The train pushed forward, the once-blocked passage now open as they rushed toward the heart of the Genesis Vault. The tunnel lights flickered intermittently, casting eerie shadows on the metallic walls. The deeper they went, the more the Vanguard architecture shifted, transitioning from industrial war-time construction to something older, something untouched by the Academy's interference.
Elias sat at the front console, adjusting his gauntlet's energy balance, trying to coax more power out of it. His reserves were running dangerously low, but stopping now wasn't an option. He glanced at the data Marco had pulled up from the train's scanners.
"The Vault entrance should be about two kilometers ahead," Marco said, swiping through the information on his screen. "But I'm picking up… something weird."
Lira raised an eyebrow. "Define weird."
Marco hesitated. "The Genesis Vault is still powered. And I don't mean backup energy—I mean active, full-functionality power."
Elias frowned. "That's impossible. This place was abandoned centuries ago."
"Yeah, well," Marco muttered, tapping at the console. "Someone—or something—never shut it down."
Reinhardt smirked. "So we might not be alone. Great."
Ivy stood near the train's exit, watching the tunnel ahead, her bow ready. "The last time we went into a Vanguard ruin, we almost got killed by their security systems. If the Genesis Vault is still operational, it probably still has its defenses intact."
Cecilia smirked. "Then let's hope Elias's newfound Vanguard commander status actually works this time."
Elias exhaled, flexing his fingers inside his gauntlet. He hadn't fully understood what happened when the trial warden recognized him. If the Vault's systems were still active, then it might still remember its last orders. The question was—whose orders?
Marco's console beeped. "We're here."
The train slowed, coming to a stop at a massive circular station. The walls were lined with ancient docking platforms, long abandoned, yet still eerily intact. The air was cold, and the silence was oppressive.
Elias stepped out first, his boots echoing against the metallic floor. The rest followed, weapons ready, scanning their surroundings. The station itself was massive, far larger than it should have been, with platforms extending into darkened corridors leading deeper underground.
Then the lights flickered on.
Not dim emergency lighting—bright, functional lights.
Elias's gauntlet beeped with an incoming transmission—but not from Marco.
A deep, synthetic voice echoed through the station's speaker system.
"Vanguard personnel detected. Identity verification in progress."
Elias's heart pounded as the HUD in his visor flashed red, scanning the signal. This wasn't a recording—it was real-time. The Vault was still operational.
Lira gripped her daggers. "Okay. This is officially unsettling."
Varian, who had been silent up until now, stepped forward. His eyes scanned the ceiling, as if sensing something deeper. "This place… It's not just a vault."
Elias turned to him. "Then what is it?"
Varian's gaze remained locked on the distant corridors. "A fortress."
Before anyone could respond, the voice spoke again.
"Verification complete. Access granted."
With a deep metallic groan, the enormous vault doors at the far end began to open. Dust fell from the ceiling as the centuries-old mechanisms activated, revealing a corridor bathed in dim, blue light.
Marco whistled. "Well. That's inviting."
Elias exhaled. "No turning back now."
They stepped inside.
The corridor stretched far beyond what the train's scanners had picked up, its walls lined with old Vanguard symbols and engraved runes pulsing with residual energy. Elias reached out, touching the metal surface—it was warm.
Lira narrowed her eyes. "How is there still power here?"
Cecilia walked beside her, running a gloved hand along the walls. "The Vanguard built their structures to last, but this is different. It's not just active, it's being maintained."
Ivy's voice was quiet. "By who?"
Elias's stomach twisted. He didn't have an answer.
The deeper they walked, the more the corridor widened, eventually opening into a massive chamber—one that stretched so far it was impossible to see the ceiling.
Then they saw it.
At the center of the room, suspended in a column of blue energy, was a core unlike anything they had ever seen. It pulsed, its light flickering in a steady rhythm, as if it was alive.
Marco's jaw dropped. "That… that's not just a power source."
Elias's HUD flared with warnings, scanning the energy readings. His breath caught in his throat.
It wasn't just a core.
It was an AI.
A fully operational Vanguard intelligence system, still awake, still functioning.
And it was waiting for them.
The voice from before returned, but this time, it came from the core itself.
"You are not the first to seek the Genesis Vault."
Elias's fists clenched. "Then who was?"
The core's light flickered.
"The ones who betrayed us."
The room shuddered, and suddenly, massive mechanical constructs emerged from the walls, activating after centuries of silence.
Ivy cursed. "Okay, we've got company!"
Reinhardt readied his hammer. "Finally!"
Lira flipped her daggers. "Took them long enough."
The constructs rushed forward, their glowing visors locking onto Elias first.
The AI's voice remained calm.
"Show me what you have learned, Vanguard Commander."
Elias exhaled, bracing himself.
The trial wasn't over yet.
And the Genesis Vault was just getting started.