Book Six: Chapter 216

“I’m doing this because I’m the Caretaker,” he declared. “And these are the people I love.” He dumped the single drop of blood onto the sundial, then summoned lightning into his hands. The air around him sizzled as he grabbed the sundial and gave it a twist.

The drop of blood became mercurial, coating the sundial in a silver gloss that Yuki could see her reflection in. Mike’s magic was carried along with it, dancing across the ground and causing the earth beneath the snow to glow blue and purple. Mike’s attention was on the sundial at first, and then he spun around and stared at the house.

Before their eyes, the house changed colors. Multiple variations of the home appeared, as if it was trying on different appearances. The Victorian home was suddenly a quaint cottage, then a stone fortress, followed by what looked like a fishing hut. It expanded rapidly, eventually settling on a proper manor with at least four floors. The structure had at least doubled in both length an