'[i]Preposterous[/i]' Victor's mother hissed under her breath. The mere thought of Resurrection was crossing into a realm of magic that nobody understood. It exceeded the very prospect of arcane theory! The soul was not so easily measured, so how was one to reanimate a body? Vermont's last attempt left the audience with a zombie, easily agitated, and without drive that went beyond pure instinct. '[i]Victor, be ready to dispatch of this abomination,[/i]' Helga muttered to her husband. She looked forward at her son and cringed at his reaction. '[i]Sit down, Junior. This will not be anything special.[/i]'

	Vermont glared at Helga. He knew she was doubtful, regardless of whether or not he heard her cruel remarks. The old man cleared his throat to regain the crowds full attention, and placed his hands flat on top of his subject's corpse. "Observe carefully... I shall tap into a magical force that transcends our research. I will draw upon this man's Ki, and pull it back from the void," Vermont claimed confidently. The collection of mages before him let out a mixture of chuckles and doubtful groans. Ki? Ki was a fairy tale. All in the universe derived from the arcane, from the clouds in the sky, to the rocks in the earth. Ki was the weak man's way of describing unknown factors in the study of a human's brain, and by extension, their arcane network. Vermont was spouting nonsense, yet again. But as his audience simmered down, Vermont did just as he said. A glow unfamiliar to any of his colleagues began to emanate from his palms, and into the body laid before him. "Nay, I should not refer to it as [i]magic...[/i]" Vermont stared into the eyes of each mage in the stands individually, almost like he was addressing their doubts individually. When he reached Victor though, he smiled and closed his eyes.

	"This is not [i]magic[/i]."

	Less than a minute passed, and Vermont was already finished. The glow subsided and he stepped back carefully. The corpse took no time in rousing from its slumber. Its eyes shot open, its skin filled with a flush of color, and it rose forwards in a split second of panic. Many people there recognized the man as Alfredo Thio, missing for only 4 months and presumed dead. Alfredo looked over at his fellow mages and felt his chest over. A heartbeat. He could breath. The decay in his corpse had vanished, and he was conscious. This was not merely the forbidden act of necromancy, this was true revival.

	"Alfredo, are you with us?" Vermont inquired quietly. Alfredo shuddered away from his touch, but nodded shortly afterwards.

	"What happened to me?"

	Helga reeled back in utter shock. What in the hell had Vermont discovered in his time alone?