The road to the Elven Kingdom was already dying.
Smoke stained the horizon.
The wind carried ash.
Even the ground felt… uneasy.
General Kael Varion moved at the front of the column, his cloak shifting with each step.
Behind him marched a small unit of elite soldiers—
Carefully chosen.
Carefully briefed.
Carefully terrified.
And beside him—
Lira walked.
She refused the horse.
Not because she disliked it.
But because—
"…Too slow."
Kael said nothing.
Each step she took pressed slightly too hard into the earth.
Stone cracked.
Dust shifted.
The road itself seemed to give way beneath her.
"…You're doing it again," Kael said.
"…Doing what?"
"…Breaking the road."
Lira stopped.
Looked down.
Her foot was currently embedded a few inches into solid stone.
"…Oh."
She lifted it.
The crack spread further.
"…Sorry."
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Walk lighter."
She nodded.
Very seriously.
Her next step—
CRK.
The ground cracked again.
"…Lighter," Kael repeated.
"…I am lighter."
"…Less lighter."
She paused.
Thinking.
Then—
She started tiptoeing.
The result was worse.
Each "light" step created sharp, concentrated fractures.
Behind them, a soldier whispered—
"…Is she trying to break it more?"
Another replied—
"…I think this is her being careful…"
Kael ignored them.
Barely.
"…Lira."
"…Yes?"
"…Just… walk normally."
"…Okay."
She did.
The ground cracked anyway.
Progress.
Silence followed as they continued.
Heavy.
Uneasy.
Then—
Lira spoke again.
"…Kael."
"…What."
"…Fight?"
Kael's gaze shifted to the distant smoke.
Dark.
Thick.
Spreading.
"…Yes," he said.
A pause.
"…But you only act when I tell you to."
Lira nodded.
"…Okay."
She smiled.
"…Fight good."
"…Controlled fight," Kael corrected immediately.
"…Controlled good."
Kael didn't relax.
Not even slightly.
He turned slightly toward the soldiers behind him.
"If she moves without my order—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
They had all seen the capital.
The forest.
The river.
They understood.
Ahead—
The wind shifted.
The smell changed.
Burning wood.
Burning life.
And something else—
Magic.
Kael stopped.
Raised a hand.
The unit halted instantly.
"…We're close," he said.
A distant sound reached them.
Not wind.
Not animals.
Screaming.
Lira tilted her head.
"…Loud."
Kael's eyes hardened.
"…War."
She looked forward.
At the rising smoke.
At the trembling trees.
"…Enemy?"
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Strong?"
Kael hesitated.
"…Yes."
Lira smiled wider.
"…Good."
Kael glanced at her.
"…Do not engage," he said firmly.
"Not yet."
"…Okay."
She nodded.
Then pointed ahead.
"…Big fire."
Kael followed her gaze.
Through the trees—
Faint shapes moved.
Dark wings.
Flashes of flame.
Falling silhouettes.
The Elven Kingdom was already under attack.
Kael's expression sharpened.
"…We move in carefully."
He stepped forward—
Then stopped.
Because Lira had already taken a step.
The ground beneath her foot—
CRACK.
Too loud.
Too sharp.
Too late.
The forest went silent.
Every sound—
Gone.
From the distance—
Something shifted.
A presence.
Heavy.
Watching.
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"…We've been noticed."
Lira blinked.
"…Oops."
Far ahead—
A figure turned.
One of the Demon Generals.
Even at that distance—
His gaze locked onto them.
And he smiled.
"…Found something interesting…"
Kael felt it immediately.
That pressure.
That weight.
Danger.
Real danger.
He stepped slightly in front of Lira.
"…Do not move," he ordered quietly.
"…Okay."
For once—
She stayed still.
But her eyes remained fixed on the distant figure.
Curious.
Excited.
"…Kael."
"…What."
"…When fight?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Because for the first time—
He wasn't sure.