Something sound cannot fully express. Something space fails to contain without deforming. Something the mind, no matter how hard it tries, cannot fully decipher.
That's how a demon's true name worked.
It wasn't a word. It wasn't a set of syllables that could be repeated just like that. It was something else. Something closer to a living concept, a structure that existed beyond what human senses were prepared to perceive.
The ear, limited, barely captured a fraction of it. What arrived was a sound... yes, but distorted, twisted on itself, as if each note were deliberately misplaced.
An unnatural echo. An uncomfortable and unpleasant noise, almost maddening.
When Belial finally yielded, there was no prior warning. There was no gesture, no visible preparation. It simply happened.
The name was pronounced.
And in that instant, the world reacted.
