The morning greeted the estate with a thick veil of fog.
It drifted slowly across the courtyard, clinging to the stone walls and bare trees, while the snow that had fallen during the night had almost completely erased the traces of the previous day.
The courtyard now looked clean and untouched—a smooth white canvas where no human footsteps had yet disturbed the surface.
Only a small trail of paw prints remained near the stables.
Richard noticed them as he stepped out of the house.
He stopped without meaning to.
The tiny tracks led from the stable door toward the fence before suddenly disappearing, as though whoever had made them had abruptly decided to leave the path.
The wolf cub.
Richard studied the tracks for several seconds before lifting his gaze.
There was no one on the wall.
Only the old stone crest of House Ravenhart rose above the courtyard, half-hidden by the fog.
A raven and a wolf, facing one another.
Richard’s eyes lingered on the crest.
Once, that symbol had represented a power known far beyond their lands.
Now it seemed more like a reminder of everything that was gone.
Richard slowly exhaled and looked away.
Today, he was to return to the city once again.
But this time, things were different.
Yesterday, he had gone there to look, to listen, and to understand what was happening around the House.
Today, he was going there as its lord.
And that distinction felt far heavier than Richard had expected.
They were already waiting for him in the courtyard.
Sebastian stood beside the carriage, checking the papers one last time and clarifying something with the coachman.
Every now and then, he glanced toward the road, as though afraid they might somehow be delayed again.
Kain stood nearby.
He wore a dark jacket over light armor, his sword hanging naturally at his side.
He silently surveyed the carriage and the surrounding courtyard, as though already searching for any possible threat.
Lloyd stood a little farther away.
When he noticed Richard, he straightened.
Richard approached and stopped in front of him.
“You’re coming?” Lloyd gave a slight nod.
“If you’ll allow me.” Richard glanced at his weapon, then looked back at him.
“I thought the captain of the knights was supposed to command the garrison.” Lloyd smirked.
“The garrison?” He swept his gaze across the empty courtyard.
“The one that barely exists?” Richard said nothing.
A faint smile appeared on his face, but he did not argue.
Instead, he looked toward Sebastian.
Catching his lord’s gaze, Sebastian merely shrugged.
“Lloyd has a point.” Richard sighed quietly.
“Fine.” Lloyd gave a short nod.
“Thank you, my lord.” Richard was about to head toward the carriage when he noticed the two students standing a little farther away.
Roy was clearly trying to look serious and composed, though he was doing a poor job of it.
He was watching the adults far too closely, obviously hoping that the conversation might somehow turn in his favor.
Sean, by contrast, stood calmly, quietly observing everything that was happening.
Richard looked at them both.
“You two are staying behind as well.” Roy immediately frowned.
“Why?” “Because you’re students.” “But I could be useful.” Richard raised an eyebrow.
“In the city?” Roy faltered.
“Well…” Lloyd gave him a brief look.
Roy fell silent at once.
Richard smiled faintly.
“Exactly.” Sean nodded calmly.
“Understood.” Richard shifted his gaze toward him.
“You’re not going to argue?” Sean shrugged.
“I understand the reason.” Richard studied him for a moment.
After yesterday’s training, that answer did not surprise him.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Good.” Roy glanced at his brother with clear displeasure.
“You’re not even going to argue?” Sean looked at him.
“What’s the point?” “You could have at least tried.” “And what would that have changed?” Roy opened his mouth to answer, then thought better of it and merely snorted in annoyance.
Richard watched the two of them for several seconds.
Then he said calmly, “That’s why you’re more dangerous than your brother.” Sean paused, considering the remark, then looked at Roy.
“More dangerous?
I’m not sure.” Roy immediately raised an eyebrow.
“What, you think I’m completely hopeless?” “I didn’t say that.” “But you thought it.” “Perhaps.” Roy stared at his brother in outrage.
“You see, my lord?
He’s always like this.” Sean smiled faintly.
“Because you always give me a reason.” Kain quietly chuckled.
Roy immediately turned toward him.
“And what are you laughing at?” “Nothing.” “Of course.” Richard watched them and could not keep himself from smiling.
There was no anger in their bickering.
They argued easily and naturally, as though they had done so hundreds of times before.
And despite all the teasing, it was obvious how well they knew one another.
For the first time in a long while, Richard felt a strange warmth inside him.
It was small.
Almost insignificant.
But perhaps that was what a true home was made of.
Not stone.
Not a crest.
Not a title.
People.
He climbed into the carriage.
Kain took the seat opposite him, while Lloyd settled beside the driver.
Sebastian followed Richard inside and took a seat beside him.
As the carriage began to move, Richard glanced back.
Claudia stood on the steps, her hands folded neatly before her as she silently watched them depart.
And a little farther away, near the stables, sat the white wolf cub.
It was watching the carriage as well.
Richard’s eyes met its gaze.
For a moment, he thought the creature’s silver eyes had grown brighter.
He frowned and looked away.
“Strange creature,” Sebastian remarked.
Richard looked at him.
“You noticed it too?” “It would be difficult not to.” Kain had remained silent the entire time.
Richard turned his attention toward him.
“Do you know something?” “No.” The answer came too quickly.
Richard narrowed his eyes slightly.
“You answered rather quickly.” Kain raised his gaze.
“I don’t know anything.” For several seconds, Richard studied him in silence, trying to determine whether he was telling the truth.
At last, he leaned back against the seat.
“Fine.” He turned toward the window.
But he did not fully trust the answer.
The city greeted them differently this time.
On his previous visit, Richard had looked at it through the eyes of an outsider, trying to understand what had changed during the years of his absence.
Now, he began noticing things he had never paid attention to before.
People recognized the carriage.
Some stepped aside.
Some bowed their heads.
But many simply stared.
There was no respect in their eyes.
No fear.
Only curiosity.
And some, upon noticing the Ravenhart crest, turned away altogether.
Richard frowned.
“They know who I am?” Sebastian did not answer immediately.
“Yes.” “But they aren’t pleased.” “Are you surprised?” Richard looked at him.
“A little.” Lloyd spoke quietly.
“You’ve barely been seen here in several years.” “And before that?” “You came rarely.” Richard looked out at the street again.
“So to them, I’m just a name.” Lloyd considered this for a moment.
“For most of them, yes.” The words struck Richard more deeply than he had expected.
House Ravenhart.
Old blood.
The crest.
The history.
Once, all of it had meant something.
Now, all that remained was a family name people remembered whenever taxes or old promises were mentioned.
Richard watched the city pass beyond the window and gradually understood one simple truth.
To these people, he was not the man he had once been.
He was a name from the past.
And if he wanted to change that, returning alone would not be enough.
The carriage turned onto the central street and soon came to a stop beside the city administration building.
Sebastian opened the door.
Richard took his cane and was about to step outside when his eyes lingered for a moment on the Ravenhart crest painted on the side of the carriage.
An old raven.
An old wolf.
Once, that crest had opened doors.
Now, he would have to prove all over again that the name behind it still meant something.
Richard stepped down from the carriage.
A man in his fifties was already waiting for them on the steps of the city administration building.
He wore a dark coat buttoned almost to the throat.
Silver had begun to show at his temples, but he carried himself straight, and his sharp, observant eyes belonged to someone accustomed to noticing far more than he ever said aloud.
He did not look frightened.
If anything, quite the opposite.
There was a quiet confidence about him—the kind possessed by a man who had spent too many years relying on no one but himself.
“Lord Ravenhart.” “You’re the administrator?” “Edmund Vale.” The man gave a slight bow.
Not too deep.
Richard noticed.
Vale straightened and calmly met his gaze.
“You wished to speak with me.” “Yes.” For a brief moment, he glanced at Sebastian, then at Lloyd and Kain.
He assessed each of them, lingering on them for no more than a second before returning his attention to Richard.
“But, if I’m being honest, I didn’t expect you to actually come.” Richard raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Why?” Vale did not bother softening his words.
“Because you never came before.” Sebastian tensed almost imperceptibly, but Richard stopped him with a single glance.
For several seconds, Richard simply looked at Vale.
The man did not look away.
He made no attempt to justify himself.
Nor did he try to win his lord’s favor.
Interesting.
Richard gave a slight nod.
“Then let’s correct that mistake.” For the first time, the faintest smile appeared on Vale’s face.
“Perhaps you really have changed.” He turned and headed inside.
Richard followed.
The interior of the administration building was colder than outside.
Richard noticed it almost immediately.
For a building where people were supposed to work throughout the day, it was strangely quiet.
The corridors seemed half-empty, and barely a voice could be heard coming from the rooms.
A weak fire burned in the large fireplace.
There was very little wood left.
Richard stopped beside it and looked at the flames.
“Saving fuel?” Vale did not even pretend not to understand what he meant.
“We have to.” His answer was calm, but there was weariness beneath it.
He led them farther inside, into his office.
A considerable stack of documents covered the desk.
Maps.
Accounts.
Letters.
Some of the papers were so old that their edges had already curled.
Richard stepped closer.
“All of this concerns the city?” “All of it.” Richard picked up the top document.
Taxes.
He turned the page.
The next document.
Road repairs.
Another.
City guard expenses.
Then grain purchases.
He continued reading in silence.
With every new page, his expression grew more focused.
The numbers did not add up.
Expenses were rising.
Revenue was falling.
And nearly every document revealed the same problem—there simply was not enough money.
Richard placed one of the sheets back on the desk.
“You pay taxes to the Ravenharts?” Vale looked at him.
“Yes.” “How much?” Vale gave him the figure.
Richard frowned.
For a city of this size, it was no small amount.
He looked back at the documents.
“And how much of that is returned to the city?” A brief silence settled over the office.
Vale did not answer immediately.
“Almost nothing.” Sebastian lowered his gaze.
Richard slowly placed the papers back down.
“Why?” “Because House Ravenhart has had almost no involvement in the administration.” Richard raised his eyes.
“And you still pay.” “By law.” “Even when practically none of that money comes back to you?” Vale shrugged.
“The law does not ask whether following it is convenient.” Richard was silent for several seconds.
Then he asked, “And if I were to reduce some of the taxes?” The room went quiet.
Even Kain, who had been standing against the wall, lifted his eyes.
Vale looked at Richard differently now.
Not as a young lord who merely needed to be informed.
But as a man whose decisions could actually change something.
He did not answer immediately.
“Then the city could breathe.” Richard frowned.
“But the House would lose revenue.” “The House is already losing it.” The words were spoken calmly.
There was no accusation in them.
And somehow, that made them more unpleasant than any reproach could have been.
Richard looked at the documents again.
He began putting the pieces together.
The estate was growing poorer.
The city was growing poorer.
People were leaving.
Trade was declining.
Taxes were still being collected, yet less and less of that money was making its way back to the people from whom it had been taken.
And the entire system continued to function only because no one had tried to stop it.
Everyone had simply grown accustomed to it.
Accustomed to empty streets.
To cold offices.
To shortages of money.
To the idea that House Ravenhart existed somewhere far away and rarely involved itself in what was happening here.
Richard slowly ran his fingers along the edge of one of the documents.
Only then did he realize that the situation was far worse than he had imagined.
The House had not merely been losing its influence.
For years, it had allowed everything around it to slowly fall apart.
And now, if Richard truly wanted to reclaim his name, it would not be enough simply to take his place as head of the House.
He would have to understand how to bring back to life everything that name had once meant.
Writing “How much would it take to rebuild the city?” Vale frowned, as though he had not immediately understood how seriously Richard was asking.
“In what sense?” “The roads.
The guard.
The market.
Trade.
Repairs to the buildings.” Richard spoke calmly, listing everything he had only recently begun to see as separate problems.
“How much would all of it cost?” Vale was silent for a moment.
“A great deal.” “Give me a number.” The administrator let out a heavy sigh before naming the sum.
Sebastian, standing nearby, exhaled quietly.
Even Kain’s expression shifted for a brief moment.
Richard merely nodded.
“All right.” Vale looked at him in surprise.
“All right?” “Yes.” “My lord, that is more than the House can afford right now.” “I know.” Vale frowned even deeper.
“Then why did you ask?” Richard set the papers aside and calmly met his eyes.
“Because I want to know how much it will cost to bring the city back.” For several seconds, silence settled over the office.
Vale studied Richard for a long moment, as though trying to determine whether the young lord truly understood what he was preparing to do.
And for the first time, there was something other than distrust in his eyes.
Interest.
“So you really intend to change things.” “Yes.” Vale slowly nodded.
“Then there is a problem.” Richard raised his gaze.
“What problem?” Vale walked over to the map of the city lying on the desk and unfolded it.
His finger stopped over the northern district.
“You won’t be able to rebuild the city until you deal with the port.” Richard stepped closer.
“Why?” “Merchants have stopped going there.” “Because of the bandits?” “Partly.” Richard looked at him.
“Garrett?” Vale shook his head.
“Garrett Crow does not control the port.” “Then who does?” Vale was silent for a moment.
“People you didn’t know existed until yesterday.” He pointed to several marks on the map.
“Over the last three months, new caravans have started appearing here.
Outsiders.
New warehouses.
New money.” Richard frowned.
“From where?” “The north.” Kain, who had been silently listening until then, finally spoke.
“You’re certain?” “Absolutely.” “How?” “Because I’ve seen their goods.” Vale stepped away from the map and approached an old cabinet.
He opened one of the drawers and took out a small metal object.
A spearhead.
Black, almost matte, yet far too smooth to be the work of an ordinary craftsman.
There was no rust on its surface, nor any signs of prolonged use.
Vale held it out to Richard.
“One of these was found among the cargo.” Richard took the spearhead.
And in that instant, the world seemed to disappear.
Cold.
Darkness.
A forest.
Snow.
Then—a face.
No.
Not a face.
Silver eyes staring directly at him from the darkness.
Richard’s fingers tightened around the metal.
Another image flashed through his memory.
A weapon.
The same one.
He had seen it before.
Long ago.
During the war.
And beside it stood someone Richard did not want to remember.
Someone who could no longer truly be called human.
Then came a voice.
Quiet.
Calm.
Far too close.
“When the seal weakens, you will see us again.” Richard’s eyes snapped open.
The spearhead slipped from his hand and struck the table with a dull metallic clang.
“My lord?” Sebastian took a step forward.
Richard was breathing heavily, struggling to regain control of himself.
“I’ve seen this before.” “Where?” Sebastian asked.
Richard looked at the spearhead.
He could have answered.
He could have told them the truth.
But the words caught somewhere inside him.
“I don’t know.” And yet he did know.
Not with his mind.
With his memory.
Vale carefully picked the spearhead up from the table.
“What did you feel?” Richard raised his eyes to him.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
“Nothing worth discussing here.” Vale did not respond.
But Kain was watching Richard far too closely.
An hour later, they left the city administration building.
Darkness was already beginning to settle over the streets.
A cold wind carried fine snow along the road, while the city slowly lit its first lamps.
Richard stopped on the steps.
He looked toward the port once more.
Then he turned to Kain.
“Kain.” “Yes?” “What do you think?” Kain studied the city for a while.
“Vale isn’t lying.” “I think so too.” “But he’s hiding something.” Richard looked at him.
“Now I agree with you.” Lloyd stepped closer.
“My lord.” “Yes?” “I want to check the port.” Kain immediately looked at him.
“Alone?” “No.” “Then I’m coming with you.” Lloyd nodded.
Richard remained silent for a moment, considering their proposal.
“All right.” Sebastian frowned.
“And you?” Richard looked toward the city.
Toward the old quarter.
Toward the place where the man he would have to meet was likely already waiting.
“I’m going to see Garrett.” Kain turned sharply toward him.
“My lord.” “Not now.” “Then when?” Richard looked at him.
“When he realizes I’m not the Richard he hates.” Kain said nothing.
But for the first time, something resembling respect appeared in his eyes.
Richard did not notice.
He looked north once more.
Toward the forests beyond the city.
Toward the place from which the weapons, strange rumors, and unfamiliar people had been coming.
Toward the place where the Ancient Tree had once stood.
And where, perhaps, the answer to why he had returned was waiting.
But before searching for an ancient immortal being, Richard had a much simpler problem to deal with.
His own city.
And the people who had already stopped waiting for him.
He turned toward Sebastian.
“How much money do we have left?” Sebastian looked at him as though he already knew Richard was not going to like the answer.
“You really want to know?” “Yes.” Sebastian paused.
“Then you’re going to like today even less.” Richard let out a weary sigh.
“I’m starting to get used to it.” They made their way toward the carriage.
Behind them remained the city administration building.
Ahead lay the port, Garrett, the north, and a mystery that was slowly beginning to awaken along with him.
But for the first time in many years, House Ravenhart had done something it had left undone for far too long.
It had begun to return.