Ian did not immediately break into a run. He first carefully sensed his surroundings, confirming there was nothing unusual.
He continued moving away from the camp and Mitchell's Deathland at a slow but steady pace.
He no longer pursued speed, prioritizing erasing his tracks and concealing his movements instead.
Every step landed where it would not easily leave marks, and he occasionally deliberately created misleading traces leading down the wrong path.
Under the cover of darkness and silence, he gradually moved away from the center of danger like the most seasoned infiltrator.
When the eastern horizon began to pale, Ian estimated that he was at least a hundred miles from the Stone Forest. He could no longer sense any trace of pursuit behind him, and there was only eternal silence around him.
Only then did he truly let out a breath of relief. His tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly, and overwhelming fatigue surged over him like a tide.
But he had no intention of stopping. He glanced back toward the forge and Grayrock Fort, his gaze calm.
Grayrock Fort... even the High Tower is no longer an option!
He had never expected that killing that young man would draw such a terrifying enemy.
The route to Grayrock Fort was clear. The other side would likely intercept him along the way or dispatch teams to focus on searching for fleeing people along that route.
The secrets and abnormalities on him had probably already drawn their attention through Leon.
Shadowmoon's main battlefield had suffered another crushing defeat. Thinking of Sterling's inexplicable look earlier, Ian's heart chilled.
Ian looked around blankly, feeling that every path home was shrouded in gloom.
He took out his map. To the south lay Crimson's territory; to the east stretched the lands of another Black Wizard organization, the