Chapter 141

• The manor no longer felt like a haven.
• It felt like a memory—something soft, fragile, already fading beneath the weight of what was coming.
• Damien moved through the halls with fast, practiced steps. He packed in silence: weapons first, then dry food, medical kits, maps. Everything had a place. Everything had a reason. His hands worked faster than his thoughts, but the pressure behind his eyes told him the fear hadn’t gone anywhere.