The group moved deeper—but not as smoothly anymore.
Something had changed.
Riven kept watching Kael.
Nyra stayed unusually close.
Aelira observed everything.
Silas spoke less.
And Seris—
Seris began recalculating.
At camp, tension finally broke.
"You hesitated back there," Seris said.
Kael looked up. "I stopped a fight."
"You stopped an advantage," she corrected.
Lira stepped in. "He stopped a misunderstanding."
Seris didn't look at her.
"I don't deal in misunderstandings."
Riven muttered, "That explains a lot."
Seris shot him a glance that could cut metal.
Kael stood. "If I didn't stop you, we would've triggered something we don't understand."
Aelira crossed her arms. "And you think we're avoiding that?"
Silas added quietly, "We already triggered something."
Silence.
Nyra spoke gently. "We're being guided whether we like it or not."
That landed harder than expected.
Kael looked at them all.
"…We're not aligned anymore."
Lira frowned. "We are."
Kael shook his head slightly.
"No. We're interpreting the same fire differently."
The Ember Core pulsed once.
Strong.
Displeased.
The forest responded.
Something moved in the distance.
And this time—
It was closer.