Clyde stepped out into the open courtyard, the cold wind brushing past his silver coat. The sky above the Ruins was dark and quiet, but the tension in the air was undeniable.
Two soldiers stood guard at the mansion's entrance. They straightened the moment they saw him.
"I'm leaving now," Clyde said, his voice calm but resolute. "Prepare yourselves. Things are going to change soon, maybe for all of us."
The two soldiers exchanged a look. A quiet, alarmed understanding passed between them.
They didn't ask where he was going or why. They knew, or at least, they knew enough.
They only bowed slightly and said in unison, "Understood, my lord."
None of them wanted to know more than they had to. Whatever Clyde was involved in was far above their role and their purpose. They were soldiers, not gods. And this was a war that stretched across realms.