If you seek a miracle! Acolytes of the Newborn

If you are interested in the Acolytes of the Newborn, it means you are seeking healing. For years, rumors have circulated around Astrum about the tribe traveling through these lands.

Their extraordinary abilities have become legendary. They can heal, restore amputated limbs, and even resurrect the dead.

I remember our first meeting as if it were just recently. Our village was located in a fairly safe area of Astrum, below the central main layer. In my youth, I lost one hand in an unfortunate accident, which made my life very difficult, especially since I had no parents. I was left alone with siblings to take care of.

Travelers rarely visited our village; elves more often passed through it due to its location on trade routes. One day, a chilling visitor came to our village. A slender woman with blond hair and eyes as red as blood. She carried a large backpack, dressed in human skin resembling a dress. Various vials with body parts and bones, not all of them human, hung from her belt.

The lack of lamps and any sources of light was surprising. Most of the villagers, alarmed by the sight of an unusual guest, reached for weapons. The guest just smiled and sat in the middle of the square. Her melodious voice echoed. It was sweet, kind, childlike, but something made my hair stand on end.

The traveler offered her services and informed us of her extraordinary abilities. For the right price, she could cure any disease, regenerate limbs, and even bring the dead back to life. However, what she said later left us stunned. The exchange was not money, but parts of the human body or other creatures, bones, and other bodily fluids, regardless of whether they were alive or dead.

The crowd wanted to drive the stranger away. However, she seemed unfazed by our threats. I, knowing that I had to do something about my disability, slowly moved forward. The villagers tried to stop me, but what did I have to lose? I raised the stump of my hand. The stranger just looked and smiled.

She told me to sit on the ground. This time her voice was warm, until I remembered my mother. She asked what I could offer in return for restoring my hand. We had a few bones of domestic animals that were already being used as fertilizer. The stranger just nodded that each side had to offer something of equal value.

She already had plenty of bones, and the cost of repairing my hand far exceeded the price of a few bones. She pointed to my eye. With a smile on her face, she said she would give me a discount for being the only one in the village to trust her. "An eye for a hand" - it was a small price, I agreed.

The stranger got up and approached me. With hands as cold as ice, she grabbed my cheeks; it was not unpleasant. Her gaze was warm, as if letting me know: "Everything will be fine, don't worry." She leaned down and unexpectedly kissed me on the lips. I suddenly became very sleepy.

I learned the rest from the onlookers. The stranger pulled a jar with a hand immersed in liquid, as well as a needle and thread, from her backpack. With skillful movement and extraordinary grace, she pulled out the hand from the jar and in the blink of an eye sewed a new hand onto my stump. It was an extraordinary sight. Precision and speed indicated that she had done it before.

Later, using a strange device, she took out my eye, hiding it in a vial hanging from her belt with liquid. She stitched up the hole that was created without even shedding a drop of blood. I woke up in my bed, only a day had passed. The stranger was gone.

Imagine my surprise when my hand worked normally, there were no traces of stitching, it only differed slightly in shade. If she possessed such skills, maybe she really could bring the dead back to life? I couldn't imagine the price someone would have to pay for that.

My siblings gave me a message from the stranger: "If you seek healing, you will find it in XIra." I hope this helps those who need it.