The return of the names began with the most recent employees.
Elion brought the Index to the center of the first section, keeping it suspended inside three containment circles. The book no longer possessed authority to command the Black Archive, but it still recognized every record, body, and object stored there. Whenever one of the employees was brought close, a line appeared between their chest and one of the pages opened across the tables.
The problem was that some lines divided.
"This one has three compatible records," Elion said.
In front of her, a young man remained seated inside a protective circle. He breathed normally, but his eyes did not react to light. Three books floated before him, each describing parts of his life.
The first contained his childhood, family, and origin.
The second recorded his years working in the archive.
The third contained only fears, dreams, and small personal decisions.
Hadriam examined the pages.
"Why did they divide the name?"
