The sky was dark. No trace of sun remained, and Cira was tired. She could stop and head downstairs to go to bed, but she had already planned on not doing so. One of the thrills of travelling was camping out in different places, and Cira had seen precious few islands since landing on Fount Salt a few months ago. She could count them on a single hand, and two were technically the same place.

This led Cira to a dim island under the moonlight night. She spied a gentle spring on the surface and dove off Breeze Haven to land next to it. If Cira was looking for worms, or anything else, she would have looked through the whole island, but she had already found a nice spot to relax. It was far too late for worm hunting. The spring lake was surrounded with sand and there seemed to be patches of beach grass here and there. Sand, of course, made for a decent makeshift bed.

Cira wriggled a little indent for herself and let sorcery do the rest of the work. She turned a few clumps of sand into glass which was then engraved to cook food, then she pulled various fish and some underworm out, then decided to cook up some lamb she found in Breeze Haven’s Absolute Freezer. It seemed like it was still good.

This time, she didn’t fall asleep, and ended up pulling away from the sandy indent after just a short while.

“Dammit!” She punched the sand, “Why did I have to leave like that? Shouldn’t I know by now curses aren’t to be taken lightly?”

A crystal mug drained of golden ale, “So stupid!” She threw it and it didn’t even shatter. “I thought I was more responsible now…”

Cira stuffed her face with various grilled meats to make herself feel better, but her belly was awful stuffed at this point. It was late, though she didn’t know how late. It didn’t really matter.

I should know by now it’s always going to end like that…

“I’m the worst… And a terrible teacher.” Cira polished off another glass and leaned back, ripping some overcooked lamb off the bone. “This sucks.”

___

Hmmmm, what is that?

Cira heard a strangely familiar sound. A clicking and clacking that stirred a primal discomfort in her.

It’s not spiders though. But why does that sound like…

Hang on.

Cira opened her eyes, “Skeleton?! Begone!” Prismagora appeared and lit up the whole island. Cira channeled mana into a spear of light aimed directly and the skeleton’s chest. It wasn’t a particularly large skeleton—just a regular one, but for some reason it was watching Cira sleep, and she didn’t like that.

“No, don’t!” Cira’s half-conscious mind was startled to watch a young girl jump out from behind the skeleton, “He was only protecting me—please don’t kill my dad!”

He… looks pretty dead to me. “Your dad is a skeleton…?”

What does this girl have in her hands…?

“Y-yes!” There were tears in her eyes as she spread her arms to protect the skeleton, “What’s wrong with that?!”

“…Nothing, I guess.” Cira had sat up and gotten a better look, “But are you eating my food?”

She had fallen asleep and maybe the rest would have burned away, but being woken up like this way was rather jarring. The girl had evidently grabbed a handful of her underworm loaf like some kind of animal. The least she could do was wake Cira up first.

“I’m sorry!” She desperately shoved the rest of a handful in her mouth, looking at Cira with pleading eyes, “It… it just smelled so good.”

Cira let out a heavy yawn and rubbed her eyes, “Okay, hang on… Prismagora.” It was four in the morning. “Not bad, I guess. Go on and take a seat, then. I’m up.”

Two stools appeared before her—one for the girl and one for the skeleton, but Cira opted for a chair with arms and comfortable back because she was still weary. Dirt and sand was easier to work with than gold in this regard.

A pile of fruit from Breeze Haven’s garden found itself on a newly conjured table between them and Cira gestured to it.

“Help yourself, and feel free to clean up the grill if any of it’s still good.” Cira peeled an orange and started on her vitamins for the day under Prismagora’s artificial sunrise.

“W-what…?” The girl blinked in shock, still protecting the skeleton, “You mean… I can have…?”

Cira smiled back at her. Under the light, this girl had ashy blonde hair and bright hazel eyes. Her face was clean enough to know she hadn’t been living here like some kind of savage. The skeleton dad was one mystery, but her body appeared to be properly nourished too.

“Of course. I am a traveling sorcerer, so I can hardly refuse a young girl my leftovers. Please enjoy the fruit as well; I grew it myself.” Somehow the skeleton looked suspicious, but a twinkle blossomed in the girl’s eyes as she took an apple in one hand with an orange in the other. She started with a huge bite out of the whole orange as a smile grew unconcerned of peel or rind. “I only hope that you will satisfy my curiosity.”

Strangely enough, the skeleton was not aggressive at all. Typically, they were bound by grudge or other harsh feelings like a standard ghost, but this one did not seem intent on taking action of any kind, nor did he appear to be a bone golem. Despite how he didn’t move, it seemed there was a certain intelligence behind his gaze. It was obvious he desired to protect her and as if to assuage the girl’s concerns, he was first to take a seat too.

“D-dad…? Are you sure?” The girl asked.

“Can you two communicate…?” Cira hadn’t heard anything.

“Of course.” She chuckled. “It took a couple years, but… I always know what he means these days.”

Out of context the interaction between this young girl and the skeleton was perhaps a little strange, but it felt natural. The girl was maybe a couple years older than Cira was when she lost her father, but it seemed her and her dad had things figured out here.

The skeleton seemed bashful and held a fist to his face as if chuckling.

“I’m Cira.” She couldn’t keep a wholesome smile from her face, “Who are you two?”

“My parents named me Brenda or something,” She chuckled, stuffing her face with an apple now, “But Papa Skelton just calls me Bin Bon.”

“Is… that right? You mean to say your mother is away?” Could she be a skeleton as well?

“Nope!” Despite the heavy subject, this girl didn’t seem upset at all. It was almost inspiring, “My parents dropped me off here a long time ago. Papa Skelton takes care of me now.”

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“Oh…” Cira shared a glance with Mr. Skelton and felt a strangely somber something. She didn’t let it show on her face though. It was time to assume her profession, especially in the face of a young girl potentially in need, “I hear this stretch of islands can be dangerous sometimes. Do you two need any help? I travel the skies for this reason, so don’t be afraid to speak up if there’s anything that needs done around here.”

“No thank you.” The girl had the rest of the roasted worm loaf on the bare table before her, picking at it like a bushel of berries or something. “Me ‘n’ Pops are good here.”

Cira wasn’t sure if this girl was too old for the junior division on Paradise or not, but in most places, she would probably be considered an adult. That said, she was seemingly robbed of common sense at a young age.

Whether it was more spiders or ghosts, maybe an invasive plant… Cira was ready to solve the problem. Perhaps they could have benefited from a field of vegetables and other nutritious plants to harvest throughout the year, but Bin Bon outright refused her.

“Oh… Okay—”

“What’s that, Papa?” She wasn’t even looking at Cira.

“Uh…”

“He says he wants to talk to you, but…” Her eyes shifted nervously, “It might hurt…”

Fascinating. I pretty much have to now.

“No problem.” Cira turned from the girl unto her Papa. “I am listening, Mr. Skelton.”

Mental defenses were a tricky thing, because they didn’t fall under a particular element of sorcery. Defending against them meant defending against the source, which was sometimes elemental or an overly complicated aether spell, but you don’t usually know until it hits you. The workaround for this was typically a blanket defense which refused all mental interference, but Cira had no practice defending against unknown elements within a telepathic connection she actually wanted to uphold.

Let’s just see how this goes—

“AHHHHHHH!”

Cira instinctively covered her ears, but it did nothing. Channeling mana into her head in an aimless attempt to bolster something, she focused on her undine powers. That was what allowed her to speak through her mind so naturally, so she tried to fine tune it. The connection was fierce, and weirdly painful like a bunch of tiny needles being twisted in, but once she suppressed it to the point of being able to pay attention, there were many voices overlapped. Not unlike the evil tree of Acher, but far more coherent.

“Can you…” It spoke, “Please… please take my daughter… Away from this place.”

Blinking in confusion, this one threw Cira for a loop. If we weren’t speaking through feelings and concepts, his phrasing would throw me off, but it’s obvious what he means. Bin Bon isn’t that young, at least not anymore, but she doesn’t seem very capable. I would only be putting her in danger.

“I could deliver her to somewhere else nearby, probably Paradise or even Porta Bora. But I cannot raise her.” Cira didn’t mince words here.

The skeleton looked downcast, pondering while his daughter looked between them with curiosity.

“That is… Not enough…” Disappointment and a worry swirled in the skeleton’s empty eye sockets, “But perhaps… there is still something you can do.”

It wasn’t that this fellow was lacking in ability to speak, but he sounded so old that forming each word took a lot of effort. Ordinarily Cira would treat this like a job, but she liked these two. Something about them, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. Regardless, she neglected to mention her fees.

“And what might that be?” Cira asked.

“A great evil… slumbers… far below.” Cira could tell it brought him great distress. “Take it away from here… please.”

Clever one, that skeleton. Cira didn’t have to take care of an ancient evil, feed it, or keep it safe. Well, hopefully she didn’t have to feed it.

Whatever could it be? I hope it’s not alive. Maybe I should have mentioned my fees.

“I cannot agree without first investigating personally, I hope you understand.” Her interest was certainly piqued. Depending on their nature, ancient evils could often be converted into a new sorcery or perhaps artificing knowledge. More often than not, they turned out to be something absurd left behind by a long-dead sorcerer or similar.

Come to think of it… Isn’t it about time I bring something of my own to the forbidden archive? A sorcerer of my caliber… Shouldn’t I have curios so dangerous they need to be quarantined by this point? I can’t just keep leeching off Dad’s prestige forever.

“Of course…” Papa Skelton nodded, “I will take to you there.”

The girl finally looked up from her piles of fruit and meat when her dad stood up. There was a brief moment of silence before she nodded, “Kay, Dad. See you later, Miss!” She waved to Cira and went back to her food.

Okay, I’ll just follow the skeleton to the ancient evil. This is fine.

Cira didn’t want to make small talk, because his life force was whittled away with every word. It wouldn’t kill him, but it all added up over time. His words were best saved for Bin Bon.

“This place… will never be safe…” Cira thought she was being considerate until the skeleton himself spoke, “As long as it rests below.”

They only had to walk over one dune before a cluster of palms hid a door carved into a mossy rock. Inside was a staircase that led down. Cira followed him into the island and was hit with an unexpected wave of mana.

Oh my… I can’t tell what, but that sure is something.

This was one of those flat disk type islands, so there was hardly a hundred feet to descend. Cira suspected the girl and Pops lived in some other cave, because it was quite unpleasant in this one.

They reached a door that lit up the hallway with genuinely ancient glyphs, or a respectable imitation. Either way, Cira was impressed. Even more so when she watched Mr. Skelton wave his arm and make the enchantments go dark. The door crumbled to sand, and he walked through.

Uh… He can put that door back up in the event I refuse… right?

The pressure was noticeably heavier now and Cira started to feel uneasy. Judging by the distance she traveled in just the first staircase, there had to be a couple more seals like that.

Skelton didn’t seem bothered, but Cira couldn’t help thinking she was being forced into more responsibilities against her will. That perhaps her kindness had been taken advantage of.

Whatever… Let’s think positive. Maybe it will be a tome of lost magics. I’ll spend all day reading it. Ohoho, if it’s not a book, I hope it’s some rare treasure. Haunted jewelry or something to that effect…

The second seal fell, and the pressure seemed to increase ten-fold.

“Goodness.” Cira summoned Prismagora to her hand and put on her serious sorcerer face, “Are you sure it’s sleeping?”

His lack of eyes held such deep worry as he turned to Cira, “For Bin Bon’s sake… We can only hope.” They kept descending the carved steps until reaching one last door. It had a magic circle built of both previous glyphs and a new one too. A quick probe below told Cira the sky was not far—this was the last stop. The seal here was exponentially stronger than the last and there was a shroud of mana seeping through the cracks.

“Your last chance… to refuse, Traveler…” Cira could feel a troubled regret in his words, but most of all concern. Not for her, of course. For Bin Bon. If Cira couldn’t take the girl away, then she must remove the danger from this island. Simple enough, in theory.

“I accept.” Cira wanted to help the girl. It sucked that she was dumped here by parents who apparently didn’t care, and she was happy to meet such a responsible skeleton who could take her in. She surely would have died by now otherwise. “Open the door.”

Worst case, if Cira couldn’t take it with her, she would do her very best to destroy it. If that failed, there were many ways to seal something. She could even try sending it to Kyrnsbad Sorcerous Gaol—something that feels this vile through three seals was sure to have some manner of crime to repent for.

It was easy to imagine that failing in this context, but her absolute last resort would be to sacrifice it to summon her old pal Yl’Gad. From there, a solution would be much easier to find given her past experience.

Okay, this is foolproof. No problems here. She urged the skeleton on with an assuring nod.

Again, the door turned to sand. A wave of pressure hit Cira like the backdoor at the infirmary. Death, unmistakably, but even the aether seemed to decay in its presence.

“Now that’s a skeleton if I’ve ever seen one.” Cira whistled. A human-like skull at least as tall as Cira faced the door with its jaw hung open, and one hand reaching halfway across the room. From the shoulders down it was almost entirely encased in some kind of strange iridescent crystal. Cira had never seen anything like it, but she could tell it cancelled out the extra pure brand of death this monster exuded. “Seriously, what is this thing?”

Cira couldn’t deny the feeling that her soul was being squeezed like a grape down here, but it was a novel feeling—one she wanted to know more about. What does it mean? This doesn’t have the quality of a primordial curse… but it just feels like death. Nothing else and more so than anything I’ve ever seen. I can’t get a different read on it.

She kept it out in the same way she kept the void out. It wouldn’t have erased her, but she could tell it would to kill her—the seeping mana, that is.

“Remnants of Pestilence… But there is nothing left.” As he said, there wasn’t a trace of soul left in this thing, but strangely Cira felt that wasn’t exactly what he meant.

It sure sounded like he was describing a curse. Still, Cira was positive that was not the case. Yet somehow, these skeletal remains killed even the aether they touched.

Admittedly, it was a little too large to fit in her forbidden archive.