The flicker in the shadows grew into something more—a dragging sound, slow and deliberate, as if the darkness itself had weight.
I stepped closer to Cairon, my fingers still curled around the Codex's edge. Its surface pulsed with low light, reacting to the ancient energy that saturated the place. This chamber wasn't just a prison—it was a tomb. A vault for the forgotten.
Cairon drew his sword without a sound. "Stay behind me."
I ignored him, moving beside him instead. "That's never worked before."
A breath of dry laughter rolled from the shadows. Then—a voice.
Hoarse. Frayed at the edges. "So the Codex chooses again."
The chains shifted. Something tall uncoiled from the wall, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe.
