Roman stood by the window, his eyes still fixed on the hawk as it disappeared into the sky.
He stepped back and shut the window halfway.
Then he sat on his bed, waiting for it to settle. He knew he couldnât just sit there staring into space because if Ava walked in, it would look suspicious, so he was going to lie down.
And right then, the door creaked.
Ava walked in, dressed now, her eyes going straight to Roman. "You alright? I saw you running back inside, is something wrong?" she asked.
Roman gave a small nod. "Yeah Iâm alright, Iâm just a little surprised and all"
But before Ava could say anything else, two more figures appeared at the door.
Reina and Aurelia came in as the door was opened.
They both stepped in, curious and a bit jumpy, Reina was also at the back and saw Roman dashing back inside.
"Whatâs going on?" Reina asked. "Whyâd you run in here so fast?"
Roman didnât answer right away. He was already lying down, turning to face the wall.
"I was a little spooked, itâs nothing" Roman replied.
Aurelia raised a brow but Reina didnât push further. Ava sat on her bed quietly while the two other girls stood near the door, they all came to the conclusion that Roman was afraid.
There was no other reason for him to run in here so quickly, but they had no idea Roman was doing something else.
Roman shut his eyes.
It was time, a minute had passed and the hawk would have reached a nice altitude for him to see outside the capital.
[Hawk Eyes]
Roman activated the skill and suddenly, everything changed.
He was flying.
The wind rushed past him, feathers cutting through the air, and most importantly, he could see. The hawkâs vision was so good that he could see human faces on the ground, even though it was so far up. Then, he faced forward.
From up above, the capital looked different; he had never seen it from above or anything from above before.
Then he saw them.
Wings.
Dozens of them.
Black, twisted shapes flying through the sky, gliding and coming towards the capital, with his eyes he could count at least 30 of them.
Some were screeching. Some were silent, the mages on the walls were already shooting long-range spells at the demons.
Romanâs heart raced, this was the first time he was seeing demons in real life, but now he knew why they had to undergo harsh training.
Back in the room, he stayed still, eyes closed, like he was resting.
"Is this even possible?" Ava asked.
"I thought demons wouldnât go past the Frontlines. Did something happen? Is this going to be like ten years ago?" Reina muttered.
"Itâs not, since itâs only flying demons, the mages would take care of it, I doubt any of them would make it through the barrier" Ava replied.
"What if something else caused this, like all the mages on the Frontline are dead, and itâs only a matter of time before the other demons get to the kingdom?" Aurelia spoke, and both of the girls turned towards her.
They couldnât deny what she said because now that they thought about it, it made the most sense, the mages were dead and the flying demons were faster, thatâs why they arrived early.
"Even though it does make sense, I donât believe that is the case, the mages on the Frontlines arenât just there for decoration, they are actually strong," Ava spoke.
"What if itâs a demon general that led the attack?" Reina asked, her voice quieter now.
Ava stood up and walked to the window. She stared at the sky, watching the flashes of light in the distance.
"They usually donât show up unless itâs serious," Ava said. "But... we donât know anything yet. We shouldnât jump to conclusions."
"I still think something is wrong," Aurelia said. "What if itâs a surprise attack? Maybe the mages in the Frontlines are currently in battle as we speak"
"Theyâll send word if itâs serious, to request reinforcement" Ava replied, though her voice wasnât as strong as before.
Aurelia crossed her arms. "Maybe the demons ignored them, if they did then the Frontline would send a message to the kingdom that demons are heading here"
"The demons are already here, we should hope the mages in the academy can take care of them, and besides, Victoria and Evelyn are in the capital, so thereâs nothing to worry about," Aurelia spoke.
"Roman isnât moving, is something wrong?" Reina said as they looked at him.
"We should leave him be for now" Ava replied.
Back on the bed, Roman remained still.
The wind still howled in his ears through the hawkâs sharp senses. He flew closer, gliding over the houses inside the kingdomâs walls.
Down below, sparks of light burst as fireballs, ice shards, and beams of magic shot up from the tall watchtowers on the wall.
The demons were fast.
They had black wings like bats, but their bodies were thin and sharp like blades. Some of them were covered in bones. Others had strange, glowing marks on their skin.
Roman could control the hawk; he was sharing the hawkâs eyes but could control the hawk with his mind and was circling above the battle.
Then he saw something strange.
One of the flying demons wasnât moving like the others. It flew slowerâmore steady. Its wings were longer, and its body looked stronger. It was bigger tooâtwice the size of the others.
It didnât scream like the rest. It didnât even look around. It just moved calmly, like it was leading them but was far behind.
Roman looked at the mages on the wall. He didnât recognize any of them. He was expecting to see Victoria, but she was nowhere to be found.
For now, none of the demons had made it close enough to touch the barrier; the mages were shooting them down before they got too close.
âIâve seen all I want, I should...â Roman paused as in front of the slow demon a red pulse of magic began to form.
From where he was, he could sense it; it was bad, very bad, and the mages on the wall could sense it too, as they immediately focused their attacks on it.
A storm of spells flew toward the demonâfire, lightning, wind, Mana blasts, and more.
But just before the attacks could hit, a black shield formed around the demon, shaped like a dome.
Roman knew this wasnât an ordinary demon, but it couldnât be one of the demon generals; it was most likely a high-level demon capable of controlling other demons.
The spells struck it and burst apart, lighting up the sky like fireworks, but the demon wasnât harmed; however, the dome around it was destroyed.
Roman cursed under his breath; he knew this attack might be able to destroy the barrier.
The demon finished charging.
Then, it fired.
A beam of red magic shot forward from its mouth, thick and fast. It wasnât aimed at the wall; instead, it was aimed above it.
Once again, the demon proved it wasnât like others; it aimed for the invisible barrier covering the capital.
The moment the red beam touched the barrier above the kingdom, the sky flashed red. A loud ringing echoed in the air, and the hawk jerked back from the shockwave and Roman lost control.
Romanâs body jerked up from his bed just in time to feel the shockwave as it hit.
*BOOM!*
"What was that?" Ava spoke as she stood up.
"Shit, thatâs the barrier breaking" Roman replied.
"How did you know? The barrier is powerful and actively monitored by the barrier corps, especially during an attack like this. Unless it was a powerful, concentrated attack, it wouldnât..." Aureliaâs voice slowed towards the end as she realized she had just described what happened.
"We have to go out," Ava said.
"Go out and do what?" Reina asked.
Roman tried to share his vision with the hawk again, but it didnât work, as he lost connection, the spell was cancelled, and the hawk returned. If he wanted to see again, he would have to summon it again.
âWhere the hell is Victoria? She should be able to take this demon on; if it continues attacking like this, it could level the capital with five of these blasts, â Roman muttered as he held his temples.
.
.
.
"What the hell was that? Is that a demon? Has the situation been reported? The barrier has been broken, we need..." The mage on the wall paused as the sight in front of him was unbelievable.
More than 100 flying demons were now rushing towards the capital, their speed increased and they were aiming for the mages on the wall again, but instead they were spreading out and heading towards the capital.
Also, the demon who destroyed the barrier had blended in and was nowhere to be seen.