Location: Elandra – Hidden Northern Province, Tavara
The chopper cut through a heavy veil of morning mist, slicing over the lush, uncharted highlands of Tavara. Elandra was not listed on any modern map—a deliberate decision made decades ago by the Kane patriarchs to protect their ancestral secrets. Only bloodline members, or those deemed worthy, had access to its exact coordinates.
Damien sat silently at the rear of the chopper, his expression carved from granite. Beside him sat Cyrus, reviewing encrypted intel from a secure tablet, and Nora—her eyes never leaving her husband's face.
"You've been quiet," she said softly.
"I buried too many ghosts here," Damien replied. "But if Seraphina survived... then she didn't die the night we thought she did. And that means someone in our inner circle lied."
Nora exhaled slowly, reaching into her coat to retrieve a sealed envelope. "Before we left, your father's private courier delivered this. He said it was only to be opened once you arrived in Elandra."
Damien took it, eyes narrowing. The wax seal bore the crest of the original Kane bloodline—one he hadn't seen in over fifteen years. As he broke it open, a single handwritten message met his eyes:
> "If she walks the earth once more, you must find the Black Vault before she does. It holds the truth. And the weapon to stop her."
– R.K.
"Black Vault?" Nora asked.
Damien looked at her grimly. "A myth... or so we thought. It was rumored to hold the most dangerous secrets of the Kane family—things too powerful to ever see daylight."
Cyrus leaned in. "And if Seraphina is after it?"
"Then she plans to rewrite the entire power structure," Damien said. "Not just of the Kane family—but of Tavara, and beyond."
---
Location: Elandra – Kane Ancestral Grounds
The estate was nothing like the modern Kane holdings. It stood like a fortress lost in time—stone towers, iron gates, and underground chambers built before Tavara was ever united. Guarded by generations of fiercely loyal sentinels, Elandra had always been a place of legend among the younger Kanes. Few had ever returned once they left.
As Damien stepped onto the cobbled path, an elderly man in ceremonial black robes emerged from the shadows. His silver hair was tied back in a knot, his posture rigid despite the years.
"Welcome home, Damien Kane," the man said. "We feared the bloodline had forgotten its roots."
Damien offered a faint nod. "Master Ellric. Still guarding the gates after all these years."
"The oath does not expire," Ellric replied. "But time has revealed cracks. She who was buried now walks again."
"Then she never died," Nora said, stepping forward.
"No," Ellric replied, voice grim. "She was sealed. In the Chamber of Silence. By your father and the elders. But someone released her. And the Vault she seeks is not far."
Damien turned to Cyrus. "Mobilize the northern squad. Lock down the estate. No one in or out."
Cyrus nodded and moved swiftly, already issuing orders.
Damien looked back at Ellric. "Take me to the chamber. If Seraphina broke out... I need to see how."
---
Location: Chamber of Silence – Elandra Catacombs
The ancient door loomed before them, carved with runes and seals Damien had only read about. But now... half of them were broken. Burned through.
Inside, the chamber lay in ruin. Chains lay shattered across the floor, and the walls were scorched black, as though a storm had erupted from within. At the center of it all was a single name, carved in blood:
"Reclamation begins with truth."
Nora's eyes darkened. "She's not just after power. She wants to erase your line and start her own."
"She'll try," Damien said coldly. "But she'll learn what every Kane before her learned."
He stepped out of the chamber, his voice like steel. "The Kane name doesn't bend. It breaks what stands against it."