The mirror's reflection vanished in an instant, fading like mist on glass.
In its place, a glowing three-dimensional map emerged—projected out from the mirror's surface in vibrant blue light. A holographic display, fully interactive and terrifyingly precise.
It showed every detail: Ali's current land, House Nolan's territory, House Cinder's domain. Roads, forest lines, rivers, hills, village borders—all mapped out down to the meter. Even troop movement markers shimmered faintly along key routes, pulsing with tiny flickers of colour.
Fiona blinked, caught off guard.
But Seraphina was visibly stunned. She stepped closer and waved her hand through the map, her fingers passing cleanly through the illusionary terrain.
"What… what magic is this?" she asked, staring in disbelief. "This… this isn't illusion magic. It's too detailed."
"It's a specialty of his," Ali said dryly, offering no further clarification. He didn't point at anyone in particular, which only deepened Seraphina's confusion.
Before she could demand a better explanation—
"Ali, we have a problem."
A calm voice echoed out from the mirror's frame. The map zoomed in smoothly on a location along the border of Ali's land, pulsing red.
Miles.
"My drones picked up a monster nest forming along the edge of your territory," Miles continued.
"Right in the forest that splits your border and House Cinder's. You wanna take care of it today?"
Seraphina jerked back slightly. Her mouth parted in shock.
"A talking mirror?" she muttered, narrowing her eyes. She reached out and touched the mirror's edge, her fingers scanning for enchantments or soul-binding runes. Nothing.
Just strange, thin blue lines etched into the frame.
"It's not a mirror," Fiona said, almost smirking. "It's a kid in the torture chambers beneath the fort. He can talk through metal."
Seraphina turned to Ali with a glare. "You're keeping an arcane prodigy locked in a dungeon?"
Ali shrugged. "He likes it down there."
Sigh.
"Alright, tell me more," Ali said, shifting his stance. The map zoomed in tighter, focusing on three cave systems marked in red along the forest ridge.
"A species called Kobolds," Miles explained. A new window popped up, displaying a 3D rendering of a human-sized coyote creature wielding a bronze sword, dragging the mutilated body of a goblin in its other clawed hand.
"I've counted two hundred so far across three caves. They're moving between the caves—must be interconnected underground. The tagged kobolds keep entering one cave and exiting another. According to the books, they're smarter than goblins."
"They're not," Seraphina cut in, folding her arms. "All monsters start with low intelligence. But like humans, they learn. If they steal, form clans, build, hunt, trade—it trains their instincts. Makes them smarter. Acting intelligent makes them intelligent. That's why all mongers are eradicated early."
Fiona nodded in agreement, arms crossed, expression firm.
Ali looked back at the glowing display.
"Alright," he said. "Send me another amplifier. I'll install it on the way."
The map highlighted a blue circle on the way to the caves—another node for expanding the tech web.
"Sent," Miles said through the mirror.
Ali turned away from the display, already planning his route.
"Fiona," he called over his shoulder, "have the coffin moved to the treasury. Start counting my silver. I want totals very soon."
He glanced at Seraphina. "Use my bath. I won't need it today."
She nodded with a subtle smirk, her blue eyes gleaming.
"And Fiona," he added as he opened the door, "bring Seraphina up to speed on everything. Divide your workload with her."
He winked at the two before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
Inside, silence hung for a second. Then the two women looked at each other.
Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Have you figured him out?"
Fiona gave a dry laugh and gently picked up her sleeping daughter from the crib.
"It only gets worse with time," she said. "And I've only known him for two days."
As they left the office together, Fiona's cold demeanour softened. She wore a small, genuine smile as she started showing Seraphina around the fortress, explaining each wing and floor with calm precision.
Meanwhile… back at the courtyard of House Nolan…
Every knight in the estate—elite or green—stood watching in absolute silence.
Even Lord Nolan and his son had stepped away from their war table to witness the scene unfolding before them.
At the centre of the stone courtyard, five wooden training dummies had been arranged in a row.
Facing them was a woman.
She was Latina, black-haired, with a lean, combat-toned body. She wore a modified battle dress—one leg bare to allow full range of movement, her flat chest wrapped in belts that held small throwing knives. The blade at her waist was unlike anything they'd seen.
A black-sheathed katana.
A foreign sword. Sharp. Elegant. Deadly.
Her eyes were closed. Her fingers lightly rested on the hilt. Her breathing slowed… deepened… finding perfect rhythm.
The crowd didn't even breathe.
Then—her eyes snapped open.
For a split second, her eyes shimmered red—with a single black tomoe orbiting a black pupil.
The very famous one-tomoe Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.
Then—
SHING.
She unsheathed her katana with a speed that defied the eyes of trained warriors.
She vanished from sight.
In less than a breath, she had blinked past the five wooden dummies, reappearing behind them in the same motion. Her back was to them. Her sword slid into its sheath with practiced elegance.
For a moment, silence ruled the courtyard.
Then—
SPLIT.
BOOOOOOM.
All five dummies split perfectly down the middle. Not a splinter out of place. Each severed cleanly. A thin orange line shimmered faintly in the air behind her, crackling for a heartbeat before fading.
The courtyard erupted in gasps and murmurs.
"First-level Aura… how…?" Thomas breathed. His fists clenched with shock, his face pale.
Behind him, Lord Kale Nolan watched in silence.
'She reached Level One in two days. That's… impossible. No one breaks through that fast. No one… unless they're a genius.'
The Latina woman walked calmly through the stunned crowd of knights, her eyes now a plain, unassuming black. Not one of them realised the sheer depth of the power she was holding back. Not one saw the ocular weapon hidden behind those irises.
She didn't need praise. She was here to sharpen her blade.
Near the castle steps, a guard whispered behind Lord Kale.
"My lord, the Lady is back."
Kale gave a curt nod and turned.
Lady Nolan stepped gracefully from her carriage, greeted first by her husband and then embraced by their son. After warm smiles and quick hugs, they moved inside, her expression already shifting from warmth to business.
As they entered the castle hall, Kale wasted no time.
"Well?" he asked. "What did you learn of our new neighbour?"
She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Not good, darling. Not good at all."
"At least he won't interfere in the war, which is something. But that's the only thing to feel good about."
She paused, then met her husband's gaze. Her tone dropped, low and clear.
"He's hungry, Kale. Ambitious. Very much so. I didn't meet him, but I met his advisor. She's of noble blood, no doubt. She made a fool out of me in our conversation. This isn't some baron's bastard squatting on ruins. We don't know who they serve… or where they came from. But we must find out—before we accidentally provoke someone too big to handle."
Kale nodded slowly, absorbing her words.
Thomas stood nearby, listening intently. He always did. The heir of House Nolan didn't speak when his parents spoke. He watched. He absorbed. That was how the next head of house was made.
"I'll leave the background investigation to you," Kale said finally. "After the war, we'll reassess. We strike only when we know exactly who we're striking."
"Did you see the dragons?" Thomas asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Lady Nolan's face softened. "Yes, my son. I saw them. And the stories don't do them justice. Not even close."
She hugged him again before heading off to rest, her mind still spinning with calculations and unanswered questions.
Kale looked at his son.
"You heard your mother," he said. "Always be wary of people who don't fit where they stand. They have stories. And you don't want that story to be an Earl's army knocking at your door."
Thomas nodded solemnly. "I swear, Father—I'll take our house where it belongs. We won't fear anyone again."
Kale clapped his shoulder with a faint smile and walked toward the courtyard, the wind beginning to rise behind him.
Far above the forested hills…
Ali leapt from Eldora's back mid-flight, free-falling through the sky as he pulled a massive metal beam from his inventory. The wind screamed past his ears as he aimed.
CLANG-THUNK.
The beam smashed into the muddy hillside with tremendous force, plunging deep into the ground. Glowing blue lines flared to life along its surface as the amplifier booted up, extending Miles' surveillance grid even further.
Ali drifted gently to the earth and landed on Abeloth's back, dust blowing around him as the red dragon adjusted his altitude.
He leaned back against the warm scales, eyes fixed on the sky above.
'Dragons really are the best form of transport…' he thought, grinning at Eldora, who soared quietly nearby, always watchful.
Then he spoke aloud.
"Listen up," Ali said, tone shifting. "Today, we're testing a new tactic."
Both dragons adjusted their posture slightly, sensing the shift in energy.
"This one's built for maximum destruction. A trial phase. Practice. We go in hard, we go in fast, and we leave nothing breathing."
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