The silence that followed Belle's words pressed down on me like an invisible hand.
The river continued its quiet murmur nearby, but it sounded distant now, as if the world had pulled back to give us this final moment.
I held her hand tighter, memorizing the steady warmth that had become my anchor these past weeks.
"The Demon forces are massing at the Northern Border," she continued, her voice calm but edged with the weight of command.
"They push through the Shadowveil Mountains with legions that thrive in darkness—high-ranking Ascendants who command shadows and corrupted mana. The Elves have mobilized along the Eastern Eternal Woods border.
Not open invasion yet, but probing attacks and alliances shifting in the wind. Old rivalries with humanity run deep, and they see opportunity in the chaos.
Both fronts threaten to ignite something far larger than skirmishes."
