The road to the Vault of Aeras wound through the Valley of Glass, a wasteland born from divine fire. Mountains stood split in half, their molten cores frozen mid-flow, and rivers of crystal ran beneath a sky scarred by celestial storms. Each step echoed with the crunch of ancient ruin.
Rai, Kael, and Seraphine moved in silence. The air shimmered faintly, warping around them like the breath of something still alive beneath the surface. Even the wind refused to blow here.
Seraphine tightened the bandage around her shoulder, her golden eyes dim. "This place feels wrong."
Rai's gaze stayed ahead. "It should. This is where gods came to die."
Kael scanned the horizon, his hand on his sword. "And you're sure the Vault still exists?"
Rai nodded. "The seals I created were eternal. Even if time forgot them, the world remembers. The Vault is the heart of that memory."
As they descended into the valley's center, the ground changed—cracked sigils carved into stone, their runes faintly glowing with pale blue light. The remnants of divine architecture rose from the earth: twisted spires, chained monoliths, and broken halos floating in the air.
Seraphine stopped, her breath catching. "Those chains… I've seen them before."
Rai's expression hardened. "You should have. They were forged from the souls of my generals."
A sound rippled through the air—a deep metallic hum, like a heartbeat made of iron. The chains trembled. Dust cascaded from the ruins as the air grew heavier, pressing down on them like invisible gravity.
Kael drew his weapon. "What now?"
Rai's eyes darkened. "He knows we're here."
From the shadows beneath a fractured pillar, a figure emerged—tall, wrapped in black iron, his entire body bound by interlocking chains that clattered softly as he walked. His face was hidden beneath a cracked helm, and his eyes glowed faintly blue. Each step he took made the earth groan.
When he spoke, his voice carried the echo of eternity.
"Vowbound King…" The figure's head tilted slightly. "After a thousand years, you finally return to the place you abandoned."
Rai didn't flinch. "Kareth. Keeper of Chains."
The figure stopped a few feet away. "You still remember my name."
"I remember every one of them," Rai said quietly. "You were my warden. My most loyal hand."
The chains around Kareth shifted, rattling like whispering serpents. "Loyalty died with the gods you devoured. You became the eclipse that unmade us all."
Kael stepped forward, his sword ready. "We're not here to fight."
Kareth's gaze slid toward him, cold and measured. "Then you are already dead."
The ground split beneath Kael's feet as chains erupted from the earth, wrapping around his legs. Seraphine reacted instantly, summoning a burst of flame that severed them, but more kept coming—an endless tide of black metal.
"Kareth!" Rai shouted. "Listen to me—"
"No." The chains coiled tighter, forming blades at their tips. "You sealed the gods inside your soul, and now their echoes scream through every corner of creation. I was left behind to guard the Vault from you."
Rai's power began to rise unconsciously, the symbols on his neck glowing. "If I wanted to destroy it, you wouldn't still be standing."
"Then prove it."
Kareth's chains lashed out, slamming into the ground around Rai in a spiral. He barely managed to block as the blades screeched against his cursed sword, sparks of divine fire scattering through the air.
The two collided in a storm of motion—chains twisting like serpents, seals flaring like stars. Each impact sent shockwaves across the valley. Kael and Seraphine could only retreat, shielding themselves from the bursts of energy that split the air.
"You taught me everything I know!" Kareth roared. "How to bind, how to protect, how to endure! Yet you broke your own vow!"
Rai countered, slicing through a wave of chains. "I broke it to save you!"
Kareth's strike faltered—just for a heartbeat—but it was enough. Rai drove his sword into the ground, releasing a pulse of sealing energy that froze the battlefield. The chains hung midair, trembling.
Both men stood panting, the glow of their powers flickering.
Rai spoke first, his voice low. "The gods are awakening again, Kareth. The seals are weakening. I came here to strengthen the Vault before they break free completely."
Kareth's breathing slowed. His head bowed slightly. "Strengthen… or reclaim?"
"Neither," Rai said. "To end them for good."
The silence stretched. Then, slowly, the chains retracted, slithering back into the earth.
Kareth knelt, his head lowering. "If your purpose is true, then my oath still stands. The Keeper of Chains will guard your path once more."
Kael exhaled, dropping his guard. "About time someone didn't try to kill us."
Rai sheathed his sword. "He didn't bow to me," he said quietly. "He bowed to the vow."
Seraphine stepped forward. "And the Vault?"
Kareth raised his gaze, the blue in his eyes dimming to gray. "Follow the chains. They lead to the heart. But be warned—the Vault remembers everything, including your sins."
As they descended into the chasm, Rai looked back once. Kareth remained where he was, kneeling in the dust, whispering a single phrase over and over:
"The vow was broken once.It must never break again."
Beneath their feet, the chains began to glow, lighting a path deep into the earth—toward the Vault of Aeras, where Rai's past awaited them in full.