A day's ride from Lumerra, the terrain shifted. Verdant fields gave way to jagged stones and mist-drenched ravines. No maps marked this place. Even the birds avoided its skies.
Kaito stood at the edge of a broken cliff, staring down into a deep fissure that pulsed with faint violet light. The Vault of Echoes wasn't just buried—it was hidden by time itself.
Kaelyra touched the ground, whispering words of Sealing. Her fingers trembled. "There's memory in this soil," she said quietly. "Old… angry."
Kaito unsheathed Nightcleaver. The blade hummed.
"Let's finish what began lifetimes ago."
They descended slowly, the air growing colder with every step. At the base of the ravine stood an obsidian archway. Symbols along its frame shimmered, reacting to Kaito's presence.
A voice echoed from within. Not spoken. Remembered.
"He returns… the Emperor without a crown."
Kaito stepped forward, ignoring the pull of old fear.
Inside, the Vault stretched beyond sight. Hallways twisted in impossible angles. Murals lined the walls—of his former life, his rise, his fall. But someone had painted over them, distorting history.
Kaelyra traced one of the defaced murals. "Someone wanted the truth buried."
"They failed," Kaito said. "I remember it all."
At the center of the Vault, they found a throne made of swords—twisted remnants of fallen generals. And atop it sat a figure wrapped in veils of smoke.
Eyes like stars opened.
"You took my future once," the figure said. "Now I'll take your rebirth."
Kaelyra stepped back. "Kaito… that's not Raien."
"No," Kaito whispered, tightening his grip. "That's the Echo King—the one who taught Raien. The one who whispers through time."
The figure stood, every step warping reality.
"Come then, Blade Emperor. Show me if reincarnation has made you worthy… or weak."
And the throne room shattered into light as the first clash echoed across worlds.