As the euphoric feeling faded, Dawn looked lost, as if something was wrong. Deep within, his instincts screamed with unease. The eerie feeling of the unknown weighed over him.
Grabbing The Forger's Crown from the top of his head, he examined it. Its simple yet beautiful design, radiating a soft, comforting light, seemed to accept his very being as its wielder.
---
[The Forger's Crown]
Rank: Divine
Tier: 7
Type: Utility
---
As his gaze fell upon the unfamiliar set of runes, his brows shot up in surprise. Something he had never seen before appeared—new lines, foreign and unknown.
---
Enchantments:
[Royal Bloodline] – Only the descendants of the Prince of the Underworld may wield this crown with honor.
[Chronos Khaos] – Allows the wielder to temporarily slow down time at the heavy cost of a random emotion.
[Epitome of Destiny] – In the hands of the unknown, the Forger forged the final destiny. The question is… who will peer into its endless void?
---
Ignoring how ominous many of these enchantments were, Dawn frowned.
What do you mean I just lost one of my emotions? But I feel normal… This is… what?
How is that even possible? Who am I kidding? It's common knowledge—power always comes at a price. I guess this is that price.
What emotion did I lose?
For the most part, I feel normal… but what really worries me is—how am I supposed to regain that emotion? Is it permanent?
Placing the crown atop his short, silver hair, he moved his head slightly. His gaze fell upon the east—the sun was still high in the air. And then, that spark—that feeling he had sensed three days ago—the emotions of solitude and loneliness that he had only felt within the Titan—reappeared once more, far in the distance.
Beginning to jog across the sand dunes, he summoned Flame. As the familiar apparition of yellow and orange light settled upon his shoulder, he picked up speed, going all out to reach that point as fast as possible.
---
On a shore where the sands were as black as night and crimson-red coral surrounded most, if not all, of its deadly expanse, a small group of people huddled together atop a little mound of sand.
"Hey, Sunny… do you think Dawn will be okay?"
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. He's probably somewhere nearby… hopefully."
A beautiful girl with simple silver hair—hair that would have looked strange on someone else but seemed perfect on her—hesitantly asked, "Who… are you talking about?"
"Oh, right. You two never met."
Sunny nodded. "Okay, so we're talking about a friend of mine. His name is Dawn."
"I see… What is he like?"
Sunny hummed in thought.
"In a way, he looks very familiar to you. Now that I think about it, he also has silver hair, silver eyes… though his hair is shorter. He's a gentle person, if you will. He really just tries his best to protect others—"
"Even if the situation might get him killed sometimes," Sunny added thoughtfully.
Sunny let out a chuckle. "Exactly. I always call myself an unkillable cockroach, but honestly? He is the cockroach."
A small, almost imperceptible smile fell upon Nephis's cold face… yet none of them noticed it.
---
"Do you really think he's here?"
Sunny exhaled, arms crossing. "Knowing him? He's probably far off from us… Yeah. But he'll survive. The guy always finds a way to put himself in weird and nearly impossible situations."
"Where is he from?"
"To be honest? I don't really know. He never told me. All I know is that his parents are dead and that he lived in the outskirts for most of his life—at least, for as long as he could remember."
Sunny tilted his head slightly. "Why are you so curious? I've never seen you ask so many questions."
"I don't know… I just want to."
And there it was—the answer that had plagued Sunny's mind for so long.
Just because she wants to.
What does that even mean… to her?
Looking toward the distance as the sun began to fall, the dark, black, vile waters rose toward them once more. Sunny's gaze lingered on the horizon—a flicker of worry and compassion poorly veiled by indifference.
Author's thoughts: sorry about not posting i got injured :( im okay now, may the daily uploads continue :)