Villain's Last Chance

The weight of the Codex hadn't lessened.

Even as we made our way back through the winding corridors of the underground vault, I felt its presence pressing into me. It wasn't just a book. It was something more—a force, a presence, a whisper threading through the edges of my thoughts.

I gritted my teeth against the feeling. I wouldn't let it take root.

The air was different now. Tighter. Heavier. The walls seemed closer, the shadows stretching longer than before. I didn't know if it was just my imagination or if the vault itself had changed after what had happened back there.

Cairon walked ahead, his movements sharp and deliberate. Marek trailed behind, casting wary glances over his shoulder. None of us spoke.

Not until we reached the exit.

The moment we stepped out, the temperature shifted. The underground chill vanished, replaced by the thick, humid night air. The scent of damp earth filled my lungs, grounding me. For a moment, I thought we were safe.

Then I felt it.

Eyes.

Watching.

Cairon sensed it, too. His hand went to his sword, his body going rigid. Marek tensed beside me.

We weren't alone.

The trees beyond the ruins were unnaturally still, the wind refusing to stir the branches. The shadows between them stretched deeper than they should have, too dark even for nightfall.

A figure stepped forward.

At first, I thought it was just a trick of the moonlight. But then the shadows peeled away, revealing someone draped in deep crimson robes, their hood drawn low over their face.

But I recognized them.

Not by their face—by the power they carried.

By the way the air bent around them.

A Revenant.

They had found us.

The figure didn't move, but the air around them did. Magic thickened in the space between us, unseen but unmistakable. The same kind of presence I had felt back in the vault.

I took a step forward before I could think better of it.

Cairon grabbed my wrist. "Don't." His voice was low, sharp. "They're not here for a conversation."

The Revenant lifted a hand.

The air snapped.

The force of it sent a violent pulse outward, rustling the leaves, shaking the very ground beneath us. A warning.

Then, finally, they spoke.

"You should not have taken it."

Their voice was smooth, almost emotionless, but there was something underneath it—something controlled and coiled tight.

I lifted my chin. "That's funny. I don't remember asking permission."

The Revenant didn't move. But their power did. It rippled, stretching out like invisible fingers. Testing. Measuring.

And then, without warning—

They attacked.

The ground beneath us shattered.

I barely had time to react before the earth cracked apart, a shockwave of force rippling through the ruins. I jumped back, my heart slamming against my ribs.

Cairon moved fast. His sword flashed in the moonlight as he lunged forward, intercepting a second wave of magic before it could reach us. The force of it sent him skidding back, but he didn't fall.

Marek cursed. "We need to go. Now."

The Revenant didn't chase.

They didn't need to.

The air itself turned against us.

A gust of wind slammed into me, sharp as a blade. My balance wavered, my fingers tightening around the Codex as if it could anchor me. My body burned with the energy of it—of the power seeping into me from the book, pushing against the Revenant's hold.

Cairon grabbed my arm, pulling me back. "Run."

And we did.

The ruins blurred past us as we sprinted, dodging jagged cracks in the earth and leaping over fallen stones. The magic behind us surged, pressing at our heels, but we didn't slow.

We couldn't.

The trees swallowed us whole.

Branches tore at my arms as we pushed deeper into the forest. The wind howled behind us, but the Revenant didn't follow. Their presence lingered—watching, waiting—but they didn't pursue.

Not yet.

Not while they could still see me.

I didn't stop running until the trees thickened, the ruins vanishing from view. Only then did I collapse against a tree, gasping for breath.

Cairon was beside me in an instant, his eyes scanning me for injuries. "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head, but the weight in my chest remained. "They knew." My voice was hoarse. "They knew I took the Codex."

Marek exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "Of course they did. A book like that? It's probably linked to them somehow. It might as well have a damn beacon on it."

I looked down at the Codex in my hands.

It was silent now, its pulsing magic subdued.

But I felt it.

Its presence in my veins.

Its awareness.

Cairon studied me. "You're connected to it." It wasn't a question.

I swallowed hard. "I think I have been since the moment I touched it."

Marek muttered another curse. "That's just great."

A silence stretched between us.

The truth settled in, heavy and undeniable.

The Revenants wouldn't stop coming.

The moment I had taken the Codex, I had marked myself. And now, they wouldn't just want the book.

They would want me.

Cairon's expression darkened. "We need to move. We can't stay in one place too long."

I pushed off the tree, steadying myself. "Where do we go?"

His jaw tightened. "To someone who can tell us what the hell you just bonded yourself to."

I hesitated. "You know someone?"

His eyes met mine. "I know someone."

That wasn't exactly reassuring.

But I didn't have a choice.

The Codex was mine now.

And the world knew it.