Zaber stopped mid-step.
Ahead, the forest grew denser again; the trees leaned against one another as though blocking out the sky. Light fractured as it fell, while the shadows stretched unnaturally, almost seeming to move. This was one of the abandoned paths—rarely trodden by men, yet never entirely without traces.
He planted the tip of his sword into the earth and drew a deep breath.
"Somewhere around here…" he thought. "Very close."
The heaviness in his soul had not yet dispersed. Heynler's memories had left marks in his mind. Not complete scenes, but fragments… and among those fragments were guiding signs.
Zaber slowly opened his palm.
The soul chain was still not silent. It had not calmed; rather, it waited—like something unfinished remained inside. An unhealed wound that throbbed from time to time, reminding him of its presence.
"If you can show me memories…" Zaber thought inwardly, "…then show me the path as well."
He gave no command to the chain.
