The sky was wrong.
Alessia stood at the edge of the ridge, the wind tugging at her cloak, and stared at the horizon. The clouds churned like boiling ink, and the sun — if it was still there — had vanished behind a wall of shadow.
The camp was tense. Soldiers moved in tight formations, eyes darting to the treeline. The air smelled of ozone and ash.
"They're coming," said General Vexar, his voice like gravel. "Scouts spotted movement beyond the Vale. Too fast for beasts. Too quiet for men."
Alessia swallowed. Her fingers tightened around the Codex of Veiled Flame, tucked beneath her arm like a lifeline.
She turned to Lily, who stood beside her in full black armor, twin daggers strapped to her thighs.
"Any last-minute advice?" Alessia asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Don't die," Lily said. "And if you do, haunt your siblings. Preferably during their sleep."
Alessia managed a weak laugh.
Then the horns sounded from the ridge — low and sharp, like a blade drawn across stone.
Alessia's heart skipped. "That's the signal, isn't it?"
Lily's expression darkened. "It is."
The camp erupted into motion. Soldiers scrambled into formation, mages began chanting, and the sky above them dimmed as clouds rolled in unnaturally fast.
Alessia's fingers tightened around the Codex of Veiled Flame, tucked into the satchel at her side. She hadn't mastered a single spell yet. Not really. A few sparks, a flicker of light, a half-formed shield that fizzled out before it could hold.
She was not ready.
But the Dreadborn didn't care.
They came from the trees like smoke — twisting, shrieking things with too many limbs and not enough faces. Their eyes glowed like coals, and their claws tore through armor like parchment.
Alessia stood frozen as the first wave hit the outer line.
Screams. Steel. Fire.
"Move!" Lily shouted, shoving her behind a barricade. "Stay low!"
"I can help," Alessia said, fumbling for the Codex.
"You can help by not dying!"
But Alessia had already opened the book, her fingers trembling as she flipped to a page she'd studied the night before.
Lux Aegis — Shield of StarlightTo summon: align breath with the fifth pulse of the Veil. Speak the name. Believe.
She took a breath. The world narrowed to the page, the words, the thrum in her chest.
"Lux… Aegis."
The air shimmered.
A thin veil of silver light flickered into being before her — just in time to catch a Dreadborn's strike. The creature slammed into it with a screech, claws skidding across the glowing barrier.
Alessia gasped, stumbling back. The shield cracked, then shattered like glass.
The Dreadborn lunged again.
And then Lily was there, blades flashing. She moved like water, like wind, like something not quite human. In three heartbeats, the creature was dead at her feet.
"You're welcome," Lily said, flicking blood from her blade.
Alessia stared at the corpse, chest heaving. "I had it."
"Of course you did."
More Dreadborn poured from the trees. The soldiers fought hard, but they were outnumbered. A few fell. One screamed as he was dragged into the shadows.
Alessia's hands clenched. "I have to do something."
"You already are," Lily said.
"That's not enough."
She turned, raised her hand, and shouted another spell.
"Ignis Orbis!"
A sphere of fire burst from her palm — wild, too hot, too fast. It shot forward, missed its target, and exploded against a tree, sending flaming bark raining down.
"Oops," she muttered.
"Better than nothing," Lily said, already moving to intercept another attacker.
Alessia tried again. This time, the fire caught — a smaller flame, controlled, enough to drive back a snarling beast that had cornered a wounded soldier.
The man looked up at her, eyes wide. "Thank you, my lady."
Alessia blinked. "You're welcome."
And just like that, something shifted.
Not in the sky. Not in the earth.
In them.
The soldiers who had once whispered behind her back now looked at her with something new in their eyes.
Not awe. Not fear.
Hope.
The battle ended as quickly as it began. The Dreadborn retreated into the trees, leaving behind scorched earth and broken bodies.
Alessia stood in the aftermath, her robes torn, her hands blackened with soot and blood. Her heart was still racing, but she was standing.
She had survived.
She had fought.
She had done something.
Ravonn appeared beside her, silent as ever. His armor was untouched, his blade still humming with shadow.
"You're late," she said, breathless.
"I was watching," he replied.
"From where? The moon?"
He didn't answer. Just looked at her — really looked at her — and then turned away.
Alessia watched him go, something tight and unfamiliar curling in her chest.
Lily appeared at her side, wiping her blades clean. "Well. That was a mess."
"I didn't die," Alessia said.
"No," Lily agreed. "You didn't. You even managed to set a tree on fire. Very intimidating."
Alessia smiled, then winced. "I think I burned my eyebrows off."
Lily tilted her head. "Only one. It's a look."
They stood together in the fading light, the camp around them licking its wounds.
And somewhere deep in the forest, unseen and waiting, a pair of eyes watched the Starborne girl with something like recognition.
But Alessia had no idea what was coming for her. As the battle ended, another battle was started.