Dawn broke not with clarity but with thick mist curling between the trunks of tall boned trees, their leaves heavy with dew. Gin stirred first. The world smelled the same damp bark, loamy earth and fading traces of energy friction from the night before but something else lingered. A faint dissonance. Not energy, not scent. Something more elusive.
The others rose slowly. Mira emerged from beneath a canopy of vines, her eyes calm, her gait smooth. Lucy followed, stretching her limbs without a word, hair a little tousled but steps light despite the absence of any core strength. Across the makeshift camp, Xingning and Jean surfaced, slightly delayed, their shared aura unusually harmonious. Alice, as always stepped out last, perfectly composed, her pale eyes unreadable.
They began walking soon after, no one bothering to speak. And slowly increased their speed picking up the usual pace.
