A refuge. The upper archives, sector of unused punch tape readers. It smelled of machine oil and old ink. Xiao Bai had wrapped himself in a torn holographic projector blanket and was trembling with fine shivers.
"They saw us. The Guard. The system knows. We're finished in two days. We won't find anything in time!"
Lin Wei sat on the floor, his back against the cold metal wall. His head was buzzing from the experience in the Lower Enclaves. The pain, despair, betrayal — it all hung on him like a wet cloak. But deep inside, a tiny, unquenchable spark burned. Anger. At the system. At the cynicism. At his own helplessness.
"They saw the Guard, but they didn't see the residue itself," he said quietly, more to himself. "And they didn't see the name. Yama Heng doubts. He doesn't know what we learned. So, we have two days not to run. But to attack."
"Attack? With what? You saw those guards! They're not Sentinels. They're 'Collectors'. They erase problems. On physical and informational levels!"
"Then we must find something that cannot be erased," Lin raised his head. His eyes gleamed in the semi-darkness. "The oath. You said it was an oath sworn here, in Diyu. Such things must be registered. Where?"
Xiao Bai stopped shaking. He stared at Lin Wei as if he were insane.
"The Registry of Soul Bonds... But that's... That's in the Hall of Oaths! You need an appointment a hundred years in advance just to get in there! And only for high-ranking souls forming new unions for their next rebirths!"
"We have the defender's seal. A case number. And we can request access to the archive for a related case — an investigation into an oath violation leading to death. It's legal."
"That's madness! Your status is hanging by a thread after today!"
"Exactly why it will work," Lin Wei stood up. Fatigue retreated before adrenaline. "They expect us to hide. To give up. So, we must do what they don't expect. Openly and by the rules."
They spent several hours drafting the request. Xiao Bai, with trembling fingers, searched the legal codes for the right paragraphs. The request turned out thin, borderline foul, but formally correct: "Defender in case #777, related to the death of a soul, requests access to the Registry of Soul Bonds to establish a possible connection between the death and a breach of a fidelity oath committed within the walls of Diyu."
They sent it. And froze, awaiting an instant denial.
No denial came. A request for clarification came. Then — permission. Restricted, under supervision, for one hour.
"They... agreed?" Xiao Bai couldn't believe his eyes.
"They want to see where we'll go," Lin understood. "To know what exactly will need to be erased later."
The Hall of Oaths was the complete opposite of noisy archives or gloomy warehouses. It was a spacious, quiet gallery resembling the library of an ancient monastery. Along the walls stood not shelves, but living trees of black nephrite, on whose branches, instead of leaves, hung thin, golden-glowing plates — crystallized oaths. The air was filled with a barely audible, harmonious hum — the echo of millions of promises given forever.
They were met by the keeper — an ancient spirit in simple robes, with a face covered in a network of fine cracks, like an old fresco. His name was Keeper Wei. He silently accepted their permit plate and led them deeper into the hall.
"The oath you seek is old," he finally spoke with a voice like the rustling of pages. "And tainted. Its energy signature is bitter. Are you sure you wish to see it?"
"We must," Lin replied.
The keeper stopped by one of the trees. It was shorter than the others and leaned slightly, as if under the weight of guilt. He ran his hand over the trunk, and one of the golden plates detached, descending into his palm. He placed it into a special reader, resembling a combination of a lens and an incense burner.
A hologram floated above the apparatus. Not images. Pure, abstract emotions and words.
Date: 1502 by the earthly calendar.
*Parties: Yama Lun (Reincarnation Administration, official 3rd class) and Lin Qiao (Fate-Weaving Department, official 4th class).*
Oath essence: Eternal fidelity and mutual support in service to Diyu. Inseparability of the union. Non-compliance entails voluntary resignation from post and soul dissolution.
Witnesses: Diyu System Archive, subsection 'Indissoluble Vows'.
Then the hologram cracked. The pure emotions of fidelity and duty were replaced first by bewilderment, then coldness, and finally — the freezing blackness of betrayal.
Date of violation: 14 days ago by Diyu time.
Violator: Yama Lun.
Nature of violation: Use of official position to illegally alter the reincarnation chart of soul Lin Qiao for the purpose of sending her to a lower worldly circle without right of review. Effectively — destruction of the soul-partner.
Motive: Not established. Presumably, fear of disclosure of information possessed by Lin Qiao.
The hologram faded. A silence even deeper than before settled in the hall.
"She... he destroyed her?" Xiao Bai whispered. "Not just betrayed. Erased?"
"Not erased," Keeper Wei said grimly. "Sent to a lower circle. It's a slow death for a soul. Dissolution into chaos. From the system's perspective, she still exists. But is no longer accessible for questioning, for testimony... for anything."
Lin Wei felt rage rising in his throat. This was worse than murder. It was an execution with a delay.
"Can she be found? Retrieved?"
The keeper looked at him with bottomless, ancient sorrow.
"The path to the lower circles is one-way. Even we, the keepers, cannot penetrate there. Only... only the Collectors sometimes descend there for 'raw material'. But a soul sent there by sentence is marked. She cannot be issued."
A dead end. They had found the victim's name — Lin Qiao. Learned the monstrous truth. But the victim herself was unreachable. The witness was silenced forever.
It was at this moment that two figures entered the Hall of Oaths. Not Collectors. Regular Sentinels. But their appearance in this sacred place was a signal.
"Defender Lin Wei. Your access permission has expired. You are to follow us immediately."
Lin exchanged a glance with Keeper Wei. In those ancient, cracked eyes, he read something more than sorrow. A warning. And... a hint?
"Thank you for your time," Lin said formally and, before the Sentinels could get closer, made a quick hand gesture over the reader. He took nothing. But his defender's seal momentarily touched the hologram emanating bitter smoke. The seal recorded the energy imprint. The imprint of Lin Qiao's pain.
The Sentinels escorted them to the Hall's exit. Xiao Bai was on the verge of hysterics.
"That's it! Now we know everything and can do nothing! She's in a lower circle! It's over!"
"No," Lin said, clenching his wrist where the seal now tingled slightly, holding the stolen imprint. "It's only the beginning. We can't pull her out. But we can find the one who saw her being sent there. The one who processed that 'sentence'. Every action in Diyu leaves a paper trail. Even the dirtiest ones."
He looked at Xiao Bai.
"You said Collectors sometimes go to the lower circles for 'raw material'. They must have route sheets. Schedules. Where are they?"
Xiao Bai paled like death.
"The Department of Special Assignments Logistics... That's a wing of the Reincarnation Administration. Yama Lun works there. You want to break into his office?!"
"I want to find a record of when and what batch of 'raw material' was sent to a lower circle about two weeks ago. And who was responsible. If we're lucky, it wasn't Yama Lun himself, but a subordinate. A small cog, just like Xiao Bai. And cogs... sometimes chatter."
He smiled. It was a joyless, predatory smile.
"We have less than two days left. Time to stop being afraid and start hunting. Not for the truth. We already know the truth. For the one who will confirm this truth in the courtroom."
They left the quiet Hall of Oaths for the humming, hostile corridors of Diyu. Two Sentinels followed them like shadows. Surveillance had intensified.
But Lin Wei no longer felt like a cornered rat. He had become a hunter. And he had caught the scent.