Deadly Virtues - Love. Honour. Obey. -16 - -201...

The word sat heavy in his mind. Obey. It was the simplest virtue, the one that stripped away the messiness of morality. It was the soldier’s shield against guilt. To obey was to surrender the self. It was the ultimate act of faith.

Elias looked at the pen. It felt heavier than a broadsword. To the State, Honour meant loyalty to the system. To Elias, it meant being the man Lyra thought he was. He didn't sign. Instead, he burned the file, an act of arson that signaled the end of his life as a scribe. The Breaking of Obey Deadly Virtues - Love. Honour. Obey. -16 - -201...

Honour demanded he pull the trigger. Elias knew too much about the conduit codes. If Arthur let him go, or if Arthur died defending him, the intel could leak. Thousands could die. That was the calculus of Honour—the few sacrificed for the many. The word sat heavy in his mind

To Love was to cherish life. To Honour the code was to execute the innocent. To Obey was to kill his own soul. It was the soldier’s shield against guilt