Shadow Slave

1506 Heart of Twilight

The Crown of Twilight was more than a Supreme Memory. It was also the symbol of power that Daeron, the Serpent King, had wielded, as well as the key to the enchantment array enveloping his city.

Therefore, the person wearing it was immune to the influence of frozen time… in a way.

'Curse it all…'

There was a cost to remaining unaffected by the frozen time. Looking around, Sunny felt his essence being devoured at a frightening rate — the Crown was using it to protect him. Usually, his reserves would have been drained in a matter of seconds, turning him into another prisoner of Twilight… but, luckily, the Crown was also helping him replenish the spent essence.

He was still losing more than he was gaining, but at least the rate of attrition was not too great. Sunny would not have been able to traverse the entire city, but now that he was most of the way to the palace, he stood a good chance.

As long as he did not waste any time.

'I should hurry.'

Their exit from Soul Stealer's mirror realm must have been a violent one, because Sunny was not on the square anymore. Instead, he found himself somehow thrown a few hundred meters away from his previous position, at the edge of the inner district they had been aiming for.

He was protected by the Crown, but his shadows were not. Therefore, Sunny had kept them tightly wrapped around his body in advance, just in case disaster struck. Now that it had, he did not dare send them to search for his companions.

Mordret had to have sent everyone into the real Twilight. Here in the true version of the lost city, Soul Stealer was just as powerless as the rest of the frozen abominations… but the rest of the cohort had become frozen in time, as well. So had the Prince of Nothing himself.

It was all up to Sunny.

find each other when I deactivate the

as he could, barely dodging the motionless figures of the warriors of Twilight, who all seemed to have been moving in the same

bombardment — many buildings had been entirely shattered, and numerous people had perished under the rubble. Blood

it was hard to maintain that speed on the crowded streets. On more than one occasion, he

The people and objects frozen in time were completely immune to outside influence — and so, he could only avoid

'Argh, damn it…'

too many people for him to run, and too many destroyed buildings to try moving across the rooftops. Using Shadow

several minutes, Sunny finally pushed his way through the crowd

by a vast, ravaged park,

attention to its magnificent grandeur and unique architecture. Raising his gaze,

'W—what the hell…'

creature was perched on top of the cracked dome, its talons piercing the crumbling stone. Its glistening scales were the color of the midnight sky, appearing entirely black in the dim twilight of the early dawn. Its vast wings were open, obscuring the heavens. Its sinister eyes burned like distant, cold stars, full of malevolent will

It was a dragon.

deafening roar. Porcelain fangs glistened in the dismal darkness, each resembling a

no, it should have been. But, instead, it somehow appeared dreadful and utterly hideous. A vile, tyrannical aura emanated from the giant creature, suffused with festering madness. Even unmoving,

dragon was the target of the countless warriors who were rushing toward the palace. They assaulted him like a sea, only to be broken, mutilated, and thrown back. Blood and mangled

allowed himself to remain still for a moment, enthralled by the eeriness of this

'The Dread Lord…'

Daeron's palace was already partially destroyed, its dome on the verge of collapsing. It was unclear

teeth

is… something eerie

haunting. The way they threw themselves into the maws of death without a hint of doubt or agitation made Sunny feel uneasy. There were mundane humans among them, as well… surely, they realized that nothing they could do

they really