Klaus finally spotted the others.
In the distance, Noctis and Sunny were locked in a heated argument, voices rising sharply before fading into the stillness. He didn't need to hear the words to guess the reason. A glance upward told him all he needed to know—the moon was gone. Not replaced by the sun, not yet, but neither was it night. They were caught in that uncanny twilight before dawn.
And dawn meant Sevras.
The timing couldn't be worse. Noctis drew his strength from the night, his power waning beneath the sun's rise. Sevras, by contrast, was strongest in daylight. Right now, the balance tipped unfavorably. Noctis stood at a steep disadvantage.
Klaus approached the bickering duo, his weariness tucked behind a faint, casual smile. His gaze drifted toward Noctis, whose battered face had mostly healed, the signs of the recent battle with Solvane fading fast. The sorcerer wore a strangely serene expression as he stared up at the greying sky—until he noticed Klaus. Then, as if on cue, he broke into an overly dramatic smile.
"Oh, my! If it isn't my prodigious pupil. Who would've guessed you'd be the one to kill the Sun Prince and massacre an entire army? Simply magnificent!"
Klaus gave him a long, amused look and chuckled, shaking his head.
"So why the long faces? It's not like we've lost yet."
Noctis stretched as the last of his wounds sealed shut, his expensive robes in tatters, hair disheveled, body still humming with residual essence. He looked every inch the exhausted sorcerer.
"Ah, it's nothing really. We've already discussed it." He paused, scratching his head sheepishly. "I'll probably die. But, you know... I'll try not to. Die, I mean."
With a sigh, Klaus dropped to the ground, staring up at the pale sky with a tired expression. For a moment, he said nothing, then exhaled softly and spoke.
"Do you know the story about the wolf and the dog?"
Noctis raised a brow. Sunny turned as well, curiosity flickering across his face. The unexpected question stilled the air between them.
Klaus's voice was quiet, almost wistful. "It's an old tale... about freedom—and chains."
Sunny couldn't help himself. Despite everything, he leaned in, expression intrigued. "And? What of it?"
Klaus smiled faintly, his eyes half-lidded as he began.
"Once, under a midnight's howl, there lived a wolf. Fierce and wild, it roamed the forests untamed, without collar or master. But freedom has its price. The wolf was thin, its ribs like the strings of a sorrowful harp, and hunger—its ever-faithful companion."
Even Noctis, ever the jester, had fallen silent. His eyes were distant now, his expression somber.
Klaus glanced at him, then continued.
"One bitter night, the wolf encountered a dog. This creature was plump, its coat shining, tethered by a chain of gold.
'Why do you wear that chain?' asked the wolf.
The dog replied, 'It's no burden. My master feeds me, shelters me, and keeps me safe.'
The dog spoke of warm fires, of hands that stroked its head with affection, of bowls overflowing with food.
'Why do you starve when you could have all of this?' it asked.
The wolf was quiet for a time, then asked softly, 'And what do you give in return for such comfort?'
The dog looked at its chain, then said simply, 'Only my freedom. But what is freedom, compared to a full belly?'"
Klaus's eyes drifted toward the horizon, where the first light of dawn was beginning to creep over the mountains. His voice dropped to a near whisper.
"The wolf's stomach growled. Its limbs were weary from the endless wandering. The dog's offer was tempting—a life without pain, without struggle. But then the wolf looked to the stars, and with a voice like wind through dead leaves, it answered:
'I would rather starve beneath the open sky than feast beneath a master's roof.'
And so, the wolf turned away. Its ribs ached, but its spirit remained unbroken. The dog watched as the wild beast disappeared into the night—free, untamed, and alone."
A heavy silence followed.
Noctis stared down, lost in thought, before flashing Klaus a bright, teasing smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Well then, why didn't the wolf take the comfort? Wouldn't it have been... happier, with the dog's master?"
Klaus laughed, brushing his hair back from his face.
"Maybe. But happiness isn't the same for everyone. Some are content in chains. Others would rather die than lose the wind in their fur. There's no single truth in this world—your truth is my lie, and my truth, yours. In the end, it comes down to the fire in your soul."
Noctis blinked, then burst into laughter—rich, loud, and tinged with disbelief. He shook his head, his grin wide once more.
Klaus smiled, stretched, and yawned.
"Well, whatever. I'm planning to sleep before everything inevitably goes to hell."
And with that, he lay back, eyes closed, body still. Noctis glanced at him, and for just a moment, a soft, sorrowful smile crossed his face.
Then he leaned back as well, and together, under the fading stars and rising sun, the two wolves rested.
Cassie watched Klaus and Noctis sprawled on the ground like two drunkards after a tavern brawl… which, frankly, wasn't far from the truth. Between the absurd amount of liquor and whatever strange concoctions they had consumed, rest was inevitable. She let them lie there for a while longer—just enough for the sun to fully breach the eastern horizon—before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.
"This is not the time for a nap," she muttered under her breath, then marched over and gave Klaus a sharp kick in the leg.
"Up. Now. We're in trouble."
Klaus groaned, shifting slightly in the dirt like a disgruntled cat. He mumbled through a sigh thick with exhaustion.
"Let me sleep, woman… We're always in trouble… gods, fuck my life…"
They were just about to launch into another of their usual squabbles when a deep, thunderous roar rolled across the floating islands—an earth-shattering sound that froze the marrow in their bones. Both of their hearts seemed to miss a beat.
It was the voice of Sevirax—the Ivory Dragon.
It was not merely a roar. It was an elegy of wrath, sorrow, and madness so overwhelming that every diabolical shit Klaus had endured in the Kingdom of Hope suddenly felt small and distant by comparison.
That voice… it sounded like the dirge of the world itself, a harbinger of death come to drag their souls into the abyss.
Klaus gave a nervous chuckle and took a reflexive step back, subtly positioning Noctis between himself and whatever had just made that sound.
"Uh… my dearest mentor, tell me you're going to fight that thing. And didn't you say he was the sanest of the Chain Lords?"
The sorcerer opened his eyes slowly. He stood without a word, staring out toward the horizon.
"He was," Noctis said at last, voice heavy with something close to grief.
His gaze drifted to the Sky Below, where the broken corpse of the Sun Prince swayed grotesquely in the tangled chains.
"…He isn't anymore."
Then they saw it.
A colossal silhouette rose above the shattered skyline, majestic and terrifying. Sunlight glinted off scales as pale as ivory, illuminating the sky with a divine brilliance. The very heavens darkened beneath his wingspan as a sacred shadow fell across the floating islands.
Sevirax had arrived.
He was breathtaking. Magnificent. And utterly horrifying.
To call him a monster would be a blasphemy. No—this was something older than monsters, something holier. A being of sublime terror. His form radiated not just strength, but divinity, wrapped in a golden halo that pulsed with unimaginable power.
And all of it—all the fury, all the grief, all the sacred madness—was aimed directly at them.
Klaus clenched his jaw. Against the Sun Prince, they'd had the luck of a skyship crashing down from the heavens, giving them a chance for a surprise attack. But this…
This was different.
Sevirax was on another level entirely. Unquestionably, he was the most powerful of the Chain Lords.
But…
He was mad.
Klaus turned to Noctis, eyes narrowing with cold purpose. His voice dropped into something grim, almost predatory.
"You're a hunter… I doubt you'd lose to a mindless beast. Right?"
Noctis was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at Klaus and smiled faintly, without his usual theatrics.
"Of course I can't lose… Not while my student is watching." He paused, then added softly, "So watch closely, Klaus."
A slow grin spread across Klaus's face, his eyes alight with a savage glow.
"I'll lend a hand if I get the chance."
Noctis chuckled, turning away with a casual flick of his tattered cloak.
"Oh, right… and Klaus?"
He glanced over his shoulder.
"... Thanks for sharing the story with me."
Then, in a heartbeat, his body shimmered—and disappeared in a radiant burst of moonlight.
A torrent of pale brilliance surged forth, streaking across the sky like a shooting star. For a heartbeat, everything grew still. Even the wind held its breath.
Then it began to take shape.
The light curled and twisted, swirling until it formed the colossal outline of a spectral wolf, luminous and ghostly. A shining crescent moon adorned its forehead like a crown of silver flame. It opened its mouth and let loose a soul-piercing howl, shaking the air with its sacred fury.
And then—like a blade drawn by fate—it lunged.
The wolf of moonlight struck the dragon.
And shattered.
After all, it was never meant to last. It had been made of nothing but light, a memory shaped into rage.
Yet, the light did not vanish.
It clung to Sevirax, each mote sinking into the scales like burning teeth—ten thousand fangs of moonlight digging deep into divine flesh.
The Ivory Dragon howled in agony, twisting in the air as the radiant swarm assaulted him. It looked less like a fight, and more like a god besieged by stars.
In response, Sevirax twisted his long neck and exhaled destruction.
A torrent of flame poured from his maw—flame so hot it scorched the sky itself. Thousands of motes of moonlight were consumed in an instant.
From high above, droplets of incandescent blood fell to the earth like a rain of fire.
Klaus stood frozen, his eyes wide in awe. The scale. The power. The sheer, divine majesty of the clash above defied words.
He had seen many horrors… but nothing like this.
"Beast Of Twilight..."