The bone door groaned shut behind them.
The corridor sloped downward, steps slick with condensation. The ceiling pressed low. The air felt heavy, waiting.
Kael's ears still rang with the bell. He whispered the rule like a prayer: One listen, two hide, three run.
Riven strode ahead, sword on his shoulder. The stone barely allowed his broad frame through.
The first bell rang.
Once.
The note was sharp, absolute. It didn't echo—it simply existed, filling the stairwell like a weight.
Riven stopped, grip tightening on his hilt. "Warden."
"Quiet," Kael hissed.
[Warden Approaching]— Aspect: Silence— Protocol: Stillness Required— Failure: Shared Echo consumption
The stairwell dimmed. Sound bled away. Torchlight collapsed into gray.
Kael's chest burned. His throat locked.
The second bell rang.
Twice.
The stair warped beneath their feet, angles twisting wrong.
The Warden rose out of the stone, mask cracked, arms dragging across the steps. Its vertical mouth split open, lined with teeth.
Kael froze.
Riven swore. "Then we smash it." He raised his blade.
"No—" Kael rasped, voice scraping raw. "Don't."
The third bell swelled.
Thrice.
[Convergence]— Silence Warden fully manifest— Escape Condition: Do not be where you are
The stairs split. The Warden vanished—then reappeared behind them, porcelain mask tilting toward Kael.
The Compass burned against his chest, needle jerking toward a seam in the wall.
"Here!" Kael shoved at the stone. Nothing.
The Key seared his hand. He jammed it into the crack and twisted. The wall sighed open, spilling cold air.
Kael hesitated, staring into the dark.
"Go!" Riven barked, shoving him forward. He swung at the Warden—sparks burst against porcelain, leaving no wound.
Kael grabbed his arm, yanking him through the seam. The Key twisted, stone closing behind them with a heavy sigh.
[Evasion Successful]— Tokens +1— Echo +2— Title Progress: Hollow Listener (latent)
Kael bent double, gasping, throat raw under the weight of Silence.
Riven's jaw clenched. "That thing—why did it look at you like that?"
Kael couldn't answer. The Compass still trembled against his chest.
On the sealed wall, the porcelain mask lingered, cracks glowing faint.
One word etched itself into his bones:
HOLLOW.
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