Chapter 179: The Crimson Vault
The corridors deep beneath Thal'Ryn seemed endless—smooth walls of silver alloy, dimly lit by flowing veins of violet light that pulsed like living streams. The air was cool and faintly perfumed with something metallic, mixed with the sweet fragrance of alien flora that filtered down from the surface above.
Moon and Kai walked silently behind Lisa and Dr. Voss, their eyes wide with disbelief. Neither of them could hide the quiet awe written across their faces. Every few steps, a transparent panel on the wall revealed the outside scenery—vast root systems from the violet forests above, glowing faintly as energy flowed through them like liquid lightning. Strange, jellyfish-like creatures drifted slowly in the underground streams, their lights moving in soft, rhythmic patterns.
It felt less like a laboratory and more like walking through the veins of a living planet.
Lisa and Dr. Voss were engaged in quiet conversation ahead. Their voices echoed faintly through the metallic hall, but Moon and Kai paid no attention. Their senses were entirely consumed by what surrounded them—the gentle hum of unseen engines, the faint vibration under their feet, the soft shimmer of invisible force fields flickering across the glass panels. Everything felt impossibly advanced, far beyond even the standard of high-tier interstellar civilizations they had seen before.
Then, suddenly, the path ahead opened into a vast circular chamber.
At its center stood a colossal gate—twenty feet tall and layered with countless glowing seals. Lines of ancient script spiraled across its surface, shifting and rearranging themselves every few seconds. Energy barriers flickered in shades of blue and gold, locking the gate within a cocoon of containment fields. It was unlike any other door they had passed; this one radiated power, authority, and danger.
Lisa slowed her pace, curiosity glinting in her eyes. All the other gates they had seen had been simple—either sealed by standard security codes or open to public sections. But this one… this gate looked alive, as if the planet itself guarded whatever lay behind it.
Dr. Voss stopped in front of it. Without a word, he placed his hand on the center of the door.
The seals flickered, scanning his signature. A soft chime echoed through the chamber, and layer by layer, the glowing symbols dissolved into the air like falling petals. The heavy door shifted open with a slow, deep hiss.
Lisa stepped closer, expecting to see a chamber filled with artifacts or perhaps the legendary Red Diamond Crown itself.
But instead, her breath caught in her throat.
Inside was a massive cylindrical capsule, filled with a faintly glowing blue liquid. Suspended within it was a human woman.
She floated motionless, her body pale and almost translucent under the dim light. Her long silver hair drifted like silk in the liquid, and she wore only the minimal coverings needed to preserve her dignity. Her eyes were closed, her face serene, almost peaceful—but her skin had the same faint lines of glowing energy as the seals on the door.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Lisa's voice was soft when she finally broke the silence. "Dr. Voss… is she—your daughter?"
The old scientist's hand fell from the capsule's control panel. His expression barely moved, but a tremor of emotion passed through his voice. "Yes," he said quietly. "She is."
Lisa lowered her eyes. "I'm… very sorry."
Dr. Voss shook his head faintly, forcing a thin smile. "Don't be. You had no way of knowing."
He exhaled slowly, his gaze softening as he looked upon the woman in the capsule. "She was once a hunter in the Shifting Expanse. Brilliant, fearless… far too brave for her own good. On one mission, she faced a creature—some sort of essence beast. We still don't understand what it was. It infected her. Slowly, it began to devour her life force from within. Every treatment failed. Every cure turned to poison."
He paused, adjusting his glasses with a trembling hand. "To stop the infection from consuming her completely, I built this capsule. The liquid suspends her body, slows the leakage of her life essence. It's not life… not truly. But it's the closest thing I can give her."
His voice broke for just a moment. He turned away and removed his glasses, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye before quickly replacing them.
Then, with a forced chuckle, he said softly, "Ah… listen to me. A scientist talking about ghosts instead of data. Come, we shouldn't linger here. You came for the Red Diamond, not for the story of an old man's regrets."
Lisa offered him a small, understanding nod. "Still… thank you for sharing, Doctor."
Moon and Kai had remained quiet through it all, their faces unreadable. But something heavy lingered in their eyes—something close to pity, or perhaps recognition.
The group moved on.
After several minutes of silent walking through a long corridor lined with cold-blue lights, another gate appeared. This one was even more heavily sealed than the last—layers of golden runes intertwined with glowing energy rings, humming softly with restrained power.
Dr. Voss approached it carefully, entering a long sequence of hand motions and codes. The seals dissolved one by one, releasing a faint mist into the air. The door opened with a slow, metallic sigh.
What lay beyond took their breath away.
The chamber was vast, circular, and filled with hovering machinery that emitted low, resonant tones. In the very center, suspended above a crystalline platform, rested a crown.
It was forged entirely from a single, immense piece of red diamond. Light passed through it and refracted in a thousand shades of crimson, painting the walls with rivers of red. The crown seemed to breathe—its glow pulsed in a slow rhythm, alive, aware.
No one spoke.
Even Lisa, the ever-controlled representative, stood frozen. The artifact's beauty was almost unbearable, as though it demanded silence in reverence.
Moon and Kai couldn't look away. The color wasn't just red—it was living red, a hue that seemed to pulse with the heartbeat of the planet itself.
Dr. Voss broke the silence at last. "Behold," he said softly, "the Red Diamond Crown. The artifact that once drove empires to madness."
For a while, they simply stood there, listening to the quiet hum of the machines.
Eventually, Voss clapped his hands lightly. "It's late. You must all be exhausted from your journey. I've arranged quarters for you in the eastern wing. You can rest there for the night."
Lisa nodded slowly. "Thank you, Doctor."
They turned and left the chamber in silence, each lost in their thoughts.
That night, as Moon and Kai were led to their private rooms, the haunting image of the pale woman floating in blue light and the crimson glow of the crown stayed burned behind their eyes.
Something in this place felt wrong. Beautiful… but wrong.
And as the doors to their rooms slid shut, the faint hum of the vault's energy pulsed again—like a heartbeat waiting for dawn.
To be continued...