King Felix II slowly regained consciousness, the residual effects of the anti-Flow gas making his head swim. The first thing he registered was the utter, crushing absence of everything.
He was in a small, smooth chamber. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of a single, featureless material of perfectly matte gray. There was no light, no sound, and no air movement. His vision, usually registering the vibrant hues of the Flow, was met with a blank, suffocating void.
[SYSTEM WARNING: SENSORY DEPRIVATION DETECTED. FLOW INFLUX IS ATTEMPTING TO COMPENSATE. DF DRAIN RATE: SEVERE.]
This was The Chamber of Absolute Stillness—a prison designed by the Holy Kingdom of Lunio to neutralize the Flow by eliminating the very possibility of self-actualization. Without any external input to focus on (aesthetics, sound, color), the Rituals of Gooning—the mental acts that generate and refine his Flow—were impossible.
He realized he was alone. Knight-Captain Rhea was not with him. His Void Anchor Garb and the Prism of Unfettered Desire (the microphone) had been stripped away. Only the hated Flow-Dampening Scarf remained around his neck, mocking him with its isolating presence.
"They aren't torturing us; they're trying to de-aestheticize us," Felix murmured, his voice sounding flat and alien in the total vacuum of sound.
Hours later, a thin, white beam of light sliced across the floor, and a door materialized, opening with a hiss of stale, purified air.
The High Council Speaker of Lunio entered, accompanied by two silent, black-armored guards. The Speaker wore robes of pristine white cotton, radiating the spiritual arrogance of the Doctrine of Undivided Light.
"Welcome, King of Noise and Vanity," the Speaker said, his voice measured and devoid of emotion. "This is a place of Undivided Truth. Here, the madness of your Self-Actualized Focus cannot persist."
"You kidnapped a sovereign ruler and declared war based on a technical glitch and lies," Felix retorted, struggling to find his footing.
"Lies?" the Speaker scoffed. "Your entire Imperium is founded on a lie—the lie that individual appetite is power. Your magic, the 'Flow,' is simply uncontrolled spiritual noise. We did not kidnap you; we performed an Ideological Sequestration to save the soul of the continent."
The Speaker presented a holographic projector displaying the doctored propaganda broadcast, focusing on the distorted, sickly image of Felix.
"See your corruption," the Speaker commanded. "Your focus is impure. Your lineage is built on the Original King Felix's crimes against humanity. We have the historical records. We know the cost of the madness your power represents."
The Speaker's words drove deep. They knew about the Original Felix's dark past—a past Grey knew nothing about.
"What... what are you talking about? What crimes?" Felix demanded, his voice cracking. He was not the original King Felix; he was Grey, the isekai transplant. But he realized he was trapped by the identity he inherited.
The Speaker smiled—a cold, pitying expression. "The Original King Felix was an inhumane bastard who inflicted unspeakable, lasting trauma on those closest to him. Your focus is simply the amplification of his unrepentant ego. You are his echo."
The Speaker didn't reveal specifics, but the implication was devastating. The Shadow's motivation, the ideological attacks, even the timing of the kidnapping—it all pointed back to the hidden sins of the body he now inhabited.
"You will remain here until the Flow is purged from your mind," the Speaker concluded. "Your people will submit to the Light, and your noise will be silenced."
The Speaker and the guards left, plunging Felix back into the suffocating, silent darkness.
[SYSTEM WARNING: IDENTITY CRISIS INITIATED. UNKNOWN FEAR/SHAME INHERITED FROM HOST BODY. DF RESERVES: CRITICAL. NEED FOR EXTERNAL STIMULATION: HIGH.]
Felix curled up, the silence attempting to crush his very focus. He was not just fighting for his life; he was fighting the shame and the unknown malice of the man whose throne and life he had stolen. He had to escape, not just to save his kingdom, but to find out who the original King Felix truly was.
King Felix must find a way to generate Flow in a place of Absolute Stillness.