"Some wars begin long before the first strike. They begin in the silence that no one dares to break."
⸻
The twin suns of Earth-14 burned pale, their once-golden light dimmed beneath a gauze of silver haze that refused to lift.
From the skies above Kishorio, the capital of the Frossmen Empire looked serene — waterfalls tumbling from its edges like ribbons of glass, the streets alive with celebration banners fluttering in the wind.
But beauty is often the mask of fear.
For the first time in centuries, the energy fields that stabilized the floating island trembled, faintly but perceptibly — like a heartbeat under strain.
And only a few felt it.
⸻
The Observatory
High atop the central spire of the Royal Observatory, King Kayden Fross stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the shimmer of mana lines threading the upper atmosphere.
Each line pulsed slower than it should. The rhythm was wrong — like the world itself was holding its breath.
Behind him, Lionel worked furiously at a circular control table, its surface covered in floating glyphs and holographic readouts.
Every few seconds, he frowned harder.
"Still nothing steady," Lionel muttered. "They're flickering in and out faster than we can lock onto. Every time we think we've got their coordinates, the signal disappears."
Kayden didn't turn. "That's because they're not signals," he said softly. "They're eyes."
Lionel looked up. "You think they're scanning us?"
"I know they are." His tone was low, almost grim. "They're studying the pattern of our ley network… and adapting to it."
From the rear of the chamber, Aurel paced impatiently, armor half-fastened, the faint hum of his blade at his side.
"Then why do we wait? We should strike before they finish watching."
"No." Kayden turned finally, his gaze sharp. "That's what they want — to provoke us first. We will not light the fire before its time."
Aurel's jaw tightened. "And if waiting gives them the advantage?"
Kayden's reply was quiet but cutting. "Then I'll take it back with my own hands."
The sound of the words filled the chamber with weight. The silence after them was heavier still.
From the doorway, Aria entered — her steps soft, her robes glowing faintly with azure light. She held a glass sphere in her hands, its core swirling with shifting symbols.
"The Ministry of Weather-Mana reports atmospheric instability above the western horizon," she said. "Currents twisting in patterns we've never charted."
"They're not storms," Kayden murmured. "They're gateways."
⸻
The Courtyard of Lanterns
That evening, Kishorio shone like a dream.
Thousands of floating lanterns illuminated the capital's gardens, each glowing with soft magic. Children laughed, nobles danced, and musicians played symphonies on crystal strings.
It was the rehearsal night for the royal wedding — and the city, ignorant of its own fate, was drunk on joy.
From the balcony overlooking the celebration, Kirti Shruk stood in a gown of silver and ivory, the pendant Kayden had given her gleaming faintly at her neck.
"You've hidden soldiers among the musicians," she said quietly as Kayden approached behind her.
He stopped beside her, his coat rustling in the night wind. "You noticed."
"I always do." Her voice carried that familiar calm, gentle yet unshakable. "You've been hiding your fear better than your soldiers."
He smiled faintly. "If only the universe were as observant as you."
"Then it would know better than to test you," she said, smiling in return.
He turned to face her fully. "They're watching, Kirti. Every movement we make, every breath. The calm we have now… it's a borrowed peace."
She reached out and brushed his hand. "Then let's borrow it as long as we can."
They danced that night — slow, elegant, surrounded by flickering lights and laughter that already felt like memory.
As they turned beneath the floating lanterns, the music swelled — a melody composed by the royal orchestra, titled Promise Under the Stars.
Halfway through the song, she whispered, "Do you hear it?"
"Hear what?"
"The silence between the stars. It feels like it's waiting."
He looked down at her, something pained flickering in his gaze. "Then let it wait. Tonight, I'm not."
And for that night, neither of them were kings or heirs. Just two souls stealing time from destiny.
⸻
The Ministry Briefing
Two days remained.
The council chamber of the Ministry of Defense was lit by cold, blue light. Holographic projections floated in the air — faint triangles, flickering like sparks in the void.
General Cassian Vale, commander of the Orbital Fleet, stood with arms folded. His voice was steady, professional.
"These distortions are forming at the edge of our exosphere. They match the energy pattern of the Visitors' entry point from fifteen days ago."
Lionel added grimly, "And they're learning from us. Look at this — each pulse matches the frequency of our own planetary ley flow."
Cassian frowned. "They're mimicking our shield structure."
Kayden, seated at the head of the table, spoke quietly. "They're trying to become us."
Across from him, High Engineer Thalen Shruk — Kirti's uncle — tapped the display, his face pale under the light. "If they adapt to the core structure of the floating isle, they can phase straight through our barriers."
"Then we evolve faster than they can copy," Kayden said. "Lionel, you and Thalen will help me reprogram the planetary core. I want it alive — sentient enough to counter-respond."
Cassian hesitated. "You want the defense network to think?"
Kayden met his eyes. "To survive."
He stood and walked to the central crystal matrix. Light flared beneath his palm, running through veins of metal and spell-sigil alike. The entire room vibrated with resonance.
Outside, towers across Kishorio lit one by one — a cascade of light threading the sky, connecting each ley line like neurons firing in a brain.
From the palace gardens, Kirti looked up at the illumination spreading across the heavens.
Her breath caught.
"He's already fighting," she whispered. "Even now."
⸻
The Last Day of Peace
The final sunrise before the wedding arrived like a painting come alive — molten gold spilling across the clouds, soft wind carrying the scent of lilies and rain.
In her chambers, Kirti stood before her mirror as her mother, Lady Maeria Shruk, fastened the final clasp of her bridal gown. The fabric shimmered like woven light.
"You look like your mother on our wedding day," Duke Elarion said as he entered, his voice warm but shadowed with worry.
Kirti smiled softly. "She would have told me not to worry."
"She always did." Elarion rested a hand on her shoulder. "Kayden carries the burden of ten kings. Promise me you'll remind him he's human."
"I will," Kirti said. "Always."
Outside, from the far edge of the sky, something shifted — a soundless tremor that rippled through space itself.
The atmosphere shivered. Birds took flight in unison, startled by something unseen.
High in the observatory, Lionel looked up from his readings. "The distortion's back."
Kayden's gaze hardened. "No," he said quietly. "It never left."
⸻
The Balcony
That night, the empire slept under a blanket of stars brighter than any in memory. The air was cold, silent — too silent.
Kayden stood once more on the balcony, hands resting on the railing, the weight of the coming storm pressing against his chest.
Kirti stepped beside him. Neither spoke for a long while.
"Tomorrow," she said softly, her voice breaking the stillness.
He nodded. "Tomorrow."
She turned to him, eyes full of quiet fire. "Whatever happens after… remember this moment."
He reached for her hand, fingers intertwining. "I will. Even if the heavens fall."
Far above them, in the empty black between stars, the void rippled — just once — as if something enormous had opened an unseen eye.
And watching them, it blinked.
⸻
TO BE CONTINUE…
⚔️ [Author's Notice — The Edge of Dusk] ⚔️
With Chapter 6, we mark the end of the Pre-War Arc — the calm heartbeat of Legacy Beyond Time.
We've witnessed the birth of love, loyalty, and legacy under the golden skies of Kishorio.
We've seen the bonds of the Frossmen Empire, the brilliance of science and magic united, and the fleeting beauty of peace before the storm.
Now — that peace shatters.
From this point onward, we step into the Intergalactic War Arc, the climax of Volume One:
a war that will stretch beyond the skies, beyond the stars, and beyond the limits of humanity's understanding.
Prepare for what lies ahead —
⚡ Battles that will shake worlds.
💔 Promises tested by blood and fire.
🔥 Love caught between duty and destruction.
🌌 The fall of an empire… and the rise of a legend.
The calm has ended.
The storm has begun.
"Let them come," said the King of Light and Knowledge.
"Let the stars themselves bear witness to the will of mankind."
Brace yourself, reader — for we now enter
ARC III: The Intergalactic War