The corridor narrowed until the walls scraped his shoulders—then opened into a vast, circular chamber.
Chains hung from the ceiling like roots of a dead tree. Some swayed empty. Others rattled with bones. One, in the center, held a prisoner.
She hung suspended, wrists shackled, hair a tangle across her face. An iron collar gripped her throat, runes glowing faintly across the metal.
Kael's chest tightened.
[Prisoner Detected: Walker]— Status: Bound by Silence— Condition: Cursed— Rule: The Voice is Burden. To free her is to take it.
Riven swore under his breath. "It's a trap. Leave her."
Kael stepped closer anyway.
The girl stirred, lifting her head. Gray eyes burned through the strands of hair. Her lips parted, but no sound escaped.
Instead, the Labyrinth whispered for her: Do not speak for me. Do not speak at all.
The Key of Low Tide pulsed hot in Kael's grip. The Compass needle spun wildly, then fixed on the collar.
At the chains' base, a scrap of parchment was nailed to the stone. Kael tore it free.
If you free her, she will carry your burdens. But silence draws Silence. —S.
Her eyes locked on his—pleading, demanding.
[Choice: Free her?]— Option 1: Take her Burden (Silence)— Option 2: Leave her boundWarning: Wardens will mark either path
The bell began to swell somewhere above.
Riven's blade lifted. "Don't be stupid. We can't save everyone."
Kael gritted his teeth. He pressed the Key to the collar. The runes flared, chains thrashing sparks. She arched, but no scream came. The iron shattered into dust.
She collapsed forward. Kael caught her.
[Burden Accepted: Silence]— Voice Restriction (minor): Your words attract attention— Echo +3— Title Seed: Quiet-Bound
Kael's throat constricted. The weight of her curse sank into him like a stone.
Riven cursed. "Idiot. You chained yourself instead."
Kael ignored him. The girl's eyes burned with fierce exhaustion. She pressed a scrap of parchment into his hand. One word scrawled across it:
Seren.
The bell tolled.
Once.
Then twice.
Chains rattled above. The air thickened.
[Convergence]— Warden Approaching— Aspect: Silence
Seren gripped his arm, lips forming one desperate word: Hide.
The Compass spun violently, its needle stabbing toward a seam in the wall.
The third bell began to ring.