Chapter 14: The Vault and the Twin Eclipse

—Narrated by Eli Whitmore

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‎The air inside the Mirror Hall was cold—colder than usual.

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‎It wasn't just the temperature though. It was the kind of cold that whispered things to you. That tugged at your memories, your fears. I could hear them—voices that weren't there, reflections that moved when I didn't.

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‎The others felt it too. Felix, Ryker, Luna, Draven, Thorne... we had all gathered here under the guidance of a hidden page from the forbidden book. A page that had appeared only after I touched the living script in Chapter 11.

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‎According to the ancient lines, beneath the Mirror Hall—past illusions, through a veil of shattered memories—lay the Vault of the Binder. A place sealed by the ancestors. A place meant to never be opened again.

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‎But the prophecy was changing.

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‎And so were we.

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‎Through the Mirror Veil

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‎"Are you sure about this?" Luna asked, standing beside me as I traced a glowing rune on the mirror wall. Her silver eyes were full of concern.

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‎I nodded. "I saw it last night in my dream. The Twin Eclipse... it starts here."

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‎Felix paced nervously. "I still think it's a terrible idea to follow a voice from a haunted book."

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‎Ryker placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "When has anything around here not been haunted?"

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‎Draven smirked, but said nothing. He just kept his blade close.

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‎Thorne stood at the edge of the chamber, silent and still. His eyes flickered with deep concentration as he watched me draw the final sigil.

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‎Then I spoke: "Gate of Mirrors, open wide, show the path you hide inside."

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‎The mirror pulsed, then cracked—not breaking, but bending like water. A glowing passage appeared beyond it.

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‎We stepped through.

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‎The Vault Beneath

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‎Stone stairs led downward, winding in a spiral. The air grew heavier with each step. Symbols glowed along the walls, ancient and breathing with magic that didn't feel like ours.

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‎At the bottom, we stood before a door. Not just any door—this one was alive. Its center had a marking of two eclipsed moons: the Twin Eclipse.

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‎"This is it," I said, my voice shaking. "This is where the prophecy said the next piece would be."

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‎Thorne moved beside me. "The Binder's Vault... My father once said it should never be opened. Not even by the Gate Way Keeper."

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‎I looked at him. "Then why does it call to me?"

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‎His gaze darkened. "Because something wants to be free."

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‎Before I could respond, the vault rumbled.

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‎And then he appeared.

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‎ The One Who Guards the Past

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‎A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, dressed in torn robes of black and gold. His face was masked, but his presence was crushing. Ancient. Familiar.

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‎"You are not welcome here, Eli Whitmore," the figure said. "The Vault shall not be opened."

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‎"Who are you?" Ryker demanded, stepping forward.

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‎The figure tilted his head. "I am Keeper Morien. Guardian of the Binder's Curse. Once a Gate Way Keeper myself... before I chose exile."

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‎My blood turned cold.

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‎"You left the Gate? Why?"

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‎"Because the prophecy is a lie," Morien said, eyes locked on mine. "And you are walking right into its trap."

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‎Thorne narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you still guarding it if you don't believe in it?"

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‎Morien raised his hand. "Because if you open that vault... the world ends."

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‎🌘 The Twin Eclipse

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‎"We have to know the truth," I said, stepping closer to the door. "If I don't open it, then why am I here? Why does the prophecy speak my name?"

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‎"Because the prophecy feeds on hope," Morien said, sadly. "But the Twin Eclipse will not bring balance. It will bring judgment."

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‎I looked at my friends—each one of them had stood by me, bled beside me. They didn't flinch. Not even now.

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‎"I have to do this," I whispered.

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‎Thorne stepped forward. "Then we do it together."

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‎I placed my hand on the vault door.

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‎Light and shadow swirled around me. My hand burned—half with flame, half with frost.

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‎Morien shouted, "You don't understand what's inside!"

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‎The vault opened.

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‎A blinding light burst out—and in that moment, I saw it:

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‎Two moons, eclipsing each other.

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‎A city falling to ash.

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‎Thorne screaming my name.

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‎And a gate—ripped wide open.

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‎📜 The Next Piece of the Prophecy

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‎As the light faded, something hovered before me: a fragment of the prophecy.

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‎I took it gently.

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‎It read:

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‎> "When dawn and dusk embrace as one, The Gate shall open, undone. The Keeper must choose: bind or break, Or all will fall for prophecy's sake."

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‎I looked at Thorne. He looked back, his face pale.

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‎"This changes everything," I whispered.

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‎But in my heart, I knew—we had only just begun.

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‎To be continued...

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