he journey to the Blooming Abyss began at dawn, with the ex-Drach archivist—Whisperfang—serving as their reluctant guide. As they left Mirewood, the forest ahead shimmered like a mirage of flowers and mist.
"The Blooming Abyss," Solas whispered, "A forest suspended in time."
Julius nodded. "It's where time magic was born… and lost."
The team pressed forward. At the forest's edge, time slowed. Leaves fell in eternal descent. Flowers bloomed, withered, and bloomed again in infinite loops.
Lyra touched a tree and recoiled. "It remembers every death."
Rael gritted his teeth. "This place isn't alive—it's haunted by time."
Deep within the forest, the group encountered the Petal Sirens—creatures shaped like blossoms with voices of silk. Their song tried to lull the mages into a trance.
But Bloom hummed a countertone from her assassin days, freeing the team.
"They feed on memory," she warned. "They want you to forget who you are."
Further in, they reached a clearing of broken stone altars and an ancient timekeeper's statue. Beneath it, an enormous tree with veins of glowing gold stretched toward the sky.
"The Demon Key," Solas said, pointing to a floating relic encased in amber at the tree's heart.
Julius reached for it—but the tree came alive.
The ancient guardian, Veldros, the Blooming Titan, rose. Formed of bark, bone, and shimmering petals, it roared with time-warping energy.
"You trespass upon eternity!"
Twilight Zone scattered as Veldros warped space around them.
Rael and Lyra combined lightning and ice to freeze his limbs. Bloom and Rin used surgical precision to sever his magic roots. Solas attempted to commune with its core—but it rejected him.
Julius focused his Time God Slayer Magic, entering a deep chronostasis.
In that silence, he saw Veldros' memories: planted by gods to guard a forgotten war relic… then abandoned, left to rot and remember alone.
Julius returned, eyes glowing.
"I do not fight you, Veldros. I remember with you."
He offered his magic, syncing it with the titan's essence.
The guardian calmed. The amber cracked. The third Demon Key floated into Julius's hand—etched with petals and time runes.
Veldros spoke: "The Drach… seek the Fourth Flame. Beware the city that never wakes."
The forest shimmered and began to fade.
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: 14/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 12/1000
Guild Status: Bronze Rank
Next Chapter Preview: The City That Never Wakes
Their next clue leads them to Dormunhollow, a cursed city locked in a repeating dream. To retrieve the Fourth Flame, the guild must enter the dream—and confront their deepest fears made real.