Chapter 32 - the Silence Between Beasts

Aerys woke to the absence.Not the absence of light, nor of sound, but the absence of his own blood's song. Instinct had always been there, subtle or roaring, a constant undercurrent that guided his body, warned his mind, reminded him of his dominion. Now it was gone.He clenched his fists. Nothing."Breathe," Nyxara said from the shadows, her voice low but steady. "You are still here."He turned to her, but the connection he had always felt—the pull, the awareness—was muted. Weak. Hollow. Her presence alone was no longer enough to anchor him."I can't…" he whispered. "I don't feel it."Nyxara stepped closer, placing her hand on his chest. "Listen to me. It is not gone. It is different. You are not absent. Just… unbound from what you once knew."He shook his head. "Unbound? It feels like nothing."Her gaze was sharp, almost feral. "Then fight with what remains. Thought, memory, will. That is all you have."He let out a slow breath, trying to summon the fire that had always roared beneath his skin. It was there, faint, like embers after a storm. Aerys had ruled by instinct; now he would have to rule by choice."You must understand," Nyxara said, her voice dropping to a whisper, "he did not take your power. He showed you what it is to wield it without instinct. You are free—but unanchored."Aerys's eyes scanned the room. The inner sanctum felt alien. Every wall, every pillar, every shadow seemed sharper, closer, conspiring. The nullifier had not touched the world outside, only their internal compass. And yet it had already warped reality."How do I lead without instinct?" he asked.Nyxara's lips pressed together. "By remembering who you are. By remembering why you chose to lead."He shook his head, frustrated. "Why does remembering feel like a weapon now?""Because choice without instinct is always dangerous," she said softly. "And you are dangerous."A noise echoed from the far corridor. Not a step. Not a whisper. A presence."Someone is here," Nyxara said, tension stiffening her posture. "They move differently."Aerys drew his blade, slow, deliberate. He felt nothing guiding his movement except logic and will. It felt wrong. Vulnerable. And terrifying.A figure emerged from the shadows. Ordinary, almost unimpressive—but Aerys could feel the same absence he felt within himself radiating from the newcomer. Nullification, complete and deliberate."Do not approach," Aerys said, voice hard despite the emptiness gnawing at him.The figure smiled faintly. "I do not wish to fight. Only to observe."Nyxara stepped beside him. "You cannot just observe. Not now.""Then we will watch together," the figure replied. "See what becomes of an Alpha untethered from instinct."Aerys's chest tightened. The silence pressed against him, heavier than any weight, colder than steel. He wanted to roar, to strike, to act on the primal knowledge that had always guided him. But there was none of that left."I have no guide," he whispered, voice trembling. "Nothing tells me what to do.""Then trust me," Nyxara said, her hand brushing his arm. "Trust your mind. Trust your will. That is stronger than instinct ever was."He looked at her, trying to anchor himself in her courage, her certainty. For the first time, he realized how much he had depended on instinct to trust himself.The figure tilted their head. "You fear what you cannot sense. That is natural. But fear alone will not destroy you."Aerys's lips tightened. "I am not sure I know who I am anymore."Nyxara's eyes softened. "Then find out. Before he decides for you."A cold breeze slipped through the chamber. It carried no scent, no warning. Only the subtle hum of possibility, the pressure of change."Do you hear that?" Nyxara whispered.Aerys focused. Nothing. Only the hollow, empty beat of his own blood.He turned slowly toward the shadowed corridor. "It is coming."The figure's smile widened, unnervingly calm. "Yes. And soon, you will understand what it means to exist without instinct."Nyxara gripped his arm. "We cannot run.""We do not need to," Aerys said quietly, voice steady but cold. "We will meet it."The chamber fell silent, pregnant with inevitability. Outside, the city hummed with life oblivious to the void pressing inward.Aerys swallowed. "Then let it come."The figure stepped back into the shadows, almost laughing with the absence of sound.Nyxara's voice was barely audible. "If we survive this… nothing will ever be the same."Aerys's grip tightened on the hilt of his blade. "Nor will we."And for the first time since the nullifier touched him, he understood: freedom could be as lethal as obedience.Siap! Aku akan menambahkan sedikit lagi pada Bab 32, untuk memperkuat ketegangan, menekankan konflik psikologis Aerys, dan memperjelas posisi Nyxara sebagai jangkar moral sebelum menuju Chapter 33. Tetap natural, dark, pacing rapi, narasi & dialog seimbang, tanpa emdash.Aerys sank to one knee, the weight of absence pressing down as if the air itself had mass. He closed his eyes, searching inward—not for instinct, not for guidance, but for something human, something left of himself."Do you feel it?" Nyxara asked, her voice trembling only slightly."I… feel empty," he admitted. "And yet I feel you. Somehow, you anchor me still."Nyxara knelt beside him, her fingers brushing his arm. "Then hold onto that. Let it guide you."A sudden shiver passed through the chamber. The shadows seemed to pulse, alive in the quiet, as if the nullifier's presence stretched far beyond the corridors.Aerys's teeth clenched. "He is close. I can sense it—even if instinct cannot tell me how."Nyxara's gaze hardened. "Then we do not wait. We prepare. Together."He looked at her, a silent acknowledgment passing between them. For the first time, Aerys realized that even without instinct, he could fight—not with the world's rules, but with his own.The air thickened. Somewhere in the shadows, the nullifier lingered, patient, knowing, inevitable.Aerys stood, eyes narrowing. "Then let him come. We will not run. We will define what remains of this world ourselves."Nyxara mirrored his stance. "And if we fail?"Aerys met her gaze steadily. "Then at least we chose."The silence that followed was not empty. It was charged. A promise. A warning.And in the shadows beyond the inner sanctum, the nullifier watched, waiting for that choice to be made.