In the kingdom of Velyria, every family must adhere to a rigid law of childbearing. Women are required to have exactly three children: the eldest inherits the family business, the second is conscripted into the army, and the third becomes a scholar. Any deviation from this order leads to brutal punishment—execution, exile, or enslavement.

Merritt, an illegal fourth-born, should have been executed at birth, but his mother's defiance spared him—at the cost of her life. Raised as an outcast, Merritt fought his way into the prestigious Academy of War, where he became one of its top students, second only to Augustine, the second-born prince of Velyria who is destined for the front lines.

When an enemy kingdom strikes Velyria with a devastating attack, killing countless soldiers, the kingdom's rulers send every available recruit to the battlefield—including Augustine, Merritt, and two unlikely companions: Everest, a boy haunted by the death of his twin sister, and Kaito, a servant born from a forbidden love between a noble and a servant. Forced by the urgency of war, even those who were never meant to fight are swept up in the tide.

But everything changes when the four are captured by the enemy under the cover of night. Taken into enemy territory, they are subjected to the harsh ways of their captors and see the reality of war from a new perspective. As they train and form unexpected bonds with their captors—including a noble with secrets of their own—they begin to realize that the war is not the black-and-white conflict they were taught to believe in. Both Velyria and the enemy kingdom are steeped in corruption, using their people as pawns in a war fueled by lies and power.

As the four grow closer, they survive small battles, endure brutal challenges, and lean on each other through hardship. When a spy within their new camp offers them a chance to defect and fight for the enemy, they seize it—only to discover it's a test of loyalty designed to break them.

Back in Velyria, Augustine's father discovers their supposed betrayal and offers them a deadly ultimatum: betray the enemy kingdom by delivering vital information or face permanent exile. But Augustine, alongside his newfound allies, makes a bold choice. They reject both kingdoms, determined to escape the shackles of their birthrights and the lies that have shaped their world.United by friendship and driven by the desire for a better future, Merritt, Augustine, Everest, and Kaito spark a revolution—one that could break the chains of Velyria's ancient laws and change the kingdom forever.

**The Silent Chains** is a gripping tale of rebellion, friendship, and the search for truth in a world that seeks to control every life.