Romans & histoires The Vault Dweller

The sheer, architectural ruthlessness of the Valerius bloodline completely eclipsed her. Deep beneath the financial district, eighty feet below the earth, a different kind of monster was completely rewriting the laws of physics. Lucian Sterling was trapped inside the ninety ton steel cylinder of the Federal Reserve vault. It was pitch black. The air was already growing thin. But the God of War did not look at the heavy vault door. He walked directly to the center of the room, where Silas's C4 had previously blown a jagged, smoldering hole through the concrete floor.

“We should head to the safe house, I am sure Quinn knows you and her are together.” “Really?” Ivy said with a sad face. “I thought you said we’re safe here?” “We were, but with your energies like that, I’m sure the whole Dweller world is on fire right now, you see you two dwellers are soul Dwellers.” “Soul Dwellers?” they said in unison. “Another time, let’s go.” He said leaving the room. Ivy and Nick followed him out of the room and to a waiting car. Ivy was scared, she wasn’t sure where they were going. She was glad she was back with Nick, she felt safe.

CHAPTER NINE Written by: Rosapearl Miller POV I was watching my favorite show when my dad enter, he is hardly around, always on a business or the other with mum. Am used to being helped by the maid since childhood. My dad is a wealthy man, our house is a duplex with everything any one could ever dream of. A standard swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and so on. "welcome back dad" I muttered "My big boy, I hope Brenda is taking very good care of you?" he smile

Jack asked. "In the complex itself? Approximately two hundred. Most are young—turned within the last century. But there are a few elders down there, including..." She pulled up a file. "Lord Vladislov. Seventh-century Slavic noble, turned during the Byzantine era. He's the Vault's primary guardian, and he hasn't left the complex in four hundred years." "What are his capabilities?" "Unknown. Nobody who's fought him has survived to file a report." Haley paused. "Which, you know, isn't great for our tactical planning."

"Yes, Jace?" "I need you to pull the Keepers out of the lower districts," I ordered, my voice dropping into the absolute, unyielding register of the center. "I want armed guards stationed at every major steam-vent and subterranean access tunnel in Aethelgard. And I want this vault sealed." Valerius’s euphoric smile vanished. "Sealed? We just finished the dig. We have to maintain the chain." "The chain will maintain itself," I said, pointing down the two-mile hole. "But I think we just rang a dinner bell in the deepest, darkest room in the world. And whatever lives down there is waking up to see who’s knocking."

It was beautiful and terrible. Victor stepped in first, uninvited but smiling. We followed. Inside, the Vault was impossibly vast, filled with suspended relics, crystal tomes, and floating stones that whispered when you walked past them. The floor glowed beneath our feet, reacting to our presence. But the center of the room was empty. No throne. No altar. Just a circle of symbols and a single name burning in the stone: Amara. I froze. “What is this?” Kael whispered.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized what it was hiding. "Wait, what's that?" Violet asked softly and with curiosity. They were now beside me. Leigh and Violet leaned in closer, eyes widening in surprise. “Is that a . . . vault?” Leigh whispered, almost inaudibly. Violet nodded in affirmation. "Yes, that's a vault." I stepped back to get a better view. The built-in vault was embedded in the wall, perfectly concealed behind the painting. Violet reached out and touched the vault’s cold metal surface. “What do you think they keep in here? Money? Jewelry? Gold?” Her voice carried a playful curiosity. "Should we try to open it?"

The vault had a locking mechanism that Kael recognized from his systematic search of the Dreadmourne estate's main vault before burning it. This was Dreadmourne construction. A secondary vault, positioned here by Varen before the estate fell, designed to survive undetected even if the primary estate holdings were destroyed. Kael approached the vault and examined the locking mechanism. It required either a key or System-linked authorization from someone with Dreadmourne bloodline recognition. He placed his hand on the lock plate and focused with System intent. The vault recognized him. The mechanism disengaged with a mechanical click that echoed in the small chamber.

He followed a second later, his face buried in my neck, his entire frame shuddering against mine. Afterward, he carried me to the bed, dripping wet and wrapped in a single, oversized towel. He laid me down on the dark silk sheets and sat beside me, his hand resting on my stomach. The map of the vault was sitting on the nightstand, a silent reminder that the world was still waiting outside. "The vault is in the old shipyard," I said, my voice thick with the afterglow. "Under the original foundation." Darius leaned over me, his thumb tracing my lower lip. "We go at dawn. We take what’s in there, and we use it to bankrupt Silas’s entire board. No more running."

The next day, James returned with details. “The vault is in a private estate Jacob owns outside of the city. He calls it a retreat but it’s more like a fortress. Guards work in shifts and each room is monitored. The vault is below the main study and has biometric access. Fingerprints. Retinal scan. Voice recognition. He uses all three. “Impossible”....I laughed. James smirked. “It isn’t impossible. Very difficult. But I know how to deal with it. We’ll need disguises, timing, and nerves of steel.”