The Realm of Darkness had swallowed half of a border town overnight. Thick black clouds hung low and motionless, turning day into a permanent twilight inside their borders. Ordinary sunlight simply stopped at the edge like it had hit an invisible wall.
Princess Clau led her party straight into that darkness. Her Lightning Sword flashed bright blue as she cut at the first shadowy figure that lunged at her. The blade passed through the creature without resistance. Her mage Yelda followed up with Super Freeze. Ice formed for a second and then shattered harmlessly against the darkling's body. Nothing worked.
"Princess, we have to pull back!" Yelda shouted. "Inside the Realm of Darkness, darklings can only be harmed by holy magic or healing spells. Everything else is useless!"
Clau kept advancing. "There are still people who haven't been evacuated. We cannot abandon them."
Their cleric raised a staff and released a pure white healing blast. The nearest darkling screeched as the light burned through its shadowy flesh. The others hesitated for the first time.
Clau's expression hardened. "We keep going."
Meanwhile, back in the ruined capital, reconstruction had already begun. Workers hauled stone and timber under the watchful eyes of remaining soldiers. Niña stood with her hands on her hips, still shaking her head at the memory of the mass evacuation.
"I still can't believe you got every single person out before those meteors hit," she said. "That was insane."
Sekai shrugged. "I really hope I never have to deal with Meteor Shower again."
Fury crossed her arms. "That spell burns an enormous amount of magical power. Even the King of Darkness cannot cast it freely. Historical records say the last time he used it was fifty years ago."
"That does not mean he cannot use it tomorrow," Sekai pointed out.
Fury nodded slowly. "He does not want to destroy the world. He wants to rule it. Using Meteor Shower too often would leave him with nothing worth ruling. Still, if the darkness keeps spreading, every crop in the kingdom will die."
She looked at him with quiet determination. "I will do everything I can to help you defeat him."
Sekai's face lit up. He pressed the pause button without hesitation, stepped in close, and spent a long moment enjoying the feel of her body under his hands. When he resumed time, Fury's ears twitched. She glared at him, cheeks faintly pink.
"You did it again."
Niña laughed. "You are way too sharp, Fury."
Fury lifted her chin. "Elves once ruled this world. We inherited every scrap of knowledge worth keeping."
A desperate woman approached them not long after. She pointed toward the edge of the darkness where a modest house sat fully swallowed by the black fog.
"My little girl Jessie is still inside," the woman sobbed. "I was out getting supplies when the darkness expanded. She never came out."
Darklings moved like living shadows inside the fog. Fury explained again that the creatures could not stand pure light, but within the Realm of Darkness they were nearly invincible unless attacked with holy power or healing magic.
Sekai started walking toward the edge. "I will get her."
A tall, horned woman in a revealing dominatrix outfit stepped out of the darkness, whip coiled in one hand. Her skin was the color of polished midnight, and a cruel smile played across her lips.
"I am Zaraza," she announced. "Step into our world and you die. This land belongs to us now."
Sekai tilted his head. "Back off, or I will cast Disarmament on you."
Zaraza laughed. "I am invincible inside the darkness. Your little spells mean nothing."
Sekai pressed pause.
The world froze. He walked straight into the Realm of Darkness, paused long enough to deliver a firm spank to Zaraza's exposed backside, then continued toward the house. The darklings looked even more unsettling up close, their forms constantly shifting and dripping with liquid shadow. He had no holy magic and no healing spells, so fighting them was pointless. He slipped inside the house and called Jessie's name before remembering that time was stopped and she could not answer.
He searched room by room until he found a locked closet. The door was solid. Breaking it down risked hurting the child inside. Sekai dragged furniture in front of every window and door, creating a makeshift barricade, then finally unpaused time.
"Jessie, it is safe to come out now," he called. "I am here to take you home."
A small, frightened voice answered from inside the closet. "I will not open the door without the password."
Before Sekai could ask what the password was, a darkling smashed through the barricade. It lunged with claws aimed at his stomach. He barely managed to freeze time again before the attack landed. Angry, he grabbed the creature and hurled it back outside, then decided on a new plan.
He returned to Zaraza, still frozen in her proud pose at the edge of the darkness. He removed her whip, stripped every piece of clothing from her body, and took his time exploring. Her horns were real. Everything about her was real. When he finished, he carried her clothes back to the light side and resumed time.
Zaraza stood completely naked in front of a growing crowd of townsfolk. Her eyes went wide.
"What… what did you do?!"
"Disarmament," Sekai said casually.
Niñya groaned. "You are such a pervert."
Zaraza recovered faster than expected. She threw her head back and laughed. "You think a little nakedness bothers me? I am a darkling of the Realm!"
Sekai raised an eyebrow. "Then prove it. Strike some sexy poses for the audience."
To everyone's surprise, Zaraza actually did it. She arched her back, turned, and displayed herself with theatrical flair while more and more people gathered to stare. Her confidence lasted until her own body betrayed her. A clear trail of arousal began running down her inner thigh. Her face twisted in sudden embarrassment. She spun around and fled into the darkness without grabbing her clothes. Every darkling in the area followed her, leaving the house clear.
Sekai turned to Jessie's mother. "What is the password?"
The woman looked helpless. "It was a game her friends made up. Only they know it."
Before they could solve that problem, a royal envoy arrived on horseback. "Prince Will has called an emergency meeting in a secret location. Your presence is required."
Sekai nodded. "We will come as soon as we get the girl out."
They eventually solved the password issue with help from Jessie's friends and brought the child safely home. Then the envoy led Sekai's party underground into a hidden chamber marked with an elaborate magic circle.
Prince Will waited for them. Moments later Alicia entered the room, and both Sekai and Niña froze. The princess wore only slippers, panties, and a nearly transparent nightgown that left almost nothing to the imagination. Sekai immediately paused time for a closer, longer look before letting the world move again.
Will explained the situation with grim seriousness. "To stop the Realm of Darkness from expanding any further, we must repair the ancient barrier using continuous holy magic. Alicia is the only member of the royal family who inherited that power from our ancestors."
Alicia walked to the center of the circle. She met Sekai's eyes for a long moment, then knelt, closed her eyes, and began to pray. Soft golden light bloomed around her body and steadily grew brighter until the entire chamber glowed.
Will's voice was quiet. "She must maintain this prayer without interruption for one hundred days. While the spell is active her bodily functions are suspended. She will not need food, water, or rest. Her external senses are also suspended. She will not see, hear, or feel anything until the ritual is complete."
Sekai stared at the glowing form of the princess and felt an unexpected weight settle in his chest. One hundred days without hearing her voice or seeing her smile.
Will promised to guard her for the entire duration. Fury noted that their current location sat dangerously close to the edge of the Realm of Darkness, but if Alicia succeeded, the new barrier could push the darkness back.
Sekai checked the timer only he could see. Ten days remaining. The math did not work in his favor.
Clau and her party arrived soon after. Clau still could not quite meet Sekai's eyes as she spoke. "The Brave is needed elsewhere. We will stay and protect Alicia."
Yelda stepped forward with a sealed message. "The League of Mages received a request from the King of Mount Cape. He asks specifically for your help."
Sekai accepted without hesitation.
Hours later the party boarded a ship bound for Mount Cape. Fury stood at the railing and watched the coastline shrink. "Under normal conditions this voyage takes roughly one week."
Sekai did the calculation in his head. By the time they arrived he would have only three days left on the clock.
Swordmaster Leafa appeared on the deck without warning, sword already strapped to her back. "I am coming with you." She looked straight as Sekai. "If you do anything I will chop you up thinner than filet and feed you to the sharks."
The ship pulled away from the dock. Behind them the capital continued its slow recovery. Somewhere beneath the city Alicia knelt in endless golden light, praying for a barrier that might buy the world a little more time.
Sekai leaned against the railing and stared at the open sea. Ten days had become three the moment they set sail. The King of Darkness was still out there. The Realm of Darkness was still spreading. And the timer never stopped counting down.
He pressed a hand against the controller in his pocket and felt the familiar weight of the pause button under his thumb.
Whatever waited for them at Mount Cape, he would face it the same way he faced everything else in this world.