The Amorans were not here to pick a side.
They weren’t here to support Morningstar Act or fight for Freedom of Amber.
No.
They wanted to use our war as a distraction.
They would take whatever they could resources, artifacts, magic stones and slaughter anyone in their way.
And when we were at our weakest, when Morningstar Act and Freedom of Amber had bled each other dry…
They would strike.
They would crush what remained and claim the continent for themselves.
My hands trembled slightly as I sat back down.
This wasn’t just a threat to my army—this was a threat to all of humanity.
If we didn’t stop them now, then it wouldn’t matter who won this war.
Because in the end…
We would all lose.
The message confirmed that Morningstar Act’s forces had already run into the Amorans.
That meant Eval probably knew about them too.
Damn it.
That bastard would be thinking the same thing as me.
He would know that if the Amorans weren’t stopped, his dream of overthrowing the current power structure would become meaningless.
Because there wouldn’t be a power structure left to overthrow.
Would this force him to reconsider his priorities?
Would he pause the war and focus on eliminating the greater enemy?
I highly doubted it.
Eval was too stubborn.
Too caught up in his ideals.
I could not afford to make the same mistake.
I had to act.
Immediately.
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The Amorans have arrived.
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Their presence means an invasion is inevitable.
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They will target both sides in this war and weaken us from the shadows.
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Morningstar Act knows about them.
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Eval will probably try to ignore them at first—focusing on his fight against us.
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He may even attempt to use them to his advantage.
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If we don’t stop them now, we will lose everything.
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This war was supposed to be about power and control.
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Now, it was about survival.
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My hands curled into fists.
I needed to do three things immediately.
I needed to know exactly how many Amorans had arrived and where they were.
If they were already deeply entrenched… then things would be far worse than I thought.
If the Amorans were planning a full invasion, then the magic stone mines were going to be their first major target.
Without magic stones, our mages would be powerless.
Let the battles slow down for a while.
Because if we lost control of our resources, the war would be over before it truly began.
There were other mage organizations still waiting on the sidelines, refusing to get involved in the war.
I had planned to force them to pick a side.
Now, I had a different message for them.
“Join me—not just to defeat Morningstar Act, but to save the continent itself.”
If they still refused to pick a side, then I would use force.
This was no longer just a war for territory.
This was a war for survival.
And I would not let humanity fall to these creatures.
I clenched my jaw.
The Amorans thought we were too distracted to see them coming.
They thought we were too busy killing each other to realize the true enemy was at our doorstep.
They were wrong.
I would not let them use our war to their advantage.
I would not allow them to consume this continent piece by piece.
Morningstar Act might be too blind to see the real threat, but I wasn’t.
If I had to pause this war for a short time to deal with these creatures, then so be it.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
But if Eval got in my way?
If Morningstar Act tried to interfere with my plans…
Then I would burn them to the ground alongside the Amorans.
I would crush anyone who stood between me and survival.
And when the dust settled…
Time passed swiftly.
While Felix focused on uncovering the truth about the Amorans, searching for their motivations and their true purpose on the continent, Marsil remained within the quiet solitude of his inn room, dedicated to mastering the spells he had acquired.
He had no interest in the larger conflicts raging outside.
The wars, the shifting alliances, the political maneuvering—none of it mattered to him.
At least, not yet.
Right now, his only focus was power.
And power required understanding.
Seated at his desk, surrounded by stacks of books and scattered notes, Marsil practiced tirelessly.
The Mark – Sensing spell allowed him to mark specific locations and detect movements within a 500-meter radius, enhancing his awareness and perception.
The Wraith spell gave him a taste of true mobility, allowing him to phase through walls, move at incredible speeds, and escape danger when necessary.
And then there was Hearthsphere—a spell that pulsed in time with his heartbeat, growing stronger the more his emotions surged.
As Marsil practiced, channeling his magic, he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his body.
It was a shift, subtle at first—but as he focused, he recognized it immediately.
A flicker of power surged through his core, spreading throughout his veins like a growing fire.
His magic, his very being, was changing.
Marsil narrowed his eyes, setting down the book he had been reading.
“This feeling…” he murmured to himself.
He had been aware of his progress for some time, but now, for the first time, he truly felt it.
He was approaching the end of the Adept-Level.
Soon, very soon, he would break through into the next stage of magical mastery—Expert-Level.
This was not just a minor improvement.
This was an evolution.
A transformation that would place him among the upper ranks of mages, allowing him to wield magic at a level far beyond ordinary practitioners.
With this realization, his mind raced.
“If I push forward with my training… at this pace… I can reach Expert-Level within a month.”
A month.
That was nothing in the grand scale of time.
If he remained focused, if he honed his abilities, then in thirty days, he would no longer be a mere Adept mage.
He would become something greater.
Marsil took a slow breath and closed his eyes.
He could feel the shift inside him, the gradual yet undeniable growth of his magic.
But with this growth came a burden.
A responsibility.
If he reached Expert-Level, the conflicts around him would no longer be avoidable.
Morningstar Act.
Freedom of Amber.
The Nobles.
The mysterious Amorans.
All of them would become players in his life whether he wished for it or not.
He had avoided them until now, choosing secrecy over reckless ambition.
But could he continue to do so?
Would there come a time when hiding was no longer an option?
He opened his eyes.
For now, there was only one goal before him.
To break past his limits.
-
Captain Radro - Pov
Smoke curled through the air, thick and suffocating, filling my lungs with the stench of burning wood and flesh. Screams echoed through the narrow streets of Crimson Berry, blending with the sharp whistling of energy bolts and the thunderous roar of fireballs colliding against stone walls.
Another skirmish—another pointless exchange of death and destruction.
I stood at the edge of the battlefield, my hands clasped behind my back, watching as mages from both Morningstar Act and Freedom of Amber clashed.
And for what?
Nothing would be decided here.
These small battles were meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
I reached up and scratched my chin, letting out a tired sigh.
"This is not going to end," I muttered to myself.
Neither side would back down.
Neither side could afford to.
These battles weren’t just fights between mages—they were games of strategy, probing attacks, meant to test the enemy’s strength, to weaken their forces over time.
And yet, as I looked upon the chaos before me, I knew the real casualties weren’t the mages.
They were the commoners.
The townspeople who never asked for this war.
A young mage approached me, bowing slightly in respect before speaking.
"Captain Radro, the losses have been tallied."
I turned to face him, my expression neutral.
"Speak."
"Ten mages lost from both sides. But the real damage… the civilians, sir. More than five hundred dead."
I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.
Five hundred.
Men, women, children. All reduced to mere numbers.
I exhaled slowly and shook my head.
"In battles between mages, this is inevitable," I said, more to myself than to the young mage.
He remained silent, as if waiting for further orders.
But what could I say?
What could I do?
This wasn’t the first time I had stood on a battlefield and watched innocents die.
It wasn’t the first time I had counted the dead not as people, but as casualties of war.
But that didn’t make it any easier.
I had fought in too many battles to believe in noble causes anymore. I had seen too much blood spilled to think that one side was right and the other was wrong.
In the end, we were all killers.
"Pull our forces back," I ordered, my voice cold and steady.
The young mage hesitated.
"But sir, if we retreat now—"
"This skirmish is meaningless," I interrupted.
"Fighting here weakens us more than it helps us. Let the enemy waste their strength if they wish. We will conserve ours."
He hesitated for a moment longer but then nodded.
"Understood, Captain."
As he left to carry out my orders, I looked over the burning town once more.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard the wailing of a mother as she cradled the lifeless body of her child.
I forced myself to look away.
I had seen it too many times before.
And I knew—I would see it again.
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?One week had passed since the initial reports of the Amorans' presence on the continent. Both Eval and Felix found themselves in their respective quarters, each grappling with the unsettling news. The weight of the situation was evident on their faces, marked by deep lines of concern and contemplation.?
After several minutes of silent deliberation, a magical communication spell bridged the distance between them, allowing their thoughts to converge. Felix initiated the conversation, his tone laced with a mix of surprise and resignation.?
"I hadn't anticipated speaking with you again so soon," Felix admitted, his voice carrying the fatigue of recent events.?
Eval paused, reflecting on the rapid developments. "Nor did I," he responded thoughtfully.?
Felix closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts before addressing the elephant in the room. "It's clear why we've connected," he began, his voice steady. "There's no need for pretense."?
A faint smirk played on Eval's lips. "You've received information about the Amorans as well, haven't you?"?
Felix nodded, his expression darkening. "I have. And I suspect the Trinatrum has approached you, just as they have me."?
Eval's eyes narrowed slightly. "They have," he confirmed, the weight of the revelation settling between them.?
A heavy silence enveloped the two men, each lost in their own tumultuous thoughts. The implications of the Amorans' involvement were vast and troubling.?
Breaking the silence, Felix's voice carried a rare intensity. "I can comprehend ideological differences and the conflicts they breed," he began. "But the notion of another race, the Amorans, exploiting our internal strife for their gain is unacceptable."?
Eval's gaze met Felix's, a mutual understanding passing between them. "You're not wrong," he conceded, the gravity of the situation evident in his tone.?
The room seemed to shrink around them as the reality of their predicament settled in. The Amorans' presence was not just an external threat; it was a catalyst that could exacerbate existing tensions, leading to unforeseen consequences.?
Felix leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped tightly. "We need to strategize," he said, determination edging his voice. "Our internal disputes have left us vulnerable. It's imperative we address this new development before it spirals beyond our control."?
Eval nodded, his mind already racing through potential courses of action. "Agreed. But we must tread carefully. The Trinatrum's involvement complicates matters further. Their motives are always layered."?
Felix sighed, the weight of leadership pressing heavily upon him. "Then let's begin by consolidating our intelligence. We need a comprehensive understanding of the Amorans' objectives and the Trinatrum's intentions."?
Eval's eyes gleamed with resolve. "I'll mobilize my contacts. We need clarity, and quickly."?
The two men sat in contemplative silence, the magnitude of their task looming large. The path ahead was fraught with uncertainty, but one thing was clear: unity was their strongest asset in the face of this emerging threat.?
As the magical connection between them faded, both Eval and Felix knew that the coming days would test not only their leadership but the very fabric of their alliances. The Amorans had cast a shadow over the continent, and it was up to them to ensure that light prevailed.