The wind howled outside Stormrift Citadel, ushering in a grim forewarning.
Kaelen stood in the Vault of Echoes, a newly uncovered chamber beneath his capital. It had been hidden for centuries, protected by runes that only responded to Lords bearing awakened Dominion Marks. The air was dense with arcane pressure, ancient murals lining the walls — each telling a forgotten tale of the first Summoners and the rise of the "Devouring Cycle."
He reached out to touch a particular fresco — a massive beast, horned and draped in shadows, locked in battle with an army of radiant Lords.
"Zerathar," he whispered. "Devourer of Realms."
Aria approached quietly, her boots silent against the obsidian floor. Her summons, Nixira and Aetherwing, remained at the entrance, sensing the suppressive energy of the vault.
"This place gives me the chills," she muttered. "It's like... it remembers death."
Kaelen turned to her. "And it remembers what's coming."
A new system notification flashed in front of his eyes.
System Alert – Unique Dungeon Unlocked: Vault of EchoesDifficulty: MythicTime-Locked Rewards Available• 1x Ancient Evolution Core• 1x Guardian Beast Contract (Legendary+)• Access to the Forbidden Evolution BranchEstimated Threat Level: LethalRecommended Party Size: 4 (Min.)
Kaelen exhaled slowly. "Then we descend. Today."
Back at the war chamber, Kaelen gathered his core allies.
Reina, the silent blade, leaned against the wall, flipping a dagger idly between her fingers. Selene sat beside a glowing crystal map, marking energy currents beneath Stormrift. Aria rested with a book of beast records, occasionally glancing toward Kaelen.
And finally, for the first time since their arrival to this world, Riven entered the room — the man who had been summoned into the world alongside Kaelen's sister.
Riven was a contrast to Kaelen — dark-haired, thoughtful, and bearing the rare Beast Tamer Sovereign class. His summons were monstrous and regal, like the twin Shadow Griffons that followed him silently.
"I assume this has to do with Zerathar?" he said, crossing his arms.
Kaelen nodded. "We may be looking at the first true key to stopping him. But the Vault is unlike anything we've faced."
Riven looked toward Aria. "And you're coming?"
Aria smiled. "Of course. Can't let my brother hog all the loot, can I?"
Kaelen smirked. "Then let's move out. Prepare for descent."
The dungeon was alive.
As the group passed the outer runic seal, the stone trembled beneath their feet. Ghostly echoes whispered from the walls — remnants of fallen Lords long devoured by the Vault's guardian.
They encountered their first opposition — a Soulbound Hydra, its eyes glowing green, its form constantly splitting and regrowing. It lashed out with spectral venom, nullifying lower-tier summons instantly.
Kaelen raised his hand.
Skill Activated: Stormbind Domain[All summoned units within 30 meters gain Lightning Armor][Enemy regeneration reduced by 50%]
A crackle of energy surged through the room. Kaelen's evolved Storm Phalanx charged with shields raised, deflecting the hydra's barrage. Aria's Nixira released a crystalline burst of ice, locking two heads mid-regeneration.
Riven summoned Ebonmaw, a skeletal drake wrapped in abyssal chains. It roared and tore through the central heart of the hydra, finally silencing the beast.
System Alert – Boss Defeated: Soulbound HydraRewards Unlocked:• 1x Mythic Beast Egg• 1x Evolution Tree Scroll – Abyss Variant
Selene stepped forward, her eyes wide. "That's a Tier-5 evolution tree. If we distribute this right…"
Kaelen cut in, eyes focused deeper into the Vault. "No distractions. The real prize lies ahead."
They reached the core of the Vault, where a giant obsidian throne sat beneath a dome of celestial runes. Upon the throne rested a single figure — a knight in rusted golden armor, unmoving… until the party stepped onto the dais.
The knight stood. No words. No emotion.
Only a name echoed in their minds:
"Oathkeeper of the First Gate."
Then the battle began.
Kaelen clashed directly with the guardian, his stormblade clanging against the knight's warhammer. Every impact sent shockwaves through the room. The Oathkeeper's armor reknit with divine light, each strike forcing Kaelen backward.
Aria and Riven synchronized their summons. Aetherwing spiraled upward, releasing a cone of piercing wind, while Riven's twin griffons ripped at the knight's heels.
Selene chanted rapidly, healing Kaelen's wounds and projecting barriers as Reina darted behind the knight, blades glowing with silent death.
The battle reached its peak when the Oathkeeper roared, slamming his hammer down and breaking the floor.
Everyone fell — descending into an illusion of the past.
They stood amidst a battlefield of stars.
Titanic Lords battled in the skies, and a younger version of the knight stood at the center, impaling a shadow beast far larger than Zerathar's murals depicted.
"This is what came before us…" Kaelen murmured. "The Age of Origin Lords."
The vision flickered. The knight, gravely wounded, sealed a glowing orb — the Primordial Evolution Core — inside a vault identical to theirs.
Then darkness overtook them.
Kaelen gasped as he returned to his body, standing over the knight's now-stilled form. The battle had ended, and they had passed the trial.
A glowing pedestal emerged, revealing their prize.
System Alert – You have claimed the Primordial Evolution Core• Unlocks New Summon Evolution Branch: [Origin Path]• Grants 1x Guardian Beast Contract: [Eldros, Sentinel of the Sky]• Access Granted to Ancient Lord Memories (Tier 1 of 3)
Aria reached out and touched the core. Her summons immediately reacted, beginning to evolve once again — Aetherwing's feathers shifting into silver-gold, and Nixira's body fracturing into radiant crystal shards.
Kaelen's soldiers also began glowing — a new tree awakening within them.
That night, as the moon rose over Stormrift, Kaelen stood atop the citadel walls, the core in his palm.
"We've taken one step closer," he said to Riven.
Riven nodded. "And awakened the interest of older beings."
Behind them, the clouds trembled. A faint, guttural whisper echoed in the wind.
"You have touched what was sealed. Now, you will be seen."