Ren gave his mushroom the heads up…
In that exact same fraction of a second, the runic casings surrounding the five pillars of the star array snapped open, exposing the guardian cores and heart crystals resting at their hearts.
That was the Vanguard's cue.
Liora, Larissa, Luna, Sirius, and Liu materialized directly beside the five stone pillars.
They had initiated their approach the moment Ren gave the signal, arriving just as the mechanisms disengaged. Each commander had been assigned a specific pillar, executing a highly synchronized spatial jump that deposited them exactly where they needed to be on the very millisecond the locks opened. Liu, in particular, had spent the entire previous day rigorously practicing his shadow jumps, refining his spatial awareness until he could emerge mere inches from his designated target.
