The first light of morning slowly passed through the curtains of my room, illuminating the ceiling of the mansion. I remained lying down for a few moments, looking up as I organized my thoughts. The dream from the previous night was still vivid in my memory.
The Demon King had appeared before me again. His gaze remained calm, as if he had absolute confidence that everything would happen exactly the way he wanted. His words still echoed inside my head.
"While you were looking at the ocean... I was preparing something else."
I opened my eyes completely and let out a long sigh.
That did not seem like a simple provocation. Since the beginning of the war, he had always demonstrated that he acted several steps ahead. It was difficult to believe that warning had been given only to frighten me.
I sat up in bed and observed the silent room.
Despite the tranquility of that morning, I could not shake the feeling that something was about to happen.
I slowly got up, walked to the window, and opened it.
The fresh wind immediately entered the room.
Outside, the gardens of the mansion were completely peaceful. Some servants were already beginning their duties while the sun started to rise behind the distant mountains.
It was a beautiful scene.
For a few seconds, I managed to completely forget about the war.
But only for a few seconds.
My thoughts returned once again to the north.
The demon troops had remained in that direction for quite some time. Until then, they had not launched any major offensive, but they were not standing still either.
The reports sent by the soldiers responsible for surveillance made that very clear.
Small movements.
New camps.
Constant movement of supplies.
Everything indicated that they were preparing something.
There was only one question.
When?
I slowly closed the window.
There was no point in imagining possibilities for hours.
If a war was approaching, I needed to be prepared for it.
I changed my clothes and left the room.
The corridor was silent, but I soon began to smell a pleasant aroma coming from the lower floor.
I smiled faintly.
I did not even need to go downstairs to know that breakfast was already being prepared.
As soon as I entered the dining room, I found everyone gathered there.
Liriel was calmly talking with Elara.
Lyannis was looking over some documents he had brought with him.
Vespera was silently drinking tea.
Scarlett seemed quite lively so early in the morning.
Rai'kanna was finishing a large meal, while Liriel's assistant watched everything with curiosity.
As soon as I entered, Scarlett smiled.
"Good morning, Takumi."
"Good morning."
The others also returned the greeting.
I sat down beside them.
One of the servants brought my breakfast a few moments later.
I thanked her with a smile.
As I began eating, I noticed that Liriel was watching me.
"You've been thoughtful since you woke up."
I smiled faintly.
"I guess I can't hide it."
She placed her cup on the table.
"Are you still thinking about that dream?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
The table became a little quieter.
They all knew about the dream.
I had told them everything the previous night.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"That Demon King really likes provoking people."
"I think so too."
Scarlett looked at me.
"But do you really believe he is preparing something?"
I took a deep breath before answering.
"I do."
No one interrupted.
I continued.
"Everything he has done so far has been carefully planned. He has never attacked without a reason. He has never wasted soldiers. There is always a greater objective behind every move."
Lyannis nodded slightly.
"That makes sense."
I continued eating for a few moments before speaking again.
"The reports about the north also concern me."
Elara showed curiosity.
"Did the soldiers send new information?"
"Not exactly new. They only confirmed that the troops are still moving."
Liriel's assistant tilted her head slightly.
"And that is enough to worry you?"
"Yes."
She seemed surprised.
I calmly explained.
"An army of that size does not make constant movements without a reason. They are organizing something."
Vespera finally spoke.
"Then we need to act first."
I looked at her.
"Exactly."
Silence once again dominated the table.
Everyone seemed to be reflecting on the situation.
After finishing breakfast, I stood up.
"I'm going to the castle."
Scarlett immediately asked.
"Now?"
"Yes."
"What do you intend to do?"
"The first thing is to speak with the king."
Liriel seemed to understand my reasoning.
"You want to organize a meeting between the kingdoms."
I smiled.
"That's right."
She nodded.
"I think that's a good idea."
The others also agreed.
Before leaving, I thanked the servants for the excellent breakfast.
I received several smiles in response.
A few minutes later, my carriage was already traveling through the streets of the capital.
The city was quite busy.
Merchants were beginning to open their shops.
Adventurers were walking toward the Guild.
Families were strolling normally through the streets.
Anyone observing that scene would hardly imagine that a great war still threatened the entire continent.
I looked through the carriage window for almost the entire journey.
The more I thought about it, the more I believed that meeting needed to happen as soon as possible.
Not just between my kingdom.
Between everyone.
If each nation continued planning separately, we would hardly be able to face an enemy of that size.
Some time later, the carriage passed through the castle gates.
The guards recognized me immediately.
"Good morning, Hero Takumi."
"Good morning."
I entered normally.
I already knew those corridors well.
Some staff members greeted me along the way.
A few minutes later, I was escorted to the king's office.
I knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in."
I opened the door.
The king raised his eyes from the documents he was examining.
As soon as he saw me, he smiled.
"Takumi."
"Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all."
I entered the room and sat in the chair across from the desk.
The king quickly realized that I was not there for an ordinary visit.
"What happened?"
I took a deep breath.
"I want to talk about the war."
His expression became serious.
"Did the reports reach you as well?"
"Yes."
He folded his hands on the desk.
"The demon troops continue making small movements in the north."
I nodded.
"I received that information as well."
The king remained silent for a few seconds.
"Do you believe they will attack soon?"
"I think they are preparing something. We just don't know exactly what yet."
He slowly nodded.
"I came to the same conclusion."
I looked directly at him.
"That's exactly why I came."
The king waited.
"I believe it is past time for us to gather all the allied nations."
He remained silent.
I continued.
"We need to discuss strategies. We need to know what resources each kingdom has, how many soldiers they can send, and how we will face the Demon King when he finally acts."
The king leaned back in his chair.
He thought for a few moments.
Then he smiled faintly.
"Actually... I was thinking about that too."
I smiled.
"Then we reached the same conclusion."
He stood up from his chair and walked toward a large window.
He watched the city for a few seconds.
"If we keep waiting, we will only react to the enemy's movements."
"Exactly."
He turned toward me again.
"But if we organize all the nations from now on, we will have a much better chance."
I nodded.
That was exactly what I was thinking.
The king walked back toward the desk.
"I'll begin the preparations immediately."
"Thank you."
"Some kings will probably be able to come in person. Others will use magical communicators."
"That will be enough."
He nodded.
"In the meantime, keep training."
I smiled.
"That was exactly what I intended to do."
We continued talking for some time about the state of the borders, the situation of the cities near the north, and the need to keep the soldiers alert during the coming weeks.
When I finally stood up to leave, the king accompanied me to the door.
"Takumi."
I looked back.
"Thank you for always thinking several steps ahead."
I smiled faintly.
"I don't do it alone. I have important people by my side."
The king nodded.
I left the office feeling that I had taken the first step.
There were still many questions.
There were still many challenges.
But now all the nations would finally begin moving in the same direction.
As I left the castle, I looked once more at the completely clear sky.
The tranquility of that morning concealed a storm that was slowly approaching.
And I was fully aware that I needed to be prepared when it finally arrived.