"Hoo… I'm scared to death. Sister Ellie, you didn't told me you had a backup plan!" March huffed, glaring at Ellie.
Ellie stuck out her tongue, her playful expression only fueling March's frustration.
Stelle sighed. Her trash-can exploration dreams were dashed, but seeing Ellie return safely was more than enough compensation.
"So… how did you get back?" March asked, arms crossed. "Weren't you in prison?"
"Oh, I left a clone～♪ A perfect crystal duplicate of myself. Then I just… 'came down' all at once～♪" Ellie said proudly, twirling.
"What does that even mean?!"
"Eheey～♪"
Everyone gave up trying to understand. Dan Heng simply nodded. "Welcome back."
Ellie beamed. "Well then, everyone～ I'm back～♪"
—
Back in the prison, a Silvermane Guard passed by Ellie's cell. He glanced inside, saw her peacefully sleeping, and felt oddly reassured.
But if he looked closer, he'd see the truth: beneath the blanket was a pink crystal replica, pulsing faintly.
—
"So now we're meeting the boss of this 'WildFire' group?" Ellie asked, tilting her head.
March groaned. "Sister Ellie, we've been over this! We're meeting the leader of Wildfire. Seele said we should check the mining area first. He might know where the stellaron core is."
Ellie nodded thoughtfully. Just then, a purple-haired figure approached.
"Hey! Why are you just standing there?" Seele called out. Her eyes landed on Ellie's ornate headdress. "Yo, miss?"
Ellie smiled. "I'm not a miss, but I'm flattered～♪"
Seele rolled her eyes. "I don't care who you are. Just don't slow us down when things get dangerous."
Ellie winked. "Beautiful girls are surprisingly good at fighting～♪"
"You better be," Seele muttered, turning toward the mining area. "Follow me."
"Wait," Stelle said. "You haven't told us what Wildfire's doing here."
"Oh? Didn't I say?" Seele paused. "Long story short—"
She explained the tensions in the mining zone, the unrest, and the rumors of a massive vein of Earth marrow.
Ellie's eyes glimmered. "Do you have a plan to keep both sides safe?～♪"
Seele frowned. "I'm just here to help. I don't make the plans."
Ellie didn't press further. But her eyes flashed gold, and she whispered to herself, "If there's no other way… then I'll use that～♪"
—
In the mining zone, they met Natasha.
"Natasha! Didn't expect you here," Seele said.
Natasha greeted them warmly, then noticed Ellie. "And you are?"
"Hi～♪ I'm Elysia. As you can see, a beautiful girl by name and nature～♪"
Natasha chuckled. "What a lovely child."
She explained that Oleg had gone deeper into the mines, and the people gathered nearby were miners and their families—afraid of retaliation.
"I heard someone was injured," Natasha said. "I came to help."
Seele's expression darkened. "Why did it get this bad?"
"A massive Earth marrow vein was discovered," Natasha replied. "Biggest in thirty years."
Seele was skeptical. "Why haven't I heard anything?"
—
As the group pieced together the situation, Ellie's gaze drifted to a massive robot in the distance...
But she said nothing.
If this secret gets out… every intelligent weapon in the world might turn on me…
—
Later, as they prepared to move forward, they stumbled upon something strange—an object out of place, humming with quiet energy.
Everyone stared, confused.
Ellie's eyes narrowed. She stepped forward, her voice soft.
"Beep."
The object pulsed.
And then, it spoke.