As they were still reeling from the blinding light emanating from the book, a collective cry erupted from the group, a mixture of anxiety and anticipation:

In that moment, time seemed to freeze around them. It was as if the entire world had come to a temporary halt, save for the sound of their rapid breathing. An eerie echo resonated in the corners of the library, heightening the tension. Nora, who was usually calm and in control of every situation, felt an unusual surge of anger rising within her. She turned sharply towards Leila.

With a voice filled with fury and stress, Nora snapped, her eyes blazing with frustration:

Leila, still struggling to comprehend what was unfolding, slowly lifted her gaze toward Nora. Her voice trembled, barely audible, as she attempted to defend herself:

Leila appeared lost, desperately trying to grasp the situation, while trying to hide the growing fear and unease within her. At first, she had thought the book was just an ancient artifact—she never imagined that touching it would unleash this wave of mystery and dread. She felt the weight of the moment, the blame beginning to settle on her from all sides.

Suddenly, before anyone could respond to Leila’s words, a deep, terrifying voice emerged from within the book. The voice was unnaturally powerful, its resonance echoing through unseen realms. It was not a human voice, but the voice of something far beyond their world—something from another dimension.

The voice spoke with an air of authority and mystery, as though the words were etched into the very fabric of the air, leaving behind a trace of fear in their hearts:

A shiver ran down their spines, as if these words carried a secret—one that belonged only to them, a secret they were not prepared to learn. The voice seemed to be revealing a new fate, as though they were part of an ancient game, bound to a destiny they hadn’t chosen.

A profound silence followed, heavy as stone, pressing down on their chests, as if they were incapable of thought, or even breath. The words "Athera" and "chosen ones" echoed in their minds, refusing to leave, as they exchanged looks of shock, confusion, and fear. None of them could speak; each of them stared at the others, eyes wide, trying to grasp what the cryptic voice meant.

It dawned on them suddenly that what had happened wasn’t mere coincidence—that this place, this moment, had brought them together for a specific purpose, a predetermined fate. They were all filled with a mix of dread and awe, wondering what the voice meant by "chosen ones."

Their gazes turned instinctively toward the book, which had begun to dim, its light slowly fading until it returned to its original, unassuming state. But it was no longer just a book to them—it had become a gateway, a symbol of the new world that awaited them, a world that challenged them, that called to them.

They all felt as though they stood at the threshold of an adventure from which there would be no turning back—an adventure that would change their lives forever and bind their destinies in ways they could never have imagined.