The silence after the battle was deafening.

  It hung over New Dawn like a thick fog — heavy with the scent of blood, smoke, and the remnants of magic.

  The western wall, the first line of defense, had been shattered. Parts of the shield had failed.

  A small price to pay for survival, but we knew better. Darius had tested us — and now, he knew where we were weak.

  The turrets had done their job, and the traps had bought us precious time, but the cost was still high.

  I stood in the center of the courtyard, my hands clenched around my staff, watching the workers move. Jake had already begun organizing repairs, pulling out mana crystals and reinforced iron to strengthen the walls.

  Adam was supervising the rebuilding of the sniper towers on the outer perimeter. Emily, Marcus, and the rest of the militia were carrying out routine patrols and scouring the surrounding forest for any lingering threats.

  The survivors of the Vexholm Siege had retreated — but I had no doubt they would return. Darius wouldn’t let us get away this easily.

  We worked fast.

  There was no time to waste.

  The western wall had to be rebuilt, and fast.

  Jake’s plans were already taking shape. His Mana Turrets had been damaged but not destroyed, and he had the resources to repair them. His next focus was integrating the new Mana Shield Nodes into the structure. These nodes would enhance the wall’s defenses and give us the edge in case of another siege.

  "Good thing we have the Mana Core," Jake muttered, pacing along the partially rebuilt wall. "I can direct power from the core straight into the barriers. These bastards won't know what hit them next time."

  I nodded in agreement but felt the weight of the situation pressing on me. We had defended the city once, but could we do it again?

  Could we handle Darius Vex if he returned with a larger army?

  Adam joined us a few minutes later, an arrow in hand.

  “Barbed and enchanted,” he said. “Not like the ones I used before. These will stick, no matter how thick their armor is.”

  He handed me the arrow — it hummed with raw power, its tip glowing faintly with Elemental Magic.

  "Good work, Adam," I said quietly.

  He looked at me, his usual smirk absent. "You’re gonna need these when Darius comes back," he said bluntly. "And he will. You can count on it."

  Three days later, we began to rebuild New Dawn’s defenses.

  We had expanded the walls, reinforced the turrets, and dug new traps. The watchtowers were now taller and better equipped. The Elemental Turrets were fully operational, and every corner of New Dawn had a trap or defensive barrier ready to spring.

  But something was off.

  I felt it first — a twinge in the air. A coldness.

  Emily was the next to notice it, walking quietly to my side as the rest of the militia trained.

  "Hunter," she said softly, "have you noticed anything strange lately?"

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  I furrowed my brow. "Strange? What do you mean?"

  She hesitated, glancing around. "There’s something... wrong with the new people. The ones who came after the siege. They’ve been acting strange."

  "Strange how?" I asked.

  Emily lowered her voice, her eyes flicking nervously toward a small group of survivors training near the new sniper tower.

  "They’re... distant. Not all of them, but some. I overheard a conversation last night — they were talking about leaving."

  My heart sank.

  "We can’t afford to lose anyone," I muttered.

  The next morning, my worst fear came true.

  Marcus, one of our more trusted soldiers, came to me with alarming news.

  One of the new survivors — a man who had arrived just a few days ago — had been found sabotaging the eastern gate defenses. He’d been trying to disable the traps we’d set.

  We took him into custody immediately.

  His name was Eamon, a man in his thirties who had arrived with a small group of survivors.

  He’d been quiet, blending into the background, but now the truth was out: he was a spy. A plant sent by Darius Vex to weaken New Dawn from within.

  Eamon was brought to me, hands bound, eyes downcast.

  "Why?" I asked, my voice low.

  He met my gaze briefly before looking away.

  "They promised me protection," he muttered, his voice shaking. "I didn’t know who you were, what you were trying to build. Darius... Darius Vex is strong. He’s the one who will rule this land. Not you."

  Jake’s hand tightened on his hammer.

  "What did he promise you, Eamon? Protection for your loyalty? Power? More lives?"

  The traitor’s face twisted with disgust. "Not power. Survival. He knows how to make people like me survive. I just... couldn’t let you make it."

  I stood, anger flooding through me.

  I had trusted him.

  And now, New Dawn was weakened by his betrayal.

  I turned to the council — Jake, Adam, Emily, and Marcus.

  We needed to act quickly.

  "The traitor is to be executed," I said, my voice hard. "But we need to be sure we’re not exposed again. No more trusting people without knowing who they really are."

  Jake nodded, grim. "Agreed. We can’t risk another saboteur inside. New Dawn needs to stay strong."

  Adam stepped forward. "We need to strike first. Before Darius has the chance to send anyone else."

  I turned to him, meeting his gaze.

  "Prepare the arrows. We’re going to send a message."

  We didn’t wait.

  That same evening, under the cover of darkness, we began our own counterattack.

  Adam, his arrows prepared and glowing with elemental magic, led the assault.

  We moved silently, shadows in the night, into the forest. The mission was clear: destroy Darius Vex’s supply line and show him that New Dawn wasn’t afraid.

  Jake and Marcus set traps along the route, while Emily kept watch, ready to heal us if anything went wrong.

  We found the Vexholm scouts by the river — a small group of them, trying to resupply and move towards New Dawn.

  They didn’t see us coming.

  Boom!

  The first arrow, Adam’s Earthsplitter Arrow, crashed into their supplies, shattering crates of food and equipment.

  A second arrow followed — a Binding Shadow Arrow, trapping their leader in place.

  In seconds, we overwhelmed the scouts, leaving them tied up and helpless.

  "Send them back with a message," Adam said, his voice cold. "Tell Darius Vex that New Dawn is not afraid."

  The next morning, after we’d returned to the walls, a System message flashed on my screen.

  [Darius Vex has declared war on New Dawn.]

  Siege Imminent.

  A wave of dread crashed over me, but this time, it was different.

  We weren’t just defending.

  We were ready to strike back.