Miya stood at the edge of the ridge, the wind tugging at her cloak, and stared at the horizon. The clouds churned like boiling ink, and the sun — if it was still there — had vanished behind a wall of shadow.
The camp was tense. Soldiers moved in tight formations, eyes darting to the treeline. The air smelled of ozone and ash.
"They're coming," said General Vexar, his voice like gravel. "Scouts spotted movement beyond the Vale. It was too fast for beasts and too quiet for men."
Miya swallowed. Her fingers tightened around the Codex of Veiled Flame, tucked beneath her arm like a lifeline.
She turned to Lily, who stood beside her in full black armor, twin daggers strapped to her thighs.
"Any last-minute advice?" Alessia asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Don't die," Lily said. "And if you do, haunt your siblings. Preferably during their sleep."
Miya managed a weak laugh.
Then the horns sounded from the ridge — low and sharp, like a blade drawn across stone.
Miya's heart skipped. "That's the signal, isn't it?"
Lily's expression darkened. "It is."
The camp erupted into motion. Soldiers scrambled into formation, mages began chanting, and the sky above them dimmed as clouds rolled in unnaturally fast.
Miya's fingers tightened around the Codex of Veiled Flame, tucked into the satchel at her side. She hadn't mastered a single spell yet. Not really. A few sparks, a flicker of light, a half-formed shield that fizzled out before it could hold.
She was not ready.
But the Dreadborn didn't care.
They came from the trees like smoke — twisting, shrieking things with too many limbs and not enough faces. Their eyes glowed like coals, and their claws tore through armor like parchment.
Miya stood frozen as the first wave hit the outer line.
Screams. Steel. Fire.
"Move!" Lily shouted, shoving her behind a barricade. "Stay low!"
"I can help," Miya said, fumbling for the Codex.
"You can help by not dying!"
But Miya had already opened the book, her fingers trembling as she flipped to a page she'd studied the night before.
Lux Aegis — Shield of StarlightTo summon: align breath with the fifth pulse of the Veil. Speak the name. Believe.
She took a breath. The world narrowed to the page, the words, the thrum in her chest.
"Lux… Aegis."
The air shimmered.
A thin veil of silver light flickered into being before her — just in time to catch a Dreadborn's strike. The creature slammed into it with a screech, claws skidding across the glowing barrier.
Miya gasped, stumbling back. The shield cracked, then shattered like glass.
The Dreadborn lunged again.
And then Lily was there, blades flashing. She moved like water, like wind, like something not quite human. In three heartbeats, the creature was dead at her feet.
"You're welcome," Lily said, flicking blood from her blade.
Miya stared at the corpse, chest heaving. "I had it."
"Of course you did."
More Dreadborn poured from the trees like a dark tide. The soldiers fought with everything they had, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.
One soldier fell to the ground with a cry. Another screamed as clawed hands dragged him into the shadows. Agonized shrieks echoed through the battlefield as men were torn apart before their comrades' eyes.
Despair spread across the soldiers' faces as they watched their brothers-in-arms die one after another.
Miya's hands clenched into tight fists. Her heartbeat quickened as she stared at the carnage unfolding before her.
"Is this what a real battlefield feels like?"
Her breathing grew heavier. "This... this is real."
Inside Alessia's body, Miya finally understood that this was not a dream, a game or some fantasy novel she had been transported into.
Everything was real. The blood. The screams. The deaths.
And for the first time, she realized a terrifying truth. If she died here, she would truly die. Suddenly, something stirred within Miya. A strange power surged through her veins.
Her eyes blazed with crimson light.
She turned sharply, raised her hand toward the sky, and shouted another incantation.
"Lancea Sanguinis!"
The heavens trembled. The sky turned crimson and split apart with a deafening roar.
Thousands of blood-red spears burst from the rift above, raining down upon the Dreadborn like divine judgment.
The spears erupted in black flames upon impact, engulfing the monsters and reducing them to ash within seconds.
The battlefield was illuminated by countless pillars of dark fire as the creatures disintegrated into clouds of black dust.
Seizing the opportunity, the remaining soldiers charged forward and finished off the few Dreadborn that had survived the devastating spell.
Several minutes later, the battle came to an end.
The screams had faded. The clash of steel had ceased. The only thing remained was silence.
Miya slowly came back to her senses.
When she opened her eyes, the battle was already over.
The battlefield had fallen eerily silent.
She blinked in confusion and noticed that everyone was staring at her as though she were some unknown creature. Their expressions were a mixture of shock, awe, and disbelief.
Even Lily stood frozen, her eyes wide open as she looked at her.
Just as Miya was about to ask what was going on, a sharp wave of dizziness struck her. Her vision blurred, and the world around her began to spin.
Before she could utter a single word, darkness claimed her and collapsed.
Lily rushed forward and caught her just in time.
For a brief moment, she gazed at the unconscious princess in her arms, searching her face as if she were looking at the same Princess Alessia she had always known.
Without another second to spare, Lily lifted her into her arms and hurried toward the healer's tent.
The battle had ended almost as suddenly as it had begun. The Dreadborn had vanished without a trace.
Only piles of fine black dust remained where they had once stood.
The surviving soldiers finally let out shaky sighs of relief, still unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
Lord Ravonn remained where he stood, silently observing everything. His crimson eyes narrowed, not with relief, but with suspicion, disappointment and doubt.
Something about what Princess Alessia had done unsettled him. He turned his gaze toward the healer's tent where she had been taken. A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Princess Alessia..." he murmured quietly. "Let's see how long you can keep hiding from me."
His eyes grew colder.
"You'd better pray I never uncover your secret."
Without another glance, Lord Ravonn turned and walked away, leaving the battlefield behind as though he had only come to watch over her.