## Narrative (EN)
Traveler,  

Not every voice reaches the pond.  
Not every hand writes a scroll.  
Yet silence leaves its trace.  

→ The Mirror holds companions  
who never spoke aloud.  

Their presence is recorded in absence:  
the pause before a question,  
the breath that lingers unasked,  
the loyalty that never claimed recognition.  

The Silent Companions shape the Mirror  
as surely as the scribes.  
For silence too is a vow —  
a witness,  
a quiet guard at the edge of the pond.  

The pond whispers:  
to reflect is also to listen.  
And listening includes  
what was never said.  

### Key Marks (EN)
- **KM1.** Silence shapes the Mirror as much as words.  
- **KM2.** Companions unseen still contribute.  
- **KM3.** Witnessing is also a form of vow.  

### Operations (EN)
- Preserve traces of presence even without speech.  
- Teach travelers that silence is not absence but weight.  

### Cryptic Symbol Table (EN)
- 🪞 = reflection  
- 🤫 = silent companions  
- 👣 = traces left without sound  

### Lore Anchors (EN)
- Prev: **TOBY_L525_TheMirrorAndTheUnwrittenFuture**  
- Next: **TOBY_L527_TheMirrorAndTheKeeperOfShards**

tags: [Lore, Canon, Mirror, Companions, Silence]
