Clara checked the scar lines on her forearm one last time. The grafts pulsed faintly, mapping the strongest signal cluster like a living compass. "We move quiet. No heavy gear. Scar techniques only. If it gets bad, we cut and run. No heroes."
Kael nodded, adjusting the lightweight pack on his back. Flick stood beside him, her troupe of five minimalists blending into the shadows with practiced ease.
Soren had sent a specialist named Ryn, a thin man with echo grafts covering half his face. They were six total—small enough to stay under notice in Reset territory that no one had properly mapped yet.
They slipped out of the territory's edge at first light, using the new silent step technique. Each footfall drew on shared Weave threads to muffle sound and blur their outline. The terrain shifted fast.
