As Alden reached out and touched the towering black mirror, the world trembled again.
"What the actual fuck is happening now?" he muttered.
He was already too damn exhausted.
This time, the entire shadowy space trembled.
It shifted.
The once vibrant sky of darkness and light was now filled with eclipses.
The countless eclipses looked like the eyes of some gods watching him.
In the sky, a gigantic and majestic golden book floated, its pages flipping with a strange, almost lifelike rhythm.
It was a magical sight.
A soft hum echoed through the space.
Stairs began forming in front of Alden, stretching toward the hovering book.
Alden stared at the stairs with tired expression
Great, more walking. Just what I wanted.
He started climbing the stairs, relieved to find no tricks or illusions this time.
The climb was long—nearly two hours by his best guess—but straightforward.
Finally, he arrived at the golden platform where the book was situated.
He looked at it for a moment.
The book was even more gigantic up close.
Unsure what to do next, he decided to touch it.
The moment Alden touched it, the book erupted into life.
Its pages flipped wildly, releasing waves of golden light that shot straight into him.
"Uaghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! "
Alden screamed with every fiber of his being.
The pain was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
It was as though his brain and veins were being melted, reconstructed, and melted again and again in an endless cycle.
He collapsed, unable to endure it, and the world went black.
---
When Alden regained consciousness, his entire body ached.
He groaned as he pushed himself up. "What the hell was that? I don't want to feel that ever again."
"Yeah, that was my reaction too, the first time I inherited the Eclipse Codex."
The casual voice startled Alden, and he immediately snapped to attention.
He saw a shadowy figure descending from the sky, its outline was shifting like smoke.
"Who are you?" Alden asked, his guard up.
The figure raised its hands in mock surrender, its tone light and nonchalant. "Relax, kid. If I wanted to harm you, I'd have done it already."
"That doesn't answer my question," Alden replied, fully alert.
"Well, if I'm gonna keep it simple: I'm the founder of the Draven family. Thaddeus Draven. Or, rather, a fragment of him left behind by him to deal with situations like this." The figure bowed dramatically. "At your service. Not for long though.
"I'll disappear once the Eclipse Codex has a new successor. You."
Alden narrowed his eyes observing the shadowy figure. "Wait, you're the founder of the Draven family? You're supposed to be some legendary figure, not... whatever this is."
Thaddeus chuckled. "Legendary? Kid, I was just a guy with some spare time and a lot of curiosity. I stumbled upon the Eclipse Codex, survived the process of inheriting it, and figured, 'Why not start a family while I'm at it?' Kept me entertained for a few centuries."
Alden blinked in surprise his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "So, the Draven family was just... a timepass for you?"
"Pretty much," Thaddeus admitted with a nonchalant grin. "I mean, it's not like I cared about legacy or any of that nonsense."
"You see, I built the Eclipse Foundation—a
branch of eclipse magic I derived from the Codex." He spoke casually. "It was good and practical magic. It gave the Dravens an edge back in the day."
Alden frowned. "Yeah, about that..... the Draven family doesn't even use the Eclipse Foundation anymore. They're obsessed with shadow magic now. None of them even know the Eclipse Foundation existed.It has been long lost in history and not even mentioned in any books or anything."
For a moment, Thaddeus was silent.
Then he laughed. Loudly.
"Hahahha....Are you serious?" he said between laughter. "They abandoned the Eclipse Foundation for shadow magic? That's hilarious."
"The Eclipse Foundation was light-years ahead of that edgy shadow nonsense. What a waste."
Alden crossed his arms "It doesn't seem to bother you much."
"Why would it?" Thaddeus said, shrugging. "I only created the family and the Foundation because I was bored. If they want to waste their potential chasing shadows, that's on them. Not my problem anymore."
Alden studied him curiously, unsure of what to make of this casual, almost indifferent founder. "So, what happens now?"
"Now?" Thaddeus tilted his head, his shadowy form starting to disappear. "You've inherited the Eclipse Codex. Congrats, by the way. Though I bet you're already figuring out it's not as simple as getting a magic book dumped into your brain."
"No kidding," Alden muttered. "It felt like my head was being torn apart."
"Yeah, the Codex isn't exactly user-friendly," Thaddeus said with a smirk. "It's got a method, though. The knowledge you've received? That's just information on the basics abilities. More will unlock as you master what you've been given."
"So, I just have to figure it out as I go?" Alden said with a smirk on his face.
"Pretty much," Thaddeus said. "Look, kid, the Codex doesn't pick just anyone,it only picks people with overwhelming affinity for eclipse magic and some other reason which even I don't know."
"It chose you for a reason. You'll figure it out or you won't. Either way, my job here is done."
"Wait!" Alden called out. "That's it? No advice? No guidance? Nothing?"
Thaddeus gave him a final grin. "Advice? Sure. Don't die. And don't let anyone else tell you what to do with the your life. It's yours, kid. Make of it what you will."
With that, he vanished, leaving Alden alone on the golden platform.
Alden stared at the empty space where Thaddeus had been, the weight of the Eclipse Codex settling heavily in his mind. "Don't die," he muttered with smile "Yeah, thanks for the pep talk ."
The platform began to dissolve beneath him, and Alden felt himself falling.
"Guess it's time to see what I've gotten myself into," he said to no one in particular as the world shifted once more.
***********************
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading! I'm all for feedback, so drop a comment or review if you feel like it. Would love to hear your thoughts!