The night was far too silent.
Even after entering the bedroom, I could still feel the heavy pressure hanging over Vailor. It was as if the very air itself had changed.
The girls gradually fell asleep.
Liriel was the first.
Then Elara.
Lyannis still tried to organize a few papers before finally giving in to exhaustion.
Vespera remained leaning by the window, watching the sky for several minutes before finally lying down.
Scarlett stayed awake longer, but eventually fell asleep as well.
Rai'kanna was the last to drift off completely.
And I...
Remained awake.
Sitting on the edge of the bed while looking at the golden sword resting against the wall.
The blade emitted faint glimmers at irregular intervals.
As if it were restless.
I slowly rubbed my tired face.
My mind simply wouldn't stop.
Strategies.
Possibilities.
Military movements.
The First General.
Everything blended together at once.
I closed my eyes for a few seconds, trying to relax.
But the uneasy feeling remained.
Then I heard the sword's voice inside my mind once again.
"Your heart is unstable."
I let out a quiet sigh.
"You've already told me that."
"And it's getting worse."
I looked at the sword.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Stop thinking only about defeat."
I remained silent.
The sword continued.
"You made it this far by surviving the impossible."
"I can still lose."
"Yes."
The answer came immediately.
That made me let out a tired little laugh.
"At least you're honest."
"Fear is necessary."
The golden energy glowed a little brighter.
"But don't let it control your mind."
I closed my eyes again.
I took a deep breath.
Then I finally lay down.
After that, exhaustion slowly began to weigh down my body.
My vision became darker and darker.
And shortly afterward...
Everything disappeared.
I slowly opened my eyes.
But I was no longer in the bedroom.
The sky above me was completely red.
Not an ordinary red.
It looked like a sea of blood spread across the entire world.
The wind was hot.
Heavy.
And carried the smell of smoke.
I slowly looked around.
Ruins.
All I could see were ruins.
Destroyed houses.
Bodies scattered everywhere.
Fire consuming entire cities.
My breathing immediately became heavier.
That place...
It was Vailor.
Or at least what was left of it.
I slowly walked through the wreckage while hearing screams echoing in the distance.
Swords clashed.
Magical explosions illuminated the horizon.
The entire ground was covered in blood.
Then I saw soldiers being crushed by gigantic demonic creatures.
Hundreds.
No.
Thousands.
The demonic army advanced, destroying everything in its path.
And in the middle of that chaos...
There was a presence.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
My entire body froze for a moment.
Then he appeared.
Standing atop the ruins of a shattered wall.
The First General.
His black armor reflected the crimson light of the sky.
Scarlet details ran across the metal like veins pulsing with demonic mana.
His long cape swayed slowly in the hot wind.
His crimson eyes shone monstrously.
The pressure radiating from him was so immense that even breathing felt difficult.
Even standing still... he seemed to dominate everything around him.
My entire body tensed instantly.
Then he slowly began walking toward me.
Each step made the ground tremble slightly.
The sounds of war around us gradually began to disappear.
As if everything were being swallowed by his presence.
When he finally stopped a few meters in front of me, I could feel the demonic mana pressing against my entire body.
It was far worse than in the previous dream.
Much worse.
He stared at me silently for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"So... you really came."
His voice was calm.
Deep.
Yet carried something monstrous beneath it.
I immediately gripped the hilt of my sword.
The golden blade appeared in my hand, shining brilliantly.
The First General looked at it without expression.
"The Holy Sword..."
The mana around him slowly began to increase.
"Interesting."
I held my stance firmly.
"You're the First General."
"Yes."
He slightly tilted his head.
"And you're the human who keeps destroying my armies."
The hot wind swept through the surrounding ruins.
I could feel my mana becoming unstable simply from being near him.
It was absurd.
The First General slowly looked around.
"Cities burning."
He raised one hand while observing the ruined horizon.
"Nations falling."
His voice remained calm.
Almost cold.
"This is the inevitable fate of this world."
I tightened my grip on the sword.
"I won't let that happen."
His crimson eyes returned to me.
Then, for the first time...
He smiled faintly.
But it didn't look human.
It looked like something far more dangerous.
"They all say that before they die."
The demonic pressure exploded violently around him.
The ground cracked instantly.
The nearby ruins began to collapse.
My breathing faltered for a moment.
Even inside that dream... his presence felt far too real.
Then he began walking again.
Slowly.
Without haste.
Like someone completely certain of his own victory.
"You've become stronger."
Scarlet mana began to envelop his black armor.
"But you're still weak."
I charged immediately.
Draconic fire erupted around my sword as I struck directly at him.
The impact shattered part of the ground.
But...
He caught the blade with a single hand.
My eyes widened.
The golden energy of the sword clashed violently against the demonic mana covering his hand.
But the First General didn't even move.
Then he effortlessly hurled me backward.
My body tore through rubble and stones before finally coming to a stop.
I quickly got back to my feet, trying to regain my balance.
It was only a dream.
But the pain felt real.
Far too real.
The First General remained standing exactly where he was.
"You fight well."
His voice echoed slowly.
"For a human."
The demonic mana began rising even higher.
The crimson sky seemed to grow darker.
And then...
I began to see shadows appearing behind him.
Demonic Generals.
Gigantic creatures.
Entire armies.
Thousands of crimson eyes glowing in the darkness.
The feeling of despair intensified instantly.
It was like looking at the very end of the world.
The First General slowly pointed his gigantic black sword toward me.
"Tomorrow, true despair will begin."
The pressure exploded once again.
The ground began to sink.
The remaining buildings crumbled all around us.
But I continued gripping my sword tightly.
Even while feeling fear...
Even while feeling my entire body tremble...
I couldn't retreat.
So I charged forward once more.
The armor began to partially form around my body as draconic fire completely enveloped the golden sword.
"I will defeat you."
The First General stared at me in silence.
Then he calmly replied,
"Try."
The next instant, he disappeared.
My eyes widened.
Too fast.
I immediately felt his presence appear behind me.
I turned on instinct.
The black sword came crashing down violently.
The impact destroyed everything around us.
A monstrous explosion swallowed the ruins.
And at that instant...
I abruptly opened my eyes.
My breathing was heavy.
The room was still dark.
My entire body was covered in sweat.
It took me a few seconds to realize I had awakened.
My heart was beating far too fast.
I immediately looked around.
The girls were still asleep.
But some of them began to stir because of the mana leaking from my body.
Scarlett opened her eyes first.
She quickly got to her feet.
"Takumi?"
I ran a hand across my face, trying to catch my breath.
"It was that dream again?"
I slowly nodded.
Liriel woke up shortly afterward as well.
"Are you alright?"
I took several deep breaths before answering.
"Yes."
But I knew that was a lie.
Because the feeling of his presence still remained in my mind.
Just as real as before.
Rai'kanna slowly sat up in bed.
"Demonic mana spread throughout the entire room."
Lyannis silently observed my face for a few seconds.
"You saw him again."
"Yes."
Vespera crossed her arms, still half asleep.
"And this time?"
I looked at the sword resting against the wall.
The golden blade was still glowing faintly.
Then I answered quietly,
"He's coming."
Silence immediately filled the room.
No one seemed to know exactly what to say.
Because they all felt it too.
The war had already begun.
Even before the first battle.
Liriel calmly walked over to me.
Then she gently took my hand.
"You won't face this alone."
I looked at her for a few seconds.
Then at the others.
Scarlett remained serious.
Rai'kanna looked restless.
Elara watched silently.
Vespera kept her eyes fixed on me.
Lyannis seemed to be thinking through hundreds of strategies at the same time.
And in that moment... I realized it once again.
I truly wasn't alone.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Took a deep breath.
Then slowly stood up.
The sky was beginning to brighten through the window.
Dawn was approaching.
And with it...
The battle as well.