Ava Morales stepped into the rain-soaked alley, Prague's neon lights fracturing on wet cobblestones. Elian led, the _Liber Nocturna_ tucked under his jacket. Lucas and Catherine flanked her, their faces masks of focus. The Order's drones buzzed overhead, hunting shadows.
"We need intel," Elian said, stopping beneath a crumbling archway. "The Order's next move—where they'll hit."
Lucas pulled a tablet, hacking into encrypted files. "Got something. They're targeting a Prague museum. Tonight."
Ava's grip on the _Liber_ tightened. "Why?"
"Artifact there," Elian said, his eyes gleaming. "Ancient relic. The Order wants it… for you."
Catherine frowned. "What is it?"
"Shroud of St. Agnes," Lucas said, reading the file. "Legend says it can bind… or banish shadows."
Ava's mind raced. The _Liber_'s pages rustled, urging her.
Elian's smile was cold. "We need that shroud. Before the Order gets it."
Ava wrote: _"The museum's guards see nothing."_
The alley's shadows deepened, swirling into the museum's CCTV feeds. The guards' eyes glazed, their posts abandoned.
Lucas whistled low. "Ava, you're—"
"Deadly," Elian finished. "Now move."
They infiltrated the museum, dodging empty halls. The shroud hung in a glass case, its threads woven with silver and darkness.
Catherine reached for it, but Elian stopped her. "Ava does it."
Ava's fingers touched the glass. She wrote: _"The shroud is mine."_
The case shattered, the shroud floating into her hands. Power surged—binding shadows, amplifying intent.
The _Liber_'s pages turned: _"With the shroud, you're unstoppable."_
Suddenly, Catherine grabbed Ava's arm. "Wait—"
The museum's lights flickered. The Order's agents burst in, guns trained.
Elian laughed, low and wicked. "Too late."
Ava wrote: _"The Order falls… here."_
Shadows devoured the agents. Screams echoed, then silence.
The shroud pulsed in Ava's grasp. Catherine's eyes were black as coal.
"Ava," Catherine whispered. "What are you?"
Ava's reflection stared back—a girl woven from shadows.
The _Liber_'s whisper: _"You're the darkness… now."_
Here's the copy:
*Chapter 12: Fractured Trust*
Ava Morales stepped into the rain-soaked alley, Prague's neon lights fracturing on wet cobblestones. Elian led, the _Liber Nocturna_ tucked under his jacket. Lucas and Catherine flanked her, their faces masks of focus. The Order's drones buzzed overhead, hunting shadows.
"We need intel," Elian said, stopping beneath a crumbling archway. "The Order's next move—where they'll hit."
Lucas pulled a tablet, hacking into encrypted files. "Got something. They're targeting a Prague museum. Tonight."
Ava's grip on the _Liber_ tightened. "Why?"
"Artifact there," Elian said, his eyes gleaming. "Ancient relic. The Order wants it… for you."
Catherine frowned. "What is it?"
"Shroud of St. Agnes," Lucas said, reading the file. "Legend says it can bind… or banish shadows."
Ava's mind raced. The _Liber_'s pages rustled, urging her.
Elian's smile was cold. "We need that shroud. Before the Order gets it."
Ava wrote: _"The museum's guards see nothing."_
The alley's shadows deepened, swirling into the museum's CCTV feeds. The guards' eyes glazed, their posts abandoned.
Lucas whistled low. "Ava, you're—"
"Deadly," Elian finished. "Now move."
They infiltrated the museum, dodging empty halls. The shroud hung in a glass case, its threads woven with silver and darkness.
Catherine reached for it, but Elian stopped her. "Ava does it."
Ava's fingers touched the glass. She wrote: _"The shroud is mine."_
The case shattered, the shroud floating into her hands. Power surged—binding shadows, amplifying intent.
The _Liber_'s pages turned: _"With the shroud, you're unstoppable."_
Suddenly, Catherine grabbed Ava's arm. "Wait—"
The museum's lights flickered. The Order's agents burst in, guns trained.
Elian laughed, low and wicked. "Too late."
Ava wrote: _"The Order falls… here."_
Shadows devoured the agents. Screams echoed, then silence.
The shroud pulsed in Ava's grasp. Catherine's eyes were black as coal.
"Ava," Catherine whispered. "What are you?"
Ava's reflection stared back—a girl woven from shadows.
The _Liber_'s whisper: _"You're the darkness… now."_