Inside the fortress of Dara, dawn brought more than just light.
It also brought relief.
Throughout the night, the soldiers had remained tense, expecting another attack that never came.
The imperial drums had sounded for hours.
Then, little by little, they faded away.
And when the first rays of sunlight appeared over the horizon, no new order came to charge the walls.
Only then did the men begin to breathe again.
At first, there were only a few voices.
Then came a few laughs.
Until someone shouted from the battlements:
—We're still here!
Another soldier answered:
—Dara is still standing!
Cheers spread across the walls.
They were not the cries of an army that had won a decisive battle.
They were the cheers of men who had survived another night.
And in this war, that already meant something.
—One more night!
—We're still alive!
Some soldiers embraced each other.
Others laughed.
There were also those who quietly cried.
No one mocked them.
Everyone knew how close they had come to losing everything.
The nighttime offensive had failed.
But only for now.
A scout arrived shortly afterward at the command room.
—The imperial troops have withdrawn from their most advanced positions.
Count Edgard raised his gaze.
—Are they retreating?
—No, my lord. They're reorganizing.
The joy in the room faded.
Edgard nodded.
It was what he had expected.
The Empire had lost soldiers, spellcasters, and officers, but it still had a massive army standing before Dara.
—Then we've bought ourselves another day.
Silence fell over the room.
Everyone knew the true objective.
Dara did not have to defeat the Empire.
It only had to stop it.
For long enough.
Edgard looked toward the north.
Albaterra was still under construction.
Two concentric walls, magical barriers, and mana cores capable of sustaining defenses for long periods.
A fortress designed to make every meter of conquered ground cost blood.
But it was not ready yet.
—How much longer?
One of the engineers swallowed nervously.
—If construction continues without interruption... several weeks.
Edgard remained silent.
Several weeks.
And standing before them was the most powerful army on the continent.
—Then we'll have to fight to earn another day.
No one answered.
There was no need.
In the inner courtyards, the soldiers were being served hot food.
Soup.
Bread.
Monster meat rich in mana.
After a week of fighting, it felt like a feast.
The men ate with almost animal hunger as they talked about what had happened during the night.
—Did you see what the Douglas did?
—Fifty men against thousands.
—And they came back alive.
The stories grew with every retelling.
Some spoke of them with admiration.
Others still couldn't believe what they had witnessed.
The defending mages, on the other hand, barely had enough strength to speak.
Many lay exhausted on blankets.
Some were bleeding from the nose.
Others had fallen asleep without even finishing their meals.
Dara's defense had also come at a price.
The night had been a victory.
But everyone knew they could not afford too many victories like that.
In the southern section, engineers inspected the walls.
Three points had suffered significant damage.
Displaced stones.
Cracked barriers.
Blackened marks where imperial spells still radiated heat.
One of the engineers ran his fingers over a crack.
—They'll hit here again.
The lieutenant looked at the wall.
—Can you repair it?
—We can reinforce it.
—I didn't ask you that.
The man took a deep breath.
—We can get it ready for another attack.
—How long will it hold?
The engineer studied the crack.
—If they concentrate their fire here again...
He paused.
—Hours.
The lieutenant closed his eyes.
There was no time to rest.
The Imperials would return.
The only question was how.
High above them, Edgard watched the enemy army.
It did not look defeated.
That was what worried him most.
The imperial units were reorganizing.
The surviving mages were being redistributed.
New formations were appearing behind the front lines.
More patrols.
More guards.
More soldiers protecting the spellcasters.
The enemy was learning.
—They won't make the same mistake again, Edgard said.
An officer stood beside him.
—You mean the nighttime raid?
—Everything.
Edgard looked toward the forest.
—Last night, Duke Laurence showed them that we can get inside their lines.
He paused.
—That might give us a little breathing room at night.
The officer remained silent.
—Something is better than nothing.
A tired smile appeared on the count's face.
The Douglas could strike.
They could kill.
They could surprise the enemy.
But Dara still had to withstand an army capable of replacing its losses.
Every fallen soldier was another piece of the fortress disappearing.
Every exhausted mage was one less defense.
Every crack brought the end closer.
Edgard looked toward the north again.
Albaterra.
It still wasn't ready.
—They're working day and night, Edgard said. I just hope it's ready in time.
His voice hardened.
His gaze returned to the north.
—Because if Dara falls before Albaterra is finished... all this sacrifice will have been meaningless.
On the walls, the soldiers continued celebrating.
But little by little, the voices faded.
From above, they could see something that those in the courtyards could not.
The imperial army was not leaving.
It was preparing.
The first lines began to move.
One formation advanced east.
Another moved west.
The banners changed position.
Then the drums began to sound.
One.
Two.
Then dozens.
The sound swept across the battlefield.
The soldiers of Dara stopped talking.
One of them looked at his companion.
—Already?
The other swallowed.
—Looks like it.
Dawn had barely begun.
And the Empire was already moving again.
Edgard studied the new positions.
It was not a direct attack.
Not yet.
It was something more dangerous.
They were testing the defenses.
Looking for reactions.
Forcing Dara to move soldiers from one sector to another.
Measuring how long it took them to respond.
Edgard clenched his jaw.
—So they've learned.
A captain approached.
—What do we do?
Edgard looked at the walls.
Then at the battlefield.
Finally, he looked north.
—The same thing we've been doing from the beginning.
The captain waited.
Edgard spoke without taking his eyes off the enemy army.
—Endure.
The soldiers took their positions on the walls once again.
The celebration was over.
The war was not.
And this time...
the Empire was coming in daylight.