Ludwig held the Soul Letting Lantern steady at chest level, letting the warded glass and metal settle in his grip the way a weapon settled in a hand. The shard of darkness inside it still looked like a wound that refused to close, a piece of night kept captive.
The compass beneath the lantern had been spinning like it enjoyed wasting his time, twitching between directions as if the city itself was trying to confuse it. This time, it slowed in a reluctant crawl, hesitated once, then locked into a single heading with an ugly certainty. Ludwig's eyes followed the needle, then shifted up as the system decided to make its presence known again, right there in the palace gardens where even the air tried to pretend things were peaceful.
***
Quest Update
Daggers in Shadow
