Vaelis crossed the border before sunrise.
No banners were raised. No horns sounded. His men moved fast and quiet, slipping past the markers that had divided the land for generations. For the first time in years, Nyvoria was not waiting behind its walls.
They were advancing.
"This ends today," Vaelis said, his voice low but firm. "We strike their supply lines and disappear before they regroup. No villages. No prisoners. Soldiers only."
His men nodded. Some looked nervous. Others looked relieved.
They had waited a long time for this.
The first clash came sooner than expected.
An Aethros patrol emerged from the trees, surprised and unprepared. Steel rang out as blades met in the early light. It was fast, messy, and loud enough to echo across the forest.
One soldier ran.
Another fell.
And the border, once quiet, screamed awake.
The news reached Lunara moments later.
"They've crossed," the messenger said, breathless. "Lord Vaelis. Hundreds of men."
Lunara's heart dropped.
She mounted her horse without hesitation. "Signal the city. Full defense. No one follows him without my order."
"But he's already engaging—"
"I said no one," she snapped, then steadied herself. "I'll bring him back."
As she rode, smoke began to rise—not from villages, but from clashing forces colliding where no one had planned to fight.
Chaos spread quickly.
Nyvoria soldiers who believed in defense hesitated. Those loyal to Vaelis surged forward. Orders overlapped. Signals were missed.
And Aethros noticed.
Kael was in the command tent when the reports arrived.
"Nyvoria forces have crossed the border," an officer said. "They're attacking our supply routes."
The tent erupted with voices.
"That's not their way."
"They're desperate."
"This is our chance."
Kael stepped forward. "Which unit crossed?"
The officer hesitated. "Not the king's banner. A smaller force. Led by a high-ranking commander."
Kael's mind moved fast.
A break in discipline. Internal conflict. Dangerous.
"Rhaegor will respond with fire," someone said.
"And turn this into slaughter," Kael replied.
He looked at the map. At the forest. At the thin line that had finally snapped.
"Mobilize my unit," he ordered. "Intercept. Do not escalate."
The officer blinked. "Prince Kael—"
"Now."
In the forest, Lunara arrived to a battlefield that should never have existed.
Nyvoria and Aethros soldiers clashed between the trees, formations broken, commands lost to noise and fear. She spotted Vaelis at once, his blade already stained, his men pushing hard.
"Vaelis!" she shouted.
He turned, just long enough to see her approaching.
"You should be behind the walls," he said.
"And you should be obeying the king," she replied, dismounting. "Call this off."
He laughed once, sharp and bitter. "Look around. This is what standing up looks like."
"This is what losing control looks like," Lunara said.
Before either could say more, a horn sounded from deeper in the forest.
Aethros reinforcements.
Kael rode into the clearing moments later.
His arrival shifted the air.
For a brief second, everything slowed.
Lunara saw him across the chaos. Kael saw her.
No time for words.
Only choices.
And this time, hesitation might cost far more than trust.