The Gathering Storm

Peace, like all good things, proved temporary.

Three months into Kaelen's reign, the first serious external threat materialized. The Kingdom of Solmara, Velmora's eastern neighbor, had watched the Twilight Revolution with growing alarm. Their own Luminous Order—more powerful and more radical than Velmora's had been—declared Kaelen's regime "an abomination against divine law."

The Solmaran High Luminary, a man named Castor who made Voss look moderate by comparison, issued a formal declaration. He called for the "purification" of Velmora, the destruction of its "shadow-tainted monarchy," and the restoration of "proper divine order."

"They are threatening war," Kaelen said, reading the declaration for the third time. "Over our existence."

"Over our existence challenging theirs," Elara corrected. "If Velmora succeeds—if we prove that light and shadow can coexist—then every radical Order in the world loses legitimacy. They cannot allow that."

They met in the war council chamber with Maren, Corin, and Soren, who had become an informal advisor despite his declining health.

"Solmara's military is larger than ours," Corin reported, spreading maps across the table. "But they rely heavily on Light-based warfare. Saints and paladins using Luxism to destroy enemies. Against conventional forces, they are devastating. Against Twilight..."

"We do not know how Twilight fares against massed Luxism," Elara finished. "I have fought individual Saints. I have never faced an army of them."