Welcome to The Muted World
Before you step into this brutal, broken, and beautiful world—I need to tell you a few things. Not because I doubt your intelligence, but because this world isn't kind. And once you're in, it won't wait for you to catch up.
This isn't just a story.
It's survival.
And sometimes… it's grief in slow motion.
The World of Sonara – Where Silence Kills
This novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world known as Sonara, a realm torn apart by an event known as the Shatter Howl—a catastrophic pulse of sound that twisted the fabric of reality. Buildings crumbled like paper. Oceans froze mid-wave. And from the ruins, the Vyrants emerged.
These aren't your typical monsters.
They are noise-born abominations, birthed from the chaotic resonance left behind by the Shatter Howl. No one knows if they were once human. Maybe they were echoes of human emotion, soaked in terror and rage until they mutated. Whatever they are, they don't just kill.
They silence.
They consume every sound—breath, scream, heartbeat—until only a graveyard of static remains.
Echo Arts – The Power of Survival
In Sonara, silence is death, and sound is power.
The people who fight back are known as Echo Wielders—warriors who've learned to tap into the mystical power of Echo Arts, a branch of combat magic that manipulates frequencies, vibrations, harmonics, and raw sound energy.
But Echo Arts doesn't come easily. You can't learn it in a textbook or a classroom.
You earn it through trauma.
Each Echo Wielder's ability is born from a moment of intense emotional pain—an irreversible sound memory known as a Resonance Trigger. For some, it's the sound of a sibling's last breath. For others, the sirens that never arrived.
That sound—imprinted on the soul—awakens their Echo Core.
That's where it begins.
Power Rankings – Understanding Strength in Sonara
Not all Echo Wielders are created equal. The Echo Regulation Council (ERC), a global organization formed to counter the Vyrants, developed a ranking system to classify both threats and combatants.
Echo Wielder Ranks:
Rank E – Basic vibration control (mostly used for menial tasks).
Rank D – Capable of minor soundwave blasts and defensive barriers.
Rank C – Can manipulate echoes for combat; standard foot soldiers.
Rank B – Enhanced hearing, echo manipulation, and mid-level sound weapons.
Rank A – Advanced sonic constructs and vocal resonance attacks.
Rank S – Master-level wielders; can shatter terrain or redirect vibrations.
Rank SS – Can manipulate multi-tonal harmonics, bend time in echoes.
Rank SSS – Rare legends who can weaponize silence itself.
Jackson Broks, our protagonist, begins at Rank E—the weakest of the weak.
But his journey won't stay that way.
Vyrant Threat Classes:
Vyrants are categorized by how violently they distort or absorb sound.
Class I (Static Beasts): Low-level roamers that scramble small echoes.
Class II (Sonic Leeches): Can drain Echo Arts from a target mid-fight.
Class III (Bass Reapers): Humanoid Vyrants that emit deep-bass howls; shatter bones.
Class IV (Feedback Demons): Attack through sound illusion; deadly and disorienting.
Class V (Whisper Lords): Command lesser Vyrants; can mimic human voices.
Class VI (Mute Kings): Rare, ancient Vyrants that erase all sound in a region.
Class Zero (The Singularity): One known creature. A myth. A storm made flesh.
You'll meet these threats… eventually.
But pray you never meet the Class Zero.
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The Organization – ERC: Echo Regulation Council
Founded 7 years after the Shatter Howl, the ERC is the last legitimate power standing.
Their job?
Train Echo Wielders.
Map Vyrant outbreaks.
Prevent civilian resonance corruption.
Contain forbidden Echo Arts.
They aren't saints.
Some of their leaders are corrupted.
Some of their soldiers are criminals with a badge.
But they're the only barrier between the world and complete extinction.
You'll come to fear them. Maybe even hate them.
But you'll also understand why they exist.
Our Main Character – Jackson Broks
Jackson isn't a hero. Not in the beginning.
He's an orphan. Quiet. Bitter. Broke.
And he has one rule: Don't make a sound unless you're ready to die.
His past is filled with silence and static. His parents were killed in a Vyrant breach. The last thing he heard from them was his mother singing softly... before the noise stopped.
Since then, Jackson has stayed hidden, staying below the ERC radar, living in the Mute Zones—areas where Echo Arts are illegal.
But everything changes when he stumbles upon an ancient sound relic… and awakens an illegal, forgotten power called Void Echo—a power that doesn't just control sound.
It devours it.
Jackson's Power Progression – From Weak to Worldbreaker
Jackson starts out with zero control. Every time he taps into Void Echo, he risks erasing his own voice, or the memories of those around him.
But his progression is steady, dangerous, and terrifying.
Echo Ability Tree:
1. Whisper Blade – Forms a blade of vibration. Weak, but fast.
2. Echo Dodge – Redirects incoming sounds to confuse enemies.
3. Memory Pulse – Allows him to relive a sound from the past (support use).
4. Silence Shell – Cancels sound in a radius. Useful, but risky.
5. Void Chorus (Forbidden) – Absorbs all echoes around him; boosts physical stats.
6. Requiem Mode – The voice of the dead fights with him.
7. Absolute Null – Final ability. Unleashes an anti-sound wave that deletes matter.
Every time Jackson levels up… the cost is emotional.
His sanity, his connections, his ability to feel.
That's the trade-off for power.
The Villain – Zarthis, The Devourer of Sound
Every great story needs a threat that makes gods tremble.
Meet Zarthis, a being of ancient origin—possibly the first victim of the Shatter Howl. No one knows what he looks like, only that wherever he goes, the world goes mute.
He doesn't speak. He doesn't scream.
He just listens.
Then everything disappears.
Zarthis' Abilities:
Dead Decibel Field – All sounds vanish in his presence.
Resonance Corruption – Hijacks Echo abilities of nearby users.
Black Frequency Pulse – Collapses all frequencies in a living being.
Void Ascension – Merges reality with pure silence; rewrites physics.
Singularity Howl – A final move. One use. Ends everything in a 50-mile radius.
You'll meet him early on—only briefly. Just enough to understand that Jackson's final path is a collision course with this silent god.
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Themes You'll Encounter
This novel isn't about flashy magic fights. (Okay, it is, but not only that.)
At its core, it's about:
Grief. What happens when you lose everything?
Memory. Can sound bring back the past?
Identity. Who are you when the world forgets your voice?
Power. Is it worth having, if it costs you everything?
Silence. The scariest weapon of all.
You'll cry. You'll cheer. You'll hate Jackson sometimes.
But if you stick with him, I promise the journey will be worth it.
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Final Notes from the Author
I made this story for people who:
Feel like their voice isn't heard.
Hide their trauma in silence.
Love world-building that's dark, but poetic.
Want to see a nobody rise, not with luck, but with grit.
This is not a light story.
Characters die. Friends betray. Love doesn't always win.
But if you like your fiction raw, beautiful, and full of impact—
Welcome to The Muted World
You're one of us now.