The northern plains were eerily silent.
Gone were the screams of Pyrrhagon and the Umbral Colossus. The air was scorched, ash hanging like a thin curtain over the battlefield, but no wind stirred the ruins.
Varian Deynar stood at the edge of the ruined field, his greatsword planted into the blackened earth. Around him, Kael, Calen, Rhydor, and a select group of soldiers moved with purposeful urgency. They didn't speak unless necessary — every glance, every gesture carried weight.
"By the hour," Varian muttered, scanning the horizon. "The Calamity-Class approaches."
Calen tightened his grip on his spear. "Father, what exactly are we dealing with?"
Varian's eyes were hard, stormy, as if he had faced the monster in his mind hundreds of times already. "Not just a monster. An apocalypse in flesh and shadow. Its power dwarfs anything we've faced. Pyrrhagon was fire. This… this is something older, darker, beyond comprehension. It will tear through walls, armies, the very land. And it will come in less than three hours."
Rhydor shivered slightly, adjusting his sword. "So… we prepare to fight a god?"
"Precisely," Varian replied, his tone grave but steady. "And that is why the people cannot see it. Lyanna must remain safe. Everyone must remain safe."
Kael moved efficiently, his hands weaving quick wards of magic to reinforce the protective barriers. Sparks of energy crackled, forming invisible walls that shimmered in the air, ready to deflect or absorb both physical and magical assault.
"Varian, I've reinforced the outer walls with layered barriers," Kael reported. "Any direct strike from a Calamity-Class will take more than one blow to break through. But it'll still test the limit. This thing… it's a planet breaker."
Varian nodded, eyes scanning the sky. "Then we buy time. And we make every strike count. Calen, Rhydor, position the mobile units around the city's core. Kael, coordinate the wards with my long-range defensive runes. If this thing moves too fast… I want fallback zones secured for civilians. Every family accounted for. No one dies on my watch."
Lyanna sat at the edge of the command post, hands pressed to her belly, eyes closed. Even with Eryndor unconscious, she could feel the storm within him simmering in her dreams, a promise he would arrive. She clutched her unborn child, whispering, "Please… hold them safe."
Varian glanced at her, a flicker of tension breaking his stoic demeanor. "They will be safe. As long as we breathe."
Kael smirked, slinging a glowing dagger across his shoulder. "We'll make it look easy."
Varian's gaze sharpened. "This is **not a drill, Kael. Not Pyrrhagon. Not the Colossus. This is a Calamity-Class. One strike, and the city disappears."
Time was merciless. Soldiers lined the perimeter with reinforced weapons and enchanted projectiles. Siege engines were bolstered with wards, the strongest mages setting traps along predicted approach paths.
Varian drew intricate sigils into the ground, each one a focus point to multiply the force of their counterattacks, capable of amplifying Kael's wards and the Deynar family's physical output.
Calen and Rhydor ran through defensive formations with the troops, testing synchronization, strength, and endurance. Every strike, every movement, was planned with precision.
Kael paused beside Varian. "Father-in-law… you really intend to face it directly?"
Varian's lips curved into a small, grim smile. "I didn't survive decades to cower from it. Besides… someone has to show it what it means to face a Lion of Deynar."
The wind shifted. The ground trembled faintly.
From beyond the horizon, a shadow stretched across the plains, blacker than midnight, blotting out the sun in unnatural folds. Trees bent before it, mountains seemed to shrink under its presence, and the air itself carried the scent of ancient death.
Kael glanced at Varian, feeling the weight of what was coming. Even he, battle-hardened, felt the tremor in his gut.
"You've trained for this your whole life," Kael muttered. "But there's nothing that can fully prepare you for a Calamity-Class."
Varian's eyes flicked to Lyanna and the city. He clenched his fists. "Then we do what we've always done. Fight. Protect. Survive."
The shadow continued its approach. Even from miles away, its presence was oppressive — crushing, unstoppable, an unbroken force that threatened everything.
Varian raised his sword, lightning crackling along the blade as wards flared around the city. The soldiers took a collective breath, hearts hammering, knowing the storm was about to strike.
And somewhere, deep in the astral sky, Eryndor stirred slightly, sensing the shift.
The Calamity-Class was coming — and nothing would ever be the same again.