The penthouse felt colder than usual, though the candles flickered. Yul sat at the center of the studio room, head bowed over the mixing console. His fingers hovered over the controls, shaking ever so slightly—not from exhaustion, but from the invisible pull threading through his mind.
Vatu, the intruder who had finally revealed himself, stood behind him, tall, impossibly calm, the shadows clinging to him like a second skin.
"Do you feel it, Yul?" Vatu's voice was smooth, almost musical, yet each syllable carried weight, an imperceptible compulsion. "This song… it's not just sound. It's influence. Power. Devotion. They will follow. They will obey. They will serve."
Yul's golden eyes flickered with unease. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone."
Vatu leaned closer, brushing a hand along the edge of the console, close enough to graze Yul's shoulder. "You won't see it as harm. You'll only see… perfection. You will create something irresistible, something so catchy they cannot resist… and they won't even know it's mine, or ours."
Yul swallowed hard, trembling. His fingers pressed down on the keys, unsure, but the rhythm, the melody, began to form. It was hypnotic, sharp, rebellious—a track that felt alive.
Vatu circled him like a predator. "Listen closely, Yul. Your voice will carry the message. Every note will draw them in, every beat will anchor them to my will. And when it drops, the world will kneel. Do you understand?"
"I… I think so," Yul murmured, his tone layered, a subtle mixture of hesitation and seduction.
"Good." Vatu straightened, finally stepping fully into the light of the room. "My name is Vatu. Remember it. Because once this song hits, there will be no forgetting."
The words reverberated in Yul's chest. Vatu's presence pressed into him, not violently, but like an invisible hand coiling through his mind. Memories of Monarch, of love, of choices—all tangled with the compulsion threading through the song.
He began to sing. The melody was electric, commanding, a sound designed to stick. The lyrics formed organically in his head, almost as if Vatu whispered them into his mind:
Song Excerpt – Working Title: "Obedience"
Follow me, 따라와 / Taste the night, 불꽃 속에Feel the power, 내 손을 잡아 / We ignite, 저 달 아래Every heartbeat, 내 목소릴 따라 / Let go, 세상은 우리 것
The track pulsed with rhythm—aggressive synths, pounding bass, and moments of almost hypnotic chanting. It wasn't just music—it was a signal, embedding Vatu's will into every note.
Yul's voice soared higher. His delivery was flawless, angelic, commanding, and terrifying all at once. Each line was laced with subtle compulsion, notes vibrating in a frequency designed to make the listener unresisting.
Vatu's lips curved into a smile. "Good. Very good. Soon, the world will not even question. They will obey. And you… will bring them to me willingly."
Yul's chest heaved. For a fleeting second, the golden eyes of the real Yul blinked through—pain, resistance, the faintest glimmer of defiance. But Vatu's whispers crept in like smoke: It's for the empire. It's for us.
The track continued to take shape, rising to a chorus that would be unforgettable, addictive, unforgettable, inescapable—an anthem of influence.