Leaving Ashfall Reach felt different than Kaelis expected. There was no dramatic farewell, no lingering gaze back at the stone walls that had sheltered him for years. Instead, there was a quiet certainty in his chest—a sense that staying any longer would only dull his instincts.

  The road stretched wide and uneven, cutting through fields of cracked earth and stubborn grass. The world beyond the city felt heavier, denser, as if reality itself carried more weight here. Kaelis adjusted his pace, letting his senses extend outward. Every sound mattered. Every shift in the wind carried meaning.

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  He encountered travelers by midday—mercenaries, traders, and wanderers marked by faded sigils and worn equipment. Some glanced at him briefly, then looked away. Others lingered too long. Kaelis felt their curiosity, their instinctive assessment of threat and value.

  That night, he camped alone. As he rested, his sigil pulsed faintly, reacting to the open world. It wasn’t warning him. It was guiding him.

  For the first time, Kaelis understood: the world beyond the walls would not protect him. It would test him.