The silence after the storm was heavier than the destruction itself.
The Codex still pulsed with latent energy, a silent promise of what it could offer. But for now, it was still. Dormant.
And yet, something had changed.
I had changed.
Marek was the first to break the quiet. "You're not dead. So, that's a win, I guess."
I barely heard him. My mind was still reeling from what had just happened, the weight of knowledge pressing against my skull. The Codex had shown me fragments—truths buried beneath centuries of lies.
Elara hadn't been just another mage.
She had been a foundation. A pillar holding up something vast and unknowable.
And now, I stood in her place.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Because I wasn't just a replacement.
The Codex had chosen me.
And I had no idea what that truly meant.
Cairon was still close, his golden eyes searching mine for something—an answer I wasn't sure I could give.
