The world shifted when they stepped through the gate.
Colors stretched, twisted — then collapsed into darkness.
A soft hum filled the air, like the sound of a thousand heartbeats beneath the ground.
Kale blinked as the light faded.
They stood on cracked stone streets beneath a sky that wasn't a sky at all — a vast dome of black crystal, glowing faintly with rivers of blue mana that pulsed like veins.
"Is this…" Lyra whispered, eyes wide, "the city of Vareth?"
Elric nodded slowly. "Once the heart of the world's magic. Now… only a memory."
They stood at the edge of a vast ruin. Towering spires lay broken and hollow. Ancient symbols glowed faintly on the walls, flickering like dying stars. The air felt heavy — every breath thick with mana.
Kale took a step forward. His mark burned faintly, responding to the city.
"You feel it, don't you?" Aurelion's voice whispered, low and pleased.
"The bones of my kingdom."
Kale clenched his fist. "This place belonged to you."
"It still does."
Elric glanced back at him. "Be careful. The city isn't stable. It reacts to those who carry mana."
Lyra crouched near a cracked wall, running her fingers over old carvings. "What happened here?"
"Greed," Elric said quietly. "The Coven's ancestors tried to control the leyline beneath this city. They failed — and the backlash destroyed everything. The city fell into the void."
Kale frowned. "Then why can I feel it calling me?"
"Because something survived."
They followed the old street deeper into the ruins. Strange sounds echoed through the air — whispers, half-formed words, like memories still trying to speak.
At the center of the city stood a massive structure — a cathedral of black stone, its roof long collapsed. The doors hung open, glowing faintly with blue light.
"This is it," Elric said. "The Vault."
Lyra's voice was low. "It's beautiful… and terrifying."
Kale walked closer, each step heavier than the last. The moment he crossed the threshold, the ground pulsed — runes ignited across the floor, spreading outward like wildfire.
Elric cursed. "It's reacting to him!"
Kale gasped as the mana seal on his wrist flared — then cracked.
"Finally," Aurelion whispered, voice rising like thunder. "You brought me home."
Blue fire erupted around them. Lyra drew her weapon, shielding Kale as shadows formed from the walls — shapes that looked like people, but hollow.
Ghosts.
They circled the group, their voices overlapping into a broken chant.
"He returns. The Cursed King returns."
Elric slammed his staff down, forming a barrier. "They're fragments — echoes of Aurelion's followers. They won't harm us unless—"
A shriek cut him off. One of the spirits lunged at Kale, passing through the barrier like smoke. The moment it touched him, he saw flashes — cities burning, witches kneeling, a man standing at the center of it all, his blue eyes glowing like fire.
Aurelion.
Kale stumbled back, chest heaving. "I saw him… I saw you."
"Not me," Aurelion murmured. "A glimpse of what you could become."
Lyra grabbed his arm. "Kale, stay with me!"
The light from the runes intensified. The spirits bowed suddenly — not to Kale, but to something forming behind him.
A figure stepped from the blue fire — tall, draped in a cloak of shadow. Its face was smooth, featureless, but its eyes burned the same blue as Kale's.
Elric's voice broke into a whisper. "A mana wraith…"
The figure tilted its head. When it spoke, its voice was not one but many — layered, like an echo of a thousand memories.
"The Vault does not open for mortals. Only for the Heir."
Kale's heart pounded. "And if I am?"
"Then claim it."
The wraith raised its hand — and the entire cathedral trembled.
Pillars cracked, walls shuddered, and from the floor, a massive seal began to rise — a glowing circle of blue metal and ancient runes.
Lyra shielded her eyes. "Kale!"
He stepped toward it, unable to stop himself. The disk around his neck glowed until it melted into light, fusing with the seal.
The runes shifted, rearranging into a single phrase:
"THE SOUL THAT REMEMBERS SHALL REIGN AGAIN."
The Vault opened.
A surge of mana roared outward, shaking the ruins and tearing the air itself apart. The wraith dissolved, whispering, "The heir has awakened."
When the light faded, Kale stood alone in the center of the seal — his eyes glowing fiercely, hair whipping in unseen wind.
Lyra took a step forward. "Kale…?"
He looked up slowly. For an instant, Aurelion's reflection shimmered over him — ancient, powerful, terrifying.
"You can't run from me now," the voice said. "You are me."
And deep beneath Vareth, something answered the call — a rumble like the beating of a titanic heart.