The knight adjusted his guard and without waiting, he charged. The blade whistled, aiming for his opponent's left shoulder in a quick and precise arc. Immediately, Juuh'ma raised his left arm blocking the slash, his chains resonating under the impact. The sword was repelled with a sharp gesture. Stepping back, Siegfried attacked again, this time with an oblique blow toward the right flank. The titan grunted softly and deflected the blade with a simple backhand. With a shoulder charge, he jostled him, his body striking like a slow but implacable wave.

  Staggering, the Vaan Hart rolled to the side. He leapt back up and returned to the assault, chaining blows—an arc toward the head, a backswing at the legs, a thrust to the flank—each movement as precise as it was fierce. None truly touched his brother. He parried each blow with brutal grace, his chains ringing with each block. Then, with a new shoulder blow, he sent Siegfried to the ground.

  With a backward roll, he cushioned his fall to straighten up and charge once more, the blade aiming for the right shoulder. Seeing the blow coming, the N'zonki anchored himself even more deeply into the ground. He placed his two enormous fists at hip level, releasing his chains. The moment the sword approached, he sent both palms so violently that a shockwave cracked the air. However, the knight's attack was a deliberate feint. He dodged with a lateral step with ease. Pivoting on himself, Siegfried sent a horizontal slash toward his brother's back but hadn't noticed the chains lying at his feet. Before the blow reached its target, Juuh'ma pulled on one of his chains which wrapped around his brother's support foot, making him topple to the side. The colossus straightened up in one motion, launching a massive shoulder charge. The impact sent the knight flying across the arena, his body spinning in the air before hitting a pillar with a dull sound. The entire arena trembled, dust falling from the ceiling, and Siegfried slid to the ground, his sword rolling beside him.

  The Stoneskin's boots hammered the ground. He knelt near his brother, his massive hands hesitating above him.

  "My brother," he murmured with a shadow of fear running through his gaze, "I didn't mean to..."

  After coughing several times, a weak smile appeared at the corner of the Vaan Hart's face.

  "Don't worry about me," he breathed, straightening up with a grimace. "You're just way too strong, but it takes more than that to defeat me."

  The Stoneskin released a breath of relief and extended a hand to help him up, the sand crunching under their boots.

  "Today is another defeat for me. But believe me that one day, it's you who will bite the dust," the knight told him, placing his fist on his immense chest before a wooden arrow planted itself not far from their feet.

  Off to the side, seeing the duel of the two brothers, R?chard and Mei had decided to face each other, the boy taunting his friend that she would never be able to touch him. The goal of the duel was simple, the first to touch the other would win.

  The two brothers went to sit on a platform to enjoy the spectacle and saw the archer who bounded on the raised posts, his bow in hand, his blond hair snapping in the stagnant air. He stopped up high, notched a training arrow, and aimed at a moving target behind the columns supporting the ceiling. The string vibrated, the projectile whistled but didn't hit its target, the projectile planting itself in the sand. Then, he pivoted and adjusted a new arrow, his eyes trying to find where the specter could be hiding. She slipped into shadow near a pillar, her wooden throwing daggers between her fingers and threw the first. The little prodigy saw the projectile shoot in his direction and jumped to another post, the weapon hitting the wall. He retaliated, his arrow streaking toward her. Lowering herself as fast as the blink of an eye, the Noohrikane dodged just in time, the projectile grazing her hood to go ricochet against a tier.

  She straightened up, threw a second dagger, aiming low. The boy leapt in time, the wooden blade grazing his heel before going to hit a post, and landed rolling not far from the center of the arena. Mei slipped behind a rack and didn't move anymore. At the center of the arena, R?chard, bow drawn, looked in all directions but the specter was too well hidden. She threw her third dagger deliberately to the archer's right, forcing him to jump to the left. A fourth dagger was thrown in the shadow of the third. The weapon hit the boy's shoulder as he dodged the third dagger, making him stagger. He lightly massaged his shoulder, a corner smile on his lips, raised his hand, and being a good sport, admitted defeat.

  The duels finished, the squadron headed toward the adjoining changing rooms—a cramped room with raw stone walls, where they could shower and put on their combat outfits. Siegfried adjusted his white veil and buckled his breastplate, the plates marked with blows sliding onto his shoulders. He then tied his ashwolf skin that he used as a loincloth hanging at his hip, on his right side. Juuh'ma wrapped his chains, each link falling into place. Young Desrosiers checked his bow string while the Noohrikane slipped her daggers into their sheaths.

  Together, they walked toward a neighboring room, a recess carved in the stone a few steps from the arena, where a low table waited, covered with a frugal snack: dry bread with an ashy taste, vegetables and fruits from the Orchards of Hél?a with a little dried meat and lukewarm water in worn leather flasks. Siegfried sat on a bench, the wood creaking under his weight, and broke a piece of bread that he handed to Juuh'ma.

  Leaning against the wall, the young archer bit into his piece of meat.

  "You two, it's been going on for years and it's always the same spectacle. Juuh'ma in the center and you on the ground. Besides, I still don't understand how you still keep trying, Sieg. You'll never manage to beat him, you know that, don't you?" he called out to the knight who sat not far away before continuing with enthusiasm. "Whereas me, today, I almost won."

  "Almost doesn't count. And as good an archer as you are, it won't be tomorrow that you'll manage to touch me," the Noohrikane retorted.

  Siegfried laughed and drank a sip of lukewarm water.

  "Let me ask you a question, R?chard. If you want to become better, do you prefer to lose against a formidable opponent and try again until you achieve victory or win easily against someone weaker than you?" he asked him.

  "I understand what you mean," the boy replied while turning toward Mei to ask with slight arrogance. "So that means if I want to become stronger soon I should change opponents, huh?"

  While she was drinking, the archer's words made her laugh so much she almost choked. She coughed two or three times and spoke.

  "Listen to me well, little one. Starting tomorrow, I can promise you I won't hold back anymore during our duels and you'll finally understand the meaning of the word fear. So keep being..."

  "Yes, yes, yes, the specter who scares people. That's good because I was starting to get tired of letting you win!" the boy interrupted.

  Juuh'ma's deep laugh resonated throughout the room while Mei turned toward her chief who was also laughing at the top of his lungs.

  "No matter that this brat is the Desrosiers heir, Sieg. I swear that one day his too-loose tongue will meet the edge of my blade."

  "Oh my, I'm trembling with terror..." the young archer taunted one last time.

  They finished their meals thus, in this light atmosphere, between laughter and bickering. A fragile respite under the eternal brilliance that weighed upon them.

  Their snack finished, they headed toward the Solar Guard's hall, where other squadrons were already waiting. Wooden benches aligned facing a platform, and Lieutenant Alessi Di Fiorenze stood there, arms crossed, gaze severe.

  Near the platform, a thin woman with gray hair pulled back was setting up a portable brazier on an iron tripod. She blew on the embers that already glowed, projecting orange glimmers in the room's half-light. At her feet, a small metal chest waited, closed. She wore an immaculate white linen robe, embroidered with gold threads at the collar and sleeves—the distinctive marks of a High Sister of the Academy. At her belt hung a small book bound in red leather, seal of her authority.

  Siegfried saluted his superior with the solar salute, followed by his warriors. They took their places on the benches while the High Sister finished her preparations with precise, almost ritual gestures.

  Di Fiorenze raised a hand and spoke.

  "Knights, I won't beat around the bush. Something bad is hovering over the capital."

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  A palpable tension settled in the amphitheater.

  "Yesterday, squadron VIII foiled an Eclipse attack targeting the Orchards of Queen Hél?a. They discovered that these dirty rats wanted to destroy the western ramparts thanks to this."

  He pulled out a small leather pouch from a drawer, opened it and poured its contents onto his table.

  "I had samples of this blackish powder taken to the Academy and the High Clerics confirmed two things for me: the first is that it didn't come from any stone or mineral known to our kingdom. None. The second is that this simple powder, if exposed to fire, produces a blast capable of pulverizing even metal."

  Murmurs ran through the ranks. Several knights exchanged worried looks.

  "My lieutenant," the leader of squadron XV, also known as the Anvil of Blancfer, intervened with hesitation. "Forgive my ignorance, but... a blast? What could that be?"

  The question floated in the air. No one dared admit it, but all were asking it.

  Alessi turned toward ém?.

  "High Sister?"

  The woman straightened and carried the brazier to the center of the amphitheater, at a respectable distance from the first rows.

  "Blast is a term we forged to name this phenomenon, knights. A combustion so violent and so rapid that it surpasses everything we know of fire," she explained, returning to fetch the chest. "You will understand. Allow me to show you."

  "The High Clerics performed several tests," their superior added. "What you're about to see is a minuscule sample. A pinch. Imagine what several pouches could have done to the Orchards' walls."

  The cleric opened the chest with caution, withdrew a small vial containing blackish powder. With a measured gesture, she poured an infinitesimal quantity—barely enough to cover a fingernail—into an iron bowl. Using a long metal rod, she placed the bowl above the glowing embers and stepped back several paces, the rod still in hand.

  "Step back," she ordered calmly.

  All gazes were riveted on the bowl. No one spoke, barely troubled by the crackling of the embers.

  For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the powder began to sizzle.

  BANG!

  A dry blast resounded, accompanied by a blinding flash and a cloud of acrid smoke. The iron bowl, though thick, had split in two. Fragments had been projected several meters, one of them whistling dangerously near a knight in the first row who instinctively stepped back.

  Chaos erupted in the ranks. Several soldiers jumped to their feet, hand on their weapon's pommel.

  "By Solar?s!" exclaimed a Valcroix, rising from his seat. "This is sorcery!"

  "Magic!" cried another knight.

  R?chard looked at Juuh'ma, eyes wide.

  "We could have all died..."

  The tumult swelled, voices rising in a mixture of fear and disbelief. The Solar Guard lieutenant struck the table violently with his fist.

  "SILENCE!"

  The High Sister raised a soothing hand, her clear voice rising with tranquil authority.

  "You are not unaware that Solar?s deprived our world of magic, knights. What your eyes have just witnessed is only alchemy—the properties of a mineral unknown to us reacting to fire. Nothing supernatural. Simply the laws of nature and matter."

  A stunned calm fell over the assembly. The cleric returned to sit in her place, her role accomplished, her face impassive despite the palpable terror that permeated the room.

  "Do you understand what this means?" their superior continued, indicating with his chin the remains of the bowl. "The Eclipse possesses in its hands a destructive power that defies everything we thought we knew of war. Our fortifications, our ramparts, our gates—everything can be reduced to dust in a single instant. We no longer face a simple rebellion of desperate hungry people. They have become a threat that could annihilate us if we don't suffocate it as quickly as possible."

  He leaned forward, hands flat on the table.

  "And that's not all. This powder is only part of the problem because the seized weapons are of foreign make. Very high quality steel, forged outside Istalith, by expert hands according to our blacksmiths' conclusions. Someone is arming the Eclipse. And this someone has considerable resources. I want to know who. I want to know how. And I want to know where this damned powder and these weapons come from."

  His index finger landed on L?ot Na?gaz.

  "Knight."

  L?ot stood up, standing at attention.

  "I name you leader of this operation. You will have under your command squadrons IV, V, XIX and XX. You will dig, you will search, you will tear out the truth if necessary. Focus on the maritime warehouses, on Emporium, on everything that enters this city through the canals."

  Before the warrior could respond, a voice rose from the ranks.

  "Forgive me, my Lieutenant."

  Siegfried had stood up, his green irises fixed on his superior.

  "We discovered this evidence. Shouldn't we..."

  Three sharp knocks sounded at the door, cutting his request short. A messenger entered, young and breathless, his tunic adorned with an embroidered sun.

  "Knight Siegfried Vaan Hart," he said in a clear voice, "you and your men are summoned to the Captain's offices. He will await you after the March."

  A tense silence followed the announcement. Alessi sketched a slight smile while turning toward Siegfried who had remained standing.

  "There's your answer, Knight Vaan Hart. The Captain has other plans for you. Plans that exceed my authority."

  His tone was firm but not devoid of respect.

  Siegfried remained motionless for a moment, jaws clenched, then acquiesced with a sober nod toward the messenger who left immediately. The door slammed behind him. He sat down slowly, and Juuh'ma placed a soothing hand on his shoulder.

  Lieutenant Di Fiorenze turned again toward his operation leader.

  "L?ot, when leaving, go see my subordinate. He will give you all the files necessary for your investigation," he ordered before continuing. "Then, go to Lieutenant H?lw?nd. She's been watching certain families of the Upper City for several weeks. She has theories about a possible financier operating from within our walls. Her suspicions aren't yet proof, but they deserve digging. You will therefore need to coordinate your efforts with her and her soldiers. I want answers, not suppositions. Have I made myself clearly understood?"

  The knight placed his fist against his solar plexus.

  "At your orders, my Lieutenant. But shouldn't we lend you a hand for the March of Expiation first?"

  "I've already made my arrangements, knight. You can leave right away."

  Alessi fixed him intensely.

  "Come back to see me when you have the answers to my questions, and only when you have them. Not before. May Solar?s see you, knights."

  Under their new leader's command, the nineteen knights stood up, saluted their superior and left the briefing room, their steps resonating on the stone.

  Once the door closed, a palpable unease remained in the room. Several warriors exchanged worried looks, others still stared at the spot where the bowl had exploded. The silence weighed, heavy with implications.

  Finally, a knight from squadron XIV, that of the Eastern Hammer, stood up, voice hesitant but clear.

  "My Lieutenant... if Eclipse possess powder, how ensure safety of March today? We not should postpone it?"

  Several warriors nodded imperceptibly, visibly sharing the same concern.

  "A legitimate concern, Vlah'dim," his superior retorted, taking a few steps along the platform. "Precisely. It's precisely for this reason that surveillance will be doubled. We don't know how much of this powder the Eclipse still possesses, nor where they might strike. The March is a tempting target—a concentrated crowd, symbols of the Order, an opportunity to sow chaos. But we will not yield to fear. We will postpone nothing. Because yielding is giving them what they want: to see us tremble."

  He stopped at the center of the platform, arms crossed behind his back.

  "This March being in no way different from previous ones in its form, everyone here knows what they have to do and how they must do it. The novices having already set up the barricades from the Repentir to the South exit, you will therefore only have to head to your posts. But I want eyes in every corner, blades ready at every instant. Scrutinize the crowd, the rooftops, the adjacent alleys. If anything seems suspicious to you—an abandoned package, a nervous individual, anything—you intervene immediately."

  He snapped his cape while pivoting toward the exit, his voice resonating one last time in the amphitheater.

  "Let's go, knights. Let us honor the Solar Guard. Let us show the Eclipse that we do not bend. May Solar?s see us."

  As one man, all the knights present stood up and took the solar salute pose, shouting in unison.

  "MAY SOLAR?S SEE US!"

  In the corridor, as they walked in formation behind their lieutenant, R?chard leaned slightly toward Mei who glided at his side with that ghostly gait peculiar to the Noohrikane.

  "The Captain wants to see us? Why?" he questioned, curious.

  Mask on her face and hooded as was her habit, she answered him without even turning her head, her voice muffled by the fabric.

  "Stop being so curious and focus on our mission. We'll know more once with the Captain."

  "You're right," he sighed.

  But in his mind, the question kept looping because a summons from the Captain himself was never trivial.