The Broken Halo

Simon remained behind the eastern grate even after hearing the words of the Fourth Shroud.

The Fourth Shroud waited for a few seconds, then a faint smile appeared beneath his lowered hood.

"You can remain there if that makes you feel safer."

Simon said nothing.

The Nethri Demon glanced at the dead Hazard Officer before returning his gaze to the dark passage.

"I know you changed the direction of my needle. And I know you’re the stranger she contacted through the Warden’s Bone."

His poison vents opened slightly beside his neck, releasing more poison into the chamber and increasing its concentration.

"You’re also not doing a very good job of hiding your aura anymore."

Simon’s eyes narrowed but before he could respond, a violent impact struck the main door.

BANG!

Thin cracks spread across its inner surface, and this signified that the captain and Ossik would enter soon.

There was no longer any value in remaining inside the passage.

Simon opened the grate and stepped into the treatment chamber.

The Fourth Shroud studied him from head to toe. His eyes paused on the protective garment, then slowly moved toward the two smooth masks covering Simon’s face.

However, what surprised him most was the aura Simon allowed to escape.

"Minor Archfiend?"

The expression on the assassin’s face briefly changed to one of confusion.

He spread his perception across Simon’s body, searching for the fluctuations of an artifact or technique concealing a stronger Demon Heart.

He found none.

A powerful concealment artifact could hide a demon’s rank, but it usually created small inconsistencies. Sometimes, the body, pathways, and Demon Heart would not always match the aura being displayed.

Simon’s aura possessed no such flaw.

He was truly a Minor Archfiend.

The Fourth Shroud stared at him for several seconds before laughing softly.

"This is getting ridiculous."

Simon walked farther into the chamber and stopped beside the corpse of the First Hazard Officer.

"What is?"

"You."

The Nethri Demon looked genuinely amused now.

"A Minor Archfiend stole the Eastern Warden’s possessions, knows about Crownless Dawn, spoke like an equal to Her, and then sneaked into Black Horn."

His laughter faded.

"Either you’re hiding something far more dangerous than your rank, or Blackmoon is much more foolish than the reports suggested."

Simon merely tilted his head at the mention of his name, but he didn’t confirm it or deny it.

Confirming or denying his identity served no purpose. The Fourth Shroud might possess a hidden communication artifact, a memory-recording formation, or another method of sending information after death.

"You sound certain," Simon said.

The Fourth Shroud scoffed.

"Because it all makes sense. Blackmoon is a Minor Archfiend and Sonya was the one that destroyed the cell. You’re also their leader, and you accompanied her here today."

He glanced at Simon’s concealed head.

"Now, a Minor Archfiend wearing a stolen Black Horn identity is standing before me."

His smile returned.

"You are Blackmoon."

Simon remained indifferent.

"Believe whatever makes your death easier."

The Nethri Demon’s smile slowly disappeared.

Another impact struck the reinforced door.

BANG!

The cracks grew wider.

Neither demon could hear the voices on the other side. The treatment chamber had been designed to keep interrogations and a prisoner’s screams from travelling beyond its walls.

The captain, Ossik, and the guards could not hear them either.

For the moment, they were alone with the vice-leader who was weak and trembling in fear. He didn’t completely understand what was going on.

The Fourth Shroud shifted the black needle away from the prisoner’s neck.

"You came here for information."

Simon looked at him.

"And you haven’t killed me because you want to know what I know, whether I’ve told anybody else, and where I placed the Warden’s seal."

The Nethri Demon became quiet, and Simon’s lips curled faintly beneath his masks.

"So we both want something."

"You think this is a negotiation?"

"Well, you’re still talking."

For a brief moment, the assassin’s expression became cold.

Then he chuckled.

"Fine. Let’s entertain ourselves before they break through the door."

The Fourth Shroud met Simon’s gaze, and his dark green pupils reflected the image of a broken black ring spinning in both eyes.

They vanished a few seconds later, and nothing seemed to happen and the Nethri Demon had no idea.

"What is your position inside Black Banner? Are you the Second Claw?" Simon asked.

The assassin leaned one hip against the treatment frame and spun a needle between his fingers. His lips curled into a smile behind the mask.

"They call me the Fifth Needle."

Simon frowned.

"Fifth Needle?"

"Yes."

Simon’s brows furrowed the more, then he glanced at the main door.

"So you’re an assassin of the demoness who spoke through the Murmur Bone?"

A faint smile appeared on the Nethri Demon’s face.

"Well, you already know the answer to that."

Simon folded his arms, and looked at the Nethri Demon.

"You could be an assassin of somebody else or somebody of a higher ranking than the Second Claw."

The Nethri Demon chuckled softly.

"And who said she’s the Second Claw."

Simon raised a brow in surprise.

"She isn’t?"

The answer came after a short pause and a disdainful glance from the Fourth Shroud.

"The Second Claw does not waste her time speaking directly to failed Wardens and unknown thieves. The Voice speaks for her."

"And you answer to the Voice."

"The Voice is the will of the Second Claw. I answer to the Second Claw, not the Voice."

The eyes of the Nethri Demon became cold.

"When a cell becomes compromised, a leader disappears, or a tongue needs to stop moving, she sends one of us."

Simon glanced at the vice-leader.

"So Sorn opens the path, and you erase what remains."

The Fifth Needle’s eyes flickered.

"You have learned his name already."

"I learn quickly."

The assassin studied him with renewed caution, but Simon could still see the arrogance beneath it.

A Half-Step Greater Demon had little reason to fear a Minor Archfiend, especially while surrounded by his own poison. He was certain that it was the reason why the Nethri Demon was saying so much.

Though, there was also another reason why the Nethri Demon was saying so much.

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