They found the center of the city. A great square, empty except for a single structure. A tower, made of black stone, that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it.
"This is where the silence is strongest," said Al.
They approached the tower. The air grew heavier with each step. Sounds faded. Colors dulled. Even their thoughts seemed to slow.
At the base of the tower, there was a door. Open. Waiting.
"Someone wants us to enter," said the queen.
"Someone wants us to see," said Seong.
They entered.
Inside, the tower was empty. No stairs. No rooms. Just a single, vast space. And in the center, floating in the air, was a sphere. Blacker than black. Darker than darkness.
"The heart of silence," whispered Varen.
As they watched, the sphere began to pulse. Not like a heartbeat. Like an inhale. Like it was breathing in the world.
"It is feeding," said the queen. "On the city. On the people. On everything."
"How do we stop it?" asked Kaien.
Varen stepped forward. "I do not know if we can. But I know that it fears one thing."
"What?"
"Memory. The one thing it cannot erase completely. Because memory is not just in minds. It is in stones. In trees. In the spaces between stars. It is everywhere."
"Then we remind it," said Seong. "We remind it what it means to exist."