Several days had passed since Serena and her group engaged in battle against the army of the kingdom of Samalanra. Despite being outnumbered, Serena's group possessed superior strength and weaponry, allowing them to successfully repel their adversaries.

However, the substantial size of the opposing army made it challenging to achieve a decisive victory. As a result, both sides found themselves in a state of stalemate.

But for how long? Her group started to get tired. Some of her comrades--her fellow elves and prince Casper knights, had suffered severe injuries, and a few had tragically lost their lives. And their supplies were getting drained, especially the materials for her [weapon crafting]. She couldn't help but long for her bag, which contained precious materials she desperate need. Yet, dwelling on such thoughts now was meaningless.

Serena sat behind trees, she took a moment to catch her breath. A sigh escaped her lips, carrying with it a mix of weariness and determination. She could feel it. If things kept continuing like this, they would eventually lose.

"Are you okay, princess?" Altea asked, looking worried.

Serena tried to smile. "I'm okay," she said. "Has anything happened yet?"

Altea shook her head.

They had been waiting for Viola. In a direct confrontation, their numbers posed a problem, so they opted for different tactics. They formed several smaller groups. Her group consisting of Serena, altea and the twins. The masked girl Viola was tasked with luring the enemies towards them, allowing them to unleash devastating attacks from a safe distance. They would then relocate to another area, enticing another group of enemies and eliminating them, and so forth.

However, Viola had been absent for some time now.

"There's no way she has been captured, right?" Altea said, echoing the very thought that plagued Serena's mind.

Serena shook her head, trying to dispel the rising anxiety. "Let's not jump to conclusions," she said softly. She turned her attention to the twins perched atop the tree. "What about you guys?" she asked. "Have you seen anything yet?"

Talia, gazing in the direction Viola had gone, shook her head. "No, nothing," she replied, her voice tinged with worry. Salia nodded in agreement. "We haven't seen or heard anything," she added. "And I highly doubt she would go down without a fight. Viola is strong, so I believe she's alright."

Serena nodded, acknowledging the twins' perspective. She had witnessed the masked girl's formidable skills firsthand. As Talia had rightly pointed out, Viola was a force to be reckoned with. It seemed unlikely that she would be defeated without causing some commotion.

"Should I go there myself to check?" Talia offered.

"No," Serena replied, gulped. "No, let's just wait. Viola is resourceful, and if she needs our help, she'll find a way to reach out to us."

She knew Talia was reliable when it came to situations like this, but there was no reason to take unnecessary risks. Their group was already small, and fragmenting it further would only expose everyone to greater danger.

So they continued to wait, minutes stretching into an eternity, until Talia's voice broke the silence.

"Viola is coming back!" Talia exclaimed, her tone a mix of relief and confusion.

"But... she's alone," Salia added, her eyes fixed on the same direction as her twin sister. "I didn't see any Samalanra army."

"Alone?" Serena stood up, her gaze locked on the figure approaching them. Just as Talia had described, Viola walked towards them with an unusual calmness. It was strange. Even if she had failed to lure the enemies, she wouldn't simply walk back so composed.

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"Stay alert!" Serena commanded, her voice laced with a hint of suspicion. "She might be an imposter!"

"That's right," Altea agreed, her voice tense. "Viola, with her face hidden behind a mask, could easily be replicated."

Every member of the group snapped into a state of heightened vigilance. They raised their weapons, pointing them at the masked girl making her way toward them. The air crackled with tension as uncertainty mingled with relief. In that moment, they couldn't afford to let their guard down.

"Stop!" Serena's voice cut through the tension. "Don't move! Who are you?"

The girl with the mask raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Don't worry, it's me," the masked girl replied. Serena detected a hint of familiarity in her voice, possibly Viola, but uncertainty lingered.

"What happened?" Serena asked. "Why did you come alone?"

The girl with the mask let out a sigh. "I don't understand it either," she confessed. "Just as I was about to approach them, it seemed like the entire Samalanra's army halted their attack and began preparing to retreat."

"What?" Serena exclaimed, disbelief etched across her face. "There's no way they would give up."

"I don't think so either," the masked girl responded. "They might be trying to deceive us. For now, let's regroup with the prince. We can unravel this mystery later."

Serena nodded, a mix of caution and hope swirling within her. Still not entirely convinced that the masked girl was truly Viola, she turned to Altea and asked, "What do you think? Is she really Viola?"

Altea's gaze met Serena's, and she replied with a firm conviction, "I believe she is."

Serena let out a heavy sigh, acknowledging Altea's trust in the situation. "Alright," she said. "Let's go back for now. We must gather our strength and uncover the truth."

***

As Serena returned to their Basecamp, her eyes were drawn to a familiar figure with striking blue hair. The girl emanated a radiant aura, casting healing magic that enveloped and mended the wounds of those who had been hurt in battle.

"Thank you," expressed a knight who had been injured, awe evident in his voice as his wounds miraculously disappeared.

Beside Serena, a small dwarf girl marveled at the scene. "That's amazing!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with admiration. "You're able to heal so many people instantly. I wish I could possess a gift like that."

The blue-haired girl laughed, her voice musical and warm. "Your skills will be invaluable too, you know," she reassured the dwarf girl.

The small dwarf girl pouted. "I highly doubt it," she muttered, her voice tinged with self-doubt.

Serena swiftly approached them, her group trailing behind her.

"Aurora!" Serena exclaimed, a mixture of joy and relief evident in her voice. "My best friend, you're back!"

Aurora turned to face Serena, a warm smile gracing her lips. "Yes," she replied. "I just arrived."

"You're late!" Viola interjected, her displeasure evident in her tone.

Aurora looked at Viola, a hint of confusion flickering in her eyes. "Who...?" she began, her voice trailing off.

Serena stepped in, providing a quick explanation. "Ah, she was our commander or something," she clarified. "Her name was Viola Drewn."

"Viola?" Aurora murmured, her brow furrowing. "That name and her voice... it feels strangely familiar."

A realization dawned on Aurora, and a mischievous grin played on her lips. "Oh, I see," she chuckled. "An anagram, huh? So, in the end, you decided to lend a hand, Nova--I mean Viola?"

A brief moment of silence followed, punctuated by the realization that Aurora had uncovered the truth behind Viola's concealed identity. The tension in the air dissolved into a mix of amusement and curiosity, as everyone's eyes turned towards Viola, awaiting her response.

"Humph!" The masked girl strode away, making her way toward Prince Casper, who was engaged in a conversation with Ruby and Rita.

Serena turned to Aurora, curiosity piqued. "What's that about? Do you know her?"

Aurora nodded, her expression thoughtful. "A little," she replied cryptically. "Anyway, here's your bag," she added, passing the bag she had been carrying to Serena.

"Oh, thank you!" Serena exclaimed, relief flooding her voice as she embraced her bag. "I've missed it."

Aurora smiled warmly. "I've already filled it with a variety of materials," she said. "I'm not entirely sure which ones will be most useful to you, though."

Serena's eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Right! We've been running low on supplies, so this will be a tremendous help," she said, eagerly beginning to rummage through the contents of her bag.

Aurora cast a brief glance to her side, remembering her earlier intention. "Oh, right. And I want to introduce you to her," she stated, gesturing towards the small dwarf girl standing beside her. "This is Lumi. She has the ability to create duplicates of materials, so theoretically, we won't run out of resources now."

"Hello," Lumi greeted, her voice filled with modesty. "And no, she was wrong! I can only duplicate things up to three times a day. It's not as fantastic as it sounds."

"Hi, Lumi," Serena, the Elf Princess, greeted warmly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Serena. So you have the power to create duplicates? Isn't that amazing already?"

"No, it's not!" Lumi protested, her voice tinged with self-deprecation.

Serena laughed. "There was no need to be so defensive. Anyway, those were my friends, Altea, and the twins."

Altea, with a gentle smile, offered a subtle nod in acknowledgment.

Talia, one of the twins, beamed with uncontainable excitement. "I'm Talia!" she declared, her voice bubbling with energy.

Salia, the other twin, chimed in more calmly. "I'm Salia," she said, her voice carrying a soothing tone. "Nice to meet you."

Lumi returned their greetings with a nod. The twins stepped closer.

"Come on, there's no need to be stiff," Talia said, her mischievous grin widening as she lightly smacked Lumi's back in a friendly gesture. "You're a dwarf, right? I have plenty of things I want to ask about the dwarves' kingdom. Is it true that your entire kingdom was inside a maze?"

"Sis, you're annoying her," Salia said.

While they were talking about the dwarf kingdom, Aurora glanced at Serena. "Anyway, how is the situation right now?" she asked.

"That's the problem," Serena sighed. "As you see, the Kingdom of Samalanra's army was quite hard to deal with, even with my guns," she said. "We weren't prepared to deal with them, so this is actually pretty great already. In fact, I'm already pessimistic that we would lose soon enough."

"Okay, and?"

"But the problem is," Serena said, "they seemed to be retreating."

***