The first signs of trouble came with the wind.
It was cold—not naturally cold, but empty. The kind of chill that crawled beneath your skin and made time itself pause.
Julius noticed it first. As he prepared the morning quest board outside the Twilight Zone guildhall, the sky dimmed for a moment. A crow passed overhead, screeching sharply. Then the wind howled.
And someone collapsed in front of their guild.
Lyra rushed outside, followed by Rael. A girl—no older than sixteen—lay on the dirt, unconscious. Her clothes were torn, soaked with blood, and at her side was a long, sheathed sword marked with ancient runes.
Julius knelt. "She's alive… but barely."
Rael examined the symbols on the sword. "I don't recognize the language. But this blade—it hums with something dark."
Lyra was already summoning a bed of ice to lower the girl onto. "Let's get her inside."
She awoke two hours later.
Her eyes were sharp violet, darting with confusion and fear. She sat up abruptly, reaching for the sword beside her.
"It's okay," Julius said gently. "You're safe. This is Twilight Zone."
"…Where am I?" she asked, voice hoarse.
"Mirewood. You collapsed outside our guildhall."
She looked at the blade. "Did anyone touch it?"
"We moved it to your side, but that's all," Lyra replied.
The girl relaxed slightly. "Good."
"Do you remember your name?" Julius asked.
She paused. "No. I… I don't remember anything. Just… that I had to keep running. And that monsters kept finding me."
"Monsters?" Rael raised an eyebrow.
She nodded slowly. "Horrible creatures. They come from the shadows. They find me no matter where I go."
Julius exchanged a look with Lyra. "Then we'll protect you."
"You don't even know who I am," she said flatly.
"Doesn't matter," Julius said. "You're not alone anymore."
That night, the monsters came.
Black, hulking beasts with glowing blue veins. Their eyes shone like cracks in a mirror. Five of them, emerging from the forest on the edge of town.
The girl—whom they nicknamed Rin—stood defensively, sword drawn. As she moved, the runes on the blade glowed faintly.
Rael stepped beside her. "Guess you weren't lying."
"I never do."
Julius activated Chrono Shield, creating a dome of slowed time to protect the townsfolk.
"Lyra, cover the left. Rael, the front. I'll deal with the one flanking right."
They moved in unison—flawless teamwork born of instinct and trust.
Rin, meanwhile, seemed to dance. Her sword blurred, slicing clean through two of the beasts. Her strikes weren't just fast—they were almost… silent.
"Whispering Blades…" she whispered to herself, and for a moment her memory flickered—snow, blood, a battlefield, and a name:
Rin Ayana of the Whispering Blades.
She collapsed the last beast with a final lunge.
Silence returned.
Julius stepped forward. "You remembered something."
Rin blinked, then nodded. "A name. My name."
"And those monsters?" Lyra asked.
"I don't know what they are… but I think they're drawn to the sword. Or to me."
Rael crossed his arms. "So we'll need to prepare for more."
Julius smiled. "Then we prepare. Because you're staying."
"…Thank you," Rin said softly.
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 – Amnesia)
F Rank Quests Completed: 50/1000E Rank Quests Completed: 6/10000D Rank Quests Completed: 2/1000C Rank Quests Completed: 1/1000
Next Chapter Preview: Shadows in the Snow
Rin's memories return in fragments, and Julius leads the team on a quest to a mountain shrine where her blade was forged. But something ancient sleeps beneath the ice, and its awakening may reveal the truth behind Rin's curse… and the first clue about the coming war against gods.