The skies above Darius's dominion dimmed—not with shadow, but with stillness. A silence that bled into the bones of every creature under his rule. It was not natural, not a pause of fear or reverence. It was divine law.
A glowing sigil carved itself across the heavens—pulsing with runes of Origin.
> "Let no voice name the aberration. Let no tongue utter what defies the Source. Let his name be severed from sound."
The decree from Origin was irreversible, etched into the very structure of concept and sound. Across Darius's vast dominion, his people tried to speak his name—and found only breathless agony in response. Scribes who penned it found their words decayed, voices stripped. A holy silence consumed the world.
Even his strongest generals fell to their knees, unable to call to him. Loyalty now felt like chains of isolation.
Within the Black Citadel...
