Chapter 156 The Book of Spells and Curses
Aleshia watched as the magic circle activated, curious about what it might bring. She was unaware of the meanings behind the scripts in the circle and knew that anything could happen once the activation ended. Therefore, she made sure to protect Kailey.
Kailey was familiar with the magical scripts and had deduced that the circle was associated with summoning. As the light from the magic circle intensified, a dark silhouette emerged from within the glow, indicating that something was appearing inside the circle.
As the light from the magic circle faded, Aleshia and Kailey squinted to see what had appeared. When the light finally vanished, they discovered a book hovering above the circle, suspended by the surrounding mana. Kailey instinctively reached out to grab the book, but Aleshia quickly tugged on her arm, pulling her back. "Let's wait until all the magic has dissipated from the circle before we try anything," Aleshia cautioned.
"Right," Kailey replied, stepping back behind Aleshia.
When Aleshia sensed all the mana in the circle had dissipated, she walked up to the book with Kailey following her. Picking up the book, Aleshia examined the cover but couldn't decipher the letters. She handed it to Kailey, knowing she would understand the language. "Here, Kailey, can you try reading this? I don't know this language." Kailey took the book and read the cover, just as Aleshia had done.
Kailey read aloud, "The Book of Spells and Curses?" She remarked, "What a simple and straightforward title. I know I would have read most of what's in here." Despite her words, she began flipping through the pages. Most of the pages were blank, but she found some filled with text and illustrations that contained instructions on creating and dispelling spells and curses, along with magic formulas, just as the title suggested.
Kailey showed the book to Aleshia, who intently scrutinized the formula on one of the pages while ignoring the accompanying words. "I recognize this spell; the spell circle seems to have improved since the last time I used it," she said as she returned the book to Kailey.
Kailey flipped through the book, her interest in it deepening. However, after reading a few spells and curses, she began to skim. Frustration mounted as she realized the book held no new information for her.
Seeing Kailey's frustration, Aleshia asked, "What's wrong? Is there something not right with this book?"
"No, there is nothing wrong with the book," Kailey replied. "It looks like this book contains my knowledge of spellcraft and curses, holding most of what I know within its pages. If it is drawing information based on what I've learned, the blank pages likely suggest I have not yet learned the spells related to those blank pages. Nonetheless, since the information in the book is numerous and detailed, I think it's a good idea to keep it and refer back to it when needed." Kailey concluded. "Also, doesn't this resemble what you needed when we met?"