In the room filled with various cages containing mythological monsters, Mikki and Eliana had just witnessed the death of the spy. The bde that had been plunged into her abdomen was pulled out, and they immediately recognized the killer—Amadee, the captain of the Martyrs from another continent.

  She turned toward the girls, who instantly drew their weapons—Mikki with her katana and Eliana with her knife. Mikki gritted her teeth.

  “We’re going to have to fight, Eliana… Stay behind me and try to find her weakness.”

  "Renimilé suov ed spmet el unev tse li."

  The two girls gnced at each other, having never heard that nguage before. Eliana frowned.

  “Elvish?”

  Mikki shrugged, unfamiliar with the nguage.

  “No idea.”

  Suddenly, without responding, Amadee dashed toward them at incredible speed. Mikki barely avoided the strike, thanks to her power, which allowed her to react quickly.

  “Eliana, stay back and give me intel—I’ll handle the fight.”

  She raised her katana, keeping her guard up as she observed Amadee, who wielded two small bck-bded sabers. This wouldn’t be an easy fight, but Mikki was ready.

  Amadee charged at her again, and Mikki barely dodged. She summoned her wind power, attempting to send a gust strong enough to throw Amadee off bance, but her attack missed—she was simply too fast.

  The elf countered, aiming for Mikki’s abdomen. Mikki anticipated the move, blocking one of her sabers, but the second was still coming for her. Just as it was about to strike, Eliana saved her, throwing her hunting knife directly into Amadee’s hand.

  “Her weakness is light!”

  Mikki raised an eyebrow. There wasn’t a single source of light in this underground cavern, and even if they reached the surface, night had already fallen.

  “Not exactly helpful right now,” she admitted.

  Amadee cursed in her native nguage and yanked the knife from her hand. Mikki seized the opportunity to go for a fatal blow to her head, but she missed—Amadee was far too fast. However, the elf had now lost one of her weapons.

  Eliana scanned the surroundings. If light wasn’t an option, they needed another way to weaken her. Suddenly, she noticed a small red button with a blue indicator above it. An idea formed in her mind.

  “Mikki… I have a pn, but we need to be quick…”

  Mikki nodded, trusting her despite not knowing the pn. Eliana pulled out her Uzi and fired at the red button. As soon as the bullet hit, an arm bred.

  "Opening cell doors."

  A massive steel wall began descending from the ceiling, and the cages holding the mythological creatures slowly creaked open. Mikki immediately understood. She used her wind power to bst Amadee across the room just after blocking one of the elf’s attacks.

  She then sprinted toward the closing door, sliding underneath just in time. Despite being on the far end of the room with the newly freed creatures blocking her path, Amadee wasn’t deterred. She leaped onto the backs of the monsters, using them as stepping stones to propel herself toward the exit.

  Seeing this, Mikki instinctively sent multiple gusts of wind to push her back.

  Amadee was thrown backward, and the door smmed shut just as she reached it.

  Mikki and Eliana shared a victorious high five before turning toward the exit.

  “Let’s get out of here and set off those explosives—I think we made way too much noise.”

  Eliana nodded, and the two girls sprinted toward the exit.

  Pov Ali (B)

  Ali stood in the cell corridor, not well-equipped for melee combat—especially against a samurai. All she had were brass knuckles. Kaia was busy carrying Zye, while Sara did have a silenced pistol, but nothing that would help against Yuuka, the samurai.

  Surrender wasn’t an option. Ali had already realized that the object Sara was holding was extremely important, and there was no way they could afford to let it be stolen.

  “So, is this all you’ve got? I expected more from the Firebirds,” Yuuka taunted.

  Ali stepped in front of Sara and Kaia. She was the only one who could fight, so she took a defensive stance.

  “Horns don’t scare me… It’s time to fight.”

  Yuuka lunged at Ali, swinging her bde toward her body. But luck wasn’t on the samurai’s side—Ali was agile, using her speed to dodge every strike Yuuka attempted to nd.

  “Ugh, if only I had a power like Mikki and Eli…”

  She kept dodging, but she was starting to tire. Meanwhile, as the fight continued, Sara and Kaia had discreetly slipped away, leaving her alone with Yuuka.

  As Ali moved to dodge left, Yuuka suddenly swept her legs out from under her. The Oni had used one of her own legs to trip Ali—too focused on the fight, she hadn’t noticed Yuuka’s footwork.

  Now on the ground, Ali felt the sharp tip of Yuuka’s katana press against her throat.

  “I’ll make your death slow. Sayonara.”

  Ali Kastner stood in her childhood vilge, a tribe deep in the forests of the Realm of Annevelink. She was part of the Orania tribe—her mother a healer, her father the vilge chief. She had spent her entire childhood there.

  Returning from the forest after pying with her wolf friends, a messenger approached, calling for everyone to gather at the vilge center for an announcement from the chief.

  It wasn’t common—whenever it happened, it was always something important. The young wolves exchanged gnces and rushed to the center, where a crowd of their kind had already gathered. A tall man with a long beard and a thick fur coat was speaking.

  “The war has begun again. The Realm of Annevelink has joined forces with the southern kingdoms to form a coalition against the Republic. We will show these anti-semi-humans the strength of the Orania tribe… We are raising an army to fight. I will take only volunteers, but for the future of our people, join me in this campaign!”

  The gathered semi-human wolves let out a unified howl—including Ali and her friends. War was always an event for them, a chance to prove one’s worth in battle.

  A long line formed beside the chief, as tribe members eagerly signed up to fight. Ali felt the same call to battle—but she was a girl, and in her tribe, it was frowned upon for females to fight.

  She waited until evening when her father returned home. Her mother had prepared dinner, and her father had just walked in.

  “I’m back… At the end of the week, I’ll be leaving for the campaign, my dear… I hope you can take care of the little ones.”

  Ali wasn’t their only child—she was the eldest of five.

  The family ate quietly, and once they were done, Ali found her father, sitting across from him as he drank his beer.

  “Father… I want to join the campaign. It’s time I prove my worth as the eldest daughter.”

  Her father shook his head vigorously.

  “No. You’re too young, and you don’t know how to fight.”

  Ali argued, standing up.

  “I might not be a fighter, but I know how to heal. I am the daughter of a healer and the chief of the pack—I can be useful. Please, father…”

  Her father sighed deeply.

  “Fine. There’s no point in trying to change your mind. You’ll be recruited as a healer—but you are forbidden to die.”

  “I promise, father.”

  Ali suddenly remembered that promise. And now, she would never be able to keep it. She had never returned to her vilge—she had deserted the war, a disgrace for a wolf.

  Still, she hoped her father was alive, perhaps still fighting against the Republicans somewhere. She closed her eyes, preparing for the katana to pierce her… but then, her Firebird tattoo began to burn. Her shirt quickly tore open, and out of nowhere, a wolf leaped onto Yuuka, disarming her.

  Ali took the chance to retreat, her eyes locking onto the beast. It was a wolf—like those that had existed in the past. Their kind had long since transformed into semi-humans, making a pure wolf’s appearance incredibly rare. Then, a second wolf appeared beside it.

  She quickly pieced it together—she had awakened her power. She could summon wolves.

  “Well… Uh… Attack!”

  The wolves obeyed instantly, pouncing on Yuuka as she struggled to fend them off.

  Ali turned and ran. As she did, a solid wall of ice suddenly formed behind her, sealing the path and cutting off Yuuka’s pursuit.

  Pov Sarah (A-B)

  Sarah stood in the grand lounge of the hotel, where Queen Mia of Felicity and her entourage were gathered. She had recovered from her injuries, and although she longed to reunite with her sister, she was stuck with the group until she had repaid her debt.

  The entire group was on edge—especially the queen, who paced back and forth, trying to come up with a solution. A coup had erupted in the capital, and for her own safety, Queen Mia couldn’t afford to sit idly by, waiting for potential peasants to attack.

  A red-haired woman with a rge shield—Noctis—spoke up.

  “My queen, we need to get out of the capital and retreat. There’s no point in staying here just to get ambushed.”

  The group consisted of Queen Mia, the nurse Kety, Noctis, a journalist named Janira, and several guards cd in robotic armor known as SGU.

  “Yes, we must leave as soon as possible,” the queen agreed, nodding as she slipped on her long coat.

  “Sarah, you’re coming with us—whether you like it or not.”

  Sarah bowed slightly, standing next to Kety, who was still monitoring her health.

  “Understood… my queen.”

  The words felt foreign in her mouth. She had never imagined bowing to or serving a queen. Kety gently stroked Sarah’s back.

  “You’re learning quickly. I highly recommend you never anger Queen Mia.”

  A chill ran down Sarah’s spine as the entire group prepared to leave. The SGU guards surrounded Mia, with Noctis at the front holding her massive shield, while the rest followed closely behind.

  They moved swiftly through the city streets, but suddenly, Sarah felt something—her feline instincts kicking in.

  “Watch out!”

  Noctis reacted instantly, leaping in front of the queen with her shield. A sharp sound rang out—a bullet had just struck the metal. The group scanned their surroundings, but the shooter was nowhere to be seen.

  “An assassin. Just what we needed,” Noctis muttered.

  The group rushed into an empty building for cover. They exchanged tense gnces, each of them exhaling sharply.

  “Someone wants me dead,” Queen Mia stated, her eyes burning with determination. “And I refuse to die.”