Ava swung her legs over the edge of the bed, the cold stone floor grounding her. The _Liber Nocturna_'s presence filled the room like a living thing, its blank pages seeming to absorb the flickering candlelight. Elian leaned against the wall, arms folded, his green eyes watchful. Lucas stood by the door, the gunmetal-gray box now open, revealing a set of ancient-looking tools.
"The Order doesn't waste time," Elian said, his voice low and smooth. "They've been searching for the _Liber_ for centuries. Now they think they can claim it… and you."
Ava's heart pounded. She remembered the whispers of the Order—shadowy figures who hunted the supernatural, erasing anything that threatened their vision of "purity." "What do they want with me?"
Lucas's gaze flicked to the _Liber_. "You're the key, Ava. The _Liber_ chose you. The Order will stop at nothing to exploit that power."
Ava's fingers instinctively touched the scar on her thumb, the mark of the pact burning faintly. "What can I do?"
Elian pushed off the wall, stalking closer. "You can wield the _Liber_. Control it before the Order does. But first, you need to understand its true power."
He gestured to the desk, where the _Liber_ lay open. Ava saw her own reflection staring back from the blank pages, her eyes now flecked with gold.
"The _Liber_ feeds on intent," Elian explained. "Write something—anything—with enough focus, and reality bends. But every edit has a cost. The _Liber_ always collects."
Lucas handed her the quill. "Try it, Ava. Write something simple."
Ava hesitated, then scribbled: _"The candle flame dances."_ The flame on the desk leapt, twisting into a vortex of colors. The room brightened, shadows shrinking away.
The _Liber_'s pages fluttered, hungry. Ava felt a rush of power, followed by a creeping dread. "What did I do?"
Elian smiled, cold and calculating. "You fed it. Now it wants more."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside—the heavy, deliberate steps of multiple people. The Order had arrived.
Lucas drew a gun, silver bullets loaded. "They won't take you without a fight."
Elian's eyes gleamed. "Let them come. Ava, write something—protect us."
Ava's mind raced. She remembered the words of the _Liber_: _"Rewrite fate, bind the shadows."_ She scribbled: _"Shadows, shield us."_
The room darkened as shadows coalesced, forming a living barrier around them. The footsteps stopped at the door, followed by a knock—three slow, deliberate raps.
"Ava Morales," a voice called. "We know you're in there. Surrender the _Liber_, and we'll spare your… friends."
Elian's grin turned feral. "Make them pay, Ava."
Ava's fingers tightened around the quill. She wrote: _"The Order's bullets turn to dust."_ The _Liber_'s pages shuddered, the words echoing in the air.
The Order's agents kicked down the door. Guns fired, but the bullets disintegrated mid-air, turning to fine ash that drifted to the floor.
Lucas laughed, a low, wicked sound. "Time to play."
Elian charged forward, moving faster than humanly possible. Ava watched in horror as he disarmed the agents, their screams muffled by the shadows.
The _Liber_'s hunger grew, urging Ava to write more. She felt its power coursing through her veins, tempting her to unleash it all.
Lucas grabbed her arm. "Ava, stop. You're losing control."
Ava's vision blurred. The quill moved on its own, writing words she didn't recognize: _"The Order falls. The shadows rise."_
The room erupted into chaos. Shadows devoured the agents, their screams echoing until silence fell. The _Liber_'s pages settled, satisfied.
Elian stood, bloodied but triumphant. "You did it, Ava. But at what cost?"
Ava stared at the quill, now dripping with dark ink. "What have I become?"
Lucas's expression turned somber. "You're the _Liber_'s master now. And the Order will never stop hunting you."
The shadows retreated, revealing the carnage. Ava's breath caught. "I… I didn't mean to—"
Elian's gaze softened, a rare glimmer of empathy. "You're not alone, Ava. But you must learn to control it… before it consumes you."
The _Liber Nocturna_'s pages turned, revealing a single word: _"Run."_
Ava's heart pounded. The Order would return, stronger and angrier. The _Liber_'s power was hers to wield… but at what cost?