"I've never heard of people brought back," Alain says quietly, "until this place." Which is all he'll say in reply, but his unease is clear in everything from his expression to the tension in his shoulders to the hasty way he knocks back another mouthful of whiskey. It isn't entirely true that he's never heard of people resurrected. Say, rather, that he's never heard of it in a way that doesn't lead to evil consequences.

And there's another side to it, too, one that's not discomfort but simple grief. Hearing that it isn't only this world where people can be brought back from death... well, for a man who's seen so many of his loved ones die in front of him, that's always going to be a kick in the teeth.