The bridge stretched a little farther, stone trembling under their boots. The altar's glow bled into the air, pale and sickly. Kael gripped the Key so tight his knuckles ached.
The bells above swayed, not with wind but with intent. Their chains creaked in unison, like a choir drawing breath.
Riven muttered, voice thin. "If the walls start singing, I'm cutting my ears off."
Seren scribbled quick: Don't joke. It hears. She shoved the note into his chest hard enough to make him grunt.
Kael's throat burned, but it wasn't the Burden this time. The silence itself had weight, pressing into him, daring him to break it.
Then the statues moved.
Not much — just a tilt of a head, a crack of stone shoulders. Their mouths stretched wider, chipped lips grinding, but no sound came. The silence deepened until Kael could hear his own pulse.
The system whispered, sharp as a knife:
[Warden of Silence: Noticed] Condition: Debt unresolved. Phase One awakening.
Riven's grin broke. "Phase one? How many damn phases are there?"
Kael forced his voice, low and raw: "Too many."
From the far end of the Cathedral, something stirred. A shape peeled itself from the shadows — tall, draped in torn cloth and parchment, face hidden behind a mask of cracked white stone. Bells dangled from its arms, swaying without sound.
The Warden of Silence.
Kael's Compass jerked in his chest, spinning wild before locking straight at the figure. The Key in his palm burned cold, eager.
The Warden raised one arm. Dozens of slips of paper unrolled from its sleeve, each one with a name. Some scratched out, some glowing faint. One burned bright: Kael — Hollow. Twice Marked.
Kael's stomach turned to ice.
Riven swore, sword half-raised. "It's got your name on a receipt."
The Warden moved without noise. No footsteps, no creak of stone. One moment it stood at the far end, the next it was closer, paper strips brushing the ground like chains.
Seren scribbled fast, shoved it at Kael: We can't fight. Only stall.
He knew she was right. The Key might bend, but it wouldn't break this thing. Not yet.
The altar flared. The system hissed again:
[Final Demand: One Name] Offer required. Refusal = Debt carried forward. Warden interest increased.
Kael's throat closed. His name pulsed on the paper, bright and sharp.
The Warden tilted its head, mask cracking faint as if it smiled.
The gong struck.
BOOOONG.
It rolled through every pillar, every chain, every bone in Kael's body. The Warden's slips of paper fluttered like wings.
Kael staggered, clutching the Key. They weren't winning this trial. Not today.
The Cathedral had marked them. The Warden had seen him. And it would wait.