Robert moved alone beneath the thick canopy, each step placed with care. The forest ground was soft with rot and fallen leaves, but even softness could betray sound if weight shifted poorly. He controlled his breathing first, then his pulse, allowing his qi to settle inward instead of radiating outward. Shadow Step was not just speed; it was rhythm, timing, and restraint.
The others were fighting elsewhere. He could still faintly sense distant disturbances where Sai and the rest had clashed. Those ripples had faded now. That meant either victory or silence. He did not allow his mind to dwell on that.
His focus stayed forward. A broken twig lay half-pressed into damp soil. Not snapped by a beast. The break was angled, recent. A heel had turned there. Human, he thought.
Robert crouched and brushed his two fingers near the mark without touching it. The qi residue was faint but present. Suppressed carefully like trained killers.
