The wind whispered through the arches of the palace, carrying away the ashes of the royal fire.
The dragons had scattered, too afraid to speak.
Yet their eyes lingered on the empty throne, as if the memory of the fallen king still refused to fade.
Ryo walked alone through the grand hall.
His steps echoed in the silence — slow, measured.
Each sound seemed to weigh upon the walls, upon the souls, upon time itself.
> "They still tremble," he murmured.
"Not out of loyalty… but out of fear."
A faint golden light flickered in his eyes before vanishing.
He stopped, raising his hand to look at the faint mark that glowed upon his skin.
The seal of the Dragon King still pulsed — a heart not his own.
> "You gave me your throne… but not your people."
Then, a whisper brushed against his mind — familiar, calm, almost gentle.
It did not come from elsewhere. It was part of him.
> "The people follow the flame.
Until you bear its warmth, they will remain in the dark."
Ryo closed his eyes, his breathing slowing.
His thoughts grew still — fluid, quiet.
> "Then I shall forge a flame that never fades.
Not a weapon. Not a crown.
But a presence that watches."
The wind stirred, swirling around him.
The marble beneath his feet began to hum, as though something deep below the stone awakened from a long slumber.
The torches bowed under the weight of an unseen force.
And from the silence — a light was born.
A pale, pure radiance appeared at the center of the hall.
It floated, fragile, like a breath searching to become life.
Ryo extended his hand, calm and unshaken.
His gaze, cold and steady, met the light.
> "You shall be my guardians.
Born of silence.
Bound by will alone.
Neither flesh, nor fire, nor oath.
You shall exist… to watch."
The light divided.
One, then two, then ten forms took shape — sculpted from shadow and glow alike.
Their features were blurred, undefined — silhouettes of stillness and power.
All of them knelt at once, breathless, wordless.
The palace seemed to hold its breath.
Even the flames dared not flicker.
Ryo observed them for a long moment before turning away.
> "As long as I reign, none shall break Ashen's silence."
His footsteps faded into the night.
Behind him, the Guardians of Silence slowly opened their eyes.
And within those sightless gazes…
the world felt that a new order had begun.