The valley lived up to its name.
Red earth stretched for miles beneath a sky that swirled with crimson dust, casting a rust-colored haze over everything. Jagged rock formations loomed like petrified beasts, and the wind howled low, as though mourning something long forgotten.
Haruto walked ahead, his cloak pulled tightly against the wind. Kaela and Lucien followed, each keeping close. Even the Nullblade seemed uneasy—its edge faintly humming as they approached the center of the valley.
"This place feels wrong," Kaela muttered, her hand resting near her dagger. "Like the land's been scarred and never healed."
"It has," Lucien said, squinting at a series of distant spires jutting from the earth. "That's not rock. That's bone. Giant remains."
Haruto didn't speak. His gaze was fixed ahead where a circular depression lay at the valley's center—perfectly carved, unnaturally still. The entrance to the Sealed Vault.
He could feel it.
They descended the slope, the air thickening with every step. By the time they reached the bottom, all sound seemed to vanish. No wind. No voices. Just the low, steady beat of Haruto's pulse in his ears.
Then, the ground trembled.
A faint click echoed through the air. And from the center of the circle, an ancient metal door began to rise—covered in runes that pulsed like old scars coming to life.
Kaela stepped back. "You didn't touch anything."
"I didn't have to," Haruto said. "It knows me."
The door stopped with a loud clang, revealing a stairwell that led deep underground.
Lucien frowned. "There's no magic barrier. No locks. Why make it this easy?"
Haruto stared into the darkness.
"Because it wants us inside."
---
The stairwell was cold, the walls lined with metal panels etched in a language none of them could read. The deeper they went, the more distorted time began to feel—seconds stretching longer, footsteps echoing in ways that didn't match their stride.
Finally, they reached the bottom.
A massive chamber unfolded before them. Crystalline columns jutted from the walls, and in the center stood a pedestal—empty, save for a glowing inscription burned into the stone:
"The First Key Awaits the Memoryless King."
Kaela stepped closer. "The Vault is empty?"
"No," Haruto said slowly, stepping forward. "It's sealed in something… I just can't see it yet."
As he neared the pedestal, the Nullblade surged—filling the room with a low, resonating hum. The crystals responded, casting reflections across the walls. In one of them, Haruto saw something that stopped him cold.
His own reflection.
But older.
Colder.
Eyes filled with rage.
And it smiled back.