to harm anything it touched.

Once the smoke and chaos cleared, it revealed the aftermath of Runebelle’s attack. Arlysa had borne the brunt of the attack. She fell down to her knees with heavy wounds. She was struggling to take breathes.

The dark energy that had been gathering in the sky began to disperse. This allowed the sun's rays to once again shine upon the area. The ominous dark moon that Arlysa had been trying to conjure dissipated, its power broken by Runebelle's explosive counterattack.

Risebelle's hands trembled as she checked Runebelle's systems. Her heart sank as she read it.

[[System message]]:

Lifeforce: n/a

Magic: n/a

Systems: Offline (24 hrs)

Tears welled up in Risebelle's eyes as she realized the extent of Runebelle's sacrifice. She had pushed herself beyond her limits to protect them all and now her systems were offline for a full day. This was the first time Risebelle witnessed a complete system shutdown. Risebelle knew that her younger sister had paid a high price for her bravery.

With a heavy heart, Risebelle cradled Runebelle in her arms, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. She whispered softly to her unconscious sister, “You….I…ngggh…. Runebelle. You stopped Arlysa…Rest now and we'll be here when you wake up."

With a smile, Roselle joined Risebelle beside Runebelle's motionless body. The magic that had surrounded them during the battle dissipated, returning Roselle and Risebelle to their normal states.

"Roselle, Runebelle will be offline for the next 24 hours. We need to make sure she's safe during that time. While I disable the mana extractor, please stay with her and watch over her."

Roselle nodded in agreement, understanding the importance of keeping Runebelle safe and secure while she recovered. She replied softly, "Of course, Risebelle.”

Risebelle's skilled hands moved with precision as she began to hack into the mana extractor's barrier. Her connection to the elemental energy allowed her to manipulate the barrier's structure and weaken it effectively. With focus, she continued to channel her own magic into the barrier, gradually breaking down its defenses.

As Risebelle's efforts continued, the barrier around the mana extractor started to flicker and waver. It was evident that her hacking abilities were making headway in disabling the device.

Risebelle's success in disabling the mana extractor was quickly followed by a barrage of magical attacks launched by the mages from the magical academy.

"Typical humans, never knowing when to give up," Risebelle muttered under her breathe while glancing at the mages from the magical academy who were now launching magical attacks. To Risebelle, this was not unexpected behavior. Her face contorted into a scowl.

The mages from the magical academy gathered and launched their magic attacks speaking fiercly:

"We can't let them get away with this! Attack!"

"Sylra and Arlysa need our help! Don't hold back!"

"Those artificial mages won't escape us!"

"Focus your magic, everyone! We can take them down together!"

"This is our chance to prove our loyalty to the academy! Keep it up!"

They were determined to stop Roselle, Risebelle and Runebelle from disabling the mana extractor

Alan stepped forward slowly. The magical academy members were left in confusion as they saw Alan, a supposed Elite mage on their side, stepping forward to confront them:

"Wait, isn't that Alan? Why is he attacking us?"

"Did he switch sides? What's going on here?"

"This doesn't make sense. Alan, are you betraying us?!"

"We need to defend ourselves! Something's not right!"

"Focus on the enemy in front of us! We can figure this out later!"

Alan launched fiery attacks which blazed through the ranks of those from the magical academy rendering them unconscious one by one. His unexpected intervention left the mages in shock. They were unable to defend themselves against his powerful fire magic.

With each precise strike, Alan made sure to incapacitate rather than harm to show restraint in his actions. The mages fell to the ground with their consciousness fading as they were knocked out cold.

Alan shouted desperately toward Roselle and Risebelle, "Destroy the Mana extractor now, we can't—"

His sentence was abruptly cut off as a powerful surge of magical energy engulfed him which caused him to slow down immensely and struggle to maintain his movements.

The intense magical energy washed over the immobilized mages, fear gripped their hearts. They knew all too well whose aura could invoke such terror. The presence that had descended upon them was unmistakable, a force that left no room for doubt.

Arlysa and Sylra, both feeling the overwhelming aura of fear, exchanged wide-eyed and fearful glances. The presence that had descended upon them was enough to send shivers down their spines, leaving them with a deep sense of dread.

Risebelle and Roselle, feeling the familiar and paralyzing aura of fear, exchanged concerned glances as they struggled to maintain their movements.

Risebelle whispered to Roselle, "Remember the last time we felt this? It was when... when we couldn't move at all."

Roselle, equally affected, nodded and replied with a hint of worry. "Yeah, I remember. It's that same Overpowering power. There's no mistaking it."

The memory of their previous encounter with this overpowering force filled them with a sense of dread knowing that it signified the presence of someone incredibly powerful and dangerous.