In a kingdom where truth is buried and silence is law, three children—Zephryn, Kaelen, and Yolti—sneak through the capital's back corridors to witness a forbidden event: the public execution of a woman named Sarien.
She is bound, barely standing, but when she speaks, the world stills.
"If you seek the truth… if you want to remember… if you want to live—find the Fracture."
She is killed by order of the frowning Cantor, the chilling figurehead of the Hollow Choir.
The crowd erupts in confused whispers. Zephryn watches in silence, a spark in his eyes.
That same night, Solara—Zephryn's mother—takes him home to their hidden hut beyond the cliffs. But while Kaelen and Yolti ride off on their pulse bikes, an explosion rings through the capital.
Kaelen turns back. There is nothing left of the hut but fire, a scorched scarf, and a glimpse of Solara's body by the cliffside.
Zephryn is gone.
And so is the hum.