The morning fog in Grimwald was thick enough to swallow rooftops whole, muffling even the clamor of carts along the iron bridges. Elias tightened his coat and stepped onto the street, the Codex pressed against his chest. Shade flowed at his feet, a ripple of darkness invisible in the mist, while the second shadow prowled silently behind, its crimson edges faintly glowing.
Two shadows bound. Ninety-eight remained. But already, the city was changing around him. People moved differently in his presence, some with unease, others with subtle recognition. Whispers clung to him in the alleys like the fog itself.
They see, they suspect, the Codex murmured. Power leaves footprints no fog can conceal.
---
Signs of the Silent Choir
Elias walked toward the Iron Canal, where the bridges groaned with rust and traders sold salvaged goods. The fog here seemed heavier, and for the first time, Elias noticed something strange: chalk symbols scrawled along the stonework. Circles crossed with jagged lines, repeating in patterns.
The second shadow pulsed, sensing hostility, though none was visible. Elias touched one of the markings. It was faintly warm, as if freshly carved.
The Silent Choir watches, the Codex whispered. They do not speak, but they see. They silence, but they remember.
Before Elias could react, a voice spoke from behind him.
"You've grown careless. Using shadows so openly draws their eyes."
It was Corvan. The man leaned casually against a railing, eyes as pale as the fog, lips curved in that same faint, mocking smile.
Elias tensed. "The Silent Choir?"
Corvan nodded slowly. "One of the oldest factions in Grimwald. They serve no guild, no crown. They observe, record, and… remove threats to balance. Shadows, especially Codex bearers, are of particular interest to them."
Elias frowned. "And now they're watching me."
"Of course," Corvan said. "You've bound two already. Most never survive past their first. To them, you are either an anomaly… or a problem to be silenced."
The Codex pulsed in warning. Prepare. They will come soon.
---
The First Encounter
That evening, as Elias returned through the twisting alleys of the Dockside Quarter, he felt it: a presence pressing against his senses, like a song sung without sound. His shadows stiffened, reacting instantly.
Three figures stepped from the fog. Hooded, faces hidden by white masks etched with jagged lines. No weapons drawn—only silence. Their steps were in perfect unison, like a choir marching to an unseen conductor.
Shade hissed, tendrils bristling. The second shadow flared crimson, sensing hostile intent.
The figures raised their hands in a single, synchronized motion, drawing symbols in the air. The fog thickened unnaturally, swallowing sound itself. Elias opened his mouth but no words emerged. Even his breath felt muted.
The Silent Choir, the Codex whispered. They wield silence itself as a weapon. Be wary.
The first figure lunged forward, movements fluid, dagger flashing. Elias commanded instinctively. "Shade—intercept! Second—flank!"
Shade surged, tendrils intercepting the dagger midair. The second shadow slashed low, jagged limbs forcing the figure back. But the silence pressed in, heavy, suffocating. His commands felt delayed, as though swallowed by the air.
The second figure moved, swift and precise, tracing glowing symbols that anchored silence around Elias. Shade faltered, tendrils sluggish. The second shadow twitched as if resisting invisible chains.
Elias grit his teeth. "No… I won't lose here."
He pressed a hand to the Codex. Its pages fluttered open, glowing faintly in the dark. He forced his will outward, pushing past the silence. Obey me. Move as one.
His shadows surged. Shade wrapped around the symbols, strangling their glow. The second shadow lashed forward, slicing through the runes. The air rippled, and sound returned in a rush.
The third figure stepped forward, hand raised to strike—but Elias's combined shadows struck first. Shade bound the legs, the second shadow pierced the arm, and the figure crumpled to the ground without a sound.
The remaining two retreated swiftly into the fog, their movements as synchronized as when they had arrived.
---
Aftermath
Elias stood panting, his shadows pulsing with residual tension. The masked figure at his feet stirred, then stilled, crimson lines seared faintly across the mask where the second shadow had struck. Elias reached down and lifted it. The mask was smooth, etched with unfamiliar runes. Cold to the touch, yet it pulsed faintly in his hand.
Proof of their attention, the Codex whispered. Once they mark you, they do not forget.
Shade coiled protectively at his feet. The second shadow loomed, restless but obedient. Elias clenched the mask in his hand, staring into the fog where the other two had vanished.
"They won't stop," he muttered.
"No," Corvan's voice came from the shadows. Elias spun, but the man remained half-hidden, watching with his pale eyes. "The Choir never stops. They will test you again. Harder. Until you either collapse under silence… or prove strong enough to command your voice against it."
Elias frowned. "And if I prove strong enough?"
Corvan's lips curved faintly. "Then perhaps they will listen."
The Codex pulsed ominously, as though laughing. Or perhaps they will kneel. Shadows bow to no choir, no silence. They bow only to command.
---
Nightfall – The Burden of Attention
Back at his tenement, Elias placed the mask on the table beside the Codex. Shade and the second shadow hovered close, unsettled. The mask seemed to hum faintly, as though echoing with the silence of its former bearer.
Elias sat heavily, staring at the Codex. "Two shadows bound, and already the city sends factions against me. Ninety-eight remain… and each will draw more attention."
The Codex's voice whispered like ink spreading across the page. Attention is inevitable. You cannot hide from power. But you can command it, bend it, break it. And when the hundredth shadow bows, no faction, no choir, no guild will dare whisper against you.
Elias clenched his fists. "Then let them come. Let Grimwald send its hunters, its choirs, its guilds. I will not be silenced. I will not be broken."
Shade pulsed softly, loyal. The second shadow flickered crimson, restless but resolute. Together, they surrounded him like a living cloak of darkness.
Outside, the fog thickened once more, curling like a watchful eye. Somewhere in the silence, whispers of the Choir spread. The name Elias would no longer be unknown.
---