Back at the Keep, the Solar Husks landed in the courtyard like falling stars, their heat turning the fountain's water to steam instantly. They raised blades of jagged light, their faceless heads tilting toward the balcony.
"Valerie," Regina said softly. "Go."
Valerie didn't take the stairs. She leaped from the balcony, her small frame silhouetted against the sickly golden glow of the invaders. As she fell, the violet-black aura around her dagger expanded, forming a pair of spectral, raven-like wings that cushioned her descent.
She landed silently in the center of the golden swarm.
The nearest Solar Husk swung a massive fist of light. Valerie didn't dodge; she leaned. The blow whistled past her ear, the heat singeing a stray strand of her hair. In one fluid motion, she drove her dagger—now vibrating with the Eclipsereaver's hum—into the Husk's knee.
The "divine" armor didn't just break; it rotted.
The black energy spread like a virus through the golden light, turning it a murky, bruised purple before the entire Husk shattered into cold glass.
"One," Valerie whispered.
From the Palace towers, Draven saw the golden pillars of light rising from the Obsidian Keep. His heart froze. He didn't think about his title or the King's orders. He felt the Cinderwisp Ring burn with an agonizing heat—a warning that his daughter was in the center of a celestial storm.
"Darius! Get the horses!" Draven roared, already sprinting toward the stables. "The Saintess has started a war!"