Albert and I rushed into his dorm building, where we swiped our IDs to gain access to the dorms. The custodian g my gunked up jeans and wrinkled his nose as we passed by, and Albert blushed, rubbing the back of his head.

  The smell of barbecue sauce was overp, and I gagged as we rushed into his sed-floor dorm and made our way inside, log the door behind us.

  I quickly reached into one of my jacket pockets and pulled out my Nexus device as Al stood back, crossing his arms with a grin.

  "Well, I definitely didn't think I'd get to see this fancy phone in a this quickly. You gonna do the thing, Sienna? Hope you aren't too... lost in the sauce."

  I gred at him. "Really, Al? That was low."

  Al shrugged. "What I say? It's a sticky situation."

  I shook my head, shoving him pyfully.

  "Now, check this out," I whispered with a grin.

  Fuck it, I'll make a show out of it.

  I stretched my right hand out to the side with my Nexus devi hand, closing my eyes and trating. Then, I willed that increasingly familiar well of energy to flow through me, exhaling as the magic reacted to my thoughts and desires.

  My eyes snapped open, and I brought my hand up, holding the pin-looking phone close to my chest. The edges of the device began to shih a bright golden light, and the room filled with ahereal shimmer.

  "O pitiful shadows begone! O distant and fotten dreams! Hear my call and arise once more! I am the guardian who fights for harmony and justice..."

  The tips of my dark brown hair lengthened and turned into a bright shade of strawberry blonde, and my molten gold eyes fshed with a glow that lit up the room. The Nexus device transformed into a heart-shaped orb of light, and I raised it up above my head with a flourish.

  "In the name of love, in the name of truth, I — Magical Girl Harmonia Lux bring light and peace to your hearts!"

  I was engulfed in a blinding light as ribbons of lights erupted from the Nexus devid spiraled around my body. In the span of seds, my clothes had transformed into a red and gold magical girl outfit that made me feel like a million bucks. The oily, sticky gunk that coated my jeans and jacket was wiped away in a fsh, leaving me feeling and refreshed.

  Holy shit, that actually felt kind of good.

  With a flourish, I spun around, stru Arcadia Vox style sideeace sign, and cocked my head to the side with a wink. "So, what do you think? Hammy enough for you, Al?"

  I had a huge cheesy smile on my face, and Al started snickering as he leaned back against the door. "You put a lot of thought into it, huh?"

  "I thought it'd be fun! Just oime," I protested, willing the Nexus devito red motes of light that were absorbed into my body. I'd spent some time st night cheg out some of the other features and enhas that had e with the upgrade, but I hadn't gotten a ce to see it in a yet.

  Now was as good of a time as any, I supposed.

  "Oime? Yeah right," he scoffed.

  I sighed, shaking my head and popping my neck as I checked out my new boots.

  Then, I traced my fingers in the air and whispered "Status."

  VITALS

  Name: Sienna Russo

  Alias: ??Harmonia Lux??

  Level: 51

  Points: 0

  Health: 2071 / 2071

  Mana: 4060 / 4060

  ASPECTS

  Soul Graph: Light

  in: Love

  Archetype: Prismatic

  Signature Talent: Luminary version

  ATTRIBUTES

  Strength: ?20 (4)?

  Agility: ?25 (8)?

  stitution: ?25 (7)?

  Intelligence: 17

  Charisma: 11

  Magic: 21

  SKILLS

  ABILITIES

  ARTS

  Luminary version (Rank 5)

  Luminary Bolt (Rank 3)

  Luminary Beam (Rank 4)

  Luminary Mirage (Rank 3)

  Luminary Barrier (Rank 3)

  Luminary Nova (Rank 2)

  Luminary Bolt: Rapid Fire

  Luminary version: Hopeful Heart Alchemy

  Luminary Nova: Dawn's Glorious Explosion

  Luminary Mirage: Ethereal Moonlit Dance

  Luminary Barrier: Celestial Guardian Dome

  Passives:

  Aura SightResiliensight

  MISC.

  Transformations

  Hopeful Heart Alchemy

  Cadet ModeTwilight AsterPartial ShiftArcadia Vox(LOCKED) Full ShiftNightingale Eclipse

  Iermath of the Cataclysm, the World System had been disabled entirely for weeks.

  As far as humanity remembered, we had always been able to che our physical health and any supernatural abilities with a simple status spell, and it was a shock for the whole world wheatus ss were suddenly locked all around.

  The World System was a plex and interected work that supposedly relied on the collective magiergy of millions of people, and it was broken during the Cataclysm. Doctors were paralyzed as their ability to heal quickly and somewhat automatically just... disappeared. tless nations also entered a panic as their defenses, which were built around active access to skills were suddenly stripped away.

  It'd been down for just uwo weeks until it urportedly restored by the Guardians, but now there were a few modifications to the system that everyone had to adjust to.

  One such modification was that the Status menu could now only be accessed by those who had 'asded' uhe system until it was fully repaired - whether as Magical Knights or Pioneers. In addition, there was a noticeably tighter limit to how much damage the thiaphysical aura that protected people could take before shattering.

  It was an interface signifitly different from what I was used to, and it felt a bit daunting to my head around. Still, I'd gotten the hang of it over the st couple of days, and I felt surprisingly good about where I stood after saving Albert all those days ago.

  Acc to the Guardians, the system would be updated and refined in the ing month, but right now, it seemed stable enough.

  Without warning, my reverie was shattered by the sound of a siren bring in my ears. A suddenly popped up in front of me.

  SYSTEM WARNINGAttention: The Vicious Alliance has engaged Css 8 Team Buster: Scuttler Scrapper he outskirts of Downtown Kaleidoscope City.

  Oh, fuck...

  A css 8 vilin? That sounded serious.

  SYSTEM WARNINGAll Magical Knights are advised to be ready for aagical Knight Teams: Bravehearts, Prismatic Gems, and Garden Dreamers prepared to intercept.What the hell was going on?

  Just as I finished reading the alert, the faint sound of ughing and cag reached my ears, and I grimaced, turning towards the sound.

  "Al, I've got to go," I hissed.

  "Stay careful out there, you crazy witch," he grinned. "Try not to blow up too much stuff. It's bad for the enviro."

  I rolled my eyes. "I think we've had enough of blowing up things, haven't we?"

  "Nah, that was fun," Al quipped. "I mean, I know you hate ofront property and all that, but I know you had an absolute bst over at Refuge Zeta."

  I threw my arms up in exasperation. "You're totally taking this as a joke, huh?"

  He held out a fist for a bump, which I returned while I shook my head.

  "Hey. You've got this, Sienna."

  "Yeah, I guess so."

  We shared a look, and he nodded. "Now get out there and kick ass."

  I grinned. "I'll be right back. Later, weirdo."

  "Later, dweebus."

  I stepped back, fog an orb of light between my hands.

  "That is seriously fug cool," Al gaped. "Seriously, you lucky duck, you."

  I fshed him a smile and opened his baly door, stepping out and coiling my legs to jump.

  "Sienna... Hey."

  I paused, gng back at Albert. "Yeah?"

  He rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Just be careful, okay?"

  I nodded, winking back at him. "Don't I always?"

  Then I focused on the orb between my hands. "Luminary Mirage..." I whispered, eling my magic around me.

  In a fsh, a pulsing orb of golden light sprang up around me, ing me in its soft embrace as the illusioook hold. It would allow me to get the drop on Princess Eris. Hopefully.

  With that, I tightened my stand pushed off, jumping into the air with a low whistle as I pulled myself up and onto the roof above.

  Fuck being lost in the sauce.

  I was ready to kick this psycho 's ass.

  "Nyhehhehehhheh! Face me, puny peasants! Nyheheheheh! For I am the Dark Princess of Chaos! The ruler of discord and disorder! NYHEH HE HAAAAAA!"

  Her eg cackle made me want to punch myself in the face, but I resisted the urge and made my way over the rooftops towards the ter of campus.

  I blinked in surprise as I spotted four cadets who weren't in my orientatioerday strewn out on the ground like rag dolls, twitg and clutg at their faces and arms. They were coated in that same sweet and sticky substahat Princess Eris had bsted us with before, and they looked like they were in pain.

  So much for being harmless.

  A wave of guilt hit me as I realized that I shouldn't have been messing around with Al and fooling around with the transformation sequence. But hindsight was 20/20, and right now, I had to do something.

  I jumped down to the ground, quietly stepping over towards Princess Eris. She had her hands on her hips, posing like a supervilin as she kicked one of the cadets in the ribs.

  Three more fshes of light caught my eye as I spotted more juniical Knights making their way towards her.

  "Fools! Fools, all of you! The Dark Princess of Chaos will not be quered! Nyeh he heeeeeeeh haaaaaaa!" Princess Eris cackled, dropping her on.

  Her hands glowed with a crag red lightning that lit up her face, and I paused, watg as a magical girl dressed in a frilly, stylish red dress with reddish-brown cat ears, a matg tail and a red ribbon on her ponytail rushed at Eris, fire dang on her fiips.

  Anical Knight cadet, a boy with thick gsses and a camera around his neck dressed in a blue suit covered ironics was croug on a nearby rooftop, and a third Magical Knight — a dark-haired, muscur boy dressed in a flowing purple fur coat with a tiger mask and chest wide open was standing a few feet away from him, his arms crossed.

  I activated my Aura Sight and quickly spotted the red, blue, and purple fmes and rainbow flecks of light radiating off themt. Judging from the aura they gave off, they were... around level 20 to 40.

  But what threw me off was Eris.

  The aura she gave off was... pitiful. It ale and flickering bck, and from what I could see, it was barely at the level of the cadets on the ground around her.

  Which frankly didn't make any sense, sidering she gave a seasoned journeyman team like the Jupiter Belles a runaround.

  Unless she was hiding her real strength, somehow? But she didly seem to be pying it dht now.

  Eris dodged the fireball thrown by the magical girl in red and nimbly leaped into the air, nding on a nearby tree brand swinging her legs back. She crossed them as she sat on the branch, pg a fist against her cheek in a cocky pose.

  She grinned, flipping her hair before turning back to the cat-eared girl, who was already charging up atack. The two boys on the rooftop jumped to fnk her, but Eris quickly flipped into a hand stand oree and jumped up, snapping her fingers and sending a thunderbolt of red lightning straight at the boys.

  There was a loud explosion of electrical energy, and I felt the shockwave rattle the ground. Both boys dropped from the rooftop and onto the crete, where they y stunned and unmoving.

  The girl with the cat ears closed the distance, aiming an attack at Eris as she flipped through the air. Eris skidded to a halt and grounded her stance, summoning a spinning shield of green energy that blocked the bst, the force of the impact sending the cadet hurtling backward.

  The cadet regained her stah feline reflexes and lu Eris, who stepped aside, almost casually, grabbing the girl by the back of the ned grinning as her hands glowed with red lightning again.

  The expression on the girl's face was a mix of terror and resolve, and she cwed at Eris who summoned a red wall of energy between them, holding her back like a big sister would. The whole thing was almost ic.

  "Kitty cat, kitty cat, what to do, what to do? Nyheh heh heeheeehhhaaaahaaa! Nyheh he haaahaaaaaahaha!" Eris giggled, ping the back of the girl's ned elig a howl of frustration.

  I decided I couldn't stand by and waty lohe cadets on the ground didn't look like they were in any dition to fight, and she was running right through them.

  I breathed deeply, before stepping quietly toward Eris as she suddenly khe girl with cat ears iomach. Her movements were too erratid uable, and it didn't seem like the other students could even touch her, let aloake her down.

  Taking a few more steps forward, I ractically right behind her when she leaned back, squirming her lower back against the air and giggling maniacally to herself.

  "Nyhehhehheeeh! Give it up, pesky heroes! The Dark Princess of Chaaaaa...?" She trailed off as she stopped, blinking and looking around.

  Then, she whipped her head around, staring straight at me with a shocked expression.

  ...Could she see me?

  A wicked grin crossed her face, and she suddenly raised her free hand up, firing a dark bolt of lightning that screamed through the air and collided with a golden barrier of light, shattering it into a million pieces.

  I steadied myself, stepping through and dropping my mirage with a scowl as my impromptu Luminary Barrier shattered.

  "Oh? You're approag me? You've got guts!" She winked as she spread her arms out in a showboating pose, ughing as the cat-eared girl beh her groaned in pain and rolled her eyes.

  I ged at her reference, before sighing and strutting towards her.

  "Tch. Seriously? You're worse than my best friend... Well, I'll py along."

  The air hummed with tension, and I gred at Eris as I settled into a fighting stance.

  "I wouldn't be able to beat your ass if I didn't e closer, would I?" I spat, charging luminary beams in both hands.

  Eris grinned. "Nyhehheh! That's it, I knew I had to visit Kaleidoscope one of these days. You lot are absolutely perfect."

  "You know, I was having such a nice day. And you just had to ruin it, didn't you?" I hissed, fog my aura and eling it towards the tips of my fingers.

  Eris pulled the cat-eared girl up by the back of her dress, causio cry out in pain as she threw her across the ons.

  I grit my teeth, stepping closer as the orbs in my hands became brighter and brighter.

  "Ooh, getting close now, are we? What's your name, little one? I'll make sure to remember it for posterity's sake!"

  I narrowed my eyes, ign her as I willed my magic to keep pulsing, fillih warmth and energy.

  Her smile faded as she stared at the orbs in my hands, then my eyes, and she blinked.

  Then, her eyes widened in disbelief.

  "Huh."

  I sucked in a deep breath of air, doing my best to focus and trol my temper.

  "My name is Magical Girl Harmonia Lux," I growled. "And you owe me a new pair of fug shoes."

  Then, I cpped my hands together and fired.