They left before sunrise. No horns sounded. No crowd gathered. The outer gate of New Crest slid open just wide enough, then sealed again behind them. Frost coated the ground beyond the wall, thin and brittle. Each step cracked softly.Lisa walked first. Her rifle stayed low but ready. She scanned left, then right, then forward again, repeating the pattern with steady precision. She wore no insignia. No mark of rank.Jonah followed five paces behind her. He carried no weapon. His pack was lighter than it should have been for a journey north. He noticed and said nothing.Kevin walked near the rear. The pack on his back was sealed in layered casing, wrapped with null-field mesh and pressure locks. The weight pulled his shoulders forward. Every few steps, he adjusted the straps, tightening them until his fingers went numb.The Breath-Born scouts moved differently. Three of them ranged ahead. Two drifted wide to the sides. They did not speak. Their eyes shifted in slow cycles, faint col