The road curved gently as they left the narrow pass behind.
No sudden turns.
No traps.
Just forward.
Kael kept walking at a steady pace.
Not fast.
Not cautious.
Certain.
Lira walked beside him, the bond calm between them.
She felt something new—not pressure.
Space.
"It feels like we're not being pulled anymore," she said.
Kael agreed.
Because nothing is chasing us.
They reached a wide stretch of land where old paths crossed and faded again.
Marks of movement without ownership.
Kael stopped.
This time, he didn't look for danger.
He looked for sense.
He chose the path that felt balanced, not urgent.
The others followed without question.
Jon spoke after a while.
"I used to think leaders shouted," he said.
"Told you where to go."
Kael felt the truth settle.
Shouting is for doubt.
The Seer nodded.
"Authority ends where trust begins."
They walked until the sun lowered and shadows grew long.
A small rise gave them a view of the land ahead.
Villages far apart.
Smoke thin and peaceful.
Lira felt something gentle move through the bond.
Not need.
Readiness.
"If something breaks again," she said,
"we'll feel it."
Kael's intent was steady.
And we'll decide then.
They rested briefly on the rise.
Kael sat down first.
Lira joined him.
The others followed naturally, spacing themselves without words.
No one waited for instruction.
No one feared choosing wrong.
As they stood again and moved on, Lira realized something.
This wasn't the calm before a storm.
It was what remained when storms stopped ruling decisions.
Behind them, the Empire's reach continued to thin.
Ahead, the world opened—not as territory—
but as possibility.
And Kael kept walking.
Not as a symbol.
Not as a commander.
Just as someone moving forward.
with others choosing to walk with him.