The two of them ran outside, only to find that the world outside had become completely different from before.
The once-hazy raindrops had actually reversed course, silently flowing back up into the sky.
They weren't falling normally—instead, it was as if they were being pulled by some invisible force.
Above them, the sky was no longer filled with clouds but an expanse of ocean, as though the entire world had flipped upside down.
This eerie sight left everyone's expressions grim, an oppressive atmosphere weighing heavily on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.
Encore ran around frantically with her hands covering her head: "Thunder! Thunder! Thunder means rain… rain means umbrellas…"
"No, no, Aalto taught me—when there's heavy rain , you have to take shelter immediately!"
Lucian frowned. "Did the Court of Savantae's experiment succeed?"
Aalto's expression was grave. "No… this rain…"
"…is the real Retroact Rain."
Just then, Rover's terminal chimed.
Yangyang's anxious voice came through: "Rover, Jinzhou—"
"Jinzhou is under attack by a Tacet Discord tide!"
Rover: "We'll head back right away."
After the call ended, Aalto and Encore had already run off somewhere.
Lucian turned to Rover. "I have a faster way to get back."
By now, Jinzhou had entered a state of emergency, with Midnight Ranger defensive lines set up at every city gate.
On the ground, Chixia suddenly pointed into the distance. "Yangyang, look! Am I seeing things? Is that… Jué? And two of them?!"
Yangyang furrowed her brows. "How…? Could it be an illusion? And Sentinels aren't supposed to leave their territories…"
The Midnight Rangers nearby were also frozen in place—this was the first time they had ever seen a living Jué.
The two Jué soared across the sky, their bodies covered in dark scales, their expressions solemn and imposing. Against the already oppressive sky, their majesty was even more pronounced.
One of the Midnight Rangers muttered in confusion, "Wait, are there two Sentinels?"
Another replied sternly, "Jinzhou only has one Sentinel—one of them must be fake! I've seen this episode before—it's called The Real and Fake Sentinel 'Jué'!"
A nearby Midnight Ranger: "???"
The sight left everyone on the defensive line dazed and uncertain.
As the two Jué rapidly approached, Chixia and Yangyang, unsure of what was happening, were about to test them when they suddenly heard Lucian's voice.
"Chixia! Yangyang! Don't shoot—they're friendly!"
Chixia looked around in confusion. "Did I just hear Lucian? Did they already make it back?"
Just then, the two Jué transformed into Lucian and Rover, landing on the ground.
Chixia gasped. "The Sentinel turned into a human!!"
Yangyang was equally stunned, unsure of what was happening.
A Midnight Ranger muttered blankly, "So… the Sentinel is a married couple…?"
Clearly, this was the result of Lucian's Transformation Magic.
When he used it, a long list of possible transformations appeared before him, overwhelming him. In the end, he chose the swift Jué—though unlike what he had imagined, the Jué wasn't a dragon but more like a jiao, though it still resembled one.
It was only during the transformation that he realized—if he wanted to transform someone else, he needed their consent.
Moreover, unlike Echoes, this Transformation Magic only granted him a fraction of the target's basic abilities, with no access to their energy or authority. Googlᴇ search novel~fire~net
The more powerful the target, the fewer abilities he could replicate. For example, transforming into Jué only allowed him to fly and swing his tail—if he actually had to fight, he'd have to revert to human form.
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: Twin Dragons Play with a Pearl]
[Talent 'Twin Dragons Play with a Pearl': Your speed increases when transformed into a flying creature.]
Chixia cautiously poked Lucian's face, then gasped. "Lucian… so you're the Sentinel?!"
This girl was hopeless.
After Lucian explained the situation, everyone sighed in relief—they had genuinely thought the real Sentinel had appeared.
Chixia looked at him with admiration. "Lucian, you're amazing! You can even turn into the Sentinel!"
"I wanna try too! Transform me!"
Lucian smirked, pointing at her. "Barara energy, Makka Pakka—Chixia, transform!"
A blue screen suddenly appeared before Chixia:
[Lucian is using Transformation Magic. Accept?]
The moment she spoke, Chixia turned into a small red-furred cat.
The red cat spoke in a human voice: "Why am I so short now?"
Lucian picked up Chixia the cat with satisfaction, gently stroking her fur. Almost immediately, a blissful expression appeared on the cat's face.
Then, Chixia the cat suddenly bristled. "Wait! I wanted to turn into Jué, not a cat!"
A moment later, Chixia the cat reverted to human form in Lucian's arms. The sudden change in weight caught him off guard, and he was promptly crushed beneath her.
Lucian sighed. "Chixia… you need to lose weight."
Chixia, flushed with embarrassment, twisted her waist, trying to bury him deeper into the ground. "I am NOT fat!"
Lucian groaned. "Chixia… you're sitting on my precious treasure. If you keep this up, it'll affect my happiness for the rest of my life."
Chixia, feeling something hard beneath her, turned bright red and scrambled to her feet. "S-sorry, Lucian! I didn't mean to—!"
After the group worked together to eliminate the invading Tacet Discords, Lucian muttered, "At least it didn't affect my combat performance."
Chixia, still red-faced: "…"
Yangyang suddenly pointed at the moon. "Look."
Everyone turned their gaze upward.
The full moon now dominated Lucian's entire field of vision—it looked illusory, unreal, hidden behind the ocean in the sky.
It felt as though it could crash into Solaris at any moment. Fortunately, Lucian didn't have megalophobia, or else his legs might have given out.
Rover: "The lunar phase…"
Yangyang said gravely, "The moon is becoming fuller."
"And this Retroact Rain… Rover, could this be the moment the Magistrate mentioned?"
Just then, Yangyang's terminal lit up, and a hologram of Jinhsi appeared.
Jinhsi: "Please remain calm and follow the prearranged emergency protocols for evacuation…"
Chixia explained, "It's a pre-recorded hologram. The Magistrate anticipated this scenario and had General Jiyan prepare in advance."
"This wave of Tacet Discords should be over for now. Even though we prepared, there were still way too many of them."
"Good thing you got here in time—otherwise, we might've been fighting for a lot longer."
"Administrator Taoqi is also at the city gates. You can check with her for more details…"