Dawn had just begun to illuminate the coast of Marseille when the Orleans mansion woke with a strange tension in the air. The Mediterranean stretched calmly in front of the hill where the estate stood, and the steady sound of waves striking the rocks rose from the cliffs below. Yet inside the complex something felt strained, as if the magic flowing through the world were gathering pressure before breaking.
In the map room, Noah stood beside Sophie studying the tactical projections showing different fronts of the global conflict. Over the past days the reports had grown increasingly troubling: intercepted communications, irregular military movements, and signals that did not match any of the known battlefields.
That was when Noah felt the pulse.
An uneven beat ran across his back.
The mark burned beneath his skin with sudden intensity. It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to make him tense.
Sophie noticed the change in his expression.
"What is it?"
Noah frowned.
"I'm not sure… but something's wrong."
Before he could say anything more, every light in the room shifted to red.
The alarms began to sound throughout the mansion.
The emergency tone echoed through the corridors with a sharp urgency.
The door opened abruptly and Marianne stepped in, holding her communicator.
"Movement on the southern perimeter," she said. "Several vehicles approaching along the coastal road."
Sophie immediately activated the exterior cameras.
The images appeared across the main wall.
A convoy was moving up the road that climbed from the coastline toward the estate. Engines roared as the vehicles took the final curve and emerged onto the open approach leading to the mansion.
The first one stopped in front of the perimeter.
For a second everything was still.
Then the first strike came.
A burst of energy crossed the air and slammed into the outer defenses.
The protective seals reacted instantly.
A blue dome of energy expanded over the Orleans mansion, covering the entire complex as it vibrated under the attack.
Étienne Orleans entered the room at that moment.
His combat suit was already active, and the energy of his mark moved through his body with growing intensity.
He watched the projections for a brief moment.
Then he activated the internal communications system.
"Elites to the central courtyard. Southern defenses to combat positions."
Luc arrived seconds later.
Sophie expanded the tactical map while Marianne checked the sensor readings.
"How many?" Luc asked.
"More than sixty," Sophie replied. "And more vehicles are arriving."
On the exterior cameras, the rear doors of the vehicles began to open.
Soldiers stepped out quickly and formed organized lines facing the mansion.
They wore black combat suits and carried magic weapons.
On the chest of every one of them shone the same symbol.
An eagle with its wings spread.
Sophie recognized it immediately.
"The Eagle faction…"
An organization long believed to have disappeared.
Another explosion shook the complex.
This one was closer.
Étienne turned toward Noah.
"You should go down to the underground command center."
Noah shook his head.
"I'm not hiding."
Luc spoke before Étienne could answer.
"If he wants to stay, he won't change his mind."
A brief silence followed.
Finally Étienne said,
"Then stay behind us."
The doors leading to the central courtyard opened.
Cold morning air rushed inside.
The fight had already begun outside.
The soldiers advanced toward the complex while the vehicles continued firing at the barrier.
Luc acted first.
He extended both hands forward and a golden barrier expanded across the courtyard like a solid wall of energy.
The attacks from the magic weapons struck it in a cascade of sparks.
Marianne responded by forming a spear of light.
She threw it with precision.
The energy shot across the air and pierced the chest of one of the attackers at the front.
The body fell.
But the others continued forward.
With every second the incoming fire intensified.
More vehicles positioned themselves along the road.
Their fire focused on the same point of the barrier.
Sophie watched the system readings with growing concern.
"They're concentrating their attack," she said. "They're trying to overload the defenses."
Luc clenched his teeth as he held the shield.
The pressure increased.
The barrier began to flicker.
Marianne launched another spear of energy.
Three attackers dropped.
Others immediately filled the gap.
The strain on the defenses increased with every moment.
Then Sophie noticed something else.
"The sensors are being interfered with."
Étienne turned toward her.
"How?"
Sophie studied the readings.
"Someone is using internal access codes."
The words landed like a heavy blow.
That meant whoever was directing the assault knew the internal security protocols of the guardian families.
Someone had opened that door from the inside.
The barrier finally began to fail.
The blue dome shuddered violently.
Then it shattered.
A wave of energy spread through the entire complex.
Luc reacted instantly.
"The barrier is down!"
The courtyard doors exploded inward.
The attackers stormed into the grounds.
Sophie checked the readings again.
"More reinforcements are approaching."
Étienne drew his sword.
Luc raised another shield.
Marianne prepared a new spear of energy.
Noah stepped forward beside them.
He watched as the enemy units spread through the courtyard with absolute precision.
And then he understood something none of them wanted to accept.
This attack had not been improvised.
It had been prepared for a long time.
And the only way something like this could happen…
was if someone had been opening doors from the inside for years.