The first war horn sounded before dawn.
Its deep, thunderous cry tore across the sleeping kingdom of Ivanova like the roar of an approaching storm.
Then another followed.
And another.
Within seconds, bells began ringing violently from the palace towers.
Guards shouted across stone corridors.
Footsteps thundered through the streets below.
The kingdom awakened not to sunlight—
but to fear.
Ariana jolted awake inside her chambers, her pulse racing violently as the sound echoed again through the palace walls.
Beside her, Serena rushed toward the balcony curtains.
"Oh heavens…"
The maid's voice trembled.
Ariana immediately rose from the bed, pulling her robe tightly around herself before hurrying toward the balcony.
The moment the curtains were thrown open—
her breath caught.
Far beyond the northern walls of Ivanova, thousands of torchlights burned beneath the fading darkness.
An endless sea.
The Draco army.
Even from this distance, the sight alone was terrifying.
