The atmosphere in front of the main gate inside the White Stone Fortress was filled with chaos and panic. The sounds of footsteps and the heavy breathing of hundreds of refugees echoed through the cold stone halls.

  "Lady Titania... thank you so much for your mercy in welcoming us." Garrett clenched his fist and struck his chest in the traditional salute of an old soldier, bowing with sincere respect.

  "It is my duty, Sir Garrett." Titania nodded slightly in return, her eyes still clouded with concern. "What happened at your village? Why have you all had to flee your homes in such a state?"

  The old man let out a long sigh, his face—covered in layers of wrinkles—looking noticeably gaunt. "In the late afternoon, a sudden roar thundered from the eastern forest. We sent men to investigate... but they were gone for an unusually long time. A group of soldiers and I decided to go look for them."

  He shook his head slowly, as if trying to shake a haunting image from his mind. "We found them being torn apart and eaten alive by a pack of beasts... we managed to drive them off at first, but they returned with a pack many times larger than before. We couldn't hold them back and were forced to retreat. And what I heard after that... it wasn't just the sound of wild animals. It was the sound of war horns and roars echoing throughout the forest. Yet, there wasn't even a sound of birds chirping or flocks flying away—as if they were intentionally hiding themselves to avoid something. So, I decided to lead the people here... to our last refuge."

  "I was the same..." Elara walked in behind Garrett with heavy footsteps, her once fierce face now stained with soot and traces of exhaustion. "My village was also attacked by those beasts... my father... he led the people out to hold them off to buy us time to escape."

  Her voice trembled slightly when she mentioned Silas, her father. No matter how strong a leader she was, the sudden and massive loss had shaken the walls of her heart.

  Titania met the young woman's eyes with the understanding of both a warrior and someone who had also suffered loss. She stepped closer and placed a hand on Elara’s shoulder, light yet firm. "You are safe now... rest. Let the rest be my responsibility."

  While the tense conversation of the commanders turned into distant murmurs, Rin sensed something strange. The young girl’s nose twitched slightly; she was following a faint "scent" in the air—a scent no one else there had noticed.

  Rin threaded through the crowd into a hallway where the light was dim. The darkness and the shoving caused her to trip and hit the floor.

  "Are you hurt, little one?" The voice was soft, but to Rin, it felt as cold as ice.

  The moment she looked up and met the eyes of the woman, who appeared to be about twenty-six years old, Rin froze. The color drained from her face, and her eyes widened with a fear beyond description. The hand reaching out to help looked like a claw in the girl's eyes.

  "There you are, Rin!" Reef’s voice broke the silence. He frowned at Rin's unusual behavior before darting a glance at the stranger. "Do you know her?"

  "Not at all," the other woman replied with a smile. "I saw this child fall, so I was going to help. Since you are together... I’ll take my leave."

  She turned and walked away silently, leaving a mystery in the air. "What is your name!" Reef shouted after her suspiciously.

  "Sera... that is my name." She waved without looking back before disappearing into the crowd.

  "Are you alright? You don't look so good," Reef asked Rin with concern.

  "I... I’m fine. It's just... I don't know how to explain it. Suddenly, I started sensing strange scents from the crowd, and that woman had a strange scent too?"

  "Is that so? Thank you, Rin. I’ll keep an eye on her. As for you, don’t stray far from Lyna. Understand?"

  "Yes, I understand."

  The Declaration to Awaken the Warrior Spirit

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  Soldiers shouted for everyone to gather at the front courtyard. Titania stood on a platform, looking down at the hundreds of confused people.

  "Everyone, I will not hide the truth. Currently, we have about 100 professional soldiers from all three villages combined. I want everyone who can use a weapon or is a former soldier to join us. If we unite our strength and hearts, we can surely overcome these monsters!"

  "100 soldiers!! Even our village's professional soldiers couldn't handle it, let alone civilians like us!" a villager from Chinese started shouting in despair.

  "But if we don't fight, we'll die anyway!" a villager from Gonis added.

  "But if we leave now, we might reach Ganbreen. Lord Berin is in charge there," another from Chinese argued. The two sides began to argue fiercely. Titania tried to control the situation, but the crowd became uncontrollably chaotic.

  Lyki saw the scene in front of him and couldn't stand it. He stepped up to stand beside Titania.

  "STOP!! STOP THIS MADNESS!!" His shout brought everyone to a dead silence.

  "Kid, who do you think you are to give us orders? You think just because you wear armor and hold a weapon, you're a knight?" a villager spat at him.

  Lyki remained calm, his eyes determined. "My name is Lyki, son of Darius, from Nefia Village... I know you are afraid. Even as a soldier, I am a human; I have fears just like you. But I must fight to protect the people I love. My father, Darius, and my brother, Lycan, are currently fighting the Rides at the border. As for you..." Lyki pointed at the man.

  "Do you think going to Lord Berin is easy? What will you do? Wander through the darkness using the rest of the people here as bait for yourself? Of course, if you're lucky, you might survive. But if you're unlucky, you'll be the best meal those things ever had!"

  The man couldn't argue with such harsh and truthful reasoning. "I know you want to flee. But what then? Go to Lord Berin and then flee further to Carmen? When you have no shelter left, then what!!" Lyki scanned the crowd.

  "Sacrifice everything today, so that in 10 or 20 years, our children can tell the story of our bravery! I don't care if they are monsters from the old age or just legends from the elders. This time, we will teach them again not to mess with us! Fight for the ones you love, and fight for the light of dawn!!"

  Shouts and the sound of weapons clashing against shields erupted. Titania looked at Lyki with a changed gaze; she saw the "Shadow of a Warrior" in the young boy. The villagers began picking up tools and old weapons, preparing to fight to the death with hope.

  Titania gave orders to divide the tasks appropriately. Lyki stepped aside to sit and wipe his sword. Suddenly, Lyna tugged at his sleeve.

  "Brother Lyki... Rin has disappeared again. I tried looking for her around here but couldn't find her."

  "I'll help you look for her then." He sheathed his sword and took his sister's hand to find their friend immediately.

  At the high tower deep inside, Sera was searching for something, but she came to a halt. "Is there a big mouse that wandered in here?"

  Rin jumped at the entrance. Sera walked toward her slowly. "Following me, little one? Or are you lost again? Want big sister to take you back?" Sera smiled mischievously.

  "I’m not afraid of you," Rin said with a trembling voice. "Your scent... it's not a human scent!"

  Sera smiled, reached out to stroke Rin’s face, and leaned in to sniff her hair while whispering in her ear, "If my scent isn't human, then what about you, little one? What are you... there's a saying in this world that those of the same kind always recognize each other."

  "No! I am human!" Rin backed away in confusion.

  "Rin! Rin! Where are you?" Lyna’s voice called out from the stairs.

  Sera whispered her farewell in a cold voice. "If you dare tell anyone about me, I guarantee the first corpse you’ll see... is that little girl named Lyna."

  Sera vanished into the darkness, leaving Rin sitting alone, trembling. Lyna ran in and hugged her friend. "Rin! Are you okay? Don't ever leave me alone again. You're my only friend."

  "I... I’m sorry, Lyna. I’m okay," Rin forced a smile even though her heart was still racing.

  Meanwhile, Lyki, who had followed behind, noticed a shadow flicker by the window. He went to check but found only emptiness. He leaned out to look into the darkness outside the fortress walls... Suddenly, his eyes caught a faint light flickering in the woods. It was moving toward the Stone Fortress.

  At the main gate, Titania stood tall in the total darkness according to the stealth plan. She peered through the dimness until she saw the flickering light of a torch along with the figure of a middle-aged man in tattered armor, riding a horse through the thickets toward the gate with only a handful of soldiers left.

  "That's Sir Silas!" Oscar whispered to the commander.

  Silas, Elara’s father, was being closely pursued by Orcs riding Wargs. The distance was narrowing until the enemy's blades were almost at the backs of the last group of refugees.

  "Archers! Ready!" Titania ordered in a low voice. "FIRE!!"

  Hundreds of arrows flew from the fortress battlements like a heavy rain, thudding into the ground and the body of the lead Warg until it collapsed, creating a gap for Silas’s group to gallop through the slightly opened gate just in time.

  "Oscar! Take your men out and slaughter them all! Don't let a single one escape!"

  The cavalry rushed out to silence the enemy. However, as soon as the Orcs saw the fortress's forces, they halted and turned back into the shadows of the forest as fast as ghosts. Oscar followed them to the edge of the forest but found only emptiness.

  "Dammit! They got away!" Oscar cursed in frustration.

  As silence returned to the fortress, Titania stood looking at the sealed stone door. The stealth plan had completely collapsed.

  "They know our hiding place now..." she murmured with a heavy heart.