The shift happened without anyone announcing it.
They moved out again once everyone was steady enough to walk, but the shape of the group changed on its own, like water finding a new channel. Clara ended up in the middle without being told to go there. It wasn't subtle, and it wasn't forced either—just a quiet convergence as Elena matched her pace on one side and the others adjusted around them.
Charlotte walked a half-step behind, eyes lifting to every rooftop and broken corner without making a show of it. Selene did the same on the opposite side, gaze distant but alert, reading the pull of mana and weight like she always did. Garron stayed forward despite his arm, posture still squared out of habit, even if his reach was shorter now.
Noel noticed all of it.
They made it two streets in before Clara spoke, her voice calm but tight in that way it got when she was holding something back.
