Chapter 63. The Trillion Signet
Necrotize found himself drifting in a vast emptiness. There was nothing around him, only an endless void, and within it, he drifted alone with no sense of direction. He looked out into the infinite expanse ahead of him, and after what felt like an immeasurable distance, he spotted a single point of light glimmering in the darkness. After noticing it, he turned his attention to himself. The outside of his body showed no signs of trouble. The problem lay within.
Necrotize turned his focus inward, toward the place where his power lay sealed. He looked at it for a moment, then smiled.
"Death, you got me this time. But to think you’d use something so childish on me, a Trillion Signet, of all things. Do you really believe something like this could hold me for long? What are you actually trying to achieve?"
The smile on Necrotize’s face shifted. His eyes hardened, and a strange warmth stirred within him. He kept his gaze fixed on the infinite expanse before him.
***
Inside the cave, everyone sat gathered around the round table carved into the stone. Eighteen massive stone chairs surrounded it, each occupied by a black-robed figure. All eighteen had their attention fixed on one man: Lord Second.
He had placed a box on the table before them, the box that held Lord Morthos’s gift to Lord Second. Then Lord Sixth rose from his seat and addressed him.
"Lord Second, does this box truly contain a gift from Lord Morthos?"
Lord Second turned to him with a smile.
"Yes, that’s right. Inside this box is a gift Lord Morthos gave for us. He handed it to me himself. Do you think I’m lying? Why would I ever joke about something involving Lord Morthos?"
The moment he finished speaking, the smile vanished from Lord Second’s face, and a strange, sinister aura began radiating off of him. The instant it did, Lord Sixth found it agonizing to breathe. He clutched at his own throat with both hands, struggling to draw in air, but couldn’t manage it. He collapsed to the ground, his whole body convulsing, and forced himself to speak with what little strength he had left.
"I... didn’t... mean to call... you a li..ar. Ple..ase... forgive me."
That was all Lord Sixth could manage before his eyes rolled back and his body began going limp. It was at that exact moment that Lord Second withdrew the aura. The instant he did, Lord Sixth was able to breathe again, gasping in great heaving breaths, saliva spilling from his mouth in every direction.
The rest of the council watched in complete silence. No one dared speak a word. Sweat beaded on most of their foreheads, and a few swallowed hard in fear. Only one among them remained entirely calm: Lord First. He, too, had said nothing throughout the entire exchange, but a faint smile could be seen playing at the corners of his mouth.
Lord First tapped the table three times with his index finger. The sound echoed through the entire cave, and the moment it did, every eye turned toward him. An elderly man among them spoke up.
"I believe there’s no longer any doubt left regarding what Second has said."
The instant he finished, Lord Third, seated slightly to his right, spoke up.
"None of us ever doubted it, only Sixth harbored a trace of suspicion. And in my opinion..." Lord Third glanced toward Sixth, still lying on the ground. "...even that doubt has now left his mind entirely."
Hearing this, Lord First said, "Good." He turned his gaze toward Lord Second and asked, "Second, I have a question for you."
Lord Second smiled and replied, "Of course. What would you like to ask?"
Lord First looked toward the box on the table for a long moment before asking, " Do you know what is inside the box? What exactly did Lord Morthos give you?"
Nearly everyone present had been wondering the very same thing, but none of them had dared to voice the question themselves. So when Lord First finally asked it aloud, many of them felt a quiet thrill of anticipation.
Lord Second smiled.
"Yes, I know what’s inside. Benevolent Death told me himself." He raised both hands into the air. "Ohh, such mercy he has shown this lowly insect, far beyond anything I could have hoped for. All praise be to Death."
The instant he said this, everyone else in the room echoed the words together.
"All praise be to Death."
They repeated the chant several times before falling silent. Lord Second lowered his hands and continued.
"The item inside this box is called the Trillion Signet."
The moment he spoke that name, a wave of confusion swept across the faces of everyone in the room. They glanced at one another, searching to see if anyone recognized it, but most had never heard the name before. Their eyes turned to Lord First, but even he showed no sign of recognition. Once it was clear even he didn’t know, they all turned back to Lord Second, waiting eagerly.
Lord Second looked around at everyone, and seeing their eager curiosity, allowed himself another smile.
"I can tell you’re all sitting here dying to know what this is. Let me explain. The Trillion Signet is an imprisonment seal created by the ancient origins, originally forged to punish the gods for their transgressions. Whoever it’s placed upon receives a total of one trillion seals, and is then cast one trillion light-years away from the universe. From that distance, they can never return to this universe again, nor can they reach any other universe nearby. They’re left drifting in an endless void until their lifespan finally runs out. And once it does, Lord Morthos comes to claim their essence."
Hearing this from Lord Second, everyone in the room was overwhelmed with shock. None of them had ever imagined that such a thing could actually exist. One of them raised a hand to ask a question. Seeing this, Lord Second smiled at him.
"Go ahead, Lord Fourth. What’s your question?"
Lord Fourth swallowed hard before speaking.
"This Trillion Signet places a trillion seals on gods and casts them one trillion light-years beyond the universe. Am I understanding that correctly?"
"Yes, that’s right," Lord Second said. "Exactly as you said."
Then Lord Fourth asked another question, one that sent the entire room into uneasy thought.
"It’s a seal meant for gods. But does it also work on Ancient Origins?"
Everyone present turned the question over in their minds, but none of them could arrive at an answer. So once again, they all turned back to Lord Second, watching him with rapt attention.
Seeing everyone stare at him with such deep anticipation, Lord Second smiled.
"No. It doesn’t work on them."
Hearing this, many of them felt their hopes deflate, it wasn’t the answer they’d been expecting. A ripple of unease spread through the room; if the signet didn’t work on Ancient Origins, what use was it? But then a single word from Lord Second’s mouth pulled a glimmer of hope back into their darkened thoughts.
"But..."
Lord First leaned forward eagerly. "But... what?"
Lord Second’s next words satisfied everyone in the room.
"But it will work in our case. Because fortune is on our side."
"How?" Lord First asked.
"Because when we put our plan into motion, something is going to happen that will work in our favor, and that’s exactly when the Trillion Signet will come into play."
Lord Second paused for a moment, letting the words settle, then continued.
"When we carry out our plan during the academy’s class assessment, we all know that Necrotize will be the single greatest obstacle standing in our way. But there’s one thing none of us could have ever imagined, and yet, at that exact moment, he will have his power fully sealed."
The instant he said this, the whole room stirred with disbelief. Lord First spoke up.
"What do you mean, Necrotize will have his power sealed? What are you saying, Second?"
Lord Second smiled. "I’m only telling you what Lord Morthos told me. He said that, at that time, Necrotize will keep his own power sealed. And since it came from him, we have no choice but to believe it. This is exactly where the Trillion Signet comes in. Since his power will be sealed during that window, we’ll be able to use it on him."
He paused again.
"A normal Trillion Signet, if placed on his body, he could shatter instantly, even while shielded. But this isn’t an ordinary Trillion Signet. Lord Morthos has infused it with his own power. That makes it far stronger than any standard signet."
Hearing this from Lord Second filled the room with excitement. At last, they could see the light of their plan actually coming to fruition. But his next words stirred fresh doubt among them once again.
"That said, this seal, even with Lord Morthos’s power woven into it, will only be able to hold him for ten minutes. No matter how powerful it is, restraining destruction itself is never an easy thing. So when we carry out our plan, we’ll only have ten minutes to work with. But ten minutes will be more than enough. Because what’s coming for the rest of them, they won’t survive ten minutes. They won’t even survive one."