Gradual Progress

The rules were simple, so Jane soon got the hang of it. But Queen Mystic was clearly an expert at this style of play, and she took games far too seriously to go easy on anyone. Jane lost several rounds in a row.

Just as Jane began to grasp the finer points and hoped to win a game, Queen Mystic Bernadette stopped playing and looked down the mountain. "It's done."

Jane came to her senses. Only then did she realize she had become so absorbed in the game that she had lost track of time.

She hurriedly used her spirit to look into the distance. Baron Kangwa was still wandering through the peach grove, unable to reach the foot of the mountain. The black spots on his body were slowly receding, turning into a pool of revolting, viscous black liquid.

The body the baron had stolen from the slave trader dissolved into the liquid as well. Only his head remained, held tightly by Mrs. Austin's Evil Spirit as they floated in midair.

The instant the black liquid separated from the baron, a glass bottle appeared out of thin air. The liquid briefly slipped free of his control and flew straight into it.

A fair-skinned hand caught the bottle and pressed a wooden stopper into its mouth.

The baron's head seemed to regain its clarity in Mrs. Austin's arms. He lifted his gaze toward Bernadette, who sat on a pea vine, and gave a bitter smile. "Some kind of Mystical Reenactment? I once used a similar ritual spell, but it could only seal something for a very short time..."

"Any last words?" Bernadette asked in a gentle but emotionless voice.

"No... I remember everything now... Austin died while exploring those ruins. The spirit that suddenly came back was only an obsession