The journey to the border was a blur of speed and anxiety.

Leona pushed the frost-horses to their absolute limit, their hooves thundering against the ancient, moss-covered road. The deeper they went into the forest, the heavier the air became.

It wasn't just mana; it was killing intent.

"We're close," Lyra said, her hand gripping her bow so tight her knuckles were white.

"The Outer Perimeter is just ahead. If the Twilight Association has pushed this far, the guards will be on a hair-trigger."

Damien nodded, checking his condition.

[Mana: 80%. Aura: 90%. Dual-Core Stability: 20%.]

'I can fight if I have to,' Damien thought, his eyes narrowing.

'But fighting the Elves right now would be stupid. I need them to trust me, not try to kill me.'

"Isabelle," Damien said. "Keep your hood up. Do not use your gravity unless I say so. Your energy signature is exactly what they are hunting."

"Yes, Young Master," Isabelle whispered from beneath her thick cloak. She was trembling again, not from fear, but from the oppressive, holy-aligned barrier that covered the elven lands. To a half-demon, the very air here tasted like poison.

SCREECH!

Leona pulled the reins hard, bringing the carriage to a sliding stop.

"Halt!"

A voice, clear and sharp as a whip, echoed from the trees.

In an instant, the forest came alive.

From the branches, the bushes, and the shadows of the massive redwoods, dozens of figures emerged.

They were clad in shimmering silver-leaf armor, their bows drawn and aimed directly at the carriage.

Elven Sentinels.

"Step out of the vehicle! Slowly!" the captain commanded.

He was tall, with long blonde hair and eyes that looked like chips of ice. The arrow nocked in his bow was glowing with dangerous nature magic.

Damien kicked the door open and stepped out, hands raised but relaxed. Lyra and Isabelle followed close behind.

The moment they stepped into the light, the atmosphere froze.

The captain's eyes locked onto Isabelle. His nostrils flared.

"Demon," he hissed.

Twang!

Dozens of bowstrings tightened in unison. The killing intent spiked so high it felt like a physical weight.

"A human, a traitor, and a demon spawn," the captain spat, looking at Lyra with disgust.

"The Twilight dogs are getting desperate with their spies. Do they think we wouldn't smell the abyss on her?"

"Wait! Captain!" Lyra stepped forward, pulling down her hood. "I am Lyra! Squad Leader of the 7th Ranging Corps! I was sent to—"

"Lyra?" The captain sneered.

"The 7th Squad was wiped out weeks ago. If you are alive, it is because you turned. Traitor."

He raised his hand.

"Execute them."

"You dare!"

BOOM!

Damien stepped forward. He didn't use a spell. He didn't use his sword. He simply released his Aura.

Not the Golden Dragon aura, that would be too aggressive.

He released the Voss Family Aura. A cold, suffocating darkness that rolled out like a tide, swallowing the killing intent of the elves.

The horses whinnied in fear. The elven guards flinched, their arrows wavering.

"You call us spies?" Damien laughed, a cold, mocking sound.

"If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even know I was here."

He looked at the captain with eyes that swirled with blue and black.

"I am Damien Voss. Heir to the Voss Family. Son of Theron Voss."

The captain paused. The name Voss clearly meant something to him. Fear flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by stubborn anger.

"The King of Darkness?" the captain scoffed, though his grip on the bow loosened slightly.

"We sent a messenger to him weeks ago. He never answered. The humans have abandoned us. Why should we believe a child?"

"Because that child is holding this."

Damien reached into his shirt. He didn't pull out a weapon.

He pulled out the Silver Necklace his father had given him.

As he infused a tiny bit of mana into it, the black gem at its center flared. A projection appeared, a simple, shadowy crest of a black sun.

But it wasn't just a visual. A specific, terrifyingly powerful mana signature washed over the clearing. It was the signature of a man who had once fought side-by-side with their Queen.

The signature of the King of Darkness.

Thud.

The captain dropped his bow.

The other guards lowered their weapons, their eyes wide with shock and recognition.

"That mana…" the captain whispered, his face paling. "It's… him."

"My father couldn't come," Damien said, his voice steady and authoritative.

"He is fighting his own war to keep the Twilight Association off your backs. So he sent me."

Thinking of their current situation, Damien decided to tell a small lie to gain their recognition faster.

Fortunately, it seemed to work

Putting away the necklace, the pressure vanished instantly.

"Now," Damien said, crossing his arms.

"Are you going to keep pointing arrows at your reinforcements, or are you going to let us in?"

The captain swallowed hard. He looked at Isabelle again. The hatred was still there, but now it was mixed with fear.

If this boy was Theron's son… and he brought a demon… then it wasn't a spy. It was a weapon.

"Open the blockade!" the captain yelled, stepping aside.

"Escort them to the capital! The Queen must know of this!"

The guards scrambled to move the heavy wooden barricades.

"Get in," Damien ordered his team.

As the carriage rolled past the stunned elves, Lyra let out a breath she had been holding for minutes.

"You're crazy," she muttered, looking at Damien.

"You terrified them. They're supposed to be our allies."

"Fear is a better motivator than trust right now," Damien said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

'Besides,' he thought.

'If they knew I was broke on DP and barely holding this Dual-Core together, they wouldn't be scared. They'd be laughing.'

The carriage picked up speed, leaving the forest outpost behind.

Ten minutes later, the trees thinned out.

"Young Master…" Isabelle whispered, staring out the window.

Damien looked.

Ahead of them, rising from a massive valley, was the Elven Capital. It was a city built into the roots and branches of trees the size of skyscrapers, glowing with bioluminescent lights.

But the lights were flickering.

In the sky above the city, a massive, translucent green barrier was visible. But outside the barrier, streaks of purple and black magic were hammering against it like rain.

BOOM! BOOM!

Distant explosions rocked the ground. Smoke rose from the outer districts.

The siege wasn't starting. It was already halfway done.

"The barrier is failing," Damien said grimly, seeing the cracks in the green light.

"We're just in time."

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