The forest was unnaturally quiet that morning. Even the birds stayed silent, as if they sensed the weight that pressed down upon the earth. Rayon walked barefoot across the thick grass, feeling a subtle tremor beneath him. A vibration so faint it could be mistaken for the heartbeat of the world, yet it pulsed with intent, almost sentient.
He stopped and frowned, letting his senses stretch like elastic. The tremor wasn't ordinary. It was far older than the continent itself.
"Do you feel that?" Rayon asked, his voice calm, measured, as if speaking to a child, though the timbre carried absolute authority.
Azelar, seated cross-legged on a rock nearby, nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. His expression darkened. "It's the thirteenth seal. The one I never expected you to reach so soon."
Rayon's eyes narrowed. "Thirteenth? Explain. I want the full story."
Azelar leaned back, his gaze sweeping the horizon as if the forest itself listened. "The thirteenth seal isn't just another lock on power. It is the leader, the prime anchor of all the other seals. Every other seal draws part of its stability from this one. Destroy it—or even unbalance it—and the others will respond. Some may break, others may awaken, but all will feel the shock."
Rayon tilted his head slightly. "And it's underground?"
"Yes," Azelar confirmed. "Deep beneath the surface, in a place untouched by mortals for centuries. The seal was placed by my ancestor, Maelthor Azelar, the first of our bloodline to master resonance at its purest form. He was beyond human limits, capable of manipulating forces that could level continents and bind entire species under his will. What he sealed here… even I hesitate to comprehend fully. He didn't just restrain a power; he imprisoned the very principle that organizes the seals themselves. The thirteenth seal is the core, the throne of all the others."
Rayon's expression remained neutral, as always, but a faint glint of anticipation flickered in his silver-tinged eyes. "So if I take it," he said, "all the other seals react. But I suppose you wouldn't have let me come here without… a plan?"
Azelar's lips twitched in a ghost of a smile. "Indeed. You must act carefully. Freeing this seal without control will destroy everything—or worse, you may find the others escaping beyond your ability to contain them. You must capture the thirteenth first, or at least dominate it enough to control its influence over the rest."
Rayon's hands twitched at his sides. His strings hummed faintly, vibrating in anticipation, reaching out to touch the faint tremor beneath the earth. "Then let's begin."
He descended into the hollowed earth beneath the forest, the tremor growing stronger with every step. The air thickened around him, heavy and alive. His boots sank slightly into the soil, and he could feel the hum of the thirteenth seal resonating in rhythm with the Hollow Strings.
A massive form revealed itself in the shadows below — a presence so old, so immense, that Rayon felt its awareness brush against him like a living storm. It radiated authority and chaos in equal measure, every pulse of its being communicating dominance over the seven remaining seals that still held sway in the world.
The thirteenth seal itself appeared as a towering entity, black as night yet not void — a solid presence with a shape that suggested movement even while still. Its voice, when it spoke, shook the cavern walls.
"You seek to unbind me," it said. Its tone was neither male nor female, neither young nor old. "Do you know what that will cost you?"
Rayon didn't move back. He tilted his head and smirked faintly. "I do. And I'm willing to pay it. The cost is nothing if the reward is everything."
The thirteenth seal pulsed, and suddenly the seven seals connected to it reacted: the 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th. Their power surged like waves through the earth. Rayon's senses expanded instantly, strings of pure energy linking him to each one. Some resisted violently, others quivered as if relieved at the presence of a master.
"I see you've already felt their stirrings," the thirteenth seal said, almost amused. "But can you command them?"
Rayon's silver eyes glimmered with predatory focus. "I can. I will."
He extended his hands slowly, letting the Hollow Strings flow outward in controlled arcs, touching each seal in turn. A connection formed — not forced, not violent, but undeniably dominant. Rayon allowed a fraction of himself to merge with the tremors, his consciousness intertwining with the heartbeat of all seven active seals.
Vorthalaxis hovered near his shoulder, sensing the energy spikes, while Erethon observed silently, his usual smirk replaced by something more contemplative.
"You understand now why I called you Little Monarch," Erethon said softly. "This is what it means — to command forces far older and stronger than men, yet remain tethered to your own will. Only someone like you, born of Insanity and Hollow Strings, could ever hope to contain the thirteenth seal."
Rayon inhaled deeply, feeling the tremor respond like a living entity beneath his feet. The seven other seals pulsed in rhythm with the thirteenth. It was almost intoxicating — the raw power brushing against his strings, bending reality in small pulses.
"Do not mistake my restraint for weakness," he murmured, almost to himself. Then he spoke louder, commanding the cavern around him: "I will capture you, and I will bind you. And all of you, every single seal, will obey the same order."
The thirteenth seal lunged forward, a wave of energy so vast it threatened to tear the cavern apart. Rayon's strings flared in response, wrapping around the edges of the seal's presence, slicing through its resistance like wind through reeds. The cavern quaked violently, stones and soil spiraling upward.
Vorthalaxis extended his wings, absorbing some of the pressure, while Erethon watched, analyzing every movement.
Rayon advanced, never breaking eye contact with the core. He moved with unyielding grace, strings slashing, binding, pressing his dominance against the living seal. It roared, a sound that shook even the air, and the seven connected seals pulsed wildly — some with fear, others with recognition.
And then, slowly, one by one, the seven seals fell under his influence.
The 1st, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th — once wild and free, now tethered to his will.
Rayon's heart raced. Every pulse of the thirteenth seal tried to resist, to throw him off balance, but he was calm. Each beat of defiance was met with a calculated counter, strings dancing in perfect rhythm with his breath.
Finally, the core stilled, acknowledging its temporary master. Rayon's silver eyes gleamed in the faint light of the cavern.
"I control you," he whispered, and it wasn't arrogance — it was inevitability.
Azelar stepped back, bowing slightly. "You've done what even I could not."
Erethon hovered near, silent for once, letting the magnitude of the moment speak for itself. When he did speak, it was a single word, almost reverent: "Monarch."
Rayon didn't respond. He simply stood, his chest rising and falling in calm rhythm. The thirteenth seal, though contained, pulsed beneath him like a heartbeat, a reminder that the real challenge was just beginning.
Outside, the forest seemed to exhale. The tremors slowed, the air lightened, and the weight of centuries of waiting shifted — all seven seals now quietly acknowledging that a new ruler had claimed the throne.
Rayon turned to Vorthalaxis and Erethon, voice low and confident: "We have a month to prepare before the others realize what's been done. Then… we take the rest in stride."
And deep beneath the continent, the thirteenth seal pulsed quietly, aware of the force that had captured it. For the first time in eons, it waited — not to destroy, but to see what this Little Monarch would do next.