For the past three days the four S-ranks from Velora had carved a burning path across the skies, arguing more than advancing... which kept them circling like hawks deciding which carcass to claim first. They could have reached their destination in a single sunrise, yet every hour brought new debates about glory and efficiency, voices rising over the roar of wind until the clouds themselves seemed tired of listening.
Three Days Ago,
The kingdom stretched beneath them exactly as they remembered it: One hundred ninety thousand square kilometers of rolling hills, azure-leaved forests, and white stone cities that gleamed under the afternoon sun.
Azure banners with a single white crescent moon snapped above every gate and tower, the same banners that had flown for centuries... Musicians played on street corners, children laughed in the parks, merchants called their wares, and the air smelled of fresh bread and distant rain.
