A few days later
Lovigary's voice cracked with urgency as he followed closely behind his father, who walked with hollow, unfeeling steps down the desolate and ruined halls of the once-grand Albert family estate. The walls bore the scars of past battles, the windows shattered, and the once-lustrous floors now cracked and broken beneath their feet.
"You don't have to do this, Father!" Lovigary shouted, his voice raw with emotion. "Mother is gone... gone for good. Listening to that maniac won't bring her back. We need to focus on getting Arianna before it's too late!"
But Laden—his father—kept walking, his eyes vacant, as though the weight of Lovigary's words didn't even reach him. His face was a blank mask, the deep furrows of his once-proud features now etched with despair. He moved mechanically, each step heavy, as though the burden of his grief was the only thing propelling him forward.
