Dawn was separated from the group once again.
"In this trial, one person will be deemed worthy of the throne. Each of you may vote by casting your presence, but only by walking to the grave yourself can you crown yourself. If you deem yourself unworthy, the vote will restart.
First, you will witness what the world would have become without you," the voice said.
'Worthiness… what does it really me—'
Before Dawn could finish the thought, the world around him shifted. He was dragged into another dream.
***
This time, he drifted above it all, like a spirit.
He looked down and saw his group. Nareth was gone. Numa sat alone, hollow and broken.
He watched as time passed.
'It appears the Second Silence would've claimed Nareth.'
Scenes flickered. Vyra and Azthrakel approached the throne room. Numa remained alone in the great hall.
'I never thought I'd see her sad for so long...'
Vyra reached the throne first. She took the helmet, placed it on her head—and screamed. Her body convulsed, and the mask overtook her. In moments, she was gone, taken by the Silence.
'She wasn't strong enough to resist the echo... I guess I wouldn't have been either—if that man hadn't saved me.'
Azthrakel fled the throne room. When he returned to the hall, Numa was gone. Her boots were left behind.
She had taken her own life.
Azthrakel was alone now. Uncertain. Hollow.
He wandered the castle, eventually stepping into the trial chamber.
His first trial was one of regret.
He was given a choice: continue forward into the unknown, or return to the moment he first awoke here.
He chose to go back—a mistake.
He tried to rewrite what had already passed.
And he died for it.
***
The vision faded.
A stone slab rose from the ground, etched with three names: Nareth, Azthrakel, and Vyra. Each name sat above a small, glowing button.
Dawn stared at it.
"…It says Nareth, not Numa? Did she… die for him? Did she give up her life just so her brother could live without the burden of grief?"
He felt a heavy ache in his chest.
Numa had been different. She had this aura of happiness that gave him hope. And now—she was gone.
He sat in silence.
'Did they really need me this much? Do they actually value me? I know Azthrakel, Vyra, and Numa did… but Nareth? Does it matter? Even if Nareth didn't… does that change how I feel about the others?'
'Maybe I'll know if Nareth votes for me...'
He took a deep breath.
'What does it mean to be King, anyway? Valiant? Wise? Honorable? I'm not those things… at least not yet. But maybe I can be. I've learned everything else from scratch. Maybe I can learn this too. Ten years from now, I might become someone like that.'
He sat for a long while in quiet thought.
Then the voice returned.
"Dawn Eldra, you have been chosen by those around you to be King. The vote was unanimous. Do you accept this offer?"
Dawn stood, walked toward his grave, and knelt beside it.
"Yes. I do."
"There is one consequence: all shall lose their memories of you. Do you still accept?"
Dawn froze.
'They'll forget me? All of them? Even Numa...?'
'Would I lose them as friends? Would I lose what little I have?'
Anger stirred in his chest. But so did sadness.
"Hmm," the voice said. "Let me show you why they chose you."
Before Dawn could speak, the vision shifted again.
***
First came Nareth.
"Why did you choose Dawn, boy?" the Castle asked.
"I… I saw his memories in one of the trials. My sister saw them first—then I felt them too. I only endured a part of what he went through in those ruins, and it broke me. But he kept going."
"When I saw how my sister felt about him… how she acted around him… I realized I'd been blind. I treated him like a threat. But he's more worthy than any of us. He kept us alive more times than I can count. I didn't understand until I watched from the outside."
Then came Azthrakel.
"I sensed it the moment I met him," he said. "Something about him… and that symbol on his head—it feels more royal than mine. He hides things, yes, but his strength is real. He's calm. He's focused. Without him, I doubt any of us would still be here."
Finally, Vyra.
She spoke only one line:
"He's capable."
Her voice was steady. Her eyes glowed with conviction.
***
Dawn smiled—but there was a bitter edge to it.
These were the first people he'd come to know. The first people who had made him feel like he mattered. Even if it hadn't always been easy.
'Even if they won't remember it… it was real. Their feelings, their choices—that's who they are. And that's enough.'
"I'll live up to their trust. I'll keep them safe. They chose me for a reason—I can't waste that." Dawn said.
"Very well, Dawn Eldra. It will be a pleasure to serve you."
Dawn turned toward the voice. "Serve me? What are you? What's your name?"
"I am the Castle. I have no name. I am an object meant to serve the King's will," it replied.
A pause.
"But time grows short. My power fades, and the Ninth Silence approaches. Take the throne. Channel your power—the power of the In-Between—through the castle. If you want to survive, do it now."
***
The puzzles faded. Dawn was back in the great hall.
Everyone else was still asleep.
'I have to reach the throne before they wake.'
He grabbed the sword and armor, his helmet still muffling the sound of his movements.
Dawn rushed through the silent corridors and entered the throne room. He sat.
And the moment he did—he felt it.
A surge of power coursed through him. Authority. Clarity. Strength.
The pulse of his essence flowed through the entire castle.
He turned.
Azthrakel. Vyra. Nareth.
They had just entered the room.
The doors swiftly closed behind them and the aura started to power through the air.
The ninth silence was eager to start. Silence held emotion, it was a being, and it was time for its hunt.