Round 4

The ritual's aftermath hung heavy in the air, a mix of exertion and satisfaction that curdled into unease as new footsteps approached. The candles still flickered, their shadows performing a macabre dance across stone walls slick with sweat and other fluids. Jeane stood near the altar, her wings settling after maintaining the binding magic, her crimson eyes scanning the group with an expression that spoke of pride and something darker—paranoia perhaps, or calculation. Silra moved immediately to the door, hand on dagger hilt, her usually cool demeanor fracturing into visible tension. "Extinguish the lights," she hissed at Halie, already positioning herself as a barrier between the approaching intruder and the altar where Julia still knelt, dazed and bound in more ways than one. The heavy silence of the church was shattered by the sound of boots on stone, and everyone's heart rate spiked in unison.