Resurrection Magic

13 Jul, 2026

The rumor has led you far into the wild, to a stone temple guarded by robed monks and venomous snakes.

Two blind women, one ancient, one yet a girl, sit cross legged on an ornate rug. Incense fills the room, choking and cloying.

A monk stands aside, holding a pitcher of fresh goats' milk, the women's only sustenance.

"Ask." They command in unison.

What is the price of a soul?

1. Another soul.
2. A dragon's skull.
3. The feather of a phoenix.
4. A unicorn's pelt.
5. A favor, to be collected.
6. A favor, paid in advance.

To whom must it be paid?

1. The god of the high mountain.
2. The drowned devil.
3. The necromancer of the darkened wood.
4. The artificer of the clockwork city.
5. The ferryman of the river Styx.
6. The queen of the fey.

What can never return?

1. Their love of life and the living.
2. Most memories of their former life.
3. Their hope for the future.
4. Anyone else. This gate opens only once.
5. Their sense of morality.
6. Their true life. They shall have only a false life.

Because "quest for it" is almost always the right answer.

Written for Glaugust, 2026

#ramblings