Back at Carmen's humble house, Alice and the gang were sitting down, unwinding after their time at the cafe, full of sweets, lattes and the works.

Carmen groaned as she flopped onto the well-worn couch, her stomach comfortably full. "Ugh, I'm stuffed. I swear, I'm never eating again…”

The other girls chuckled, all feeling the same full and satisfied. Teigen, still licking her fingers from the pastry, flopped down next to Carmen. "Yeah, I don't think I can even look at food for a week after that. But it was worth every bite.”

Rachel, sitting on the floor with her back against the couch, chimed in. "Agreed. That cafe was a hidden gem. The coffee was the best I've had in, well, ever. And those pastries? Out of this world.”

Alice, sipping the last drops of her latte, gave a nod of agreement. "I'm already craving more."

Teigen's eyes widened. "Wait, you want more? You just polished off half the pastries at the cafe. Where do you put them all?”

Alice shrugged, a sly smile on her face. "Guess I just have a secret talent for stuffing my face. I'm like a human trash disposal, I swear. I don't know where it all goes.”

Carmen snickered from the couch. "Yeah, you hide it well under that innocent, bookish exterior. Guess you have a little competitive spirit when it comes to food, huh?”

Alice's chuckle was sheepish. "What can I say? Food is my guilty pleasure. I might be quiet and studious most of the time, but give me food, especially pastries, and I can rival a pro eater.”

Naphi, who had moved to sit next to Alice, eyed her with a bit of envy. "I would kill for your metabolism. Seriously, you eat like a horse and don't gain a pound. It's not fair.”

Barging into the session, Noelle appeared and looked at Alice, Rachel and Zalgo with a stern yet protective glare, which the girls were all too familiar with.

"Alice, Rachel, Zalgo," she began. "We have a problem. The Dark Gateway leading to Elysia has been severed from the other side, leading us with no way to get there."

"What?" The girls echoed, their excitement over their newfound powers quickly giving way to worry.

"What do you mean, severed?" Alice asked, her fingers trembling around the threads. "Who could've done this?”

"We don't know," Noelle replied, her fists clenching in frustration. "But without the Dark Gateway, there's no way to get to Elysia. We're cut off."

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"Damn," Rachel sighed. "Well, are there any other places we can go and save World Cores?"

"Yes, I know of three locations that could desperately use our help as well. The Ruins of Enigma, Valoria, and Frigid."

"Heh? What are those places?" Teigen inquired.

"The Ruins of Enigma belong to the descendants of an ancient civilization who thrived on astronomy and technological advancement, who now live in a forest led by a mystical forest guide. Valoria is a vibrant country known for its high-class cuisine and coliseum. Frigid, despite its namesake, is a boiling hot region with high volcanic activity and unique culture of the dark elf population that call Frigid home."

The Ephemerals listened with a mix of fascination and curiosity. These new locations sounded vastly different from each other, each with its own unique challenges and cultures.

"So, we have to pick which one of those to go to and go save them?" Alice summed up.

"That is correct," Noelle responded, turning to the girls. "Since we can't access Elysia, we need to focus our efforts elsewhere. We must choose which one of these places we can go to and save the World Core there."

"So what's exactly going on in each of those places?”

"Each place has its own set of problems," Noelle explained. "The Ruins of Enigma is suffering from an invasion of demonic forces summoned by a sinister cult. They want to destroy the ancient knowledge the ruins hold, and Arana, the forest guide, needs our help in stopping them. Valoria is in a period of upheaval, with a power struggle between the Royal Family and a powerful mafia threatening civil war. And Frigid's volcanic activity is growing more violent, as the dark elf community struggles to keep the dragon within their largest volcano asleep to avoid the catastrophic event of all volcanoes in the world erupting at once.."

The girls listened to Noelle with increasing concern. Each of these places sounded like they were on the verge of disaster. The Ephemeral girls glanced at each other, silently debating which one they should prioritize.

"So, we need to decide…which one of these places do we need to help save the World Core?"

"Yes," Noelle said, her expression serious. "We need to pick one location and head there immediately. The sooner we save a World Core, the faster we can get closer to saving Elysia.”

There was a heavy silence as the girls considered their options. The Ruined of Enigma, with its ancient knowledge under threat. Valoria, with a power struggle and potential civil war. Frigid, with its volatile volcanoes and sleeping dragon. Each choice had its own set of challenges and potential rewards.

"All right, let's vote," Alice suggested. "Who thinks which place we should go first?”

The girls glanced between each other, each weighing the options in their minds. Finally, one by one, they voiced their choices.

"The Ruins of Enigma," Alice said. She would prefer to stop a cult from destroying knowledge.

"Valoria," Zalgo stated, knowing her new skill would be useful there.

Finally, Rachel made her choice. "Frigid. Why? Dragon. Nuff said.”

They all looked at Noelle, awaiting her opinion.

"Honestly..." Noelle replied, her face scrunched in frustration. "I want to help the people of Frigid the most, but..."

Carmen interrupted with a sigh.

"What’s so different about Frigid that’s making you hesitate?”

"It... it's the most dangerous place out of all of them," Noelle admitted, her shoulders slumping. "If we fail to calm the dragon within the biggest volcano, it'll lead to a catastrophic chain reaction and erupt all volcanoes in the world at the same time. We'll help Frigid, I WANT to, but the risk... It's too big.”

The girls' eyes widened at hearing that. The stakes in Frigid were not just about saving the World Core and the dark elves there. It was about potentially saving the whole world from a catastrophic eruption.

"Maybe we should go to Valoria first then?" Alice suggested, her heart aching at the thought of leaving the dark elves' fate behind.

Noelle nodded, a mix of regret and determination on her face. "It's the safer option. We'll help them, then make our way to Frigid as soon as we have a World Core to fuel the Dark Gateway. It's the best compromise we can make.”

"But the Ruins of Enigma sounds intriguing too, Arana sounds like she could use our help.”

"You're right," Rachel agreed. "But we can always help Arana later. Saving Frigid's World Core should be our priority, then Valoria's."

Zalgo merely grumbled, visibly annoyed by the decision.

"Then what the fuck do we dooooo?!" Rachel said in an exasperated voice.

After a moment of thoughtful silence, a faint idea came to Carmen's mind.

"Wait a moment," she said, her brows furrowed, as a way of solving their problem of what place to prioritize. "I think I have an idea.”