The Gathering Storm
The other side.
Clara was surprised to see Lane suddenly leave without saying anything.
The black-haired woman rarely acted without purpose. In fact, during the ti they had spent together, Clara had learned one thing about Lane—every action she took carried aning. She was not the type to waste words, nor was she the type to move without reason.
The training field gradually fell quiet after Lane’s departure.
The warm afternoon breeze swept through the surrounding grasslands, causing the leaves overhead to sway gently. The sunlight remained bright, but for so reason Clara felt a strange uneasiness settle in her chest.
’I wonder what happened?...’
She watched the direction Lane had disappeared toward.
’Even though I still can’t get a proper read on her expressionless face, I think I actually saw a bit of worry in her look.’
The thought lingered in her mind.
Worry.
That was sothing Clara almost never associated with Lane.
The woman always looked calm.
Always looked composed.
Always looked like she could face anything the world threw at her.
If even she was worried...
Then sothing serious must have happened.
Nearby, Eon and Brinda were discussing training thods while several rcenaries sharpened weapons or rested beneath the shade of nearby trees.
No one spoke much.
Everyone felt the strange atmosphere.
Ti passed.
Then suddenly—
A familiar figure appeared in the distance.
Lane.
She was moving quickly.
Very quickly.
Clara imdiately stood up.
Eon stopped talking.
Brinda narrowed her eyes.
The closer Lane ca, the more everyone noticed sothing unusual.
Her expression remained the sa.
Cold.
Calm.
Emotionless.
Yet sohow...
The atmosphere around her had changed.
The air itself felt heavier.
"Where have—"
Clara wasn’t even able to finish her question when Lane interrupted her.
"Eon, Brinda, I want you two to head back to Fantom City and gather all your battle-ready n and return here."
The words struck everyone like thunder.
Eon blinked.
Brinda frowned.
Several nearby rcenaries exchanged confused looks.
Eon stepped forward.
His usually relaxed expression vanished.
"Why? Are we going to war or sothing?"
His voice carried none of its usual humor.
If anyone else had spoken those words, he would have laughed.
But this was Lane.
She wasn’t soone who joked.
Everything about her was serious.
Her face.
Her tone.
Her actions.
She simply wasn’t the type of person who played around.
Lane looked directly at him.
"Yes."
One word.
That was all.
Yet that single word sent chills through everyone present.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Even the wind seed quieter.
Eon felt his scalp tingle.
Brinda’s pupils contracted.
Several rcenaries subconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons.
War.
The word carried enormous weight.
Not a skirmish.
Not a battle.
War.
Clara stood motionless for a mont before finally finding her voice.
"Who is the enemy? What do you an going to war?!"
Her heart had already begun beating faster.
It wasn’t fear of combat.
Clara had faced danger countless tis before.
But war was different.
War swallowed entire cities.
War destroyed families.
War left nothing untouched.
Images flashed through her mind.
The people of Fantom City.
The guild.
The rchants.
The children.
What would happen if an army arrived?
Who could possibly be attacking?
Her thoughts imdiately reached the most obvious answer.
The Blackthorn Kingdom.
There had been tensions for a long ti.
Perhaps they had finally decided to move.
However—
Lane’s answer completely shattered that assumption.
"The enemy are undead warriors..."
Everyone froze.
"...As for the aning of going to war, figure out the answer yourself."
The temperature around them seed to drop.
Undead.
The word alone was enough to make experienced fighters uncomfortable.
Stories of necromancers and undead hordes existed throughout every kingdom.
Most people dismissed them as distant threats.
Now one was heading toward them.
A real one.
Not a rumor.
Not a story.
A real army.
Lane continued speaking.
"Enough about that. There is also sothing I want you to do, Clara."
The calm confidence in Lane’s voice unexpectedly helped Clara regain her composure.
If Lane wasn’t panicking, then panicking wouldn’t help anyone.
"What should I do?"
The two won weren’t particularly close when they first t.
Their personalities clashed often.
Yet over the past days, circumstances had slowly changed that.
They still argued.
Still annoyed each other.
But there was also a level of trust that hadn’t existed before.
Lane nodded.
"I want you to head back to the guild and tell the lazy guild master about the invading undead army."
Clara imdiately understood the importance.
The Adventurer’s Guild needed to know.
Everyone needed to know.
Lane continued.
Her voice remained steady as she explained everything.
The estimated size of the army.
The direction of its march.
Its speed.
The approximate ti before arrival.
The composition of the undead forces she had observed.
The armored skeletal warriors.
The chained ogres.
The overwhelming numbers.
Every detail was delivered clearly and efficiently.
Neither Eon nor Brinda interrupted.
The more they listened, the worse the situation sounded.
Then Lane delivered the final piece of information.
"I believe the elder necromancer is most likely leading them."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The surrounding rcenaries stared at her.
Even Eon lost his composure.
A legendary necromancer.
An enemy capable of commanding such a force.
No wonder Lane had called it a war.
After giving every detail she possessed, Lane finally paused.
The wind blew through her black hair.
For the first ti, hesitation appeared on her face.
A small hesitation.
Barely noticeable.
But it was there.
"When you’re done reporting all these to that lazy guild master..."
She stopped.
The words seed unusually difficult for her.
Almost as though saying them required more courage than facing an army.
Then she finally finished.
"...co back here and... help ..."
The mont the words left her lips, sothing strange happened.
A small feeling of relief appeared within her chest.
It confused her.
Lane wasn’t used to asking others for help.
She preferred handling things herself.
Yet sohow saying those words felt... right.
Clara stared for a mont.
Then a faint smile appeared.
A genuine one.
"Got it."
No teasing.
No jokes.
Just a simple answer.
Then she turned and began running.
Fast.
Very fast.
The road back to Fantom City suddenly felt far too long.
Lane watched her disappear into the distance.
Then she slowly shifted her gaze.
Eon and Brinda were still standing there.
Frozen.
The reality of the situation hadn’t fully sunk in yet.
Lane’s eyes narrowed.
A faint killing intent leaked from her body.
The surrounding temperature seed to drop instantly.
"Why aren’t you guys moving?"
The coldness in her voice snapped them awake like a bucket of ice water.
Eon visibly jumped.
Brinda nearly stumbled backward.
Both forr underworld rulers imdiately regained their senses.
"We’re going!"
"Right now!"
Neither dared waste another second.
The two imdiately turned around and sprinted toward Fantom City alongside Clara.
Within monts they disappeared into the distance.
Lane remained standing alone.
The afternoon sun continued shining overhead.
The peaceful forest remained beautiful.
Birds still sang.
Leaves still danced in the wind.
Yet beyond the horizon...
An army of death was marching toward them.
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