Wuchen drew a narrow path through the remaining marks, routing the command through a handful of registered oaths. The ledger’s light gathered around the capital wall. Yan could see the living barrier symbol, its line still connected to the central feed.
The crews at that wall were holding a working barrier. If the Registry forced them to reconnect at the wrong moment, pressure could drive through the line before they reached the manual release. Yan could not cancel their oaths with his System. He had to keep Wuchen from sending the order.
Yan crossed the desk’s spatial fold with Heaven-Burial Step. The practiced sequence reinforced his foundation as he moved through the seal. He landed beside the brush and struck its ink channel with Thousand Fractures. The stroke faltered. Wuchen kept hold of the shaft and turned the metal ferrule against Yan’s palm, cutting it.
Yan pulled his hand back. The cut was shallow but immediate. He caught the brush again above the ferrule and forced its tip away from the capital mark.
A duplicate wall report lay beside the command page. It said the crew could maintain the barrier for several minutes without Registry current. Wuchen tried to write across it. The sheet stayed beneath the command seal, where the brush could not reach the paper without crossing the local report.
