The Abyss Walker cut through a thick bank of black clouds as storm winds howled over the sea. Lightning illuminated the world in flickers, giving the illusion of ghosts riding the waves. But Darius D. Xebec stood firm at the prow, cloak snapping violently behind him, eyes fixed on the jagged silhouette of their next destination.
Isla Runea.
It wasn't on any official map. The island had been erased from World Government records nearly two decades ago after an incident labeled only as Protocol Vortex. But the Cipher Pol data they'd stolen from the blacksite weeks ago told a different story: the island wasn't destroyed. It was sealed—hidden under magnetic storms and observation disruption barriers.
And beneath its rotting earth was a Vault Site. A place where the World Government stored fragments of erased history too dangerous to burn.
They were going to rip it open.
---
Below Deck – War Room
In the dim candlelight of the war table, Selene rolled out the map stitched together from the fragmented Cipher Pol intel.
"This is the facility," she said, tapping the central region of Isla Runea. "Old marine codes call it Archive 0—a prototype precursor to Ohara's Tree of Knowledge. They collected books, blood samples, and artifacts from ancient sites, then buried them in sealed vaults."
"Why didn't they destroy it all?" Yamato asked.
"They couldn't," Selene replied. "Some of the materials are unstable—connected to ancient technology, Void Century weaponry, or worse. Too dangerous to handle. Too valuable to lose."
Maria traced a nail along the coastline of the map. "And how well is it defended?"
"According to this?" Selene scoffed. "It shouldn't be. But if the encryption was updated after the raid… we could be walking into a trap."
Darius leaned over the table. "Then we walk in loud and leave louder."
---
Approaching Isla Runea
As they neared the island, the storm became unnatural. The clouds didn't just swirl—they trembled, as if pulled by some unseen force. Static buzzed along the deck rails, and a strange pressure filled the air.
"This isn't weather," Maria muttered from the upper deck. "It's a barrier."
Yamato stood at the bow beside Darius. "I can feel it—Haki. Faint, but old. Like it's clinging to the island."
Selene activated the Rift Engine—sending a pulse of dimensional energy that tore a small tear through the storm wall. The ship passed through in silence.
Then the clouds fell away.
And the island came into view.
Isla Runea was… dead. Black sand and bone-colored cliffs rose from the sea like the spine of a dragon. What little vegetation remained was twisted and scorched. At the center of the island, half-buried in volcanic rock, sat a sprawling steel compound—dented, rusted, but humming with latent energy.
Darius narrowed his eyes.
"Time to dig."
---
Landing and Infiltration
The crew split into three strike teams:
Darius, Maria, and Yamato would take the central vault path.
Selene led the backup squad to disable outer surveillance.
A small rear unit created distractions around the perimeter.
Inside the compound, metal doors hung from broken hinges. Scorch marks lined the halls. Yet the deeper they went, the more intact everything became. The corridors grew colder, smoother. The air no longer smelled of salt and rust—but of dust, ancient paper, and ozone.
"Look at this," Yamato whispered, kneeling beside a shattered pillar marked with ancient symbols. "These aren't marine designs. They're… something older."
Maria ran a hand along the walls. "This place wasn't built by the Government. They inherited it."
"Or stole it," Darius muttered.
Suddenly, the vault's defense system kicked in. A shrill hum echoed through the hall. Walls began shifting. Panels opened—and from them emerged mechanical guardians—automatons laced with Seastone plating, red eyes glowing in the dark.
"Company," Yamato growled, swinging her kanabo free.
Darius stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"Then let's greet them."
---
Battle in the Vault
The fight was fast and brutal.
Yamato tore through the machines with raw force, her Oni heritage flaring as she smashed through metal and stone like thunder. Maria slipped through the chaos like liquid shadow—her spider legs extending and slicing through enemy joints with deadly precision. Her webs caught enemy blades mid-swing, giving her enough time to strike vital points.
Darius blinked across the battlefield—folding space to appear behind opponents before detonating Rift blasts in rapid succession. His hands moved like a conductor orchestrating a storm of destruction.
But then one of the larger constructs struck him square in the chest, slamming him through a steel wall.
Yamato snarled. "Darius!"
Before the machine could finish him, he unleashed a Rift barrier, crushing its limbs inward with a high-pitched shockwave. Smoke billowed from the wreckage.
"I'm fine," he growled, wiping blood from his jaw.
Maria knelt beside the nearest console, slicing open the control panel and plugging in the data spike Selene had given her. "Vault seal is breaking."
With a hiss and low rumble, the wall slid open.
Inside lay a massive circular chamber—lined with stasis pods, cryo-capsules, and sealed containers. Scrolls, ancient weapons, even giant bones rested in cold suspension.
At the center sat a stone monolith, etched with unreadable glyphs glowing faintly with golden light.
Darius walked toward it, every instinct inside him screaming with pressure. He touched the glyphs.
A pulse of knowledge rushed through his mind.
Visions of cities made of light.
Wars in the sky.
A name: Genesis Ark.
And then—nothing.
He staggered back, clutching his temple.
"Darius?" Maria said sharply, kneeling beside him.
"I'm fine," he grunted. "It… spoke."
---
Extraction and Escalation
The Abyss Walker returned just before sunrise, cargo hold full of sealed containers and relics. Selene had already begun analyzing the glyphs. But something was clear to all of them:
This wasn't just an archive.
It was a vault of secrets the World Government didn't know how to destroy.
And now they had it.
As the ship sailed into open waters, Darius stood on the deck flanked by Yamato and Maria.
"We're on every radar now," Selene said, joining them. "Cipher Pol. Admirals. The Gorosei."
Yamato smirked. "Good. Let them come."
Maria lit her pipe, exhaling smoke into the dawn air. "Let's give them something to chase."
Darius's crimson eyes glowed with purpose.
"Let them come," he echoed. "We've already won."