The vault chamber looked disturbed. The steel chest remained locked, but the ledgers were scattered, pages torn and damp. Someone had rummaged desperately, seeking something specific but apparently failing to find it. The chest’s heavy lock still glinted intact, guarding whatever secrets the captain had once hidden.
Rowan noticed a familiar circular groove on the lid of the vault. He placed the medallion into the groove, and it fit perfectly! He hesitated, recognizing that this moment marked an irreversible step. Opening the chest would cross a line, binding him to whatever truth lay concealed within its cold steel shell.