Lucian moved in silence through the moss-covered undergrowth, the misty forest of his childhood pressing in around him like a memory he had long tried to forget. The whisper of leaves overhead sounded almost like voices from the past, calling him home—or warning him away. His hand hovered near the hilt of his sword, every sense tuned to the slightest disturbance. Then—a sharp snap of a twig. In one fluid motion, his blade was drawn, its steel gleaming through the shadows

“Step into the light,” he commanded, his voice low, edged with danger. “I won't ask again. Show yourself—or face a fate far worse than death.”