//------------------------------// // 'Immortality' // Story: The Crystal Vizier // by Lich-Lord Krosis //------------------------------// "Ughh..." Shining groaned, his bones and muscles popping as he stretched his legs. He looked around, the only thing greeting his vision was the soft glow of the... hearth? When had they installed a fireplace in the dining hall? Why was it so dark?! Where was Cadence?!? Panicking, Shining attempted to get up, but was stopped by a soft groan of discomfort. He sighed in relief, and looked down to see his princess curled up next to him, her muzzle buried in her tail. He chuckled softly, using his magic to bring her closer, gently wrapping his tail around her smaller form. He craned his neck, kissing her lightly on the head, the alicorn cooing lightly in reply. "What have we gotten ourselves into Cady?" he quietly asked his unconscious wife, her only reply to lightly turn in her sleep, one of her wings twitching once. He smiled, and rested his chin softly atop her head. "You love her, don't you?" a familiar voice asked, much quieter than usual. Shining jumped slightly, but relaxed just as swiftly, realizing that the lich meant no harm. He turned his head towards the voice, and found the lich in the corner of the room, looking up from a book, his normal bright blue aura diminished greatly, the only thing remaining lit were his eyes. He nodded, his eyes drifting back to his angel, her mane, while disheveled at the moment, flowed smoothly down her shoulders, framing her beautiful eyes, which he would've given anything to see... Anything. Wait... That book... he had seen it before... His eyes darted back to the lich. His eyes were no longer on Shining, his gaze returned to strange tome he had in his claws. But where... Then, it all came back. The horror, the voices, all came flooding back into his head, and he shivered, gagging as the blood-soaked floor of Kel'Thuzad's throne room flashed across his view. He yelled, and fell out of the embrace of his beloved, toppling over the floor, before landing on another pillow, which seemed to be strategically placed, as if someone knew he would fall, or collapse. The stallion's blurry memories came back now, as well, images of the dining hall flashing across his mind. The terrified faces of the nobles as they heard him speak. But he wasn't the one speaking. The voice... The voice that had come from... whatever was torturing Kel'Thuzad. But... he had... spoken with it. It had come from him! "My king! Are you well?!" The undead mage asked once more, Lady Cadence and him leaning in over the entranced unicorn. His eyes seemed... Focused on something, as if he was watching something happen. A flashback, maybe? Or maybe a migraine. Arthas had suffered from those when he was not yet actually his king... No, that can't be it. This stallion was his king. He had put on the helm. He was bound to it. Which left flashbacks, or mirages. Not unheard of. Intense magical powers can overwhelm sometimes, resulting in paranoia, nausea, and mirages and illusions. Kel'Thuzad, however, had only read, not experienced. As a lich, pain was foreign to him, and as everyone knows, the real limit behind magical manipulation is your pain threshold. In short, how much energy can you channel before your body fails, or disintegrates? Thus, another inherent beauty of Lichdom. "AH!" Shining finally screamed, scrambling as quickly as he could away from the duo. More importantly, the lich. He hit his head upon the bedside, and stood stock still, whimpering slightly as the lich floated away from him, quite obviously confused. "Shiny..." Cadence whispered, attempting to soothe the distressed stallion, her form slowly creeping towards the unicorn. He sighed slightly, relaxing as his wife's form enveloped his in a hug, her gentle caresses and voice calming him immensely. "STAY AWAY!" Shining screamed, his voice cracking terribly as he did, shooting an accusing hoof at Kel'Thuzad as he floated closer. Cadence jumped and yelped as he did, Shining's eyes starting to glow once more, though not nearly as bright as before. The lich stood still, bowing slightly. He seemed... calm. Too calm. "WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!" Shining screeched, frost starting to permeate his breath. "My... my king..." Kel'Thuzad began, attempting to diffuse his monarch before damage was ensued. Already, the surrounding room was dipping in temperature, and the seasoned mage felt arcane power echoing from his master’s position. "GODDESSES DAMN IT, KEL'THUZAD! I KNOW YOU KNOW!" Shining roared, the room somewhat shaking. Poor Cadence was on the verge of tears, smothering her husband tightly, hanging unto his barrel for dear life. The lich sighed. "My lord..." "JUST TELL ME! I'M SICK AND BUCKING TIRED OF ALL THIS BULLSHIT! JUST TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON..." Shining sobbed, his voice cracking on the last few words. His head fell, the blue glow cut off from view. Cadence continued to shush him, whispering gently to her beloved, attempting to soothe the raging king. *Tink* *Tink* Shining Armor was no coward. Shining Armor was no filly. He started to cry anyway. "My... king... you are plagued with the same curse and blessing that befalls me. Yet... you are a miracle! Necromantically speaking, of course." The lich said, his arms folding behind his back. "You are undead." "Yet... you are living." "From the moment I realized this, I searched. For an answer. An explanation!" The lich shouted, his voice gathering strength. "You can sleep, yet you do not tire." "You can eat, yet you gain no sustenance. "YOU CAN LIVE." "Yet, you cannot." "Kel'Thuzad... just tell me what's wrong with me!" Shining sobbed, his coat covered in small, frozen tear droplets. The lich sighed, trying to gather his metaphorical breath as it attempted to escape him. "When you contacted... Death, was anyone present?" Kel'Thuzad asked. "I was." Cadence replied, her hooves curling tighter around her husband, his hooves pulling her closer, desperate for any sort of comfort. The lich looked to her, then to Shining once more. "My king... do you remember what I asked you last night?" Kel'Thuzad asked, his suspicions finally answered. Shining nodded. "Well... your phylactery is..." "Your wife." "Well... she's one of them, anyway..."