Scene 1 — The Fall into Silence
The storm vanished, but the silence it left behind was worse.
Jemil's ears rang as though the lightning still echoed inside his skull. Around him, the battlefield was gone—swallowed by a hollow void that felt too vast to belong anywhere within the Tower.
He tried to move, but the ground beneath him wasn't solid. It was ash—soft, weightless, and warm. Every step sank. The air shimmered with ghostly embers, drifting like snow.
The swordmaster stood a few paces ahead, her blade planted in the ash, her head bowed. The glow from her vow still burned faintly, but it flickered, uncertain. Her shoulders rose and fell with slow, controlled breaths.
Jemil called to her softly. "We did it. You broke it. The storm's gone."
Her reply was quiet, barely audible.
"Gone? Jemil… look closer."
He did.
