(Meanwhile, on Planet Ixtal, Leo's POV)
"Why don't you try this on for size?"
The moment those words reached him through the livestream, goosebumps spread across Leo's skin as his breath caught for a fraction of a second, not because he was startled or uncertain, but because something deep inside him had already recognized the intent behind them, as though Soron had reached across space itself and pressed a switch that had been waiting to be flipped.
'That's the signal.'
Leo thought as he straightened immediately, the tension in his shoulders shifting into controlled readiness as his body responded faster than conscious thought, his hand clenching once before relaxing as his gaze hardened and his posture changed just enough for the Cult Commanders around him to notice.
No orders were spoken.
They did not need to be.
