Nicholas stepped forward, his eyes piercing into Eric's. "Explain yourself, what exactly were you trying to do?"
Eric's hands shook as he tried to steady himself. "I... I was trying to stop them … the enemy."
"This ritual, it's meant to counteract their magic … if I could harness it—"
"Or unleash something far worse," Lyle interrupted, his voice cold. "Do you even know what you were dealing with?"
Eric's eyes darted around, searching for words. "I-I thought I did, the book... it seemed to have the answers."
Nicholas opened the book again, skimming through the pages.
"Are you truly so dumb to believe that you were able to find a book that explains what the enemy has been doing so easily, so coincidentally, right after we managed to fend them off?"
