Leaf Team entered the yard quietly. Not cautious. Not hesitant. Simply aware.
The training yard had the look of a place that had been taken over quickly. Dirt churned too fresh in the sparring ring. Weapon racks moved closer to the center than discipline normally allowed. Spectators leaning along the stone walls with the kind of anticipation that followed dangerous fighters.
Snow Team had only been in Vineyard for a week. The yard already moved to their rhythm.
Dimitri stepped through the gate first. His silence domain expanded automatically.
It did not require effort. It never had. The field rolled outward in a steady, invisible wave that pressed down on the yard like atmospheric pressure. Power systems dulled when they touched it. Abilities slowed. Edges softened.
Most powers simply stopped behaving properly around him.
The duel in the center of the yard continued anyway.
