The colossal jaws made of sharp white bone snapped shut around the light platform. The roaring sound of the deep whirlpool vanished in a single quiet second. Total darkness fell over the small group as they floated inside the vast belly of the sea eater. Cold, damp air rushed past their faces, carrying the bitter taste of old salt and deep ocean mud. Luca kept his left arm wrapped firm around the waist of sweet Amelia, holding her close to his broad side.He pulled his sharp steel sword from his belt, channeling his inner dragon core into the long metal blade. A steady yellow sun fire erupted from the steel, lighting up the vast hollow chamber inside the giant bone beast. The warm light revealed smooth walls made of pale ribbed bone that stretched out into the dark space. Beneath their leather boots, the floating sun platform hummed with soft golden heat, keeping them safe above a pool of green stomach fluid.Amelia held the sweet sun child tight against her chest, her soft brown eyes

The pale face of the rider on the bone horse did not change as cold wind blew across the green hill. Luca stood still on his leather boots, his brown eyes wide with shock. The sharp steel sword in his right hand dipped toward the soft grass floor. Memories of his childhood running through the palace gardens rushed into his mind. This was Julian, his older brother who had vanished into the dark shadows fifteen long years ago.Behind Luca, his lost mother let out a small gasp, her hand covering her lips as tears filled her eyes. She called out the name of her lost son in a trembling voice that carried down the green slope. Julian did not move or offer a warm smile to his mother. His pale skin looked like smooth marble stone, and his eyes burned with a cold blue fire that held no human warmth.Julian sat high on his bone horse, holding his sharp bone spear in a tight grip. He told his family that the boy they once loved had died in the cold shadow realm. The death lord had saved his life

The heavy iron door slammed shut with a deafening boom. Cold shadow filled the tight chamber, cutting off the bright morning sun from the open valley below. Luca stood on his leather boots in the pitch black space, his broad chest heaving as he caught his breath. The thick black chain wrapped around his waist pulled tight, binding his arms against his sides. Around him on the dark stone walls, a hundred glowing red eyes opened all at once.The red eyes burned with a sick purple light that turned the air freezing cold. Luca felt the bad magic in the room reach for his inner sovereign dragon core. The dark spell tried to siphon his warm heat, turning his own sun light into a cold curse. Luca did not let fear take hold of his human heart. He closed his brown eyes, focusing his mind on the sweet face of Amelia, the proud smile of Elias, and the warm touch of his family.He called upon the golden dragon fire sleeping deep inside his broad chest. The golden crown appeared above his dark hai

The unmasked woman stood on the green grass with her red silk dress fluttering in the wind. Her face was identical to the sweet scholar girl standing behind Luca. She possessed the same brown eyes, the same soft hair, and the same gentle curves. But where Amelia held warmth and human kindness, this dark stranger held only cold bitterness and ancient grief. The broken gold mask lay in two shining pieces at her silk slippers on the damp soil.Amelia stepped forward on her leather boots, her small hands shaking as she stared at the dark queen. Her sweet voice trembled softly as she asked how such a terrible thing could be true. The dark queen looked back at her younger self with a cold, hollow smile. She declared that she had walked the lonely path of sorrow for fifty long years after Luca fell in the final war. Grief had burned her sweet soul to black ash, driving her to master dark star magic to reset time.Luca moved his broad frame in front of Amelia, shielding her behind his back. H

The heavy ticking of the giant clockwork wheel echoed off the cold stone walls. Ten seconds remained on the glowing red dial. Luca stood alone in the center of the dark court, his broad chest heaving as his brown eyes locked onto the spot where Amelia had vanished. The giant hand made of solid black ice had pulled his sweet scholar friend through the dark portal, leaving only cold air behind. He held his steel sword tight in his bare right hand, the thin yellow flame flickering on the sharp edge.He did not waste a single second staring at the empty floor. Nine seconds. Luca called upon every drop of human spirit left inside his broad frame. He sprinted across the dark marble floor with fast, heavy strides, his leather boots pushing hard against the cold stone. He ran straight toward the giant clockwork wheel mounted on the far wall. Eight seconds.The eleven remaining black statues raised their stone swords together, creating a thick wall of heavy rock arms to block his path. The gia