Synopsis:
In the world of Sonoterra, everything has a "frequency." Mages are not wizards; they are Conductors who use musical instruments to bend reality. However, Kael is born "Tone-Deaf"—he cannot hear the music of the world, making him an outcast. But when an ancient, silent darkness begins swallowing cities, Kael discovers a terrifying truth: he is the only one who can manipulate "The Silence," a forgotten primal force. To save a world that rejected him, Kael must embark on a journey to find the "Broken Violin of the Gods."
Chapter 1: The Boy Who Heard Nothing
The world of Sonoterra was never quiet. To anyone else, the rustling leaves played a flute-like melody, and the flowing river hummed a deep, rhythmic bass. Life was a constant, beautiful concert.
But for Kael, the world was a graveyard.
He sat on the edge of the cliff, watching the village of Oakhaven below. He saw the village Conductors waving their batons, summoning golden sparks to light the streetlamps. He saw the children laughing, their mouths moving in rhythmic patterns he could only guess at. He felt the vibration in his chest, but he heard nothing.
He was a "Hush"—a person born without the ability to hear the World-Song. In a society where your worth was measured by your harmony, Kael was a zero.
"Kael! Look out!"
He didn't hear the shout, but he felt the sudden shift in the air. He rolled to the left just as a shard of jagged glass-ice shattered where his head had been.
Standing a few feet away was Borin, the Mayor's son, holding a shimmering silver flute. Borin sneered, his fingers dancing over the holes of his instrument. He played a sharp, discordant note. A wave of visible sound, like a ripple in water, slammed into Kael's chest, throwing him backward.
Kael coughed, tasting blood. He looked up, his eyes burning with a silent rage. He couldn't hear the insult Borin was undoubtedly shouting, but he saw the arrogance in the boy's eyes.
Borin raised his flute again, preparing a finishing strike. But then, something happened that had never happened in the history of Oakhaven.
The sun didn't dim, but the colors of the world began to fade into grey. The wind stopped. The birds froze mid-air. A terrifying, absolute silence washed over the cliffside.
Borin blew into his flute, but no sound came out. He looked at his instrument in horror, then at the sky.
A crack appeared in the air—a literal tear in reality. It wasn't black; it was a void so empty that it hurt to look at. From that crack, shadows poured out like liquid ink, swallowing the light.
Borin screamed, or at least his mouth opened wide, but the Silence swallowed his voice. The shadows reached for him, wrapping around his legs like cold chains.
Kael stood up, trembling. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel left out. While Borin was paralyzed by the loss of sound, Kael was at home in the quiet.
He felt a strange thrumming in his palms. He reached out his hand toward the shadows, not out of bravery, but out of a strange, magnetic pull. As his fingers touched the void, a spark of pure, white light erupted from his fingertips.
The silence didn't break. It pulsed.
The shadows recoiled as if burned. Kael stared at his hand. He couldn't hear the world's song, but for a split second, he had commanded the silence itself.
He wasn't just a "Hush." He was the Conductor of the Void.