Beneath the Vault
The helicopter sliced through the night sky, the city lights shrinking below them as Marcus piloted toward their next destination.
Emma sat beside Alexander, the ancient book resting on her lap. Every page held intricate scripts, symbols, and markings that seemed almost alive under the dim cabin lights.
"This book isn't just a map," she murmured. "It's a warning."
Alexander leaned closer, scanning the aged text. "A warning about what?"
Emma's fingers traced the faded ink. "It says that the Vault of the Revenant was built over something older… something buried."
Marcus's voice crackled through their headsets. "Well, that's not ominous at all."
Emma continued reading. "The Revenant didn't just hide artifacts in their vault. They were guarding something. Something they feared."
Alexander's jaw tightened. "And Lucien is trying to get to it."
Emma nodded. "If we don't stop him first, we might not like what he finds."
Marcus sighed. "Okay, so where exactly are we going?"
Emma turned to the next page, her eyes scanning the coordinates.
"The vault isn't in Europe," she said, her voice steady. "It's in Morocco."
A beat of silence passed.
Marcus groaned. "Of course, it is."
---
Arrival in Morocco
The dry heat of the Sahara Desert pressed against them as they stood atop the dunes, scanning the endless horizon. The book's coordinates had led them here—to a seemingly empty stretch of sand.
Marcus wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Tell me again why we're standing in the middle of nowhere?"
Emma flipped through the book. "Because the vault's entrance is hidden beneath this desert."
Alexander crouched, running his fingers through the sand. "There has to be a marker."
Emma's eyes landed on a weathered stone pillar, half-buried near the dunes. She stepped closer, brushing away the sand.
Carved into the stone were the same symbols from the book.
"This is it," she whispered.
Alexander joined her, pressing his palm against the stone. A deep rumbling shook the ground beneath them.
Marcus took a step back. "Uh… guys?"
The sand shifted. Then, it collapsed.
---
Falling Into the Depths
The ground gave way beneath them, and before anyone could react, they were plunging into darkness.
Emma barely had time to brace before landing on solid stone.
Dust clouded the air as she coughed, her pulse racing. "Everyone okay?"
Alexander groaned. "Define okay."
Marcus groaned louder. "I think I broke my everything."
Emma adjusted her flashlight, the beam illuminating an ancient underground chamber. The walls were covered in intricate carvings, depicting figures bowing before a massive sealed door.
Alexander dusted himself off. "Looks like we found the entrance."
Marcus shined his own flashlight over the engravings. "And I'm guessing that's the 'thing they feared' part?"
Emma nodded. "The Revenant built this vault to lock something inside. And we're about to open it."
---
The Sealed Gate
The massive stone door before them bore the same insignia as the amulet.
Emma reached into her pocket, pulling out the golden artifact. It pulsed in her hand, almost as if it recognized its resting place.
Alexander stepped beside her. "This feels like a bad idea."
Marcus exhaled. "Oh, it absolutely is. But we're doing it anyway, aren't we?"
Emma hesitated for only a moment before pressing the amulet into the door's center.
A deep, echoing click sounded through the chamber.
Then, the doors began to open.
---
Inside the Vault
A rush of stale air escaped as the massive doors groaned open, revealing a long, dark corridor ahead.
Torches flickered to life along the walls as if sensing their arrival.
Emma stepped inside cautiously, her flashlight cutting through the darkness. "Stay close."
The deeper they walked, the colder it became. The air thickened with something unexplainable—a presence.
Alexander's voice was low. "We're not alone in here."
Emma shivered. "I know."
Then, they reached the main chamber.
And what they saw made Emma's blood run cold.
At the center of the vault stood a massive stone coffin, chained shut.
Carvings around it depicted a story—one of betrayal, imprisonment, and something ancient being sealed away.
Marcus swallowed hard. "Tell me we didn't just walk into a cursed tomb."
Emma scanned the inscriptions. "This isn't a tomb."
Alexander's eyes narrowed. "Then what is it?"
Emma exhaled.
"A prison."
---
The Awakening
A sudden crack split the silence.
The chains around the coffin shifted.
Emma took a step back. "No… that's not possible."
Alexander grabbed her arm. "We need to go. Now."
But before they could move, the coffin burst open.
A roaring darkness spilled out, filling the chamber with an unnatural wind.
A figure rose from the coffin, its form shifting between shadow and flesh. Golden eyes flickered open, locking onto them.
Emma felt her knees weaken.
They hadn't just uncovered a vault.
They had woken something up.
The figure stepped forward, its voice ancient and hollow.
"You have freed me."
Emma barely found her voice. "Who… are you?"
The figure's lips curled into a slow, predatory smile.
"I am what the Revenant feared."
The torches around them flickered out.
And in the darkness, a new war had just begun.