Asher didn't move from the breach point.
He memorized it.
Absolute Appraisal locked onto the pattern—how the space folded, how the poison origin thinned just before extraction, how the breach avoided damaging the domain's structure. It was efficient and practiced.
"They come on a schedule," Asher said. "Not random."
The Ivy Queen stood behind him, silent but focused.
"How long?" she asked.
"Short cycles," Asher answered. "They don't stay more than a few breaths. Long enough to harvest. Not long enough to be traced normally."
He placed his palm against the ground again. This time, he didn't just observe.
He adjusted the domain's response.
Not enough to alert the intruders.
Not enough to cause resistance.
Just enough to mark the flow.
A subtle change. Invisible to most.
"They won't notice," Asher said. "But when they open the breach again, it will carry a signature."
The Ivy Queen nodded once. "Then we wait."
They didn't wait long.
