…
There was something off about the stars.
From the dorm window, they shimmered like they were trying to send Morse code through cosmic winks. Dae stared at them, knuckles pale where his fists clenched around the edge of the sill.
Behind him, the room was too quiet.
Kio snored like a lawn mower with identity issues. Rea breathed steady beside the dresser, legs folded under her like a cat that would absolutely murder someone if they looked at her wrong. Mira's bed was still untouched, katana gleaming faintly in its sheath. And Lyra—
Lyra wasn't asleep.
She was on the floor next to Dae, half-wrapped in his blanket like she'd just decided it was hers now.
Her voice cut through the silence. "You keep twitching. Dreaming of exes or monsters?"
Dae didn't answer right away.
She tilted her head up to look at him, hair glowing faintly with a shimmer spell. "Or maybe both?"
"…Neither," he mumbled. "Just stars."
Lyra smirked, but it faded when she caught his expression. "They remind you of something?"
"Someone," he corrected softly. "Maybe."
She didn't push. That was rare for her. That silence was louder than anything.
…
He couldn't sleep. Again.
So naturally, the next move was sneaking out of bed and wandering through an academy known for shadow attacks and memory wipes. Totally smart. Absolutely no regrets.
The halls whispered.
Literally.
Faint echoes danced through the air like someone was dragging forgotten thoughts through the corridor. The reinforced sigils pulsed red now instead of gold. Defensive mode. But the shadows still lingered, curling in the corners like they'd made a home here.
The Vault tugged at him again.
He didn't walk there so much as drift.
Like his body remembered the way even if he didn't want to.
The entrance still looked like a blank section of wall. Until he reached out, fingers grazing the stone—and it breathed.
The stone rippled.
A door bloomed open.
He stepped through.
…
Inside, the Vault of Echoes hummed like it was trying to think.
Or dream.
The last time he'd come here, he met the ancient soul—an imprisoned council member, now passed. Gone, but not erased. Like his will was stitched into the air itself.
The Book of Knowledge floated gently above its pedestal, flipping pages on its own like it was waiting for him.
This time, the voice didn't come from the book.
It came from the ring.
"You're not ready," it whispered.
Dae exhaled shakily. "I never am."
"You shouldn't be alone."
"I'm not. I have classmates."
"Do they remember your ghosts?"
The voice was ancient and bitter, like thunder stuck in a clock tower. Dae reached out and touched the book.
New words bled onto the pages:
"Caladra was the First Vault.
A cradle of minds too powerful to die.
The rings were forged to contain, not empower."
His throat tightened.
"So this thing isn't a weapon?"
"It is a memory cage. A soul-link. A prison and a key."
He stared at the lines. Images flashed—an ancient hall, rings scattered like coins across a burning floor, figures with empty eyes screaming as their minds unraveled.
"To wear a ring… is to bear a burden.
Yours is not the first.
But it may be the last."
The ring burned cold.
Dae staggered back.
And then—
The floor moved.
Not shook. Not crumbled.
Shifted.
Like someone had flipped the room.
The walls unfolded downward. Glyphs spiraled in midair, rearranging like a puzzle finding its shape. And a staircase revealed itself, plunging into black.
Because of course there was a mysterious staircase in the cursed vault that rewrites your memories. Because that was just Tuesday at Blackridge now.
Dae didn't even hesitate.
He descended.
…
The further he walked, the colder it got. Not physical cold. Mental.
Like thoughts were freezing before they could finish forming.
He gritted his teeth and pushed through.
At the bottom was… a room.
Massive. Circular. Made of black stone that pulsed with soft light.
And at the center—
A figure.
Chained.
Floating.
Eyes closed. Pale as moonlight.
She looked… seventeen.
But her presence felt like centuries.
Her silver hair floated around her like mist. And a matching ring rested on her hand.
As if it knew him.
The moment Dae stepped forward, her eyes snapped open.
Violet. Burning. Familiar.
"…You came," she said, voice like wind over glass.
"I… think so," he replied, heart hammering.
She tilted her head. "You're wearing the ring. That means the last seal broke."
Dae glanced at his hand. "You know what this is?"
"I am what that is," she said simply.
He blinked.
"What?"
"My name is Caladra. I was the first one to hold the Vault."
Her chains pulsed.
"Now you're next."
…
Dae took a shaky step closer. "Why me?"
She looked at him.
Really looked.
"You were born inside a paradox. A soul that shouldn't exist. Creation without memory. Light forged from shadow. The universe finds that interesting."
"That's not… an answer."
She smiled sadly.
"It's the only one you're ready for."
Behind him, the Vault doors slammed shut.
Not with noise.
With silence.
Total. Crushing. Silence.
And the room started pulsing with pressure—echoes bouncing back at him in languages he didn't understand but somehow still felt.
Words, names, places—scrambled like static in his brain.
He staggered forward.
Caladra reached toward him, hand trembling.
"I can give you control. Over your thoughts. Your mind. The book. The ring. But…"
Dae tensed.
"There's a cost."
Of course there is.
"There's always a cost."
She looked away.
"You'll lose… your grip on what's real. Just a little. Enough to make room."
"For what?"
"For them."
And suddenly, her chains shattered.
The entire room exploded with white light.
…
He woke up on the floor of the dorm, gasping.
Sweat drenched his neck. The ring felt like fire on his hand.
Mira was leaning over him.
She didn't look surprised. Just… annoyed.
"Next time you pass out after a forbidden relic vision quest," she muttered, "leave a note."
Dae blinked. "How did you—"
"I have a talent for tracking bad decisions."
Lyra appeared behind her, holding a glass of water and a gummy worm.
"Is this, like… part of your process?" she asked. "The dramatic collapsing?"
Rea sat in the corner, arms crossed. "He didn't leave the room."
"I saw him go into the Vault," Mira said flatly.
"You were asleep," Rea snapped.
"I don't sleep," Mira replied.
Lyra blinked. "Wow. Okay. That's hot."
Dae groaned. "Can we maybe not argue over my possibly possessed sleepwalking?"
"Only if you explain who Caladra is," Mira said, too fast.
Dae froze.
Rea stood. "How do you know that name?"
Lyra just sat cross-legged on his bed and said, "Oh, this is getting juicy."
Dae stared at all of them.
The Vault was opening. His ring was glowing. Caladra was free.
And now his dorm was 40% sass, 30% mystery, and 100% chaotic energy.
This was going to get weird.
…
To be continued in Chapter 29 – Ghost Protocols & Glitched Memories