The following day felt different. The sun rose in a haze of fog, casting long shadows across the grounds of Aetherwell as Eren made his way toward the library, his mind still racing from the conversation with Professor Seraphina. The Codex of the Ashford Line lay heavy in his satchel, its contents swirling in his thoughts. His family's legacy—so much more complex and dark than he could have imagined—loomed over him like an ancient storm cloud.
"Focus," Eren muttered to himself as he stepped into the warm light of the library. The soft crackle of firelight from the hearth and the rustle of pages being turned filled the air, creating an atmosphere both inviting and serious.
Professor Seraphina was already there, standing near one of the tall bookshelves, scanning through a set of arcane texts. When she saw Eren, she nodded curtly and gestured to the large table at the center of the room.
"Sit," she instructed again, her voice calm but authoritative.
Eren complied, the weight of the pendant growing heavier against his chest as he sat down. His fingers lingered nervously at the edge of the Codex, the book from last night, which he had been instructed to study. It now lay open on the table, its ancient pages waiting for him to make sense of its cryptic messages.
"The pendant," Seraphina began, her voice cutting through the silence, "isn't just an accessory. It is an artifact of the Ashford family, as old as the foundation of magic itself. It binds you to an ancient power—power that has been dormant for generations. You must learn to awaken it, or it will awaken on its own. And when it does, you won't be ready."
Eren's breath caught in his throat. "What does that mean? How can I awaken it?"
Seraphina's eyes narrowed slightly as she approached the table, her fingers lightly brushing the page of the Codex where a detailed image of the pendant was drawn. The pendant in the book looked almost identical to the one he wore, except for the intricate, glowing symbols etched around its center—symbols that pulsed with a strange energy Eren hadn't noticed before.
"This is where it begins," Seraphina said quietly. "The pendant is a key. A key to unlocking your family's lost magic. You've been carrying it all your life without realizing what it truly is. But the time has come to understand its significance. The symbols around the pendant are linked to the ancient runes we've been studying. They must be understood in order to unlock the magic within you."
Eren swallowed, trying to process everything she was saying. He had thought magic was a thing of textbooks and spells, of books like A Beginner's Guide to Rune Magic. But now, it seemed like something far more ancient, far more connected to his very essence.
"How do I understand them?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"You already know," Seraphina replied. "The magic is within you, waiting for you to reach out and touch it. Your connection to the pendant isn't something you can study on a page. It's something you must feel. But it requires focus, strength, and most importantly, patience. Only when you are ready will you be able to access the deeper magic within."
Eren leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the pendant on the table. He could almost sense it—something inside him stirring, a deep, pulsing hum that seemed to echo in his very bones.
"Focus," Seraphina repeated, her voice steady but urgent. "Close your eyes, Eren. Reach out to the magic inside you. Let go of everything else. All the noise, the questions, the doubts. And feel the pendant. Feel the energy inside it."
Eren hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to even begin. But then, recalling Kaia's earlier words about living the magic, he decided to trust in the process. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
At first, there was nothing. Just the overwhelming silence of the library and the steady beat of his own heart. He focused on his breathing, allowing himself to relax, to center his thoughts.
And then, he felt it.
A warmth, a pulse, deep within his chest. It was faint at first, like a distant heartbeat, but it grew stronger the more he focused on it. The pendant seemed to thrum, almost as if it were alive—like it was calling to him, urging him to understand it.
Eren's hand trembled slightly as he reached toward the pendant. The warmth in his chest intensified, spreading through his body like fire. The symbols etched into the pendant's surface seemed to shift, glowing faintly in the dim light of the library. Each rune seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat, a rhythm that felt strangely natural, as though he had always known it.
His fingers brushed the surface of the pendant, and in that moment, something clicked.
A vision exploded in his mind.
It was not a clear image, but a series of flashes—quick, fragmented moments. He saw people—figures in flowing robes, their faces obscured, standing in front of a great stone archway. The air around them crackled with magic. He saw ancient, burning symbols etched into the walls of a cavern, and a figure standing in the center, hands raised, commanding the power of the earth itself.
Eren gasped, pulling his hand back from the pendant. His heart was racing, and the warmth in his chest had turned into a full-on fire. For a moment, he could still feel the images swirling in his mind, the power that had connected him to that strange world.
"You've touched it," Seraphina said softly, breaking the silence. Her voice was tinged with something Eren couldn't quite place—pride? Worry? "You've awakened the first part of it."
Eren's breath came in ragged gasps as he looked at her, still dazed. "What was that? What did I see?"
Seraphina nodded, her gaze unwavering. "That, Eren, was the magic of the Ashford Line. The vision you saw was a part of your family's history. Those figures you saw—those are your ancestors. They were the ones who first unlocked the power of the pendant, and they used it to shape the world in ways we can only begin to understand."
Eren blinked, trying to clear the fog from his mind. "I… I don't understand. What do you mean, 'shape the world'?"
"Your family," Seraphina said slowly, her voice almost a whisper, "was once at the forefront of magical discovery. They were not just mages—they were architects of the very fabric of reality. The pendant you wear is not only a tool for magic; it is a conduit for forces older than time itself. But the power of the Ashford family was too great. Many of your ancestors were destroyed by their own hubris—trying to control what they did not understand."
Eren felt a chill run down his spine. "So… what does this mean for me? What do I have to do?"
Seraphina paused, her eyes softening. "You must learn to control it. The pendant's power has been dormant for a reason. It is not a gift, Eren—it is a responsibility. And as much as you may not want to, you will have to confront what your ancestors failed to master."
Eren's thoughts were racing. He had only just begun to understand magic, and now, it seemed, the weight of his family's history was being thrust upon him. The power he had unlocked, the visions, the ancient runes—it was all connected to him in ways he couldn't yet grasp.
But one thing was certain: his life at Aetherwell was about to become much more complicated.