The forest greeted them with silence that felt engineered rather than natural. No rustling of small creatures, no distant birds, not even the lazy hum of wind through leaves. Everything lay still, as though the entire clearing had paused its own heartbeat the moment Seraphis and Lediya stepped into it.
They halted at the same time.
Corwin's body lay at the center of the field exactly where he had fallen, untouched by decay. Days had passed, yet his skin held its color, his features remained serene, and even the folds in his clothing looked freshly pressed. He could have been sleeping. He could have woken up at any moment.
He didn't, of course. Truth had its limits.
