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.
.