The message thinned and dissipated in front of Ludwig's eyes.
Immediately afterward, the forest which looked like a maze simply opened up in front of him. Light tore through the trees and the darkness dissipated. Opening a path forward even he didn't see before.
It was not a road laid down, but a logic offered: trunks stepped aside into a rhythm human feet could read, undergrowth drew back from the ankles, and scattered shafts of dirt mapped an easy line from shade to shade.
Heading forward, Ludwig thought about the conversation a bit. However, his train of thought was immediately and rudely cut by the interjection of the Lich in the lantern. "You're lucky he didn't crush you right there and then." The voice came brittle with swallowed disdain, and that, more than the words, pricked at Ludwig's mouth. Even the dead could be reminded of endings.
