Roselle's successful attack surprised not only Risebelle but also Dr. Kintovar.

  But then, a shift in Risebelle's face was unmistakable. Her calm face darkened. Her aqua eyes darkened, and a dangerous aura seemed to radiate from her.

  Roselle’s breath hitched. The older sister’s usual coolness had been replaced by a rage that was chilling to witness.

  Roselle stumbled back and said, “Uh oh…someone doesen’t like taking damage…”

  Taking a deep breath, Roselle reminded herself, ‘I got one on her. If I can do that, I can do it again. Maybe...’

  Risebelle’s eyes locked onto Roselle’s with a dangerous gleam. "Lightning," she said coldly, "won't strike twice."

  Dr. Kintovar observed the shift in Risebelle's demeanor with a hint of satisfaction.

  Risebelle began to channel her magic and the air around her seemed to shift. Dark clouds materialized above her. Drops of a corrosive blue liquid formed within the clouds upon the entire room

  Roselle's mind raced upon seeing Risebelle conjure the dark clouds and corrosive blue liquid. It was a technique she had encountered before during her battle with Thalindra that boosted her own strength.

  'Could Risebelle have been there during that battle? ‘The question lingered in Roselle's thoughts.

  Dr. Kintovar held up a makeshift umbrella to shield herself from the corrosive rain. She spoke confidently above the sound of the downpour.

  "This technique is known as 'Acid Rain.' It's a specialty I designed for each of you to have in your own ways as a counteractive measure against those with high regenerative abilities, like the Forest Guardian Thalindra."

  She glanced at both Roselle and Risebelle before continuing, “Risebelle, you seem quite proficient with it."

  Dr. Kintovar raised one finger. “It’s important to know that 'Acid Rain' isn't effective against my own creations. In fact, it has the opposite effect; it boosts their abilities."

  Kintovar's words confirmed Roselle's suspicions. Risebelle had indeed been present during the battle with Thalindra, and she had been the one using the 'Acid Rain' technique. The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place. But why didn’t they run into each other?

  Kintovar then turned her attention to Roselle. “Now, granted, Roselle, your affinity is lightning. You won’t exactly have the same type of connection to this technique but, we’ll see what your abilities develop into.”

  Roselle looked up and her brow furrowed in thought. ‘What does that mean for me?’

  Risebelle spoke in a calm tone despite the rage on her face. "My affinity for water allows me to manipulate the corrosive rain from 'Acid Rain' to enhance my abilities."

  Risebelle summoned her power and the corrosive raindrops twisted and merged with her control over water, forming a powerful whirlwind of swirling liquid.

  With a slight gesture, Risebelle sent the whirlwind spinning towards Roselle. Roselle found herself in a challenging situation, struggling to maintain her footing since the water spread out with it’s razor-sharp water blades cutting and destroying the remaining square platforms in the room.

  As Roselle struggled to navigate the treacherous whirlwind created by Risebelle, her mind raced with thoughts. She reflected on Risebelle's earlier words about the importance of more than just firepower.

  'Is this what Risebelle meant?' she thought, 'I can't rely solely on my cannon in every situation. ..'

  Roselle attempted to delve deeper into her own magical affinity. Her thoughts centered on the color that represented her powers: yellow.

  'Yellow… What could it mean?' she pondered, “No…I know what it means…lightning…that’s my magic!'

  Suddenly, a surge of electrical energy crackled around her body which was under her complete control. The System then raised a notification:

  [[System Message]]

  Affinity Unlocked: Lightning Magic

  Roselle could feel the power coursing through her. A newfound connection to the element of lightning opened up. Roselle’s eyes widened as lightning surged around her body which intensified at her command and changed from yellow to a brilliant red.

  But when the energy turned from yellow to a deep red, panic set in. She knew she had tapped into something far beyond her control. She pushed out so much lightning energy that her magic had skyrocketed over 200% of it and she was struggling to contain it.

  In her mind, she desperately tried to rein in the surging power. ‘Urghhh! Oh no! This is too much! I can't…control it it!'

  Then, with a blinding flash, the uncontrolled magic erupted outward into a violent explosion that extended far beyond her intended target. It coursed through the acidic rain and into the swirling water and magic vortex Risebelle had created.

  Roselle gasped. Her body convulsed with the immense strain and she felt a searing pain of her magic backfiring on herself.

  Risebelle, meanwhile was caught off guard by the unexpected explosion of power. The vortex she had created began to dissipate and she was engulfed into the explosion of Roselle.

  Dr. Kintovar watched in shock with her makeshift umbrella barely protecting her from the aftermath of the explosion.

  [[System Message]]

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Risebelle: 26% Lifeforce Remaining

  Roselle: 15% Lifeforce Remaining

  Through the smoke and crackling energy, Risebelle stood with a stunned look on her face. "That power," she murmured.

  Roselle, on the other hand was struggling to stay on her feet. Steam billowed from her body and scorch marks marred her skin. Her breath came in labored gasps.

  Dr. Kintovar, still holding up her umbrella looked at the scene in shock. The room was a mess. Bits of melted platform, scorched floor and the lingering electrical charge that crackled in the air but despite the destruction, there was a certain pride in her gaze. She spoke with amusement in her tone. "Well, well, I must say, I didn’t expect that from you, Roselle. You’ve definitely surprised us both."

  Her tone shifted slightly to being more serious. “That’s enough for one day, though. You’ve shown a lot of potential, but pushing yourself too far... well, that’s something we’ll have to work on.”

  Roselle, barely managing to keep her balance and looked up with a tired smirk. “I think I need a few hours on the ground now.”

  Without another word, she dropped to the floor with a soft thud. Her eyes were half-lidded as exhaustion quickly overtook her.

  Dr. Kintovar placed her hands on her hips and turned to Risebelle. “I must admit, I’m impressed,” she said with a smile. “You didn’t go all out. You showed restraint, which is... rare for you.”

  Risebelle, slightly out of breath from the clash glared at her sister with a hint of frustration in her aqua eyes. "When certain someone begged me not to break her, I had no choice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any food provisions for the day. Which, for some reason, just in case you don’t know Roselle, Kintovar designed us to have to eat once a day."

  Risebelle then leaned in to Kintovar with her eyes narrowed. "You don’t know how annoying that is."

  Kintovar’s eyes widened and a bead of sweat formed on her forehead. She took a half step back. “It’s... it’s a miracle feature! A necessary one for your development. You’ll see! You’ll be thanking me later!"

  Risebelle crossed her arms and lowered her eyes. “A miracle feature? Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say.”

  Kintovar sighed and quickly turned her attention to Roselle, who was still sprawled on the floor. Kintovar spoke with a commanding edge. "Risebelle, carry your sister to the tanks on the second floor. She needs rest and healing. Both of you do."

  Risebelle looked at Roselle for a moment, then back at Kintovar. Her face turned reluctant. “I don’t want to. You do it.”

  Kintovar’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Stop acting like that, Risebelle,” she snapped, “Roselle is your sister now. You need to care for her.”

  Risebelle’s gaze flickered and she scoffed, though there was no real venom behind it. “Sister, huh?”

  Kintovar crossed her arms. Her face softened just slightly. “Yes, sister. And you’ll have to get used to it. You’ll need to learn to care for each other soon enough if you want to survive. I told you, you won’t be going out on solo missions anymore if Roselle succeeded her first mission.”

  Risebelle remained silent for a beat while eyeing Roselle with annoyance. She finally sighed and said, “Fine, but don’t expect me to be a ‘lovey-dovey’ sister”

  Kintovar gave a small, satisfied smile. “I’m sure you’ll be close enough atleast. Now, get to it.”

  Risebelle, with a sigh of reluctance gently lifted Roselle’s limp form into her arms. The two moved silently through the lab until they reached the tanks on the second floor. Risebelle carefully placed Roselle into one of the chambers. The cool metallic surface of the tank welcomed her weakened body.

  As Risebelle finished setting her in, Roselle managed to murmur softly, “Thank you... for carrying me.”

  Risebelle didn’t respond and maintained a cold stare.

  "Risebelle," Roselle said with a light smile forming, "I... I just wanted to say…thank you for the training and the battle. I know we're different, but we’re family now, right?"

  Roselle hesitated before continuing. “I…don’t know if you had a past life like me… but I hope we can work together. I want us to be a strong team for Dr. Kintovar.”

  For the first time in the conversation, Risebelle’s tense face seemed to soften, just slightly at the mention of the word "past."

  "As a matter of fact," Risebelle began with something hard to read, "I did have a past life... just like you."

  Roselle’s eyes widened. “You... you did? You’re like me?” She began to sit up a little in the tank and spoke eagerly. “What happened? Do you remember your past?”

  But Risebelle didn’t give her a chance to get another word in. With a final glance at Roselle, she turned and began walking toward the adjacent tank on the other side of the room.

  Roselle, disappointed watched helplessly as Risebelle entered her own tank with the door sliding shut with a soft hiss. Green, glowing liquid began to fill the tanks, sealing both of them inside their respective chambers. The hum of the tanks filled the room and Roselle’s thoughts raced but there was little she could do now.

  When the room settled into a quiet calm, the faint sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase leading up to the second floor. Dr. Kintovar, with her signature confidence appeared at the top of the stairs.

  She stood there for a moment, pausing at the sight of her creations resting in their tanks.

  With a deep breath, Dr. Kintovar placed her hands on her hips and took a step forward. She smiled while looking at Roselle, Risebelle and the third projectpeacefully submerged in their tanks.

  "Perfect," she muttered under her breath with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "This is exactly what I’ve been working for."

  The Next Day:

  Roselle slowly opened her eyes. The greenish glow of the tank's interior illuminated her surroundings. When her vision cleared, she realized she saw that Risebelle's tank, which had been beside hers was now empty.

  She felt curious. Risebelle had been there when she had gone to sleep, so where could she have gone so early?

  With her body feeling fully rested, Roselle carefully opened her tank after the green substance receded. She took a moment to stretch her limbs before deciding to investigate where Risebelle might have gone.

  Dr. Kintovar turned her attention to Roselle who came down to the first floor and said, "Ah, Roselle, I'm glad you're awake. As for Risebelle, she's already been dispatched on your second mission. Your task is to join her and scout the Mystic Forest. We've conducted numerous experiments there and we need to ensure the area remains secure and free of any remaining humans."

  Roselle listened attentively to Kintovar's explanation. "I understand, Dr. Kintovar. Can you let me know where I should meet Risebelle?"

  Kintovar nodded and projected a holographic map from a device. "Certainly, Roselle. You'll find Risebelle in this area. Be cautious and thorough in your mission. Ensure that no humans remain on the island. Once the task is complete, return to the lab."

  Roselle nodded. "I'll do my best, Dr. Kintovar. I won't let you down!"

  With her instructions in mind, Roselle headed toward the designated meeting point.

  Roselle soon met Risebelle near the edge of the Mystic Forest. Their location offered a glimpse of the ocean in the distance. Risebelle's aqua hair fluttered slightly in the breeze as she turned her attention to Roselle.

  "We're close to the forest's edge," Risebelle beganin a serious tone. "Our mission is to ensure that no humans remain on this island. We've already eliminated most of them but we can't afford to overlook any survivors. We should start by thoroughly searching the forest and its outskirts," Risebelle continued. "Keep an eye out for any signs of human presence and report back to me if you find anything suspicious."

  Roselle nodded. "Understood. Let's do this, Risebelle. We won't leave any stone unturned."

  Risebelle carefully roamed through the outskirts of the Mystic Forest scanning for any signs of human presence. After moving further ahead, something caught her attention: A small building nestled close to the ocean, partially hidden by the trees. A weathered sign by the entrance read, "Academy of Magic."

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