"Are you guys… planning to go back on your word?"
Kael spoke in a low, steady voice, but his expression had already changed. His face, which had just relaxed after an intense battle, turned cold again as he looked around and saw the soldiers around him.
Something was different.
Before, they had surrounded him in a simple circle—keeping distance, cautious of both him and Igni.
But now… the pattern had changed.
The soldiers and their beasts moved in a calculated rhythm, shifting positions until Kael noticed it—
And by the time Kael was done fighting, they had changed their formation.
Now, two main groups had emerged—one tightening around him, the other spreading into a wider arc around Igni.
Thin, glowing lines of blue energy connected the flying beasts and soldiers in the air, forming a double-layered barrier that shimmered faintly in the dawn light.
Above them, three more squads hovered at sharp angles, closing the vertical escape routes.
