Chapter39: The Army That Bowed

The valley had gone completely silent.

Thousands of ancient warriors stood beneath the moonlight.

Their weapons were lowered.

Their heads were bowed.

And every one of them was looking at Lyra.

She couldn’t move.

She had expected an attack.

Instead, an entire army had knelt before her.

Karl stepped closer.

“Lyra…”

She barely heard him.

“What am I supposed to do?”

Lucien looked across the valley.

“You’re their queen.”

Lyra shook her head.

“I never asked for this.”

Caelan answered quietly.

“Neither did your parents.”

Lyra looked at him.

“And what happened to them?”

Caelan’s expression hardened.

“They trusted the wrong person.”

Before Lyra could ask another question, a warrior at the front of the army slowly stood.

Unlike the others, he wore a crown of black iron.

He lowered his sword.

“My Queen.”

Lyra stared at him.

“Who are you?”

“I am Commander Riven.”

He knelt again.

“Keeper of the First Legion.”

Lyra looked across the enormous army.

“How many are there?”

Riven’s expression became grim.

“Enough to take every kingdom.”

Karl immediately stepped forward.

“That’s not happening.”

Riven looked at him.

“You are the Alpha who once rejected our queen.”

The entire valley seemed to hold its breath.

Lyra closed her eyes.

“Karl…”

But Karl didn’t defend himself.

Riven continued.

“You abandoned her when she needed you.”

Karl lowered his sword.

“I did.”

Lyra looked at him.

“I regret it every day.”

Riven studied him for several seconds.

Then he turned toward Lyra.

“Do you still trust him?”

Lyra didn’t answer immediately.

She remembered everything.

The rejection.

The loneliness.

The anger.

And the moments when Karl had risked everything to protect her.

Finally, she said:

“Trust isn’t something you receive.”

She looked at Karl.

“It’s something you earn.”

Karl nodded.

“I know.”

A sudden horn sounded from the mountains.

Riven immediately stood.

“Enemy approaching!”

Everyone turned.

Beyond the valley, a dark army appeared.

But they weren’t ancient warriors.

They wore the armor of the Shadow King.

At their center stood Darius.

He raised a black banner.

“By order of the Shadow King!”

His voice echoed across the valley.

“Give us the Moon Queen!”

Lyra stepped forward.

“No.”

Darius smiled.

“You don’t understand what you’re facing.”

“I understand enough.”

Darius pointed toward the ruins.

“Your kingdom is dead.”

Lyra raised the Moon Bow.

“Then I’ll rebuild it.”

A murmur passed through the ancient army.

Darius’s smile disappeared.

“Attack!”

The Shadow King’s soldiers charged.

Riven raised his sword.

“Protect the Queen!”

Thousands of warriors moved as one.

The valley erupted into chaos.

Lyra remained near the center of the army.

She didn’t fight recklessly.

Instead, she noticed something strange.

The ancient warriors weren’t attacking the enemy directly.

They were surrounding them.

Containing them.

Waiting.

Lyra suddenly understood.

“They’re waiting for my command.”

Lucien nodded.

“Then give it.”

Lyra raised the Moon Bow.

“Hold the line!”

The warriors obeyed instantly.

The Shadow King’s army stopped advancing.

Lyra looked toward the mountains.

“Push them back.”

The ancient army surged forward.

Within moments, the enemy began retreating.

Darius turned his horse.

“This isn’t over!”

Lyra shouted after him.

“Tell Adrian something.”

Darius stopped.

Lyra’s voice carried across the battlefield.

“His queen is coming for the truth.”

Darius stared at her.

Then he disappeared into the darkness.

When the battle ended, the valley became quiet again.

There were no cheers.

Only exhausted soldiers and the sound of wind moving through the ruins.

Lyra looked toward the ancient army.

“We won.”

Riven shook his head.

“No, my Queen.”

Lyra frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Riven pointed toward the mountains.

“They weren’t here to defeat us.”

“Then why attack?”

“To measure your strength.”

Lyra’s expression changed.

“Who?”

Riven looked toward the distant darkness.

“The Shadow King.”

Suddenly, a raven landed on a broken stone beside Lyra.

A small black envelope was tied to its leg.

Lyra removed it.

Inside was a single sentence.

You have awakened the army.

Now awaken the throne.

Her blood ran cold.

At the bottom was a symbol.

The same symbol that had appeared beneath the Moon Throne.

The Blood King’s symbol.

Lyra looked at Adrian.

“What does this mean?”

Adrian’s face had gone pale.

“It means…”

He looked toward the ruins of Lunaris.

“…the Blood King isn’t working alone.”

Lyra’s eyes narrowed.

“Then who is helping him?”

Adrian slowly looked toward the people standing around her.

“The traitor is already among us.”