The Origins of The Silence

Pain was still coursing through Sayane’s body by the time they arrived at their destination. Her thoughts were so consumed with concern about Azag’s health that she’d all but forgotten Attis had arranged the Council meeting to be moved.

They would not be returning to that isolated, floating disk that was hidden away.

This time, they would be in a place where all could see.

Glistening steps led the trio and their guards down a winding path. Open fissures lined the sides of the stairs, and Sayane could see hundreds more kelp-like crystals jutting upward from the deep dark below them. Ether currents flowed above them in cerulean blue shades, casting ripples on the surfaces. Everything felt underwater and surreal, and for a brief moment, Sayane found herself missing the sunlight once again.

Attis walked with them in silence, as though sensing something was off. At one point, he and Sayane met eyes, and his brows raised in concern. Sayane merely shook her head.

Strangely shaped statues began to appear before them. Each was clearly handmade, but there was no definitive form or purpose to their enormous design. They loomed over the party as though watching them approach, and the uneasiness only grew in Sayane’s chest.

They rounded a bend, and their new chamber appeared.

Hundreds of the strange statues lined the perimeter like columns. A glowing dome rose from the top and pulsed in living movement. Tendrils of ether light drifted out like ribbons, casting orange and pink illumination on every shimmering facet. The structure itself was massive and simultaneously imposing yet welcoming.

For Sayane, it felt like walking into a tower-sized jellyfish or glowing mushroom. She wanted to feel wonder, but she could only feel her nerves.

Moisture built in the grooves of her palms and fingers, and a knotting growl pulled in her diaphragm before settling beneath her ribs. She found herself more aware of the Ether and the vibrations of the air that carried in its currents. An ever-present hum rose in the air, and Sayane wondered if it was audible to others or just her.

Soon they were at the entrance. Sayane looked up at one of the massive, charcoal colored statues and felt another pull of anxiety as she tried to discern its image.

Tendrils reached out to them, and the three of them paused in concern. The bobbing ends were as large as they were, and it felt like they were blocking their passage.

“They are of no harm. They simply wish to know you,” Kol said from within the glow.

They appeared from the vines of light with ease, eyes already on Sayane.

“We’re supposed to let them touch us?” Attis asked.

“If you want. They are simply curious to learn, and it has been some time since they had new guests,” Kol said with a veiled tone.

Azag sighed and stepped forward.

A tendril rose to his chest.

“It may hurt,” he growled in a spiteful tone.

Sayane flinched to herself at his words. He was clearly still disgusted with himself and not in a sociable mood. Behind them, their guards cautiously tightened their hands on their weapons.

The curious extension pressed to his chest and strobed as it consumed whatever unknown details it was gathering. Azag didn’t move, but it was impossible to know if that meant he didn’t feel anything or if it was simply not enough to cause a reaction. The strobes ceased, and Azag limped past without a word. Attis and Sayane both accepted their scans and stepped forward.

Sayane watched as the soft end of the spongy appendage touched her heart. The strobes were different from Azag’s or even Attis’s. Theirs were electric green and steady. However, Sayane’s were multicolored and uneven. The tendril lingered slightly longer on her before lowering. Indeed, to her surprise, she had felt nothing in the process, which made it all the more unpleasant. It was over as quickly as it began, and the tendrils rose in silence. Kol turned and led them into the pulsating hallway.

“Welcome to the Ethereum,” they said as they walked.

Just a few steps in, the trio was greeted by a narrow bridge that led to the center of the colossal bubble they were now within. Its bright path stretched into the opening, where nothing else was except for slowly swirling Ether currents. All along the edges, gently flapping platforms floated in anchored positions like moss growing on damp rock. Dozens of Council members were already seated on the platforms, and a debate was already underway. A small crowd was in attendance as well.

Even without context, Sayane could hear that the discussion was not good-natured.

“We are running out of food, yet we continue to feed those who only a month ago were our enemy! We should ration them to one meal a day to make sure that OUR people are provided for first! The Returners demand that we cease this foolish goodwill before we all starve!”

Sayane recognized the being. It was the same creature that had called for the death of all Silence citizens in the last Council meeting. As soon as it saw Azag entering, it bared its fangs and spat on the ground.

A murderous, dense rattle built in Azag’s chest as he braced himself, but before he could respond, Attis stepped forward and slammed his walking staff onto the bridge, sending a high-pitched clash echoing across the chamber.

“Do not dare assume that this edict is up for debate, Returners!” Attis bellowed as his small fangs poked from the mouth that was usually smiling.

“If you are so eager to ration food for the sake of keeping our people fed, we shall limit YOURS as a test. Henceforth, any who challenge this command will be reduced to one meal a day, by order of Attis the Hopeful Herald, member of the Trine Sovereign!” Attis shouted.

More roars rose, and the air turned cold. Voices clashed from every edge as the different factions reacted. Sayane could feel the hints of violence in every rage-filled shout. This was not the tranquility she had dreamt of building a new world within. This was the complicated, bitter, difficult reality of it all.

Kol drifted from the bridge, making their way towards the other Returners. An idea presented itself to Sayane.

“Kol! Wait!” she called.

Kol paused at the edge of the faction.

“The other night, when I sang- The Ether. It landed on us like dust, and when we woke, none of us were hungry anymore. Can the Ether feed us?” she asked in honest hope.

Kol and several others laughed.

“No, dear songstress. It cannot,” Kol replied in a condescending tone.

“It was simply responding to your song’s purpose. You wanted people to feel rested and nourished, so it did that. But it did not feed you or give you nutrients.”

“If it could do that, we would have thought of that long ago,” another voice mocked.

Several other Council members rose to their feet and paws and pounded their chests.

“You dare mock the one who liberated us!”

Kol was unbothered and simply raised a hand to their comrades. The enraged being huffed and then smirked a tactless grin.

“We are simply pointing out that this Ethereal does not know nearly enough about our world and its history or ways to make decisions that affect it,” it said.

Now Azag unleashed himself. Sayane had never heard him roar before, so when he burst to full height, arms locked at his side, head tilted up, she couldn’t help but flinch in fear. The sound struck her ribs like a punch.

“Be very careful, Returner. You may be revered by many, but not me. Disrespect Sayane again, and I will sever your arms from their sockets,” he said.

Sayane stood her ground. Her question had been in good faith, but their responses had pushed her into a far less sympathetic mood.

“I admit I may not know a great deal of this world yet. That’s why I am leaning on those vastly more knowledgeable than me. Anahita might have an idea that can help. She is working as fast as she can! Maybe you should all try to come up with some solutions too. Send your people to search for the Silence’s reserves that they seemed to have hidden away. Go till the fields yourselves. But do NOT think I will tolerate you mocking me just because I am still learning.”

Several councilors slammed their chests in approval. Kol’s head tilted as they processed the answer, then they spoke once more.

“And what of your Psephos friend? We’ve heard you also permitted them to destroy the Psephonian stoneworks?” Kol asked.

The question felt like a trap. This had nothing to do with the food issue, but it instantly shifted the conversation’s momentum. Several who had just cheered seemed to pause in concern. But Sayane had no desire to back down.

“I did. It’s a disgusting practice, and it will never be done again.”

“Any who support that wicked history should be ashamed of themselves,” Attis added.

Numerous parties reacted negatively. This time, it wasn’t just the Returners. The number of members that seemed annoyed was far greater than Sayane expected, and that concerned her.

“Psephonian stoneworks are one of the most prized masonry arts of the last two millennia. For many cultures, it was a grand honor to receive such a thing or use such stone. Yet you would destroy that? Destroy that history and artistry? Destroy those buildings?” Kol asked.

“...Yes,” Sayane challenged.

Attis and Azag nodded in support. Some who had just cheered for her were now slowly sinking back to their seats in disapproval. One creature spoke from a central seat.

“What if… What if we… Stopped the practice moving forward?”

Several members booed and snarled.

“...But we kept what was already done? Don’t destroy what has been made already, just make sure it doesn’t happen again. It is a compromise. And for those who wish to see their stoneworks as investments, this will only increase their value by adding a new rarity.”

The discussion disgusted Sayane. Shakes returned to her hands. Muscles tensed and released in rapid succession. Rage began to boil in the back of her throat.

“You are talking about the bodies of people as if they are goods! How dare you! There will be no compromise!” she shouted as the room erupted once more.

Kol let out a bitter, annoyed laugh.

“Shall we undo everything then? Rewrite the world entirely? Get rid of societal responsibilities, social hierarchies? Get rid of the prisons, the Psephonian stoneworks, the silencing contracts?”

Others raised their hands in concern. Every eye was on the Trine Sovereign. Sayane had hoped this meeting would be to decide housing arrangements like some sort of architecture class. Now, everything was frothing into dangerous infighting, and she was learning more and more that many who had been in power before The Silence simply wished to return to how things were. It didn’t matter what their privilege had been built on; they just wanted it back.

One specific phrase from Kol had caught Sayane’s attention the most. It was said with such familiarity and casual recognition that it must have been well known. But the name frightened her. She turned it over in her mind, then again, fitting it against everything else that had been said. Its name slid into a contextual place with a dreadful certainty she prayed would be undone with an answer.

“How dare you,” Attis said.

“How DARE you. That will never return.”

“What do you mean, ‘silencing contracts’?” Sayane asked as she struggled to contain her trembling anger.

Kol sighed and held their tongue, refusing to answer. Beside her, Attis bared his fangs once again.

“Attis?” Sayane asked as perspiration drenched her hands.

He sneered and shook his head.

“Why is it called the SILENCING contract, Attis?” she repeated.

“A disgusting practice. From long ago. Lower beings were taken from poverty and had their voices removed by those who would purchase them. They would be forced to work for years, or even decades, to earn their voices back. The mages… and the songstresses… knew of this. It was only a small group of songstresses who had been cast out of the main chorus, but they were songstresses nonetheless. They were the ones who would execute the pact.”

Frigid tension ripped at her insides, and she feared she was going to vomit.

“Slavery. We called that slavery in my world,” she grimaced.

Attis nodded.

For so long, Sayane had wondered why The Silence would slaughter the songstresses and remove song from the world. Early on, she had thought it was simply because they wanted power. But now, there was an entirely new complexity to everything.

The songstresses had never wanted to have regular people sing with them. They thought they were the only ones who deserved music. They had lived far away in some mystical tower, separated from the world. And-

“The songstresses helped create The Silence?...” Sayane muttered.

Attis sighed and nodded ever so slightly.

“It is said that what became 'The Silence' had begun long ago as a revolt by thousands in silencing contracts. Across the realm, militant rebellions began. They were brutal and cruel, but they only attacked those who had tried to own them. That is how it started. But in time, that crusade became something far worse. What may have started with righteous anger became the most cruel empire the realm had ever known.”

“So when they killed all the songstresses, and took their songs, and cast the dissonance…” Sayane whimpered.

“It was because those systems had once played a part in their enslavement…” Attis admitted.

Everything was falling away. Nothing was clear anymore. Simplicity was an echo that was fading with every reverberation. The Silence had become a murderous, horrifying beast full of malice, but as Sayane sat there letting the information wash over her, she couldn’t help but see the faintest hints of reason in their origin. As the crowd in the room began to devolve into shouting once again, Sayane wondered if there was ever a moment like this for their rebellion all those decades ago. Had there been some path or reality that may have happened where The Silence never became the horror it was? Was the Revolution at risk of spiraling into some similar hate? Why had the songstresses and the Great Harmony Shards allowed such a wicked practice?

Before any other thoughts could manifest and send her further into breaking, the voice carriers lit up across the chamber.

“Erosc to Council. Repeat, Erosc to Council. I must speak with the Trine Sovereign immediately,” Erosc’s breathless voice called out.

There was a concern in his tone that sent the entire room quiet. Azag lifted a voice carrier.

“Erosc, this is Azag. Sayane and Attis are with me. What is wrong?” he asked.

“We are at the last sky colony. We have not been able to clear anything or anyone yet.”

“Why not?” Attis asked.

Anxiety faded, and dread began to cover Sayane’s heart. Something was wrong. Erosc’s voice was sincerely concerned.

“Forgive me, old friend. The Silence enforcers have taken the rest of the citizens hostage. We are holding in the neutral zone. The enforcers are threatening to collapse the colony and its people into the Ether Sea if we approach.”