The wind had vanished.
A strange, unsettling calm hung over the sea like a blanket of fog, smothering the world in silence. The Sea Drake floated adrift on a stretch of ocean marked on no map. Beneath the surface, there were no fish. No birds circled above. It was as if the ocean itself had forgotten how to move.
Karl stood at the bow, arms folded, scanning the still horizon. Behind him, Nico Robin quietly flipped through an old parchment with faded vault symbols.
"We're close," she said softly, looking up. "I can feel it."
"So can I," Karl murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
The Dead Waters – Western Expanse
A roiling presence churned beneath the sea, one Karl couldn't explain. It wasn't like the Vaults they'd encountered before. This was different. Ancient. Dormant—but not dead.
"People avoid this region," Robin said, lowering the parchment. "It's not because of sea kings or storms. Sailors call it cursed. The currents die, compasses spin. Some say time itself flows wrong here."
Karl exhaled slowly. "Sounds like the perfect place to hide another Vault."
He opened his interface silently.
Vault Signature Detected: Unstable—Deep-Sea Source
Mission Objective: Reach and stabilise the Dead Waters Vault Node.
Rewards: 1 Legendary Ticket. Optional bonus trait if Vault Core is stabilised.
Current Legendary Tickets: 4
The system pulsed faintly in the corner of his mind. Karl dismissed it without a word.
The Descent
That night, the Sea Drake lowered its aged diving bell into the black waters. Robin and Karl descended together, silent as the ocean pressed in from all sides. Lights flickered from the bell's portholes, revealing murky shapes—columns, shattered spires, and the skeleton of a long-lost civilisation resting in the abyss.
Karl stared out in quiet awe.
"It's not just a Vault," Robin whispered. "It's a city."
A Glimpse Into the Past
As they crossed a veil of distorted water, something strange occurred. The world around them shimmered—and changed.
Suddenly, Karl wasn't in the diving bell. He stood on a street of polished stone beneath starlight, watching people in strange robes chant in unison. A pillar pulsed with vault-light in the city's centre. Echoes swirled in his ears: words, memories, fears.
They buried it… to contain the fracture…
We failed. The Echo broke loose.
The vision shattered.
He staggered back in the bell, Robin gripping his arm. "Did you see it too?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. And whatever they tried to seal down here… they didn't succeed."
The Fourth Vault – City of Echoes
The bell settled gently on a circular platform beneath the waves. In its centre stood a fractured vault altar, surrounded by strange glyphs and humming energy.
Karl stepped forward. His hand brushed against the altar's core, and the Vault responded.
Vault Node Activated. Core Stabilisation Successful.
Awarding 1 Legendary Ticket.
Trait Unlocked: Echo-Warden
Trait: Echo-Warden
You gain partial resistance to auditory illusions and sound-based attacks. Your perception of time stabilises in areas affected by spatial or temporal distortion.
Legendary Tickets: 5/10
He inhaled sharply, feeling the pulse of power settle into his bones. The fire and frost within him didn't reject it this time—it harmonised, for a moment, with the whisper of the sea.
Above the Surface – A New Threat
A sleek, black ship drifted near the edges of the Dead Waters.
A man with a silver monocle stood at the helm, hands clasped behind his back. Shuzo watched a flickering stone in his hand pulse once, then fade.
"He found the fourth one."
A female voice spoke behind him. Aiko, draped in dark fabric, arms folded.
"He's getting closer."
Shuzo's eyes narrowed. "Then we make sure he never reaches the fifth."
That Night – Aboard the Sea Drake
Karl leaned against the mast, the stars glimmering faintly above. Robin joined him, her gaze thoughtful.
"You didn't pull from the system," she said, more an observation than a question.
"I need ten Legendary Tickets for something stronger," he replied. "This… whatever it is, it's building toward something. I can feel it." "Every Vault, every trait—it's all connected."
Robin nodded. "And what do you think happens when you unlock them all?"
Karl looked toward the sea, eyes hard. "I don't know. But I plan to be ready when it does."
System Log – Updated
Vault Nodes Activated: 4/5
Legendary Tickets: 5
Ticket Conversion: 10 Legendary → 1 Mystical
Mystical Pull: Not yet available
Trait Unlocked: Echo-Warden
Sub-Trait Synergy forming between Frostbrand Echo and Echo-Warden…
Warning: Vault Node energy levels increasing. Fifth Vault signal detected.