The Broken Halo

Korran continued staring at the empty spatial ring with the same dark expression.

It revealed a few things, and one of them was that they had been fooled. It also revealed that somebody had taken the cases from the ring even after it had been swallowed by the Furnaceback Centipede.

There was also the fact that the ring was completely empty, but Korran did not dwell on that.

For all he knew, the spatial ring could have been created or used solely for the movement of the three cases. It might not have been the thief’s personal ring.

’Could the rebel have survived?... Or was it someone or something else?’

Korran’s thoughts immediately moved toward Blackmoon, but he did not allow that first possibility to become a conclusion.

The disguised rebel could have survived and reached an unknown accomplice waiting somewhere beneath the cracked lands. Black Banner had prepared hidden caves inside both ridges and driven hundreds of Crag Hounds through underground passages. Another concealed route beneath the battlefield was entirely possible.

There was also the chance that another member of Black Banner had intercepted the Furnaceback Centipede after it burrowed. A demon with either the power and/or the ability like high earth affinity, space affinity, or tracking ability could have found the creature, removed the rebel and the cases, then created the fake trail they followed.

Both explanations were more reasonable than believing that a Minor Archfiend had survived inside a Half-Step Abyssal Beast, stolen the cases, opened the rebel’s ring, found his several tracking methods, thrown the empty ring kilometres away, and fooled him.

More importantly, Blackmoon had given Korran no convincing reason to believe he served or was colluding with Black Banner.

According to every report, he had only recently arrived in Velmora with Sonya and Akaza. No known rebel contact appeared in his movements before the recruitment test. During the ambush, he warned the central convoy about the exploding arrows, protected Wagon Eighteen, killed both Crag Hounds and rebels, and brought his two companions with him to fight a Prime Calamity Beast.

He had also ordered Sonya and Akaza to remain behind and protect the wagon when he chased the escaping Crag Hound.

Nothing about those actions suggested loyalty to Black Banner.

Blackmoon could have been hiding many things, but joining a rebel operation that threatened his own companions made little sense.

And yet Korran’s thoughts kept returning to him.

He knew why... Sonya and Akaza.

They had not merely hoped Blackmoon survived. They had been certain, they were not grieving, and they were waiting.

’What do they know?’

Korran closed his eyes, then he placed the dull-grey ring on the desk and looked at Teren.

”Leave your written route report with my clerk. Tell the pursuit unit that nobody is to discuss what you found.”

Teren saluted and left the office.

The door closed.

Korran then turned toward the Biggest Kev.

”Tell me what happened before the centipede escaped. Again. Leave nothing out.”

Kev rested his forearms on his knees. The dull-yellow eyes behind his Blood Jaguar helmet remained on the ring.

”It was furious at first,” he said. ”Definitely not frightened and it was definitely not exhausted.”

Korran remained silent.

”It had gathered fire through every segment of its body. The plates were twisting, the vents were pulling in air, and its mouth was already forming an attack large enough to burn through half the cracked lands.”

Kev lifted one heavy gauntlet.

”I was preparing to receive it. Then its whole body spasmed.”

”All at once?”

”All at once.”

The humour usually present in Kev’s voice had disappeared.

”The fire collapsed before it left its mouth. Flames burst from the vents instead. The worm struck its head against the ground and screamed like something was tearing apart a place inside of it.”

Korran’s eyes flickered with a thoughtful expression while Kev leaned back slightly, and the reinforced chair groaned beneath him.

”After that, it stopped caring about me. I still stood in front of it with the intent of attacking it, but it turned away, buried itself, and sacrificed one of its plates to escape my grasp.”

He paused, and his expression beneath the helmet was heavy and solemn.

”Whatever happened, the worm was definitely not running from me.”

The office became quiet, and Korran’s gaze moved from the empty ring to the report near his hand.

[BLACKMOON-DEAD]

Sonya’s voice returned to him.

”Because a big worm is not going to be what kills little kitty.”

Then Akaza’s quieter answer followed.

”Seeing him swallowed is not the same as seeing him dead.”

Korran picked up the report.

For the first time, the word dead looked less like a fact and more like an assumption written too confidently.

If Blackmoon had survived, that still did not explain why the cases vanished or why the empty ring was used to deceive the pursuit team. Survival did not automatically mean collusion. But the strangeness and mystery around him, mixed with the strange confidence of his comrades no longer allowed Korran to dismiss him merely because of his heart rank.

He took a black stylus from the desk and wrote one word beside Blackmoon’s classification.

[VERIFY]

Kev watched him.

”You think the boy is alive.”

”I think two demons who know him better than we do are certain he is.”

The Biggest Kev remained silent and though he found it ludicrous, he decided to remain silent and just watch his friend.

Several kilometres away from Velmora, a stone shifted beneath a low black hill. In the next moment, the slabs sealing the old lava cave slid apart, and Simon stepped into the open air.

The dead rebel’s narrow face still covered his own through the Sword Daemon’s mask. His clothes had been cleaned, but traces of dried black blood remained along his sleeves and collar.

Simon stopped outside the entrance and examined his surroundings.

Wind spread through the rocks. Shadow Sense sank into the ground, while Sky Eye swept across the distant ridges and crimson sky.

He saw and sensed nothing, and it was only after confirming that he was alone did Simon focus on his new aura.

A Supreme Archfiend’s pressure gathered naturally around him. It was far denser than the Minor Archfiend aura Blackmoon possessed before the convoy left Velmora.

Because he just broke through, it was still pretty obvious what his heart rank was.

Simon pulled the overflowing Chaos and Demonic Energy back toward his Infernal Heart.

He slowed its circulation near his skin, restrained his heartbeat, and compressed the elemental presence leaking from his pathways. The pressure around him weakened until it no longer announced his new rank from a distance.

It was not a perfect disguise however.

A careful examination at close range would still reveal that his Infernal Heart had become far too dense for a Minor Archfiend. For travelling unnoticed by beasts and demons in the distance, however, it was enough.

Simon brought out the Murmur Bone.

Two days and six hours had passed and he was certain that the Voice had reached out to him. There was no chance she wouldn’t have with how silent he was.

As if responding to his thought, warmth spread through the curved black bone, then the crimson lines beneath its surface began to glow.

Simon looked at them.

’It seems somebody has been impatient.’

He channelled his demonic energy into the Murmur Bone and the connection formed immediately.

The Voice spoke before Simon could say a word. Her tone was controlled, but he heard the surprise, disbelief, and dissatisfaction beneath it.

”So you’re still alive.”