Two days before Dreth's advance, Hajin found Orin planting six survey rods across the drained irrigation basin east of town.
The western evacuation line stood behind them, while the eastern watchpost watched every approach beyond the practice ground.
Mila's assessment packet identified Orin as a senior route-control Ranker, making the prepared field part of Hajin's sustained review.
Juna waited beside Loccy near the boundary stakes, and Vella kept her burned arm supported beneath a clinic wrap.
"Yenna requested a sustained comparison," Orin said, connecting blue mana between the rods, "I requested somewhere a failed turn will not kill anyone."
Each rod projected three crossing lines, creating a prepared lattice that tracked movement without changing the ground beneath it.
Small launch cups beside every intersection held chalk pellets, allowing Orin to mark openings he could have struck with steel.
