The air is cold, skeletons still roam the court, even though it’s summer, slowly a grey snow has started falling. The silence is broken by a sudden pass of a great creature, a skeleton dragon. On top of it sits an armoured figure with golden armour, golden rings and a crown with rubies. The armour is decorated to show a great physique, even though behind it is only a skeleton.

 

“Thank you again Rek’Ra. You can go now. Have some time for yourself”

 

The voice was a bit distorted, but kind in it’s own way. Like it was talking to a brother, not a pet.

 

“Anytime. By the way, have you seen that light in the sky. It’s been there for quite some time”

 

Both of them looked up. It was glowing stronger than any star, moreover it was glowing purple. It passed a week since it appeared, but the light was stronger and stronger each day.

 

“I did. I do not know the purpose of it, I only hope it will not bring something bad.”

 

“Hah. I never took you as someone who does not want a challenge.”

 

The dragon started laughing, his roar shook the buildings near them.

 

“Well, I am just tired at this point. Tomorrow I will have a meeting with the Council, I need you to call Ygrasa.”

 

“It shall be done. Good bye Richard.”

 

After the dragon flew to the north, Richard decided to go in his palace. Since he is an undead, he does not need sleep, but what he craves more is silence, after so many years, he discovered how to meditate in order to “rest” and think of what happend in that day. With a slight push, the great iron doors opened. Those doors were brought years ago when he defeated the Great Honorian King Zhoron I. He took these doors that are engraved with elven runes that protect the building of teleport magic. Besides those notes, Richard had some gems put on top of them, in his own words: “I like how they look”. The opened doors revealed a colorful hall, a red carpet with golden images, blue columns, magical gems that emanate light. The ceiling is red as well with a flag painted on it. The flag is blue with a black dragon head in the middle of it. Everytime he sees that flag, Richard smiles. It takes him back to when he was human. The hall leads to a throne room, same layout as before, but the flag is put on poles on both sides. The throne is rather poor compared to the room, made out of iron, painted black with no arm rest. If someone saw it, he would’ve thought it was a normal chair. Richard sat on the throne and started to meditate. Slowly his mind goes adrift. Slowly his view shifts to the outside, he sees the skeletons, the tombs outside the walls, the wraith shrines and finally in the distance the Black Mountains, home of most of the undead dragons. Suddenly all turns black, what he sees is only a purple light that grows greater and greater. With great speed is passes near him and for a split-second he saw what was inside of it. A knight.

 

“My lord.”

 

Richard breaks his meditation and the sound of the voice. He looks and sees a woman, tall with pale skin and dressed in a dark-blue dress.

 

“Yes, Catherine?”

 

His voice was annoyed, that kind touch that it had with the dragon, lost the moment when his precious silence was broken.

 

“I am sorry to disturb you, but Jal’Roc wants to see you”

 

“Did he say why he wants to see me?”

 

“He has returned a day ago from a battle between the Bishopry and Honoria”

 

“Very well. Send him in”

 

Jal’Roc was another lich, not as powerful as Richard, but powerful enough for him to be allowed to see his master. He was once a goblin shaman, killed by his own father because he refused to turn his faith. With his dying breath, he promised to take vengeance. His corpse was taken by on of Richard’s followers and resurrected as a lich. Now he usually wonders the land around battles, destroyed villages in order to grow the army.

 

-He looks the same as the day I took him.

 

“My lord, I’ve brought troops and news”

 

He bowed and then looked up. Dressed only in his shaman clothes, that now look more like rags.

 

“I managed to bring three thousand troops, elven archers and human pikemen, sadly a dragon was involved in the battle that burned most of the corpses. I’ve created a tomb just south of here.”

 

“Wonderful. And the news?”

 

“Two of the Grand Liches are away. I do not know why or where.”

 

“Only them?”

 

“From what I know, yes.”

 

Even though it was not uncommon for a Grand Lich, like Richard, to leave his territory in order to scout or to loot, he will usually have a guard with him or announce his leave. The power system between the Grand Liches is very fragile, there are five of them, each rulling a portion of the cursed territory, if two of them suddenly leave, it might provoke a power struggle. That is why all of the five agreed to a set of rules to not kill eachother, but to cooperate and prosper.

 

“Do we know who?”

 

“Grrar and Maria”

 

“Damn it.”

 

Grrar and Maria were the neighbours of Richard, much powerful than him, they were like wall that protected him from the other two. With their absence, it would be a matter of time before they will try to seize the unprotected territory.

 

“My Lord, are you feeling well?”

 

This question brought Richard back to reality. He now knew that he had a chance. His followers are loyal, he know who he will fight and where. He knows that he will not fight on two fronts. His enemies are in front and he will pass this challenge like it was nothing.

 

“Yes, yes. No need to worry. I had in mind to summon the Council tomorrow, but since we have this situation, I guess we will do it now. Call all of them, we will meet in the Treasury Room.”

 

“At once.”

 

Both of them in an instant teleported. In a second he was in the Treasury Room. A room filled with gold ingots, jewellery, currency of every kind and most important of all, artefacts. You could see how old is Richard only by his possessions. Old armor, banners of nations that do not even exist anymore, weapons that slowly decayed but their magical power is still intact. In the middle of the room a great table made of the finest white marble and near it chairs made of the finest wood. He looked at the entrance. Same doors as outside, but this time polished with gold. He felt a bit proud. The defence mechanism, allowing only his magic and the magic of his followers to be used. He took a seat at the front of the table and waited. The wait was not long, the doors opened and six figures entered the room. One was Jal’Roc looking the same as before, the next three was Roland, Caleb and Dalak, Undead Paladins, all of them were geared up, armed to the teeth. The only difference was that Dalak was an Orc and his armor was decorated with skulls. The last two were Vampire woman and a Skeleton Warrior, Beatrice and Spear of Death. Soon after everyone found a place to sit, Beatrice and Jal’Roc the closest followed by the paladins and finally the warrior. Short time after the ceiling darkened and a dark-grey shadow slowly entered the room. It was Ygrasa, a Ghost Dragon, one of the most dangerous types of undead dragons.

 

“Everyone is here, hello Spear.”

 

A deep voice roared from the dragon. It seemed like it cared more for the skeleton than for everyone in this room

 

“Good to see you Ygrasa.”

 

“Richard, I know you want to be respectful, but you of all people should know when to awake me!”

 

“You are right. But this is an urgent matter.”

 

Ygrasa was the dragon that killed Richard a long time ago. Now they do not hate each other, but they want to keep each other at distance. It usually brought awkward moments. Both of them fought an invisible war, who will dominate the other and be the ruler of this region.

 

“Two of the Grand Liches are missing. I am talking about Grrar and Maria. We do not know why and how, but we expect the others to start moving as soon as they learn of this situation. I have called you in order to make a plan and maybe to profit from this.”

 

“Do we know that they have learned of the missing Grand Liches?” asked Roland

 

“Sadly no.”

 

“That is unfortunate. We could’ve talked it out.. Maybe even allying ourselves with them so we can brace for a greater danger” said Beatrice

 

“What makes you think like that?” asked Caleb

 

“Oh come on Caleb, two of the greatest liches are missing and you think nothing will happen? I suggest fortifing our borders and send scouts up to the Honorian border.”

 

The Undead territory was in the middle of Titanicus, to the north it had it’s border with the Bishopry of the Magnum Sol, to the west and south-west House of the Arctic Wizards and to the east and south-east Kingdom of Honoria. The Honorian border was special because a long time ago, Honorian druids created a dense forest that protects Honoria from the Undead Legions. Many attempts were made to penetrate this border, but none have succeeded. Liches like Jal’Roc pass through the Bishopry under a fake identity, visit battle sites, ask in villages and towns about the latest news and then disappear back into friendly territory. Richard’s territory was near the Bishopry and the Arctic Wizards. The land looks like a great steppe with hilly terrain at the border with the Arctic Wizards and a small mountain range. Almost all resources were taken by each Grand Lich and now the only way is to loot the nearby countries. The Great Fog that protects this cursed lands is also a prison. Somehow the Liches can’t expand it and that makes their territory static on the outside. On the inside, they usually fought between each other not for the useless dirt, but for the catacombs. You may only see a small mausoleum from the outside, but underground it goes deep. The capitals of each Grand Lich is like two cities, one outside and one underground. Richard’s palace was separate from his capital, he always wants peace above all else. But now it seems that trouble came searching for him.

 

“A good idea. We must prepare for the worst. My warriors will be ready in two days.” said Spear

“That is very good. If you will go, try to move through the catacombs. We do not want to raise suspicions.”

“How can you raise suspicion if they are so far away?” asked Ygrasa

“We must show that we do not know nothing. Raise some wraiths to scout the lands. And send message to the other Grand Liches. We meet on neutral ground at the Fog Tower. Beatrice, send some of your vampires to the Bishopry and try to find out if they are planning something. Jal, make another expedition, this time go in Rexalia through Arctic Wizards. If you manage to find any beasts that may help us or anything of magical power, it would be excellent. And you three, prepare the defences while Spear prepares his warriors. Now go! I will remain with Ygrasa to talk about something else” Richard commanded

“At once, My Lord” they shouted at once

In a second, all of them teleported to their tasks. Richard waited a bit after his followers were gone. Ygrasa was looking at him, curious about what he wanted to talk. Usually Ygrasa was called only to give advice and to prepare for the worst to come since undead dragons, especially the ghost, others may say shadow type, are so rare.

“You know, it’s been 25 years since something happen near us.”

“Do not forget what happened 32 years ago.”

“I am not, I am not. That damned pope. The thing is he used that stone for what? He died a few days after the his grand wish was granted. But what is happening right now? I fear the worst. We are the only ones that still know where is our Soul Stone. And guess what, Grrar and Maria are the ones supposed to guard it.”

“That is a problem indeed. You fear that they will come after it?”

“Who?”

“Zarak and Pitrix.”

“No, I do not fear that. They are greedy, but not in the way to kill us all. I fear that somehow, we were robbed. And now we are just sitting here waiting for it to happen. What will it be? The whole continent be under that foolish faith? Or immortality for the whole Bishopry?!”

His voice was louder and louder, his anger rose to never seen heights. Ygrasa chuckled.

“You still bear a grudge after all this years? They made you the man you are right now. Or were, take it however you want it. And do not worry about the Soul Stone, even though the Grand Liches are missing, that does not mean the other liches are missing as well. They still have their duty to protect it.”

“I do not know. They just make me feel sick every time I mention their name or see them. With their worship of the Sun. Also, those liches can only defend for a time. They simply do not have the power to command great armies or to call for help. What I fear is that they will fall for infighting since their masters are gone. We are lucky with the Fog. Do you mind if I go outside?”

“Not at all. I got bored of this room”

In an instant, Richard was outside, in an empty field, looking at the stars. Short time has passed and Ygrasa was near him. If the ground had gems, you could’ve said that it was a mirror of the sky. The wind was blowing slowly, the snowing had stopped. Richard found a place where to sit and still see what is around him.

“How long has it been? One thousand years?”

“Almost. What, are you nostalgic now?”

Richard laughed at Ygrasa’s words.

“No, but I look to the past and try to find something that may help me now. But all I see is years and years spent near my palace, doing nothing. I wanted peace. I think it was a mistake.”

“Well, you are right. You allowed the others to get stronger while you cowered here, trying to meditate.”

“Harsh as ever. Well, maybe now is the time to do it. I shall go personally to the bordering catacombs with Rek’Ra and try to persuade the local liches to come under my lead.”

“A bold plan. Are you sure that it’s still you?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t the first big crisis we are facing. We had wars with the enemies standing right here and we still won. Remember when there were 10 Grand Liches? I do not know what has gotten into you.”

“I had a vision-”

“A vision?! Great, our GRAND LICH is scared because of a vision!”

Now Ygrasa was showing her entire body, spreading her wings as far as she could, to think that her master is scared about something he saw while meditating, it was too much.

“I’ve had enough of you! Do you think that showing your wings will scare me?! I had a vision of that damned purple light in the sky. It’s not something that will go away with time! A knight will fall from it and I do not think that will bring good fortune upon us! Now, Ygrasa will you calm yourself or I will finally end your existence!”

The tension was rising, both ready for combat, but after a few seconds, Ygrasa calmed herself.

“You still have a spine. Good. Now you shall know that I will follow you into battle, my Lord”

“Good. Now go to your nest. If something happens, I will call for you.”

“Understood.”

Richard didn’t look at Ygrasa flying back to her nest. For the first time in a while, he won against her. He felt powerful and proud. He looked again at the sky, that purple light was bothering him more and more. Suddenly, a flash in the sky, brief and yellow. Like a meteor at high speed it was racing in the sky towards the Bishopry. It was shining like the Sun during summer, Richard could feel his armour getting hotter and hotter, it was no normal light, it was holy.

“Are you for real?!” he shouted

The anger came back, but with much more force. The clench in his fists could smash a rock to dust with ease. He tried to see what was it source, what could shine this bright. It lasted for a few seconds after that he could see a pillar of light to the north, maybe that is where it landed.

Bad omens, bad omens. Only bad omens.

*

            Two days have passed. Richard was waiting in a catacomb. No torches, only the darkness and the occasional sounds of passing rats. He could see just fine, but he longed for this darkness back when he was just a soldier. Now as a Grand Lich that darkness was rare. The silence was broken by a sound of bones touching the cold stone. The room slowly was freezing. He could see the spider-web turning white, ice slowly growing on the walls. A mere tunnel with the occasional unmarked grave, a perfect spot for a meeting. The skeleton finally arrived, wielding only a staff that was frozen completely. Blue and white armour covered his body, but his feet were wide open, an ice mage. Turned undead a long time ago, now a mere lich with the responsibility to take care of his catacomb.

“Do you intend to scare me, lich?” Richard asked

“Not at all, my lord. But I can’t control my magic as I used to. Sorry for the inconvenience”

This exchange was to test the lich to see if he respected Richard or not. He had dealt with a lot of rebellious liches that thought they can grab his power with no effort. He detested those liches and never trusted them

“I will say one thing. Join me and you will be spared and under my protection, if not… Well, I think you value your life.”

“Not at all, I wish to be dead and free. But do not worry, my warriors will join you, as long as you do not disturb our sleep. If you require warriors, so shall it be. But leave my place untouched.”

“You do not have to worry about it. Thank you for understanding what it is at stake. I shall move on to the next catacomb.”

“Good bye, my lord.”

The lich bowed and left. Richard teleported outside and looked at Rek’Ra.

“We have a long road ahead.” he said