The following morning, I woke up with the feeling that something was different.
It wasn't a physical sensation.
My body felt fine.
Nor was it something related to the environment around me.
The castle remained peaceful.
The corridors were quiet.
The staff carried out their duties as usual.
Even so, there was something strange.
It took me a few minutes to realize that the feeling wasn't coming from me.
It was coming from someone else.
When I arrived at the main hall for breakfast, I noticed it immediately.
Liriel was unusually quiet.
Much more than usual.
She was sitting with the other girls, but she seemed distracted.
Her gaze remained fixed on some distant point.
That caught my attention.
She was normally very calm, but she rarely seemed this worried.
I sat down beside her.
"Is everything alright?"
Liriel took a few seconds before answering.
"I'm not sure."
That immediately put me on alert.
The others noticed it as well.
Lyannis set her cup down on the table.
"Did something happen?"
Liriel took a deep breath.
"Not exactly."
"Then what is it?"
Elara asked.
For a few moments, she remained silent.
As if she were organizing her thoughts.
Then she answered.
"Since dawn, I've been feeling something strange."
Her assistant immediately looked up.
"You noticed it too?"
Liriel nodded.
That caught my attention even more.
If even her assistant had noticed it, then it probably wasn't just imagination.
"Noticed what exactly?"
I asked.
Liriel rested her hands on the table.
"The world's mana."
"It's different."
I looked at her, not fully understanding.
"What do you mean, different?"
"It's unstable."
She replied.
"Small fluctuations."
"Like waves."
Her assistant added.
"It's difficult to explain."
"But something is interfering with the natural flow of mana."
The hall grew quieter.
Even Scarlett looked serious.
"What could cause that?"
Rai'kanna asked.
Liriel shook her head.
"I don't know."
"But it's not something natural."
That wasn't exactly a reassuring answer.
After breakfast, we decided to investigate the situation further.
Or at least try to understand what was happening.
We headed to an open area near the castle.
Liriel and her assistant began using several observation spells.
For many minutes, they remained completely focused.
Neither of them said a word.
They simply analyzed.
Observed.
Felt.
I didn't fully understand how those divine powers worked.
But it was obvious that both of them were sensing something.
When they finally finished, they exchanged glances.
They didn't look satisfied.
Not at all.
"Well?"
I asked.
Liriel crossed her arms.
"The feeling is still there."
"Only stronger."
My stomach tightened slightly.
"Is that bad?"
She took a few seconds before answering.
"That's exactly the problem."
"I don't know."
That was worrying.
Liriel rarely admitted that she didn't know something.
Especially when it involved mana.
Throughout the rest of the morning, we tried to gather more information.
We spoke with local mages.
Researched ancient records.
Questioned several scholars of the kingdom.
But no one seemed to have any concrete answers.
Some hadn't even noticed any changes.
Others claimed to feel a slight difference.
Nothing more than that.
When early afternoon arrived, I decided to take a walk through the city to organize my thoughts.
Lyannis came with me.
She seemed just as worried as I was.
For a while, we walked without saying much.
Watching the streets.
The people.
The residents going about their normal routines.
Nothing seemed wrong.
And perhaps that was exactly what made everything feel even stranger.
The world continued functioning normally.
Yet the feeling of unease remained.
Eventually, Lyannis spoke.
"You're thinking about the Demon King."
It wasn't a question.
It was a statement.
"Yes."
I answered.
She sighed.
"So am I."
We continued walking.
"Do you think this has something to do with him?"
She asked.
I looked up at the sky.
"I don't know."
"And honestly, I hope I'm wrong."
Because if we were right, it meant that something was beginning.
Something we probably wouldn't want to face so soon.
We returned to the castle in the middle of the afternoon.
There, we found Liriel and her assistant once again absorbed in their analysis.
This time, several giant mages were helping as well.
Magical maps covered an enormous table.
Runes glowed softly.
Various measuring instruments were scattered around the room.
It looked like a full-scale research operation.
I approached them.
"Did you discover anything?"
Her assistant answered first.
"Maybe."
That didn't sound very encouraging.
"What do you mean, maybe?"
She pointed to one of the maps.
Several glowing points were scattered across the continent.
"The mana is reacting in several places."
I examined the map.
"Reacting how?"
"It's gathering."
Liriel replied.
I frowned.
"Gathering where?"
She remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she pointed toward a distant region.
Very distant.
An area beyond the known territories.
A region that was practically unexplored.
The moment I saw it, a chill ran down my spine.
Because I had heard of that place before.
The ancient Demon Lands.
The heart of the territory ruled by the Demon King.
Silence filled the room.
No one needed to say anything.
Everyone had reached the same conclusion.
Scarlett was the first to break the silence.
"So he's doing something."
Liriel took a deep breath.
"Maybe."
That word again.
Maybe.
It was frustrating.
But I understood why.
There was still no concrete proof.
Only clues.
Signs.
Omens.
Even so, it was difficult to ignore it.
The rest of the afternoon passed in discussions.
Analysis.
Hypotheses.
Planning.
No definitive conclusion was reached.
But one thing became clear.
We needed to remain vigilant.
When night fell, the tension still lingered.
Even so, we tried to maintain our normal routine.
We had dinner together.
Talked.
Tried to relax.
However, it was obvious that everyone was thinking about the same thing.
Even the Giant Princess seemed worried.
She was usually quite cheerful.
But that night, she was much quieter.
After dinner, I went for a walk alone through the castle gardens.
I needed to think.
The sky was clear.
The stars shone above me.
A gentle breeze drifted through the grounds.
Normally, that would have helped me relax.
But not this time.
My thoughts kept returning to the same place.
The Demon King.
For an entire month, there had been no movement.
No attacks.
No invasions.
No alarming news.
Now, just as we were beginning to enjoy peace, that strange phenomenon had appeared.
A coincidence?
Maybe.
But I didn't believe much in coincidences.
Especially after everything I had been through.
I stopped beside a stone fountain.
I watched the water flowing gently.
For a moment, I thought about Vaelthor.
About the battle we fought.
About how difficult it had been to defeat him.
If that had already been so difficult...
What would it be like to face the true leader of the demons?
The question remained unanswered.
Because no one knew.
Not even Liriel.
I continued watching the sky for several minutes.
Then I heard footsteps approaching.
It was Rai'kanna.
She stopped beside me.
"I knew I'd find you here."
I smiled faintly.
"I'm starting to hear that quite often."
She let out a soft laugh.
Then she became serious again.
"You're worried."
"A little."
"Because of what happened today."
I nodded.
Rai'kanna looked up at the sky.
"So am I."
We stood in silence for a few moments.
Then she spoke again.
"But whatever is happening..."
Her eyes met mine.
"We'll face it together."
The words were simple.
But sincere.
And somehow, they helped.
Because she was right.
No matter what was coming.
I wasn't alone.
None of us were.
After a while, we returned to the castle.
The night was already growing late.
The girls began heading to their rooms.
I did the same.
Before going to sleep, I spent a few minutes looking out the window.
The city was quiet.
The distant lights glowed softly.
Everything seemed peaceful.
But now I knew something had changed.
Maybe it was just a small detail.
Maybe it was only a sign.
Maybe it was the beginning of something much greater.
I slowly closed the curtains.
Lay down.
And as sleep finally began to overtake me, one certainty remained in my mind.
Peace still existed.
But for the first time since Vaelthor's defeat, I felt that it would not last forever.
And somewhere far away, beyond the known borders of the world, an ancient presence seemed to be awakening.