The entrance to the forgotten vault was hidden behind an old collapse in the east tunnels.
No one had gone that far in years. The rocks had fallen, and the path was buried. But the system led Auron there, step by step. It marked the ground in faint red lines only he could see.
He didn't tell anyone where he was going.
Not even Jace.
This was his path now. His alone.
He moved through dust and bones. The air grew still. The walls changed from stone to black iron, carved with old symbols. The deeper he went, the less it felt like a mine.
And more like a tomb.
The entrance finally revealed itself. A black arch, sealed with three metal chains.
When Auron stepped close, the system responded.
\[Gate of the Vault Detected]
\[Corruption Level: 7% – Access Granted]
\[Unlocking...]
The chains broke one by one.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The arch creaked open, and darkness poured out like smoke.
But Auron didn't back away.
He stepped inside.
---
The vault was not made by humans.
The walls were smooth and pulsing faintly with dark light. Strange shapes floated above the floor — broken weapons, old scrolls, glowing runes.
At the center of the chamber stood a massive altar, and floating above it…
A heart.
A beating, living heart made of shadow and stone.
\[You have found the Abyssal Core]
\[Status: Dormant]
\[System Link Possible – Proceed?]
Auron stared at it.
He could feel it calling to him.
"I came this far," he said to himself. "I won't stop now."
He stepped forward and placed both hands on the core.
A sudden rush of energy shot through him. His body shook. His vision blurred.
He felt everything.
The screams of the dead.
The cries of those who had fallen into the pit before him.
The voice of the Abyss, louder now than ever before.
"Take it," it whispered. "Take it all."
Auron screamed.
But he didn't let go.
---
Somewhere far above, in the capital city, a priest woke in the middle of the night.
He gasped, his hands trembling.
He looked to the window. The sky was still dark, but something had changed.
He could feel it.
The seal beneath the earth had cracked.
"Your Majesty," the priest said into the silence, "the Forsaken One… has touched the core."
---
Back in the pit, the Warden stood alone near the edge.
He watched the torchlights flicker.
He felt something pass through the mine — a wave of darkness, cold but alive.
He didn't smile.
He didn't speak.
But deep inside, he knew:
Auron Vale had gone beyond the point of no return.
---
In the vault, Auron collapsed to his knees.
Steam rose from his back.
His hands were glowing. His skin was marked with dark lines — pulsing softly like veins filled with moonlight.
The core stopped beating.
Its power now rested inside him.
\[System Update: Abyssal Core Linked]
\[New Passive: Endless Stamina – You no longer tire in darkness]
\[New Skill: Death Pulse – Unleash stored shadow energy in a wave]
\[Warning: Corruption Level – 12%]
\[You have chosen the path of no return]
Auron stood slowly.
His breath steady.
His voice calm.
"Good."
---
He left the vault behind.
There was no need to return.
Now, he had what he needed.
And soon… he would return to the surface.
Not as a slave.
Not as a broken prince.
But as something else.
Something worse.
Something they could never control.