The forge had finally settled into a quieter rhythm, the kind that came after the day's violence of hammering and quenching. Coals still breathed, not roaring, just alive enough to stain the air with warmth and soot.
Ludwig sat where Andre had left him, Noctivex cradled in his hand like a truce that could still be broken, and Nightbreaker rested nearby with the patient menace of a thing that never truly slept. He was turning Andre's hint over in his head again, not the words, the meaning behind them, and how quickly the answer had snapped into place once he stopped trying to command and started trying to listen.
The door opened soon as Ludwig was contemplating on what to do next. And how to plan his future advents.
