Night fell normally over the Douglas Duchy.
Mana-saturated clouds rippled across the sky, illuminated by flashes of color. From time to time, streams of energy descended from them and pierced the atmosphere before dispersing over the forests.
For the inhabitants of the duchy, it had already become part of everyday life.
But that night, something was different.
In one of Norvind's watchtowers, a young mage slowly raised his head.
The mana crystal in front of him had just vibrated.
"Wait..."
His companion approached.
"What is it?"
The apprentice looked at the crystal again.
The readings were changing far too quickly.
"The mana in the forest is fluctuating."
"Why?"
There was no answer.
A shadow appeared between the trees.
Then another.
And another.
The apprentice went pale.
"That isn't normal..."
In the distance, the first monsters began emerging from the forest.
They weren't running.
They advanced together.
As if something were pushing them forward.
Then a second wave appeared behind them.
And a third.
The apprentice swallowed hard.
"Sound the alarm."
His companion looked at him.
"Are you sure?"
The young man pointed at the crystal.
"Now."
The mana bells began to ring.
The city's shield activated immediately.
Giant runes appeared across the walls, and a translucent barrier covered Norvind.
The soldiers took their positions.
The mages prepared their spells.
For a few seconds, everything seemed under control.
Until more creatures arrived.
Far more.
"Movement to the north!"
"East as well!"
"We have creatures to the south!"
The voices began overlapping.
The guard commander stared at the horizon.
His expression changed.
"How many are there?"
No one answered.
Because they could no longer count them.
"Calamity-level threat," he finally ordered. "The entire city is under maximum alert."
Mana trumpets echoed.
The inner gates began closing.
The beast tamers released their beasts.
The soldiers took positions behind the walls.
Then the first creature struck the barrier.
BOOM.
Energy spread throughout the entire city.
The barrier held.
The commander exhaled.
"Hold your positions."
He didn't know that the real attack had already begun.
Deep within the forest, far from the walls, several figures watched the city.
They wore dark robes.
Around them, deformed monsters waited in silence.
Their bodies were covered in black markings.
One of the cultists raised a hand.
"Not yet."
The creatures remained motionless.
"Wait."
In the distance, the explosions against the barrier illuminated the sky.
The leader smiled.
"Let them waste their mana."
Meanwhile, inside Norvind...
The four merchants left the inn.
They were no longer wearing their traveling clothes.
Their dark robes were concealed beneath simple cloaks.
One of them held a small metallic object in his hand.
"This is the place."
In front of them stood the city's administrative building.
The mayor's residence.
One of the cultists looked up.
"Are you sure?"
"The connection runs underneath it."
The man showed them the small device.
A faint red light appeared on its surface.
"The core is beneath the building."
"Then let's finish this."
The four entered.
At that exact moment, several kilometers away, Sofia stood before a huge map.
The strategy room was filled with officers.
Captains.
Mages.
Beast tamers.
Messengers.
Everyone was speaking at once.
"Monster activity has increased in three sectors."
"The northern scouts are reporting stampedes."
"There are strange movements in the west as well."
Sofia stared at the map in silence.
She didn't like this.
Too many things were happening at once.
A captain approached.
"My lady."
Sofia raised her eyes.
"Norvind has just activated a calamity alarm."
The room fell silent.
Sofia took the report.
She read it quickly.
Then pointed at the map.
"Distance?"
"Thirty-seven kilometers."
"Available reinforcements?"
"Two companies in the nearest city. Another garrison could arrive in approximately an hour."
Sofia shook her head.
"Too long."
She turned toward the commanders.
"Prepare the beast riders."
One of them stepped forward.
"Will you be going personally?"
Sofia looked at him.
"Yes."
No one argued.
In Norvind, the attack intensified.
The mages fired from the walls.
Explosions of fire, ice, and lightning tore through the darkness.
Dozens of monsters fell.
But others immediately took their place.
And kept advancing.
The creatures did not retreat.
They did not flee.
They did not hesitate.
They hurled themselves against the barrier again and again.
The commander clenched his teeth.
"Hold the shield!"
A mage shouted from one of the towers:
"Mana consumption is increasing!"
"How much?"
"Far too quickly!"
The commander looked toward the forest.
This didn't look like a stampede.
It looked like an army.
Then, beneath the mayor's residence, a rune lit up.
Then another.
And another.
The cultist placed his hand against the stone.
"Here it is."
His companion smiled.
"Can we destroy it?"
"No."
The leader slowly shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Then what?"
"First, we're going to make it believe it's failing."
The man activated the rune.
A small crack appeared in the flow of mana.
Above them, several lights flickered along the walls.
The mages raised their heads.
"What happened?"
"The barrier has lost stability!"
The commander went pale.
"Reinforce the core!"
The mages began channeling more mana.
Exactly as the cultists had expected.
The pressure increased.
The barrier began consuming energy at a monstrous rate.
And then...
BOOM.
A section of the wall exploded.
Soldiers were thrown into the air.
The horde poured through.
"BREACH!"
Screams flooded the streets.
The monsters began penetrating the city.
Ulric Douglas, mayor of Norvind and a member of a distant branch of the ducal family, drew his sword.
"Defend the streets!"
The soldiers rushed toward the breach.
The magical beasts were released.
The mages raised inner barriers.
But the situation had changed.
They were no longer defending a wall.
Now they were defending a city.
Ulric looked at the bodies of several men wearing dark robes near the administrative residence.
He immediately recognized the markings.
Demonic cultists.
His expression changed.
"No..."
He looked toward the forest.
Then toward the wall.
He realized something.
This had not been a monster attack.
The monsters were merely the spearhead of the attack.
"Send a message to the duchess!"
A soldier approached.
"What should I say?"
Ulric clenched his teeth.
"Tell her the demonic cult is inside Norvind."
And while the Duchy's reinforcements began mobilizing...
far away, a figure stared at a map of Norvind.
Sofia.
Her finger stopped over the city.
"Cultists?"
The messenger nodded.
Sofia remained silent.
Something didn't add up.
Too organized.
Too many coincidences.
But there was no time to think.
She turned toward her men.
"We leave now."
The castle gates began to open.
And for the first time in a long while...
Sofia Douglas left the Duchy to personally confront a threat.