Zye couldn’t remember how long she had been trapped in this basement. The walls were covered in metal, there were no windows, and it was completely dark. The st time she had seen daylight, she had gone out into the asylum's garden to rest, then ter returned to her cell with a nurse. She had fallen asleep, and upon waking up, found herself in this basement.

  She was still wearing her pink uniform, which was assigned to the asylum's patients. The only thing she still had was her magic 8-ball, which gave her answers when she didn’t know what to do.

  On the first day, her jailer had expined why she was in this basement. Zye was supposed to design an object whose pns only she was supposed to know. However, Zye couldn’t manage to do it. She didn’t understand what they wanted, and she had no idea how she could create an object she had never seen before.

  In response, the jailer mixed Zye’s food with a special drug she was unaware of. But each day, she began to remember fragments of her childhood. She recalled her scientist parents and her older sister. She had been accustomed to reading and learning various things from her parents.

  Unfortunately, she also remembered the day everything fell apart for her—the day a friend of her parents came to take her in. That friend was Denasaia, who took Zye under her wing. She never learned what had happened to her parents or her older sister, who had helped her make decisions.

  The light finally turned on. As usual, Zye was momentarily blinded by it, forcing her to close her eyes. Then she looked at her jailer—a tall man with bck hair and a long beard. He set down a pte with raw fish and a bottle of water. Next, he pced a few objects on the floor, including a toolbox, and said:

  “And today? Still no memory of what you’re supposed to do?”

  Zye didn’t respond; she simply shook her head. She still had no idea, and the man began to grow angry. He shoved the pte of food and the scattered parts to the ground and grabbed her by her hair.

  “Twenty days! Still nothing! You’re useless! You’d better figure it out by tomorrow, or we’ll bury you twenty feet underground!”

  He released his grip on the half-cat girl with candy-pink hair. She colpsed to the floor with a pained whimper. The light went out, and Zye scrambled toward the fish to eat it. She only received one meal a day—just a single fish and a measly bottle of water.

  Hours ter, lying on the cold floor after eating the raw fish, something clicked in her mind. A memory surfaced. She shot to her feet, panic overtaking her. Anxiety flooded her thoughts. She now knew what she was supposed to build. She vividly remembered the pns she had once glimpsed in her mother’s office, purely by accident. But she couldn’t build it.

  She was capable of doing it, but she didn’t want to. What she was about to create could change the world. Standing up, she rushed to the metal door, banging on it loudly and shouting.

  “Let me out! I can’t do this! I won’t! You’re insane!”

  She kept pounding and cwing at the door, but it didn’t budge an inch. Finally, after several frantic strikes, the door flew open violently, throwing Zye to the ground once more. The jailer had returned. He grabbed Zye by the colr, pinned her against the wall, and chained her neck to it in a swift, cold motion. Then he walked out, leaving her alone.

  Zye curled up on the floor, tears streaming down her face. She began muttering the same words over and over, saying the end of the world was coming and that she couldn’t do it. Then, a ticking sound began to invade her mind. She csped her hands over her ears, but it was no use—the ticking grew louder and louder, driving her to the brink of madness. Something was affecting her, but it wasn’t an external sound. It felt as if a divine force was maniputing her. Finally, she screamed:

  “I’LL DO IT!”

  The words came out suddenly, without warning. She hadn’t even consulted her magic 8-ball, her usual decision-making crutch. Still crying, she slumped to the floor. The ticking sound abruptly stopped the moment she gave in, as if her acceptance had silenced it. Zye had finally resolved to build the object.

  Pov Mikki (A)

  It had been 20 days since the ship departed from Neko City, traveling along the coast of the continent and stopping at the ports of the Republic, the Empire, and smaller independent nations.

  Mikki, Sarah, and Sara had packed their belongings and were preparing to disembark; they would arrive at the port in about half an hour. The three of them waited outside on the ship’s deck, gazing at the sea. They still didn’t have any concrete pn, other than reaching the capital of the Kingdom without any trouble.

  The ship finally docked, and the three girls left the port. However, before they could enter the city and the Kingdom, they had to pass through strict security checks. The girls carried a permit from Denasaia that allowed them to bring weapons into the Kingdom, under the condition that the weapons remained inside their luggage.

  The first to approach the metal detector was Sarah. She removed her phone and a few loose items from her pockets, then walked through without setting off any arms. The same process followed for Sara.

  The st to pass was Mikki. She stepped up to the metal detector, confident she had removed all her weapons. However, a small sound broke the silence—a BEEP signaling that she had metal on her. Mikki looked at the security agents and her friends with a confused expression. She was certain she had been thorough in removing everything.

  One of the agents asked her to remove her belt, which she quickly did before stepping through the detector again.

  To Mikki’s frustration, the device beeped again. One of the security agents then firmly instructed her to...

  "Spread your arms and legs," the security agent ordered.

  Mikki complied, standing awkwardly as the agent began to pat her down. It was a deeply embarrassing moment for her, but it seemed routine enough—until the agent reached her boots. Suddenly, the agent pulled out a small metal knife.

  Mikki stared at it in disbelief. She didn’t recognize the knife and had no idea how it got there. Her mind raced, trying to piece together how this was possible. Meanwhile, Sara and Sarah exchanged panicked gnces. They couldn’t believe that Mikki had been caught with a hidden weapon.

  "You and your friends are under arrest," the security agent decred.

  The trio was stunned. Arrested? All three of them? None of it made sense, but they had no choice but to comply. Mikki was quickly handcuffed, and soon after, the two Sara(h)s raised their hands as more guards approached them. The guards pced cuffs on them as well.

  The guards proceeded to search Sarah and Sara but found nothing suspicious on either of them. Just as the girls thought the situation couldn’t get worse, one of the guards noticed the red gemstone hanging from Sarah’s neckce.

  "What is this stone?" the guard asked.

  Sarah blinked in surprise. The neckce had been in her family for generations, passed down to the eldest child. It had originally been given to Illeana, her older sister, but Illeana hadn’t liked the way it looked on her and had gifted it to Sarah. Their parents had never objected, and Sarah treasured it. It was her only keepsake from her sister.

  “It’s just a family heirloom,” Sarah expined nervously, clutching the neckce instinctively.

  But without hesitation, the guard reached out and removed it from her neck, slipping the neckce into their pocket.

  "This stone seems suspicious. We'll send it to the b for analysis," the guard said coldly.

  Sarah was devastated as the neckce was taken from her. Her fingers twitched where it had hung moments ago, and her eyes filled with tears. It wasn’t just a piece of jewelry—it was the st connection to her sister.

  "No, you can’t! It’s important to me! Please!" Sarah pleaded, her voice trembling with desperation.

  But the security agent ignored her completely, giving a small nod to the rest of his team, signaling them to follow him. The three girls were escorted outside, still handcuffed, and pced in a van. The heavy doors smmed shut behind them, leaving them alone in the dimly lit interior as the vehicle started moving. The atmosphere inside was heavy; something about this whole situation felt incredibly off.

  "Don’t you find this strange?" Sara asked, her tone thoughtful as she stared at the van’s ceiling.

  Sarah quickly shook her head.

  "...I don’t know, it seems normal to me?" she replied hesitantly.

  "No, it’s not normal," Mikki said firmly, her tone deadly serious as she began to expin.

  "I didn’t have that knife in my boot. I know all my weapons by heart, and I’ve never seen that knife before in my life."

  Sara nodded in agreement.

  "That’s what I was thinking too."

  Sarah blinked, confused. She hadn’t paid much attention earlier. To her, all of Mikki’s weapons looked the same, and she had never really cared much about lethal tools.

  Sara then continued with what she had been about to say.

  "We’ve been set up," Sara said, her voice firm. "If they were real guards, they would’ve just arrested you and let the two of us go. And taking Sarah’s neckce like that? No real security agent would do something like that in public."

  Mikki nodded, regretting her earlier inaction.

  "I should’ve fought back," she muttered through clenched teeth.

  Sara quickly shook her head, firmly refuting Mikki’s suggestion.

  "And become public enemies of the Kingdom? That would’ve completely compromised our mission. We need to find Zye quietly and then get out of the Kingdom."

  Sarah and Mikki nodded in agreement, both realizing Sara was right. They continued discussing theories about their situation, brainstorming what to do next. Then Mikki turned toward Sarah with a sudden thought.

  "Sarah? Do you still have your hairpin in your pocket?"

  Sarah blinked, then nodded. She always carried a hairpin with her as a precaution, a habit she’d developed back when she used to py cops-and-robbers games with Mikki. Mikki had a knack for tying her up, so Sarah had learned to be prepared.

  "Yeah, I still have it..." she replied, already sensing what Mikki was pnning.

  Sarah stood and shuffled closer to Mikki, who leaned toward her pocket. With a careful motion, Mikki retrieved the hairpin. Quietly, she began picking the lock on her handcuffs. It took about ten minutes of concentrated effort, but finally—click—the cuffs popped open.

  "Got it," Mikki said with a grin, immediately moving to free Sara and then Sarah.

  The three of them were finally unshackled, but the rear door of the van remained locked. They also realized, to their frustration, that they had been on the road for at least six hours without a single stop.

  After eight exhausting hours of travel, the van finally came to a halt. By this time, the girls had devised a simple but effective pn. They positioned themselves near the back doors, ready for anything. After a few tense moments, the doors creaked open.

  Suddenly, Mikki sprang into action, leaping onto the guard who had just opened the van doors. He was a gazelle man, and as soon as Mikki nded on him, he was sent sprawling to the ground under her weight. Without missing a beat, Mikki reached for his belt and grabbed his pistol. Moments ter, Sara and Sarah climbed out of the van behind her.

  Mikki quickly assessed the situation. The van had stopped near a building in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by savanna grassnds. Armed individuals of various animal-like races stood nearby, weapons at the ready. They didn’t look like guards or police officers; they resembled a private militia, rough and disorganized, far removed from any official force.

  Without hesitation, Mikki raised the pistol and fired three quick shots, targeting three semi-humans standing near the building. It only took a few bullets for all three to hit the ground. The sudden attack threw the militia into chaos, giving the girls a chance to act.

  "Run!" Mikki yelled as she started sprinting toward a rge hill stretching out before them. Sara and Sarah followed closely behind, while Mikki fired shots randomly behind her in an attempt to keep the militia at bay.

  The militia wasn’t firing live rounds but tranquilizer darts, aimed at incapacitating rather than killing. Mikki, with her quick reflexes, managed to dodge the incoming shots, weaving through the chaos. Sara kept up well enough, though not as quickly as Mikki.

  But Sarah wasn’t as lucky. A dart struck her in the leg, and she stumbled, her movements slowing. Her vision blurred as the tranquilizer took effect, and moments ter, she colpsed to the ground, unconscious.

  "SARAH!" Mikki screamed, panic cing her voice. She wanted desperately to go back and help her sister, but the sheer number of darts whizzing past made it impossible. It was a losing battle.

  Gritting her teeth in fury, Mikki turned her anger into action. She steadied her aim and fired with deadly precision at the militia, taking down several members in a matter of seconds. But her efforts were short-lived; the pistol clicked empty, out of ammunition.

  With no choice left, Mikki and Sara fled toward the hill, sprinting as fast as they could. Behind them, Sarah’s unconscious body was captured by the militia, the scene burning itself into Mikki’s mind as she and Sara disappeared into the savanna.

  Mikki and Sara ran as fast as they could, the guards who had held them captive earlier now hot on their trail. Mikki’s speed was extraordinary, and when Sara began to g behind, Mikki didn’t hesitate to scoop her up onto her back. Carrying Sara, who was as light as a feather, barely slowed her down.

  Eventually, they reached a cave and ducked inside to hide. They sat in silence, holding their breaths and listening for any signs of pursuit. After a few tense hours, it became clear—they had lost the guards. Finally, they could rex, even if only for a moment.

  But Mikki couldn’t rex. Her mind was racing, and her chest tightened at the thought of her sister, Sarah, being captured.

  “We have to find Sarah,” Mikki said firmly, her voice ced with determination.

  “We will find her,” Sara replied, trying her best to comfort Mikki. She gently rubbed her friend’s shoulder in a reassuring gesture. But the truth was, Sarah’s capture weighed on Sara as well.

  “We still have her tracker,” Sara added, trying to inject some hope into the situation.

  Mikki nodded and pulled out her phone, opening the tracking device designed specifically for them by Denasaia. A map appeared on the screen, showing Sarah’s location as a red dot. It was moving.

  “She’s heading toward the capital,” Sara said, her voice tinged with a brief note of optimism. “Perfect, that’s where we were going anyway.”

  Mikki cut her off, her tone serious. “We’re hours away from the capital. We’ll never make it on foot, and hitchhiking is too dangerous—we’re probably being hunted by that group.”

  Sara nodded in agreement, then stood up and started walking toward the cave’s entrance. Mikki raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

  “Well, are you coming?” Sara asked, gncing back at Mikki. “We’re not going to find your sister by sitting in this cave.”

  Mikki sighed, but she got to her feet and followed. Together, the two girls set off, crossing the savanna on foot. After what felt like ages, they finally stumbled upon civilization—a small tribal vilge inhabited by semi-meerkats.

  The two explored the vilge, talking to its residents and expining their situation. The meerkat tribe was known for its generosity, especially toward those in need. The vilgers sympathized with their plight and agreed to lend them two motorbikes.

  Mikki and Sara thanked the meerkats profusely, promising to return the bikes in good condition. Without wasting any more time, they hopped onto the motorbikes and sped off down the dusty roads, heading straight for the capital.

  Their mission was clear: rescue Sarah and Zye. Nothing would stand in their way.

  Pov Eliana (B)

  The road had been long for Eliana, Ali, and Kaia. They had been traveling south for 10 days, and finally, they were close to the capital.

  Ali had been driving carefully for hours, keeping a steady pace. The ndscapes of the Kingdom were breathtaking—a vast savanna dotted with small vilges that resembled tribal settlements. In the distance, rge mountains stretched across the horizon. The heat in the Kingdom was intense, but it was nothing compared to the sweltering temperatures in the southern territories of the continent.

  As they drove peacefully, they had to brake suddenly as they encountered a line of cars at a standstill. Ali wondered if it was just a traffic jam, but Kaia got out of the car to investigate. The road was blocked by an accident between a truck and a car. Kaia returned to the vehicle, still wearing her maid uniform.

  “Well, we’re stuck because of an accident. What should we do?”

  Eliana, sitting in the back, pulled out a map from her bag and checked their location. As she scanned the map, she noticed a detour that could help them avoid the blockage—a dirt road leading to a small tribe.

  “If we go back just two kilometers, there’s a way to bypass it. It’s a small dirt road,” she said, pointing it out.

  “Alright, let’s do that.”

  Ali decided quickly. She looked behind her and began to reverse, then made a U-turn. They drove for a short two kilometers, which was nothing compared to the hundreds of kilometers they had already covered since leaving the Empire. They then turned onto the dirt road and continued for a good twenty minutes.

  However, after some time, they noticed a police car trailing behind them.

  The police car fshed its headlights, prompting Ali to pull over to the side of the road. She gnced at Kaia, who sat beside her, wondering why they were being pulled over in such a remote area.

  The police officer approached the window, and Ali rolled it down, fshing a smile as the officer asked,

  “Good day, Miss. Can I see your vehicle’s papers and identification, please?”

  Ali is going to reach into the glove compartment, take the papers, and hand them to the police officers. Kaia stared at him, something wasn’t right, and as she observed Ali handing the papers to the officers, she noticed a detail on the policeman’s hand—the marks of a cross that seemed to have been burned into his skin. She realized something, and as the officer walked back to his car, Kaia whispered to Ali.

  “This man, he’s a member of the cult.”

  Ali and Eliana looked at Kaia, confused. How could she know that? Kaia responded to them.

  “Members of the cult have a burned cross on their hands, it’s the cult's mark... Just, go now!”

  Ali obeyed and smmed her foot on the gas, driving the car as best she could on the dirt road, even though the car wasn’t exactly suited for such bumpy terrain.

  Of course, once the police saw them flee, they immediately started chasing the group.

  A car chase began, Ali’s car kept skidding on the dirt road, and the police car was having the same problem—both were struggling to drive properly. Ali avoided various obstacles on the road, a rge stone in the middle of the path, a few fallen trees.

  The police car was getting closer and closer to the protagonists’ car when they suddenly made a sharp turn, and the police car skidded and crashed into a tree.

  The impact was strong, leaving the trio confused. The first instinct of Eliana, Ali, and Kaia was to get out of the car as quickly as possible. Eliana managed to get out easily by simply opening the door, but for the front seat, it was more complicated. One of the doors was jammed, and the other had trouble opening.

  Eliana tried to pull the door open, but the police were arriving quickly. Ali then shouted at Eliana.

  “Run!”

  Eliana nodded. She would have liked to argue and stand up to Ali, who was usually the dominant one between the two, but she didn’t have time to argue, so she took off running to escape. One of the officers, seeing this, began to shoot at Eliana. He didn’t have a real gun but rather a tranquilizer pistol, and they kept shooting at her until she was out of range. One of the officers said:

  “Two out of three, the boss should be happy.”

  The officers then drew their real service weapons. The two girls were still stuck in the car, even though Kaia had managed to open the door. They both got out of the car, hands raised, and slowly dropped to their knees as the officers approached to handcuff their wrists. But that wasn’t all—one of the officers had a surprise for Ali.

  He came over with a muzzle and pced it around Ali’s mouth to prevent her from biting them. Ali was furious and shook her head, hoping to get rid of the muzzle.

  It didn’t work, and the two were taken into the police car and driven away from the scene of the accident.

  Eliana had managed to lose the police. In any case, she was no longer in their line of sight, but she had been hit during her run. The dart hadn’t lodged too far into her thigh, but she felt disoriented.

  She began walking, the night starting to fall. She walked desperately, aimlessly, hoping to find someone who could help, but nothing. The farther she went, the more exhausted she felt. The effects of the tranquilizer were starting to really take hold of her.

  Eliana continued walking until she colpsed near a road. She stayed lying on the ground for two long hours, and then she woke up to a hand shaking her to wake her up. She opened her eyes and saw a catwoman with bck hair and a human like her with white and purple hair.

  “Sara, she looks familiar.”

  Sara nodded slightly and observed Eliana.

  “We’re taking her with us. No other choice.”