The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. I pulled my cloak tighter around me as we rode deeper into the wilds, my body aching from the endless hours in the saddle. The further we traveled from the city, the more the weight of our departure settled on my shoulders.
I wasn't just leaving behind a home. I was leaving behind certainty.
"You must master the Codex, or it will master you."
The Council's decree had sealed my fate. No room for argument, no choice but to comply. The Codex was an ancient relic of power, its magic thrumming with something primal, something dangerous. And it had chosen me.
But why?
I wasn't the strongest. I wasn't the most skilled. I had spent my life surviving, not wielding untold power.
Yet the Codex had bound itself to me, and now I was expected to control it.
