Confrontation in the forbidden library zone.

Lilith's cheeks still burned from the intense kiss she had shared with Ava moments ago. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, each beat seemingly echoing in the room. It was as if her heart had declared its allegiance to Ava, regardless of her indecisiveness.

Ava observed Lilith closely, her eyes searching for any sign of clarity in Lilith's conflicted expression. When Lilith finally spoke, her voice was tinged with uncertainty.

"I still don't know how to answer you, but if you give me some time, I'm sure I could find an answer," Lilith said, attempting to smile through her confusion. Ava nodded, understanding the complexity of the situation, and extended the magic feather toward her.

"Even if I'm not happy with your answer, I'll give it to you anyway," Ava said before turning to head for the bathroom.

"Thank you," Lilith replied, her voice carrying a note of relief. As Ava disappeared into the bathroom, she added, "Please don't do anything reckless."

Ava paused at the bathroom door, a wistful smile playing on her lips. "I make no promises," Lilith quipped before Ava disappearing inside.

Lilith left Ava's room with the magical feather clutched in her hand, her heart still racing from the encounter. She knew she needed to share the good news with Lila, who had been eagerly awaiting a solution to break the magic barrier.

Upon reaching Lila's room, Lilith couldn't contain her excitement. She bounded onto Lila's bed, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Lila, I've got good news!" Lilith exclaimed.

Lila, who had been engrossed in her own thoughts, snapped to attention. "Have you found a way to break the magic barrier?" she asked, her expression turning serious.

"Yes," Lilith said, proudly displaying the feather. However, Lila regarded the feather with skepticism.

"Is a feather your solution?" Lila questioned, her brow furrowing.

"It's a magic feather that will allow me to break the magic barrier, don't worry," Lilith assured her, standing up to leave.

Lila nodded, her face relaxing. "Well, you'd better hurry up and get to the library; it's nearly 6 o'clock, and the library closes at 7 o'clock, so don't hang around too long."

With Lila's words echoing in her mind, Lilith left her room and briskly made her way through the castle corridors, eager to put her plan into action.

As she approached the library's entrance, one of the guards remarked, "Well, you're coming to the library more often now, Princess."

Lilith offered a playful grin. "What do you expect? I'm a big fan of reading." The guard chuckled, opening the door to allow her inside.

Once within the library, Lilith didn't waste a second. She made a beeline for the corridor leading to the forbidden room. This time, to her relief, the librarian was nowhere in sight, making her task significantly easier.

Within minutes, Lilith stood before the door, armed with the key Lila had provided and her newfound magic feather. She took a deep breath, her nerves tingling with anticipation.

"I hope the feather works," she muttered to herself, taking it out of her bag and pointing it at the door. To her amazement, the door's magic barrier dissipated, granting her access.

"Yes!" Lilith exclaimed with joy before stepping inside. Just as she had seen during her previous visit, there were only five books in the room, one with a green cover and the others with brown ones.

Lilith carefully replaced the five books with others of the same color from her bag, executing her plan to avoid arousing suspicion. With a sense of satisfaction, she decided to open one of the newly acquired books to see its contents.

However, just as she cracked the cover, a voice echoed through the room, sending a shiver down her spine.

"What have we here, a thief?" the librarian's stern voice called out as he approached Lilith.

Startled, Lilith snapped the book shut and began moving toward the door, but the librarian intercepted her, his disapproval evident.

"I don't know how you got in here, but don't think you'll get out of here with those books," he declared, his eyes narrowing. The library had just become a much more dangerous place for Lilith.

As the librarian accused Lilith of being a thief and callously blocked her path, a tumultuous wave of panic surged through her being, threatening to overwhelm her senses. Her heart raced in her chest like a frantic drumbeat as she frantically contemplated her next move. She desperately attempted to push past the librarian, but to her astonishment, he proved to be surprisingly swift, like a shadow that had come to life. 

In the blink of an eye, his hand soared upward, and an otherworldly power coursed through him, manifesting as ethereal, shimmering chains of metal that seemed to materialize out of thin air.

These magical chains, as elusive as smoke, snaked menacingly through the atmosphere, with uncanny precision, swiftly entangling Lilith's arms and legs in their unforgiving embrace. With a startled yelp, she found herself falling to the ground, her every struggle against the inexorable restraints seeming futile.

With a sinister sneer, the librarian taunted, "So weak, princess."

Yet, despite her dire circumstances, Lilith's spirit remained resolute and unyielding. She simply couldn't afford to falter at this critical juncture, not after she had come so far. Gritting her teeth and mustering every ounce of her inner strength, she summoned the courage to pull herself upright, her muscles straining agonizingly against the relentless grip of the magical chains.

Unperturbed by Lilith's unwavering determination, the librarian pressed closer, his intentions ruthlessly clear: he intended to reclaim the pilfered books she had dared to grasp. Fueled by a desperate surge of adrenaline, Lilith resolved to take a desperate and audacious step. She lunged towards the librarian, teeth bared in a feral attempt to bite him, but the librarian deftly evaded her attack.

His tone took an unsettling turn as he remarked, "You're amusing, but I must admit, you possess a certain beauty. Perhaps I could..."

The librarian approached Lilith with unsettling familiarity, his fingers trailing through her hair, an unsettling suggestion hanging heavily in the air.

"Engaging in such pursuits with a princess would be considered unprecedented for a man like me," he mused with an unsettling smirk.

  As Lilith strained in her efforts to wrest herself free from the librarian's grasp, the feather slipped stealthily from her bag, casting an incandescent glow that illuminated the room.

A spine-chilling howl of agony erupted from the librarian as the feather's magic enveloped him, an inferno of flames erupting from its core to consume him. Frantically, he attempted to extinguish the relentless blaze, but the flames clung to him with unwavering tenacity. Lilith, her eyes wide with shock and horror, took a hesitant step backward, her own fear and disbelief mirroring the librarian's agony.

The corridor now reverberated with the pungent scent of scorched parchment and the frenzied crackling of unrelenting flames. Lilith watched, her disbelief palpable, as the librarian's anguished cries grew increasingly desperate. In a cruel twist of fate, he collapsed to the floor, his body convulsing and writhing in a grotesque dance of torment.

At long last, with a deep sigh that seemed to echo through the chamber, the magical chains that had imprisoned Lilith vanished into the ether, releasing her from their oppressive grip. She approached the librarian cautiously, her heart heavy with an overwhelming mix of guilt and concern. The man lay motionless on the ground, his skin charred, his once-distinguished attire reduced to smoldering ash.

Kneeling beside him, Lilith checked for any faint signs of life, but it was painfully evident that he had succumbed to the relentless flames. He was dead.