The cold stone beneath the abandoned theatre pulsed with the quiet hum of ancient magic.
Hope traced her fingers across the strange markings etched into the sealed vault door. "These runes... they're old. Maybe even pre-Witch Council."
Stephen peered over her shoulder, munching on a chocolate bar. "Which means they're probably designed to kill us in some overly dramatic way."
Daemon, arms folded and gaze focused, said, "Let's open it before you trigger something stupid."
"Me? I'm the definition of subtle." Stephen grinned.
Celeste stood at the back, arms tightly wrapped around herself. The whisper in her head had been silent for hours—but the silence was almost worse than the voice. Her fingers itched to tell Jessa, but fear held her back.
Jessa leaned forward, murmuring an incantation under her breath as she held out her hand. The runes glowed a pale violet, then sizzled and faded.
With a heavy creak, the stone door shuddered and began to open.
Hope instinctively stepped in front of London.
Raphael's eyes glowed golden, his inner wolf growling low in warning.
From within the chamber, a low breath escaped—like the vault had exhaled after centuries of stillness.
Inside, the chamber was lit with floating orbs of dim light, illuminating walls lined with ancient scrolls, spellbooks, and a long mural—a painted timeline of Richard's life.
"What the hell…" London stepped forward.
Hope joined him, eyes widening.
It started with Richard as a boy. Then a teen. Then an adult standing with three supernatural figures—a werewolf, a witch, and a vampire.
At the center of the painting, Richard held a glowing artifact: a silver ring with three stones, each a different color—red, white, and black.
Stephen whistled low. "He really had a flair for secrecy."
Jessa stared at the image. "That's my dad. And that ring—he used to wear that when we were kids."
Celeste's voice was small. "I thought he lost it."
Daemon pointed at the bottom corner of the mural, where something had been scorched and scratched out—intentionally erased. "Someone didn't want this part seen."
Raphael looked around. "Why would Richard hide this? And what does it mean?"
Then they saw it—on a pedestal in the center of the room.
A journal.
Hope rushed over, brushing off the dust. "This is recent. Like… days ago."
She opened it. The ink was smudged, but the words were there:
> "They're getting closer. I've locked away the last of the relics. If they find it before Hope learns the truth…"
> "Then we all fall."
Hope froze.
Jessa stepped beside her. "What truth?"
The room suddenly pulsed. The door behind them began to close.
Stephen reacted fast. "Uh, not cool!"
They all turned. But before they could stop it, the stone door slammed shut with a final, thunderous echo.
They were trapped.
---
Back at the Surface – Trouble Brewing
Unbeknownst to the group, something stirred deep within the forest surrounding Blackmoor.
A figure cloaked in black knelt beside a circle of charred earth.
His hand hovered above it, murmuring in an ancient tongue.
Behind him, two shadowy figures emerged.
"It's time," the cloaked man whispered. "They've awakened the chamber."
The air trembled.
---
Inside the Vault – A Glimpse of the Past
The glowing orbs inside the vault began to shift. One floated down toward the mural and stopped above a strange stone embedded in the wall.
It shimmered—and suddenly, the group wasn't just looking at the painting.
They were inside a vision.
The room morphed around them, casting them into a memory. Ghostly images of Richard and three others appeared, arguing in hushed voices.
"The child will carry all three bloodlines," one of the figures hissed. "It's too dangerous!"
"She's the key," Richard said fiercely. "Hope is the key to uniting them. She can balance the chaos."
Hope felt her knees weaken.
"They're talking about me," she whispered.
London caught her elbow.
Daemon's eyes narrowed. "This means Richard was planning something all along. He knew what was coming."
Stephen nodded slowly. "And he didn't tell anyone. Not even Jessa or Celeste."
The vision faded.
Silence. Shock.
Celeste suddenly turned away. Her heart thundered with guilt.
> They've been lying to you too, Celeste…
---
An Opening Appears
As they all stood still, stunned and processing, the stone beneath them began to shake.
The floor cracked open in a perfect circle, revealing a spiral staircase leading deeper into the earth.
"Well," Stephen said brightly, "that doesn't scream 'trap' at all."
Hope looked at London. "We need to go down."
London nodded. "And fast."
As the group prepared to descend, Celeste hung back. Her mind spun with doubt, guilt, and that whisper lingering in the shadows of her thoughts.
But still, she followed.
Because whatever secrets Richard had hidden down there…
They needed answers.
And soon, they'd have them.
---