Edrin waited for the world to change and it did not.A thin thread of warmth slipped into his chest then disappeared almost immediately. There was no sudden rush of strength coursing through his veins, no clarity illuminating the chaotic haze surrounding him. There was no power to draw from the lifeless body of the squad commander lying dead at his feet. The Codex had whispered in cryptic tones, then gone silent, leaving him just a recruit with a cracked sword gripped tightly and blood spattering his once-white boots, a strong reminder of brutality at this moment.Confusion and fear weighed heavily in his gut, that dark weight pressing down on him harshly. He felt like a marionette with cut strings, feeling vulnerable and lost. There was no time to untangle emotions, no luxury to process the dread gnawing at him.Around him, the line was coming apart already.Without the squad commander to guide them, the newer men floundered like fish thrown from a net. Two of them turned and sprinte