Lucas stepped forward without hesitation, his pace steady, his presence calm in a way that stood in stark contrast to the storm brewing around him. Beside him, the Ice Belle followed, her earlier indifference now replaced with a quiet, unreadable stillness, her eyes forward, her movements light yet deliberate.
The valley stretched wide before them, an open expanse that felt almost sacred in its silence, as though the land itself understood the weight of what was about to unfold. Every step they took seemed to echo faintly, not in sound, but in significance, as both armies watched from opposite ends, their attention locked onto the two figures walking toward the center.
Lucas did not look back.
There was nothing behind him that required reassurance.
Everything that mattered was ahead.
