The meeting between Julius and Kairon began in the Observatory Hall of Pendralune—where the stars themselves moved according to the ticking of massive time gears below.
Kairon waved his hand, revealing a vision of the past.
"I once served the Time Council, boy. A godless order that thought themselves stewards of balance. But they feared your birth. Your magic."
Julius frowned. "Why?"
"Because you are born not of one timeline—but three. Spliced together by the Clock of Glory, an ancient artifact. You are its heir."
Before Julius could speak, the sky outside shattered.
Alarms rang.
The city was under attack.
Outside, masked soldiers of the Drach dropped from portals. At their front marched Noctis, his illusions wrapping the city in layers of false realities.
He called out:
"Twilight Zone. Hand over Julius and the Fifth Key—or Pendralune falls!"
The guild took positions.
Rael and Lyra led the first wave, using ice walls and thunder bolts to drive back intruders. Bloom disappeared into the shadows, hunting the mages laying traps.
Rin Ayana activated her full Memory Blade Style—cutting through enemies by reading their every move seconds before they happened.
At the observatory, Kairon handed Julius a time crystal.
"This can stabilize the Clock of Glory. But it needs your resonance."
Julius nodded. "I'll buy us time."
He leapt into the fray, casting Chrono Severance—slicing time into segments to freeze parts of the battlefield. For moments, explosions halted midair, allowing allies to strike precisely.
Then Noctis arrived.
He clapped once. Time bent.
"Let's see who controls the now, little brother."
The battle between Noctis and Julius cracked the plaza.
Their time magics collided, canceling and re-shaping the air itself.
Noctis fought with a cold grace, drawing on space illusions and warped acceleration. Julius countered with raw will—temporal slicing, memory slowing, and bursts of Chrono Flame.
Finally, Julius trapped Noctis in a Chrono Labyrinth, a maze of past regrets.
But Noctis smiled. "Good. You've grown. I'll return soon—with her."
And he vanished in a ripple.
Kairon joined them, exhausted.
"You've defended the city," he said. "But now you must begin the final journey."
Julius nodded. "Sixth Key?"
Kairon handed him a compass made of sand and ticking teeth.
"It lies where death sleeps… and time dares not tread."
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 6
Julius (B-Rank Mage, Bronze Guild Master)
Lyra (C-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
Rael (C-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: 15/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 16/1000B Rank Quests Completed: 2/10000
Guild Status: Bronze Rank
Next Chapter Preview: Tomb of Stillness
The sixth Demon Key is hidden in the Tomb of Stillness, where time has entirely stopped. To retrieve it, Twilight Zone must awaken time itself—but awakening it may come with a price.