LOCATION: WAR ROOM IN FORT CAINHORN

“Let’s begin the meeting,” General Declan said, his expression grim as he surveyed the room. “As you all know, we’re doomed.”

The room fell into an oppressive silence. None of the officers laughed or criticized him. They simply stared at Declan in quiet resignation.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, Lura and the other officers from my unit doing the same. The mood was bleak, and it wasn’t long before one of the officers finally broke the silence.

“What are we even doing here?” he muttered. “Shouldn’t we surrender to the Empire?”

Again, silence. However, this time, it was met with approval and nods of agreement from several officers. Even Declan seemed to consider it, remaining quiet.

“What are you thinking?!” First Lieutenant Henry suddenly shouted, his face red with anger. “Surrender?! Have you all lost your minds?”

It was clear Henry was speaking from emotion. I hadn’t realized until now that he was someone who acted on personal feelings rather than logic. Then I remembered. I hadn’t brought him with me to scout the Storm Crusaders. He had no idea just how powerful they truly were.

Before I could say anything, another officer let out a bitter laugh, kicking his chair back.

“Yeah, sure! Let’s just charge into that storm and get massacred! Do you have any idea how hard we’ve tried to stop their march? We couldn’t. No matter what we did, we couldn’t kill a single knight, let alone halt their advance!” His voice cracked with manic laughter as he continued, “Just look at the 5th Corps! They sacrificed themselves to buy us time, and they were annihilated. Not a single survivor! No survivors among 40,000!”

The room grew even heavier as his words sank in. Even Henry fell silent, slumping into his seat with a flushed face, still fuming over the situation but unable to argue.

Then, Declan spoke again, his calm, measured voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "If you listen closely, reinforcements numbering about 5,000 will arrive in two weeks," he said. "And then the main army, 32,000 strong, will arrive next month. Until then, we need to hold the line."

The room erupted into chaos.

"WHAT?!"

"Next month? Are they insane?"

"I knew it! I shouldn’t have trusted that damn devil! We’re finished now!"

The officers seemed to forget that they were cursing the same soldiers from the unit who are in the room right now. My own officers stood behind me, their anger simmering, except for Lura, who remained calm.

It was understandable though. Facing the Storm Crusaders head-on, through sheer strength alone, was impossible. The only real chance we had was to overwhelm them with numbers, which was the role of the 9th Corps. However, the 9th Corps wasn’t able to reach the front line in time. With such a large force, redeployment was slow, especially in the midst of a war.

With our last hope dashed, the officers slumped in their seats, their eyes hollow and devoid of hope. Seeing that they were too defeated to offer anything useful, I decided to speak up.

"Excuse me, but I’d like to propose a plan."

Immediately, every eye in the room turned to me. My stomach tightened at the sudden attention, and I briefly regretted my choice. But there was no turning back now. I couldn’t afford to look uncertain. Forcing a neutral expression, I walked toward the map at the center of the room.

"Right now, the Storm Crusaders are going to pass through two cliffs that face each other. We can use that terrain to our advantage."

"What exactly are you proposing?" one of the officers asked skeptically. "We’ve already tried splitting up their forces in narrow terrain, tried dropping boulders or enchanted arrows from above. Nothing worked. We can’t get past the wind they generate."

"I’m not suggesting we drop boulders or payloads on them," I replied. "I’m suggesting we drop soldiers. When I say 'we,' I mean soldiers attacking from above."

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The room fell into stunned silence. Officers stared at me as if I’d lost my mind.

The tactic was simple: airdrop behind enemy lines, like parachuting troops on Earth. But here, there were no parachutes, no concept of a vertical assault from the sky. The idea was completely foreign.

"You’re insane," Declan said, breaking the silence. "You’re not as heavy as a boulder. You’d be blown away by the wind. Even if you somehow succeeded, how would you land? And if you do manage to land, how will you face 40,000 soldiers? They all wear enchanted armor and have mages casting wind spells sharp enough to slice through you."

"I have a plan," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "But I’ll need your approval to move forward."

Several officers snorted, expecting Declan to dismiss the idea entirely. But to everyone’s surprise, his next words shocked the room.

"Why not? I approve."

"Sir?!" Several officers cried out in disbelief, their shock plain on their faces.

Declan ignored them. "I’ve seen a lot of soldiers and officers in my time," he continued calmly. "But I’ve never seen anyone suggest something this bold, and be so confident about it. Let’s hear what you’ve got."

A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth as a plan began to take shape. This was going to be one hell of a show.

[(0)]

YEAR: 1724. OCTOBER 16TH. LOCATION: SOMEWHERE IN THE PLAIN OF OLPEA

“Ha… when will I get to go home?” Jonas grumbled as he marched along. “Even with all these enchantments, it’s getting really tiring, you know?”

“Yeah, right,” Thomas snorted, poking at Jonas’s ashen-colored armor. “Try not to bring shame to the 20th Knight Brigade. We’re Storm Crusaders, remember?”

“Be quiet,” Emery snapped, irritated. “It’s hard enough casting wind magic while walking, and your chatter isn’t helping.”

“Yes, Madam Mage,” Thomas replied in a mocking tone, laughing.

Emery rolled her eyes but said nothing. She, along with Jonas, Thomas, Rome, and Fisher, was marching in the rear of the massive formation, a fresh recruit among 39,995 other knights and mages in the 20th Knight Brigade, known across the empire as the Storm Crusaders.

Since they were new, recently graduated from the Military Academy, they were stationed on the left side of the rear to gain experience. But so far, they've had little to learn. All the enemies they had faced had been weak, hardly worth the effort. In fact, no one had even bothered attacking the rear of their formation. The few encounters they had were over before they even began. No challenge, no glory.

Now, they were marching through a narrow passageway with two cliffs towering on either side, a path that would take them straight to Fort Cainhorn, where the Shiena Kingdom’s 4th Corps was stationed. Their commander had ordered caution, warning that the 4th Corps was desperate and might attempt raids from the cliffs above.

But that didn’t matter to the five recruits. Despite wanting to see action, none of them were on high alert. Every enemy they’d encountered had been crushed with ease. This passage would be no different.

The sound of their boots echoed against the walls of the cliffs, the wind swirling around them as the mages at the center of their formation maintained their control over the storm. The knights around them marched in perfect rhythm, the wind at their backs. Everything seemed under control.

Until it wasn’t.

Jonas was the first to notice. “Wait… what’s that?”

Emery looked up. At first, she didn’t see anything. Just the usual clouds above, swirling under the influence of their magic. Then, something moved. Figures, dropping from the cliffs.

Fifty soldiers, descending rapidly, as if the wind didn’t touch them.

“Ambush!” Jonas shouted, reaching for his sword. “Blow them away!”

Emery, along with other mages around her, immediately began channeling her magic, summoning the wind to hurl the intruders back into the cliffs. She wasn’t worried. She had done this countless times in training, and nothing could stand against the storm they commanded.

But this time… something was wrong.

Her magic flickered, the winds refusing to respond as they should. The gusts that were supposed to hurl the soldiers back didn’t appear. Instead, the descending figures were still coming, faster and faster, as if the wind didn’t exist at all.

“What’s happening?!” Thomas shouted, panic creeping into his voice as he raised his shield.

“I can’t-” Emery stammered, trying again to cast. Nothing. The wind around them, the very thing that made the Storm Crusaders invincible, seemed… off. The storm wasn’t responding.

The knights around her began to panic as the soldiers landed among them, swords and spears flashing. Cries of alarm rose up, confusion spreading through the ranks.

“They’re here!” Fisher screamed, drawing his weapon as one of the soldiers closed in on him. “H-how did they get through?!”

Emery couldn’t understand what was happening. The storm should have blown them away. It always did. But these soldiers had defied everything she knew about magic. It was impossible.

And then she saw her.

Amid the chaos, a single figure moved through the ranks with terrifying speed. A girl, silver-haired, her eyes cold and sharp as steel, cutting down knight after knight as if the enchanted armor meant nothing. Mages desperately tried to stop her with their wind magic, but they failed as she dodged them all.

Emery’s heart raced as the silver-haired girl approached her. She raised her staff, desperately trying to summon any wind magic she could. But the air was dead. Silent.

Before Emery could react, the girl was upon her. The last thing she saw was a flash of silver as the blade came down.