Page 91 of She Who Was Severed

Not warning.

Agreement.

And maybe—just maybe—I want what comes next.

Chapter 12

NULL ORDER: STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

— CLASSIFIED TIER VII —

Codename: Null Order | Division: Council Suppression Command | Path-Level Access: REDACTED

MANDATE

To locate, subdue, or eliminate individuals exhibiting unstable or unregulated path phenomena. Target classification includes Severed, rogue bondholders, Ashenborn, or unsealed relic-linked entities.

PRIMARY DIRECTIVES

Containment Before Kill: Live targets are prioritized for interrogation unless override code SEVEN is issued.

Erase All Witnesses: Civilian exposure is not tolerated. Clean every perimeter.

Chainborn Protocol: If subject exhibits Ashen Chain resonance, suppress at distance. Avoid resonance crossfire.

Sigil Cover: All operations conducted under false seal clearance. Signature authority forged as needed.

Zero Public Echo: If path-signature visibility exceeds Class Three, mission is terminated via burn clause.

TACNOTES

Chainbearers may display inverse magic logic. Expect reflection, not reaction.

Team comms restricted to glyph-coded line of sight. No vocal commands.

Assume all target testimony is weaponized.

If approached by local factions (Severed, ex-priests, bonded civilians), neutralize memory.

Do not touch active glyphwork unless authorized. Living sigils bite.

SQUAD IDENTIFIERS

Operatives within the Null Order do not use names. Designations are issued per mission. Command flow runs through a field Lead, with tactical relays through Signal and Silence units.

FINAL RULE

The Null Order leaves no story behind. If the subject lives, they forget.

If they remember, they were never meant to.

They come in under mist.

Four shadows breaching the western quarter of Ashmere in single file, eyes up, mouths shut. No insignia. No names. Just signals—hand, breath, blink. The unit moves like a single organism with four lungs, built for silent insertion and fatal exits.

Lead drops into the broken courtyard first. His boots skim ash-coated stone, and his hand lifts in a single arc: Hold. Behind him, Signal and Ghost peel off, sweeping opposite flanks. Rear coverage: Anchor, always three steps behind and never heard twice.

The place smells like mildew and burnt ether. A city held together by stubbornness and mold.