Ferra met them inside the western archive with every remaining foundation key spread across a sealed inspection cloth. Eleven pieces occupied twelve numbered positions, leaving the sixth space empty beneath a custody strip signed before Hajin reached the capital.
"The missing key controls western return paths," she said, holding her floating tools outside the evidence boundary, "somebody removed it after the Witness Avatar died, then used royal blood to preserve the opening."
The surviving keys resembled broad pins rather than anything meant for an ordinary lock. Each carried foundation geometry along its shaft, while a small royal channel waited beneath the head for an authorized hand.
Didi placed her sword beside the recorders before approaching the missing position. Crowned Frost remained sealed under Vella's treatment limit, leaving her to examine the custody history without using another royal current.
