The grimoire looked terrifyingly dark, radiating an aura of dense, oppressive power. Isiah had never encountered a tome like this during his entire life in District One, as mages in this world channeled their spells directly without relying on grimoires or physical catalysts.
'Maybe it is because everyone here is too weak,' Isiah reasoned as he strained against the leather binding, attempting to force the book open. 'Their basic spells barely consume any divine energy to begin with. But whatever is sealed inside this thing, it is definitely dark.'
He pushed those thoughts aside and applied all his physical strength to pry the cover open, but the book refused to budge. He doubled his effort, his muscles straining, yet the outcome remained the same.
Despite his newly enhanced physical vessel, he couldn't open it an inch. For a moment, he wondered if he was approaching the mechanism entirely wrong.
