When the reports filtering back to the White Wing confirmed that the elite execution squad had completely vanished, Marcus Vorn flew into a cold, calculating rage.
He stood in his private quarters within the White Wing, hands braced against his desk, knuckles white.
Ursula sat in the corner. Her frozen iron eyes blazing with anger.
When their personal information network first brought the news that communication with the tailing squad had been severed, Marcus's initial reaction was absolute denial. A squad of seven Pillar Knights — including two Spirit Soul realm operatives — vanishing without a single distress signal or emergency magical transmission was fundamentally impossible. These were elite soldiers. Trained professionals. Their communication tokens had fail-safes that triggered on death, injury, or even suspicious mana fluctuations.
None had triggered.
Then the life-force plaques went dark. All seven. Simultaneously.
