Shadow Weaver: Sole Heir Of The Night

"Quickly, take your seats!" Inside the inn, as soon as Enzo and the rest stepped in, several individuals from the Freedom Party and Swordcleaver guided them to a blind spot in a dimly lit room.

They had received urgent intelligence that the group was being chased by a force even the gods struggled to handle. Panic settled over the inn like a storm cloud.

Of course, the Freedom Party had long endured the hostility of the High God; they knew how to act in most scenarios.

Especially in this one...

Suddenly, across the city, two massive explosions tore through the skyline, sending debris and plumes of smoke spiraling upward. Chaos erupted among the denizens.

"An attack? Who would dare attack Windhelm?" one spectator shouted, eyes wide with shock. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Everyone take cover!" a local city guard barked, rushing forward to shepherd the citizens to safety while securing the perimeter.

But even this was not enough.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

Three more explosions erupted in three distant locations simultaneously, shaking buildings and rattling windows. Screams echoed through the streets as dust and smoke filled the air, coating the city in a choking haze.

The High God flinched, a flicker of annoyance crossing her usually implacable face. She turned her gaze toward the smoke plumes. She remained stationary, her focus unbroken, yet irritation simmered beneath her composure.

’This is a ploy to get me to reveal myself...’ she mused, eyes narrowing on the inn. The Freedom Party was certainly capable of such cunning. She had witnessed it before, though no one ever claimed responsibility.

Knowing it was a ploy was one thing; ignoring it entirely was another.

"Fucker!" she hissed, vanishing from sight in an instant. Moments later, she reappeared at the site of the next imminent explosion.

Meanwhile...

"Good day, leader. My name is Leaf Blossom. I will be taking you off-world today."

Inside the inn, a divine being materialized seemingly from nowhere, his gaze sweeping over the group of four.

"Yes," Raven replied, nodding firmly.

Unlike most factions in the kingdom, they possessed a teleportation divine. This being could transport them anywhere on the planet instantaneously.

The only other group with similar capabilities was the royal guard itself.

Without hesitation, Leaf raised his hand. The space around them warped instantly, twisting like molten glass.

Before the High God could even react, the group had vanished—not merely from the city.

No.

Seconds later, they appeared aboard a shuttle, drifting silently outside Gaia Ice World in the fourth belt.

"She’s powerful, but she can’t be everywhere at once. This distance should suffice," Leaf said calmly, glancing at them as the shuttle floated in near-perfect darkness, cloaked from detection.

"Okay, thank you very much," Enzo said, his eyes half-lidded, watching the divine being with casual interest.

For someone like him, running from the High God was not particularly difficult. Space and time-based powers remained unmatched in their effectiveness.

’I wonder if Roddy could gain anything from him,’ Enzo pondered, then drifted toward the shuttle’s rear, leaving the divine’s side.

They floated in near-darkness for two days, motionless, like a derelict vessel silently drifting through the void. No propulsion, no lights—simply shadows and the cold hum of the shuttle’s core.

On the third day, someone new joined them.

Without hesitation, he sank to the cold metal floor, wrapping himself in a thin cloth. Silence settled over the shuttle as it seemed to absorb the presence of the newcomer.

Later that day, the shuttle’s engines hummed to life, finally propelling them entirely beyond Gaia’s orbit. Stars stretched into streaks as they began their quiet journey through the void.

.

.

.

.

.

"Corruption has spread a long way, huh?" A man with red hair, his locks hanging loosely around his face, leaned over a map. He scowled, irritation flickering across his features.

"Spread? We’ve been pushing it back for a long time now..." Enzo replied, raising an eyebrow as he stood beside him.

At this point, the heirs of the myriad factions of the Kingdom of Ice had spread to their respective planets, seeking the Dark Ice Lily. Naturally, they too had ventured into corrupted space.

"You call having one-third of the known universe pushing back?" The Burning Man muttered beside him, shooting Enzo a look of exasperation, as if the notion itself were a cruel joke.

In his era, the universe had a different shape, different rules. They had achieved numerous victories against corruption and were on the verge of eradicating it. Projections had indicated that within the next thousand years, the remaining two-thirds could be reclaimed.

And now... what was this?

"I... don’t know what you’re talking about," Enzo admitted, shaking his head.

He was a history enthusiast, spending countless hours diving into books and archives, trying to connect the dots on Lady Victoria. Yet even now, he realized he still didn’t grasp as much as this old man.

"Sigh. That’s what you get from chasing stability over victory," the Burning Man muttered, pointing to a planet on the map. "If I remember correctly, this is Varo King World."

This world had once been a forward settlement of humanity, producing a steady stream of talented individuals. It was remarkable—not just for its output, but because it had given rise to one of the High Gods still alive today: the Flame Devil of the Great Sun World.

"Oh." Enzo’s eyes traced the map carefully, a slow smile spreading across his face.

When they first received the coordinates for the Dark Ice Lily, he had felt a rush of emotions, confusion, fear, and finally, exhilaration.

Because he had seen these coordinates before...

A gift from a friend, many years ago.

Varo King World was the place where Victoria had left the third Star Seed for him.

In the Dark Emperor, Cassius’ castle

Enzo could feel the weight of destiny pressing lightly against him, a thrill mixed with the lingering dread of what awaited....

Somewhere in that corruption infested world laid another step towards truly becoming powerful, all he had to do was go over and seize it.