Horizon before dawn

Two years had passed since our conquest of the border forts, and now we held complete dominion over the land. The once, bloodstained land lay quiet beneath our rule, its people no longer stolen in the night, its skirmishes reduced to whispers of the past.

But such stillness did not go unnoticed.

The Matriarchs, those ancient crones, felt the ripples of our ascent. And now they turned their withered gazes northward. No more lost warriors, no more tributes of blood, something had changed. The King of the North had shattered the cycle.

And so, they spoke in hushed and hissing tones, deliberating what must be done. Some called for diplomacy, others for war. But one truth was undeniable, our reign had upset the balance, and the Matriarchs would not stand idle.

The Hall of the Matriarchs was a cavernous chamber inside the mountain, at the center of the chamber sat the High Matriarch Lansra, her voice as dry as the winter wind.

"It is as I have foreseen. The North stirs, but it does not call to us for war or sacrifice. The cycle has been broken. The King has seized what was never meant to be held."

Another Matriarch Jeeza, leaned forward. "We should summon him. Bring the King of the North before us and demand tribute. Let him kneel, If he refuses, we will remind him why the Matriarchs rule."

The High Matriarch tapped a single finger on the stone, the sound silencing the hall.

"Foolishness. He will not come, and if he does, it will be with steel in hand. We must learn his strength before we strike."

A younger Matriarch, her voice sharp. "Then we test him. We send whispers to his enemies, stir the embers of old feuds. Let them rise against him. If he is weak, he will crumble. If he survives, then we will know what manner of beast we face."

The High Matriarch exhaled slowly. "So be it. War Master Sona shall oversee this matter. She knows the battlefield well and understands the ways of men. Let her be our instrument."

Sona stood at the edge of the war tent, arms crossed as she listened to the messengers recount the Matriarchs' decree. Her expression was unreadable like always.

"So they wish to test him," she mused. "The King of the North does not break so easily, he has done what we could not."

One of her captains stepped forward. "Shall we prepare the southern forces then?"

Sona shook her head. "No. That is the Matriarchs' game, and I have no desire to play it. If they wish to throw stones at the storm, let them. But we will watch, and we will learn. We will not fight our own people"

She turned to her assembled warriors. "Send spies. I want to know who advises him, how he moves his armies, and what whispers fill his halls at night, then we shall decide our next move."

After a few days, the spies sent all the information they could which was not much, just the location of a settlement far north where the so called King resided. 

Sona rode under the cover of darkness with some Braves, she had sent word ahead, and to her mild surprise, the King had agreed to meet her.

The next day, Sona made her way to Mother's Forge, a place spoken of in whispers and awe. It was said to be the heart of progress in the North, where warriors, artisans, and thinkers alike gathered to forge a future beyond war. As she approached, she was struck by the sight before her.

The Forge was unlike any settlement she had seen in the Sacred Lands. Towers of stone and metal rose high, but what truly caught her attention was the people. Utaru, Banuk, Oseram, and Nora working together, tribes that had once stood divided by blood now working side by side.

A Banuk shaman speaking in low tones to an Oseram smith, who nodded as he adjusted the blueprint. Nearby, a Nora hunter tested a new kind of bow, the string forged from wire and steel rather than gut, while a Utaru farmer experimented with soil mixtures under the watchful gaze of an elder.

Sona, walking through the settlement, absorbing the clash of hammer on steel, the murmur of shared knowledge. She had expected to find a crude gathering of craftsmen, but this was something else entirely, this was a foreigner land.

A voice broke through her thoughts. "War Chief Sona. Do the Matriarchs send you to destroy what we build?"

She turned to see a figure approach, a woman clad in a strange armor that sent blue lights like the machines.

"No," Sona replied. "I came to see with my own eyes what the North has become. And I am beginning to understand why the Matriarchs fear it."

"And do you fear it?" Albedo asks.

"Im war chief, I do not fear, but these outlanders... this is not their place, this is the sacred lands of the Nora." 

"I see, that's sad, these are our people, there are no tribes were, just citizens of the Kingdom, but let us talk inside, my King is waiting for you." Albedo says. 

She entered the great hall while watching Albedo closely, I guess she knew who she was, after all, Albedo had gained quite a reputation in the past few years. 

"War Master Sona," I greeted. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"The Matriarchs watch you, King Noir. They do not like what they see."

I smirked. "Let them watch. I rule my lands as I see fit. They send you to deliver threats?"

"No," she said simply. "They send me to understand. They whisper of war, but I would rather speak of truth. I do not wish Nora to fight Nora."

I studied her for a long moment. "Then speak. What truth do you seek?"

She stepped closer. "Do you intend to challenge them? To shatter their rule? Do you want to replace our way of life?"

I chuckled. "I have no need to challenge them. Their time is fading. I simply stand firm while their world crumbles around them. Our ways? Times are changing, if we do not adapt we die, is that simple."

Sona met my gaze, searching for deceit and finding none. "Then you know they will not go quietly. They will strike. Is war really want you want?"

I nodded. "I expect they will. The question is... where will you stand when they do? Without your support, there will be no war."

Sona did not answer at once. The war had not yet begun, but already, the lines were being drawn.

"I do not wish to fight the Nora, just like you, but I will defend what we have built. The Matriarchs did nothing to protect the North, this is not their lands anymore, it's the Kingdom's lands, let them stay in the safety of the Embrace, I will not move against them if they do." I told her the true, I had no wish to conquer a few isolated towns that offer nothing but trouble. 

"Then I will tell them that, and what I have seen were, and of your 'proposal'." Sona replies ready to move out. 

"Truly a woman of action," I whispered to myself. 

"The Carja delegation will arrive in a few days. It's good this matter is solved for now," Albedo says, leaning toward me. 

"Solved? Not by a long shot... but it's something." I say to her. 

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Every 100 Power Stones a new chapter 

Before Dawn ARC almost done