Time stood still.
Alice was frozen in place, her limbs locked in an agonizing stasis as the world around her remained unnervingly silent. The dreamscape, once alive with chaos and conflict, was now eerily calm, bathed in the dark, lingering presence left behind by Night Terror. Her team lay motionless, trapped in the same suspended moment, their faces locked in expressions of pain and defeat.
I failed... The thought echoed through Alice's mind, a relentless wave of guilt and regret crashing against her immobilized consciousness. I couldn't protect them. I couldn't stop her...
Night Terror was gone, but the weight of her power—of time itself—still crushed Alice's spirit. Everything had been stripped from her: her sword, her power, her ability to fight back. And worst of all, the realization that she had been fighting with a power she didn't understand—a power that now belonged to Night Terror.
But then, in the cold, silent void, a warmth began to creep into the air. It was subtle at first, like a faint light breaking through the endless night. The oppressive darkness wavered, and for a brief moment, time itself seemed to shudder.
A voice—deep, calm, and filled with an unearthly grace—broke the silence.
"Alice C. Gale... it is not your time to fall."
Suddenly, the frozen moment shattered. The air around Alice surged with divine energy, and the paralysis that gripped her body released in an instant. She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as the weight of Night Terror's power lifted. Her limbs, stiff and aching, slowly regained movement, and the world around her began to move once more.
Alice's team, Maple and the Dusk twins, stirred from their frozen states, groaning as they too were freed. The nightmare-scorched battlefield flickered back to life, but all that remained of Night Terror was the heavy sense of her departure.
Confused, Alice blinked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She pushed herself to her knees, her vision slowly clearing. And then, she saw him.
Standing before her, bathed in an ethereal glow, was a figure unlike any Alice had ever seen. His tall, imposing form radiated power, but it wasn't the oppressive, suffocating kind that Night Terror had wielded. This presence was... calming. Reassuring. The soft glow of his radiant armor, paired with his golden hair and eyes that seemed to hold the weight of the heavens, left no doubt in Alice's mind who this was.
"Lucifer..." Alice whispered, awestruck.
The fallen angel, now standing before her in all his glory, gave a slow nod. His expression was calm, but there was a hint of urgency in his gaze.
"Yes," Lucifer said, his voice deep and steady. "And I have come because you are needed, Alice. Night Terror is not finished. She has taken something from you—something precious. But her plans go far beyond your power alone."
Alice's heart raced. The memories of the battle, of Night Terror ripping away her control of time, flooded back in a rush. She lowered her head, her hands trembling as the weight of failure crushed her once more.
"I... I can't," Alice said, her voice breaking. "I couldn't stop her. She took everything. How can I fight her again when I couldn't even protect my team?"
Lucifer stepped forward, kneeling down so he was eye-level with Alice. His presence, though overwhelming, wasn't forceful. Instead, it was gentle, filled with a strange sense of compassion.
"You were never meant to fight her alone," Lucifer said softly. "Night Terror is powerful, and she has the Drop of Time in her grasp. But the true power of time doesn't belong to her, Alice. It belongs to you. You are its rightful wielder, and she knows it."
Alice swallowed, tears stinging her eyes. "But I failed. I overclocked my powers, and she still beat me. I can't... I can't do this."
Lucifer's gaze softened. He reached out, his hand hovering just above Alice's trembling ones. In that moment, Alice felt a warmth spread from his presence, a light that seemed to ease the burden on her soul.
"It is not failure to lose a battle," Lucifer said gently. "It is failure to not rise again."
Alice looked up at him, her heart aching with the weight of his words. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to fight, to be the hero she had set out to be. But fear gripped her tightly.
"I... I don't know how to fight her," Alice admitted, her voice barely a whisper.
Lucifer's expression shifted, becoming more resolute. He rose to his full height, and in his hand, a new object appeared—a staff, shimmering with the light of the morning sun. The staff was ornate, its surface etched with ancient symbols of power, and at its tip rested a radiant star, glowing with an intensity that seemed to pulse with the very energy of creation itself.
"This," Lucifer said, extending the staff toward Alice, "is the Staff of the Morning Star. It once belonged to me, and now, I pass it on to you. With this, you will reclaim what was stolen. You will wield the power of time again—and you will find the strength to face her."
Alice stared at the staff, her breath catching in her throat. The moment her hand touched it, a wave of power surged through her. It wasn't like the wild, uncontrollable surge of overclocking. This was steady, strong, and filled with purpose. It was a power that felt... right.
The staff hummed in her hands, and for the first time since her defeat, Alice felt a spark of hope.
"You're giving me this...?" Alice asked, her voice shaking. "Why?"
Lucifer looked at her with a soft, yet serious expression. "Because Night Terror's ambitions go beyond what you've seen. She seeks to escape this world, to merge the timelines, and with the Drop of Time in her possession, she may just succeed. I cannot stop her alone, Alice. But with the Staff of the Morning Star, you can."
Alice tightened her grip on the staff, feeling its power flow through her. She didn't feel overwhelmed. She felt... ready. Or at least, more ready than she had before.
But before she could respond, Lucifer's expression darkened slightly. "The road ahead will be treacherous, and Night Terror will not hold back. You must prepare, Alice. There is much more at stake than you realize."
Alice swallowed hard, still unsure, but with the staff in her hands, the sense of despair lifted, even if only a little. She looked at her fallen team, still recovering, and then back at Lucifer.
"Alright," Alice said, her voice steadier than before. "I'll do it. I'll stop her."
Lucifer smiled faintly, but his eyes held a solemn intensity. "Then go, Alice C. Gale. Prepare yourself for what is to come. Night Terror's plans are already in motion, and time is no longer on our side."
With that, Lucifer began to fade, his form slowly dissolving into light. But as he vanished, his voice lingered in the air.
"Remember, Alice... you are never alone. The Morning Star will guide you."
And then, he was gone.
Alice stood there for a moment, clutching the staff tightly, her mind racing. She looked at the horizon of the dream world, where the shadows still loomed, where Night Terror was lurking, preparing her next move.
The battle wasn't over. It was only just beginning.
To be continued...