---
The path to the Lightning Spire was carved through a canyon of broken stone and blackened metal.
Above, the sky flickered with unnatural pulses of blue and violet lightning—silent, yet ever-present. The ground sparked occasionally, as if even the earth couldn't contain the energy boiling within the spire ahead.
Squad 7 moved cautiously. No jokes. No chatter. Just quiet footsteps and sharpened senses.
Even the wind refused to blow here.
---
⚡ A World on Pause
Kiyanotoka walked at the front.
Thamuz hovered above, wings occasionally flaring with heat to deter beasts watching from the shadows. The Storm Roc glided silently overhead, scouting the spire's peak. And the Sylph-Hare? It had gone completely invisible—its presence like a quiet hum in the back of his mind.
> [ SYSTEM – Beast Sync: Stable. Thread Strength: High. ]
Threat Proximity: Critical. Unknown Entity Energy Level: ???
Warning: Spirit Pressure at threshold limit. Prepare backup command structure.
> Whatever's waiting up there… it isn't just a beast.
He slowed his steps.
Behind him, Fuyue's voice broke the silence.
> "Still no explanation, Ash?"
He didn't turn around. "About what?"
> "About why the sky listens to you."
Maya cut in, trying to ease the mood. "Let's not do this now."
"No," Fuyue said sharply. "We have to. Before whatever's up there kills us."
Kiyanotoka finally turned, eyes calm, unreadable.
> "What would you believe, Fuyue? That I made a deal with gods? That I stole forbidden knowledge? That I'm not even from this world?"
She stared at him.
> "...I'd believe anything except 'nothing.'"
---
🌀 The Lightning Gate
They reached the final threshold: a gate of obsidian, arched between two cracked spires. Carvings of ancient beasts twisted across its surface—some recognizable, others not.
As Kiyanotoka stepped near, the system flared:
> [ SYSTEM – Legacy Gate Detected. Artifact Seal Active. ]
Energy Type: Pre-Spirit Era. Signature: UNKNOWN.
Warning: Exposure may disrupt beast threads.
Suggested Action: Initiate Tempest Lock Override.
> Override?
> No. Not yet. Let's see what we're walking into.
He stepped through.
Instantly, a wave of force hit him—like cold lightning crawling across his soul. His beasts flinched.
But none were unbound.
He pressed forward.
---
🏛️ Chamber of Silence
Beyond the gate lay a wide, hollowed-out basin. In the center rose the Lightning Spire—a jagged monolith humming with storm energy, arcs of light leaping from its surface to the shattered sky.
At its base… stood something that should not exist.
A figure.
Tall. Clad in black armor scorched by time. Face hidden by a broken mask. No beast. No breathing. Just stillness.
Kiyanotoka stopped. So did the others.
> "Who is that…?" Maya whispered.
Before anyone could speak, the figure lifted a hand—
—and the world changed.
---
🌩️ Spirit Pressure: Cataclysm Class
A pulse rolled out like thunder.
Not from sound. From soul.
The ground cracked. The Roc screeched and veered off course. The Sylph-Hare vanished into pure light. Even Thamuz growled in pain, flames flickering unstable.
The squad dropped to their knees.
All except Kiyanotoka.
He stood… barely.
> [ SYSTEM: Pressure Threshold Exceeded. Initiate Passive Thread Reinforcement? ]
YES / NO
He whispered, "Yes."
The pain dulled. Barely.
> This thing isn't alive. It's… something else.
> A remnant? A guardian? Or a trial?
The figure spoke—not with a voice, but a pressure in his mind.
> "Three threads bind you. But you are no ruler."
> "You seek command, yet your will is still divided."
Kiyanotoka gritted his teeth.
"I don't care what you are. Step aside."
The figure moved.
Not walked—teleported, instantly appearing before Kiyanotoka.
> [ SYSTEM: Threat Level – Transcendent. Origin: Unknown Plane. ]
Test Engaged: Commander's Worth Trial – Phase I
Condition: Survive three soul strikes without losing beast links.
---
⚔️ The First Strike – Mind Split
A hand touched Kiyanotoka's forehead.
Instantly—he was no longer in his body.
He was in three places at once.
In the sky, through Roc eyes, diving through lightning storms.
In the flame tunnels, as Thamuz, roaring against giants.
And in the moonlight, dodging shadows as the Sylph-Hare.
His mind split—and he had to control all three.
> It's a simulation... no, a projection. But if I fail—my threads break.
He clenched his fists.
Focused.
Command. Control. Calm.
Each beast moved as he directed.
The Roc outpaced the storm.
Thamuz endured the siege.
The Sylph-Hare dodged every blade.
> [ SYSTEM – Strike One Endured. Synchronization: Maintained. ]
The figure paused.
Then raised its hand again.
---
⚔️ The Second Strike – Heart Break
Kiyanotoka saw his beasts die.
Again and again.
One by one.
Each vision sharper than the last.
Thamuz crushed by a wyvern swarm.
The Sylph-Hare shattered by shadow wolves.
The Roc falling from the sky in flames.
Every scream. Every bond snapping.
He couldn't breathe.
His knees buckled.
> It's just vision. Just a trial.
> But why does it hurt like it's real?
Then he felt something.
Three pulses—deep in his chest.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Defiance.
He stood again.
Eyes blazing.
"No matter how many times you show me their end—I'll never stop fighting for them."
> [ SYSTEM – Strike Two Endured. Emotional Sync: Hardened. ]
The final strike came without warning.
---
⚔️ The Final Strike – Thread Collapse
The guardian hurled a lance of energy straight through Kiyanotoka's chest.
It pierced everything.
Body.
Spirit.
Soul thread.
> It's over—
No.
The storm paused.
And from within him, something roared back.
Not the beasts.
His own will.
> I command not because I control… but because they trust me.
Chains reformed.
Threads reignited.
All three beasts appeared behind him, roared together.
The guardian's attack dissolved into light.
---
👑 Awakening: The Crownless Throne
The guardian knelt.
Then vanished into a thousand motes of energy.
Where it stood, a sigil burned into the stone:
> 𐎂ⵁ𐎘 – The Mark of the Crownless Commander
> [ SYSTEM – Trial Passed. ]
New Title: Crownless Commander
Perk Unlocked: Triple-Beast Resonance (Aura Amplification +50%)
Passive: Beast Loyalty Lock – Cannot be stolen or broken.
Path Unlocked: Commander's Domain – Stage 2.
Kiyanotoka stood silent.
His squad, slowly rising behind him, said nothing.
They didn't know what happened.
But they saw the sigil.
And they knew something had changed forever.
---
📘 End of Chapter 13