Chapter 510 - Nightbreaker

In his hand, Ludwig carried the scroll, a single strip of parchment, creased and faintly stained from travel, that bore the sketched coordinates of the scouting party's last known path. The wax seal had been cracked open by another hand, but the inked lines remained sharp, each mark pressed with hurried purpose. He ran his thumb along the edge as if the weight of the parchment itself carried the lives of those who had not returned. With that knowledge tucked into memory, he turned his back on the camp and stepped into the wild.