Day eighteen.
The morning was quiet. Cold air, pale sky, the mountain range stretching north in jagged layers. Kaiden's group moved through their routine with the wordless efficiency of people who'd done this enough times that communication was redundant.
Aria braided her hair. Luna cracked her knuckles and pulled her gauntlets on with the focused aggression of a woman preparing to commit violence. Nyx adjusted her armor in silence, using nothing but telekinesis. Bastet did nothing visibly, which meant she was already ready and had been for some time. Calypso stretched, popped her neck, and grinned at the sky like it owed her a fight.
Alice floated above his head in her Conduit form.
Kaiden buckled the last strap on his armor and stood.
"Let's go."
They walked.
The stream went live. Comments flooded in immediately, the overnight crowd from different time zones filling the chat with greetings, predictions, and the usual cascade of heart emojis.
