Chapter 23: When the Horns of War Sound
Night had settled quietly over the House of First Light.
For the first time since arriving at the academy, the students of the new class were allowed to rest without instruction or supervision. The Trial of Endurance had left their muscles aching, and the Trial of Balance—completed earlier that day—had drained what little strength they had recovered.
The dormitory hall was dimly lit by lanterns hanging from the wooden beams above.
Most of the students had already fallen asleep.
Others lay awake, staring at the ceiling, lost in their own thoughts.
Aren Djanah was one of the few still awake.
He sat by the open window of the dormitory, letting the cool savannah wind brush across his face.
The night smelled of dry grass and distant rain.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
The whispers had returned again.
They had been quiet since the trials ended, but now they stirred faintly at the edge of his thoughts—like distant voices speaking just beyond hearing.
Aren rubbed his temple.
"…What do you want?" he muttered softly to himself.
The whispers didn't answer.
They never did.
Across the room, Kairo Owase shifted in his bed, turning over with a quiet grunt. The Owase boy had been restless since the Trial of Balance. Even in sleep, his muscles twitched occasionally, as if his body was ready to leap into battle at any moment.
Aren looked away from the window.
He was about to lie down when it happened.
A deep horn blasted across the academy.
The sound was so powerful it shook the wooden beams of the dormitory.
Aren froze.
Another horn followed.
Then another.
These were not the short signals used during training.
These horns were older.
Heavier.
War horns.
The dormitory erupted instantly.
"What was that?!"
"Is this another test?!"
Students scrambled from their beds, grabbing boots and weapons.
Kairo Owase was already standing.
He moved toward the door with sharp focus.
"That wasn't a training signal," he said.
Outside, the academy grounds were already alive with movement.
Lanterns flared to life across the courtyards.
Instructors moved quickly between the training towers, issuing rapid commands.
Somewhere in the distance—
A roar echoed across the savannah.
Then another.
And another.
The sound made the students fall silent.
Those were not training beasts.
Those were wild ones.
Jaro Owase stepped beside Kairo near the doorway.
"…Beasts?" he asked quietly.
No one answered.
Then Master Ilyara's voice cut through the chaos.
"All students remain inside the dormitory!"
She stood in the courtyard below, speaking to several other instructors.
The tension in her voice was unmistakable.
"Defense teams to the outer gates," she ordered. "Signal the watchtowers immediately."
A bright flame shot upward into the sky from one of the academy towers.
A signal flare.
Within seconds, more flares rose in the distance across the plains.
The kingdom's warning system had been activated.
Aren stepped outside onto the balcony overlooking the courtyard.
From there, he could see far beyond the academy walls.
His stomach tightened.
Far in the distance—
A line of orange light flickered across the horizon.
Fire.
Someone's village was burning.
More roars echoed through the night.
This time they were closer.
Much closer.
Behind him, the other students had gathered on the balcony.
Amara Mensah narrowed her eyes toward the horizon.
"…That's the northern settlement," she said quietly.
Kito Mensah stepped beside her.
"There shouldn't be beasts that close to the academy."
"They've stayed in the deep savannah for years," Lena Adua added.
Niko and Kala Kwofie stood silently near the railing.
Both twins were listening carefully to the night.
Kala spoke first.
"The animals are running."
"Running?" Bram Adua asked.
"Everything," Niko replied quietly. "Birds. Antelope. Even the jackals."
That meant only one thing.
Something big had driven them out.
Below in the courtyard, the academy gates were opening.
Armored warriors moved quickly through them.
Not just instructors.
Several older warriors had arrived from nearby villages, answering the signal fires.
Among them were fighters bearing the marks of the five bloodlines.
A tall man stepped forward near the gate.
Even from a distance, his presence was commanding.
Metal rings circled both his arms.
The rings began to glow faintly as he moved.
"Tarek Mensah," Kito whispered under his breath.
A famous warrior of the Mensah bloodline.
Beside him stood an older woman with a long wooden staff.
The ground beneath her feet trembled slightly as she walked.
"Elder Nasha Adua," Lena murmured.
Another roar echoed through the darkness.
This time the ground itself seemed to vibrate.
Master Ilyara's gaze sharpened.
"That's too close."
A messenger ran into the courtyard, breathless.
"Report!"
"Beasts breached the northern settlement walls," the messenger said. "Multiple groups. Larger than anything we've seen in years."
The courtyard fell silent.
Then Master Ilyara spoke again.
"Prepare a response team."
Several instructors stepped forward.
Tarek Mensah raised one arm.
The iron gates beside him shuddered slightly.
"We don't have time for a small team," he said.
His voice was calm.
But firm.
"If the beasts are attacking in numbers again… we stop them tonight."
Another roar echoed through the darkness.
Closer now.
Much closer.
Above on the balcony, Aren felt the whispers surge suddenly in his mind.
Louder than before.
Urgent.
Not words.
Just a feeling.
A warning.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He looked toward the burning horizon again.
And for the first time since arriving at the academy—
Aren felt certain of one thing.
This was no ordinary beast attack.
Something else was moving in the darkness beyond the fire.