Dawn crept slowly across the rooftops of Valeris City, spilling pale gold light over crooked chimneys and narrow streets. The morning market had already begun to stir—vendors shouting prices, carts rattling over stone, the smell of fried bread drifting through the air.
Inside a cramped room above a repair shop, Arin Vale groaned and pulled a thin blanket over his head.
"Five more minutes…" he mumbled.
A loud knock slammed against the wooden door.
"Arin!" her voice cut through the door.
"If you're still sleeping, I swear I'll drag you outside myself!"
He sighed.
That voice could only belong to one person.
"Elara… it's barely morning".his voice cracking.
The door burst open anyway.
Elara stood there with her hands on her hips, breathing slightly from climbing the stairs. Her dark hair was tied hastily behind her head, though loose strands had already escaped.
"Barely morning? The sun's already up!." she said.
Arin sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes.
The room was small—just a bed, a cracked table, and a window that overlooked the crowded street below.
"I was working late," he muttered.
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"Reading dusty books doesn't count as work?."
"They're not dusty." he said.
Elara glanced at the table.
A pile of worn notebooks sat there, pages filled with strange sketches and symbols Arin had copied from old texts. Most of them made no sense to anyone else but to Arin, they were fascinating.
"See?..Dusty."she said.
He ignored the comment and stood, stretching his arms up.
This feels good!
"What do you want this early anyway?"
Elara grinned.
"You forgot, didn't you?"
Arin frowned.
"Forgot what?"
Her grin widened.
"Today's the Codex Academy registration!."
"…Ah! Right!."That woke him up.
Why did I forget about that.
Every year the Dominion Academy opened its gates to young people who wanted to awaken their Codex potential.
Some would gain a Law.
Some would fail.
Some would never even feel the Codex at all.
For most people in Valeris, it was the only chance to escape ordinary life.
"Well, don't just stand there. If we're late, the line will be halfway across the district."Elara said. Arin grabbed his coat and go outside.
The streets were already crowded.
People hurried through the market while merchants shouted over each otgher, waving vegetables, cloth, and metal tools in the air.
Arin and Elara pushed through the noise.
"So, what Law do you think you'll get?".
Elara said, walking beside him. "
Arin shrugged.
"If I even get one".
"Oh come on! You've been studying the Codex for years."Elara tapped his shoulder.
"That doesn't mean it will choose me."he sighted.
The Codex didn't care how much someone studied, some people awakened their power naturally and others never did. No one knew why.
They turned a corner and saw the academy gates in the distance. A massive stone structure rose above the surrounding buildings. Tall banners bearing the Dominion symbol hung from its walls. Even from here, Arin could feel something strange in the air a faint pressure. Like standing near a thunderstorm before lightning struck.
Elara noticed the crowd gathering.
"Looks like half the city had the same idea."
Dozens of young people stood outside the gates. Some looked excited. Others nervous.
Arin studied the academy walls quietly.
"Thinking about backing out?" sly smirk played on Elara's lips.
He shook his head.
"No."
"But something felt… off".
As they moved closer, the strange pressure grew stronger.
Arin frowned slightly.
"Do you feel that?".
"Feel what?"she said.
"The air."he said.
Elara looked around.
"It's just hot."
Arin wasn't convinced.
The feeling was subtle—like a vibration just beneath the surface of everything.
Almost like something was…Watching.
Inside the academy courtyard, a large crystal stood at the center of a circular platform.
Students gathered around it in small groups while instructors observed from the edges.
"That's the Codex Resonance Crystal," Elara whispered.
Arin nodded.
I've read it before. The crystal helped reveal a person's Law affinity.
One by one, students approached.
Some caused the crystal to glow faintly.
Others triggered stronger reactions.
When one boy stepped forward, the crystal flashed bright red.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Law 15 affinity," one instructor announced.
Impressive.
Arin swallowed slightly.
Eventually, his turn came.
He stepped onto the platform.
The courtyard suddenly felt quieter.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
For a moment…
Nothing happened.
Then the crystal flickered.
Not bright.
Not dim.
Just… unstable.
The light shimmered strangely, like it couldn't decide what form to take.
The instructors exchanged confused looks.
One of them frowned.
"…Incomplete resonance,"
The crystal dimmed.
"That's it?" Elara whispered from the crowd.
Arin stepped off the platform slowly.
No applause.
No whispers of admiration.
Just silence.
Another average result.
But as he walked away…
A thin crack appeared inside the crystal.
So small that no one noticed.
No one except one old instructor standing in the shadows.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Strange."
Arin didn't see the crack.
He didn't feel the shift.
But somewhere deep inside him…
Something had quietly awakened.
And the Codex of Dominion had noticed.