CHAPTER THIRTEEN: “The Door That Breathes”
Far below the Hollow, older than the stone walls and older than the Council itself, a door waited.
It did not swing open like a normal door. It did not creak or groan.
It breathed.
A slow inhale — like a slumbering god.
And with each breath, the forest above it withered just a little more.
---
Back in Graveton
Adelwin stood by the old gate of the family house — the lantern in his hand flickering with worry.
His fingers trembled as he adjusted his coat, scanning the darkened street. For days now, they had been searching. Hope had turned into dread. The air in Graveton was getting colder, heavier — like the world was holding its breath.
"Where are you, Jayden?" he whispered.
Behind him, the windchimes sang — but the sound was… wrong. Dissonant.
Joyce came to the door. She hadn't slept. Her hands were wrapped in one of Jayden's old scarves.
"Still no word?"
He shook his head.
They didn't know that far away — deep underground — their son was standing on the edge of a legend.
---
The Breathing Vault
Jayden stood in front of the Door.
It was smooth and metallic, but pulsed faintly — like a heartbeat under skin. Symbols writhed across it in ancient script, shifting when you tried to read them.
He reached toward it. It was cold — but alive.
Seran Velmire spoke beside him.
"This is the Vault of Origins. Where the Firstborn sealed their most dangerous secret."
Jayden turned. "What secret?"
Seran's face darkened. "The origin of vampirism itself. The first transformation — the true curse. This door holds the memory of the moment the world was split. Mortal and immortal."
Jayden swallowed. "And I can open it?"
"You're blood-marked. You are meant to."
Veyna warned, "But once opened, it cannot be closed. Not without consequence."
---
A World Watching
Back in the Hollow, the Council gathered in a panic.
"The Vault is stirring," Nyxa hissed. "The seals are reacting to his bloodline."
Kaelric gritted his teeth. "If he opens it — everything we've hidden for centuries will rise again. The war. The truths. The Firstborn's final weapon."
Morrienna, calmly: "Then maybe the time for hiding is over."
---
Inside the Vault
Jayden stepped forward.
His palm hovered just over the center of the door — where the breathing was strongest.
Seran and Veyna watched from behind, tense.
> thum-thum... thum-thum…
As his skin touched the surface, the symbols blazed gold.
The vault shuddered. The earth beneath their feet vibrated.
Jayden gasped — visions surged through his mind.
A crimson sky.
A tower made of bone.
A sword weeping blood.
And a voice — his voice, and not his voice — whispering:
> "You are the echo of the First.
You are the key.
You are the undoing."
Then the door opened — folding in on itself like a wound reopening.
Inside… was silence.
Not darkness.
Not death.
But memory.
---
The Memory Room
They entered.
The chamber beyond was white, smooth, curved like a cocoon. Floating in the center was a suspended figure — robed, masked, ancient.
"Who is that?" Jayden whispered.
Seran bowed his head. "That… is Adelwin."
Jayden's eyes widened. "But… he's dead. Centuries ago."
"No," Veyna corrected. "He sealed himself here. As punishment. Or protection."
As they approached, the figure stirred — ever so slightly.
And Jayden heard the voice again — this time aloud.
> "I remember you."
The chamber trembled.
> "You have my blood. My curse. My choice."
Jayden stepped closer.
> "Then tell me what to do."
---
A Warning from the Past
Adelwin's voice filled the room like thunder wrapped in silk.
> "The Hollow fears me. Because I walked both worlds and burned neither.
They crowned me traitor when I refused to kill for them.
They called me monster when I tried to break the curse."
He turned his head slightly — toward Jayden.
> "You are not meant to destroy the world…
You are meant to give it a choice."
The room flickered — as if time itself was slipping.
> "But you must beware the Hunter."
Jayden tensed.
> "He was born when I broke the law of blood. He is what comes when the balance is shattered.
And now, he follows you."
A pause.
> "Find the Bloodstone.
In Graveton."
Jayden blinked. "My home?"
"Yes," the voice echoed. "It is your beginning… and where it must end."
---
Closing Scene
As the chamber began to collapse behind them, Jayden ran.
Seran and Veyna followed, hearts racing.
The Vault was no longer breathing.
> It was awakening.
And above, far away, in the town of Graveton, a crack appeared in the church bell tower's stone.
The Bloodstone was calling.
And the Hunter… was already there.