Chapter 28: Whispers in the Dark

The moment Lucien and his crew stepped beyond the threshold of the Vault, the doors groaned shut behind them, sealing them in utter darkness.

"Well, that's not ominous at all," Rosie muttered.

Lucien adjusted his grip on his pistol. "Nobody touch anything unless you want to trigger some ancient death trap."

"Like this?" Valeria's voice piped up, followed by a click.

A series of luminous blue runes ignited along the walls, bathing the cavernous corridor in an eerie glow.

Lucien exhaled. "I should've seen that coming."

Evelyn ran her gloved fingers along the illuminated carvings. "This Vault is alive. The technology here… it's centuries ahead of anything we have today. The artifact must be connected to it."

Victoria tilted her head, her metal frame humming. "I can feel something… a presence. This place is watching us."

Selene shifted, eyes scanning the shadows. "Then let's not give it a reason to strike first."

The team moved forward cautiously, the floor echoing beneath their boots. The deeper they went, the more the walls shimmered with strange moving patterns, as though whispering to one another.

Then the voices began.

Faint at first—indistinct murmurs drifting through the air.

Then words.

"Turn back."

"You are not ready."

"He waits below."

Lucien stopped. "Anyone else hearing the ominous doom chorus?"

Marion tightened her grip on her dagger. "Oh good, it's not just me losing my mind."

Evelyn's face was pale. "These voices aren't just echoes. They're… memories."

Valeria adjusted her goggles excitedly. "Or ghosts!"

Selene shot her a look. "Not helping, professor."

Victoria's mechanical eyes dimmed for a moment. "The artifact is reacting."

Lucien pulled it from his satchel. The crystal heart pulsed in his palm, its glow intensifying with every step.

Then the floor shifted beneath them.

A great, metallic groan reverberated through the chamber. Dust rained from the ceiling.

And then the walls opened.

Awakening the Guardian

From the darkness emerged a towering figure—an ancient automaton, humanoid in form but impossibly massive. Its eyes blazed with the same eerie blue light that pulsed through the Vault.

It spoke, its voice a grating mixture of metal and something almost human.

"The Heart returns… but the Chosen is unworthy."

Lucien took a step back. "Okay, first of all, rude."

The automaton raised an arm, gears clicking as ancient mechanisms whirred to life.

"You will not leave this place alive."

Lucien sighed. "And second of all, I knew this was going to happen."

Then the automaton attacked.

Battle in the Vault

It moved faster than anything that massive had the right to. A colossal arm swung down, narrowly missing Lucien as he rolled aside.

Selene was already moving, throwing twin daggers at its joints. The blades sparked harmlessly against its reinforced plating.

"Great," she muttered. "Blades are useless."

Evelyn pulled out a modified EMP device. "Let's see how this works."

She tossed it—only for the automaton to swat it midair. It exploded harmlessly against the wall.

Rosie fired her pistols, the bullets ricocheting uselessly.

Valeria grinned wildly. "I love a good puzzle!"

She tossed a vial at the automaton's legs. The moment it shattered, blue fire erupted, sending gears screeching.

Victoria darted forward, scanning rapidly. "It has a core—center chest. If we overload it—"

"Say no more!" Lucien interrupted. He sprinted forward, using the falling debris as a springboard, and leapt onto the automaton's arm.

It swung violently, trying to shake him off.

"Lucien!" Evelyn called.

"Little busy!" he yelled, gripping onto exposed cables.

The artifact burned against his chest, pulsing wildly. Instinct kicked in.

He slammed it against the automaton's core.

A blinding flash erupted.

The automaton froze.

Then, with a shuddering groan, it collapsed.

Lucien tumbled onto the floor, coughing.

A long silence followed.

Then Rosie clapped. "You just improvise everything, don't you?"

Lucien grinned. "It's worked so far."

Victoria knelt beside the now-inert machine. "The artifact activated something. This Vault isn't just a tomb—it's a test."

Evelyn's eyes darkened. "Then the real question is: what happens when we reach the end?"

Lucien dusted himself off. "Only one way to find out."

With the path cleared, they pressed forward—deeper into the shadows, where the final mystery awaited.

---

Meanwhile…

Outside the Vault, Veyna stood watching as her fleet of airships hovered in formation.

A masked figure knelt beside her. "They survived the Guardian."

Veyna smirked. "Good. Let them dig up the treasure. Then we'll take it from them."

She turned to her men. "Prepare to strike. No survivors."

The hunt was about to end.

Or so she thought.