Chapter 16: The Vault of Silence and Stone
The World Space shifted.
In the aftermath of the Vault of the Eternal Inferno, the remaining participants had scattered to different regions, following clues, inscriptions, or sheer instinct in hopes of reaching the next legacy vault. Each inheritance was unique—crafted by a Transcendent to test the soul, mind, and power of those daring enough to reach for their mark.
Tory and Jim had traveled north, toward the crumbling ridge of an ancient cliff formation wrapped in eerie silence. The air there felt heavy, dense with latent energy and a stillness that bent the wind itself.
> [System Notice: Legacy Vault Detected – Classification: Vault of Silence and Stone. Status: Dormant. Activation Requires: Blood Tribute & Elemental Resonance. Estimated Danger Level: S. Suggested Solo Entry: Recommended.]
Jim paused. "Solo?"
Tory nodded, expression unreadable. "It's calling me."
He stepped forward, slicing his palm with a thin dagger. His blood dripped onto a cracked obsidian slab.
The earth trembled.
A circle of ancient runes flared to life, engulfing Tory in soft gray light. Jim stepped back as the light surged upward, swallowing Tory whole.
And then he vanished.
---
Inside the Vault
Tory landed on smooth marble. The world around him was a silent labyrinth of colossal statues—some crumbled, some intact. The air smelled of dust and stone. In the distance, a figure sat on a throne made of petrified roots, surrounded by cracked murals of wars long past.
A voice rang out, deep and ancient.
"You seek strength. But strength without measure is chaos. Come, bearer of the Ash Core. Show me discipline."
The figure rose. It was a stone golem in humanoid form, etched with arrays and ancient sigils. But something about it felt sentient—alive.
> [System Alert: Will Projection of Transcendent Kurozun Fang detected. Reality power restricted. Battle Level Equalized. Time & Space Elements Dimmed. Initiating Trial...]
Tory's body felt heavy. His Reality power—sealed. Even his gravity and space affinity felt limited.
He grinned.
"Perfect."
The golem charged. Its punches cracked the stone floor, sending shockwaves through the vault.
Tory dodged, barely, using minimal space flickers to redirect momentum.
This wasn't a battle of overwhelming power. It was precision.
He observed the golem's movement patterns—its right shoulder rotated before each strike, its torso exposed during transitions. In combat, timing was everything.
> [System Module: Tactical Scan Activated. Predictive Combat Adaptation Engaged.]
Tory ducked, feinted left, then drove his palm into the golem's core. It staggered.
Then retaliated.
A wave of stone surged from the ground, reshaping into spears. Tory leapt, flipping midair, and summoned a dense layer of gravity beneath his boots to counter inertia.
He kicked off the wall, launching himself forward.
Then sliced across the golem's arm with a dagger Jim had forged—a weapon empowered with multi-element resonance.
The golem roared. A single crack formed across its chest.
"You have restraint. But can you endure?"
The stone floor collapsed, plunging Tory into a pit of shifting platforms—each one forcing him to adjust movement. An array of Earth-elemental drills, pillars, and cages came alive.
Tory twisted through them, calculating every movement down to the breath.
He wasn't fast.
He was right.
After twenty minutes of this torture, he reached the exit—a wall etched with hundreds of formation runes.
> [System Notice: Array Synchronization Challenge Initiated. Decipher and Reconstruct.]
Tory's eyes narrowed.
He knelt and began tracing with his fingers—channeling his crafting and formation skills.
Thirty minutes passed.
An hour.
The vault began to crumble. Dust fell. Time was running out.
At the final stroke, Tory pressed his palm to the array's heart.
A bright pulse.
The wall shattered.
Inside a small stone chamber, floating on a pedestal, was a bracer of obsidian and crystal, surrounded by radiant glyphs.
> [Item Detected: Bracer of the Gravity Forge – Obsidian Tier. Function: Condenses and amplifies gravitational control. Compatible with Space Element. Personal Sync Detected. Binding Commencing.]
Tory stepped forward and took it.
A surge of power filled his body.
> [System Alert: Legacy Acquired. Gravity Control Enhanced. Reality Lock: +0.2%. Current Reality Access: 0.7%]
The air around him vibrated as the bracer tightened onto his arm.
Then, the world blurred.
And he was expelled from the vault.
---
Outside
Jim was waiting.
The earth had stopped shaking. The air was calm.
Tory landed on one knee, exhaling.
Jim helped him up. "What did you get?"
Tory lifted his arm. "Control."