Eclipca

29.

Delora 

The grand doors slammed shut with an echo that seemed to shatter the stillness of the library. The shadows thickened, their form pulsating and twisting like something alive, something that wanted to devour the intruders. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the oppressive energy of the Timeless Library began pressing down on us, squeezing the air from our lungs. I felt the weight of ancient knowledge and unseen power stirring, awakened by our presence.

Elyon's face was tense, his eyes fixed on the undulating mass of darkness that was now filling the room. "It's too late," he muttered. "The guardian is awake."

I didn't hesitate. My instincts screamed at me to act, to fight, but I knew that simple weapons would be useless against whatever this was. I needed more. I needed magic—powerful magic.

The four books I'd taken from the pedestal weighed heavy in my bag. My mind raced, trying to recall the spells I'd skimmed over. I had little time to think, so I reached into the bag and pulled out the first book my hand touched—the one with the deep purple leather cover, pulsing with energy as though it were alive.

I flipped it open, the pages crackling as though they'd been waiting for this moment. Ancient runes, words I didn't fully understand but somehow could feel, filled the pages. They hummed with dark energy, the kind of magic that came with a price.

As I held the book open, the shadows began to coalesce, growing denser and more defined, forming into something with a shape. The dark mass twisted into limbs, wings, and a head—slowly morphing into the figure of a black angel. Its wings spread wide, dark as night, blotting out what little light remained in the library. Its face was shadowed, with only two glowing red eyes staring down at us with malice.

A black angel. A guardian born of the library's deepest secrets, created to protect its knowledge from those unworthy. And now, we were its prey.

Seph and Solarys stood frozen for a moment, the sight of the creature stealing their breath. Even Elyon, who had seemed so confident, took a step back.

"We fight," Elyon had said, but his voice had lost its previous conviction. He didn't know how to fight this thing. None of us did.

But I did. The book in my hands called to me, its pages thrumming with power, and I knew that whatever spell I cast from this book, it would either save us or destroy us.

The black angel moved, its wings unfurling as it took a step forward, the air crackling with dark magic. Its mere presence made the hair on my arms stand up, the power of its aura almost unbearable. I could feel its malice, its intent to destroy.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest, and quickly scanned the pages of the book, my eyes falling on a spell—an ancient incantation meant to bind dark forces. My fingers trembled as I traced the unfamiliar runes, but I had no time to second-guess myself.

"Ignis et umbra vinculum," I whispered, my voice shaking slightly.

The words reverberated in the air, and I felt a pulse of energy surge through me, through the book, and into the space around us. The room shuddered, and the shadows around us seemed to pause, as though the spell had reached out and touched them.

The black angel froze, its red eyes narrowing as it sensed the shift in power. But it wasn't enough. The magic from the spell was strong, but the black angel was stronger. It broke through the initial force of the binding spell, advancing on us with a renewed fury.

Panic rose in my chest. The spell had only slowed it down. I needed more. I needed something stronger.

Elyon stepped forward, his voice low and sharp. "Delora, focus. You have the power. Use it. But you must mean it."