It was a cold morning when Julius spotted her.
She was curled up near the edge of the woods, just outside Mirewood—barefoot, covered in frost, and staring blankly into a dead campfire. Snow laced her hair like cracked glass. Her eyes were gray, hollow. A young girl around his age, maybe a little older.
Julius approached slowly, careful not to scare her. She didn't flinch.
"Hey…" he said gently, offering half of a burnt fish he'd cooked the night before. "You hungry?"
The girl looked at him, unmoving. After a pause, she took the food and ate slowly, deliberately.
"My name's Julius," he continued. "I have a guild. Kind of." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "It's called Twilight Zone."
She didn't reply.
"You got a name?"
"…I used to," she said finally, voice soft like snow. "But they stopped calling me it."
Julius sat beside her. "That's okay. You can have a new one. Or keep the old. Doesn't matter to me."
She blinked at him. "You're weird."
He smiled. "Yeah. Wanna be weird together?"
She didn't laugh, but she didn't walk away either.
Three Days Later – Twilight Zone Hall
They'd rebuilt one wall. A tarp covered part of the roof. Julius had completed five F-rank herb and delivery quests. The girl still didn't talk much, but she stayed.
Her name, Julius learned, was Lyra. She had Ice-Make Magic, though her control was unstable.
On the fourth night, bandits came.
Two of them. Drunk. Laughing. Mocking the "child guild." One pulled a knife.
Julius activated his Time God Slayer Magic for the first time in real combat.
The world slowed.
Every second stretched like syrup.
He slipped past the man, striking with a burst of black-and-silver energy: Chrono Lash.
The man flew back unconscious. The other tried to grab Lyra.
She panicked—then reacted. Ice exploded from her hands, trapping the second bandit's legs.
"Whoa," Julius muttered. "That was awesome."
Lyra's hands trembled. "I-I didn't mean—"
"You protected us." He offered her a high five. "You're officially my first member."
She stared at his hand for a second, then raised her own, slapping it lightly. A small smile cracked her frozen expression.
Twilight Zone Guild – Members: 2
Julius (F-Rank Mage, Iron Guild Master)
Lyra (E-Rank Mage, Ice-Make Magic)
F Rank Quests Completed: 9/1000
The Twilight Zone had a long way to go.
But now, it wasn't just one boy.
It was a beginning.
Next Chapter Preview: The Cursed Bell Tower
Julius and Lyra accept their first E-rank quest together—investigate an abandoned bell tower where time runs backward. But something ancient stirs within the tower… a cursed relic tied to Chronon's past.
Time is ticking.
And it's not always on your side.