Ferra spread eleven ancestral foundation keys across the sealed inspection cloth within the quiet western archive.
Twelve numbered positions marked the velvet fabric, leaving the sixth slot completely vacant beneath an ancient custody seal.
"The missing key controls every western return path," Ferra explained, gesturing toward the empty velvet impression.
"Somebody removed it after the Witness Avatar fell, then used royal blood to preserve the opening... examine the alignment closely."
The surviving artifacts resembled tapered pins rather than standard keys, their shafts inscribed with intricate geometric channels.
A recessed royal conduit waited beneath each rounded head, designed to receive the spiritual authority of an imperial heir.
Ferra traced the numbered boundaries with calloused fingertips, having examined the archive records since the first office intrusion alert.
