The Moment Of Reckoning

Magic is powerful, but not all powerful. It's not possible to rewrite the rules of the universe permanently, but you can bend them for a short while. Short by the standards of universe, that is.

Every magic user who quests in this world knows there's a moment of reckoning coming. The moment before their death when every injury, illness, and ailment they've delayed comes back.

Most magic users think this is a good deal, as one moment of pain in exchange for decades without it sounds good.

But those decades pass quickly, and this moment just keeps going and going.