“How dare you do this to me!”

Reud ignores the shouts of the woman as he presses the last glowing amethyst into the grooves carved into the stone floor, joining the hundreds of others already in place. This was it. Finally, it was time. There’s a moment when all is still as the gem settles into place, completing the inscription. Then, the crystals flash brightly, bathing the interior of the damp crypt with iridescent light. Smiling, he stands back up, looking over at the woman tied to the sarcophagus at the centre of the diagram.

“I’m a Seeker! I demand you release me this instant!” The woman struggles against the restraints binding her down, her raven hair wild and unkempt in her desperation. Ignoring her pleas, Reud closes his eyes and pushes his mana sense out to the inscription, feeling the crystals that represent the last few centuries of work, the culmination of his efforts of charging the rare gems with every scrap of mana he could muster. With a thought, he sets them to the purpose for which they were created: to provide the fuel for the most powerful spell of his life.

Immediately, the crystals begin to pump out an immense amount of mana, saturating the air and sending needles of pain dancing through Reud’s body. The woman stops shouting for a moment as she also feels the mana pains, both of them being sensitive to the invisible fuel that powers all magic.

Raising his hands, Reud begins to incant the words of the ritual, the arcane words tearing themselves from his throat. The mana in the air swirls and begins to compress, focusing in on the woman at the centre of the room. The air distorts, shimmering like a heat haze as reality warps.

“What are you doing! Stop it!” She shouts, a hint of panic inching into her voice. Her eyes flash to a radiant purple as she tries to channel some of the mana into her own magic, but to no avail. The ritual has every mote of mana in its grasp, leaving nothing left for her.

As the spell continues to build Reud pulls out a blood-red gem from his pocket, holding it in his fist. Raising it to his lips he gives it a kiss. Soon you will be free, my love.

Then he smashes the gem against the ground.

With a crack the gem shatters into dust, and from within bursts a presence. A soul. Reud reaches out with his mana and grips it tightly, forcing it into the maelstrom of mana, filling the gap in the ritual waiting for it.

The woman arches her back, writhing as agony lances though her. Falling back onto the stone, she looks over at Reud, her eyes wide with fear. “Please, stop this. Just let me go, I won’t say anything to...”

The words die in her mouth as she looks into Reud’s eyes, seeing not even the remotest hint of concern in them.

Reud steps forward and places his hand on her shoulder, despite her attempts to shrink away from him. Taking a deep breath he draws some of the mana into himself, letting it infuse his body.

Then he blasts it into the woman. The mana surges into her, piercing through her flesh to her bones, severing her soul's ties to her body. With a deft twist Reud shears the final connection in her mind. Immediately her body falls silent and still, the colour draining from her irises, leaving them a dull grey.

Sharp cracks sound from around the room as the crystals shatter, drained by the final step of the ritual. The mana saturating the room rushes down into the body, dragging the other soul along with it like a whirlpool. Reud grits his teeth at the strain of directing so much mana, his body aching as it thunders through him.

As the final crystal shatters the ritual ends, plunging the room back into semi-darkness, lit only by a single torch. Reud slumps, exhausted. Squinting, he tries to make out the woman as his eyes slowly adjust to the dark.

Hope and fear war within him as he waits in the silence. Centuries of work to charge the crystals, then the Seeker arriving at the perfect time, almost as if the Heavens were sending a sign. Has it finally worked? Can I finally bring her back? The silence stretches out as his heart pounds frantically, disappointment rising with each second the woman lies still.

Just as the wait becomes too long to bear a sound comes from the form before him.

Then a gasp of breath.

The woman arches her back, lifting her torso off the slab. She continues to gasp in air, as if she were a drowning man plucked from the water and allowed to breathe once more.

Reud jumps forward, releasing the restraints before taking one of her scrabbling hands in both of his.

Her convulsions calm down, her body relaxing and becoming still. Leaning over her he cups her face, turning it toward him, and studies her eyes. Slowly a familiar spark of intelligence flares into life as she studies him back.

Joy soars within him as he dares to hope that he succeeded. Reud opens his mouth to speak but manages only a hoarse croak before coughing violently. He turns away and splutters into his sleeve, trying to bring himself back under control.

“Reud? Is that you?” The woman murmurs out.

Reud snaps his head back to look at the woman. “Lilia?” he asks tentatively.

“The battle… the spell… I was hit? I-”

“Lilia, you’re back!” Reud cries out, interrupting her. He pulls the woman into his chest, clasping her tight, burying his face in her neck to hide his tears of happiness. A few moments of this and her arms also encircle him.

“I… died?” she whispers, her mouth to his ear. “How am I here?”

Reud sits back, breaking their embrace. Looking into her face he recognizes a familiar expression creasing the unfamiliar features, and expression he last saw on the woman he fell in love with so very long ago.

“I brought you back.” Reud explains, turning to rest on the slab as weakness from the spell hits him. “I finally brought you back.”

“But... Wait… Full resurrection. You said it was merely a theory, the power alone would take...” Her eyes narrow as her mind churns through the implications.

“A long time. A very long time.” Reud nods.

Suddenly Lilia’s eyes widen once more, and she looks to him in confusion. “Wait, how long was I dead?”

“Again, a long time. I’m sorry Lilia.” Reud strokes her hand in what he hopes is a comforting way. “We lost the war centuries ago.”

“What? Then how are you...”

“Still alive? That, my dear, is a very long story too. More importantly, do you want to see the sky again?”

He quickly stands up and grabs her hand, pulling her off the slab. Smiling, she acquiesces to the prompting, seemingly satisfied for the time being.

As Lilia slowly stands, Reud walks over to the wall, lifting the torch from its sconce. Turning back to Lilia he watches her tentatively testing her weight on each leg, before taking a few wobbly steps. Her balance quickly resolves itself, and she strides towards him with a smile on her face.

Stopping in front of him with a slight playful skip she takes his hand and pulls him in close, her face tilting until her lips meet his. The world melts away in that kiss, his weariness forgotten, the only thing that matters is how soft and warm she feels against him. After what seems like an eternity she pulls away, leaving him gasping for breath.

“Lead on, husband.” Lilia says with a smile.

Reud smiles right back at her. “Let’s go, wife.”

***

The brightness of the sunlight outside the crypt causes them both to raise a hand to shield their eyes. They’re stood in a clearing in the middle of a dense forest. Warm sunlight filters down through the emerald leaves, bathing the earth in a rich glow. A blue sky stretches overhead, puffs of cloud wandering lazily from horizon to horizon. Behind them rise moss-covered stones that mark the ancient crypt they just emerged from, the remains of the vast stone portal that once sealed it scattered across the surrounding grass. The twittering of birds mixes with the rustle of a gentle breeze through the trees. Reud looks over to Lilia. Her eyes are wide open in wonder, taking in the sights around them. Slowly she extracts herself from his grip and walks out into the grass, raising her hands and face towards the sun, luxuriating in the warmth.

Suddenly she springs up into the air, throwing her hands high. With a silvery peal of laughter she dances through the long grass, spinning and twirling, hands outstretched and head thrown back. Reud watches her antics with a smile on his face, her joy infectious.

Panting, she finally stops before him. “It’s beautiful here! I haven’t seen grass since that Lightire spell killed it all years ago! Centuries ago now I guess. How did you find such a place?” She asks whilst brushing hair out of her face.

“You’ll be surprised about how much has regrown. Believe it or not, this is Srinaber, what remains of it anyway.” Reud points out over the trees to a moss-covered tower poking above the treeline. “See there? That’s the tower of the Anchorite.”

“It took over one hundred years for the magic to fade and plants to start regrowing.” Reud says, sitting down on a nearby rock. “Once the magic was gone, however, it took a mere decade or two for all this greenery to overtake the land again.”

Lilia walks over and sits down beside him, her face serious. “So tell me, what happened after… You know… After I died.”

“We lost the war.” Reud says, remembering the distant past. “Lightire completely overran us. Their mages scorched all of Rudase right to the sea. The academies are gone, my family are gone. The Holy Lightire Empire now rule the entire continent. They installed a puppet government of the noble families willing to serve them to manage Rudase. Servants of Lightire, who call themselves Seekers, roam the land, kidnapping any commoner child with even a hint of magic to be shipped off to Lightire, never to return. The only ones allowed to practise are the noble families, and as a result magical beasts ravage the commonfolk with no-one to stop them. Sadly, this is not the Rudase you remember any more.”

Lilia puts her arm around him. “And how about you, how are you doing? You don’t seem much older, but you look all pale and tired. Have you been eating properly?”

Reud smiles and leans in to her. “I survived. It’s been a very long time without you.”

A low rumble sounds from Lilia’s stomach.

“However, that story can wait. It sounds like you need something to eat.” Reud stands and begins to walk into the forest. “Come this way, I think that woman had some food in her pack.”

Lilia quickly catches up and walks beside him. “So this woman, who was she? I can feel flashes of memory but nothing I can make out beyond that she was from Lightire.”

Reud takes her hand in his, weaving their fingers together.

“She was a Seeker that tried to capture me.” Reud smiles at Lilia. “Unsuccessfully, of course. Once I realized how powerful her magic was I thought she would make a perfect candidate to attempt your resurrection.”

“These Seekers, you said they capture the children?” Lilia asks. “What for?”

“I have no idea, I’ve never investigated.” Reud shrugs. “As you can guess, I feel no remorse in using one of those monsters to bring you back.”

Lilia squeezes his hand tightly, saying nothing.