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‘Ah, well, it’s no big deal. Oh, and before I forget...’ The reaper hovered closer and reached a gangly hand toward him.

Hector recoiled a little, but the hand still found his shoulder. And suddenly, he felt his arms begin to burn. He looked down to see the bloody gashes bulge and tighten. A groan escaped his lips as he watched the wounds close themselves, leaving only streaks of blood behind, both still wet and already dried. The pain subsided after a few moments.

“What the hell...?” He traced over his arm where one of the slits had been, brushing away the blood. Not even a scar remained. What’s more, his arms were no longer numb.

‘Might want to clean up all this blood,’ said the reaper, motioning to the floor. ‘I can restore your body, but once the blood leaves, I can’t put it back. Same goes for your limbs, if they get chopped off or something. I don’t reattach things. I just regrow them.’

He squinted a little. “Regrow...?”

‘I can revive you, no matter how bad your injuries are,’ it said. ‘Even if your whole body is destroyed, I can recreate it again. That’s how my power works. As long as I maintain a link to your soul, I can resurrect the physical body that accompanies it. Without the soul, though, I can’t do anything.’

He wasn’t sure what to say.

‘It’s too bad, really. If I could create a body from scratch, then I wouldn’t need anyone’s help. I could just make a body for myself and go be a superhero or something.’

“Uh... I-I see... I think.”