Dawn broke over Brimfield like a held breath.
The sky was painted in pale gold and soft lavender, deceptively calm, as if the world itself was unaware that war was about to knock on the village gates. Mist clung low to the ground, curling around rooftops and fences, slipping between stones like something alive.
Akira stood at the edge of the village, staff resting against her shoulder. The wood was warm beneath her fingers, faint blue light pulsing slowly—as if it, too, was awake and waiting.
This is it, she thought.This is the part of the game where everything goes wrong.
Behind her, the others were already in position, exactly as planned the night before.
Haru stood at the main gate, feet planted firmly in the dirt, his massive silhouette unmoving. Rina knelt nearby, palms pressed to the earth, eyes closed in concentration. Kaoru was nowhere to be seen—already slipping through shadows, scouting ahead. Miyu crouched atop a rooftop, bow ready, tails flicking with barely contained tension.
And then there was Renji.
Prince Renji leaned against a wooden post, arms crossed, blond hair catching the morning light, blue eyes scanning the treeline with an expression that was far more serious than his usual joking demeanor.
"This," he muttered, "is the part where I say something heroic, right?"
Akira glanced at him. "If it helps you focus."
He sighed dramatically. "Alright then. Everyone, please don't die. Especially me."
Despite everything, Akira laughed. Just a little.
The first tremor came moments later.
Rina's eyes snapped open. "They're here."
The forest at the edge of Brimfield moved.
Branches snapped. Shadows shifted unnaturally. Then—one by one—monsters emerged from the trees.
But this time, they didn't charge.
They stopped.
They waited.
Akira's stomach dropped.
"That's new," Kaoru's voice whispered through her earpiece—one of Riko's enchanted communication charms. "They're holding formation."
Haru cracked his knuckles. "Then we force them to move."
"No," Akira said quickly. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the creatures. "This is Morwenna. She's testing our patience."
As if summoned by her name, the monsters began to shift—not forward, but outward, spreading along the forest's edge.
"They're trying to surround us," Miyu said sharply.
Renji straightened. "Knights, defensive positions! Stick to the plan!"
Steel rang as soldiers moved into place. Rina whispered urgently to the earth, and the ground responded—roots thickening beneath the soil, ready to burst upward at her command.
Akira raised her staff, blue magic flaring brighter.
"Okay," she breathed. "Let's play."
The signal came without warning.
A shrill, echoing cry pierced the air—unnatural, distorted, carrying with it a wave of dark magic that made Akira's skin prickle.
And then the monsters charged.
"NOW!" Renji shouted.
The village exploded into motion.
Rina slammed her hands into the ground. Vines erupted from the earth, snapping around monster limbs, dragging them down. Haru surged forward, slamming into the first wave like a living battering ram. Shockwaves rippled through the dirt as he struck, sending bodies flying.
Miyu loosed arrow after arrow, each one glowing faintly as it struck pressure points, slowing and staggering the creatures.
Kaoru appeared behind enemy lines like a ghost, blades flashing as he sabotaged their formation, cutting supply beasts loose and sowing chaos.
Akira stood at the center of it all.
She lifted her staff—and the air answered.
Blue magic surged outward, forming translucent barriers around homes, shielding civilians. She redirected energy mid-cast, sending sharp pulses toward clusters of monsters, disrupting their coordination.
"This is working!" she shouted.
Too soon.
The ground beneath her feet shifted.
Akira barely had time to gasp before dark magic rippled through the earth, shattering one of Rina's vine traps and sending debris flying.
"Akira!" Renji shouted.
She threw up a shield just in time, skidding backward across the stones. Her heart pounded as she struggled to her feet.
"That wasn't in the plan," Kaoru hissed.
Akira's eyes widened. "She's adapting. Morwenna's actively interfering."
High above, unseen by them all, violet eyes gleamed with amusement.
From her obsidian throne, Princess Morwenna watched.
"So predictable," she murmured, fingers idly tracing the edge of her crystal orb. "They plan. They cooperate. They hope."
Her lips curved into a cruel smile.
"Break them."
With a flick of her wrist, the magic shifted.
On the battlefield, the monsters changed.
Some retreated suddenly—luring Haru forward. Others ignored Kaoru's disruptions entirely, marching straight through traps as if they could feel where danger lay.
"They're not reacting," Miyu said, breathless. "They're anticipating!"
Akira clenched her teeth. "She's controlling them directly."
Renji stepped beside her, sword raised. "Then we adapt too."
He turned to the knights. "Switch formations! Protect the mages first!"
Akira stared at him for half a second.
He met her gaze, blue eyes steady. "You're not doing this alone."
Something warm bloomed in her chest.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
The battle became chaos.
Plans blurred. Lines broke and reformed. Akira felt her magic stretching thinner with every spell, sweat dripping down her back as she pushed herself harder than ever before.
At one point, a massive monster broke through the defenses entirely.
It lunged—straight for Renji.
"RENJI!"
Akira didn't think.
She moved.
Blue light exploded from her staff as she hurled herself forward, slamming into the creature with raw, unfiltered magic. The impact sent both of them flying.
She hit the ground hard, vision blurring.
Hands grabbed her shoulders.
"Akira—hey—look at me."
Renji's face swam into focus above her, blond hair messy, blue eyes wide with something dangerously close to fear.
"You okay?" he asked.
She swallowed. "I… yeah. I think so."
He exhaled shakily. "Good. Because if you die, I'd have to actually be responsible."
Despite everything, she laughed.
Slowly—painfully—the tide turned.
Not because of the plan.
But because of them.
Because Haru refused to fall.Because Rina reshaped the battlefield again and again.Because Miyu never missed when it mattered.Because Kaoru struck where Morwenna least expected.Because Renji led, adapted, and stood his ground.
And because Akira—no longer just a player, no longer just a witch—belonged here now.
At last, with a sound like breaking glass, Morwenna's control snapped.
The monsters faltered.
Then they fled.
Silence fell over Brimfield, broken only by heavy breathing and the crackle of fading magic.
Akira lowered her staff, hands trembling.
They were alive.
They had won.
For now.
Far away, Princess Morwenna leaned back on her throne, eyes glittering.
"Oh, Akira," she whispered."This is going to be fun."