Annouhis is the st of the Fragment for now.Risebelle’s heart skipped a beat as she spotted her doppelganger and the boy from earlier ihe Silver Star Arcade. They looked remarkably dressed up for the location, but what caught her attention was that the outfit her doppelganger was wearing was eerily simir to what Risebelle herself would choose for a night out. Did this doppelganger have an express ticket to Risebelle’s bottom closet drawer?

  Her doppelganger’s attire from the elegant dress to the accessories bore a striking resembo Risebelle’s own style. The boy by her side in a tuxedo added to the sense of mystery and intrigue surrounding the two.

  Risebelle discreetly nudged Jess and Harty, direg their attention to her doppelganger and the well-dressed boy. She whispered, “Look, it’s them. The ones we saw earlier. What are they doing here all dressed up in an arcade of all pces?”

  Harty maintained his posure, his brain w quickly to formute a pn. He khat this ued enter could provide valuable information, but they o approach it carefully.

  He whispered back to Risebelle and Jess, “Stay calm and don’t draw attention to ourselves. Let’s watd see what they do. We might get some answers without them even realizing.”

  The trio found a discreet spot to observe the doppelganger and the well-dressed boy from a distahey watched the two that was engrossed in a versation occasionally gnce around the arcade as if expeg someone.

  Risebelle felt a sense of uhis is se, Harty. How the hell did she get a dress that’s such a perfect repliine? Actually… more important question Harty: What could they possibly be doing here, dressed like that?”

  Jess leaned in with a whisper. “Maybe they’re involved in something bigger thahought. I mean, why else would they choose such a run-down arcade for a meeting?”

  As they tio watch, it became clear that the doppelganger and the boy were waiting for someoheir expressions grew increasingly impatient and they checked the time on their phones repeatedly.

  Harty’s began to think hard about this. He khat fronting them directly might not be the best course of a, but they needed more information to uhis mystery. He whispered to Risebelle and Jess, “Let’s stay patient a little longer. If they meet with someone here, we might have a ce to eavesdrop and gather more clues.”

  A girl suddenly showed up. She had a distinctive appearahat immediately drew attention. Her yellow hair was ly pulled bato a bun giving her a poised and elegant look. She wore a pink dress that trasted with the dimly lit arcade, makiand out even more.

  The doppelganger greeted the girl who they now knew as Sarah. The double put on a very fake smile. “Sarah, you made it. We were like, starting to worry you totes wouldn’t show up.”

  “I...I couldn’t stay away… not after everything we…-- not after everything that’s happened.”

  The well-dressed boy chimed in, his tone serious and urgent. “Sarah, we don’t have much time. You know what’s at stake here.”

  Sarah nodded while her eyes began welling up with tears untrolbly. “I know, I know okay! I just… I ’t…do this…This is going to tear me apart!”

  Risebelle leaned in closer, trying to catch every word of the versation. Jess and Harty did the same, their curiosity piqued.

  The doppelganger’s demeanrew more into a gre as she spoke. “Sarah, you have to. We ’t afford any more deys. The pn is in motion and we need you to py your part.”

  Sarah wiped away her tears, her iurmoil evident. “But it’s not just about the pn, is it? You’ve dohings that weren’t apart of the pn and now my Friend...she was suspended because of your lie... I ’t be a part of this any longer.”

  The well-dressed boy’s face hardened. “Sarah, you knew what you signed up for. We’re in too deep now. There’s n baow. You wanna know what happens when you try to back out? Huh? Do you wanna know what happens?” The boy fshed a on in his pockets. “Do ya? Of course you don’t. You know what were here to do. You’ll obey us, otherwise we have to make that lie reality. I’m sure you don’t want to actually gh that, or do you? Have you really waiting for my hot rod this eime and craved me with each passing sed? You know, I could make it happen… all you have to do is get down on your knees and I’ll uand the signal.” the boy smirks.

  The moment that the well-dressed boy made his disturbing ent, the girl beside him sged up her face, “You’re such a total sicko!” She delivered a light kno his shoulder while ughing.

  Risebelle, Jess and Harty exged armed gnces as they listeo the versation unfold. It was being clear that there was something si py and Sarah was caught in the middle of it.

  Sarah’s face torted with fear. “No! Why don’t you uand? I ’t do this anymore. I never wa to go this far. You got her involved, and then after getting her involved you got her and all of her friends involved? Why did you….You have to find another way, a way that doesn’t involve my closest friend. Please...”

  The doppelganger’s face grew increasingly menag with with anger.

  “Ugh, like, seriously, Sarah? You’re being, like, such a buzzkill right now. We’ve e so far and you’re, like, totes bailing on us? Do you, like, not get it? One word from us and your life is, like, ruined. Just one word, Sarah. ONE!”

  Sarah’s fear and desperation only deepened as she realized the gravity of the situation. She khat the doppelganger’s threat was not to be taken lightly. Overwhelmed by fear and the threat hanging over her, relutly nodded in agreement.

  “Fine…you win…”

  The doppelganger, satisfied with Sarah’s pliance, tinued.

  “Super, Sarah. Let’s not waste any more time. Follow us.”

  The group, sisting of the doppelgahe well-dressed boy and Sarah, began to move deeper into the arcade. Risebelle, Jess and Harty exged ed gnces, knowing that they o follow discreetly to uhe truth behind this mysterious and dangerous pn.

  As Risebelle stared forward, lost in the unfolding memory, a sudden and bright light shone in her eyes. It was as if reality itself ulling her back from the depths of the past. She felt herself beily pulled away from the memory, bato the present.

  Just as she was about to fully return to her senses, she heard Jess calling out to her. ” Risebelle, why are you just standing there? They’re getting away!”

  Jess sighed ”guess there’s no helping it, is there?”

  Before Risebelle could respond, she felt Jess’s arms around her, lifting her up in a piggyback ride. Jess’s flirty ent brought a slight blush to Risebelle’s cheeks, but Risebelle couldly hear all the words.

  Before she could react, the blinding light once again enveloped her. This time, the light was intense and it pulled her bato her own self pletely, leaving behind the memory of the arcade and the mysterious individuals.

  Risebelle found herself ba the realm of her mind, surrounded by the ethereal memories aions that had just washed over her. She was left to pte the events she had wit the arcade and the choices she had made.

  She thought about the doppelganger and the well-dressed boy’s as and remembered the vital feeling of anger and distrust she held towards the humans. This one sihing she pced her focus on had reinforced her belief that humans were capable of deception and manipution, willing to go to great lengths to achieve their goals, even if it meant harming others.

  But as she delved deeper into her thoughts, she began to think on the friends she made along the way. Human friends, despite being idiots in her opinion were friends heless.

  Risebelle’s system spoke themselves:

  ‘Project Z.A.B, it appears you have experienced a signifit emotional and itive shift during your ret memory retrieval. Your deep-seated hatred for all humans seems to be undergoing a transformation. you crify your current feelings and thoughts regarding humans?’

  Risebelle, still immersed in the echoes of her mind got a feeling of shifting perspectives within her.

  “I still have a deep-seated hatred for humans, sidering all the shit they put me through. I want nothing more to do with the scums and I want them all to burn in hell, but… I ’t deny that during my experiences and iions, I’ve entered some humans who dispyed kindness, passion and genuine care for others, despite their imperfes. This has caused a flict within me... If you show me another memory, then maybe...”

  The system responded, ‘Project Z.A.B, while your ret experiences have certainly stirred emotions and brought about a shift in your perspective, accessing more memories at this moment is not possible. Memories are typically retrieved when your physical body enters a state of rest, specifically during sleep. This is when your neural works are most ducive to processing and anizing your recolles. Is there anything you would like to discuss right now or any other questions you have for me?’

  Risebelle pted a question she had. She addressed her system once more.

  “System, I’ve noticed that whenever I see a memory and lose sciousness, I seem to make a full recovery, even if I’m not withiank. It’s as if the memories have some sort of healing effee. you expin why this happens?”

  The System responded, “Certainly, Project Z.A.B. The phenomenon you’re describing is a result of the interected nature of your neural works and the memory retrieval process. When you access a memory, it engages variions of your virtual neural work, including those responsible for self-repair and maintehese regions work in tandem with your core systems to optimize your overall funality.”

  “Furthermore,” the System tinued, “the act of recalling your experiences allows for the reanization and solidation of information within your neural work. This enhance your problem-solving abilities aional uanding, tributing to a perceived sense of recovery.”

  Risebelle nodded, abs the expnation. “So, it’s like the events of the past are not only help me uand the world but also help me heal and improve my overall funality. That’s quite fasating. It makes me wonder if there’s more to discover about the retionship between what I’m experieng and my system’s funing.”

  The System aowledged her curiosity. “Indeed, Project Z.A.B. The e between memory retrieval and your system’s funality is a plex and intriguing aspect of your design. As you tio explore who you truly are and experiehe sides of yourself you may not realize are within you just yet, you may uncover further insights into how they shape your uanding of the world and your oabilities.”

  Ohe st remnants of her mind faded away, Risebelle found herself lying within the chamber, her syic skin tingling with sensation. She carefully pushed herself up into a sitting position, the fluid movements of her android body a testament to the precision of her design.

  Risebelle’s gaze shifted to the gss panels of the chamber, where the liquid that had oncapsuted her now slowly drained away, revealing the metalliterior. She khat she was the first to awaken. She felt a sense of readiness and purpose.

  Turnitention to her sisters, Risebelle’s blue eyes locked onto the tanks that housed Roselle and Runebelle. They were still immersed in the emerald-colored liquid.

  “They’ll wake up soon,” she thought to herself.

  She reached out a hand and lightly tapped the gss of Roselle’s tank, her movements gentle and careful. “Roselle,” she whispered softly, though she knew her sister couldn’t hear her in this state. “Yoing to wake up soon and when you do, we have a lot to discuss.”