Back at the mansion, Lita couldn't stop pacing.
Candlelight flickered across her mother's face as she sat hunched over reports, shadows pooling in the lines of her expression. Worry. Determination. Both at once.
"Mother, what's happening out there?" Lita's voice wobbled. "I heard about the southern borders being destroyed. Are we safe?"
Her mother looked up. "It's true, Lita. The Northland army has launched a full-scale invasion. Our borders are under attack, and the reports indicate significant casualties."
Lita's heart slammed against her ribs. "But… what if they come here? What if they reach the mansion?"
Her mother stood. Crossed the room. A hand on Lita's shoulder, steady, grounding. "We are prepared, Lita. Our defenses are strong, and we have allies. But I need you to focus on your training. You may be called upon to help defend our home."
"What if I'm not strong enough?"
"You are stronger than you realize." The grip on her shoulder tightened, just slightly. "Every day you train brings you closer to becoming the warrior you're destined to be."
Lita breathed in. Held it. Let it out slow. "I want to help. I want to protect our home and everyone in it."
Something warm flickered across her mother's face. "Then let's make sure you're ready. We'll continue your training, and I'll show you how to harness the power of that bracelet. It may just be the key to turning the tide in our favor."
"Okay, let's do it." Lita's shoulders squared. "I won't let you down."
Two days later, the report came in, and her mother's face went pale reading it.
The second border. Already broken. Two days.
"Madam, this can't be happening." Flare's hands were white against the table's edge, her usual calm cracked clean through. "What do we do if they keep advancing like this?"
Her mother stared at the page like it might rearrange itself into something less terrible. "If they reach the capital of the Demon Lord within days, we could be facing a disaster unlike any we've seen. This isn't just a simple invasion; they must have new leadership or some sort of powerful advantage."
Lita, drawn by the tension in the room, stepped closer. "Mother, what are you talking about? Who is leading the Northland army?"
"We don't know for sure, but rumors suggest they may have a new king, someone with significant power. It's not just a matter of brute force; they could have formed alliances that we're unaware of."
Flare's voice shook. "If that's the case, we need to prepare. We can't let our guard down."
"You're right, Flare." Her mother's spine straightened, resolve hardening into something visible. "We need to fortify our defenses and gather intelligence. Lita, I want you to focus on your training. We'll need every warrior ready to fight."
Lita's fists clenched. "I won't let you down. I'll train harder than ever."
The three of them stood there. The air felt thick, heavy with everything none of them said out loud.
It didn't take long after that.
Flare's head snapped toward the gates before the sound even fully registered. "Get to the back!" Dagger already in hand, steady despite everything.
Her mother's face hardened. "We can't let them reach Lita. We need to defend our home."
"I can help! I've been training!" Lita's fists clenched again, fear and fire both burning in her chest.
"No, Lita." Her mother's gaze softened for half a second. "You stay behind us."
The gates shook. Shouts, metal clanging, getting louder. Flare and her mother moved without discussion, planting themselves between Lita and the door.
"Stay close to me," Flare whispered, eyes already scanning for the first sign of movement.
The gates burst open. Soldiers poured through, weapons raised, voices barking orders. Flare moved first, a blur, dagger flashing toward the nearest one.
"Madam, keep Lita safe!" she shouted, already mid-strike.
Light gathered around her mother's hands, barriers forming in the air with a soft hum. "We won't let them take our home!"
Lita's whole body buzzed. Adrenaline screaming at her to move, to fight, but her mother's stance kept her rooted in place like a wall.
"Focus, Lita! Remember your training!"
This was just the start. Lita could feel it in her bones.
Flare's dagger met a shimmering barrier instead of flesh.
Magic shield. She adjusted instantly, eyes snapping to the mage behind the line, and darted toward him, fast enough to blur.
Then an elite knight stepped into her path.
One swing. Flare's attack got knocked aside like nothing, and his fist caught her square in the chest, throwing her backward into the dirt. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs.
"Lita! Get back!" Her mother's voice cracked with something close to shock. She'd never seen Flare go down that easily. Not once.
Lita froze. Heart hammering. Fear and fury tangled together in her chest as Flare struggled back to her feet, blood at the corner of her mouth.
Her mother's hands lit up, spells weaving into shape around them. "Flare!"
"I'm not done yet." Flare's grip on her dagger tightened, blood dripping, eyes burning.
The knight stepped forward again. The mage behind him smirked, certain of the outcome.
"Stay with me, Lita. We need a plan." Her mother's voice was tight, focused.
But Lita couldn't look away from Flare. The pain. The refusal to stop.
Without thinking, Lita's hands began to glow. The bracelet on her wrist sparked, warm and alive.
She wasn't letting Flare fight alone.
The second wave hit different.
Tighter formation. Sharper weapons. Flare's stomach dropped looking at them. "Damn it," she muttered, dagger ready, already moving to charge.
Her mother's hand shot out. Stopped her cold.
"It's my turn." Her mother's voice had gone somewhere else entirely. Cold. Quiet. Final. The composed noblewoman was gone, replaced by something that made even Flare's breath catch.
"But—"
"No more arguments, Flare. Stay with Lita."
And then she moved.
Faster than anything Lita had ever seen, her mother was on the roof one second and crashing down into the soldiers the next, blade finding the gaps in their armor like she'd memorized every weakness years ago. Blood hit the ground. Soldiers fell. One after another, no hesitation.
They tried to raise shields. Too slow. She moved through them like smoke given a blade, appearing behind men before they'd even registered she'd moved.
"I always forget how terrifying she is in battle," Flare breathed, watching.
Lita stood frozen, eyes wide. "She's… incredible."
Her mother's strikes kept coming, faster, harder, a storm with no end in sight. The soldiers' screams turned to silence one by one.
A captain shouted orders, trying to rally what was left.
Her mother's blade found his throat before he finished the sentence.
The rest broke. Fear did what their training couldn't, and within moments the once-disciplined Northland force was nothing but bodies scattered across the ground.
She stood in the middle of it. Breathing steady. Eyes cold.
"Is that all you've got?" Her voice dripped disdain. She flicked blood from her blade, turned her back on the survivors like they weren't even worth watching anymore.
They didn't wait around. Weapons hit the dirt, and they ran.
Her mother walked back slowly. Each step is deliberate.
"This is just the beginning," she said quietly, and there was something dark underneath the calm. "The Northland has declared war on us, and we will respond in kind."
Lita could only nod, still trying to process everything she'd just watched.
Flare wiped sweat from her brow, exhaling hard. "Remind me never to get on your bad side, madam."
Her mother didn't answer. She just looked out toward the horizon, already three steps ahead in her head, already planning.
The Northland was coming.
She'd be ready.