Gabriel's training with Merlin continued as they traveled across the lands of Arkanis, seeking the hidden Vaults—the ancient places of immense power sealed away by the gods themselves. Merlin believed that the Vaults contained the key to stopping Lucifer, but they were not easy to find. The Vaults had been lost to time, hidden in places where even the gods couldn't reach.
As they ventured deeper into the land, Gabriel could feel his power growing stronger, but so too did the pull of the darkness. It whispered to him in his dreams, calling him to embrace it fully. Each night, the dreams grew more vivid, filled with images of Medusa and the otherworldly beings that once ruled before the gods. The memories were fragmented, like shards of glass piercing his mind.
One day, as they entered a canyon known as the Echoing Abyss, Merlin stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. Gabriel followed his line of sight and saw it—a massive stone door, half-buried in the earth, covered in intricate runes.
"This is it," Merlin said, his voice hushed with reverence. "The Vault."
Gabriel felt a surge of energy from the door, as if it were alive. The darkness within him stirred, reacting to the ancient power. He could hear whispers, like voices from another time, calling out to him.
"Are you ready?" Merlin asked, turning to Gabriel.
Gabriel nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Let's open it."
With a wave of Merlin's hand, the runes on the door began to glow, the ancient symbols coming to life. As the door slowly creaked open, a flood of light and shadow poured out, filling the air with a sense of ancient power.
Beyond the door lay the Vault—a place of unimaginable secrets, where the past and future intertwined. Gabriel stepped forward, his senses heightened, ready to uncover the truths that lay within.
But as he crossed the threshold, he had no idea that the journey ahead would challenge everything he thought he knew about himself and the world around him.
The true test was just beginning.