Zay blinked and found himself standing inside the cave where he had first entered the Seal Realm.
"How the hell...?" he muttered, his voice laced with confusion. He paused for a moment, but the perplexity lingered. Despite it, he shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. He had arrived at the cave he intended to reach in the first place.
For days, Zay had been pondering how to return to the Seal Realm to choose his fifth Seal. He had tried several methods but failed every time to access the realm. In the end, his last idea had been to return to the place where he had first entered—the cave, hidden beneath vines and jagged stone formations. The faint sound of water dripping in the distance still echoed through the still air.
Zay decided to sit down in the cave, letting out a deep, heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. A dim violet hue flared around him, forming a thin layer of aura as he began to clear his mind. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, focusing on the rhythm of his breathing and heard the distant sound of water dripping in the background. Gradually, his heart began to slow, and his body fell into complete stillness, save for the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. His mind became calm and clear.
After several more minutes, Zay opened his eyes. What he saw was only pitch black.
An infinite void stretched in all directions—devoid of time, space, or meaning. Yet, within the darkness, there was movement.
Golden numbers twisted and rearranged themselves, shifting like living things, forming cryptic sequences that spiraled outward. Ancient gates loomed—some massive as mountains, others narrow as doorways—each exuding an unfathomable presence. Some pulsed with violent energy, others hummed with eerie serenity, while others flared with peaceful grace.
Staircases stretched in impossible directions—some ascending into infinity, others descending into depths unseen. Geometric shapes hovered in midair, distorting and bending in ways the human mind could barely comprehend.
And among them, the creatures began to stir once more.
Serpents coiled through the abyss. Wolves made of shadow paced along glowing pathways. Birds with too many wings drifted in eerie silence. They did not attack. They did not flee. They only watched.
Figures that resembled humans stood around him, their gazes fixed so intently it felt as though they were witnessing the entirety of his future unfold before them.
Clocks materialized in the void, spinning at such a speed that Zay couldn't even process the passage of time. Other clocks appeared, their hands frozen in place, as if time itself had come to a halt.
Zay chuckled softly as he took all of this in. He knew, without a doubt, that he did it.
"I can't believe that worked... but here I am," he whispered to himself.
Suddenly, Zay's eyes darted around as he heard the familiar voices from the last time he was here. The same voices—female, male, young, old, raspy, and clear—all echoed throughout the endless void.
"I see that Zay of Yuso has returned... My assumption is that you are not here for simple conversation, but for the final Seal selection you and I agreed upon. Is that correct?"
Zay quickly activated [Predator's Hunting Grounds] in an attempt to trace the source of the voices, but the moment the passive triggered, a new message appeared before him:
[Arbiter, that passive has been canceled within the space you are in.]
His eyes widened as he read the notification.
"There's no need... to use such a thing here," the voices said.
Zay swallowed, his eyes flickering around, unable to pinpoint where the voices were coming from, though he heard them echoing from every direction.
"... I guess it doesn't matter about passives or anything else, then. If that failed, I take it all the others will fail too?"
He continued searching the void for what felt like over an hour, but the only sound that answered him was the relentless spinning of clock hands, whirling at speeds too fast for him to comprehend.
'No reply, huh? I'll take that as confirmation,' Zay thought to himself, inhaling slowly and exhaling even slower.
"Can I select from all of the Seals that were previously available to me... or is there some kind of restriction, since I technically shouldn't be able to return to this realm after the first visit since I am not in possession of an item?"
The voices returned almost instantly, their tones overlapping in eerie unity.
"Select whatever you wish... as long as you can see it within this realm. Why even bother asking such a question? The answer should be obvious, no?"
Zay nodded to himself and began walking through the void, moving past each Seal that floated within reach.
"Divergence Seal"
"Seal of Curses"
"Seal of Stars"
"Seal of Justice"
"Seal of The Puppeteer"
"Seal of The Nine Acts"
"Seal of Warmth"
"Seal of Life"
"Seal of Order"
"Seal of Dishonesty"
His gaze swept across each one, but he continued forward, his steps steady, as other options came into view—contracts bearing the names of ancient beings, waiting silently for him to sign.
"Azula, Goddess of Flames"
"Vertict, God of Divine Judgement"
"Solvyrn, The Broken Ruler"
"Thuroskar, Thunder Weaver"
"Grasskeeper Rio"
"Vest, Titan of Binding"
"Vaelisir, God of Rain and Healing"
"Triumph, Titan of Complete Victory"
"Solar, Goddess of Sunlight"
Zay paused, considering them carefully.
'Verict... the God of Divine Judgment. That's a powerful contract, but I already have something tied to judgment... though it's been sealed since the fight with Ashgrave,' he thought, frowning.
Then, suddenly, his eyes widened as he caught sight of a contract he had never seen before—not in this realm, not in any of his countless resets.
"Fourth Cycle of Destruction, ???"
"But... this isn't supposed to appear until the Third Realm. Why the hell is it even being mentioned now?" Zay whispered to himself, heart pounding. The Cycles of Destruction weren't supposed to reveal themselves until far later—long after the first year of the Draconic Calendar.
Hesitantly, he reached out and took hold of the contract, his fingers brushing against the ancient parchment. Carefully, he began to read, scanning over the immense power it promised—and the brutal requirements needed to bind himself to a being of pure destruction. Especially one tied to the Fourth Cycle... out of the Five.
Contract Description:
You seek the Fourth Cycle. Know that you do not choose Destruction. Destruction chooses you.
The Fourth Cycle embodies not simple rage, but inevitability—the silent, creeping force that collapses civilizations, rots gods, and fractures the sky itself. To bear its mark is to bear the doom of all things.
Upon Acceptance, The Arbiter Will Obtain:
Resonance Echo: Cycle Authority
Grants the Arbiter the ability to erase matter, energy, or concepts at will within a limited radius (starting at a five-meter sphere, growing with strength). Not destruction through explosion or damage — pure erasure from reality.
Passive: Weight of Ending
The Arbiter's aura causes decay and erosion in a limited radius. Armor corrodes. Aura weakens. The morale of enemies rots. Living beings feel an instinctual sense of futility and fear within the radius.
Resonance Echo: Recursive Collapse
The Arbiter can "mark" up to three targets. After a short delay, those targets suffer "Recursive Collapse," taking the accumulated total of every wound or damage they suffered again all at once.
Requirements for the Contract:
An Oath of Forsaking Restoration:
The Arbiter must never willingly repair, heal, or rebuild anything he destroys, whether a city, a person, a memory, or even a relationship. If he causes destruction, he must let the ruin stand. Any act of restoring what he has personally undone will shatter the contract instantly and permanently erase all of his Seals and Contracts.
A Blood Debt to the World:
For every use of Cycle Authority or Recursive Collapse, the Arbiter's own soul will suffer progressive "fracturing" — making his dreams unstable, memories fuzzy, and aura harder to control over time unless he feeds the Cycle.
Feeding the Cycle requires the complete destruction (physical and symbolic) of a significant structure, organization, or entity—such as collapsing a temple, dismantling a family, annihilating an army, etc. Minor destruction will not repair the fractures.
The Silent Years Clause:
Should the Arbiter go more than one full year without fulfilling a "Cycle Offering", his body will begin to decay while he remains conscious — slowly turning him into a living monument of rot, unable to die but unable to act.
Final Warning:
"Destruction gives freely but demands freely. You do not bargain with Endings. You become the ending and start of your pitiful life."
Zay's eyes scanned through the contract before he let it go. "Yeah... no," he muttered, continuing his walk through the empty void. He knew what he wanted to select, but uncertainty lingered in his mind.
'The Seal of the Demoness... how would it interact with Midnight? I'm really curious about it,' Zay thought.
His steps slowed as he found the sigil of the Seal of the Demoness. It was two sleek fangs crossed over a chained pink heart, bathed in swirling silver and light purple light. The sigil pulsed softly with a heartbeat that softly echoed through the void, while the chains slowly rotated around the heart, glinting in the dim light.
Zay spoke up, his voice steady as it cut through the silence. "Can I ask you something?"
The voices around him stirred, overlapping in a chorus of tones—young, old, male, female—before responding with a calm, almost amused reply. "Of course. I have nothing but time to spare."
Zay tilted his head slightly, "So," he said casually, "does the Seal of the Demoness have any side effects I should know about?" Zay asked this question with the intention of gaining more information, perhaps a secret side effect he hasn't been aware of. But, he did already know one side effect of the Demoness Seal. However, he couldn't speak of a Seal's side effects without asking, as he didn't want to come off as suspicious in any way.
For a few moments, there was only silence. Then, a chorus of whispering voices finally answered, their tones almost amused. "There is a side effect... if you wish to call it that. Some humans, however, would consider it a blessing rather than a curse."
Zay narrowed his eyes slightly, keeping his voice even. "And what exactly is the side effect?" he asked.
Another brief silence. Then, the voices answered, slow and almost teasing. "Upon reaching Sequence Four of the Seal of the Demoness... if a male wields it, their gender will be swapped to that of female."
Zay scanned the empty void, his gaze drifting across the vast emptiness before he sighed deeply, the weight of his questions pressing on his mind. He exhaled slowly, then spoke.
"My final question," he said, his tone steady, "Would my Seal, 'Midnight,' be able to cancel that side effect? Or at the very least, provide an on-and-off switch, or anything else that could deny it?"
For a brief moment, there was no response. The only sound was the soft ticking of the clock as its hands spun wildly, then abruptly froze. The silence stretched, unsettling in its stillness.
Suddenly, the distinct sound of footsteps echoed through the void, each step growing louder, heavier, approaching with purpose. Out of the swirling darkness, a man appeared before Zay.
He appeared to be in his thirties, tall and composed, carrying a cane in one hand. His fedora cast a shadow over his sharp features, but his dark brown shoulder-length hair fell just enough to soften his otherwise stern expression. His attire was immaculate: a black suit, a dark blue tie, and polished black shoes that gleamed under the light from the seals.
"That's an interesting idea you've come up with," the man said, his voice smooth, tinged with curiosity.
Zay's eyes narrowed, studying the figure before him.
"The Seal known as 'Midnight'... that Seal was the only one that randomly appeared," the man continued, his gaze never leaving Zay, his emerald eyes glinting with intrigue. "So, I can't say for certain. But if you'd allow me to, I might be able to determine if it has any capacity to cancel or delay the side effect."
Zay took a step back, wariness creeping into his posture. He eyed the man carefully, uncertainty clouding his mind.
"How exactly… would you be able to determine it?" Zay asked, a touch of hesitation creeping into his voice. His mistrust was evident, though he masked it with a controlled demeanor, not entirely convinced of the stranger's intentions.
The man raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into the slightest of smiles as if amused by the question. He did not respond immediately but instead tilted his head, the glint in his eyes growing more intense.