A dazed Tiberius and pouting Aurelius trudged their way out of the pristine windows and gaggles of cafe-goers.

  The route back to the Academy was one that Aurelius had taken many times before. Yet, the curious feeling of déjà vu tickled the back of his mind, adding a sense of unease into his heart.

  Aurelius had organised and reflected on his situation in the void, during the breaks that he took from soul-shaping. Even if the physical exertion was not as significant, the mental toll that the exercise took was nothing to scoff at.

  The new revelations and information gave him more questions than answers. That fickle god had given him barely any guidance! The gist of His words were “figure it out yourself” and “you should stop insulting me in your thoughts”.

  Aurelius had become slightly numb to the mounting horrors chasing him. Any mage would have been the same if they killed a spirit with TRUE CREATION and met the FAE QUEEN. And that was not to mention the fact that Dr. Varian was a…

  Aurelius stopped dead in his tracks, dread filling him once more.

  “Holy Terravex. He can read minds!” Aurelius yelled.

  Tiberius turned back, his eyes wary as to what new line of nonsense he was about to sprout.

  “Dr. Varian. He read my mind when he killed me!”

  “Did he know everything from the start? That must be why he didn’t bother to investigate us further! What is he even doing with the Fae Queen?”

  A chill suddenly went up his spine.

  Aurelius had been too focused on Quetzalcoatl and the Fae Queen. The dean had barely counted as a blip in the depths of his mind.

  Why had he not even considered reporting the man? A lich had to be handled by the Commission, a must-report person of interest by all citizens of Teotlcan.

  Thinking further back, why had he not even thought to contact the Magic Commission after the failed summoning? Such a strange incident definitely warranted a visit to the Commission. It was an obligation for all mages, after all…

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  He… He was a lich… Yet Aurelius did not feel… afraid…

  “Tiberius, do you remember that I mentioned Dr. Varian is a lich?”

  “Uh… Yes? A Greenwich lich right?” He replied, his brows furrowing as he recalled their conversation.

  “Did you consider reporting him to the Commission?” Aurelius asked, his expression twisting further in horror.

  “I… What… Wait… Holy Dragons, I-I didn’t even think about that! He’s a FUCKING LICH AURELIUS!” Tiberius yelled, his eyes filling up with pure terror.

  The full weight of the dean’s identity hit them both simultaneously.

  “What kind of mind magic is this!” Aurelius muttered in shock.

  “We’re not going the FUCK back to the Academy! We’re going immediately to a Commission office.” Tiberius yelled out, completely in shock.

  Hands trembling, he hailed a cab.

  “Do you have money? You spent all of mine at the Spoon. 7 silver should be good enough to get us to the Tower.”

  The cabs were recently introduced as a service by the House Ferraro as part of their venture into magicars. They had been making a tidy profit providing a luxurious alternative to the Royal Underground for wealthier city dwellers.

  Aurelius took out his wallet, checking its contents. His usual qualms about spending money were completely quashed by the deep sense of urgency that he felt.

  Aurelius did not care about the fact that he may be trapped in a time-loop. Firstly, he had no idea the conditions for the activation of the loop. While fairly certain that death was a trigger for a reset, Aurelius was still quite unsure as to what classified as “death”.

  Running into that lich alone would likely expose his thoughts, and had a high probability of testing such… boundaries. After all, getting tortured, and having his soul twisted were not technically… death.

  Quetzalcoatl, despite all of his displays of miraculous power, had been rather transparent as to his motives. He had even been forgiving of Aurelius and his stupidity, leaving an impression of a powerful bum in Their mid life crisis rather than an overtly evil entity. Angels and gods had their quirks, after all.

  However, this Greenwich Lich had absolutely meddled with his mind maliciously. Tiberius had not even considered the man’s true identity, despite the lack of direct contact! It was almost a certainty that the man had a grip over the minds of all Academy students, if not the staff too!

  Gods and angels had limited reach within the mortal plane, and more or less unconcerned in the lives of humanity. However, a lich was, by definition, an abomination, created from slaughter.

  They were stuck between divinity and mortality, living and dead. And Aurelius felt no desire to feel the ire of such abomination again, much less one associated with The Queen.

  The pair climbed into the rectangular frame of the magicar, Tiberius expertly requesting a ride to the Tower.

  The smooth glide of the magicar over the cobblestone made for a pleasant journey as the two of them sat in petrified silence, looking out of the windows expectantly, as if anticipating a sort of attempt on their lives.

  Soon, the tall, imposing structure came into view, exuding an aura of awe. Its ignivite shell cast a warm glow into the eyes observers. Its dragons carved onto the sphere at its apex looked almost lifelike up close, a testament to the craftsmanship of its architects.

  Thanking the driver, and passing him the 7 silver pieces, they stepped out of the car, still silent.

  Staring at the steps that led to its glass entrance, Aurelius felt a dark joke enter his mind.

  At least the Commission is quick with their executions!