Emily walked alongside Lusian as they prepared to depart for the isolated cities. Her eyes scanned the walls, the markets, and the newly cleared roads. The mana in the air felt dense, vibrant, as if every particle anticipated the dangers lurking beyond the visible borders.
The entire Kingdom's entourage departed at dawn. Princess Elizabeth, as the highest commander of her forces, led the march with determination, her figure at the front of the column projecting authority and calm to the soldiers. Lusian rode beside her, silent, evaluating every detail: routes, possible ambushes, signs of abnormal mana. The heroes of the Empire were distributed among the troops, ready to intervene, but maintaining a strategic distance; each following orders that only Lusian or Elizabeth could give.
Night still covered the forests and plains when they reached the first city trapped by monsters. From afar, the walls seemed intact, but the inner buildings were covered in ice and accumulated snow. The silence was absolute, broken only by the moans of the survivors.
The heroes of the Empire moved in caravans, calculating every step, maintaining distance and coordination. Lusian did not need them for this part of the operation: his dark magic made him practically invisible, and Umber could neutralize any minor threat without alerting the villagers.
—If we press too hard, the buildings will collapse —Cael warned.
Emily, seeing the starving villagers, trembling, almost without hope, murmured:
—This is worse than expected...
Leonardo lowered his voice:
—Even with all our strength, we won't be able to save them all at once.
Lusian did not respond. From the shadows, he moved like an expert predator, Umber neutralizing minor monsters without a single villager even noticing his presence. It was pure efficiency.
—Emily, coordinate the survivors —Lusian ordered—. We'll open main routes. Distribute supplies. Quickly.
Everything advanced with surgical precision. Streets cleared. Monsters eliminated without panic. Shelters opened.
From the shadows, Lusian watched. Umber moved beside him, a black blur invisible among the ruins. When a minor monster blocked a vital passage, Lusian gave the order; within seconds, Umber eliminated the threat without the villagers noticing. Thunder remained behind, charging electrical energy, ready to act if the situation worsened.
From a distance, the Heralds observed the reports sent by magical messengers. Their silence was heavy; the magnitude of Lusian's power filled them with uncertainty and urgency, without knowing whether they could control or direct it.
Emily approached Lusian in an alley, holding his arm.
—Lusian... are you sure you can handle this alone? —she asked, a mix of fear and trust.
He looked at her, barely visible in the darkness.—As long as it is night, no being is safe from me.
Emily sighed, clinging to that certainty. Around them, the villagers began to move, carrying supplies and regaining hope. Every cleared route was a small victory; every saved life, a reminder that even invisible heroes could change the fate of an empire.
The entourage moved toward the next city. Elizabeth at the front, Lusian at her side, Umber and Thunder behind.
It was Lusian who felt it first:a demonic whisper.Something familiar.Something that should not exist.
At some point, Deidara remained among the troops, watching carefully. Her barely perceptible smile hid more than it showed; the Heralds behind the operation trusted that their plans were advancing without being discovered.
The caravan moved through the forests of Eldarion, the first light of dawn filtering faintly through the trees. Elizabeth rode at the front, surrounded by hundreds of elite soldiers, her gaze evaluating every movement of the terrain. Lusian was at her side, Thunder and Umber following him like living shadows, his attention divided between protecting the princess and watching for any threat.
The air was filled with residual mana, an echo of the monsters that had ravaged the region days earlier. Lusian sensed something strange: a whisper of darkness that did not come from any creature he had faced before. His eyes scanned the tree line, searching for the source.
She did not argue.She trusted him too much for that.
Lusian took a small detachment and entered the forest. The dark mana vibrated like an echo of threat. "For a fraction of a second he felt the air tasted like farewell. He ignored it. He would pay for it."
Vhar'zhul appeared between the shadows of the forest.
Dark energy once again distorted the air. The trees creaked. The ground trembled under his steps.
Ten chapters ago, that presence had seemed impossible to face.
Now Lusian only felt annoyance.
"Again."
The demon roared and launched the first strike as soon as he materialized his arms.
Lusian had already moved.
He did not even look directly at him.
Thunder intercepted the lateral attack.
Umber vanished into the shadows of the forest.
Vhar'zhul opened the ring of dark mana around his body, exactly as before.
One hit and it's over. If I didn't know every move… I'd already be dead.
Lusian entered before it finished forming.
Dainslein collided with the demon's defense and immediately opened the first crack. The demon reacted, trying to cover the core.
But Lusian already knew that move.
He had died too many times against it to forget.
—Too late —he murmured.
Umber appeared behind Vhar'zhul and bit his ethereal shoulder, forcing him to twist slightly.
That small movement opened exactly the space Lusian needed.
Second strike.
The crack expanded.
Thunder pierced through the remaining defense like a wild beast and destroyed one of the demon's arms before it could stabilize its mana.
Vhar'zhul roared in fury.
Lusian felt no fear.
Only impatience.
Because while he was fighting there…
Elizabeth was still out of his sight.
The demon gathered dark mana and released the explosion that had almost killed Lusian before.
This time it did not work.
He already knew the timing.
He already knew the range.
He already knew the exact instant where the pressure dropped for a fraction of a second.
He entered directly through that space.
Dainslein pierced the core.
Umber tore through the demon's throat.
Thunder destroyed the rest of its physical form before it could regenerate.
It all ended in seconds.
Vhar'zhul fell to his knees, unable to understand what had happened.
But Lusian had already turned away.
He did not even wait to see the body disappear.
He hurried back, riding Thunder.
He immediately headed toward the caravan.
But time chose not to move with him.
His breathing was heavy as he ran through the snow-covered trees. His heart was pounding violently, but not from the fight.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Then he arrived.
And the world stopped.
The caravan was destroyed.
The guards lay on the snow.
Elizabeth was not there.
The heartbeat in his head grew unbearably loud.
Umber let out a savage growl. He had been deceived: the demon was a distraction.