Chapter 97: Calm before storm
Morning rose like a sigh across the kingdom, gentle and golden, casting long beams of light over the castle's marble floors and garden paths. For a while, it felt as though peace had finally taken root. But beneath the laughter echoing through the palace halls, beneath the scent of fresh bread and the clatter of armored boots, there lingered a tremor—quiet, but growing.
Selene stood on the balcony, her fingers resting lightly on the railing, eyes tracing the distant horizon. The wind tugged at her hair, and for once, she didn't pull it back. Behind her, Cain stirred, wrapping a cloak around his shoulders. His eyes found hers immediately, that intuitive knowing still pulsing between them like a heartbeat.
"They're gathering at the borders," Cain said quietly.
She nodded. "I felt it."
Downstairs, the great hall buzzed with preparation. Leo was leaning over a map, marking strategic points with pieces of onyx and crystal. Eren sat beside him, munching on an apple like the thought of a looming war barely fazed him. But even his usual mischief was toned down; there was a heaviness in his shoulders he couldn't shake.
Their mother, now fully awake and regaining her strength each day, walked among the soldiers and advisors with a silent grace, her magic humming faintly beneath her skin. She'd earned the fear and awe in the eyes of the generals—not because of the power she wielded, but because of the pain she had survived.
Their father, standing just a few paces behind her, looked older somehow. Regret had carved deep lines into his once-fearsome face. He watched his sons not as a ruler, but as a man haunted by the cost of power.
Later that day, they gathered beneath the council tree—a massive, ancient thing with roots said to touch the heart of the kingdom itself. The brothers stood side by side, cloaks billowing, swords slung across their backs. Selene stood with them, radiant, her powers more stable now but still dangerous in their unpredictability.
"Scouts say they've summoned a beast from the Void," Leo said grimly. "Something that bleeds shadows and devours magic."
"Sounds lovely," Eren muttered, cracking his knuckles.
"Then we meet them at Dirth Hollow," Cain said. "We end it before it reaches the cities."