Today I bound a relic to my soul — a shard of crystal left in a crater where no star has ever fallen.
It thrummed when I touched it. Not with mana, but with awareness. Something ancient. Perhaps even a piece of memory left behind by a user long gone.
Soulbinding is not taught. It cannot be. It is a conversation between essence and artifact. A test of compatibility, of mutual acceptance.
When I completed the bond, the Codex responded. A vault door opened in my library, revealing a space I did not create.
It was empty, yet expectant. I placed the crystal there, not physically, but through will. It disappeared from my hand and sang silently from within.
Every artifact stored deepens the Codex. Every bond echoes through my soul. I am not just a collector — I am a steward of forgotten power.
I wonder if any of the others ever feel their soul stretch like this. I doubt they remember enough to notice.