Emisarry Of Time And Space-Chapter 187: Split.

(A/N Big thanks to everyone for the Power stones and Golden tickets, they mean a lot. As usual, please don’t hesitate to comment or drop a review. ENJOY)

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They couldn’t just scatter.

That had been established long before their boots touched the soil of the Jade Forest. Reina’s Beacon connected them, yes—but connection without structure was just chaos waiting for an excuse. If they split poorly, they’d collapse poorly. And Orion had no intention of letting that happen.

He stood still for a brief moment, eyes half-lidded, awareness stretched thin across twelve distinct threads of presence. Each pulse of mana, each breath, each subtle shift in posture fed back to him through Reina’s link. It wasn’t overwhelming. It was information—raw, precise, usable.

Thirteen.

An awkward number.

Orion exhaled slowly and began assigning.

"We split into four teams," he said, voice calm and even. "Three per team."

No objections. No questions. They already knew this was coming.

"One forward. One rear. Two flanks."

He turned slightly, gaze moving through the group with deliberate focus, not lingering long enough for sentiment to creep in.

"I move alone."

That earned a few glances, but no one argued. They all knew the reason. Orion was the fastest among them. The strongest. His coverage radius dwarfed everyone else’s. If anything went wrong—anywhere—he would be there first.

"The four teams will maintain half a distal of separation from each other," he continued. "That keeps us well within Reina’s Beacon range while giving us room to maneuver independently."

{A/N :A distal is just over a kilometer in Velastra.}

Close enough to respond. Far enough to avoid collective detection.

"This isn’t a temporary split," Orion added. "We’re here for two months. Situations will change. Be prepared to operate independently if needed."

That landed heavier than anything else he’d said.

Then he started assigning names.

"For the front—scouting unit."

He looked ahead, eyes sharp.

"Thaddeus."

Thaddeus inclined his head slightly, already half-vanishing from perception as his presence thinned instinctively.

"Arlen."

Arlen straightened, expression sharpening. His sensing abilities were second only to Orion’s in the group, and everyone knew it.

"Selene."

Selene nodded calmly, already stepping closer to the other two.

Thaddeus made sense. He was practically invisible to most forms of sensing and could range far ahead without drawing attention. Arlen would give them early warnings no one else could catch, and Selene—Selene was balance. She kept Arlen from overreaching and Thaddeus from pushing boundaries just to see what happened. Her spatial extension gave the team options if things went sideways.

"Rear unit."

Orion turned.

"Daenys."

Daenys grinned immediately, cracking her knuckles.

"Galen."

Galen nodded, already thinking.

"Rhyden."

Rhyden rolled his shoulders once, eyes bright.

That team was momentum incarnate. Daenys and Rhyden could respond explosively to threats from either flank, while Galen anchored them mentally. He’d stop them from charging into something stupid—most of the time.

"Right flank. East."

Orion shifted his stance.

"Kaelen."

Kaelen’s jaw tightened, fire simmering behind his eyes.

"Reina."

Reina blinked once, then nodded. She’d expected it.

"Caelum."

Caelum stepped forward smoothly, already aligning himself with the others.

That team was steady. Controlled. Kaelen brought ferocity, Caelum brought restraint, and Reina—Reina was the lynchpin. Keeping her protected while maintaining Beacon integrity mattered more than raw combat output.

"Left flank. West."

"Erevan."

Erevan cracked his neck lazily.

"Seris."

Seris smirked, already scanning their surroundings.

"Jalen."

Jalen nodded sharply.

That group was combat-oriented to its core. Aggressive, adaptable, dangerous. If something tried to push in from the west, it would regret it.

And then there was Orion.

The all-rounder.

The pivot.

The contingency.

He didn’t assign himself aloud. He didn’t need to.

They all felt his presence settle into the center of the web Reina had woven. Not dominating. Not suffocating. Just... there. Watching. Listening.

"Distances stay consistent," Orion said. "Adjust only if terrain forces it. If Beacon strain spikes, Reina speaks up immediately."

Reina nodded again. No hesitation.

"Engagement rules remain the same," Orion continued. "Avoid contact unless necessary. Information takes priority over conflict."

A pause.

"If you’re engaged, disengage fast unless you’re certain you can end it cleanly."

That wasn’t bravado. It was calculation.

They were young. Talented—but young. And every other group here was older, more experienced, and likely less restrained.

They moved.

No dramatic farewells. No final looks back.

Each unit peeled away smoothly, separating at measured intervals, their figures dissolving into the dense undergrowth. The Jade Forest swallowed sound quickly. Leaves muffled footsteps. Thick roots broke up movement patterns. Even mana signatures felt dampened, distorted by the ambient energy saturating the soil.

Orion stayed still until the last team slipped out of immediate sight.

Then he moved.

His pace was steady, covering ground efficiently while keeping his awareness stretched wide. Twelve threads tugged gently at his consciousness—constant reminders of where everyone was, how fast they were moving, how their positioning shifted relative to him. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

For now, everything was smooth.

The forest was immense.

Even Orion, with his perception sharpened far beyond human norms, could feel the scale pressing in. The Jade Forest wasn’t just large—it was absurdly so. The trees alone stretched upward like pillars holding the sky, their trunks thick enough that some could house entire rooms within.

And this was just the outer edge.

Orion’s mind worked quietly, calculations ticking away beneath the surface.

From the info he’d read about the Jade forest, the forest spanned at least half a million distals in length.

Five hundred thousand.

That meant reaching the center—assuming their target lay there—would require roughly two hundred and fifty thousand distals of travel.

At their current average movement speed of a thousand distals per hour, nonstop, it would take more than ten days.

But that was theoretical.

They would need to rest. Hide. Adjust. React to terrain, enemies, and unforeseen complications.

Fifteen days to reach the center was a more realistic estimate.

A month total for travel, engagement, retrieval, and return.

That left them with exactly one month of operational flexibility.

Not generous.

But manageable.

Assuming nothing went catastrophically wrong.