The crimson moon rose, casting a bloody hue over the forested horizon of Mirewood. The village trembled—not from natural danger, but from what approached silently through shadowed paths.
He wore no guild mark, yet his reputation preceded him.
Master Veylan, the Crimson Blade, former instructor of both Rin and Bloom, and the highest-ranking assassin of the Crimson Veil.
He moved like smoke, his voice a whisper carried by the wind.
"I have come for my student," he muttered, appearing at the gates of Twilight Zone.
Inside the guild, Bloom felt it.
Her hands trembled slightly as she touched the hilt of her dagger. "He's here."
Rin's expression hardened. "I'll deal with him."
But Julius stepped in. "No. You both will. This is your past—face it together."
Rael and Lyra took defensive positions. Solas began carving a containment seal across the floor.
"He won't be easy," Solas warned. "He's not S-Rank. He's beyond it."
Veylan didn't enter with violence. He walked into the courtyard, hands empty.
"I taught you both to kill," he said calmly. "And you used those skills… to defy me."
Bloom stepped forward. "You taught us to be tools. We became people."
"You left a mark on our souls," Rin added, her voice calm. "But you do not own them."
Veylan's eyes glimmered. "Then show me your evolution."
The fight began under the blood moon.
Veylan's movements were surgical. He disarmed Bloom in two strikes, countered Rin's blade with a palm, and evaded lightning and ice from the others like water weaving through fingers.
But Twilight Zone didn't fight as individuals.
They fought as a guild.
Rael struck from above. Lyra froze Veylan's shadow. Solas disrupted his rhythm with illusions. Julius rewound a fatal strike using Chrono Slip.
And together, Bloom and Rin unleashed their combined technique:
Petal Tempest: Twin Blossom Dance.
Blades spun. Wind and illusion spiraled. Veylan fell, not defeated by strength alone—but by the bond they shared.
He smiled faintly. "You've bloomed… into something beautiful."
And vanished.
The guild stood breathless.
Julius placed a hand on Bloom's shoulder. "You're no longer running. You're home."
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 6
Julius (C-Rank Mage, Bronze Guild Master)
Lyra (D-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
Rael (D-Rank Mage, Lightning Magic)
Rin Ayana (C-Rank Mage, Whispering Blade Style – Memory Awakening)
Solas (C-Rank Mage?, Unknown Magic – Seal Fragment Holder)
Bloom (C-Rank Mage, Assassin-Herbalist, Crimson Veil Defector)
F Rank Quests Completed: 70/1000E Rank Quests Completed: 10/10000D Rank Quests Completed: 12/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 10/1000
Guild Status: Bronze Rank
Next Chapter Preview: The Serpent's Eye
A strange client offers Twilight Zone a mission involving an underground black market, cursed weapons, and a rumored Drach informant. But the price of this quest may be more than gold—it could be their names.