I woke up before the sun.
Not out of habit.
Out of alertness.
The morning silence felt heavier than usual, as if the city itself were holding its breath. I lay there for a few seconds, listening. The soft breathing around me reminded me that I wasn't alone, and yet the feeling was one of vigilance.
I got up slowly so I wouldn't wake them.
I went to the window.
The sky was still in dark shades of blue, but there was already enough light to see the walls in the distance. There was more movement than usual for that hour. Guards changing shifts ahead of time. Patrols circling.
They hadn't slept well either.
I went downstairs quietly.
In the courtyard, I drew the sword from its sheath. The cold metal reflected the faint morning light. I made simple, repeated, controlled movements. It wasn't training for strength. It was training for precision.
A few minutes later, I heard light footsteps.
Lyannis appeared first.
"You always wake up before everyone when something is about to happen," she said.
"I don't know if that's a good thing."
"It's useful."
She stayed there, watching, without saying anything else.
Soon after, Rai'kanna appeared.
"You two already started without telling us?"
"We didn't start. I'm just getting used to it."
She crossed her arms.
"That's worse. It means you've already accepted that you're going to need to use it."
I didn't answer.
Elara, Vespera, and Liriel appeared next, still showing signs of sleep on their faces. Even so, they were all already holding their equipment.
No one needed to ask.
We began training.
Without counting time.
Without talking.
Just coordinated movement.
Arrows cutting through the air. Gusts of wind altering trajectories. Bright light trying to blind me. Rai'kanna trying to hit me from blind spots. Lyannis closing gaps.
When we stopped, the sun was already visible.
We went back inside.
During breakfast, one of the mansion's staff entered the room.
"Lord Takumi, there are people on the street asking if the rumors are true."
I looked at him.
"What rumors?"
"That a demon general is coming here."
I took a deep breath.
"Who spread that?"
"Guards talking to their families. The news spread quickly."
I nodded.
"Everything is under control. Tell that to anyone who asks."
He agreed and left.
Vespera rested her elbows on the table.
"We can't hide it anymore."
"Nor should we," I replied. "But we also can't let it turn into panic."
After breakfast, we went to the walls again.
This time, there were more people watching the horizon. Civilians trying to see something that was still too far away.
The captain of the guard came over to me.
"They've advanced."
I took the spyglass.
The dark dots were larger.
Still distant, but clearly moving in formation.
"How many?"
"We estimate a few hundred."
Hundreds.
That wasn't an invading army.
It was an escort.
"He's in the middle," I said.
The captain nodded.
"We thought the same."
Liriel watched in silence.
"They're not in a hurry."
"No," I replied. "They want us to see every step."
We descended from the walls.
On the way, I noticed people's looks on the street. Some hopeful. Others afraid.
Elara noticed too.
"They know you're the target."
"I know."
"Does that weigh on you?"
"It weighs more on them than on me."
We returned to the mansion and began organizing practical matters.
I separated equipment. Reviewed armor. Checked item bags. Elara reviewed potions. Vespera counted arrows. Liriel organized scrolls. Rai'kanna sharpened blades. Lyannis reviewed exit routes from the city on the map.
It stopped being just mental preparation.
It became real preparation.
During the afternoon, a messenger from the castle arrived.
"The king requests your presence."
I went alone.
The king received me in a smaller room, without formalities.
"So it's true," he said.
"It is."
He sighed.
"You could leave the city before he arrives."
"No."
"I imagined."
He stood up and walked to the window.
"My people are afraid."
"I know."
"But they are also trusting you."
I remained silent.
He turned to face me again.
"What do you need?"
I thought for a few seconds.
"Organization. No panic. Guards positioned at high points. Quiet evacuation of the outer areas of the city. Keep people inside the walls."
He nodded.
"I've already started doing that."
I left the castle in the late afternoon.
The atmosphere in the city was different.
Quieter.
Less trade.
More closed doors.
When I arrived at the mansion, I found them all in the living room waiting for me.
"How did it go?" Vespera asked.
"The king is doing his part."
Rai'kanna tilted her head.
"And you?"
"Me too."
We had dinner early.
Almost no conversation.
Not because of tension.
But because of focus.
After dinner, we went to the courtyard again.
This time, we didn't train.
We sat.
Watching the sky darken.
Liriel broke the silence.
"Do you think he'll talk to you before fighting?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because he wants to."
Elara crossed her legs.
"So he doesn't just want to kill."
"No."
Lyannis spoke softly.
"He wants to prove something."
I nodded.
When the night was already advanced, a different sound cut through the air.
A bell.
From the walls.
It wasn't an alarm.
It was a warning.
I stood up immediately.
I looked at the others.
"They've come closer."
We almost ran out.
We climbed the walls once more.
Now, even without a spyglass, it was possible to see small torches on the horizon.
Much closer.
The captain was there.
"They stopped."
"They stopped?"
"Yes. They set up camp."
I stared fixedly.
He wasn't coming straight in.
He wanted the night to pass.
For the city to sleep knowing he was there.
I took a deep breath.
"He wants to get inside our heads."
Rai'kanna clenched her fists.
"He's succeeding."
Vespera stared without blinking.
"Then we don't let him."
We stayed there for a few minutes.
Then we went down.
We returned to the mansion in silence.
Before going upstairs, I stopped at the door and looked at the empty street.
The entire city knew.
The entire city was waiting.
I went up to the bedroom.
I lay down.
This time, it didn't take long to close my eyes.
Because now it wasn't preparation anymore.
It was a countdown.
And, outside the walls, the fifth general was waiting too.