They did not escape the catchment area of the scrubbed node.
Zeus initially took the shift in residual force under his ribs as aftershock from the forced evaporation of the emptied court. It remained low but insistent, a stuttering wave of memory interrupting someone's sentence. Athena sensed the alteration in his breathing and moved to his side. So did Tohu.
"Talk," Tohu said.
"It is not climbing into a surge," Zeus said. 'It is trying to open."
They had taken position in a shallow pocket that flanked the judgment-scarred lane, far enough from open passage to retreat if necessary but tight enough to keep out the ordinary traffic. Jehovah's supervision mark hovered at the perimeter. Serais observers remained at greater distance. The nine stood in approximate ring formation without instruction.
The force seized hard enough to buckle Zeus to a knee
"Zeus!" Poseidon took a step forward.
