The land beyond the ridge was wide and open.
No walls.
No markers.
Just grass and sky stretching in every direction.
Lira felt exposed.
"Kael… there's nothing to hide behind here."
He felt it too.
And nothing to control.
The Seer walked a little ahead, staff tapping lightly.
"This is where the Empire loses its grip fastest," he said.
"Open land remembers freedom."
They crossed the plains steadily.
By midday, the heat settled heavy on their backs.
Sera slowed, breathing harder.
Lira touched her shoulder.
"We'll rest soon."
Before they could stop—
A horn sounded behind them.
Sharp.
Single.
Kael turned instantly.
Scouts.
Three riders appeared on a distant rise.
Empire colors.
Light armor.
Not a strike force.
A probe.
Lira felt the bond tense but not spike.
"They found us," Jon said quietly.
The Seer shook his head.
"No," he said.
"They found where you were."
The riders did not charge.
They stopped at the ridge, watching.
Waiting.
Lira felt something strange.
No pressure.
No threat.
Just… expectation.
"They're waiting for us to react," she realized.
Kael understood.
They want confirmation.
The Seer nodded.
"Orders require response," he said.
"Silence confuses them."
The riders raised a banner slightly—signal for engagement.
Lira felt Kael's question through the bond.
Do we move?
She shook her head.
"No."
They didn't run.
They didn't advance.
They sat.
On the open plain.
Still.
The riders waited.
Minutes passed.
Heat shimmered.
No reaction came.
Finally, one rider lifted a horn again.
Paused.
Then lowered it.
Confusion rippled through them.
After a moment, the riders turned and retreated.
Sera let out a breath she'd been holding.
"They… left."
Lira nodded.
"They needed us to play a role."
Kael felt a deep certainty settle.
And we didn't.
The Seer smiled faintly.
"When no one answers," he said,
"authority echoes back on itself."
They resumed walking, calm unbroken.
Far away, a report reached the heir.
No resistance.
No flight.
No confrontation.
Just… nothing.
He stared at the message for a long time.
Then he crushed it in his hand.
Silence was becoming his enemy.
Because power depends on response.
And the world—
Was learning how to stop answering.