Villain's Last Chance
Chapter 40: Whispers

Chapter 40: Whispers

The creature was gone, but the air still crackled with the energy it left behind. My body felt heavy, like I had just sprinted miles without stopping.

Cairon hadn’t let go of my arm. His grip was steady, grounding. "You passed the test," he said, his voice unreadable. "But what did it mean?"

I shook my head, trying to slow my racing thoughts. "I don’t know yet." The words felt hollow even as I said them.

Because I did know.

Or at least, I had an idea.

The Codex wasn’t just a book of knowledge—it was alive in a way I hadn’t fully grasped before. It didn’t just hold power. It tested those who sought to wield it, pushing them, breaking them, until they proved themselves worthy.

And I had barely scratched the surface.

Cairon finally released my arm, but his golden eyes didn’t leave mine. "We should keep moving."

I nodded, unwilling to linger here any longer.

We walked in silence for a while, the only sound the wind rustling through the barren trees. I could still feel the remnants of the Codex’s energy pulsing through my veins, a low hum beneath my skin. It wasn’t painful, but it was... restless.

Like it was waiting for something.

I glanced at Cairon. He had been quiet since the attack, his expression closed off. That wasn’t unusual for him, but something about his silence felt different this time.

"You’re thinking too much again," I said, throwing his own words back at him.

He didn’t smile. "I’m trying to figure out what the hell just happened."

I sighed, rubbing my temples. "You and me both."

"The creature—it obeyed you." He stopped walking and turned to face me fully. "That’s not normal, Elara."

"I know," I admitted. "But I think... I think it wasn’t meant to kill me. I think it was meant to see if I could control it."

His eyes darkened. "And what happens if you can control things like that?"

The question sent a chill down my spine.

I didn’t have an answer.

Or maybe I just didn’t want to say it out loud.

If the Codex was testing me, it meant I was capable of things I didn’t yet understand. And if I could control something that was meant to be unstoppable...

What else could I do?

The thought made me uneasy.

"Let’s just get to the next town," I said, shifting the conversation away from the implications. "I need time to think."

Cairon held my gaze for a moment longer before nodding. "Alright."

We continued walking, but I knew this conversation wasn’t over.

Neither was whatever trial the Codex had in store for me next.

The town loomed ahead, its silhouette jagged against the darkening sky. From a distance, it looked peaceful—quaint even, nestled at the base of the valley, its rooftops shrouded in the soft glow of lanterns. A deceptive illusion.

I had long since learned not to trust the quiet.

Cairon and I had been walking for hours, the thick undergrowth of the forest giving way to dirt roads and winding paths. My muscles ached, my boots coated in dust, and yet exhaustion wasn’t what weighed on me the most.

It was the Codex.

Or rather, what it had done to me.

The remnants of its power still pulsed beneath my skin, coiling in the pit of my stomach like something alive. A presence. A whisper at the edge of my consciousness, waiting. Watching.

I swallowed hard, shaking off the thought.

"We’ll stay the night," Cairon murmured beside me.

His voice was low, unreadable, but I could feel the tension rolling off him in waves. The way his fingers hovered near his blade, the way his eyes scanned every shadow. He hadn’t spoken much since the ruins, since the test.

Since he saw what the Codex had awakened in me.

I didn’t blame him for his silence.

I barely understood it myself.

The moment the Codex had responded to me, everything had changed. The power had surged, raw and ancient, wrapping itself around my very being. And the creature—the guardian—had bowed.

Bowed.

Like I was something greater than myself.

The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

I hadn’t told Cairon everything. Not the way the symbols had burned themselves into my mind, not the way I could still feel them shifting beneath my skin. He already looked at me differently. I didn’t need to give him another reason.

By the time we reached the town’s gates, the streets were nearly empty, save for a few drunken stragglers and a handful of lanterns flickering weakly in the cold wind. The air smelled of damp wood and ale, the distant crackle of a hearth fire spilling from the buildings.

Cairon pulled his hood lower. "Let’s not draw attention."

I nodded, keeping my head down as we made our way toward the tavern at the center of town. It was a modest place, weathered by time and travel, its wooden sign creaking softly in the breeze. The scent of roasted meat and smoke drifted through the door, mingling with the murmur of voices within.

The moment we stepped inside, warmth enveloped me, banishing the night’s chill. The tavern was alive with quiet conversation, travelers and locals gathered around battered wooden tables, their faces illuminated by candlelight.

No one spared us more than a passing glance.

Good.

Cairon led the way to a corner table, his posture rigid, always on guard. I sank onto the bench across from him, stretching out my sore legs beneath the table.

For a brief moment, I allowed myself to exhale.

To pretend that I was just another traveler, seeking food and rest before another long journey.

But the weight of the Codex’s mark refused to be ignored.

It pulsed beneath my skin, an unspoken reminder.

I clenched my fists beneath the table.

"How do you feel?" Cairon’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I glanced up. His gaze was unreadable, but there was something there—something wary.

I hesitated. Lying wouldn’t help. "Different."

His jaw tightened. "Different how?"

I shook my head, my fingers tracing absent patterns against the worn wood of the table. "It’s hard to explain."

Cairon didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he studied me, his gaze sharp, as if searching for something he wasn’t sure he wanted to find.

"You should eat," he finally said, motioning toward the barmaid passing by.

It was an obvious deflection, but I didn’t push. Not yet.

A steaming plate of stew was set in front of me minutes later, the rich scent making my stomach twist. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until now. I forced myself to take slow, careful bites, despite the growing unease inside me.

Something was wrong.

Not with the food. Not with the tavern.

With me.

The feeling had been building since we left the ruins. A strange awareness—like something beneath my skin was stretching, unfolding. The symbols from the Codex still burned in my mind, their meaning just out of reach.

I swallowed hard, setting my spoon down.

Cairon noticed. "What is it?"

I hesitated. "I don’t know."

Lies.

I did know.

Something had changed in me when I touched the Codex. Something irreversible. And now, I could feel it shifting, adjusting, like a part of me was no longer entirely my own.

A flicker of movement caught my eye.

Near the bar, a man was watching us.

I tensed, my pulse quickening. He was dressed like a traveler, his cloak frayed at the edges, his boots worn from long journeys. But his eyes—dark and sharp—were too focused.

Too knowing.

Cairon had noticed too. His hand inched toward his blade beneath the table, his muscles coiled with restrained tension.

I forced myself to stay calm, to meet the stranger’s gaze without flinching.

The man smirked.

And then, he was gone, slipping through the back door of the tavern without a sound.

Cairon cursed under his breath.

"We need to leave," I murmured, already standing.

He didn’t argue.

The weight of my decision settled in my chest.

The Codex had marked me. Changed me.

And now, others knew.

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