Chapter 23: The Codex's Grip
Author: MrLostLetter
Ethan's mind was a battlefield. Every step he took echoed with the weight of uncertainty, his thoughts swirling like a storm that refused to settle. Lena and Dorian's words lingered, replaying over and over again, each time cutting deeper. "We don't trust you." The safehouse felt colder now. Dorian had left to patrol the perimeter, but Ethan knew it wasn't about security. He needed distance. Lena sat by the console, her back to Ethan, her fingers idly scrolling through encrypted data feeds, but he knew she wasn't really looking at them. The distance between them was more than just physical.
"They don't trust you."
Crowe's voice echoed softly in the back of Ethan's mind, a quiet reminder that was growing harder to silence. "And they're right." Ethan clenched his jaw, forcing himself to block it out, but the pulse of the Codex was stronger now. It wasn't just a whisper in his mind anymore. It was a presence—constant, unrelenting.
"Ethan."
Lena's voice was quiet, but it cut through the silence like a knife.
He looked up, meeting her gaze. Her green eyes, once filled with warmth and trust, now held something else. Doubt.
"Dorian's right," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan's throat tightened.
"About what?"
Lena's eyes didn't leave his.
"You're hiding something."
Ethan's pulse quickened, but he kept his expression neutral.
"I'm not."
Lena's brow furrowed, and for a moment, Ethan saw the pain beneath her hardened exterior.
"Don't do that."
"Do what?"
"Lie to me." Her voice was softer now, but the weight behind her words was impossible to ignore.
Ethan looked away, his jaw clenching.
"I'm not lying."
"Then tell me what's happening."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because..."
The words caught in his throat, and for a moment, he felt like he couldn't breathe.
"Because I don't know if I can control it."
Lena's eyes widened, her expression shifting from frustration to something else.
Fear.
"Ethan..."
Ethan turned away, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm fine," he murmured, but even he could hear the lie in his voice.
"You're not."
Lena's voice was barely above a whisper now, but it felt like a hammer against his defenses.
"Ethan... what's happening to you?"
Ethan's hands clenched into fists.
"I don't know."
The Codex pulsed in the back of his mind, stronger than before. The merge was accelerating. He could feel it. His thoughts were sharper, his instincts faster, but the line between himself and Crowe was blurring.
"You feel it, don't you?"
Crowe's voice was clearer now, more confident.
"The power. The knowledge."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"Shut up."
Lena's head snapped up.
"What?"
Ethan's eyes widened.
"Nothing," he muttered quickly, but the damage was done.
Lena stood slowly, her gaze locked on him.
"Who are you talking to?"
Ethan's throat went dry.
"No one."
Lena's eyes narrowed.
"Ethan."
Her voice was softer now, but the fear in it was impossible to miss.
"Is it... Crowe?"
Ethan's heart pounded harder.
"Lena..."
"Is he still in your head?"
Ethan's jaw clenched, but he couldn't deny it anymore.
"Yes."
Lena's breath caught.
"For how long?"
"Since the beginning."
Lena's eyes filled with something Ethan couldn't quite place.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I thought I could handle it."
Lena took a step closer, her voice barely above a whisper now.
"Can you?"
Ethan didn't answer.
"Ethan."
Crowe's voice was a whisper in his mind, but it was louder now, more persistent.
"They'll never understand."
"Stop."
"Lena's afraid of you. Dorian doesn't trust you."
"Shut up."
"You don't need them. You never did."
"Get out of my head!"
"Ethan!"
Lena's voice yanked him back to reality, but the look in her eyes sent a chill down his spine.
"Ethan..." Her voice trembled. "You're losing control."
Ethan's hands were shaking now, the pulse of the Codex coursing through him like fire.
"I'm fine," he whispered, but the words felt hollow.
"No, you're not."
Lena's eyes filled with tears, her voice barely audible.
"You're slipping away."
Ethan's breathing was ragged now, his mind spinning. The Codex's grip was tightening, and no matter how hard he fought, he could feel it pulling him deeper.
"Ethan," Lena whispered.
"Fight it."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his eyes squeezing shut as he fought to push Crowe's voice away.
"Ethan... you can stop this."
Her voice was softer now, but the urgency in it was impossible to ignore.
"Please."
Ethan's chest tightened as the Codex pulsed harder, the line between his thoughts and Crowe's growing thinner by the second.
"Ethan..."
Lena's hand brushed against his arm, grounding him for just a moment.
"You're stronger than this."
Ethan's eyes snapped open, his gaze locking onto hers.
But the question was...
Was he?
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Next Chapter: Chapter 24: Nemesis Reforged