A suffocating silence settled across the valley as Kael stepped through the fractured barrier of the Obsidian Vault. His boots crunched against shards of black crystal scattered across the floor like the remains of forgotten dreams. The deeper he moved, the colder it became—an unnatural chill that gnawed at the edges of his thoughts, whispering things long buried.
Behind him, Cira's presence was steady, her bow drawn but relaxed. She didn't speak. Words felt too fragile here.
System Notification:
You have entered [Sanctum of Forgotten Echoes].Warning: Memory Interference Detected.Caution: Mental Stability Protocol Initiated.
Kael's breath hitched as the first vision struck like a hammer.
He was standing on a sun-drenched field. Laughter surrounded him—children, running freely, sunlight in their hair. A woman's voice, warm and familiar, called his name. He turned—
—And reality snapped back, slamming him into darkness.
Kael dropped to one knee, gripping the sides of his head as pain lanced through his skull. "What the hell was that?" he gasped.
Cira knelt beside him. "I saw it too... a flash. That field. That voice."
He looked up, his eyes wide. "You saw it?"
Cira nodded grimly. "This place doesn't just contain memories... it projects them. Twists them."
The chamber around them pulsed faintly. Dozens of obsidian mirrors lined the walls, and within each one shimmered fragments of memories—not just Kael's or Cira's, but others too. Warriors, mages, even children. Each mirror a prison, a record.
Suddenly, a low, dragging sound echoed through the corridor ahead.
Kael and Cira spun to face it.
From the shadow emerged a cloaked figure, its face hidden beneath a cracked, metallic mask. But it wasn't walking—it glided, as though untethered from gravity, reality, or life.
Then it spoke. Its voice was static, broken and ancient."You should not be here, Echo-Bearer."
Kael raised his blade instinctively. "Who are you?"
The masked figure tilted its head. "I am the last Keeper of the Obsidian Protocol. Bound by oath, cursed by clarity."
Cira narrowed her eyes. "Clarity?"
The Keeper's voice crackled. "To see all paths. All outcomes. To know, yet be unable to change."
Kael stepped forward cautiously. "Are you... alive?"
"I was," the Keeper whispered. "Then the Protocol evolved. It required more than memory. It demanded sacrifice."
Suddenly, the entire room trembled, and the mirrors began to flicker violently. One cracked, and a younger version of Kael—barely fifteen—stepped out of it, blood on his hands and horror in his eyes.
Kael stumbled back. "That's... that's not real."
The Keeper raised a hand. "It is real enough. The Ascension Protocol does not forget. It tests. It punishes."
The younger Kael dropped to his knees, staring at his hands. "I didn't mean to... I didn't know..."
Cira placed herself between them. "Is this some kind of simulation?"
"No," the Keeper replied. "It is memory made flesh. Your sins, unresolved. Face it, or be consumed."
Kael's real self took a deep breath, pushing down the rising panic. He stepped toward the memory. The boy looked up, eyes haunted.
"I didn't want to hurt them," the boy whispered. "But when the Protocol activated... I couldn't control it."
Kael reached out, placing a hand on the memory's shoulder. "You were just a kid. They forced you into it. But now… I have control."
The mirror behind them pulsed once and shattered.
System Notification:
Personal Memory Sequence Reconciled.Mental Stability Protocol - Passed.+500 WillpowerNew Trait Unlocked: Echo Fortitude – Immune to Memory-based Debuffs.
Kael stumbled back, gasping. "What the hell is this place doing to us?"
The Keeper's voice was distant now. "It prepares you. Not just physically, but emotionally. The Ascension Protocol does not elevate the unworthy."
Cira looked around at the remaining mirrors. "Do we have to destroy them all?"
"No," the Keeper said, stepping closer. "Only those that hold your burden. Your locked potential. Break them… or be broken."
Kael turned to Cira. "We do this together."
She nodded. "I'm ready."
As they moved deeper, the vault began to change—walls morphing from black glass to pulsing veins of crimson crystal. The next mirror showed a memory not of Kael or Cira, but of a battlefield.
Thousands of warriors—some in radiant armor, others cloaked in smoke and flame—clashed across a ruined world. In the center was a being wrapped in light and shadow, wielding a spear of pure data. It turned toward Kael—and grinned.
"That's not a memory," Cira whispered. "That's a prophecy."
The mirror exploded in flame.
System Notification:
Protocol Node Discovered: [Chrono-War Remnant]Warning: Enemy Entity Recognized — Designation: ALPHA ASCENDANT
Kael's heart pounded. "Alpha Ascendant?"
The Keeper's mask dimmed. "The first to embrace the Ascension Protocol fully. The first to fall to its hunger."
Kael clenched his fists. "Is that what awaits me?"
The Keeper shook its head. "Only if you stop asking that question."
They walked on.
As they reached the heart of the vault, a massive obsidian obelisk rose from the ground, humming with layered voices. The walls here were blank—no mirrors, no memories.
Instead, the Protocol pulsed in the air like a living thing.
A voice boomed—not from any figure, but from everywhere.
"Initiating Phase Two: Memory Reclamation.Echo-Bearer Kael, do you accept the burden of Ascension?"
Kael looked at Cira. She gave him a nod, unwavering.
"I accept."
The obelisk cracked open—and light poured out.
Kael stepped in.