Amber

At Pittman's words, Amber instinctively glanced at Gawain. He took the initiative and said, "I can step aside—if you don't want anyone else to hear this."

"No, I don't mind," Amber said, shaking her head. "You're sharp, and you always come up with unexpected insights. I want you here too. And this notebook... you can read it as well."

Gawain silently looked at Amber. He did not refuse, merely nodding slightly.

The fountain was not the place to dig into such private memories. The three left the overly lively courtyard and went to a lounge on the first floor of Silver Castle, where Amber solemnly placed the notebook on the table and carefully opened its worn, fragile cover before Gawain and Pittman.

There were no patterns or crests on the inner page, none of the various embellishments commonly found in handwritten books belonging to nobles of this era. On the yellowed paper, there was only one simple sentence:

"To my daughter—may you have grown up happy and safe by the time you read this."

"He still had so much nonsense to say..." Amber pressed her lips together, but her hands moved even more carefully than before as she slowly turned to the first page.

It was a diary, written under extraordinary circumstances:

"...The third day after entering the Shadow Fortress.

"As a Royal Shadow Guard, I should not leave behind any written materials while carrying out a classified mission. That would violate confidentiality protocols. But the present circumstances are unusual, and I may be unable to leave this place safely. In order to leave warnings and experience for those who come after me, I have decided to record part of this journey.

"My name is Salilendorf, a Royal Shadow Guard. I was ordered to come to the Dark Mountains in