Jax's eyes did not look like Jax anymore. They were open, but empty, like someone had turned off the light behind them.
Kai froze in place. Lina felt Kai's heartbeat jump under her hand. Thump—too fast. Too sharp.
Jax's mouth moved again.
"Kai," the voice said, calm and deep.
It was not Jax's voice.
It was not Lina's stolen voice.
It sounded older. Like stone speaking.
Seren stumbled back, shaking. Mira made a small, terrified sound. Reyon's face went pale like paper.
Kai's jaw clenched. He did not step closer. He didn't speak. He only held Lina tighter, like he was trying to keep the name inside her from escaping.
The black Quill floated beside Jax's head like a pet sitting on a shoulder. Its tip moved slowly in the air, as if it was writing invisible words.
The stone stand wrote a new line in silver, clear and neat.
VESSEL: ACCEPTED.
Lina's stomach dropped.
So that's what Jax was now.
A vessel.
A mouth.
A tool.
Jax's head turned toward Lina, slow and stiff. The deep voice spoke again, through him.
"Give," it said.
Lina's throat burned. The name inside her rose like a wave. She pressed her lips together hard. She felt Kai's fingers tighten on her wrist.
Kai shook his head once.
No.
Seren's eyes glowed bright silver. Tears ran down her face. She looked at Jax like she could hear him trapped inside his own body, banging on a locked door.
Mira whispered, trembling, "Jax…?" Then she slapped her own mouth with her hand, scared she fed the room.
The chamber hummed, pleased anyway, like it enjoyed fear even without words.
Jax's mouth smiled slightly.
It was not Jax's smile.
It was a hungry smile.
The stone stand wrote again, like it was announcing a game rule.
OFFER OPEN: TRUE NAME.
Then the next line came.
OR PAY WITH ANOTHER TETHER.
Lina's eyes flew to Mira's name on the wall. The 🧵 symbol still flickered beside it, steady and cruel.
Kai's shoulders went tight. He understood too. If they didn't give the name, the chamber would cut another bond. Maybe Kai's bond with Lina. Maybe Seren's. Maybe something worse.
Reyon looked around, desperate. His eyes landed on the wall of names again. He saw how many were scratched out. He saw the symbols. He swallowed hard.
"This is a factory," Reyon whispered. Then he stopped, eyes wide, like he remembered sound is food.
Kai glanced at him, and Reyon shut his mouth fast.
Seren stepped forward, shaking. She didn't speak. She lifted her hand and pointed at the Quill, then pointed at the wall with the 🖋️ symbols, then pointed at Jax.
She was trying to say: it rewrites people.
Kai nodded once. He got it.
Then the Quill dipped toward the stone stand. A new blank line appeared again, ready for letters.
FIRST LETTER ONLY, the stand wrote again, like it was sweet.
Lina's chest tightened. The trap was still aimed at her mouth.
The deep voice inside Jax spoke again, smooth and calm.
"Say," it said.
Lina's lips trembled.
Kai's hand covered Lina's mouth again, gentle but firm. He leaned in close, forehead almost touching hers, and said one word, very low, like he was breaking a rule for her.
"Stay."
Lina nodded fast.
The chamber hummed louder.
VOICE NOTED.
Kai's eyes darkened with anger. He hated feeding it, but he couldn't let Lina drift.
Then something else happened.
The wall of names changed.
A new name wrote itself at the bottom, like ink appearing from nowhere.
Lina Veris.
A symbol flashed beside it.
🖋️
Name rewritten.
Lina's blood turned cold.
Because Lina's name had never had a symbol before.
The Quill was not just hunting Kai now.
It was marking Lina too.
Seren stared at Lina's name and shook, horror in her eyes. She pressed a hand to her own mouth, trying not to cry out.
Mira looked at Lina's name, then looked at Lina's face, confused and scared. Mira's bond was cut, but Mira still felt danger.
Kai's face went hard.
The stone stand wrote another line under Lina's name, calm as a knife.
STATUS: VOICE PATH ACTIVE.STATUS: REWRITE POSSIBLE.
Lina felt dizzy. She could almost feel ink on her skin, like invisible writing crawling up her throat.
The deep voice in Jax spoke again, and this time it sounded almost gentle.
"Good," it said.
Then Jax lifted his hand.
His hand moved like it wasn't his.
He reached toward Kai.
Kai stepped back at once, pulling Lina with him.
Jax's fingers stopped in midair, then curled, like a hook.
The stand wrote:
TOUCH TRANSFER: ENABLED.
Kai's eyes widened for the first time in panic.
Lina's heart slammed.
Touch was their anchor.
Touch was what kept them real.
If the Quill could use touch to transfer something, then even their only safe thing could become a trap.
Jax took one step forward, slow.
Kai moved Lina behind him and spread his shadowsteel along the floor like a line.
Jax did not stop.
The Quill floated closer to Kai too, like it was hungry for him.
Seren's eyes glowed bright. She looked at Kai, then at Lina, then at Mira, then at Reyon.
She made a quick sign with her fingers, like she was showing a plan.
Two fingers together, then split.
Split the attention. Split the path.
Reyon shook his head fast. No splitting. But then he looked at Jax, and he understood this was not a normal rule now.
Kai looked at the half-open door behind them.
Then the door slammed shut on its own.
The sound was heavy, final.
The chamber sealed them in.
The stand wrote one last line in bright silver letters, like an announcement:
TRIAL BEGINS.
Jax's mouth opened again. The deep voice spoke through him, and it sounded happy.
"Choose," it said.
The wall of names flashed.
Mira Sun 🧵Lina Veris 🖋️
And beneath the two names, a new line appeared, cruel and simple.
ONE SAVED.ONE TAKEN.
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
Kai's whole body went still.
Because the chamber wasn't only asking for a name now.
It was asking for a sacrifice.
And it was forcing Kai to choose who gets hurt next.
To be Continued
© Kishtika., 2025
All rights reserved.