Two days had passed, and the night had bled into a weary dawn. The weight of the impending battle hung heavy in the air of the dusty library, thick with the musty scent of aged parchment and desperation. Serafina emerged from a secluded corner, her eyes burning with an unnatural intensity. Days spent hunched over cryptic tomes had etched lines of exhaustion on her face, but beneath them flickered a fierce determination.
Slamming the ancient tome shut with a decisive thud, she addressed the group, her voice hoarse but firm. "I've mastered the spell, I'm ready" she announced. Relief, tinged with apprehension, washed over them. A flicker of hope momentarily chased away the dread that had gnawed at their insides.
"The ritual to summon the Onis," she continued, her words laced with a gravity that demanded their full attention. "I can perform it."
