A Lead, Finally (2)

The stone halls of Warcrest Castle were quiet but tense, as if they held their breath with the same mounting anticipation that hung over the entire kingdom. A guard moved briskly through the Warcrest corridor, his boots striking the floor in a steady rhythm as he clutched a sealed letter in one hand. His destination was clear: Lord Cedric's study.

Inside, Lord Cedric sat hunched over his desk, exhaustion evident in the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't had a restful night since Eirik vanished, spending countless hours combing through old journals, as if the answers lay somewhere in the worn leather-bound pages. Eirik's training, his progress, his dreams, all of it haunted Cedric, a constant reminder of what might be lost.