I didn't sleep well.
In fact, I don't even know if I managed to sleep at all.
I lay there staring at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing of the five women spread across the room. On other days, that brought me a strange sense of comfort. Today, it only reminded me of what was coming.
The fifth general was not marching against a kingdom.
He was marching toward me.
When the morning light began to filter through the window, I was already sitting on the bed.
Elara was the first to open her eyes.
"You didn't sleep," she said.
I shook my head.
"No."
One by one, the others woke up. Vespera stretched slowly. Liriel complained about the cold. Rai'kanna watched me in silence. Lyannis simply got up and began getting ready.
I went downstairs before them.
I stepped into the mansion's courtyard and drew the sword from its sheath.
The blade still felt unreal.
The faint runes glowed in the morning light.
I made a few movements in the air, testing the weight, the balance, the response.
Each strike cut through the wind with an ease that unsettled me.
I wasn't training to improve.
I was training to get used to it.
Minutes later, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Going to train alone?"
Vespera held her bow in her hands.
"No."
She positioned herself in front of me.
We started slowly.
Without saying a word.
She fired arrows while I dodged or cut them in the air. Then she began to vary the angles. Faster. More precise.
Elara joined soon after, creating small wind barriers to alter the trajectory of the arrows. Liriel appeared with light magic, increasing the brightness around us to hinder my vision. Rai'kanna stepped in with quick movements, trying to touch me. Lyannis closed the gaps, silent.
It stopped being training and became coordination.
No one was playing around.
After nearly an hour, we stopped.
No heavy breathing.
No complaints.
Just silence.
Elara was the first to break it.
"We're different."
I nodded.
"We're ready."
"No," Rai'kanna said. "We're less unprepared."
We went back inside.
While we were eating, someone knocked on the door again.
This time, I already knew it wouldn't be something ordinary.
I opened it.
It was a city guard.
"The captain of the guard requests your presence on the walls."
I looked at him.
"Now?"
"Yes. He asked for urgency."
I sighed.
"I'm coming."
I turned to them.
"We're all going."
No one argued.
The walk to the walls was silent. The city was functioning normally, but I could already see small signs.
More guards in the streets.
Double patrols.
People glancing at the horizon without realizing it.
When we reached the top of the walls, the captain was looking outward with a spyglass.
He saw me and walked over.
"You're Takumi."
"I am."
He pointed into the distance.
"Look."
I took the spyglass.
At first, I saw nothing.
Then I noticed them.
Small dark dots moving on the horizon.
Very far away.
But organized.
In line.
"Scouts," he said. "Not many. Yet."
"How long until they arrive?"
"If they keep this pace, a few days."
A few days.
That was far too little time.
"Have the neighboring kingdoms been warned?" I asked.
"Messengers left this morning."
I nodded.
I stayed a few more minutes observing.
Then I returned the spyglass.
"Captain, don't spread panic. Reinforce the defenses without drawing attention."
He nodded.
"We're already doing that."
We descended from the walls.
On the way back, Liriel spoke.
"They're not hiding."
"No," I replied. "They want to be seen."
Rai'kanna clenched her fists.
"Provocation."
Lyannis completed.
"Psychological pressure."
When we returned to the mansion, I had already decided what to do.
I gathered them all in the living room.
"We're changing the routine."
Elara tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
"I want to review everything. Combat, magic, movement, signals, escape routes, city points."
Vespera smiled faintly.
"Real training."
"Yes."
We spent the rest of the afternoon organizing that.
I mapped the city in my head. High points. Narrow streets. Open areas. Where it would be best to fight. Where it would be worst.
It wasn't paranoia.
It was preparation.
When night fell, no one was tired.
We were alert.
We sat down for dinner in silence.
Until Elara spoke.
"You're different."
I looked at her.
"How?"
"Calmer."
I thought for a moment before answering.
"Because now it's real."
Vespera nodded.
"The unknown is more frightening than certainty."
Rai'kanna stared at me.
"You're not afraid."
"I am."
They looked at me, surprised.
"But it's not the kind of fear that paralyzes. It's the kind that keeps you alert."
Lyannis spoke softly.
"That's good."
After dinner, no one went to sleep immediately.
We stayed in the living room, talking about simple things.
Silly subjects.
Old stories.
Laughing about past situations.
It was almost as if we were forcing a normal moment.
And maybe we were.
Before going upstairs, Vespera called me.
"Takumi."
"Yes."
"If he's coming for you, then he'll have to go through us first."
I smiled faintly.
"I know."
I went upstairs and, this time, lay down without staring at the ceiling.
I closed my eyes.
Not because I was calm.
But because now I had a plan.
Outside, Vaillor still slept without knowing what was approaching.
And, for the first time, I felt that we weren't waiting for the enemy.
We were preparing to receive him.