[Haldor's POV—Imperial Palace—Same Night]
The palace burned with motion.
Boots thundered across marble halls. Orders were shouted. Magic flared in corridors where fear had once lived quietly. Torches lined the walls like watchful eyes.
But I heard none of it; all I heard was my own heartbeat.
Lavinia was gone, not missing, but taken.
And that single truth was enough to turn the empire into a cage I wanted to tear apart with my bare hands.
I marched through the Eloria capital city, sword already drawn, armor half-fastened, and rage fully awake.
"Search every door again!" I roared. "Even the sealed doors! I don't care if they were locked for decades—break them! No matter how scared they are or how rotten they are, break every single place."
Knights scattered at once.
Osric caught up beside me, breath sharp. "We've searched the outer city. No trace of magic trails beyond the walls."
