The dawn filtered a warm glow through the palace windows, slowly dispelling the shadows of the night, as though the sun itself feared to intrude upon the affairs of mortals.
After the night they had shared in those chambers, Empress Naira stood gazing out at the city, still asleep. Her dark hair fell over the silk robe like a thread of ink; her back remained straight, majestic and invincible... and yet, the silence around her seemed like a wall meant to protect something infinitely fragile.
Lusian approached from behind, holding a small sphere between his fingers.
"If anything puts you in danger," Lusian said, his voice firm but filled with genuine concern, "activate this."
Naira frowned, crossing her arms with the faintest hint of annoyance.
"And you're leaving me alone?" she whispered, a mixture of reproach and complaint in her voice. "You leave, and I'm left behind... taking care of everything."
Lusian tilted his head slightly, a hint of restrained guilt in the gesture.
"But this artifact..." Lusian said softly, taking another step toward her, "is the guarantee that nothing will happen to you, or to what is growing inside you. It can only be used once, so... use it carefully."
Naira let out a deep sigh, a mixture of resignation and anguish. For a moment, she allowed the heavy masks of the Empress to fall away.
She was simply a woman: tired, vulnerable, painfully aware of the weight of what the two of them had brought into the world.
She instinctively placed a hand over her stomach, as if she needed to feel the silent promise they shared. She barely nodded, her head lowered.
No more words were necessary.
The Empire, politics, the gods... everything came down to that single promise between them: a protective, unbreakable vow to safeguard what mattered most at any cost.
Naira did not turn around when Lusian closed the door behind him.
"Damn you, Lusian..." she murmured into the empty air, half reproach, half plea.
The Empress pressed the sphere against her chest.
She did not cry. The Empire did not bend before tears.
But for a moment, the dawn seemed to stop... as though the world itself held its breath before what was to come.
Lusian walked down the white marble corridor in complete silence. His cloak brushed against the floor with a low whisper, leaving behind the inevitable weight of his presence.
At the royal gates, two Imperial Guards stepped aside without question. His name already carried enough weight to make any written order unnecessary.
Outside, the sun slowly rose above the horizon, bathing the walls of the Empire in gold as the Kingdom's army finished preparing to march. Rows of soldiers gleamed beneath their armor, spears pointed toward the sky, and banners whipped in the morning wind.
The plaza was a hive of activity.
Horses neighed, orders flew from one side to another, and armor clashed as thousands of men prepared to leave a city that, only a few hours earlier, had been considered an impregnable bastion.
Albert rode at the head of the first division, his blue cloak billowing behind him.
"First division, march!"
Trumpets rang out.
Hundreds of soldiers began moving at once. The formation left the plaza with near-perfect precision.
Lusian watched the column for a few seconds before turning his attention to Elizabeth. The princess walked beside him. She had managed to regain some composure, but her face remained far too pale. Every now and then, her fingers tightened around the fabric of her dress, as if trying to reassure herself that she was still in the real world.
Lusian looked down at her.
"How are you feeling?"
Elizabeth took a moment to answer.
"Better."
Lusian raised an eyebrow.
"That didn't sound very convincing."
She glanced at him.
"I'm trying to sound convincing."
For the first time since waking, a small smile appeared on her lips. Lusian let out a quiet breath.
"Then you'll have to practice."
"Does that mean I'm bad at lying?"
"Terrible."
Elizabeth made a small, indignant face.
"That's cruel."
"I'd rather be cruel than dead."
She fell silent, and the smile slowly disappeared. Lusian regretted his words the instant they left his mouth, but Elizabeth did not look away.
"Me too."
The two words were barely a whisper.
Lusian said nothing. He simply extended his hand.
Elizabeth stared at it for a few seconds before intertwining her fingers with his.
They walked like that as the column began passing through the outer streets of the capital.
Emily marched a few steps behind them, her light staff strapped to her back. Her eyes constantly scanned the balconies and palace windows.
Kara, on the other hand, seemed far less concerned.
"Are they always this dramatic when an army leaves?" she asked, looking at the citizens watching from the streets.
Emily sighed.
"We're not going on a field trip, Kara."
"I know." Kara pointed her thumb backward. "That's why I'm surprised nobody's trying to kill us yet."
Emily stared at her in disbelief.
"Could you not say things like that?"
"Why?"
"Because every time you say something like that, it happens."
Kara smiled.
"Superstitious."
Emily shook her head.
"Idiot."
Dayana, who was walking near Lusian, let out a small laugh. Lusian glanced at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You're laughing."
"Because it's been a while since I've heard Emily insult someone."
Kara placed a hand over her chest.
"See? I'm a positive influence."
"No," Emily and Dayana replied simultaneously.
Kara frowned.
"What a terrible group."
For a few moments, the tension seemed to fade.
But only for a few moments.
A deep sound reverberated from the towers.
DOOOONG!
The conversations died instantly.
Everyone looked up.
The Imperial bells.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Lusian narrowed his eyes.
Those were not the bells announcing their departure.
These were different.
Albert stopped his horse.
"What's happening?"
An Imperial officer ran toward him from the rear.
"Commander!"
Albert turned.
"Speak."
The soldier arrived breathless.
"The Temple paladins have left the city."
Albert frowned.
"And?"
The soldier swallowed.
"They're following us."
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Lusian raised his gaze toward the walls.
There they were.
A long line of figures clad in white armor had appeared atop the Imperial gates.
The paladins.
And behind them...
The heroes.
Alejandro, Leonardo, and several of the summoned heroes.
They did not look as though they intended to return to the palace.
Lusian slowly released Elizabeth's hand.
She looked at him.
"What's happening?"
"Nothing."
But his tone said the exact opposite.
Albert gave a signal, and the formation came to a halt.
Thousands of soldiers stood motionless on the road. Horses snorted, and spears lowered slightly.
Kara placed a hand on her weapon.
"Well..."
Emily looked toward the walls.
"They're not going to let us leave that easily."
"Looks that way," Lusian replied.
Then Leonardo raised a hand from atop the wall.
Golden light began gathering around his body.
Albert slowly drew his sword.
"My lord..."
"I know."
Lusian turned his attention back to Elizabeth.
She was staring directly at Leonardo, her breathing beginning to quicken.
"Elizabeth."
She did not answer.
Her pupils had contracted.
"Elizabeth."
This time, she looked at him.
"Lusian..." Her voice trembled. "There's something..."
"What?"
"I don't know."
The mana around her fingers began to darken.
Very slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
But Lusian saw it.
And this time, it was not a fluctuation.
It was a response.
As though something inside Elizabeth had recognized the presence of those men.
A shiver ran down Lusian's spine.
"Everyone, fall back," he ordered.
Albert turned his head.
"My lord?"
"Everyone, fall back!"
Lusian's voice echoed across the entire formation, and the soldiers began retreating.
Elizabeth took a step backward.
"Lusian..."
"Don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid of them."
He stared at her.
"Then what are you afraid of?"
Elizabeth slowly raised her eyes.
"Myself."
Silence.
For a moment, Lusian did not know what to say.
Then, from atop the walls, Leonardo raised his voice.
"PRINCESS ELIZABETH!"
Everyone looked up.
The golden light around the hero intensified, enveloping his body in an increasingly brilliant radiance.
"By the authority of the Temples, I demand that you return!"
Elizabeth went pale.
Dark mana began leaking from her fingers again, slowly spreading across her body.
Lusian clenched his teeth.
This was no longer a simple withdrawal.
"Hold formation!" Albert ordered.
The soldiers resumed their march.
Elizabeth rode beside Lusian, her arm trembling slightly against his.
Every few meters, she looked back.
"Stop looking back," Lusian murmured without slowing down.
Elizabeth kept her eyes forward.
Something had changed since that night.
The fear was still there.
At the head of the formation, Albert raised a hand and pointed toward the gorge marking the boundary between the Imperial domains and the Kingdom's valleys.
"Pick up the pace!" he roared. "We'll cross the pass before nightfall!"
The orders spread throughout the column.
The soldiers quickened their pace.
The walls of the Imperial capital began disappearing behind the rocky hills.
And no one in the formation looked back again.