The Broken Halo

[Operation Crownless Dawn]

Simon stared at the words written across the rolled hide.

The name told him nothing, but the document was stored beside a Murmur Bone and a Black Banner command seal. Several sealing runes also protected it.

Whatever was written inside was important enough for the rebel leader to hide it separately from his personal belongings.

Sonya moved closer to the table and rested one hand against its edge.

"Well? Open it."

Simon ignored her impatient tone and examined the red cord binding the dark hide.

Tiny runes were woven through its fibres, and one end of the cord had fused with the document. If he pulled it carelessly, the formation would burn the letter from the inside.

Simon picked up the Black Banner command seal.

The torn banner carved into it matched one of the symbols on the cord. When he brought both objects closer, the three short lines beneath the banner began glowing.

Akaza noticed the reaction, and his gaze sharpened slightly.

"The seal is also a key?"

"It seems so."

Simon pressed the command seal against the centre of the rolled hide.

Hum!

The sealing runes lit up one after another. The red cord loosened on its own, slid away from the document, and fell onto the table.

Simon waited for several seconds to ensure that there was no second protection.

When nothing else happened, he carefully unrolled the dark hide.

It was a letter.

Black writing covered most of its inner surface, while certain names and sentences were written in crimson.

At the top were three lines.

[To the Third Eastern Warden.]

[By order of the Second Claw beneath the Eastern Hand.]

[Operation Crownless Dawn.]

Akaza glanced at the command seal.

"The rebel Sonya killed was the Third Eastern Warden."

"Most likely," Simon replied. "The three lines on the seal probably represented his authority."

Sonya rested her chin on her palm.

"Read it out loud."

Simon briefly glanced at her before returning his attention to the letter.

He began reading aloud.

"Third Warden, do not allow the impatience of your cell to ruin years of preparation. The Gate is not our enemy, and it must remain alive. Velmora must struggle, spend, and bleed, but it must not fall. Break the eastern convoys, remove isolated formation masters, and damage the secondary anchors whenever a clean opportunity appears. The primary anchors are forbidden targets. Any demon who attempts to destroy the Gate completely, regardless of rank or reason, is to be killed."

Sonya’s brows rose slightly.

"I’m guessing the gate is the rift, which means they never wanted to close the rift."

"You’re right," Akaza said as he looked at the letter. "But why would they want to delay the opening of the rift if they don’t want it to be closed?"

Sonya looked at the letter.

"There’s more in the letter. I’m sure we’ll find out very soon."

Simon remained silent and continued reading.

"The White Crown has not entered Velmora, and the Seven Seats remain scattered across the east. Until the Crown arrives and every Seat is occupied, the first bell must not sound. The convoy under your watch carries two of the road’s bones. Take them intact and send them through the seventh ash route. Burn everything you cannot move. Velmora will order replacements, and if those replacements come, take what the Chrysalis still lacks and burn the rest again."

Simon paused with a slight furrow of his brows.

The letter was written for someone who already understood its codes.

White Crown.

Seven Seats.

Road’s bones.

First bell.

Chrysalis.

None of them were explained, and Simon had no idea what each meant.

It was obvious that the rebel leader Sonya killed who was called the Third Warden understood these codes.

However, Simon could make one or two guesses from this paragraph of the message.

The attack on the convoy was not merely meant to deprive Velmora of resources. Black Banner wanted specific materials from it.

Anything the rebels could not carry would be destroyed, forcing Velmora to order replacements and giving them another opportunity to steal what they needed.

Sonya tapped one finger against the table.

"What is the White Crown?"

Simon shook his head.

"I don’t know."

Sonya frowned slightly.

"And the Seven Seats?"

Simon gave her a strange look along with raised brows.

"And how do you expect me to know that?"

She shrugged.

"I don’t know. You seem to know everything."

Simon shook his head and decided not to say anything. He moved to the next part of the letter.

"The Chrysalis remains incomplete. It cannot create a road of its own. It must listen to another road, remember its shape, and feed upon its destination before it can hatch. The Seven Nails have entered their positions. Once the Gate reaches Red Stability, each Nail will record one part of its coordinates. No Nail is to move before then unless its disguise has failed."

"The Third Warden will provide the stolen bones of the road and one secondary stabilization core. Without them, the Chrysalis may remember the path but fail to hold it. Remember this well, Velmora must pay for the road. We will take its reflection."

Akaza’s expression changed.

"Why does this sound like a spatial artifact?"

"Because it is. Most likely one that can copy an existing rift," Simon replied.

He had never encountered or heard of this Chrysalis in his past life or this life, but he understood the principle behind it because he had experienced a similar situation where a rift was copied.

At this point, he sort of understood the plan of Black Banner.

The artifact could not open a road to Earth on its own.

Velmora would pay for the spatial experts, formations, stabilization cores, hell stones, and manpower required to establish the passage.

The Chrysalis would quietly study everything.

Then it would steal a reflection of the completed road.

Simon continued reading.

"The stolen road will not carry Lords, nor will it endure the weight of Half-Step Lords. Send only those beneath that rank. Small blades may cross unseen. Heavy swords will break the sheath. The branch will remain alive only for a short time, but that time will be enough for those who know its true purpose."

Sonya’s lips curled slightly.

"That limitation is not completely bad."

Akaza looked at her.

"It means their strongest demons cannot cross."

Sonya crossed her arms.

"It also means powerful enemies cannot easily chase them through it."

Simon gave a slight nod and moved to the next paragraph.

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