In the Northern part of the Mystical forest, Dr. Kintovar, Becky and Sybil moved until they came upon a heavily guarded Mana extractor. The forest's dense foliage provided cover for the trio who observed the mages in charge of protecting this structure.

  Dr. Kintovar reviewed the data she had on this sector. She then turned to Becky and Sybil,

  "Becky, Sybil, I need more proof of your loyalty. We can't afford any doubts or betrayals at this stage. So, I need you to go out and confront the mages," Dr. Kintovar stated firmly but with a smirk. "But before you do, remove your hoods."

  Becky’s hood fell from around her face while stepping in front of Kintovar with haste. The light filtering through the dense forest illuminated her sharp features—short pink hair, piercing green eyes and a scowl that deepened with every passing second.

  “B-Becky!” Sybil gasped.

  Becky clenched her jaw. “You think we had these hoods on for no reason? We didn’t want those mages recognizing us!”

  She turned sharply toward Kintovar. “I’m not just gonna rip this off lightly. We actually have people who’d kill us on sight if they knew we switched sides.”

  Kintovar crossed her arms. “Funny,” she said while tilting her head slightly, “you say that, yet your hood is already down.”

  Becky blinked, then reached up quickly. Her fingers met the bare top of her head. A flash of realization hit her, followed by an immediate glare.

  “What the hell—?!” She whirled toward Kintovar. “You—”

  Kintovar twirled a small, nearly invisible wire between her fingers before slipping it back into her sleeve. “You were too busy being dramatic to notice.”

  Becky’s fists clenched, but she bit her tongue. Sybil, still hooded, took a slow step back. “Dr. Kintovar,” she said hesitantly, “if they see us, they’ll know—”

  “Good,” Kintovar interrupted, adjusting her sunglasses. “Then they’ll know what happens when people like you stop running and choose to be on the right side of history.”

  Becky huffed before glancing at Sybil. "Oi," Becky nudged her roughly with an elbow. "Don’t think you’re getting a free pass."

  Sybil tensed. “Becky…" She spoke with a whisper, almost pleading. "I—"

  "’Becky I’ nothing," Becky cut in. "If I gotta do it, then so do you."

  Sybil swallowed hard. Her hands trembled.

  Becky sighed, then leaned in slightly. "Look, if we’re really ditching our old lives—then we can’t be half-assed about it." She tilted her head towards the patrolling mages. "They’re either gonna see us as cowards running with our tails between our legs, or as enemies. Either way, they’ll know soon enough. Might as well face it head-on."

  Sybil flinched. ”Yeah, but…”

  Becky rolled her eyes and groaned. "Ugh, enough thinking!" With one quick motion, she reached over and yanked Sybil’s hood down.

  The moment the cloth slipped away, Sybil sucked in a sharp breath. Her short green hair was revealed, and her crystal-like eyes widened as though she had been struck by a blade.

  Becky gave a firm nod. "There. Now we’re even."

  Kintovar grinned and pushed up her sunglasses slightly. "Much better. Now let’s get this show started, shall we?"

  Becky and Sybil emerged from the cover of the Mystical forest. The mages guarding the Mana extractor immediately took notice.

  One of the mages, a stern-looking woman with flowing silver hair stepped forward and addressed Becky and Sybil, "State your names and ranks."

  Becky spoke first. "I'm Becky, and I hold the rank of Elite Mage."

  Sybil followed suit. "I'm Sybil, and I'm also an Elite Mage."

  The mages exchanged glances. The Woman declared,"There are only four Elite Mages, and they have been assigned to other Mana Extractors, so you’re clearly lying."

  She then turned to one of the other mages and ordered, "Perform a quick background check on the names Becky and Sybil."

  When the mage began to conduct the background check by a structure, they were met with a sudden, silenced gunshot. The mage's body slumped to the ground with a small hole in their forehead marking the lethal shot.

  Dr. Kintovar had acted swiftly in the shadows and moved to steal the mage's cloak to conceal her identity.

  "What's taking you so long? It should have only taken you seconds!" The silver-haired woman exclaimed towards the mage conducting the check after only a few seconds went by.

  Kintovar imitated the high-pitched voice of the woman she had killed with perfection, even carrying the same tone, "Sorry, ma'am, we're just experiencing some technical difficulties with the background check."

  The silver-haired woman frowned. She turned her attention back to Becky and Sybil.

  "I am Solene, a teacher at the Academy," she declared. " Solene narrowed her eyes. Something about them gnawed at the edges of her mind.

  "Wait a minute…" she murmured while tilting her head slightly. She took a slow step forward and looked at them better.

  Then, recognition struck.

  Becky—bold, brash, always arguing in class. Sybil—quiet, observant, but never far from Becky’s side…

  Solene’s face twisted into disbelief. "You…Becky and Sybil… I trained you."

  Becky’s jaw clenched. Sybil stiffened beside her.

  Solene let out a sharp exhale. "What sort of prank is this?" She gestured sharply at them. "Why are you out here, parading around with stolen Elite titles?"

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  She scoffed and shook her head. "I knew you two were reckless, but this?" Her gaze darkened. "You have five seconds to explain why you’re standing here before I have you both restrained."

  "Hey, I need some help over here," Kintovar in disguise called out to them. "There's something strange going on with the magic system. It's like the whole system is down!"

  Solene's eyes widened in disbelief."This is highly unusual," Solene muttered. "I've never heard of the magic system failing…”

  Kintovar, still mimicking the dead mage let out an exaggerated sigh. "It’s a huge failure, ma’am. I can’t even scan through the list either. Something’s seriously wrong. Why don’t you try it yourselves?"

  Solene frowned. She turned to the other mages. "Run a scan."

  A few of them complied immediately, muttering incantations and placing their hands over the enchanted devices they carried. Their faced shifted from focus to confusion, then to alarm.

  "It’s… not working," one mage muttered.

  "Same here," another confirmed.

  A ripple of unease spread through the group. Solene’s eyes flickered toward the structure where Kintovar had positioned herself. She narrowed her gaze.

  "This is highly unusual," she muttered again, but this time carrying suspicion.

  Her stance shifted slightly. Then, sharply, she ordered, "You. Step forward."

  Kintovar remained behind the structure.

  "Did you not hear me? I said, step forward."

  Still, Kintovar didn’t move.

  Solene’s patience snapped. She pointed at a few mages. “Enough games! You two—bring her here."

  Two mages immediately moved toward Kintovar’s position.

  Hidden beneath the hood, Kintovar’s smirk widened.

  The two mages strode toward the structure, ready to grab the cloaked figure.

  Then—

  BOOM.

  A deafening blast tore through the air from behind the tower. Their bodies disintegrated mid-step, reduced to nothing but scorched remains. What little was left of them collapsed onto the ground with a sickening thud.

  Solene’s breath hitched upon seeing the grisly remains of her subordinates, "What… what just happened?!" she demanded. "That attack—it came from—"

  She sucked in a sharp breath as realization dawned.

  "Wait… don't tell me…!"

  Then, slow and deliberate, a figure emerged from the shadows.

  Dr. Kintovar. She threw off the cloak, revealing her white lab coat that flared slightly while she made a confident. Her pink headphones rested around her neck, and her sunglasses reflected in the light of the mana extractor. A smirk curled on her lips.

  The moment she came into full view, the enchanted devices carried by the remaining mages flickered erratically.

  BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

  The noise grew in intensity. Sparks crackled along their surfaces as the magic within them overloaded in real-time. Panic flashed across the mages’ faces,

  And then—

  BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

  Each device detonated in rapid succession, sending waves of concussive force through the clearing.

  One by one, the mages fell collapsed with blood splattering against the forest floor as the explosions ripped through them.

  In mere seconds, they were all gone.

  All except Solene, who lifted her gaze with her sharp silver eyes locking onto Kintovar, burning with unrestrained fury.

  "KINTOVAR!!!"

  She spat the name like venom.

  Kintovar merely lowered her sunglasses briefly and said, "Miss me?"

  Solene’s fists clenched. "Those enchanted devices… What the hell did you do?"

  Kintovar spread her arms with a smirk. "Oh, I just… reprogrammed them a little."

  Solene’s eyes flickered with disbelief. "Reprogrammed? That’s impossible! Magic isn’t some machine you can tamper with!"

  Kintovar’s smirk sharpened. "Isn’t it, though?"

  She took a slow step forward. "What do you think magic really is, Solene? Some divine gift from the heavens? No. It’s a system. A network of rules, patterns and equations written into the very fabric of existence. And once you understand that system…"

  She pulled a small metallic device from her coat pocket and held it up between two fingers. "You can rewrite it."

  Kintovar twirled the device idly. "Your Academy was so scared of the idea, they gave it a name themselves." She grinned.

  "Artificial Magic."

  "You—you created it?!" Solene wavered between fury and disbelief.

  Kintovar nodded her head. "I rewrote your enchanted devices protocols long before we even got here." She tucked the device back into her pocket. " The moment you tried to scan my friends over there, my modifications triggered a failsafe. Overloaded the magic network, fried every currently linked device. Instant purge."

  Solene took a shaky breath. "You turned our own magic against us."

  Kintovar grinned. "Correction: I turned my magic against you."

  Becky took a deep breath, then unslung a hefty, metallic hammer from its holster. The design was unlike anything seen in the Academy—sleek, reinforced with dark metal. There were glowing inscriptions which ran along its length.

  Sybil, on the other hand, withdrew a sword. It’s edge was too refined for any traditional forge. The blade held an unnatural greenish glow.

  Solene’s eyes widened before her face twisted into sheer outrage. “What the f--hell are those?!"

  Becky rested the hammer on her shoulder and grinned. "Weapons."

  Solene’s hands twitched. Her “I don’t know what foolish ideas you’ve picked up, but weapons like that are useless in a real fight. Have you learned nothing?"

  She scoffed. "Magic comes with a set of rules. You can’t brute-force your way past them. This is just like when—"

  Her silver eyes snapped to Sybil. “--just like the time you tried to fight with a cleaning broom."

  Sybil flinched. The sting of that humiliation was still there. She remembered it vividly—standing before Solene. She gripped a wooden broom like a sword against her.

  Back then, Solene had knocked her down in seconds.

  Becky let out a short laugh. "Screw the rules, Solene."

  Solene’s gaze snapped back to her.

  "The so-called rules set in stone by the Magical Academy left us with nothing. No technology. No progress. Just endless, outdated traditions and the arrogance of those born with strong magic." Becky’s grip tightened around her hammer. "They forced us to play by their standards while the world stayed the same for centuries!"

  Her green eyes blazed.

  "You might be fine with that, but we’re done with that shit."

  Sybil took a slow breath. She lowered into a stance. "This time," she said quietly, "I’m not holding a broom."

  Becky slammed her massive hammer into the ground with incredible force, sending shockwaves of earth and rock rippling toward Solene. The ground trembled as seismic waves surged outward, threatening to engulf Solene in their destructive path.

  Solene raised a barrier of magic in a desperate attempt to shield herself from the oncoming onslaught of earth and rock. The impact of the seismic waves sent her stumbling backward with her magical barrier straining to hold.

  Sybil's vanished from Solene's line of sight. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared behind the stern mage and imbued the sword with the power of her own magic, forcing wind to flow outwards and slice the space around her.

  Solene closed her eyes.

  For a fleeting moment, the battlefield was silent.

  Then—

  "Advanced Magic: Chronos Cosmas."

  The air shuddered as a pulse of raw magical energy erupted from Solene’s body. A stark transformation overtook her—half of her form turning a pale, ethereal white, while the other half became a void-like black, absorbing the very light around it.

  Her silver hair billowed unnaturally between these opposing forces.

  Solene’s eyes snapped open, now glowing with an unnatural radiance.

  With a mere gesture of her hand, the shockwaves from Becky’s hammer froze mid-motion—every chunk of earth halted in time.

  Then, with an effortless flick of her wrist—

  The shattered ground restored itself. Rocks that had been displaced snapped back into place.

  Becky’s eyes widened. "What the—?!"

  In the same instant, Sybil’s wind-blade strike closed in on Solene’s back. She was inches away from landing blow, but Solene vanished.

  A blur of white and black reappeared above them.

  With a downward swipe of her palm, a force of magic crashed into Becky and Sybil like a celestial hammer. The sheer weight of it sent them both hurtling backwards. They slammed hardinto the hard forest floor.

  Becky gasped. Sybil coughed, trying to force herself upright despite the crushing pressure Solene had just exerted.

  Solene descended gracefully. She tilted her head slightly, observing their stunned faces after that attack. Her lips curled into a cold smirk. "What's the matter? Never seen Cosmos Magic before?"

  Becky gritted her teeth. "You’ve never—" she coughed, pressing a hand to her ribs, "—you’ve never used this against us before!"

  Solene’s smirk deepened. "Of course not. You were just students back then."

  Her glowing silver eyes gleamed ominously.

  "But now? Now you’re traitors."

  Project Mage