Frost painted everything overnight. The ground, the trees, even rooftops - all caught in a quiet glow.
Whole-body shaking, sound splitting the air - Sage had never felt anything like it during drills. Not careful repetition. Not step-by-step checks. Survival surged across four links at once, driven hard by need, held together by care, strengthened through sheer will to keep standing.
Strength jumped high. It wasn't just double - sixteen times stronger now. Speed followed, matching step for step. Each part of them stretched by the same measure. The group had changed, but still moved as one.
Frozen light poured from Sage's silver wolf. It burned brighter than most night sparks ever do.
