Morning mist clung to the grass when Darius called the group together. The mercenaries formed a loose circle in the clearing, weapons strapped to their backs, expressions ranging from boredom to curiosity. Brann stretched lazily, his greatsword propped on his shoulder, while Selene leaned against a tree, unreadable under her hood.
Kael stood in the center, clutching his flute. His hands were damp, his stomach tight with nerves.
Darius's deep voice cut through the cool air.
"You made a discovery last night. Now, you will prove it."
Kael blinked. "Prove?"
"You will spar," Darius said flatly. "If you cannot control what you found, then it is useless."
Brann grinned. "Oh, I like this already. Who's the lucky opponent? Please say it's me."
"No," Darius said without hesitation. "Selene."
The hooded girl stepped forward, her footsteps barely making a sound. She drew back her hood, revealing pale silver hair that shimmered faintly in the morning light. Her eyes, sharp as a falcon's, locked onto Kael.
"You won't scare me with silence," she said simply.
Kael swallowed, throat dry.
Brann chuckled. "Oh-ho! Careful, boy. Selene doesn't go easy on anyone, not even herself."
Selene unslung the short twin daggers at her belt, their edges gleaming. The air around her trembled, her Sound Resonance stirring like ripples across water. A faint hum vibrated in Kael's ears, pressure building before she even moved.
"Begin," Darius commanded.
Selene blurred forward. The hum surged into a piercing note that made Kael's teeth rattle. He flinched, almost dropping his flute, but forced himself to raise it.
Breathe. Don't fight the noise, erase it.
He blew a single note.
The world bent inward. The hum collapsed into nothing. Selene's resonance sputtered as if smothered under a heavy cloth. Her eyes widened a fraction, but she didn't stop, her daggers slashed toward him, fast and precise.
Kael stumbled back, playing another short phrase. His echoes burst outward, stronger than ever, vibrating against the air like invisible shields. Selene's strike hit the echo instead of him, sparks flying as the resonance collided.
The mercenaries murmured in surprise.
Brann let out a whistle. "Well, I'll be damned. The kid really can shut her up."
Selene narrowed her eyes, darting around Kael. She struck again and again, her blades ringing against his reinforced echoes. But every time her resonance tried to rise, his silence pressed it down, cutting off her power mid-flow.
Kael's chest burned, his breath ragged. Holding the silence was harder than he thought, it pulled at his insides, demanding focus he didn't know he had. But for the first time, he wasn't afraid.
He stopped retreating.
He stepped forward.
His echo burst outward like a wave, amplified by the silence around them. Selene staggered back, her daggers vibrating in her hands. For the briefest moment, her sound was gone, completely gone.
The circle of mercenaries fell into stunned quiet.
Then Darius spoke. His voice was low, unreadable.
"Enough."
Kael dropped his flute, gasping for air. Sweat plastered his hair to his forehead.
Selene sheathed her daggers, her expression unchanged, but she gave him the smallest of nods before stepping back into the circle.
Brann clapped loudly, grinning ear to ear. "That's it! That's the good stuff. You see, boss? He's not just dead weight!"
The other mercenaries murmured, no longer looking at Kael with open distrust.
For the first time since joining them, Kael felt their eyes not as daggers in his back, but as something closer to respect.
Darius gave him a long look.
"You've taken your first step. Do not mistake it for a leap. Silence may save you… or it may devour you."
Kael nodded weakly, clutching his flute tighter. He didn't know if Darius meant it as a warning or a curse. But deep inside, beneath the exhaustion, a spark of pride flickered.
For once, he wasn't just a burden.
He was something more.