The world was freezing.
Everyone wanted eternal life, but no one thought about what you had to trade for it.
Yohan certainly didn't.
This entire world was his, everyone bowed to him. He was for all intents and purposes a god!
It was all so so boring.
Not even conquering another world held any interest for him.
You conquer one world and you might as well have conquered them all.
The problem with unlimited power, is it means you become practically powerless, nothing is new anymore, you've done it all just because you had the power to. Sure, you could kill whoever you want, or just outlive them, but what is the point? They couldn't affect you anyway. At that point, it just feels like a waste of your infinite energy, not to mention the paperwork.
Yohan had even tried to destroy his phylactery, life as a Lych just wasn't worth it, but his disciples had hidden it away from him.
He knew where it was of course, but the fear and misery they had had when they realized he had tried to kill himself? That cut worse than any wound he could make. Besides, it probably would just reform itself.
Being all powerful sucked.
So he sat on his icy throne.
Freezing.
It was his own damn fault after all.
He shouldn't have taken that bet of whether he was more powerful than the sun.
No wonder his followers were so devout. If he was gone, who would keep them warm? Who would give them food? Who would sustain them on this otherwise desolate rock.
They didn't love him, they just were afraid. Yohan thought bitterly.
He had thought fear would be enough, but in the end, it really wasn't.
He kept circling with these thoughts, if only he had some heroes left in this world to kill him.
It had been a millennia since anyone other than his followers had lived on this dead world, and even then, the hero they sent seemed otherworldly.
Wait, otherworldly?
That could be the solution!
All that Yohan had to do was travel to another world with heroes that could kill him!
For the first time in centuries he grinned!
Why hadn't he thought of this before?
“Apostle. . .” Yohan’s deep crackling voice faded as he realized he had forgotten the cultist's name. Time does that to everyone, when was the last time he spoke anyway? In a way it didn't matter.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Apostle, prepare a room for a ritual.” Yohan sat back smugly. At least with the power that he had he now could delegate the unpleasant tasks.
“What kind of ritual, your Mortuiossness?” That was a new one. Did they just sit around making up titles? No wait, he had to be clever here. If they knew he planned to leave they might do things wrong in desperation. . . Or worse, they might start groveling.
Yohan brought his dessicated hand to his forehead. Think, think Yohan! What if he brought them along with him? They might like that.
Yohan sat back up in an imperious pose. “This world is not enough for me, it is time that we all move on to the next conquest!”
The Apostle seemed concerned still.
“Just prepare a two way portal, I miss seeing what sunlight looks like.” Yohan admitted.
“Right away your Deathlessness!” The Apostle ran off, presumably to get things ready.
Yohan realized he didn't even ask for the man's name, but then, what is the name of an insect to him? So long as nothing gets messed up due to their inadequacies, it should be fine.
Yohan stretched, what would be the first thing he'd do?
Go to a beach that wasn't frozen over? Maybe just enjoy the existence of life once more?
He couldn't have the residents of the world coming after him though, they'd force him to destroy everything and completely ruin the point.
Yohan looked at his reflection in the black marble of his palace. Hollow eyes, burning with an unnatural red fire, his dead skin hanging loose off his cheekbones, a worm wiggled through his eyebrow. . . Wait a worm? Disgusting thing! Yohan used his magic to throw it to the marble and cast a fireball as hot as a sun at it. It didn't even have time to realize it was dead. Disgusting creature.
Yohan returned to his musings. Perhaps a disguise was in order.
He hadn't used illusion magic in centuries, he flubbed parts of it at first, making his skin too white, his nose too red, his hair. . . Unnaturally colorful.
What did living people look like again? He looked around, a cultist was in the corner shaking and staring at the charred melted marble at the center of the floor.
“You. . . Come here” Yohan beckoned, his skeletal finger outstretched.
The cultist walked forward and closed his eyes, liquid pooling at his feet.
After a few measurements, Yohan was done.
“Open your eyes, how do I look?”
The cultist peeked, and saw a mirror of himself.
“I am b-blessed to have my mortal f-form reflected b-by your magi-magi-greatness.” He stammered.
Yohan made a few quick alterations, taking in the nose here, changed the hair color from a blonde to an unassuming brown, and so on.
It was a few hours before he finished, several times he had to revert everything to the Cultists features when things didn't go as he had hoped.
Finally he persona was complete!
“My lord! The preparations for the ritual are com. . .” The Apostle from earlier looked around. “Where did he go?”
“I am here, take me to the ritual spot.” Yohan grinned
“My Skeletiousness, forgive my presumptuousness, but why the disguise?”
“Skeletiousness? Seriously?That was a bit of a weak title wasn't it?” Yohan asked.
“I have offended you! My Magistrophy! Let me give my life to pay for my sin, and please spare my family.” the Apostle pulled out a long wicked dagger.
“Please stop. Call me Yohan, especially while we are out. I do not wish for the other world to know we are there, as it would frustrate my grand purpose.” It was all Yohan could do, for some reason he felt compelled towards superfluous grandness by this Apostle.
“Your mercy is boundless, my. . . Yohan” the Apostle caught himself.
The ritual room was dark, arcane sigils lined the floor and walls. Deep red candles were in skulls across the floor, ready to be lit.
Yohan looked at the room and sighed.
“We can remove the skulls, put the candles at the edge of this circle.”
Youan waited for his followers to make the necessary changes.
Let's see. . . Portal magic. . . Yohan raised his arms and the candles ignited with pink flame.
Yohan frowned.
The candles sputtered and turned a deep black with a violet core.
That was better.
Now what were the right words again?
Ehh screw it.
“Portal!” Yohan said pointing at the circle.
Immense amounts of energy flowed from his hand, enough to suck hundreds of mortals dry, but Yohan was not mortal.
A dark spot grew in the center of the circle, the black flames twisted and swirled in towards it, spinning, spinning, but never reaching the center.
The cold room frosted over.
A light grew in the center of the spiraling singularity, more and more until finally, an image of a grassy hill appeared within.
The candles were snuffed out.
The only sound was the Cultists' breathing.
It was done.
Yohan would experience life again!

