Yacha's frustration boiled over as he confronted Shino.
"What were you thinking?" he snapped.
To his surprise, she didn't respond with her usual cold indifference. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, her voice soft.
"I'm sorry, Yacha."
He blinked, caught off guard. "They're still my companions," he reminded her.
Shino nodded. "I know. To make it right, I can have them officially transferred to this squad."
But Yacha shook his head. "No. You don't have to."
Her apology hung in the air between them, but Yacha knew the truth. Trust wasn't something easily given, and despite everything, he still wasn't sure if they could fully trust Shino.
But Shino… Shino had shared secrets with him, revealed truths about the kingdom he had never known. That bond made her the one person he could trust, even if there was more to Akkadia than met the eye.
A thought suddenly struck him. "Shino… I forgot something."
Her expression sharpened. "What is it?"
"Speira and Eline… they still have their orihalcon weapons"
For a moment, Shino hesitated, then turned abruptly. "We need to get those back. Now."
Back at the house, Ursang and the girls were deep in discussion, still trying to figure out why Shino had taken such a keen interest in Yacha. It couldn't just be because they both wielded thunder magic.
Suddenly, the door slammed open as Yacha and Shino strode in.
Ursang raised an eyebrow. "Back so soon?"
Yacha wasted no time. "I need something from Speira and Eline."
He turned to Eline, his eyes serious. "The sword Sigurd gave you, I need it."
Eline stiffened. "No. I can't just hand it over," she said, her voice firm.
Ursang's patience was thinning. "So now you're trying to take everything?" he snapped, clearly irritated.
Before things escalated, Shino stepped forward and, to everyone's shock, pulled seven weapons from her pocket, all made of orihalcon.
"First, I apologize for my earlier behavior," she said calmly.
"But these weapons… they're far more dangerous than you realize."
Yacha cut in. "Eline, please, trust me on this. When the time comes, you'll understand."
Eline hesitated but eventually, with a sigh, handed over the sword.
Speira, however, was nowhere to be seen. Yacha went to her room, asking Shino for a moment of privacy.
Five minutes passed, and muffled screams and yells echoed through the house before Yacha emerged, holding the daggers. His expression was grim, but he said nothing.
As they made their way back to the palace, Shino couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"So… what happened in there?"
Yacha kept silent for a moment before sighing. "She… she confessed her love for me."
Shino's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what? Speira has feelings for you?"
"I guess," Yacha shrugged.
Shino elbowed him teasingly. "So, did you finally say yes? You Realized you've got a chance with a girl?"
Yacha's voice lowered, barely a whisper. "I refused."
Shino's playful demeanor softened. "Why?"
"I care for her… but as a sister, nothing more. My heart lies elsewhere." His voice grew distant, almost wistful.
"The person I love… she's someone worth cherishing. Worth everything."
Shino smiled, her gaze warm and understanding. She hoped, deep down, that whoever Yacha cared for would come to appreciate his feelings, knowing all too well who he was speaking of…
At the palace, they entered the grand hall, where the weight of the moment pressed down on them. All the generals, squadron commanders, and the throne prince himself were seated. At the head of the table, King Sargon sat beside his advisor, his presence commanding the room.
The king's advisor stood, his voice steady. "Now that everyone is here, let us begin."
King Sargon's plans were ambitious. The kingdom of Akkadia sought to expand eastward, aiming to conquer the thirty-four cities of Sumer within four months. But before the strategy could be finalized, Shino stepped forward.
"My liege," she began, addressing the king directly. "It won't take four months."
The king raised an eyebrow. "You have a plan, Shino?"
She nodded confidently. "Akkadia has become too reliant on the Seiken Army. If the kingdom truly seeks glory, it must be the Akkadian army—your people—who bring it."
The king's eyes gleamed with interest. "Explain."
"The Seikens are only fifty-six thousand soldiers, but your Akkadian army numbers two hundred thousand," she explained.
"If your aim is an empire, let your people be the ones to seize that glory, not an army made up of orphans."
A proud smile spread across King Sargon's face. For her age, Shino's mind was sharp, her strategic insight invaluable. Murmurs rippled through the room, some generals agreeing, others wary.
Naramsin, the division general, rose from his seat. "If I may, my liege,"
He began. "What is the true aim of this conquest?"
Shino stepped forward again, her voice steady and resolute. "This is not just about conquering. It's an evolution, from a kingdom to an empire."
King Sargon leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"An empire…" he mused.
He had ruled Akkadia for three centuries, and now, with new kingdoms rising, his sights were set higher than ever. He didn't just want to be the first king. He wanted to be the first emperor of all Arctyra.
Once Sumer fell, he would turn his gaze to the west and the far south. Those kingdoms would bend to his will, and he would become the sole ruler over the entire continent.
The room buzzed with the weight of his ambition.
In the dimly lit war chamber, Yacha stood in the shadows, unseen and unheard. The generals' discussions buzzed around him, their voices distant yet sharp. He clenched his fists.
Was this his place? Just another soldier, hidden from view, his worth debated by those far above him?
He shook his head, forcing himself to listen.
"What about this boy?" Lugalnir's voice cut through the murmur, cold and calculating.
Yacha felt the attention shift toward him. The Battle of Ur had earned him both praise and suspicion. He wasn't sure if he welcomed it. Shino, standing beside him.
"What about him?" Shino's voice was calm, measured.
"I can't deny his role in Ur." Lugalnir continued.
"but is he capable of a full-scale invasion?"
Yacha's heart raced. *Is that what they wanted from me now?*
He knew the battle had turned heads, but this... this was a different level. From what he could gather, the plan wasn't to march armies headlong into cities. It was a far darker mission. He and Shino were to be the shadows, slipping into the night to eliminate the leaders of each city, breaking their will and sending the enemy forces into chaos.
Shino vouched for him. "He's ready."
The generals nodded, their decision made.
**Akkadia's next move was set.**
---
As the meeting ended and the room emptied, Yacha's thoughts churned. Something gnawed at him, a seed of doubt he couldn't shake.
Why attack all the major cities in the southeast in one sweep?
Why not conquer one, stabilize, and move on to the next? It didn't sit right.
"This isn't a smart move, Shino," Yacha muttered, his voice low.
To his surprise, Shino's expression changed. Her usual calm shattered, replaced by a fury he had never seen before. Her eyes blazed, lips set in a hard line.
"What's wrong, Shino?" Yacha asked, stepping closer, concern in his voice.
Shino's fists clenched, and when she spoke, her voice was sharp with anger. "Their target isn't conquest, Yacha. It's not about empire-building."
She paused her gaze hard as steel. "Their target is the Promised Land of Eretz."
Yacha's confusion deepened. "Eretz? What are you talking about?"
Shino's voice dropped, heavy with meaning. "Eretz is where King Sargon's origins lie. A land blessed by a different god... Yahweh. It was once given to a people who called themselves the Chosen Ones. The Ivrims."
She paused, her eyes far away, lost in memory or myth. "After the Holy War, a man named Bezalel built an ark… the Ark of the Covenant. It is said to hold a piece of a god's soul."
Yacha froze. The legends... the stories told to children... they were real?
Not just tales, but echoes of a cataclysmic past.
The Holy War wasn't just a myth. It was history. And this invasion was no mere conquest. It was a race for something far greater, something terrifying.
Shino snapped him out of his thoughts, her voice resolute. "We have one week to prepare, but there's something I need to show you first."
"Where?"
"The Cedar Forest," she replied, her tone grave.
"There's something you need to understand."