Secrets Within

The Vault

**Viktor**

The entrance to the vault is in the lowest room in the castle. The vault is made completely of silver and copper and protected with ancient enchantments. It is rumored that anyone with ill intentions cannot enter the vault. Ozias and Valerius pull open the vault door. A waft of cool air brushes my face and the smell of old parchment reaches my nose. This is the first time the door has been opened in more than six hundred years. The council waits for me to walk through the door. “Viktor, once you enter the vault, the door will be sealed until you are done with the research.” Atara says “We wish you success in your research.” Ozias says as he shakes my hand. Valerius and Bellonia give me a nod as I walk past. My chest tightens, why do these feel like farewells. It feels as though I am passing through an invisible barrier and I walk over the threshold. Turning to look back I see the door closing. I must remain in the vault for the duration of my research, locked inside.

As my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. I see the table and chair. On the table sits an envelope. The envelope contains a note from Ozias and Atara, it reads

"Our dearest friend,

As you embark on your research, we wish you luck in finding the answers you seek. The vault contains many prophecies and many secrets. Some secrets need to stay in the shadows. Be mindful of this as you proceed. We suspect you are looking for one of our oldest secrets. We also know that it may be time to bring some secrets to the light. With our blessing

your oldest friends"

Also included was a guide to how the vault was organized. Closest to the door were the newest prophecies while the oldest were in the back. I look around realizing the vault is much larger than I expected, and I am standing in the entrance reading room. There is another door leading to a hallway that leads farther into the vault. There must be five or six doors. Slowly I walk down the hallway to the farthest door. I try to open the door. It doesn’t move. I try again, still nothing. How strange, I was given no restrictions. After trying again with no luck, I decided to try another door. This door also won’t open. Trying every door on my way back to the entrance. Every door remained sealed. I go back to the entrance, maybe there’s a key.

No keys anywhere, I’ve searched every crevice in here. I sit in the chair contemplating why the council would approve my research but keep all the inner doors sealed. I’ve spent six hours in the vault, no progress to show. I lean back in the chair staring at the ceiling. I sat this way for a while. When I adjust in the chair I notice metallic marking above the hallway door. The markings are writing, and it isn’t silver or copper, it’s gold. The longer I look at it the clearer the writing becomes.

“The knowledge in this vault must be earned. Every room holds the key to the next.”

I know there aren’t any keys in this room. Maybe it’s not a physical key. The key must be information. With this realization I start to look at this room in a new light. I look at the table again. There are designs in the table, probably more enchantments. Vampires and witches used to have an alliance. My focus moves to the walls, shelves line every inch of this room. There’s countless scrolls on every shelf. Where do I begin? Anything in here could open the next door. I grab the closest scroll and start there. This scroll is detailing the original truce with the witches. Their leader was a beautiful woman called Caterina. This text says she believed the alliance would bring peace to the world. She held her coven to high standards, expecting every member to uphold the treaty. Any rebels would be exiled and striped of the coven protections. Only a few rebels are reported, one being her own sister, Cornelia. These sisters where complete opposites. Caterina wanting peace and tranquility. Cornelia wanting to rule with chaos and hate. Cornelia believed her sister would never punish her because of their blood. Caterina wanting peace above all, exiled her own sister. This caused an uproar and divided their coven, some stayed loyal to Caterina while others followed Cornelia. After the divide rumors were starting to arise. One being, Cornelia was gathering forces to overthrow her sister. Apparently it was unforgivable to exile your sister but completely acceptable to plan her murder. Caterina was murdered at her own little sisters hands. And the pain from that still stands in the witch community. Causing mistrust in everything.

Witch bloodlines were sacred, ending one of your own should have been unforgivable. What would cause such hate within a family? Family pain is difficult to mend especially when no one is willing to communicate. Even if one is trying to talk and the other refuses to listen.

I have forgotten what it’s like to be bonded by blood. Vampires are bonded with blood but not by it. Some younger vampires still remember what that feels like. Maybe there are things we could learn from our younger ones. I spend the next few hours reading everything. Major events from a multitude of beings. Including the extinction of the tree people. An entire race wiped out by magical fires that were set during the Hybrid War. However this text did not mention where the fires originated, only that it killed millions of beings. Bringing werewolves close to extinction along with drakes. The drakes were shifters that transformed into massive dragons.

Another realization hits me. This research is going to take much longer than I expected. I decide to take a break from reading.