Felicity's queen's group had taken refuge in the hotel lobby, while the various occupants had fled to their rooms. Noctis and the SGU stood right in front of the queen, acting as a bullet shield, while Sarah and Kety took cover behind armchairs, unsure of the sniper's exact location.

  The SGU drew firearms from their full-body armor. The armor was made of copper, covering the SGU from head to toe. Kety had informed Sarah that the SGU were former criminals sentenced to life imprisonment, now forced to serve the queen.

  "So, what do we do now?"

  Sarah broke the silence just as a bullet struck Noctis' shield. The queen responded,

  "Sarah, neutralize the sniper."

  She said it in such a strict tone that, had Sarah not taken a second to think, she might have rushed outside immediately to take down the sniper.

  "What?! I can't do that without a pn—it would be suicide!"

  Kety supported Sarah's argument.

  "Yes, my queen, that would be pointless and would cost us someone too easily."

  The queen thought for a long moment, but the group had no time to waste—about ten armed men and women had approached the hotel doors.

  "Damn it! Take cover!"

  The SGU and the enemies immediately opened fire on each other. Noctis held her position in front of the queen as mechanical metal arms extended from her back, wielding firearms and firing at the attackers. Sarah was truly impressed by the firepower of Felicity’s royal guard.

  Sarah, Kety, and Janira, who were unarmed, simply hid behind the armchairs, hoping to avoid the gunfire. Sarah watched as a few SGU fell, but the queen's army still had the advantage.

  In the end, the enemies colpsed, dead. The queen’s side had suffered two losses—two SGU had fallen in battle after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

  "I guess these were the henchmen of the guy trying to shoot at us," Noctis concluded.

  Sarah stepped closer to the lifeless bodies on the floor.

  "We need a pn… I don’t want to die here!"

  Janira sighed deeply, clutching her notes and a camera in her hands.

  As the others tried to come up with a strategy, Sarah moved toward the corpses. When she touched the body of a woman, she suddenly had a fshback.

  Sarah was in a truck, sitting in the back among various crates. The truck had been on the road to the port for a few days now. Sarah was seven years old and had just been taken in by Dena and her crew. Mikki sat across from her, pying with her knife, spinning it on its tip.

  Both of them were still in shock. Just a few days earlier, they had been living peaceful lives, but everything had taken a dramatic turn when soldiers stormed the vilge where the two girls had been.

  Sarah stared at the floor, thinking back to that tragic day, and began to cry softly. Mikki, still wearing her sungsses, put her knife away in her pocket and moved closer, sitting right beside Sarah.

  "Don’t cry, Sarah…"

  She spoke in a weak, emotional voice.

  "I… I’m alone… my sister… my father… my mother… I’ll never see them again."

  Mikki nodded, pcing a hand on Sarah’s shoulder before gently touching her cheek.

  "I lost everything too… my father and mother… We’re both orphans now."

  Sarah didn’t say anything, and Mikki pulled her into a hug. She could see that Sarah wouldn’t recover from these events quickly, but she would do her best to support her emotionally. When she had leaped in to kill the two soldiers threatening Sarah’s life, she had already protected her. And in her heart, she felt a duty to keep protecting her until she could defend herself perfectly. Then, Mikki had an idea, and a small smile appeared on her face.

  "I know I could never repce your sister, but… you can consider me your sister. I… I already see you as my little sister."

  Sarah looked at Mikki. She seemed a bit embarrassed to say that—after all, she wasn’t sure how Sarah would react to the suggestion. Had she said it too soon?

  But when Sarah heard those words, her heart warmed, and a part of her sadness melted away. In response, she hugged Mikki even tighter.

  "Yes! I—I want to be your sister!"

  And that’s how Sarah East became Sarah Hearts. A strong bond united them.

  As Sarah touched the corpse, she felt herself changing—growing slightly, her body developing some new shapes. Noctis, noticing this, immediately pointed a weapon at her.

  "There's still one alive!"

  Kety, who had witnessed the scene, quickly stopped Noctis.

  "Stop! It's Sarah!"

  Noctis furrowed her brows and observed Sarah. She looked confused. Taking out her completely dead phone, she used the screen as a mirror. That’s when she realized—she had taken on the appearance of the deceased soldier. A part of her shoulder had burned through the fabric covering it, revealing her activated Firebirds tattoo.

  The queen smiled at the sight.

  "…I’ve found a pn."

  After a few seconds, Sarah returned to her normal appearance—she had just unlocked a transformation ability, a power to copy appearances.

  The queen shared her pn with the royal guards and their companions. Janira let out a slight sigh as she noted the pn down on a piece of paper. Standing beside her, Sarah could hear her sigh.

  "…50% chance this pn fails…"

  Sarah shivered slightly but understood the pn. It was risky, but possible.

  A few minutes ter, everything was set in motion. Under the queen's orders, Sarah had taken on the appearance of one of the fallen soldiers. She grabbed a pistol and pointed it at the queen’s temple.

  "Just so you know, I don’t risk my life like this every day! You better not mess this up."

  The queen tensed slightly. The pn was to bring her to the sniper and take him by surprise in close combat. The rest of the group would follow from a distance. Initially, the nurse was supposed to py Sarah’s role, but Noctis had dismissed the idea, knowing the sniper was likely familiar with the queen’s true identity.

  Sarah picked up the radio from one of the corpses.

  "Martin Lavise, I’ve captured the queen. Her guards fled, but we lost many men. Where do you want me to deliver her?"

  A neutral male voice responded.

  "I’ve sent the coordinates. I’m waiting."

  The location was 500 meters away, at one of the city's temples—the Eastern Temple.

  As they walked through the streets, Sarah and the queen were met with cheers and whistles. Some shouted, "Long live Lencho!" "Get rid of the traitors!" "We will conquer the south of Sano!"

  The queen could feel the burning urge within her to sh out and order her guards to silence the protesters. But she held herself back.

  They continued toward the grand temple, where an altar stood at its peak. From the roof, a young man in a suit leaped down, nding just below.

  Sarah immediately understood his intentions. She and the queen began climbing the steps toward the top of the Carmenist temple. Meanwhile, the rest of the group—Kety, Noctis, Janira, and the remaining SGU—circled around, preparing to take the enemy from behind.

  At the altar’s summit, Sarah—still disguised as a mere martyr—stood before the man: Matthias Beck, a renowned sniper in the empire.

  "Perfect. The great God thanks you for your service. The other groups have already gone to capture or eliminate the leaders of the southern nations."

  Sarah forced a fake smile. She wasn’t going to let that happen. But suddenly, Matthias raised an eyebrow. The queen, Mia, turned to look at Sarah.

  That’s when they both noticed—her disguise was slowly fading.

  "Sarah Hearts… I thought it was strange that there was only one survivor."

  The man held his sniper rifle, but he knew he couldn’t use it at such a close range without getting neutralized. Instead, he set it down and prepared his fists. Sarah did the same.

  "So, you can take on people’s appearances? I expected more from a rival."

  "Don’t underestimate me."

  A small, confident smile formed on Sarah’s lips. She had never been the best at hand-to-hand combat, but she had trained for years with her sister. Even if she had only beaten her once, she could still hold her own.

  Matthias unched the first attack, aiming a punch at Sarah’s face, but she dodged swiftly. As a half-cat, she was just as agile as her sister, though not as fast.

  She countered with a punch to his stomach, but he blocked it. Their fight continued—every blow either dodged or blocked. Until, finally, Matthias nded a punch to her gut.

  Sarah dropped to her knees, clutching her stomach, coughing up blood.

  The queen stood nearby, frozen. She wasn’t a fighter. She didn’t like combat.

  Matthias scoffed.

  "Just as I expected. Weak. Your sister is far better than you… Even those two mercenaries are better… Even the prime minister is better… But you? You’re nothing, little kitten."

  It wasn’t the first time she had felt this way—weak, helpless. She remembered when a soldier had caught up to them in the sewers, threatening them. Back then, Dena had saved her life.

  But now… she was alone.

  Sarah sits on a bench in the grass, her face marked with a few wounds—signs of a recent battle. She had just fought Mikki again… and lost, once more. Her sister had left to meet up with some friends, while Sarah remained behind, lost in thought, analyzing her defeat. She wondered if there was any way she could ever beat her sister.

  Suddenly, Dr. Denasaia stepped out of the Asylum and walked over to where Sarah was sitting.

  "Something wrong, Sarah?"

  Denasaia sat down beside her, gazing at her intently. Sarah wanted to say everything was fine, that there was no problem—but the st time she had lied, she had paid for it. Denasaia despised lies.

  "...I... I can never beat Mikki, no matter how many times I fight her."

  Denasaia kept a neutral expression as she looked out toward the horizon. She already had an answer, but she waited for Sarah to find it herself.

  "And why do you think you can't beat her?"

  "Because… I’m not fast enough… not strong enough… my reaction time is too slow."

  Denasaia nodded.

  "That’s true! You’re slow as hell, and a baby could probably take you down in seconds!"

  Sarah grumbled in frustration but didn’t respond. Denasaia smirked slightly and added,

  "If you're not fast enough or strong enough, how can you make up for it?"

  "...I… I don’t know."

  Denasaia reached out and tapped Sarah’s forehead with her finger.

  "Use your head. Trickery. If you want to beat Mikki, you need to be smarter and more unpredictable than her. And I know you're capable of that."

  Sarah, still on her knees, slowly rises to her feet. She smirks slightly and locks eyes with Matthias before spitting out the blood lingering in her mouth.

  "That’s rich, coming from a sniper who hides far from the fight."

  Matthias visibly takes offense at her remark. His usual calm demeanor twists into one of anger.

  "Me?! Weak?! I worked hard to become the Empire’s best sniper, and I won’t be criticized by some kitten!"

  Sarah notices movement behind Matthias—Noctis and the others are getting closer, their weapons ready. Suddenly, gunfire erupts from the base of the temple. The shots are too far to hit Matthias, but the noise distracts him just enough.

  Seizing the opportunity, Sarah lunges forward and sms her fists into the back of Matthias’s head.

  In the Asylum’s garden, Sarah stood dressed in sportswear, a wooden sword in hand. Opposite her, Mikki wore the same type of outfit and wielded an identical weapon. Denasaia watched over them, acting as the referee.

  "Dena, didn’t you say there was a new rule?"

  Denasaia was unfazed by Sarah’s question, remaining calm and neutral. As Mikki turned her head toward the doctor, Sarah seized the moment to strike. Her wooden sword nded hard against Mikki’s ribs.

  "You little bitch!" Mikki groaned in protest, gripping her sword to counterattack. But Sarah had been quick—she had taken the advantage, and Mikki, still caught off guard, struggled to defend herself as Sarah rained down blows.

  Eventually, Mikki fell to her knees, breathing heavily but smiling slightly.

  "Sarah Hearts, winner."

  Mikki smirked as she stood back up.

  "Well, at least you managed to beat me once... but that trick won’t work every time."

  She pced a hand on Sarah’s shoulder. Despite the loss, she was genuinely happy for her.

  It was the same feeling that washed over Sarah as Matthias abruptly colpsed to the ground. She almost expected a pyful pat on the back from Mikki—but there was no one.

  The group at the bottom of the altar quickly joined Sarah and the Queen.

  “...I-I beat him…”

  Mia cpped as the SGU began tying Matthias up with adhesive tape. The Queen looked at Sarah with interest.

  “You’d make an excellent royal guard. I like you. I will definitely recruit you.”

  The offer was tempting, but Kety, the nurse, had already warned Sarah that those under contract with the Queen were never allowed to leave the isnd.

  “I’m sorry… my Queen, but… I have a family I need to see, and I can’t be separated from them.”

  Mia’s expression turned to one of disappointment as she gave Sarah a sharp look before turning away.

  “Your debt is 10% repaid. Once it is fully repaid, I will release you.”

  A chill ran down Sarah’s spine. The atmosphere had shifted so suddenly that an awkward chuckle escaped her lips.

  “I need to find my sister… I have this feeling I have to reunite with the Firebirds.”

  Mia nodded before turning to her attendants.

  “Very well… The SGU and Noctis should be enough to accompany me. Kety, I’m pcing Sarah under your care until further notice. Make sure she doesn’t escape.”

  The nurse gave a small bow of acknowledgment.

  “Thank you, Queen Mia.”

  Sarah mimicked Kety’s bow before stepping down from the altar, setting off on a quest to find the other members of the Firebirds.