Those days were peaceful, yet deeply unsettling.
Benedict and his brother units dug trenches and erected fortifications at the foot of the fortress city. The holy light here was still as heartwarming as ever, while the darkness beyond it remained just as despairing.
Every day, Benedict saw several aircraft covered in scripture, welded with wax-sealed holy sigils, and coated in sacred oils of purity pass through the holy light to scout the lands of darkness. Few ever returned.
As time passed, Benedict finally learned about Cadia's situation through various orders and newly printed propaganda pamphlets.
1. This darkness only affected living beings and did not interfere with the use of any equipment.
2. There was more than one fortress city protected by holy light. The range of that protection varied according to the number of Ecclesiarchy personnel present.
3. According to predictions from the Adeptus Mechanicus, severe geological activity would occur in the following areas. No units were permitted to operate in those regions without authorization.
Benedict and the other higher-ranking officers were also issued a map that had clearly been printed only recently. It marked the locations of the Blackstone Spires, as well as solid black lines that cut the map into sections. Beneath every map, a short passage had been laser-engraved.
"Every soldier and civilian in the Cadia war zone should observe thirteen seconds of silence for the devotion and sacrifice of the Sixth and Thirteenth Cadia, the Sixth and Thirteenth Valhalla, the Sixth and Thirteenth Mordian... and Sky Company. Pray that their souls may return to the Golden Throne."
There was no need to explain how this map had been put together. Far too many heroic deeds had yet to be publicized in time, but their achievements would be recorded by the Cadia Administratum, and their families