All the light and shadows produced by the attacks halted before the old man seated upon the throne. Strange radiance illuminated his face, yet he neither raised a hand to break free of the chains nor erased all the attacks about to strike him. Instead, he looked past those lights at Shade in the air:
"What do you mean, negotiate?"
He did not understand the Outlander's words:
"This is indeed not a localized Time Stop. It is a miracle achieved through the World Tree's power, temporarily halting the very concept of time. It is equivalent to the miracle by which you summoned the night this summer."
The enormous figure looked levelly at Shade floating before him. In this utterly silent world, it seemed as though only the two of them remained. Though the emerald glow of the canopy above them had also frozen, the light around the Ancient One still rippled like flames. He seemed rather dissatisfied:
"Shade Hamilton, Outsider beyond time, is this all you can do tonight?"
He asked inquisitively. Shade did not release Miss Olanord's tightly clasped hand, instead asking:
"Isn't this enough? Even if you freeze time, what can you do? How will you break free from chains that even the evil god Devouring Dragon could not easily escape? Or do you think you can withstand the attacks launched by the Great Witches drawing upon the power of the Witch Council?"
The Ancient One smiled.
"Though I cannot leave this woodland, that does not mean I know nothing of what happens outside. I know every detail of the Battle of Moon Bay, which is why I am somewhat disappointed in you tonight. Replaying a drama that has already been performed—no matter how splendid it was the first time, the second showing becomes dull. Is this all