The morning rain came suddenly and without warning.The sun hadn't yet climbed over the horizon, but streaks of saffron light were already slipping through the trees. The sky blushed golden-orange as the gentle pitter-patter of rain tapped against the tent canvas.
One by one, the trio emerged from their tent like soggy kittens.
Mira stretched, arms above her head, tail flicking. "Mmh. The weather today feels perfect for smashing some boulders."
Kaeli side-eyed her, smirking. "Just don't flatten the forest this time. I like my trees vertical."
"Chill, you two," Nyra cut in, grinning. "Today's the day I smack Veska's smug butt and make her beg for mercy."
Mira's ears perked. "Please do. Veska and Selune have been total bullies since training started. Always teasing, always flexing—like, we get it, your boobs came in early."
Kaeli muttered, "We're doomed…" and crossed her arms, but didn't walk away.
"Come here, my little disasters," Nyra said with a devilish grin, beckoning them closer like a tiny criminal mastermind. "I've got a plan."
The three huddled together in a whispering circle, tails flicking mischievously.
"I just learned a basic illusion spell," Nyra whispered. "With my Architect enhancements, I can mod it. Like—seriously mod it. What if we disguise ourselves with it?"
"Wait… like prank disguises?" Mira whispered, eyes sparkling. "Can I be a giant Veska with two left feet?"
"No, you adorable chaos goblin," Nyra replied. "We'll tweak our armour visuals. Something flashy, distracting. Just long enough to mess with them in today's drills."
Kaeli sighed deeply. "You do realise illusion spells only last a few minutes on anything bigger than a squirrel, right? If Veska doesn't kill us, the spell's mana backlash will."
Nyra winked. "That's why we go big and fast. Style over substance."
Mira pumped a fist. "Yes! Chaos in, chaos out!"
Kaeli groaned but couldn't hide her grin. "We're all going to die stupid deaths."
"Death by fashion," Nyra quipped. "The most honourable way."
Behind the training grounds, the trio crouched in a makeshift circle. Nyra's hands shimmered with raw Essentia as she carefully etched the modified illusion rune into the dirt.
Inside her mindscape, a digital constellation pulsed — KAIROS's core.
KAIROS: "Nyra, this subroutine is highly unstable. You're overriding the spell's containment limit with raw Essentia."
"Which is why it'll work," Nyra muttered aloud, tongue sticking out in concentration. "Don't be a spoilsport."
KAIROS: "This could short-circuit your neural strain. Illusions aren't meant to override material perception."
She squinted and smirked. "If you don't help me, I swear on the Architect's beard I'll bite your wires in the dream world."
There was a long digital sigh.
KAIROS: "…Executing modified protocol. Heaven help me."
With a flare of golden light, the illusion spell launched. Mana twisted and shimmered around the girls like a mirage.
And then—
Pop.
Their armour vanished.
Like, completely.
Not just altered — gone.
Nyra blinked. Mira screamed. Kaeli sniffed.
"Where the HELL are our suits?!" Nyra yelled, spinning in place with a glowing trail of panic. "This wasn't part of the plan! KAIROS!"
KAIROS (dryly): "Congratulations. You've successfully cast 'Full Exposure.'"
"My BODY is exposed to the wild!" Mira shrieked, arms flying everywhere as she dived behind a bush. "The birds are STARING."
Kaeli blinked, standing perfectly still, tail flicking in thought. "...I think my armour's scent is still fresh. I'll sniff it out."
"You are not a bloodhound!" Nyra hissed, trying to summon a leaf to cover herself.
"I am now."
The three scrambled in circles like disoriented cats in a thunderstorm.
Then came footsteps. Heavy, amused footsteps.
"...What in the moonlit chaos is happening here?"
Veska's voice was like thunder dipped in sarcasm.
The trio froze.
Kaeli looked up with leaves stuck to her ears. Mira had a squirrel clutched to her chest for modesty. Nyra was behind a rock that was not wide enough.
Veska blinked once.
Twice.
Then smirked.
"Ohhh. This is so going in the war records."
Veska squinted at the leaf-armoured trio.
"I'm only going to ask once," she said, crossing her arms. "What in the great sapling of Ael'myra happened here?"
Nyra gave her best innocent blink. "We were just… uh… experimenting with camouflage spells."
Mira nodded rapidly, still shielding herself with a confused squirrel. "Yeah! It's a new, um, stealth technique."
Kaeli blinked slowly, the way guilty kittens do when they think staying still makes them invisible.
Veska stared, unimpressed. "Right. 'Camouflage.' Got it."
Just then, Selune strolled into the chaos like a cat who knew exactly where the cream was hidden.
"What in the forest floor is going on here?" she asked, deadpan.
"Training exercise," Nyra offered again, with a little too much cheer.
Selune's eyes slid to Kaeli, who shrunk like a marshmallow under a hot ember.
"Kaeli. With me."
"W-What? I didn't even do anything!" Kaeli protested, ears twitching nervously.
Selune raised an eyebrow. "I saw you sniffing the ground like a truffle pig."
With a defeated sigh, Kaeli trudged after her.
Selune knelt in front of Kaeli, smiling politely, tone not so polite.
"Talk."
Kaeli twisted her tail in her hands, nervous. "I-I don't know—"
Selune leaned closer. "I have a memory spell that will make your brain fart so loud your sisters will hear it in their sleep."
Kaeli blurted, "IT WAS NYRA'S IDEA! She modified an illusion spell! She wanted to make Sleune and Veska pay for teasing both Mira and Nyra too much."
Selune blinked.
Kaeli blinked.
"…Was I not supposed to say that?" Kaeli asked meekly.
Selune just grinned like a predator offered seconds. "Perfect."
She patted Kaeli on the head. "Good snitch."
"...Thanks?"
Selune returned like the storm after the calm, practically skipping to Veska.
She leaned in and whispered the entire mess into her ear, the way one might recite sacred gossip.
Veska's reaction was slow, wicked, and wonderful — her smile stretched like a cat sunbathing on a hot rock.
"Ohhhh. So they want games, huh?"
She turned to the trio, who now wore makeshift clothes fashioned from leaves, twine, and probably shame.
"Well then," Veska said, clapping once. "Looks like we need to teach you three the true meaning of illusion warfare."
Nyra's tail twitched. "What does that mean?"
Selune and Veska shared a look — the kind reserved for conspirators and chaos spirits.
"It means," Selune purred, "your punishment is tomorrow."
"What punishment?" Mira asked, suspicious.
"The kind," Veska said, walking off with a dramatic flair, "that you'll never see coming."
The next morning dawned too peacefully. The kind of peace that reeks of setup.
Birds chirped sweetly. The wind carried a crisp breeze. The dew shimmered. The tent… shook?
Mira sat up instantly. "I sense danger."
Nyra groaned from under her leaf-blanket. "You always sense danger when you haven't eaten yet."
"No, seriously—" Mira paused. "Why does the air smell like lavender and… fear?"
Suddenly — POOF!
A faint mist slipped into the tent. A spell-triggered glyph shimmered at the entrance as it activated, harmlessly hitting the trio. Nyra blinked once.
"…That's not good."
Outside, the entire training squad turned their heads in confusion as—
BAM!! Nyra and Mira burst out of the tent in full sprint, screaming and glowing fluorescent pink from head to toe, covered in illusory glitter and sprouting magical animated bunny ears and sparkling tails. Their voices echoed like bardic singers at double speed.
"I CAN'T TURN IT OFF!" Mira cried, swatting at a sparkly butterfly that refused to leave her shoulder.
"I'm gonna kill Veska with a spoon!" Nyra shouted. "A glittery, shiny spoon!"
Selune stood nearby with Veska, the two watching the chaos unfold from the training posts, sipping tea like noble ladies at a banquet.
"Well," Selune said, "I think the singing illusion was a nice touch."
Veska smirked. "Nyra might be an Architect, but she is still inexperienced. We've got years of tribal trickery. Let's see if they try that again."
Kaeli stepped out of the tent hesitantly. She wasn't glowing. No bunny ears. No weird song aura.
"…I'm safe?" she whispered.
Then her nose twitched. A familiar, dangerous floral scent reached her.
From her shadow, a vine snapped up and poofed her into a full-body suit made of oversized daisies — harmless, non-magical, but extremely noticeable.
"Why do I smell like… grandma?" she muttered, tugging at the daisy petals now clinging to her tail.
Selune called out sweetly, "Relax, Kaeli. That one's just fashion-forward."
Veska added, "You're officially our mascot for the day. Congratulations."
Kaeli just sighed. "…I should've bit my tongue."
Later that day, the prank war story had spread like wildfire. Other squads looked at the trio in awe… or mild concern.
Nyra leaned back, still faintly pink, hair full of sparkles. "Okay, that was war."
Mira rubbed her glittery cheeks. "We need a comeback."
Kaeli deadpanned, "No. We need therapy."
Selune waved cheerfully as she walked by. "Don't worry, girls. This is all part of training."
Veska grinned, whispering just loud enough, "You'll thank us when you can prank your enemies before they even blink."
Nyra narrowed her eyes. "Challenge accepted."