The dawn that followed was unusually still.
Achilles stood atop the southern watchtower of the Verentis border fortress, the breeze whispering past his cloak. The air carried the scent of metal, burnt ash, and something else—an unease he could not name. The fortress, though quiet, did not rest. The soldiers had returned to their posts, and repairs from the last skirmish were well underway. Supply lines were expected to be reinforced soon thanks to his family's direct support. Everything seemed steady.
Until the horns screamed.
A shrill alarm blared from the northern barricades, echoing across the walls. Soldiers scrambled, blades half-sharpened, armor hastily fastened. From the distant treeline, a black cloud surged forth—no mere weather anomaly. This was war.
Kael barged into the command post, pale but composed. "Ascendrians! They're making a full assault!"
"Already?" Achilles muttered, turning toward the window. "How many?"
Kael threw a scroll on the table. "Too many. Our scouts count at least three divisions. Heavy cavalry, siege weapons, and a battalion of high-circle mages."
Achilles narrowed his eyes. "They're desperate… or they're trying to end this quickly."
He exited the tent and climbed the nearest parapet. What he saw chilled even him.
The plains beyond the fortress boiled with enemy movement—dozens of war banners swayed, swords glinting in the sunlight like a wall of stars. War drums thundered, echoing the pulse of an empire on the march.
Panic began to ripple through the ranks. Some soldiers dropped their weapons. Others stared in stunned silence.
"So many… we won't hold..." a young spearman whispered.
Achilles' boots clanged loudly as he walked to the front of the wall. His presence alone was a magnet for every frightened gaze.
He drew his sword and raised it high, the crimson blade gleaming under the morning light. Then his voice rang out—not a shout, but a cold command that cut through fear like a knife.
"So, they finally come. Let them!"
The murmurs stopped.
"Do you see that field?! That sea of blades?! Good. That means they fear us. That means they're trying to finish what they could never win!"
More soldiers turned to him now.
"You are sons of Valeriand! You are shields forged in the fire of war! You have stood against darkness, against necromancers, against beasts born of madness—and you prevailed!"
He pointed to the fortress behind him.
"Behind these walls are the hopes of your people. Your families. Your future. If we fall today, they fall tomorrow. So stand! Raise your swords not for me, not for glory—but for everything we have vowed to protect!"
A low rumble rose among the men. Then louder. A roar of shields and steel.
"Commander Achilles!"
"Verentis!"
"We fight!"
Drums thundered from both sides now. The border fortress transformed in minutes into a hive of determined motion. Archers lined the walls. Mage units began casting buffs and preparing defenses. Aura-users meditated to sharpen their killing intent.
Kael rushed to Achilles' side. "Our defense plan?"
"Activate the inner enchantments. Position our remaining siege breakers at the front. Prepare our strongest mages to counter theirs. This isn't just another clash. They're throwing everything. So we answer with everything."
A pause.
"And Kael," Achilles added, his voice low, "if I fall—"
"You won't."
Achilles didn't smile. He merely placed a hand on Kael's shoulder before stepping away.
From the other side of the battlefield, flames rose. The Ascendrians had begun their first volley.
Arrows rained from the sky like dark stars. The fortress trembled as the first wave of siege magic struck the barriers. Screams and fire mingled. And still, Achilles stood firm, a pillar in the storm.
He looked to the clouds.
"This isn't the end. It's just another trial."
Then, sword raised high, he bellowed:
"DEFEND THE BORDER!"
And with a thunderous roar, the battle began.