The cavern buzzed with a kind of energy Kael had never felt before—not noise exactly, but life. Lanterns hung from cables, swaying in the draft of hidden tunnels. The air smelled of oil, damp stone, and something faintly sweet, like burned paper.
Mira guided him through the chamber, weaving between clusters of people. Some bent over makeshift printing presses, cranking out slips of forbidden words. Others etched strange symbols into the walls with chalk, messages Kael couldn't read but felt somehow drawn to.
"These are our records," Mira explained quietly. "Every word we can save, every story, every scrap of language they try to erase—we keep them alive."
Kael's eyes caught on a boy no older than ten, humming softly while an old woman tapped out a rhythm on the ground with a stick. A code. He realized with a jolt that even children here were raised to resist.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped into their path. His face was scarred, his eyes hard but not unkind. "Mira," he said, nodding. Then his gaze shifted to Kael. "So this is the spark."
Kael stiffened. "The what?"
"The one who lit up the Tower," the man said. "For five whole seconds, we spoke." A rare smile tugged at his lips. "You've done more than most of us dared in years."
Kael opened his mouth to argue—to say it wasn't bravery, just panic—but Mira cut in. "Kael, this is Daren. He leads the Resonance."
Daren clasped Kael's shoulder with a grip that felt like stone. "You'll learn quickly. You'll have to."
The words sent a chill down Kael's spine.
As they moved deeper, Kael noticed the walls were carved with layers of symbols. Not random markings, but words in dozens of languages, preserved like sacred scripture. He reached out to trace one, and a young girl stopped him with a shake of her head.
"They're not just words," Mira whispered. "They're the last voices of people who can't speak anymore."
Kael pulled his hand back, shame prickling his skin.
At the far end of the chamber, a bell made from twisted scrap metal rang out once. The voices stilled. Everyone turned toward a rough platform where Daren now stood.
"The Accord has tightened its grip," Daren's deep voice rumbled. "Patrols are doubled. Drones circle wider. But tonight—" his eyes swept the crowd, landing on Kael— "we have proof that silence can be broken."
A murmur rippled through the chamber. Hope.
Kael felt every eye on him, and for the first time, he realized the truth: he wasn't just hiding anymore. He was part of something larger—something dangerous, fragile, and unstoppable.
And the Accord would not forgive it.