With his step, the toe of the black leather shoe became tangible beneath the moonlight, nearly twisting the fundamental laws of physics across the entire street in an instant.
The witch wanted to close her eyes and retreat behind Shade, but her body refused to move.
Yet because of that, she saw Shade raise both hands before him in an almost reflexive motion, pure Silver Flame blooming with incomparably brilliant radiance. But the color of the moonlight only held her attention for a second before Little Mia darted out of Shade's arms.
The cat bravely leaped onto Shade's shoulder, and a threatening "meow" immediately shattered the spacetime that seemed on the verge of freezing.
Sparks spewed from the cat's mouth again, and a tiny flame emerged from the tip of its tail. The Sun witch was drawn to the flame on the cat's tail. Its color was clearly ordinary, and its warmth was nearly imperceptible, yet she found it so familiar and warm.
The cat's flames appeared alongside Shade's moonlight. The figure in the darkness remained frozen with one foot raised, and two seconds later, that black leather shoe did not fall forward. Instead, it withdrew back into the darkness. They stood once more at the edge of light and shadow, silently "watching" everything.
"Mia, get back."
The flames vanished before the witch as Shade grabbed Little Mia and tucked her back against his chest. The best solution was right in front of him. Before the figure in the darkness made another move, Shade took two steps forward and picked up the pocket watch from the Ashes.
By the time the belatedly reacting witch caught up, his hand was already gripping the pocket watch.
"The best way is to use this relic again. Its effect can clearly only produce one