Chapter 20: Whispers in the Vault of Stars
"The truth is never hidden. It's buried in silence."
Scene 1: Aftermath of the Duel
Ren awoke in the Sealed Recovery Hall, a chamber untouched by time, beneath the Academy's surface.
His body was stitched together by void-light, and Naelith sat nearby, chanting in a forgotten language.
"You're not supposed to be alive," she whispered, eyes glowing silver.
"But neither was I."
Lore Reveal: The Vault of Stars
Naelith explains:
"The Vault houses forbidden truths—lost gods, erased names, and those who remembered them. You're one of the latter."
She gives Ren a cracked star-shaped key:
[Celestial Remnant: Memory of the First Null]
Codex Nullum Upgrade: Chain Two — Void-Eater Memory
Ability: Ren can now absorb forgotten or forbidden memories from cursed artifacts, relics, and people.
Used correctly, he can rewrite reality by remembering what was erased.
But the cost?
Each memory brings him closer to the First Null's will… and further from his own.
Scene 2: The Council Convenes
Atop the Tower of Accordance, divine enforcers gather.
Councilor Eiran declares Ren a "Nullbound Anomaly" and issues an execution warrant.
"If we let the Codex awaken fully… not even the gods will remain."
A new enforcer is summoned:
[Arch-Executor Lys], wielder of the Divine Weapon: Judgment Casket.
Her power?
She seals concepts. She doesn't kill—she erases meaning itself.
Scene 3: House Tensions Rise
Within the Academy, the rival noble Houses stir:
House Veylor is in shambles—Kael is missing.
House Andraste (Lira's) pushes for a ceasefire… secretly scheming to control Ren.
House Auric introduces a new prodigy: Sol Veylor, Kael's brother, a Divine-Class wielder of Solar Dissonance—a weapon that burns even divine light.
Sol approaches Ren with an offer:
"Join me. Let's destroy the chains on this world—together."
Scene 4: Voices of the Vault
Ren finally opens the Vault of Stars.
Inside, memories flood in—visions of his past life:
As a scholar of the gods.
As the First Null, betrayed, sealed, and cursed.
A voice: "They feared knowledge more than war."
Among the echoes, a girl appears—her face blurred.
She says only:
"You knew me before they erased me. My name is…"
But the memory breaks.
Codex Subsystem Unlocked: Vault Protocol
Grants access to forbidden history sealed by divine law.
First entry revealed:
[The Fallen Thirteen] — names of the gods who tried to unmake reality.
End Scene: Lira's Betrayal?
Back in his dorm, Ren finds a message in Lira's handwriting:
"Don't trust Naelith.
She's not saving you—she's restoring him."
Ren grips Nullfang, unsure of who to believe.