The creature's fur was strange, almost unnatural. At first glance, it seemed silver, but upon closer inspection it was far more unsettling. Each unruly strand ended in a sharp point, as if instead of hair it was made of tiny blades, ready to shred the flesh of any fool who dared draw too near. That metallic mane shimmered with a sinister gleam under the faint light, scattering reflections that seemed to mock the fragility of all living things.
But its fur wasn't the only terrifying feature. The wolf bore two pairs of eyes, four scarlet orbs burning with the color of freshly spilled blood. Its gaze was ravenous, predatory, yet devoid of compassion—a dry, eternal well filled with an ancient hunger no feast could ever satisfy. It was as if those pupils didn't merely see, but consumed, devouring with the sheer intensity of their desire.
Around the monster, true darkness poured out in dense waves, a living cloak that wrapped around it and breathed with its every motion. The air itself quivered under its weight. Sunny recognized the effect instantly: the same corrupt aura they had faced in the shadow warriors on their first day on the island. But this one was far stronger. Compared to it, those abominations seemed like mere smudges of ink. This creature was solid, authentic, lethal.
That could only mean one thing: the nightmare before them eclipsed all the horrors they had encountered so far.
And then, in less than a blink, the beast moved.
The wolf lunged at Sunny with the brutality of lightning, a silver flash wrapped in darkness that shattered the distance as though it didn't exist. The ground splintered under the impact of its claws, scattering shards of stone like shrapnel. The air itself split apart with a thunderous roar that trailed the assault.
It seemed the monster had chosen him—the slender human with dark hair—as its prey. Despite the difference in size, it had decided Sunny's flesh would be the juiciest, the most tempting.
But Sunny was no ordinary prey.
His body reacted on pure instinct, carried by the deadly rhythm of the [Dance of Shadows]. His feet slid with flawless precision, slipping aside at the perfect angle as the shadows around him stretched like a protective mantle. With a fluid twist, his silhouette melted into the gloom and reemerged a step away, evading the fang that sought his throat.
The air slashed by the beast's charge brushed his cheek like an invisible knife. The monster landed where Sunny had been a heartbeat earlier, sinking its claws into stone and raising a spray of jagged shards.
Sunny gritted his teeth, fully aware of how close it had been.
The fight had only just begun.
The wolf fixed its gaze on him. Those eyes, bleeding scarlet as though they wept from within, burned with terrifying intensity. It wasn't the instinctive stare of a wild animal, nor the hollow hunger of a common nightmare creature. There was something else—something far more dangerous: a flicker of intelligence. Barely perceptible, but clear enough to make his skin crawl. Sunny knew it at once. This monster understood.
The beast moved with inhuman agility. It leapt backward in a perfect arc, dodging a slash that would have decapitated any other foe. Most disturbing of all, it never once tore its eyes away from Sunny—not even a glance. Yet somehow it knew Nephis was there, behind it, ready to strike.
Her blade carved through the air in a brilliant sweep of blue, but it found no flesh. The sword cleaved only shadow, scattering harmlessly against the shroud cloaking the wolf. The beast landed several meters away, unscathed, its exposed fangs twisted into something far too much like a mocking smile.
Sunny narrowed his eyes, weighing every detail, every movement. He couldn't afford to underestimate this opponent.
This wasn't just a monster—it was a Corrupted Demon.
That rank changed everything. Nightmare demons—especially those that had endured for so long within absolute darkness—were not only stronger and more resilient. Many developed grotesque imitations of human Aspects, strange abilities that defied reason. Others possessed unique powers beyond classification. And worst of all, some retained fragments of what they once were before succumbing to corruption: memories, instincts, even cunning.
And the wolf before them seemed to be one of those cases.
Its movements carried a precision no beast should have. Its steps weren't wild or chaotic, but measured—those of a seasoned hunter. It was as though it had spent centuries perfecting the craft of stalking prey in this place, learning to gauge its victims, to wait for the exact moment to strike.
Or perhaps—Sunny shivered at the thought—it hadn't entirely lost what it once was. Perhaps, buried deep in that corruption, there remained a spark of reason. Twisted, cruel, but alive.
The idea was unnerving... and dangerous.
Nephis steadied her stance, her sword glowing faintly in her grip. Sunny let the shadows swirl tighter around him, spreading like a veil waiting to strike.
The wolf crouched on the black stone, its four eyes blazing with hunger and intelligence, its muscles taut like cords about to snap.
It was deciding. Calculating.
And Sunny knew: the next move would be deadlier still.
The wolf appeared beside him in the blink of an eye, a white lightning bolt slicing through the dark. Its jaws opened wide, fangs as long as daggers poised to tear his face apart.
Sunny reacted on instinct alone. A tug in his chest, a flicker of darkness—and his body vanished a heartbeat before the impact. He reappeared against the trunk of the nearest tree, using [Shadow Step]. The air where he had stood was ripped apart with a brutal snap, as though the darkness itself had been bitten.
Nephis didn't hesitate. She descended on the beast like a strike of living light. Her sword fell in a flawless arc, blue and radiant, aiming to cleave the wolf in half. But once again, the creature vanished in a flash, slipping back to its original position as effortlessly as a thunderbolt crosses the sky.
Sunny scowled. It was too fast.
He wasted no time. Raising his left hand, a cold sensation washed over his brow. The [Crown of Twilight] materialized upon his head, dark and regal, while the familiar [Shadow Lantern] gleamed in his grip.
The crown was no mere ornament.
[Legacy of Twilight]
Enchantment Description: "This Memory greatly improves the rate at which the wearer's essence is replenished at the borders between day and night."
There was a problem, of course: on the island there was no dawn, no dusk, no cycle of light to separate day from night. Everything was drowned in true darkness. It was impossible to know if the effect would work.
But something inside him urged him to gamble.
And to his relief, he felt it—a trickle of essence flowing back into his body like fresh water. His gamble had paid off. Outside, the sun and moon still turned, and the crown responded to that unseen rhythm.
Now, there was the lantern.
For a moment, he considered using [Shadow Shell], the defense that allowed him to summon the colossal shadow form. But he discarded the thought immediately. This monster was far too fast; he couldn't afford the weight of a giant, no matter how imposing.
The wolf moved like him, Sunny realized with a chill.
His [Shadow Step] let him leap from shadow to shadow, an impossible flash of speed. The beast, however, seemed to do the same... but with true darkness itself.
If he wanted to level the field, he had to flood it with his own weapon.
He raised the lantern, and instantly, a tide of shadows poured forth like a bursting sea. They spread across the blackened earth, crawled up the ruins, and coiled around the stones of the tower, transforming the terrain into a battlefield where Sunny was strong—where he could respond to that impossible speed.
The gloom churned around him, obedient and expectant.
The battle resumed.
He would not summon the colossus. Not now. What he needed was agility, reflexes, the edge of his dance rather than the armor of a giant.
Of course, there was one problem: with the lantern in his hand, if the wolf managed to bite him, he would likely lose the arm.
Sunny tightened his grip on the [Shadow Lantern], his jaw set.
"That's not going to happen," he muttered.
The air shuddered—then the wolf vanished in another flash.
Sunny and the wolf appeared and disappeared like two unreal blurs—one born of shadows, the other of true darkness. With every heartbeat they clashed in the gloom, like black lightning tearing through the air with invisible violence. The jade blade in Sunny's hands gleamed with lethal beauty, too perfect, too dangerous, as it carved swift arcs meant to cleave the monster in two. The wolf's claws slammed against the metal with subtle sparks, its strength so immense that each strike made the air tremble.
The wolf never broke eye contact. Its crimson pupils, burning like blood-soaked embers, followed him at every moment, reflecting an ancient and merciless hunger. When it bit, it did so with the precision of a predator that knew what it was hunting, and when it slashed with its claws, it aimed at the most vulnerable parts of Sunny's body. He barely managed to evade, flickering from shadow to shadow with [Shadow Step], moving like smoke with a blade's edge.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nephis still standing silent, watching. He knew she was waiting for the exact moment. And though part of him longed for her immediate help, he said nothing. Instead, aid came from himself.
He summoned Saint and Nightmare. The onyx warrior appeared tall and imposing, like a living statue, and beside her materialized the shadowy steed, majestic, its two horns gleaming like black blades. The sight was awe-inspiring, almost unreal: the embodiment of an ancient god and a nightmare beast fighting side by side.
The wolf snarled furiously, its attention torn for a heartbeat toward the new arrivals. Nightmare charged, its body wreathed in black mist, while Saint thrust her spear with the precision of an executioner. Yet the monster was far too fast: it melted into darkness and reappeared elsewhere, dodging attacks that would have obliterated any other creature.
[Sunny, could you lend me your shadows?]
He didn't hesitate. He vanished and reappeared at Nephis's side. In the distance, Saint and Nightmare kept the beast occupied, barely managing to hold it back. Sunny pressed his hand against Nephis's back—a gesture of trust more than necessity—and let his shadows pour into her blade.
Her shining blue sword changed instantly. It darkened, wreathed in an aura of swirling shadows, while at its tip flared a spark of white fire, pure and destructive.
Like a huntress, Nephis advanced on the wolf. Sunny dismissed his echoes back into the sea of souls; he didn't know what she was planning, but he trusted her.
The wolf dodged her first strike, as always. But this time it wasn't enough. In the instant it vanished into the darkness, Nephis's sword erupted in light. A white blaze cut through the gloom, tearing the creature from its refuge and engulfing it in a devastating explosion.
The wolf barely managed a howl. Its massive body writhed under the radiance, torn apart by shadow and flame. The true darkness surrounding it shattered like glass, and within moments, the beast was no more—reduced to ashes that scattered into the air.
And in that moment, the island knew light again. Not the light of a saving dawn, but the cold, merciless brilliance of destruction. And for an instant, everything fell silent.