Raindrops struck his body and carried away his warmth. Exhaustion made Shade yearn as never before to lie down and never part from the night again. But that was not the worst part. In that profound darkness, he actually heard familiar voices calling to him. The first came from Miss Feliana: "Shade, you appeared again! I had Fiona act as bait, and sure enough, I hooked you!"
"Hmm?"
Shade instinctively wanted to look to the left, but the Red Dragon Young Lady lashed his arm hard with her tail. "Don't look at the darkness. Look at me, and absolutely do not lose focus! It's all fake, all of it! Only I am real!"
There was something almost hysterical in that last sentence. Before Shade had appeared, the young witch had likely experienced many things while surviving alone in this city.
"Yes, I'll remember that!"
As they spoke, the first candle was nearly extinguished. As its fire faded, the night stained their clothes black in great swathes. This was no metaphor—their clothes and exposed skin were truly turning black. Shade could even feel part of his body merging into the vast, indescribable thing known as "night."
Fortunately, the second candle was lit in time. Its warm firelight illuminated them again and drove back the darkness.
At that very moment, an indescribable terror arose in his heart. The night around them instantly became tangible monsters, but having seen things far more horrifying, Shade immediately realized it was entirely an illusion. Fiona, however, froze in place, so this time Shade had to remind her: "Don't pay attention to the night. Look at the candlelight. It's all fake!"
He grabbed Fiona's right hand and ran forward desperately. By the time she recovered from her panic and terror, the second candle had burned out. Shade