False Start

 

 ***

The ritual backfired horrifically. The swirling energy, once benign, took on a monstrous dark shape. Far away, birds scattered - startled from their nests by a violent, sudden scream. The beast lunged, shadows converged, and the caster was violently devoured. The grove fell eerily silent, its soot-stained trees conveying a haunting warning without uttering a single word.