Last Note Before Fire
"Sometimes, a single song hits harder than a revolution."
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Location: Harmonia Central Square — Moments after the first note
The air carried music again.
People who hadn't heard a single note in years… suddenly felt their inner chains crack.
The Echo Circle was performing.
At the center, stood Noen — eyes closed, heart open.
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Inside the Royal Balcony —
King Aurion, Harmonia's cold and calculated ruler,
watched from above — silent, unmoved.
Beside him, the Soul Dampener —
an ancient artifact designed to drain resonance,
to kill sound before it became emotion.
> "They must be stopped in one blow,"
"Before the song reaches their hearts."
He activated the artifact.
An invisible wave rippled out.
The sky changed color.
The melody began to distort.
Noen's breath… faltered.
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Meanwhile — Underground, Echo Circle Hideout
Mora, the Melody Witch's old rival,
scribbled something in her diary:
> "When a song becomes political…
it either disappears… or destroys."
She paused.
A sudden chill in the air.
> "The Dampener is active."
---
Back to the Stage —
Noen collapsed.
His music cracked in the air.
The crowd flinched.
Some screamed. Some fled.
The square turned to chaos.
And then—
> "NOEN! Wake up!" — Sera shouted.
She grabbed her violin.
Pulled one sharp string.
Played a counter-resonance —
a frequency only a few still remembered.
In that tiny vibration…
Noen's eyes lit up again.
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The Last Note Begins
He stood.
Looked up at the balcony.
The King. The Artifact. The silence.
Noen said nothing.
He simply lifted his guitar…
And played.
> One note.
No melody.
No harmony.
Just… a question.
> "When did you fall in love… with being silent?"
The note hit the Soul Dampener.
The artifact shook.
A tiny crack appeared.
And in the crowd…
someone… smiled.
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King's Reaction
The King turned to his guards.
> "That wasn't a song…
That was a fracture."
Without another word,
he stepped away from the balcony — into shadow.
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Final Scene: The Fire Begins
Noen knelt.
His hands trembling.
Sera held him.
> "What… what was that?" she asked.
Noen whispered:
> "That wasn't the final note."
> "Then what was it?"
> "It was the first."
Behind them,
a child began to hum a lullaby.
And that night, across Harmonia…
silence died.
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End of Chapter 14
"A note once hidden… now echoes through every corner of the city."