The garden of the citadel was a labyrinth of manicured hedges and silver-leafed trees that seemed to breathe in the cool night air. Julian walked aimlessly, his boots making no sound on the damp moss. The palace guards paced the battlements above, their armor gleaming under the moonlight, yet they looked right through him as if he were nothing more than a trick of the mist. He felt thin, his edges blurring into the darkness of the surrounding woods.
He stopped by a stone basin filled with still, black water. Leaning over the edge, he looked for his reflection. There was a face staring back, but the eyes were hollow, devoid of the fire that had once fueled his crusade against the Void. He possessed the physical strength of a warrior, but he lacked the narrative to anchor it. He was a man w
