The ruins of Blackveil stood like bones beneath a dying sun.
Julius and the team arrived just before twilight. The forest had grown silent again—not in peace, but in fear. Even the trees leaned away from the library's twisted silhouette.
"Is this place cursed?" Rael muttered.
Lyra nodded. "Old records say the Blackveil Library was sealed after the Mage Wars. Something about… forbidden knowledge."
"And a guardian," Rin added, her voice distant. "One who trades memories for truth."
The door creaked open without touch. An invitation.
They entered.
Inside, the air was thick with dust and magic. Bookshelves towered like walls. Chains rattled somewhere deep in the darkness.
A voice echoed:
"Who seeks what should remain forgotten?"
Julius stepped forward. "We're from the Twilight Zone Guild. We want to know about the Drach."
"Then offer a memory. A real one. Painful, precious, or priceless. That is the toll."
Rin stepped forward without hesitation.
"I'll give one."
A thread of blue light flowed from her forehead to the shadows. A flicker of a warm smile—her sister?—faded as the memory was consumed.
The shadows shifted.
From the center of the room emerged the guardian: a floating skeletal demon cloaked in tattered robes, with eyes made of ink and fire.
"You may ask three questions," it hissed.
Julius asked first: "What is the Drach's goal?"
"To destroy the seal of the Neamoton and open the abyss beyond," it replied. "Where demon armies sleep, waiting for blood."
Lyra asked next: "Who leads them?"
"An unseen hand. A man marked by loss and space… Xtermisus."
Rin's voice trembled. "What is the Whispering Blade's true origin?"
The demon tilted its head. "Forged from the bone of a fallen god. Once a weapon of the celestial war. Its wielder is both savior… and harbinger."
Suddenly, the walls trembled.
"The seal is weakening," the demon rasped. "You must leave. Now."
A door of light appeared behind them.
Julius turned. "Thank you."
The demon said nothing, but its eyes glowed as they left—sorrowful and proud.
Back in Mirewood, Julius sat alone.
A harbinger. A god-bone blade. A man of space and vengeance.
The pieces were forming a picture he wasn't sure he was ready to see.
But the time to fear the truth had passed.
Now… it was time to prepare.
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: Midnight Recruit
A mysterious mage appears in Mirewood seeking shelter. But his aura is strange—old and void-like. He bears a black star crest… and unknowingly carries a piece of the seal itself.