The courtyard was empty.
Moonlight spilled over marble tiles, and the night held its breath.
Kairo sat alone on the edge of the fountain, water still rippling from the recent shockwave. The three seniors he had flattened with a whisper were already taken to the infirmary, still unconscious. And Lyra... she hadn't said a word since.
Not that he expected her to.
He didn't expect anything from anyone anymore.
But the silence now wasn't peaceful. It was waiting.
> "You shouldn't have done that."
Lyra's voice cut through the stillness. Calm. Cold. But not angry.
Kairo didn't look at her. His gaze was on the water, where distorted reflections danced.
> "You're not supposed to be able to speak, are you?"
He didn't answer.
> "No… you chose not to speak."
That made his fingers tighten around the stone edge.
Lyra stepped closer, her silver-white braid swaying. "What was that power? No incantation. No glyph. You just said a word and—they broke."
Kairo finally looked up.
> "You don't want to know," he whispered.
But the moment he did, the wind stopped.
Every tree, every blade of grass, every loose leaf halted in the air like time itself had frozen.
Lyra's eyes widened. "What's… happening?"
Kairo stood.
> "It's begun."
A golden ring appeared in the air above the fountain—a floating circle inscribed with ancient characters. One by one, they lit up.
Then the voice returned.
Not inside his head this time.
This one tore through the sky like a warhorn.
> "The Word has been uttered. Trial One shall begin."
From the ring, a shape emerged.
Not a man.
Not a beast.
Something in between.
An armored being made of stone and sound, humming with unnatural vibration, stepped onto the tiles. Its head was a smooth mask, blank, except for a mouth carved across its face.
A speaker golem.
Lyra pulled her blade from its sheath—a silver rapier with a violet core. "Kairo—what is that?!"
> "A Keeper," he replied. "The first of twenty-four."
The golem raised its arm, and the entire courtyard shook.
> "Trial of the First Seal: Can the Wordbearer Control His Echo?"
A wave of crushing sound exploded from the golem.
Kairo moved—not with speed, but with certainty. One step forward, and the sound parted around him like mist.
He reached into his coat, pulling out a coin.
Old. Blackened. Marked with a symbol—a single open mouth.
He flipped it once, caught it.
And whispered:
> "Hush."
The world collapsed into silence.
The soundwave shattered.
The golem staggered backward, body flickering.
Kairo approached it slowly.
With every step, the lights in the seal above faded.
> "I didn't want to fight," he said softly.
> "But now… I remember why I was sealed."
He looked up, voice just above breath.
> "And if you're listening, Old Gods... I'm awake now."
He raised his hand.
The air shuddered.
And for the second time in his life—
> He Spoke.
The Keeper exploded into sound and stone, fragments flung across the courtyard. The seal in the sky shattered like glass, golden letters raining down like dust.
Kairo fell to one knee.
Breathing heavy.
A line of blood traced from his lip.
Behind him, Lyra stared in awe and horror.
> "Kairo… what are you?"
He looked at his trembling hands.
> "A mistake the gods tried to silence."
Above, the moon flickered.
And somewhere far beyond mortal sight...
> The Second Seal cracked.