Chapter 36: Shadow Twins

Chapter 36: Shadow Twins The sight made both women instinctively hold their breath, afraid of pissing off this terrifying force. "Mom (Sister Sara), what are they?" The twins weren’t fazed by that bone-chilling aura at all—their eyes went wide with excitement as they fired off questions. "No clue. Just watch my face and follow my lead!" The grim-faced Yolanda and Sara locked eyes, both knowing that whatever happened next would make or break their chances of getting out of this alive! The Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guard formation moved closer and closer, marching straight toward the four women. The twins were practically vibrating with excitement—maybe because they were too young to know better, they honestly believed these things had come to rescue them! Meanwhile, Yolanda and Sara white-knuckled their greatswords, not daring to let their guard down for a second, sweat pouring from their palms. In all their years in the Withered Lands, they’d never seen mysterious skeleton monsters with such bone-chilling killer vibes—almost like they’d rolled in from some other Dark Mist hellscape! "CLANK!" "CLANK!" The two Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards that had just butchered the beetle swarm lurched into motion, quickly falling back into formation and returning to their guard positions. The formation had stopped dead in front of the four women. The wind died in that moment, weak sunlight still casting shadows over this godforsaken wasteland. "Gulp." Sara swallowed hard, and even though she usually had brass balls, she was starting to sweat bullets. Twelve terrifying monsters that could waste her without breaking a sweat were just... staring at them. The pressure was crushing. She couldn’t take it anymore, cursing under her breath: "Just our damn luck—we stumble into every kind of freaky shit!" She quietly signaled Yolanda: "Yolanda, this standoff is killing me. Should we just ask what they want?" Yolanda shook her head, not willing to roll the dice. Right now these skeleton monsters weren’t making any moves—best to keep their mouths shut. One wrong word and they could all end up dead. Reading Yolanda’s expression, Sara had no choice but to play statue with this skeleton monster squad. The twins, with their mouths covered, looked totally confused—why had everything gotten so weird? Shouldn’t they say thanks, have a nice chat, and maybe become buddies? The scene froze like a movie on pause. Inside the black carriage, Carlos had originally sent two Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards to save them, planning to come over and soak up some well-deserved gratitude. But when he spotted the twins with their mouths covered through the one-way window in the carriage curtain, he stopped cold. "If I’m not mistaken, those are the Shadow Twins—the top-tier bosses that owned an entire expansion in the future?" Shadow Twins—terrifying bosses that came out of nowhere in the mid-to-late game expansions. They announced their arrival by leveling a human ancient city, then went on a killing spree that took out countless human Psionics. They were finally put down by Silver Sword Iris Valois on the Fallen Isle, ending lives that had cast shadows over countless people. "What the hell do I do now? Take them out right here to prevent future catastrophe?" Nah, that was messed up—they hadn’t joined the Dark Mist yet and were still regular Psionics. How could he just murder them in cold blood? But if he waited until after they joined the Dark Mist, wouldn’t it be game over? Carlos wrestled with how to handle this situation. Sometimes his blood boiled thinking about all the evil crap they’d pull according to the records. Sometimes, looking at the twins’ innocent doe eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to make a move... Outside, Because of Carlos’s internal struggle, the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards kept shifting their vibe. Sometimes they radiated bone-chilling killer intent, making the four women feel like they were about to get slaughtered. Sometimes they went completely chill, like everything before had been a fever dream. After several rounds of this, the women adapted and stopped freaking out every time the Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards changed their mood. Just as the four women were reaching their breaking point—especially Sara, who was about to test the waters—a steady male voice drifted out from that weird iron box. "What’s your relationship?" "I’m Sara, they are..." Sara automatically started answering, thinking he was asking who they were. Then it hit her. "Huh? Relationship???" Who leads with asking about relationships? Shouldn’t he ask who we are first? "I’m Yolanda, these twins are my daughters—Riley and Anna. Sara is my partner, and also Riley and Anna’s adoptive mom." Yolanda’s voice stayed gentle as she used hand gestures during the introductions to make their family dynamic crystal clear. "Sister." Sara quietly corrected her, earning an eye-roll from Yolanda. After that question, the air went dead quiet again. The four women waited on pins and needles for the next question, but everything went back to the awkward standoff. Inside the black carriage, "This woman is the Shadow Twins’ mother, the other woman is their adoptive mother. This place is on the edge of the Withered Lands—logically they shouldn’t be running into this many monsters, especially Yellow Beetles that only operate in the middle-deep zones..." Carlos found himself connecting the dots. Based on the official character backstory—they fell to darkness seeking revenge for their mother, which led to the Shadow Twins existing in the original timeline. If he hadn’t stepped in or hadn’t run into them, the Shadow Twins’ mother and adoptive mother should have been monster chow. Then, trying to kill those monsters, they would have unconsciously prayed for power, resonated with the Dark Mist, and fallen to the dark side? He was starting to piece it together. Sure, there were still big questions, like why the Shadow Twins waited so damn long before coming out to terrorize humanity, but that wasn’t the main issue—he could dig into that later when he had better ways to investigate. "Their mothers are still breathing, so the key trigger for their fall doesn’t exist yet. Makes it hard to justify killing them." "But just to be safe, I should add some insurance." ... Outside, two Purple Thornblade Skeleton Guards suddenly moved, making Yolanda and Sara grip their greatswords like their lives depended on it. "What are they up to?" Under the four women’s watchful eyes, the curtain of that strange black box slowly parted, revealing a figure in black armor studying them. Yolanda and Sara were wound tighter than springs, feeling like they’d reached judgment day. The twins were actually pumped, their eyes sparkling with curiosity about what face was hiding under that metal helmet. The black-armored figure spoke: "I believe I saved your lives." His voice was steady, with a natural magnetic quality, yet seemed completely emotionless. "Yes, my lord, I, Yolanda (Sara), will do everything in my power to repay your kindness!" Hearing this, Yolanda and Sara placed their hands over their hearts, making the most solemn promise they could. The twins copied them, putting their little hands on their hearts as they promised: "I, Riley (Anna), will do everything in my power to repay your kindness." The heart symbolized life—this was the ultimate