Chapter 4: The Legacy Vault
The words hung before Dawsyn's eyes like they had been carved into the darkness itself.
Hidden Protocol Activated…
Opening Legacy Vault…
1% Complete…
Then everything disappeared.
The lights in the house flickered back on.
Dawsyn blinked several times, wondering if he had imagined it.
"Dawsyn!"
Daisy grabbed his shoulders.
"We have to leave. Now!"
He looked around the destroyed kitchen. The table had been reduced to splinters, glass covered the floor, and the front wall looked as though a truck had driven through it.
Sirens grew louder.
"What about the police?" he asked.
"They can't protect us."
"They'll think someone broke in."
"They'll be dead before sunrise if they get involved."
Her voice was cold.
Matter-of-fact.
It wasn't fear.
It was certainty.
Five minutes later…
Daisy hurried through the basement carrying an old duffel bag while Dawsyn followed close behind.
He had lived in this house his entire life.
Yet he'd never noticed the loose brick hidden behind a shelf of canned food.
Daisy pressed it.
Click.
The concrete wall trembled.
Dust rained from the ceiling as part of the foundation slowly slid aside.
Behind it…
A tunnel stretched into darkness.
Dawsyn stared in disbelief.
"We have a tunnel?"
"Your father built it."
"How many secrets did he have?"
Daisy looked back at him sadly.
"You've barely scratched the surface."
The tunnel was damp and cold.
Old light bulbs flickered overhead every few yards.
Judging by the reinforced walls, this passage hadn't been dug by hand.
It had been engineered.
As they walked, Dawsyn noticed faded symbols painted along the concrete.
Every symbol resembled the crimson fang on his necklace.
"What do these mean?"
"They're Blood Seals."
"They hide this tunnel from anyone outside the Ashford Bloodline."
"So nobody can find us?"
"They shouldn't."
Her answer wasn't nearly as reassuring as he'd hoped.
Nearly twenty minutes later…
The tunnel opened into an underground chamber.
Luxury cars sat beneath dusty covers.
Weapons lined one wall.
Stacks of wooden crates filled another.
Rows of monitors displayed camera feeds from around the city.
In the center stood a polished black desk.
Behind it…
A portrait.
Damien.
Even painted on canvas, he radiated authority.
His piercing gray eyes seemed to follow Dawsyn across the room.
For the first time…
Dawsyn truly saw his father.
They shared the same jawline.
The same dark hair.
The same piercing eyes.
Only Damien's carried decades of experience.
"You look just like him."
Daisy's voice barely rose above a whisper.
A slow clap echoed through the room.
"About damn time."
Dawsyn spun around.
A tall young man leaned casually against one of the support pillars.
He looked to be around nineteen.
Messy brown hair.
Athletic build.
Hands shoved into the pockets of a worn leather jacket.
His eyes swept over Dawsyn before letting out a disappointed sigh.
"So…"
"That's the famous heir?"
Dawsyn frowned.
"Who are you?"
The young man smirked.
"Marcus Kane."
"Your old man saved my life."
"I've been waiting years to meet you."
He walked forward.
Then stopped.
"Honestly…"
"I expected someone taller."
Dawsyn narrowed his eyes.
"I didn't ask for your opinion."
Marcus laughed.
"There he is."
"I was beginning to think you inherited only Damien's face."
Daisy stepped between them.
"Enough."
"Marcus, any movement?"
His smile disappeared.
"They've already started searching."
He pressed a button on one of the monitors.
Several security feeds appeared.
Black SUVs sped through different parts of the city.
Armed men exited each vehicle.
"They're locking the city down."
Dawsyn stared.
"Just for me?"
Marcus nodded.
"Not just you."
"The Ashford name."
Suddenly…
Ping.
A blue screen appeared.
Main Quest Updated
Survive Seven Days
Current Progress
Day 0/7
Failure: Death
New Objective
Locate the Ashford Legacy Vault
Reward:
Unknown
Before Dawsyn could react…
Another notification appeared.
Bloodline Synchronization
25%
26%
27%
A sharp pain shot through his chest.
The fang necklace glowed bright crimson.
The portrait of Damien began glowing as well.
Marcus took a step backward.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The entire underground chamber started shaking.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
A low rumble echoed beneath their feet.
Then…
The portrait slowly slid upward.
Hidden behind it…
Was an enormous steel door.
Across its surface were twelve carved emblems arranged in a circle.
Every emblem represented a different Bloodline Family.
Only one…
The Crimson Fang…
Glowed bright red.
A deep mechanical voice echoed through the chamber.
Blood Verification Required.
Marcus' face lost all color.
"No one's opened this door since Damien died…"
Daisy slowly turned toward her son.
"It's waiting for you."
Before Dawsyn could step forward…
Every monitor in the room suddenly filled with static.
One by one…
The screens changed.
Instead of security footage…
A masked figure appeared on every display.
He wore a black suit trimmed with crimson thread.
Unlike Vincent…
His mask was pure white.
He slowly tilted his head.
Then looked directly into the camera.
As though…
He could see them.
A distorted voice echoed throughout the safehouse.
"Found you."
The steel door behind Dawsyn unlocked with a deafening CLANG.
At the exact same moment…
Every light in the bunker went out.
And from somewhere inside the Legacy Vault…
Something laughed.