Some songs heal the soul.
Some are never allowed to begin.
---
> "What is this place…" Noen whispered,
as a few members of the Echo Circle led him through a narrow underground tunnel.
The walls were damp. The air… strangely still —
like no one had ever dared to speak here.
Mora walked ahead. Her voice quiet, but steady.
> "Have you heard of the Soul Dampener, Noen?"
> "No…" Noen replied,
"…but from the name, sounds like it steals the sound from within."
> "It doesn't steal," Mora said coldly.
"It dries the soul before it ever learns to sing."
---
As they approached a chamber,
a cold metallic pulse ran beneath their feet.
Noen stopped.
> "Why can't I feel anything…? No beat. No hum…
It's too quiet."
Mora opened a heavy iron door.
Inside —
a massive black orb, made of crystal.
Musical symbols floated inside it —
but none of them moved.
Frozen.
Cracked.
Like sound itself… had been locked away.
---
> "What is this?" Noen asked.
Mora answered:
> "A gift from Ravon.
Buried under the capital… beneath the palace."
> "This artifact disconnects a melody from its resonance."
"Which means… you can play, scream, cry…
But the sound will never reach the world."
---
Noen slowly picked up his guitar.
He strummed a soft note.
…
Nothing.
No emotion.
No vibration.
Just stillness.
> "It played the sound… but the world refused to hear it."
---
> "This is their weapon," Mora said.
"When you perform…
when the whole city starts to move with your music…
They'll activate this."
> "And all your sound?"
"It'll turn to dust."
Noen stared at the orb.
Not with fear —
but with something held deep inside.
> "How do we break it?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
Mora gave the slightest smile.
> "Your voice holds vibration, yes."
"But this artifact… wasn't made by silence."
"It was built from pain."
"And only pain can break it."
Noen stepped closer.
Placed a hand on the cold crystal.
Then softly said:
> "Then I'll find that pain…"
"And I'll sing it."
---
End of Chapter 6
"You can silence a sound…
but never a soul ready to sing."