Dreyden turned his attention forward.
"Move," he said. "We retrieve cores and leave."
Lucas's jaw tightened. "No argument?"
"We can argue after we're alive."
That earned him a brief, almost surprised look from Lucas.
Then Lucas nodded once, like he accepted the logic even if he hated the feeling.
They moved as a unit, not cohesive but functional—four vectors forced into parallel motion.
As they advanced, the first guardian emerged.
Not a monster.
A construct.
It rose from behind a toppled wall—eight feet tall, made of layered stone and metal plates, joints glowing faintly with pale blue energy.
Its head had no eyes.
Just a vertical slit that pulsed.
It turned toward them.
And the air thickened.
Lucas's sword came up immediately.
Raisel's wind gathered around her fingers like invisible thread.
Karel's barrier thickened.
Dreyden didn't activate anything.
Not yet.
He watched the construct's energy flow.
Not mana.
Not magic energy.
