The Raven's Enigma

"Клинок Жнеца Душ" (Soulreaper's Blade). Illustration. 1868.

An illustration of the Soulreaper's Blade, accompanied by an ancient inscription that seems to emerge from the tip of the dagger. The original inscription reads: 𓂸𓃱𓊎𓄇 𓆣𓉔𓋴𓆃 𓁩𓊮𓋴. This illustration, despite the modern enhancements made by Morozov's tech team, retains a palpable sense of dread. The blade, once part of the private collection of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, is rumored to have been used by the infamous figure known as The Raven to execute Tsar Nicholas II. The legend of the Soulreaper's Blade is deeply entrenched in folklore and urban legends surrounding the Vory, making it a symbol of their dark legacy.

Source: Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy's private collection, 1868. Owner: Michael Volkov, Count Tolstoy. Prior Owners: The Raven (a.k.a. Koschei the Deathless, a.k.a. Mikhail Voronov / Михаил Воронов); Lev Alexander Zaldostanov ("The Surgeon"); Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy.

What was deeply hidden among the references, annotations, footnotes, and comments in The Vory's Origins, Volume 1: Prophets of Doom: 1498–1507 was the revelation that a medieval-style bloodied dagger—its hilt transitioning into a signature spelling out The Raven in Russian (Ворон)—was, in fact, Mikhail Voronov's (The Raven) original signature (𓂸𓃱𓊎𓄇 𓆣𓉔𓋴𓆃 𓁩𓊮𓋴). I could not connect the dots until I saw the illustration.

As a gesture of respect for Smirnov and Nastassia, I first translated the inscription using Xenolith into Russian: Кощей Бессмертный, "Клинок Жнеца Душ" (Koschei the Deathless, Reaper's Blade of Souls). Below, in Russian Cyrillic, it read: "Оригинальная подпись Равена. Частная коллекция Льва Николаевича Толстого, графа Толстого, 1868. Происхождение неизвестно." Then, I rendered it into English for the reader: "The Raven's original signature. A Private Collection of Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, 1868. Origins unknown."

The CIA Memorandum

Memorandum for Contact with Soviet KGB Mole re: Stalin and Mao. Document. 1963.

A memorandum from General Vernon A. Walters, USA, to the Deputy Director (Covert) regarding contact with a Soviet KGB mole about Stalin and Mao. The document details intercepted communications involving Mikhail Voronov and his interactions with "Mr. X" from the Soviet Embassy, along with the involvement of Valeriy Vladimirovich Kostikov. The memo outlines the potential existence of a secret meeting transcript between Stalin and Mao concerning the disinformation operation InfeKtion 2. The highest priority is placed on acquiring the Stalin & Mao document and verifying its authenticity.

Source: Central Intelligence Agency, classified under the Stalin-Mao Collaboration Records Collection Act of 1992 (44 USC 2107 Note).

The Nightmare

Mikhail Voronov licked the blood dripping from Soulreaper's Blade, offering me a "lick" when Professor Smirnov's big bust, sitting next to Genghis Khan's on the other metal desk I hadn't noticed before, squeezed through his gnashed, bleeding teeth, "You'd wish you'd never been born at all." Nastassia passed me by, screaming in agony, "Help," vanishing with General Zod into the Phantom Zone. Behind her, silently crying, stood my mother. "What have you done, my son?"