In the road leading to the castle...
The path to the castle was muddy, but Valerian walked with steady steps, his eyes never leaving the horizon.
Inside, he wasn't sure what he was feeling. The city was loud, drenched in tension, and the faces he saw weren't alive so much as they were masks pretending to be strong. And now, as he approached the castle... home, he felt like he was returning to a place he no longer truly knew.
"Strange," he thought as he passed through the castle gates, "everything here is the same, but I feel like the stranger."
The servants said nothing as they saw him pass. Just silent bows and eyes watching him. As if everyone knew something was going to happen. And maybe they were right.
The grand hall was slightly dim despite the daylight. The curtains were half drawn, and the air was filled with something indescribable. Tension, perhaps?
There, by the far wall, Edgar stood.
