The Vault presented itself as an empty room, much the same as the Chamber. The floor and the walls were both dark, black and empty like a void. Behind her, she could see the back of the Vault doors. There were no ornate markings on the back, nor any blood stains or even handles. She pushed against the doors, but they didn’t budge.

  Yet Ki couldn’t find a sense of panic at this discovery. The Master had been in and out of the Vault before. She couldn’t be trapped, could she?

  And if she was, she was trapped with what Flint believed to be the “escape.”

  And Na.

  At the center of the room, a pedestal rose up from the floor. A small wooden chest rested on top of it, no larger than a jewelry box. Ki furrowed her brow, a thoughtful frown forming on her lips. 

  She crept forward. “Na?” she whispered, her voice shaky. She cleared her throat and gathered her courage, standing up straighter. “Na!”

  No answer.

  She gripped the fabric of her tunic, curling her fingers tightly around it and squeezing. Empty. The Vault was empty. There was no Na, no escape, no truth, no secrets, no Master.

  There was nothing at all.

  Defeated tears welled in her eyes as her throat constricted with a sob. Her back hit the Vault doors, sliding until she was seated on the ground with her knees pressed against her chest. A strangled cry slipped through her lips, a wail that echoed in the silence of the Vault.

  She had come so far, but for what?

  Na was gone. Just as Ti had told her from the beginning. He was gone, and she would never see him again.

  She wondered if he had felt this helpless when he had entered the Vault. She wondered if he had cried there, just behind the door, and she hadn’t heard. She wondered how much time had passed where he was alone in the Vault.

  “Ti was right,” she whimpered. She buried her face in her knees, hot tears leaving wet trails across her cheeks. “I never should have disobeyed the Master.”

  The silence lingered for a few seconds before a whisper interrupted. At first, it came as just a slight brush, barely comprehensible. It grew louder, more urgent, until her cries finally stopped enough to listen.

  She lifted her head, dragging her hand across her eyes to wipe the remains of her tears away. She held her breath, listening for the whisper.

  “Ki,” it called. Soft, urgent, familiar. “Ki!”

  Ki shot to her feet. She dragged her gaze across the room, searching for the source of the whisper. The room remained empty, save for the pedestal and the little chest resting on it.

  “Ki!”

  Cautiously, she approached the pedestal, taking one slow step at a time. The wooden chest seemed innocent, with polished silver lining and a clasp that remained unlocked. It looked like any other chest, just a little square box of wood and metal. It reminded her more of a jewelry box than anything else.

  Was this the thing they were guarding? Was the secret of the Vault nothing more than a jewelry box?

  “Ki!” the whisper called again, louder this time as she stood beside the pedestal. 

  Recognition jolted through her. With a gasp, she put her hands on the sides of the chest, leaning down to press her ear to the lid.

  The whisper was coming from the chest, and the voice was Na’s.

  “Na!” she answered back, her tears brimming in her eyes again. “That’s you, isn’t it?”

  Without thinking, she opened the chest. The lid creaked on it’s tiny hinges. A light flooded out from the chest, swallowing the whole room in a blinding flash.

  Immediately, darkness fell over Ki’s vision. 

  A thousand colors flashed through her darkened vision, dotted with strange visions and passing images. Faces she barely recognized, flashes of places she felt she should have known. It all flooded past, slipping through her fingers before she could firmly grasp any of it. The sensation of falling hit as the images faded, yet no panic welled inside her chest.

  The colors faded with the visions. Quiet settled in over her, bringing with it a peace which she couldn’t have even begun to imagine within the Chamber. Her heart stilled, her mind quieted, and everything felt right. 

  A small, red light blinked in the corner of her vision. The feeling of falling vanished, her back resting against something soft.

  Text scrawled across the blackness in bold red letters.

  Error: Ki-701824, Valentine Sallow. You have failed the Vault Test and will be discharged forthwith. Please remain calm and await further instruction.