Chapter 20 · The Sanctum's Heart

The archive doors slammed shut behind the soldiers.

The sound rolled through the chamber like a verdict. Iron bolts drove themselves into the stone. Sigils flared along the frame, white and merciless, while the shelves around Noa shuddered beneath the pressure of the Sanctum’s command.

CLOSE THE DEAD FILE.

The words did not come from a mouth. They appeared in the air, written in burning legal script.

Noa’s knees buckled.

Evelyn caught her before she hit the floor. One arm locked around Noa’s waist; the other raised her contract pistol toward the sealed doors. Her face was pale, but the hand holding the weapon did not shake.

“Silas,” Evelyn said.

A man’s voice answered from beyond the doors, smooth as polished glass. “Officer Rook. Step away from the file and surrender the nameless woman. Your record will be amended to reflect your cooperation.”

Noa laughed once. It came out dry and breathless. “That’s generous. Does the amendment include erasing the part where you made her sign my death?”

Silence.

Then Silas said, “You were never alive in any legal sense, Noa Vey.”

The words struck harder than the guards’ boots pounding toward them.

Evelyn’s grip tightened around Noa.