Lyone walked away calmly, but the moment he turned a corner, his pace quickened. His hands clenched into fists.
The tunnels.
Damien had left them behind on purpose, but Lyone wasn't about to let him shoulder everything alone. He wasn't the same boy he'd been when he first arrived at Delwig. Training with Apnoch's squad, fighting beasts, learning to harness his courage—every step had carved steel into him.
And today, he'd prove it.
Instead of heading home, Lyone veered toward the part where the breached tunnels had been sealed. The guards stationed there looked weary but alert, standing straight at their posts.
Lyone crouched in a corner across the street, heart thudding, mind racing. He didn't have a plan, not yet. But he knew one thing with clarity sharper than any blade:
He was going after Damien.
~~~~~
The tunnels split like veins in the earth.
