Chapter 12: The Forgotten Keys
The emblem pulsed in Eron's palm.
A soft red glow flickered in its crystalline core, synced to his heartbeat. Etched flame-lines stretched across the metal like veins, ancient and precise.
"What does it open?" he asked.
Eric's response was immediate.
"Legacy Vaults. Hidden access points from the Pre-Collapse Era. Buried across the continent. Only holders of this crest can awaken them."
Eron stared at it. "And the others?"
"There are two more. Each tied to the other dynasties that once stood beside Caelora. Together, they built the first city-nexus. Together, they fell."
"Did any survive?" Eron asked.
Eric hesitated.
"One vanished. One became the first aggressor after the Collapse. And the third… you now lead."
---
That same day, Eron called the full clan together.
Rurik, Lyra, Sira, Kale, and Nira stood around the main courtyard's rebuilt flame basin. The old Caeloran banner hung behind them.
Eron placed the emblem in the flame. It didn't burn.
It glowed brighter.
"We're not just rebuilding," he told them. "We're unlocking. This crest is our first real weapon."
Lyra spoke first. "What does it unlock?"
"Vaults. Power sources. Forbidden systems. And… enemies."
---
> [System Notification]
Quest Updated: Legacy of the Lost Flame – Stage 1 Complete
Stage 2 Unlocked: Locate the First Vault (Signal Trace Active)
Vault Signature: 61 km Southeast – Classified Terrain
Warning: Signature also detected by external parties
---
That night, Eric revealed a map—ancient and glitching at the edges. A red dot blinked in the lower right quadrant, near a mountain base cloaked in static mist.
"Vault One lies beneath Mount Serith," Eric said.
"What's guarding it?" Eron asked.
"Time," Eric answered. "And those who failed to unlock it."
---
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles south…
A mercenary war-clan known as The Hollow Flame received a signal.
One of their seers, blind but AI-linked, hissed as the crest echoed through their internal network.
"The Caeloran vault breathes," she whispered. "He's opened the gate."
The warlord in charge grinned. "Then we ride for Serith."
---
Back at Caelora Hall, Nira approached Eron privately.
"I've seen that symbol before," she said.
Eron turned sharply. "Where?"
Nira's silver eyes shimmered. "In dreams. Or maybe memories. I'm not sure."
"Why you?"
She looked down. "Because I'm not from here. I wasn't born in this age."
Eric's glow flickered behind them.
"She's partially synced to a forgotten node. She may be a failed upload."
"Or a lost one," Eron said. "Either way… she's ours."
---