The days began to pass strangely after my breakthrough in training.
Everything seemed far too calm.
Calm enough to be unsettling.
The demonic army remained stationed in the north of the kingdom without making any significant movements. The reports sent by the scouts always confirmed the same thing.
Massive encampments.
Increasing demonic mana.
Creatures roaming through the mountains.
But no advance.
No invasion.
No battle.
It created an unpleasant feeling.
As if they were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
That morning I woke up early and went out onto the mansion's balcony. The sky was partially cloudy, and the cold wind swept through the quiet gardens.
I held my cup of coffee as I looked toward Vailor in the distance.
Even from afar, it was possible to notice the changes in the city.
More guards patrolling.
Blacksmiths working since early morning.
Adventurers constantly coming and going from the guild.
The war had not officially begun yet.
But everyone already felt that it was approaching.
I heard footsteps behind me.
Liriel appeared first.
She was carrying a small tray with bread and fruit.
"You woke up early again."
"I couldn't sleep much."
She placed the tray on the balcony table.
"You've been thinking too much."
I let out a quiet sigh.
"Maybe."
She calmly stepped closer.
"The north is still quiet?"
"Yes."
Liriel looked toward the horizon for a few seconds.
"That worries me more than if they were attacking."
I slowly nodded.
Because I felt exactly the same.
A short while later, the other girls also began to appear.
Scarlett still looked half asleep while Rai'kanna was arguing with Vespera about physical training.
Lyannis was carrying several magical scrolls.
Elara simply sat on the edge of the balcony, silently watching the gardens.
For a few minutes, that peaceful atmosphere made the mansion seem far removed from the war.
Almost normal.
Almost.
Scarlett picked up an apple from the tray.
"So what's today's mission?"
Lyannis answered before I could.
"We have three new requests at the guild."
"Three?"
She nodded.
"Monsters near the western mountains. A village complaining about nocturnal beasts. And a small dungeon that has begun emitting unstable mana."
Rai'kanna smiled faintly.
"Finally something interesting."
Vespera crossed her arms.
"You call every battle interesting."
"Because it is."
Elara let out a quiet laugh.
I watched all of them as they talked.
Over the past few days, the entire group had improved considerably.
Our movements had become more coordinated.
Our decisions during battle had become faster.
Even Scarlett and Vespera had begun working together better without arguing all the time.
They still argued quite a bit.
But now they were able to synchronize their attacks.
And that made a difference.
We finished breakfast and headed to the guild shortly afterward.
The streets of Vailor were busy as always, but there was something different in the air.
The adventurers seemed more tense.
The citizens spoke more quietly.
Even the merchants looked worried.
When we entered the guild, several people immediately turned to look at us.
That had already become normal.
The guild master was organizing some documents behind the main counter.
When he saw us, he let out a small sigh.
"You arrived early."
"We have missions."
He nodded.
"Unfortunately, we have plenty."
I picked up the reports while he continued speaking.
"Monsters keep appearing in places where they never existed before."
Lyannis immediately began examining the papers.
"Demonic mana?"
"Most likely."
The guild master looked exhausted.
"The situation is getting worse in several places."
Scarlett rested her arms on the counter.
"And the demonic army?"
"No changes."
That again.
Silence.
Waiting.
Tension.
We chose to begin with the mission involving the nocturnal beasts.
The village was relatively close to Vailor, so we managed to arrive before noon.
It was a small village surrounded by partially destroyed farmland.
As soon as we arrived, several villagers ran toward us.
An older man looked nervous.
"You really came..."
I nodded.
"What exactly is happening here?"
"The attacks started three nights ago."
He pointed toward the nearby forest.
"The creatures come from there."
I looked in the direction he indicated.
The mana in the air really did feel strange.
Weak.
But contaminated.
We headed into the forest shortly afterward.
The surroundings quickly became silent as we advanced between the trees.
There were no sounds of animals.
Not even the wind.
Only that uncomfortable silence.
Vespera slowly drew an arrow.
"Something is watching us."
Rai'kanna smiled faintly.
"Finally."
The next instant, creatures leaped out from between the trees.
They resembled wolves.
But they were much larger.
Their dark fur appeared partially corroded by demonic mana.
Their eyes glowed red.
Scarlett moved first.
A bolt of lightning shot through the forest, striking two creatures immediately.
Rai'kanna appeared right afterward, crushing another with a single blow.
Vespera fired arrows rapidly, eliminating targets hidden among the trees.
Elara used wind to reduce the creatures' movements while Liriel maintained barriers around the group.
Lyannis calmly coordinated everything.
"Three coming from the left."
Before she had even finished speaking, I charged forward.
My sword instantly pierced one of the creatures.
Another tried to attack from behind.
But Scarlett unleashed fire before it could reach me.
The battle ended quickly.
Far too quickly.
I looked at the creatures' bodies lying on the ground.
The demonic mana was slowly evaporating.
I knelt beside one of them.
This wasn't natural.
Even ordinary monsters didn't begin mutating like this without a reason.
Elara approached.
"Their mana is unstable."
Lyannis agreed.
"It's as if something is spreading demonic energy throughout the region."
I remained silent.
This was happening in many places at the same time.
Dungeons.
Forests.
Mountains.
Villages.
The demons were altering the environment before the war had even begun.
We returned to the village shortly afterward.
The villagers thanked us repeatedly while we received our reward.
But even during that lighter moment, I couldn't completely relax.
Because that feeling was still there.
Something was wrong.
We then headed to another mission that same day.
A small dungeon located in the southern hills.
The place looked ancient.
The stone walls were covered with dark cracks while small currents of mana flowed across the floor.
As soon as we entered, I immediately felt the weight of the energy filling the surroundings.
Scarlett looked around.
"This place is getting worse."
I nodded.
The dungeon felt alive.
Mana flowed through the walls in a strange way.
Small creatures quickly appeared as we advanced.
Giant insects.
Small crystallized monsters.
Creatures deformed by mana.
But none of them posed any real threat to us anymore.
The group advanced almost perfectly in sync now.
Vespera eliminated distant targets before they could even approach.
Rai'kanna handled every larger creature.
Scarlett destroyed entire groups with offensive magic.
Liriel constantly protected everyone.
Elara controlled movement and speed.
Lyannis provided strategic support the entire time.
And I could clearly feel the difference compared to our first months together.
Now we truly felt like a complete team.
When we finally destroyed the dungeon's core, the unstable mana slowly began to disappear.
We left the place late in the afternoon.
The sky was turning orange while the cold wind picked up once again.
On the way back to Vailor, Rai'kanna walked beside me.
"You're still worried."
"I am."
"Because of their silence?"
I nodded.
She remained quiet for a few seconds.
"In the lands of the demi-dragons, there's an old saying."
I looked at her.
"What is it?"
"The quieter the sky becomes... the more dangerous the coming storm."
I turned my gaze forward again.
Maybe she was right.
Because the north remained far too quiet.
By the time we returned to the mansion, it was already night.
The girls began eating dinner while I went out onto the balcony once again.
The cold wind swept across the quiet garden.
I looked toward the north.
Even from so far away... I could still feel that presence.
The demonic mana.
Heavy.
Dark.
Immense.
The golden sword hanging at my waist began emitting a faint glow.
"You sensed it too."
Its voice echoed calmly inside my mind.
"Yes."
"The silence is over."
I frowned slightly.
Before I could ask anything...
I heard hurried footsteps coming from the mansion's main gate.
Guards.
Several of them.
The doors burst open as a messenger ran across the garden completely out of breath.
He looked desperate.
One of the guards immediately announced,
"Urgent message from the castle!"
The girls quickly stood up from the dining table inside the mansion.
The messenger dropped to his knees, trying to catch his breath.
Then he finally managed to speak.
"The northern troops..."
My entire body immediately tensed.
The man looked up, terrified.
"They've started moving."