บท 143: Ashes of the past, part 1

In a couple more weeks, Cael made third circle versions of all his most used spells. This included his most used spell of blood magic—Greater Exsanguination.

Enhancing this spell required Cael to capture and sacrifice many forest critters as test targets. Cael thought he would never forget the one that was turned inside out by magic.

But overall, Cael was proud of himself. He got more insights in spellcrafting, and he was about to begin making his first proper magic item—with some great ideas about it—when the steady flow of life on the island changed.

That noon, Ginevra came from her hunt for bird eggs and fowl in a very agitated state, and with almost no haul. From a single glance at her, Cael knew that something was wrong.

"Cael, maybe the rumors of the curse of this island didn't come from nowhere. I found an entrance to some old underground building—and it was REEKING of magic."