CHAPTER 283: TO THE CITY OF GRAYLIGHT 2.

Kael leaned back against his chair.

"Can you leave? I’m about to sleep," Kael said with a tired tone, rubbing his face.

"Oh, okay, okay... goodnight, man." they said.

"Yeah, night! Don’t stay up too late reading that creepy book," They said.

Once the door clicked shut, silence filled the room again.

Kael sighed deeply. "Finally..." He glanced at the book again—the cover dark and rough, etched with symbols that seemed to shimmer faintly when touched by candlelight.

He muttered to himself, "Anyway... I’ve already prepared tomorrow’s mission and studied all the secret areas."

He looked at the map spread open beside the book.

"That’s where it all begins..." he whispered.

He closed the book slowly, then blew out the candle.

The room sank into darkness, but before drifting into sleep, Kael’s thoughts lingered on Elysia. If she really went there... things might get dangerous.

Meanwhile At the Elaris City.

Inside the City of Graylight.

The city was silent—too silent—as if time itself refused to move here.

She frowned and looked around. "What is this place?" she murmured. Her voice echoed strangely.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, silver watch.

She flipped it open.

"What? This is strange... the time is running very fast here." The hands of the watch spun wildly, completing an hour in mere seconds.

Her brows furrowed. "This isn’t normal... it’s like the whole space is distorted."

(What does Kael have to do with this place?) she thought, clutching the watch tightly.

she hadn’t expected something like this.

At the Entrance, two figures emerged from the door, Edwin and Jin. Dust swirled around their boots as they stepped into the eerie city.

"Elysia!" Jin shouted, his voice echoing down the crumbling streets.

"Elysia, are you here?"

Outside the city gate, Cecelia stood frozen.

Her hands trembled slightly, and her breathing was uneven. The dark mist that lingered around the gate reminded her too much of that time. She bit her lip.

"I can’t go in..." she whispered. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Not again..."

The last time she encountered such an illusion, she had nearly lost her life.

Even now, the faint pulse of darkness in the air made her chest tighten.

"I’ll... wait here," she said softly, sitting down by the entrance as her trembling hand clutched her pendant.

Inside the city, Edwin and Jin continued searching.

"What is this place?" Edwin asked quietly, glancing around at the distorted architecture.

The buildings looked half-ruined, half-reconstructed—as though reality kept reshaping them.

"I don’t know," Jin replied.

"But it feels... strange. Like something’s watching us."

The mist glowed faintly blue, and the shadows seemed to move even when they weren’t supposed to.

Suddenly, a faint cry echoed from behind a broken archway.

"Help me... help me..."

Both of them froze.

Edwin turned sharply. "Did you hear that?"

Jin nodded. "Yeah... over there."

They cautiously approached.

A figure crawled out of the mist—half-transparent, like smoke taking human form.

The man’s eyes were hollow, his hands trembling.

"Help... me..." he whispered again, reaching out toward them. His voice was warped, as though coming from another world.

"Stay back!" Edwin said, unsheathing his weapon.

He shoved the man’s shoulder—but the figure instantly dissolved into a puff of dark vapor, vanishing into the air.

"What the—" Edwin took a step back, his eyes widening. "It just disappeared!"

Jin’s expression darkened. "It wasn’t human."

Before they could speak further, the mist ahead shifted, revealing a tall figure standing in the distance.

A man wearing a broken crown stood beneath the ruins of a massive hall.

His armor was cracked, his cloak torn, and in his hand, he held a rusted sword that still gleamed faintly with divine energy.

"Is that... a Celestial Royal?" Jin asked, pointing at the figure.

Edwin narrowed his eyes. "It looks like him... but he’s supposed to be dead. The last Celestial King vanished centuries ago."

The crowned man didn’t move.

Then, suddenly, the air rippled—and the ground beneath them changed. The ruins transformed into a battlefield.

Flames erupted across the landscape, and hundreds of armored soldiers charged forward.

The roar of battle filled their ears.

"What’s happening!?" Edwin shouted, looking around in disbelief.

"We’re inside... a memory?"

The Celestial King raised his sword high. Across the burning plains, demonic figures surged forth—giant beasts with molten eyes and twisted horns.

Jin and Edwin stood frozen, watching as the two sides clashed violently.

The king’s voice boomed. "Defend Elaris! Protect the last gate to the heavens!"

But the demons were overwhelming. A monstrous figure emerged—a towering demon with six wings of black fire.

With one swing of his blade, he pierced the king’s chest.

"No!" Jin shouted, instinctively stepping forward, but Edwin grabbed his arm.

"It’s not real! Don’t move!"

The vision began to crumble—the battlefield fading into darkness.

When the mist cleared again, the crowned man stood before them once more, but now his eyes glowed with sorrow and desperation.

He looked straight at Jin.

"Help us..." the crowned man said, his voice echoing inside Jin’s mind.

"This country... needs more heroes."

Jin’s breath hitched. "What... what did you say?"

"Save Elaris... save the Celestial Line..."

The king’s hand reached forward, offering his broken sword.

The moment Jin’s eyes locked on the weapon, his surroundings began to blur.

"Jin!" Edwin shouted, shaking him. "Hey! Snap out of it!"

But Jin’s pupils dilated—his body stiffening as visions flooded his mind.

He saw burning castles, weeping people, and the king’s corpse lying on a throne of ash.

Then he saw himself—standing at the head of an army, wearing the same crown.

"What... what is this?" he muttered. "Why am I... wearing it?"

The crowned man’s voice grew louder. "Take the crown... fulfill the prophecy... only you can restore this land..."

Jin reached out instinctively—his fingers brushing against the faint golden light that hovered near him.

"Jin!" Edwin’s voice sounded distant now.

"Come to your senses!"

Suddenly, a strong force pulled at him—like a current dragging him underwater.

"Come to sense, damn it!" Edwin shouted, grabbing Jin’s arm and yanking hard.

The moment their hands touched, a surge of dark energy exploded between them, throwing both backward.

Edwin coughed and groaned, struggling to his feet.

Jin lay on the ground, eyes unfocused, murmuring something incoherent.

"Crown... prophecy... save them..." he mumbled.

"Jin!" Edwin slapped his cheek lightly. "Wake up! You’re hallucinating!"

Jin’s breathing was erratic, sweat rolling down his forehead. His eyes slowly regained focus.

"What... happened?"

"You almost walked straight into the abyss," Edwin said, looking around cautiously.

"Whatever this city is, it’s not normal. It’s showing illusions, memories... maybe trying to control us."

Jin sat up slowly, rubbing his face.

"I saw him. The Celestial King. He said this country needs heroes... and then I—" He paused, trembling slightly.

"I saw myself wearing the crown."

Edwin frowned deeply.

"Then this place is connected to you somehow... or it’s manipulating your mind."

Jin’s jaw tightened. "We need to find Elysia before this place does something worse."

Meanwhile, deeper inside the city, Elysia walked through a path.

Every few seconds, she could hear faint whispers echoing between the walls—voices calling her name.

"Elysia..."

She turned sharply, drawing her blade. "Who’s there!?"

No answer.

She tightened her grip on the sword.

The energy in this place was suffocating, twisting the senses.

When she reached the center of the two buildings, a huge mural caught her eye.

It depicted the Battle of Graylight, the same moment Jin and Edwin had just witnessed—demons overwhelming a celestial army.

But in the corner of the mural, her eyes widened. There, faint but visible, was a familiar face—Kael’s face—painted among the ancient soldiers.

Her heart skipped. "That’s... impossible." She stepped closer.

"Why is he in this painting?"

She touched the wall. Instantly, the surface rippled like water, and a cold wind blew past her face.

"Elysia..."

The whisper was closer now, directly behind her.

She turned—but there was nothing there.

Her breathing quickened. The temperature dropped sharply, her breath now visible in the air.

Then she saw him—the same crowned figure Jin had seen—standing behind her in the reflection of the wall’s surface.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The crowned man tilted his head. "A remnant of the past... a voice forgotten by time."

"What do you want from us?"

"To restore what was lost," he said. "And to awaken the one who bears the mark of destiny...the one to defeat demons."

Elysia froze. "demons?"

The figure extended a hand, revealing a faint sigil glowing with dark fire—the same sigil Kael once unknowingly manifested during training.

Her eyes widened. "Kael..."

Before she could say more, the entire city began to shake violently.

Cracks spread across the floor, and beams of black light shot up from the ground.

Outside, Edwin and Jin looked up as the city trembled.

"What now!?" Edwin shouted.

"The city—it’s awakening!" Jin yelled.

In Kael’s dorm, miles away, his eyes suddenly opened. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his heart pounded.

He didn’t know why—but somehow, he felt a pulse... a call from afar.

"The City of Graylight..." he whispered.

"It’s started."

He stood up quickly, reaching for his gear.

Outside, thunder rumbled.

Somewhere deep within the ruins, a voice whispered through the wind—

"The heroes have entered... the past will repeat once more."

"What is this? Who is this talking about?" Kael asked.

"Did the heroes go to the City of Graylight?"

"Heroes aren’t supposed to go... but how?" He talked to himself.