[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/72bEcUi.png[/img][/center]

Lily held a flower, and gently knelt down to place it on a patch of grass, where a small stone marker was. She still remembered the pillar of ice that once formed on that spot, though time has long faded away any traces of it. She closed her eyes, and the memories of that night came rushing back.
[color=fff200]”Victoria Reales…”[/color] She mumbled, and then stood up.
[color=fff200]”I’ll make your dream come true…I promise.”[/color] 
She knew what she was about to do was foolish and dangerous, but it was her only choice. Wonderland was coming to Penrose at any moment. Though her wounds have since fully healed thanks to Alex, the mental scars they left behind still lingered. This was no mere monster attack or crazed magical girl. No, this was something bigger; pure war. Lily was not the strongest fighter, as even Metamorphosed she failed to protect Bolorton. And she’s not the smartest either. She didn’t know what to do.

But she had something worth fighting for. And it was exactly what she was going to use.

She took out her smartphone, and pressed confirm on the message, letting out a breath of anxiety. Alex would probably ask her if this was a good idea. To that question, she honestly couldn’t answer. But she had to try, even if it would end in bitter tears.

A new post emerged on Glimmr, visible not only to Lily’s friends and contacts, but also to others observing the Penrose tag.

[color=fff200]The magical community of Penrose,

We now face a great crisis, as Wonderland will soon invade it. I have seen what happened to Bolorton, and I will not abide the same happening to my home. I will fight to protect it, but I need your help. I need everyone’s help: Beacon, the Crimson Cradle, Sanctuary, even the Ebon Mint. We all have our differences, but in the end, nobody wants to see this city gone, right? If you’re willing to talk, please come to Penrose Park.

Let’s do our best,
Lily.[/color]

Then she waited, having cast a spell to brighten the electric lights surrounding the park to better guide others to her. This was her last chance, and she would take it.

But unbeknownst to Lily, the shadowed alleys in Penrose stirred, as mysterious forces were on the move…

[hr]

It was an ordinary day, as ordinary as anything could be for a magical girl in Penrose. Ordinary by the standards of the distinctly unordinary Crimson Cradle. Yet as events began to unfold elsewhere, they would find themselves pulled into their own drama. One that could determine the fate of many things…

Valerie was the focus of the beginning of their drama. The dependable mission control girl, who guided the various Cradle agents on their missions. It was her who kept track of the bounty board, alerting them to any opportunities that might arise. 

It was in the middle of her morning routine that she would receive an email. On the surface it seemed to be simple spam, but her skilled eye quickly realized that there was something lurking beneath the surface. It took some effort for her decryption skills to finally crack what it was, but soon she succeeded. Whoever did this was good, but not the best. 

What she found at the end of it would not be what she expected. 

[quote=Ladybug]Tell Veronica that this makes us even[/quote]

Included with the short message was an attachment, and inside confirmed what would be so important as to clear that debt. It held plans for the Mint to move some sort of device through the city today, guarded by their toughest operatives. The exact specifics were unclear, but the way they described it made it seem as though the device would allow them to negate shadow magic in addition to an effect that would block access to the benefits provided by the Cradle. It did not take a genius to determine that the target was none other than Veronica herself. 

Yet ‘Ladybug’ had provided them a solution, should they choose to follow it. The defenses on the device were complex, for the Mint did not intend to take chances. Complex, but not invincible. If someone could interfere with the bindings of the enchantment, destroy the base of Spirit and Light magic that was used to make the device, they could unravel the whole thing and render it useless. It might be too much for a magical girl, but not for a Patron. 

Not for a certain Witch of Death.