NOVEL WEB Chapter 20: The Whisper Violin
The next morning…
Noen didn't talk much.
Neither did Toren ask anything.
But his father's eyes… they saw everything —
the shadows under Noen's eyes,
and his hands… as if they had touched the sounds of another time.
Mira placed some bread on a plate and softly said,
"Don't overthink… you are music.
And music… it can never stay silent."
---
By afternoon, the caravan had set up camp near the local market.
Everyone was busy — tuning, cleaning, fixing their instruments.
And Noen…
he was just walking.
By himself.
No direction.
Just wandering.
As he passed an old shop,
he heard a strange sound —
like a broken string snapping and falling inside.
It was a small instrument shop.
Locked.
Dusty.
Falling apart.
And beside it… a narrow alley.
A small, crooked board hung there: "Old Melodies: Not for Sale."
Noen stepped inside.
Dust.
Silence.
And the scent of old memories.
---
There was a wooden box —
completely covered in spider webs.
He carefully opened it.
Inside — a violin.
Old. Cracked.
Missing strings.
The bow was dry, almost dead.
But… something was carved into its body.
A small line — scratched, almost like a secret:
> "The music may have fallen silent… but I never did."
---
Noen picked up the violin.
And just then… a folded paper slipped out.
An old note.
It read:
> "If you're reading this,
you've probably felt something… that night.
Silencia isn't just a kingdom…
it's a pain that's terrified of sound.
My music has long been silenced…
but yours hasn't.
Play for them.
Even if they hate you.
— A Bard Who Refused to Stay Silent."
---
Noen gently touched one of the broken strings.
And for a second…
he heard a sound.
No one else heard it in that dusty shop.
But Noen did.
A hidden memory.
A whisper.
---
That night, he didn't play his guitar.
He held that broken violin in his arms,
and with his eyes closed… he imagined a melody
that maybe only that unknown bard had ever played.
And quietly, he whispered to himself:
> "I won't let your music disappear."
---
End of Chapter 5