Hajin braced his wounded side as five vortexes gathered above the eastern peaks and militia captains prepared the ramparts.
The wounded summoner stayed within Juna's reach while the militia prepared for five separate approaches across the square.
Along the ramparts, militia captains shouted brisk orders to their squads, checking the tension of the heavy ballista strings.
Above the jagged eastern peaks, five swirling vortexes burned like miniature suns against the bruised purple storm clouds.
Each vortex cast a distinct gravitational anchor toward the valley floor, creating five parallel corridors of compressed spatial force.
Lucan stood beside the stone balustrade of the terrace, his face tilted upward as he analyzed the atmospheric distortions.
"Those are not phantom projections or remote scrying mirrors," the former inquisitor stated, his raspy voice cutting through the wind.
