The moment Kaelen's fingers grazed the ancient parchment, the chamber trembled. A pulse of energy surged through the room, sending waves rippling through the air like the surface of a disturbed lake. The torches flickered wildly, casting erratic shadows across the towering bookshelves. Rina tensed beside him, her hand flying to the hilt of her dagger. The Codex of Echoes responded to his touch, its pages flipping faster, glowing sigils dancing along the margins of the ancient text. The whispers returned, dozens of voices layered atop one another, murmuring in a forgotten tongue. Then, as if deciding on a page, the Codex stilled. The words upon it pulsed with golden light before shifting, morphing into something Kaelen could comprehend.
The Harbinger shall rise again, born of shadow and fire.
A sharp pain lanced through Kaelen's skull, and suddenly, the room was gone. He was somewhere else. The scent of smoke and iron filled his lungs. The sky above him burned crimson, streaked with dark tendrils of void-like energy. The land around him was a battlefield, strewn with the remnants of a forgotten war. Soldiers in armour unfamiliar to him lay lifeless across the scorched ground, their weapons shattered, their banners torn. And at the centre of it all stood a lone figure. Tall, draped in obsidian robes, their face obscured by a helm that bore the insignia of a dragon wreathed in celestial fire. In one hand, they held a blade wreathed in dark flames; in the other, a staff pulsing with eerie golden light. Kaelen's breath caught in his throat as the figure turned toward him. Even through the helm, he could feel their gaze, piercing, knowing. A voice, layered with echoes of countless others, whispered directly into his mind.
You have walked this path before.
The vision shattered. Kaelen staggered back, gasping as the world of the temple came rushing back into focus. His hands trembled, his heart pounding like a war drum. The Codex of Echoes sat open before him, its pages still alight with golden energy.
Rina gripped his shoulder, her voice sharp with concern. "Kaelen! What the hell just happened?"
He swallowed hard, his mouth dry. "I… I saw something. A battle. A figure… I think it was me."
The woman in twilight robes observed him carefully, her expression unreadable. "The Codex reveals only what is necessary. It is not the past nor the future, but a convergence of both."
Kaelen forced himself to steady his breathing. "Then tell me… who am I supposed to be?"
The woman smiled, though there was sadness in her eyes. "That, Kaelen Duskbane, is for you to decide."