Step of Silence

The Step of Silence is a massive chamber inside the Sanctum of the Hierarchs of High Charity, specially designated for the High Prophets. The Step of Silence is a large, round room with an illuminated pedestal in the center. Suspended from the ceiling are hundreds of shards of glass, each a piece of a planet that has been glassed by the Covenant. On the perimeter of the room, there is space for three hundred Honor Guard Elites, should a Prophet be present.

The first time the High Prophet of Truth and Tartarus are ever mentioned in the Halo universe is when they are in the Step of Silence, which is the last chapter of Halo: First Strike. They discuss the events of Installation 04, as well as the fate of the future Arbiter and Operation: FIRST STRIKE. The Step is also possibly seen in Halo 2 when the player enters the room after the Prophet of Truth announces the message about the Flood not withstanding the might of the Covenant. If the player looks up, he/she will see dozens of glowing blue shards hanging from the ceiling. There is exactly 76 shards in all with 19 of them in each of the 4 rows as of in Halo 2.