The ground sloped downward as they moved on.
Stone gave way to packed earth.
Easier to walk.
Easier to breathe.
Kael walked in front.
Not because anyone told him to—
but because the others naturally fell into step behind him.
Lira noticed it.
She didn't comment.
The bond carried her thought to him anyway.
You're leading without trying.
Kael felt it and didn't resist.
They reached a narrow pass between two low hills.
Wind funneled through it, cool and steady.
Kael stopped there.
He didn't sit immediately.
He looked ahead first.
Listened.
Nothing pressed back.
No watchers.
No tension.
Only distance.
He sit down near a flat stone.
Lira joined him, close enough that their shoulders touched.
Jon and Sera settled a little farther back, giving space without being told.
"That feels different," Sera said quietly.
Kael felt Lira's question form.
"Different how?"
Sera thought for a moment.
"Like we didn't stop because we were tired," she said.
"We stopped because it was right."
Kael understood.
That's how it should be.
The Seer stood a short distance away, staff planted in the soil.
"This is what remains when urgency dies," he said.
"Intention."
Kael looked out through the pass.
The land beyond wasn't empty.
It was open.
Paths crossing.
Choices waiting.
Lira leaned slightly into him.
"Kael… do you ever miss when it was just survival?"
He considered the question.
His intent came slow and honest.
Survival was loud.
This is quieter.
But it lasts.
She smiled faintly.
They didn't stay long.
Kael stood first.
The others followed.
No signal needed.
As they moved through the pass, Lira felt it again—
not a pull from others,
but alignment among themselves.
Kael walking first.
Not commanding.
Not demanding.
Simply moving.
and being followed because it made sense.
Behind them, the hills closed in silence.
Ahead, the road widened again.
And whatever came next—
They would meet it the same way.
Step by step.
Together.