Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Dark Valley Sea – One Days Later

The world felt serene and quiet except for the occasional noise from the fish.

A towering wall of water rose hundreds of meters into the sky, frozen in place.

The seabed, cracked and dry, stretched endlessly beneath it like the ribs of some ancient beast.

And at the center of that unnatural void stood Sarah.

Her robes fluttered in the biting air.

Barefoot, eyes half-lidded, arms loose at her sides she float above the sky, surrounded by rhythmic movement of the soldiers march.

Behind her, an entire army marched—soldiers of the Tharz Kingdom, columns stretching back into the horizon.

For days, she had parted the seas, continuously draining her soul force.

One of the commanders approached from behind, nervously.

"Lady Sarah. We are within half a day of the southern reef-line."

Sarah didn't respond at first.

Her gaze remained on the far horizon, where a faint sliver of land could now be seen.

"Good," she said finally, her voice no louder than a whisper—yet it carried like thunder.

"But they've laid a trap," she murmured. "I don't really care but I don't want my plan to fail."

The commander paled. "Do… do we halt the advance?"

"No," she said, a small smile forming. It was almost tender, almost amused—but the sort of smile that gods wore when mortals made interesting mistakes.

"We march forward."

She raised her hand.

And the sea groaned as it slowly parted ways for the matching soldiers.

On the other side of the battlefield, nerves ran high and hearts beat like war drums.

The soldiers of the Falmuth Kingdom stood hidden in formation, steeled by resolve, but shadows of fear flickered behind their eyes. Their grips tightened on weapons, breath shallow beneath polished armor. The tension was palpable.

Ace stood quietly among them, his gaze sweeping across the sea of troops. He hadn't expected this many. The numbers stretched beyond what even his predictions had accounted for.

Last night, after modifying the formation traps with his own blood and insight, he had returned to Queen Arlen's command tent. Together, they spent hours pouring over maps, coordinating the surprise strike. Her tactical sharpness impressed him—but what truly left a mark was what she'd revealed:

Most of the soldiers had been ready to flee.

But the moment they heard their queen would personally remain on the field—

None had left.

Not one.

And now they were here. Ready to die for her.

Ace's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps.

Lily approached, the rhythmic clink of armor replacing her usual airy footsteps. She was no longer in a maid dress—but clad in fitted soldier's gear, her silver hair tied back into a loose braid.

"You changed?" Ace asked, mildly surprised.

"Disappointed I'm not in a frilly maid dress?" she teased, stretching a little. "Master, we're in a perilous situation. I can't fight properly in that thing."

Ace tried to defend himself, "No, no, I was just saying you—"

"After the battle," she interrupted, lips curving into a mischievous smirk, "I'll wear one with cat ears and paw prints. You can thank me later."

Ace sighed in defeat.

Corrupted beyond saving, he thought bitterly. Ruby's influence runs deep.

Just then, a low murmur spread among the soldiers as someone pointed toward the far-off sea.

The air grew colder. The world quieter.

From their vantage point atop the southern cliffs, they saw her.

A lone figure hovered in the sky, barefoot and distant, her robes fluttering gently against the unnatural stillness.

Sarah.

The sea groaned beneath her.

A towering wall of ocean, hundreds of meters high, split open by her will alone.

And from within that parted sea, the army of the Tharz Kingdom marched; tireless, endless.

Even the bravest among the Falmuth ranks tightened their jaws.

And deep in the heart of their formation, Ace narrowed his eyes.

"She's here," he said.

The battle had begun.

The first line of Tharz Kingdom soldiers stepped onto the shore.

Then the second. Then the third.

Marching in perfect formation, their boots sank into wet sand as they ascended the reef-line.

Their expressions were solemn, resolute, unaware of the death that surrounded them.

And yet… nothing happened.

Not a whisper. Not a ripple.

The cliffs above remained silent. No arrows, no fire, no sign of an ambush.

The hidden soldiers of the Falmuth Kingdom tensed, hearts pounding. Fingers hovered over trigger glyphs and formation relays.

Sweat rolled down their brows. The silence was maddening.

Still nothing.

More enemy troops poured in; hundreds, then thousands.

And then—

A signal.

A faint pulse of spiritual energy ran through the cliffs like a heartbeat.

BOOM.

A flash. Then a thunderous roar that shattered the stillness.

The ground beneath the enemy forces lit up in overlapping circles of red and gold.

Explosions erupted in all directions, fiery sigils combusting, spike runes detonating, compressed soul bombs igniting.

Within moments, the central 500-meter radius was turned into a blazing crater of death.

Flames shot skyward. Stone, sand, and bodies were flung into the air like ragdolls. Screams echoed, only to be consumed by the roaring inferno.

From her vantage point, Queen Arlen watched it unfold, her expression grim but victorious.

Her lips curled into a razor-thin smile.

"Charge," she commanded. "Take out the survivors."

The command rippled through her ranks.

Falmuth's forces surged forward like a tidal wave, blades drawn, spells igniting, formation boots pounding the earth.

They descended on the scorched battlefield, quickly finishing off any dazed or injured Tharz soldiers that remained in the wake of the blast.

Screams were cut short. Steel flashed. Dust rose.

Behind them, the rest of the Tharz army—still approaching from the parted sea—halted, stunned by the devastation that had just torn through their vanguard.

Even Sarah's sea-wall trembled slightly.

Ace, still standing on the ridge with a faint breeze ruffling his robes, watched it all unfold.

His eyes remained fixed on the figure in the sky. The woman who had not moved an inch since the start.

This was only the first move, he thought.

The real fight hasn't begun.