Chapter 286: Chapter 286: [Greater Resurrection]

 

 

“On top of the narrow timeframe, the body has to be mostly intact, or the target of the spell would just pass away again even if the spell somehow worked.

The head, torso and limbs should be complete at least, or there‘s no chance at all.

By itself there is a certain healing effect to bring the body and soul back together and restart their functions, but it is also limited as it is not the primary effect of the spell.

Ultimately, the price for activating [Resurrection] is also quite high, it is not an action that mortals can perform on their own.

By making a sacrifice and paying the cost, the God of the priest brings back the departed soul and unites it with the body once more to allow it another chance at life.

Precious materials or great meritorious deeds are needed and not every priest can offer them, not to mention that they might be unwilling to use them for the sake of a stranger.“

Miss Thana directly laid out the disadvantages without trying to hide the dire requirements, although it was still quite astonishing to hear about the possibility of resurrection.

The dragon did not know that there even were spells so powerful, it opened a whole new train of thought.

She also suddenly understood why the old priestess talked about this particular avenue, as it indeed fulfilled her requests of saving the students.

Some quiet hope bloomed in her heart, yet the girl also kept quiet, if she could casually inquire and learn about this, the academy should naturally have the same information at hand.

Nevertheless, there had to be a reason why they did not deploy priests on a wide scale once an accident happened.

Looking at the unspoken question in the eyes of the elf, Miss Thana did not keep her in suspense either.

“To be honest, sometimes the church offers the spell as an act of miracle when there is an outstanding case of injustice, but it’s not good to rely on it.

On one hand, the price is too steep for wide scale usage, the merits and materials required are all above the seventh rank, so it’s difficult to gather them.

Without the base materials, the spell will take the life of the priest casting it, so it’s not a worthwhile trade.

On the other hand, it’s not guaranteed that the target of the magic can bear the full effects.

It’s not quite as simple as making a prayer and retrieving the soul of the dead.”

 

Miss Thana was a prominent figure within the Hall of Life and Death with the authority to order priests and acolytes around.

She had the heart of a healer and it twinged every time a patient was beyond saving or outside of the abilities of the hall to treat.

It was simply unrealistic to save everyone, no matter how much she wished for it.

Only by spending the limited resources they had in reasonable places could they make the most of their ambitions.

In this case she also sympathised with the elf, but at the same time the old priestess also knew why the [Royal Academy] would never make a request for a priest to cast [Resurrection] or that the Hall would offer it as a favour either.

Nevertheless, it was nice to be young and it did not hurt to explain the ins and outs of the entire affair to the girl, so that she could come to her own conclusion.

Nisha was unusually quiet throughout the explanation, the typical very thirsty for knowledge dragon would have long since tossed out countless related questions to satisfy her curiosity.

“Not only are the requirements harsh to cast the spell itself, [Resurrection] also has restrictions afterwards.

As mortals, we have no idea where souls really go after the death of the body, there are various theories but we cannot verify or deny any of them really.

Past high priests cooperated with scholars and tried multiple experiments to get a small glimpse of the other side, but no matter what method is used, it’s impossible to speak, write or communicate in any way about the experiences after death.

If there is any influence on the soul, God seals away the memories and places a ban on the soul.

This places a burden on the soul itself.”

No one was a greater authority than the Hall of Life and Death when it came to the domain of the dead.

From birth to death, the monks and priests handled every task related to them.

“Furthermore, the returned soul can only make the journey once, a second death greatly accelerates the speed of the journey to the land beyond, part of the increased strain on the soul.

So although the spell is a valuable tool and a great gift from our God, it is limited in practicality.”

 

Talk about the soul and related topics rarely, if ever, made it into everyday conversations and info about cultivation, as the topic was just too far removed from practical applications.

Without a practical medium to prove assumptions and test theories related to the impact of the soul on the body and essence, the realm of the soul firmly belonged to the theological domain.

Compared to physiques, something tangible and able to be studied, even the different Halls of the [Seven Stars Church] only had a faint impression regarding the properties and details of the soul, it only came up in several niche spells directly targeted at it.

Nisha lacked the background to have in-depth knowledge either, dragons relied on their domineering physique and unmatched strength to remain unrivalled in battle and suppress an area by themselves.

She mainly digested the information and thought about the restrictions and requirements of the [Resurrection] spell, and whether it was feasible to save the students of the academy.

Sighing, the young girl eventually gave up on asking for help, the academy and the church would act on their own if it was really possible, and if they did not move, then they surely had their own circumstances as well.

The Royal Family acted as the face of the academy, so it hardly mattered if the price was high as long as they could prove their honour.

“Is there no other way? It’s great that a method exists, but it’s not very practical to need the body completely intact or brought to the temple in a short time frame.”

Clearly, the elf had yet to give up on a way to bring back her grandfather, even if it was a burden on the soul and was very difficult to achieve.

Every time the sun rose, the dull ache in her heart reminded Nisha that he was missing from her life, although the pain got fainter with time.

It would never go away, but it got easier to bear.

Unfortunately, she also had to be realistic, it had been a long time already since Grandpa Eldrin passed away and [Resurrection] did not suit her purpose.

“Come, let’s go for a walk.”

Tapping her cane against the ground, the old priestess got up and collected the cups and the pot into her storage ring, cleaning up the pavilion.

Sometimes it was better to see something in person than explaining it a thousand times.

 

As Nisha and Miss Thana left the area, Little Lia lifted her head and looked around in confusion, wondering whether her master forgot her, but ultimately the wolf did not really care that much and drifted back into a nap.

Through the contract between them, the wind beast would never have trouble locating the other party, and it was too lazy to follow the pair as well.

Basking in the sun under the nice smelling tree was far more important.

Since the old priestess asked her to tag along, the dragon was naturally aware that this was related to their conversation so far.

Instead of heading to the main hall, the elf followed Miss Thana towards the underground cellar under the main church.

Interestingly enough, it was very close to the examination room she had visited before in order to test her blessings.

With a snap of her fingers, the older woman lit up torches along the path, making sure that their path was easily visible.

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Their journey took them to another room sealed with a big iron door, reinforced heavily with additional bands of metal and a big lock on the outside.

By a turn of her hand with the storage ring, Miss Thana retrieved a big key and opened the gate, revealing a gaping darkness beneath.

Another snap suddenly lit up the room and Nisha gawked as she took in the details of the dungeon, there was no other way to describe the space.

In the centre, a thick slab of inky rock formed a central focus, because of the heavy chains and manacles positioned next to the arm and leg positions, as well as neckband at the head of the rock.

The altar was clearly meant to restrain something, though it was not clear what exactly.

Carved into the rock itself, imagery from all seven halls adorned the slab and lessened the harsh first impression.

“Go ahead, you can inspect it. The rock won’t bite you if you touch it.”

Seeing through the girl’s desire, Miss Thana generously gave her permission to satisfy her urge to learn more.

Nisha did not need to be told twice and eagerly started to walk around while paying close attention to details she did not spot first.

Concentric lines, circles and esoteric symbols in a language that the dragon did not comprehend covered the floor, whereas the base of the dark rock had abstruse inscriptions ranking around the socket.

Through her [Spirit Sight] she was able to see the dormant power in the geometrical forms, yet she was utterly incapable of telling what exactly their purpose was.

 

Tracing the lines with her finger sent a prickling rush through them, making her even more curious about their purpose.

Nisha had a guess in her mind why the old priestess brought her here, yet she did not want to make any premature guesses.

Fortunately, Miss Thana did not intend to tease her and quickly volunteered the answer.

“This is the room where we perform spells like [Resurrection]. In the past, there have been issues where a foreign soul intercepted the ritual and stole the body of the patient.

These lost souls refuse to go to the afterlife and linger as long as they can, giving them an opening to possess a body if the priest is not careful during the ritual.

But there’s an important reason why only the soul of the deceased can return, if the physique and soul do not match, rejection and corruption begin to set in.

From the records, the church does not even know what they are exactly, they are neither human, monster or beast, only that they need to prey on lifeforce and the souls of the living to prevent themselves from deteriorating into rotting undead.

This is one of the reasons why the body needs to be mostly intact for the spell, or the physique won’t be able to retain the soul.”

Retrieving a totem made from the same dark stone as the altar in the middle of the room, the old priestess channelled some of her mana through it, lighting up the arrays and inscriptions in the process.

Nisha noticed the casual ease within the control by observing Miss Thana, unable to gauge how strong she really was.

She doubted that the old priestess used her maximum strength either, yet the elf was impressed either way, guessing that the old lady was past the second great divide for sure.

“Even before I was born, the church started to use this room. The inscriptions amplify healing effects and have positive effects on the body, whereas the spell arrays prevent errant souls from entering and possessing the innocent.

Of course there are more failsafes and other miscellaneous effects, but they are not relevant.”

Miss Thana wistfully let her eyes wander throughout the dungeon.

It was originally a very wonderful experience to let a life return from the beyond with the grace of God, yet accidents and malicious intentions required a reinforced space full of chains and restrictions.

 

“To tell you a secret, there is another spell in the Life and Death system, a stronger variant of [Resurrection].

One of the difficulties is a complete body, although the degree of damage can vary somewhat.

The original ritual already compresses dense life energy to compensate for the original injuries and replenish blood and so on, but at least all limbs should be present, the head cannot be majorly injured and damage to the innards can cause the ritual to fail.

Because the Life and Death element is especially suited to dealing with lifeforce, there’s not only a seventh rank [Resurrection] spell, but also a [Greater Resurrection] at the ninth rank, close to the limit of a forbidden spell.”

Smiling wryly, Miss Thana let go of her own mixed feelings in regards to the past and intercepted the next question that would come from the elf.

She had no problems patiently answering all of them at ordinary times, but at the moment the old priestess wanted to focus on the present and finish their topic in one go.

“Actually, it is impossible to cast this on your own, as God personally takes over part of the responsibility to carry out the spell, in order to retrieve souls that already started their path to the other side.

Once aura and mana is pushed to the limit of the ninth rank, it already shows some properties of the next realm, making them especially powerful and grants them additional effects.

Skills and spells at the forbidden level destroy the environment and leave long lasting after effects, while defensive abilities can permanently enhance the durability of the target.

Concurrently, a healing spell at the forbidden level is different too.

Naturally the sacrifice is bigger too and it’s nearly impossible to procure a satisfying material that contains lifeforce at the ninth rank.

Therefore, it is very rarely cast, because the caster most likely has to sacrifice some of their own life span.”

 

Nisha heard about forbidden abilities for the first time, a concept that was terrifying and intriguing at the same time for the dragon.

Powerful spells and skills that could permanently alter the world held a great attraction for her, and she fantasised about wielding such a valour in the future.

Calling fire and lightning from the sky while the earth crumbled under her prowess … the mental image greatly instigated the elf’s desire to cultivate.

While she was lost in fantasy, the old priestess continued.

“Although there’s a greater price, yet the benefits make up for it.

Even if part of the body is missing, the spell can restore the physique perfectly to accept the soul again.

Excess mana can strengthen the soul, while the material sometimes helps to awaken a new ability.

Lifespan is also replenished in cases of natural death, giving at least several turns of time.

I won’t bother you with all the irrelevant details, it’s just a general overview.

But even then, it’s impossible to return someone after more than ten days have passed, not even for a God.

And if the body is missing too much of its physique, the restored portions won’t match with the soul, quite likely creating an abomination in the process.

Don’t get lost in a dead end and place all of your hope on a spell that might not work for your problem.”

The elf had to fight down a flare of pain in her heart, hearing about these powerful abilities nurtured the possibility of a possibility, yet it came to nothing in the end.

“The academy won’t ask any Hall for service and casting [Resurrection] on the deceased students, will they?”

“No, they lack the cultivation to bear the process. The most likely outcome is that either the soul or their physiques won’t hold out and get destroyed.

It’s better to let them go.”

Neither of them mentioned the costs, but they also knew that the crown or the academy were quite unlikely to pay seventh rank materials for two newly enrolled students either.

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