The shadows came with the rain.
Mirewood was unusually quiet that morning. Clouds choked the sky. Fog rolled low over the treetops. Birds fell silent. Julius stood on the guild balcony, his senses buzzing.
A pressure—one unlike anything he had felt before—pressed gently on his chest, like the calm before a storm.
Then it arrived.
A figure cloaked in black and crimson approached the town's entrance. His face was covered by a half-mask shaped like a broken clock. His eyes glowed violet.
Julius saw the mark beneath the mask.
A black spiral with a burning eye—the symbol of the Drach.
Rael rushed to the door. "We've got company."
Lyra readied her ice. Rin quietly gripped her sword.
The man stopped at the edge of town, then raised one hand.
"Bring me Julius of the Twilight Zone. Or watch Mirewood burn."
The four stepped out.
Julius's voice was calm. "You're with the Drach?"
"I am Mael Veyr, Whisperer of the Thirteenth Flame. And I've come to test the one who wields time."
"What do you want?" Rin asked.
Mael's eyes flicked toward her. "I want to see if the next generation is strong enough to matter."
And then he moved.
It was instant.
He appeared in front of Julius, striking with a black flame-wrapped hand. Julius barely countered with a Time Guard, slowing the punch just enough to dodge.
Mael followed with a barrage of strikes—flame and shadow intertwining in wild, unpredictable bursts.
Rael leapt in, electricity dancing across his fists. He landed a clean shot that sent Mael sliding back.
"Not bad," Mael said, licking blood from his lip. "But you'll need more than sparks to kill me."
Lyra cast an Ice Bind, freezing the ground beneath Mael—but he melted it with a whisper. Flames that screamed. Flames that wept.
Rin attacked next, her blade singing as it clashed against Mael's flames. Their fight sent shockwaves through the air.
Then Julius stepped forward.
"Time God Slayer: Chrono Collapse."
A sphere of stopped time enveloped Mael for five seconds—enough for all three teammates to strike in unison.
A flash. An explosion. Silence.
Smoke cleared. Mael stood there, bleeding, smiling.
"You're still green. But you've got potential."
He turned, shadows spiraling around his body.
"I'll report back to the Drach. Next time, it won't be a test."
And just like that, he vanished into the mist.
The town slowly returned to normal. But Julius knew things would never be the same.
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 4
Julius (D-Rank Mage, Iron Guild Master)
Lyra (E-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
Rael (D-Rank Mage, Lightning Magic)
Rin Ayana (C-Rank Mage, Whispering Blade Style – Memory Awakening)
F Rank Quests Completed: 60/1000E Rank Quests Completed: 8/10000D Rank Quests Completed: 5/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 3/1000
Guild Status: Iron Rank – Pending Bronze Promotion
Next Chapter Preview: The Demon's Library
To learn more about the Drach, Julius seeks an ancient archive hidden in the ruins of Blackveil. But the library's guardian is a cursed demon bound to knowledge—and he demands a memory in exchange for truth.