Group 417 gathered before the bronze entrance beneath the shadow of the Sealed Pavilion.
Seven figures.
Seven breaths.
Seven different intentions.
The Pavilion towered ahead of them, its ancient eaves curved like a silent warning. Red pillars rose on either side of the entrance, carved with talismans and old script that glowed faintly beneath the morning light. Above the archway, a circular seal pulsed once...slow, deliberate...like a heart.
Jin Yue stood near the back of the group, quiet, observant.
Ba Ryou stood to his right, posture relaxed but eyes sharp.
The remaining five members were varied:
A fire pulse cultivator with too much confidence, Huo Zhen.A twin-blade lightning user who looked restless, Lei Fan.An earth pulse brute with broad shoulders, Shan Rui.A quiet healer-type with faint wood pulse traces, Mu Qing.And one lean strategist who had not spoken once, Yun Ke.
The bronze doors groaned open.
A hollow wind exhaled from within.
