The light faded slowly, and Eris found himself standing in a place that wasn't the vault anymore.
It was a vast astral plain, a sky without end — swirling with galaxies, storms of stardust, and rivers of glowing energy. His feet stood on nothing, yet he did not fall. Here, gravity obeyed no rules.
A figure appeared ahead.
No… seven figures.
They formed a circle around him, each one tall and radiant, their bodies forged from pure elemental essence — fire, shadow, wind, stone, lightning, water, and spirit.
Eris gasped softly.
These were the legendary founders… the original Clan of Seven.
The one made of spirit stepped forward. Its voice flowed like an echo carried across time.
"Eris… last descendant of our life seed, you have awakened the Vault of Origin."
Another stepped forward — the one formed of shadow.
"The shard you touched was our memory core. Through it, you will see why you were born."
Eris steadied himself. "I've prepared for trials, monsters, gods… but not this."
The fire-one's outline flickered like a burning torch.
"Your destiny is not to fight alone. You are seven souls carried by one body."
Before Eris could speak, the astral plain shifted again. A vision began forming in front of him — enormous, spanning the sky like a myth painted across the stars.
He saw a great war.
Demons pouring from ruptured worlds.
The Demon King Asmodeus towering above entire armies.
The One Being — a colossal figure wrapped in cosmic chains — unleashing waves that tore lands apart.
The seven founders fought until their energies nearly burned out.
The water-one spoke sadly:
"We could not defeat them. Only seal them temporarily."
The wind-one continued:
"So we did the unthinkable. We merged our life essence… to create you."
The vision vanished. Eris stood trembling, stunned.
"Me? I'm… all of you?"
The stone-one nodded slowly.
"A vessel of our wills. A weapon for the age that would come after our fall."
Eris clenched his fists.
His heart beat with the power of seven legacies.
But then… something changed.
The astral plain darkened.
A ripple — like a crack spreading through reality — cut across the sky.
The shadow-one turned sharply.
"No… he has found you already."
Eris felt a cold chill run up his spine.
A presence emerged from the crack — vast, suffocating, ancient.
A voice thundered from the darkness:
"So… the Descendant awakens."
Asmodeus.
The demon king's silhouette stretched across the horizon.
Eris took a step back instinctively. "How—?!"
The spirit-one shouted:
"This is only his projection, but it is enough to break this realm. Eris, brace yourself!"
The world shook.
Asmodeus raised a massive claw, darkness gathering around it like a storm—
"Let me see if the child of the Seven is worth killing."
The attack came crashing down.
Eris raised his hands, summoning a barrier made of all seven elements at once—
The blast collided—
The astral plain exploded—
And everything went white.