The ground shook under Garden Prime for the third time that hour. Sabrina stood at the edge of the newly exposed shaft, her boots planted on cracked stone that glowed with faint blue lines.
The veil flare had done this—ripped open the progenitor ruins buried beneath the hybrid forests. What was once dead rock now hummed with power.
"Team, form up," she said into her comm. "Garrick, take point with the Ironseeds. Kaelin, stay close to me. Nomads, watch the flanks. We move careful."
Garrick grunted acknowledgment. The veteran's armor looked even more battered in the dim light filtering down from above.
Kaelin, the young progenitor descendant, adjusted the strap on his scanner rig and gave a quick nod. Three Nomad scouts melted into the shadows ahead, their steps silent on the uneven floor.
From orbit, Luna's voice came through clean and steady. "Oath link is stable. Flora and I have full visual on your feeds. The ruins are mapping themselves in real time. Watch for shifts."
