The Wolfgang Estate, Dawn Before Departure

The sun hadn’t fully risen, yet the Whiteland Mansion was already alive with movement — warriors strapping on armor, loading weapons, sharpening blades that gleamed like cold fire under the faint morning light. The banners of the Wolfgang Pack fluttered against the pale wind, the howls of scouts echoing faintly in the distant forest.

Inside the manor’s west wing, Hamlet stood before his mirror, fastening his chest plate. His reflection looked ...