Sometimes, the loudest scream is the one never spoken."
---
The morning sun spilled across Harmonia's stone-paved streets —
but there was no warmth in it.
The whole city remained silent,
the only sound being the distant echo of Ear Guards' boots.
Inside a small base of the Echo Circle,
Noen looked out from behind a curtain.
Today was the Soul Monitoring Parade —
a symbolic display of fear.
The guards marched through the town square,
their magical devices scanning for:
vibrations.
resonance.
even suppressed humming.
> "It's not just a parade," Finn muttered, hiding his lute.
"It's a warning — feel anything, and they'll come for you."
Noen said nothing.
He closed his eyes, testing the resonance within him —
and immediately, a soft ringing filled his ears.
A laugh? A cry?
He ran toward the square.
---
Town Square
A little girl stood beside her mother —
a flower vendor.
In her hands: a cheap, wooden flute.
The kind sold to children.
And without thinking…
she blew into it.
Just a simple note.
That's all it took.
> WOOOOOOM.
A sharp beep.
Guards moved in from all sides.
People stepped away.
Some turned their faces.
One person even tried hiding a smile.
The guard snatched the flute
and threw it to the ground.
The girl started crying.
Her mother wrapped her arms around her.
> "You know this is forbidden," the guard said.
"Sound — big or small — violates the Sacred Law."
Tears streamed from the girl's eyes,
but she whispered,
> "But… but my papa used to play that note…"
Noen stood in the crowd.
His hands trembled.
But not his heart.
He stepped forward.
> "Let her go."
The guard turned.
> "You. You're the one who sings, aren't you?"
Noen nodded.
> "No. I just listen."
The guard moved toward him.
> "You're coming with us."
But then—
another sound.
The flute.
Broken.
But still breathing.
The little girl had picked it up again.
And played.
One note.
Soft. Cracked.
But in that broken note — the entire square fell silent.
People stopped moving.
Some smiled.
Some cried.
An old man banged his cane on the ground — once, twice — like applause.
The guard froze.
Confused.
Powerless.
Noen walked beside him and whispered:
> "Did you hear that?" "That note wasn't rebellion…" "It was identity."
The guard said nothing.
He turned.
And walked away.
---
That Night — Echo Circle
No one spoke.
Finally, Finn broke the silence.
> "You didn't play anything…" "But somehow, you made everyone feel everything."
Noen smiled.
> "Sometimes…
silence isn't broken by screams."
"It's broken by a whisper that refuses to die."
---
End of Chapter 9
"If a little girl's smile can shake an empire's law…
then know this — you're not fighting for sound…
you're fighting for humanity."