The two groups seemed to immediately understand the implications of Kael's words.
Not because they liked hearing it. Not because they wanted to admit it out loud. But because it settled over the street like a hard, undeniable weight, something even pride couldn't shrug off.
Even if they didn't like it, he was right, even if they didn't want to agree, he was still right.
A hidden piece can change the fate of a climber. And if it's this early, it can mean the difference between life and death.
It wasn't just greed that pulled them into stillness; it was that sharp, ugly certainty: the kind of advantage you got once, early, and never again. The kind of thing that rewrote the rest of your climb before you even understood what the rest of your climb was.
"Come here, Kael," The Sun Clan boss said.
