[ Old world - Towards Autumn's Fortress ]
The night pressed thick around the fortress gates…the air still trembling faintly with echoes of chaos past.
Autumn's arms were soaked, her grip iron around the unconscious body that bled heavily against her…her feet gliding over the earth, yet a little shaky somehow.
Every step closer to the fortress felt heavier…not because Kieran weighed her down, but because something inside her twisted painfully with each stagger forward.
The grand doors loomed ahead…invisible guards already pulling them wide open.
All guests had already been dismissed with generous gifts and heartfelt apologies…and a promise of explanation.
But there…just beyond the threshold…stood Lyla.
She was clearly waiting.
Her figure was pale in the fleeting light, as though she had been frozen to that very spot. When her eyes caught Autumn's…she looked absolutely stunned…then relief flickered…just a fraction…
But then her gaze dipped lower.
And she saw him.
