Chapter Five: The Yesterday They Collected

The flash pinned the bone and the masked man's hand. The pipe stopped beating. Every memory collapsed like a puppet with severed strings. Jianyue tore away his mask. He was the server who had offered Su Mi her first glass. The mark of Everday's Council of Elders was carved into his neck. “The heir is unfit to command the Covenant,” he said. “Once humans remember the monsters, war will restore order for us.” “So you allowed the manifestation?” “We merely let Lin Zhou fulfill his promise.” The freeze began to loosen. Jianyue reached for the Moon Bone, but the server freed one finger. Its point cut her palm. Her blood struck the pipe. The memory archive recognized her. Every label changed to the same name: LIN JIANYUE.