The final monster I fight. It won’t be long now.
Curses and cures. Curses and cures.
I’ve tried everything. Like most people in my position.
Everything reasonable that is. I didn’t think I’d run out of options this soon. I only started seeing the signs a couple of weeks ago. Of course I’ve known it was coming, but I also hoped…I might be one of the exceptions.
Read More The Final Monster I FightShe was far too kindly, and therefore looked upon with disdain by her fellow gods. The other gods feared that the balance of power was being tipped too much toward mortal creatures, to whom the kindly god had given many gifts. The kindly god argued that what she had given the mortal creatures shifted the balance by such an infinitesimal degree that all the gods could give what little she had given to the mortals, or else she could give all her power, and it still would not equal what the gods possessed.
To teach her a lesson, the other gods diminished the kindly god by half.
Read More The Once-God RampionShe did nothing to earn her beauty. It was given to her. And as with many such gifts, beauty was both a boon and a burden to the girl whose name was Imelda.
She was doted on by some, guarded by others, coveted by still others.
Imelda’s mother, who both loved and feared for her girl, spent many sleepless nights wondering when her child would grow old enough to be passed into the protection of another. For she and her husband were humble folk, as their child too would have been. But Imelda’s beauty—while it may not have impressed in a city or even a large town—was quite surpassing in their little village. Surpassing enough to catch the eye of those with greater means. The girl wished to be learned. She wished to explore.
Perhaps her beauty could make it so could do what she dreamed of doing.
Read More Why Beauty Sought the BeastFour unlikely friends were frolicking in the ocean one day. They were the Ghost Crab, the Blue Marlin, the Jellyfish, and the Nautilus. The crab and the marlin splashed about on the surface, and dove back down, while the jelly and the mollusk bobbed gently under the surface.
Overhead, there passed the shadow of the Seagull, who watched the friends with great interest, a great interest born of a keen hunger. Here she saw a variety of sweet and juicy treats for her to feast on. She could easily carry off the crab, the snail, and the mollusk. But that marlin was another matter. He was a giant next to her, and he would surely swipe and skewer with that bill of his. And being how fast he could swim, if he knocked the Seagull into the water, she would surely become his lunch.
Read More The Juggling Ghost CrabI didn’t earn what happened to me. The curse that fell on me was meant for another. That’s what happens when petty warlocks are reckless with their magic.
Read More AuroramorphosisA restless fairy grew bored one day and created a restless trinket, imbuing it with all of the fairy’s magic. The magic was all bent toward one purpose, to grant the bearer of the trinket three wishes.
The form the trinket first took was as a pendant, which the fairy gave to a human acquaintance with only three instructions…or warnings.
“First, the wish itself will only have power over you. Second, whenever you make a new wish, the old wish will vanish. And third, once the final wish is made and granted, the trinket will leave your possession.”
Read More Nine Wishes in Three TalesJane knew about the salamander. The salamander was capable of regenerating its limbs, to a certain degree. As such, it had been studied by scientists who sought to unlock the secrets of tissue regeneration. Wound-healing in humans was a messy and half-hearted affair and sometimes lead to more harm as useless scar tissue formed where living, operating tissue had once been. The process could go so far as to render an organ completely useless, the only solution being to replace the organ. Even the human liver, with its great capacity for regeneration had its limits. But Jane worked with a particular group of scientists studying the liver and the salamander, who joined with another group who were studying the effects of aging. They believed they had struck upon a treatment, a combination of gene therapy, the application of small doses of radiative energy, stem cells, and even specific bacterial cultures to induce regeneration of wounded tissue.
Jane knew about the salamander. The animal’s mythical association with the element of fire. Fire cleansed and fire sealed. It was a good symbol for their project.
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