Two weeks passed quietly.
Delegations from Eldmere and the Fairy Kingdom began arriving, guided along the newly formed road that connected the normal world to Astra Nox. Trade banners fluttered. Curiosity filled the air.
Far from the welcoming crowds, Reeve stood deep underground—inside the legendary Abyssforge Hollow, the cave of infinite ore.
Crimson veins of regenerating metal pulsed faintly in the walls. Mana-rich grass shimmered like starlight beneath his boots.
Beside him, the little girl walked carefully, her hands clasped behind her back.
"Reeve," she said suddenly, looking up.
"Can I ask you something… strange?"
Reeve smiled lightly. "Ask."
She hesitated, then spoke in a way so innocent that even the truth hid itself.
"If… if someone's heart waits every night for the same shadow to return…
and that shadow always does…
does that mean the night belongs to the shadow?"
Reeve stopped walking.
For a moment, the cave felt impossibly quiet.
"…Yes," he answered softly.
"It does."
The little girl smiled—satisfied, as if she had received an answer only meant for her.
---
Astra Nox — The Arena
In the open combat grounds, cheers erupted.
Kaelith stood across from a powerful guild warrior, blades clashing again and again.
The fight looked competitive.
It wasn't.
Kaelith stepped inside a strike, disarmed his opponent, and tapped the man's chest with the flat of his blade.
"Match over."
The guild members stared in awe.
"So this is the strength of the Eclipse Collectors…" someone whispered.
Kaelith sighed. "Too slow."
---
Lunareth and the New Race
Elsewhere, Lunareth stood before a group of newly accepted races—tall, sharp-eyed, and clearly testing boundaries.
"We want freedom," one of them said boldly.
"To act as we wish."
Lunareth tilted her head slightly.
"Freedom exists within rules."
They laughed.
"You can't control all of us."
Silence.
Then—
Boom.
The ground cracked beneath Lunareth's feet as her aura flared, overwhelming but precise.
In less than a breath, every single one of them was pinned to the ground, unable to move.
"S-sorry, ma'am!"
"We'll follow the rules!"
Lunareth released them instantly, smiling.
Elaryn approached, eyebrow raised.
"…Why are you beating them?"
Lunareth waved dismissively.
"Beating? That was just stretching."
The group behind her trembled.
For them, it had been a battle for survival.
---
Lunareth glanced around.
"Where's Seraphyne?"
Elaryn frowned slightly.
"She's been in her room all day. Says she isn't feeling well."
Then, more quietly—
"I don't know what happens when she's alone too long."
---
Night — Quiet Steps
Laughter echoed softly through Astra Nox's halls.
Reeve walked beneath the lanterns, the little girl sitting proudly on his shoulders, pointing at stars she couldn't name.
When they reached her room, he gently set her down.
"Sleep," he said. "Big day tomorrow."
She hugged him suddenly—tight—then ran inside and fell asleep almost instantly.
Reeve smiled… and turned toward his own room.
That was when he heard it.
A sound.
Soft. Strained.
From Seraphyne's room.
He froze.
"…Seraphyne?"
Silence.
He knocked.
"Don't come in," her voice said—too quick, too controlled.
"Is everything okay?" Reeve asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Please… go sleep."
Reeve's expression hardened—not in anger, but concern.
"I'm coming in."
His hand reached the door.
The latch turned.
The door opened—