Runebelle’s sciousness went dark, but when she awakened, it was in airely differeing. The harsh lights and enviro of the tube chamber were repced by a room that felt strangely normal, though devoid of people and cluttered maery. Runebelle was disoriented, and the only other presen the room was a teenage girl with long yellow hair.

  “Hey, like, finally, you’re awake. It was, like, totally b here.”

  Runebelle, still trying to process her surroundings, blinked in fusion and struggled to find words. The girl was wearing a long blue shirt, simir to Runebelle’s attire.

  As Runebelle tio take in her surroundings, the pieces began to fall into pce. She reized this girl. She was the same girl who had once been the leader of a group that had stolen Runebelle’s close friend, Mica.

  Runebelle mao finally speak. “You must be Rosebelle, the ohey were talking about.”

  Rosebelle smirked and replied, “Yeah, totes, that’s me. I totally remember you. You’re the girl from our old schoht? The oh the, like, super weird multicolor hair.”

  Runebelle he memories of her past, particurly the pain of losing her close friend Mica to this group led by Rosebelle, began to resurface, and the sadhreateo overwhelm her once more.

  Struggling to maintain her posure, Runebelle finally asked, “What’s going on here? Why am I in this pce?”

  Rosebelle shrugged and said, “I, like, totes don’t know what’s happening, but it’s, like, super uncool that they just threw both of us in here like this.”

  Runebelle was still trying to make sense of the situation when Rosebelle suddenly shed out with a blow. Pain shot through Runebelle who staggered back.

  “What…What are you doing?” Runebelle gasped

  Rosebelle’s face dispyed anger. “It’s, like, obvs, I ’t stand to be in the same room with someone so weird. Nobody could. So I’m gonna take you out, and maybe it’ll help me get rid of all the frustration these guys put me through.”

  Before Runebelle could react, Rosebelle lu her again, driven by anger ament.

  As Rosebelle tio deliver blows to Runebelle, the pain was excruciating, but Runebelle desperately tried to reason with her. “Rosebelle, please, hold on!”

  But Rosebelle refused to listeween punches, she vented,

  “I, like, totally get you,” Rosebelle, “They seo school, but I ’t even throarty one fetting good grades and all my friends like, do that. How uncool is that? And that guy in charge, he wants me to do all this stuff, but like, I don’t even know who this Roselle is or why her name is, like, so close to mine.”

  Runebelle, despite the beating, picked up on the name Roselle. For some reason, it sounded familiar, bue she didn’t know why. Either way, Rosebelle’s frustration and anger were too inteo be swayed by her words.

  After the relentless beating, Rosebelle screamed

  “WHO IS ROSELLE!?!?!!?!?”

  Runebelle, battered and bruised, struggled to get ba her feet, but something incredible happening to Runebelle. It was as if the bruises and injuries were disappearing before her eyes. Runebelle’s body rapidly healed, leaving no trace of the punishment she had endured.

  Rosebelle’s anger was momentarily repced by astonishment. She took a step back, her eyes wide with fusion.

  “What are you?”

  “I ’t stop you from being angry,” Runebelle said softly despite the ret pain. “I uand why you’re frustrated. I’m not going to fight back. If hitting me helps you get out yer, then… I won’t stop you. You hit me all you want.”

  Rosebelle’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Wait, are you some kind of masochist who gets off on pain or something? You just let me beat you up and then heal like it’s no big deal?”

  Runebelle remained silent. Rosebelle, growing increasingly frustrated and delivered another brutal beating to Runebelle. But as before, the miraculous was starting to occur.

  “I don’t get it,” Rosebelle shouted. “Why would you just stand there and take it? What kind of person are you?”

  The Doctor soon after ehe room and decred, “The testing is over.”

  Runebelle, battered but miraculously healed, and Rosebelle, who had unleashed her frustration in vain, both looked at the Doctor with fusion, w what would happe.

  Runebelle was guided out of the room by a staff member, leaving behind the bewildering enter with Rosebelle.

  Meanwhile, Rosebelle was led away by a female doctor who had a somewhat maternal demeanor. The doiled warmly at her and said, “It’s going to be alright, dear. We’re here to help you.”

  Rosebelle blushed and replied, “I’m not a little kid, you know. I don’t like, need a mom.”

  The doctor chuckled and said, “Of course, I uand. But we’re here to support and care for you in any way you need. Is there anything you’d like to know or discuss?”

  Rosebelle seemed a bit flustered but finally asked, “Who’s Roselle? Like, they mentioned her earlier, and I totes have no idea who she is.”

  Runebelle only heard part of the versation while she was being taken the opposite way. She gained a growing i in the girl and also in the one named ‘Roselle’.

  The staff member esc Runebelle back to her chamber smiled and said, “It seems you’re quite ied in your new acquaintahat’s natural. But I want to tell you more about your abilities. You possess what we call ‘super regeion.’”

  Runebelle listened ily. “Super regeion means that your body heal at araordinary rate. It’s as if you mend injuries and wounds in the blink of ahis ability be incredibly useful, and we’re pnning to bi with your mother’s abilities to create something even more remarkable. It’s a part of oing research.”

  As Runebelle was about to be pced bato her chamber, the man in charge approached, colleg her data with an air of satisfa. He g the information and nodded in approval, muttering to himself, “Impressive, it took just one session to gather the necessary data. Now, we’re ready to begin the phase.”

  Runebelle ced bato the translut tube. She faced her mother once more. Tears still roamed her mother’s face, however, her mother’s eyes had the slightest amount of happiness when she saw that Runebelle had returned.

  The man in charge, standing nearby, raised his hand and firmly stated, “Begin the process.”

  From another room someone firmed over a speaker, “They’ve started the process.”

  Runebelle and her mother were enclosed in their respective tubes. A purple substance began to materialize around them, enveloping their bodies. Starting at their feet, a merging process initiated, and the pertage slowly began to increase on a dispy panel nearby. It read 1%, marking the beginning of this i procedure.

  Runebelle strained against her restraints while seeing her feet gradually disappear into the merging process; however, her efforts proved futile. Her strength quickly vahe world around her blurred, and darkness crept into the edges of her vision. With each passing moment, her sciousness slipped away.

  Amidst the intense and enigmatic atmosphere of the Shadowcroft facility, where Runebelle and her mother’s merging process was well underway, a sudden intrusion occurred that sent shockwaves through the enviro. The security arms bred and red lights fshed. The facility’s personnel rushed to defend their destine work. Yet, amidst the chaos, a tall, defiant figure appeared to walk through the doors.

  The intruder was a striking 6-foot-tall teenage girl, her hair was a vivid bination of blue and pink. She strode in with an air of fidence. her school uniform, she seemed like an ued visitor.

  With a sly grin, the man in charge chuckled. “What’s a schooing to do here? I think you made the wrong turn, missy” he jeered.

  The girl met his gaze fearlessly and uttered, “Kazeburo Shadowcroft, I’m here to stop you.”

  Kazeburo Shadowcroft’s ughter echoed through the room, and soon, his employees joined in.

  With a smug grin, Kazeburo retorted, “I don’t know what you think you’re trying to stop, young dy. We’re just a humble lending pany. Perhaps you should return to your school and leave the affairs of adults to the professionals.”

  The girl frowned. “Fine, I’ll leave it to the adults.” With a parting gre, she turo depart.

  Kazeburo Shadowcroft’s men watched the enter with fusion and curiosity. They huddled together, whispering among themselves and the audacity of the schoolgirl who dared to front their boss.

  One of the men with a slender figure approached Kazeburo with a question. “Sir, how did she even know your his seems odd.”

  Kazebured nontly with a smile. “She probably got a tip from the police or some other meddlesome authority. It doesn’t matter. She’s just a little girl in my eyes. What could she possibly do to us?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “Look at her. She may be tall, but clearly, she’s not all brains. Just because she barges in here and spouts my name doesn’t mean she’s a threat. ”

  The men began to join in, their ughter mingling with Kazeburo’s. “Yeah, kids these days,” one of them said with a sneer, “they think they py superheroes or something. They don’t realize they’re out of their depth in the real world.”

  Another added, “They watany anime and think they take on ahey’ve got no idea what it means to deal with actual grown-ups.”

  Kazeburo’s amusement was interrupted by a sudden shift in his demeanor. His face was thoughtful and he squiowards the door that the girl had just exited. “Wait a minute,” he said with a frown creasing his forehead. “How did she get inside?”

  He sed the room with a sharp gaz. “Whie of you was sleeping on the job? I want to knht now.”

  The men fell silent. Their earlier bravado was repced by uneasy gnces.

  “Shit, it’s the police!” one of Shadowcroft’s security personnel excimed over the speakers throughout the facility in fear. “They’re all over the facility!”

  Messages fshed across the ss, revealing the police equipped with camoufge teology. The personnel’s faces grew pale as they saw reports of officers freeing people from the tanks.

  “s report,” came someone frantic over the inter, “They’re freeing the people from the tanks! We need backup, now!”

  Before the report could finish, another person came through in an urgent tohey’re attag! I’m under fire!”

  Kazeburo’s face twisted with rage. He stormed toward the men in front of him and anded. “What are you all doing just standing there? Get moving! Find that girl—now! I want her brought to me.”

  He gred at them with nothing but ess. “I’m going to make an example out of her. She thinks she waltz in here and disrupt my pns? I’ll show her exactly what happens to those who e.”

  The men scrambled to carry out Kazeburo’s orders. Security personnel raced off to find the girl and ter the politrusion.

  Unbeknownst to them, the same girl who had earlier fronted Kazeburo was still within the facility. Using her camoufge device, she moved stealthily, blending into the surroundings.

  Suddenly, the girl appeared from the shadows. Without warning, she delivered a powerful kick to Kazeburo’s head. The force of the blow sent him crashing to the ground.

  Kazeburo’s stunned face was quickly repced by pain and disbelief. He tried to push himself up, but he ended up losing sciousness.

  The girl didn’t waste any time. She darted past the bewildered employees, skillfully infiltrating the inner sanctum of the facility, where the most crucial secrets y hidden.

  The girl’s heart raced upon reag the tanks taining Rune and Runebelle. She could see the process was already at 10%, and time was running out. In a desperate move, she pulled out a police-issued gun and fired at the tanks, but the reinforced gss remained unbroken, with only small cracks f on its surface.

  The girl tio fire shot after shot until her on was empty. With a heavy sigh, she muttered to herself, “Out of ammo. “She looked back to see Shadowcroft employees closing in.

  “And out of time…!”

  Just then, a hail of gunfire erupted from behind them, taking down several of the grunts in quick succession. The source of this ued help olian with long pink hair. The polian quickly dispatched the remaining employees, creating an opening for the girl to escape the encirclement. They met up, and the girl gratefully excimed, “Thank you for saving me!”

  The pink-haired polian smiled and replied, “No problem! You’re pretty brave to help us take on Shadowcroft like this, Sadie.”

  Sadie nodded. “Yeah, I’m the hacker they recruited. You know, I ’t let them do this without trying to stop it.”

  The polian with pink hair swaying nodded, “I get it, Sadie. But remember, this is dangerous. You’re just a high-schooler, after all.” With a smile, she added, “But as long as you’re with me, you’re straight! I won’t let anything happen to you!”

  Sadie’s eyes locked onto the enormous tube. The fusion of Runebelle and her mother slowly dispyed 20% oimer. She the polian and said, “You watch my back. Let’s see what we do to stop this madness.”