The cleansed bronze key hangs silent beneath the basin. Beyond it, the first stair descends into darkness, each step edged with silver dust and old water stains.
The bound mother remains at the entrance, still restrained beside the threshold. The royal courier stays with Raven, sword drawn, while the stair exhales a breath colder than the tower air.
the bound mother
No. I did not say that.
A familiar voice rises from beneath the stone and repeats the bound mother’s private phrase. Her lips remain still, and the words fade into the stairwell’s blackness.
the royal courier
That cadence is an old tower summons. It calls by borrowed memory, not by name.
Far behind them, the sealed basin answers with one distant knock. Dust slips from its rim, while the silver markings along the first stair kindle one by one.
the bound mother
Do not trust the voice below. It knows what was spoken to me, but it does not know me.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine what the voice beneath the tower is