Chapter 95: The Awakening of the Forgotten

The chamber trembled, the air thickening with something unseen—something ancient. Ochieng felt it first, a pulse that sank into his bones, whispering forgotten names in a language lost to time.

Sienna took a step back. "We need to leave. Now."

But it was already too late.

The glass cages lining the walls began to crack.

A slow, dreadful sound.

One by one.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Then—shatter.

From the wreckage of their prison, the Forgotten stepped forward.

Some still looked human, their features eerily preserved. Others were grotesque, twisted by whatever had held them captive. Eyes burned with unearthly light, and a hunger—deep, insatiable—filled the air.

Ochieng tightened his jaw. "We woke something that shouldn't have been disturbed."

Tielen lifted his gun, finger steady on the trigger. "You think?"

But the figure in black remained still, watching.

"You do not understand the consequences of your actions," the voice echoed in their minds. "The Forgotten were sealed away for a reason."

Ochieng's gaze never wavered. "Then maybe it's time to learn why."

---

A blur of motion—one of the Forgotten lunged.

Ochieng barely had time to react before its clawed hand sliced through the air where his throat had been a second ago.

He dodged, twisting, and drove his elbow into its ribs. The thing didn't flinch. It turned, too fast, its mouth stretching into a grotesque grin.

Sienna flicked her wrist, a blade appearing in her palm like magic. With a single fluid motion, she sliced through the creature's arm.

No blood.

Just a cold, black mist.

The Forgotten laughed. "Foolish mortals. You cannot kill what is already lost."

Tielen didn't hesitate. He raised his gun and fired.

A clean headshot.

The creature jerked back—but it didn't fall. The hole in its forehead closed within seconds.

Ochieng cursed. "We need another way."

Sienna's eyes darted to the ancient runes glowing on the floor. "These symbols… they're seals."

Ochieng followed her gaze. "Then let's see what happens when we break them."

---

They had no time. The Forgotten were closing in.

Ochieng moved first, sweeping his foot across the nearest rune, disrupting its pattern. The air shifted immediately, the temperature dropping.

The Forgotten recoiled.

Their bodies flickered—unstable.

Tielen wasted no time. He crushed another rune beneath his heel.

Sienna followed, slashing through the symbols with the tip of her blade.

The chamber rumbled. The Forgotten howled.

And then—

Silence.

The figures froze, their forms unraveling like mist caught in the wind. One by one, they dissolved, their screams fading into nothing.

The cloaked figure in black tilted its head.

"Interesting."

Ochieng wiped sweat from his brow. "Who are you?"

The figure took a step closer, its presence suffocating. "I am the Keeper of the Vault. And you… you are the ones who have just rewritten history."

Ochieng met its gaze without fear. "Then I guess we'll have to see what comes next."

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