The staircase spiraled down like the throat of a dead god.
Each step was slick with condensation, the walls damp with something that pulsed beneath the surface—alive, almost. Not wet like water, but like sweat. Or blood that had long since congealed into the stone.
No one spoke.
The only sound was the rhythmic thud of Jace's boots and the strained breathing of Reya behind him. Lena brought up the rear, blade drawn, eyes constantly shifting.
After what felt like forever, the stairs ended.
They emerged into a chamber that defied logic.
It wasn't a room so much as a wound in the earth. The walls were thorned vines, petrified but still radiating a strange warmth. Massive stone arches framed the space, and in the center sat a coffin made of black glass, suspended by chains above a pit of glowing red liquid.
It wasn't lava.
It looked more like blood—boiling, screaming blood.
On the floor beneath the coffin, a circle of runes glowed faintly. Some of them looked familiar. Others made Jace's eyes hurt just to glance at them.
Reya approached the edge of the pit, her voice low. "This… this is old. Pre-Order. Maybe pre-everything."
Lena whistled. "You ever get the feeling we're in way over our heads?"
Jace didn't answer.
He was already moving.
The moment he stepped inside the rune circle, the chamber shifted. The air grew heavy. The vines pulsed. The black glass coffin began to glow from within.
A voice echoed—low, layered, and not human.
"Who seeks the Vault of Thorns?"
Jace didn't flinch. "I do."
"Name yourself."
"Jace Ward."
Silence.
Then a slow, deep laugh. Cold. Familiar.
"You took a new name. Clever. As if that would change what you are."
Jace frowned. "Who are you?"
The voice didn't answer.
Instead, the vines writhed and pulled back, revealing three stone statues along the far wall.
But they weren't just statues.
Each one was shackled. Twisted. Caught mid-scream.
Lena stared, then took a sharp step back. "Those aren't just bodies. That's… memory magic. Those people are still in there."
Reya looked sick. "This place isn't just a prison. It's a ritual site."
The voice returned.
"To open the Vault, blood must be given. But not just any blood. Blood that matters."
Jace turned to Reya.
Then Lena.
His jaw tightened.
"Don't even think about it," Reya snapped.
Lena pulled a dagger. "We could try a small cut. Trick the runes."
The voice laughed again.
"Tricks do not work here. Sacrifice must be willing. Must be felt."
Reya stepped forward, lifting her chin. "Take mine."
Jace spun. "No."
"You need what's in there," she said. "We all saw it—something inside that Vault knows you. It's part of you. And if unlocking it gives you the edge against the Thorn Order—"
"I'm not using you."
"You're not using me," she shot back. "I'm giving it."
Lena looked between them, her face unreadable. Then she stepped beside Reya and held her blade to her palm.
"You want blood that matters?" she growled. "Take both."
The runes flared—bright, violent.
Then dimmed.
"Accepted."
Chains snapped.
The coffin lowered—slowly, creaking toward the pit.
As it neared the center, the glass cracked—once.
Then shattered.
A rush of black mist burst from within, spiraling through the chamber. It didn't attack. It didn't scream.
It just whispered.
"You came back."
The mist swirled into a shape—feminine, tall, robed in shadows.
The girl.
But this time, her face was whole.
Eyes gleaming silver.
Lips bloodless.
Jace stepped forward. "Who are you?"
She tilted her head.
"I'm the piece you left behind when you chose power over promise."
He froze.
"You're…"
"You named me once," she whispered. "Do you remember?"
The room pulsed.
Jace's heart thudded in his chest.
And then, in a whisper so soft it barely escaped him—
"Veyra."
Her eyes flashed.
The Vault shook.
Chains snapped across the ceiling. The vines recoiled. The pit bubbled violently.
Reya stumbled, clutching her ribs. Lena swore and drew her weapon.
But the girl—Veyra—just floated forward.
She touched Jace's chest.
"You opened the Vault," she said. "Now the world will bleed again."
And then she vanished—into him.
Not beside him.
Into him.
The Hollow on his back ignited, glowing deep red.
Jace dropped to one knee, gasping.
Reya knelt beside him. "What just happened?!"
He looked up, eyes glowing faintly now.
"She's part of me again," he said. "And I remember."
Lena frowned. "Remember what?"
Jace stood slowly.
"Why the Order is afraid of me."
He turned toward the staircase, the Hollow pulsing behind him.
"They weren't afraid of what I'd become."
He looked back at the Vault.
"They were afraid I'd bring her back."