Night fell over Western Aetherra.
Moonlight washed across the towering walls of the unknown kingdom.
Torches burned along the battlements.
Armored patrols marched with practiced discipline.
Not a single section of the wall was left unwatched.
Hidden within the branches of an ancient oak...
Runa lay perfectly still.
Her breathing was slow.
Steady.
The Skybreaker Bow rested quietly in her hands.
Beside her...
Leon was nowhere to be seen.
Even from only a few feet away...
His presence had vanished completely.
Hours passed.
Neither scout moved.
Patience was the greatest weapon of a scout.
Inside her mind...
Her System spoke.
Scanning complete.
Guard rotation identified.
Rotation interval: Thirty minutes.
Runa committed every detail to memory.
Every patrol.
Every tower.
Every signal.
A soft rustle echoed behind her.
She didn't turn.
"Report."
A whisper answered from the darkness.
"I found three entrances."
Leon stepped from the shadows as though they had welcomed him home.
"One main gate."
"One supply entrance."
"And..."
He unfolded a rough sketch he had drawn.
"An old drainage tunnel."
Runa's eyes widened.
"You got that close?"
Leon nodded.
"No one saw me."
The two quietly studied the sketch.
"This tunnel..." Runa whispered.
"It hasn't been used in years."
Leon pointed to several symbols.
"They sealed it from the inside."
"But not permanently."
"You think it leads beneath the city?"
"It does."
Before either could speak again...
A loud horn echoed across the valley.
BWOOOOOOOM!
Every torch along the western wall flared brighter.
Guards immediately took their positions.
Archers lined the battlements.
Heavy gates slowly opened.
Runa frowned.
"What's happening?"
Leon silently climbed to a higher branch.
His enhanced vision focused on the road leading toward the kingdom.
Moments later...
His eyes narrowed.
"Caravan."
"No..."
He watched more carefully.
"Refugees."
Hundreds of exhausted men, women, and children approached the gates.
Some carried injured family members.
Others pushed broken carts containing everything they still owned.
Children clung tightly to their parents.
The entire group looked exhausted.
The gates remained closed.
An officer stepped forward atop the wall.
His voice carried across the valley.
"State your origin!"
An elderly man fell to one knee.
"Our villages were destroyed!"
"We seek shelter!"
"We beg the Phoenix Kingdom for aid!"
Runa's expression softened.
"The Phoenix Kingdom..."
"So that's its name."
Leon silently memorized it.
Every piece of information mattered.
The massive gates slowly creaked open.
Instead of soldiers charging out...
Healers emerged first.
Food wagons followed.
Then engineers.
The refugees were escorted inside with surprising order.
No panic.
No cruelty.
No chaos.
The entire operation had clearly been practiced many times before.
Runa smiled faintly.
"They protect their people."
Leon nodded.
"They're organized."
"And disciplined."
"Like us."
Suddenly...
Leon's expression changed.
He grabbed Runa's shoulder.
"Down."
The two disappeared beneath the thick branches.
A heartbeat later...
A powerful wave of mana swept across the entire forest.
WHOOM!
The pressure lingered only for an instant before fading.
Runa looked toward Leon.
"Detection magic?"
He nodded once.
"Someone is searching."
His eyes drifted toward the highest tower within the Phoenix Kingdom.
Standing atop it...
A lone figure lowered a crystal staff.
Although impossible to see clearly from this distance...
Both scouts felt the same thing.
Whoever had cast that spell...
Was extraordinarily powerful.
Leon looked back toward the city.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"It seems..."
"We're not the only kingdom with talented scouts and mages."
Far above the western walls...
The crimson banner bearing the silver phoenix fluttered beneath the moonlight.
Western Aetherra had revealed its first secret.
Many more remained hidden.