The stars twisted unnaturally above as Kael moved through the old paths, shadowless now, but not powerless. The land beneath his feet was known as the Veiled Hollows—a realm not found on maps but etched into the subconscious of every void-touched being.
No one came here willingly.
But Kael was not anyone.
He came alone, seeking the Vault of Origin, the place whispered about in dreams and feared in prophecy. Where the first chain had been forged. Where everything had started.
---
Echoes in Stone
As he descended into the ancient catacombs, the silence shifted. It wasn't the absence of sound—it was the weight of memory. The walls were alive, carved with forgotten truths, ancient beasts, gods with no names, and a single recurring symbol:
> A crown, broken and mended again and again…
Never the same twice.
Kael's fingers brushed the stone. A pulse answered—a quiet heartbeat, old as the Abyss itself.
"You came earlier than expected," said a voice from behind him.
Kael didn't flinch. "You always knew I would."
Selene stepped into the flickering light, her veil pulled back. Her eyes, though blind, shimmered with starlight. "You still believe you can shape the story from within the vault?"
Kael nodded. "If I don't… someone else will."
---
The Vault Awakens
At the lowest chamber, the Vault stood—a monolith of seamless obsidian, untouched by time or power. Chains of light and darkness wrapped around it, not as bindings, but as warnings.
Kael stepped forward.
As he placed his palm against it, the world above shuddered.
Across the realms, those attuned to power felt the tremor:
The Beastmaster froze mid-ritual, eyes widening.
The Voidborn Matriarch shrieked, her form unraveling briefly.
In a hidden realm, a Timeless Assassin raised his head, his blades weeping blood.
The Vault was opening.
---
Whispers from Before
Kael's mind was pulled inward—into a realm without form, where time curled in loops and existence whispered secrets. He stood in a reflection of his own throne room, only it was older, colder… and already occupied.
A figure sat upon a throne of roots and chains. Not a god. Not a man.
Something before both.
> "You are not the first to try."
"But you may be the last."
Kael stepped forward, unafraid. "Then let me succeed where they failed."
The figure smiled, a thousand eyes blinking behind a shadowed mask.
> "Then show me… who you really are."
---
End of Chapter 55