Sylas peered around, his eyes scanning the shadows as he tried to spot her among the trees. The sunlight and the leaves of the trees made the landscape seem like a labyrinth of moving shapes, but there—just beyond the edge of the clearing—he saw her. She had started to move, slowly at first, but with a decisive step in the direction of the manor.

A heavy sigh escaped him, though he quickly caught it in his throat, as a rush of relief washed over him. It was a small but important victory—she had given in to her senses, at last. The stubborn defiance in her gaze from earlier had started to fade, and she was now following him, albeit with a certain reluctance. That’s what made it all the more satisfying. She had been determined to go her own way, to survive this wild, unforgiving terrain on her own. But now, she was acknowledging what he’d known all along: survival here—on these lands—was no easy feat.

The realisation hit him harder than he'd expected. There was no way she could have managed it alone, not out here. The forests around his manor were thick with dangers—wild animals, the land itself, and the remnants of old, forgotten magic that still lingered in the air. Her decision to follow him, while begrudging, was the right one, and deep down, Sylas felt a strange sort of pride in it.

She wasn’t weak, not by any means. But she was human, and this place was no place for one who was still learning the rules of its wilderness. And while he had no intention of coddling her, a part of him couldn’t help but feel protective. There were too many things in these woods that had no mercy—things he understood all too well. It wasn’t just the creatures that roamed freely, but the history, the subtle curses buried in the land itself, that would have claimed her in a heartbeat if she had been left to wander.

His gaze lingered on her for a moment longer. She didn’t know it yet, but she was safer in his company than she would ever be alone out here. He wasn’t sure if she would come to see it that way, but in the end, it didn’t matter. She had made the right choice, even if she didn’t fully understand why just yet.

Sylas turned back toward the path leading to the manor, his steps steady and deliberate. He didn’t look over his shoulder, but he knew she was following, albeit at a distance. That was fine. He had time. She would come around in her own time. But for now, the most important thing was getting her to safety. He would worry about everything else later.

The manor, looming on the horizon, felt strangely comforting now—a solid, stable place amidst the wilderness that surrounded them both. If she could survive the journey there, she might just make it through the worst of what was to come.