NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: The Oath That Pierced Silence
Rena, Selena, and Nana downed the remaining half. The tamed moon chill swirled through their veins—not biting the knot of names, just enveloping them. Clarissa touched their necks in turn, taking their spiritual temperatures—steady.
The foot of the tower: a ward pillar carved with prayers. Selena looked at me—I nodded.
"Phase II—Crack."
Selena leaped, halberd spinning.
[ABSOLUTE ZERO DOMAIN]
Ice slithered from the blade's edge, enveloping the prayer stone; the choir hissed, turning to a stiff dew.
"Nana!" I cried.
Nana thrust Shield Fortress, then scanned for a gap—
[Guard Break]—the shield struck the carving's stress point, weakening the line. Selena entered through the gap—
[SEVERING ICE EDGE]—the pillar cracked. The litany screamed silently.
From the opposite side, Malrik pressed against the ground.
[HELL BEAST: GOREWURM]
A small demonic snake slithered beneath the foundation, chewing through the truss rune from within. The western pillar collapsed to its knees—enough to break the first ward ring.
The choir reacted—holy lightning dripped from the relief, seeking our heads. Rena opened [CHAOS DOMAIN] narrowly, not to strike, but to envelop the current. The sound vanished in the domain's dark mouth and emerged as silence.
"Anchor secure," Noah reported. "Rhythm: Rena 0.92, Selena 0.88 (intensity reduced by 5%), Nana 0.93."
"Continue," I said. "Eastern pillar."
Selena—spiral swing, ice biting prayer. Nana—Guard Break, seal cracked. Malrik—spore rift writhed, sealing the choir's counter-hole. Clarissa pressed a vial of cold blood to Selena's wrist—stabilizing the elixir's overheating. Nysha appeared a fraction above the pillar, nailing the third Moonbane Spike.
The ward ring was silent.
The bell tower didn't fall. It was still. And that stillness—heavy.
I looked up at the altar dome at the heart of the Cathedral. "Phase III—Heart. Rena, with me."
We crossed the atrium like two long shadows. The paintings of the gods on the walls moved faintly, trying to catch our names. Noa interrupted, calculating: "Risk of name-harvest—moderate. Suggestion: Ebon Pulse every third step."
We did. Every three steps—a pulse of darkness swept through the knot, banishing the hands of prayer that snatched at identity.
The door to the Inner Sanctum—two moonwood leaves, chained with prayer. The choir key at the center: the wheel of the litany that should have been turning—now choked by Moonbane.
Rena looked at me. "Orders?"
I pressed Noa against the wheel. Gems 1 and 7 lit up.
[COUNTER-CHOIR SUTRA]
Not breaking, rewinding. We caught the rest of the choir, rewinding the timer, then filled the gap with… silence.
The wheel stopped. Not dead—passive. The lock was loose.
"Now," I said, refusing to push the door.
KRIIIING
The rest of the bells were far away—not in the tower, but on the guards' chests. Eight white-robed shadows slid from the pillars—the Conclave: the Church's war cantor. Before them—an empty stone chair. Too empty.
Rena raised two swords—Chaos hissed between the blades. Selena, Nana, Malrik, Nysha, and Clarissa took positions on the threshold of the atrium; the retreat and the outside world were safe.
Algor insinuated himself with a sigil: "Rhythm: steady. Shadow spikes hold. Choir silence 71%."
I took one step forward. "Supreme Cathedral," I said quietly, "learn to spell silence."
The Conclave aligned the litany staff. Eight mouths opened, but there was no sound. Only the wind swirled—testing, searching.
Noa whispered, very low—only to me. "Parameters match. Amon's Note: Phase Three of the King's Domain was not opened by flames… but by silence forced in a place that should have sung."
I closed my eyes for a split second. When I opened them—the world slowed again. Not like before; denser, like the air had turned to gel.
"KING'S DOMAIN—PHASE III: SILENT CROWN."
My shadows lengthened, weaving the silent crown atop the altar. The magic, the power, even the intent in this space gravitated toward a single center—mine.
A simultaneous step sliced through the silence—not the Conclave's. A lone silhouette leaned against the threshold of the moon goddess statue, ash mantle, sword still sheathed.
Kravius.
He didn't clap his hands this time. He just tilted his head, assessing my new Domain like a sommelier assessing a scent.
"I see," he said lightly. "You chose the crown that doesn't scream."
I didn't look at Rena. "You chose to arrive before the choir could scream."
The eight cantors formed—searching for a tune that wasn't there. The Silent Crown swallowed their lips; all that came out was a heavy silence. They remained dangerous—the litany's staffs sparked holy lightning—but without song, their direction was dead.
Rena whispered, a sharp smile. "My Lord, this is our stage."
I lowered my hand. "The Conclave is mine. The sword—later."
Kravius raised an eyebrow, relaxed. "As promised."
Outside, we heard Selena breaking the second pillar, Nana nailing a shield to the threshold, Malrik holding back the flow of rangers who had been slow to awaken. Nysha locked the shadows so the choir couldn't summon reinforcements. Clarissa fed soul-cooling to the mouths of the soldiers who were gasping for breath.
Inside, I stepped to the center of the altar, the Silent Crown spinning like a planetary ring.
"Very well," I said to the Conclave, Rena's sword crossed at my side. "Let us teach the world the difference between loud and heavy."
Noa ticked—a metronome that was now ours.
The cathedral—which should have been singing—fell silent.
The winds of Crowmere were shattered by the clatter of steel. From the eastern side of the cathedral—beyond the silent moon barrier—a column of elven knights in dark-silver robes emerged, their half-moon banners fluttering. Before them, Roger rode an armored elk steed, his eyes blazing with rage.
"NEIL!" his voice cut through the silent field. "By Elrodan Lunethiel—our fallen bow hero—I, Roger Moonwarden, swear to break your horns and erase your name from our land!"
The oath shook the air. It was not a church litany—a private oath—for it pierced the Silent Crown silently, like a cold nail through cloth.
Noa whispered in my palm. "Warning: Bypass Silent Crown via personal oath. Domain Integrity: 87% "
At the gate's threshold, Selena turned, her lips curling. Nana took a step forward, shield raised, Malrik pressed against the ground; Nysha disappeared into the shadow of the fence; Clarissa opened a vial of cold blood.
"Crescent Phalanx Formation!" Roger raised his moonblade. Simultaneously, the elven shields interlocked, the moonspear thrusting forward.
"Breaching squad," I said calmly, "hold."
Selena snapped the hilt of her halberd.
[GLACIAL BASTION]
A wall of ice sprouted, hugging the arch of the gate.
Nana stepped in, anchoring the wall with her shield.
Cheondan—[Shield Fortress] → [Guard Break]
Her shield thrust forward, creating a gap in the tongue of the enemy formation.
"Malrik!" I exclaimed.