The cathedral floor cracked open beneath Lucien's feet, revealing a spiral platform of shifting glyphs. The stone pulsed with light—ancient, rhythmical, like it remembered his blood.
[New Location Discovered: Vault of the Forgotten Names][Warning: This area predates the current Realms. Time distortion possible.]
The descent wasn't fast.
It was a fall through memory.
As Lucien stepped into the lift, the world around him darkened. Not with shadow—but with silence. The type of silence only ancient places knew. A silence where even echoes had died.
He felt eyes watching him. Not physical ones—but the weight of long-lost names.
"Vault of the Forgotten Names..." he whispered. "What exactly did they try to bury here?"
The lift stopped.
Lucien stepped into a chamber that defied geometry.
The walls were covered in chains of golden script, spiraling infinitely across surfaces that flickered in and out of existence. Each rune was a name, bound in light. Some glowed faintly. Others were cracked, bleeding red mist.
And in the center stood a monolith.
A black cube suspended in air, spinning slowly.
It was inscribed with a single word:
"VAELTHORN."
Lucien's breath caught.
Suddenly, the runes around the room ignited.
[Soul Recognition: Confirmed – Hollowblood Access Granted][Releasing Memory Lock: Archive I – "The Scouring of the Hollow"]
The air pulsed—and from the cube came a projection.
A flickering memory fragment, like a recording—but alive.
Lucien saw a throne room of white flame. Saw the old Lucien—older, scarred, cloaked in regal shadow. Kneeling before him were the heads of nine great Houses, each bearing crowns made of bone, crystal, or fire.
"The Hollow Line has violated the Veil," one of them shouted. "He has summoned the Wraith Choir, enslaved the Null Flame, and broken the Pact of the Nine!"
"He is no longer kin," said another. "He is exile."
"He is void."
The older Lucien stood. His voice was calm—cold.
"I broke the Pact because you let it rot.""I summoned the Wraiths because your armies fell.""I did what I had to. And I'd do it again."
A pause.
Then he whispered—
"I am the end of names."
The projection ended.
Lucien stood frozen.
"I'm not him," he said aloud, as if trying to convince the room—or himself.
But the Vault didn't care.
Another pulse shook the monolith.
A pedestal rose before him, carrying a sealed, rune-locked item.
[Item Discovered: Mask of the Last Scion][Class: Relic] – [Type: Armor – Soulbound]
Forged during the last Hollow War. Said to contain echoes of the final Vaelthorn sovereign. Offers memory suppression, null phasing, and identity shielding.
Lucien hesitated—then took the mask.
It was smooth, black, and cold—like holding the face of a god that forgot what it was.
As his fingers closed around it, pain shot through his skull.
[Vision Imminent – Personal Echo Triggered]
A city in flames.
Spires collapsing into the sea.
A child, hidden beneath floorboards, clutching a carved wooden phoenix.
Screams.
Knights in obsidian cloaks dragging his mother away.
A blade piercing his father's back.
And above it all—a voice in silver:
"Burn it all. The Hollow must never rise again."
Lucien fell to his knees.
His childhood… wasn't real. Or if it was—it had been rewritten. He'd seen flashes before, but now it was undeniable.
He was not born. He was hidden. A fragment. A failsafe.
And someone had tried to erase him—erase his name.
He stood slowly.
His hand curled around the mask. "You stole my past. I'm taking it back."
Just then, the Vault's walls began to dim.
An alarm flared inside his interface.
[External Forces Approaching: Stealth-Class Signatures Detected – 4 Units][Faction: Unknown – Possible Null Hunters]
Lucien didn't hesitate.
He activated the mask.
It fused to his face, binding instantly.
The world shifted again.
Time slowed.
Colors dulled.
[Status: Masked – Identity Obscured – Power Dampening: 12% Override]
From the upper corridors, he heard faint footfalls—too light for human ears.
He knew the signs.
Hunters. Trained to kill things like him.
He grabbed Veyrion and stepped into the dark.
"Let them come."
"They'll learn that the Hollow doesn't run."
"It remembers."
To be continued in Chapter 7: The Null Hunters