The so-called "roasted dragon wings" were naturally not the wings of a real giant dragon, but rather those of subspecies of dragons from the Shadowfell, captured and domesticated by the City of Shades. The ones with plump meat were used as food.
The taste was indeed delightful, somewhat similar to beef but even crispier and more delicious. Freya seemed tense whenever she saw her father, always appearing somewhat uneasy. Lion, on the other hand, felt much more at ease. Although it was his first visit, he had a wonderful conversation with Mr. Monica.
He still didn't know what exactly made Mr. Monica value him so highly... It couldn't be because he could resist divine magic, which wasn't really a strength, as it blocked even blessings and enhancements.
Regardless, he now had high value in Mr. Monica's eyes – understanding this was enough. As for the rest, they were minor details that could be pondered over time.
Midway through lunch, footsteps echoed from outside, followed by a servant's voice, "Miss, you're back."
Lion looked up and saw a girl walking in. Her figure and appearance were almost identical to Freya's. She wore a tight-fitting purple-black shirt and pants, clearly outlining her curves, a stark contrast to the loose robes of wizards. Over this, she wore a black cloak, and at the bow tie of her chest was a round disk made of obsidian, framed by a purple border. Although petite, she looked very agile and full of vitality, like a young cheetah.
Obviously, this was Freya's sister, Fulia.
Unlike Freya, who felt nervous and terrified upon entering the house, Fulia walked in with a radiant smile. "Wow, roasted dragon wings," she cutely wrinkled her nose, closed her eyes, and sniffed, "It smells so good. I guess it's from a shadowclaw dragon."
She walked into the living room and saw Lion. Her expression froze for a moment.
"Sister," Freya quickly introduced, "This is Lion Lannister; Lion, this is my sister Fulia Monica."
Lion bowed slightly and said, "Hello."
Lion felt that Fulia was completely different from her sister. Although they looked exactly alike, their auras were vastly different. Freya was innocent and soft, like a delicate and beautiful flower; Fulia, however, was much harder and sharper, more cheerful and full of energy.
Wow, if I could get both twins into bed, that would be the ultimate dream for a man. Imagine it, two little beauties with the same appearance but vastly different auras, one on each side... No, the ultimate dream should be Sister Sange.
While lost in his thoughts, Lion suddenly felt something cold pressing against his spirit. He flinched slightly but didn't notice anything unusual. Upon hearing Freya's introduction, Fulia also nodded slightly and curtsied, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lannister. I often hear about you from Freya."
Her face was still smiling, but there was no laughter in her eyes as she stared at Lion intentionally or unintentionally.
Lion felt slightly uneasy. "Strange, it's like she has a grudge against me," he thought to himself, "I don't remember offending her."
"Fulia is back," their father spoke up. "Is it a holiday today? Come and eat."
"No," Fulia said, "I came home to get something. I have to go back to the temple soon." She walked into the inner room and came out after a moment. "I'm leaving, Father, Freya. Take care of yourselves at school. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Lannister. Have a pleasant holiday."
She walked out the door.
The atmosphere was somewhat dull. After finishing lunch in a hurry, Lion bid farewell. Mr. Monica didn't try to retain him, but before leaving, he said something strange.
"Lion, Freya, be careful when you sleep tonight. Don't fall out of bed."
"Huh?"
Lion was puzzled by the cryptic remark. Mr. Monica didn't elaborate further but turned and went into the inner room.
Lion and Freya returned to school. On the way, Lion asked about Fulia.
"Your sister doesn't seem to like me very much," Lion said.
"Not really," Freya said, "She's just not used to seeing strangers. She's been like that since she was a kid. Besides... she says she doesn't like wizards very much."
"You're a wizard too."
"That's different. I'm her sister."
"Oh."
"Fulia has always been very kind to me," Freya said, "Even though we're twins, she treats me like a little sister. When I was bullied as a kid, she would fight for me..."
"Fight?" Lion was surprised. He thought fighting was a boy's thing.
"Yeah, Fulia is really fierce when she fights. You wouldn't know," Freya smiled, "She's usually well-behaved, but whenever I'm bullied, she becomes like a little leopard, fierce as hell. Even boys are afraid of her. After a few times, no one dared to bully me again."
"I really wouldn't have guessed," Lion said.
"So, if you treat me badly, she'll definitely come after you," Freya said.
Lion chuckled, "I won't. I'll take good care of Freya," he stroked Freya's hair, "It's nice to have an older sister."
"You have an older sister too."
"Yeah, that's right. It's nice to have an older sister."
The shadow shield still over the school, and nothing unusual happened. Lion and Freya reviewed and practiced magic, and time passed quickly. Eventually, the artificial sun went out, and night fell. All the students returned to their dormitories to rest.
The night was very quiet, with nothing unexpected or expected happening. It seemed just like any other day. If there was any difference, it felt like the bed was a bit unstable, shaking slightly more than usual. But Lion didn't pay much attention, as he was engaged in vigorous exercise with Freya – if they were exercising, what was unusual about the bed shaking a bit more?
The next morning, the first day of 1372 DR (although the residents of the City of Shades didn't really consider it the beginning of the new year), Lion woke up from a deep sleep.
The intense sunlight pouring through the window stung his eyes, making it almost impossible to open them. Lion felt a headache and frowned, taking a long time to adapt before finally opening his eyes and observing his surroundings.
Strange.
He was still in the dormitory, in bed, with Freya sleeping beside him. Nothing was out of place; everything was still in its original position, and the door was closed... But why did he feel like something had changed?
He carefully observed his surroundings but didn't notice any changes. Finally, his gaze shifted back to Freya beside him.
Freya slept peacefully, like a gentle kitten. Her long hair covered half of her face, leaving the other half exposed, looking exceptionally delicate and flawless. In the bright sunlight, even the tiny hairs on her face were clearly visible.
Wait... Bright? Sunlight?
Lion suddenly realized what was wrong. Everything was the same – but the sunlight was unusually bright and dazzling.
Shar was the goddess of the night and despised all brightness. To avoid offending Shar, the City of Shades, although maintained by an artificial sun, was always cautious, keeping the light dim and hardly emitting any heat.
But now, sunlight ten times brighter than usual shot straight through the window, illuminating the entire dormitory so brightly that Lion couldn't adapt at first. It was not only bright but also warm. On such a morning, sitting naked on the bed wouldn't feel cold. Normally, even at noon, the sunlight couldn't be this intense.
This was too strange.
Lion jumped out of bed, put on his robe, and ran outside. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was no longer gray and overcast but clear blue with white clouds dotted around. The rising sun had just emerged from the clouds, driving away the darkness and radiating brilliance.
Suppressing his excitement, Lion quickly drew a small rune on his chest, activating the power of his magical robe. His body slowly rose as if under a levitation spell.
He ascended to a great height, over 200 feet above the ground, high enough to see the entire City of Shades and even beyond the towering walls.
He saw majestic mountains stretching far ahead, their peaks sharp like knives piercing the sky. He saw the boundless desert to his left, with rolling waves of sand stretching as far as the eye could see. Finally, he turned around and found a vast lake below the city. The dark blue lake water was clear and gloomy, perfectly still.
No further explanations are needed, no more doubts to linger. Lion fully understands what happened last night – this is the Material Realm, the mortal world, the home and habitat of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and countless familiar and unfamiliar creatures. This is the birthplace of Specter City.
After drifting in the Shadow Realm for over seventeen hundred years, on the first day of 1372DR, Specter City has finally returned to the Material Realm.