Chapter 13: The Summoning of Silence

  Several days had passed. Veralis had now entered its sixth month.

  It was a quiet morning—the kind of stillness that carried warmth in the air, where small jungle birds sang softly and sunlight slipped gently through the leaves above Raian’s home.

  Tap. Tap. Something brushed against Raian’s cheek as he lay on his bed.

  A moment later, the touch became firmer—pressing against the fur on his right cheek.

  “Wake up…” the voice whispered.

  “Hmmm…” Raian ignored the small disturbance.

  Then—Plop. Both his nostrils were sealed shut.

  His eyes snapped open as his breath caught. He shot upright, grabbing the small hands blocking his nose.

  “This little menace—”He pinched Mika’s right cheek.

  “Can’t you let your recovering brother sleep in peace?”

  “Ouch—ouch—ouch! It hurts, Brother!” Mika protested from the edge of the bed.

  Seeing her grimace, Raian released her.

  “You’re mean, Brother…” She rubbed her cheek dramatically. “How can you do that to my pretty face?” Her cheeks puffed in exaggerated offense. Raian looked at her.

  His gaze lingered. Three claw marks stretched across her left cheek—long, pale scars that ran nearly to the corner of her mouth. The fur had not grown back.

  His eyes trembled. He inhaled slowly. The softness returned to his expression.

  He tapped the mattress beside him.

  “Come here, you silly aster.” Mika scooted closer without hesitation, sitting beside him.

  “How is your wound?” Raian asked quietly, his right hand lifting to brush near the scars.

  She swatted his hand away.

  “Ask the one who comes home full of injuries and sleeps for a week,” she replied.

  Raian smiled faintly. She could joke again. That meant something.

  But beneath her teasing—Her eyes flickered.

  Just once. A tremor. A lie she did not want him to see. And Raian noticed.

  “How did you even sleep for a whole week like that?” Mika asked, studying him closely as her fingers brushed the bandages wrapped around his torso.

  Before he could protest, she began untying them. Layer by layer, the cloth loosened. Beneath it, his body was revealed—broad, scarred, patches of fur still thin where wounds had only recently closed.

  “The wounds are sealed already…” Mika murmured, her fingers tracing one of the healed lines across his side.

  Raian gently caught her wrist. “It’s not proper to touch a man’s body like that.”

  Mika snatched her hand back and stuck out her tongue at him. “I’m seventeen. Stop treating me like a child.”

  She slid off the bed and headed toward the door.

  “And if you get hurt again,” she added without turning around, “I won’t treat you next time.” She stuck her tongue out once more before disappearing past the wall.

  Raian’s lips curved faintly. He watched the space where she had stood.

  Then—His hands slowly clenched into fists. Strength had returned.

  He could feel it in his shoulders, in the steadiness of his breath. His palm drifted to the right side of his abdomen—where the blade had pierced through. The flesh was closed now. But he remembered the cold steel.

  “Two have paid,” he thought.

  He rose from the bed and reached for his usual training attire, pulling it on with practiced movements. The fabric tightened across his torso as he secured the straps.

  “One remains.”

  Nesk. The name surfaced alongside the face Madame Sava had shown him.

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  Raian tightened the final knot.

  Outside, the jungle continued its quiet song.

  But inside—The hunt was not over.

  Raian stepped out of his room. The scent of firewood and herbal tea greeted him as he entered the dining area.

  Ariani had already prepared the table. Bowls of soup steamed gently, the vapor curling through the small wooden house.

  “Going to train?” she asked, noticing the clothes he wore.

  “Yes, Mother. Just light training. I need to regain the strength I lost after staying in bed for a week.”

  He glanced around. “Where’s Mika?”

  Ariani took her seat. “She stepped out for a moment. Said she was picking roots for your snacks.”

  Raian nodded and sat down. He lifted the spoon and tasted the soup.

  Warm. Familiar. He began eating as they exchanged small, ordinary conversation. But inwardly—

  Mother…

  His eyes shifted briefly toward Ariani. She was stealing glances at him when she thought he wouldn’t notice.

  She hasn’t asked how I came home like that. He took another spoonful.

  Not once.

  The silence was intentional. And he understood.

  When everything is finished… I’ll tell you.

  He lowered his gaze to the bowl.

  For now—He allowed himself the quiet.

  And finished the breakfast his mother had made.

  Behind the house, in the small garden bordered by low wooden stakes, Mika knelt in the soil. She dug carefully around the base of a ginger plant.

  “Yup… this should do it,” she murmured, brushing dirt from the root in her paw. “Brother can chew this to stay warm outside…”

  She stood, placing the ginger into the small basket hooked over her left arm.

  Then—Something caught her eye. From the direction of the capital.

  She raised her right hand to her brow to shield the sunlight. At first, only silhouettes. Blurred shapes against the tree line.

  But as they drew nearer—Armor. Standards. A formation of cats marching in disciplined rows, banners rising above them.

  The rhythmic thunder of iron boots began to echo through the earth. Each step struck the soil in unison.

  Mika’s eyes widened. She dropped the loose dirt from her paw and ran.

  “MOTHER! BROTHER!” She burst through the door, nearly stumbling as she pointed back toward the forest edge.

  Raian and Ariani rose instantly from their seats.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  Thump.

  THUMP.

  The marching stopped in perfect unison outside the wooden house of Clan Sein’ei.

  A voice rang out from beyond the door.

  “Raian of the Sein’ei Clan.”

  “You are hereby summoned to appear before the Feline Council—immediately.” Silence followed.

  “Son…?” Ariani’s voice trembled.

  Raian stepped toward the doorway, passing Mika, who now stood slightly behind their mother.

  Outside, the formation was clear.

  They were Tuxedo cats—clad in gleaming ceremonial armor and draped in deep navy sashes bearing the sigil of House Regallin:

  A half-black, half-white banner, marked by a polished silver collar before a broken sword.

  They did not look like enforcers. They looked like judgment made flesh.

  They moved like law incarnate.

  Not warriors. Not brutes.

  But something colder—Authority.

  At their head stood a young feline—lean, immaculate, posture sharpened by discipline. His black-and-white coat was groomed to precision. His eyes were like polished glass.

  Sir Caelen Regallin.

  Elegant. Measured. Unimpressed.

  A rising figure within the Peaceguard.

  Raian stepped fully into the doorway of his home.

  He did not bow. He did not challenge. His hand rested loosely at his side—not raised in threat, but not submissive either.

  Calm. Deliberate.

  Behind him, hurried paws echoed across the wooden floor.

  Ariani and Mika emerged, faces tight with confusion and fear.

  “Brother…?” Mika whispered.

  Ariani gripped her daughter’s hand. “Son… what happened?”

  Raian turned. For a brief moment, the edge in his expression softened. He gave them a small smile.

  “It’s okay, Mother.”

  Then he faced forward again. Sir Caelen watched him carefully. Not hostile. Assessing.

  “On what grounds?” Raian asked, voice steady.

  Caelen lifted the scroll slightly.

  “You stand accused in connection with unlawful violence within the Maw Pits and the destabilization of Clawscar-controlled territory.”

  A pause.

  “You will answer before the Council.”

  The jungle wind moved faintly through the clearing.

  Raian stepped forward. “I will come.”

  Then his palm lifted slightly toward Caelen—not in challenge, but in courtesy.

  “Allow me to retrieve my cloak, if I may.”

  Caelen’s fingers brushed the hilt of the sword at his hip. A measured breath. “As you wish.”

  He turned his head slightly. “Peaceguard—at ease.”

  The formation shifted, armor settling with disciplined restraint.

  Raian stepped back inside.

  Moments later, he returned—cloak fastened, posture composed.

  “Brother…” Mika’s voice was small now. Her tail drooped, brushing the floor.

  Raian pulled her into a firm embrace. Her tail moved slowly behind her—seeking comfort, finding it.

  Then he embraced his mother. Ariani’s hands gripped the back of his cloak for a heartbeat longer than she intended.

  “I’ll be back for dinner,” Raian said softly.

  His eyes lingered on Mika. “Stay inside.”

  Then he stepped away. The Peaceguard re-formed around him.

  And together—They began the walk toward the capital of Vel’farra.