In Everwood. Crystal lamps glowed along the stone streets, casting soft light on the bustling town that refused to sleep. Merchants closed their shops, guards patrolled the gates, and laughter echoed faintly from the taverns.
But in the shadows, death crept silently.
Five figures slipped through the alleys, their faces masked, blades glinting faintly under the moonlight. Each moved with the precision of trained killers—assassins sent by the Empire.
"Target is the village lord. Kill him, and chaos will swallow this place," one whispered.
Meanwhile, deep beneath Everwood, Itsuki walked through a massive underground chamber carved directly into the earth.
Below the everwood city, Crystal-powered lights illuminated the space, revealing towering machines under construction.
Rows of villagers worked diligently, hammering, forging, and assembling. Strange weapons lined the walls—rifles with intricate runes, rocket launchers glowing with mana-infused steel, remotely controlled tanks and even the frame of something larger than life.
A giant humanoid figure, rested in silence,.a colossal war machine. Made by Itsuki with his power of creation.
Itsuki ran his hand along its cold metal surface.
"This world… it's fragile. If war comes, we can't rely on swords alone. If the Empire, or worse—the Demon Nation—comes for us… these will be our trump cards."
The villagers nodded, pride in their eyes. They didn't see him as just a ruler anymore, but a comrade who built and toiled beside them.
But while Itsuki inspected the underground forge, danger was already moving above.
At midnight, Itsuki returned to his home. The great hall was quiet, his companions already asleep. He poured himself water, his mind heavy with thoughts of the Empire's next move.
That was when he felt it an unnatural shift in the air.
His Adaptation flared like a warning bell. Without thinking, he twisted aside just as a dagger sliced through where his throat had been moments before.
Assassins.
"Move!" Lyra's voice rang out as she burst into the room, bow in hand. Arrows loosed instantly, forcing two killers back. Selene rushed in behind her, summoning glowing shields of light to protect Itsuki.
But the assassins were no ordinary killers. They danced through the defenses, blades clashing against Selene's barriers. One lunged again at Itsuki—only to be met with cold steel as he drew a rifle from his creation magic.
BANG!
The thunderous shot echoed, and the assassin fell lifeless to the floor. The others froze, shocked at the sheer destructive force.
Itsuki's eyes narrowed. "You chose the wrong village."
He pulled a second weapon into his hands this time a compact firearm with runed etchings.
Selene reinforced the shields. Lyra's arrows rained from the balcony. And Itsuki, with each pull of the trigger, showed the assassins the difference between blades of the past… and the future he was building.
One by one, they fell. Until only silence remained, broken by the heavy breathing of his companions.
Itsuki lowered his weapon, his expression unreadable.
"…The Empire finally made their move."
Lyra wiped her blade clean, glaring at the corpses. "And they'll try again."
Selene's hand trembled as she touched Itsuki's arm. "How far will they go to destroy us?"
Itsuki looked out the window, toward the horizon where distant nations plotted in silence. His eyes hardened.
"They can send assassins, spies, armies… it doesn't matter. We'll be ready."
Beneath his words, the secret forge below continued its work. And in the shadows of Everwood's underground, weapons that no other kingdom had even dreamed of were being born.
For when the storm came Everwood would not only endure.
It would strike back.