Chapter 19

Kifo stands at the head, helmet off for once—revealing a youthful face with glowing onyx eyes and runes etched into his skin like birthmarks. He leans forward on the table, his grin now tempered with seriousness.

Kifo:
The creature that’s been terrorizing the realm… I call it Jioni. It means Dusk in one of the older tongues. Seemed fitting.

Asche nods thoughtfully, while Berwick scratches notes into a small leather-bound planner. Eris glances toward Shizuku, who hasn’t spoken yet, his eyes locked on the massive black silhouette carved into the center of the table—a rough etching of the dragon’s wingspan.

Eris:
You say it’s been active for how long?

Kifo:
Roughly thirty-five days. It only emerges during the crossing of two void currents—essentially, when the sky fractures for a moment and the starlight blinks out. That’s when Jioni flies. And feasts.

Alto (quietly):
Feasts on what?

Kifo:
Anything. Villages. Spirits. Sky-serpents. Even tried to rip apart the Shadow Spire once. My barrier barely held.

Astera (crossing his arms):
So why haven’t you dealt with it?

Kifo turns to Astera with a rare look of gravity.

Kifo:
Because I can’t kill what doesn’t exist during daylight. And I can’t track what disappears between heartbeats. It’s made of living dusk. I’ve wounded it—scarred it even—but Jioni doesn’t die. It sleeps, and reawakens worse.

Lily:
So you need help. Our help.

Kifo:
Exactly, Princess. That’s why I agreed to your sigil request so quickly. You want my fragment? Help me rid this world of its shadow.

Shizuku (finally speaking):
We need to bait it.

Everyone looks toward the Emperor, who now steps forward, placing a single black feather on the table. One that wasn’t there moments ago.

Shizuku:
This is one of Jioni’s feathers. I found it on the third mountain ridge when we first arrived. It’s dense with dusk magic. That means it’s molting. Weakening. We can lure it out one final time.

Asche (nodding):
We set the trap during the next current fracture. I can help stabilize the bait field. Maybe use one of the old celestial lures?

Berwick:
And if it resists, we bring overwhelming force. We’re not hunting an animal—we’re erasing a living curse.

Kifo folds his arms.

Kifo:
My palace can withstand a war. The outer ring is laced with darkfire runes. If we bait Jioni there, I can lock it in.

Eris:
How long until the next void current?

Kifo (smiling grimly):
Four hours.

There’s a beat of silence. Then Shizuku raises his hand and speaks with the clarity of command.

Shizuku:
Then we move in three. Rest, arm, and prepare yourselves. When the hour strikes, Jioni falls.

The captains nod, each rising with purpose. The shadow of dusk looms—but so too does the light of resistance.