The alarm bell rang through the Red Hills.
Kieran froze.
Smoke was rising fast from the east ridge—near the old meeting house. That was where Celestia had gone with Leon.
He had known that. He had seen her leave. But now that the attack had started…his heart raced with fear.
He couldn’t see her.
“Celestia?” he called out, turning in all directions.
“She went with Leon, remember?” Adelaide said, already grabbing a sword near here. She'll be fighting physically and with magic. “To meet the Vlada clan leader,” she added.
Kieran nodded, but it didn’t calm him.
“They should be back by now,” he said. His voice shook a little.
Another bell rang. This one was louder. Closer.
“East wall!” a scout shouted. “They’re breaking through the gates!” he added.
Kieran didn’t wait. He shifted into his wolf form and ran.
He knew where she was supposed to be. He knew Leon was with her. But still… something inside him kept screaming to find her.
Nash and Flint ran after him. Esther stayed behind, casting shields around the camp. Dwayne and Dan followed with weapons ready.
The sky was full of smoke now. Flames had reached the outer guard towers. Arrows flew through the air, and soldiers in black cloaks with red marks charged into Vlada land.
Azul’s men.
Kieran ran faster, dodging enemies and knocking down anyone in his way. One man tried to block him—Kieran slammed into him, claws out, not slowing down.
He kept looking for her.
Every heartbeat yelled her name.
Celestia.
Then he saw them.
At the edge of the burning land—Leon and Celestia were running down the ridge. Celestia’s hair blew behind her. Her hands glowed faint gold.
Kieran shifted back to human right away and ran toward her.
“Celestia!” he shouted.
She saw him and ran faster.
“I’m here!” she called out.
They met in the middle. He grabbed her and pulled her close, holding her tight.
“I knew you were with Leon, but—” Kieran couldn’t finish the sentence. “I couldn’t see you. I thought—” he said.
“I’m okay,” she said, holding onto him. “We’re all okay,” she added. Leon ran past them, sword already in hand.
“There’s no time. Hector’s here.”
“Hector?” Kieran’s face went cold.
“Yes,” Leon said. said. “He came straight for us. It was planned,” he added.
Then they saw him.
Hector stood on top of a rocky hill, smiling like it was all a game. His black cloak moved in the wind, and the mark of Azul glowed red on his neck.
“Well, well,” he called. “You all showed up after all,” he added. Leon stepped forward.
“What do you want?” he said.
“To send a little message,” Hector said, raising one hand. “Azul says the girl is getting too bold. She'll come to him, Azul promised that,” he added.
He looked at Celestia.
“We’re here to remind your leader—he’s not as strong as he thinks. He should just give up and let us claim this land,” he said.
“I’m not afraid of you and we will definitely not going to that,” Celestia said.
“You should be.”
A wave of black fire came out of his hands. Celestia immediately blocked it with a magic wall. Celestia added her golden flames and pushed the attack back.
Leon ran up the rocks. Kieran shifted again and charged toward the enemy.
The battle began.
Flames, shadow, and swords filled the Vlada land. The air shook from all the power. Nash fought beside Flint. Dan protected the camp. Esther and Adelaide helped the wounded.
Celestia stood her ground. She faced Hector with Kieran and Leon. He threw a dark spell. She blocked it with light. Kieran stayed near her, tearing through any enemy who got close.
“You’re better,” Hector said. “But still not enough,” he added. Celestia’s eyes glowed bright.
“I don’t need to be enough yet. I just need to stop you.”
She threw fire at him. He vanished in smoke, then reappeared—but Leon was ready. He swung his blade and forced Hector to jump back.
“We're done here,” he said.
Then Hector threw black dust on the ground.
Smoke exploded.
When it cleared—he was gone.
“What! Where is he!” Celestia exclaimed.
His men saw him disappear and began to retreat, slipping back into the hills.
The attack ended.
The Vlada land stood burned and wounded—but not broken.
Kieran turned back into a man and rushed to Celestia again.
“I’m okay,” she told him, breathing hard.
The Vlada land stood burned and wounded—but not broken. Smoke still rose from some of the tents. Ash covered the ground. The people were tired, hurt, but they were still standing.
Kieran turned back into a man and rushed to Celestia. His chest was rising and falling fast. His eyes were full of worry.
“I’m okay,” Celestia told him, breathing hard. She reached for his hand. “I promise,” she added.
Kieran didn’t say anything at first. He just pulled her into a hug and held her close. His arms were strong, but his heart was still shaking.
“I couldn’t see you,” he said softly. “I knew you were with Leon, but when the attack started… I couldn’t feel you near me,” he added.
“I’m here now,” she whispered. “And I’m safe,” he added.
Before Kieran could answer, a scout came running toward them. His clothes were dusty, and there was a cut on his forehead.
“Leon!” the scout called out. “The leader—Maraño—he’s wounded!” he added. Leon spun around.
“What?” he asked quickly. “Is he alive?” he asked.
“He is,” the scout said, breathing hard. “He took a blow to the shoulder. Lost a lot of blood. But he’s strong. He just needs rest,” he added.
Leon clenched his fist and looked toward the smoke-covered ridge. His jaw tightened.
“They planned this,” he said. “A double assault. One group went for the meeting house, the other attacked the camp so that our force were divided,” he added.
“They wanted to break us,” Esther said, standing nearby. “But they failed,” she added.
The scout nodded. Then he turned toward Celestia. His face was serious.
“The Nightmare Wolf will have to wait,” he told her. “The leader asked me to tell you. He’s not strong enough to speak more today.”
Celestia blinked. Her heart dropped a little.
“I understand,” she said. “We’ll wait until he’s ready.”
The scout gave a small bow, then walked off to help the others.
Celestia looked around at the burned land. The people were busy fixing what they could. Some were helping the injured. Some were picking up broken weapons. But no one had given up.
Beside her, Kieran stayed close. She leaned against him for a moment, just needing to feel his warmth.
“We’ll get through this,” she said quietly. “Even if the answers have to wait,” she added.
Kieran looked at her and nodded.
“We will.”
And as the sun lowered behind the hills, the fire inside Celestia kept burning more than ever.