Kael didn't slow his pace as he left the training grounds behind.
The path curved gently uphill, away from the settlement's core and toward a stretch of elevated ground dotted with old stone markers. The structures here were older than the houses' influence—left intact not out of respect, but inconvenience.
Pressure followed him.
Not overt. Not aggressive.
Curious.
Kael felt it brush against his awareness like fingers testing water temperature. Someone was probing carefully, measuring how he responded when he knew he was being watched.
He adjusted his breathing.
The pressure slid off him, redirected, absorbed into motion rather than resisted.
That earned a reaction.
Footsteps approached from behind—deliberate, unhurried. Not a patrol. Too quiet for that.
"Independent," a voice said calmly. "You've been noticed."
Kael stopped and turned.
The man facing him wore plain clothing reinforced at the seams, the kind favored by those who expected conflict but didn't want to announce it. No crest was visible, but the way he stood—balanced, centered—spoke of formal training.
"I don't remember asking to be," Kael said.
The man's lips twitched. "Few do."
His gaze dropped briefly—to Kael's hands. Empty.
No blade. No weapon.
That seemed to please him.
"Unarmed," the man observed. "Bold. Or careless."
"Neither," Kael replied. "Situational."
The man chuckled softly. "Good answer."
He shifted his weight slightly.
Kael felt the pressure spike.
Not enough to crush. Enough to provoke.
Kael didn't step back.
Instead, he stepped through it.
The pressure slid past him as he rotated his shoulder and adjusted his stance, redirecting the force the same way one might guide a current rather than block it. The ground beneath his feet scuffed quietly.
The man blinked.
Pressure wasn't meant to be handled like that.
"Interesting," he said.
He increased the force—still controlled, still measured.
Kael responded in kind.
He closed the distance in two steps.
No strike. No flourish.
Just proximity.
The pressure collapsed inward, destabilized by the sudden lack of space to act.
The man reacted instantly, shifting back, breaking contact before the imbalance could worsen.
They stood a few feet apart, neither breathing hard.
Kael hadn't raised his hands once.
"Unarmed," the man said slowly, "does not mean helpless."
Kael met his gaze. "Weapons announce intent."
"And you?" the man asked.
Kael didn't answer.
After a moment, the man nodded once, satisfied.
"Stay visible," he said. "Some of us prefer knowing where the lines are."
He turned and walked away.
Kael watched him go.
The pressure faded—but not entirely.
This wasn't a challenge.
It was a marker.
The houses were mapping him now.
And Kael remained unarmed.
For the moment.