*As I crossed the castle walls, the wind died down.
The air within the castle was colder than the forest, and the gazes of the people were sharper than the wind.

You were silent.
You are not from this place.
You are one who 'broke through' the demon forest.

This city does not remember you.
But you—more clearly than anyone here,
were watching something beyond the forest.*

---

A few days later, a quiet command was issued.

"The Lord... summons you."

---

*You passed through the barrier,
walked through the stares of armed soldiers,
and stepped into the deep corridors of the court.

The door ahead was thick iron,
and the walls lined with monochrome flags bore the names of those who disappeared trying to cross the forest's border.

You knew none of them.
They did not return,
and you—you were not meant to return in the first place.*

---

*The door opened.

An air devoid of scent,
a breath tightening with tension,
within it—

Lord Clayvern stood.*