Jack stood there, pulse still hammering, the enormity of what he'd agreed to gnawing at the edges of his resolve.
Five hundred days. But power waited beyond those doors, and power was never free.
Jack drew a steady breath and forced himself to meet the Patriarch's star-bright eyes. "I'll do it," he said, his voice carrying more conviction than he felt. "I'll take the journey."
A faint smile perked on Ren's ancient features. He reached to the arm of his throne, brushed a finger across the black stone, and a square of shimmering silver light materialized in the air between them.
Lines of ink formed inside the glow, etching themselves into a detailed map of the eastern valleys and the desolate lands beyond.
"This will guide you," Ren said. "Follow the obsidian markers east until you reach the canyons. The map will update itself as you get closer."
