The journey to the mountain shrine began at dawn.
Julius had found it marked faintly on an old guild map—a forgotten ruin called Eisgrund, hidden deep in the Frostneedle Range. According to ancient records, it was once a temple where enchanted blades were forged and bound to their chosen wielders.
It was also the place Rin had seen in her fragmented memories.
Wrapped in thick cloaks and with supplies in tow, the Twilight Zone team set off. Rin's hand never left the hilt of her sword, the runes pulsing faintly beneath the frost.
The climb was brutal.
Howling winds tried to throw them off the cliff path. Snow stung their eyes. Time magic had little effect here—Julius realized quickly that the region was enchanted to suppress distortion.
"It's like something wants us to stay trapped in this moment," he muttered.
Rael conjured lightning along his arms to keep warm. "Then we break the moment apart."
They pushed forward.
By the time they reached the shrine, night had fallen. A large stone structure buried halfway into the ice greeted them—columns cracked with age, doors sealed by intricate magical symbols.
Rin stepped forward.
As she approached, the runes on her sword began to glow brighter.
The seals on the shrine responded, unraveling like threads of light.
The doors opened.
Inside was a frozen hall, filled with shattered weapons and broken altars. Snow coated the floor like a burial shroud.
At the center stood a massive circular pedestal.
Rin walked toward it slowly. She placed the blade on the pedestal.
A deep hum filled the chamber.
From the ceiling, spectral figures began to descend—ghostly warriors wrapped in tattered cloaks. Their faces were masked, their voices echoes from another time.
"The Blade-Bound returns... But not whole."
Rin dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Visions overwhelmed her.
A battlefield.
A woman with silver eyes calling her 'sister.'
A betrayal.
A seal.
Rael prepared to strike the spirits, but Julius held him back. "They're not attacking."
One spirit floated to Rin. "Will you reclaim what was lost? Or allow the frost to consume your truth?"
Rin stood slowly, eyes filled with clarity. "I want the truth."
Her sword lifted into the air.
A pulse of magic erupted.
The runes etched along the shrine, long dormant, lit up in response.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
From beneath the shrine, a monstrous screech echoed upward. Ice cracked. Something massive and ancient stirred below.
"Time to go!" Rael shouted.
The shrine began to collapse, but not before the sword returned to Rin's hands—now imbued with a deeper glow. She had reclaimed a part of herself.
The team barely escaped as the entrance crumbled behind them.
Julius looked back as the ice sealed again.
Whatever they had awakened… was not gone.
Just waiting.
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 4
Julius (E-Rank Mage, Iron Guild Master)
Lyra (E-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
Rael (D-Rank Mage, Lightning Magic)
Rin Ayana (C-Rank Mage, Whispering Blade Style – Memory Awakening)
F Rank Quests Completed: 55/1000E Rank Quests Completed: 7/10000D Rank Quests Completed: 3/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 2/1000
Next Chapter Preview: Rise of Storm Fang
While the Twilight Zone team recovers, the Silver-ranked guild Storm Fang takes an interest in the strange energy burst from Eisgrund. Calem returns—this time with orders to eliminate Julius and recruit Rin by force. The first inter-guild clash begins.