Three days of preparation brought them to the edge of something Ashworth wasn't willing to rush any further.
"We attempt a controlled activation," she said, gathering the group in the same tent that had housed the resonance testing. "Small. Deliberate. If your body begins mirroring the counterseal signature under controlled conditions, we monitor exactly how far it goes before we ever consider doing this anywhere near the Vaelmyr itself."
"And if it goes wrong?" Caleb asked, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.
"Then we stop immediately. That's non-negotiable." Ashworth looked to Wren. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Victor settled into the same chair, Wren's fingers finding his temple with practiced familiarity now, though the tension in her posture hadn't eased despite the repetition.
