When the brilliant giant sun had fully risen to the highest point in the sky, its disk, bearing faint wood grain and a radiant crown, poured endless light down from above. Crimson Jade City was bathed in warmth and brightness. The cold winter had ended, and the Month of Revival was bringing the first vitality of the year to this land. From Crimson Jade City's towering walls to the borders of the Crimson Jade Forest Sea, burned to ashes, warriors from every tribe of Augurey gathered in camp after camp, waiting for new orders on this warm day—the Mountain Barrier had been rebuilt, the enemy driven back into the Wasteland, countless destroyed cities awaited reclamation and reconstruction, and anxious people had begun looking forward to new lives. Yet for those on the front lines, even though winter had ended, this war was still far from over.
Camilla and Wenna walked side by side along the edge of the encampment outside the city. They were passing through the human soldiers' camp, heading for the Spirit Race settlement stationed at the ruins of the Crimson Jade Forest. When a warm breeze blew from the mountains and woods, the fur at the tips of Camilla's ears caught the pleasant current. The beastfolk Great Chieftain could not help narrowing her eyes, her pointed ears twitching twice in the air. "Spring has come..."
"Yes, I almost thought spring would never come. That really was the hardest winter I've ever endured." Wenna removed her hood, letting her ash-gray hair fall freely in the wind. She looked toward the nearby camp, where human soldiers were making preparations among neat rows of tents and prefab barracks. They were troops Wickliffe had gathered again from the Western Region.
The soldiers silently sorted their equipment or marched wordlessly between the