Instead of the usual darkness that accompanied my dreams, I found myself in a large library filled with many manuscripts and various tomes. A royal purple rug covered the wooden floor. The library was so large that you could spend your entire life reading its contents and still not read all of it. The bookcases were so large that you could not even see their ends. Yet the most eye-catching part of the library was the well-dressed skeleton with runic carving all across its skull. I did not even know that it was possible for a skeleton to look regal, but here he was.
The skeleton sat behind a massive desk carved from black ivory, one bony hand resting against its cheek as though it had been waiting for me for a very long time. Dark robes draped over its frame, embroidered with silver runes that pulsed faintly with mana. In front of him lay an open tome whose pages turned on their own, as if stirred by a breeze that did not exist.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I simply stood there, taking in the absurdity of the situation. The last thing I remembered was the unbearable pain tearing through my soul. Yet now I stood unharmed within a library that seemed to stretch into eternity.
"Ah," the skeleton finally said, his hollow voice echoing through the endless rows of books. "You woke up sooner than expected."
I crossed my arms, as if unimpressed.
"If this is your idea of hospitality," I said dryly, "then you have a strange way of welcoming guests."
Aeron tilted his skull slightly, the runes along his bone flickering as he observed me.
"Guests?" he repeated with faint amusement. "Boy, you misunderstand the nature of our relationship." The tome before him snapped shut with a loud clap. "You are not a guest." Slowly, he stood up. Despite having no flesh upon his bones, the sheer presence he exuded filled the vast library like a storm gathering on the horizon. The mana in the air grew heavy, pressing against my skin like invisible chains.
"You are my phylactery. Meaning our souls have become one. Even if this is only a minuscule part of it, we are now intertwined." His empty eye sockets burned with a pale blue flame. "And unfortunately for both of us," he continued calmly, "your soul is poisoning your body like a plague. "
I frowned. "That would explain the pain."
"Indeed." Aeron stepped away from the desk, his robes dragging across the purple rug as he began to circle me like a scholar studying a particularly interesting specimen.
"You see," he continued, "most mortals possess souls that fit neatly within their bodies. A simple arrangement, if you will."
He stopped directly in front of me. "But you," he pushed his bony finger into my chest before resuming his speach. "You are an anomaly. Not only do you remember your past life, which is an oversight from Lunesra, the goddess of death. But the fact that your soul is so incompatible with your body is quite problematic. The more you rely on your power the more painful it will become…"
I had suspected as much for a long time. "The sickness," I said quietly.
Aeron nodded in response. "Your soul is far older and far stronger than the vessel containing it. Imagine trying to pour an ocean into a clay cup." He tapped one skeletal finger against my chest once more. "Eventually, the cup cracks."
My expression darkened slightly. "And what does that have to do with you screaming inside my head?" At that, the lich let out a dry laugh.
"You misunderstand again," he said. "The pain you felt was not yours alone." The blue flames within his skull flared brighter. "When your soul began to fracture… it nearly dragged mine with it."
That actually caught my attention. "So the great Aeron the Undying can feel pain after all."
He gave a dismissive wave. "Do not flatter yourself. I have endured far worse." His gaze sharpened. "But it does present an… inconvenience."
"Inconvenience?"
"Yes."
He gestured broadly to the endless library surrounding us. "You dying prematurely would be rather problematic." He sighed as the flames in his skull met my eyes in a long stare. "The way I see it. You have two choices. The question is, do you want to live a quiet, long life?" I did not even know that it was possible for a skull to grin, but he did, and that sent a shiver down my spine. "Or you can live a glorious but short life."
"And why can't I do both?" I understood what he was trying to tell me, but I could feel that something was missing. A piece of the puzzle that would complete the picture.
The shadows on his face darkened, giving Aeron a sinister look. "Because, boy. The further you step on the path of power. The closer you are to joining Lunesra's kingdom."
I just stood there feeling a weight lifting off my shoulders. A mad cackle escaped my lips as I met Aeron's eyes once more. "You know my past better than anyone. So my choice should be clear."
"Then so be it." He waved his hand, and darkness descended on my mind. Sleep returned to me in blissful silence, and the pain became merely a memory.