"Even the quiet remembers".
The wind carried a low hum through the grass as Lior slowly rose to his feet. His body ached, but his mind was sharper than it had been since the fall. Kael lay beside him, still breathing. The faint glow on his chest pulsed like a heartbeat.
They were no longer in the hollow. The air was heavy with scent and life. A plain of tall silver grass stretched before them, swaying in rhythm with a sound that was not quite music. Beyond the plain, a city shimmered in the distance, its towers shaped like spires of crystal.
Lior touched Kael's shoulder. "Wake up."
Kael's eyes fluttered open. "We made it?"
"I think so."
Kael pushed himself up and looked around. "Where are we?"
"I do not know," Lior replied. "But if the moons are right above us, we might still be in Elyndra."
Kael stood slowly, rubbing his temples. "I remember the collapse, and then light. After that…"
"Nothing," Lior finished for him. "Same for me."
For a long moment, they stood in silence, the wind whispering through the grass. Then Kael pointed toward the distant city. "We need shelter. Answers. Maybe both."
Lior nodded. "Let's go."
They began walking, their boots brushing through the grass. The closer they came to the city, the quieter the world became. The hum in the air grew dim until it vanished completely. Even the sound of their footsteps faded.
When they reached the gates, the silence was absolute.
The city walls were made of white stone veined with silver. The gates stood open, tall and unmoving. As they entered, Lior felt something strange beneath his skin, a stillness that pressed down like invisible weight.
The streets were clean, but there were no people. No lights burned in the windows. Statues lined the walkways, figures frozen mid-step, their expressions hauntingly lifelike.
Kael frowned. "Are they…"
Lior shook his head. "Stone. But too real."
He brushed his fingers along one of the statues. The surface was cold and smooth, but beneath it, he could sense a faint pulse, like something trapped inside.
"This place isn't abandoned," he said softly. "It's waiting."
They moved deeper into the city. The silence became heavier, like water around their bodies. Each breath felt harder to draw.
At the center of the square stood a great tower topped with a dozen bells. None of them moved.
Kael tilted his head. "A city of bells that never ring."
Lior stared at the tower, a strange ache forming in his chest. "Maybe they once did."
They approached the tower doors. When Lior touched them, they opened without sound. Inside was a spiral staircase that seemed to rise forever.
"Up?" Kael asked.
"Up," Lior confirmed.
They climbed. Each step felt heavier than the last, but neither spoke. When they finally reached the top, the wind returned, cool and strong. The bells hung above them, their surfaces dull with age.
Lior stepped closer to the largest one. Its bronze skin was carved with the same broken crown symbol that marked his hand.
He reached out. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, the silence shattered.
The bell rang once. The sound was deep and mournful, echoing across the city like the cry of a forgotten soul.
Below, the statues began to move.
Kael stumbled back. "What did you do?"
Lior watched in horror as the figures down below began to turn their heads, their stone skin cracking and flaking away. The stillness that had held them broke, replaced by whispers rising from every street.
The tower trembled. The bells rang again, each note carrying sorrow and memory. Lior fell to his knees, clutching his head as visions flashed before his eyes.
A city alive with laughter. Markets filled with light. Children chasing one another beneath the bells. And then... a darkness spreading across the sky, devouring the sound, turning joy into silence.
When the vision faded, tears streamed down his cheeks. The silence returned, but it was no longer empty. It was grief.
Kael knelt beside him. "What did you see?"
Lior's voice shook. "They were alive. All of them. Until the silence came."
Kael glanced out across the city. "And you broke it."
Lior looked down at his hand. The mark glowed faintly again. "No. I freed them."
The last bell gave one final chime. The sound rolled through the air like a sigh. Then the bells stilled, and the city seemed to breathe. The statues below bowed their heads before crumbling into dust that glimmered briefly before fading away.
Kael exhaled slowly. "They're gone."
"Not gone," Lior said. "Released."
He stood and looked toward the horizon. Beyond the city, faint lights flickered in the far mountains like torches moving in the night.
Kael followed his gaze. "Do you think that's where he went? The man with the golden eyes?"
Lior nodded. "And I think he wants us to follow."
Kael smirked faintly. "Then let's not disappoint him."
They descended the tower. The silence was softer now, peaceful instead of crushing. As they left the city gates, Lior glanced back once more.
For a heartbeat, he thought he saw people walking again. Shadows of the lives that once filled those streets. A woman ringing a bell. A child waving toward the sky.
He blinked, and they were gone.
Kael stepped beside him. "You okay?"
Lior nodded. "Just… remembering."
They turned toward the mountains and began to walk, the silver grass bending gently in their wake. The night was deep, and the three moons cast a soft glow ahead of them.
For the first time since the fall, the world felt alive again.