Three's mind went blank for exactly one second.
Then the meaning behind his father's words caught up to him all at once.
It's almost time.
The conversation from days ago surfaced in his head immediately. The one on the porch. The one where Sigil had spoken about the outside world waiting for Vexer to leave before making their move. At the time, Three had understood the words. But understanding something and feeling it were two completely different things.
His stomach suddenly felt cold.
He followed his father's gaze instinctively.
Beyond the office window, far past the trees surrounding the estate, the barrier shimmered faintly against the sky. It was barely visible, just a thin distortion spreading across the horizon like light touching water. Three had seen it his entire life without thinking much about it.
Now it looked different.
Not because the barrier had changed.
Because he finally understood what it was protecting them from.
Sigil noticed the look on his son's face and didn't let him stay there long. He turned calmly toward the office door just as it opened and Khate stepped inside. From the way she entered, Three had the feeling she had already known what was happening before anyone said it aloud.
She moved beside him immediately.
Three looked back toward his father.
But Sigil had already shifted completely into something else.
"Orion," he said.
The man appeared almost instantly.
Three had always found Orion unsettling in a strange way. Not because he was frightening exactly, but because he moved too quietly for someone his size. He was broad-shouldered, dressed in dark armor, his expression as unreadable as stone.
"Sound the island alarm," Sigil ordered. "The enemies have arrived."
Orion nodded once and disappeared without another word.
The alarm rang moments later.
A deep sound rolled across the island, heavy enough that Three felt it more than heard it. Then another answered it from farther away. Then another. Within seconds the entire island was covered in the echoing warning calls.
Everything changed immediately afterward.
People flooded into action across the grounds below. Clan members crossed open walkways at a run while others emerged already wearing armor, weapons in hand. Orders were shouted. Defensive formations assembled with frightening speed. No confusion. No chaos.
The Starborn clan had expected this day.
They simply hadn't known when it would come.
Sigil walked toward them and stopped in front of Khate first.
For a moment neither spoke. Something passed silently between them that Three couldn't fully understand. The kind of thing adults did sometimes without words.
"Will it be okay?" Khate asked quietly.
Sigil stepped closer to her.
"The moment Father left, I knew this would happen." His voice stayed calm and steady. "Everything that could be prepared has already been prepared."
Khate didn't look reassured.
Sigil noticed.
He lowered his voice slightly.
"No matter what happens today, neither you nor Three will be harmed. As long as I am alive, not a single hair on either of you will be touched."
Three looked up at him immediately after hearing that.
It didn't sound like comfort. It sounded like a vow.
Khate held Sigil's gaze for several seconds before speaking again.
"Then I will stand beside you."
Sigil shook his head.
"If you stand beside me, who stands beside him?" He glanced briefly toward Three. "Protecting him is more important."
Khate looked at Three quietly before nodding once.
Only then did Sigil finally turn toward his son.
For a few seconds, he simply looked at him.
Three couldn't fully read the expression on his father's face. There was calmness there, but beneath it sat something heavier.
Sigil raised his hand and rested it briefly on Three's head.
Then he turned and walked away.
Three stood there silently watching his father leave until Khate gently placed her hand on his shoulder again.
Outside, the army had already assembled.
Rows upon rows of Starborn warriors stood near the island's outer grounds in deep red armor that carried a dark metallic sheen beneath the morning light. From a distance, the formation looked less like an army and more like a massive wall stained crimson.
The pressure coming from them was suffocating.
Sigil walked through the center of the gathered soldiers as the ranks parted for him without hesitation. He reached the front and turned toward them.
For a moment, he simply looked at his people.
Then he spoke.
"Vexer is gone."
No unnecessary speech or an attempt to soften the truth.
Every soldier remained silent.
"The world knows this." Sigil's voice carried across the entire formation without effort. "And now they believe this island has become vulnerable."
A few soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons.
"They think that because one man left, the Starborn clan became weaker." A faint coldness entered Sigil's voice. "They think we have become something easy to bully."
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
"They spent a thousand years waiting for this opportunity." Sigil's gaze swept across the army slowly. "Now they stand outside our home believing today will be remembered as the day the Starborns finally fell."
Silence.
Then Sigil took another step forward.
"Tell me something." His eyes sharpened. "When have the Starborns ever relied on numbers to defeat our enemies?"
The soldiers straightened instinctively.
"When have we ever begged this world for mercy?"
A low rumble spread through the formation.
Sigil's voice lowered slightly.
"We are outnumbered. I will not insult your intelligence by pretending otherwise. Morgan did not come here without confidence in victory." His expression remained calm. "Good."
The rumbling grew louder.
"Because overconfident enemies die the easiest."
A few grim smiles appeared among the front ranks.
"Some of us standing here today will not see tomorrow." Sigil said it plainly. "But if you fall..." His voice hardened. "Make sure the enemy pays for every single step they take on this island. If one of you dies, let five of them follow behind you. Let them understand exactly what it costs to wage war against the Starborn clan."
Weapons slowly rose.
"The world has forgotten who we are."
Now the pressure coming from the army was becoming violent.
Sigil raised his voice for the first time.
"So remind them."
The roar that answered him shook the entire island.
Weapons slammed against armor in a deafening crash. Killing intent flooded the air so heavily that even Three felt his breathing become harder from where he stood.
Then Sigil raised one hand.
The noise stopped almost instantly.
"We fight them outside the barrier," he ordered. "We do not allow them to bring war into our home. Every advantage this island gives us, we use. Every trap. Every formation. Every inch of ground."
He turned slightly toward the distant barrier shimmering across the horizon.
Then a slow smile appeared on his face.
Cold and Dangerous.
"The wolf eats best when the sheep don't run."
This time the roar that followed sounded less human and more like something ancient waking up.