Its stature was a bit smaller than mine, and its robes simplistic. The lich beckoned me into the main hall. Dim Dawnlights alit as we walked through the hall and towards the red light that was next to the throne. This was a castle, just like mine, and in it, was a lich, just like me.

“I must be stricken with misfortune to encounter the likes of you here,” its whispery voice somehow boomed. “Tell me, why have you come here?”

“Is it true that this place grants wishes?” I asked.

A soft, snowballing chuckle escaped from it. “You have a wish? The Lich God has something she wants granted?” It laughed again. “Very well. You have bested my dungeon. If it is within my power, I will grant you your wish, phantom.”

Good. “Is there a way to cross worlds? The place I come from is a planet called Earth. I need to go there.”

It stood up, rubbed its jaw, and paced about, clearly perturbed by my request. “You play dangerous games. I am,” it sighed, “obligated to grant the wish of those who conquer my dungeon; so I have taken an oath to do in service of my master, the Primeval. But, crossing worlds is also something prohibited.”

It sat in thought for a long time, as if, dare I say, it was dead. “What heresy! But our very existence is heresy incarnate. Very well, I shall grant you your wish. But be wary, there are forces you would do well to avoid when crossing worlds. In fact, do not use your lich vessel while in a world you are not anchored to. We may both lose something more precious than life or immortality if you are caught by these forces.”

“That’s alright. I won’t do anything to mess it up,” I said. Finally! Isaac, it’s happening! I was screaming on the inside, an ebullience I had long since forgotten.

“Good.” It brought a piece of parchment paper over with Telekinesis and whirled its finger around to magically write on it. “I’ve written down what you need to do.” It handed the parchment to me, but didn’t release grip. “Remember! No big spells! No lich vessel! Nothing that would have beings anchored to Earth suspect that worlds or beings other than themselves exist! Now,” it put those boney arms in baggy sleeves like it was an old martial arts master, “I cannot fulfill my obligation until I actually use my power for the conqueror. World travel is but missing information that you now have. What, is your wish?”

I still have a wish? Hmm… I pondered how much power it had to spare when it came to wishes. In truth, most of what I needed was knowledge. “What’s your name?”

It tilted its head, sighed, then made chairs through Synthesis for us. “My name is Kaya.”

Oh, a girl like me. “I’m Deidre. It’s nice to meet you, Kaya. So,” I leaned forward a bit more, “I wanted advice on something…” I went on to explain my internal strife when it came to the affairs of this world. Do I side with the demons or humans? Do I do my own thing and change the fate of the world in my own selfish way? Maybe I should do nothing and keep to myself?

Again, she tittered. “Sometimes I forget you’re not a lich through and through. Deidre, there are many important things you should know, and some of them I cannot tell you. But know this – I have been to both the underworld and overworld, and of course, the land of the living.” She pointed to the wall and I saw projections of a woman in the best times of her life and also the worst times of her life. Her smile and laughter were downright inspirational. But her tears cut like a dull, jagged knife to the heart.

“In all those centuries of experience, I found that the best way to help those in need, is to leave them to the machinations of fate. It may seem unfair at first, but in the end, all is well. When you save lives or take lives, you only interfere with another being’s journey of discovery. My advice, Lich God Deidre, is to let nature run its course. Otherwise,” those ghastly eyes consumed me, “whatever your choice, commit to it.”

I hated that advice, but I believed her when she said it came from a place of experience. “Is it really that bad to help others live a happier life?”

“Not at all. It’s a great thing.” She wasn’t bothered by her own contradictions at all. “Let me put it this way. You can help those you love. You can distress those you hate. You’re a being just like them, with needs, wants, and goals, so don’t lock yourself away – it’s all part of your grand journey.”

“I, don’t really understand…” I rubbed my forehead.

“Don’t do for someone more than they care to do for themselves. Don’t hurt someone more than they’re trying to hurt you. It’s a game of gauging and matching. I found that,” she looked up into nothingness, “is the best way to live as a lich, without irrevocably changing one’s journey of discovery. That pacifist attitude has benefitted me and those around me the best. But being active or going to extremes isn’t against the Primeval’s tenets anyway. It is all your decision, Deidre.”

I was still conflicted. I hated my past self, the passive girl that just let life pass by and never opened her mouth or raised a finger even when things weren’t going well for her. Even though my little slice of childhood trauma was figured out and unraveled properly, the scars and disinclination to certain things were still there. I still blamed myself for Isaac’s injury, even if I didn’t directly cause it. If I wasn’t such a coward, he’d be able to have a normal life, just like everyone else. He was always such a sweetheart that I felt like offing myself for letting that baseball bat hit him. I hated myself as much as I loved him. Because of our messed-up childhood, I couldn’t rely on either of our parents to be there for him.

Just the thought of him caused me as much pain as it gave me joy. I clenched my fists. That fucking woman! I became so wrathful that I hardly knew myself anymore. Sometimes, I’d sit in awe and equally in disgust by the disparity in my emotions when it came to my mother. As a person who grew to despise her guts, it boggled my mind that she was once someone I loved wholeheartedly. She was the reason why I was cautious, or phobic rather, of two-faced people.

Kaya cleared her throat. “That Darkviper demon wanted this, yes?” She had the Shadowsiphon dagger hover around with Telekinesis. “It’s but a wish away, Deidre.”