"So these active tails are things you made based on the wizards who underwent the first Wizard Body Modification?"
"Yes." Maria looked at the Brass Box Thor was sitting on. "But the tail bones have already gone out of control. The Long Tail you saw was once a wizard who used Gray Bone to modify his body. He eventually lost control. I killed him myself."
Maria's eyes reflected a burning figure. Only his tail, submerged in seawater, had escaped the flames.
Only after Robin's out-of-control body had nearly burned to ashes did Maria release him, letting the sea swallow him.
She simply hadn't expected that the only tail to escape would develop a mind of its own and attack Lawrence.
"Tail Bone Modification has been proven to be a mistake. We must stop researching it and destroy all the tail bones." Maria pointed at the Brass Box. "Thor, can you hand them over to me? Or I can destroy them myself, right here in front of you."
"No need." Thor set down the book Maria had tossed to him, then patted the box beneath him. Its brass shell rang crisply. "I think Tail Bone Modification is a pretty good idea."
Maria and Deren exchanged worried glances.
The subdued wizards' eyes lit up. They thought they might not be executed after all.
"But Thor, you saw how terrifying the out-of-control tail bone was. It even ate Lawrence's corpse." Maria tried to persuade him.
"Maria, you've got one thing wrong. Wizard Body Modification is like the Witchcraft we wield. It can save people or kill them, but the effects depend on how we use it. If Gray Bone Modification causes people to lose control, then we can adjust the modification plan."
"You say you couldn't resist the temptation, but what you couldn't