The Vault of Echoes

Location: The Storm Gate Nexus – Unknown Dimension

They fell through silence.

Not the ordinary kind—but a deafening, surreal hush where time bent, and light fractured like glass. Victor felt Nora's hand in his, but everything else—sound, gravity, warmth—vanished in the vortex of the Storm Gate.

Then…

Impact.

They crashed into a circular chamber lined with polished obsidian and glowing gold script—alien yet ancient. The walls pulsed faintly, alive with memories.

Zuri landed moments later, tumbling and groaning. "I thought that was a gate, not a blender."

Victor rose first. "We're inside the Vault."

Nora frowned. "You knew this was here?"

Victor nodded slowly. "My father once told me of a place built by the Original Five—hidden beneath space itself. It stores echoes of every memory, truth, and war. A vault of forgotten power."

Zuri touched the wall, eyes wide. "Is it… alive?"

Victor turned toward the center, where five massive doors stood like sleeping titans. One glowed faintly. The rest were sealed shut.

"We need to find the right door," Victor said.

---

Location: Dominion Core Ship – Satellite Control Room

Thorne watched as all signals vanished from the southern coast.

"They used it," he muttered. "They used the Storm Gate."

An aide approached nervously. "We've lost the trail."

"No," Thorne snapped. "They left something behind. Kane never moves without leaving breadcrumbs."

Another aide stepped forward. "The Silencers are prepped."

Thorne looked out at the stars. "Tell them… begin the hunt. I want Kane found. Dead or alive."

---

Location: Vault of Echoes – Door of Shadows

Victor's hand hovered above the glowing door.

"It's responding to you," Nora said softly. "Like it's… listening."

Victor pressed his palm to the seal. A low hum echoed through the chamber. Then the door shifted, revealing a staircase spiraling downward into endless darkness.

They descended carefully.

The air below was thick with unseen power. Murals lined the walls—depictions of ancient battles, empires rising and crumbling, the Original Five holding the world together with hands of fire and wind.

"This is history that never made it to the books," Zuri whispered.

At the bottom, a vast room opened. In the center stood a single relic: a massive obsidian obelisk surrounded by concentric rings of light.

Victor approached it cautiously.

Suddenly, the obelisk pulsed.

"You are not ready."

The voice came from everywhere. Nora stepped back.

Zuri raised her weapon. "Was that—?"

"You seek dominion. Yet you do not know sacrifice."

Victor clenched his fists. "Then teach me."

"Very well."

The light shattered—and Victor vanished.

---

Location: Unknown

Victor stood in a field of ash. The sky was red, and the air burned. Screams echoed from the distance.

He looked down to find himself wearing Dominion armor—his hands soaked in blood.

A figure approached, faceless and tall.

"You became him," it said coldly. "To win, you lost yourself."

Victor stared in horror. "No. This isn't real."

"Not yet," the figure said. "But it could be. Every hero is one choice away from the tyrant they swore to defeat."

The scene blurred—then shattered again.

Victor collapsed on the floor of the Vault, gasping.

Nora held him, shaking. "Victor! What did you see?"

Victor's eyes were distant. "A warning. A path I must never take."

The obelisk pulsed again.

"Then rise, Heir of the Flame. The next trial awaits."