By the time the little witch arrived at the Day King's palace, twilight had already taken hold. Had she come any later, the kingdom would have already passed beyond the Day King's rule. Before the night curtain descended, the Day King received her in what remained of his fleeting hours. "O witch who has traversed the vast cosmos, kindler of time's eternal flame... what brings you to this lonely planet?" "I did not come of my own accord. It was the planet's cry that found me through the void. Answering its call, I crossed the gate of stars forgotten by time." "In a universe nearing its quiet end, every world that yet glimmers is a treasure beyond compare..." "Who would have thought that in a region long considered dark and inhospitable, a living world would still endure?" But this was not the whole story. In truth, the little witch had caught wind of whispers from this dark expanse — whispers that had flown to her on the eve of the Night Carnival. Under ordinary circumstances, she would likely have dismissed such strange signals as just another error from the scryglass. But as the message reached her, she was fretting over the next day's festivities, desperately trying to find a way to avoid her nemesis, who would also be there. So she seized the opportunity to hide away in her workshop — spending considerable effort deciphering this distant missive. "Hmm... So this peculiar message means that some unknown planet has been feeling unwell?" "No matter what, the righteous Kingdom of Day would never do anything to harm the planet," the Day King said solemnly. "Perhaps you should ask the wicked Night King. This very morning I sent my army to vanquish him, alas..." But before he could finish, the last rays of the setting sun vanished into night, and the king's apparition melted away like cream. With the curtain of darkness descending, the court itself vanished too. The ground boiled like a raging sea, and black smoke rose from the earth. The entire planet became a vast black ocean. Fortunately, the little witch had remembered her broom — otherwise, she may well have plunged into the water. Riding her broom beneath the blood-red moon, she traveled far before finally spying a lonely castle, glowing with firelight. "Vanquish the Night King? That's the easy part. What we have to do is far more important." The castle seemed to have been built by the Day King's army. For unknown reasons, it had escaped dissolution by the sea of mist. The leading warrior, carrying a sword on his back, was not at all surprised by the little witch's arrival. Instead, he met her with an invitation. "Even if we defeat the Night King, it changes nothing. As soon as the sun sets anew, the dark tides will swallow the land once more." "To break this endless cycle, we built this castle. From here, we can search for a solution." At his invitation, the little witch descended to the deepest level of the castle, where — beyond its fragile boundaries — stretched a sea of pure darkness. Sustaining this boundary was a massive mechanism that spat out an endless stream of smoke. Countless pipes were continuously drawing thick seawater into its core. "This is the perpetual motion machine, or you may call it the Holy Grail. By burning the seawater, it generates light and heat." "Since all tangible things on this planet are merely shadows cast by light, so long as we can create a fire that never goes out..." "But doing this will only make the planet burn out even faster..." the little witch sighed. "Once the sea's been drained, this place will be finished. There's nothing 'holy' about this so-called grail..." "Now I know why the planet's been feeling unwell." Before the warrior could react, the little witch drew the sword from his back and hurled it into the "perpetual motion machine." The warrior reached out to retrieve it, but the moment the blade touched the black sea mist, both he and the fading light vanished into nothingness. The entire planet was once again swallowed by darkness. When daylight finally returned, it was as if everything from the previous night had been nothing more than a deep and distant dream. "I suppose that's a temporary fix, at least," the little witch murmured, glancing back one last time before leaving the planet on her broom. In the morning light, the warrior — his shadow trailing long behind him — took up the sword bestowed by the Day King and set out on his journey once more. "This cycle may go on for a long, long time... until the day you too become nothing but an empty shell." "But no matter what, you must keep going. At least... you must live until we meet again."