Secrets and the Duke Departure.
Otherside of city.
Beyond the ruins on the outskirts of Silver City, shadows stirred under the pale, dying moon.
The land there was forgotten — old stone consumed by time, vines climbing up cracked arches, runes so weathered that even the boldest scholars dared not misread them. The air was still, too still — the sort of quiet that felt unnatural.
Three figures stood at the center of a half-fallen courtyard. They had black cloaks weighing heavily over them, the hoods going so deep as to hide their faces, the outlines of their very forms hidden behind enchantment. The tallest one bore a magnificent staff of wood that was obsidian-black and had veins of blue mana coursing through its surface — as if it had living water coursing through it.
The one to her left broke the silence, voice low and impatient. "We still haven't found the artifact, Priestess. We've searched every known chamber."
